At 6:30 am on Sunday morning, June 7 (exactly 3 months from the race) we had our first “official” Otillo practice at Umstead Park in Raleigh, NC. Aside from a challenging training run on hilly terrain, the primary goal was to test out our new inov-8 X-Talon 190 shoes. Kristen’s shoes are a cool blue, and Jenny’s are a bright “ginger” orange.
This particular trail shoe was recommended to us by a few seasoned trail runners and some former Otillo participants. We found them to be light and delightfully comfortable. The studs on the sole of the shoe provided excellent grip, especially on soft surfaces and even when wet. Jenny tried them out in a creek, hopping from rock to rock, and surprisingly did not slip! They were almost tree frog like! This will certainly bode well for the rocky terrain we’ll be crossing in Sweden. Our next steps will be to determine what type of socks to wear so as not to develop blisters, as well as to practice swimming in them.
While each of us had different workouts, we made a point to run the first 5 miles together, to not only to chit-chat about the shoes we were testing, but to get a good feel for the type of pace we’ll need to run to stay together, since our natural running paces are much different, unlike swimming. Initially this was somewhat of a concern, but this race will be a test in energy conservation, intestinal fortitude and sheer human will. Plus, we reminded ourselves that we can only run so fast because there is a relatively high risk of injury given the elements. No matter how fast or how slow….it is important we finish! That said, we are no longer concerned with this….we are confident in each other and in our ability as Team Haulin’ Aspirin. We’re looking forward to the next step….literally…in our journey to Otillo!
This particular trail shoe was recommended to us by a few seasoned trail runners and some former Otillo participants. We found them to be light and delightfully comfortable. The studs on the sole of the shoe provided excellent grip, especially on soft surfaces and even when wet. Jenny tried them out in a creek, hopping from rock to rock, and surprisingly did not slip! They were almost tree frog like! This will certainly bode well for the rocky terrain we’ll be crossing in Sweden. Our next steps will be to determine what type of socks to wear so as not to develop blisters, as well as to practice swimming in them.
While each of us had different workouts, we made a point to run the first 5 miles together, to not only to chit-chat about the shoes we were testing, but to get a good feel for the type of pace we’ll need to run to stay together, since our natural running paces are much different, unlike swimming. Initially this was somewhat of a concern, but this race will be a test in energy conservation, intestinal fortitude and sheer human will. Plus, we reminded ourselves that we can only run so fast because there is a relatively high risk of injury given the elements. No matter how fast or how slow….it is important we finish! That said, we are no longer concerned with this….we are confident in each other and in our ability as Team Haulin’ Aspirin. We’re looking forward to the next step….literally…in our journey to Otillo!