Saucony ProGrid Kinvara – First Impressions

I decided to risk straying from my usual support running shoes and try a more minimalist shoe. After a lot of research and several recommendations, I chose the Saucony ProGrid Kinvara.

As you can see, I opted for a little flare.

I was unable to find a local source for this shoe, so this was also the first time I ordered shoes online. I ordered them from Running Warehouse for only $65 after a 15% discount (thanks again Jim). That great price even included free 2 day delivery.

My current favorite shoe is the Asics Gel 1150, classified as a support shoe. I was fit for these using the traditional treadmill gait analysis for pronation and they have proved reliable and comfortable. I was happy enough with them to buy a second pair. With well over 300 miles in them between the two pairs I have no complaints, but probably like most runners, I can’t help but wonder if there is something better out there.

The Kinvaras are classified as performance neutral. They are very light, weighing in about 4 ounces under my Asics. That is the first thing you notice when you try them on. They offer some cushioning, but noticbly less than my Asics. They also are much flatter with a smaller heal rise (4mm as compared to 10mm on my Asics).

I think this shoe runs a little narrower than my Asics. The fit was a little snug wearing my usual thick Thorlo running socks on my size 11 dogs. When I switched to thinner Experias, the fit was perfect. The Experias could become my new favorite sock if they prove to be as durable as the thicker Thorlos.

I wore the Kinvaras for the first time on a 4 mile run this morning. There is a lot of hype about these shoes online, and about minimalist shoes in general, but I tried to keep my expectations reasonable.

I was very pleased with the feel of the shoe while running. My online buddy and fellow DoppelLaufer Virtual Racer, JimDo64 from the Active.com running forums, described the sensation as being able to “feel the roadness,” eloquently stated and I don’t think I can improve on that description.

Will these shoes automatically improve my running form? Probably not, but the shoes did make me feel more aware of my form. It was easier to feel my footstrike and to therefore make adjustments. I didn’t miss the extra support at all, but time will tell whether this will still be true during longer runs.

I ran the first two miles at a fairly comfortable 9:00 pace and when I pushed that up to 7:41 for the third mile, the shoes performed really well. The faster pace did seem easier, but that could be equally attributable to cooler temperatures. Still, I’m excited to try these in a race.

I am looking forward to testing these on longer runs and if they work well, I may even wear them for the Daytona Beach Half Marathon at the end of the month.

More to come.

New Route Announced for Daytona Beach Half Marathon

It must be official because I got the email announcement today and when I tried to access their website, it had crashed. I’m sure everyone must have been trying to check it out right away, just like me.

I finally got a look at the new route this evening and I’m pleased.

The race starts and ends inside the Daytona International Speedway.

I'm not a huge NASCAR fan, but its hard not to take an interest when you live this close to Daytona.  I've never actually been inside the Speedway, so that alone will be an experience. 

We will not be able to race on the track because of repaving, but we will run a little over 2 miles through the infield. After that we will exit the Speedway and run east towards the Atlantic Ocean on International Speedway Blvd. (US 92).

At about Mile 6 we will cross the Hallifax River via this bridge to get beachside. We will get a very brief view of the ocean at Sun Splash Park before making the turn and heading back toward the Speedway, crossing the Hallifax Bridge again at Mile 8.

With the exception of the two bridge crossings, it should be a pretty flat, fast course.

Marathon Training Update

I completed week 10 of my marathon training with 5 workouts totaling 34 miles including a 17.5 mile long run this morning.



This was my first long run since I started suffering ITB issues three weeks ago, although I did run a 15k race last weekend.

The 17 miler was a great -12 mile run. Unfortunately my knee started hurting about half way through, gradually increasing in severity, and I struggled quite a bit during the last 5 miles. The good news is that I finished and that the onset of the pain occurred much later in the run compared to last week. I will call that improvement. I was also running pain free during my shorter workouts during the week.

As much as I hate to, I think I’m going to give up one training day per week, at least until I can complete a long run with out any knee pain. I think a 4 day per week schedule will give me the recovery time I need between runs.

The weather turned really nice in Florida this week. I started the run in the upper 60’s and the humidity was significantly lower. This meant much less sweating, but since I didn’t adjust my hydration, it also meant a few “bio” breaks. Actually, it was more than a few. Actually, it was so many that I lost count. That was probably as much a factor in slowing me down as my knee was.

I was also strangely not hungry after the run. I usually have a voracious appetite after a long run. I made sure to consume plenty of calories though. I made a real pig of myself on Saturday. I had a 5 Guys Bacon Double Cheeseburger for lunch and Olive Garden for dinner, so that might have been a contributing factor to my poor appetite today.

I’m off for another torture session with my foam roller.

You pays your money, you takes your chances

My wallet is a little lighter today because I just registered for the Daytona Beach Half Marathon on Halloween. This will be my second half marathon and with one month left in my marathon training, it will be a good test of how well my marathon training is going.

I ran the Gasparilla Half Marathon in 2:16 in February and I think I have a very good chance of breaking 2:00 for this race.

The course is interesting in that it starts and finishes at the Daytona Speedway. Historically, the route began and ended on the racetrack and included a lap around the 2.5 mile track. Since the track is undergoing repaving the route has been changed for this year. We are still guaranteed a “race track experience” whatever that means. The new route should be made available any day now.

From the speedway we will run to the beach and back, so there will be two bridge crossings near the middle of the race.

I’m back on schedule in my marathon training. I ran this morning for the third day in a row and had no pain in my knee, even when I accelerated to about a 7:40 pace for the last ¾ mile.

My training program originally included three 20 milers, but after the hiccup I experienced over the past few weeks, one of those has been scrubbed. If all goes well I will have 20 milers the weekend before and after this race and then start my taper for Space Coast Marathon on November 28.  Looks like I’ll be carb loading over Thanksgiving. Like I need an excuse. :)

I will rest tomorrow and do 17 miles on Sunday. I must be a little sick in the head because I am really looking forward to this long run.

Miracle Miles 15k Race Report

Anonymous said...
“well, how did it go? How is the knee? Are you back on your marathon schedule?”

I’m thrilled at your interest.

Is it possible to be simultaneously happy and dissatisfied with a race performance? That about sums up my feelings about this race.

I had high expectations looking ahead to the Miracle Miles 15k, right up until the point my knee started to flare up a few weeks ago. I debated not racing at all but days before the race I felt I had made enough progress with my ITBS that I decided to go for it. Whether or not that was a poor decision is yet to be determined.

I finished in 1:30:14, that’s about a 9:42 pace. I placed 656 out of 1715 and 68 out of 118 in my division.

I know that is much slower than I am capable of and my time relative to the field is much slower than I have been doing in recent races. In that respect, I was disappointed in my performance.

On the other hand, my knee flared up significantly during the run. Dealing with the pain, which included stopping twice, and still managing a 9:42 pace made me pretty happy.

The first three miles went fairly well. It was about 75 degrees at the race start and was lightly drizzling. I planned in advance not to push myself too hard this race so I lined up just ahead of the 9 minute mile pace signs. On my training runs over the past week I had been able to run at about that pace and manage my knee. I figured if the race went well I would be able to pick up my pace for the last few miles.

Mile one went well and I reached the first mile marker at 9:27, a little slower than I would have liked but it was pretty crowded. I finished the second mile in 9:24 and by then an ache had settled into my knee. It wasn’t bad, but I knew it was only going to get worse. I resolved to just maintain that pace and finished the next mile in 9:31.

By the time I hit the midpoint, that ache turned to pain. I stopped twice in the middle third of the race to try to stretch my ITB in the hopes that it would relieve some of the pain. It did, but only temporarily. My splits for that portion of the race were 9:35, 10:16, 10:01.

I don’t know if it was endorphins or thanks to my never ending struggle to find the right stride to stop the pain, but miles 7 and 8 were virtually pain free and I was able to pick my pace back up, 10:35 (which included my last attempt to stretch just after the 6th mile water stop) and 9:25.

I continued accelerating through the ninth mile and I reached the last mile marker in 9:08, my fastest split all morning, and I wasn’t even breathing hard. Unfortunately, the road surface also changed from asphalt to brick at that point. I noticed a lot of runners moved to the sidewalk to avoid the miserable surface. I elected to stay put and avoid the crowd. I maintained my pace, but the pain returned with a vengeance. I was able to keep that pace through the finish and crossed the finish line at 1:30:14.

My knee was pretty sore for the rest of the weekend, but it’s been getting better with each day. I’ve been icing it and using my foam roller every day. The pain has diminished to about the point it was in the days leading up to the race, but I have yet to test it again except for a slow, easy 3 miler on Monday. I’m hoping to run my first “real” long run in the three weeks on Sunday, 17 miles. If I can make it through that, then all is well.

The race lived up to my expectations in just about every other respect. Logistically it was one of the most organized events I have run. There was one too many water stations. The last one was less than a mile from the finish and I had no interest in slowing to drink at that point. Some of the volunteers were a little overzealous, crowding the course from both sides.

This race benefits the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Arnold Palmer Hospital so there was a lot of local corporate support, including to my great pleasure, some of the best local restaurants in town. The post race feast was incredible. In addition to the traditional bananas, orange slices, water and powerade there were such treats as mushroom stuffed ravioli with a lobster cream sauce and prime rib sliders. Not to mention sweets like ice cream, smoothies and popsicles.  I ate to my heart's content.

WVR had 36 runners in this race making it the best attended event since I joined the club. It felt great to be a part of that.

Would I do it again? Definitely!

DoppelLaufer Virtual 5k ver. 2.0 Results

The final results are in and the winner is:

WIguy

Here are the final standings:

We grew from 3 racers to 13 and out of that 13, 11 set new PR’s. The ability of the runners were widely varied with 5k times ranging from 19:00 to 44:00. Despite that variability the handicapping worked well and the adjusted times were very tight with many runners mere seconds apart.

The good natured taunting got pretty intense over the past few weeks, particularly out of our Rhode Island contingent but it was all in good fun. Our discussion thread has often dominated the running forum at active.com. We reached 1400 posts and 53,000 page views. Based on that ratio, I think quite a few people took vicarious pleasure from our nonsense too. New Balance received so many add impressions from that thread I think a new pair of shoes wouldn’t be out of the question. I’m not too shameless to beg - Hey New Balance – anyone reading this? I’d settle for a decent discount.  Forgive the pandering :-}

I think we may have time for one more fall virtual 5k before our northern DoppelLaufers have to retire to their treadmills for the duration of the cold dark winter. When they emerge in the spring, plans are already underway for a virtual half marathon.

T-Shirt Addict

Another race

another trip to Track Shack

 

and another t-shirt.

Don’t say it. I know, I promised to rest this week, but I’ve been looking forward to this 15k for months. It’s one of the most popular races in Orlando and WVR has nearly 40 runners entered. I was hugely disappointed at the thought of pulling out.

The foam roller appears to be working on my ITB and knee, although I think I bruised my thigh using it. I felt good enough to run 7 miles Wednesday and another 4 today. I got through both runs with very little discomfort so I decided to go for it and registered for the race at the last minute.

My plan is to hold back just a little. I want to use the race to test my marathon pace goal and if the first 6 miles go well then I’ll try to pick it up for the last third of the race. This is my first 15k so I’ll be guaranteed a PR.

If I start whining about being hurt next week then you can all post “I told you so” comments.

You all probably think I’ve developed an addiction to running, but you’re wrong. I only do it for the shirts.