New Brooks shoes and new in-soles tested tonight for the first time and all good. A very nice 10 mile run along my favourite route. Great first 5 miles but then the actual turn around – to come back along the same route – seems to slow the pace down. Very strange. Not a bad overall time but could have been better.
Long 18 mile run planned next this coming weekend – haven’t decided the route yet – and may give the new Adizero shoes a try.
After a month or so running with the new shoes and new in-soles, painful feet and blisters forced me to re-assess. A quick trip back to the physio, who just said the shoes are too loose and then a few more runs with them tied up better, but still not good. Back to good old Sweatshop in Teddington today and with their fantastic 30 day returns on shoes (after you’ve tried them as much as you want). A long chat with one of the guys there and trying on new shoes, and back to Brooks, that just feel far far better on my feet – it’s so comfortable when you put your feet in them. And then a chat about marathons and the guy serving me (Tim) being very modest about his own one-time marathon run of 2 hours 35 minutes! Awesomeness right in front of me. That’s 26.2 miles at less than 6 minutes per mile. Unbelievable. Now I’m listening even more to this guy – some good training tips as well from him (including doing speed running as I’ve been doing). Then a suggestion from Tim on looking at lighter shoes – as well – to use for actually running the marathon in. Something I’d never thought of. Tried on a pair of bright yellow Adidas Adizero ones – and you can’t feel these shoes on your feet. So nice. Plan is to do the longer pace runs in these ones.
A very productive trip to Sweatshop and thanks to their 30 day guarantee and great service, I got better shoes, another pair (some more socks) and paid more money but all happy.
4 good runs this week. 8 miles to start and then 9 miles the next day (at a faster pace) and then 10 the next (slightly slower). Really enjoying the 10 mile distance as well. And then a 4.5 miler on Saturday with first 5km fast (not as fast as recently though – being about -5 degrees C didn’t help). 3 planned this week with an 18 miler long one.
Drop food on the floor and if you pick it up within 5 seconds it’s safe or is it…
It might be an urban myth – that you have 5 seconds to pick up and eat food that has been dropped on the floor before it picks up germs and stuff – but when running, knocking 5 seconds off your time feels very good.
29 miles in total done this week and in new shoes with new in-soles (orthotics). 10 miles on Monday – 3 loops around the “block” (first time I’ve done loops like that) and not a bad run. 4 on Thursday – fast – about 15 seconds slower for the 5km faster bit (but late at night and after a long day’s work so all good). And then 15 today – a great first 8 miles and then slowed a bit for the next 5 and then a faster finish. Along past the Thames in Twickenham and up to a busy Richmond Park for a bit – with a lot of other runners about. You can tell it’s marathon training time! And yes Richmond Park is still as hilly as it was a couple of years back – it’s the home of my longer (20+ mile runs).
New shoes this week – on recommendation of the foot biomechanics physio. And nice shoes as well – ASICS Cumulus 13. New in-soles from the physio in them as well (Vectorthotics), custom fit for me. Have 3 sets for running, work shoes and one spare just in case. Combination of all this new stuff and longer runs this week means sore feet – running it all in. May need a bit of fine tuning from the physio on them but not too bad today on the 15 mile one. And it’s not plantar fasciitis as diagnosed by the doctor (see post from last year) a few weeks back – it’s dodgy shaped feet. Makes me feel so much better, but with these in-soles in all my shoes it should be sorted.
Fund raising needs to get kickstarted again now – your help is needed here. Go to my Just Giving page to donate. Only 12 weeks to go. Some creative ideas from Mrs. Noble including cupcakes for everyone and homemade romantic Valentine’s cards. Stay tuned…
4 runs planned this next week and back over 30 miles (over the full week).
11 miles yesterday at a slowish pace. Along the Thames again and over Richmond Bridge. Very chilly and wet, so even more layers on – could only just move the legs!
Have done a fair few 10 milers and 12 milers but not an 11 before. Shouldn’t make any different but 11 sounds odd – ha ha. 8 minutes 30 seconds per mile pace – so slower than planned marathon pace and it now feels wrong to run at that pace. Feels like the pace running is paying off. Happy days.
A dodgy foot this feet – apparently suffering from Plantar Fasciitis – inflammation of the plantar fascia in the foot (a band of tissue running from the heel to the middle foot bones). And yes it hurts. Funnily enough more when not running.
Advice from the doctor is rest – easy running hopefully along those lines – plus stretching and a nice info sheet printed off by the doctor. A trip to the physio later this week for more help and to see if some new custom in-soles are needed.
Bought the current ones about 3 years back and they’ve been one of the best running investments there is. Had a problem when training for the marathon in 2009 when at about 16 miles (on the longer runs) my knees would hurt. Saw a physio and did some proper foot and running analysis and they fitted me with some in-soles for my shoes designed for my feet. Worked a treat. Suspect now they need replacing and shoes may do too. Brooks GTS11 are my current shoes – had the GTS8 ones before and loved them. GTS11 are the latest ones.
One more longish easy run planned this week – on the way to the physio – and then a fast 5km on Friday. And more running next week – first one on Boxing Day morning.