New posting on Runner's Tech Review - ATAYNE

Today's workout: Rest day

Runner's Tech Review is back with a new posting about ATAYNE's technical shirts. We've been testing these high quality shirts made out of 100% recycled materials since December. With their great feel and cool looks they've certainly found a place within our running clothes collections.

I wasn't feeling great this morning when I got up and quickly decided to rest instead of run. The weather may have contributed to a headache and although it wasn't yet raining, I knew it would start soon. I needed rest and figured not running may be more beneficial than an actual workout today. Tomorrow I plan to be back to the street. I'm going to run in my Brooks GTS 10's to see if it's the lightweight Sauconys that have been helping my performance or if I'm just getting faster. I'm betting it's the shoes.

Saucony Tangent 4: Fast and comfortable

Saucony Grid Tangent 4

Today's run (street): 2.45 miles at 8:40 per mile

After two runs in the Saucony Kinvaras I'm starting to believe that a shoe can really make a difference in performance. The Kinvaras are extremely light and have very little drop-off between the heel and forefoot. This makes mid foot striking easier than when running in a shoe with a higher heel. I closely track my performance and although I'm a 9 minute miler in spirit I'm more of a 9:10-9:20 miler in practice. So what am I supposed to think when I put together two consecutive runs under 8:50 per mile? Could I have improved that quickly -- or is it the shoes?

That's the question I asked myself this morning when I set out for a morning run wearing my new Saucony Grid Tangent 4's. These are lightweight stability shoes that feel very good on the foot. Despite the light weight there was decent cushioning through both the heel and front foot. I took off and immediately noticed how quick they felt, my pace was more like a tempo run although I didn't feel as though I was working that hard. But at 4:00 AM things can be deceiving. I've done runs at that time that felt fast but weren't. I expected the same today but finished with an average pace of 8:40. That's 5K race pace for me and almost unheard of at that early hour.

It may be too early to say for sure but these lightweight shoes from Saucony really deliver speed. I like the Kinvaras for the mid foot landing and the Grid Tangents seem sturdy enough to be a regular trainer for people like me who have a lighter build. So what's to become of my beloved Brooks GTS 10's? No worries, there will always be room for them in the rotation. They just may need to wait a little longer for their turn.

New rule: double check the race date

Today's run (Park): 5.15 miles at 8:45 per mile

I was excited about racing today and curious to see how competitive I would be with my new Saucony Kinvara running shoes. Team Emerging Runner arrived at the race location about an hour before the scheduled start. My wife took a look around and said, "We must be at the wrong place, there's no one here." It turned out that were at the right place but at the wrong time because the Brooke Jackman 5K had already taken place on Saturday. I was mad at myself for failing to check the date and assuming the race would happen on a Sunday. Most of my races have been held on Sunday mornings but that's a poor excuse. Seeing that I was upset, my wife quickly suggested that we stay and explore the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park that was just north of the race location. Or more correctly, yesterday's race location. I agreed that a run on a cool spring day overlooking Oyster Bay was a great alternative to a race.

Never having run in this location, I didn't know where the trail would lead. I started by following a paved path that ran parallel to the water. This path eventually looped around to numerous small walking paths that fed back to the main trail. I completed one loop and decided to head west to see if there were any interesting routes in that direction. I eventually ran out of pavement and cut across a sandy section before reaching the road again. Once I saw how far I'd need to go to reach a decent place to run I decided to circle back to the park to find my family. At the 2 mile mark I caught up with my wife and kids, passing them in the other direction as I made my way east. I ended up looping the park a number of times and occasionally passing by my family who were playing at the water side. After 45 minutes we decided to wrap it up and I noticed that I'd covered 5.15 miles at an average of 8:45 per mile. Running conditions were near perfect and there were no hills. The only things that slowed me down were the run through the sand and a couple of sharp turnarounds that reduced my pace. The new Kinvaras are definitely helping and I'm running 20-30 seconds per mile faster than I normally run. A calibration test of my Garmin confirmed the accuracy of these numbers. So how about that!

I really enjoyed today's run, especially because my family was there to cheer me on each time I passed them along my route. It would have been fun to race today but I still had a great morning with the family and a great run by the water.

Tomorrow is race day in Oyster Bay, NY

Today's workout: Rest/taper

I've decided to run the Brooke Jackson Race for Literacy 5K tomorrow morning in Oyster Bay. Unlike every other race I've done to date, I'll be a walk-on participant, who registers on race day. There are two reasons why I'm racing instead of using both weekend days for extended runs. First, I haven't raced this month and this may be my best opportunity to do it. Second, I've had some slight soreness in my right knee and I thought I'd give that leg a break from running. Resting today will prepare me for tomorrow's race and three miles shouldn't have much on affect the injury. I do have slight concern that running in the neutral Kinvaras yesterday may have contributed to the soreness but it may just be a case of adjusting to a shoe with almost no drop from heel to forefoot, causing me to land more on my mid-foot than I usually would. I considered running in the Tangent 4's but I'm not sure I'd want to race in shoes that I'm using for the first time. I have three miles on the Kinvara odometer so I know how they feel at that distance.

My strategy for tomorrow is to start at a moderate pace and adjust speed as I go. The Kinvaras seemed to have helped yesterday so hopefully I can draw on that advantage in the race. I have no knowledge of the course and whether it has pronounced hills or other features that may affect my performance. Perhaps it's best not to know because I won't be thinking about upcoming negatives as I run. My goals are simply to run a good race, have fun and be competitive in my category. Although I haven't anticipated this race for weeks I am excited that I'll be participating tomorrow.

Finally, I'd like to mention my friends KWL and FS who are participating in a 100 mile bike event tomorrow on Long Island. They are certainly in shape for it. I wish them great weather and safe travels.

The Saucony Kinvaras make a great first impression

Saucony Kinvaras ready for their first run

Today's run (Central Park): 3.2 miles at 8:47/mile

My shipment from Saucony arrived yesterday and I'm very excited to put these two pairs of lightweight trainers to the test. Lightweight is the word, the Kinvaras practically floated out of the box when I opened it. The pictures promised a different looking shoe and the Saucony Kinvara is certainly different. The outer layer on the upper is translucent and it looks like it was air brushed. My kids thought they looked amazing and my daughter asked me if they came in kid sizes. But looks are one thing, fit and feel are another and I put them to the test today at noon in Central Park.

The Kinvara is a minimalist shoe that can be used for racing. It's more flexible on the forefoot than the other running shoes that I own with an extremely small drop off from heel to toe that encourages mid foot landing. When I put them on I had the same reaction that I had when I tried on a pair of Nike Frees - it felt more like a slipper than a running shoe. Once I began to walk in them and got a sense of how they worked with the foot I realized they were nicely responsive. I started my run at the bottom of the lower loop and was happy to note that the ride was no harder than the Brooks Adrenalin's although the feel was different. I moved along well and passed some runners, even on the hills. The sun was out and it was very humid so the run was already feeling like hard work by mile 2. However, I maintained a decent pace throughout the entire distance and was pleased to average 8:47 per mile. I have to give credit to the shoes for helping me attain that pace since I can't think of another factor that would explain it.

Over this weekend I hope to test the other pair of shoes I got from Saucony, the ProGrid Tangent 4's. Like the Kinvaras, these shoes are extremely light and have some stability control for those, like me, who pronate. The fit, like every Saucony I've ever put on my foot, feels natural and correct. As much as I'm excited about the Kinvaras I'm thinking that the Tangents may be competition for the Brooks as a daily trainer. I'll be testing both pairs in the coming weeks. I'm still not sure whether I'll race on Sunday but if I do I plan to wear the Kinvaras. Since it's just a 5K on Sunday I'm not too concerned about racing with new shoes. Today's running experience seems to validate that decision.