(Year 1, Day 41) - 8 weeks to PITTSBURGH...and im done.

Welp, thats it.  6 miles into yesterday's distance run, and I'm fucked.  See ya later Pittsburgh half.  After I spend a few days in total bitch-mode and finally get tired of feeling sorry for myself, I anticipate a few weeks of zero working out...followed by a lengthy rehab. 

Frustrated...  Angry...  Deflated...

(Year 1, Day 40) - PITT HALF, Week 4 of 12, Day 3,4,5,6

Ran in the new shoes tonight @ runClub.  They felt pretty decent.  The most noticeable difference is they almost seem to force a midfoot strike.  Pretty cool.  Run felt good.  Warmest run of the year so far :)

Hill workout in the rain and wind.  A very enjoyable workout :)  Added 1 hill from the previous workout.

1 mile warmup.  7 x hill repeat.  1 mile cool down.

I ran in the Asics trainers.  Everything feels great.

 

Thundercats' win streak comes to an end.  After not playing last week, i still felt good

(Year 1, Day 38) - Shoe Review: Brooks PureCadence

REVIEW:  Brooks PureCadence

Its is official.  Brooks, a leader in running shoes, has released a line of minimalist shoes...known as the Brooks Pure line.  The line includes 4 shoes:

PureFlow:        Most 'minimal' of the 4 shoes.
PureGrit:         Trail Runner (more aggressive tread)
PureConnect:   Lightest and Most Flexible (good racing flat)
PureCadence:  Transition-to-Minimal Shoe (most support of the 4)

Why did I purchase the PureCadence over the other three models?
Since I began running, I have always worn trainers with a strong medial post.  So I did not want to go straight to a minimal shoe.  I think a slow transition would better avoid injury. 

What is a medial post?  The medial post is a dense (firmer) foam/rubber located in the sole of the shoe, on the inside of the foot.  Usually a darker color than the rest of the sole.  See the medial post in my old trainers, below.

So what does that firm piece of the sole do for you?  It keeps the foot from over-pronating.  Pronation occurs when your foot strikes the ground, and rolls inward.  Image on the far right is an example of over-pronation.

 Note how exteme his left foot is rolling to the right.  Putting an extra firm piece of foam under the inner foot keeps the foot from doing this.  Since I have been running in very supportive shoes for my entire running life I am worried that the muscles of my lower leg, which are activated during pronation, are probably under-developed.  Therefore, I am starting in the Cadence which have just slightly more support in this area.

So enough of that.  I have not yet run in the new shoes, but I am going to give my initial impression of some of the shoe's features.


THINGS I LIKE

1)  Less Heel

Probably the most exciting feature for me.  Now that I have eliminated heel-striking from my running stride, I am curious to see how these feel, as the heel is much less beefy.  Less Beef = Happy Knees

2)  4mm Heel-to-Toe drop

Second most exciting feature.  Heel-to-Toe drop refers to difference in height between the heel and toe of the shoe.  My old trainers around about 10-11mm.  The PureCandence is 4mm.  Standing in the shoes, this is probably the most noticeable feature. 

3)  Lightweight/Breathable

These feel very light compared to the old trainers...but still a decent sole on them.  There is definately more sole here than on my Asics flats...so hoping i can do some long runs.

THINGS I AM QUESTIONING

1)  Split Toe Box

This seems like a really cool idea...and was actually pretty excited about it.  The toe box is split, so that the big toe can function seperately from the rest of the foot...essentially giving you better 'feel' of the running surface.

Now that I actually have the shoe, I am a little bumbed as I cannot imagine I am going to feel this at all.  Looks more like a marketing scheme now.

2)  Support Band

 A supportive strap wraps around the shoe for support.  Again, seems like a marketing gimic.

3)  Kinked Laces

This seemed like the goofiest gimic of them all...but now I actually love them.  The laces are kinked so that they stay tied better.  Simple, it works, and i like it.

4)  Insert

I am quite scared in regards to the insert.  The inner part of the foot is extremely high...and is quite uncomfortable when walking around in them.  I can really feel this under my foot.  When I do not wear socks, it is incredible bothersome.  However, when I wear socks it feels a lot more comfortable.  Hope this doesnt ruin the shoe for me.

As i said, I have not run in them yet...but will be this week!  Pretty excited to see how they feel :)

(Year 1, Day 36) - PITT HALF, Week 4 of 12, Day 1,2

After a cramped week & a long weekend of skiing, an extra rest was needed.  This is very tough for me to do sometimes, and probably wouldnt have done in the past.  But injuries have made me wiser, and more aware of my body.
Pretty excited my sister (did i mention she is training for her first full marathon?  pretty freakin awesome!)  recently borrowed my Chi Running material.  YEAH CHI!!! 

Remember...80% of ALL RUNNERS (big, small, fast, slow) get injured every year.  Are you the exception?  Probably not.  If you have not been injured yet, you probably will be.  Make running just as much about injury prevention as it is about improving your speed.  Look into Chi Running...you will not regret it.

Wow!  Legs feel refreshed today :)  Squats felt great...all other lifts felt great.  Had to rush just slightly to get home in time for biggest loser (greatest show on television)...

except for CONDA!  :-o

Running in the new Brooks PureCadence tonight.  Only doing 4 miles.  I will try to post a pre-run review of the shoes, after work tomorrow.  Then a post-run review in another day or so.

(Year 1, Day 34) - 9 weeks to PITTSBURGH!

3 weeks DOWN.  A really crammed week has left me feeling a little beat up.  We had to squeeze all of our big runs into the first 4 days of the week because of a 3-day ski trip over the weekend.  4 crazy tough days followed by A LOT of skiing = taking an extra rest day today (monday).

 

My new training shoes arrived in the mail!  I will try to post a review this week. 

Brooks Pure Cadence.  My personal minimalist movement has begun :-o

 

(Year 1, Day 31) - PITT HALF, Week 3 of 12, Day 2,3,4,5,6,7

Back on the track.  Did I mention how much I love late night track workouts? :) 

The only negative to the workout was the moron walking in lane 1.  Don't get me wrong, I totally understand that some people are not educated in track etiquette (even tho a sign at the track entrance reads "walkers use outside lanes").  And in most cases it wouldn't bother me that someone's walking in lane 1.  But when your 10 year old daughter tells you to move to the outside for the approaching runner, and you look at the runner (as if he has two heads) and simply ignore her request...you have moved from an acceptable uneducated track-user, to an unacceptable biotch :)

WORKOUT:
Warmup:     1600m acceleration
Workout:     8 x 400 @ 5k pace (90sec)
Recovery:    200m walk/jog
Cool Down:  800m 


One 400m interval has been added to the workout from two weeks ago.  I was really hoping my knees would feel better than they did in yesterday's spin class.  I had already mentally prepared myself to drop out if need be.  But to my delight, everything felt great.  After a week of focusing on my stride, it was a lot easier to pick up the pace without resorting to pushing off with calves and Achille's.


Splits.

In need of an easy day tomorrow.  And for some reason, looking forward to Thursday's distance run :)

runClub night.  Beautiful weather...around 50 degrees.  Got to run in shorts and a light long sleeve T.  Ran 4 miles with Ian.  Everything felt pretty good.

yeaaaahhhhhhhhhhh...distance runs feeling good!

1:15 run.  Approximately 9.5 miles.  8min pace. 

This distance run was such a huge success.  About 2 miles into the run my lower back began to hurt.  At first I thought "shit, I hope that goes away."  But of course it only got worse over the next few minutes.

Old me:  try to ignore it, and push through the pain.

New me:  "Is my column straight?  Check. "Are my legs spinning behind me?  Check."  "Am I falling forward from my ankles?  AHH HAH!  No, I am bending at the waist, not from the ankles.

I paused, straightened my column, and fell forward at the ankles.  EUREKA!  Back pain vanished!

Chi Running, how i love thee...

Today is rest.  I will be driving to seven springs to ski for the weekend, with Mandy.  Two days full of skiing will account for 3 miles.