Track workout and shoe reviews

Beautiful day today - 70 degrees and sunny - and I'm on spring break, so there was nothing to get between me and my workout. I didn't get my speed work in on Tuesday because we were in the car driving back from Vermont, so I hit the running path today with 4x1mile. That is kind of my go-to workout. I've done it enough times it's an easy gage of how fit I am, it takes about an hour (15min warm up, 30min main set, 15min cool down), and the mile is short enough that I get the legs turning over, but long enough that I can't (or rather I shouldn't) floor it.

Anyway, I felt great today (at the start). I laced up my Brooks t7's and headed out. Not really knowing what to take it out in, I figured I would do what felt good for the first one and try to stick to that for the rest of them. Let's just say I went out a little too hard...

Mile 1- 5:40 (2min recover) it felt good, but I should have known this was way too hard...

Mile 2- 5:40 (2min) still felt good, but I was pushing through the last quarter. I was happy to hit the same pace though. I was thinking that because of the 2min rest, I might be able to get through the last 2.

Mile 3- 5:50 (2min) this is where I fell apart. I had gone out WAY too hard, and getting to the end of this one was a struggle. I was about 2:50 through 1/2 and 3:00 for the second 1/2. 

Mile 4- 6:24 (1min recover before cool down) The last mile I had nothing left so I figured I would pace it as if it were the end of the half marathon. I wanted to stay poised without feeling like I was pushing, and it actually felt pretty good. I was happy to be able to hold goof form and, despite my heart rate, not feel like I was pushing. And I hit even splits.

What I can take from this- if I want to have a good race on April 1, I MUST stay within myself. I'll be wearing HR so I can keep tabs on how hard I'm actually pushing. I guess with all the shorter speed work I've been doing it doesn't hurt right away getting the wheels turning. However, if I go out too hard, like I did today, I'm toast. Although today's workout wasn't what it should have been, I won't call it a failure because I learned something. One more long run and one more speed day before the race. I'm excited to see how it goes down in AC on April 1!

Now for some shoe reviews...

Below is a picture of what I've been running in for the past couple months. Probably more shoes than a guy needs, but sometimes I just can't help myself. I got each pair for less than $50, so I just couldn't pass them up!

What I currently run in

The Brooks Green Silence have been getting most of the mileage as of late. I have come to really like them. They give enough support that I can take them on long runs and feel great, but they are still very light and have a racing flat feel to them. The 2 minor complaints I have are that they don't have any durable rubber on the lateral forefoot, which is where I typically land. I have a feeling these will wear within about 300miles, and I would love a shoe that I could wear for 500+. Also they have a weird shape to them. The sole is kind of bowed, so although I'm not a heel-striker, it gives my foot that shape.

Brooks Green Silence

I also got a pair of t7's. A friend and coach of Tatnall's XC team is a Brooks sponsored athlete. The dude is fast. I think his 13.1 PR is around a 1:07. This is what he races in, so I figured if it's good enough for him, it's good enough for me. They are great racing flats. Although they have a noticeable heel to toe drop, which I don't love. They are also a little loose in the forefoot. They don't hug my foot as much as I would like while doing speed work - I felt like I was slipping around a little. They also came untied twice today. I always double knot my shoes, and I've never had this problem before... Maybe it is the operator, not the shoe, I don't know. But otherwise, very good shoes.

Brooks t7 racer

The K-Swiss K-Ruuz I got on sale and they are very similar to the t7's. A smooth ride and nice racing flat. They have better tread on the bottom, which should hold up a little better. I've heard of a guy putting 1000+miles on these, which I like very much. I also love the way these bad boys look. Vain, I know, but just wait until you guys see the race kit I have planned for a 4th of July spring I'm doing this year :) The one thing these lack is some cushioning. They have a much harder ride than both Brooks. The upper is a little loose like the t7's.

K-Swiss K-Ruuz

I've written about the Asics Hyper Speed 4 before. They are great. Here are two pics, one of the pair I'm currently using (left), and then a pair that I wore out (right) - actually the pair I raced IMLP in. They are the most responsive and cushioned racing flat I've ever worn. They have a very low heel-toe drop, and are probably the best shoe I've worn to date. I think I wear a size too small in these, although I love the snug feel they have on my foot, because every time I have toenails and wear these to do any sort of long run, they fall off. I should probably size up, but they feel OK, and who needs toenails? I don't know if I have anything negative at all to say about this shoe except that they wear through after about 250mile on pavement. They also have a lot of drainage holes in the bottom, so when I wear them running trails or through any sort of water, it seeps right through and into my socks immediately. On a side note, they stopped making this color scheme, so before they did I bought an extra 2 pairs that are sitting in my closet. My plan at the time was to save them for my next IM. We'll see about that.

Asics Hyper Speed 4 (New/Old)

These are some of the other shoes I've worn over the past 2 years. The Zoot's were OK. The elastic laces don't do it for me. I was sliding around too much in them. They also have a pretty pronounced heel-toe drop. The Asics Pirahna's are a great flat, but I wouldn't recommend them for anything over a 10k. I raced a half iron in them and thought I broke my foot after. They are super lightweight, although they have about as much cushioning as a pair of socks. The Adidas Rockets were a good shoe overall. I don't know what it is about them, but I just never fell in love with them. They, like the K-ruuz, have a hard ride.

The oldies

Still not sure what I'll wear for the AC 13.1. Each shoe has it's pros and cons. I really don't think it will make a difference in my performance.

If you made it this far in the post, congrats! Some more good news - I picked up another sponsor, Clif Bar products! I couldn't be happier about it. I'll write more on this later.

Happy training!!