The post characterizes the pursuit of streaks in running as akin to obsessive, and I think I would agree with that assessment. I would venture to guess that the general personality of long-term runners (those who have been running for a year or more consistently) is in the neighborhood of Type A. I know that while I may not be as consistent a runner as I'd like, my desire for order in my running (creating a plan, mapping my runs ahead of time, registering early, etc) puts me in the ballpark of Type A. And I have to admit, there's some intangible attraction in potentially running the same race every year, creating a multi-year streak.
The only streak I have going right now would be the Baltimore Running Festival, which is this Saturday. This will be my third year running in the festival, although I've run two different races each year (5K in '07 and half marathon in '08.) So, it is a more technical streak. However, I think that until I get my fitness to a level where I can keep running half marathons or longer every single year, my streaks will be limited to the festival or to shorter distances.
A second streak that I have going is the Celtic Solstice 5 Miler held every December. This will be my third year running that race as well, and since it's only 5 miles, it's doable at a range of fitness levels. Once we move away from Baltimore in a few years' time, I'll have to make a choice as to which race I come back here for each year (assuming we move farther away than DC or Philadelphia.) I think I'd choose the running festival if I'm running the half or full to make it worth the weekend trip, but that could change.
In other news, I think I'm finally going to splurge a little and get some new running shoes. Although my current shoes aren't ready to be retired just yet, as they've only got about 380 miles on them. Even though shoemakers say you should replace your kicks every 400 miles, I think that's just a good way for them to get people to unwittingly trade in perfectly good 400-mile shoes for perfectly NEW 0-mile shoes at a fat margin.
Anyway, I'd like to have two pairs of shoes I'm running in at any given time, with the idea being that I'd be replacing one pair as the other was still in the early mileage days. I figure if I get a new pair now, I've still got probably another 200 miles in my current pair, which will be good for replacing them sometime in 2010.
I was going to just go with the next generation in the Brooks Adrenaline series (which is now called Defyance), but my go-to website, Runners Warehouse, won't have them in stock in my size for another 30 days, and really, I don't want to wait a month or more for shoes. So, I'm going to instead try the Nike Air Pegasus +26, which got good reviews in Runners World in August and are very affordable for running shoes: MSRP of $75. Turns out Runners Warehouse has them in stock in my size (just one pair left) and they're discounted down to a cool $58.00. Combine that with a little searching on the web for a coupon code that garnered me another 15% off, free 2 day shipping and no tax and I picked up my new shoes for just $50.00 total. Not bad when most running shoes run twice that or more. Now, the true test will be how they feel, but Runners Warehouse has free returns too, so I don't have to pay to send them back if they don't feel right.
A second streak that I have going is the Celtic Solstice 5 Miler held every December. This will be my third year running that race as well, and since it's only 5 miles, it's doable at a range of fitness levels. Once we move away from Baltimore in a few years' time, I'll have to make a choice as to which race I come back here for each year (assuming we move farther away than DC or Philadelphia.) I think I'd choose the running festival if I'm running the half or full to make it worth the weekend trip, but that could change.
In other news, I think I'm finally going to splurge a little and get some new running shoes. Although my current shoes aren't ready to be retired just yet, as they've only got about 380 miles on them. Even though shoemakers say you should replace your kicks every 400 miles, I think that's just a good way for them to get people to unwittingly trade in perfectly good 400-mile shoes for perfectly NEW 0-mile shoes at a fat margin.
Anyway, I'd like to have two pairs of shoes I'm running in at any given time, with the idea being that I'd be replacing one pair as the other was still in the early mileage days. I figure if I get a new pair now, I've still got probably another 200 miles in my current pair, which will be good for replacing them sometime in 2010.
I was going to just go with the next generation in the Brooks Adrenaline series (which is now called Defyance), but my go-to website, Runners Warehouse, won't have them in stock in my size for another 30 days, and really, I don't want to wait a month or more for shoes. So, I'm going to instead try the Nike Air Pegasus +26, which got good reviews in Runners World in August and are very affordable for running shoes: MSRP of $75. Turns out Runners Warehouse has them in stock in my size (just one pair left) and they're discounted down to a cool $58.00. Combine that with a little searching on the web for a coupon code that garnered me another 15% off, free 2 day shipping and no tax and I picked up my new shoes for just $50.00 total. Not bad when most running shoes run twice that or more. Now, the true test will be how they feel, but Runners Warehouse has free returns too, so I don't have to pay to send them back if they don't feel right.
All in all, not a bad deal in my opinion, as until I have more discretionary income, I don't see the point in spending tons of cash on things you pound into nothingness anyway. I don't even like buying running shirts and instead just make sure the races I run hand out free tech t-shirts instead.
So, with new shoes on the way and set to be here on Monday, I am going to try to find some nice discounted shorts at the expo tomorrow night, and maybe a long sleeved running short to add to my collection, as I could still use a few more cold weather shirts considering we're into October now!
1 comment:
I hear ya on the streak thing. I have run the Riley's Rumble Half Marathon each of the past 4 years (the last two years more as training runs). Who would want to run a really hilly HM in July? I guess us idiots who want to keep the streak alive :-)
As for kicks, two things. Definitely log your mileage on the shoes, but also pay attention to your body. I almost always start getting some knee pain when my shoes hit somewhere in the 325 to 350 mile range. When I change to the new shoes there is no more pain. It could be coincidence, but I don't think so.
Also, the Brooks Defyance (at least the current Defyance 2 shoe - I'm not sure what is in store for Defyance 3 yet...) is built on the Adrenaline but without some of the extra support. So it is a neutral shoe - not a stability shoe. If you need the stability, the Defyance may not be for you (unless they are changing it for the Defyance 3...again I'm not sure about this).
Good luck this weekend!!!
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