The unwilling salesman

“Are you sure about this”? The salesman looked at me with bewildered eyes. I’d been in this situation before and I knew just what he was thinking, “This man is mad, I have to save him”! Sure enough, he suggested I try something more substantial. All the usual suspects were introduced to me.  “Well, I really enjoy running in light, fast shoes. That’s why I thought I’d go for the Ronin but I think I’ll go for the A5s instead”, I declared.  “The A5 is really light, significantly lighter than the Ronin and that one is light to begin with”, the salesman countered. “I think I can benefit from it. It will be a good thing”. Then the salesman played his trump card. “Just out of curiosity, how much do you run”? He was only doing his job, saving mortals from the temptation of fast, light running shoes that should be reserved for.. whom exactly?

We’ve all seen them, the flashy racing flats that make the shoes next to them look like plateau shoes; the Saucony A5 is one of them. I used to think, ”who wears those?! Why do they even bother having those, they never sell them”? At my last race, however, I saw several runners wearing ultra-light racing flats, so why not me? After all, I finished ahead of some of those runners. So, I tried a pair on and it felt just exactly what I wanted to have on my feet:  a fast shoe with good ground feel yet without any flimsiness.

The salesman fumbled for words after my reply to his question. “Five to six times.. per week”?!  Suddenly, he started asking me for advice on shoes...

More holes in them than the German defense against Italy

Of course different shoes are good for different people, but I really feel like many runners could benefit from a light, close-to-the ground shoe instead of a heavier shoe that tries to correct your stride, which is just uncomfortable. Luckily, there is a trend towards lighter shoes becoming popular again, with many people looking for “barefoot-like” shoes that are promoted as bringing runners back to nature and such. Don’t get tricked by the latest fad, “barefoot-like” shoes have always existed and are called racing flats and the Saucony A5 is one of them. Racing flats brings you closer to the ground, which leads to unrivaled feedback for your body as well as your mind on how you’re running. That evening I went for a short run and was even more pleasantly surprised than I could have imagined.  I won’t be running every run in the A5s, but on first impression I think they’ll be good for any type of running, intervals, tempo, regular easy runs and eventually long runs. I say this because I really don’t think there is a direct correlation between the weight of shoes and how far you can run in them.  The A5s are lighter than for example the Mizuno Ronin and my NB 1400s, but they have a wider heel and feel closer to the ground and, a combination which results in a stable ride, which should be good on my feet.  Although on this run it felt just good to be back running, but not only that - this was runner’s high! Yes, good to be back running, finally…

Last time I wrote I was talking about that it was time for some hard training again, but unfortunately, it’s been pretty much the opposite since then. I had allowed myself a week off after the half-marathon at the end of May, which I followed with a solid 40 mile week and seemed to be back on track. I then caught a cold, which I tried to run through, but this only made it worse culminating in what ultimately turned out to be a disappointing 10k race on June 17^th. I took a couple of days off, then last weekend I tried to avenge my poor performance with fast paced intervals 3 x 1.5 miles at 5:50 but that was simply not a good idea as I had to abandon half-way through due to the heat, and suddenly running wasn’t so much fun anymore… When returning home after work I didn’t have the feeling I just had to go for a run that I’ve had all year. How ironic then that I had only recently wished to take my running to a new level (investing in short-shorts, sleeveless running tops and starting this blog). Luckily, my rut didn’t last long. A run with Anais to Dow’s lake and back was exactly what I needed, but just in case this wasn’t enough I knew just the remedy to get my motivation to return – you guessed it, new shoes! So now, follow my example, whenever you don’t feel like running, go buy a new pair of running shoes!  Who knows, maybe you’ll end up with as many as me, haha! Conveniently, what helped my cause is, not only are racing flats cheaper than regular shoes, I also had a $20 off coupon that I had received from participating is the Ottawa race weekend. The real message here, however, is that we should listen to our bodies and sometimes it’s ok to take more time off even though you’ve just taken a recent break. You’ll come back stronger and hungry for more. Hopefully, you feel the same about this blog.

Race report - Alterna Ultimate run for Men’s cancer 10k 37:11, 4th

  Ottawa in the summer is scorching hot, hence the 7:45 am start of this race. Those who know me will attest to the fact I’m not a morning person, perhaps not even an afternoon person! Yet, somehow I managed to run a 10k PR of 35:55 in April at 8 in the morning, so there was reason for optimism. Today, I was coming off a cold; however, I thought with all my half marathon training that surely a fast 10k was not out of my depth.

I’m usually a slow starter but today I wanted to start fast and see where it could get me, particularly since I thought I had started too slowly in the half-marathon last time out. Never mind that I had not really prepared for this race, I wanted to run my best and avenge last year’s DNF and I knew a time around 36 could be good enough for 1^st place. So I fancied my chances. 

Ohoh..looks like someone false-started..

 After a 1k warm-up, nothing more seemed to be needed in the heat, we were off pleasingly at a good pace that wasn’t too fast. Two runners took the lead with a few others following just a few yards behind, including me. After about 1k I was right behind them, and although my stride wasn’t the best, the pace seemed effortless. I then made a move to pass them as I thought the 5:55 pace we had settled into just wasn’t cutting it. The first mile had passed in 5:44, right on target.

Being an out-and- back and out-and-back course, there would be two awkward turn-around-points to navigate. Usually not that big of a deal but the first water station was located right before the turning point. Juggling a drink, I managed an awful turn with at least four runners right behind me. Leading a pack is an unfamiliar experience for me; so, although I was still feeling pretty good I couldn’t make up my mind whether to try to pull away or keep it reasonable and reserve energy for the 2^nd half. Mile two was 5:52. I wanted to pull away but I just couldn’t shake them. The race was becoming mentally tough and when we hit 4k mark and I hadn’t pulled away from the rest of the pack, I just wasn’t feeling so fresh anymore. When we reached the half-way point I was still leading, clocking in at 17:56, but my legs felt fatigued and I decided to fall back. The three runners that had been on my heels passed me and I couldn’t quite stick with them.  A gap opened up, which was aaaagonizing. My pace dropped to over 6 minutes and reaching the hill by Carleton it was really slow. Was this really happening again? Another DNF seemed inevitable! While mile 3 had been 5:52, mile 4 was a meager 6:15. Surely, other runners soon were about to start passing me? Crap. From 5k and 7.5k I had a really hard time, but I decided to hang in there. Reaching the final turning point at 7.5k, I could tell runners were closing on me, but surprisingly, the runners ahead weren’t that far ahead – was there a miraculous come-back in store? To level the playing field I refueled with pure spring water from the Swiss Alps (almost coming to a complete stop to have a drink!) so decided to go for a final throw of the dice! If it wasn’t the water then turning point gave me a bit of energy: now it was just a matter of bringing it home! I picked up the pace to just below 6..here we go, back in business, but it soon turned out unmaintainable.. at least, no one caught me and the final mile was 6:06, which was followed by a final push over the last 0.2 for 5:48.

Three serious runners (note the sun-glasses) and one not-so-serious "motionär"

In summary, I took a chance today, but it turned out to be a mistake.  Awarded a trophy for 2^nd place in age category and 2nd best 10k time for me so I'm satisfied. After a couple of off-weeks it's time for some hard training once more. To cite Zlatan Ibrahimovic: Det ar bara att komma igen!
 Apparently, the top 3 had a right sprint to the finish: 1) Pellerin 36:13, 2) Fillion 36:13, 3) Riggs 36:17, 4) de Bruin 37:11, 5) Carter 37:17.   Out of 431.

I changed

Last year I started running and I haven't stopped since. Why? I had given up on the game of soccer. Now, I needed something else to do. Golf? I wasn't that old yet. Darts? I wasn't drinking that much yet..So when Anais suggested running, I gave it a go.

Sniper just misses his target...

 I had always liked running, but it was more of a means of staying fit than for enjoyment. During my soccer days, I thought if I ran once every now and then I was ok...then Anais presented me with our training plan and I burst out: what?! I have to run 4-5 times a week, how am I supposed to do that?! But I tried it, and now I can't imaging not running 4-5 times a week. There are no coaches bossing you around, no team-mates constantly asking for the ball, and no referee ignoring the obvious foul by the opponent.  Turned out she had done me a big favour. So this one is for you, Anais.