October 2017 Running Challenge

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  • seanevan10
    seanevan10 Posts: 385 Member
    edited October 2017
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    JessicaMcB wrote: »
    Hit goal, guess I'll go over on October afterall. Some cool stuff brewing in my running sphere atm. Random but does anybody exclusively Altra in here? My PT is trying to convince me to transition to Altra for the zero drop but I am iffy :/


    October 1- 28+7
    October 2- 18
    October 3- 20
    October 4- 15
    October 5- 18
    October 6- Off
    October 7- 32
    October 8- 18
    October 9- 13
    October 10- 8
    October 11- 12
    October 12- Off
    October 13- Off
    October 14- 86
    October 15- Off
    October 16- Off
    October 17- Off
    October 18- 15
    October 19- 16
    October 20- 17
    October 21- 34
    October 22- 18
    October 23- Off
    October 24- 23
    October 25- 19
    October 26- 17
    October 27- 18

    452/450km


    I do. I changed from New balance and mizunos to Altras. I had to always have a pretty wide toe box because I have huge feet. LOL. And I love the Altras compared to the others that had a wide enough toe box. But I also don't come close to running the distances you do. Also, I am probably twice your size at the moment. For me, I like the support/cushioning.
  • PastorVincent
    PastorVincent Posts: 6,668 Member
    edited October 2017
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    seanevan10 wrote: »
    JessicaMcB wrote: »
    Hit goal, guess I'll go over on October afterall. Some cool stuff brewing in my running sphere atm. Random but does anybody exclusively Altra in here? My PT is trying to convince me to transition to Altra for the zero drop but I am iffy :/

    I do. I changed from New balance and mizunos to Altras. I had to always have a pretty wide toe box because I have huge feet. LOL. And I love the Altras compared to the others that had a wide enough toe box. But I also don't come close to running the distances you do. Also, I am probably twice your size at the moment. For me, I like the support/cushioning.

    I am in New Balance right now - never heard of Altras. Or if I have, I have forgotten. Will have to check them out. I would like a less cushion shoe to swap in and out with my NBs - but I have 4E feet, so makes it tough to find none NB shoes.
  • MNLittleFinn
    MNLittleFinn Posts: 4,271 Member
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    JessicaMcB wrote: »
    Hit goal, guess I'll go over on October afterall. Some cool stuff brewing in my running sphere atm. Random but does anybody exclusively Altra in here? My PT is trying to convince me to transition to Altra for the zero drop but I am iffy :/[/b]

    I LOVE my Altras. Seriously, I wore them for the first 66k of my 100k and the only reason I switched to my Brooks is I wanted dry socks and putting the wet shoes on over dry socks would have defeated the purpose. I honestly love zero drop and am thinking of getting a pair of Altra road shoes because my experience with the trail shoes has been so good.
  • ddmom0811
    ddmom0811 Posts: 1,878 Member
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    @7lenny7 - I don't remember hearing about your streak in the rain. I think I'm talking about a different streak. :wink:

    @skippygirlsmom - LOL - yes I guess I do sound a little wishy washy. If the weather would be December weather, I'd say YES!
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
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    Arg! I just typed up a whole long report on the bourbon chase but didn't have time to finish it so I was copying it to paste or later and accidentally deleted the whole thing!! Arg...I just spent my entire lunch time on that! I guess you all will have to wait a tad bit longer :(
  • 7lenny7
    7lenny7 Posts: 3,493 Member
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    @JessicaMcB I'm not exclusively in Altras but I am working my way to zero drop, minimal cushion. I've come to the conclusion that the things we do to try to make running more comfortable are usually things which prevent our bodies from truly adapting to the activity and therefor contribute to injury.

    I'm too cheap to toss, donate or sell the high drop shoes I already have so I'll use them up and eventually replace with zero drop for both road and trail.

    Currently my two road shoes are high cushion, 10mm drop shoes

    My four pair of trail shoes are split. Two pair are 6mm drop (On CloudVenture and Merrell All Out Charge), two are zero drop (Altra Lone Peak and Merrell Bare Access). I love the Altras and will be getting more of those. I haven't run in the MBA's enough to have an opinion on those. The Cloudventures have a 6mm drop but holy crap are they comfortable! It feels like running in slippers. I may still keep buying those even though they're not zero drop.

    You probably know this, but if you're going to try out zero drop, try it out for short runs once a week at first and work your way into it. A lot of folks have trouble with their Achilles if they switch over all at once.

    @ddmom0811 I may have just posted about my streak, (in the rain, on a remote trail in Wisconsin, at night, in the dark) on my MFP feed.
  • JessicaMcB
    JessicaMcB Posts: 1,503 Member
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    Awesome feedback on Altra @seanevan10 , @MNLittleFinn and @7lenny7 , thank you! It would definitely take some doing because I don't really short distance anymore if I can avoid it...maybe carry Guide 10s on my back and switch on the road. How well do you find they last against mileage? I've only got about 3550km (or 2216mi) on the year so far but the number of pairs of Guide 10's, Hurricanes and Nomads I've gone through this year is obscene imo- kind of hoping since Altra is a bit more $$$ it might withstand me better :D
  • MNLittleFinn
    MNLittleFinn Posts: 4,271 Member
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    JessicaMcB wrote: »
    Awesome feedback on Altra @seanevan10 , @MNLittleFinn and @7lenny7 , thank you! It would definitely take some doing because I don't really short distance anymore if I can avoid it...maybe carry Guide 10s on my back and switch on the road. How well do you find they last against mileage? I've only got about 3550km (or 2216mi) on the year so far but the number of pairs of Guide 10's, Hurricanes and Nomads I've gone through this year is obscene imo- kind of hoping since Altra is a bit more $$$ it might withstand me better :D

    I only have like 100 miles on my Altras and they almost look new. Unless you are hitting super rocky rugged trail, you should get good mileage out of them.
  • 7lenny7
    7lenny7 Posts: 3,493 Member
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    @JessicaMcB Another option to easing in to the zero drop shoe is to run a short loop with them, then come back and change into your normal shoe. Week to week keep increasing the percentage of the run in the zero drop.

    FWIW, while I haven't actually kept track of the numbers, Altra seems to be worn on a very high percentage of trail runners around this area.

    I'm only 100 miles into my first pair so I can't comment on longevity.

    If you ever want to run with gaiters, the Altras are set up for that with velcro on the heel and a loop in front. You can see how that's set up here: https://www.altrarunning.com/trail-gaiters/western-states-gaiter

    "only" got about 3550km....now THAT's funny!
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
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    I'll be due for new shoes around Christmas. When I bought my Asics Nimbus, I was 50lbs heavier. That's a great shoe for heavier runners and has served me well, but since I've never been this light, I have no idea what I'm doing in the world of shoes. I have weird people anxiety, so can someone describe to me what it's like to go to a running store and have them fit you for shoes?
  • MNLittleFinn
    MNLittleFinn Posts: 4,271 Member
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    So, I've been feeling lazy and like I have low mileage for the month. Well, with taking 6 days off after my race last weekend, I've run 10 miles more than I did last October.
  • PastorVincent
    PastorVincent Posts: 6,668 Member
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    fitoverfortymom wrote: »
    I'll be due for new shoes around Christmas. When I bought my Asics Nimbus, I was 50lbs heavier. That's a great shoe for heavier runners and has served me well, but since I've never been this light, I have no idea what I'm doing in the world of shoes. I have weird people anxiety, so can someone describe to me what it's like to go to a running store and have them fit you for shoes?

    They just ask you about what kind of running you do, and the make you take off your shoes and walk around. Nothing to it.
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
    edited October 2017
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    Anyone have wide feet want to make suggestions? Defs need a generous toe box if not wide by default.

    Also, calf is getting better, but not perfect. My race plan for Sunday is if it doesn't feel right, switch my entry to the 5k and walk it. Then I can still get the cute medal and not hose up my legs.

    On day 3.5 of no running and I'm bouncing off the walls. Trying an short .3 miles around the bike path in the park near my house to see how it feels tomorrow, which should give me a sense of if racing on Sunday is actually going to be a thing.

    I have to remember I'm training for a HM in December, not a 10k in October. This is just one step of the plan, not the final goal. It's not worth a more dramatic injury which will make me super sad (like, I'm so genuinely bummed this week I can't even stand it) and push out my goal date. I haven't woken up at 4:30 am just about every morning since July to screw it all up.
  • 7lenny7
    7lenny7 Posts: 3,493 Member
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    fitoverfortymom wrote: »
    I'll be due for new shoes around Christmas. When I bought my Asics Nimbus, I was 50lbs heavier. That's a great shoe for heavier runners and has served me well, but since I've never been this light, I have no idea what I'm doing in the world of shoes. I have weird people anxiety, so can someone describe to me what it's like to go to a running store and have them fit you for shoes?

    The store I went to was a dedicated running store. They had me run barefoot on a treadmill to watch my running form, quiz me about my running (experience, preferred surface, distance, etc), then pulled out shoes to try on.

    The guy pulled out a dozen pair or more. It was crazy. Even after I thought I found the perfect fit, they kept having me try them on. I narrowed it down to two models and they let me run around the parking lot in each pair. They were really cool about that. I bet I could have run a mile in each pair and they wouldn't have had a problem with that. When I couldn't decide, they had me wear one of each. I finally decided on one and ended up going back for the second model later, just to have variety. This store also has a 30-day no questions asked guarantee. If I go run 100 miles and decide they don't work for me, I can take them back.

    Find dedicated running stores. Call around to find out they:
    • Do a gait analysis
    • Allow you to do a test run outside of several minutes
    • Have a reasonable return policy if the shoe doesn't work out for you.

    If they don't check all three boxes, call the next store. A proper running store should be able to cover all three.
  • PastorVincent
    PastorVincent Posts: 6,668 Member
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    7lenny7 wrote: »
    fitoverfortymom wrote: »
    I'll be due for new shoes around Christmas. When I bought my Asics Nimbus, I was 50lbs heavier. That's a great shoe for heavier runners and has served me well, but since I've never been this light, I have no idea what I'm doing in the world of shoes. I have weird people anxiety, so can someone describe to me what it's like to go to a running store and have them fit you for shoes?

    The store I went to was a dedicated running store. They had me run barefoot on a treadmill to watch my running form, quiz me about my running (experience, preferred surface, distance, etc), then pulled out shoes to try on.

    The guy pulled out a dozen pair or more. It was crazy. Even after I thought I found the perfect fit, they kept having me try them on. I narrowed it down to two models and they let me run around the parking lot in each pair. They were really cool about that. I bet I could have run a mile in each pair and they wouldn't have had a problem with that. When I couldn't decide, they had me wear one of each. I finally decided on one and ended up going back for the second model later, just to have variety. This store also has a 30-day no questions asked guarantee. If I go run 100 miles and decide they don't work for me, I can take them back.

    Find dedicated running stores. Call around to find out they:
    • Do a gait analysis
    • Allow you to do a test run outside of several minutes
    • Have a reasonable return policy if the shoe doesn't work out for you.

    If they don't check all three boxes, call the next store. A proper running store should be able to cover all three.

    Mine was dedicated also, but nowhere near as fancy. Great knowledge group of runners... but smaller shop. Not been to one as fancy as yours!
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
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    I'm fortunate to have three good dedicated running store chains near me. Runners Roost, Road Runner Sports, and Boulder Running Co. If anyone has a preference one over the other, please let me know.
  • 7lenny7
    7lenny7 Posts: 3,493 Member
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    PastorVincent wrote: »
    Mine was dedicated also, but nowhere near as fancy. Great knowledge group of runners... but smaller shop. Not been to one as fancy as yours!

    Nothing fancy about it. Just a local, independently owned shop. I bet most running stores in our area have the same policy. No reason any running shop couldn't do the same thing regardless of size or fanciness. Every shoe manufacturer makes allowances for a certain percentage of returns. The store doesn't take the hit. You have to accept the fact, though, that the shoes you buy may have some scuffs on the outsole from others testing them out.

  • skippygirlsmom
    skippygirlsmom Posts: 4,433 Member
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    A good return policy is so important. The first pair I brought I decided not to keep and brought them back to the store the next day, never had them on my feet and they wouldn't take them back. That is when I started going to Fleet Feet. They took spikes back that Skip didn't like after 3 months no questions asked.
  • JessicaMcB
    JessicaMcB Posts: 1,503 Member
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    Haha @7lenny7 if you saw the amount of money Saucony took me for this year you'd think in terms of "only" too ;) . Thats awesome about the gaiter attachment options, I've been told gaiters are basically a non-negotiable for LSU so any shoe that can more easily adapt to that is A1 in my book. Now to figure what models to try....

    @fitoverfortymom my experience with United Cycle in Edmonton was basically identical to the experience @7lenny7 had at his store. And like @skippygirlsmom mentioned they are great about returns- finding a service oriented store with a good knowledge base is important.

    There is one Running Room store in the north of Calgary that, because I've raced with the manager a few times and she thinks I'm much cooler than I am :D , treats me like the Queen of effing Sheba. Crazy discount, they cut open new packages for me to try stuff, they once let me run 5k in a pair of their Eschelions outside without buying them and drove socks up from the other side of the city for me in one of the sales peoples' personal vehicles because I needed them before I left for Whistler. So don't count out big box stores either, if you can get an in they can almost be better because they have more wiggle in their pricing, etc. than a small business.

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