Sounds good Vash. My main progress last year in weight loss was due to running. Even intense mountain biking with the same average heart rate does not do as much.

I can chase those quail a lot better over the SoCal hills since I run > 10 MPW.

G

Dress warmly. It's 14 deg. at the Grand Canyon tonight.

Still loving my 'barefoot' minimalist shoes - Vibram Five Fingers. I have had my ups and downs, stressed calf muscles and achilles tendons issues, but overall no more knee and back pain. I run slower and lower miles...mostly due to the fact that I am now 50...but the runs feel great.

Don't knock the barefoot trend but at the same time be realistic and sensitive to what your body is telling you. I will never run in padded shoes again.

Nein nein nein, how do you say it in english - not placebo.

I've taken up trail running, the dog talked me into it, and I'm loving it. Fussy about my footware. And now I've even gone to expensive shoes for wearing around the house, and walking around. The best thing has been light weight shoes for work which makes my energy levels go further.

We don't think twice about spending big money on cars or houses, so why not spend some on ourselves with great shoes.

I switched as well, but they don't work for everyone. Your experience with calf and Achilles issues is typical, and for some people a deal breaker-its in part why a slow switchover is advised, short runs for a while. I have five fingers, but I actually prefer NB Minimus shoes. I run on grass a bit, and stuff between the toes of the ff's is a pain. They're all I use indoors, though.

You did the correct thing by having your stride examined and being properly fitted. It is absolutely true that the shoes make a difference.

I recommend using sites such as Running Warehouse to make purchases such as this so that you can save big bucks. You can buy "last year's" shoes for often less than half their retail value and most of the time the only difference is in the colors--no technical differences whatsoever.

I have tried shoes from New Balance, Mizuno, Wave, Asics, Saucony, Brooks and others and have decided that for me the Newbies work the best--and I change them out after no more than 150-200 miles.

Fortunately I am a neutral runner and have no known pronation issues--so I can buy almost anything and make it work. The Newbies are also a plus for me because they are the only remaining running shoe maker that produces in the USA.

Good luck and great running!

I also am a big fan of barefoot / minimalistic shoes. Their main effect IMHO is that they help you with your running form. You can't heel-strike in them and will automatically run mid-foot. You also tend to run at a higher cadence in them, which helps with injury. I recommend running barefoot if you want to work on your running form. You can then get back into a more padded shoe later when you add the miles. There are a lot of shoes that do just this.

I am ready for a run, just writing about it. ;)

G

Heck yeah, the right shoes matter.

Cliff, will you be ready for this? Diablo - Saturday, 27 April 2013

See you there, fat boy.

i'll wait until they post up the elevations data ;) and who the heck are you calling "boy"!! hahah.

I also am a big fan of barefoot / minimalistic shoes. Their main effect IMHO is that they help you with your running form. You can't heel-strike in them and will automatically run mid-foot. You also tend to run at a higher cadence in them, which helps with injury. I recommend running barefoot if you want to work on your running form. You can then get back into a more padded shoe which still has very little heel later when you add the miles. There are a lot of shoes that do just this.

I am ready for a run, just writing about it. ;)

G

vash,
I am just requesting an update on how the running is going. After a recent soft tissue injury, I had to back off my frequency/distance. For the last month I have been following my new three days on/one day off routine. I run four miles on my running days and my body likes this much better than the earlier 5.7 miles per run/six days a week schedule. I have absolutely no knee pain now whereas my earlier plan produced a considerable amount of knee discomfort.

i got up to 3 miles a day..i could go five days a week. then i got smacked by a flu. the wierdest thing happened. my knees got painful, sitting on my ass. maybe having them up on the coffee table for hours on end.

riding my bike seems to lube up the joints and i am relatively painfree. i think i am looking at a life of arthritic pain in my golden years. i am going hard until my doc or body tells me to stop.

i should be back on the trail running next week. i do like it. alot.

I log 30 miles per week and I had one knee injury in the last decade from a bad step when the sole broke on my New Balance shoes. Cost me six weeks of recover and I still have to wear a Chopat brace during marathons. All that could have been avoided had I been buying the right shoes and replacing them in a timely manner.

It's all about the shoes for me.

Sorry to hear about the knee pain Vash. Try to lose some weight. :) Seriously! Then start out runnig again but with 1 day min. breaks.

Scott - how do you log those 30 MPW? What days and what distances? Do you run marathons regularly? Do you run more prepping for them? I would like to run 30 MPW to stay in good long distance running shape and wonder how best to achieve that.

Cheers,

George

I do about 5.0 miles a day six days a week, but on Tuesday and Thursdays I run a bit slower for a break. I'll up my miles in late April early may to 10 on M W F to run some charity events this summer. I'm not sure I'm doing any full marathons this summer, I did the Vail Pass half marathon last year and thought I wasn't going to make it. Just the facts of getting older I suppose, and my asthma has been worse the last few years.

I started running 15 years ago when I got married, I was 6'2" and about 230lbs. These days I'm around 190 but there is nothing but lean muscle. Makes me very cold in the winter. :)

Thanks for sharing Scott. That sounds like a good running plan to be on. I will try to adapt more frequent runs in summer when I will have to do them in the morning before it gets hot. That also means early, before work, don't want to spend more than 45 minutes doing that! ;)

George

I thought Nike shoes were the best running shoes until I switched to Saucony I realized they are better shoes for me.. I spent an hour testing them all.. so yes if you found a pair that doesn't hurt you got a winner!

I've been wearing Saucony for years. They just consistently fit my feet. Nike shoes do not. My only complaint about Saucony is that they don't seem to last very long. I bought some decent aftermarket insoles that let me get a lot more miles out of a pair.

Last couple of runs have angered the bulging disk in my upper back. Looks like I'll be on the elliptical and recument bike for a while. :(

Any of you runners use RunKeeper? I find it interesting, and know I push a little harder when I hear the call-outs and realize my pace has dropped off. In the end, it's mostly electronic confirmation of what I already knew... I run faster at the beginning of a run (or down hill) than I do at the end of a run (or up hill).

Vash- Thanks for the insight and review. I never really considered going for a professional fitting. My no science method is to buy runners that feel right at the store and no frilly neon colors- ha. When the snow melts, I'll go back to running trail gravel only. The road running and cycling is no longer making me comfortable... as in safety.

Anyhow, I'm still in the snow season and would never consider running in it. Enjoying alpine / telemark and this year I focused more on traditional styled cross country for cardio and a workout. I used to be mildly into it but was always a go man go speed sports, so now oddly now lovin the X country again. Conditioning and workout feels great. If the temps are in the near or slight under freeze, no gloves, light breathable fabrics and I'm burning up. Have fun!

I like Fleet Feet. They know shoes and will put you in one that will fit.

Hard to say, it may be that the custom ones are not what you want for running.

Many, most even, people have a tight Achilles tendon, to the point where it is a deforming force and adversely impacts gait. I will often tell people to put a 1/4" lift in both shoes, depending on their complaint. If they look to be short on one side, put a lift in that shoe only.