Guys, I seriously had the best run ever yesterday and I have absolutely no idea where it came from!
The whole weekend was spent moving, so although I had planned to run on Saturday, it got thrown out the window when lifting furniture took priority. However, Sunday morning dawned bright and early (hello, 5:45am!), and I was determined to get a couple miles in. Why the hurry? Check out these beautiful shoes!
Holy gorgeous, right? They’re the Mizuno Evo Cursoris and I’ve been eyeing them for a few months. I’m still rotating between my Wave Riders and Brooks Pure Cadence, but I started to notice those familiar twinges coming back in my knees and feet when I ran in the Wave Riders. They are fine for short distances, but my body truly works better with a minimalist shoe! I’ve been flirting with the idea of trying zero drop and had previously looked at Altra, but these definitely felt super comfy on my feet so I plopped down my debit card. Plus, did I mentioned that I love the colors?!
Naturally, with these fancy shoes staring at me, I had to crank out a quick run. Unfortunately, it was pretty early in the morning and it was still chilly outside. Under normal circumstances, it would’ve been perfect but I couldn’t find any of my warmer running gear (damn move!), so I decided to hit up the treadmill. After all, I also had my new Outdoor Research Offline Skort to try out!
So, here’s the thing: I normally suck on a treadmill. Like, really suck and run approximately 5 minutes/mile slower than my usual pace (which puts me right about at a crawl). In light of this, I wasn’t expecting much and hopped on the treadmill with the idea of getting my legs moving; no more or less. However, my legs were seemingly filled with fairy dust—they felt so incredibly light!
Right off the bat, I could tell that I was having a good day and wanted to run forever! However, moving responsibilities were calling and I was trying to be cautious with the newly-found zero drop Evo Cursoris shoes. Sure, I run in 4 mm drop, but who knows how my calves would feel, you know? I decided to cap the run at 30 minutes and mapped out a 3 mile progressive run.
First of all, who am I? I never do progressive or tempo runs. I’m not that structured! For some reason though, it felt like a good plan, so I went with it. I clocked my first mile at 10:00 even, and realized that my legs were kinda….bored. Because of that, I significantly upped the speed, and finished my second mile at 9:31. My legs were still feeling fresh, so I cranked the hamster wheel up even faster, and finished my third mile in 8:49.
The kicker? I easily could’ve finished another mile or two at the same pace as my final mile. WHAT?! Y’all, I seriously have no idea what was going on, but it sure made me feel good about myself. Unfortunately, now I’m trying to dissect what made everything feel so good so I can recreate it. Was it my new, lighter shoes? Trying out a running skirt? A rest day on Saturday? All the squats and leg work at CrossFit? Truth is, I have no idea….but here’s to hoping it’s a trend!
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Do you ever have fantastic run days that leave you baffled and wondering how you can phone in a repeat?