Excuse me for getting all gross with an open wound on my beat-up feet, but Riana picked up some Spenco 2nd Skin AquaHeal Hydrogel bandages. After days of having cheap bandages from Walgreens simply flake off when faced with the abrasion from the heal cups of my new Merrells, I was surprised and delighted to see that this one actually stayed on for a little over nine miles — an then survived the shower afterwards.
This means the blisters and scabs that tend to accumulate during training then refuse to heal until nearly the end of the rest cycle might actually clear up before the taper! Yes, they’re spendy — $10 for a six pack at REI — but when you think about it, the marginal improvement from being able to train longer and harder is pretty high relative to the marginal cost of these over regular bandages.
Nurse Flashman approves, anyway.
On Pace
The view from my turnaround point at the end of the Aquatic Park breakwater.
Today was the last day of the third week of my training cycle for the California International Marathon. The day’s regimen called for 20km (12.4 miles) at marathon pace. I ran 11.94 miles in 1:26:22 for a 7:14/mile clip. Not as fast as my last half marathon, but right on the pace target for the 3:10:59 chip time I’ll need to qualify for Boston in my age group.
And that was in busy tourist traffic through SOMA and Fisherman’s Wharf via the Embarcadero. Also, I was at a 7:05 pace in the last mile, my 49th in six of seven days over the last week. As I eased out of my rest break, I did 20.5 mostly aerobic miles before starting the cycle. Week one was 34.5 over five days, which was already about as much as I’d done in the peak week ahead of the last CIM. The previous week was 41.5 over six days.
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In lieu of a full review, this is the best metaphor I could come up with so far to compare my old shoes to my new shoes.
Merrell Men’s Barefoot Run Trail Glove: Massive Attack, “Mezzanine,” 1998 (Spotify, Rdio) — more of a fast, hard edge that’s raw and gripping which pulls you through the searing pain.
Merrell Men’s Barefoot Run Bare Access: Kraak & Smaak, “Mixed Feelings,” 2012 (Spotify, Rdio) — more of a soft bounce that’s popularly accessible and trying to keep you bubbly and inspired.
ericmortensen:
ReWalk ushers in the age of the exoskeleton
Though it may be described by its creators, Argo Medical Technologies, as a “wearable, motorized exoskeleton suit,” it’s no exaggeration to describe ReWalk as bionic technology—at least not according to Merriam-Webster’s definition. Back in April and May of this year, Claire Lomas used ReWalk to complete the London Marathon in 16 days despite being paralyzed from the chest down.
This month, she is taking ReWalk home for daily use, which is something of a milestone in assistive technology. It’s claimed that this is first time an exoskeleton suit has been used unsupervised in the home environment as a long-term alternative to the wheelchair.
Not trying to fetishize assistive devices or the people who use them, but stories like these certainly keep things in perspective. I’m grateful for my health, and running has played a big role in that, but what if an injury or an accident took away my ability to walk? The mere thought fills me with fear and grief. So it’s some comfort to know that I still might be able to take the 26.2 mile tour of London.
It was a beautiful day at Kezar for nine miles, including seven 800m intervals. Can’t say I held up under three minutes for all of them — my device batteries all crapped out after half an hour, saving me the indignity of a descending pace — but I felt pretty strong throughout if raspy.
Big, beautiful crowd assembled after work, think I saw the San Francisco Road Runners among others. My new Merrells are kind of too cushy for this track work — felt I would have been faster in the trail gloves. But I’m sure my ankles will be thanking me next time I hit a twenty mile mark.
Out with the old, in with the new! Those are my old Merrell Trail Gloves on the left, with probably well over the recommended 1200 miles of wear. On the right? The Merrell Barefoot Bare Access, with a road grip sole and twice the EVA cushioning (4mm instead of 2mm) which should be better suited to long road distances for my marathon training miles. Plan to take them through their paces on the Kezar track tonight.
ballerinarunner:
ilivetobefit:
That’s Sami Stoner, a high school cross-country runner…who is legally blind. That’s her and Chloe, her guide dog, competing. What’s your excuse?
this is AMAZING
Never work with children or animals. No matter how well you perform, they will always steal the show.
(via runnersclub)
Zoë Stagg: Can You Run While Pregnant?
zoestagg:
No.
Sure, the Googles and WebMDs and real MDs will say otherwise, but no. You can’t.
They’ll tell you, “Sure! Women do it all the time! Right up until they deliver!” And it will make you feel like you should, even if every single mile you run makes you cry.
I shouldn’t have run a single…
That answers that! Seems an appropriate time to remind everyone to please consult your doctor before starting any exercise program. Then ignore them and go with how you feel.
