Race report -- 2012 Brookings Half Marathon

I ran the Brookings Half Marathon on Saturday. Between six and fourteen days* prior to the race, I didn't train at all, so I wasn't as prepared as I would have liked. Even so, it was a good day and a good run. The weather was as good as it gets: almost no wind, and just the temperature I like. It was in the low 40s F at the start, and by the finish it was still cool.

As expected, I had a much easier time than last year, when I was forced by injury to take nearly a month off. In this year's race, I ran at about 12 seconds per km faster than my typical training pace. Had I not interrupted my training for travel, I expect I'd have gone only a little faster. Of my five half marathons, this one's pace was right in the middle.

I briefly considered wearing my Merrell Road Gloves, but in the end decided I needed a little more shoe than that and wore my Brooks Green Silence. I've liked those shoes from the start, and Saturday didn't change my opinion. I think if they had a little less drop from heel to forefoot, I'd like them even more, but I can't complain too much -- they performed very well.

Race director Dr. Matt Bien and his team did their usual exemplary work of putting on an event. I can't think of a single thing to complain about. Thanks to all of the volunteers -- you were great as usual.

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* I was travelling with my family on vacation, and also to accompany my son's First Lego League robotics team to the World Invitational Open tournament. It was a ton of fun; maybe I'll write about it.

Merrell Road Gloves on the Road

I took the new shoes out for about 6 km this morning over mixed surfaces -- mostly concrete and asphalt, but some grass and gravel. They were every bit as good as I had hoped. They are very comfortable, even on gravel. I can feel every pebble, but the shoe offers just enough protection so there's no pain. They certainly don't give as much ground feel as the Vibram Five Fingers Classics, but I think it's a good trade-off. I like having laces so I can get a secure yet comfortable fit. The toe box is nice and roomy just like I like it. I think I've found my new everyday shoes.

I don't think I'll run my half marathon in them, though -- for 21 km, I'll need a little more shoe than this. I'll probably wear my clown shoes (Brooks Green Silence).

[update 2012/04/07]
I ran another 12 km today, and still love these shoes. I'm even thinking about the possibility wearing them for my half marathon. I'll see how I feel about it in five weeks.

Setback

In January, I started formal training for a half marathon. I'm using Runner's World SmartCoach for my training plan. I like it. Compared to my usual haphazard ways, I'm running a little less often, a little slower, and probably about the same mileage. Here's a chart of my running since January:

I started SmartCoach in the middle of the 4th week of the year. I was sick for a few days in the 6th week of the year, but hadn't missed any other workouts until this week. More on that in a bit.

I like the way SmartCoach builds up the training load. It started with just 3 runs a week. It goes in four-week cycles, with 3 weeks of increasing mileage and then it backs off a little the fourth week. It also adds another day per week of training every few cycles, always on the down week. For example, through week 4 of the plan (week 7 of the year on the chart) I built up to 24 km/week on three days a week, then backed off to 20 km, but on 4 days. Similarly, on week 13 I'm scheduled to go to 5 days a week.

My minimalist shoe progress has been pretty good, too. I run my shorter runs almost exclusively in my Vibram FiveFingers, and usually start longer runs in them before switching to Brooks Green Silence. I think my longest run in the FiveFingers has been 7 km.

That's the good news.

On Monday, all of this came to an abrupt halt. I slipped an fell on the stairs down to the basement of our house (yes, I'm graceful. Like a dancer.). My right leg folded under me and I bounced down about three steps on my foot and ankle. I also stretched my quadricep like it's never been stretched before.

As I fell I was certain that I'd done some major damage to my leg, but I found that it wasn't so bad. I could walk right away, though with some pain. I've been icing it and gently stretching, and it's getting better every day. I hope to get back running next week. My training plan calls for a tempo run on Wednesday, which I will probably skip, or at least make it an easy run instead. It's day-to-day at this point, and I'll be very cautious.

SmartCoach apparently has a way to re-schedule the rest of the training based on missed workouts. I'm curious to see what workouts it changes.

Half marathon report

I had an enjoyable half marathon yesterday. The weather was perfect. I was a little worried about wearing my Brooks Green Silence shoes, since I hadn't run all that much in them, but they were fine. By the end, a toe or two felt a little hot, but I didn't get any blisters. My left knee feels just a little tender today, but I don't attribute that to the shoes. At my low level of training, I don't think any shoes would have prevented that.

Those shoes are definitely attention-getters. A number of people remarked on them.

I saw two marathoners wearing Vibram FiveFingers; one wore Classics and the other wore Sprints. I didn't get a chance to talk to them, but judging by their tattoos, they were both triathletes.

Many thanks to Russell, who ran with me. His wife, Mary, alas, was unable to run because of a foot injury. Also thanks to the staff and volunteers for the race -- everything was just right.

New shoes: Brooks Green Silence

Brooks Green Silence

I have a half marathon coming up shortly, and I don't think I'm ready to go that distance in a truly minimal shoe like the Vibram FiveFingers. I've been looking for something towards the minimal end of the traditional running shoe spectrum.

I've worn mostly Brooks shoes for the past several years, and have been pretty pleased. I'd read a little about the Green Silence racing flat, and thought I'd give them a try.

I just got them yesterday, and have only run about 5K on a treadmill in them, but my initial reaction is very positive. They're really light and comfortable.

I haven't decided if they're the ugliest shoe I've ever owned, or the coolest. It's one or the other; there's no in-between with these things. One might say they look like Ronald McDonald's bowling shoes -- bright yellow and red, and asymmetrical. One has a red sole and a mostly yellow upper, and the other is the opposite.

The heel-to-toe offset is just 8 mm, which is flatter than most running shoes. Brooks is getting on the minimalist bandwagon a bit, touting a number of models on their web site. They don't have anything close to the FiveFingers, but I wonder how long that will last. Surely the traditional shoe companies notice the attention Vibram is getting.

I'll have an update once I get some more miles on these shoes.