Posts Tagged ‘Adidas AdiZero Adios’

Big mileage milestone for me this month: 402 (because 400 would be “eh”).  I celebrated with a big fat tempo run and on the cooldown, when I realized I had just passed the mile marker that meant 400 had officially clicked over, I had to smile.  It might not ever happen again, but I do enjoy a new most-est.

Major Training Plan Revision
It’s hilarious, aside from this season’s base-building plan, whenever I post a training plan here, a week later it’s totally changed.  Why?  Because that troublemaker Coach Adam/A Muse always sticks his 2¢ in and of course, his cents always make sense.

First off, I have to say I adore that guy.  Months ago, when I announced I’d be doing things my own way, running lots of mileage and eschewing workouts, I knew he wouldn’t be into it.  And I totally understood why – it was partially what the famous coach/scholars might suggest (off-season base-building is standard fare) but no workouts, not even strides till I felt good and ready, was unconventional and for a normal runner would not be a great idea at all.

But I wasn’t quite normal at that point, burnt-out and sad about a lack of progress, so I went ahead, knowing it wasn’t “right” but that it was right for me.  After Adam’s initial and understandable “I don’t know about this” reaction, he’s been incredibly supportive since.

So anyway, it was funny that when I posted my plan the other day, he questioned my approach, said that instead of changing so drastically, I should “double down with the experiment” and stay closer to what I was already doing!  Instead of conventional intervals, continue with the on/offs, and instead of focusing on the speed side of the week, really make it all about the tempo runs, which makes sense, since speed endurance is what I need.

Here’s his ever-sensible reasoning:
When you train for a Half, you have two ways you can go, either as an extension of 10k training or more like a marathoner.  If you’re an Elite and it only takes you around an hour to complete a Half, or if you’re a mere mortal planning on racing between 75-90min and already in 10k shape, then it makes sense to think in terms of 10k training.  However, if you’re not in 10k shape (as I’m clearly not), it makes more sense to focus closer to Half pace with visits to MP and 10k pace.  But 5K pace doesn’t really have a place in it since a 20min race is so far removed from a 90 minute one.  Specificity of training = better quality of preparation.

So for the next 6 weeks:

1. Fartleks 10x3min on/1 off at 10k pace (purposely low-key and easy)
2. Faster running will only be in the form of strides and/or hill sprints 3 times/week.  As he put it “If you do 6x100m strides 3x weekly you have, suddenly, 1800m at mile pace. But you’ve spread it out so it’s digestible, doesn’t break you down, and you’re just reinforcing good mechanics.”  So smart.
3. One of the stride days will be a drill/stride session.
4. Tempo runs in different flavors: 40minutes, a couple hour-long MP runs, one fast finish and 2 preceded by an hour of running.

So what is my Half pace?  Damned if I know, but for training purposes and potential goal, until further notice, I’ve picked 7:00 since it’s a nice round number in the correct vicinity.  But my assignment is not to get hung up on pace and to run relaxed which is helpful since weather is an unarguable factor.

Shoe Update
My Adios’ are doing well, it’s been 2 weeks and aside from 2 Kinvara days, I’ve worn them every run.  They already have 198 miles on them, their initial brightness well tempered by a thick layer of dirt.  I thought I’d post a photo since they are not without the usual Flo Quirks.

Notice the lacing; I swear my big toe knuckles are not deformed or gross looking but they were rubbing at the point where the first lace hole is, so I don’t use it.  And the left one was bugging the tendon a tad, so I took some stitches out and snipped through the lace surround (oddly enough, I’ve been doing this snipping thing at that same point on the right foot since my Mizuno Inspire days).  Lastly, I occasionally feel my right arch near the end of a longish run which I think is related to one of the stripes, but it’s not enough of a bother for me to deal with it yet.

I never did tell the whole tale of why I wanted to try other shoes.  It turns out my Kinvaras, which fit just fine if not full of sloshing sweat, do a number on my feet once the socks are soaked through.  Doesn’t matter how much BodyGlide I use either.  Remember that little injury in May when I snipped the callus from the bottom of my pinky toe?  It kept callusing over, which is good, but would then get a blister under the callus, which was as painful as the initial injury, then peel off and the whole cycle would repeat itself.  I even cut out the rubber area there to where there wasn’t any reason for it to keep happening but it did.  I also lost a few toenails that had no business being lost.

I didn’t have this problem last year, btw, but I was also only running 60mpw.  I suppose I could buy a larger size for the rest of the summer but I’m glad to have found something else entirely.  It’s fun to change it up and the Adios are lighter anyway with no toe trauma, whatsoever.

Speaking of happy toes, Ininji sent me some of their socks to review (toe socks), so I think that’ll be my next post.

Week in Review and a Chunky Tempo Run
Most of the runs were done in high 70s with dewpoints in the upper 60s or low 70s. Monday and Friday were recovery runs, Tuesday was just plain hot and difficult and I already wrote about Wednesday and Thursday in my last post.  Yesterday started with a laggardly 9:00mi but improved as it went, the last 5 miles @8:00.

But my major workout this week was today’s tempo run.  It was a big one for me, this season I’ve only done short tempos or tempo intervals and in the past, always worked up to longer ones.  But today was 5.5 miles right off the bat.  The warmup was sluggish @8:50s and when I got to my start point at 2.75 miles (due to water fountain placement) I did something new: stopped the watch and did a set of drills and strides (buttkick, stride, high knee, stride, skipping, stride), then began the tempo.

I didn’t get my goal pace, ended up with 7:11′s as opposed to Daniels’ 7:05s for a 40-min tempo, but I’m fine with it because it was 78 degrees out (Daniel’s conversion = 7:00 at 60 degrees), it took me up over the bridge twice (w/only one downhill), it was my first long tempo this year and hell’s bells, I just did 402 miles this month. Personally, I think I did a fabulous job (ok, yes, I’m annoyed that I didn’t get my goal, but I do believe I get a pass for that list of stuff).  Heart rate was good, and the 5 miles of cooldown felt surprisingly light.

Monday: 9@8:37
Tuesday: 15@8:34
Wednesday: 11.25@8:09 (4x½mi, 4x¼mi)
Thursday: 17@8:21 (drills and strides)
Friday: 13@8:42
Saturday: 12@8:15
Sunday: 13.25@7:55 (5.5mi @ 7:11)
Total: 90.5 mi (avg pace 8:22)

Very happy to have a cutback week ahead.  Only 72 miles!  Like a day at the beach.

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.