Forums >Racing>Sub 1:30 Half Marathon 2021 Edition
RIP Milkman
Can some of you who have more than a few pairs of shoes in rotation explain why? I talked about training in my old VFs instead of just trashing them after 150 miles and I feel like most people said no, they train in trainers. So how in the world are you picking which shoe is the right one for today? Random pick in the morning darkness? Strict rotation? Ask Nathan Jones? I don't get it.
5K: 16:37 (11/20) | 10K: 34:49 (10/19) | HM: 1:14:57 (5/22) | FM: 2:36:31 (12/19)
Hot Weather Complainer
I'm with JMac on this one - I may use a shoe of slightly lower quality (i.e. cheaper) on easy or recovery runs just so I get more quality kms in the better training shoes. But apart from that I generally run a pair into the ground then move on (not as much as I did last year with my 1500km pair these days though). I might stockpile a few pairs if there's a good sale. Right now I have none left in reserve but my current pair will get me through the next few weeks, and then I'll be doing recovery/easy for 4 weeks or so so I have some time on my side.
5km: 18:34 11/23 │ 10km: 39:10 8/23 │ HM: 1:26:48 9/23 │ M: 3:34:49 6/23
2024 Races:
Motorway Half Marathon February 25, 2024 1:29:55
Christchurch Half-Marathon April 21, 2024
Selwyn Marathon June 2, 2024
Dunedin Half Marathon September 15, 2024
Jmac i have
Next % - races only at this stage until I retire them to training.
Pegasus 37 - heavier protective bouncy daily trainer.
Fuelcell Rebel- light faster workoutshoe. Used to race in them until I got Next %
Zante Pursuit- light but cushioned good for speedwork and daily training.
Takumi Sens- 5k race and intervals. May use Next % for 5ks now.
55+ PBs 5k 18:36 June 3rd TT
" If you don't use it you lose it, but if you use it, it wears out.
Somewhere in between is about right "
I saw Nathan Jones on my long run last Sunday and forgot to mention it! Didn't ask him about shoes though.
My current rotation is:
2 x Saucony Kinvara 11 - this is my go-to and I use them for most workouts, sometimes long runs, and have 2 pairs in the rotation so I can alternate them (e.g. in case one pair gets really wet they have time to dry out)
2 x Saucony Freedom - long runs, sometimes recovery runs. Again, 2 so I can alternate if needed (albeit I use these less than I used to so I'll probably go down to one).
1 x Saucony Switchback - trail runs (don't get used very frequently)
1 x NB Fresh Foam Beacon - trialling as a replacement for the Freedom but they only get used on shorter recovery runs for now
1 x Mizuno Wave Sonic - pair of racing flats that I'll sometimes use for shorter track workouts
1 x Nike Vaporfly Next% - ex-race pair, use them for tougher workouts once a fortnight or so)
1 x Nike Vaporfly Next% - race pair
3,000m: 9:07.7 (Nov-21) | 5,000m: 15:39 (Dec-19) | 10,000m: 32:34 (Mar-20)
10km: 33:15 (Sep-19) | HM: 1:09:41 (May-21)* | FM: 2:41:41 (Oct-20)
* Net downhill course
Last race: Waterfront HM, 7 Apr, 1:15:48
Up next: Runway5, 4 May
"CONSISTENCY IS KING"
I have:
Reebok Symmetros - easy day shoe.
NB Zante Pursuit - quicker runs and occasionally easy. Will race in them for unimportant races especially if on gravel.
Nike Zoom Fly v2 - quicker stuff.
Asics Meta Racer - racing on road only. Good for up to 10km races, not convinced they're great beyond that as you must land mid foot or front foot.
NB Savana - Cross country races only.
Saucony Mad River - trail shoes.
PRs: 5km 18:43 (Dec 2015), 10km 39:59 (Sep 2020), half 1:26:16 (Sep 2016), full 3:09:28 (Jun 2015)
40+ PRs: 5km 19:31 (Oct 2020), 10km 39:59 (Sep 2020), half 1:29:39 (Jun 2018), full 3:13:55 (Sep 2022)
2023 PRs (hope to beat in 2024): 5km 20:34, 10km 41:37, half 1:32:32, full 3:21:05
2024 PRs: 5km 20:25
Mother of Cats
I have regulars, and then shoes for special situations.
For example, I have three pairs of shoes (long run, easy run, speedwork) that are treadmill-only (so that I don't track dirt and stuff from outside onto the treadmill - better for the life of the treadmill).
If I have a nagging "might become an injury" thing, then I have shoes for those. The Mizuno Sayonara has a lot of arch support - I'll pull that out if I start feeling a little PF or posterior tibial tendonitis. The Adidas Adios Boost 1 has a very high, firm heel - I'll go back to that one if I start feeling some tightness in my Achilles or peroneal tendons.
I also have shoes that I bought to try, wasn't crazy about but still keep around. For example, I'm on a continuing quest to replace the Adidas Adios 2 Boost - that explains why I have the Adios Boost 4, and the Adios Boost 5, and the SL 20 - all of which are OK, but none of which quite do the trick.
Everyone's gotta running blog; I'm the only one with a POOL-RUNNING blog.
And...if you want a running Instagram where all the pictures are of cats, I've got you covered.
Intl. correspondent
Doping - I’m with Zebano, they are all using gray area and outright banned stuff.
Gidey was twice junior world XC champ, silver medal in Doha worlds, always have been a front runner getting out kicked in the last lap.
She also grew up in a very poor area of Ethiopia which is currently an active war zone and she had to hide in her own home for over a week last year because there were roves of soldiers going around and pillaging and mass raping.
The runners from developed nations have so many advantages (Nutrition, access to doctors, safe haven from violence and extreme poverty, mostly a safe haven against religious extremism).
All that is to say, I can’t say Gidey is not doping, but if she is, she’s not doping more than Jakob.
Also, did you guys just see RP admit to doping by using Caffeine? 🧐
Darkwave - those are big squat numbers. Let me check which are your Facebook groups 😂
Piwi - front grip for the win. Always think that it’s your core that is becoming stronger and making you more stable. The most important thing is to be consistent, never go above 40% and be disciplined with your form.
Jmac - These guys and gal are all freaks of nature. Either that or we are weaklings. We need to do compare our rookie numbers.
I can squat 110lbs and dead lift 205lbs. Your turn.
PRs: 1500 4:54.1 2019 - 5K 17:53 2023 - 10K 37:55 2023 - HM 1:21:59 2021
Up next: some 800m race (or time trials) / Also place in the top 20% in a trail race
Tool to generate Strava weekly
Forgot to talk about shoes:
Altra Paradigm 4.5 - cushioned shoe for easy days and long runs.
Altra Escalante Racer - fast stuff
Altra Topo Magnifly - easy stuff, didn't work well for fast stuff.
Xeroshoes Prio - I bought these quite a while ago with the intention of using them on easy days. They are very low to the ground (7mm) and have almost no cushion. I've tried them with a workout a couple of years ago and had horrible calf pain for over a week.
I still wish to give them a try and try to break them in shorter runs. If I manage to learn to run in these then I'll be free of buying so many shoes haha 😂(Narrator: he didn't)
You just opened Pandora's box. I suspect DW's response will break the paging algorithm for this site.
In short I break mine into categories (from least used to most):
Spikes (used on the track and rare XC races): New Balance Kick, Saucony ???? (in box)
I have two pair because there was a "grab bag" spike offering for $10/pair on FirstToTheFinish.com and threw in the second to get me above a threshold for free shipping.
Race Day shoes: Altra Vanish-R (flats), Saucony Endorphin Pro (carbon plated)
Trail Shoes: 2xNB Nitrel Trail v4 .... (1 in box)
the price was right ($36) but unfortunately the v4 is just a worse shoe (too stiff, particularly the toe-box) than the v3 but it serves me well in off road or muddy conditions. I'll wear these out but I'm considering picking up another shoe for my Ultra since I don't love these
Lifting Shoes (usually get 1-3 miles warmup in them): Merrel Trail Glove v4, Tesla CQR
The trail gloves were my main trail shoes for non -rocky conditions until the upper started tearing. The Teslas were a $20 experiment in cheap 0-drop shoes that it turns out I don't like running in.
Workout Shoes: NB 890v8, Saucony Kinvara 11 (in box)
Generally not a shoe I want to do easy runs in but feels great when moving quickly and corners really well. Honestly I could race in these if I didn't have other shoes.
Easy & Long Days (high cushion): Altra Torrin v4.5
Love these shoes and could probably do workouts in them but for most of my easy day shoes in the past that simply hasn't been true either because they felt too heavy to move quickly in or they didn't corner well. Altra really nailed it with this shoe though I'm not certain I'd wear them on the track.
The primary reason I have so many is that I watch certain sites for discount shoes. Shoes that I've liked in the past like the Kinvara or Nitrel Trail get auto-bought when they go below $50. Unfortunately both NB and Saucony like to change their shoes significantly from iteration to iteration and sometimes that backfires.
The other reason to have multiple shoes is that different shoes work the muscles slightly differently which supposedly can be an injury prevention mechanism.
1600 - 5:23 (2018), 5k - 19:33 (2018), 10k - 41:20 (2021), half - 1:38:57 (2018), Marathon - 3:37:17 (2018)
JamesD
Shoes: I have three pair in regular rotation that I like and four others that don’t work for me any more or may not work.
Reebok Forever Floatride Energy (1st version) - Long & regular runs. My sixth pair. I’ve put more miles on each of the previous five than on any other shoe, averaging 500. Reebok is on V3 now, but I may start looking on Amazon or eBay for unused V1s.
Reebok Symmetros - Treadmill recovery runs. Very cushioned. Should get another pair soon, as they’ve been discontinued.
Nike Pegasus Turbo 2 - Tempos, treadmill progressions, and maybe speedwork and races. Also discontinued; got them on eBay.
Brooks Hyperion Tempo - Just bought these for races and maybe speedwork. Tried them at the end of my last two treadmill recovery runs, and my upper hamstrings, which have been my main injury recently, have been hurting. If that isn’t a coincidence, I may return them and race in the Turbo 2s.
Reebok Panthea - Bought these last year for tempos and speedwork. Not sure if they contributed to my hamstring injury, but when I tried them on an easy run this year, the hamstrings hurt again, so I haven’t used them.
Reebok Run Fast - Used these in 2019 for races & speedwork. Seemed ok then, if not very cushioned, but the hamstrings complained when I tried them this year.
Reebok Run Fast 2nd pair - Stocked up in 2019 when they were on sale for $60 but haven’t used them.
Post-1987 PRs: Half 1:30:14 (2019); 10K 39:35 (2019); 5K 19:12 (2017); Mile 5:37.3 (2020)
'24 Goals: consistency, age-graded PRs, half < 1:32
Flavio Xero was a brand I wanted to try, shame they didn't work out for you but while the 7mm explains calf pain, are they really "low to the ground" as in minimal stack height (ala Merrell)? That's probably a combination you really need to ease into. The problem is you already run in 0-drop Altras.
James - Have you had good luck with eBay shoes? I'm cynical enough I always wonder how many miles are really on those shoes and I've heard stories of knock offs that don't perform anywhere near the name brand.
Well, I think the biggest thing I learned over this last page is that I was correct: serious runners are the OCD type
If we're going to toss around pseudo-psychiatric classifications, I think hoarding is a better fit. OCD would be if I only bought my shoes in one color, and only on certain days of the week.
Problem Child
Both cars were in very good shape when he sold the one. Lovingly maintained (he IS a car guy). He actually hung onto the one (a VW GTI) until he had a chance to drive down to NC/Tennessee to drive the Tail of the Dragon. Which I guess is similar to one of us running the NYC Marathon or something. Then once he had done that, he sold it. [and yes, this means that he drove several hundred miles so that he could drive a dangerous road in the middle of nowhere before driving several hundred miles home.]
Both cars were in very good shape when he sold the one. Lovingly maintained (he IS a car guy).
He actually hung onto the one (a VW GTI) until he had a chance to drive down to NC/Tennessee to drive the Tail of the Dragon. Which I guess is similar to one of us running the NYC Marathon or something. Then once he had done that, he sold it.
[and yes, this means that he drove several hundred miles so that he could drive a dangerous road in the middle of nowhere before driving several hundred miles home.]
Another website I frequent has a member who rents Miata cars down there. Another member was going to do a group ride on motorcycles.
Trail shoes: new balance Summit Unlnown
Marathon race shoe: Nike zoom fly fly knit. Haven’t found anything to replace it with actually. Easy/tempo/speed work/daily run shoe: new balance prism.
im not a new balance fan boy. They were on sale.
Many of us aren't sure what the hell point you are trying to make and no matter how we guess, it always seems to be something else. Which usually means a person is doing it on purpose.
VDOT 53.37
5k18:xx | Marathon 2:55:22
Some prefer the phrase ‘detail oriented’ and others ‘nerd out’ and I’m a little surprised. I expected you to have specific shoes for specific purposes just based on your abilities and (if I remember correctly…actuary?) your job. I have multiple pairs of the same shoe, and convert old shoes to ‘dad shoes’ which sucks when the only shoes I have to go out are bright Orange, blue, green, or some off white stained color.
dwave I like the ‘treadmill’ shoes. I wish gyms would have thought about that. The problem I’ve found with having multiple pairs of the same shoe in the same color is keeping track of them. Break them in evenly and you have 8 shoes to track. It gets confusing. It’s easier to allow yourself two colors to make tracking them easier.
anyone else give your shoes ‘nicknames’ in Garmin? I call mine ‘orange swoosh’ and ‘NEWER Orange Shoes’ so I don’t mix them up. Also because I’m different in a weird way.