Update on Asics Landreth 7 and a Little Bit on "Shrinkage"

Remembering two Saturdays back in Dallas TX, the middle of July, what a perfect morning for a 14.5 mile run.  Well, there really isn't a good day in July in Dallas for a long run, but we did a have slight break from the humidity.  I had a chance to try on my new Asics Landreth 7s for a longer run and was glad for it.  Hurray, I think I have my new distance shoe.  Of course, I was still suffering a bit from whatever knee issue I'm having, but other than that I was good to go.  The group I run with is so great, too.  They run at the right pace for marathon training.  Some groups are out running their marathon pace each week, which I can't do anymore.  The group I'm with knows very well that "you only run race pace on race day", except for shorter speed work days, of course.  At any rate, I was in good company and it gave me a chance to test out my knee and the new shoes.  

The shoes really are pretty comfortable.  I did take time to pay attention to how my feet were feeling through the hotter temperatures and the usual torture tests.  No bad rubbing in uncomfortable spots, no pinching or toe bumping.  Hitting the surfaces felt natural.  Just what I was looking for.  Again, the best shoe is the shoe you don't feel.  

The rest of the run was a bit of a challenge.  Taking on the hills took a toll on my energy and going down hill really stressed that bum knee.  I still managed to do it in fair style.  I had wonderful side support from our local Luke's Locker Fit ATP leaders.  I just have to give them a shout out.  They were on the road at those niche intervals, offering water and the much appreciated Gatorade.  Oh yeah and ice, plenty of ice.  Is it rude to recommend a few cubes in your shorts to help bring down your body temperature?  We're all runners here, so you know we get pretty frank.  

Honestly, I have been running marathons for 8 years and this was the first time I had tried the "ice down your shorts" trick.  It does make a difference, although I may have had a George Constanza moment after the run.  If you don't get the reference, check out episode 20, season 5 when you get a chance.  You can find it on "Crackle" with an iPad or Roku player.

Fast forward two weeks and still going strong in my new Asics Landreth 7.  I've been faced with one pretty bad challenge this year in Dalls, the freaking heat and what it does to my shoes.  I mean, they come home very sweaty.  I have tried one time this year to simply put my other running shoes out on my patio to air dry after an eleven miler.  The result?  A funky (not the Parliament Funk) pair of shoes after just one long run, yes one run.  Cannot make that same mistake twice, so with the Landreths I placed them in the washing machine.  Oh no you may be crying out in your head, the death to my shoes.  I'm willing to wager that it is much worse to try to spray my shoes with some artificial odor killer than to simply let them handle the wash.  

Hear me out before you offer a total conviction on all counts.  

First off, I wash them with all my sweaty towels and running clothes from the day.  This means that the shoes should not have to hit up against the hard washer interior too much.  I also use a mild detergent like the Sports Tide or a liquid detergent.  Also, I use cold water.  I notice cold water works just as well as hot so long as the clothes, towels and shoes have not set around too long before washing.  This is a same day exercise to be sure.  Then I set the shoes on my back patio.  Not too sunny, but pretty warm and the shoes dry in about three hours.  I think they'll last longer, since they will not have dirt and grime build up, which must break the shoes down as much as a weekly visit to my washing machine.  It's worth it to me to risk one pair of shoes to see how this method will work. 

Or you could try this method of washing your shoes, but I don't like applying brushes to my shoes.

 

I'm simply sick and tired of funky shoes before a run.  And this Texas heat is not going to give our shoes a break.  When I get done on Saturday mornings my shoes are soaked through from my sweat.  Nothing and no one deserves to endure that funk for too long.  Many spies would give up their secrets if faced with my shirt after a 10+ mile run.  I may give one of our intelligence agencies a call and offer my services.  

This Saturday another hot 16 miler and then back to the washing machine for my Asics Landreth 7.  Never, never stop running.

And if you have the time, watch this before the Olympics Marathon.

Am I a Real Runner? - List of Great Running Movies (read on...)

So I'm waiting on the next rainy weekend in Dallas.  I may be waiting for sometime since it rained a little on Sunday, and that's usually all we're going to get.  But, if another one shows up this year, I plan to stay at home, pop some organic popcorn, sit my family down and make them all watch a day's worth of running movies with me.  The wife just rolls her eyes and endures the hard runner's silly interests, but my kids... oh my kids are still at that wonderful age where just being around me is all they want.  Naturally, I take every opportunity to exploit that like any good father should.

At 3:30 this morning, while soaking my legs, I decided to search for a list of movies about running, in anticipation of our next rainy weekend.  It took a while, but I did find a cool running blog that just so happened to have a list of running movies.  As I reviewed the list I was pleased to notice that I had not yet seen a good many of these.  Gives me something to look forward to.  Then my runner's pride set in and I said to myself, "just how do you call yourself a runner, if you haven't seen these?"  Dang that pride!

Well, I estimate that I've seen about 30% of these.  What about you?  I would appreciate your comments on your percentage and your all time favorite running movie.

Christina from Phoenix put it this way on her blog.

I found running movies and running documentaries that I had seen but many more that I had never heard of. (I've seen 39% of the movies on the list). 

She has done a pretty good job of giving us a full list of running movies.  Some may think movies like Forest Gump fit the running movies genre loosely.  I say, let's make some room for any flick where the lead spends a good portion of the film running even if he's got crazy, Elvis legs. 

Never, never stop running.

Why I Love to Run in the Morning

Today, the hard runner wants to explain why running in the morning is so important to me.  I have been running regularly since 2004 and have not stopped since, unless I was suffering from some injury.  That has been a little more often than I'd like to admit.  However, the fascination of getting up early in the morning before the sun rises and before there's any traffic on the road has always held my interest.  I've learned from reading many studies that you burn more fat calories in the morning because you don't have as many carbohydrates in your system after a full night's sleep.  Of course, to take advantage of this benefit, you must run before breakfast or getting any food in your system.  If you're doing a long training run, more than 75 minutes, I wouldn't suggest you run on an empty stomach.  That could land you in the hospital or at least you'll have a pretty miserable experience that day.

Another benefit I found is the clearing of the mind.  Similar to how some people like to meditate or pray before starting their day, running can get you ready for a busy day.  I believe in prayer, but I do enjoy adding running.  It gives me an opportunity to think about what I need to do during the day and often helps me come up with some pretty good solutions.  Nothing else has had an chance to bogg down my thinking.

It's so easy to put off exercise if I wait until later in the day.  You know the challenge of getting busy or staying a little later at work to get something done.  Next you have some dinner party you have to attend or your kids' soccer practice you have to get them to.  Little time is ever left for you to take care of yourself once 5 pm shows up.

And the far best thing I love about early morning running is that I can cry, or whimper without anyone seeing me.  I guess this works at night too, but there are far fewer people around at 6am.  I remember from the 1980s or 90s an Army commercial that ended, "The U.S. Army, we do more before nine am than most people do all day."  I just love that sense of accomplishment you earn by realizing you have done a complete guilt free workout before most people get out the shower to go to work.  And if you really feel fancy, you can add another workout at the end of the day.  That's bonus fat burning and muscle building potential that few will ever see.

See this video and tell me how great it is to run at White Rock Lake - Dallas in the morning.

So tomorrow morning, when you're suffering the heat and humidity during your training run, think of this…  You could be running at 2:30 pm!  Never, never stop running!

The Hard Runner's Happy Return to Asics

For three years I have skipped around looking for a great distance shoe.  Although I was always an Asics person, their many redesigns left me searching for something I could depend on.  I've been to Nike Zoom Elite, Mizuno Wave, Adidas (Arrggh!), just all over the place.  I was once really happy with the Asics 2100 series, but can't do those anymore.  Finally, after an exhaustive hard target search, the hard runner is feeling pretty good about a new pair of kicks.    

Today is the third day I have worn my new Asics Landreth 7.  I must say they were pretty pleasant.  There's one sure way to know as a runner whether the shoe you're wearing is "the right one baby."  Ask yourself this question.  How much do you remember of it after the run?  That is the important part.  If you can remember any sharp or even remote foot discomfort, then the shoe may be to blame.  But if after your run, your shoes are pretty unremarkable, then they've done their job.

That is what is most valuable to me.  I want a shoe I can barely remember wearing.  This means the shoe wasn't too thin on the bottom where you felt every pebble in the road.  It wasn't too bouncy either, where you felt you might lift off into space.  A general overall safe and predictable ride.

Over the last few months I have realized that I am in need of a good distance shoe for this year's training schedule.  Oh sure, I have a great mid distance shoe in the Brooks Pure Flow.  I mean it is very comfortable over about 6 miles.  I have a little consternation with limiting them to six miles.  Maybe even 7 miles on my Flows would be possible, but that would be the precipice of the comfort zone.  However, the Asics were a different story today and the last couple mornings.  After my run I felt nothing.  Let me qualify nothing.  I am suffering from some funky knee/IT band issue right now, but besides that my feet feel great.  The ride on the Landreth 7 is a little smooth and even cushy.  Not too cushy mind you, as I don't feel separated from the road like some "hoopty" Cadillac.  

This isn't the first time I've owned a pair of the Landreth.  I had a pair back in 2008 and the experience was markedly different.  They were so flat, heavy and kinda slow.  With every foot strike you could hear a rather loud clap.  I should mention I hear this same clapping sound when I wear the Asics Neo 33 right now.  I do like them, but dang they're so loud.  But I digress.  Because of the terrible ride, I was forced to wear prescription orthodox in the earlier version of the Landreth.  I can really see the difference in a shoe that is designed for a fast, distance run over one that can work only to a certain mileage.

The Landreth 7 feel very smooth and even light.  I would use the word "natural."  I hate to get too excited since I've been disappointed by shoes before.  The runs I had this week were fairly short, at most 6 miles, so I can be a better judge on Saturday when I go out for my 14 miler.  

I commend Asics for the vast improvement in the Landreth.  I just hope they don't get recurring schizophrenia and totally redesign the shoe in two seasons.  Wishful thinking, I know.  But admittedly, there is a small something fun about test driving new shoes every year.  

So, if all goes well this weekend, I have a real plan.  I'll wear my Brooks Pure Flow during the week and then strap into my Asics Landreth 7 for the weekend.  Shucks, this just might work!  Never, never stop running.

Knee Issues - Could it be…the dreaded IT?

TheHardRunner is having a hard time with IT band problems.  My run today was lacking fun since I'm still having issues with my right knee.  It all started about three weeks ago while on vacation in Atlanta.  I was having a great time running with my brother, well he was riding his bike, but that's OK.  We were set for a 5 or 6 mile run, but even though he's lived there 30 years, he sort of got us lost on the way back.  So, the short run became an 8 mile jaunt through hilly East Point Atlanta.  Naturally, I also had to show off my improved running skills by charging up every hill and flying down on my recoveries.

My ego cost me because soon after that day I was reeling from pain emanating in my right knee.  "Not again", I screamed.  Another injury?  Just coming off of four years of plantar fasciitis (I've found the perfect cure, more to come on that), a stress fracture in my left foot and losing 30 lbs., now this.  I mean, I'd been pretty healthy this Spring, so what could be the problem?  Could one lousy hill run really cause this? 

According to the Runner's Corner, that long hill run in Atlanta may in fact be the real reason for my problems.   

The most common scenarios we see are:
1) Runners coming in the shop complaining of IT Band pain a few days after a downhill race or a long run on a flat, even surface (like a road or treadmill). Usually this type of run puts more work on the quads, which causes the imbalance to get worse and the IT Band pain to manifest.  (Many times this scenario is in combination with #2, below)
2) Over-striding or heel striking runners, especially those who run fast or do speed work.

Thus I turn to the trusty foam roller to address the issue.  The pain that causes is so uncomfortable that it started me searching on whether foam rolling is the right thing to do.

this {continuously rolling over the pain} is not really a good thing to do, especially if we are talking about an area that is sensitive. try rolling back and forth SLOWLY over just 2-3 inches at a time.

the it bands are really the outside of your leg, from the hip to the knee. which could be 15-18 inches or so. so at 2-3 inches at a time, you would end up moving in 6 or so distinct areas.

Paul Ingraham's video of "Save Yourself" says foam rolling is not the best solution.  Not sure what to believe yet, but I'll give them both a try and report on my findings.

Runner's Issues - Black Toenails

TheHardRunner has something to say about black toenails.  I've got the "smart guy" 2nd toe longer than the big toe kind of foot and it can wreak havoc on running.  No matter what shoe I get I come across this issue sometimes.

 

Black Toenails

Some runners, especially those training for long-distance events, can suffer from black toenails. It's actually easy to prevent this unsightly problem.

Embarrassing running problems

Maybe I'll start painting my nails.  Hhhmm, what color?