The Lure of New Running Shoes and How Much is Too Much
Let me start off by saying that running shoes are the most important investment a runner must purchase. Choosing the wrong pair or a pair of cross trainers is the worst decision a runner can make. As well, going too long on the same pair of running shoes can be bad. I for one have run too long on one pair of shoes and paid the price in terms of a heal injury. Or so I think that is why I injured my heal. I beleive I may have been “sold” the notion that my 400 mile old shoes were in need of replacement and that is why I was injured.
My point is that I am starting to see a bit of a trend in shoe marketing that is suggesting runners should be replacing their shoes earlier and earlier. I love the feeling of getting new shoes – it validates the miles I have been putting on. However, it is friggin’ expensive and I have been starting to question the accelerated replacement more and more. There is a lot to be gained by the shoe companies if we all diligently replace out shoes every 400 miles.
I think a good comparison to the running shoe sales game is the new car business. Do we really need a new car every 3 years or is this just clever marketing on behalf of the auto makers? I would suggest that it is good marketing and that we don’t need a new car at this frequency.
I am struggling with this though. On one hand, I don’t want to risk a serious IT or ankle injury over the hundred bucks it costs to buy the new shoes. On the other hand, I also don’t like getting worked over and convinced to buy something I don’t need. What do I do?
I therefore need to leave this post unanswered and continue to ponder it. I would like to hear suggestions form my readers on their views. Please “argue” away and help me decide by using the comment section. Thanks in advance for your input.
Categories: Running Gear Tags:
5 Things to Consider in Your Running Program Because of Seasonal Changes
It inevitably comes 4 times per year – the changing of the seasons. The most dramatic of those changes in my opinion is the switch from summer to winter. I know I am a bit ahead of schedule on this change, but up here in Calgary, Alberta we need to be ready for anything at this time of year. The snow can come at any time – mind you it usually doesn’t stick around but it can fall nonetheless. I was doing some thinking about the changing of seasons and the impacts it has on my own training program. I came up with 5 things that I need to consider:
1. Obviously, the running clothes need to change. Away go the shorts and out come the running tights or pants. Head gear is also an important consideration.
2. You need to be more diligent in telling your spouse where it is you are going to run to – with colder weather come a higher risk of injury and you don’t want to be stranded in the cold with a wrecked knee.
3. Your route needs to be considered more carefully – some routes don’t lend themselves to winter running due to ice or snow pack. It is no longer just a go out the door and run wherever your heart point you to.
4. It will take longer to warm up because of the cooler temperatures, so more caution is required during the initial stages of the run.
5. The change of scenery and environment will be a welcome change – I love to watch the seasons change as it can feel like you are running in a new environment!
I am sure there are tonnes of other things to consider, but this is what I came up with. Let me hear your considerations. Please use the comments to chime in.
Categories: Training Tags:
Running Through The First Mile “Struggle” to Hit Your Running Groove
There is one thing all runners have in common. That thing is the initial struggle and uncomfortable feeling we all get during the first few minutes or mile(s) into the run before we hit our running groove. You know the feeling, you head out the door and you legs feel like they are 150 pounds each, you heart rate spikes, and your breathing is labored. Not the most comfortable feeling in the world! Sometimes it is amazing that any of us run through it.
I know I am making some broad generalizations here that everyone goes through the same feelings. I know this is not the case. In my conversations with other runners, I have found that everyone experiences something different. Most interesting is the distance or time that each runner needs to get through before they hit the “groove”. Some runners found that it was at about the mile point when they felt better, other said it was more at the 15 minute point, regardless of their pace on that day. For me, I find that it is the 10 minute mark when I usually hit my groove.
I would like to hear from you on when you hit your running groove. Please use the comments to let me know.
Categories: Training Tags:
A Spouse Who Does Not Run
I love my wife more than anything in the world. She is the glue that keeps our family functioning and progressing forward. She is not a runner – and I am. Over the years she has talked about potentially starting a running program, but like many people (men and women) she does not beleive that she could ever be a runner. She feels she does not have the body or athletic ability to do it. Even though I tell her that was me 2 years ago, she just has not found the urge to try for an extended period of time. I wouldn’t say that this difference between us creates any issues in our relationship, only that it is something we need to understand each other on.
As I was digging around the internet for articles about this topic, I came across a very interesting quote in an artcile titled, The Moderating Effect of Spouse Support on the Relation Between Serious Leisure and Spouses’ Perceived Leisure-Family Conflict:
Glover and Schuder (1988) reported the divorce rate among New York Marathon runners was 3.5 times the national average and cited a poll taken in the Boston area that found forty percent of married runners who run more than 70 miles a week got divorced.
Well that is pretty damn scary. Although my wife and I were not anywhere near divorce when I was training for my marathon a year ago, I can say that it did put a pretty good strain on our relationship. The large number of miles that I was running had me spending 4 hours on a Sunday morning running while she had to deal with the kids, just as she did everyday while I was at work. Then there was the miles I had to put in before or after the kids went to bed during the weekday. It was a lot and our time together suffered. She is a very supportive wife, but this would test even the most loving of spouses!
What the above quote tells me is that these people put their running before their families, which is something I am unwilling to do. My family is too important to me. As such, I have decided that I am going to hold off running marathons until my kids are older and our lives are not as hectic. When this will be, I do not know but I can still cure my running bug by training for 10-Ks and half-marathons.
Categories: Motivation, Training Tags:
