It’s been a while since I’ve posted an update, so I thought I’d fill you in on what I’ve been up to.
With both kids in college and funds being a little short, my racing schedule has slowed down a bit, but my training really hasn’t. I’m the type of person who does better when I have a goal, whether that be an upcoming race or otherwise. Everyone says that as you grow older your running speed begins to slow, but when does that start? I don’t feel like I’m at the point where I’ll never get faster, but I have felt like I’m at a stagnant place.
One day when I was on Facebook, I saw a post for Lumo Run. I had not heard of them, but it sounded interesting, so I checked them out. The Lumo Run sensor attaches to the back of your shorts and tracks all kinds of stats while you run. Christmas was coming up, so I decided that was one of the items I wanted.
After I got my Lumo Run sensor, I couldn’t wait to get outside for a run and see what it said about my running. Luckily, we had a pretty mild winter so on December 28th I headed out for my run. For the first run, it tells you to do a short run at an easy pace and not to worry about anything. Well, the weather was so nice that I ended up doing a 6 mile run.
When I got back and checked the app to see what it said, my pacing seemed to be pretty normal for my regular runs. I’ve always known I’m not a “fast” runner, so it wasn’t any surprise to see my cadence was low and in the red zone. Oops. My bounce and rotation were in the caution zone, but my braking and drop look good (which was a little surprising to me).
I looked further into the cadence to see if it varied much from the beginning of the run when I was fresh to the end of the run when I was a little more tired, but it didn’t vary much. That’s one thing I am – consistent.
The Lumo Run also gives you some drills to work on to improve whichever area it is you need to work on. To improve my cadence it told me to work on Line Toe Taps, Front Skips and High Knees. I’ve always hated high knees, but they say the thing you hate the most is the thing you need to work on. It also listed some drills for each of the other categories and even gives you a short video to explain how to do it. It’s like having your own coach in your phone (and sometimes even coaches need coaches).
Not long after Christmas, I saw that Lumo Run was looking for ambassadors. I've always thought it would be great to be an ambassador for a company I believe in, so I applied. I had nothing to lose. A few weeks later, I got the news that I was selected to be one of their ambassadors for 2017 and I couldn't be happier.
I got a shirt and a water bottle so I can represent Lumo Run on my runs, as well as a nice little tote bag.
On every outdoor run, I’ve worn my Lumo Run so that I have feedback. I could tell when I was tired as more red and yellow appeared in my stats and I could tell when I felt good as more green showed up and I even hit several records on one run.
The other thing I like about the Lumo Run is that you can set the notifications to talk to you during your run. It will give you reminders of what to work on, updates on distance and pace and will buzz at you when you meet your goals. And while sometimes you just want to tell the thing to shut up because you really are trying, it’s nice to be pushed, even if it is by an electronic device. I've learned a lot from Ms. Lumo.
Fast forward over time to my run Tuesday. While not completely an apples to apples comparison as it was a 3 mile run versus the original 6 mile run, I compared the data and liked what I saw. While still not great, my cadence has improved and consequently, so has my pace. My bounce had also improved from the caution zone to the green zone. Rotation is something I still need to work on.
Stay tuned for more updates in the future. I can’t wait to race with it and see what my stats are.
If you are interested in learning more about what the Lumo Run sensor can do for you or if you want to purchase a Lumo run sensor for yourself, visit https://www.idevaffiliate.com/33328/140.html or click here:
Use the code: BR10 for $10 off!
