My Mizuno Paradox 2 Shoe Review #MilesChangeYou

Mizuno  Paradox 2

     After running Dopey Challenge and LOTS of miles in 2015, my shoes have HAD it. I knew going into Mercedes Half Marathon Weekend that I needed a new pair of shoes. I shopped around at the expo because I knew that my local running store was going to have a fabulous sale and I wanted to take advantage of that!

     I was correct! There was a great sale at the expo and I found the shoes that I've had my eye on. I wanted a pair of the new Mizuno Paradox 2's. I had read that they had a really wide toebox and I love that. I have wide feet so this is right up my alley. I ended up not wearing them during Mercedes Half because I tried out a friends' Hoka One One shoes....I saved my new kicks for the following weekend.

     I will admit that I'm not loyal to one shoe brand...there are just so many great brands out there. However, I will say that I'm a total Mizuno fangirl. These are my 6th pair within two years. I think I've tried them all....Wave Rider, Wave Enigma, Wave Inspire etc. I have a pair of Wave Catalyst on the way to my house too! ;)

     I bought the Silver and Dark Shadow (Green) combo. I was going to be a mermaid the following weekend at Disney's Princess Half Marathon Weekend so as much as I needed a functional shoe, I needed one that would match my sea legs too. Right?!? #Priorities.

     Here's a little more technical information about this shoe.....

WAVE PARADOX 2: NIMBLE MEETS STABLE

The Wave Paradox 2 is a popular lightweight women’s running shoe with a wide toe box. Offering both structure and cushion while providing a light and sleek ride, the Wave Paradox 2 redefines maximum stability.

Durability + Flexibility:

One of the features of the Wave Paradox 2 is an additional millimeter of blown rubber on a refined outsole. This provides you with a better underfoot feel and increased durability without sacrificing flexibility.

Key Features:

• A PU printed design wraps around the heel and midfoot for a lightweight yet structural upper.
• This shoe features a Double Fan Wave in the heel for maximum support and an Articulated Wave in the forefoot for maximum cushioning and minimal forefoot rigidity.
• An additional millimeter of blown rubber on a redefined outsole means a better underfoot feel and increased durability, without sacrificing flexibility.
• Ramp: 12mm

Feeling like a Mermaid Rockstar in my new Kicks!

     My Review?? Oh my gosh. I loved them. They were super comfy and super cush.  Normally if shoes are too tight for me, my pinky toes start screaming at me. I crossed the finish line of Disney's Princess Half Marathon and my pinky toes were completely happy. :)) I can't wait to put some serious Spring miles on them. :)))

Mickey Mouse Aprroves of my new Mizuno's!

Mile 5..Fantasyland in Magic Kingdom!

     Although I needed a pair of shoes that I could wear with almost any running outfit or color, I've noticed on the Mizuno website that there are a few new colors for this model..a pink and a purple. I think a new Spring color will be calling my name soon. I like bright. :)

     One thing that I've learned about running....investing in good running shoes is never a bad idea.  All of the training in the world will do you no good if your feet are killing you because of worn out shoes! 

Look for a review of my Mizuno Wave Catalyst coming soon.

Happy Running, Happy Destination Running and Happy New Spring Running Shoe Shopping. :))

For more information on these Mizuno shoes and others, please visit MizunoUsa.com.

Total Weirdness and Good Hair Days. #OperationMissionThankful

     Today may go down as one of my weirdest days in the history of weirdest days.  It started out with me laying in the bed this morning and snuggling up with my puppies for the longest time. I heard my hubs in the the kitchen cleaning up and fussing the kids off to school so I had a little bit of extra time to just lay there. I'm a super slow mover when I first wake up and truth time....I don't like to talk to anyone for the first couple of hours that I'm awake. I'm soooooo NOT a morning person. Thanks hubs! I needed to just have a late morning.

     Once I got up, I got up with a mission. I got ready for work, was going to be on time AND was having a great hair day. That NEVER happens....you are now entering my weird zone.

     I get to work. I'm not on the schedule for the day. whaaaaatttt???? I'm off work for the entire day??? Ok. Big time bummer that I drove all the way there, hurried to get there, fought the 8am Birmingham traffic but OKAY. This day is not lost. It was going to be a gorgeous day and I knew exactly what I was about to go do....RUN.

     I had been texting with one of my gal pals for days trying to figure out when we were going to get our run in this week. Our schedules just were NOT MESHING. I called her up, and BAM!! Just like that, we were now about to get our run on. 

     Bye Bye Good Hair Day...This Mop of a Do is going up in a ponytail and I don't feel bad for wasting you away!

Yay us!

     We got a great 5 miler in. We chatted and then went for coffee afterwards. I feel so bad sometimes for not being a good friend. Lots of my girlfriends are in training for runDisney's Princess Half Marathon and I feel like I've dropped the ball on helping with their training.  Today is not that day. I'm in total #FriendZone.  Seriously, this is turning into a great day. 

     After my run, I went home and checked through my zillions of emails, scratched through a few things on my to-do list. Forgot to go to the bank. Oh well. I'll do that tomorrow.

     By now, it's late afternoon and I've got to head back to work for the evening. I'm teaching a Group Women On Weights Class and I gotta get there! This is a small group Personal Training kind of thing and I'm adding a new friend tonight.

     I get to the gym. We have a great class. I worked their butts off. We were a hot sweaty mess.  Life is good and they seemed Happy.

     ........And then it happened.

     I take the new friend into my Personal Training office and we discuss all kinds of goals, exercises and plans.  For the sake of confidentiality I can't go into any details about our discussions. However, I can tell you that I cried with this girl and I laughed with this girl. She didn't even have to say a word. It was written on her face and I knew at that moment that she was placed into my life and mine into hers for a reason.  Good gracious gosh. There are just some days when I love my job waaaaaay more than I could EVER put into words.  I have complained for years that I have a Social Psychology degree and don't use it. That couldn't be further from the truth. Working in the fitness industry with a Social Psych degree couldn't be a more perfect combo. 

     I expected to be silly today. I expected to get a workout in today. I expected to work today. I work everyday and I work all day long. In fact, I never quit working. I expect to work all day long. Heck. I'll expect to work all day long tomorrow. I love working.

     But what I didn't expect was that when I woke up feeling like I was waking up on a mission, I REALLY was waking up on a mission. I don't get very spiritual on social media EVER (I save all that for my private life) but I will tell you that I do believe in prayer and I do believe that missions can be found right in your own backyard.  I know that I'm not here to save the world but I do believe that I am placed right where I need to be for certain people. For that, I am SO Thankful for my less-than-glamorous paying job. I love it and I cannot put a price tag on that nor do I ever care to. 

     Tomorrow, I may not be on a mission and that's OKAY too.  Not everyday is like that. BUT.....not everyday is a good hair day either ya know??

     I just know that when these moments happen, you know. You just know.

Again, this was just the weirdest day. In a totally good weird kind of way.

     This week, I prayed that my week, my attitude and mindset be totally turned around and I couldn't be more thankful that my prayers were definitely answered. :)

I hope you ALL have a great rest of the week!

Happy Running, Happy Good Hair Days and Happy Missions. :)))

Fun 5 Miler

Scenes from a McCafe with a Bestie.

Note to Self: Don't Deny Your Crazy

After last Saturday's post on Instagram, boy oh boy did my phone BLOW UP. I appreciate all of the words of encouragement. 

I certainly wasn't looking for a pity party. I just had a really bad week. If I ONLY posted the good things in life, I feel like I would come across as a social media weirdo. 

I possess a touch of crazy. I don't deny that. But I do deny that I'm a slacker. I deny that I do things strictly to hurt others. I do deny that I'm not worth someone's time. 

I am one of the most driven and motivated people FULL of positive energy and intentions that you will EVER find. Just like I claim my faults, I claim the good things about myself. 

So as I stand here in my bathroom early on Monday morning, I had contemplated deleting that post all weekend(I don't like to be vulnerable)....I have decided to leave it. 

I've already ran a couple of times to clear my head and I have a few AMAZING opportunities going on this week....ain't NOBODY got time to be in a bad mood. :)))

I've got to finish getting ready for my day...this is NOT "No Make-up Monday". Lol. #GirlGoPutYoHappyFaceOn

Hope everyone has a GREAT week! I plan on it. :)))

Happy Running and Happy Monday.