Today's run was my eighth consecutive run without my Orthotics. I have been rotating my Saucony Kinvara's and Nike Free's and focusing on keeping an easy pace (somewhere in the 8:30 - 9:00/mile range) and I haven't had any pain or discomfort.
There are two main variables when it comes to running: distance and intensity (pace/hills), and I have read many, many times (and learned from personal experience) that it is important to only increase one of the variables at a time. So, I dropped my pace to allow my body (legs and feet) to get used to the new shoes while I gradually build up to running 30 miles a week.
I have been rotating my shoes, running in the Saucony's one day and then the Nike Free's the next. This is helping build up my foot and leg strength as my muscles have to work slightly differently each day. I have never rotated shoes before, which I think was a big factor in my injury over the summer. The muscles in my feet were never challenged as I always ran in the same shoes with my molded Orthotic insert and they eventually became lazy and lost their strength.
Another reason to rotate running shoes is that the foam cushioning in the sole can take 36 hours to recover and if it doesn't fully recover before the next run, it breaks down and becomes less effective faster than it typically would. This is less of a factor for me with my Saucony's and Nike's as they don't have much (if any) foam in the soles.
Recent Training Runs:
11/23 Saucony (5.50 miles @ 8:42)
11/22 Nike Free (3.00 @ 8:53)
11/21 Saucony (5.50 @ 8:54)
11/20 Nike Free (3.00 @ 8:31)
11/19 Saucony (3.00 @ 8:45)
11/18 Nike Free (3.00 @ 8:44)
11/17 Saucony (3.00 @ 9:02)
11/15 Nike Free (2.00 @ 9:02)
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
New Shoes
After running short distances in my Nike Free's for a while I came to the conclusion that they would never be my high mileage shoe - they lack the support that I will need to be able to cover 15-20 miles. I found a number of reviews on the Internet from other runners that have tried running longer distances in the Nike Free's and they have all ended up either running in a shoe with slightly more support or going in the other direction and becoming a barefoot runner. Of course, lots of people do use the Nike Free's for short distances, either in recovery runs the day after a long run or for speed work at a track, so I am not removing them from my rotation completely.
With my Nike Free's relegated to short runs, I needed to find a new shoe to replace them as my longer distance shoe. I did a lot of research before deciding which shoes to buy to go along with my Nike Free Run's and decided on the Saucony Kinvara.
The Saucony Kinvara's are best described as a hybrid shoe. They are light weight and have a minimal heel to toe drop (4mm) which helps with a mid-foot strike (as there is less heel in the way) just like a racing flat. However, the shoe still retains some cushioning that is more like a what you would find in a traditional neutral shoe.
If I was to compare the Kinvara's to my Nike Free's and New Balance 759's they'd be lighter (Kinvara: 7.7oz, Nike Free: 8.8oz, New Balance: 11oz) and have a smaller heel to toe drop (Kinvara: 4mm, Nike Free: 8mm, New Balance: >14mm) but they'd be in the middle when considering the amount of support and cushioning that they give my foot (Nike Free has the least support and New Balance the most).
There are some great reviews of the Kinvara's that can be found here and here.
I am hoping that I'll be able to cover longer distances in the Kinvara's than I can safely in the Nike Free's. I plan to gradually increase my mileage in the Kinvara's and use the Nike Free's as a shoe for short recovery runs once or twice a week.
Say "hello" to my new Saucony Kinvara's...
With my Nike Free's relegated to short runs, I needed to find a new shoe to replace them as my longer distance shoe. I did a lot of research before deciding which shoes to buy to go along with my Nike Free Run's and decided on the Saucony Kinvara.
The Saucony Kinvara's are best described as a hybrid shoe. They are light weight and have a minimal heel to toe drop (4mm) which helps with a mid-foot strike (as there is less heel in the way) just like a racing flat. However, the shoe still retains some cushioning that is more like a what you would find in a traditional neutral shoe.
If I was to compare the Kinvara's to my Nike Free's and New Balance 759's they'd be lighter (Kinvara: 7.7oz, Nike Free: 8.8oz, New Balance: 11oz) and have a smaller heel to toe drop (Kinvara: 4mm, Nike Free: 8mm, New Balance: >14mm) but they'd be in the middle when considering the amount of support and cushioning that they give my foot (Nike Free has the least support and New Balance the most).
There are some great reviews of the Kinvara's that can be found here and here.
I am hoping that I'll be able to cover longer distances in the Kinvara's than I can safely in the Nike Free's. I plan to gradually increase my mileage in the Kinvara's and use the Nike Free's as a shoe for short recovery runs once or twice a week.
Say "hello" to my new Saucony Kinvara's...
Friday, November 12, 2010
City of Oaks Marathon (Volunteer)
Last weekend I volunteered as a Course Monitor at the City of Oaks Marathon and Rex Healthcare Half Marathon in Raleigh and had a great time. The City of Oaks is one of only two Marathon's that are held in Raleigh each year, with the other Marathon being the Umstead Marathon which is limited to 200 runners and is held on the trails of Umstead Park.
The City of Oaks course starts on the campus of NC State University, then goes through Downtown Raleigh before making its way out to Umstead Park (where the big hills await) and finally back to NC State. The trails and hills of Umstead Park make the course very challenging indeed and certainly not a course to attempt to set a PR on. The Half Marathon course avoids Umstead Park completely but still has some decent size elevation changes.
On Sunday morning at 6:15am, Elizabeth and I left the house and drove to my position in Downtown Raleigh. We were in position (near the mile 4 marker) at 6:45. I had been asked to monitor a simple intersection where a side road joined the road that the runners would be running on and I didn't expect to see much traffic.
The race was set to begin at 7am so we expected to see the first runners pass just after 7:20. It was a cold (34F, 1C) but dry morning which was probably a few degrees colder than most runners would have liked, so we stayed in the car until just before 7:20, at which time I positioned the car across the road to ensure that no cars could slip past me and out on to the course. I was wrapped up warm with lots of layers and my hat and gloves when the Half Marathon leaders passed just after 7:21am.
The three shown in the photo below took the first three places in the Half Marathon, with the guy in third place here winning $1000 with a time of 1:04:35
The runners began to come thick and fast as the 3300 or so runners in the Half and Full Marathon made their way past the 4 mile point at their own speed. It was nice to be working at a quiet intersection where I was able to provide some encouragement to the runners.
Elizabeth had decided to join me mainly because our friend Shane was running his first Half Marathon and she wanted to provide him with some encouragement as well as snap some photos of him running. Unfortunately, the sun decided to come up over a building on the opposite side of the street just as Shane was passing - and the best we could do was the photo that is shown below!
Elizabeth was disappointed that she hadn't managed to get a good photo, so we decided that we'd try and get to the Mile 12 marker later in the race to take another one. We did snap a photo of the 4:30 Marathon Pace group and their leader with his fancy headgear (which he wore for the entire race!)
When the final runners passed, we were released from our duties and joined our friends who happened to be working the next intersection for some breakfast. We calculated what time we'd expect Shane to be at the Mile 12 marker and attempted to make our way in the car to that point on the course. It became apparently fairly quickly that we wouldn't be able to get to the Mile 12 marker, however, we happened across the runners approaching Mile 11 and figured that we had a 50/50 chance that Shane wouldn't have passed yet. We parked and got in position to take a photo and within 2 minutes Elizabeth spotted Shane and shouted encouragement to him. This time, the sun was behind us, and she managed to get a great photo!
We then headed home so that Elizabeth could get some things done in the Nursery with her friend Allison. Officer Ken called me and asked if I wanted to go down to the finish area with him to see the end of the race and provide some support for Steph' who had been given a course monitor position right near the finish line.
We arrived at the NC State campus just in time to see the 4:15 pace group round the corner with less that half a mile to go. We spent the next 2 hours providing encouragement to the runners as they neared the finish - by this time, they were desperately in need of whatever encouragement we could provide them and we were happy to oblige.
Volunteering is always rewarding, regardless of the distance, but there is something special about seeing a runner complete a Marathon or Half Marathon that they have trained for for months and maybe I'll volunteer again at the City of Oaks Marathon again next year!
Congratulations to Shane on completing his first Half Marathon!
The City of Oaks course starts on the campus of NC State University, then goes through Downtown Raleigh before making its way out to Umstead Park (where the big hills await) and finally back to NC State. The trails and hills of Umstead Park make the course very challenging indeed and certainly not a course to attempt to set a PR on. The Half Marathon course avoids Umstead Park completely but still has some decent size elevation changes.
On Sunday morning at 6:15am, Elizabeth and I left the house and drove to my position in Downtown Raleigh. We were in position (near the mile 4 marker) at 6:45. I had been asked to monitor a simple intersection where a side road joined the road that the runners would be running on and I didn't expect to see much traffic.
The race was set to begin at 7am so we expected to see the first runners pass just after 7:20. It was a cold (34F, 1C) but dry morning which was probably a few degrees colder than most runners would have liked, so we stayed in the car until just before 7:20, at which time I positioned the car across the road to ensure that no cars could slip past me and out on to the course. I was wrapped up warm with lots of layers and my hat and gloves when the Half Marathon leaders passed just after 7:21am.
The three shown in the photo below took the first three places in the Half Marathon, with the guy in third place here winning $1000 with a time of 1:04:35
The runners began to come thick and fast as the 3300 or so runners in the Half and Full Marathon made their way past the 4 mile point at their own speed. It was nice to be working at a quiet intersection where I was able to provide some encouragement to the runners.
Elizabeth had decided to join me mainly because our friend Shane was running his first Half Marathon and she wanted to provide him with some encouragement as well as snap some photos of him running. Unfortunately, the sun decided to come up over a building on the opposite side of the street just as Shane was passing - and the best we could do was the photo that is shown below!
Elizabeth was disappointed that she hadn't managed to get a good photo, so we decided that we'd try and get to the Mile 12 marker later in the race to take another one. We did snap a photo of the 4:30 Marathon Pace group and their leader with his fancy headgear (which he wore for the entire race!)
When the final runners passed, we were released from our duties and joined our friends who happened to be working the next intersection for some breakfast. We calculated what time we'd expect Shane to be at the Mile 12 marker and attempted to make our way in the car to that point on the course. It became apparently fairly quickly that we wouldn't be able to get to the Mile 12 marker, however, we happened across the runners approaching Mile 11 and figured that we had a 50/50 chance that Shane wouldn't have passed yet. We parked and got in position to take a photo and within 2 minutes Elizabeth spotted Shane and shouted encouragement to him. This time, the sun was behind us, and she managed to get a great photo!
We then headed home so that Elizabeth could get some things done in the Nursery with her friend Allison. Officer Ken called me and asked if I wanted to go down to the finish area with him to see the end of the race and provide some support for Steph' who had been given a course monitor position right near the finish line.We arrived at the NC State campus just in time to see the 4:15 pace group round the corner with less that half a mile to go. We spent the next 2 hours providing encouragement to the runners as they neared the finish - by this time, they were desperately in need of whatever encouragement we could provide them and we were happy to oblige.
Volunteering is always rewarding, regardless of the distance, but there is something special about seeing a runner complete a Marathon or Half Marathon that they have trained for for months and maybe I'll volunteer again at the City of Oaks Marathon again next year!
Congratulations to Shane on completing his first Half Marathon!
Monday, November 1, 2010
How fast can a Hot Dog run?
Yesterday afternoon I achieved one of my goals for 2010 by running the Monster Dash 5K dressed as a Hot Dog and I had lots of fun!
Race day was a sunny 73F (22C) with clear blue skies. We arrived at Cameron Village over a hour before the race to see our friends from the running club who were volunteering. We had plenty of time to pose for photos!
Elizabeth found a great shirt for Halloween to cover her baby-bump...
Here we are together before the race. Elizabeth had pinned just above my shoulders and just above my head to keep the hole for my face in the right place.
I warmed up without the Hot Dog outfit and went through my normal pre-run routine. I had decided to wear my Nike Free's, so I wanted to make sure my calves were stretched fully before the race.
A few minutes before the race, I put on the Hot Dog and made my way to the start corral. Although there were lots of runners in costume, there were also a fair number of runners that hadn't dressed up so I stayed well away from the front as I planned to start out slowly. I also noted that there were only a few runners wearing costumes that covered their head - there was a Banana that ran the entire race being chased by a Gorilla and a couple dressed as Ketchup and Mustard bottles, but most runners had decided to keep their heads exposed... I began to wonder if I had made a mistake with a costume that covered my head...
Elizabeth positioned herself on a corner about 250 yards from the Start/Finish line and by the time I passed her on the way out I was already feeling comfortable in the costume. It didn't bounce up and down or even feel all that heavy.
Here are a few photo's that Elizabeth took while I was out on the course...
Mother Goose was in attendance:
Here is the NC State Bobsled team following their 1 mile run.
I started out slowly while I got a feel for running in the Hot Dog outfit and in my Nike Free's which worked out well as the first 450 yards were up hill. By the time we turned on to Oberlin road I felt great and eased my way through the crowd to the outside of the runners (which was quite difficult as I could only see forward!). I received lots of encouragement from other runners and volunteer course monitors as I passed them and I went through the first mile marker in 8:18. I was surprised with that split as I had started out very slowly and I had just been running at what felt like a nice easy pace. I thought to myself "I wonder how fast I can run in this thing?" and decided to see...
There was a nice breeze which was helping keep me cool and I kicked up the pace a couple of notches. I took on some water at the water stop and even tried the pinch and drink method so I didn't have to stop - it worked great as I was able to take on two decent mouthfuls of water without it getting all over me or up my nose!
I picked out runners in costume in the distance and made them my targets. I relaxed my shoulders and enjoyed the challenge of running quickly dressed as a Hot Dog! I passed the second mile marker in 7:30 and soon after that the last costumed runner. I set my sights on a couple of other runners in the distance and glanced at my watch - 2.4 miles down, 0.7 to go. I knew I had plenty of energy left and only two inclines before the long downhill to the finish. I increased my speed a touch and with 0.3 of a mile to go I was on the shoulder of my target runner. I got to the top of the hill, eased past and took off at a full sprint... my watch beeped for a 7:17 third mile and I sprinted all the way in for a finishing time of 23:47 and second in my age group!
I passed Elizabeth with the finish line in sight and she got two great shots of me!
I even appear to have good form from behind in this photo!
Overall I had a great time and I can't wait for next year!
Race day was a sunny 73F (22C) with clear blue skies. We arrived at Cameron Village over a hour before the race to see our friends from the running club who were volunteering. We had plenty of time to pose for photos!
Elizabeth found a great shirt for Halloween to cover her baby-bump...
Here we are together before the race. Elizabeth had pinned just above my shoulders and just above my head to keep the hole for my face in the right place.
I warmed up without the Hot Dog outfit and went through my normal pre-run routine. I had decided to wear my Nike Free's, so I wanted to make sure my calves were stretched fully before the race.
A few minutes before the race, I put on the Hot Dog and made my way to the start corral. Although there were lots of runners in costume, there were also a fair number of runners that hadn't dressed up so I stayed well away from the front as I planned to start out slowly. I also noted that there were only a few runners wearing costumes that covered their head - there was a Banana that ran the entire race being chased by a Gorilla and a couple dressed as Ketchup and Mustard bottles, but most runners had decided to keep their heads exposed... I began to wonder if I had made a mistake with a costume that covered my head...
Elizabeth positioned herself on a corner about 250 yards from the Start/Finish line and by the time I passed her on the way out I was already feeling comfortable in the costume. It didn't bounce up and down or even feel all that heavy.
Here are a few photo's that Elizabeth took while I was out on the course...
Mother Goose was in attendance:
Here is the NC State Bobsled team following their 1 mile run.
I started out slowly while I got a feel for running in the Hot Dog outfit and in my Nike Free's which worked out well as the first 450 yards were up hill. By the time we turned on to Oberlin road I felt great and eased my way through the crowd to the outside of the runners (which was quite difficult as I could only see forward!). I received lots of encouragement from other runners and volunteer course monitors as I passed them and I went through the first mile marker in 8:18. I was surprised with that split as I had started out very slowly and I had just been running at what felt like a nice easy pace. I thought to myself "I wonder how fast I can run in this thing?" and decided to see...
There was a nice breeze which was helping keep me cool and I kicked up the pace a couple of notches. I took on some water at the water stop and even tried the pinch and drink method so I didn't have to stop - it worked great as I was able to take on two decent mouthfuls of water without it getting all over me or up my nose!
I picked out runners in costume in the distance and made them my targets. I relaxed my shoulders and enjoyed the challenge of running quickly dressed as a Hot Dog! I passed the second mile marker in 7:30 and soon after that the last costumed runner. I set my sights on a couple of other runners in the distance and glanced at my watch - 2.4 miles down, 0.7 to go. I knew I had plenty of energy left and only two inclines before the long downhill to the finish. I increased my speed a touch and with 0.3 of a mile to go I was on the shoulder of my target runner. I got to the top of the hill, eased past and took off at a full sprint... my watch beeped for a 7:17 third mile and I sprinted all the way in for a finishing time of 23:47 and second in my age group!
I passed Elizabeth with the finish line in sight and she got two great shots of me!
I even appear to have good form from behind in this photo!
Overall I had a great time and I can't wait for next year!
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