Wednesdays are days that are kind of different in the AM due to my wife not working on this particular day of the week and 2 of my kids don’t go to their respective daycare providers. Its a bit less crazy and there isn’t as much of a sense of rush around the morning. So, recently I have been getting up early (5am) and heading to the gym to get a swim in and whatever else I think I need to work on… mainly my mid-section. I get a great burn at the pool and the workout following is good, but I feel like I could do something more remarkable than just swim and do sit ups.

Enter my brain and the want to start something epic for Wednesdays… So this morning I crafted up what I have dubbed Epic Sh!t Wednesday (#epicshitwednesday) and I’d like you to join me. What I see as the impetus around this hump day event is to do something extra than your normal routine. So today instead of driving to the gym and swimming. I ran the 2.5 miles there, swam, and ran the 2.5 miles back. Its not climbing-Mount-Everest or running-100-miles epic but its a little break from the mundane weekly grind.

You get the idea….

So, I’d like you to think about this when you go to do your Wednesday activities. Have 4 miles on the schedule? Stretch it out to 5miles or do 25 pushups after ever mile. Just challenge yourself to do a little more or be a little better than your planned exertion threshold.

When you are done, tell me about or even better tell the world about it. – #epicshitwednesday

With Merrell, I will be focusing on their M Connect™ line. This line of their shoes takes a minimal approach to running. The shoes in this line are anywhere from 0 to 4mm drop. They line up very well with my “less is more” belief with running and shoes in general.

Merrell Vapor Glove

Merrell’s most minimal of these is the Vapor Glove there isn’t much to say about this shoe that you can’t tell by looking at the picture. Its a “barely there” shoe that is super lightweight, zero drop, & machine washable. The weight on these is listed at a mere 5oz. That’s under 1lb for a pair of them even if you are like me and wear size 14.

If you aren’t ready to make the leap to a full on barefoot experience shoe, Merrell also offers the Mix Master Move. They have a 4mm drop and some extra cushioning for longer miles. I am using these shoes as a way to throw my feet some variety from running in zero drop all the time.

Merrell Mix Master Move

These red devils (available in other colors also) would be a wonderful option for anyone wanting to transition to zero drop and want to still have some lovin between their foot and the pavement or trail. Yes, the trail. Not saying they are built for very technical tracks, but the tread on these is just aggressive enough to take off the beaten path and “gently” tear up your favorite trail.

I don’t think I have been this excited about Socks before. DryMax socks are like magic little foot covers that prevent blisters and keep your feet dry.  I’ve had the opportunity to give these a pretty good go with a lot of different conditions and they have exceeded my expectations in every way, shape, & form. I recently ran in the muddiest/wettest conditions I’ve every been in. People were losing their shoes the mud was so thick. Now there’s no sock on the planet that could keep your feet dry, but I was blister free and my feet were happy. The socks are well put together and MADE IN AMERICA. How about that?

Zensah Seamless Compression Shorts

Finally, I’ll be bringing on Zensah. Most of you I am sure are aware of Zensah for their fabulous compression calf sleeves. Well, I won’t be selling those. As part of my mission statement, I don’t want to be like every other Running Store out there. I will however, be selling pretty much everything else they have to offer.

As a lover of all things compression, I am excited to blaze the trail in their compression shorts. They are touted a base layer but I think they can do just fine by themselves. For the ladies, I hear they make a wonderful sports bra. As a guy I obviously have no idea on the pros and cons of a good sports bra. However, I did take a quick poll on Twitter and all replies I got back on the bras were very positive.

Zensah Seamless Sports Bra

Well that wraps up (pun intended) my list of big news for spring. I am very excited about being able to offer these 3 brands. Not only do they make great quality products they believe in my grass-roots style of business, vision, and personal service. So, if you are interested in these products or any others, be sure to contact me and I will get your squared away.

I came to grips early that I wouldn’t be PR’ing this course because of the weather. No biggie, every on had the same disadvantage of the snow. The fast people were going to be fast, but me and my top 10 – 20% butt felt I could crack top 50.

With the sinus infection not letting up I was forced into a taper that I thought could work out and keep me rested. I just had to kick the reoccurring fever. It would come and go all week and just when I thought I would have it licked, it would be right back. I knew I had to get some leg movement in before the race. So I did a little 5k the day before. My legs were not rested. They were fatigued as all get out. Uggggh.

OK race day. Snow still on the ground and its pretty packed up tight. My head is full of snot, pain, & fever. My legs are still worked over from the daunting 5k the day before, but I still had hope…

Chatted with some friends before the race. I’ll go off on another tangent here but the folks I run with are fantastic. Its really hard to find so many normal people all in one place. No one is an a-hole (unless that’s me in the group) and they are just overall nice, genuine people. I’m lucky.

So, before the race, I made a really important decision. I changed out my shoes from the SCOTT Ice Runners to the SCOTT eRide Grips (which are both available at Take it on the Run) . Reason I did this was because my stupid sock started slipping down and coming off in my shoe. I’d never used that shoe/sock combo before, but had used them with my Grips so I figured no biggie. Bad mistake. Should have switched socks all together but my car was too far away to get the others.

OK even with the pre-race hello’s I kind of always try to disappear around start time. I just like to be alone, think about stuff, and look at people’s shoes. As we lined up in corral 2 I didn’t have much time to think. Before I knew it the gun gun went off and we going…

I always start races off fast. I get caught up in the excitement… what can I say? I was trudging through the snow at about an 8 min clip and that’s when I felt my sock slip down past my heel. This is less than half of a mile in and now my sock was falling off inside my shoe. I could have used this as a warning sign to bag the race, but I made the decision to not worry about it and just let it be. I knew that if i stopped once, I would just have to keep stopping and that would be annoying. Needless to say, those socks are off the list for running and have been demoted to mowing the lawn.

The first mile ends at the top of a pretty good climb. I actually made pretty good work of the hill, but my legs were telling a different story they were already feeling it… 1 mile in. Mile 2 is along my favorite stretch in the park and takes you down the back side of the hill you just climbed. I was passing people on the downhill like a crazy man, but I was in control and feeling semi normal. I hit the bottom of the hill around mile 2 or 2.5 and that’s when I noticed 2 things. My legs were gone and my fever was trying to break. I was sweating like crazy during the run. It was pretty cool out (mid-30′s) and I was in shorts. I shouldn’t have been dripping sweat. Right then was when I said to myself, “DNF.” But for some reason I couldn’t make myself quit.

So I plugged away at the race. It was hard. I tried to focus on smiling. This usually helps  me when running. I was thinking to myself about how I’m in the middle of the snow covered woods and how people from Arizona would probably love this crap. It wasn’t working. I was letting people pass that were coming up behind me. Any bit of uphill was a terrible pain fest in my quads. Pretty soon I was behind this guy and gal and they were having a conversation about nothing. So I got sucked into their pace and just listened to them talk. It helped. The guy then said, “We’re half way.” This was reassuring. I always tell myself the same joke when I am halfway through a trail race. The joke is dumb and my high school science teacher would always tell it…

Q: How far can you run into the woods?

A: Halfway. Because the second half you are running out of them.

Ok, at least you get a laugh out of this post… The fact that we were halfway also signified 1 more thing, the biggest hill on the course was coming right up. And a mile later, there it was… I wasn’t about ready to try and run it so I walked. Rigth about here is when my buddy Matt passed me and I tried to use him as motivation and stay close. It didn’t last for long as Matt powered his way up the hill and I was losing ground. He went on and finished very respectfully.

Once I was passed this hill I tried to regain some sort of pace but couldn’t do it. Mile 7 hit and I got a second wind of sorts and it was mostly downhill. My legs were trashed but I didn’t care. I flew where I could downhill and felt good all things considering. I rode that feeling until I couldn’t anymore and then BAM, I hit the wall. It was an Aid Station, they had GU & Gatorade: 2 things I don’t normally take when running. However, I stopped for what seemed like 3 minutes and just took in fluid, GU, and rest. I thought about quitting again. I took off again and remembered there was the dreadful creek crossing, and was really wondering if I should just call it. I vividly recall talking out loud to myself at this point in the race. It went like this “I have nothing left. I have nothing…” Then by the grace of God or something my Garmin beeped at me and I said “I have 1 mile and change to go.”

The rest of the race was sloppy. People come out of the creek and then mix their soggy shoes with snow and above freezing temps, you get slop. Lots of spinning my wheels the last half mile. I saw the finish line and tried to smile. I crossed in 1:24 (9:07) pace and I almost passed out. But I was done.

A quick update on my health, because I am sure you are all concerned… I went to the Dr office today (Monday) andit turns out i have a really bad sinusitis & a double ear infection. So while it’s not contagious, this is what I got to wear in the waiting room.

Below are a couple pics of the shoes and some quick takeaways, however to read the full article, read it here on Runblogger.com.

• Zero Drop awesomeness with lots of cushion
• Worked well on pavement both long and short
• Take it easy on technical trails
• Altra continues to do better with their design
• Lacing was an issue for me
• Heel slippage with standard lacing
• Would prefer a bit wider base

As always, if you are interested in the Torin or any other products, contact me and I will take care of you.

Anyway, while I wasn’t there, there were some new items from my friends at Altra Running that were displayed. One of which is available for ordering RIGHT NOW! It’s called the Torin. I am eagerly awaiting a pair of these to show up at my doorstep so I can break them in. The Torin is essentially Altra’s shot at getting into the Puffy Cloud Shoe market or pretty much go head to head with Hoka One One.

If you aren’t familiar with Hoka’s, don’t worry. they are a relatively new phenomenon in the shoe world and are geared towards the Ultra Marathon crowds who need crazy cushioning for long distances. People love them and swear by them. And while they look like the most anatomically incorrect shoe in the world, they have a very modest heel:toe gradient (3 – 4.5mm). But this isn’t a post about them and they get no more free advertising.

Anyway, Altra introduces the Torin to combat the Swollen Sole Monster mentioned above. I think its a smart move on their part. Altra’s grown a great following in the short time they have been around and the Torin is a great new addition to the family. Here’s a look at the Torin.

As always if you are interested, contact me. Also, look for a more lightweight racer and tri shoe coming out in the next few months from Altra. Good things happening over there.

]]> http://takeitrunning.com/puffy-cloud-shoe-war/feed/ 4 http://takeitrunning.com/altra-superior-review/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=altra-superior-review http://takeitrunning.com/altra-superior-review/#comments Wed, 28 Nov 2012 16:59:14 +0000 shepponis http://takeitrunning.com/?p=339 Continue reading →]]> I typically wait about 50 miles or so to get a review of some shoes in. However, since I subscribe or have subscribed to every shoe in Altra’s foot arsenal, I am confident with this review after 16 miles of trail fun. The trails include everything from single track technical to wide open sandy river paths. So, here goes:

I. love. these. shoes. They are a complete departure from the Lone Peak, which was Altra’s first dip into the trail shoe arena. The Lone Peak got some criticism about being too stiff and not draining water too well. I think Altra responded wonderfully to those criticisms with this shoe and developed a lighter, more flexible, more versatile trail shoe.

The upper of the shoe is light and very breathable. When running I can feel the air moving through the shoe. I like this because it tells me the shoe will take in and drop water pretty effectively and the slight windy sensation between my toes makes me feel fast. The upper also is not restricting at all. If you are familiar with the Lone Peak the side walls of the shoe were reinforced with some very tough material (shaped like a mountain range). There’s none of that going on here with I think lets the foot dance around in the shoe a lot easier. Obviously the down side of that is you’ll feel more on the sides of your feel if you hit a rock wrong, but some people just call that “Ground Feel” and go on their merry way. One other small issue I noticed with the upper was the way it grips (or doesn’t grip) my heel. All of the other Altras I’ve worn have really been a great fit around my heel/ankle. This is remedied with a little lacing magic and playing around with the tightness of the strings.

So, the tread on these shoes is a little weird to look at. Its not all meaty and beefy like the LP’s it is just an opposing shingle pattern. I didn’t think this would be too great for technical parts of the trail but I wasn’t slipping around or spinning my wheels. I will keep an eye on the tread to see how quickly it wears down, but I’ll be good in these for awhile I am sure. One funny thing that I love on the shoe is the “rudder” in back. So many people complained about it on the Lone Peaks. So much that some people cut it off the shoe. I don’t notice it being there on uphill or flats but I can feel it there on steep downhills where I am trying to keep my speed in check. I also think its Altra’s way of telling those who didn’t like it, “Too bad. We know how to make shoes and its staying.”

Fresh out of the Box

The one thing I still do need to test out is the removable rock plate in the shoe. For me I like it in there, I think it gives enough protection from rocks but still keeps with the overall flexibility of the shoe. One thing I will try without the rock plate is taking the shoes out for a road run. I think the tread will lend itself well to roads if you need something in a pinch, or need your first pair of Trail shoes.

As always, if you want to pick up a pair, please contact me and I will get you squared away.

Ain’t nuthin changed but the color.

Here’s where this article will be brief… While they completely blew up the outside of the shoe, they didn’t change a thing on the inside. The fit is the same awesome, roominess your feet feel in love with on the originals. These shoes were built with your feet in mind and just letting them well, be feet. No real support, no structure. I am a firm believer in building yourself as a runner from the feet up and that’s what these shoes allow you to do. I am so glad they didn’t mess with a good thing. With that, I will give one knock on these shoes. I noticed this with the originals also, but when the soles get wet, they are pretty slippery. After about 100 miles, this slippery feeling went away, but its there and worth pointing out. Ok, so that’s about it. These shoes are awesome and they are just a more in your face version of the originals. Short. Sweet. Fantastic.

I won’t get tired of looking at these.

For the purposes of this post, and the timing involved with the contest. We’ll talk about whats going on over at Mom’s Little Running Buddy and the new & improved Presidents Fitness Challenge for adults.

You’ve got 3 weeks to build up your score in these areas:

• Endurance: 1 Mile Walk or Run
• Upper Body Strength: Push-ups (Do as many as you can in 1 minute)
• Core Strength: Plank (Hold one plank for as long as you can)
• Lower Body Strength: Wall Sits (Hold the position as long as you can)
• Flexibility: (sitting, legs out in front, how far can you reach?)
•  Agility (optional): Shuttle Run: Establish two points run back and forth as many times as you can in 1 Minute

Follow @MomsLRB on Twitter for all the latest & greatest.

So, that’s it, get signed up, get better at these exercises and you might end up with a prize (or 2).

Now luckily I know the brands that I sell well enough now to figure out what size in Altra translates to what size in Salomon, but not without some trial and error. However, I’ve been getting frustrated with this complete disregard for sizing that is occurring. At first I just thought I was lucky and picked 3 different brands with 3 completely different sizing charts, but I recently went to the store to get shoes for my kids.

We visited our local Nordstrom to see what they had. Now before you think I am some elitist for going here, please know it was thier semi-annual sale and they have the best customer service (besides me) out there. We arrive and get our two girls sized up. The almost 6 yr old gets measured at a 11.5 and the 4 yr old gets measured at a 10. After about 30 minutes of trial and error, we leave with the 6 yr old in 13′s and the 4 year old in 11s. Now as someone who knows his way around shoes and fitting them, this was not a case of my kids just having sausage feet, but a case where the length was completely wrong.

It just raises the question, why have such a structured shoe fitting system if they aren’t right? Measure the kid’s length (in inches or CM) and “size” your shoe accordingly. Such as this “This shoe fits a foot that measures 10inches long.” Now before you reply to this blog and say that’s how sizing works, no you are wrong. I wouldn’t have typed 350 words about something that wasn’t true.

Anyway, if you care to know what my kids ended up with, you can see below.

Keen Newport H2 for the 4 year old

Very happy my 6 year old understands going minimal is good

Something very humbling happened this weekend. The annual Make Tracks for the Zoo race took place and I had signed the family up for it a few months back. With life being a in complete disarray the last few weeks with life, the wife and I didn’t take much time to plan out our attack of this until the Thursday or Friday before. The way the events were scheduled, there was the 5k at 7:30am and the kids 6 & under 1/4mile run scheduled at 9am. It was going to be my wife and I’s first 5k and it would be our girls first race ever. Pretty exciting. The week leading up to it, I wasn’t really sure how I would handle a 5k as I’m not necessarily built for a lot of speed (but I have my moments). Anyway, I was pretty confident I could pull off something in the low 7min/mile pace.

Well, as we began to get the logistics put together for getting the kids ready in the morning and everything else it takes for us to get out the door (did I mention we had an open house later on that day we also needed to be ready for?), it became apparently obvious that a 7:30am 5k was not in the cards for either my wife or me. The day after this realization, I was bummed. I love races. I love seeing how good I can do, pushing myself, and then finishing. Its the greatest feeling. However, its all about me. How I feel. How fast I can go. There’s never anyone else involved with me & running and I can do whatever I want.

I have been pretty blessed with a wife that understands my running addiction and a work schedule/facility that accomodates my habit. With these two things working in almost perfect unison, its easy to become really selfish. Things changed a bit and I may have done a little growing up with this race.

We got to the Zoo at 8am-ish, in no particular hurry to be at the starting line. My kids were kind of excited and kind of not sure about all the people around. They are crazy in their own right, but stay close to us in new situations. So we all get herded to start line for what is going to be a completely packed 1/4 mile run. As we start off, the girls aren’t sure what to do. I kind of run ahead to see if they will chase me but they stayed close to mom. My youngest girl even started to cry a bit. At this point I think that I may have scarred them for life and turned them off to running forever. However, almost half-way something clicked with them. I looked at both of them adn they are smiling and running. For the next 1/8 of a mile we were dodging people and having a great time. It was over way too soon.

I’ll update this in the next few days with some pictures, but wanted to get this out there.