Shoe Re-calibration

Much overthinking follows in this post...be warned!!

As a practitioner of kaizen, both personally and professionally, I usually make small changes and evaluate.  Lots of small changes, regularly.  The big move??  Not so much.

Yet, sometimes kaikaku is more appropriate than kaizen.  Kaikaku means making a major change, well considered, a step which fundamentally alters a process.  And knowing the difference between the two is the key.

All this applies to running shoes, our most fundamental piece of equipment.  I've had two kaikaku moments surrounding shoes in the last 8 years. I may have had my third last Saturday.

When I started this era of running in May 2004, I had no clue about current running shoe technology, having not run regularly since 1990 or so.  After some false starts, I first visited a real shoe store in Indy in November, 2004, discovered Brooks and got into a pair of Adrenalines.  See the story here.

Those shoes worked wonderfully for me until the late fall of 2006.  After running the Portland Marathon that October, I locked up with regular ITB pain in both legs.  In February, 2007, I made another visit to a different running store and discovered the big, honkin' Brooks Beast.  See this story here.  The behemoth of running shoes, it gave me the super control I needed and cured the ITB issue.  I've gone through 14 pairs of Beasts since, with no injuries.  It worked.

Recently, however, I wondered, are the assumptions I made six years ago still valid?  The biggest change in that time is the weight I lost in 2010.  I was at 205+ lbs when I got the Beasts.  I've been at 175-178 since August 2010 and I can tell the difference.  Amazing how well running can go when you leave two bowling balls at home.  The Beast is designed for big guys.  Am I still "big"??  

With this on my mind, I made another trip to a specialty running store last Saturday, a local shop which opened this spring just a few blocks from my house.  I lugged in three old pairs of shoes, two pairs of Beasts and my one remaining pair of Adrenalines.  Once more, the owner of the store spent a lot of time with me, not in a hurry, looking at my shoes, looking at me running barefoot on a treadmill, talking first and trying on shoes later.  I deeply appreciated the attention and care.

We observed two important things.  First, my pronation (inward foot roll) is now hardly observable.  Running barefoot showed a nearly neutral landing on my left foot and only a touch of roll on my right foot, despite my high arches.  Secondly, my foot measures to a size 10 shoe.

The first fact indicated that the Beast may indeed be too much shoe for me now.  The second fact indicated I probably had the wrong combination of shoe size and sock. I've been wearing size 12 Beasts and two pairs of socks--a thin liner sock and a very heavy outer sock.  As the owner pointed out, the "cushy" sock contributed to  more foot movement, somewhat like running on a sandy surface.

So, we dismantled these things and, after a lot of iterations, I returned to Brooks Adrenalines once again, this time version 12.  And, importantly, size 10 1/2.  A full size and a half smaller.  Wow...what difference will the mere size change make??

Inside the shoe, I am trying a very thin sock, the Balega UltraLight, size L.  I found the thin sock inside the smaller shoe worked.  It's also kind of a funky sock, in that it has a left and a right sock in each pair.  Further, the sock is made in South Africa, the place where I began running in 1978 and did my first two marathons in 1979 and 1980.  Gijima, bonkosi, gijima!  (Zulu for "run, people, run!")

This experiment will extend through this summer.  I have two marathons in the next three weeks...following the maxim "nothing new on race day", I'll wear the Beasts in both.  From that, we'll see how the new system rolls out on longer runs.

I warned you this post had some extreme overthinking.  Thanks for riding along!!

Persevere.  Shoot, you already did if you are still reading!!!


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How to Clean Really Muddy Running Shoes

My last post was long and philosophical.   This one is pictorial and practical.

The implication of running the HUFF 50K through lots of mud is really muddy shoes.  You can see me here around mile 29...check the shoes.

From Running-General

The shoes are supposed to be light grey...but are solid black.

When the race ended, I walked to my car and retrieved my cold, soggy feet from their mud-caked cocoon.  I sensed a photo series possible.

From Running-General

I stowed these beauties in separate plastic bags in the trunk of my car, letting them ferment.

The following afternoon, I laid into them.  First I removed the shoe laces.  Then, I put them in a 5 gallon bucket and hacked away with a stiff brush to get the bulk of the mud off.  Had the race happened in the summer, I would have done this with a hose in the backyard...but in the Indiana winter, it was a bucket indoors.

From Running-General

This is a time for "tough love"...scrub like crazy and get the gunk off.  No reason to be gentle at all.

Meanwhile, I rinsed and rerinsed the shoelaces and socks, then put them into a bleach solution.  This photo was after the third rinse, such was the grime.

From Running-General

At this point, I tried something new.  On the drive home from the race, Brian mentioned he had once just put his shoes right in the washing machine.  As I looked at my shoes, I figured I had nothing to lose, so I tried it as well.

I pulled out the insoles and threw in both shoes, sans shoelaces still.  I looked really hard in the owners manual to find the "Running Shoe Cycle" but didn't come across it.

From Running-General

So, I set the machine on a medium load to get plenty of water in the machine, hot water wash, warm water rinse, gentle cycle.  I put in plenty of detergent and four glugs of bleach just to de-gunk the puppies.  (I hope I haven't lost you in the technical language)

A half hour later, out they came.  Shoes were wet but clean.  The insoles held up well, it seemed.

From Running-General

I did NOT put the shoes in the dryer!  I just let them air dry for a few days.  Had I needed the shoes more quickly, I could have stuffed newspapers in them.  The shoelaces dried too.

Relacing the shoes, these babies were ready to go, looking none the worse for spending 7 hours and 50km tromping through mud and water.

From Running-General

This pair of Brooks Beasts (my 12th pair of Beasts, by the way...did I ever mention I like Brooks shoes??!!) now has 620 miles on them.  I wore them on a regular training run yesterday and they felt great. 

Hope you've had some fun with the photos!!  Don't ever give up on a pair of shoes just due to a muddy trail run!!

Persevere!!

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Thinking, Running. Running, Thinking

ORN: 24.0 miles, R1/W1, 4:47:55, 12:00/mile

At work late Friday afternoon, a colleage popped into my office. She had read this blog recently, noting I was now a "sponsored runner". She's preparing for a half-marathon this spring and had some shoe questions. She then asked about my prep for the Los Angeles Marathon. I noted this weekend, three weeks ahead of race day, was the time for the last long run. How long? she asked and then grimaced when I replied "23." She then asked me a very perceptive question.

"So, Joe, just what do you think about on such a long run?"

That is one of the best questions I've ever been asked about running. I stumbled a bit when talking with her. Yet, as I set out this morning, I decided to catalog just what I did think about. And several categories emerged.

Not surprisingly, I thought about running quite a bit. With a marathon only three week away, I played out the various preparations remaining, travel not the least of them. I also thought about the run/walk strategy. Once more, I used a one minute run, one minute walk plan for today's long run. Amazing...it hits a heart-rate zone which lets me feel like I can just go and go. The first 14 miles of the run was largely on snow and slush from the overnight flurries, which is not efficient. Nevertheless, the 1/1 worked great. No pain, no niggles, no nothing. Just running.

I also thought a lot about both family and work. There are a lot of situations in both. What do I do? Or not do? Who do I write? Who do I phone? Who do I leave alone? I find the long weekend runs often allow me enough time to truly process ambiguous situations more fully. Yet, I often can't get into those topics for a good hour or so after getting started.

Speaking of snow, I thought a lot today about just how to describe the bleakness of Indiana in late February. The 1/2" of overnight snow on top of gritty piles of snow from bigger storms earlier in the month reminded me of something, but just what? Then it hit me. It was like going to a wedding ceremony at which you know both families have some significant dysfunctions. They dress up nicely but you can see some of the ugliness still peeking through.

Better to just show some photos, though. I've told you before about the fields I run through...here they are on a really grey, overcast winter day.

Corn Field


Running Path

The running path here had drifted shut pretty well. The only place to run had been packed down but resembled a single-track, heavily-rooted trail run much more than the broad asphalt sitting underneath it.

Soybean Field

And here's my favorite soybean field. Dry, cold, silent.

All these photos are color, folks. This is just how grey it can get here. My wife and I have often speculated that the length and colorless-ness of winter is one reason high school and college basketball are so popular in the Midwest. It simply offers people a wonderful diversion from the toughness of the outdoors. I noted to publish photos of the same scenes in May...the contrast is fantastic.

I thought a lot about wisdom today. Not a common topic, but I think about it. Simply put, wisdom is proper application of knowledge. How do I learn wisdom? How do I assess it in my own life?

I though about, ached with and prayed for a good friend with whom we used to work. His wife lost a two-year battle with cancer a week ago. Today was her memorial service. What was he feeling? How was he doing? Now a widower at age 55, how was the grief working out? How can I support him? A man of faith, John is nevertheless struggling in knowing the hope God offers on one hand while facing very real loss on the other. I simply ached for him.

As the run ended, I shifted back to thinking about running. The 1/1 worked well, really well. And an idea. As the Garmin said I hit mile 22.8, I decided to run continuously the rest of the way. And so I did. The last 1.2 miles came in at a 10:22 pace, the fastest pace of the day. Better, it felt very comfortable. I ended the run feeling well prepared for Los Angeles. Assuming, of course, there is no snow on the ground there.

So that's what I thought about for nearly 5 hours. Some things noble, some mundane, but mostly useful. And that's what good questions do...they make us think more deeply.

Persevere. And think well.


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And now, a word from our Sponsor

ORN: 10.4 miles, R4/W1, 1:45:30, 10:09/mile

It was great to see the sun this afternoon. The sun belied the raw sting of the mean west wind, however. Winter runs are something you just do and you find other ways to enjoy the time.

One point of enjoyment and awe was meeting, twice, six members of Purdue's track team. Boy, you talk about picking the right gene pool...each guy tall, rail-thin, moving gracefully and effortlessly. The first time I met them, all six were running hard but not at full speed. And they were flying. About 20 minutes later, after I turned around, they had too and obviously cranked up the pace. Three of them left the other three behind and were really running hard. It was awesome. I also smiled, as I remembered they were 19 or 20...I am 56. They are built for speed...I was a catcher and offensive lineman...built to squat and take up space. No need to emulate...rather to just look on in appreciation.

The other point of enjoyment was to realize I went out for an "easy 10." And I could say that, with a straight face. That never ceases to amaze me. I'm continually grateful for the mere opportunity to run.



Which brings me to my other point and the title of this post. Last fall, I heard about a program Brooks offers called "Inspire Daily". In short, it's an effort in viral marketing in which Brooks connects with bloggers who will write about Brooks products and, more importantly it seems, wear obvious Brooks gear in races. I love my Brooks shoes and gear...shoot, I'm now wearing my tenth pair of Brooks Beasts, after going through about six pairs of Brooks Adrenelines before that, all in the last 5+ years. Way back in 1978, I got my first pair of Brooks shoes, the iconic Brooks Vantage.

So I put in my application, not knowing where in the cyberbox it might end up. Amazingly, in early January, I learned I was accepted. So, now I'm a sponsored runner. In return for talking and wearing Brooks, I get a significant discount on their gear. And I get to participate in an experiment in digital, viral marketing. How does this business model really work?? I get to see for myself.

Brooks Gear

In the mail yesterday, as promised, they sent me my running gear. Some nice stuff, indeed. And the colors all line up perfectly with the other Brooks Nitelife gear I already own.

This is a long way from a NASCAR-esque type sponsorship, where I precede each sentence with "My 87 Chevy Army Pepsi-Cola car gave me a good ride today but..." Yet it might be fun to see how it plays out.

If only it ever warms up a bit...

Persevere.


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