Friday, Dec. 31st . . . making peace with the treadmill

After a .5 mile barefoot warm-up on the treadmill, I put on the Evo and did a 6 mile run at 8:30 pace. It was -8F this morning and while I've run in temperatures that cold before, I don't have much interest in doing it any longer so I made peace with the treadmill and accepted that it will be part of my running routine this winter. I put on a good movie and had a good run.

I had almost no pain in my right foot so it's almost completely healed. The past 4 days has actually been a great reminder for me about how much I love running but also a reminder about the delicate balance required to pretty much run injury free. I've been injury free for over 1 year because I've been disciplined with my feet strengthening and maintaining a good mix of easy and hard running.

However, for the past 3 weeks, I got a bit lazy and didn't continue all my feet exercises and I started to turn my Sunday long run into a tempo run and instead of running a good comfortable pace (7:30 - 8:15), I started running it between 6:15 - 6:45 which was plain stupid. I already have 2 runs per week where I run at paces ranging from 5:30 - 6:30 so it was stupid to add such paces to my long run, not to mention my body, and specifically my feet were not prepared for it.

Since I run close to barefoot (in Evo's), I must be very careful and conservative when I add pace, distance and/or intensity as I can overload the tendons and muscles in my feet (actually this applies to any runner, shod or unshod). Thank god I've spent the time over the past year learning and understanding my body so that I could reduce my pace work for a few days and quickly recovery without having to take an extended break and most importantly, I was able to avoid the dreaded plantar fasciitis injury.

I'll spend the next few weeks running nice and easy to make sure I'm 100% before adding back the heavy pace work.

HHH

Say it ain't so . . . treadmill (dreadmill) time . . .

I'm looking at the window at about 6-8 inches of snow and the projected wind chill is -14F tomorrow morning. Now, while I'll do anything to run outside, I won't go that far. I'll be on my nemesis, the treadmill. I'm thinking I'll probably go with the Evo's. Normally for treadmills, I run 100% barefoot but with my recovering right foot, I'll wait until all the pain is gone.

HHH

Thursday, Dec. 30th . . . back to the Evo's

Although I still have some slight pain in my right foot, I decided to go back to my Evo's, and it was a smart decision. It would have been a bit easier to run in a more supportive shoe but when I am barefoot or close to barefoot I can feel what's really going on and I run much smoother.

I finished 4.24 miles at a 8:25 pace. I feel considerably better than the day before and I've been spending a lot of the day barefoot. Funny how many doctors tell you to not walk or run barefoot when you have foot pain and I do the exact opposite and it allows me to recovery much more quickly. I remember when I had plantar fasciitis in mid-2009 and I cured it by going 100% barefoot. I'm going to continue to run easy for the next few weeks and I'll start to add back the pace work in a few weeks.

I get to add this to my learning's basket in terms of how I approach my speed/pace work. It's that old adage, "run easy on easy days."

HHH

Wednesday, Dec. 29th . . . back on the road again

It was really nice to be back on the road again after 2 days off to allow my left foot to rest. I made the decision to run in the Nike Zoom Streak XC's although I said I'd never run in regular racing shoes again but I decided to play it conservative and give me left foot a bit more protection and support since it is not at 100% (it's at 85%-90% right now). Of course, the soreness is due to my increasing paces, especially my easy run paces which has increased over the past year by about 1:00 per mile.

This morning, I ran for 47 minutes at a nice 7:47 pace. This is still a bit faster than I would otherwise prefer but it's clear that I've reached another level of improvement and it's actually hard for me to run slower. I'm not trying to run faster as I just trying to find a nice easy comfortable pace for my easy run days and that comfortable pace is between 7:30 - 8:00, whereas 12 months ago my comfortable pace was 8:30 - 9:30. I'll chalk it up to improvement and getting stronger over the past 12 months but now

As a result, I'm going to need to modify my training schedule to allow my body to fully adapt to these paces since I'm running in the 7:30 range on easy days, 6:40 on medium effort days and and 5:45 - 6:15 on hard days. I'm not sure what I'll do tomorrow as I will see how my body and left foot feels in the morning.

HHH

Tuesday, Dec. 28th . . . back at it tomorrow

After 2 days of rest, I'll be back at it tomorrow. With these 2 days of rest, this is only the 2nd time in 14 months where I've run less than 6 times in 7 days. Life is all about learning lessons and I've learned an obvious one which is I can't run hard on too many back to back days as I have been doing over the past 14 days which led to pain in my left foot. I am happy that I've at least smart enough, through bad past experiences, to back off before a small pain turns in to a serious injury.

I'm interested to see how my body responds tomorrow.

HHH

Monday, Dec. 27th - time to back off

So what you learn with practice, consistency and commitment is when to back off and let your body rest. I'm at that point. I'm at my strongest point and I'm running faster than ever but as a result, I'm not being very good in terms of discipline and I've been running pretty hard for a few weeks, even though December is my back off month, so it's time to take 1-2 days off. I've also been quite lazy with my pre-run and post-run exercises and I think it caught up with me. I was so strong that I didn't maintain my stretching and stretching especially in key areas focusing on the plantar muscle, Achilles tendon and IT band. I have no current issues but I can feel very early signs of problems if I don't start back doing my exercises.

It's very hard for me to not run but if I don't back off, then I risk potential injury. I have some pain in my left foot and I know exactly what it is so, unlike I use to do in the past, I'm not going to run through this but instead back off. When you are top shape, taking a day or two off really has no impact and you don't lose any fitness, speed or endurance. Conversely, if you don't back off, you risk a debilitating injury.

HHH

Sunday, Dec. 26th - crossroads . . . decision time

This was my planned long run. For my long runs, I run by feel and try to find a comfortable pace where my form and technique feels good and natural but I don't actively try to run slow. However, I had to cut this long run short as I originally planned to run for a 10 mile run but I cut it short at 8.5 miles as I had a slight pain in my right foot.

If I were smart (which I'm not right now), I should have taken today off as my foot was feeling great this morning but it could have used another rest day to fully heal. I would have also been fine if I would have run a lot slower but I found a comfortable 7:30 pace which is a bit faster than I would like to run my long run as I would prefer to run in the 8:15-8:30 range but I'm gaining strength and it's hard to run much slower.

A 7:30 pace is about 1:30 per mile slower than my race pace (5:45 - 6:00) but I'd prefer a 2:00 per mile gap between race pace and my comfortable pace. I've hit a crossroads and this is partly the reason for the slight pain in my right foot. I'm at a point where my speed is increasing and I need to figure out whether I should slow down for easy runs or figure out what adjustments to make that will allow me to run my easy runs in the 7:15 - 7:30 range which is :30 - 1:00 min. per mile faster than my easy runs over the past 2 years. It took several years of maintaining a consistent weekly base of running to get to this point.

I know need to make some big decisions on where I want to go with my running. Due to the amount of racing I do and my training schedule, I'm maintaining more of a competitive running schedule vs. a recreational running schedule. If I'm going to continue down this path, I'm probably going to have to make some adjustments. I'm not sure where to begin so I'll start by looking at my running routine, form and technique and my footwear (yet again). It's one thing to run slower every day but the paces I'm running (at my age) raises a completely different set of issues I need to address.

HHH

Friday, Dec. 24th, easy pace getting faster

A very good recovery run. It's clear that I'm hitting another threshold in my running where I'm getting stronger and faster. This was an easy run for me and 1 yr. ago, my easy runs were in the 8:30 - 9:30 pace range but now my easy runs are sub 8:00 pace. Today's run was 5.68 miles in 44:55, for a 7:58 pace. I've hit a point where the delta between my race pace and easy pace is about 2:00, with my race pace ranging from 5:45 - 6:15 pace and my easy pace ranging from 7:45 - 8:15 pace.

I've had a slight pain in near my right heel for the last few days which is a very early indication of plantar fasciitis if I let it go for months but I know immediately what's wrong. I've been lazy with my pre-run and post-run routines for the past 2-3 weeks and this is the result. So, I'm back to my traditional pre/post run routines which include pre-run towel crunches and golf bal rolls, all targeted toward the plantar muscle, and post-run routines that include calf raises and eccentric calf raises.

The key to injury free running is a very complete and thorough understanding of your body. I know that strong calves are the key to avoiding any achilles or plantar issues and, for me, the only way to maintain strong calves is daily and regular calf stretches and strengthening. This is one of the advantages of having been injured when I started running years ago and today I can point to the causes of most potential injuries.

Notice I said "potential" injury because I'm now able to avoid real injuries by addressing the problem in the very early stages. But, this is the reason why so many runners are injured every year, because 99% of runners' are not dedicated enough to spend the years of consistent running that it takes to listen to and understand your body, but if you do, then you can develop your own specific routine to avoid injuries.

HHH

Thursday, Dec. 23rd, 5x800 intervals on trails

I started with a .5 mile barefoot warm-up on the treadmill, then laced up the Evo II's, warmed up for 30 minutes then moved into 5x800 intervals on dirt trails. My pace times for the 800 splits were 6:17, 6:16, 6:02, 6:02, and 6:05. The total workout was 6.93 miles in 53:27.

I'm happy with these times especially considering the dirt trail terrain. The great thing about doing interval and speed work on dirt trails is that you have to work harder on dirt as you have less grip and have to work harder to get your foot off the ground. Additionally, you don't have the safety of the perfect round soft track as now you have to deal with twists, turns and uneven terrain.

When I run good times on dirt, I know I'm ready for hard surfaces. I'd run about :15 seconds per mile faster on roads. These paces were a bit faster than my 5x800 session last Friday so I'm pleased.

I'm looking forward to a nice easy run tomorrow.

HHH

Ultra Minimalist vs. Minimalist

I've had some discussions with my minimalist friends and we've been discussing the new trend of shoe companies basically taking their racing shoes and "zero dropping" them and calling them minimalist shoes ("zero drop" is reducing the heel such that the shoe is completely flat and there's deviation from forefoot to mid-foot to heel).

While I think such shoes are a move in the right direction, they are a far cry from true minimalist footwear developed by companies like Terra Plana, Feelmax, Altra, and Vibram (and a few others).

Perhaps we should distinguish between the two groups and for those, like myself, that run in shoes with no heel differential, no arch support, no motion control, and less cushion than any traditional running shoe, perhaps we are "ultra minimalists" and compared to those that run in more traditional racing shoes that are designed with only a few of these elements. There's a big difference, for example, between running in Evo's, KSO's, Osma's or Adam's and Inov-8 F-Lite 195's, Instinct's, New Balance minimus, etc. I personally believe the latter is a far cry from the type of footwear that truly allows the foot to function naturally.

HHH

Wednesday, Dec. 22nd, nice easy run . . .

A very enjoyable nice easy run. 6.74 miles in 57:58 over hilly terrain. Average pace the first 30 minutes was 9:10, and 8:03 pace for the last 27 minutes. This is exactly the paces I like to run on easy days. That 8:00 - 8:30 range is a perfect pace for me as it's 2:00 - 2:30 slower than my 5k race pace but it's fast enough to allow me to maintain good form and technique. There's a point where if I run too slow, my stride is choppy and not smooth.

It was a bit chilly (11F) so I had on running jacket on with gloves. The Evo II's are great in cold weather with the additional inside lining.

HHH

Tuesday, Dec. 21st, a needed day off

I'm glad this is my weekly day off because I need it!!!! I was a bit sore yesterday although I feel good today. I'm sure it's a combination of heavy business travel changing my running schedule and the fact that I tried a new shoe a few days ago being the Alta Adam. Any time you introduce a new shoe, it requires some level of body adjustment. I'll give the Adam another try in 3-5 days as I very slowly introduce new running shoes into my rotation.

HHH

Monday, Dec. 20th, the very easy recovery run

A very easy run on the treadmill. I had to run very early as I had a morning flight for a business meeting. After running in the 6:30 pace range yesterday and since Monday is the last run in my 7 day running cycle, my legs are pretty tired by this time.

I believe in alternating hard and easy days so after yesterday's faster paces, I slowed down significantly so I can log additional miles but also allow my body to recover. It's not uncommon for me to run a 6:00 min. pace one day followed by a 9:00 - 10:00 min. pace the next day.

HHH

Sunday, Dec. 19th, my favorite tempo run

A great tempo run in my Evo II's. 7.39 miles at a 6:46 pace, after a 1 mile barefoot warm-up on the treadmill. I was perfectly warmed up after the barefoot warm-up and immediately started into my tempo run (I ran on packed dirt trails).

This is my favorite run in the world, being the hard tempo run. My form and technique was on cue today and my arm placement felt great as I've noticed I breathe easier and better with my arms a bit lower. I rarely run with an iPOD but I did my entire tempo run with my iPOD, tuned into a play list of rap music which was a nice change of pace.

My feet are a bit tired but that's normal since I run barefoot and in true minimalist footwear but that's the beauty of minimalist running as I'll accept tired feet (your feet recover amazingly fast) any day as opposed to plantar fasciitis, achilles tendinitis and runner's knee which occur when I run in traditional running shoes.

It's interesting that I've never been injured running barefoot or in Evo's. It's really too bad that 99% of runners will never have the guts or patience to find out there's truly not only a better way to run but a way to run without being one of the 50% - 70% of runners injured every year. The injury rate is not surprising considering 99% of runners are running in high heels (think about it).

HHH

HHH

Altra Adam Review - Dec. 18th, great Saturday run

Altra - The Adam

I was lucky enough to receive a test pair of Altra’s Adam shoe. After walking around in them for a few days, I took them out for a 40 minute test run today (Saturday). Saturday is my easy run day which for me means I try to run 2:00-2:30 minutes per mile slower than my hard day workouts (I alternate between easy and hard days). I ended up running a 7:45 pace for 40 minutes in the Adam’s which I’m actually not that happy about as that’s a fit faster than I prefer as I like to save my legs for my long tempo run tomorrow which should be about 8 miles on hilly terrain, around a 6:30 pace. However, this was an indication of how easy it was to run in the Adam’s.

My primary shoe is the Terra Plana Evo and what I love about the Evo is that it does not do much as it just protects the foot and does not interfere with the natural functioning of the foot. Well, the Adam is on equal ground (literally) with the Evo. The Adam is extremely comfortable and there’s no problem maintaining my natural forefoot/mid-foot landing (I don’t heel strike but I’m pretty sure it would hurt to heel strike in the Adam’s).

For those that love the KSO (like me) the Adam is an improvement on the KSO. Why do I say this? Well, first I’m not a fan of the toe design of the KSO and the Adam provides a traditional toe box but it’s a very wide toe box which allows your toes to spread. This also relates to performance because you can run easier and faster when your toes are engaged and the Adam allows for such engagement (it’s easier to push off at the toes when the toes are not restricted as they are in all traditional running footwear).

The Adam - Design & Performance

The Adam has a nice trail type design and I would compare it to a Vibram in terms of the overall look and feel. The Adam weighs in at about 5 oz., for a men’s size 11.5. It has 2-strap system which is a great design feature as you can adjust the fit at the toe box level as well as the top (as a side note, my wife thinks they look very cool, for what it’s worth, and she wants a pair just based on the look and design).

It was easy to run pretty fast in the Adam as it allows you to run pretty effortlessly. I ran 20 minutes on hard surface (asphalt and concrete) and 20 minutes on hard packed dirt trails and roads, and the Adam performed great on both surfaces. I did a few surges and took my pace down to sub 6:00 pace and they felt great but I backed off as today was an easy day run (those are my paces for tomorrow). However, as for the real tough stuff like mountain terrain with sharp rocks, I don’t think the Adam (nor the KSO or Evo) would provide sufficient protection but the Adam is not marketed as a trail shoe necessarily (on easy/medium trails, the Adam would perform great).

The Adam features a 3 mm rubber bottom, which is similar to the KSO. You are provided with two insole options. One is a flat 3mm insole and the other is a thicker 5mm insole for those that prefer more cushion and slight arch support. I do not like arch support (or any other type of support), so I opted for the 3mm insole.

Of course, one of the key questions many will want to know is “How is the ground feel?” Well, at a high level, it’s very good. To dig deeper, you have to analyze it with and without the insole options. Without the insole, the Adam has a 3mm rubber bottom and feels very much like the Vibram KSO. With the 3mm insole option, the Adam feels like the Evo. With the 5mm insole, there’s no direct comparison but it has slightly less ground feel than the KSO (although I’ve never worn Bikila’s, I suspect it is similar to the Bikila).

The Adam - Fit

The Adam provides a comfortable fit with the 2-strap system. There are no laces as this is a strap design shoe like the Vibram’s (except the Speed’s). The toe box is the widest of any toe box I’ve experienced and Altra should be absolutely applauded for that design feature. Finally, a running shoe that isn’t too narrow, especially for those runners’ with wider feet. Additionally, it allows the entire forefoot and toes to spread and maneuver in their natural manner. I have to admit, the toe box is so wide that it took me a while to adjust but I have regular medium feet.

The wider toe box is an interesting feature for someone like me and I’ll need to log many more miles before I can provide valuable comments on that design feature. I prefer a slightly tighter feel around the foot as I tend to prefer shoes that fit like a durable slipper; hence the reason the Evo is my primary running shoe.

As for the size, I opted for the men’s 11.5 although I wear a size 11 in the Evo and KSO. However, although I rarely run in traditional running shoes anymore, for reference, I wear a size 11.5 in Nike XC’s, Katana’s, Inov-8 F-Lite 195’s, and MWU3’s. However, the 11.5 in the Adam fit just fine.

I’m use to feeling the sides of the toe box area and the Adam gives you plenty of room such that it didn’t feel as snug as the Evo, for example. This will come down to individual preference but the wide toe box is awesome. I probably could wear a size 11 in the Adam but I would stay with the 11.5 because my big toe had just enough room to move around (I’m always fearful of jamming my toes so I opt for more room). Furthermore, I lined up my Evo’s and Adam’s side-by-side and my size 11 Evo’s and 11.5 Adam’s were identical in size, with the only difference being that the Adam feels roomier because of the wide toe box.

The Adam - Summary

First, let me say that I will provide a follow-up review of the Adam after about 50-75 miles as that will give me a much better feel for the Adam. However, at this point, for the most part, I will put the Adam on the same level with the Evo. I will put the Adam ahead of the Vibram KSO because of the wide toe box and the fact that with a traditional toe box, your toes can stay warmer as they generate heat off one another and, additionally, you could even add toe warmers on those exceptionally cold days.

I would absolutely recommend the Adam at this point. Personally, I put the Adam right there with the Evo although I would give a “very” slight advantage to the Evo because of my personal preference of a running shoe that fits a big more snug. I also will admit that from an aesthetic standpoint, I prefer sleek racing shoe designs like the Evo and Mizuno Wave Universe 3, however that’s an individual preference of mine.

I applaud Altra as this is a great running shoe and I’m sure they will only continue to improve on the design. I haven’t tried Altra’s Instinct model which is a more traditional “zero drop” running shoe because it has a bit too much cushion for me (for the Instinct, I would recommend that Altra reduce the cushion by 50-60% so that it is similar to Inov-8’s F-Lite 195 model). Personally I believe “less is more,” so depending on the surface, I want the minimal amount of shoe that will allow me to run on the selected terrain.

Unless something changes as I put more miles on the Adam, I will add the Adam to my rotation (currently, I only run barefoot and in Evo’s). Great job Altra!!!

Harry