Distance Run

In my last post (comparing the Hurricane 6 and 7) I complained about some pain in the bottoms of my feet after a few runs on the new 7 series.

I had great reservation about using such a vastly different pair of shoes.

But I also really enjoyed the cushioning provided in the 7’s. The 6’s, though very stable, left a little to be desired in the way of cushioning. Since I do most of my running on asphalt, I was looking forward to the added softness in the 7.

To that end, I strapped those puppies to my feet for a few more runs this week.

My first run after my last post was a 6.5 mile run on flat surface. It took me a surprising amount of time (4 miles or so) to begin to feel comfortable in the new shoes.

I really felt that I was running “drunk”. No matter how much I focused on form, it felt that my feet were all over the place.

But after about the 4th mile, things began to improve markedly. I was feeling fresh and my feet were quite bouncy 

One of the phrases I repeat to myself when I begin to feel fatigue in a run is “I’m running on a cloud.” After about the 4th mile, my form settled down, and I really felt that I was floating along. In miles 4, 5 and 6 I dropped between 15 and 30 seconds per mile off my time, and felt very comfortable and in good form.

My impression of the seven began to change.

I did another run last night (Wednesday) in the 7’s.

This past Monday was a holiday, and I drove down to Charlottesville to check out the race route. It looked rather hilly, and I decided that between now and race day, I was going to do my midweek runs on the hilliest rout I could find.

So, once again I donned my Hurricane 7’s and hit the road.

The run went really well. For the first mile or so I did still feel a little loose in my form, but I quickly settled down. After the first 15 minutes or so, I was running very comfortably, and could turn my attention completely to my up-hill and down-hill form.

My impression of this shoe has definitely changed.

I will recommend this shoe to anyone running in the 6 who does not have a critical need for a shoe with the level of stability provided in the 6.

If you think you can sacrifice some of that stability, and you are looking for a little more comfort, the 7 may be the shoe for you.

I have one caveat, though. Take your time breaking in this shoe. It will be a big change, and you will want to have several short runs in them before you do a long run.

I will probably do 3 or 4 more short runs in them before I run over 10 miles in them, as I still have a few aches and pains (primarily in calves) I want to investigate. I’m not sure if they are due to the new shoe or the increased mileage I’m running as I ramp up to marathon distance…

I’ll keep you all posted on my progress with the Saucony 3D Grid Hurricane 7…

There is another drawback to the shoe… It is expensive. I may try another pair in the same series to save money. At this rate, I’m going through 3 to 4 pair a year, and I need to make sure I am not blowing my entire hobby budget on shoes!

This article is a review of the Saucony 3D Grid Hurricane 7 as contrasted with my experience with the Hurricane 6.

I haven’t found much regarding the changes from 6 to 7, so this review is only my experience with these two shoes.

For reference, here is Saucony’s press release introducing its new lines for 2005:
“3D Grid Hurricane 7: Runner’s seeking the ultimate blend of cushioning and stability will love the 3D Grid Hurricane 7. This high end training shoe from Saucony is built to address each phase of the gait cycle. An Arch-Lock Midfoot Wrap™ keeps the foot centered and in control. Saucony’s Impact Interface™ allows for heel compression without bottoming out. S.R.C. (Super Rebound Compound™) offers 15% more rebound and 10% more durability than EVA. The 3D Grid Hurricane is the ultimate blend of what runners need.” (Read the full press release.)

The Hurricane 6 is a shoe I loved.

I began running in February ‘04, and put about 700 miles on 2 pair of the Hurricane 6’s.

The shoe was stable, supportive, and responsive. I loved it…

The other day, I went to my favorite running store ( RnJ Sports )to pick up 2 pair of the 6’s as they were on sale, and I knew the new model would be out soon.

They did not have any more of my size, but they did have the new 7 series.

“Saucony made them lighter, and a little softer,” I was told.

I was in love with the 6, so I tried on the 7.

Indeed they were lighter, noticeably by hand, and very cushiony.

“I am going to love these, too!” I told myself.

Over the next week I did 3 runs in them to warm them up.

Run 1: 2.5 mile warm up. They were like running on air. Mmmmm… Like eating chocolate for breakfast. I was hooked.

Run 2: 4 mile mid-week run. Again I was pleased. I didn’t feel that there was any appreciable loss in stability or responsiveness. Indeed, they felt they might even be more responsive than the 6, which I always felt were a little rigid, but thought that was the price to pay for stability.

Run 3: 5 miles at a decent pace (for me, that is about 8:40 for a mid-week run). Certainly this shoe is a noticeable improvement over the 6, but I began to notice that my foot was arching much more than before during the run.

The day after my 5 miler, the bottoms of my feet (I suspect the Plantar Fascia) began to hurt, and badly.

The sales person at RnJ told me that Saucony had removed some component from the sole of the shoe to help reduce the weight, and I suspect that has cause the shoe to become more flexible, resulting in greater extension of the foot while rolling off the step.

In any event, I will be wearing my old 6’s for this weekend’s long run.

If I can return these 7’s, I will, and try a pair of the Saucony Grid Omni and see if they are a little stiffer.

If not, I will stick with this pair of 7’s, but take much more time breaking them in. Actually, I guess I am breaking my foot in :( I’ll likely try to find another pair of the 6’s to hold me over until that time…

Whew;

Saturday I ran my longest run yet, and it was tough.

I’ve been increasing my mileage slowly, but this run really wore me out.

I certainly believe that I ran it way faster than I should, but I have had a tendency to do that with the running club I’m in.

I know several runners who are much more advanced than me. It works out on the shorter 10 to 12 mile runs, but 20 kicked my little butt.

There was an advantage though…. I got a taste for some of the pressure I’ll be under in Charlottesville.

I started having lots of pain in my right quad about mile 8, and began to question whether or not I should quit the run. Tom carried me through, though… He’s been a big help to me. This week he really helped me understand how to explore different nutrition schemes I can employ durring the longer runs.

In any event, having someone to talk to really keeps my mind off of the task at hand, and can even turn a tough run into an enjoyable one.

The run itself was beautiful as well.

High 40’s, sunny, and little breeze. A great morning for a run.

We ran past several sights that really inspire me:

• U.S. Capitol
• Washington Monument
• Smithsonian
• Haines Point
• And of course, ending at Iwo Jima is always inspiring.

I have come to enjoy my runs in the winter…

Running 18 miles on trails that have occasional ice patches is quite exhilarating.

At least that was the case during last week’s run. It was about 18 degrees when we started. ( I run with the DC Road Runners club ( http://www.dcroadrunners.org/ ) )

I discovered that I use all kinds of muscles I never generally use.

One of the downsides is that my water bottles froze by the time I was about half way thought the run… That’s never fun.

On the positive side, though, my gel turns to a frozen, milk-shake like slurpee.

Today it should be sunny and mid 30’s to low 40’s! I’m pretty excited.

12 miles should go by quickly! If you are a runner and you are getting your mileage up, please find a group. Having a group has really enhanced my running experience.

Mid-week runs during the winter are fun as well… Whether I run in the morning or at night, it’s always dark.

This is a bonus if you love the night sky, which I do.

I don’t know how many times I’ve almost run into something because I’m staring up while running… lol

The other morning though, I was running around 5:30 am and I saw the coolest thing in the sky. A very bright star (it appeared), split in half. I had to stop twice to see if I wasn’t seeing double.

I wonder if it was two planets with orbits that had placed them close to each other, or if a planet was passing between earth and that star…

In any event, it was neat, and kept me pondering.

I also learned that morning that hard-packed snow is quite pleasant to run on. It’s very soft, and if you take very short strides (which I do), you don’t have to worry about slipping much.