It’s been a very reviewy time on this blog lately, for no reason except the timing of generous companies and my own purchase of a new pair of kicks.  This last entry into the review-a-thon is an all-important piece of running gear for the ladies: the sports bra.  More specifically, the Zensah sports bra.

No makeup, messy hair, and an expression reminiscent of Charles Manson, but that's ok because you're looking at my boobs.

As posted before, I wear Target sports bras, not because I think they’re the best, just that they’re cheap, cheerful and do the job. That said, I’m always curious about “nicer” bras so when Zensah offered me up one of theirs, I was all over it.

Zensah, btw, is known for compression gear (the calf sleeves in particular are extremely popular with many of my runner pals) in fact I had no idea they even made sports bras until now. Turns out they make the whole kit and kaboodle: compression bottoms, tops, etc.  But back to the bra, I wore it on two runs to give it a proper try-out.  Here are my observations:

Color: The color choices are great.  I got the pink one, which is a lovely dusty shade so you can wear it under white tops without show-through.

Fabric: Extremely soft and stretchy.  The front is a double layer of fabric, the better to help against radar nippage and the inner layer has some gathering at the center for shape.

Style:The nice thing about these bras is they have textured detailing on the straps and back (almost like a pin-tuck pattern) so it’s not entirely plain, it has some style to it.  What I didn’t like so much, and this is just my own thing, is that the neck is a little high for my tastes, I find a lower scoop more flattering.  This might be due to the fact that I’m a small-busted gal or because I have trollop tendencies, either way it’s a minor deal and I’m sure many women prefer this higher cut.

This is the back of the bra so you can see the pretty textured pattern.

Fit and Performance: They only come in 2 sizes which, for me, is the bra’s downfall.  It comes in Small/Med and Med/Large.  This is ok for dry sports or fitness classes where you don’t sweat much, but if you’re like me when you run and end up with a soaked sports bra (even in winter), the support you leave the house with is not the same as that upon your return – as the bra gets wet, the fabric becomes looser.

Now, this isn’t specific to Zensah, my Target bras do the same but this is why, when I started running and didn’t know any better, I bought medium sports bras.  Then after a year of that, I switched to smalls and more recently, started wearing x-tra smalls.  The garment sizing didn’t change, it just took me a while to figure out what holds me up best since I couldn’t tell there was floppage just by looking down;  it took race photos and video to enlighten me (thank you very much, Brightroom).

For the record, I’m not a tiny person (5’4″ and 123lbs at the moment) though as you can see, I’m not busty by any means.  Still, I need support and the limited sizing here coupled with the stretchier fabric makes this bra iffy for smaller, sweaty runners or other high-impact sporty gals.

For low-impact activities, however, or if you’ve got a larger frame/chest, a Zensah sports bra would work like a champ and keep you extremely comfortable throughout.  I’ll wear mine for Pilates and similar activities, just not for running.

I’ve switched between two shoe models for a while now: Saucony Kinvaras and Adidas Adios.  They’re different on a couple levels – Kinvara is a low-heel drop shoe, the Adios is a racing shoe I wear as a trainer and it has a standard heel-drop, but both are lightweight. This used to be more of a rarity, but lightweight shoes have been popping up like daisies in the past year, several featuring a low heel-drop so it seemed a good time to try something new, particularly since the newest Adios’ are so freakin’ ugly, I’m on strike till further colors become available.

Note on the right shoe, my trademarked snip at the base of the shoelace trim piece. Also of note, I do not have cankles though the photo makes it look like the left one is. It isn't. Really.

I’ve heard a lot of great things about the Brooks Pure line, so I thought it worth a shot.  The PureConnects would have been my first choice, they’re the lightest, but too many reviews mentioned a narrow fit so I didn’t even bother. The PureFlows, however, according to Shoeftr on Running Warehouse and the reviews I’ve read, pointed to a wider fit and roomier toebox, so I ordered a pair. Here are my thoughts:

Weight: I’m currently wearing men’s models in both the Kinvara (size 7, 7.1 oz) and Adios (size 7½, 6.8 oz). For the PureFlow, I bought women’s size 8.5.  At 7.5 oz, they’re slightly more shoe, but not noticeable to me.

Heel drop: Since I’ve been wearing Kinvaras for ages, it feels normal.

Fit: Feels great.  The toe is rounder than the Kinvaras so there’s more room for the tootsies.  There’s also a thick elastic band that crosses the instep which turns out to be pretty cool, keeping your arch snug to the shoe.  The trim frame around the laces is hard plastic and I had to snip it for my right foot (sensitive big toe knuckle), but I do that on all my running shoes now, so no biggie.

Sole: It’s got a harder sole than the Kinvaras which makes it much more comfortable over gravel, you don’t feel each rock.  I like this a lot.  However, it’s also said to be slick in wet conditions (as discussed on the last few pages of this) so I’ll switch out on rainy/snowy days.  I could do without the split sole design since the resulting space will surely grab an occasional rock and it doesn’t seem to do anything perceptible, but this is just a minor “eh”. (Edit: I took them out on a rainy day and for the most part, traction was good, though under a couple bridges I definitely noticed some slippage.  So I won’t be using them for snow or racing/workouts on a rainy day but rainy training runs are fine)

Comfort: Super comfortable!  Well padded and an enjoyable ride.  My first run in them was Friday, a planned 8, but they felt so good, I took it to 14mi.

Conclusion: I really like these shoes and think we’ll be buddies for a long time.

A Cutback Week In Review
My paces improved significantly this week.  I’m still not back to September fitness but getting there.  In the meantime, today I start posting my paces again.

It’s probably not apparent but the shape of the week was purposeful: lower mileage at the start for faster recovery, higher in the middle and lower today since next week will be high again.  Ordinarily, I wouldn’t be so anal about it but after that accelerated mileage bump, it seemed sensible to treat it like an ocean wave chaining the weeks together (calm, crest, calm).

As far as effort, it was all easy runs aside from today, when I did my first bit of faster running in a long time.  Boy did I need it, mentally as well as physically – the nag of workouts has been on my mind and while I said I was going to add strides, I hadn’t yet.  It was fun without any pressure for distance or pace, just “go to that curve” or “where those people are standing” and as a result, I got a couple 7:3x miles in, which I haven’t had in ages.

Mon: 6@8:53
Tues: 6@8:28
Wed: 8@8:17
Thurs: 10@8:44
Friday: 14@8:24
Sat: 9@8:23
Sun:8@8:11 (fartlek)
Total: 61 mi

If you’ve read this blog long enough, you know I have a love/hate relationship with ibuprofen.  Mostly, I love it and think it’s a phenomenal drug that, when used with proper doses and consistency (as opposed to taking it sporadically for pain relief), can really affect the life of an injury, shortening it dramatically.

However, it can have side effects on your gut and there’s some scare info about it affecting your kidneys if you take it during a race, though the doctors I spoke to about it told me it’d have to be a huge amount for that to happen.

That said, it has been found to inhibit bone repair, so if you have a stress reaction or fracture, you do not want to be taking Vitamin I.  Also, if you have tendonosis, which means your tendonitis is beyond the inflammatory stage, it’s not going to do it much good except as a pain drug, in which case you’d be better off with Tylenol.

Now, there is such a thing as topical ibuprofen, but you can’t buy it over the counter in the US, you need a prescription.  It’s a shame really, because by applying it topically, you skip the potential side effects with oral ingestion and the idea of limiting medication to a particular area instead of the whole body seems infinitely more sensible.

While you can’t get ibuprofen over the counter, there are a couple of topical anti-inflammatories you can buy freely and that’s what this review is all about: Topricin, a homeopathic product that soothes pain and helps inflammation.

OK, OK, Get To The Review, Already
The people at Topricin were very generous to send 3 different formulations of the product: The regular ointment, a foot cream and a kid’s version. The active ingredients don’t differ much between them though the carriers are different (ie the kid’s version is formulated for more sensitive skin).  So I’ve been testing all 3 versions.

I should mention that I’m not in any way a homeopathic follower, if you knew how much Sweet ‘n Low I ingest on a daily basis, there would be no doubt in your mind that I do not consider my body a temple, it’s more like a mobile home.  So while I can appreciate this stuff is healthy (none of them offer any side effects at all), all I really care about is efficacy.

The list of things this stuff can be used for is large and varied:

• Arthritis, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and joint pain
• Repetitive motion and other neuropathies
• Lower back pain
• Eczema, bug bites, poison ivy, sunburn
• Diminish bruising

My Tests
It would have been easier to test efficacy if I had something like arthritis or other constant nagging issue, which I don’t, but I do have a chronic, intermittent annoyance that seemed perfect for testing: bursitis on the ball of my foot.

I’ve had this thing for almost 2 years and even taking those 4 weeks off didn’t affect it either way which told me it’s here to stay.  It’s not terribly painful, just an annoyance that, when bothersome, I’m able to massage out.  So anyway, I figured this would be a great little test spot for the foot cream.  I put some on the area and promptly forgot about it.  About 30 minutes later, I realized the pain was totally gone.

I knew that one time doesn’t qualify as a real test, so in the next couple weeks I tried it on 3 or 4 different occasions, same spot, to confirm it wasn’t a placebo effect and yep, it really did remove the discomfort entirely.  Cool beans!

Another place I tried it on is my calf muscle.  I had massaged it quite a bit the other day, leaving a small area that was very tender to the touch.  This time I paid a lot more attention to the pain scale to see if it was diminishing or not.  Despite me poking at the area every 5 minutes (my scientific testing method), it really did feel better from that one application.

The last area I used it on was the bottom of my pinkie toe (the one I stupidly removed the callus from many months ago).  After 4 weeks off and the low mileage surrounding it, I’d lost the reformed callus, so I’ve had some blister action while a new one reforms.  It’s been tender at times so this last week, I dabbed some on a couple different days and it took the sting away.

So I have to say, I love this stuff.  I think it’s a great addition to any medicine cabinet, not just a runner’s.  You can get it at health food stores, some drugstores or Amazon for cheap.  Read the reviews, buy a tube and test for yourself.  I’m sold.

Fresh experiences, important lessons and sweet camaraderie, that was 2011 for me.  And because of that, I’m stepping into the new year on a positive note, happy and hopeful for what lies ahead.

Lesson highlights were: the value of taking running breaks, the wonders of high mileage, de-stressing training cycles and dealing with injury (plus all the periphery that surrounds it).  Big stuff!  I also saw the end of an aggravating 2-year plateau thanks to a PR in the Half and I’m once again confident that more PRs lie ahead.  That alone made the year a success.

Additionally, I got to travel and hang out with so many fantastic running friends – ’twas a heavy year for huggy friendship love. Makes me smile just typing it.  And lastly, in non-running life, I finally escaped the Blue Hovel and moved into a fantastic new apartment which happens to be even closer to my beloved park (I guess it’s all about running in the end).

My mileage total for the year was 3029, which includes 6 weeks off (2 weeks for a voluntary running break and 4 for the injury).  Considering I didn’t get into higher mileage till April/May, 2012 should be appreciably higher.

Enough Of This Year-End Crap
In other news, I had my follow-up massage on Wednesday and expected him to find lots of bad stuff after those crazy mileage days.  Much to both our surprise, it was the opposite; dramatically improved from the previous week, way more symmetry and nothing he kneaded was squeal-worthy.  It was as if all that running had smoothed me out.  Go figure.

Still, the mileage jump was wicked steep and on yesterday’s run I was tired – as in “want to lay across the bike path and take a nap” tired.  Last Spring, when I got to this mileage level, I did it much more sensibly/gradually so this was a whole ‘nuther method to get there (one I would never recommend).  I knew I could handle it from having been there before; once you’ve hit a certain mileage level, it’s easier to return, but you can be sure this next week will be a welcomed cutback.

In other news, my body is returning to its firmer self – I’ve lost a couple pounds, my arms and tummy have definition again and the bodyfat reading on my scale is mercifully dropping.  I also started back on iron supplementation which I had stopped as soon as I got benched.  I’m back to glucosamine as well, giving fish oil a break since I have a limit to how many horse pills I’m willing to pop and the glucosamine I use has some anti-inflammatory additions in it anyway.  And calcium as usual.

The Last Of 2011 Week In Review
The Mileage Challenge remnants kicked off the week, so please excuse my Monday.

Mon: AM:16, PM:8
Tues: 15
Wed: rest
Thurs: 10
Friday: AM:7, PM:7
Sat: 9
Sun: 10
Total: 82 mi

Thank You
With the switch over to a brand new year, I want to thank everyone who reads this blog.  Whether you’re a regular or someone who gives it a skim every few months, I truly appreciate it more than I could ever express.  Between your support and comments both here and on Facebook (and of course, from my buds in the 3:20 thread) I feel like one well-loved lady, or, you know…appreciative attention whore.  So thank you for hanging around, I send buckets of love to you all and may 2012 bring surprises and experiences you never even imagined.  Happy New Year to you and yours.

Last I posted, I’d had a wild couple of days thanks to the MRT Holiday Mileage Challenge – 39 miles for Saturday and Sunday.  Not the brightest move, fresh off the heels of injury, but I was being super-diligent about self-massage and foam rolling, etc.

My original intention for this week’s portion of the Challenge was to alternate 15 and 12 per day with 20mi on Sunday: 101mi for the week.  A lot, but by doing most of it in doubles (and slow as I needed to go to remain tweakless), I was confident I’d hold up fine.  So much for plans.

Folks were running some super thick runs so on Monday, what started as a shorter run in the morning, I extended to 16mi and I pulled an 8-miler later that afternoon: 24 miles on Monday.  Crazy crazy.  But fun!

However, that night on the mileage thread, a drama erupted between the lead guy (who was throwing some childish ego crap around) and a couple of us irritated participants, so the next morning, my run sucked.  The entire 15mi I kept thinking about the situation and having imaginary conversations in my head with people that did not deserve to accompany me on my run.  Over 2 hours of negativity.

Add to that, after Monday’s 24mi and the likelihood of me adding a few more miles here and there out of competitive stupidity, I would probably have ended up near 120mi for the week.  (as recap, last 2 weeks were 50mi, 79mi…120mi? Lunacy)

So I quit.  I had company though, a couple online compatriots were also annoyed by the vibe and quit as well.

Today I’m enjoying a day off which, after averaging 19.5mi/day for the past 4 days (104 mi in the last 7 days…a distance PR for me) is a good idea.  Physically, I held up just fine, a little tightness in one of my calves yesterday but it’s gone and I have a massage at 5pm, so that’s cool, too.

Positive Takeways
Despite the drama and silliness of the past 4 days, I came away super pleased with the running part of the experience.  Not just for confirming that I am indeed 100% healthy again but also…

1. Nice to know I can manage a solid amount of miles in a short span.  Not being an Ultra person (this was in no way Ultra-like, btw, doubles and recovery being of major importance) it was cool to go beyond anything I’d done in the past.

2. I was instantly transported back to my old mileage level and then some, so 90mpw from here on in will feel like a cutback.

3. Doubles!  You know I’ve been wanting to do more doubling experimentation and this was the primo opportunity.  One of my concerns for doubling in the winter was getting out on cold early mornings, but it was fine.  The trick is to wake up, have coffee and go.  Also helps to have my running clothes laid out, too.  It’s going to be great having shorter runs along with the medium and long ones instead of all long singles.

So in the end, a few days of a halted Mileage Challenge yielded a good amount of self-discovery that I can use for the next few months.  That’s a win.

Yesterday kicked off the annual MRT Mileage Challenge (MRT = Marathon Race Training forum on RW).  The challenge lasts 10 days, from Dec. 24th to Jan 2nd. The top guys end up with around 200mi, so most of us aren’t in it to win it, but to have some fun and offset holiday gluttony.

Last year, I entered as a non-caring participant, taking 3 days off midstream thanks to a combo of foot ouchie (the precurser to ultimately operating on my shoes), a couple planned rest days and a blizzard, so my results were totally uninspiring, but I didn’t care, it was just fun to be in the game.

This year, I’m workin’ it! Not with an eye to win though, I’m not that suicidal.  But I have ramped up the mileage ahead of schedule, only because I’m 100% and also, I made a deal with myself that if anything starts to hurt, I’m out.  Thus, I’ve left my ego at the door pacewise: however slow I need to go to remain fresh through Jan. 2nd, is what I’ll do.  I’m also being religious with the foam roller and stretching, plus I have a sports massage this Wednesday.

So-oh…this weekend was kind of massive and magnificent in an “Oh yeah, that’s who I am, that’s how I run” way.  On Saturday, I ran 17mi, which I haven’t done since August.  It wasn’t planned, I left the house thinking 10-12mi, but as the miles ticked off, it became inevitable, I had no reason not to.

After the run – both last night and this morning – I was thrilled by how great I felt (surely due to the conservative pace, 8:55 avg).  So today, I was ready to roll again, getting up early enough to manage a double, though I only got 5 hours between runs since getting murdered after dark requires too much recovery time.

The first one was a slow and steady 14mi, but the one I just finished, an 8-miler, was a complete surprise.  You’d think it’d be my most tired one, but blow me down, it averaged 8:18/mi…my best easy run since the injury.

The only negative things from the weekend were:
1. Forgetting I chafe at the top edge of my sports bra (must. remember. Bodyglide)
2. Chafing in places I don’t usually chafe (that was just plain nasty)
3. Improper hydration. I haven’t had to think about that in months but both yesterday and this morning I was thirsty with 4 miles left to go, which sucked.  I actually stared at this one guy swigging from a water bottle, imagining myself asking for a drink.  The only thing holding me back was knowing my face was encrusted in spit and snot.

The “Turn This Baby Up To 11!” Week In Review
I purposely held back on mileage Thurs and Fri to allow for acting stupid for the Challenge and as you can see, I did (with no ill effects, though).  This coming week will definitely be portioned out more sensibly.
Mon: 6
Tues: 8
Wed: 11
Thurs: 8
Friday: 7
Sat: 17
Sun: AM:14, PM:8
Total: 79 mi

And with that…baby, I’m back.