A really nice day for a run and I have been reading way too many books on running lately, so I wanted primarily to get out and experiment with a few of the things I have been reading to see which ones feel semi decent or something that might be more efficient for me.

The Run

Planned run and focus: A nice and easy 5.0 mile jaunt around Middle Road. I really didn’t want to wear my Beacons again. I have already worn them too many times in a row, but didn’t want to wear racing shoes either on an easy day run. So I looked at what was available in the back of the garage and it came down to the GlideRides or Propels. I haven’t worn the the Propels in quite a while, so it was their turn for another go.

• Course: Middle Road 4.0 Miler
• Weather: Mostly Sunny, 70*F, Humidity 66%, Wind 3mph S
• Distance: 4.02
• Time: 36:36
• Pace: 9:06

Splits:

• 1.0 – 9:02
• 2.0 – 8:53
• 3.0 – 8:59
• 4.0 – 9:24

What did I do well?

I maintained a really great focus on my running and ran tall, kept my arms back, felt as though I was landing with more of a mid-foot landing than I usually do and ran with a nice, compact form. While I was not working on speed, I could feel myself picking up the pace pretty easily, especially going downhill.

I stopped my 5.0 mile run at 4.0 miles and had a 1.0 mile cool-down walk. I am learning that sometimes it is better to just take what the body is willing to give and save the hard work for another day. I stopped at the right time for a change.

What do I need to work on?

Damn blister. The reason I put the Propels in the back of the garage was my last run in them they felt as though I was right on the edge of getting a blister. Today after about 100 yards, I could feel my ankle and the shoe not coexisting all that nicely and by the time I got on the dirt road, they had decided that it was going to hurt to keep running. I made it to 4.0 miles and shut it down. I didn’t want to play hero runner and make a small blister into a real issue.

Working on changing my form on a tough course was fatiguing…no, not so much physically, other than the blister issue I felt really good. I shut it down because I was tired mentally and didn’t want to deal with the blister stuff anymore, plus I really wanted to hold form throughout the run and over the last 50 yards I could tell that holding it together was not going to happen. I wanted the memory to be of the form I was using, not my usual all akimbo style.

I under-estimated how much difference using a different style of running would wear on the old noggin and when unnecessary distraction of the shoes causing a blister – I just didn’t have the mental toughness to keep going.

Shoes:

New Balance Propel – I felt really comfortable in them, well all except for my right ankle which was rubbing on the ankle sidewall the entire run.

This does suck because I like the fit and feel of the Propels otherwise, but when shoes do the blister routine it is a no go. Both pair of Propels bothered in the same area and that is the reason that I got rid of #1 and is the only reason I am getting rid of #2.

Yep, this version of the New Balance Propel has made its way to the give-away pile.

Razor 3 issues

Since whatever happened to my right foot last Saturday, my Razor 3s have not felt good on that foot. On a lark last Tuesday, I used them to walk in and it almost feels like in the Razors that my little toe is now being jammed into the one next to it and it didn’t feel this way before, I can’t quite figure out what is going on. I have changed the lacing a little and am using them for walking to try to figure out what is going on??? This morning’s long Benne walk was very uncomfortable at the end, so I am putting them out back of the garage for a week or two to see how the foot feels until then.

Other shoes are not causing any issues, so it is just more of the usual moving target with my right foot. About the time I think things are going good, something changes in that foot and screws up all the previous progress that I have made on shoe selection.

Just the way it goes sometimes.

What was I thinking?

Actually I except for the blister routine, it was a really good run and I learned that keeping my arms at 45* and pulling back with them helped me to stay taller and gave me a slight lean, even on the downhills. I was able to run quietly even with the full outsole of the Propels and just felt stronger until I got fatigued.

Unfortunately, with that blister it means that the Propels will be going away. I just don’t have confidence in them and while I really like the feel, the fit under the ankles just doesn’t cut it. Too bad, because they would have been good mileage hogs for me.

If someone wants a pair of 8EE New Balance Propels with under 20 miles on them, we can do let’s make a deal. 🙂