40:00 :: 5.5+ miles

Easy run. Ran the Veteran's Day course in my new spikes--to break them in as well as get in some time on the course. It's quite the ankle breaker again, and it's helpful to practice some of the more technical sections before coming across the ravines, hidden logs, and micro-moguls at race pace.

I should have a couple of workouts over the next week, so today was a nice way to get recovered and ready for them.

Icebug MR3 :: Updated!

I got the Icebug MR3 shoes today, and I am looking forward to throwing down on the ice tomorrow morning with carbon-studded abandon. Winter can kiss my ass. I'll post a further review of the shoes after I have had some time to wear them a bit. So far, I wore them out to the car and around the yard a bit, and I'm very excited by how well they work. Hopefully my feet get along with them.

Follow Up Review:

My feet and my shins hate these shoes. Unfortunately, they will have to be sent back. I think if they were less bulky, like the MR2 Bugrip, I would have a better chance with them.

First Run Review:

They are very good (8 of 10). Sixteen studs per shoe, and they grip well without the 'wobbly' feeling you get from the slip on variety. Much more stable. The shoes are roomy across the toebox, like Saucony shoes, but still fit well. I am an Asics die-hard, and they still worked well for me right out of the box on a six mile run.

They are best on compacted snow, and still offer solid grip on concrete and smooth ice. You will find yourself searching out compacted snow or snow rather than ice, asphalt, or concrete though. Hard surfaces are noticeably less grippy and very noisy.

The styling is very nice, if that's a factor for you. They look like technical trail shoes. The shoes are on the heavy side at 14+ ounces each in a men's 10. Also, the value could be better. At $120, you're paying a premium for a technology no one else offers and taking a chance on fit and ride comfort.

Overall, I'm happy with the shoes. We'll see how they hold up over the next two months when I do the follow up review. Cheers!

Motivation

I saw this bit of video while I was on the treadmill this morning and thought it was pretty good. I was on mile nine of an eleven mile run, and I had run out of motivation around mile four. Even though this guy was talking about his job as a park ranger, it really resonated with me in terms of running. Plus, he has a really cool mix of Scottish and South African accents.

Running Gear

This is what I have been wearing out the last couple of days. It's good down to at least zero fahrenheit in a fifteen mile an hour wind. I proved that out this morning on the mid week two hour run. This setup can probably go to five below, but after that I'd add arm warmers and another thin layer on the legs over the tights.

If the air temperature gets colder than -20F, it's treadmill time. Otherwise it's fair game for a run. In a normal year, we will have a couple of weeks with early morning air temps in the minus teens, especially on clear nights. Once the sun comes out, it might warm up to zero. Fortunately, that doesn't last long.

I have been anxious to feel comfortable again at 6:10-6:20 pace like I had been right before the injury. With all this clothing, mid-6:30s is about where I get due to the restriction of movement. I found out that's only part of the issue when I weighed all my gear a couple of days ago. It came to 4.8 pounds, which is a good bit. I guess I can look at winter running as resistance training.

New blog features

I have added some functions to this blog and the training blog in an attempt to better organise and display the information I'm entering every day. You may have noticed the recent comments that have been added to the sidebar. That's just to make it a bit easier for readers to follow new comments, especially those that get added to old threads. Additionally, for the training blog, I've added a larger button and link to the sidebar at Mike's suggestion, since the training blog is getting a lot more updating than the 'regular' blog nowadays.

Another training blog feature I'm excited about is the addition of some roll-up areas below the day's main workout entry. By clicking on the various links at the bottom of each day's entry, I can add (and you can display) additional information about other activities that have played a part in my training for the day. It may not be interesting, but it is detailed. I hope you find the new features useful.

Yes, I know I promised a plan in the next entry. Once I finish sanding my drywall seams this afternoon and gotten in my second run I can think about it. I promise.

Slacker!

Sorry I haven't updated here in a while. I've been writing up my daily runs on my training blog and not giving this blog much attention. I tend to to think of a lot more things to write about than I actually have the motivation to create. Anyway, there's my excuse. If you're here for a good story, my apologies! Try Mike or Andrew for some exceptional writing about running.

I've been reading a lot of training information lately, trying to understand what exactly makes up a proper training plan. I'm infamous for never having a plan, but somehow lining things up in my head and generally doing approximately the right thing. Whether I actually devise a plan this time or not, it helps to have the right information floating around in my brain. Some good information I've found lately can be found here, and here.

Enjoy.

Shocking

I found this article yesterday, but didn't get a chance to finish it until this morning. Unbelieveable. The first question that comes to mind is, why has it taken so long for this to get written? This kind of expose/explanation should have been written years ago. It's obvious that the effects of these drugs have been well known in the medical community for a long time, and any one of hundreds or even thousands of doctors could have provided this information. The dirty bastards.

Anyway, while I read the article, I alternated between feeling mildly sick at the thought of how easy all this training becomes when a person is on drugs, and mildly happy that I don't have the funds or the desire to try any of this stuff myself. I imagined what kind of marathon I could run after a five year training period if I could run 20 miles a day at my best aerobic pace and never have to stop to recover. Then I imagined having to look back at those five years in complete shame with a complete lack of satisfaction, knowing that I didn't do my best, but the best that my money and my doctor could provide.

I feel sorry for anyone who was talented enough to keep rising through the ranks, but not good enough to keep competing well without drugs. If they were less talented, perhaps they wouldn't have tried to make a career out of sport and forced to make a choice between taking drugs and being able to pay the rent.

I'm happy that my potential best is nothing compared to international standards. I will never have to worry about making that choice. Instead, I choose every day to get out of bed, run the workouts I think I should run, and see how fast I can get. For myself. By myself.