Had a solid workout yesterday, my first tempo in almost a month thanks to the injury interruption.  Coach Adam/ A muse, while not coaching me this time since I’m in laid-back mode indefinitely (though he’s still letting me tug on his shirt tails when I get the urge) suggested 3 x 10min starting at MP progressing to HP which sounded fun, though I did it by distance so I’d have absolute time & pace values.  And because I’m still clueless about my current marathon and half pace, I used my last tempos as guides.  Happily, it was the nicest morning in weeks: 71 degrees and 50 dewpoint.

It was a 15-miler starting with 3.25mi easy, then the tempo portion which looked like this: 1.5mi@7:21, 1.5mi@7:02 and 1.75mi@6:54 (this one was a bit longer, just because) w/ 2min recoveries between each.  I finished with a brisk pace for the remaining 6.5 miles home.  Avg pace for the 15 miles was 7:55 and the heart rate data looks really good.

Today’s run was funny, thanks to a tiny older Asian woman on a bike who rode by me and yelled the word “HOT!” looking kinda mad, which confused me, it wasn’t that hot and she was wearing long sleeves, I figured I misunderstood her or that she was a crazy person.  I caught up to her a few miles later while she was adjusting her bike and she said “You take a break, you need break, too hot”.  Which totally cracked me up, it wasn’t like my shorts were soaked but my skin was pretty sweaty, I guess, but she was so cute.  About 20 minutes later, she passes me again and says “How far you go?  10 miles?  You go 10 miles?”  I replied with a laugh “13″ to which she replied “10 miles?  You go 10 miles?” so I said again “13!” and I think she got it, as she shook her head like I was a lost cause and rode on.  I love my park.

Shoes!
Yesterday brought a shoe extravaganza from Runningwarehouse.  I’ve said before that I’m not a smart shoe reviewer and never will be, I can’t tell crap about nuances or what makes one shoe better than another.  My reviews have to do with my picky feet that hate most shoes.  In fact, when I go to one of those shoe superstores for regular shoes, like DSW, I always leave feeling like a failure as a woman for having tried on a bazillion shoes and not feeling right in any.

So when you read my non-scientific, non-runnerly reviewettes (not true reviews, two of the pairs didn’t even leave the Blue Hovel), definitely don’t take my word for it, everybody’s feet are different and you might love what I can’t deal with. I’ve listed the size and weight of the shoes and for comparison’s sake, I wear 7.5 in Men’s Kinvara and they weigh 7.2oz.

Brooks Green Silence

These had the lowest heel-drop of any of the shoes I ordered.  The weird thing with the heel-drop is that it’s 7mm as opposed to the 4mm of Kinvaras but I felt like I was wearing Earth Shoes, with a negative heel.  Really strange.  But what bothered me more was the firmness of the upper.  They call it a mesh upper but it’s solid fabric with perforations in it.  It also has a rubber overlay on the toe (or whatever “green” material it is), which is also used as trim for the lace attachments.  I was too aware of the stiffness it caused, though I think in the winter it wouldn’t bug me, but with Summer humidity that leaves my shoes sloshing and my feet spreading, I want a more “transparent” shoe. So no.  (Women’s size 9, 6.6oz)

Pearl Izumi Streak II

I thought this was the cutest of the bunch and wanted it to work but it didn’t.  Again, I was too aware of the hard plastic overlay at the toe though a bigger size would probably fix that.  Still, I could feel some strange bumpy action below my foot at the sole, they just didn’t feel right, so I said no to these, too. (Mens size 8, 7.3oz)

Adidas AdiZero Adios
These were juuuuust right!  They were actually the first ones I tried on but I couldn’t start the review with a success story, that’d be boring.  Anyway, they’re uglier than sin (though the green was the lesser evil than the salmony/orangey/pukey color)  and whenever I pass anyone in the park wearing a bright solid color, I can’t help but stare at their feet so now it’s my turn, but when I put these on it was like putting on slippers.

Touted as a great marathon racing shoe (Haile Gebrselassie got his 2:03 WR in them) I’ve read a few reviews saying people use them as daily trainers which is my aim, though it’s cool that I can race with them, as well.

What makes them so comfortable is that the only firm trim on the entire shoe are the supportive stripes on the side and the band supporting the heel (the heel cup is rigid, as well).  The upper is a forgiving mesh while the toe and lace trim are suede-like fabric, extremely soft.  But the best part for me, notorious shoe surgeon, is that the toe overlay doesn’t extend around the edges, leaving mesh on either side so your toes can fan out to their heart’s content.  This is a beautiful thing!

I wore them on my 13-miler this morning and loved the way they felt: light, fast and really comfy.  It was strange wearing a different shoe after wearing Kinvaras every day for over a year.  I was aware of being closer to the ground with none of that sponginess of the Kinvara but I didn’t really notice the heel being built up, it’s always my forefoot that gets my attention more than anything.  Didn’t have any hotspots, smooth run first time out.  Bonus: the shoe laces have sparkles in them (and these are Mens, lol) and thanks to the color, I’ll be able to find them under the bed really easily. (Mens size 8, 6.7oz.  Actually, the left one is 6.6oz and the right is 6.8oz…left foot wins the race!)

A Blogger Brunch
This Sunday, I’m driving up to NYC for a couple hours to break bread with some blogger friends I’ve been “talking to” for a couple years but have never met.  Ewen is here on a long holiday from Australia, which precipitated the powwow, then Julie and Joe will be there, along with a couple additional NY-based running bloggers.  I’ll also enjoy a fun blast from the past, because a gal I used to work with at TR Technologies in NYC (maybe 17 years ago?), also a runner, will be joining us.  Should be a great time.

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