Back in the gym!

Got my supply and glad to be back in the gym! One week later and already seeing progress! "Boys be ambitious!"

Another day another run...

Put in 4.13 miles earlier this evening. My shoe is no doubt the New Balance Minimus. It keeps me on my toes is an understatement. Sadly there are no real trails at all where I am here in Japan but even on the road I love the feel and performance that I get out of the shoe. I will likely get up early and put in a few more miles once I awake. What is it about running that just provides a release? In any case I will work towards longer and longer miles as I prep for a long cross country race for April of next year. Already making plans to take the whole day off.

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Mnimus reorder

Already having the black and yellow I've decided to go red and get a second pair of the black and yellow. Love these shoes. 

Three plus+++

It's been three plus months since my last post. Since I've been here I must say I feel like I am getting back to my old self. Joined the Jupiter Running Club in  Kanazawa and am now running S Class. There are roughly four people running S and I am the youngest. Need to get another pair of Minimus shoes. Running through my current pair quicker than I imagined. My goal is to crack under forty minutes at next year's Peachtree and the way I'm going right now that looks very possible.

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Yesterday was July 3rd, today is July 4th!

Just wrapped up my third Peachtree Road Race. The past running year for me has been an incredibly lackluster one to say the least. This year was to be the year I get down to sub-seed level. That was my mindset going in to today's race. At the last minute I decided to run in the Vibram Five Fingers and not the Air Pegasus 26. Pegasus are more for the long haul and not so much a quick and out. Threw on the Vibrams and hit the road. My finish time today was 57 seconds slower than last year. Ironically I only covered a total of about three-hundred miles as opposed to over a thousand last time. In the end I just wanted to get it over with and finish the race. Corral A Bib number 3615 this time around too so one group ahead but at the same time it really didn't feel any different than my placement from last year. Supposedly an additional five-thousand runners this year too.
I got to the station with no issue and made my way up to the corral; after getting in I steeled myself in my mind and took in the national anthem and the three F15s that soared ahead. They were a far better site than I had imagined. The timing was simply impeccable as they came through right at the end line 'home of the brave.' The race began promptly at 7am and I was off; I stayed left and made my way forward trying to make my way around a number of people. This year I walked ahead a few people in my corral and next year will be even more aggressive with it because it costs time to make your way around so many people out of the gate. I mean the first mile is basically made longer due to the fact that you have to cut around so many people. Had a strong pace of 6:49 early on and felt good through the run. I didn't want to go out too quickly so that was another thing that danced in the back of my mind. One thing I applaud is the fact that there appeared to be less vendors throwing shirts into the crowds which is a real safety issue. Tried not to look at my Garmin so much in the hopes that the miles would just peel by. Believe it was around mile 3.58 when I actually looked down and saw my distance. The two hills relay got me this year; felt like I was faster up them last year but oh well. In the end what's done is done. I kept counting on my music to take my mind off of the trudging of my feet and keep me motivated which in the end made a difference. I did stop to get water at one point and while I tried to run and drink at the same time it did not prove a great idea. One swig and I tossed the cup; I needed fluid unfortunately since I had not stocked up properly the night before so I kept my eyes up for the next station. If finally came and in the end after grabbing a cup I slowed to a walk rather than risk choking. Got closer and closer to the finish and before I knew it I was at 16th and Peachtree. "Yes!" I recounted to myself realizing that I was all of six blocks away from 10th. At 10th the plan was to go anaerobic and push through but as I rounded the corner for 10th I felt very drained. Images of me yelling at myself and mini-mes stoking fires with fresh coal flared through my mind. Kept looking and looking for the finish, somehow it only seemed to get farther and farther away from me. This was draining and painful but I knew that I couldn't relent being this close to the finish. Passing a few people who'd passed me along the way I worked to swing my arms and travel forward and finally, finally, finally I crossed the finish line. Hit the stop button on the Garmin and shuffled off to the park entrance praying for some cold water or sports drink. Two bottles of warm water later I grabbed my shirt and a few other food items. The pain in my toes had me thinking I had blisters but fortunately it was just pain. The greatest thing ever though were though iced towels which felt like heaven pressed against my body. Awesome idea and kudos to whoever came up with that one. Picked up two cold Powerades and went back for another ice towel just because it felt that good then made my way back. Ran into a gentleman from Ohio, retired school teacher, who was down to visit his daughter and run the race. He asked me about my Vibrams and how I felt about them and I cracked up thinking after this race I'm done with these which I expressed to him. He told me that basically everyone he knew who'd gone to them went to another shoe shortly after. I guess you can add me to that list too. Great performance but at the end of the day the pain around and beneath my big toes has me rethinking things. Walked and talked for a while about running, politics and running in other cities. Discussed Portland and Seattle (my move to city) and this young lady from Seattle hearing our conversation joined in. It was nice to enjoy the walk back with them; running, especially running events build an uncommon camaraderie among strangers that I have never seen in any sport or event and I was proud to spend that walk in the company of friends.

In the end, I completed my third Peachtree Road Race today. Peachtree continues to be the largest and most popular 10k in the country and I'm proud that I could run it again. In hindsight after looking through my Garmin data I may have actually done slightly better this year than last which would certainly be a nice shocker. I will wait and see what my official finish time is and go from there. Well, I am very tired and will now get some rest. Apologize if my writing seemed hurried in some spots, just want to get some rest. Don't forget: KeepRunning!

Today is July 2nd...

Picked up my bib! Corral A so I'm right at the top. Looking forward to running my third Peachtree Road Race. KeepRunning!

Today is July 1st...

Today is Friday, July 1st. I completed my final day yesterday at the Japanese company where I have worked for the past three years. I enjoyed my time and experience there but have decided to pursue another position in Japan from the end of this month. It was a bit of a weird feeling waking up this morning and having no job to go to but at the same time it feels good to know that I ended on a good note and that I will take the experience with me wherever I go. It's 9:30am now and the sun is already high in the sky but I simply can't wait to get in a good run this evening. My running season starts from August 1st and runs through July 31st. My current running year ending this month has been a dismal and disappointing one (2010) however, I already know that the upcoming 2011 year will be so much better.

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Adidas Supernova Riot writeup

So far I'm just under 40 miles on the Supernova Riots; must say that it is a tough shoe. One thing during my 2.55 mile run today though however is that the shoes felt a bit stiff in the forefoot. Perhaps just one of those things that comes from an off day. In any case I'll keep running in them especially on my trail runs. Nice and tough finish that keeps out anything. I continue to like the color pattern also and have to say roomy or better yet comfortable in the toe box. More than this though tomorrow is my last day at work. Excited and happy to be traveling to Japan. I plan to purchase about an additional six or seven pairs of running shoes before I head over. Anyway, enough for now. KeepRunning! (always!)

Adidas Supernova Riot

Check out the link above to the Supernova Riot; bought these about a month ago and while I don't have a lot of miles on them I must say that I am impressed with the shoes. 

Pros: 

Comfortable

Fits to size

Staggers overpronation

Grips well

Roomy toe box

TRAIL READY!

Cons:

So far the two things that I have come across are both things that are controllable. One was slipping in forefoot but that was due to the fact that I didn't have them laced well enough and the second was traction on the sole but I was moving fast so to expect break speed traction is more a function of the runner rather than the shoes.

Expect to start logging some extended miles with these and really want to see how they wear down over time. Didn't buy them direct from Adidas but got them online from another source. I like the shoes and look forward to more runs in them. Keep you posted. 

It's official: Headed to Ishikawa, Japan

Well, looking forward to traveling to Japan next month. My next race is the Peachtree Roadrace on July 4th. I don't know that I have it in me to do better than I did last year. I mean a finish time of 44:48 last year was a great feeling. I'll be closer to the front of course but still not feeling it like I was last year.

In other news though I look to get back into running and adding trail running to the mix. I did discover a new trail by my job which I must say was a great surprise. Jester's Creek Trail it's called. I've been purchasing running gear, etc as I get ready to head out to Japan and look forward to really hitting it hard after being in a rut for a while now. Who knows, maybe even revive the site??? KeepRunning!

Here we go!!

As I quest to make a foray into the world of trail running while in Japan I recently purchased my first pair of trail running shoes. Picked up a pair of the New Balance Minimus shoes after reading about them in the Runner's World special on trail running. Love the look of the shoes; ordered in size 14 and it's kind of pushing it but I guess that an initial run will let me see. Love the ample toe box; toes have plenty of wiggle room. One thing is that on the inside of my big toes there is a good centimeter of spacing which at first feels weird but that too will require observation on the trail. The shoes have a Vibram bottom and a low, roughly, 5mm drop so they are not for heel strikers at all. It will likely take me a while to experience the shoe but I look forward to it.KeepRunning!

Run Fatboy Run!

After taking off the whole first quarter of the year I am getting back to running and to my old self. It'll take a while but such is the cost of slacking. Still loving my Garmin and would recommend to anyone who wants to track and make the most of their running. Looking forward to Japan in July and I'm thinking of trying out some trail running. Looking at shoes and whatnot now and will go from there. Who knows, may be better suited for that. I'm signed up for Peachtree so this will be my third year in a row running it and I'm hoping to beat my previous time of 44:48. I'm certain I can do it given the time that I have so we will have to see. In any case it's good to be on the road again.

"Boys be ambitious!" -WS Clarke