New Shoes, New Fitness, New Questions

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I have some questions for you guys. I want some input on the types of videos all of you would be most interested in seeing. If you look to the top of the page you will see a poll titled, “What Video Should I Make?” Basically I am going to be making several videos about different aspects of running and training and I would like to know which ones you are most interested in seeing, what information is most useful to you. You will find all the categories on the opinion poll and you will notice that I am considering doing health/nutrition videos, training how-to videos, racing tactic videos, equipment reviews and the like. I need to know what you all are most interested in that way I can form my video series to be as beneficial as possible. I will also be taking more detailed suggestions in comments.

As my blog is still new and my following has yet to top like two million people and be bringing in just as much cash and since I undoubtedly know most of the people reading I would like to keep this place fairly personal. Meaning that I am still going to be writing about my running, my opinions, and my philosophy. Over two million people and perhaps I don’t tell you where my favorite local run is (I could get mugged) but for now I’m all yours.

This week marked the beginning of practice for indoor track, we started of the week by running a mile time trial (read about that below) and I was left with room to improve. We have practice every weekday but on Wednesdays (due to China) I can’t make it to practice and am left to run on my own. I am fairly willing to wager that my apartment is the last stop for UPS in Rexburg because my shoes didn’t get to me until like 7pm! Ahh yes, I got new shoes and regardless of your vote in the poll I will be reviewing these shoes. My old Nike Lunarglides are two years old and during the PFT run (3 miles) a couple weeks ago decided to let me know that they had had it. I got a blood blister and mild shin splints, I could just feel how beaten the soul was as I ran along and so before I even finished running I decided that the shoes must be retired. Some of you may be thinking, “well what about your Asics?” and that is a legitimate question so I will explain. My Asics are slow, they are comfortable and they are good for the long haul but they were never designed to accelerate and even in a 5000 meters their non-race orientation is evident. Don’t get me wrong I love those shoes but my style of running fast doesn’t work for them so I have always needed to have a faster and lighter running shoe to go along side them. My fastest times have always been in Nikes a fact I am just beginning to admit despite its evidence at every distance. My Asics are well past their mileage limit as well but since they have been strictly relegated to running and not been force to cover water sports like the Nikes (see below) they still have a few easy miles left in them.

So it was time to get new shoes but which ones. I wanted speed, I wanted lightweight, I wanted comfort and I didn’t have time for trial and error. What to do? Stick to your roots, I got a new pair of Nike Lunarglide+ 3s.

 On paper the New Lunars are fantastic and in reality they are also fantastic, though keep in mind I am still breaking them in and with the new Lunars that is actually necessary. From what I can tell though they are super comfortable, more so than the originals problems that existed with my old ones like a wide largely unsupported forefoot have been properly addressed. I also like their redesign of the tread pattern, which I feel makes the shoe smoother and more road worthy than ever before. These new shoes are more supportive than before, (a good thing) and unless the fit and feel of this shoe dramatically changes in the next couple months I feel like Nike has truly managed to produce a really good product. This is of course just my personal take on the shoe and not a full review, which is coming, and so I want you to keep in mind that a great product for one type of runner will most certainly be a terrible product for some one else somewhere and everything in between.

And on that bombshell let’s move on.

I went for a thirty minute indoor run as soon as my new shoes arrived and would have gone longer if the two cheese burgers I’d eaten right before decided to stop me. We ran a two mile tempo run on Thursday, we were supposed to run it at our most recent 3 mile pace plus thirty seconds per mile meaning that I should run the two miles in fifteen minutes. I went out and ran three-mile effort maybe even a little bit easier in the beginning and ended up running a 13:15. I had worked hard but went nowhere near killing myself. My time was faster than the suffer fest two mile I had ran the week before at the indoor open meet. A clear sign of improved fitness. Did the shoes help? Maybe, but not that much.

The real question in my mind is whether I can go under 5 minutes in the mile this season, that’s been a goal of mine since 2006 but on an indoor track perhaps my first goal should be just to break my PR, anything under 5:20. I have confidence that I can do it and if I do that will mean something. I’m not sure what yet but I am now a Dad and this year will mark a full decade since I officially ran my first mile for time. Setting my absolute best under those conditions will say something pretty profound I am sure.

Remember to click the follow button to continue on with all of my grand adventures.