How many miles did you run today?

[jbarwick]

7 miles yesterday in some misty, cold rain.

 

[sugarbutch]

I increased to 2 miles today, and had some soreness in my hip and knee subsequently.

Did you lose control over your form with the greater distance? Or do you think it was just too far?

 

[Michigan Planner]

6.5 miles this morning. I reached 31.3 for the week so I’m still on track to average 30 miles a week this year… of course I’m only 2 weeks in yet.

 

[imatlas]

Did you lose control over your form with the greater distance? Or do you think it was just too far?

Good question. I think it was just too far on top of a heavy workout a couple of days before and a round trip to Tahoe. The drive is really tough on my hip (where I’ve had bursitis for a few years now).

It’s mild today and a round of PT exercise has helped work out the kinks. I’ll go for a gentle hike later (Mori Point in Pacifica) and see how things feel.

 

[sugarbutch]

I have had similar issues with long drives. On our most recent trip down south, I took a lumbar pad and periodically moved it around, lower back, under my thighs, mid back, and I found it helped me avoid the usual hip and back soreness.

 

[imatlas]

Ive got a variety of pads and the like from a full length back & lumbar support to a tractor seat style thing that’s designed to force me to tilt my pelvis forward. It’s just not good for the back to sit for that long.

The best thing though has been our Forester’s adaptive cruise control and high seat position. I can relax my driving leg and get into a relatively ergonomic upright posture.

 

[Fueco]

I keep a lacrosse ball in my car for pressure point massage while I’m driving.

 

[Fueco]

5 miles with the dogs average 8:41.5/mile. Temps in the upper 30s, running mostly on soggy and slushy trails. I’ve passed 50 miles for the year in 13 days.

 

[jbarwick]

10.2 miles yesterday and at 69 miles for the year so far. Feeling good so far and bought a medicine ball over the week to add to my non-running exercises. Thinking weighted situps and mb slams.

 

[Michigan Planner]

^ Depending on the size of the medicine ball that you bought, Russian Twists are another great core exercise with the ball. They can be sort of difficult if the ball is too large in diameter though (at least for me anyway).

 

[metals37]

Rookies on the job, but I’ll cut these 7-year olds some slack. It’s only their 4th year in the factory.



This is the ‘Vaporfly 4%’ — at this point I just collect and stockpile them for future road races. It’s a controversial shoe that allegedly yields the highest evergy return in ‘lab tests’. People cite the full length carbon fiber plate as a cantilever-type mechanism and thus being an unfair advantage. However Misuno has been using the tech since the 90’s, so it’s nothing new. Others say it’s all about the ‘Zoom-X’ foam.

Net/net its a bunch of marketing bullshit. But placebo or not I feel faster pushing a hard pace in this model so I buy em.

According to the NYT, it does make you faster (see here). For all the 'outcry' about it being unfair, how come no other shoemaker has figured out how to imitate? Super high energy return foams are all the rage right now anyway. At least now, they are getting to the point of being reasonably available, so any 'competitive advantage' should be disappearing as anyone can race on them. I've also read they have improved the foam and they last longer now too. I'm a Brooks man right now, but have been considering a pair for races.....

 

[Michigan Planner]

I have the Zoom-X foam in the two shoes I'm currently rotating between and I felt a difference when I first tried a pair (my Zoom Pegasus Turbo) a few months ago. It definitely reminded me of the Adidas Boost shoes that I had in my rotation over the past couple of years but I think I like the Nikes better as they felt much more responsive to me.

I am never going to win any races though so a lot of this technology is probably lost on me.

 

[Dusty Heaters]

 

[Dusty Heaters]

According to the NYT, it does make you faster (see here). For all the 'outcry' about it being unfair, how come no other shoemaker has figured out how to imitate? Super high energy return foams are all the rage right now anyway. At least now, they are getting to the point of being reasonably available, so any 'competitive advantage' should be disappearing as anyone can race on them. I've also read they have improved the foam and they last longer now too. I'm a Brooks man right now, but have been considering a pair for races.....

I have the Zoom-X foam in the two shoes I'm currently rotating between and I felt a difference when I first tried a pair (my Zoom Pegasus Turbo) a few months ago. It definitely reminded me of the Adidas Boost shoes that I had in my rotation over the past couple of years but I think I like the Nikes better as they felt much more responsive to me.

I am never going to win any races though so a lot of this technology is probably lost on me.

I've seen the 'lab tests', but let's call a spade a spade...There's no way to definitively proclaim that wearing said shoes will empirically make you run faster. So many variables are in play, from placebo, nutrition/hydration, conditions, mental/physical health, etc. that I feel muddy the waters too much to consider it a science.

Re competitive set: Nike is to sporting products what P&G is to consumer packaged goods. They have the deepest pockets, broadest integration, and seemingly unlimited resources. My take is that Nike can simply afford to diversify innovation investments and their marketing dwarfs the competitive set.

Net/Net: I'm with @Michigan Planner -- They fit my feel well and I feel good in them, but I'm far too slow reap any potential benefits.

 

[Fueco]

Meanwhile, I do far better in lightly padded minimalist shoes. I just ordered a pair of XeroShoes trail runners.

I ran my 800m PR in a pair of old school stiff-soled Tevas.