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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.
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!
In the grand scheme of things, this is nothing…
But…
I suspected it strongly on Tuesday after my morning run in St Louis, and just received the official diagnosis from my Orthopedist of another femoral shaft stress injury. This one is in the opposite leg, but is nevertheless my second in 7 months. Best case scenario is that this is a “stress reaction,” which would mean 4 to 6 weeks of no running. Worst case scenario is a full-blown stress fracture, which would be the typical 6 to 8 weeks like before. Since it does not yet show up on an x-ray, we’ll just have to wait for my four-week follow-up to know which one it is.
While this is obviously frustrating, it is also forcing me to re-evaluate everything with regard to running. As part of this re-evaluation, I have made the decision that I am no longer going to allow the B.A.A. and their outrageous and inequitable qualifying standards to rob me of my ability to run and enjoy other great races.
Don’t get me wrong, I still want to run Boston, and I’m still going to strive to excel in running, but at this point pushing myself past my physical limitations for the sake of a 3:10 marathon just doesn’t make any sense. I love to run and I love to race, and right now I’m not able to do either. There are WAY too many other great races out there for me to sacrifice all of them in the hopes of running a BQ.
With this injury I’m going to take a step back and re-assess everything. This includes my goals, my training plan, my mileage, my schedule, my shoes….everything. I simply want to be able to (1) Run/train with my friends, (2) Stay in phenomenal shape, and (3) Participate in great races across the country.
As for next steps, I’m going to hit the pool again for some glorious aqua jogging (and other allowed cross training activities), focus on getting healthy, forget about all races until this fall, and do what I can to ensure a successful race in New York in November.
Beast Mode…On Hold!
The last time I posted about running, it was actually about not being able to run due to a sinus infection and bronchitis. I ended up taking 11 days off because of the illness, but started feeling better on Wednesday.
Thursday – Track Workout
My return was last Thursday night at track with the JSRC. I was feeling decent (though with some definite fatigue), but then right when the workout started, the rain began to pour! Not exactly the best conditions when trying to come back from an upper respiratory illness. The workout was pretty simple, with:
- 3-mile easy warmup
- 6 x 100m stride outs
- 2 x 800m fresh (300m / 400m recovery)
- 2 x 400m good (200m / 400m recovery)
- 2 x 800m fresh (400m / 400m recovery)
- .4-mile cool down
My times were a little off from normal pace, but I think that was to be expected with the illness, the rain, and still being on Augmentin and Prednisone. I was happy with the consistency of my 800m splits, which were 3:07, 3:07, 3:07, & 3:07!
Friday – Shakeout Run
This was a super-easy 4ish mile shakeout run, in my Saucony Hattori shoes, through the streets of Bellevue. My legs felt surprisingly good after track the night before. Nice to get the kinks worked out on an easy run.
Saturday – Long Run
On Saturday Paxton and I drove across town to meet up with Dan, Dawn, Sally, Bob, Kelly, and Judy from our group for the Nashville Strider’s 20-miler on the Stones River Greenway.
I didn’t especially need a 20-mile run, but I knew it would be a comfortable pace, with good friends, and I do want to keep my mileage up since I’m pacing the Country Music Marathon again this year. This is also one of my favorite routes in Nashville, though it is very challenging with over 2,700 ft of cumulative elevation gain…
The temperatures at the start were in the mid 60s, which is a little higher than normal, with fairly high humidity. Thankfully the humidity burned off after an hour or so.
I felt pretty crummy during the first 5-miles, but then things started to settle down and I got into a nice, comfortable rhythm with the group. The hills in the last 3 miles were a bear, but I kept feeling pretty good until Paxton and I finished mile 19 after breaking off from the rest of the group a mile or so earlier.
By far the best thing about Saturday morning was seeing Paxton look really strong, especially at the end. It’s great to see him running so well again after taking a lot of time off last year.
This Week
This week we are in St Louis with the kids for Spring Break, so I’m hoping to get in a few good runs at Forest Park before heading home on Wednesday.
Beast Mode…ON!
The Most Popular Marathons in the U.S. Over Time
As an “adult onset” runner and marathoner, I found this article on RunnersWorld.com to be fascinating. It looks at the 25 most popular marathons in the United States for 5 different years, over a period of 5 decades (1972, 1982, 1992, 2002, and 2012).
Who would have guessed that the marathon with the second most finishers in 1972 would have been in Fairbanks, Alaska!!
Or that in 1972, the New York City Marathon only had 187 finishers!!
Call Marathon Sports and ask if they will ship you a pair! Or shout out to Tumblrs running Boston!!!
Let me know if u want me to pick up a pair for you when I am at the expo!!!
I sincerely appreciate it, but my issue here is more that I don’t want to wear anything Boston Marathon related until I actually qualify for Boston. The cruel part about these shoes is that they just look so awesome!
I haven’t had many training posts lately, because there hasn’t been much training. Today marks one week since my last run.
Last Saturday I had a great 18-mile run in the sleet and flurries with Nathan, Paxton, and Brian. We started from the Percy Warner main gates and then meandered for a few miles through Belle Meade before heading out to Radnor Lake and back.
On Sunday I woke up with a sore throat, which quickly became one of the worst upper-respiratory illnesses that I can remember. Even though I’ve done little but rest since then, it still turned into a sinus infection and bronchitis later in the week.
Today I was supposed to run the Tom King Half Marathon, but decided to hold off on all running until things in my lungs settle down.
Beast Mode…On Hold!
For someone who desperately wants to run Boston, and is in love with the Saucony Kinvara, these limited edition Kinvara 4s are downright CRUEL! They will only be available at Saucony’s Boston Marathon expo booth or Marathon Sports in Boston.
Running Warehouse just posted a preview video of the upcoming Saucony Kinvara 4, which is supposed to drop in May. Looks pretty sweet. I’ll be interested to see what the new “seamless bootie” feels like.
(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)
Just found out a few minutes ago that I will have guaranteed entry for the 2013 ING New York City Marathon this November. This was supposed to be the case all-along under their “denied three times” provision (which goes away in 2014), but had been very much in question since the cancellation of the 2012 race. They have been working ever since on the logistics of trying to make sure all of the 2012 participants were taken care of.
Well, they just announced that most of the previous guaranteed entries will still be honored for 2013, including those previously “denied three times.” Outside of Nashville, New York is my favorite city, so I’m super excited about the possibility of being part of the 2013 race. Should be awesome!
Now that this is firmed up, I plan to put my name in the the lottery for the St. George Marathon in St. George Utah on October 5th. This is supposed to be one of the most beautiful races in the country, and is also a very fast course with almost 1,500 ft. of elevation loss from start to finish:
Getting in is by no means guaranteed, but it would be a great opportunity to run a BQ if I’m selected. If not, I’ll probably look for a substitute sometime in late September or early October.
Other than these two races, I am registered for the Country Music Marathon here in Nashville again as the official 4-hour pacer for the race. That would put me at 4 marathons for the year, which sounds just about right.
Beast Mode…ON!!