Colchester Half

Today I ran the Colchester Half Marathon. I've had virtually no training, I really just wanted to catch up with one of my work running buddies who'd recently left. Nevertheless, I managed 1:49:19 - about 8:20 min/mile. Not bad - although it's a good min/mile slower than my best effort at this distance - it's actually my 2nd best time out of 5 half marathon efforts. So in that regard, I'm pleased. The course is tough - very hilly throughout with about 4 fairly steep climbs. I hit 8 miles at 1:05 (8:07), but then needed 44 minutes to cover the last 5.1 miles (8:38 pace). There were a lot of friendly folks from work there as well. One lent me money for the registration, another ran with me at the end even though she easily could've torched me at the end. Greg, my friend from work invited me back to his house after the run and his wife cooked up one of the best omlettes I've ever eaten. All in all, a great day.

Back in the Saddle

Not quite back in the saddle - but soon perhaps. I managed 4 runs last week before heading to South Jersey last week and doing...nothing. And no strength training. But this week I've run twice for 9 miles and will be doing Colchester - a bitch of a half - before taking one more 'easy' week, then starting my Providence 1/2 training. Works still crazy, but maybe I can (1) stay employed and (2) belt out some good races!

Brutal times at work. I only made it out once for five miles last week, but did manage 2 strength sessions. The good news about the work issues is that it makes my guilt over not swimming go away, as thats not really an option anymore. I did bounce back this week for 2 slightly longer runs: one Monday and one Today that each lasted about 10K and took me around 52 minutes to complete. I did want to go for 90 minutes sometime this week - but probably won't. I may have to skip the Colchester half. Oh well. Hopefully the Spring will restore some sanity.

Shoe Review

One thing I noticed about running is that the shoes I don't run in are as important as the shoes I do run in. Over the years it's been a struggle to find a good shoe that I can switch back into after a lunch run and keep my feet happy. Since shoes aren't cheap, I thought I'd give my thoughts and recommendations. I'll start with these:

Keens are famous for they're outstanding sports sandals. In the summer, I love putting those suckers on after a run - but buying a pair of Keen shoes didn't seem to be a good match for work. The soles of the shoes are much less comfortable than the soles for the sandals. The toe box still has that nice wide feel - but the overall

comfort I found dis

appointing. Two stars.

Next up were Cole and Haans. These are famous for having the Nike air soles - and they looked promising, so about a year ago, I ordered a pair. They looked as funny as the picture, but I gave them a try anyway. The soles were indeed comfortable - but the shoe was narrowest shoe I'd ever worn. They didn't hold up well either. Not a killer - but not great. Two stars.

Finally, I read about these at the geekdad website. I've had them for a about a month. They're from Kur

u and I've loved them. They fit great. They're comfortable. The sole seems to give support - and they feel great even after long runs (10-20 miles). The only downside is the looks - but they do have other styles. Five stars.