Today I went for my last long run prior to the double up marathon week in the USA in a fortnight's time. Around 21 miles, all on the country roads around my home. Autumn in full leaf-changing glory, constant drizzle, beanie hat pushing the headphones right into my ears.
I listened to episode 19 of Talk Ultra which brought me to 3k from home and just time for a bit of Springsteen to see me home. Talk Ultra is a fantastic way to get through a long run. Ian Corless seems to be right at the centre of the Ultra scene and the interviews with top competitors such as Tony Krupicka and Anna Frost after the latest "Sky race" were very topical. However the main interview with Barry Murray about the Paleo Diet and endurance training was fascinating. You can catch Talk Ultra on itunes.
The run couldn't have gone better really, and taking out the walking sections where I was troughing flapjack or re-filling water bottles, I was easily able to cruise along at a 5:45 x km pace which is tantalisingly close to a 4:00 hr marathon. I even finished faster and the only after effects are a bit of ankle soreness - a shoe issue, which will be the subject of a soporific discourse later in this post.
The context here is that I know I am capable of running "sub 4" again. My PB, age 42, is 3:46, and even that day I finished with so much in hand that I probably should have gone for a 3:40. The story of the last 15 years definitely suggests I should have gone for it when I could.
Then, in my comeback in London in April, I negative split the race to finish in 4:12:30. Physically I could have gone quicker, but as it was I started in the 4:30 section, and passed 1700 runners in the second half. That is hard to do in such a busy race with water bottles flying everywhere and people stopping in front of you.
In New York, there is a field of 48,000 runners and it is meant to be a slow course anyway, so if I can cruise along at 6 min x km pace and enjoy my day, I'll be very happy. The theory is I will have enough in my legs to try to "race" in Richmond, but I realise this goes counter to most theories about post-marathon recovery.
So I am faced with 2 marathons in 2 weeks time, 6 days apart. The first one is harder to run a fast time in, but may take away the chance of a fast time in the second. A quandary which I will resolve at some point.
But the main point of this post is to talk about shoes.
Like most runners I have been blotting paper throughout my periods of running seriously for the marketing claims of the major shoe companies. I am now in my dotage and have had it up to my eyeballs. It's just "mass customisation" to provoke sales. A bit like people who really think they want to try a Stabucks Gingerbread Latte (wrong blog - sorry).
I know I over-pronate and have tended to go for "motion control" shoes. I am now pretty certain that this is total hogwash, and that the most important thing for me, and probably most runners, is to rotate your shoes. Never let your feet get biomechanically "lazy" by getting totally used to one type of shoe. This is the route to overuse injuries for me of the many small ligaments and tendons around the ankles and feet. I also believe that the minimalist "feel of barefoot" shoes have a great deal to offer every runner, maybe not everyday, but certainly part of the time.
So here's my shoe list with some comments on each one. First the mainly road shoes.
Mizuno Wave Nirvana 7 - 8 months old; cost £70. I've run 612 km in them. They are motion control shoes, but have a flexible forefoot which suits me. The toebox is a little narrow that doesn't suit me and as you can see they strangely curl up a bit! At the moment I run roads only in them and intend to run the New York marathon in them.
Nike Air Zoom Structure Triax 14 (what a load of waffle). 14 months old; cost £78. I have run 991 km in them. Again these are motion control shoes. They are a little snug and can give me some pressure pain in the ankles. Good workhorses and I ran the 2012 London Marathon in them. Next to retire.
Inov 8 Road X 233. 2 months old; cost £95. I have run 123 km in them. These are minimalist shoes with a 6mm drop from heel to toe, extremely light, a very thin midsole, I call them my plimsoles and I absolutely love them. They encourage toe-heel footstrike and I pitter-patter along in them. have run up to 25 km but am using them to "transition" into other neutral minmalist shoes. I am very tempted to use them in Richmond for the marathon, but this is a little scary.
Saucony Hattori AW. Nearly a year old; cost £55 (crazy, there's nothing there!) I have run 110 km in them. These are almost barefoot shoes, with a zero heel to drop and they scare me a little - hence the purchase of the "plimsoles". They will get used though - but over short distances for the moment.
Now for the offroad, trail and cross country shoes.
Salomon XR Crossmax Guidance. 4 months old; cost £60. I have run 69 km in them so far. They are compromises really - designed at the offroad market but with enough cushioning and motion control to use on the road as well. They are quite stiff in the footfoot and I am not sure if they suit me really. Good grip on trails though.
Asics Gel Fuji Trainer. 2 weeks old; cost £75. I've already run 75 km in them, including the first 30 km of the Nottingham Ultra. Nice and flexible in the forefoot and they are OK on roads as well for part runs. I think I am going to like these.
Salomon Speedcross 3. 6 months old already; cost £90. I've only run 58km in them. These are the real bad weather winter offroad shoes as they have a mud clearing sole design. It's all clay around here and I hate that feeling of running across a field and taking half of it with you. I'll only be pulling these on in the depths of wet weather or if I get involved in some serious offroad challenges.
Lastly - Saucony Progrid Omni 08. A year old; a snip at £56. I've run 1004 km in them. They are road workhorses, but have cost me a sprained ankle offroad. Very happy with them, especially in terms of comfort, but I think the midsole is buggered after 1000k, so they have been retired to be "trainers". No more running for them.
You can wake up now, I've finished!
Evolved to run. Born to run. Older, greyer, still running. Follow @Nariokotomeboy
1 comment:
I've always wondered about shoes! Not putting nearly as many miles in as you, but definitely seem to have preferred pairs. Although all my trainers are different brands they are basically the same - all rounder with a little added stability to compensate for slight pronation, but I wonder if my preferences and PBs were more psychological than mechanical!
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