Two weeks ago, I crushed my half marathon goal and set a new personal record (PR) during the NYC Half Marathon. It was a wonderful day that reminded me just how much I love running!

Even though you’d think this runner’s high would make me want to sign up for every single race in the metro area to continue pushing myself, I’ve actually experienced the opposite. I decided it was time to take a break from training and spend two weeks doing whatever workout I found myself in the mood to experience that day. Therefore, my evenings or mornings have been filled with yoga, Barry’s Bootcamp, and Uplift Fitness classes. I’ve loved gaining a new appreciation for yoga through the month unlimited pass I bought at Laughing Lotus. Both Barry’s Bootcamp and Uplift have allowed me to combine great music, super sweaty workouts, and friends while pushing my body. In order to break through a bit of the plateau I was feeling I’ve started increasing the weight I use in both of these classes having now moved up to primarily using 15 pound weights for all arm workouts, even tricep work!

However, now that my legs have had a break from running for two weeks, they are anxious to get back into training. Yesterday during the run portion of Barry’s Bootcamp I found myself pushing the speed in ways that I haven’t done previously just for the sole purpose of feeling my stride again. After reviewing my race calendar along with the New York Road Runners and NYC Runs calendar, I’m excited to focus on speed for the next few weeks. On May 4th I’m running The Run for Hope, a local 5k race down in Battery Park City hosted by high school children. I love the idea of supporting a local school since I remember working for hours to fundraise during high school and am hoping that the route will include scenic views of the Statue of Liberty and the Hudson River!  Therefore the month of April will be all about speed! I look forward to working with Gia to incorporate more speedwork into my weekly running schedule while we still balance the strength work that I’ve been loving through group workout classes and weekly long runs to ensure that I’m still in half marathon shape come May 18th when we head out to Brooklyn with a number of our other running friends for the New York Road Runners Brooklyn Half. It’s been two years since I ran this race and while I’m not looking to set another half marathon PR, I would like to improve my course time which is a 2:20:44.

Luckily, to help with this new speed training, I have a new lightweight pair of shoes to incorporate into my shorter workouts. The New Balance Minimus 10V2 feature a Vibram out sole,  which makes them last longer along with odor resistant interior, and hot pink laces!  I love how bright and fun the shoes are while still being supportive and good entry point to minimal running without being as extreme as some other options on the market. With a 4mm drop the shoe will help improve my running form and feel running in a whole different manner.

I’ve tried the shoes out three times in 2 different environments: on the treadmill during Barry’s Bootcamp sprints and at Uplift. My feet felt no pain during either workouts even though one of the Barry’s Bootcamp classes included 3.5 miles of treadmill running. While on the incline I felt like I had a stronger grip and was more stable while on the sprints my feet felt lighter due to the fact that these shoes only weigh in at 5.2 ounces! I can’t wait to use these during my shorter speed workouts in April to see how they can help my form and feel of running a new pace! Hopefully come May 4th I’ll be sporting these bright shoes at the finish line with a new 5k PR!

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“Disclosure: Compensation was provided by New Balance via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of New Balance.”