Elements of Erin 337

The next time someone tells you that Florida is flat and warm, make sure you clarify which area of Florida they are referring to.  Let me tell you, Clermont Florida is NOT FLAT and was NOT WARM today for the Florida Marathon.  Clermont is not just a hilly area of Florida, it is hilly compared to most places.  Click HERE to see the route and elevation map of the course.  The Marathon course was a double loop of the Half Marathon course.  Last night, Tim and Jamieson went to the opening night of the movie Avatar, leaving me to rest and get to bed early.  I slept really well and woke up at 5:30am when my alarm went off with no problem.  Because Florida is supposed to be warmer than Vancouver (which it is) I packed my Sugoi Brand Champion tri top, running shorts and hot pink Newton Racers for my race.  This morning the temperature was around 12C with high winds.  We actually had the heat on in the car (something we have never had to do on a trip to Florida before).  When we arrived at

Bowen Island 2009 037 Originally uploaded by erinlesleylee With Tim away in Las Vegas running the Rock and Roll Las Vegas Marathon, Jamieson and I decided to have a get away of our own. We booked a 'cabin' on Bowen Island, rented 5 movies, loaded up our iPods, picked up books at the library, bought microwave popcorn and headed to our island retreat. We stayed at the Bowen Island Waterfront Cottage . I highly recommend it. Full kichen, fireplace, amazing shower (no bath), flat screen TV with cable, DVD player and iPod stero link. This year has been a busy one for all of us so the opportunity to just do nothing was very well received. Click HERE to check out our photos. Bowen Island is a 15 minute ferry ride from West Vancouver but it really feels like a true get away. We were there for two nights and I didn't run at all when we were there. The rest must have done me good because I had a great run on Monday when we returned home. Happy Training!

Ready to Run Originally uploaded by erinlesleylee Today was a beautiful day in Steveston BC. The temperature was -1C clear and sunny. Nice change from the dreadful rain we have had for the past 2 months. So I put on my capri tights, short sleeve base layer shirt with a heavier long sleeve over top, my hot pink Newtons and my great new touque from Sugoi and headed out for a nice 6km run. If you click the photo of me, you will see the great stuff that I get to see when I run in my neighbourhood.  Or click HERE for the photo set. Great place to live and run. Happy training!

Here are my 3rd pair of Newton Neutral Trainers.  Prior to this pair, I had the first generation Yellow Neutral Trainers.  I also have a hot pink pair of Neutral Racers which I reserve only for 'racing'.  Now, the past few weeks, my feet, shin and calves have really started to ache.  Ok, well not just ache but hurt.  Mostly after a run but also in the morning when I take my first steps. I usually replace my shoes every 6 months and I only got this pair in July so I figured I couldn't need a new pair already. I love my Newtons but I was starting to think, maybe they aren't the shoe for me.  Why am I getting all this pain in my lower legs?  Why are my feet so tired all the time? I even went so far as to try on a few other brands of running shoes when we were shopping for new shoes for my son.  Boy, regular running shoes sure feel weird after wearing Newtons for over a year.  Could it be the shoes?  Maybe I should try the new Sir Isaacs?  The thought of changing