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He is not here; he has risen, just as he said…
Matthew 28:6
Love this picture tweeted out earlier today by @darrenrovell
I remember when the hardest part of being a marathoner was running 26.2. Today the hardest part is getting thru the marathon entry process.
Bart Yasso (@BartYasso) on Twitter – Amen to That!
As another follow-up to my post where I mentioned incorporating a more cushioned trainer for long runs once I return to running….I just saw a new blog post on RunningWarehouse.com regarding the upcoming Saucony Ride 6…
Anyone who has followed my blog for any length of time knows that I’m a HUGE Saucony fan. Though I’ve never tried the Ride before, most Saucony shoes seem to fit me really well (Kinvara, Hattori, Peregrine).
In addition to looking pretty awesome, and being the perfect color, the Ride 6 is supposed to have even more heel cushioning than the 5, and is quite a bit cheaper than the Adidas Energy Boost that I also mentioned in a previous post.
Romans Chapter 14 Handouts and Notes are Now Online
For students in my Wednesday night class on Romans: Handouts and Notes for Romans Chapter 14 are now available online. Lord willing we will cover this great chapter during class tomorrow night at 7pm at Bellevue Church of Christ!
Updated Races and Personal Records (PR)
I finally got around to updating my race record page with the results from my three races through the winter.
I mentioned in an earlier post about my plan for a change in shoe strategy once I come back from the stress fracture. Since the beginning of 2012 I’ve used the Saucony Kinvara for all training runs, regardless of the distance. While I LOVE the Kinvara, I’m worried that it just doesn’t provide enough cushioning for my stride and foot strike on longer runs.
To that end, I plan to utilize a shoe with maximum cushioning for runs 10-miles or greater, and I am greatly intrigued by the new Adidas Energy Boost trainers that debuted last month.
Adidas has put a lot of marketing dollars behind this shoe, which has generated a lot of hype regarding their new mid-sole “Boost” material. Instead of using traditional EVA foam, their “Boost” technology utilizes TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane) that is comprised of 2,500 little plastic pebbles fused together with steam and pressure. Adidas claims this material provides “industry-leading energy return,” maximum cushioning, and increased durability that will not be compromised in extreme cold or hot conditions like EVA foam.
My first reaction was to think this was little more than a marketing gimmick, but many of the early reviews are pushing me toward giving this shoe a shot. Runner’s World named it the “Best Debut” in their 2013 Spring Shoe Guide, and their shoe lab noted that the midsole had the most energy return of any shoe they had ever tested. They also rated the heel cushioning at 99 out of 100, and forefoot cushioning at 82 out of 100, yet the shoe still weighs less than 10 oz. Here is part of the report from their lab:
Adidas made lofty claims about the midsole material in its new Energy Boost shoe, including that it has “industry-leading energy return,” is resistant to temperature changes, and is more durable. But how did it fare when we put it to the test in the RW Shoe Lab? In terms of “energy return,” we can measure how much a shoe springs back–that is, how much of the energy put into the shoe on footstrike is returned on the rebound. Here, the Energy Boost truly is the industry leader: It performed better than any of the almost 800 other shoes we’d tested. Likewise, the claim about temperature resistance checked out. Typical EVA foam gets harder in cold weather and softer in hot conditions, affecting how much cushioning you experience. We tested the Energy Boost’s thermoplastic polyurethane against standard and lightweight EVA foams at 20°F and 120°F, and found it far less affected by the swings in temperature. Lab tests also indicate the foam appears to be more durable. With repetitive footstrikes, midsole material gets compacted as cell walls break down. Much of this happens early in the life of the shoe. Our tests indicated that the Energy Boost experienced half the loss of cushioning performance compared with other shoes with EVA midsoles, when mechanically loaded to simulate the first 10 miles of running.
It also doesn’t hurt that I comes in my two favorite colors….Red & Yellow!
Too bad it retails for $150! Anybody have experience with this shoe?
As part of my obsession with qualifying for Boston, I became convinced that moving my weekly mileage from the 40 to 50 mile range into the 60+ range was required to have any shot at a BQ. I began the process of increasing my mileage in mid-2011, and cranked this up even more in mid-2012 after my 3:12 finish in New Orleans. I doubt it is a big coincidence that this also marked the beginning of the stress fracture cycle I’m currently battling.
With this in mind, I have begun the process of re-evaluating my training plan, schedule, and equipment by looking back at my running and equipment logs from the past several years. There were several things that immediately jumped out at me, and I have decided on at least three changes I plan to make for the remainder of 2013 once I am back from the injury:
- Run no more than 3 consecutive days without taking a full day of rest, and no more than 5 total days in a single week. Since mid-2011, my typical pattern has been to run 6 consecutive days each week, and only take Sunday as a rest day from running. While I wish that my body could handle 6 straight days, I’m thinking that adding one extra rest day per week would greatly reduce my risk of developing another stress fracture. I know that bones need time to recover from repeated impact, and I have not been putting enough emphasis on rest days in my schedule.
- Aim for no more than 1,500 to 1,750 total miles in 2013. Implementing item #1 above should automatically take care of my total yearly mileage, but I want to make sure and keep an eye on it anyway. Back when I was running an average of 4 marathons per year, without injury, my yearly mileage was in this range. It has only been since jumping up to 2000+ miles per year that the injury cycle has started. Maybe someday I can get back to 2000+ miles per year, but right now I need to be smarter about how much my body can handle.
- Utilize shoes with maximum cushioning for training runs of 10 miles or greater. My shoe of choice for almost any type of run has been the Saucony Kinvara. However, prior to 2012, I would almost always use the very cushy Nike Vomero for my Saturday long runs. I transitioned to using the less-cushioned Kinvara for all training runs in January 2012, and again 2012 was when the injury cycle got started. I don’t really want to go back to the Vomero, but am greatly intrigued by the new Adidas Energy Boost, which has an incredible amount of cushioning in a fairly light-weight shoe.
I’m sure there will be other changes to make, but I feel pretty good about this as a start. I just can’t wait to get back out there on the road and start working toward a great rest of 2013.
I got the work in, but oh how I hate aqua jogging! I started out with just over an hour on the elliptical before hitting the pool for just under an hour. So glad that my orthopedist is allowing me to do elliptical.
Also, thankfully today I only had to compete with water aerobics for about 10 minutes, which was nice. Those ladies absolutely own the pool.
Right now I’m enjoying an awesome ham & cheese omelet at Noshville Delicatessen, sitting at the counter next to country singer Vince Gill in his overalls. Typical day in Music City!
It’s only been one official day on the bench from running, but I can already tell that this time is going to be harder than my last stress fracture recovery. When the last one occurred I just chalked it up as a freak thing from pushing too hard in the final stages of my prep for the Milwaukee Marathon last year. Even though I was not able to run, I still had grand plans for 2013.
With this one, the circumstances are different, and my running future much more uncertain in my mind. I know that before I go back to setting goals and signing up for races, I’ve got to do some serious evaluation regarding my training. All of this has left me less than motivated to get out the door and cross train to maintain fitness.
However, my plan tomorrow is to do just that, and I’m thankful that this time around I’m not limited to things in the pool, but can incorporate elliptical, bike, and walking from the start. Also, even though this is disappointing, it is such a small thing in grand scheme of things. I’m so incredibly blessed, that I really have NOTHING to complain about.
I hope everyone that is still out there running will have a great weekend of training and racing. Keep “Beast Mode” going!
