Long runs and minimalist shoes

On August 27, 2010 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run: Central Park (planned)

It’s only been one day since I’ve run but two mornings in a row without a workout seems too long. Tomorrow’s planned run will be relatively long but we’ll be keeping the pace moderate. Today I’m going to Central Park to put in a few fast miles. The weather predictions are making me think it will be cooler and drier than my last CP run and I’m hoping that’s the case. I’m not all that pleased to see the summer coming to a close but as a runner who prefers cooler conditions, I am looking forward to the fall.

I have my Brooks today but I may wear my Kinvaras tomorrow because I’m curious to see how they feel after seven miles. The longest run I’ve done with these shoes is 5.25 miles and I had no problems on that day. Adventure Girl ran a tough trail half marathon in Oregon earlier this month while wearing her Kinvaras. She liked them a lot, even over that long distance. Today on Runner’s Tech Review we’re posting an article from a runner who has been deployed in Iraq and has put many miles on a variety of minimalist running shoes. It’s a great piece because his impressions are based on miles of running, not just the initial test findings you’d get from most shoe reviews.

Should be a good weekend of running starting today. Only 28 days to the Great Cow Harbor 10K so my focus is turning to distance and stamina.

Run, hike, run, rest!

On August 8, 2010 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (street): 4.56 miles at 9:10

It’s been a great weekend for getting outdoors. Yesterday I did a 6+ mile run at Belmont Lake and later that afternoon my wife, son and I went on a long hike in Stillwell Woods. Considering that it’s early August the weather was very comfortable, especially with the tree cover keeping the interior temperatures relatively cool. I considered returning to Stillwell this morning for a run but decided to stay closer to home. I wish I could run to Stillwell from my home rather than drive the five minutes to get there. If not for the major roads I’d need to cross I’d do that. After yesterday’s run and hike my feet were still a little swollen so I chose my Kinvaras today. The Kinvaras are light and the toe box is flexible so I thought they would be a good alternative to my conventional shoes.

I set out to run a moderate distance and picked a route that took me west along Jericho Turnpike for about a mile until I turned into neighborhood #4. It was a nice change of scenery as I haven’t run in this neighborhood in almost a year. There were some good hills to follow both up and down and I traveled the perimeter road until I reached an outlet that allowed me to cross over to my main neighborhood. Considering all the running and hiking I’d done the day before I did fairly well on today’s run. I definitely slowed down in the last couple of miles but did maintain a credible pace overall. When I reached home I realized how humid it was. While running it wasn’t that noticeable because there was little sun due to low cloud cover. When I finally stopped I was amazed by how much I had sweat. The sprinkler system was on in front of my house and I stood in the path of one sprinkler head to cool off a little. It took a cool shower and then some to fully restore my comfort level.

I’m glad to have got my workout completed early today so I can focus on the activities of the day. I feel great and I’m happy with my performances over the last week. A special shout out to Adventure Girl today. She’s running the Haulin’ Aspen half marathon in Bend, Oregon this morning. Lots of high altitude running and a start with 8 miles of steady elevation (!). Once again, to quote Murakami, “Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.”

Mid-foot running is great but where’s the speed?

On July 7, 2010 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (street): 2.6 miles at 9:32

Stepping out in the Kinvaras for this morning’s run reminded me why real running shoes, even lightweight minimalist ones, serve an important purpose. I did well with my pool shoes on Sunday and had no residual aches or pains after my run but my feet felt far better during today’s run in the Sauconys. The Kinvaras are almost flat between heel and front foot but they aren’t built as low to the ground as some other lightweight trainers. The slightly higher platform allows for a little more cushioning and provides a comfortable ride. My longest run in them so far was 5.5 miles but I have no concerns about doubling that distance (except, of course, for my own limitations). It’s interesting that I’ve lost a lot of speed in the last couple of months. My first runs in the Kinvaras were under 9 minutes per mile. Now I’m averaging closer to 9:30 miles most days regardless of the shoes I wear.

It was 85 degrees and humid when I started my run at 4:05 AM today. With no sun and a slight breeze it wasn’t bad. For some reason the Garmin foot pod always over-counts distance on the Kinvaras, probably due to the flatter angle of the upper compared to my other shoes. This translates to faster paces on the FR60 display and more distance captured. I always check my route against Gmaps to find the margin of error and saw that the indicted distance and pace (2.67 mile & 9:18/mile respectively) were overstated by 3%. I can rarely tell while running at 4 AM whether I’m tracking mid 9:00 miles or high 8’s so I’m often disappointed (and occasionally delighted) when I calculate based on Gmaps. Regardless of pace or distance I got out there in the heat and covered some good ground while reinforcing my mid foot striking style. The speed will come. I keep telling myself that.

Another good Kinvara run

On June 25, 2010 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (street): 2.5 miles at 9:11 per mile

We have friends arriving later today who will stay with us over the weekend. I think we’re due for some decent weather today but I decided to forgo my usual Friday city run in favor of an early morning run. I checked weather.com last night and with sun and temperatures in the 80’s by mid day, it made more sense to go out in the dark when it was still relatively cool. I’ve worn the Saucony Kinvaras the last four times I’ve run this week and I do like the feel of the shoe. I know many people who are highly sensitive to the nuances of every shoe they wear but for me the threshold for satisfaction is low. The shoe either feels good or it doesn’t. The Kinvaras feel good and I believe they are helping me strengthen my legs by forcing more of a mid-foot striking style. The people at Jackrabbit showed me that I tend to come off the heel (albeit quickly) when I run which contributes to my pronation. I don’t know if a neutral shoe like the Kinvara heads off pronation by guiding the foot towards the front. I haven’t suffered any problems running in this neutral shoe so that may be the case.

My run today felt faster than yesterday’s but it was actually a little slower. I think going out at 6:15 AM gave me an advantage yesterday. I simply run slower at 4:00 AM. That’s okay though, this morning’s run felt energizing and good. I’m not sure of my run schedule for the weekend. My guests are not runners so I’ll probably go out early tomorrow, before everyone else is up, and be done in time for breakfast. I have no real goals for the weekend but I need to think somewhat about my conditioning. We’re heading to Colorado in a few weeks on vacation and with elevations of a mile or more I’ll want to be as prepared as I can.

Not quite the run I thought I’d done

On June 18, 2010 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (street): 4 miles at 9:16 per mile

After today’s run I thought that my best performance was tied to the time of day that I ran. My energy level at 6:15 AM was high and I started out well. I wanted to run about 3 miles this morning because I had some extra time. Usually I’m constrained to less than 25 minutes on weekdays but I’m working from home today so (without the commute) I was able to get out for over 30 minutes. It was only 61 degrees outside when I started and the first mile came quickly. That, as it turned out, was because it wasn’t quite a mile. Unfortunately my Garmin has not served me well of late and switching the foot pod from shoe to shoe has not helped. I thought I’d completed 4.17 miles in about 37 minutes, a time that I considered good and reasonable. I figured that running at 6 AM simply gave me boost over how well I usually perform at 4 AM. My actual distance was well off what the Garmin recorded. It turned out I’d only run 4 miles.

Forgetting performance for a moment I thought I’d run well today. I continue to like the feel of the Kinvaras and I’m hoping that they are facilitating mid foot landing when I run. I don’t feel much difference in padding or support with the neutral Kinvaras and (knock wood) I have not experienced any tweaks or strains from wearing them so far. It makes me wonder if I could get away with a neutral everyday trainer. Not that I’m in the market for that. I’m just curious. I’m hoping to do at least one measurable run (over six miles) this weekend. I’ll probably enlist my Brooks for that task. They remain my go-to shoe for distance. Why mess with success?

The morning blues

On June 17, 2010 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (street): 2.3 miles at 9:16 per mile

I looked forward to this morning’s run as I prepared my gear last night. I’ve just come through two weeks of tight deadlines and four speaking obligations and today’s run was the first time in a while where I could go out free of those pressures. I’d run in my Grid Tangents the last three times and the magic of speed seems to have slipped away. Tuesday’s performance was no better or worse than my usual experience with my GTS-10s. I decided to return to the Kinvaras and see if I could gain some efficiency by running in this light neutral shoe that promotes mid foot landing. I know two other people who own Kinvaras and they have both had concerns about running longer distances with them. So far my experience with the Kinvaras has been good. I see little difference between them and my other trainers.

Some mornings I move faster than others and today was a slow day. I’m not talking about on the road, I mean the process of preparing to run. Consequently I didn’t step outside until 4:06 and I took off without doing any stretching because I didn’t want to fall further behind. The skies were dark with no moon and overcast conditions. The rain had stopped but the roads were wet and the streetlights were reflecting garishly. It was quiet and I saw no other activity but it didn’t feel peaceful. During Tuesday morning’s run I saw a few cars and trucks and even saw another person on the street. It was a young woman taking a walk near the middle school. I kept my distance because I didn’t want to spook her. Odd to see someone out walking at 4:30 AM.

I ended today’s run after about 22 minutes. I was glad that I had run but slightly disappointed by the experience. I’m hoping to go out longer tomorrow morning and take advantage of the extra time I’ll have working from home. I think I need rest and I’ll try to sleep a little longer on Friday morning. It’s been a while since I’ve had a satisfying long run. I’m hoping I can change that this weekend.