AdiZero Adios

After my last pair of shoes retired, I replaced them with a pair of Adidas adiZero Adios racing flats.  I LOVE them.  They are beautiful, very red and very light (8 oz.).  They have since also come down in price considerably (under $50 bucks at Amazon).  They are a pair of minimalistic type of shoe in that they are light and provide little cushioning to discourage heel striking, althoug they don't go as far as the Bikilas, also an awesome pair of shoes.

In researching for this post, I learned that this shoe was worn by Haile Gebrselassie when he ran a world record 02:03:58 and it is made with environmentally-responsible, solvent-free synthetic Tirennina suede. So there!

Going out with a bang!

I put about 400 miles on my shoes I get rd of them and try not to do any long runs with them as they are reaching the end of their life to minimize injuries.

I broke a couple of those rules with my Orange Kayano 15.  This shoes were close enough to retirement so that I could take them for the Tokyo Marathon and then run a few more runs while in Japan to allow me to leave them behind and leave some room in the suitcase for whatever we bought (I buy we did, man).

Maybe I got lazy, maybe I was just enjoying Japan too much, but we really didn't run any days after the marathon (two full weeks), so that race ended up being the retirement run for this shoes.  They truly went out with a bang!  They also got early retirement, since not having room for them in our luggage, they were left behind a good 30 miles short of the usual 400 miles.

No sweat, they were replaced with a pair of minimalistic Adidas AdiZero, which are very fun to run with.  Soon after our return, I also retired a pair of Mizuno Wave Nirvana 6 with only 49 miles in them.  They really rubbed my right little toe the wrong way even on short runs, so I gave them to a friend who has the same shoe size and was just about to go shopping for a new pair.  You know... reduce, reuse, recycle :-)

Good bye Nirvana, Hello Nirvana - A new Retirement Run

Yesterday I run my last four miles with my pair of Mizuno Wave Nirvanas. Following my tradition, I put 400 miles on every pair of shoes and then retire them. My last retirement was September 15th (a pair of Kayanos). That doesn't mean I have run 400 miles since that date. I rotate 4 or 5 pairs of shoes and these ones were well on their way.

For some reason I used to consider my Nirvana's trainers and didn't get much race time. Still, they managed my last Rails to Trails Marathon and completed two of my three legs on the last Ragnar relay.

It didn't take long for them to disappear. Soon after their last run, I received the picture below from W Nirvana, left, who is enjoying the white sandy beaches of Hawaii. Right seems to be nowhere to be found, so it was either taking the picture, of they had a fallout.

The Nirvanas will be replaced in the rotation by a new pair of Nirvanas (6th generation), which have been patiently waiting in the box since the last big discount at Run n' Fun.

Hurricane

Just did my first run with the Saucony Hurricane. I can't say that they live up to their name. Not my most comfortable pair of shoes, but I guess I can keep them in the rotation. I should probably stick to the Kayanos and Nirvanas.

I did 4.4 miles in 0:35:41, a very quick 8:05 min/miles, but it was not because of the shoes, but because of a couple that thought they could pass me and I had to prove them wrong. Even if that forced me to complete the remaining 3 miles of my run at a pace under 8 min miles...

Retirement Run

No, I am not retiring from running… my pair of Asics Gold Kayano 15 is. I put 400 miles on a pair of shoes and try to get as close as possible to that distance. Today while in Redmond for business, I run the last 3.99 miles in this pair. I like for my retirement runs to be a little different than my other training runs. Sort of like a way to thank a pair of shoes for the good service they have given me. Retirement runs are usually at a slow pace, to truly enjoy the scenery. They also have a very unplanned route which is usually driven by landmarks in the distance that catch my interest.

These particular shoes that retired today have given me exceptionally good service. To reach 400 miles, they completed a total of 57 runs, so just about seven miles per run on average. They also were part of four races including three marathons:

• 2009 Rails to Trails Marathon in Norwalk Wisconsin (3:59:43)
• 2009 LifeTime Fitness Turkey Trot 5K (0:29:40)
• 2010 Madrid Marathon (4:48:57)
• 2010 Minneapolis Marathon (4:31:36)

Today I got up late. I am fastidious about setting up the alarm clock in a hotel. I test them, confirm the AM and PM setting at least twice, check the radio station, etc. This time I forgot to do a volume check. As a result a text sent by my wife woke me up about five minutes before I was supposed to hit the road. Barely made it...

I did learn one thing from this run: because of its random nature, it is not a good idea to do a retirement run in a city you are unfamiliar with. As you can see from the resulting route, there were a few 180 turns and a lot of confusion. Several times I was convinced I was lost, and this added some stress to what was supposed to be a relaxing run. In some way, I felt I did a little bit of a disservice to my shoes, so when I returned to the hotel, I sincerely, and profusely apologized to them... Then I threw their ass in the trash :-)

Some shoes have a life after retirement as walking shoes. The hole that developed by my right big toe many miles ago may preclude them from such a destiny. As a result, these will not make it back to Minneapolis. The Gold Kayanos are survived by a pair of orange Kayanos, a pair or New Balance MT800, a pair of Mizuno Wave Nirvana and a pair of Vibram Bikilas. All of then in active status on the rotation. They will be replaced by a pair of Saucony Hurricane that I got at a good price at a Running Room sale and have been patiently waiting in their original box in the closet. This will be my first pair of Sauconys. I may need to write about the inaugural run :-)

By the way, the irony of retiring shoes after 400 miles to avoid loosing too much cushioning a the same time that I am starting to run with a pair of no-support-whatsoever Five Finger shoes because of the benefit of natural running is not lost in me. And yes, I am comfortable with both positions. They are both perfectly consistent with my love for new gear.

People For Parks 5K (and bonus miles)

Few runs are as enjoyable as those consisting of bonus miles. Those are the miles you run before or after a race, but not as part of the race itself. This morning we run the People For Parks 5K (fund-raising to pave the audience area in front of the Lake Harriet bandshell and refurbish the worn benches). The run promised to be fun and an opportunity to use my Bikilas in a race, but my training schedule called for 11 or 12 miles this Sunday. The solution? Bonus miles!

Instead of driving to Lake Harriet, I decided to run there. The plan was to run in my Kayanos and carry my Bikilas in a small backpack. Then run the 5K along with a number of friends and Sharon who were biking or driving there. (In all fairness, Sharon also put some bonus miles by adding a 5K around the house before the race).

The run to Lake Harriet was pretty awesome. I took a few detours (one of them by accident), and ended up doing 8.82 miles at 8:20 min/mile. And did so very comfortably. I will give some credit to some dude that thought he could pass me and ended up eating my dust. The rest of the credit belongs to Eric Clapton and his San Francisco Bay Blues from Unplugged that I played obsessively as I was cruising through Lyndale.

The 5K itself was also pretty good. Finished in 25:37 (8:16/mile), thanks in part to anther dude that thought he could pass me. This time, I had my serving of dust, though.

One thought was planted in my head that is worth mentioning, and in the event that Tim reads this... As I made it to Lake Harriet, I realized there was another run taking place in the area: the City of Lakes 25K. This other run starts at 8:00 AM. The 5K I run started at 11:00AM. What is more, the finish line of the 25K race is very near the start of the 5K. Of course that got me thinking... (and I am sure you, Tim, know where I am taking this). If next year the setup is the same, we could do the 25K and finish on time to get our bib for the 5K. The best part is that each race automatically becomes bonus miles for the other race!! How could we let an opportunity like that pass?

Tim, if you are reading this, let me know that you are in, 'cause I already know you want to do it.

Ouch!! Was that a friggin’ root?!?! - The Bikila update

So following my friend’s Scott advice I’ve been really careful ramping up my mileage on the Bikilas. Running no more than once a week, the first time I did just two miles. Then increase weekly to three, four and yesterday five. On top of that I decided to run in them yesterday because it was a club run and usually we have a little of a slower pace and sometimes we even squeeze in a walking break.

Well, yesterday we had a nice five-mile run. At some point, running by the university of MN, the road and sidewalk were closed due to construction and Robbie, our club’s running guide, steered us to a grassy area to bypass that construction.

Midway through that, the ball of my very unprotected right foot stepped on a root… Ouch! I immediately corrected the step not to put any more weight on that stride (something you get used to do with Five Finger Shoes) and then kept running normally.

By the time I got home, I had some pain. When I took my shoes off and walked barefoot, I was in serious pain. My fear was having broken something. Not now, in the middle of effortless running season. Prime running season!

To give you an idea of poor timing, this is what a broken foot and 6 weeks down would threaten out of my schedule:

• Sun, Sept 12: People for Parks 5K. This run is so short that I was planning on running from home to Lake Harriet (~4.5 miles) on a pair of Kayanos, then switch to my Bikilas for the race and at the end turn around and head back home back in my Kayanos, for a total of ~12 miles.
• Sun, Sept 19: Harmon Farms Trail Run (10 miles). This one I am really looking forward to, since it is a rail run (of which I don’t do many) and allows me to use my beloved New Balance MT800.
• Sun, Oct 3: Twin Cities Marathon. This is not just another Marathon. It is not only a beautiful run, but this year, this run will be my 10^th marathon!! this reminds me that when my friend Tim was training to run his tenth marathon (also Twin Cities), he suffered a stress injury that kept him out of the race. Obviously, this memory compounded my fears.
• Sat, Oct 16: Big Woods Run (1/2 marathon). Also a rail run to use my MT800’s.

On top of that, being out 6 weeks and missing all those wonderful races, it will totally ruin my training schedule for the third annual Rails to Trails Marathon (Nov 7), of which I have run every previous one.

So needless to say, not an ideal time for an injury. That said, I just came back from a 4.6 mile run around home and even managed a respectable 9 minute mile pace. I have no pain when walking or running on athletic shoes, but still see the stars when walking barefoot. I am thinking (hoping) this means it is just a bruise…

Bikilas, Finally!

I couldn't wait no mo' and I finally bought myself a pair of Vibram Five Finger Shoes. I have been thinking about them since I read Born to Run, which has a very interesting chapter about the benefits of running barefoot.

Supposedly, running with athletic shoes, does not provide so much support, but rather eliminates feedback by reducing sensation on the foot. As a result of running with a cushioned sole, a runner changes their stride and lands on his/her heel rather than in the preferable ball of his/her feet. Before the founder of Nike started creating soles using a waffle maker, runner shoes had thin soles and runners (again supposedly) had better form. The result of today's shoes is greater rate of injuries and slower recovery.

So I had to try them.

Following the advice of Scott, who has been running with teem (and without shoes, I hear) for some time now at least off and on, I need to start slow and short. I know that to be true because I tried running with some travel sleepers that were basically a thin rubber sole and a mesh on top, and after doing four miles the balls of my feet were on fire and for a good week I experienced muscle soreness in my calves.

I bought the newly released Bikilas, created just for running, but basically another pair of the Five Finger shoes not very different form the KSOs. I have taken them for a 2 mile run and LOVE them. I still had some calf pain the next day. Clearly you are using muscles you don't usually use with regular athletic shoes, but still a great experience. Still I decided not to use them for more than once a week. So my plan is to build up to 4 to 6 miles and make it my Thursday run.

I will report back as I get closer to my goal. This might be a good pair of shoes for my club runs at the Phoenix. Speed is usually slower than my usual 9 minute miles, so this might be a good opportunity to take my Bikilas for a spin.