Back in March while attending the IHRSA Trade Show in San Francisco I met one of the creators behind a new running shoe from Altra Running. IHRSA is the largest health and fitness trade show in the U.S. and my company exhibits there every year. The Altra Running company was started by three young gentleman that have been researching running style and the art of "natural" running. I wont get much into the science but feel free to check out the website at http://www.altrarunning.com/ to read about it, especially if you are into running. Anyway, I decided to order a pair of there "Instinct" shoe and give it a try. Without getting into detail, the shoe is a minimalistic shoe similar to the bare-foot style shoes you see on the market but it had more cushion for longer distance. I have been researching running shoes the past few weeks so I figured I would give them a try. So far I have had them for two weeks and they are great! My calves are a little sore as I totally ignored the directions of easing your way into them, oops? This past weekend Vanessa, Elle, Carol (mother-in-law) and I drove up to Frisco to take part in the Head for the Cure 5K run/walk. Vanessa and I both had friends from college that had brain tumors and were taking part so we decided to join there teams and participate. This was my first chance to test out my new Altra "Instinct" Shoes at a shorter distance. They felt great during the run and I ran my fastest 5K yet with a final mile split of 5:40/mile. The funny thing was Vanessa and I got our race bib numbers mixed up and I actually wore hers in the race. I ended up winning her age group and it was quite embarrassing for Vanessa considering she is 7-moths pregnant. They called her name and everyone just stared. We all laughed it off as it a great event for a great cause.
Yesterday I set out for my first extended bike ride (+2hrs) since the MS 150. I drove to downtown Fort Worth and rode the Trinity Trail. This is a bike path that runs along the Trinity River through downtown and all the way through Fort Worth. I went a total of 35 miles down and back. Overall the ride went well. I took it pretty easy since I am feeling pretty sore from my training this week. My calves have really taken a beating from all the running and I need to be careful not to overdue it. I can really feel my biking starting to improve but I know I have a long way to go. This was the first time that I really felt like I enjoyed myself on the bike though. It was not a pain or hassle in my mind so maybe that is a sign I am starting to come around on this biking thing? I can really feel my body starting to feel the wrath of all this training. Again, I cannot reiterate how much I have learned about the importance of nutrition both while I train and during my off times. I need to really keep focusing on not pushing myself too hard in the beginning because I know I have a long way to go.
Finally, this opportunity to compete the Ironman has been a life changing event for me. These type of life changing events do not come along too often so I thought that it would be a good chance for me to make a difference for others as well during this incredible journey. I have decided to start a fundraising campaign to help fight and raise awareness for Alzheimer's during my training. I have teamed up with the Alzheimer's Association of America and created my own personal fundraising web page. Please click on the link
Tommy's Alzheimer's Awareness Page and you can take a look nd read a little about Alzheimer's and its horrible effect it has on many. I plan to raise as much money as possible over the next five months to hopefully make a difference. If oyu feel like making a small donation that would be awesome!
That's awesome that you won your wife's agegroup! Glad to hear about your great experience with the shoes so far!
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