Chicago Marathon

Welcome to race week!


Less than a week away from the Chicago Marathon.  My training is more or less complete (not much I can do now) and I'm tapering to the race.  I've taken more time off than planed the last couple of weeks because of what I hope is a minor case of Piriformis Syndrome.  I've put in some solid runs while dealing with the discomfort so unless it gets significantly worse during the race I'm hoping it won't affect my performance much.  In the mean time I'm stretching, massaging and doing whatever I can to relive the pain.  I'm ready for my first ever marathon!

My race day info:


Name: Victor DelRosso
Bib Number: 835
Start Corral Assignment: CORRAL A
Goal time: Sub 3:00 (6:54 pace)


Here's some info that was sent to the race participants:

Marathon Record Lowered By 21 Seconds

It's happened again - a new world record in the Marathon - this time on a certified course so it will go into the record books.  (Unlike Geoffrey's time at Boston that was not recognized as a world record because the course isn't certified.)

Article from NPR:

by Mark Memmott

Odd Andersen /AFP/Getty ImagesPatrick Makau of Kenya celebrates in front of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate after setting a new world record for the marathon.

Kenya's Patrick Makau ran the Berlin Marathon on Sunday in a new world record time — 2 hours, 3 minutes and 38 seconds. He shaved 21 seconds off the previous record, set by Ethiopia's Haile Gebrselassie on the same course in 2008.

Gebrselassie was among Makau's competitors in Sunday's race. The Ethiopian great did not finish the marathon, though. An asthma sufferer, his lungs tightened up. Afterward, on Twitter, Gebrselassie congratulated the new record holder, saying:

"It is great to see a new generation and I would love to race them for some time."

Makau's per-mile average time, by the way, was about 4 minutes, 43 seconds. Makau, appropriately enough, is 26-years-old.

Earlier this year, the BBC asked experts whether a marathon will ever be run (on an approved course) in less than 2 hours. Gebrselassie was among those who said yes, but that it might take another "20 to 25 years" before that happens. Others, though, say the limit may be around 2 hours, 2 minutes.

One hundred years ago, the record was just under 2 hours 40 minutes.


http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/09/26/140801252/marathon-record-lowered-by-21-seconds?sc=fb&cc=fp

Adidas AdiZero Hagio – First LooK

It looks like Adidas has decided to replace the AdiZero Rocket come January of next year.  If they get the shoe right, it could be a huge success, if they don't this could end up being a hugely unpopular move...

The following article is from the Runningwarehouse blog.

________________________________________________________________________

adidas adiZero Hagio Men's Shoe (Hagio sample with incorrect "Feather" name shown)

Come January 2012, the hugely popular adidas adiZero Rocket will be gone and in its place will be the adiZero Hagio (MSRP $90).

The Hagio carries over the midsole from the Rocket. But with a lighter upper and new outsole, the Hagio is expected be an ounce lighter than the adiZero Rocket. The featherweight upper utilizes vast areas of open mesh for superior breathability and weight reduction. Strategically placed laminated overlays help secure the foot and deliver a sleek appearance.

By stripping away oustole material, the Hagio is more flexible than the Rocket and additional weight savings are found in the outsole design.

All of the standard adidas technologies are still here. Full forefoot ADIPRENE adds durable comfort and provides good rebound for a responsive toe-off. The TORSION SYSTEM maintains structural integrity of the midsole’s midfoot. ADIWEAR provides durable wear at the heel and blown rubber in the forefoot provides added cushioning is light in weight.

Built on a 6mm heel-toe offset, the low-profile Hagio is ideal for faster running and racing. Specified at 6.0 ounces (sample men’s size 9.0), this shoe weighs the same as the Brooks T7 Racer, but should deliver greater durability. Expect this shoe to compete directly with the Asics Hyperspeed 4 and Saucony Type A4 ( the Hyperspeed 5 and Type A5 will be available February 2012).

Of note, the Hagio name  pays homage to the shoe designer of the same name who has had a great influence over the development many adiZero racing shoes.

adidas adiZero Hagio - outsole view (sample shown)

________________________________________________________________________

The shoe really sounds promising - nice weight, and about the same drop as the hyperspeeds.  If they can deliver on the greater durability it could be a great shoe (especially seeing as how my hyperspeeds have lasted  only about 150 miles...)

Training While Traveling Article by Scott Jurek

This article seemed pretty timely after my trip to Mexico last week, the canceled trip to Colombia this week and NY vacation next week...  Enjoy.

The Long Run: Train Or Bust

Updated: Aug 10th 2011 1:43 PM UTC by Competitor.com

Ultrarunning star Scott Jurek shares his tips for logging miles while traveling.
Written by: Scott Jurek

Photo: Scott Draper

It was a classic case of air travel gone wrong. In 2001, my team and I were stuck in the Vancouver International Airport for an extra 12 hours while on our way to the Hong Kong Trailwalker 100K. In an instant, we lost half a day and missed out on a training run on the course. It would have been easy to grab some dinner, curl up on the airport floor and call it a day, but my teammate, Ian Torrence, had a better idea. Before I knew it, we were running along the sidewalks of the departures entrance. Although the 90-minute run took place alongside roaring planes spewing jet exhaust, we made the best of things and didn’t miss our training run. I maintain a busy travel schedule amid training for the world’s longest and toughest ultramarathons; combining pre-travel planning with adaptability is my strategy for running while on the road. Before leaving home, I front-load training. My advice:

• Plan the week preceding travel as a higher volume week and the travel week as a recovery week.
• Do quality sessions such as tempo runs, hill workouts and long runs the week before travel.

If I’m traveling some place new, I try to research the area so I know what to expect when I arrive:

• Use the Internet to research running routes; I like www.mapmyrun.com and www.usatf.org/routes.
• Search for restaurants and grocery stores to save time and fuel right.
• Check the weather forecast to pack appropriately. This may appear to be a no-brainer, but you’re more likely to skip a run if it’s pouring and you forgot a running hat and waterproof shell.
• Research nearby running specialty stores and running clubs to join group workouts and explore hidden routes. Before a trip to Asheville, N.C., I contacted resident trail running legend Will Harlan, who gave me a great tour—complete with lessons on botany and history—and workout on a local trail.

Upon arriving at my destination, I gather additional information from the hotel staff to confirm my research and get advice from locals that may not be available online or in English. When I traveled to Tokyo in February, I stayed one mile from the 5K path that circles the Imperial Palace. I went for a run to shake off the jet lag as soon as I got settled, sightseeing during the less hectic late-night hours.
A busy schedule that changes on the fly can obliterate training plans. Here’s what I do:

• Look over the next day’s schedule and plan when a run will fit; it’s often best to train first thing in the morning before obligations pile up.
• For tempo and specific pace workouts, a GPS or speed-distance watch is an important tool for knowing splits on routes without mile markers.
• Evenings are a good time to squeeze in a flexibility or short strength session. If a hotel gym is not available, consider a portable gym unit (such as TRX or resistance tubing) that packs easily.

Remember, even the best plans need to be flexible:

• Make do with the time and environment: Thirty minutes of running in traffic can be better than a zero for the day.
• Make the most of unexpected schedule changes. Have running gear on hand for unexpected opportunities to train.
• Factor the day’s stress into whether getting out for a late-day session is worthwhile. Sometimes rest and sleep may be the best choice.

While it may not take the form of running alongside an airport tarmac, training during travel can be something to dread or a fun challenge to embrace. Running in a new environment and being adaptable may be just what you need to stay motivated.

About the Author:
Based in Boulder, Colo., Scott Jurek is a seven-time winner of the Western States 100-mile trail run. Read more from Scott every month on the back page of Competitor Magazine.


http://running.competitor.com/2011/08/inside-the-magazine/the-long-run-train-or-bust_34677

The Second Running Boom is Now!

Part of an interesting article found on runningusa.org


Road race participation - with more female and male finishers, more races - has more record growth

Posted Thursday, 21 July, 2011
From Ryan Lamppa, Running USA

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - (July 21, 2011) - The Second Running Boom, despite the slow U.S. economy, continued in 2010 with an estimated 13 million finishers nationwide, an all-time high, and the largest percent increase (10%) in road race finishers that Running USA has ever reported to-date. Fueling this growth is the increase in half-marathon, 5K and marathon finishers, female finishers, the increase in charity running and a growing interest in the sport from the general population.

Put simply, more and more Americans are finding that running is an inexpensive, convenient, social sport to help them stay healthy and to tackle a new challenge or goal. As Running USA's National Runner Survey reported, today's runners are motivated to stay in shape, stay healthy, have fun and relieve stress. As new and returning runners enter the sport and road races, we will continue to see a tremendous amount of growth in overall finisher totals, as experienced in the last two years.

2010 U.S. Road Running Snapshot:

• 2010 had the highest percent increase in overall finisher totals (10%) in nearly three decades. Growth such as this hasn't been seen since the pre-Second Running Boom in 1992 (9.2%) and recently, 2009 (9.0%), and based on preliminary totals, 2011 should also show above average growth as well in this country.
• Females now account for nearly 6.9 million finishers nationwide (a record number) and represent 53% of event fields, compared to only 25% in 1990 which had 4.15 million overall finishers, while males in 2010 also set a new high with more than 6.1 million finishers in U.S. road races.
• Total U.S. running events exceeded 22,800, an all-time record high.
• 2010 produced a record annual increase (tie with 2009) in total finishers for the Half-Marathon (24%) and nearly a 9% increase in Marathon finishers, which is the second largest percent increase for the classic distance in the past 25 years.
• For the first time ever, the Half-Marathon now claims more finishers than the 10K, ranking #2 next to the 5K in finishers. Females continue to dominate the Half-Marathon race field with 59% representation.
• The 5K is still handily the road race "King of the Hill" with nearly 4.7 million finishers (yes, another record) and had 36% of all finishers in 2010; the universal 3.1 mile distance has been #1 in the U.S. since 1994 when it surpassed the 10K.

See full article here: http://www.runningusa.org/node/76115#76910

Lucky Runners - Running with the Bulls

Yesterday marked the first of 8 days running with the bulls in Pamplona - the most popular running of the bulls in Spain.  The week start off relatively safely with only 4 being taken to hospitals, and no gorings. 14 people have died in this event since record keeping started in 1924 (2 years before Hemingway wrote "The Sun Also Rises", which brought international fame to the event) including 2009's fatal goring of a Spanish man.

The event only takes about 2 and a half minutes and is about 825 meters start to finish.  Not bad 800 times for the running conditions - I'm sure adrenaline plays a part...

Marathon Training Plan

I finally have my Chicago Marathon training plan put together.  (I think...)  We'll see how it goes!  Check it out on my training blog: http://trainrunwin.blogspot.com/2011/06/marathon-training-plan.html

Nutrition: Keep Your Bananas Longer

All runners know that bananas are an important staple in your running diet. If you didn’t know, here’s your news flash; bananas are an awesome running food. Bananas have a natural anti-acid affect on the body and help calm the stomach, making it easy to eat bananas right before or during exercise. Research has shown that 2 bananas serve up enough energy for 90 min of strenuous exercise and bananas are a natural source of potassium - an indispensable mineral which aids oxygen transportation to our organs, helps to regularize heartbeat as well as fluid levels in the body and can help combat the muscle cramps runners sometimes get after strenuous workouts when electrolyte levels are low.

So the question is not if bananas should be in your diet, but rather how do we keep bananas around longer so they’re there when we need them…

Running & Race Tip #6 – Dealing With the Heat

**I started this entry last week, but after last Saturday’s events in Chicago I think some of these points become even more important.

I just read an article by Joe English, professional marathon and triathlon coach, where he mentions the “4 H’s of Hurt” – Heat, Humidity, Head wind, and Hills. Welcome to South Florida; you may only have to deal with 3 of them, but you have to deal with them constantly (no hills in South Florida). As summer bears down on the US “normal” people in South Florida (and the rest of the country) begin cowering indoors to the comfort of their AC units, but runners are still hitting the streets, braving temperatures in the 90’s and high humidity.

Heat can make even easy runs feel hard, and if you’re not ready for it, can be devastating to your race results. Heat forces your circulatory system to work harder to regulate muscle and core temperatures (more blood flowing to outer extremities for cooling reduces volume of blood available to be pumped per heart stroke), reducing it’s ability to efficiently supply nutrients to key muscles, it induces dehydration, and reduces your ability to push yourself (survival theory – your brain limits your body from pushing to injury) In worst case scenarios, if you’re not careful, heat and humidity can even be deadly. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t excel with the mercury starts rising, it just means you have to do more to be ready to combat they heat.

Chicago 13.1 - 1 runner dead, 10 more hospitalized

An unfortunate and stark reminder than heat can indeed be deadly to distance athletes.  During the Chicago 13.1 on Saturday (part of the 13.1 race series), 11 runners were hospitalized with one dying as race temperatures reached a humid 86 degrees.  Temperatures were already hitting 75 as early as 4:30 in the morning and the race started under a yellow flag at 7:13 meaning temperatures were not ideal.  The condition was downgraded to red and then black during the race, effectively ending the race at 9:15 as no more times were recorded and runners were encouraged to stop and take the shuttles back to the finish line.

Race organizers were prepared for the heat this year with 10 aid stations, 2 spray stations and a wet towel station along the 13.1 mile route, unlike the Chicago Marathon in 2007 when aid stations ran out of water and nearly 300 runners were hospitalized under similar conditions.  Unfortunately, even with the precautions taken, the race time temperature were just too extreme to provide for a safe race.

Chicago Tribune Article

The Long Run: Eating On the Run - Scott Jurek

A short article by Scott Jurek on Competitor.com.  Scott talks about fueling during long runs and presents a couple of formulas to figure the upper and lower ranges of your needed carbs per hour of running.

http://running.competitor.com/2011/06/inside-the-magazine/the-long-run/the-long-run-eating-on-the-run_28754

Marathon Training Resources

18 weeks until Chicago and I'm fully thinking about the marathon.  I was just asked about marathon resources - you can see how my training is taking shape on my training blog, but here's a list of resources I've used, and some that others might find helpful.

My Favorites:

http://www.halhigdon.com/ - Hal Higdon, a renown coach who as of 2006 had run 111 marathons and longest termed writer for Runner's World, has training schedules for every level of runner.  Lots of free information, I used his advanced schedule as the basis for my marathon training, though I thought some of his speed work was a little weak and I wanted a little longer than 20 mile long run in my schedule.  Great site.

http://mcmillanrunning.com/ - Greg McMillan, an "exercise scientist" and coach who has been involved with olympic athletes since 1996, coaching runners in the 2008 games, started McMillan Running company to provide online resources to runners.  Lots of great information including a running calculator to help figure your training speeds, there is also personalized coaching / plans available for a fee.  I used this site heavily to figure training times and what types of training I need to incorporate to round out my training.  Terrific site.

Run Faster from the 5K to the Marathon: How to Be Your Own Best Coach - A book by Brad Hudson, a great former runner who now coaches some big name US runners (Ritzenhein, James Carney, Jason Hartmann, Casey Burchill, Stephanie Rothstein, Megan Lewis, Tera Moody, and Lucinda Hull and previously Shayne Culpepper, Steve Slattery, and Jorge and Ed Torres, among others.)  A good book that covers training programs from the 5k to the marathon with lots of great tips and training programs.

Running Formula - Book by Jack Daniels, a running scientist and coach.  This book is basically the early running bible.  Any decent coach will have read it.  While I (and several other runners & coaches I've talked to) don't agree with everything set for in the book (it's a little dated) there is tons of great scientific information. There are also a few basic training programs and training times & zones are referenced by many other sites and books.

Some others:

http://www.jeffgalloway.com/ - Jeff Galloway, a former US Olympian, and a master's runner who ran a 2:16 at the age of 35, shares his thoughts on training.  His "run to finish" program is free, but other programs require a subscription   He seems to target beginners / non-serious runners with his run/walk method of marathoning.  Me?  Not that impressed.

http://marathon-training-guides.com/ - I just found this site so I haven't had time to really look through it.  It looks like it has some good info though the advanced sections are incomplete.  Might be worth looking through.

http://www.coolrunning.com/index.shtml - Not just for marathoning, but there are some plans as well as other good information for runners on diet, cross training and motivation.

http://www.runnersworld.com/ - The online companion of the Runner's World magazine.  I tend to think of this as more a jogging resource, I did find some interesting marathon information that I utilized in my marathon planning.


This is not even close to an exhaustive list of online & book resources (obviously) and I have read and used a number of other resources for my training, but this list should offer a solid foundation to your running knowledge and marathon training.

Wow, a month since the last post... opps.  I blame part of it on laziness and part on a barrage of life events as it's been a very busy month.  I've been working on buying a house, moving out of the apartment, traveling for work, as well as a host of running events.  So here's a quick recap of what's happened in my running world and what's hopefully coming soon for the blog;

-  Attended Naked Tour 2011 and got to meet Christopher McDougall and Scott Jurek.  It was extremely cool meeting 2 celebrities in the running world and they couldn't have been nicer.  I chatted with Scott about his running, his choice of shoes and his diet.   We also went for a short group run before Chris and Scott did a book signing (I now have a copy of Born to Run signed by both of them.)  Chris and Scott then did a short talk & question and answer on the Tarahumara, ultra running in general, and Scott teased about his upcoming book.  As an added bonus for the day, Nicholas Romanov, the Doctor behind the POSE method of running, also attended the event (turns out he lives in Coral Gables...) and did a short talk on correct form and the POSE running method before the group run.

-  Down and Dirty 10k.  AWESOME race!  (Race review to come)  Both Veronica and I had a ton of fun and we both managed to take first in our age group (I ended up 2nd overall) claiming some nice gift certificates to Merrell.  The highlight was literally swimming through mud to the finish line.  Luckily it was a pretty warm day because I was still pretty chilled trying to hose off after the run!

-  ALS 10k.  (Race review to come)  Not a great race for me, I'm a little worried that my race times seem to be getting worse - time to refocus and figure out what's going wrong...

-  Marathon Training Planning.  I've been scourging the net and books for a good plan to train for the Chicago Marathon.  I've decided to develop my own plan incorporating  elements of several.  See my training blog for the early elements that are going into my plan... http://trainrunwin.blogspot.com/2011/05/marathon-training-begins-to-take-shape.html

- Also look for a New Balance Minimus review in the next couple of weeks. Not as great of a shoe as I'd hoped, but maybe not as bad as I thought after my first run in them...

Race Review: Golden Key 5k

Well, still not the results I’ve been looking for, but a race I feel better about. Not a PR, not even in the “new era” (not HS). But better than I’ve run this year, and for at least 2k I raced a really strong runner.

Lining up for the race I was beginning to think I might have trouble competing. I had been sick most of the week, only getting 1 real run in (Tuesday’s track workout) and I was still feeling stuffy. I saw several Runner Depot jerseys and at least 1 Footworks jersey (local running stores that host race teams.) Remembering the last 5k when the Runner Depot runner ran away from me I was hoping to at least be able to race a little closer. Then I saw, and was introduced to Bryan Huberty, one of the better distance runners in the area, and I knew I’d have to have a great day to even think about being competitive. Bryan isn’t really a 5k runner, he’s usually at or near the front in marathon and half marathons in the area, but I had seen that he’d posted a 16:45 or so early this year.

Naked Tour 2011 - Update

An update from a previous post about the Naked Tour 2011 (http://runnerreborn.blogspot.com/2011/04/naked-tour-2011.html)

Looks like Eric Orton, Christopher McDougall's running coach, will be teaching a barefoot workshop at 12pm before a 4 mile group run.  Then at 2pm there will be a talk and book signing, feature "Ultra God" Scott Jurek!  Very excited!  Should be an awesome running afternoon if you're in Miami!

All the glorious details:

April 30, 2011 – Naked Miami

• Naked Run
Curious about Vibram Fivefingers and all the other exciting new barefoot-style shoes? Want to learn firsthand how to run lightly and joyfully? At Naked Miami, we’ll be joined by Eric Orton, the coach who transformed me into a barefoot runner, and the experts from Footworks. Orton will lead a barefoot running workshop, while Footworks will display the best new minimalist footwear and answer your questions. Then we’ll set out for a 4-mile group run, with shorter options available.
When: 12:00 p.m.
Where: Books and Books, Coral Gables (305.442.4408)


• Talk & Booksigning
When: 2:00 p.m.
Where: Books and Books, Coral Gables (305.442.4408)
Featuring…
Ultra-god Scott Jurek.
Check out this excellent CNN/Dr. Sanjay Gupta interview with Scott

Race Review: FICPA 1040 10k

Much like my taxes were this year, the tax day 10k was disappointing, the only real highlight being the free beer after the race.  This seems to be becoming a South Florida race trend for me – disappointing times accompanying race wins…  I need to start figuring out how to push myself without competition.  That and some race specific training might help…

The race in general was extremely slow this year.  In 2008, the only year I could find race results for this race, 6 runners broke 36 minutes – my target time.  This year I was the only runner to break 38 minutes – pretty sad really.  The only excuse I can think of was the heat – an uncomfortable 80 degrees with 90% humidity.  That and the course might have been a bit long – my GPS showing 10.2k, but my 10k time was still sad.

Change of Plans

We’ve all had that time when we had to change our running plans. Sometimes this change is forced by injury or schedule, sometimes it’s allowed by opportunity. When we’re not in the final weeks of an important training cycle, change presented by opportunity should be welcomed – a new trail, a new training partner, an interesting running opportunity – these changes keep running interesting.

I had a change forced on me last week by opportunity. I say forced because the opportunity was so great I couldn’t turn it down. I was traveling in Arizona for work, staying at a resort hotel with the Tucson Mountain Park just out the back door. Mountain trail running was an opportunity a Miami runner just couldn’t pass up, 10k on Friday be damned. 

Marathon World Record Set at Boston - Sort Of

Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya managed to run the Boston Marathon faster than the 26.2 mile distance has ever been run - 2:03:02 - 57 seconds faster than the world record set by Haile Gebrselassie in Berlin in 2008, yet his efforts won't be recognized as a world record in part because of a strong tail wind, and in part because Boston is not a "flat course".

How can a time set at Boston not be a record because of the course?  Don't we certify Marathon Courses?  Especially the biggest ones that draw the best competition?  One that you have to run a pretty decent time to even qualify for?  The Gold standard of Marathons is off limits for records because it's not flat...  Makes sense to me...

Oh, and Boston, despite always having a loaded field, barely made the top 10 in the fastest of the major Marathon Courses...  Berlin was 1st.

Merrell Trail Glove Review

Finally my Merrell Trail Glove Review!

Merrell Trail Glove

STATS

Weight: 6.2 ozs
List Price: $110
Drop: 0 mm

Training Log & Training Blog

With the idea of keeping this blog more on general running stuff, and not on my personal training, I've started a training blog to record more of my training regimen - Train Harder.  Not much going on there right now, but I'll start keeping it more updated when I start my Chicago Marathon training in a couple of months.  Race reviews will still be in this blog, but workouts and schedules will be in Train Harder.

Training Blog - http://trainrunwin.blogspot.com/

Training Log - http://www.runningahead.com/logs/548f943ad0804a56b0044684c73a855c

The Naked Tour 2011

As naked as you want to be, from the ankle down.

Veronica alerted me to this opportunity just the other day. Christopher McDougall is doing a promotional tour for the release of Born To Run in paper back, The Naked Tour 2011.

You weren’t born broken.

Running isn’t a perilous punishment-for-pizza.

Everything you need, you had the day you were born.

That’s the inspiration behind The Naked Tour, a nationwide celebration of running’s bare essentials to coincide with the paperback release of Born to Run.

Chris will be touring with the likes of Scott Jurek (AWESOME! Ultra runner superman...), Lee Saxby (expert barefoot coach), Eric Orton (Chris' coach from Born to Run), Dr. Daniel Lieberman and Dr. Irene Davis (experts in 'natural running'), Luis “El Coyote” Escobar (ultra running photographer, also in Born to Run), and more.

The tour starts today in Boise Idaho, making multiple stops around the country, before making it to my backyard in Miami on April 30th (work schedule has already been rearranged to accommodate...) Each stop will offer a slightly different program, but sounds like a can't be missed opportunity. It looks like Miami's stop will be a little abbreviated, only boasting the naked run and a talk/book signing, but I'm still hoping Jurek stops by!

If you get a chance catch the tour at one of these locations:

• April 7, 2011 – Boise, ID
• April 8-9, 2011 – San Francisco, CA
• April 10, 2011 – Los Angeles, CA
• April 15, 2011 – Cambridge, MA
• April 16, 2011 – Boston, MA
• April 26, 2011 – Fairhope, AL
• April 27, 2011 – Hattiesburg, MS
• April 29, 2011 – Asheville, NC
• April 30, 2011 – Miami, FL
• May 1, 2011 – Boulder, CO
• May 3, 2011 – Salt Lake City, UT
• June 4, 2011 – Wayzata/Long Lake, MN
• June 10 & 11, 2011 – New York, NY

For more information check out the Naked Tour 2011 website:  http://www.chrismcdougall.com/blog/naked-tour/

Race Review: Heal the Stride 5K (4/3) – Double Header Part 2

The day after the Run to Stop MS I headed up to Miami Shores with Veronica to race another local 5K. This time I felt awake after claiming a full 8 hours of sleep the night before (mainly because I’d been unable to keep my eyes open at 10PM). This time I was hopeful I could pull off a much better time.

Sitting around before the start I saw one guy I thought my give me a race today – he was wearing a Runner Depot Race Team shirt so I knew he was serious. The Runner Depot Race team always has guys placing at the top of races in Miami, taking 1-2 in the 13.1 race not long ago, but they typically represent at long distance events – maybe I could compete in a 5K.

Race Review: Run to Stop MS 5K (4/2/11) – Double Header Part 1

Well, I guess the most apparent part of this race review is that I’ve returned to short distance races at least temporarily. I should have known when I said I was giving them up for longer races that it wouldn’t last. They’re just so much fun… And easy. Sort of. Less than 18 minutes of pain, unfortunately I’m quickly learning I don’t have the same ability to push through that pain that I used to – something I really have to work on as I prep for the Chicago this fall.

I had decided that I was going to use April and perhaps part of May as speed work months before / as I begin my first distance build up during my base build up for Chicago marathon training. I figured a fun and easy way to do that would be racing my way into shape… I put about 8 5K & 10K races on the calendar, not expecting to be able to do half of them with my busy work schedule. Since I’m not in serious training at the moment, running is fun and not interfering with my life. This means I’m not doing many hard miles, no real tempo or interval workouts, and, well, I have a life…

New Balance Minimus Roads and Karhu Racer Fulcrum Rides

NEW SHOES!

The gear junkie in me strikes again.  Before I've even finished my Merrel Trail Glove review (Coming Soon!) I've picked up 2 new shoes to test and review...

Karhu Racer Fulcrum Ride

I had a free pair of Karhu's from beating the bear at the Karhu 5K earlier in the month.  Karhu is a Finnish Brand, apparently around since 1916, though I've never heard of them before.  It looks like they're just starting to try to make the move to the States, explaining the "Beat the Bear" promo events.  Their shoes look to be designed for heal strikers and I would never have considered them if I was shelling out money, but it's hard to turn down a free pair of shoes...  Most of their shoes have ridiculous looking soles, reminding me of Sketcher Shape Ups, though the color schemes are pretty cool.  The Karhu racing flats seemed to have the thinnest soles and lowest drop, but even then the drop is about 15.5 mm.  I want to stay at less than 8 mm drops (with the idea that anything more starts to make proper running form difficult) so these shoes will be working at a disadvantage already...  That said, free shoes can't be passed up, and thus these shoes will get a fair review despite not matching my typical requirements.  Plus the color is kinda cool...

Karhu Racer Fulcrum Ride

New Balance Minimus Roads

Since I had made the trip up to Runner Depot anyway I felt I needed to check out some of the other shoes in my search for the perfect marathon shoes.  I had seen the Minimus Roads and they looked just like what I was looking for.  Low (4 mm) drop, light (8.2 oz), designed for a forefoot strike, but with enough padding to protect against a return to heal striking late in runs.  The rear of the shoe is slightly under cut, making it more difficult to heal strike - a neat feature I thought.  I tried them on and the sock like feel was amazing - I decided I couldn't pass them up, a 15% off coupon helped that matter as well.  The first 15 miles in them have been questionable, the slight arch support is noticeable and they're perhaps not as comfortable running in as they were standing in at the store...  I also have questions on how long the soft soles will last.  We shall see as I put on some miles over the next couple months and write a review!

New Balance Minimus Roads

Race Review: Great Urban Race - Miami

Running should be fun. In the spirit of that idea Veronica and I signed up for the Great Urban Challenge, a race similar to the Amazing Race. Teams of 2 are given 12 clues at the start of the race - clues that lead to different locations around the city, each with different challenges to complete. Each team had to complete 11 clues (1 skip) in any order and return to the finish as quickly as possible.

Great Urban Race

Pre-Run Stretching

Have you ever seen a cheetah stretch before it chases it’s prey?

Last night I decided to get out for a run with a different running group for a change. A bigger group than I usually run with, with a few faster runners. Before the run I looked on in mild amusement as I watched 100 plus runners participated in a pre-run stretch routine. Glancing around the group I could tell who some of the more serious runners were – they were milling around the outside watching the others stretch. WHAT?? Why were the “serious” runners not stretching? Well, if you’re still stretching before your runs you’re working on some outdated and potentially wrong information.

A plethora (thank you Three Amigos) of recent research has shown that, if done correctly, stretching does not help to prevent injury. However, in worse case scenarios, stretching done incorrectly can CAUSE injury, so really it seems there’s nothing to gain from stretching pre-run.

Saunas can help increase endurance performance

It turns out that there may be some benefits to running in Miami in the summer... A study done back in '06 showed that spending time in a sauna post exercise may help increase endurance performance. The study, involving 6 male distance runners, found and almost 2% increase in performance after 3 weeks of sauna use. The conclusion of the study was that 3 weeks of post-exercise sauna bathing produced a worthwhile enhancement of endurance running performance, probably by increasing blood volume.

While the heat in the sauna may be slightly higher (194 degrees F) than what we usually have in Miami, the heat training we're forced to do during the Miami summers may have some endurance benefits as well.  I've already witnessed this phenomena this year when lining up for a race thinking the weather couldn't be more perfect and hearing another runner complain about how hot and humid it was.  It's all about what you're used to and ready for...

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16877041

Born To Be A Trail Runner

Fantastic article in yesterday's New York Times. It's by Christopher Mcdougall (Born to Run) and talks about trail running, ultra running and the revolution and commercialization the ultra running world is seeing. I highly recommend reading it if you have a moment.


http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/18/born-to-be-a-trail-runner/

Haile Gebrselassie running in Vienna Half

Vienna City Half Marathon event organizers have confirmed that the marathon world record holder will be racing through the streets of Vienna come April 15.

Gabrselassie retired after dropping out of the New York City Marathon last fall only to recant that retirement a week later (take that Brett Farve) and run in a 10k in his native Ethiopia.  He was forced to drop out of the Tokyo marathon earlier this year because of a knee injury, but believes he's ready for the half in April.

http://www.universalsports.com/news/article/newsid=524660.html

Japanese Earthquake Relief Donations

Well, if you live in the civilized world and have access to the Internet (and that would be anyone reading this) you've seen a ton of coverage on the Japanese earthquake earlier this week.  I lived in Japan 8 years growing up and still have a number of friends either in Japan or with family still living there so I've been watching what they've been going through...  Unfortunately when you do a news search on the earthquake several of the top recent hits are warnings about charitable fund frauds (who does that??)

So, here is an excerpt from the American School In Japan Alumni new letter with some information about donations to help avoid the frauds and make sure the support goes to those in need.

Many ASIJ alumni have contacted us asking “How can I help?” Aid organizations have advised that what is most needed at this time is financial donations. There will surely come a point in which physical goods and manpower is needed to rebuild the affected areas in the north of Japan. However, at this point the situation is changing daily and professional emergency relief teams need financial support to get the goods they determine are needed on the ground and to continue their operations. ASIJ has been analyzing the best options and below are the ways we ask you to help:

From Japan

Donations to The Red Cross Japan
(http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/relief/l4/Vcms4_00002070.html)

Donations to a group fund for NGOs working in disaster releif including Doctors Without Borders and Habitat for Humanity [Japanese only]
(http://www.janic.org/bokin/matomete14.php)

Donations through Citibank bank transfer
(http://www.citibank.co.jp/en/customernotices/customernoticesindex/customernoticepages/cust_031211_01.html)


From Outside Japan

Donations to the Red Cross fund for Japan
(http://www.redcross.org/)
*Donations can also be made through iTunes

Donations to Doctor's Without Borders fund for Japan
(http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/donate)

Donations to NGO funds through Paypal
(https://www.paypal-donations.com/pp-charity/web.us/campaign.jsp?cid=-12)

Donations through Global Giving
(http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/japan-earthquake-tsunami-relief/ or by texting JAPAN to 50555 to donate $10. The donation will be added to your next cell phone bill)

Donations to International Medical Corps
(https://www.internationalmedicalcorps.org/SSLPage.aspx?pid=1967 or by calling (800) 481-4462. You can also text MED to 80888 to donate $10, which will be added to your next cellphone bill)

Run & Race Tip #5 - Never Look Back

Never look back during a race. For most short distance competitive runners this is a well known rule.  This may have less bearing in longer distance running, when you’re running for hours you will of course be curious as to who’s running near you. You may just be looking back to see who might be coming to run with you…   In long races this tip should be taken into consideration, but in half marathons and under this should be pretty much a stead fast rule.

Back when I was running cross country I used to love seeing someone look back. I saw it as a sign of weakness, as soon as he looked back I knew he was scared, which meant he was starting to struggle. When I caught someone looking back it was such a mental surge, I was stronger than my prey and I could track them down easily.

Side Stitches? Change your posture.

Side stitches are a common problem for runners.  A new theory suggests that these stitches are caused by poor posture - a theory that may suggest why controled, concentrated breathing can help relieve side stitches; the focus on deep breathing fills the lungs and improves posture.

If you suffer from side stitches check out the NY Times article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/01/health/01really.html?_r=2&scp=4&sq=running&st=cse

Running Under the Sun - Sun Protection

I was told by a friend that I should do a post on sun screen / sun protection for runners. Since living in Miami this is a pretty relevant issue and the rest of the country is on spring break and dreaming of summer, here’s that post.

 

I, probably like many runners, don’t think much about the sun when I head out for a run, other than how hot it will make things. I’ve paid the price for that over sight the last couple of weekends running in the sun and coming home pretty burned. Not only painful, this can be dangerous too. Also, studies have shown that marathoners may have a higher risk of skin cancer because of the increased time in the sun and the compromised immune system from the high intensity exercise. The easiest way to avoid the problems is sunscreen…

 

Race Report: Miami Beach Karhu 5k

This is a race report I didn’t expect to write. Partly because I hadn’t planned on running 5ks this year as I focus on some longer distances, and partly because I hadn’t decided to run this race until 11pm the night before…

I went to bed at 11:45 the night of the race to get up at 4 to head over to South Beach to register for the race. With not enough sleep, not enough good food over the last week, and no speed training, I once again was going into a race totally unprepared. Hopefully this will not be the theme of this year.

Beer & Running

A Beer post on a Friday? Brilliant!

First, I do not condone drinking. In fact, my friends know I don’t even like drinking. *Cough* *Hack* I can’t even type that with a straight face. Okay, I love a beer after a run, and I like to claim I’m reloading on carbs and hydrating… So I when I started to write this post I was planning on talking about how beer is good for your running. Turns out that’s wrong. Sorry.

So here’s the summary for those who don’t want to read this; if you want to be an elite ultra runner, don’t drink alcohol, there are much better ways of hydrating and carbo loading. If you want to enjoy life, there must be a reason we have a liver – just make sure to practice moderation.

So with the unfortunate (for ultra athletes) summary out of the way, here are some of the facts;

Chicago Marathon Registration Closed

Bad news if you were still thinking about registering for the Chicago Marathon in October...  Registration closed today when the 45,000 capacity was met in a record 31 days.  Fortunately, if you're dying to run, there are still some limited entries through affiliated charities.

See the Chicago Marathon Registration Page for details.


Official E-mail from the Chicago Marathon:

Registration Has Closed for the 2011 Bank of America Chicago Marathon

Registration for the 2011 Bank of America Chicago Marathon officially closed today. The 45,000-participant capacity was met in a record 31 days. A limited number of entries remain available through affiliated charities and tour groups for the October 9 race.

More than 90 of the race's affiliated charities have entries remaining for participants still looking for a way into this year's field. By registering through a charity, runners simultaneously become members of a fundraising effort that has generated nearly $60 million since 2002. Chicago Marathon hopefuls living outside the U.S. also have the option to secure an entry via a number of tour operators offering travel packages that include registration to the 2011 race.

26.2 Miles... what could possibly go wrong?

Thanks to Veronica, I think I have my new Marathon training program...

Nutrition - Chia Seeds

Chia seeds are nothing new, in fact most Americans will immediately think of green furry potted pets when you mention chia, but very few will think running super food. Christopher Douglas’s mention of them in Born to Run has brought them to the forefront of the discussion on “natural energy” for runners.

Chia has been used for thousands of years as an endurance enhancing food, easily traced back to the Mayans and Aztecs. Stories abound about Aztec warriors and messengers running extreme distances on nothing but a handful of chia seeds. Chia seeds alone won’t make you a super runner, but they have many properties that can greatly improve your performance.

28 g of chia, or about 3 tablespoons, contains roughly 137 calories and 12 g of

Tokyo Marathon

This weekend the Tokyo Marathon will be taking place on Sunday.  There is an elite crowd of runners at the race this year including world record holder Haile Gebrselassie (making good on his pre-retirement comitment), 2 time Tokyo winner Masakazu Fujiwara, a field of sub 2:07 marathoners, sub 1 hour half marathoner Mekubo Mogusu, and my personal favorite, ultrarunner Scott Jurek.

Despite all this star power, it might be Joseph Tame who gets the most internet coverage.  Why?  He'll be broadcasting his race live via his iRun contraption.  Check out the link below.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20034795-1.html

Pretty cool, but imagine the chaffing...

Run & Race Tip #4 - Icing Basics

During our group run yesterday I realized that, while icing injuries is common knowledge to those of us who have been running for a number of years, it might not be so intuitive to people new to the sport.  So here’s a quick post on some of the basics.

Swelling is the body’s way of sending your brain an important message.  When a joint, tendon or muscle is injured there may be internal bleeding, and extra fluid is produced limiting the motion of the affected area, and causing pain when it is moved.  This forces you to rest the area while healing takes place.  Unfortunately this swelling can also cause additional damage to the surrounding tissue and can prevent expedient healing by preventing proper blood flow to the area.  Icing helps to reduce this swelling and speed up the natural healing process.

New Balance Minimus Line – Available March 1

New Balance is releasing it’s own line of “minimalist” running shoes on March 1.  The lineup consists of the Minimus Trail, Minimus Road and the Minimus Life.  Both the Trail and the Road have gotten pretty good reviews from testers (the Life is geared to be an “everyday shoe” so I haven’t paid attention to it…)  All 3 feature a 4mm drop and the awesome <=> logo (the Enginerd in me loves it.)

The 2 running shoes have thicker soles than would be found on most “minimalist” shoes, testament to the fact that shoe definitions have become very watered down and geared towards whatever is trendy at the moment.  Barefooters will gripe about the lack of ground feel such thick soles will cause and of course the 4mm drop.  But for those of us looking for a “tweener” (the dreaded transitional shoe) this might be an interesting option.

I’ve been rotating between my Asic Hyperspeeds (a size too small) and the Merrells and have been looking for another shoe to do some long runs in.  I’m interested in a little padding and enough heal to protect against the chance of returning to heal strike as my form breaks down or I start to push hard at the end of a race, while still being minimal enough to maintain proper forefoot strike with ease.  I’ve been planning on picking up a pair of Asic Piranhas (mainly because of my Asic loyalty) but after reading some of the New Balance reviews, I may have to figure them into the equation…

Check out these reviews of the Trails from those lucky enough to get the test pairs:

Barefoot Running University: http://barefootrunninguniversity.com/2010/11/17/new-balance-minimus-trail-review/

Running and Rambling: http://www.runningandrambling.com/2011/02/new-balance-minimus-trail-review-and.html

Run & Race Tip #3 - Training Log Basics

A training log is one of the most important pieces of equipment for successful training.  I have trouble stressing the importance of a good training log enough.  The training log doesn’t have to be complex, it just needs to include your mileage, time (and from that; pace) and some notes on how you felt during and right after the run (sick, tired legs, aches and pains, etc.)  The more information you keep though, the more powerful tool the log becomes, things like heart rate, hours of sleep, body weight, weather conditions and location all give you good information that can be useful later.

A good log does a number of things for your training:

Run & Race Tip #2 - Running Through the Finish

“To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.” – Prefontaine

When you race, any race from 100m to 100 miles, you should be running to 5 yards beyond the finish line.  This is a lesson that was hammered into me as a high school runner by my father.  I could win a race by 100 yards and still get an ear full on the way home if I let up at the finish line.  He, of course, was right, and that was a lesson that maybe I didn’t learn as well as I should have, and still have to focus on.

Can you think of anything more embarrassing than getting passed at finish line when you’ve let off the gas?  Or missing your PR by a second because you didn’t gut out that one last stride?  Anyone can gut out one or two last strides, and that stride can make the difference between 1^st and 2^nd, a PR or a good run.

I got a good reminder of this at the Miami ING Half Marathon.  I coasted the last stride and got beat by another runner at the line who was giving it everything he had.  Results wise it didn’t matter much – chip time I beat him by 15 seconds, but every time I look at that finish photo I get to see him pushing past me.  Those last couple of strides were the difference between a great finish photo and an embarrassing reminder.

Why does this matter?  Well it doesn’t really if you’re just out there for a run, but if you’re racing, or trying to give it your all, of course it matters.  Letting up at the finish line, regardless of whether someone’s near you or not, means you left something out there on the course.  You should never be satisfied at racing less than your best.  If you’re not gutting it out to the very end and dry heaving just past the finish line you haven’t run your best race, and for that race, you’ve sacrificed the gift.

2012 & 2013 Boston Marathon Qualifying Times Released

The Boston Athletic Association released the new Boston Marathon qualifying times as well as a new rolling registration on Wednesday.  The qualifying times and registration process had been under review since the 2011 Marathon sold out in just over 8 hours…

For 2012 the same standards will remain in place but a rolling registration will take place with faster qualifiers able to sign up first.  This makes sense if the idea is to make the Boston the most prestigious Marathon event.  According to the Boston Marathon Blog (link below) first day registration will be open to registrants that beat their qualifying standard by over 20 min.  That means for 2012 men (18-34) have to hit a 2:50 and, in 2013 with the adjusted standards, a 2:45 (6:16 pace.)

Yikes!  Time to hurry up and get that Boston in, or at least a BQ.  Always nice to have in the back pocket when people start talking about Marathons…

4:30am Run - Part 3 End of the Week

I Jedi mind tricked my way out of the camp this morning.  I had seen a trail not far from the camp’s gate that I wanted to check out, so as I got to the gate this morning I willed the guard not to notice me, or at least not to care.  “I’m not the one you’re looking for.”  Really I just waved and took the dismissive nod as “whatever, stupid gringo” and I sped off into the dark before he’d have a chance to realize what I was doing.  Unfortunately that was about the highlight of the adventure.

About 30 yards down the trail, just around the corner, I came to a stagnant stream about knee deep.  I was tempted to cross but just at the edge of my flashlight beam I could see the dark out line of a crocodile.  Or a log.  Whatever it was, along with the “beware of crocodile” road signs I had seen, the rustling in the bushes and the eerie shadows my weak flashlight was casting I decided I’d already had enough and headed back.

Unwilling to completely forgo my excursion I ran a mile down the road hoping to hit the turn off to a smaller road that lead up towards the hills surrounding the mine.  After a mile I still couldn’t see the turn off and I wasn’t having fun running on the rutted shoulder of the road, in the dark, hoping some passing mine car wouldn’t stop to tell me what I was doing was unsafe (in Spanish) so I headed back to the camp to finish my run on the now boring, but well lit streets.

Overall the week wasn’t terribly exciting, but I did manage to get out for 5 runs totaling about 35 miles.  Better than I had expected and much better than the 0 miles I would have had even a month ago.

Run & Race Tip #1 - Carbo Loading

A very familiar concept to most distance runners, but does it really work?  Maybe not as much as many runners think.  While it’s important to make sure you have enough carbs in your diet, your muscles can only hold so much glycogen (carbohydrate calories stored in the body - about 60-90 minutes worth).  So as long as you’re doing a good job replenishing glycogen stores before and after hard workouts those pre-race pasta parties really aren’t helping much.  But what if you were able to coax your body into overloading on glycogen?  The answer is simple – your performance in endurance races would be improved, and it turns out it IS possible to temporarily boost your glycogen stores.

Veronica recently sent me this article on carbo loading strategies.  Definitely worth a look if you’re running in events longer than an hour…  http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/carbo-loading-managing-your-glycogen-intake-without-overloading-on-glucose-65

Basic idea; intense workouts increase your muscle’s synthesis of glycogen.  Studies have shown that an intense workout of even just 3 minutes (if done correctly) can start this increased synthesis.  Follow this workout with 24 hours of a high carb diet and no exercise and muscle glycogen levels can be boosted as much as 82%.  Also realize that this glycogen synthesis is greatest right after workouts, so it’s important to start refueling soon after your cool down.  Something to think about before your next long race or workout...

Another good site about glycogen: http://www.exrx.net/Nutrition/Glycogen.html

4:30am Run Part 2 – Jungle Town

It’s actually more of a resort town IN a jungle, and it was more like 4:50am run, but same thing.  I managed to get out the door early again this morning.  It was a struggle because they keep the building air-con on so low it was cold getting out of bed (for a now thin blooded Miami kid), but getting outside into the warm humid morning felt pretty good.

It’s a bit strange running though a small enclosed town.  It’s probably bigger population wise than many small towns in the US.  I’m guessing several hundred over a thousand people, plus there’s a gym, 2 pools, tennis courts, soccer field, movie theater, bowling ally, supermarket and hotel.  Yet all of this is packed within a fence surrounded by jungle – a small mining town disguised as a resort.  A route all the way around the outside is probably just short of 3 miles, so I got a pretty good feel of the place doing an 8 mile run this morning.  The FARC used to be pretty big in this area, and though I’m told there’s no danger anymore, I’m not sure how they’d feel about the gringo going outside the fence.  Even within the fence running the in dark can have it’s “on edge” moments – rustling in the bushes 9 times out of 10 is a bird or cat, but I don’t really want to know what might come out that 10^th time…

I’m surprised I don’t see more people out running in the morning here.  You’d think in a small town like this where everyone works for the same company and lives in close proximity, people would take advantage of this quite time.  Instead I saw 2 other runners, 1 armed guard and his dog and got to enjoy the sounds of a jungle waking up in the early morning solitude of the camp.

As much as I’d like to get out of the fence I think I’ll continue to do my laps in the relative safety and peace of this fenced in resort town and look forward to getting back to Miami and more running freedom.

4:30am Run - Motivation

Sometimes you have a run that you’re just proud of.  Sometimes that’s because you hit some milestone, exceeded some goal, or you proved something to yourself.  I was pretty happy with my Wednesday run this week.  I set off with a goal of 10 miles, 7:20 pace, and negative splits.  I met all of them running the 10 at 7:08 pace with a 2 min negative split and never felt like I was straining, all while practicing drinking and fueling (something I never do.)

This morning I was happy with my run for a completely different reason.  The run was not long (only 4.5 miles) and it certainly was not fast (8:20 pace).  Instead I was happy because I actually RAN.  I’m traveling on business and in an area where running just isn’t easy (a small mining camp in Colombia.)  Even a month or 2 ago that would have been reason enough for me to blow off running for a week and a half – not even bring my gear, but today I woke up at 4:30 (I’m not a 4:30am person) to get a few miles in before I met my hosts at 6 for what will be a 15 hour day by the time we’re done.  It may not seem like much, but if I can put in 25-30 miles during this trip it’s that much more than I would have had before, and that much less conditioning I’ll lose while I’m down here – and for me something that makes me proud and motivates me to run this week.

Finding those little things to be proud of can help you keep running, and keeps the running interesting.  It doesn’t always have to be a PR, or a great run – it can be finding a new route, seeing a great sunrise, or even just getting out.

UPCOMING MERRELL TRAIL GLOVES REVIEW

I’m a gear junkie.  That’s the only way to explain the pile of camping gear that takes up most of my walk in closet.  I’ve reviewed camping gear in the past, but never running gear – the beauty of running was the need for relatively little gear (especially for 5Ks.)

My recent decision to start looking at Marathons and potentially Ultras along with my desire to go to more minimalist / barefoot running has (perhaps ironically) gotten me looking at new running gear.  I went out and got a pair of Vibram 5 fingers but returned them before running in them after discovering that wearing them around the house caused my toes to start to go numb because my feet just don’t fit the 5 finger mold.  Looking at other minimalist options lead me to Barefoot Jason’s review of the Merrell Trail Gloves released in Feburary (http://barefootrunninguniversity.com/2011/01/04/merrell-trail-glove-review/  It should also be noted that Jason is working with Merrell on their barefoot resources – check out Merrell’s site.)

Excited about these shoes I ordered a pair as soon as they were available and received them yesterday.  Obviously it will take me some time to put on enough miles to truly review these shoes, but I thought I’d post the sizing portion of the review early since that seems to be a big question for those looking at these shoes.

My First Half - 2011 Miami ING

I had planned my first post to be about my running history – what I’ve done, what my future plans are and why recently my views on running have changed.  Yada yada, no one cares (not that anyone cares about reading about this race either...)  Suffice it to say I’ve been running for many years, but have never really raced anything longer than a 5k (okay, 5 - 8k fun runs and 1 - 10k about 8 years ago.)  I had no desire to run longer – I was all about the speed.  That changed this winter, partly due to reading Born to Run, partly due to other factors, and I signed up for the Miami ING half marathon a week before the race and totally unprepared.

I say unprepared because I had had almost no training for the last month due to an Achilles injury – one I gave myself by deciding to start the New Year off right with a 15 mile run I was also unprepared for.  After about 2 weeks off I came back with a week of VERY light training and the Sunday before ING went for a normal run and surprised myself.  With an altered stride (to help take pressure off my Achilles) I went through 7 miles at just under 7 min pace – maybe I had a chance at that 1:35 half I needed to get into the B coral at the Chicago Marathon (my goal race for the year.)  Still suffering the effects of my slight runner’s high, I signed up for the ING before I had stopped sweating from my Sunday run.

For the week before the race I went over my ill-conceived race strategy – just go out easy and keep it just under 7 min pace for the first 7-9 miles and try not to die too bad at the end.  Not exactly the race strategy I would have had back in my competitive high school running days.  I figured with this race plan my last miles could be closer to 7:40 pace and I could still get in under the 7:15 pace required for my goal time.

RACE DAY

The day of the race was somewhat cooler, but beautiful running weather.  I woke up at 3:30 in the morning to get ready and walk the 2 and a half miles from my apartment to the race start at the American Airline Arena.  At about 5:30 I shucked my sweats, checked my gear, and made my way through the crowd to the corals.  This would easily be the largest race I’ve ever run in – I’d heard numbers around 21,000 participants (roughly 16,000 finished – 12,861 finished the half.)  It was a different prerace routine for me – no real warm up (don’t need much for a race this long right?) and no stretching – I’d just read that pre-run stretching can actually do more damage than good – another post on this sometime perhaps.

The race started with a hand shot flare and a gradual shuffle towards the start line – not what I’m used to in 5ks with a sharp crack of a starter gun and a sprint to get position in the first 100 yards.  It was a bit of a challenge for the first half mile or so finding running room.  I ran a good part of it on the sidewalk scattering the few spectators there to see the race off.  By the top of the MacArthur Causeway the crowd had thinned enough that we were at least able to breath and hit our normal running stride.  For the first 5 miles I just tried to run relax, enjoy the sunrise over the ocean and cruise ships, and couldn’t help but smile.  The smile was in part due to running my first race in over a year, enjoying the great weather, the thrill of passing people by the dozens and realizing how easy the running was feeling despite putting in a couple of sub 6 min miles and averaging about 6:10 for the first 5 miles – slightly ahead of goal pace…

I was just having fun and enjoying running past all the spectators who were out cheering for anyone and everyone.  I was having fun until about mile 9 anyway, that’s when I started realizing this was a longer race than I was truly prepared for – and runners I had passed in miles 6-7 were nipping on my heals again.  At the same time I was realizing I still had a ways to go, I was realizing my average pace was good for A coral at Chicago – new race goal set.

A Jamaican guy and I started going back and forth in our own mini race, at one point as I passed him I said “common – let’s go get the next guy!”  It was actually a lot of fun running with him – though short lived.  After passing that next guy the Jamaican took off for good as I hit the wall in the 10^th mile dropping to a 6:41 mile.  It was about that point I actually wondered if I was really going to be able to finish the race without walking, however it’s amazing what a cheering crowd can do for a suffering body.  The cheering crowd and knowing I was in the last couple of miles helped me to finish relatively strong, ending with a chip time of 1:23:28 – almost 12 minutes faster than my goal and good for a A coral start at Chicago.

It wasn’t a particular spectacular race, but for me a great start for what should hopefully be an interesting year of running, full of fun races and serious marathons.  It also had several lessons learned:

o       I need to learn how to drink water while running without feeling bloated.

o       Never discredit the importance of cheering spectators.

o       It’s amazing what a competitive attitude can do for you on race day.

o       Consistent pacing could have shaved quite a bit of time off my finish.

o       I’m not yet ready for a Marathon, but I will be.  Goal: BQ.