TMI on My Feet

I walk past the Asics running store every day on the way to and from work. It is basically a brand new store, and I think the only standalone Aiscs store in the country. On one level, it is really cool. On another,it is sort of like shopping at a running boutique, and a rather limited one at that. My local running store carries more gear, more clothes, and the same Asics shoes.

One thing that the new Asics Store has, though, that is really cool is a very high tech foot analysis. They put little markers on certain places on your feet and put your foot in a box. The box makes a three dimensional scan and computer model of both feet. It measures distances, angles, etc. The exact length of each foot. Toe angles, too. And arch height. then they video a quick running session and calculate pronation, ankle angle, strike patterns, etc. The idea is that, after the analysis, they guide you to the exact right shoe and exact right size.

They can only do it for one person at a time, and it takes about 15 minutes. There are no appointments, and it is first come, first served. I have tried about 5 times to do it, and never gotten in (Just before the NY Marathon, I saw Deena Kastor in the store filming the video about the foot scan that is on the Asics store's website.)

Without further adieu, my feet:



My take aways: My left foot has almost a flat arch. Yikes! Did not know that. My right ankle has pretty severe pronation, whereas my left is essentially neutral. My left foot is 1.7 millimeters longer than my right (about half a shoe size). And I am a pronounced heel striker.

After all the analysis, etc, the computer spit out my recommended model and size: the stability model, Gel Kayano, size 12.5.

What shoes do I run in now? Gel Kayanos, size 12.5.

Getting Closer All the Time

I received my NYRR bib number today -- in the 19000's in wave 1 start. That puts me in the Green corral (the slowest) about 2/3 of the way back. That is kind of bad. Good news is that I am in wave 1, which starts first, so there won't be a plethora of slower runners from the previous waves with which to contend as I go. That is bad because I start 2/3 of the way back in a wave of say 12,000 runners. That is still an awful lot of people to deal with.

I will probably run a PR, assuming my training holds up. So, I can't really complain with my starting position. It is what it is, and you cannot change it. I will register with a pace group and hopefully that will put me in the right starting position and can run with them. They should have that all planned out, but I really don't remember how the pace groups assemble or how they start given the corrals and waves.

Beginning to game plan as to what shoes, shorts, socks and shirt I will wear on the big day. Particularly shoes. For me, I try to find the "goldilocks" shoes, shoes that are not too old or too new, but just right. For me, the sweet spot on shoes are ones that have approximately 100 miles on them. Still new, but I feel comfortable in them. Unfortunately, in my rotation, it hasn't fallen in line to have the right shoes in the right place. Right now, my favorites are a pair of Asics Gel Kayanos, but they have about 200 miles on them, a little past their prime. I have been running less in them because...The pair I thought I was going to use was a pair of Brooks Trance 9's that I bought about three weeks ago. Unfortunately those haven't fit exactly right. They now have about 60 miles on them, but just aren't there yet. And my impression is not a rave one. I also have a pair of Gel Nimbus 11 that I love the way they feel and which I use on the treadmill. I am going to run long in them this weekend to see if they work for road work and long distances. Maybe, the Gel Nimbus will be the winner. If not, they can save miles on my Gel Kayanos.

In workout news, I ran for first time since my long run over the weekend, and went 8.5 miles at 7:30 pace. The FIRST program had this as one of the long runs for the week, but I missed the weekly speedworkout. This weekend (Saturday) is 20 miles at marathon pace + 15 seconds. I am going to try to run my 7 mile loop 3 times at an under 8:000 pace. That will be a push, but a good, last, hard long run.

Last Summer run...

Labor Day has come and gone, and just like the seasons, a new school year, a new fall, a new season have come.

We were in Florida over the long weekend, and let me tell ya, it is hot down there. Nothing like what it has been in summers past, but still, 92 and humidity still feels awfully hot after the mild summer we have had here. In fact, it was very strange getting off the plane back in New York and feeling ... fall. The temperature in NY is now in the low 70s. So much cooler than Florida. And, if you watch the US Open night matches, the people in the stands are freezing. I ran once in Florida. That was the product of running on both the day I left to go to Florida and the day I got back (Labor Day), but neither day in Florida.

So Saturday, I ran 18 miles in Florida Saturday. I started at 7 a.m and finished about 9:45. Ended up finishing 18.24 in 2:32 for 8:14 average pace. Splits are below, and I ended up running the second half faster than the first. But heart rate was higher too. The sun was really bright and it was getting hot (83?) by the time I finished. I wouldn't want to start any later in the day. As I was coming home, feeling pretty good, this guy in triathlon gear was jogging the other way. He was serious, hard core, and absolutely flying. Waved and smiled at him, and he did the same. One thing about running near the beach in Florida -- people with boat trailers! I hope they realize that the boats are wider than the cars. Can get kindof scary seeing these boats come whizzing by...

One thing I did to prepare was to hide water along my route the night before my run. I had an out and back route, so I hid water at 5 different places along my route, and ended up with 10 water stops along the way. That helped tremendously, not only because of the hydration, but also because it broke my run up into small segments. I was constantly focusing on the next water stop ... where did I hide it again? Did someone see the water and, thinking it was trash, throw it away? (That happened to one of them.) It was a really positive run though, and glad I pushed through the heat to make it.

I formed a couple of conclusions, too. The Nike LunarTrainer experiment is over. They are kinda cool shoes, but for me, just not practical for long training. I have now run about 100 miles in them, and have decided they are nice for short distances, but not long ones. I wore them on this Florida long run, and finished with a massive blister on the side of my big toe, and a blister on the end of my second toe also. Today, when I ran at home in New York, I ran in my Gel Kayanos, and it felt so much better. Like meeting up with an old friend for lunch.

Second, I like using Gatorade Endurance for long runs. I have a bunch of Accelerade thanks to a sale at GNC, but I really like the Gatorade Endurance better. It is smoother, doesn't have any aftertaste or funky smell (I find Accelerade has this bad smell), and just goes down easily.

And anyone who hates Tim Tebow should read the profile of him in this month's GQ. If you don't like him after that, then I don't know who you would like. An admirable young man for sure.



Time Distance Split time Elev. chg.
0:08:03 1.00 8:03 -6
0:16:30 2.00 8:26 -2
0:24:48 3.00 8:18 +29
0:33:02 4.00 8:14 -14
0:41:16 5.00 8:12 +23
0:49:38 6.00 8:22 -1
0:58:02 7.00 8:23 -7
1:06:25 8.00 8:22 +17
1:14:44 9.00 8:18 -21
1:22:45 10.00 8:00 -10
1:30:49 11.00 8:03 -21
1:38:52 12.00 8:00 -5
1:46:59 13.00 8:07 -8
1:55:05 14.00 8:04 +28
2:03:12 15.00 8:06 +3
2:11:21 16.00 8:08 +11
2:19:29 17.00 8:08 -23
2:27:42 18.00 8:11 -5
2:30:58 18.41 3:16 +13
2:30:59 18.41 0:01 +0

More Nike Greatness

Ran twice on treadmill this weekend. Spring is around the corner. . . Tried running 2 quarter miles slow then one fast on treadmill. Makes the miles go quicker.
This is another one of my favorite ads ever. When it first came out, I had just moved to New York, and at a party discussed this ad with several advertising people. Everyone thought it was the perfect commercial. It inspires and empowers. And just makes Nike cool.
And I run in Asics stuff, btw. Love Nike image, gear and Nike store. But their running clothes just don't seem right. I have some shirts with horrendous seams in them. And they itch and irritate. And get dripping wet. And they are expensive. But they sure are cool.