It Was A Very Good Run...

Click on the orange link below to read a review of What I Talk About When I Talk About Running: A Memoir.

http://josephsreviews.wordpress.com/2009/09/13/running-full/

Coming Up Next...

A review of What I Talk About When I Talk About Running: A Memoir by Haruki Murakami.

In the Long Run: A Review of Born to Run (the book)

Click on the orange link below to read a review of the unique book Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes and the Greatest Race the World Has Ever Seen. This book by Christopher McDougall is also available in audio book form.

http://josephsreviews.wordpress.com/2009/08/09/running-long-a-review-of-born-to-run/

Running through the recession...

Is running the perfect activity for lean times? Click on the orange link, below, to read an article on running as a way to handle the stresses and strains of hard economic times:

http://tinyurl.com/qydanv

Photo: flickr (super-structure)

Is New Balance Running in the Wrong Direction?

I had the interesting experience last Friday of being asked to test fit some brand new New Balance running shoes. NB has been asking some regular runners to try their new just released and pre-release models due to the adoption of a new last. I'll say this... Unless you absolutely love, love, love - that is, truly love - the fit of Nike running shoes, you probably won't like the "new and improved" NB runners.

I tried on the NB 904 (the yellow and black shoe pictured above) and what is likely to be the upcoming NB 1064. Let me start with the heavier 1064... This felt just like a Nike Structure Triax, with the same faults: a bit too heavy, too much underfoot padding in the wrong places, too narrow for a stability runner, and too straight. Of course, the straightness of the new last might be a bit more forgiveable in a "big guy's" shoe.

The issue is even more troubling when it comes to the NB 904. Just looking at the shoe you can see that it is far straighter and narrower than the fine 902 model (the orange runner pictured above). In fact, Mrs. Bear looked at it and said right away that it looked that it would be painful to run in. Agreed.

Another troubling development is that both of these models have been raised. One of the strengths of the 900 series, and of NB runners in general, was the low-to-the-ground structure which provided a lot of natural stability. The higher a running shoe is off of the ground (especially at the heel), the more a runner has to use his ankles for balance... And this is asking for trouble, especially if you have narrow and flat feet, as I do.

So if NB is going to produce shoes that are virtual Nike clones, I will not be adding any pairs to my running shoe collection. There was once a time - up until about 1999 - when the majority of all the running shoes I purchased were Nike. But then they became narrower and narrower, to the point where many of the current models do not fit even at a half-size or one full-size increase.

Prior to Friday, I was definitely planning on purchasing a pair of NB 904s. I've been happy with the NB 901, 902 and 903. Now I will not be handing my money to NB and the Adidas AdiZero Tempo II lightweight performance stability runner is looking even more like the right shoe at the right time.

On the road again...

I've been fighting RSI aches and pains the last few days, so today I decided to take Deborah Quilter's advice and get some aerobic exercise. I wound up putting on my New Balance 901's and jogged the "Vinetian" route in our 'hood, which is a bit longer than a 5K (about 3.3 miles). When you begin running again after a lay-off it's always a bit frustrating because the mind controls the body, and it takes weeks before the reverse is true.

But with a struggle I got through the run and right now I feel better than I did a few hours ago. Also, once one gets back out on the road every run seems to be easier than the one that preceeded it... I will hope that this continues to be the case. We shall see.

Photo: flickr (jakerome)

Once A Runner, Now A Writer... (a book review)

Do you have a runner or two in your book club? If so, you may want to consider adding Again to Carthage by John L. Parker, Jr. to your club's reading list.

Parker is a former attorney who once ran on the University of Florida track team, where he recorded a time of 4:06 in the mile. In 1978, he self-published 5,000 copies of Once A Runner, which Slate magazine called "the best novel ever about distance running." Runner's World labeled it, "The best novel ever written about running." High praise.

The classic "Runner" is now out of print - fetching between $70 to $350 a copy on sites like Craig's List and Bookfinder - but will be sold again via running stores and Amazon.com, etc., beginning in April of this year.

But you don't have to wait until April to read Parker, as Carthage (published in late 2007) is readily available. This is the sequel to Runner and deals with an attorney who is going through a mid-life and mid-career crisis. Guess what he turns to in order to attempt to find his old self? Yes, you're right, running.

The lead character, Quenton Cassidy, decides to try to become a world-class marathoner, despite his advanced age. Frankly, I had my problems with the first half of this book (which I purchased in a Fleet Feet store). The sentences tended to ramble and run on too long. Also, there was the fear that this was going to be another John Grisham-like quasi-legal novel.

Perhaps because the author came close to dying halfway through the writing, and went from typing the book on a computer to writing the finish on legal tablets, the second half is quite different. The language assumes a laser-like focus whether dealing with life and death or running; although to Parker they are mostly one and the same.

You will think you know precisely where this story is going - a major flaw for me with Grisham - but then something surprising intervenes close to the end. It may be viewed as a miracle, a near miracle, or simply Parker's acceptance of the spiritual. Either way, the novel ends brilliantly and you'll instantly wish you had a copy of Once A Runner in hand. In April you will.

I read an interview with Parker in which he made clear that for him the true test of commitment in life is how much a runner gives to his/her running. Parker, like his fictional character Cassidy, is willing to do no less than die while running. Luckily for us, Parker has survived to give his all to writing: "It was like cutting the top off my head and pouring out everything about running that was in there into this (book) and just making sure it wove into the plotline."

If I haven't been perfectly clear about this, let me say it here: runners will love this book!

The Portland Marathon is a Calm Festival...

Mrs. Bear and I now head up every year for the Portland, Oregon marathon; held either at the end of September or during the first weekend in October. In 2008, there were a total of 7,786 finishers for the 26.2 mile distance. Most of these entrants came to Portland with a partner and/or a child or two; thus, some estimate there are an additional 10,000 to 16,000 people in downtown Portland during the long (late Friday morning through Sunday afternoon), event-filled, weekend.

It is no surprise then that people often ask me if it isn't "simply crazy" staying downtown during this period. The answer is no, it is actually quiet and peaceful. The great majority of the entrants have trained for weeks and weeks (generally, 16 to 18 or more) in order to complete the run and avoid the dreaded DNF - did not finish. Some of the runners want not just to finish but to qualify for the world-class Boston Marathon.

All the runners are nervous before the Sunday run and spend hours at the Expo looking at the latest shoes, sports apparel and gear. They also do their best to eat well during the final 48 hours and some will join the event-organized pre-race pasta feed at the Portland Hilton.

So, the hotel rooms are quiet with these "early to bed, early to rise" athletes, amateur and otherwise. On race-day Sunday, the one noticeable thing you might hear is the sound of hotel water pipes running - for showers - as early as 4:00 a.m. and extending through close to 6:00 a.m. Most of the marathoners are getting up one to three hours before the race to eat breakfast, shower and walk over to the downtown starting point.

After the race, you see literally hundreds of finishers limping around downtown; sometimes they're being helped up stairs by their friends and family members. Usually they want nothing more than a good warm bath, a bold coffee, a beer or two (Michelob Ultras and Bud Lights are available for free to finishers of the 5-mile run and the marathon), and a big dinner. Then it's back to bed to catch up on the sleep lost to nerves and worry from the prior two evenings.

In summary, the thousands of visitors in downtown Portland during the marathon weekend are better behaved than a convention of elementary school teachers in Anaheim. Trust me on this.

Photo: flickr (pkripper503)

Did Under Armour Come In Too Late and Too High?

Speaking of running shoes... Under Armour (UA) entered the market with a set of five new models on the eve of the Super Bowl. I was earlier excited about this, but the question is whether UA waited too long and came in with prices that are too high. The just released shoes start at $84.99 for a basic trail shoe, then rise to $89.99 for the base running shoe, zooming quickly up to $119.99 for the flagship UA Revenant (pictured here).

Most runners are looking at paying somewhere between $90 and $120 plus tax at their local running shoe, at least the ones that will carry UA gear. This is simply a lot in this economy. Even worse, the large sporting gear outlets that carry these UA running shoes are not offering discounts; it appears that UA is not authorizing them.

The comined bad timing and the lack of needed discounts may make UA's entry into the lucrative running market problematic. It's as if a Detroit automaker were releasing a new line of SUVs. All in all, it will be interesting to see if UA is still competing in this niche market a year from now.

Bad News on the Doorstep for Runners...

If you haven't yet seen the new Runner's World (RW) magazine, there are two negative developments for runners in these tough times. First, according to RW: "Running shoes just keep getting softer. While this may sound like sweet relief for your... joints, there can be too much of a good thing. ...cushioning that's too spongy can compromise a shoe's stability."

Yes, too much bouncy cushioning - moving you vertically rather than horizontally - actually makes you work harder while reducing traction; this is wasted motion (and wasted energy). I personally preferred the Nike models that were developed in Europe with firmer cushioning. And I'll no longer buy any of Nike's runners with Zoom Air, which is like trying to run on top of two small air beds (one in the forefoot, one in the heel). Hopefully, Nike and other major running shoe companies will eventually learn that when it comes to cushioning, less is...

Secondly, a number of the new running shoe models are "zooming" up in price; a development that is the last thing needed during this recession. Here's just a sampling of the price increases: the Etonic Minado goes from $100 to $115; the Saucony Progrid Stabil from $95 to $115; the adidas AdiStar Salvation from $130 to $140; the popular Brooks Adrenaline from $95 to $105; the Pearl Izumi Syncrofloat from $90 to $110; and the Asics Gel-DS Trainer from $100 to $110. We'll have to wait and see if these very unwise price increases result in the reduced sales of running shoes in 2009.

There is one shoe, however, that has captured my eye and this is the adidas AdiZero Tempo II (pictured), a beauty of a lightweight stability trainer (RW: "a daily trainer for lighter runners who need added pronation control") that comes in at just 9.8 ounces; 8 ounces in the women's version. I'm just going to hope that there'll be a pair waiting for me at the Portland Marathon Expo in October. If so, life will be good... Very good.

confidence

Running gives me confidence. Steve Prefontaine

(Click on the photo to see a larger version.)

now

Run the mile you're in. Ryan Hall

courage

It takes courage to be a runner. Because it's about more than fatigue. It's about pain, and dealing with it for a long time. And it's about resolve.

You can't really be much of a runner unless you have courage.

John L. Parker, Jr.

Cat Run...

The long run is what puts the tiger in the cat. Bill Squires

The distance between...

It's not the failure that kills you, as much as the hope. That's what gets under your skin and makes you believe that things can change, that life matters, that the distance between possibility and reality is nothing compared to human ingenuity, hard work and a trace amount of God's genius. - Peter Ames Carlin

Friday's Run

Fred Lebow found the answer to life's problems, and it was running. - Judd Ehrlich
(Lebow was the founder of the New York City marathon.)

You have to dream a little in the sport of running. If you stay in your comfort zone, you're not going to accomplish anything special. - Deena Kastor

Know yourself, so you may live that life peculiar to you, the one and only life you were born to live. Know yourself, that you may perfect your body and find your play. - George Sheehan

Running should be a relief from the stress, a way to help cope with it, not another added stress. - Bob Glover