Three Chilly Miles

Got them done right at sundown yesterday. It was chilly out, but I chose a path that kept me in the sun *and* I wore that extra layer, so it wasn't too cold. Not to mention it was in the low 50s. Yes. I am a wimp. Final stats - 3.2 miles at an average pace of 9:21. Heart rate was right at 75% of max. The data says I have more to give. I should be running these short runs closer to 80% of max heart rate. But right now my legs, knees and hips are telling me otherwise. I've been fighting a mean case of tendinitis in my right knee the past couple of weeks. As long as I don't bend it more than about 40 degrees, I'm able to put the miles in. This morning though my hips and left knee are painful. This is the sure sign that I need new shoes.

If running is our profession, shoes are our tools. I would not dream of doing my work with substandard or worn out tools. So much pain and so many injuries could be avoided just by making sure we are in the right shoes. I usually bite my tongue when I hear of people trying out new shoes that they haven't worn before, or buying different shoes because they were a good deal. I won't mention any names, but a couple of folks I follow have some first hand experience.

That's why I have always run in the same shoes. I had a gait analysis done at Road Runner Sports when I fist started running, and ever since then have stuck to Asics. They work for me. In two plus years of running I've had one injury - and that happened when I slipped during a race last Thanksgiving. But, just when I have everything dialed in, Asics decides to discontinue my tried and true GT 2140's! I've had great luck with these shoes - right now I have two pair that I rotate - each with 400 miles on them. I compare that to the Gel Kayanos that I used to wear that got me 250 miles max. And the Saucony Pro Grids that had me in pain after a week in them. Guess I'll go try Asics new GT 2150's and see how those hold up.

Finally, I need to thank all of you readers and followers for your wonderful words of support the past couple of weeks. Reading some of them yesterday shed some light on my past few weeks. As Patrick said yesterday, "I've read past posts when you've been down on yourself-- but you kept going-- pushed through it all-- congrats!" Thank you for reminding me! It's tough when you're in the trenches slogging away to remember the way it *used* to be:



On the plan today - hills. 5 repeats. If the rain holds out....

Four Mile Spin

So I took the new shoes out for spin yesterday. For sure the problem were the shoes. I wanted to air things out a little to see how the new ones would feel. I comfortably put in four miles in 37 minutes. The only issue is that the foot beds in these GTs seem a little rougher than the Kayanos, so the soles of my heels started feeling hot toward the end of mile 3. The lurid details - 4 miles, 37.22 minutes, average heart rate 150. Not too bad for a slow old fart!

My only issue now is my hip. I had a fitful night of sleep because I just couldn't get comfortable. I did some searching on the Internet this morning, and my symptoms point to a hip strain. The research says that this can be caused by overpronation. My theory here (maybe it's something I want to believe) is that my old shoes were shot, allowing me to overpronate on my slow runs when I would be most relaxed. I guess I'll see here.

One thing that I am toying with is with the impending rain, maybe I'll take the week off after my 10K on Sunday. If it is a hip strain, the rest should resolve the issue. If it doesn't, then hello doc!

Unscheduled rest day

Boo hoo! I decided to take an extra day off this week to see if I can get my legs feeling normal again. The pain is pretty much gone and I can walk normally at this point, but my legs still feel tired and listless. I think I'll try an easy three or four miles tonight to see how things are going (or if they are going to go on Sunday).

I ended up purchasing some new shoes yesterday. I tried out a new store recommended by Cal Coast - Runner's High in Irvine (http://www.runnershighirvine.com/). The owner, Ted Newcomb, and Coach Sumner go back a long ways. I had a great conversation with Ted before getting down to the task at hand. We went through some of my other choices (Mizuno Wave Nirvana, New Balance 1224). It boiled down to the Asics feeling the best on my feet. We discussed my *real* issue - 250 miles per pair. According to Ted, a "normal" shoe should get somewhere around 400 miles these days. But, given my symptoms, and he agreed that the indications say the inner cushioning is gone. A lot of my issue this time is no doubt related to my puddle run (Turkey Trot -http://therunningfatguy.blogspot.com/2008/11/dana-point-turkey-trot-10k-rr.html).

Instead of dropping another $140 on another pair of Kayanos, Ted pointed me to a different shoe - the Asics GT 2140. As he put it, it's the same basic shoe, just not a fancy looking. Plus it saves me about $40 per pair. I picked them up and will give them a try. Hopefully I can make it out today for a quick spin. I'll see how my legs feel later today. Then again, maybe an extra day of rest is good....

In Some Pain Here...

Yeah - I'm in some pain here today. Again. Just as last week, my quads are screaming today. After something as easy as a *slow* four mile run. I suspect my shoes because of the following:

• They got absolutely soaked (and squishy) in Dana Point on Thanksgiving
• I have about 250 miles on them now
• And - I ran a relatively comfortable 7 miles Tuesday night on a padded track. But, yesterday's 4 miles on pavement had me in agony a couple of hours later.

I run in Asics Kayano 14s. 250 miles does not seem like a lot of miles on a product that is so expensive. This is my third pair this year, and I got 280 miles on one pair, 255 miles on the second. So it appears I am about ready to swap these out. I want to try something different, but the last time I did, I was in agony much sooner (I tried a pair of Saucony Progrid Hurricane 10s - not enough support for my feet). I normally shop at Road Runner Sports, but maybe I'll head over to A Snails Pace today and see if anyone there is more knowledgeable. In fact - I think I'll contact Cal Coast and see if Coach has any recommendations.

New Shoes

I broke down yesterday and got some new shoes. Stayed with the tried and true Asics Gel Kayanos. The results were pretty immediate. No lower back pain. The nagging pain in my calves and shins is gone.

This morning I am a little stiff from my workout yesterday. Yesterday was the first fartlek workout that I have done running. My pace varied widely, as fast as 6:30 per mile and as slow as 12:00 per mile. I tried to run fast a quarter a mile at a time, but by the time things were wrapping up, I was lucky to get a tenth of a mile in without blowing up. But - that's okay. To be honest - this was one of the quickest 33 minutes I've done. It really did not seem like 33 minutes had passed.

Today I'll keep it easy for 3 miles followed by some strength (core) work....