just when i think i've got it bad

today was the first of my strength training runs according to the hansons marathon plan ... and i can safely say that i was disappointed with the result.  tough slugging, slow pace, tired legs.  not an encouraging day as i look at entering the last half of my training schedule.

it's days like this that i (and maybe some of you know the feeling) need to get a sense of perspective to help set me right.  and wouldn't you know that these two stories popped up on my radar screen today - and they're too good not to share.

(1) "Nine-hour marathon run on broken ankle" - i may never complain about pain during my runs again.

(2) "Brain cancer patient wins Gusher Marathon" - there are some comparisons that can be drawn here to the marathoners/competitors who inspire me the most, rick and dick hoyt.

may you (and i) run the race with perseverance ... remembering to enjoy the fact that you can run.

just when i think i've got it bad

road review - asics gel galaxy 4

i doubt that you will find anyone else writing a serious training review on this shoe. 

although produced by asics, a great athletic company (their name is an acronym for anima sana in corpore sano after all), they are like many other businesses in their industry that produce some mass-market 'lifestyle' type of footwear.  i'd venture to say that the gel galaxy 4 falls into this category.

previously i'd posted that i bought these shoes at the local value village which is a favourite haunt of mine [note:  i am an avowed thrift-store junkie] - and therefore i have no idea what kind of life they lived prior to settling into my running closet.  what i wanted to purchase was a pair of shoes that would (a) have a little more material to them to protect my feet during the heaviest winter weather (we can often see 15-25 cm snowfall accumulation on any given day, and down to -30°C windchill temperatures); and (b) have decent enough traction to cover the tundra-like terrain without the use of additional gripping devices.  and it just so happened that on the day that i dropped into the store, these were on the men's footwear shelf:

they aren't the prettiest things ... so what made me add them to the rotation?  here's just a quick rundown of key features for me:

1. upper construction - this was definitely top criteria in selecting another shoe, especially from the second hand store.  the overlays, the toe bumper, padded tongue/ankle/heel sections - lots of added protection against the elements.  remember, i was looking for something to help me specifically with winter running.
2. outsole design -  it's kinda funky, don't you think?
   
   looks a bit like a fossilized ancient squid or something ... but its precisely that off-kilter pattern and texturing, combined with the transverse forefoot flexlines that made me think that this would work in terms of providing decent traction while allowing a forefoot striker like me to still work the shoe as i needed to.
3. weight - the shoes are essentially clodhoppers for me.  at a little more than 11oz. in size 10.5, they're almost twice the shoe that my merrell road gloves are.  it's almost like having these on your feet:
   
   so why does this work for me?  well, i knew that i would be selecting heavier shoes based on the kind of protection that i wanted ... but i also intended to use this particular pair of shoes for recovery runs (right now mondays and fridays for no more than 12km each outing) - and so it's in part helping me to stick with the discipline of not pushing too much on my easy days while still providing a good workout for my legs.  keeping the turnover rate high while feeling like i've strapped weights to my feet makes me at least believe that i could be running faster.
4. visibility - while i'm not entirely sure that the asics logo design on the side of the shoes is reflective, it does provide sufficient enough contrast over a large enough area that makes the shoes noticeable while running in the early pre-dawn darkness.
5. sizing - beggars can't be choosers, especially when it comes to second-hand shopping.  but these shoes i found in a 10.5 which provided ample enough length and surprisingly decent toebox width - no scrunched pinky toes here.  the fit set these shoes apart from a couple of other pairs of runners i was able to find at the same store.
6. pricepoint - now this isn't fair to be sure, as i purchased them used ... but for asics footwear, i think that these shoes would have be regular retail for about $59.  i managed to pick them up for $12, and they were still in fantastic shape.  their durability has held up for me (through ice, slush and salt), and so i feel like i've gotten excellent value for money.

bottom line?  would i recommend these shoes to another runner in training?  actually, yes.  with the proviso that they should be used in rotation with other shoes.  given that these gel galaxy 4 are probably something like a 12-14mm heel drop shoe, they're obviously not helping me reinforce my barefoot-running style - but they are keeping me alert to my footstrike pattern and working well to keep me safe on the winter roads of south-central ontario.  overall i give them a 3.5 out of 5.

road review - asics gel galaxy 4

my three sirens

i run.  it's funny, i tell people that i don't love running (because i don't really), and they find that hard to believe considering how much time and discipline that i try to put into it.  i'm more of a goal-oriented runner - i'm fairly certain that if i didn't dangle a race carrot in front of myself that i would hit the snooze button way more often and settle in with a tub of maple walnut ice cream for the midnight movie a whole lot.

i act.  it was in 2008 that i discovered community theatre (or was encouraged into it by my wife who spotted an audition notice calling for "two men, ages 30-40 for comedic roles"), and i haven't looked back since.  the stage is such a perfect creative outlet for a non-musical, drawing-impaired guy like me.  and the theatre community is comprised of über-talented, fascinating personalities.  there's nothing quite like being able to still play make-believe at my age.

i ride.  no, not as in bicycle (except for my brief stints with triathlon training and competition), but as in motorcycling.  i also came into it late - the year after i got married was when i decided to take the motorcycle rider safety course at one of the local community colleges - but honestly, as my dad was a BSA rider back in england.  oddly enough, when i announced my intention to take up motorcycling, it wasn't my wife or my mom who put up the most fuss - it was my dad, the reformed bad boy.  maybe because he knew more intimately than most just how dangerous it could be.  

there have been four motorcycles to date that have been part of my stable:  a 1981 yamaha xj650, a 1979 yamaha xs850, a 1985 honda nighthawk 750s, and now a 1988 kawasaki ninja gpx750.  if you know your bikes, you'll notice a slow transition from cruiser to sport (tourer) models - but i don't think that my evolution in riding will be complete until i land myself on top of a really nice cafe racer ... maybe something like this:

maybe one day.

my three sirens

the biggest difference-maker in how to run

i have to give (indirect) credit to my friend trevor morgan who really was the person who introduced me to the idea of 'natural' or 'barefoot' running a little over a year ago.  i'm sure that the three races i'd run before that were heel-striking festivals.  but ever since he shared with me this video i've been dedicated to a more natural stride:

dr. mark cucuzzella is quite a phenomenal individual, and i can't help but think that what born to run has done for the running community in print he has helped to do in spades for the same community via video.

i also came across this video (isn't YouTube great?) that is equally as helpful and instructional - but i found it after dr. mark's, so it falls to second in priority and preference:

as the post title indicates, these videos have made all the difference in the world to me - in terms of how efficiently i run, how long i plan to run injury-free, and the enjoyment that i can experience in running.  watch at your own discretion - once you travel down the rabbit hole, there's no going back.

the biggest difference-maker in how to run

unboxing - skechers gobionic

a quick post to show off my new skechers gobionics - and a commendation to the skechers team.

first, before the box there was the bag:

pretty nice eh?  a reusable nylon tote/back pack instead of just a plain plastic bag.  i would have been happy with a recyclable paper bag too, but this says something about what kind of value skechers wants to deliver to its clients.

and now the shoes:

i gather that the second release of colourways for the gobionics they term the 'prana' edition.  i got to check out the orange/yellow combo as well as the red/hot pink ones that i settled on.  these definitely look like more 'race ready' shoes that the standard colourways that were included in the original release.

the plan is not to run in these at all until the roads around here are consistently dry - hopefully within the next two to three weeks.  that'll still give me a good month in them before lacing the timing chip into them for the mississauga marathon.  so no real review details yet, although i did give them a decent workover in the store (skechers retail in the toronto eaton centre) and found that these size larger than i expected.  i was fully prepared to walk away with size 10s based on the reading i'd done and recommendations that were shared with me, but knowing that i will run without the removable insole i found that the size 10s were crazy sloppy on me when i tried them on.  there was lots of lateral and longitudinal motion in them even with socks that were a bit thicker than my race day variety.  the 9.5s that i eventually brought home were still plenty wide for decent toe splay and give me that thumb width between my longest (second) toe and the end of the shoe.

before i go i have to comment quickly on the skechers staff - they were out and out fantastic.  specific props to amar (the javelin competitor who came from india) who worked with me tirelessly as i waffled back and forth trying on size 9.5s and 10s in several colourways, as well as giving me time to compare the gobionic against the gorun 2 and the gobionic ride.  in a busy store, he managed to treat me like the queen of england (figuratively speaking).  his manager (didn't get his name) and fellow salesperson linda were also top notch - but i just have to say that for me they helped create one of the most positive customer service experiences i've had in a long time.  whatever skechers is doing - from a product design and a personnel training perspective - they've won me over.  i'm definitely recommending them on to anybody who'll listen!

unboxing - skechers gobionic