A good run around Thaddeus Kosciusko Park in Dublin. I really like this park as it has a gentle slope and has a mix of gravel path and the ability to head off into the woods. As usual I did a clockwise loop on the gravel path for 1/2 mile and then headed across the field and into the woods for a slosh through the mud. Yet again the weather was great for December, I was wearing shorts and my Columbus Running Company bright green shirt. The ground through the woods was pretty muddy due to the rain we’ve had this week but still firm enough that I wasn’t going to slide all the way down the hill.
I got to the pond, looped around and headed back to the main trail and completed the 2 mile loop on gravel. It’s nice to see that the gravel path seems to be holding up and is a nice offroad 1 mile loop (the woods adds another mile to the loop).
I finished the first loop and as I’m still slowly increasing mileage, I headed back out on the loop and took a diversion off one of the paths intending to cut through the middle of the loop and cut it in half. Instead the path I chose for some reason dropped down into a valley, over a stream and back up the other side and then back to the path I had left. I therefore decided just to run back the way I had came but made a mental note that next time I’ll use that side path as it gives you more of a workout (not a big one mind) going down the hill and back up again than staying on the gentle incline.
When I made it back to the car I had done 2.6 miles in just under 28 minutes. A fun run, not rocket fast, but I’m going to blame that on recovery and my first muddy run where I had to slow down a bit to navigate through the puddles (the deep/muddy ones at least) (an ok I admit it – a couple of walking breaks too)
I did regress to my childhood as I splashed through some of the puddles and sure enough my socks were a very dark brown when I took my shoes off but I did get an impressive set of splashes up the legs.
After the run I tried to take a picture of myself with the shelter in the background and the bright green Columbus Running Company shirt I was wearing. Unfortunately the fact that I didn’t get to sleep until 3am this morning and then up at 7am – makes me have a weird fixed eye gaze in this photo – but you can see the brightness of the shirt. So after the photo was taken I headed off to Kroger for some weekend shopping and whilst I was walking around the aisles I had a funny experience.
I was looking for some enchilada flavoured soup that I’d had a couple of days ago, had my running shorts and the bright shirt on and was looking puzzled in the aisle as I could not find this soup anywhere. This woman came up to me, tried to squeeze by me and so I moved the cart over and she said she liked the shirt – it was nice and bright. Seeing as though I’m in my running shorts, shoes and a running shirt, I assumed she knew I was a runner, laughed and said that it was so I don’t get shot as it’s hunting season. She looked at me blankly as if to say “why would someone shoot at you in Kroger?”. I explained that you have to take precautions when running through the woods. Yet again I got a blank “there are no woods in kroger”. I explained, Not *here* – I was running in the woods earlier and the shirt makes me more visible. At that point – the penny dropped for her – she hadn’t realised I was a runner and was just liking the brightness of the shirt I was wearing (or trying to make conversation).
We laughed and carried on shopping – that was the most bizarre conversation I’ve had in Kroger for a long while and not exactly the most successful one with a woman 😉
*At Least For Runners – isn’t it perfectly normal behaviour to wear bright clothes so they don’t get shot and go to Krogers?
1. What is the weirdest conversation you’ve had in the grocery store and do you go shopping in your work out clothes or go home and change first?
I don’t mind shopping in my work out gear but if I’m wet from rain or a sweaty run, I do avoid the freezer aisle as wet clothes are not pleasant and in the case of sweat I do towel off and use deodrant first.
2. What other Perfectly Normal Behaviours are applicable to runners?
I’d have to say running in the road rather than on the footpath. Used to bug me as a nonrunner to see runners doing that, but I know the tarmac surface is a lot kinder than the footpath – less tripping hazards to start with. However the camber of the road and crazy drivers does offset this benefit. Give me a trail through the woods any day.
New shoes from Roadrunner (but does anyone ever stop at just shoes?)
18 Monday Jun 2012
Posted in Shopping
As I intend to run the Columbus Marathon this year and I’ve put 350 miles on my New Balance 759 shoes I decided it was time to get some new shoes. Roadrunner Sports do a good deal with a 90 day return policy on shoes if you are a vip member and also have a guide online that helps you determine what shoes would be best for you. Going through the website I ended up as a Stable runner, high arch, 11.5D shoes. I shortlisted my options to the New Balance 890, Ghost 4, Wave Rider 13 or Asic Gel 1150 or 1170’s.
As they also have a store in Columbus, I went over to see what they had in stock and to try the shoes on as I wanted to ensure I had some comfy good fitting shoes.
Arriving in store they got me to take shoes and socks off and initially I was measured for shoe size and they matched the 11.5D size that I already knew. I then stood on a mat and they used the computer to work out my arch form and where my center of gravity was. The arch’s were high (funnily enough I used some brown paper and water to work this out – they used a computer) and my weight was slightly to the right and rear – the same as Wii fit. Then they got me to run on the treadmill barefoot whilst they videotaped the running form. I was pleased to see my feet were straight and my achilles heel had a slight flex but not too much. I was not pleased to see that I was heel striking though but I think that was mainly due to running barefoot as opposed to shoes – I’m not sure but I don’t think I heel strike too much.
Next they got me to stand on some shoe liners which they then moulded to my feet as I leant backwards and forwards. This took some time and seemed a bit gimmicky to me and I was waiting for the sales pitch but it didn’t arrive yet.
After reviewing the results with me on the big screen the assistant handed me off to someone else to get shoes. I was a bit surprised that I was handed off to someone else but they discussed the findings (they recommended Neutral Plus for the marathon running) and the guy went off to get some shoes.
The first ones he came back with were the latest New Balances but the 11.5’s were too big and sloppy and unfortunately the 11’s were too small. After trying those shoes on I then had to wait whilst the guy dealt with another customer – it was somewhat irritating not having someone dealing with me all the time, but it did give me chance to jump on the treadmill and run a bit to see what the shoes would feel like. I couldn’t actually tell the difference between the shoes with the shoe liner and the ones without so I didn’t bother to try the liners with the rest of the shoes and it was nice to not have a hard sell on them (although he did manage to flog a pair to the woman who I was sharing the assistant with).
Next were the Nike Vomero’s. They were awful. They looked butt ugly, very plasticy and the ridge where the shoe bends on your toes felt like it was going to chisel its way down the top of my foot. Next up were the Asics Nimbus 14’s – they were ok – but I wasn’t 100% happy with them but they were the best so far.
Next was the Mizuno Enigma – they were weird and I don’t think I even got to run in them – the front of the shoe curls up pretty drastically and I could feel my toe’s being pulled up – wearing those for 26.2 miles would make me feel like I was running in elf shoes.
After that he went out to the back room and came back with the Brooks Glycerin 10’s. Putting the shoes on – they felt extremely comfy and then running in them was great – Getting off the treadmill he asked me how I felt – “These are the ones” I replied and he laughed and said “You sound very definite on those”. He gave me the box, told me to tell the checkout who helped me and let me go on my way. Interestingly enough, the blurb on this shoe states it has “full-length Brooks DNA midsole customizes cushion to your individual stride” which is yet another reason I didn’t need the Roadrunner foot insoles.
I then took the opportunity to look around the store and grabbed a foam roller and some Body Glide (although I think my recent chafing issues are caused by the particular shorts I was wearing as I’ve only had issues when I’ve worn the same pair). I was also looking at Nuun and Guu tabs for drinking but didn’t purchase any as I don’t carry a 16oz water bottle. I’m not actually sure how much water fits in my Amphipod water bottle belt but I normally drink it all on a Saturday run. Also neither of these tabs had prices on them and one of the Nuun containers had the bottom broken and the tablets were exposed – a bit disconcerting that the stock wasn’t really being looked after. Do any of you use Nuun or Guu drinking tablets and if so what do you prefer?
Checkout took forever – there were 3 people in front of me and about 2 behind me but it took at least 10 minutes before they even added another person to the checkout. At checkout they asked if I was a VIP member, I wasn’t and they tried to sell me the membership for $20. However the website has it for $1.99 and I had printed off the shopping cart. They changed the membership to $1.99 with no problems and I then got my “discount” on the rest of my items. They were also doing an offer of a $10 coupon if you donated to a handbike for children charity but what they didn’t mention was that you had to spend $50 or more on your next purchase. I also got a $10 coupon for my next purchase of $75 for signing up as a VIP reward member.
All told I got $35 discount off the items – not bad for a $2 outlay although I was annoyed this morning when I got a 20% discount coupon in the post, but that is about what I saved anyway.
The Glycerin is a pretty new shoe and the Roadrunner price seems pretty competitive (they do have a price match policy) so it was a good choice to buy my shoes from them. I think if you know the shoe you want, then its basically a price comparison between Roadrunner and Running Warehouse – the advantage of RW is that you don’t have to pay tax unless you are in California which can save you about $10. I think the choice of shoe was pretty limited compared to online shopping and you really are at the mercy of whatever shoe the fitter brings out. No prices are ever discussed for shoes so it was a bit of “HOW MUCH?” when I went to check out – but if they keep my feet safe in my Marathon training it will be worth it.
Update: For what it’s worth I was not impressed on their inaugural 3.5 mile run. Left toe box was tight, rubbing on the inside of the left foot and it felt like my right foot was slapping on the pavement with each step.