Posts Tagged ‘running shoes’

I was in the midst of writing a blog post on how much I despise the whole real estate racket with their bait and switch tactics (ads for places/prices that don’t even exist), was going to tell you about how I almost took one place in a high-rise, cute apartment but with a horrible view of a gas station and tons of vehemently negative online reviews, but that the building manager wasn’t satisfied with my 1040 (nevermind that I have a perfect credit rating and my landlord would give a stellar recommendation, they refused to check either) so they turned me down which made me feel like a pathetic loser.  Then there were the appointments that got canceled because someone else beat me to it, one that happened just as I was walking up to the building.

It was depressing, but not for long. I was getting re-used to the idea of living one more year in the Blue Hovel and saving as much money as I could.  The girl upstairs was letting me sleep through the night, so that was the main thing.  Better to stay here and be in a better position for next year than grovel or deal with liars.

So I’m finishing up the post, click on my Craigslist bookmark out of habit (I’ve only been doing that about 100 times/day) and see something new that just came up.  A one bedroom, perfectly in my budget, on one of the most beautiful blocks in the area…no exaggeration, it’s a richy block.  I talk to the owner (an adorable Greek couple who live there) and within 10 minutes, I’m outside on the street, confused, because I run up this block every day and always thought this particular building was a private home with its perfectly manicured yard, flowers everywhere, so peaceful and pretty.  But no, this is the place.

Look! A turret!

Long story short: it’s amazing, it’s perfect, it’s beyond what I could have hoped for.  Central air (Philly is an old city, so this isn’t the norm), dishwasher, beautiful hardwood floors, refinished wood everywhere, the owners live there and take great pride in the building so it’s super clean and well-kept.  But the best part is…there’s a turret!  It’s a tiny half-round room in a turret off the living room, perfect for a sewing area. It totally reminds me of when I lived in England for a year when I was a kid.

Not only that, the building is set back on what is already a quiet street that leads straight into the park, my running mecca.  Compare this to my current place, a premiere example of urban garbage-strewn ugliness complete with unending noise from 4 lanes of ever-present traffic.  As I walked back home, thinking about what I’d just seen, all I could do is repeat to myself over and over again “OMG OMG OMG OMG…”

Couple fun facts: there was a tenant who lived there 14 years, moved in every apartment in the building at one time or another, ended up falling in love with a girl on the first floor and they recently got married and bought a house.  I asked the owners to please find a nice-looking man for me too.  Another unexpected thing was when they said if I ever need to break the lease, just please don’t do it in the winter because they don’t want to deal with trying to find renters in the winter.  LOL!!  I can break the lease and not be punished for it?  What planet am I on?  This is everything I’m not used to in a landlord – sweet people with heart.

Running Shoe Smorgasbord
My beloved first edition Kinvaras are on sale – and for good, I imagine – at Eastbay for $39.99 (small mens sizes, great for women).  By all rights, I should be stocking up, but I already have a couple boxed pair and a few in rotation so I’m not chompin’ at the bit.  But I am becoming curious as to what else is out there and would like a different model shoe to alternate with, so I just ordered 3 different styles from Runningwarehouse…very exciting! I don’t expect them all to work but if one does, that’d be great.

My priority was to remain in the lightweight category and that the toebox be roomy enough.  I wish they all had the same 4mm heel drop as the Kinvara but alas, they don’t.  I willingly forfeited higher heels for the likelihood of a better overall fit (thanks to Runningwarehouse’s Shoefitr).  But I should mention, I don’t care that much about the heel drop as long as the shoe’s lightweight, I just don’t want any injury potential from rotating a low heel with a higher one.

So what’d I order?  Asics Adizero Adios, Brooks Green Silence and Pearl Izumi Streak II.  The only one I got in the female version is the Green Silence.  The highest heel drop is the Adios at 11mm, then the StreakII at 9mm and the Green Silence at 8mm.  They’re all about the same weight.   I was also considering the NB Road Minimus and Mizuno Ronin, so if these don’t work out, I’ll try those as well.

The ones I ordered, btw, are listed as racing shoes, but since I’m light and don’t put much wear on my shoes, they should work as everyday trainers.  But as the year progresses, I’m sure there’ll be more Kinvara-like offerings as other companies get in on the low heel-drop, lightweight trainer bandwagon.  Brooks, as a matter of fact, has this coming out in October and I’m sure it won’t be long till the other companies follow suit. It’s too big a market to ignore.

OK!  It’s 6:30 and I am going to leave the Blue Hovel in September…woohoo!! Time for a cocktail for sure.  Cheers, m’dears!

Slight change in plan last week.  I didn’t do any real progressions, just a couple faster miles here and there, but I did include two double-digit runs.  I know, that sounds lame but it’s been an entire month since I’ve done any, the last one being the Carlsbad Half, so it’s notable.

Friday was a gorgeous day out, 64 degrees, so the planned 8 turned into 10 and then yesterday, because I’d taken Saturday off (50mph gusts can suck it) I added a couple miles making it 13.  Was a comfortable run despite having drunk an entire bottle of wine the previous night: first 3 mi at 8:34, the rest averaging 8:14.  These two runs (and lack of accompanying tweaks or soreness) indicate that everything is back to normal.

If anyone cares, average paces this week went like this:
Mon, 5 – 8:11
Tues, 8 – 8:36
Thurs, 7 – 8:08
Fri, 10 – 8:25
Sun, 13 – 8:26

So I ended up with 43 miles.  This week I’ll be at 52ish with two progression runs on the menu, for sure.

Latest Form Tweak
I’ve given overstriding/gait attention an indefinite break for the last few months since it’s much improved and that’s good enough for now.  My posture is also so much better than it used to be; the hunched back that used to plague me (in non-running as well) is dramatically better.  But my shoulder carriage, on the other hand, this needs attention – too many turtle race photos lately.  Gotta get that space between my ears and shoulders longer and more relaxed.

To that end, I’ve started doing some specific shoulder exercises.  I’m liking the immediacy and simplicity of dumbbells so that’s my preferred method at the moment (as opposed to my Pilates DVDs which would also help but I’m bored with).  What’s nice about focusing on shoulders is that, unlike gait, foot plant and posture, which can all have a big disconnect to what you think you’re doing and what you’re actually doing, there’s no mystery to your shoulders’ location, so it should be a straightforward fix.

Kinvaras for $36!!
At 6pm.  There are only a few left and they’re mainly smaller men’s sizes, but if you check out the Shoefitr thing in use at Runningwarehouse (which is a totally cool 3D shoe scanning technology, independent of Running Warehouse), it shows that 1 size less is nearly identical to the Women’s version except a tad wider in the forefoot.  This could be perfect for me since I always have to cut that bit out for my little toe, so I ordered 3 pairs.

Couldn’t have been timed better because I just went to RunningWarehouse the other day to buy another pair to switch with my black ones and was not happy with the screaming color selection (traffic cone orange?  don’t you forget I’m a girl pink?  blech).  The ones I just bought are way more low-key…here’s hoping they fit well, too.

Btw, that Shoefitr thing is pretty fabulous, it’s in most of Runningwarehouse’s shoe detail pages, so play around with it.  It’s supposedly accurate and could be insanely handy if you want to switch shoe models or, as in this case, compare men’s sizing to the female version.

Edit: oops, the price on those Kinvaras is now $54.  Sorry folks, was a great deal while it lasted.

That’s it from my corner of the world.  Have a great holiday Monday.  I know all you North American cats are going to be shooting up, stripping at work and lighting firecrackers on the scalps of small children since that is the Presidents’ Day tradition (you foreigners have no clue what you’re missing, do you?) so enjoy that sacrificial rooster ceremony tonight and I’ll see you back here in a couple days.

Not that you’re getting a full meal outta me any time later, but consider this a snack of a post.

Swell run yesterday.  The plan called for 5 recovery but my legs were feeling hunky-dory so I made it a comfortable 13-miler.  I also added some hillyness by going up and down a ¼ mile rise after Falls Bridge a few times.

Kinvara Funeral
Remember how I was saying I wished I had a clear sign for when to ditch shoes since I never really know?  I finally got the death notice for my first pair of Kinvaras,  just as they crossed the 500mi mark.

In the past, I’ve had fleeting bouts of Metatarsalgia (pain on the ball of my foot) that I can usually massage away – it’s not painful per se, but it’s an annoying discomfort.  I had it over the last week and it was getting worse until I could feel it even at rest.  I suspected it was due to the old shoes since I’d been running in them almost daily over a 10-day period.  (I usually switch shoes often, but for a reason too convoluted to explain here, I didn’t)

Anyway, switching to a fresher pair on Thursday gave instant relief.  It’s nice to finally have a clear signal that a shoe is past its prime instead of just tossing them at some arbitrary point.

Link Fun
I thought this was nice and skeevy:  Hotels lending out running gear.

Here’s an interesting article on endurance vs. peak power, How Running Makes You Less Fit.  It reinforces the benefit of keeping top-end speed workouts in the mix.

Looks like I’m switching quality days this week due to wind on Tuesday.  The good news is that now there’s a weather site that understands my displeasure and commiserates with me: thefuckingweather.com.  Enter your own zipcode to see how miserable your neighborhood is.

A Poll
Check out the cute little poll action on the right sidebar.  Not that it really matters how often I post since you can always not read it, but I’m interested in your reading habits and what you prefer when it comes to the frequency of this blog.  I’ve gotten into a 3/week habit since people seem to come back and check often for new stuff but maybe you’d prefer less.

Also, if you have anything you’d like to say on the matter, I’d be interested to read your thoughts, so leave it in a comment.  And please know my feelings won’t be hurt if you’d like less, for real.

Speaking of, I’ve said in the past and will say it again: I don’t want anyone to feel pressure to comment on any of my posts, ever.  I sometimes feel guilty that I don’t comment regularly on the blogs I read, yet I know it’s silly.  I don’t mind quiet days around here so never feel like you have to comment if you don’t wanna.  I know you love me anyway.

It’s no secret, my favorite running shoes are the Kinvaras by Saucony.  I’ve been asked a few times what kind of wear I get from them – a few people have said they seem to wear out faster than their other shoes.  Not so for me.  While my Mizuno Inspires and Elixirs got crispier in the forefoot as they neared 400mi, the Kinvaras continue to feel good and show very little wear & tear on the outside.  That said, I’m a petite woman, so a 170lb. guy will likely have a different experience.

The pink pair has 430 miles on them and the blue pair conveniently has half of that, 222 miles, which makes for a handy comparison.

Click ‘em for detail.

Heel

Midsole

Forefoot. Please excuse the green goose shit stain.

Because Jeremy asked...Operation Toe Freedom continues to work wonderfully - right pinky toe is happy. For the record, there is nothing weird with my little toe, but for this particular shoe I wear a smaller size than usual and my right little toe was rubbing against the trim strip, thus the surgery.

I said I was going to take 2 days off but a cohort from the Sub3:20 thread was in town (Hi Matthew!) and I couldn’t pass up a chance to run with one of my imaginary friends.  Plus, my ankle was feeling right as rain, so I ran the mile downtown to meet him.

I’ve never run downtown except during a race when the streets are closed and I realized how blessed I am to have my river loop.  All that starting and stopping at stoplights and curbs was ridiculous…but a novel activity nonetheless.  Matthew was cool and easy to hang with, albeit hurting from having done a marathon just 2 days before, so we jogged recovery pace and then walked.

While my ankle felt fine, my right pinky toe (as mentioned in the shoe surgery post) was still smarting behind the Kinvara’s rubber trim so after I got home, I inspected the shoe to figure out a plan of attack.

The good surprise was that the mesh underlay is not connected to the rubber, so I was able to leave the liner intact.  Note: if you’d like to modify your shoes but aren’t knowledgeable about sewing or tailoring, you might want to consult a friend who is since they’ll understand construction, thus defacing them as minimally as possible.  Or practice on a spare pair.

Et Voila!  Looks crazy up close but you can’t tell it’s there otherwise.  Happiness restored.  My toe thanked me and told me we were going places together.  I believe her.

Not on my person…my shoes.  Or rather, a shoe.  It’s always one shoe, the right shoe, to be exact.  This time, my lovely Kinvaras are giving me a hotspot on my right pinky toe, so I’m going to give it a week, trading off with my Elixirs, and if my toe doesn’t get hardened to the rub, seam ripper and scissors, here I come.

I’ve been operating on my running shoes for quite some time now, so I thought I’d give you a tour of my previous operations so if you ever have a troublesome shoe, this might give you some guts to go in and make your own modifications.

The first shoes I ever chopped into were my Mizuno Inspire 4s.  Great shoes, except on the right one, the plastic trim was keeping the shoe tighter across my foot than was comfortable, so I took a seam ripper (necessary tool if you’re going to cut stitches), opened up the side of the shoe and trimmed off the plastic that goes down to the sole.  Worked perfectly and I did it for every pair I bought afterwards.

The next shoe I operated on were the Inspire 5s, though this time, in a different place.  I remember running in my first pair and doing hills and the knuckle of my big toe kept jamming on the pretty piping trim, though I didn’t realize it at the time, I thought I had a stress fracture (at the time, I thought every ouch was a potential stress fracture).  I suffered for about 10 days with my foot killing me, making donuts out of moleskin to protect the area, but it wasn’t till I sat down and thought about it, that I realized it was the damn trim.  So I took some scissors and snipped right though it; fixed it like magic, made more room for my foot and no more jamming.  Did that for each of the numerous pairs I had in that series.

Now with the Kinvaras, it’s a little more difficult because the rubber part that’s rubbing isn’t stitched, it’s glued, which means this’ll be another scissor job.  It’s always a little scary the first time you attack a pair of shoes, but since the alternative is not wearing them at all, it’s worth it.  And it’s not like you change the structure of the shoe with a snip or a cut, it’s just a small thing but it makes all the difference in the world. Still, I’ll give it a week and if my toe doesn’t get used to it, that white rubber bit is getting snipped.

Hot Speed
Oh summer, how I hate ye for runnin’.  I set my alarm for 6:15 so I could get out at 7 for a speed session (need my morning coffee first) but still got stuck in 78 degrees with 66 dewpoint.  The one treat I gave myself is instead of starting at 2.5 miles, I started at 1.75 (which meant less slogging home). Workout was the usual lately: 6x.5mi w/90 sec rec’s.

Took it by effort, averaged 6:46 pace, splits were 3:26, 3:21, 3:23, 3:22, 3:26, 3:24.  I refused to think about the pace as it related to any sort of race pace, focusing instead on the fact that I got points for doing it and finishing it and that if I’m racing this summer, I should get used to manning up.  I was satisfied when it was over.

And with that, have a fab weekend folks.  Great racing to those braving the elements and I’ll see you back here next week.