8 mile runs on Monday mornings…

January 16, 2013

Now, if you are from a place, where it is seriously cold, and you are getting dumped on with snow, you are probably thinking this girl should count her blessings. But let me tell ya, I would rather have snow than rain. I would rather it be 30 degrees and sunny. I can tolerate crisp, refreshing, winter air, as long as, the sun is shining bright. With that being said…

It has been dark and dreary. Fog has formed, and a cold mist of rain has been lingering since early last week. It is totally dull, gloomy, depressing. I know it is January, but the weatherman promised the weekend would be a warm 65 degrees.

He lied.

It stayed around 50 degrees, the sun never came out, it was raining, but I still ran. I actually ran everyday…

Saturday, 1/12/13 – I ran an easy 5 mile run. It was 50 degrees, but gray and gloomy.

Sunday, 1/13/13 – I woke up early, and met L before work, for a 5.32 mile run. This one was full of “bitch” hills. It was a little warmer than 50 degrees, but again gray and gloomy.

Monday, 1/14/13 – I met up with L and ran 8.29 miles. This was the warmest of all the days, being 61 degrees. It still was gray and gloomy, with rain. This run actually felt amazing, and gave me the energy I needed for the rest of the day.

Today, Tuesday, 1/15/13 – I had my Art class in the morning, before work, so I took a rest day. It was gray, gloomy, and by the end of the day the rain was coming down hard.

You are probably wondering what is giving me my drive, to run on miserable, dull, winter days of gloom?

Well…

I am reading an amazing book called, Eat and Run, by Scott Jurek. It is inspiring me in many ways, including giving me motivation to run an eight mile run on a rain drizzle filled monday morning, like yesterday.

(photo taken from my iPhone)

“and now, running had turned into something other than training. It had turned into a kind of meditation, a place where I could let my mind… float free.”

Above is one of my favorite passages from the book, so far. Trust me, there are many more quotes to share… and although, the weather around here has been totally depressing, running in it, though it, all around it, feels good and keeps me sane.

Questions for You?

What is the weather like near you?
What motivates you to work out, run, eat healthy?

Farro Soup

January 13, 2013

Today, I woke up totally disappointed, to cold and fog, but it later cleared up and the sun came out, so of course I went for a run. Then once I got home, I started to cook up a storm. The first thing I baked was granola from scratch. (I will write a granola post tomorrow.) The second thing I made was an amazing vegan/vegetarian soup that even my boyfriend, the meat eater, gobbled up.

As you may know, soups are one of my favorite things to cook and eat. Soups can be so hearty and satisfying. They can warm you up on a cold winter day. They can cure the common cold.

This soup recipe is called Farro Soup, from my favorite cook book, Super Natural Every Day, by Heidi Swanson. If you don’t already have this cook book, you should get it asap. It is a must have… a kitchen essential.

Of course I put my own little twist on the recipe, so it is not exactly the same as the one from the cook book.

INGREDIENTS

olive oil
2 large yellow onions, chopped
1 large sweet potato peeled, diced
3 large carrots peeled, diced (This is not part of the original recipe. I added these. I love carrots in soup.)
sea salt
1 tablespoon Indian curry powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder (This is not part of the original recipe.)
1 teaspoon cumin powder (This is not part of the original recipe.)
a handful or semi-pearled farro
A little more than 1 cup of black lentils
6-7 cups of water
2 cubes of vegan vegetable bouillon
greek yogurt
lemon juice
lemon zest

DIRECTIONS

Add onions, sweet potatoes, carrots to a large soup pot, with heated olive oil.
When veggies are soft and golden add curry powder, turmeric, cumin, salt.
Add 6-7 cups of water and 2 cubes of vegan vegetable bouillon.
Add farro and lentils.
Bring broth to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer.
Simmer for 30 minutes.
Taste and season with more salt if needed. Taste and make sure farro and lentils are fully cooked.
In a side bowl, add yogurt, squeeze lemon, and stir.
Serve soup, top with lemon yogurt and sprinkle lemon zest.
The Final result!

This soup is super quick and really simple to make. It is also really hearty, super satisfying, extremely healthy, and very delicious. It is vegetarian, but if you are vegan omit the yogurt step.

running and photography

January 11, 2013

Let me tell you a little story.

One friday, late last year, I decided to join my mom, and all of her old lady friends for lunch. After we had finished our meals all of my mom’s friends demanded that they updated their contacts. So they all pulled out their phones, and yep you guessed it they all had marvelous smart phones, androids, iphones – you name it. I immediately felt left out and embarrassed to even pull out my phone. I should be the one with the nice iPhone, and they should be the one clueless on how to work theirs. But nope they weren’t. After that- I had, had it. It was time for me to become trendy and get a smart phone.

So in October of 2012, I got an iPhone 5. Finally, I could recycle my old piece of crap phone and upgrade to a smart phone. Yes, I was the only 20 something year old that had not done this yet, but better late than never.

bad picture of me. but great picture of my iPhone 5.

Before I use to never run with my phone. What was the point? But now that I have my iPhone 5, I never run with out it! Although, there are tons of cool running and music apps, my favorite part of my iPhone 5 is the camera. This phone takes amazing pictures. Before, I would go on runs, and sometimes see something really cool, that I wished I could take a photo of, with the iPhone 5 now I can. I have become obsessed with instagram as well- follow me @dorseyml.

Anyway, I don’t take photos on every run, but I took a couple over the past 2 weeks. This is what I have been running by…

Most of these are taken on the south side of MVT.

This photo was taken during my run on January 3rd, 2013. Although, it was cold, look at that sun streaming. Cold, but refreshing, and soaking in that Vitamin D.

This photo was taken on my morning run on January 4th, 2013. Look at those ducks!

This photo was taken during my morning run, on January 10th, 2013. On this day, it was 53 degrees out. It felt amazing running. The sun reflecting on the water almost looks like ice – but its not.

This photo was taken today, January 11th, 2013. It was 50 degrees, but felt colder because it was lightly raining. I was craving a run, so even those it was raining I was ready to hit the trail. Running forces me to get outside, during the winter while most people are cooped up inside. Don’t be scared of bad weather. A light rain even in January, can feel quite refreshing.

I will start up training for longer races in mid February. So all of these runs, were fast, easy runs, between 5k- 5 miles. However, this weekend is suppose to be 65 degrees so I might throw on some shorts and go on a 10 mile run.

I also wanted to let you guys know that I didn’t feel it necessary to set a New Years Resolution for running, because I am always setting running goals. However, the one thing I do want to do, is record/log my miles. I do this anyway. I use to log them on runnersworld.com, but even since I began running with my garmin I log my miles on garmin connect. But I have never evaluated my mileage. What I mean by this is…

If you had asked me, “How many total miles did you run last month?”

I wouldn’t be able to answer that question- because I have no clue. So this year I will continue to record my mileage, but I will actually keep track. I have just become really curious of how many miles I run a year! So lets see how many miles I can run in one whole year. I am really excited about this new goal/challenge.

Questions for You…

Do you run with your phone?
What is your favorite thing about your smart phone?
How many miles do you run in a year?

Running Music

January 9, 2013

It has always been a common debate of whether running with music helps or hurts you as a runner. When I was training for my first Marathon in 2009, I had a running buddy that never ran with music. We would meet up for runs, and right before we started I would always turn on two things – my iPod and my Garmin, mean while he didn’t have either of these. I asked him why he didn’t enjoy running with music? He replied that running with music did not make him a consistently paced runner. A fast song made him run faster, when a slow song made him run slower.

There is also always the topic of safety. Why else are headphones banned from races? But who follows that rule anyway…

I have had a lot of non runners, scold me about running with music/headphones, because it alters my sense of hearing, making it dangerous. I guess this could be true, not being able to hear a cyclist behind me, on the trail. A car honking when I cross the street. A dog barking. A kid laughing. And because I am a female runner, the odds of a possible predator approaching me from behind is much greater than if I was a male runner. All of these scenarios are dangerous, but even more so with my sense of hearing impaired. (Oh and even even more dangerous if you are on a bike. If you are a cyclist, it is a whole different story.)

Although this is all true, I still love running with music and rarely go for a run with out my iPod. However, with that being said, I want to make one thing clear- I do not rely on my iPod to carry me through the miles. I am capable of running with out music, and actually during my first marathon, there were so many spectators with cool signs, that I didn’t pay much attention to my running playlist until the last 5k.

So being a female runner, running with music, I have to be even more aware of my surroundings – but believe me I am, because I use my eyes. I am constantly scanning, I don’t want to miss anything. Plus, now that I am running in a more minimalist shoe- I can feel the ground. By wearing a more minimalist shoe I am able to use my sense of touch, which allows me to be way more in tuned with my body, my running form, the run itself.

But back to the music… One of the top reasons I love running with music is not because it betters me as a runner, but rather because it is the one time during the day that I get the opportunity to totally engross myself with my favorite tunes.

Don’t get me wrong, I listen to music pretty much my whole day. I listen to the radio in the car, but I don’t choose the music. Pandora plays in the background, while I am at work, but I can’t really listen to it, because I am busy with clients. So while I am running my morning route, I am able to stop thinking, instead I run, and listen, listen to the newest music on my iPod.

Now because I run so much, my playlist quickly become boring. So I am always on the search for new music. Lately, I am all about Lindsey Stirling.

Lindsey is a violinist. In her album, Lindsey Stirling by Lindsey Stirling, she creates 12 instrumental songs, blending both classic violin with her signature electronic violin style. I know this is a unique choice of music to suggest you to download, but aren’t you bored of the same old music? Aren’t you desperately searching for something new and different to listen to on your long runs? Well trust me Lindsey Stirling is your answer. Although, her music is instrumental violin, you will not be put to sleep. This music will get you pumped and make you run faster and faster.

So although, there are negative things about running with music, there are many positive things as well, including increasing your cadence. Lindsey Stirling is who I am listening to while I run. Who are you listening too?

Questions for You…

Do you listen to music when you run?
What is on your running playlist?

all photos were found on google

My Favorite race of 2012, the Annapolis Half Marathon.

January 2, 2013

Because today is the first day of 2013, I find it quite necessary to recap my favorite race of 2012, The Annapolis Half Marathon. On this day, a month ago, I ran my fastest half marathon. I have been meaning to write this post for a couple weeks now, but I have decided to save it for the first of the New Year, which is the perfect day to look back on some of the highlights of 2012.

The Annapolis Half Marathon was not the first race I have ever run in Maryland, but it was by far the best! I’m going to start out by telling you a little bit about my past races I have run in Maryland. Because I have a bit of history when it comes to running races in that state.

In June of 2008, I ran my first half marathon, the Zooma Annapolis Half Marathon. I remember thinking – I needed to slow down because it was hot and hilly. At the end, I had enough energy to sprint to the finish line, finishing in 2:09:38.

In 2009, in part of my marathon training I ran a 21 mile training run in Baltimore and then a week later ran the Baltimore Half Marathon. I remember thinking – this is not a race, this is a training run in preparation for The Marine Corps Marathon. Although, cooler, it was still very hilly. The best part of this race was running the last mile downhill to the finish line. I finished this race in 2:03:36.

In August of 2012, I ran the Annapolis 10 miler. It was rolling hills the whole way, and Hurricane Isaac swept through brining us strong winds and torrential downpours. It was one of the worst 10 milers I have ever run, finishing in 1:33:23.

So when my sister said the only free weekend she had available to run a half marathon was the weekend of December 1st, and the only local race was The Annapolis Half, I had mixed feelings about registering.

PROS and CONS

I was a little disappointed because we had already run a race in Annapolis this year, only a month before. Would this be boring? Would we have bad weather again, maybe not another hurricane, but a blizzard could be a possibility. These were some of the thoughts that were running through out my mind. But because the Annapolis 10 miler had been one of the more challenging races I have run, I decided that this would be my second chance to try to conquer the rolling hills of Annapolis, Maryland. I also thought it would be interesting to run a half marathon in the winter – the cold winter weather might be an advantage for me. Plus I would have the opportunity to train for a race in the fall time, which is my favorite season to run in. These ideas made me pumped to register for this race, train, and then run the dang thing.

TRAINING

If you have been following my blog, you most definitely have read all of my training run posts, so I will only touch briefly on my training for my new readers. I have been running in the Newton shoe since April/May. This shoe is a natural running shoe. It is super light weight and has a 2mm-3mm heel to toe drop. I run in both the Distance U and the Gravity. With this transition, I have worked very hard on my running form. I finally feel very comfortable, with a short quick bouncy running stride, striking my forefoot/midfoot instead of my heels. This race was the ultimate test, to see if all this hard work has paid off… and let me tell ya… it totally did.

RACE

One of the fabulous pros about this race was that the race was scheduled for a Saturday. This may not matter for people, but it does for me because my days off form work is Friday and Saturday.

So on Friday, I made a pasta dinner for my sister and I. She came over right after she got off work. We ate and then hit the road. Another fun thing about this race was that I rented a Fiat for the drive up! I love that car!

When we arrived to the hotel, we prepared for the race by laying out our race outfit and set our alarm for 4:45 am. My race night ritual is laying out my race clothes and everything I need for race day.

We woke up from the sound of the alarm, not thunder like the previous race we ran in Annapolis (Annapolis 10 miler). This race started at 7:00 am and they advised us to get to the Naval Academy parking lot no later than 6:00 am, because of road closures.

When we arrived, we stayed warm in the car until 6:15 and then we headed over to the start. I found L in the line for the bathroom. Thank goodness. At the Annapolis 10 miler there were no corrals so we ended up missing each other at the start. But we found each other this time, and although it was 40 degrees out we stripped down and ditched our long sleeves. I always want to keep my long sleeves on but I always later get too hot and regret it. I was cold for the first mile but eventually I warmed up and felt perfect.

At 7:00 am the gun went off and The Annapolis Half Marathon officially began. It was super foggy. I was barely able to see what was ahead. For the first few minutes it was a tad squishy, but I stayed to the outside and found space. For the first 3 miles or so I was flying, running 7:30 minute miles. Then I continued doing an 8 minute mile. I refueled at the mile six mile water station. I was feeling so good and couldn’t believe that I was already half way through. Mile six already… I thought.

The course was rolling hills, and some of those hills were really steep, while others were gradual but never ending. However, because of the fog you couldn’t really see what was ahead, but I knew the hills were there. I felt pretty prepared though, because I had included tons of hill work during my training. But while I was running I realized I don’t hate hills. I am actually really good at hills. Mentally, I started to break the race up by hills. I ran with control going up hill, then I used momentum to pick up speed without wasting energy while going down hill. We got to run over the really big bridge, which was one of the foggiest and prettiest parts of the race.

I continued to keep my pace in check. I looked down and saw 9 minute mile so I picked up the pace again and made sure I was running no slower than 8:45 and no faster than 7:50. When I hit the 10 mile marker I was shocked. I looked down at my watch and saw a 10 miler PR 1:23:00. Could this be true? I felt good, strong, fast. I was excited because I knew I was going to PR! My goal in this race was to finally break 2:00:00, there was no doubt in my mind… I was doing that.

Around mile 12 I felt like I was slowing down a bit so I pulled out my trick. When I feel like I am slowing down I always imagine myself running over hot coals. I kept telling myself, “hot coals, hot coals.” This kept me light on my feet, bouncy and quick. I ended up having enough energy to sprint to the finish line. I got there with a big smile on my face with an official time of 1:51:21.

I wanted to post these running pics because I think it is important to evaluate my running form. Trust me no one looks sexy, in their race photos, so keep in mind these aren’t the most beautiful photos of me, however, my running form is right on. And after all that hard work transitioning my stride into a natural runner, I not only ran my fastest half marathon, but I am very proud that I accomplished good running form.

Good Running Form

Short strides, trying to land under your center body mass (do not over stride)
forefoot/mid-foot striking (do not heel strike)
cadence of 180 or higher – tip: imagine your running over hot coals
light, quick, bouncy
leaning slightly forward, (lean from your ankles, not your waist or hips)
head and chin up, always look forward. (do not look down)
engage core strength
keep shoulders relaxed and arms at a 90 degree angle

There I am after the race, see what I mean about the fog. The end of the race party was really fun. They had beer, pulled pork bbq, a raw oyster bar. They also gave us a medal, a really high tech long sleeve running shirt, and a hat. Lets just say, “they hooked us up with some awesome swag.”

We spent the rest of the day shopping around along the waterfront of Annapolis.

We also went to lunch. Of corse I had a crab cake sandwich. Maryland bay crabs are the best, but crab season was over so I went for the crab cake. It was tasty, but the bloody mary was the best part.

Next time you have a bloody mary try it with Absolute Pepper Vodka!

So that was my favorite race of 2012. As of now, for 2013, I am registered for three races in April. I am super excited for all of them but mostly the Nike Women Half Marathon scheduled for April 28th.

Happy New Year and Happy Running!

Questions for you…

What was your favorite race of 2012?
Do you like hilly races?

My Last Run of 2012

January 1, 2013

Today is New Years Eve! I got off work around 4 pm and rushed home to change into my running clothes.

L and I wanted to end 2012 running one last easy five miles around the DC monuments. We met at our spot (where we park) and headed down to the Key Bridge. Unfortunately, when we started our run, it was too late and the sun had already gone down. I had not done a night run in a while, but was excited to see the monuments lit up. DC is by far the prettiest at night.

As we ran passed the GTown water front we saw The Kennedy Center lit up in the distance.

Then we ran towards the Memorial Bridge! This is the Lincoln Memorial all lit up! I took this photo with my iphone, isn’t it lovely!

Then I decided to bust out my favorite yoga pose – Standing Bow Pose/Dandayamana-Dhanurasana.

This run was an easy fun five miles. It felt good to end the year, 2012, with a casual run. The crisp winter air, it finally feels like winter here with 30-40 degree days/nights, was refreshing. DC was beautiful lit up at night. I got to run over two bridges, through Arlington Cemetery, and running along the river was peaceful. It was nice to have the company of L with me, on this night run. And I got to listen to, Lindsay Stirling, new music I just downloaded onto my ipod. All and all it was a great run, and a great way to end the year.

Questions for you…

What is your favorite place to run at night?
Did you have one final run to end the year?

Sneak Peek

December 31, 2012

Ok Runners… Look what I found…

This neon pink beauty is a sneak peek of Newton’s new design for one of their running shoes in the 2013 line. This photo popped up on my Facebook news feed, and it is all the information they have released about their newest shoe. I am hoping it is the color for the 2013 Gravity or Distance U. The suspense is killing me… I just want to know which shoe this is and when it will be available.

The secret to injury free running is Cadence.

December 16, 2012

For the last two days, all I have done, is Christmas Shop. No running, no yoga, only shopping. It has been really overwhelming for me because I hand make most of my presents. I will show you a sneak peek of my hand made gifts in a future post, but if you can’t wait you can check out my tumblr blog Cashmere & Silk. Anyway, when I was Christmas shopping, I stopped to have a latte and read the UK Runner’s World. While I was reading I came across this…

Ever since April/May, when I began to focus on running form, I kept hearing the word Cadence. Cadence is how many steps you take per minute while running. The secret to injury free running is a Cadence of 180 or higher.

A couple years ago, when I was in New York City, I stopped in the Asics running shoe store and they evaluated my running form by taking 3D images of my feet and video taping the way I ran barefoot on a treadmill. By doing this I learned a lot about my feet and stride. I discovered that while I run I tend to over stride and because of this my cadence was in the 160s, below average.

When I first began to run in my Newtons, I decided to read the book Natural Runner, written by Danny Abshire, the inventor of Newton. In his book, he pushes the importance of having a cadence of 180 or higher. In order to achieve this, he tells runners to have a short, quick, bouncy stride, where your feet land under your center mass. Be light and quick on your feet. Imagine yourself running over hot coals.

Because I have the Garmin Forerunnner 50, which has a foot pod, I am able to measure my cadence. I have been recording it for some time now, however my garmin has always said it was between 80-95, which is disappointingly low. Turns out my garmin only measures the one foot, that the foot pod is in. Duh! So looks like I am right on target.

If you don’t have a foot pod to measure your cadence, you can download a cadence app on your phone. Listening to a faster beat song helps too.

Yipee!

December 13, 2012

I can not even begin to express how excited I am. The Nike Women’s Marathon has always been on the top of my list of races to run. However, because it has always taken place in San Francisco I haven’t had the chance to run it. Well, at the end of the summer a friend informed me that the race was coming to DC. This is the first time that the race is going to take place in a city other than San Fran. Out of all the cities on the East coast they chose to place the race in Washington, DC – very cool, and convenient.

Another thing about The Nike Women’s Marathon is that it is super popular, so popular that they had to make it a lottery. They also kept the registration date a secret. So everyday I was checking on whether or not the race was open for registration. It was really weird, I would google NWM and there would be NO info on the race registration. Finally, I found out, through facebook, that it had open and I registered.

It wasn’t until today that I found out that I got in and so did my running budy, L and my sister E. Super Excited. I can’t wait to run the Nike Women’s Half Marathon at the end of April. I heard shirtless firemen hand out Tiffany necklaces at the end.

Comparing Running Shoes

December 5, 2012

Lets talk about my obsession…

For those of you who have been following my blog, you may already know that I am shoe obsessed. But for those that are new readers let me clue you in.

In April/May 2012 I caved… and made the switch from a traditional running shoe, (Asics Nimbus and Brooks Glycerin) to a barefoot running shoe called Newton.

So ever since then, I have been wearing either my Newton Distance U or my Newton Gravity, only doing one long run in my old Brooks Glycerin (over a 7 month period.)

In the Newton shoes, I have focused on running form. Working very hard to change my stride from a minor heel striker (slight over pronator/over strider) to a forefoot/mid-foot striker (neutral runner with a higher cadence.)

Was I successful? Yes, I was, and I had the opportunity to prove it, by racing two 10 milers in them. And just this weekend, raising the bar, by setting a new PR in my half marathon I ran.

However, last week, I went into my local running shoe store, Pacers, and bought the Brooks PureConnect running shoe. This shoe’s resale value is normally $90, but because it is a 2012, it was on sale for $75. The 2013s should be out in January, but you can pre-order them now, if you want them!

Brooks barefoot running series.

Lets talk about Brooks PureConnect shoe. This is what Brooks says…

The PureConnect was named “Best Debut” in Runner’s World’s Winter 2012 Shoe Guide in the December issue. The editors said the PureConnect “strikes a balance between barefoot-inspired minimalism and cushioning-required training. It has a lightweight, barely there feel yet is substantive enough to handle long tempo runs.”

The design of the shoe allows you to have the freedom to feel the ground and connect with your run. It has toe flex technology which gives you flexibility in the forefoot and activates your big toe and aligns your toe off. It is a 4mm heel to toe drop. The material the shoe is made from keeps the foot balanced and creates a glove like fit, allowing the shoe to work more naturally with your foot. The shoe weighs 6.5 oz, being super light weight and breathable.

PureConnect

Why I was tempted to try them…

Don’t get me wrong… I LOVE MY NEWTON SHOES! Just how your body will adapt to certain work outs, your body can adapt to your running shoe. When you repeat the same work out over and over, you stop seeing results, the same can happen in running shoes. Because of this fact I don’t want to allow my body to get too comfortable/use to one type of shoe. Different shoes work the body in different ways. I want to be well rounded. I also want to experiment with a shoe rotation. I have used Brooks and Asics in the past, and have enjoyed their shoes, so I thought I would look into their barefoot running shoes.

When researching, different barefoot running shoes I realized that Asics was the last ones to take the plunge. But they finally did, unfortunately, it is not quite good enough.

ASICS

Their barefoot running series is called the 33 series, named after the 33 joints found in your foot – very cool name. However, their lightest out of that series, the Gel Lyte33, only has a 6 mm heel to toe drop. This is good for those runners, who are still running in a traditional running shoe with a 12 mm heel, who wants to try a lighter shoe and a lower heel to toe drop. This shoe will give this runner what they desire with out messing to much with their running stride or body. Some runners claimed they barely felt a difference.

However, because I am already running in the Newton Gravity that has a 3 mm heel to toe drop and the Newton Distance U which has a 2 mm heel to toe drop, to try the Gel Lyte33, with a 6 mm heel to toe drop is pointless. So I moved on from Asics and took a close look at Brooks PureProject, and found the PureConnects.

Three things sold me on this shoe…

The heel to toe drop is 4 mm. There is a little bit more heel in these shoes compared to the Newtons, but not by much. Newton: Distance U has a 2 mm drop. Gravity has a 3 mm drop.
These shoes are 6.5 ounces. This is by far the lightest running shoe I have ever tried. Newton: Distance U weighs 7 ounces. The Gravity weighs 7.6 ounces.
The biggest sell point. These shoes are known for their Cushion. A little more cushion is what I was looking for, and that is what I found in these shoes.

SAUCONY

(just mentioning this for all the Saucony lovers out there…)

Saucony’s Kinvara 3 is the Brooks PureConnect’s biggest competition. So for those who love Saucony. The Kinvara is similar to the PureConnects weighing 6.7 ounces and having a 4 mm heel to toe drop.

On a different note…

So here is something to think about… Less is More.

I was talking to another runner. Demanding him to give me answers and tell me which shoe is the best shoe. He told me, “It is not about which shoe is better than the other. This is a running shoe store. All the shoes are good, designed by runners, for runners.” I questioned him. “Even the most minimal shoe in the store?” I asked. He informed me that the point of a running shoe is to absorb shock when the runner’s foot hits the ground. Even the lightest most minimal shoe is now made from such high tech materials, that even they are capable to absorb the shock, just as well as a traditional running shoe. So it is not whether one shoe is better than the other. It is about you, and your own personal opinion, about what you like and what you are comfortable running in.

My Experience in the Brooks PureConnect

Although, I had my shoes for a week, I didn’t want to jump right into them because my half marathon was coming up over the weekend, and I didn’t want to take any chances (injury/being sore) during my taper. So my first time running in them was yesterday. Wow! They definitely were different.

THE FIT… THE TOE BOX…

The Newton shoe along with most barefoot running shoes have a wide toe box. This design is suppose to allow your foot to naturally spread so your toes can grab the ground, the way they would naturally if you were running barefoot. The Brooks PureConnect took a different approach. While other runners, found this shoe to be a bit narrow. Brooks wanted this shoe to feel like a second skin, and hug your foot like a glove.

narrow toe box? nope! it fits snug like a glove.

Narrow toe box? Nope! it’s just snug like a glove. And I am wearing shorts in December. It is 65 degrees here!

When wearing the PureConnects, I did feel a bit snug in them, but are they really narrow, or am I just use to a wider toe box? Well unfortunately, I only ran four miles in them, so I can’t fairly judge whether I liked this “glove” feel or not. I do know one thing though – The wide toe box that my Newtons have, is one of the reasons why I love my Newton shoes.

When running in the Newton shoe with it’s wide toe box, you not only have the opportunity to really feel the ground, but your toes actually have room to spread and grasp the ground. However, at first this was very uncomfortable for me because my second and third toes are slightly crossed. I also continued to get a reoccurring blister on my third toe on my left foot. But practice makes perfect and over time, my toes stopped bothering me, and now I love the idea of my toes grasping the ground, because it is natural. This is what your toes would do if you were barefoot running on the sand at the beach.

The PureConnect does not have a wide toe box but rather has toe flex technology which gives you flexibility in the forefoot and activates your big toe and aligns your toe off. Honestly, during my four mile run, I didn’t feel my toes engaged at all or activated in any way. But then again, it was only a four mile run, maybe in a longer run I might be able to feel my toes do some work.

CUSHION

I have always run in a high cushioned shoe (Asics Nimbus and Brooks Glycerin.) So when I made the switch and started wearing the Newton, cushioning is the one thing I really missed. I don’t feel like the Newton shoe is very cushiony. Plus I sometime experience sesamoiditis very mildly in my left foot. Sesamoiditis is nothing too serious, it is just inflammation or irritation of the sesamoid bones found underneath the big toe, in the forefoot area. Wearing a more cushioned shoe, along with icing, can help a runner with this condition. So when I heard the PureConnect was a barefoot running shoe, known for its cushion – I had to try it!

When wearing the PureConnect for my four mile run, I could feel the cushioning right away. I felt super BOUNCY and light on my feet. In the end, I absolutely LOVE the cushion and bounce in this shoe – this felt really good. However, I wouldn’t say I felt like it was more flexible than my Newtons. I actually felt like they were a bit stiff, but I know they are not, maybe it was because they were snug like a glove.

Look at that Cushioning!

So this is what I have so far, on this review. It is hard to judge since I have only had the chance to run four miles in them. One very important thing about these shoes is that they do not last long. Most runners can only get 250-300 miles out of these shoes before they have to replace them. Because of this aspect, I am planning on only wearing these shoes a couple times a week, mainly for shorter runs.

If you over pronate…

When you change your shoe to a minimalist/barefoot running shoe, and change your stride from an over strider/ heel striker to a shorter strider who lands on their forefoot with a quick cadence, your over pronation should disappear. However, some may have a body imbalance they can’t help or weak ankles. If this is the case, they may still need some stability in their shoe. If this is the case, an orthotic may help, or instead of purchasing the PureConnect, you would get the PureCadence. The PureCadence is from the PureProject by Brooks, but this shoe provides a stability crutch, while the PureConnect does not.

L wears the PureCadence.

PureCadence for those that want a barefoot running shoe, but needs a stability crutch.

PureCadence

If you are interested in a stability shoe in Newton, you would start with the Motion ( for those that need stability) later trying the Distance U (which is for both the neutral runner or the runner who needs a stability crutch.)

TIP…

If you are not running in a barefoot running shoe, always remember, it is good to keep one on hand as a strengthening tool – they work the muscles in your feet, when traditional running shoes protect them. They work the muscles in your lower legs, different than the way a traditional running shoe would.

Questions for You…

Have you tried Newtons, Brooks PureConnects, Asics 33 series, or Saucony Kinvara? If so what did you think?
Have you tried a minimalist shoe or barefoot running shoe? If so which one?
What do you think of minimalist – just a trend or is it the future of running shoes?

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