Training
Salomon XA Pro XCR Trail Running Shoes
May 26th
After I returned my North Face shoes, that I had previously reviewed. I replaced the m with a pair of Salomon XA Pro XCR Trail Running shoes, they were just about as expensive. They were on sale for the REI Anniversary Sale. I had my first run in them today. I wear carbon fiber orthotics on a daily basis. These shoes are narrow. I have fat flat feet. In most shoes I can remove the insoles put my orthotics in and put the insoles back over them. In these my I could not. I have a pair of the black (narrow) SuperFeet, I put those in for arch support.
I did two loops around a lake at a local state park. A total of 3 miles, I am also coming off an injury. The shoes are very light, I experienced no hotspots, and I did not roll my ankle or have any support issues. It was mainly dry out on the trail. I ran through some mud, a lot of rocks and roots. The hills on the loop are not very bad, but the trail is technical. My feet stayed dry.
So far so good. I like them more, better support and GoreTex to keep my feet dry. I am worried that my feet may get hot later on during the summer as it gets really hot out.
Two Great Articles
Apr 9th
From Men’s Health regarding the Tarahumara Mexicans and their ability to run and live longer than most people. A quote, “You wouldn’t jump off a ladder and land on your heels, right?” Mierke asks. “Same with running. If you land on your heel, your leg is straight, and the impact is smashing into one joint after the other. If you land on your forefoot, however, with the leg bent, it absorbs shock using elastic tissues instead of bone.”
The second is from Sport’s Illustrated and their coverage of the first & second Ironman races. It really puts into perspective what it is people accomplish and go through. A quote, “The 1978 event began as an experiment and included a mixed bunch of casual entrants. One fellow could barely tread water. Another bought a bicycle and learned to ride it the day before the race. In the run, a contestant stopped at McDonald’s for a soft drink. The man who won the swim had a bad knee from an old karate injury and needed eight hours to complete the marathon.”
Quonset Point 10 Miler
Mar 2nd
Waiting for the official results to be posted. But from what I recall I was 114 out of 220 with a time of 1:23:xx, according to my Garmin I ran 1:22:09. Either way a great time for me, a great race, just very very windy.
Tonight I will look for the official results and post those along side my race report.
[edit]
Official Results: http://www.coolrunning.com/results/08/ri/Mar2_Quonse_set1.shtml
I did better than what I thought I did, 1:22:46, 114th place. I am very happy with the time that I ran. My race report:
http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=105651
[/edit]
Training Myths
Feb 20th
I received an email from Powerbar (randomly?) and they had a link to an article regarding training myths, it actually had some good content and I would suggest that others read it:
http://www.powerbar.com/NutritionResource/TruthvsMyth.aspx
I am not sponsored by them in any shape or fashion, just a pretty good article.