I went to a running form clinic last night put on by Running Zone and New Balance, and I was both encouraged and surprised. Encouraged because I came away with one thing I can do to help my running immediately–increase cadence. Surprised because I found out my foot strike is actually pretty good. I’m guessing my supination is the culprit for my heel wear?  I mean, my strike definitely is not perfectly mid-foot (working on it), but it’s not too bad.

Cadence is the big thing I can change.

Purchased this month: Loving the Ninja BL660 Blender we bought this month. The best feature is the single serving cup…you can blend right into the cup you’re going to drink out of. Smoothie consumption is at an all-time high in our house, and I’m getting a much bigger daily dose of green veggies because of it. Oh yeah…much cheaper than the Vitamix too!

Planned purchase for next month: Roku 3. We already own a first generation Roku that’s still going strong. So why upgrade now? One really cool feature–the remote has a headphone jack. I’ve been using the tablet to watch movies while I’m on the spin bike because I ride at night a lot while everyone else is asleep. I can’t really use the TV because I’d have to turn it up so loud to overcome the noise of the bike. Roku 3 will let me watch the TV while I train, keep things quiet for everyone else, and not have to worry about keeping the tablet charged or plugged in.

Racing in the heat suggestions. Thanks to Coach Brett and the ZenTri podcast for these tips:

  1. Try to train in the hottest weather you can. Avoid cold conditions. CHECK
  2. Lose as much weight as you can to minimize your insulation. CHECK
  3. Baseball-style cap instead of visor for the run. You can put ice in the hat–can’t do that with a visor. Learned this one last year.
  4. Arm Coolers–put ice sponges from the aid stations into the tops. Need to get arm coolers Picked up some of these…wow, they work GREAT!
  5. If you’re coming from a cooler climate, assume you are going to need a lot more water than you’re used to. Not a problem for me.