Nike Free Run + 2 review (v. Reebok RealFlex)

So, yes, I am late to the party but I am really into this minimalist trend lately.  I had been running in my Reebok RealFlex for quite a while and loved the flexibility and lightness of the shoe.  But, I have pretty much worn out the Reeboks.  I have been told I have a neutral pronation.  I also have a very high arch - so high that I have a bone that sticks out on the top of both my feet making wearing certain shoes very difficult.  With typical shoes that cover the top of my foot, I can usually only wear them an hour or two before they start killing my feet.  I love the RealFlex because the upper is barely there and never bothers my foot and has a super flexible sole.  So switching to a new type of shoe is a very difficult and lengthy process for me.
I started looking into getting more minimalist and ran across the Nike Frees and Nike Free Runs.  It was hard to compare where the RealFlex fit in to the Nike system as far as minimalism, but after trying on a Nike Free Run 3.0 v. 5.0 and Nike Free Run 3.0 v. 4.0, I think it is closer to a Nike Free Run 3.0 v. 3.0 (which I could never find in a store) or a Nike Free 3.0 (which I could never find either).  I ended up buying a Nike Free Run + 2.0.  If you don't know anything about the systems, the lower the number the more minimalist and the Nike Free is more minimalist than the Nike Free Run.  The "+", if you don't know, is for the data tracker that slips into the inside sole of the shoe, which I don't have but don't really have a need for at this point.
So here are my thoughts:

There is more arch support in the Nike, which I am not a big fan of.
There is less heal support in the Nike which I am a fan of.  I could definitely tell on my first run that I was sitting back more while running instead of leaning forward.  I had never noticed this before I switched shoes.  I thought my calves and shins would be horrendously sore after my first run in the Nikes (3.5 miles), and though they felt more fatigued than normal, I was not sore the next morning.
I think it will take me some time to get used to the upper because it seems like so much material after running in the RealFlex, but I do like the glove like fit.
As for the sole, I can definitely "feel" the road/terrain more in the Nike than in the RealFlex.
And, of course, the Nikes have made me slow down my time per mile in attempting to get use to a new stride.  I have really been working on reducing my time so this is a big deal for me.  But, its a sacrifice I am willing to make to be a little more natural in my run.  I will just have to keep working at the time aspect.  I don't know that I like the Nikes much more than the Reeboks.  I will have to try the Reeboks again in a week or so and then really see the difference.

P90X2 Hybrid and questions about Running Shoes

So, I decided Insanity by itself just wasn't doing it for me as far as strength this time around.  Instead, I am now doing a hybrid of P90X2 and running/Insanity.  I have really kicked it up on the running.  Just two weeks ago I was running a mile in about 11 minutes and 15 seconds (5.5 miles).  My latest run was 4.4 miles at 9 minutes 47 seconds per mile (on the same type of terrain)!  Obviously I wasn't pushing myself with my running but thanks to some colleagues who run all the time and my husband who has really gotten into running lately, I am working on it.  I think my biggest hurdle at first was my stride.  I am 5'2" and everyone I run with is 6'2" and taller, so their stride is almost twice mine.  We calculated it one time and on a 5.25 mile run, I was taking 2500 more steps than my running partners!  That is crazy!

So here is my hybrid -

Monday - Crazy run up the hill of Hell. 5.25 miles.
Tuesday - X2 Core
Wednesday - X2 Yoga or Recovery/Mobility - unless I am feeling sluggish and yucky then its Total Body.
Thursday - Insanity meets XFit at the Y for 45 minutes (its a class) and then 4 mile run on relatively flat terrain.  This day is tough!!!!!
Friday - Rest if necessary (see Thursday's work out) or if I am feeling pretty good Total Body (if I didn't do it Wednesay or Balance and Power if I did).
Saturday - Another run on somewhat hilly terrain.  Usually around 4 miles.
Sunday - Yoga or rest (uh, the hill of hell is tomorrow).

After a few weeks, I'll switch out the X2 workouts to the second phase ones.  I love hybrids because I don't feel like I am locked into one particular routine!

Now onto the shoes!  I need a new pair.  I have put several hundred miles on my current pair and I need a back up pair for the Warrior Dashes we plan on doing.  I have been looking at the Nike Free Run 3.0.  They have differing levels of support  (starting at v. 5.0 and going down to v. 3.0) depending on how minimalist you want to get.  I currently have Reebok's RealFlex.  I think they are pretty close to the Free Run 3.0 v. 4.0 or v. 3.0 as far as minimalism.  I cannot find the v. 3.0 anywhere in the stores to try them on.  Anybody use the Free Runs?  What do you think?

Warrior Dash - Jackson MS

So a friend at work sent me a link to the Warrior Dash (www.warriordash.com).  I had never heard of it before and decided it sounded AWESOME!  So me and my husband (www.coachcrystalspadawan.wordpress.com) signed up for the April 21 race in Jackson MS along with one of our friends.  We tried convincing a few others but they chickened out!
Anyway, I figured I had the running part down, no problem.  I run 5.5 miles regularly.  Plus, I have done Insanity numerous times and P90X numerous times and just finished P90X2.  I was worried about the obstacles, climbing walls in particular.
Well, it was freaking freezing cold that Saturday morning!  We were running on crazy adrenaline.  I drank a 5 hour energy (yep, I use them all the time), and the boys were chugging Monster energy drinks.  We opted to run in the first wave at 8 a.m.  Best decision ever!
So we start the race to Eye of the Tiger - what a brilliant way to get everyone hyped up.  Mud, mud and more mud.   Mud everywhere.  I remember standing in the gate waiting to start and seeing that people had duck taped their shoes on - I thought that was totally odd and unnecessary.  Well, after the first mud pit, I ended up running past a girl who was wearing one shoe - maybe duck tape was necessary after all!
Anyway, running ended up being the hardest part, especially the last .9 miles.  I started out at a faster pace than I normally run because I was running with the boys.  They are 6 foot 2 inches or taller and I am 5 foot 2 inches - for every one step they took I took 1.5 to 2.  But I refused to let them start out ahead of me.  (Yes, that's me jumping over fire - one of the last 4 obstacles)

Anyway, so the key ended up being well-hydrated.  When the boys stopped for water along the way, I kept going.  I always try to drink a ton of water (at least 32 oz but hopefully 64) before I run.  In my first Dash, I ended up in the top 15% overall and top 4% for women my age (why the heck do I have to have an age group????!!!!).  At the end we were all drunk on adrenaline and ready to run again!  Of course, we didn't do it.  It was freezing cold and overcast.  We went and got a beer instead!

So the boys are signed up to do another Dash in GA while I am out of town.  Then we are all signed up to do the one in AL in October.  I am pumped.  I think I am going to IN for the one in August and have convinced my sister and her girlfriend (and they have convinced some of their friends) to do it too.  I am totally addicted!  It's a good cause too - St. Jude.  You can choose to be a St. Jude Warrior and commit to raise a minimal amount of money for St. Jude, which I did.  Cannot wait to do it again!