Something old, something new...

This week I am in mourning. The Merrel trailglove which I bought six months ago is no more, having worn through both soles (right one slightly more) they have been retired to the bin. I must say the customer service at Merrell and Ellis Brigham was great and I think that if I pushed I could have got a free replacement under their 1-year warranty on Merrell's. These were my first "proper" trail shoes and I learnt a lot from them.

1) Wear socks, running barefoot/minimalist is great but once your shoes get wet a few times they do not smell good.

2) I need more traction and on reflection am probably off-trail more than I'm on it. I also like to run in the wet and the mud so more grip is the way forward.

3) I love minimalist shoes. They keep me light and fast. I feel more connected and respond better with more preternatural feedback.

So my Merrell's are my something old. Time to find something new...

Following advice from some amazing runners I have settled on the inov-8 Baregrip 200. Light, zero drop and a sole that looks like it could chew through pavement. I've ordered them in and get to try them on next week. I then intend to spend some serious time on the trails.

In other news, the ultra training continues. I ran my first run over 20 miles and was a little disappointed with my pace, averaging 8.42min/miles. But still, bringing in 20.5 miles in 3hrs flat was an achievement and I'm mindful of just how far it is. Again I based the run on my HR, setting the maximum at 145 and aiming to stay below it. This process still seems to work for me. I never feel to wrecked after a run, just tired and a bit achy in my legs. This comes from an ultrarunner technique I picked up aiming to keep your bpm at 70% of your max. Try it and discover new levels of stamina. As with last weeks long-run it was a 5 am start and a 9-bar to start, camelbak filled and Brooks Adrenalin donned for the roads. Overall I was happy with the run. And if I don't sound convinced it's because I'm frustrated at having to wait for another race. Nothing planned until April is killing me. It may be time to break out the race book.

I only managed to fit in one other run this week. I did four miles of intervals doing 400m on/400m off.  enjoyed it and definitely felt the change in pace was testing my resilience.

Some great new contacts on Twitter this week, some running ultras, some working towards their first 5/10k, half or marathon. Each of them inspirational in their dedication. Increasing my circle of runners has helped hugely. Seeing others going out running appeals to my competitive side. Reading of their pace makes me want to go faster and for those running ultras, it gives me something to aspire to.

My first real step into barefooting

After the realisation set in that I wouldn't be running a marathon in October and that my knee may take nore than an ice pack and some wishful thinking to heal, I came to the conclusion that I would be best starting from scratch. 

Having accomplished many goals in running over the past two years, I decided that it was time to review those goals, dust them off and make sure they were still relevant. And while there will be more to follow on this, I decided a good way to a fresh start would be some new shoes.

Inspired by Born To Run and some serious bloggers (BarefootAngieBee being one) I decided to take the first step (pun intended, and I now it's obvious) into barefooting.

Having bought some very good Vibram Fivefinger immitations (damn you believable graphics and unregistered websites) I went all old fashioned and went to a shop.

The staff in Ellis Brigham in Milton Keynes were excellent and after 5 seconds of deliberating I bought the new Merrell Trailglove. This new shoe coincided perfectly with a return to running and gave me an excuse to drop my distance while I put some strength back into my knees and some minimalist shoes on my feet.

With my knee still hurting and an allergy to Ibuprofen, I set out tentatively, feeling in my heart that I was ready to run, to rise like a phoenix from the ashes. To soar like an.......

I wasn't ready.

Hobbling home wondering how long I'd have to wait to be fixed, a strange thing happened. Something made me stop running. By something I mean some people.

And by some people I mean 5'000 angry rioters.

Next thing you know I'm called into work and churn out an 82 hour work week. No time to run. No time to diet. I literally sleep and work, not always at different times.

And a week later I finally come out of my work coma. Kit on, new trainers in place, eyes myopically adjusting to the big bright ball in the sky. I stretch, I warm up and with baited breath I take my first steps in my Trailgloves.....

The review

Despite how substantial they look be under no illusion, The TG (TrailGlove) is a minimalist shoe. There is a surprising amount of support, especially in the midsole and they have plenty of traction. The lacing system ensures a snug fit and after a 5k blast on mixed terrains, there was no discomfort and no rubbing. The materials on the upper ensure the foot is kept cool and these things weigh nothing. You really feel like you are barefoot.

There is enough sole to ensure that stones and gravel don't hurt but it's thin enough that you can feel every part of the terrain. As yo can se in the picture below the sole is insanely flexible and it allows the foot to move naturally, encouraging a neutral running style. The toebox is big enough to allow toes to splay which helps with finding stability.

Over wet and dry terrain, grass, gravel mud and chalk the shoes gave good response, great traction and excellent support. I'm looking to get back up to 10 k in the next two weeks so we'll see how they do over a longer distance. I'd recomment these to anyone who wants to move towards barefoot running but doesn't want to go naked just yet.

UPPER/LINING
• Microfiber and breathable air mesh upper
• Merrell Omni-Fit™ lacing system secured with welded TPU provides a precise, glove-like fit
• Fused rubber toe bumper provides ultimate durability
• Synthetic leather rear foot sling provides stability
• Flexible plate in the forefoot protects the foot from stone bruises
• Non-removable microfiber footbed treated with Aegis® antimicrobial solution resists odor

MIDSOLE/OUTSOLE
• 4mm compression molded EVA midsole cushions
• 1mm forefoot shock absorption plate maintains forefoot flexibility and protects the foot by distributing pressure
• 0mm ball to heel drop keeps you connected to your terrain
• Wash as needed in cold water, gentle cycle and air dry
• Vibram® Trail Glove Sole/ Rubber Compound TC-1

Every day's a school day....

I mentioned in a previous blog, that I believe you can learn something every time you go out running. It turns out this is never more true than when you are pushing the boundaries of what you can do.

As training for the Eden Project Marathon gets underway, I've notched up 35.44 miles this week, A mixture of trails and intervals, on minimalist and conventional running shoes.

The minimalist session was my longest one on five-fingers yet. An hour in these minimalist shoes, left my calf's in knots on Thursday and my 45 minute short run yesterday was exactly the cure I needed. That "short" run was a warm up to the main event which I did this morning.

MiCoach was insisting that I increase mileage to get marathon ready and so I headed out at 8am to  do 2hours and 30 minutes on the road. Fortunately, the weather was good, great in fact, and in the allotted time I completed 16.5 miles.

This is great because
A) it's the furthest I have ever run, and
B) it's the longest time I've ever spent running.

A summary of stats showing the crazy increase between last week and this week.


And while I'm happy with this, running this sort of distance/time made me try new things and as I said at the start every day is a school day.

I tried carb-loading for the first time yesterday, I'm still not eating much sugar or starchy stuff so an evening of pasta and popcorn left me buzzing with energy this morning and allowed me to complete the run on little supplements (a couple of SiS gels).

I started hydrating on Friday. Regular drinking rather than when I was thirsty meant that I never felt that parched today and if truth be told, could have gone further.

Thirdly, knowing I'd get bored of music after a while I started on an audio book instead. This was a gamble as I love ,music to run to, but boy did it pay off. On a boring road session like this one, the story kept the mind entertained and let the legs get on with running. The miles literally flew by.

This week will see the donation page for Great Ormond Street set up and then I can really start publicising the run in October. Until then it's business as usual.

Me.

The road.

The biggest challenge yet....

Eden 2011