Posts tagged Road Runner Sports
Finding My #BrilliantRun With @MizunoRunning
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Although I have no focus to this blog I think I could consider the simple topic of ”change” as an ongoing theme. It’s amazing to look over the past months and see what all has changed…heck, even from day-to-day. So it should come as no surprise that here I am once again writing about change.
Unfortunately for me this past year of running has been straight up challenging. There’s not one specific thing I can pinpoint when it comes to this change…it’s just part of the journey. Weight gain, change in gait, different weather….all of those things add in to the change. With that being said I wanted to do my best to rule out any variables that could be contributing to this issue. I’ve hashed and rehashed how I love my Mizuno Wave Riders but one thing I wondered was if my shoes were complicating my existing issues.
Early this year I had the opportunity to try of a pair of Wave Precisions and fell in love in a heartbeat. I can’t put into words how awesome and light they felt but they weren’t quite minimalist. Sadly as time went on I started to feel ankle discomfort/strain during my runs. Having less shoe also meant less support and less control of my foot in the shoe. I was in denial that the Precision wasn’t my perfect shoe because I loved how good they felt. After the discomfort persisted I decided it was time to do something about it.
Last month I took a trip to my local Road Runner Sports store. Instead of just winging it I went ahead and met up with Shoe Dog, had my gate analyzed, and was fit with custom insoles. The analysis proved that I have crazy high arches (already knew that). However, unlike many people with high arches I don’t underpronate (roll my foot on the outside edge) when I run. I find this interesting because I most definitely do when I walk. Instead, I tend to overpronate (foot leans to inside, on the arch), causing more stress on my arches. I’m also a midfoot striker…this is a good thing, right? After my analysis they recommended I go with a support shoe that would correct my overpronating. I left the store with my bright blue Wave Inspires ready to run.
My first run started out pretty good. My foot felt more secure than it ever had, but at 1.5 miles my achilles started burning along with my cuboid. Although this is a problem I’ve dealt with in the past it was well over a year ago since I had any flareups. By the end of 3 miles I was in straight up pain. Bummer. But I stayed positive knowing that I needed to give myself time to adjust. Unfortunately things never really improved and I knew it was time to head back to the drawing board.
Thankfully with Road Runner Sports 90 day test run guarantee they didn’t bat an eye when I went in to get them exchange. They actually listened to all of my concerns and didn’t act like I was a crazy person (even though we all know that I am….). In a nutshell they determined that I needed to stay in a more neutral vs support shoe and basically the Inspire was almost over correcting my gait. In other words, I didn’t need that much support.
What’s up Shoe Dog?
After our discussion I tried on the Wave Enigma and Wave Creation. The Enigma felt great but I found it had too high of an ankle collar that rubbed my ankle bone simply from walking. Needless to say those were vetoed almost immediately. Next up, the Wave Creation. Ever since starting to run I never judge shoes by what they look like or their color, but I gotta say, these are some badass looking shoes. Something I noticed off the bat was that that they are heavier than I’m used too. I was used to the Precisions at 8 oz and Riders at 8.2 oz. The Creations weigh in a 9.7 oz…More than an ounce over the Riders, which is attributed to the solid heel. But I remained open minded.
So did the Creations work for me? It’s been more than a week since I started running in them and things are going very well. By no means are these as light as the Precisions but I must admit the don’t feel the extra weight and it hasn’t seemed to cause any issues. Although the Creation is considered a neutral shoe it provides a bit more support than the Rider but not as much as the Inspire, leaving it smack dab in the middle of their shoe line up.
Are they my perfect shoe? I will readily admit I have yet to fall in love with them as fast as I did the Riders and then Precisions, but they are what is working best for me right now. I don’t think I’ll ever totally give up Riders or Precisions and instead use my body as a gauge as to what shoe works best. And right now, the Creations are what are working best.
Although some may see this process as being frustrating and tedious I thought it was pretty cool. I am a self-proclaimed Mizuno Maniac and this allowed me to not only check out their line of shoes but gave me the chance to actually run in them and experience them for myself. This in turn has given me a better understanding of the difference between more of their shoes. Although I have yet to try the entire line of shoes I can check off Riders, Precisions, Ascends, Inspires, Enigmas, and Creations from the list. This experience also gave me the chance to check out the Shoe Dog analysis at Road Runner Sports and I got to see that the whole 90 day guarantee is for real. Pretty rad. Big high five to Road Runner for being patient with me.
I think the biggest takeaway from this experience was that it reminded me that it’s very important to listen to my body, check in with myself, and make adjustments instead of just doing something a certain way because it’s what I’ve always done.
Keep Smiling and Be Grateful =)
Bright & Versatile #FitGear From @RRSports – Giveaway!
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It’s no secret that since moving to Phoenix I have fallen in love with Road Runner Sports. From the Adventure Runs to their other fun in-store events what’s not to love? Their fitness apparel is pretty darn cool as well and I’ve found it to performed amazingly well. However, they just upped the ante. With the help of the Road Runner Sports Tempe store I was able to grab a quick sneak peak of some of the newly released or soon-to-be released items. Wow! Bright colors and versatility are the two things that stuck out to me.
For me, the brighter the better so I’m in love with all of the colors.
I’ve also taken note of a few differences in the overall style of the clothing. Dare I say it’s more LuluLemon-esque? Which leads me to my next point. What I mean when it comes to versatility is the ability to transition from sweat to street with ease. Sure, the clothing is still active wear, but not all of it screams, “I’m a runner!” It can be easily worn for other active lifestyles….or in my case, even work.
Case in point. I have fallen utterly in love with my Out & About Cardi. I wear it a minimum of once a week and most often I wear it to work…in a business setting. Not only can I wear it to work but it can be worn 50 million (ok not really that many) ways. In all seriousness, it can be worn in more ways than you can imagine.
Having already connected with Road Runner Sports they reached out to me to see if I’d be interested in doing a giveaway. After consulting my own personal standards on holding giveaways, I think it fits perfectly, so let’s do this!
What’s up for grabs? This entire outfit below! Men, yes you can enter for the ladies in your life as well. Even better? Send them to this post to enter as well.
To sweeten the deal Road Runner has also included my absolute fave piece in the giveaway….
Yes, the Out & About Cardi! – dog not included 
There you have it. All 3 pieces of the outfit could be yours simply by entering. Cool, right?
Here’s how to enter:
-Leave me a comment below. With spring around the corner, what are you most looking forward to?
-For an additional entry, tweet about this giveaway and leave a separate comment here letting me know you did. Something along the lines of “WIN rad new #FitGear from @RRSports & @BananaBuzzbomb!!” or just click this to tweet.
This giveaway ends at 11:59PM PST March 20th, 2013. The winners will be chosen at random using Random.org and notified by the following Monday. Sorry international friends, this giveaway is open to followers with US shipping addresses only.
Keep Smiling and Be Grateful =)
It’s Time For The Fiesta Bowl Half Marathon
8November 29, 2012
in Running
Pssst. Did you know my next half marathon was this weekend? Indeed, it is. Seems like just yesterday that I started training. But, then again, that’s what happens when you wait to officially start training until week 4 of a 12 week training plan.
How did training go? Meh. It went. Frankly, my running has felt “off” for awhile now and that didn’t change when I started training for this race. I know that I have the ability to finish a half marathon and quite honestly, I’m content with that, which leads me to the next question….
What are my goals and expectations of this race? I have none. Seriously, I don’t. If you follow me at all you know that’s not how I roll. Unlike 99.9% of runners, I do not run to PR. Remember, I don’t do speed work, I rarely run races, (even though I have a few on my bucket list. Hello, Disney!), and I still stand by my opinion that races don’t make an athlete. Although I’m the Queen of over-analyzing, it may surprise you when I say that my daily runs, AKA “training”, aren’t something I over-analyze. Any analyzing that takes place is, “What route should I take?” or “How far should I go.” Most often I just lace up and run.
What am I going to wear? I have a pretty good idea, but I’m not 100% yet. With the night temperatures getting down to the mid 40s and the day temperatures reaching up into the mid 70s or low 80s it does make for a challenge to choose the appropriate gear. I’ll definitely be wearing layers.
Even though I don’t have grandiose plans to PR I’m still excited to go out and once again share in the excitement of racing with my fellow runners, and have an excellent time. Not to mention, when you go into something without expectations, it’s bound to be a great time, right? Let’s hope so.
In honor of my half marathon, Road Runner Sports and I are collaborating to provide you with a coupon to pick up some new gear. Just enter the code at check out and you’re good to go!
Keep Smiling and Be Grateful =)
Girls Night Out At Road Runner Sports
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After hitting up Road Runner Sports for their free Adventure Runs and Saturday boot camp, it’s no secret that since relocating to Arizona in July I’ve fallen in love with everything they have to offer. What’s not to love about free activities that get you moving and allow you to meet new people, right?
A couple weeks ago an announcement for a Girl’s Night Out came across Road Runner Sports Tempe Facebook Page.
• Experience Royal Treatment as Your Fit Expert Caters to Your Every Whim!
• Sip Fun Cocktails & Nibble Delectable Treats!
• Win Fantastic Prizes!
Another reason to get out and have a fun-filled night? I jumped at the chance. Even better? Some Cholla Chicks joined in too!
Prizes up for grabs
Sangria was the drink of choice for the evening
Upon entering we receive an immediate entry into the drawing. In addition, if we visited each vendor and had them initial a card we would receive another entry. You better believe we hit up each vendor which were mostly local companies representing their products and services.
I passed on the free massages available but took the opportunity to do a little shopping at my leisure, to get familiar with all of the products that Road Runner Sports carries.
Lucky for me there was was also an Road Runner Sports staff member on hand for Moving Comfort bra fittings. Woot! Although I’ve taken the time to be professionally fit for an everyday bra I’ve never done so for a sports bra. I think a good bra is worth it’s weight in gold but since I hadn’t been fit I was hesitant to ever purchase a “good” one. I took advantage of the night tried on several bra options.
After slithering into each of them and doing the good ol’ jump around the fitting room dance. (Yes, that’s a requirement) I had a winner! Allow me to introduce you to my new sports bra of choice….
The Rebound Racer
I’ve since run in it 3 times and am in love. Definitely worth the money. Why did I wait do long?!
I’ve recently realized I’m in dire need of some new tanks and compression shorts so I tried a couple things on and found a few more things I couldn’t leave RRS without.
Another thumbs up? Can you tell I was excited?
By the time I finished trying on gear the night was wrapping up and the final raffle winners were being drawn. Although I didn’t win anything the Cholla Chicks didn’t walk away empty handed. Michelle was the winner of an Asics bag full of goodies.
With only a few moments left in the night we grabbed one last photo….
We couldn’t leave without stopping to say “Hi!” to Shoe Dog
Thank you Road Runner Sports for once again providing an evening full of fun. Can’t wait until the next event!
Not in Phoenix? Make sure to search for your local Road Runner Sports and find them on Facebook to see what events are being hosted in your area. If you have any questions give them a shout out on Twitter and they’ll be sure to answer back.
Keep Smiling and Be Grateful =)
Disclaimer- I was given a Road Runner Sports tank free of charge. I was not compensated for this post. The opinions are my own. I truly am in love with Road Runner Sports and all of the activities they provide.
1st Boot Camp Experience
0August 18, 2012
in Fitness
This morning I headed to Scottsdale to take part in my first ever boot camp experience at Road Runner Sports.
Keep Smiling and Be Grateful =)
Adventure Is My Middle Name
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As I stated last week, I had the opportunity to check out Road Runner Sports 1st Thursday Adventure Run and had an absolute blast. I am so grateful that Larisa recommended this event for me. Now that I’ve had a few days to digest it all I wanted to let you know the ins and outs of the event.
On the 1st Thursday of every month Road Runner Sports in Scottsdale hosts this FREE (yes, free) event. When I arrived I couldn’t believe how organized it was. I entered the store, was quickly shown to registration, showed my ID, received my wristband, and also my free beer ticket.
While in the store I went ahead and purchased a Road Runner Sports Adventure Run shirt. This isn’t a requirement but by doing so it could possibly help with my chances of winning and it was a nice gender specific tech tee. Not to mention, when you bought the shirt a nice pint glass came along with it. Why not?
After checking in I headed outside to get ready for some fun. The atmosphere was light with a ton of camaraderie and music carrying the beat. There was a barricaded area full of vendors including 2XU, Cytomax, Yurbuds, BodyArmor Super Drink, Asics, Orange Theory Fitness, True Grit Mud Run, Garmin, Amphipod, OH Yeah! Nutrition, and more. Instead of trying to sell you products or race registrations they were there to educate you about them. For each tent you visited you would earn a ticket that would then be entered in the final drawing for TONS of prizes.
In addition, each tent had free samples and gear to test out during the run. For instance, have you ever wanted to try Yurbuds but didn’t want to dish out the money until you’ve tried them? This is the perfect opportunity to test them out. All you have to do is pass them your drivers license as collateral and you’re good to go. Each brand was lending out gear to try. Having had experience we compression sleeves, but never socks, I went ahead and chose the 2XU compression socks.
I love Cytomax but haven’t been able to try out all of their flavors so I was also able to pick up some different sample flavors to try along with their energy drops.
Before I knew it 6:30p had arrived and it was time for the map to be revealed. Eeek! Here’s how it works:
The map is revealed with different locations to run to in order for you to collect tickets. The number of tickets you receive varies by location (The farther the ticket location from the start, the higher the quantity of tickets). Of course you want to hit as many locations as possible but realistically most people will only hit about half of them since the locations span a pretty wide distance. In addition, you only have 60 minutes to get as many tickets as you can.
This is where purchasing the Road Runner Sports Adventure Run Shirt comes in. If you’re wearing the shirt you get DOUBLE the tickets at each location. You may be asking, “Alright, you want a lot of tickets….but why??” Upon completion of the Adventure Run you turn in your tickets for an insane number of prize drawings at the end of the night. So obviously more tickets = more chances to win. Got it?
Prior to arriving even though I had no idea where the locations would be (each run the locations vary) I had drawn out my own little map so I could be somewhat familiar with the area. I will readily admit that my idea went out the window once that map dropped. I made a few mental notes and off I went.
Like many people I hit the closest locations first. After that I teamed up with a gentleman for about a quarter mile until we hit a group of 3 girls that were more my speed. Thankfully they allowed me to tag along with them. Although they weren’t 100% knowledgeable about the area they were still somewhat familiar. Unfortunately none of us knew exactly how far the locations were from the start. Long story short, they were much farther than expected. We ended up logging over 5 miles. But no worries, we had a great time talking along the way, getting to know each other. I don’t have any photos from the actual run other than this sunset which the photo doesn’t do justice.
Even though we were a few minutes late getting back we were still able to check out tickets into the bucket for the drawings. None of us won any of the drawings but that was cool by us. You can’t complain about a free night of fun, that also gives you a reason to get out and active, and try out new products. I really loved the 2XU socks and can definitely see some in my future. Why did it take me so long to find out about compression sleeves/socks?? It was a sad moment when I had to turn in those bad boys.
If you are near a Road Runner Sports I HIGHLY recommend seeing if they have an Adventure Run…it’s totally worth it. If you are considering participating here are a couple hints:
-Pre-register online at least 24 hours prior to the race. It’s easier to check in on race day and you also receive an email with interactive map once 6:30p hits so there’s no need to stick around for the unveiling. I pre-registered but stuck around since this was my first experience.
-Don’t be intimidated and don’t worry about trying to keep up with other people. Once the race starts everyone scatters, going their own ways, so you can go your own pace.
-Friend your Road Runner Sports location on Facebook to make sure you catch their “Facebook-posted only” ticket collecting location.
Free Stuff!!
I set out for my first “race” in Arizona, got to explore a new area, got some pretty cool swag, and met some new people that I hope to get to know better in the future. Mission accomplished. Thank you Road Runner Sports for an awesome experience. Depending on my schedule I hope to join in again and even possibly check out the Road Runner Sports 3rd Thursday Adventure Run in Tempe.
Keep Smiling and Be Grateful =)
Meeting The PHX Running Community
0Last night I ventured out to a Road Runner Sports Adventure Run in Scottsdale. Full recap to follow next week!
Keep Smiling and Be Grateful =)
