Salomon XR Crossmax 2 Trail Shoes

A couple of summers ago when I was running on the local trail, I kicked a tree root. It hurt something fierce for days and my bruised toenail eventually fell off. I think I might have broken the toe, too. Ever since then, I've been more apt to run on paved trails, but they are not exactly close to home.

So when Salomon asked if I would like to test run a pair of their trail shoes, I couldn't say no. They sent me a pair of XR Crossmax 2. I don't normally switch up my shoes for trail running, but it makes sense as I do wear different shoes for short and long runs. 

When I first saw them in the box, I thought they were huge. To my relief, when I picked them up they were lighter than I expected. The shoe itself is much larger than my everyday running shoes, but the Crossmax did not feel that different in weight.

One noticeable feature on these shoes is the laces: you don't have to tie them. I struggled with this feature and wasn't quite sure what to do with the extra lacing. Eventually I just tucked it under. 

Made for rough terrain, the bottoms of the shoes offer traction.

I took them on a short trail run. No worries about stubbing my toes on tree roots, railroad ties, or rocks this time!

Overall, I can see why trail runners would chose these shoes. They offer stability, traction, and protection from the elements you typically see on the trails. 

Do you run trails? Do you switch up your shoes on trail runs?

Disclaimer: I was sent a pair of Salomon XR Crossmax 2 for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

Training Truths: Loving my Pace!

I don't know about you, but my week was crazy! Everyday last week seemed to be in overdrive and sped by, but when it came to my running, I was able to control my pace and stay close to my goal of 9:30.

Monday was a rest day and Tuesday was just super long, so I did my #squatstreak, wall-sits, challenge exercises, and that's all. It was my first time doing good-mornings (pictured below) and I loved how I could really feel my hamstrings working.

I finally got my first run of the week in on Wednesday after my PT session and on the treadmill because it was raining. I felt really good about this run because I hit my goal pace which I really have trouble doing on the treadmill.

Thursday before traveling to the in-laws I did my #squatstreak, wall-sits, and plank work.

On Friday I had another successful run from my in-laws house to the local college campus. It was a super flat route, and at first I worried that I would go too fast and pay for it later. Fortunately, I think I'm getting the hang of listening to my body.

In 10 degree weather, my step daughter and I braved the cold to attend a friendly group Turkey Burner Fun Run hosted by my friend Gary on Saturday. This was my first hilly route in a while and my longest run since August (not counting the half marathon I squeaked in). The group of 20 had the choice of three routes: 3, 5, or 7 miles. I ran the 5 mile route and was happy to see my overall pace at the end.

photo credit Gary

Don't forget to check out my #ChillyChallenge on Instagram - you could win a pair of Mizuno Wave Rider 17s!

Fitness Friday: 2nd Annual Chilly Challenge

Happy (Black) Friday. I'm guessing many of you laced up your running shoes and hit the Black Friday sales in the wee hours this morning. Hopefully, you at least had time to digest your Thanksgiving meal before racing around to the stores.

Not me! I enjoy sleeping in when I'm at the in-laws, but I am going for a nice little fun run later. And I'm planning on lacing up my brand new pair of Mizuno Wave Rider 17 sent to me by my favorite Mizuno Running buddy Lori Ann to try out.

Before I go, I want to tell you how you can win a pair of Wave Rider 17s for yourself. If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter, then you already know that I love daily challenges almost as much as I love my Mizunos. This year, I used those challenges as inspiration for the 2nd Annual Chilly Challenge.

Here is a calendar of the daily challenges! I look forward to seeing your Instagram pictures or videos.

Update: link to calendar download here.

Who's in for the Chilly Challenge this year?

WIAW: My Gluten Free Thanksgiving

Tomorrow I will be celebrating my first Thanksgiving...gluten free. It should actually be pretty easy since there are several family members who have been GF for a while now, but I'm going to add some GF options to the menu myself.

For an appetizer, I will be preparing gluten free crab dip. A good friend of mine in Cincinnati gave me this recipe and I've made it for years. Now, I just make sure to buy GF ingredients.

A new recipe I'll be trying is gluten free stuffing. I found a couple of great looking recipes here and here, but I will be trying the one that I found posted by my fellow FitFluential Ambassador and Mizuno lover Krysten on her blog The Misadventures of a Darwinian Fail.

In addition to the appetizer and side dish, I'll be bringing along some gluten free brownies that I picked up at a local g-free bakery. They are soooo big!

What item on the menu is your favorite to eat? to make?
Are you avoiding any foods this year?

Training Truths: Out with Old and in with the Cold

Starting over is hard. It's hard not to think about what I used to be able to do before I went and got injured. Last week I realized that comparing myself to other HEALTHY runners was only making me unhappy. So instead I tried to embrace the season and be thankful for what I can do and remind myself that I am re-training my body the right way.

So, I worked to push out the thoughts of "the old days" and was rewarded by the arrival of colder weather. My body runs better in the colder temperatures, so I am thankful to have cold day runs as I focus on slowly rebuilding my mileage base.

Monday: Started another week of the #squatstreak with some squat kicks added in from the #sweataday challenge. I'm also doing one minute wall sits on my non-running days to strengthen my quads.

Tuesday: Colder temps arrived just in time for this two mile run. This was my second run trying to focus on starting slow and getting a good one mile warm up before picking up the pace and hopefully hitting an average pace of 9:30. (10:12, 9:16 = 9:43)

Wednesday: Another round of Active Relase Therapy with the PT. He's still focusing on some adductors and now my ITB. Came home to some new toys from mrC. I told you he was the greatest!

Thursday: Another cold two mile run, and more work on my pacing (9:59, 8:54 = 9:26). Maybe a little too fast coming back. I don't think I could hold that pace for long.

Friday: Long. day. Didn't get home until after 7PM. Took the night off except for my #squatstreak.

Saturday: My visit to the booty barre left me longing for another full body workout, so I reserved a board and went urban surfing. This class had tons of ab work and planks. My arms and abs were so tired afterwards. I also burned 471 calories according to my Polar FT40! 

Sunday: After waking to a surprise first snowfall, mrC. suggested we head to the Manchester Trail for our run. It was a seriously cold and windy 4 miles, but my legs were super toasty in my Athleta Polartec tights. I'm happy with my average pace, but I still need to work on starting slower (9:25, 9:36, 9:45, 9:32 = 9:35).

If you could get rid of something "old", what would it be and why?