Some time ago Brooks discontinued the Glycerin 7's for the new 8's. I bought a pair or two of the 7's before they were gone and now I'm on my second pair of 8's. They don't fit right and the toebox was made differently between two different pairs/colors from different sources. One I bought in town was too tight which I only really noticed after wearing it a few times. Also, where my heel lands wore out way too soon - 300 miles. The second pair (shipped from the Brooks warehouse) has a higher toebox but it's also snug in the toes and after my 21 miler yesterday I had a blister on the end of my second toe. A few miles of running this morning changed it into a blood blister. That never happened in my 7's or 6's. Well, for me the Brooks Glycerin line is unacceptable. Too bad.
Sometime soon, I'll search for a new shoe. I still have my last two pairs of Glycerin 7's that both have 400 miles plus on them but I use them for trail races. I'll be bringing them out again for the Birkebeiner Trail Marathon and also the Surf the Murph 50M. Although those 7's have more miles that I like to have on them, they've served me well in all my trail racing this year.
--Mark
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Nathan HPL 020
The Nathan HPL 020 is my first hydration pack. I read reviews online and people say it is comfortable to wear but sometimes there are issues with the bladder. Some people say they replace the bladder with one from Camelback. I'll go with comfort first.
I wore the pack on a 20 mile run last Friday. Since it was my first time wearing one, it was heavy at first. I liked the pockets in the front for my Shot-Bloks and S!Caps. There was some storage in a zippered compartment in the back that I didn't need to use on this run. For an all day event, I would take some time and pack a few extra things.
This pack holds about 70 ounces of water which is exactly what I used in 3 hours of running. I had no problems at all with the pack and will use it on my long runs and in the Birkebeiner Marathon in September. In the marathon I plan to stop at the half-way point to refill.
This review is short partly because I have nothing to complain about.
--Mark
I wore the pack on a 20 mile run last Friday. Since it was my first time wearing one, it was heavy at first. I liked the pockets in the front for my Shot-Bloks and S!Caps. There was some storage in a zippered compartment in the back that I didn't need to use on this run. For an all day event, I would take some time and pack a few extra things.
This pack holds about 70 ounces of water which is exactly what I used in 3 hours of running. I had no problems at all with the pack and will use it on my long runs and in the Birkebeiner Marathon in September. In the marathon I plan to stop at the half-way point to refill.
This review is short partly because I have nothing to complain about.
--Mark
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Urban Wildland 5K
Ran this one with Kathy. This was a new long distance for her and she did it without walking. I finished in 30:46 and was happy to run again with her.
Her next race is the Door County Fall 50 relay where she will probably run 2 legs of 3 to 5 miles. My next race is the Birkebeiner Marathon the third weekend in September between Hayward and Cable, WI. I'm really looking forward to that one.
--Mark
Her next race is the Door County Fall 50 relay where she will probably run 2 legs of 3 to 5 miles. My next race is the Birkebeiner Marathon the third weekend in September between Hayward and Cable, WI. I'm really looking forward to that one.
--Mark
Monday, August 2, 2010
Firehouse 2 mile run
I spent a 3-day weekend in Grand View, Wis. for a family reunion on the same weekend on the annual town picnic and the popular Firehouse 50 bike race. My wife Kathy has been running a little bit and was ready to run her first race, the 2-miler on Sunday. Well, during the weekend, numerous bug bites, and who know what else, caused one of Kathy's ankles to swell. It remained swollen for a few days and was still not better Saturday night. Kathy didn't think she was going to run the race. Bummer. Saturday morning (early) she was still not going to run. I had promised Kathy that I would run the race with her and I was really looking forward to that.
I took a short drive to town to register myself for the 2 miler. Instead of looking forward to an easy run (since Kathy and my paces are far from equal) I was now thinking about what degree of pain to put myself through. My nephew had said he was going to run a 12:00 and he was going to beat me. I said....Yes you will, but set your goal to 11:59 so you can be sub-6's. I decided to shoot for a 6:10 first mile and a 6:35 second mile. That would give me a 12:45 which would be a 9 second improvement over the last time I ran the race four years ago. Doable. It was nice to have the plan set and I got my shirt and bib and I headed back to the shack.
Kathy was up and her ankle was NOT swollen. She said she wanted to run the race and we headed back to town to get her registered. I erased the plan (6:10/6:35) from my head and breathed a little easier.
[fast forward to the race]
At race time we got our chips and loaded into Firetrucks and pickups for the ride out to the start. My gym teacher from 2nd Grade was driving the pickup truck we rode in. I remembered a story my Mom told me once about a 10 mile race she and him were in together. Before the race, he asked my Mom if he could just pace with her [I assume he wanted to run 'easy']. :-) She said: Sure. Mom said that it wasn't long into the race when she left him in the dust of the gravel road, huffing and puffing. I decided not to bring up his running past because that was the only story I knew.
This race was chip-timed with a horn start and just a finish line mat. The horn sounded and off we went. Kathy ran hard and only walked while taking drinks from her water bottle. In the end, she ran longer than she ever had before and at a faster pace than she expected. We finished in 18:56 and Kathy still does not enjoy running, but she finished, and she ran hard all the way. Oh, my nephew ran a 13:45 so next year I think I will be racing him. He's got some work to do to get down to the 12:00 he wants to run. I don't know if I'll beat him but whatever happens, it will be fun.
Next up: Urban Wildland 5K where Kathy and I will be running together.
This morning I registered for the Birkebeiner Trail Marathon [race date: 9/25]. This is the first year of the individual marathon event. I'm hoping the beautiful Fall colors will take my mind off the numerous rolling hills I'm sure to encounter.
--Mark
I took a short drive to town to register myself for the 2 miler. Instead of looking forward to an easy run (since Kathy and my paces are far from equal) I was now thinking about what degree of pain to put myself through. My nephew had said he was going to run a 12:00 and he was going to beat me. I said....Yes you will, but set your goal to 11:59 so you can be sub-6's. I decided to shoot for a 6:10 first mile and a 6:35 second mile. That would give me a 12:45 which would be a 9 second improvement over the last time I ran the race four years ago. Doable. It was nice to have the plan set and I got my shirt and bib and I headed back to the shack.
Kathy was up and her ankle was NOT swollen. She said she wanted to run the race and we headed back to town to get her registered. I erased the plan (6:10/6:35) from my head and breathed a little easier.
[fast forward to the race]
At race time we got our chips and loaded into Firetrucks and pickups for the ride out to the start. My gym teacher from 2nd Grade was driving the pickup truck we rode in. I remembered a story my Mom told me once about a 10 mile race she and him were in together. Before the race, he asked my Mom if he could just pace with her [I assume he wanted to run 'easy']. :-) She said: Sure. Mom said that it wasn't long into the race when she left him in the dust of the gravel road, huffing and puffing. I decided not to bring up his running past because that was the only story I knew.
This race was chip-timed with a horn start and just a finish line mat. The horn sounded and off we went. Kathy ran hard and only walked while taking drinks from her water bottle. In the end, she ran longer than she ever had before and at a faster pace than she expected. We finished in 18:56 and Kathy still does not enjoy running, but she finished, and she ran hard all the way. Oh, my nephew ran a 13:45 so next year I think I will be racing him. He's got some work to do to get down to the 12:00 he wants to run. I don't know if I'll beat him but whatever happens, it will be fun.
Next up: Urban Wildland 5K where Kathy and I will be running together.
This morning I registered for the Birkebeiner Trail Marathon [race date: 9/25]. This is the first year of the individual marathon event. I'm hoping the beautiful Fall colors will take my mind off the numerous rolling hills I'm sure to encounter.
--Mark
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