Thursday, 29 March 2012

NB Minimus Giveaway over at Running and Rambling

When the pics of these shoes first came out, I started obsessing about getting a pair.  I actually ordered these through only to find that they will not ship to Canada under orders from New Balance. 

maybe I'll actually win a contest this time

I really don't like buying stuff here in Canada because the stores usually charge around 40 pct higher prices for the same stuff we can get in the US (yeah my obsession ends when I'm asked to bend over for government taxes...and don't give me this bull about how my taxes are paying for the infrastructure and an almost broken health care system while being forced to ride streetcars to work everyday).

Anyway, the fine folks at NB and Running anad Rambling are giving away a free pair of these fine-looking shoes.  While I realize that I am possibly diluting the field thereby minimizing my chances to win by blogging about this, I do get an extra entry for doing so. 

Here's the link to the review and now I'm going to collect my entry.  :)

Tuesday, 27 March 2012

Conversation in a Toronto New Balance Store

One morning a few months ago (I think it might have been January), I popped my head in a local New Balance store just to check and see what goodies they had on display.

I love looking at all things running (well, all things sports really) so after going through the usual lineup of NB shoes and shaking my head wondering how and why I ever used to run in some of their clunky shoes, my hands settled on a pair of NB Minimus circa 2010.   I had tried on a pair a few months earlier than that and found it too structured and built-up for a so-called minimalist shoe.  I am looking forward ot the new version as it seems to be more inline to what I look for in a running shoe.

New vs Old - 6.1oz 0mm heel drop vs 8 oz 5mm heel drop

Sales guy approached and asked if he could help me with something so I asked when the new model was coming out;  He said that what I had in my hands is the newest release.  I then said that I meant  the 2012 edition.

"Oh, I think that's not going to be out until spring but it's essentially the exact same shoe except for some updates in its aesthetics", he said matter-of-factly.

All I could say at that point was, "Hmm, interesting.  OK thanks." 

At this point, he turns to the store's "shoe expert" and asks when the new Minimus were coming out. He answered correctly by saying spring and then proceeds to tell me that "they are the same shoe but with some cosmetic changes".

And that's when I left the store.

Thursday, 22 March 2012

Getting Ready for Mississauga

On May 5th, I will be running in the Mississauga marathon.  Missi-where?  Yeah, it's almost kinda like the third tenor...nobody really remembers his name. :)

Mississauga is a city that sits to the west of Toronto.  It's the third of three Toronto-area marathons; The first two being the Toronto Waterfront and the Toronto Goodlife marathons.

It's unfortunate that both Toronto Goodlife and the Mississauga marathons are run on the same day.  This only happened recently because Goodlife was forced to move from its Fall slot due to numerous complaints from Torontonians regarding traffic disruptions; the Toronto Waterfront always runs in the Fall.

So, in a brilliant move (groan), the Goodlife organizers decided to go head-to-head with Mississauga.  Since I've already participated in the Goodlife marathon and half-marathon, I decided on the next best race in terms of proximity to me.

Anyway, scheduling and traffic snafus aside, come May 5th I'll be at the starting line hoping to get a 3:30, which would mean a new PR for me and a better corral placement in the Chicago marathon.

I'm also hoping to learn more about my running and training to see what else I need to tweak to achieve the BQ that I'm chasing this Fall.  And since I'm forty this year, this also means that there is an additional 5 minutes to my BQ time (woohoo I think).

I mean really, the biggest difference between this marathon and the previous two is my training.  I've been incorporating lessons learned from last year into this one and have added intervals, fartleks, and a more aggressive hill training routine to my staples:  long distance, tempo, and easy.

Here's my training chart along with projected runs from now till the race.  I've decided to go easy next week after three weeks of hard running to see if this will make me stronger for the final 5 weeks.

I've also increased my weekly mileage from an average of about 50 km last year to about 70 this year with my high mileage week at 104km (60+ miles) compared to a high of 70 km last year.  My longest run is planned for the wek after next at 40 km vs a long run of 32 km last year.

Another big factor was injuries.  Last year, I had torn my medial meniscus, which forced me to delay the start of my training and put me a few weeks short of my full schedule.  I also had a mild case of PF and while this didn't really affect my running, it was still bothersome.

Here's hoping the stars will align on the rest of my training and on race day. 

Wednesday, 21 March 2012

Running Magazines Review

Yesterday, I received the latest issues of Canadian Running and Runner's World and I have to say that I never noticed how different the two magazines are in terms of content and perspective.

Disctinctly Canadian.  The logo says it all (you'll get this right away if you're Canadian).

Runners World (US) is...Runners World.  They have very strong views of running and they stick with it, whether we like it or not.  It's pretty obvious that they are firm believers in traditional running shoes; Any article or modification to their layout or content with regards to minimalism is executed weakly and half-heartedly IMHO.  This latest issue though has a full-on article on Newtons (even though it isn't a minimal shoe but at least it promotes natural running).  It also mentions Altra, Skora, and OESH.

 Runners World...strongly opinionated.
They do assemble some pretty good content ranging from real-life stories to training to nutrition and well-executed interviews of elite runners.  So really, despite its strong traditional shoe and running views, I enjoy reading the magazine as a whole for the variety of articles.

On a negative note, I find that they can't resist digs into minimalism whenever opportunity presents itself...such as the picture below.  

The guy in yellow is wearing VFFs.  You tell me that RW isn't making a dig into minimalism...or am I being too sensitive?

Canadian Running on the other hand is distinctly Canadian.  It takes a very neutral position on running often presenting both perspectives between traditional and minimalism.  It is more obvious in the shoe review section where they show an assortment of shoes from either end of the spectrum and refrains from saying things like "What the 110 lacks is cushioning, making it better suited for racing than heavy-duty training", which is what Runners World says about most, if not all, minimal shoes. 

Canadian Running also offers views from a uniquely Canadian perspective in that it reviews a lot of trails and also features a city in each issue.  This is certainly one of my favourite sections and this month, they featured St. John, New Brunswick.  The best thing about it is they lay out three trails:  short, medium, and long complete with map and description.  If I ever find myself in St John, you bet that I'll be running at least one of these trails.

The rest of the magazine is a very good balance of real life stories, science (Alex Hutchinson is a regular columnist), training, nutrition, world, etc.  It may not be as popular or sell as many copies as Runners World but it is an excellent magazine.

Another "bonus", if I can call it that, is a special Dick's Sporting Goods insert that came alongside RW.  This one is squarely in the traditional shoes camp.  I don't know who wrote it or if they lifted out words nad phrases from the manufacturer's themselves but they wrote down things like "gives the feel of a natural foot strike" while pointing to the segmented crash pad on the heel of the Pure Cadence and "a friction-resistant heel" on the Adrenaline (friction-resistant?  Are the saying it's slippery?).

The ASICS page talks about "linked componentry to enhance the foot's natural gait from heel strike to toe off"...I tasted a bit of vomit in the back of my throat after reading that. 

Worse than that though is when they mentioned using alternating pairs of shoes or replacing your regular pair sooner rather than later to ensure that we are getting the level of cushioning needed. 

Lastly, and perhaps worst of all, it ventures into giving advice on strength training prescribing dumbbell exercises and doing 3-5 sets each of military should presses, hammer curls, and front arm raises.  If that doesn't result in muscular strength imbalance and injury, I don't know what will.   I would rather they didn't mention this at all or advise people to see a qualified trainer to create a well-balanced strength training program.

So yeah, I read these two magazines regularly in addition to my growing blog roll.   

Thursday, 15 March 2012

Gear Review: Energy Gels

I tend to dip into my stash of energy gels during long runs.  I do find them useful and convenient when I am training for a marathon.  However, I do tend to skimp a bit in their consumption mainly due to cost.  They're really not that cheap!  So for runs longer than 30 km, I'll usually bring a pack or two with me and take them when I feel my muscles tightening up or when I need an energy boost.

Some poeple swear by these while others brush them off as an unnecessary expense.  For me, I felt that they helped me hold off the wall in my last marathon so I'll just keep using them.

Over the past year, I had a chance to try three different types of gels.  Here are my short reviews of each:

GU Energy Gel - Lemon Sublime (100 cal, 25 g carbs, 5 g sugar, 50 mg sodium, 35 mg potassium, added nutrients per below)

One of many flavours in the GU Energy Gel lineup.  The main ingredient here is maltodextrin, which is a complex carbohydrate that breaks down easily and enables our body to tap into the glycogen that it provides.  It is mixed with a bit of fructose to enhance the taste. 

Secondary ingredients include Histidine, BCAA (Branched Chain Amino Acids), Citrates (Potassium and Sodium), Vitamins C and E, and Chamomile.  All of these compounds are used in combination to provide quicker recovery, instant energy, buffering against metabolic acidosis, and fighting inflammation.

Also, all flavours except Strawberry-Banana and Lemon Sublime contain caffeine. 
Clif Shots - (100 cal, 24 g carbs, 12 g sugar, 90 mg sodium, 55 mg potassium)

Similar to GU, this product contains mostly Maltodextrin.   They also proudly claim that the ingredients used are 85-90% organic.  While that may be important to some, I personally don't think much of the whole organic/non-organic debate in terms of what it delivers vs the value that it offers but I digress.

Also, another big difference between this and GU is the lack of any other ingredients.  Clif shots has sugar (Maltodextrin and some juices or chocolate as the case may be), Electrolytes (Potassium Citrate and Sea Salt), and Water.  They also have a Clif Shot Turbo version that contains caffeine.

In reading the FAQS, the Clif team firmly standby the less is more philosophy saying that research hasn't shown that adding nutrients such as BCAAs or protein have any beneficial effect on performance DURING activity.

Hammer Gel (80 cal, 21 carbs, 2 g sugar, 35mg sodium, 20 mg potassium, BCAA, 25 mg caffeine) - Tropical

Hammer's been making a name for itself lately with slick packaging, good marketing, and reasonable pricing.  The Hammer Gel is composed of mainly Maltrodextrin, which seems to be the defacto ingredient for carb gels because it has the ability to prevent insulin spikes from happening. 

The list of ingredients looks to be a hybrid of Clif and Gu in that it contains the same sugars and juices, potassium (though in the form of Chrloride vs Citrate), and sodium.  It also contains BCAAs as well as caffeine (for certain flavours only).

Subjective Results

Here's a chart that summarizes the three gels:

Energy Boost
Very thick and sticky, not easy to swallow or push out from the packet
Very sweet
Most manageable, syrupy thick
Sweet and delicious
Bit delayed; smallest amount of boost experienced
Hammer Thick than Clif Not very good at all; almost made me want to throw up Bit delayed; more boost than Clif but not as much as GU

Overall, best tasting is Clif Shots Razz; it's almost like a very thick juice.  Most energy boost felt was from the GU gel.  I really didn't care much for the Hammer gel mainly because of its taste.  It really is horrible...kinda like a weak mix of milk and citrus flavour not unlike the Perpetuem product.

Ultimate, I pick GU as best overall because while it may be overly sweet and thick (I can always wash it down with a bit more water), it provides the fastest and longest boost out of the three.

Monday, 12 March 2012

Adidas Adipure Adapt

My friend over at sent me a link for a new Adidas shoe called the Adapt as reported in

I'm not sure if it's Adidas or the author of the post that wrote it up but it's funny how it goes to describe how ingenious Adidas' vision is to create a shoe that will force the wearer to adapt to a mid-foot or natural running stride.

Anyway, here are a few pics of the Adapt as posted in Hypebeast.

First thought:  Aquasocks

Second Thought:  Spiderman's Boots
Here's the post from hypebeast.

Saturday, 10 March 2012

Shoe Review: Merrell Road Glove

After failing to score a free pair of Merrell Road Gloves in ablog giveaway, I ended up getting one anyway.  This time courtesy of my better half during our recent Singapore trip.  I've been extremely curious about these shoes for a while now.  I've had my Merrell Trail Gloves for close to a year but haven't been running too much in them as I seem to gravitate towards other shoes in my rotation, notably the Inov8 195 and 155.

Part of it, I think, is because I feel that the Trail Gloves are too thinly-soled for me and as much as I appreciate ground feel, I still find that a bit of cushion is least from a psychological point of view.

The Road Gloves appealed to me because it is a running-specific version of the Trail Glove.  In my mind, a trail shoe has more pronounced lugs, less cushioning, and probably more flexibility to accomodate surface irregularities that any decent trail provides.  Logically, I am going to assume that the Road Gloves will provide a bit more structure, cushioning, and stiffness that the Trail Gloves lack.

Am I right?  Read on and fnd out.

First Look

Aesthetically, design is ho-hum.  I got the Black/Lime Green pair and the colourway is about the only thing I like about the shoe from a looks standpoint.  I do like the lime green midsole as it makes an otherwise bland shoe pop out even just for a little bit.

The upper is made of mesh and synthetic leather very similar to the Trail Glove.  A little bit of midfoot support is provided by synthetic leather strips that run from the sole to the laces.  Merrell decided to use some sort of a grid-like pattern within the strips as a design element.  The strips themselves are a colour gradient from lime-green at the bottom to black on top.

The sling on the heel is similar to the Trail Glove as well giving it a bit of substance without the sitffness or rigidity of a plastic heel counter found in traditional shoes.  There's a small reflective element on the center of the toe box that's kind of cool.

The sole pattern is slightly different from the Trail Glove though it follows the same shape.  The lugs are more pronounced than I expected for a road shoe.  The outsole is Vibram of course and above it is a layer of 4mm CMEVA midsole identical to the Trail Glove.  The 1mm shock plate found in the Trail  Glove is absent on the road edition.

It weighs in at 6.9 oz (size 9) with a 11 mm stack height according to Running Warehouse.

Insole is non-removable and features the same microfiber material treated with Aegis, an anti-microbial compound.

Looking at these specs, the Road Gloves read like they're the same shoe as the Trail Glove.

First Run

The first time I tried these on, my first thought was, "wow these feel like Feet You Wear".  In case you haven't heard of Feet You Wear, Adidas came out with this concept over a decade ago.  It was first introduced in their basketball shoes and the concept behind it was to mimic the curvature of the foot.  They eliminated the hard edges on the sole and replaced it with a wider toe box and a rounded last....sounds familiar? 

One of the earlier models using Feet You Wear technology

I loved balling in those shoes but they didn't sell very well even with Kobe Bryant acting as their spokesperson.  Since then, FYW has evolved to Pure Motion, which is used in a few of their current models.  Adidas has always, in my opinion, been way ahead of everyone else in innovation.  It's just too bad they don't have the designers or the marketing power of Nike.

Going back to the Road Gloves, I noticed that they do not feel as flat as the Trail Gloves.  My feet feel more secure in these for some reason.  It feels a bit more structured than the Trail Gloves and there is a bit of snugness from the arch up across the mid-foot to the lateral edge of the foot.  The rounded edges feel great and in fact, for me, these feel closest to VFFs than any other pair of shoes that I own.

Standing with the Road Glove on one foot and the Trail on the other, the Road Gloves feels slightly more cushioned...just barely.  I don't know if this is because the Trail Glove is well worn or if the Road Gloves are just made to be a tad softer.

So out I went for a 15km run.  I usually try not to run more than 10km in new shoes but I figured these are so much like the Trail Gloves and VFF tha tI should be ok for 15.  Turns out I was right...thankfully.

Ground feel is what you would expect from a shoe like this.  I could feel most things including tiny pebbles.  Traction is excellent but I would've liked less pronounced lugs even just for a faster feel.

The snugness across the midfoot stayed with me throughout the run and I'm not sure if I like it all that much.  It's great that it feels secure but at the same time, it feels a little restrictive.  Having said that, it really didn't hinder my run.

During the run, the cushioning level is also what you would expect from such a thin sole.  It's softer than the VFF Speed (it's the only VFF I own) and maybe a touch more cushioned as the Trail Glove.

Conclusion?   I'd be very hard-pressed to tell the difference between these and it's sibling outside of the snugness around the arch and mid-foot.  It's almost like a Trail Glove 2.0 in my opinion.  Whichever way you want to look at it, I think they are both excellent shoes.  I prefer the Road Gloves right now only because they offer a better fit for me.

Friday, 9 March 2012

Shoe Review: Altra Samson by

Read the review of Altra's latest shoe, the Samson, by Justin Owings over at

Is this the lighter and thinner version the Instinct?

Wednesday, 7 March 2012

Shoe Review: Newton MV2 Racer

Oh joy Oh joy.  Last night my in-laws flew over from the Philippines to see their daughter and my son (c'mon let's be real...they're not here to see me  :)).  Anyway, they got me a very nice present in the form of running shoes!!!  I've had my eye on these Newtons for a while and even had a chance to try them on when I went to HK but it was too pricey there (compared to North America) so I held off.  Well, it looks like that decision turned out well.

The MV2 Racer is one of those shoes where you really don't know what to expect.  There's a mixed bag of reviews covering an entire spectrum of emotions from love to meh to hate.  It's not really a polarizing shoe such as the VFF where people either love them or hate them.

Then again, as with anything in life, another person's opinion will most likely differ from yours as even very popular shoes with great reviews such as Mizuno Wave Universe can end up falling short of expectations as it did with me.  I do notice though that when shoes get good reviews, the reality is you don't know what you're ending up with but if shoes get bad reviews, chances are it's a bad shoe.  Funny that.

Unlike the Inov8, the Newtons are photogenic.  In real life though, the orange on the toe box is more creamsicle than neon.  Not very attractive in IMHO.

First Look

Ok, on to the MV2 Racer.  Aesthetically, it's not really a stand out shoe.  Its design is quite plain but trim colours are loud and borders on the ugly side if I'm to be completely honest.  For someone who loves loud shoes with bold colours, this is saying a lot.  The pair I got are the orignial white/orange/yellow colourway.  They have since come out with a black colourway and it looks better in pictures than the original.  Styling is bland.  Other than a stylized tobox, the rest of the upper is wrapped with a thin and light white mesh.

The heel is soft and flexible like most minimal-type shoe.  The narrow tongue is separate and is also made of the same mesh used in the upper.  Really, in terms of the upper it basically resembles any other shoe outside of the weird orange used on the trim.

The differentiator for Newtons is the sole.  They've patented something called action/reaction technology where they placed lugs strategically located below your forefoot.  These lugs are supposed to compress when you step on them and spring back to help propel you off the ground.  It's this technology that has had a polarizing effect on the running community.  Some runners swear by them and others, not so much.

The rest of sole is fairly standard in terms of composition, design, and material.  It's nothing to write home about.  It weighs 5.8 oz for a size 9, a stack height of 17mm, and is zero drop.  the sole is definitely thicker than what I'm used to and that is another thing that I'm worried about.   I don't really do well in cushy shoes.

Sizing is bit off for these.  I am normally a size 10 (between 9.5 and 10 really) but am wearing a size 11 in these.  The biggest reason, I think, is because the forefoot is narrow...very narrow.  When standing, I feel my pinky toes pushing right up against the mesh.  It's a good thing the mesh is soft and stretchy so it's not so bad when used for standing or walking.  I'm not sure of its effect on running yet.  It's definitely narrower than the Kinvara and Wave Universe and, for me, that's not a good thing.

Walking in them, the lugs makes it feel as if this shoe is a negative drop.  It's just a very weird sensation.  I've read very similar comments in other reviews so I was definitely expecting this.  The other reviewers were right on the money on this but the encouraging thing is every single one of them also said that once you start running, the feeling quickly disappears.

First Run

I recorded 7 km the first time out on these.  I've read more than a few reviews claiming that this shoe made them run faster and more efficiently but most of these were from folks who were wearing heavier Newton models.  I've been running almost exclusively on Inov8 155, which is just as light but has less support and cushioning especially now that I've worn the sole down.

The very first thing I noticed as soon as I took my first step is the lugs underfoot.  Unless you have dead nerves, there is no way you cannot feel the lugs push up under the ball of your foot.  They weren't compressing as much as I imagined but their presence is definitely felt on each step.  I certainly didn't feel any difference on toe-off but then again, it's my first time in them.  Maybe I'll start noticing the action/reaction part of it the more I run in them.

The really good thing about the presence of the lugs is I can so easily tell that I am landing on my midfoot.  When landing properly, hte lugs feel square naad solid underfoot.  I tried running with a heel strike for a few steps (it really is uncomfortable running like that...I don't know how people can do it) and instead of a solid flat landing on the lugs, I can feel an awkward rolling motion instead as my weight shifted from rear to mid to forefoot.  The lugs being uneven with the rest of the sole gives it a bit of a "hump" sensation during transition that is felt quite easily.

From that perspective, I really like this lug business.  It could possibly be used as a pretty effective training tool for beginners.  I'm not sure if it actually helped me during toe-off or not or if it's effective in reducing fatique.  As I mentioned, it's too early to tell but I'll certainly report on this when I post the long-run update.

The cushioning is surprisingly firm for such a thick shoe.  It's definitely firmer than the Kinvara (then against what isn't) and the Adidas Hagio.  It's pretty close to the Altra Instinct if you use the stengthen insole that comes with it.  Ground feel is absent so if you need even a little bit of that then you should pass on these shoes.  Toe box is definitely narrow but it didn't bother on the short run today.  I do feel that the Wave Universe 4s are narrower though by not that much.

Overall, I think I think these would appeal to a specific group of runners who are more used to racing flats than minmal shoes mainly because of the narrow toe box.  Personally, I would love to see them come out with a versoin that's wider across the toes, thinner midsole (maybe reduce by 25 - 50% of what it is now) and improve on its aesthetics.  I don't mind the lugs at all whether effective or not as long as it doesn't hurt my running.

Tuesday, 6 March 2012

Some Links To Share With You

I thought I'd share some interesting links with you today while surfing the 'net.

The Animal Kingdom's Top Marathoners

I think I got this link off FB.  I've always wondered about this actually and now I know!  Human beings rank in the top 6 (yay) but we're far from the top spots.  Enjoy!

What's the Best Running Stride to Avoid Injury

I found this link (published close to a year ago) from annother article that I was reading.  The good thing about Globe and Mail is that they don't discriminate between traditional vs 'barefoot' running often presenting articles from both camps.  This particular one was written by Alex Hutchison of Swaet Science fame who also happens to be a columinist for the Globe.

As always, the most humorous part of any article are the comments.

The Truth About Barefoot Running

From my blog roll, this is Chris McDougall's latest update and it talks about an article in Runner's World UK.  Links to the article are in the blog entry and I would you to check it out.  Beacuse of this article, Runner's World UK gets much ups from me for providing a minimalist perspective on running.  Runner's World US continues to get a thumbs down from me for their basically one-sided view of the running world.

Barefoot and Minimalist Runners page on FaceBook

Jeff Gallup from Barefoot Inclined linked me up to this group in FB.  The name says it all. 

Boston Barefoot Running Festival

Occurring on the same weekend as the famed Boston Marathon, this festival caters to the barefoot community although they do say you don't have to be barefoot while running.  NYC had their 3rd one (I believe) some months ago and now, it's Boston's turn.  Methinks these festivals will coninutally to grow bigger and biggers in the coming years.

Sh*t Runners Day to Barefoot Runners

Hilarious video produced by

The Perfect Runner on CBC

Lastly, Reid Coolsaet posted this entry talking about a show called "the Perfect Runner" that will show on March 15, 2012 on CBC.  It's a documentary about running and apparently has footage from as far as Siberia and Ethiopia.

Saturday, 3 March 2012

Running Myths Debunked: Cushioning is Key

A long time ago, I had a sensei named Mike.  He was an excellent Karate teacher and genuinely cared for his students.  He's also the toughest and scariest man that I know.

Sensei Mike and I lost touch over the years but I still remember some of the things he did in class.  During breaks, for example, he used to punch the concrete walls of our dojo with his bare knuckles.  The walls would shake from his punches and I could clearly hear steady low-level vibrations as if a subwoofer was blaring away behind it.

One day I decided to try it but instead of boom, boom, boom,  all I could muster were weak slap, slap, wet noodles against a kitchen counter.  I couldn't punch any harder because my knuckles really hurt.  Wanting to see if I could move the walls like he did, I put on punching gloves and the slaps now became oomphs;  a bit more authority added but far from a boom and the walls still refused to shake.

I was definitely punching harder and my knuckles were well-protected but here came the secondary problem:  my elbows and shoulders began to hurt...a lot.

Gloves protect Manny's knuckles and Margarito's face (well, barely) because they allow him to punch harder.  Thick shoes do the same for your feet...but you're not Manny and the road doesn't need protection.  So when you land harder than normal because of your shoes, the extra impact is transmitted up to your knees, hips, and other joints.
Now let's translate that to running.  Put your feet in highly cushioned shoes and your puppies will feel less impact than normal obviously.  You won't feel the ground, glass, stones, etc as you would if you were wearing thin shoes.  You are well-protected when wearing traditional running shoes.

That's good right?   Well, not really.  Because your feet do not feel the ground forces as they normally would (like punching with gloves on), you're now landing harder than you would with each stride.  Add to that a further increase in impact if you land on your heels and that's almost a certain recipe for trouble.  According to Daniel Lieberman, heel strikers create something called an impact transient of 1 to 3 times their body weight on impact whereas midfoot strikers do not have this type of impact when landing.

What ends up happening is the impact needs somewhere to go and a few centimeters of air, gels, or foam aren't enough to convert or absorb this energy (remember the Law of Conservation of Energy; energy cannot be created or destroyed) to safely protect your joints.  Inevitably this energy is redirected upwards to your knees, hips and back.

Adding further to that is the fact that your feet are well-cradled in all this wonderful technology that prevent them from working as hard as they should and you end up with "lazy" or weaker feet.
If instead you wore thinly-soled shoes or ran barefoot, your body now has better ground feedback after each stride.  And because ground feel and proprioception are improved, your body is able to adjust its landing (e.g., by shortening its strides, ensuring that knees are bent, contracting the supporting muscles, etc).  This results in better impact management and distribution of ground forces as it travels upwards through the foot, ankle, knees, and hips.

How far is far?  They built a microprocessor to adjust the cushioning level of the shoe on each stride.  Only cost $250 when they first came out.  Uh, we have the fastest computer in the world sitting between our ears.  We all get one free unit per lifetime...upgrades not included.

Of course, this doesn't happen automatically.  You will need to focus on proper form and foot strike and slowly adjust to it over a period of time depending on your current physical condition.  If you've been hurting (some say spoiling) your feet with these technology-heavy shoes, it will take time for your muscles, joints, ligaments, and tendons to get stronger.

Whether you choose to use transitional shoes or go cold turkey, take it real easy.  Start out with a mile or two then add 5 to 10% every week.  Every few weeks (4-6), cut down your distance by 25 - 50% for one week to give your body time to recover.  Please note that I am speaking from personal experience when I went through the transition.  

I didn't heed my own advice and went for longer and longer runs with less shoe so I ended up hurting myself.  Fortunately, my injuries were minor that it didn't completely stop me from running.  I woull say it took me about 6 months to fully get comfortable in minimal shoes.  These days I am running problem-free regardless of distance and the shoes I wear are becoming thiner and lighter.

Knowing this, have you ever wondered why the shoe companies thought that padding their shoes will help runners?  Below is a chart presented by Daniel Lieberman in his groundbreaking research of the biomechanics of the foot strike.
Impact Forces for Heel Strikers

You see, some believe (as I do though I have no proof; sounds like a conspiracy theory) that when the big shoe companies saw the impact forces as shown above, they concluded that the runner can be protected by putting lots of cushioning especially on the heel.

Impact Forces for Mid/Forefoot Strikers

What they should have done is take another look at a different chart and say, the initial impact transient is absent when runners land midfoot...maybe we don't need thick heels after all.  Just better runner education and shoes to protect the feet from sharp objects on the ground.

But they didn't think like this.  Or maybe they did and when they saw the dollars signs diappear, they pushed it out of their head...just saying.

So now, decades later, we are mired in high-tech shoes and the traditional way of thinking.  With the emergence of minimalist running, we now have two camps vigorously defending their sides and points of view...much like what I'm doing now.
zero heel drop, 7mm stack height, 6.1 oz.  Now that's a runng shoe
I get frustrated when I can't convince my running friends to give up their thick shoes.  I get laughed at for wearing my thin shoes or my toe shoes.  I get told that it's only a matter of time before I seriously hurt myself because my feet aren't cushioned.
And yet, I've never ran faster or longer at any point in my life.  My PF is gone now that I've adjusted to the shoes and running style. 

In the end, you may choose to take my word for this or not but all I know is I'll never ever go back to wearing traditional shoes.

Thursday, 1 March 2012

Running in Singapore

My second trip to Asia this year for work and this time, it's to our Singapore office.  I've been to Singapore about a decade ago albeit briefly and I really don't remember much about it.  I do know that it's an absolutely gorgeous and exceptionally clean country with temperatures similar to Manila where I grew up.

Every square inch is well thought out and accounted for

Landing in Changi airport (with my family...they came along) after a full day of flying, all I wanted to do was hit the sack because I needed to go to the office the following morning.  I neither had the time or energy to go out for a run, which is what I usually do as soon as I land in a foreign city.  I just find that running right away provides three benefits:  relaxes and calms me down quickly, helps me learn the street layout fairly quickly (I will usually pick a route that brings me past the office if I am going there for the first time), and more importantly, helps me deal with jet lag.

We didn't get to our room until 9:15 pm and after a quick shower, I passed out.  Waking up at 4:30 am the following day, I texted my colleague who arrived a few days before me to go for a run.  At 5:30, we set off from our hotel to a nearby running path and followed it around.  It was almost completely dark at this point so I really couldn't take any pictures at this point nor could I see the road very well.  It was also raining but I wasn't going to let it stop me today.  It was a good thing that he knew the route so all I had to do was follow his lead.

View from the back of our hotel
It was hot and humid and by the time we hit 5 km, I was ready to quit and asked to run back.  We took a shorter route back and ended up running 8.5 km in about 41 minutes and 24 seconds.

Marina Bay Sands Resort...yep it looks like a cruise ship stranded atop three towers
It wasn't until the sun came out that I appreciated the beauty of this city and where we ran.  From our office building, I could see parts of the running path that led us around a floating soccer pitch, a hotel with a ship perched on top of it, the famous Merlion albeit a mini version, the Singapore Flyer, and a lot of other architectural masterpieces that truly makes this country stand out.  I must say that this country's urban planners did a spectacular job here.  Every inch of space is used and well-thought out.  It almost feels like a movie set at times and it can be disconcerting.  Walking around the city, I've been anticipating that a stage light will suddenly fall out of the sky and hit me in the head.

The colourful grandstand at Marina Bay where the pit area of the F1 Grand Prix is located, the floating soccer pitch, and the Flyer
Compared to all other places that I've ran, the running path here that took us into the heart of the city is superb...a no-contest.  Central Park NY is probably closest but the skyline views along the running path gives Singapore the edge.  The streets and sidewalks are plentiful and wide.  The running path itself is clean and well-lit.  In fact, a section of the path led us along the grandstand over at Marina Bay where the pit area for the F1 Grand Prix is located...right next to the floating soccer pitch!

This city takes on a surreal quality at times
Temperature-wise however, 30+ degrees celsius and high humidity is just not something we're used to in the middle of winter.  We were huffing and puffing and trying our best to extract as much oxygen as we possibly could from the heavy air.

Here are some more pics of the actual running path.  Most of these were taken after the was too early and too dark otherwise.

Pedestrian bridge that connects our hotel to the running path

THe brdige from a different perspective.  Check out the cool sign from the early horse or cattle allowed!

Typical running path here:  clean, wide, even, and well lit

Running by the grandstand.  Floating soccer pitch is on the left.  Pit area for F1 Grand Prix is behind us.

Taken on the way back but it was still too dark.  Bridge lights are cool though

Two unrelated running notes:
One, those who regularly read my blog know that I am deeply disappointed in Toronto's public transit system especially for a city that likes to think of itself as world-class.  Well, Singapore does nothing to assuage this frustration because for a country (581 sq km) that is smaller than Toronto (630 sq km), it has at least four (count them FOUR!) subway lines totalling about 158 km of track vs a measly 70 km in Toronto.  Oh so frustrating.

Wake up to reality, TTC

Two, my wife and I tried something called a fish spa.  No they don't use fish to massage you but you do get to dip your feet and calves into a pool filled with tiny fishes called Doctor fishes (wikipedia entry) whose sole job is to eat the dead skin off your legs and feet.  It was weird for the first few minutes but after a while, I didn't want to leave.  Definitely one of the coolest things I've tried in my lifetime.

No doubt the fishies had full stomachs after this  :)