22 November 2011

The Ruby Slippers


A friend posted a picture of her new shoes on Twitter the other day... and I was smitten.

I coveted.

I needed.

While my current running shoes are far from run through, and while I do have a second pair of the same waiting in the wings, it really is only a matter of time before I'll be needing another pair of running shoes. Right?

Buying running shoes based on how they look is ill-advised. Different bodies have different biomechanics requiring different shoes. I used to work in a running specialty shop so I actually do understand this ;-)

I was certain that because these shoes were so perfect-looking, they would be the wrong sort of shoe for me, and I would be left simply longing for something ill-suited to my needs.

I was wrong.

The Mizuno Wave Rider 15 Limited Edition...Oooooo....Aaaaaahhhhhh...is a neutral shoe!

Of course, the fact that they are 'rare' adds to the mystique.

I have never worn Mizuno shoes, so I knew I wanted to try them on before dropping a whopping sum of cash. I headed to the local running store to see if they had what I needed. They did. They felt a bit small to me, so I sized up a half size from normal and fell head-over-heels in love.

I knew I could get them online cheaper, but in the interest of supporting the local economy and small business owners, I opted to buy them in the store. Add in the tax... awesome me, contributing to the state and city coffers... and the one dollar to the city parking authority (for a savings of $57 had I opted out of the meter and gone for the ticket instead)... and I was a well-shod, model citizen.

These shoes are totally different than the Saucony ProRide 3 I am currently wearing. The Mizunos feel like a lower profile, firmer shoe. I wore them for the cool down portion of my run last night. I can tell they will require some getting used to so I will not be racing in them any time soon. But WOW! Love the way they feel!

Aren't they pretty?
Click, click, click...
If I feel like it's taking too long to get to the finish line,
I can just click my heels together three times...

Another item I have had my eye on would be arm warmers. Not so sure why these appeal to me so much. I've never had a pair. So much has changed in the decade and a half since I was last running. Arm warmers and calf sleeves... who'd've thunk?

Given that I broke the bank on my fancy shoes, I knew low-budget was the direction to take for arm warmers. I had seen some made from tube socks with the toes cut out on other blogs. But I particularly wanted mine for Vegas and so ugly white, clunky tube socks were not going to be near glam enough. 

Enter: two-dollar knee socks at Target!

Sleek, color choices, patterned...

I went with black :P

I didn't cut the toes off because I like the optional mitten-effect.

I cut a small slice through the arch of the sock. This way I can cover my fingers or not.
The extra flap tucks up into the wrist very nicely.

Last night it was chilly, so I tried them out. They worked out perfectly!

And that was how the run went, too!

Three-mile tempo run at half-marathon pace after a two-mile warm-up and followed by a one mile cool down.

Warm-up:  2.25 miles @ 9:39 avg. pace  (21:24)
Tempo:     3.2 miles @ 8:39 avg. pace    (mile splits: 8:45/8:43/8:30 + 0.2 @ 8:00)
Cool down:  1 mile  @ 10:34 avg. pace

Sadly, I think I was pushing the pace a little too much. I wish I didn't feel that way. But for the sake of honesty, I need to come clean. The 8:45 felt really good...maybe if I had been able to just sit with that, I would feel better about it. If anyone has suggestions or advice, I'm open to hearing it :)


19 comments:

  1. I have been a Wave Rider runner for YEARS. I think I am mad at you for making me want a pair of ruby-red shoes. (Red is my favorite color! Running shoes are NEVER red! But oh... they're $30 more than I normally pay!!! Doh!)
    ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love the new kicks! I'm all about COLOR - I've been changing shoe laces to get my color fix! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ok. Super. Sweet.
    Loving the red.
    Freaking love.

    ReplyDelete
  4. LOVE those shoes!! Saw them on the back of RW this month and fell in love. :) I am a die hard Mizuno girl and in theory should be running neutral but was originally fitted for stability and have stayed with my Elixirs.....I finally bought a pair of Precisions but have yet to run more than a couple of miles in them and they just don't feel right. :/ Hmm. maybe they would feel better if they were red.....

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love the red!

    I do the same thing for arm warmers. I conveniently had a pair with holes in the heel (and obviously I kept them, duh), and they were PERFECT. Best arm warmers ever.

    ReplyDelete
  6. LOVE THOSE!!!!!!

    I went through 3 pair of Mizuno Wave Riders and then switched to Brooks Ghosts, but I don't love them, so I may just have to switch back for a pair of those ruby reds!!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm still on Wave Rider 13. I totally need to upgrade to the newer prettier version. ;o)

    Love the socks.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I have been thinking about trying mizunos, i really like the way they look but I have been an asics girl so long I am scared to try something new and end up wasting my money...sigh such decisions

    ReplyDelete
  9. Looks like I'm not the only one wearing the wave riders. I've worn the 13 and 14. You called it on the low profile and firmness. They wear really well, but once they are done....they are DONE. :) I recommend not trying to max out the miles.

    Your tempos look awesome. I keep telling you it's only a matter of time before the national class athlete comes back.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Do those smell like cinnamon? They should if they don't. Love them. I love shoes that are funky colors. So cool. I have been in Mizunos until recently. Great shoe.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I am love with my new MIzuno 15's as well!

    Love the idea about knee socks for arm warmers - so much cheaper!!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. LOVE those shoes!!

    My marathon arm warmers were old socks. I got sooo many compliments on them. :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Love the shoes. Definitely could see you clicking your heels to speed up the end of the race.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Those shoes are pretty sweet! I love your creativity for the arm warmers. I may steal the idea for the Turkey Trot tomorrow. Happy Thanksgiving!!!

    ReplyDelete
  15. nice ... i think if you could get another garmin on the other wrist it would look awesomer ... and you'd be more balanced

    ReplyDelete
  16. I admit it, I love the color of those shoes!! I hope all shoe manufacturers are listening!!!!!!!!

    They are going to make you wicked fast in Vegas!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. I have those shoes sitting at the running shop waiting for me to decide between the 15's and some Brooks Ghosts. I love my 13'...we'll see about the 15's.

    And this is the third blog post I've seen on these shoes - they might be "special edition" but they will definitely be popular and talked about!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Those new shoes are very pretty! Why are the neutral shoes always so much cuter than stability shoes??

    A friend made me my first pair of sock/arm warmers this year. They had ruffles and hearts on them, so cute!

    ReplyDelete

we *heart* comments!

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...