Sunday, May 18, 2008

Shoe Issue Solved! Solid Training; Off to Tri Camp!


This will be a long entry into the blog because I have a lot to talk about since I haven’t updated it in a week. I’ll first start with training.

The last 7 days have gone very well with the exception of the swim portion, which I have missed two segments. First, due to being out of town, and secondly, I was planning on swimming on Friday but I was very busy at work and I was unable to get away for a lunch break to get the swim in.

My runs were fairly short this week just because I haven’t needed to increase my distances yet and this week was going to be a taper week anyway prior to a short sprint in race in Statesville which I was going to do with my son, Tanner. Unfortunately, he has been sick in the last two weeks with a virus and strep and I really want him to fully recover before he does a race like this. So knowing this, I made some adjustments to my running schedule and all week long I ran in my old, worn out shoes until today (Sunday) because I finally have found a pair of shoes that are great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After e-mailing Lance Leo at Studio 7 Multisport about the shoe issue, he advised me not to skimp on the shoes since I was gong to be training for a marathon in them. So the criteria I was looking for (lightweight, able to drain water efficiently, sockless..) was thrown out of the window. I went to Charlotte Running where I have started buying all of my running shoes now because I think they have the most knowledgeable and professional staff, and actually take their time and they do a run analysis (if you need it) and they ask a lot of questions before recommending a shoe.

Obviously, I go through a lot of shoes but the New Balance 106x series shoes I have been running with for years were just not fitting me that well anymore. I feel they changed something in the 1062’s that wasn’t working for me and were wearing blisters after 6 miles which has never happened.

So I worked with the guy at Charlotte running and after trying on several cushion shoes (I have a neutral foot) I landed with the Nike Air Zoom Vomero2+. These shoes have a cushioning area right under the ball of your feet so if you’re a mid to fore foot striker, they feel great. These are the most comfortable shoes I have ever run in. Also a special thanks to John Geoffrey, Lance Leo and Sonni Dyer for shoe recommendations. I looked at all of the shoes and tried them al on and we all have different feet and needs so in the end the Nike’s were great.

I also bought pair of Saucony’s Triumph 5’s, which is a lighter shoe with plenty of forefoot cushioning as well. My thinking here is that I use the Nike’s for the long runs and the Saucony’s for the shorter runs that may have soem speed or tempo work and by alternating them I will have two pairs of shoes that will be broken in and not be worn out by Hawaii and I will use whichever shoe is feeling the best at that point in time. I will let everyone know how the Saucony’s work out this coming week.
Special Note: Do not buy the Zoot Tri Shoes unless you can take them back after your first run. They produced numerous blisters on my feet in the first 3 miles of my run. I also spoke to a friend of mine who experienced the very same thing.

The bike worked out well this week. I got about 25 miles in on Thursday with some intensity built in and then on Saturday I had a 50 miler.

There is a big difference between 40 and 50 miles. I am so use to going 40 miles in my training for years this is the first time I have done 50 miles in 4-5 years. While it wasn’t difficult, I did start feeling tired after about 45 miles. Amazing how your body knows when you hit a natural stop point. This is exactly why you start early and build up slowly in biking, running and swimming.

I will admit that being on the bike for 50 miles, by myself, the thought started creeping in mind of how to run 26 miles in the heat and humidity of Hawaii was going to be like; especially after 112 miles in the heat and wind. I guess the advice that’s been given to me that I need to keep in mind is to concentrate on the bike and don’t think about the run until you are on the run course. Easier said than done!! When you’re on the bike for 6 hours by yourself, what else are you going to think of!


Stay Tuned...Next week I will have come back from the Studio 7 Triathlon Camp (3 days) in the mountians of North Carolina which will invloved long swims in mountain lakes, long trail runs and the dreaded very long rides through the Appalachain Mountains! Bring on the granny gears!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I just joined school athlete team and got a perfect pair of running shoes from Foot Locker with best deal.