Ironman Augusta 70.3 2016 Race Recap

Ironman Augusta 70.3 2016 Race Recap

September 25 was going to be my day.  The Ironman  Augusta 70.3 triathlon was finally here.  The race I had been training so hard for on one of my favorite courses.  It was four-and-a-half months...

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Letter to the Triathlon Coach

Letter to the Triathlon Coach

I have been an endurance coach for some time now.  Once in a while, I receive an email from a client which chokes me up with pride.  Today, I received one of those letters, so instead of sharing it...

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FD3 Triathlon: Goof Recap

FD3 Triathlon: Goof Recap

The previous post was a review of the FD3 Triathlon Series as if it was a product.  Below you will find a more detailed account of my personal experiences during the race.  Let me know in the...

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Goof Review: Altra Torin 1.5

Goof Review: Altra Torin 1.5

The quest for the best running shoe can be daunting, but the search for the best zero drop running shoes can be downright frustrating.  The majority of all the Altra Zero Drop reviews I personally have read, the consensus is pretty positive, and in this instance, it will be no different, because in my opinion, it has resolved my issue of finding the best zero drop shoe on the market.  The Altra Torin 1.5.

What is Zero Drop? /></a></h3><p>To define zero drop is to first define heel drop, which is the difference between the height of your heel off the ground minus the height of the ball of your foot.  For instance, most of the traditional running shoes out there have a 12-millimeter drop.</p><p>The heel is raised 12 millimeters above the ball of the foot.  This causes more emphasis on the heel when running because that is where most of the cushioning is.  A more minimalistic shoe will have a drop that is much lower.</p><p>For instance, the Brooks Pure Flow has a 4 mm drop.  This shoe is great for starting the transition to a more minimal shoe giving all the benefits of a minimal shoe without causing the injury of the drastic change from traditional to minimalistic.</p><p>The Altra Torin 1.5 is a complete zero drop where the ball and the foot and the heel are equal keeping the foot more natural like walking barefoot.  While it has the zero drop of a minimalistic running shoe, it does provide the protection of a good amount of cushioning in the sole.  This is one of the reasons I truly enjoy running in this shoe.</p><h3><span style=Upper

The upper is durable but is thick throughout.  I personally like this, because I feel the security of the shoe without having to pull the laces tight.  In my opinion, the laces should never be tight.  Once the laces are tied they should really never have to be untied unless you are using a runners lace.  The laces should be tight enough to secure the heel but no more.  This allows the runner to support themselves rather than the shoe supporting the runner.

The Altra 1.5 has the same wide toe box that is consistent with the whole line of zero drop running shoes.  I love the wide toe box because it allows me to have splay my toes and grab the road with more surface area.  My feet do not feel crowded in this shoe.

Altra changed the laces in the 1.5 from the original model.  They are now flat vs the round nylon laces and they reduced the number of holes on each side from 7 to 6.   It provides more space between the touch of the laces to the foot and security in the sinch of the laces.

The shoe also seemed to have less seems and the addition of a strap that cinches the tongue to the upper.  It helps the security of the foot in the shoe.

Outsole

The outsole has not changed from the original Torin, but that is something I personally liked.  There is enough cushion in the sole for protection without losing the feel for the road or trail underneath.

The ride of this shoe is extremely comfortable.  Of course, this is why I enjoy the Altra line in the first place.  The ride is smooth with great responsiveness on the road.

The interesting part of the shoe is the weight.  When upgrading a shoe from an original version, the thought would be that the weight could be dropped, but in the new Torin 1.5 has an extra ounce added.  The shoes weigh 10.5 ounces versus the original Torins at 9.5 ounces.

The flexibility has not changed either.  The Altra Torin or the Torin 1.5 are not the most flexible of shoes, but they do have enough flexibility to give a good lever and lift from the ground.  I am chalking the lack of flexibility to the design of the shoe being for the road and not the trail.  Trail shoes should have a little more flexibility for the technical terrain.

Appearance

I do like the color of these versus the originals.  The blue and orange weren’t bad, but they went a little more conservative with the grey, yellow and black.  This is obviously a personal choice on the runner, but I thought I would put my two sense in.

The cost is a little more expensive at $120 dollars, but the shoes seem to last over 400 miles which most shoes will only last 250 to 300 before losing the cushion and ride comfort.

My Impressions:

Quality – 4/5
Upper-4/5
Outsole – 4/5
Flexibility – 3/5
Comfort – 4/5
Appearance – 4/5
Cost – 3/5

Have you tried the Altra Torin or the Altra Torin 1.5?  Have you run in any of the Altra lines of shoes?  What do you think?  Please let me know in the comments below.

Goof Review: Hoka Biondi S2 Running Shoes

Goof Review: Hoka Biondi S2 Running Shoes

Hoka One One Biondi S2

Have you ever even heard of these shoes before?  I didn’t before I met Chet “The Jet” whom was a double Ironman athlete I hosted in my home a few weeks ago.  Chet is from Hawaii and he nonchalantly mentioned these shoes as he was telling the tale of his son whom was running across the country.  He was even went on to mention that he sent a pair to a point in Alabama where he knew he son could pick them up, and the response, nothing but sure gratitude for the gift.  That was the point I had to give them a try.

Hoka One One is not well known here on the east coast, but in the community of ultra runners they have been known since their inception in 2010.  Obviously this is a relatively young company which falls under the Deckers Outdoor Corporation umbrella whom also houses brands like UGG, and Teva.  With the increased popularity of Ultra and Marathon running, I believe these will take off to even higher levels in the very near future.  Why?  Well let me tell you.

When I looked at these shoes for the first time, I reacted negatively.  The huge sole, was a Bondi_Speed_Red2problem for me, due to my belief in a more of a minimal running form, but I for the readers and for my clients I wanted to give them a try, especially after the rave reviews from Chet and his son.  I decided to take them out first for a three-mile run, and then give them a full test drive at the Sarasota Half-Marathon this past Sunday.  I was completely overwhelmed at how comfortable and responsive these shoes are.  At first glance they look really heavy  don’t they?  They weigh in at slightly under 10 ounces(9.8), which is the exact weight of my Brooks Pure Flow 2s that I love so much.  My Brooks Pure Cadence 2s, I was just sent are actually almost 0.4 ounces heavier.  (Just a disclaimer, I weighed these myself, I did not take these stats from the website.)

What also surprised me was the structure looks like a normal running shoe, like any Asics Nimbus, or Brooks Ghost which has a 12mm heel drop.  They say looks can be deceiving, and with these shoes they are.  They also have the same heel drop as the Brooks Pure Project line as well.  The flexibility in the forefoot is probably the only disadvantage of this shoe versus my own running shoes and even that is minimal, and I believe probably after running in them for a little longer even that would become pliable enough to create more flexion.

Capture1bThe sole not only provides superior cushioning upon impact, it also is slightly wider which increased the stability as well.  It seriously was like running on a cloud.  I always preach good running form, and if you have naturally good form, impact is not usually an issue due to a proper lean, raised knee, and high cadence.  I found myself not having to think about my posture and position, because the rocker-ed sole of the shoe did not inhibit, but encouraged a good strike and lean.  Just for the fact a few of my clients are still trying to get into the habit of good form, I decided to jump rope, and do some box jumps in order simulate the impact.  I barely felt anything, and I had full control of my feet.  i really thought I would end up kicking the rope especially doing double-unders, but I had complete control and I barely felt the impact doing the box jumps.  I could totally understand why these shoes are so popular with the marathoners and ultra-runners on the other coast.  The more people start wearing them here, I believe they will gain popularity pretty quickly.

The retail price of the Hoka One One Biondi S2s are $170.00 which seems even high for a running shoe, but like the Newtons, they have a much higher mileage output.  In my research I have found these shoes have been averaging over 700 miles without any degradation of the sole or cushioning.  An ultra runner friend of mine said he had 3 pair of these he was switching out, and his current count is at 3048 miles and he has no intention of getting new ones yet.  Most running shoes will get up to 350 miles, and my favorite Pure Project line rates there own shoes at 250 miles and cost around $100 retail.

They do take some getting used to.  They do feel bigger, but not heavier.  I do like that I was 5’11’ with them on, instead of 5’8″ and change.  Personally, I do not think I would use them for a half marathon or below.  I like the feel of the road a little too much, but you better believe I will be running the Chicago Marathon in them.

Capture2

I give the Hoka One One Biondi Speed 2s, 4 out 5 Goofs.

Hoka One One has several other versions of shoes, for different fits, and surfaces.  More information can be found on their web site.

Hokalogo

2 Races in One Day?

I thought it was kinda nutty when I was invited to the Sunrise/Sunset Challenge, but I wasn’t sure the impact it would have on me.  I looked at the distances of the two races, Top Gun and the Twilight Triathlons, and thought, “What the hell?  The two distances do not even add up to an Olympic.  How difficult could it be?”  What I didn’t count on was the increased effort level?

The plan was hammer the Top Gun and do the Twilight for fun. (I am a poet and didn’t even know it.) Yeah. Right.  Considering I have been competing and training for more long course triathlons lately, I really thought I would finally be able to conquer the sprint.  My last full sprint was two years ago, when I competed in a few sprints in order to get ready for a marathon my times were less than admirable.  To be honest, I was happy with 1:20 at the time.  Now, after a few Ironman 70.3s and last year’s full Ironman I really thought I could do a lot better.  Figuratively, I actually did, but in my mind it still wasn’t what I wanted, but there were some small achievements.

I picked up an A-Train Tri member, Jaime Breibert, around 5am and headed out to Ft. DeSoto.  After the experiencing the pay-to-park line for the Escape from Ft. DeSoto Triathlon, I was pleasantly surprised this event was exempt so there were no delays driving into the park.  Nice!  Like every other race I have competed or watched at Ft. DeSoto the organization of the event was outstanding.  The line for body marking was minimal, the transition area was large enough to accommodate all of the athletes bikes, space for their transition setup and extraneous bags.  Walking into transition I spent  minimal time setting up my bike, helmet and sunglasses, towel, bike shoes, and running gear including my choice of shoes (this time being my Brooks Pure Cadence), running belt and hat.  I wasn’t rushed for time, or inconvenienced by other athletes.  It was smooth sailing which is always nice since it eliminates any unwanted stress.

I headed on down to the beach with Nick Zivolich and Jaime where the low pitched but high energy voice was repeating instructions over the speaker system.  It was a nice and comfortable environment I have come to love over the past years.  The energy of the upcoming race increasingly becoming more and more intense as the time for the first heat was getting closer.  I caught up with a bunch of friends and familiar fellow tri community members I have accumulated over the last years.  This is absolutely one of my favorite times of the race.   I have been really lucky this year as my age group has been assigned early heat times, so the intense anticipation has been minimal.  Last year, I was not so lucky, but I understand the race directors strategy of moving the groups around each year to be fair.  It will be interesting to find out what they where I will be starting next year.  I was in the fifth heat this year only 12 minutes after the first and immediately following Jaime’s heat.

I wished Jaime and Victoria luck and intensely watched them swim out to the first buoy.  Just a quick  disclaimer.  I totally and utterly suck at swimming.  For me triathlon is survive the swim and get on the bike where the competition really begins.  Not that I haven’t been working at it, but honestly, if for some reason I have to skip a workout, I’ll skip a swim before a bike, run or strength workout, but I digress.   The horn finally went off and my personal race had started.  I had been analyzing my swim prior to this, and just recently had the epiphany that maybe my pull of my arm through the water was possibly to shallow to allow me any kind of real speed.  I usually finish with the heat behind me, and even sometimes with the heat behind that one, but this time following my experiment of dipping my arm deeper and pulling a little harder, (Voila!!) I actually finished in the middle of my heat.  As I ran to my bike I noticed silver swim caps in front of me and coming behind me.  A huge smile came over my face as I was slipping into my bike shoes and put on my helmet and sunglasses.  I really couldn’t believe it.  At this point I already felt like a winner.

I ran out of transition, jumped on my bike and headed out to the course I knew so well, due to all of the brick workouts I completed here with my A-Train Triathlon family.  My goal; keep my speed above 21 while keeping a cadence under 96.  The whole ride was pretty uneventful.  The same word came out of my mouth more than anytime in the short period I have been racing.  I continually yelled the word “left” as I was passing other athletes on my right, of course it was disconcerting when I heard it coming from my left.  The ego boost came when I finished the final roundabout yelling “left” to a male athlete that had passed me at the beginning of my ride.  As, I came into transition the only thought was how fast can I get in and out of transition, start the run and whether or not I had pushed a little to hard on the bike.  According to my computer I had averaged well above 21, so was that too much?

I pulled on my shoes, grabbed my hat and ran out of transition buckling my race belt with my number attached to the front.  I grabbed water on the way, a little disappointed when it turned out to be very warm, but it was wet.  As I started trying to increase the cadence I noticed that my legs were very heavy, not a good sign.  I kept saying to myself this is fine, just lean from the ankles and let gravity fuel your momentum.  As much I told myself to lift my legs and lean a little more, my body refused to submit to what my head was commanding.   I continued through the first mile to the fort, and very, very slowly my legs started to loosen a little, and my cadence started to increase.  Passing the 1 mile aid station, I noticed a little more energy in my step and my hip flexors obeying my will.  Then I turned the corner and I remembered.  Crap!  The middle mile of this race is on SAND!  The lower extremities of my body surprised me as they adapted immediately to their new environment.  I guess all those beach runs with Amy Eck had actually done something for me.  All of the sudden I found myself enjoying the run.  My legs stretched out, by body leaned, my cadence finally reached 180 (I think) and I was flying.  Who would’ve thought feeling all that resistance under my feet would actually transform into moving faster?  Not me, but after begging my body to obey earlier I was not going to look a gift horse in the mouth, so before my body decided any differently I picked up my pace.  Turning on the path back to the asphalt I caught another athlete with a 44 on his calf. Hmm…an athlete in my wave I will place in front of…cool.  With that thought completed I noticed another male runner in front of me with the number 41 on his calf.  My only thought; “You are mine!”  With the finish line in sight and the 3 mile marker on my left, I started to sprint with the finish line getting larger in my view and the runner in front of me coming closer and just a few feet from the timing mat, I caught him and jumped in front.  A short term goal accomplished.  I was so wiped out I could not immediately put my foot on the stool in order for the volunteer to remove my  chip.  I had to step over to a section of baracade and keep myself from falling for a quick second.  After a half a minute I recovered enough to get my chip removed, grab some water and meet some friends at the end of the finish line assembly.  Jaime had just finished and Speedy Nick was there already dried off and drinking some water.

With as exhausted as I was how was I ever going to this again in less than 12 hours?

After greeting some friends and coaches, watching some other friends and athletes come across the finish, I headed out to find some water and Gatorade.  I noticed some preliminary results were posted, so I walked over in the hopes mine might just be posted and as luck, good or bad, would have it they were.  My first split was the swim, and I was pleasantly surprised 7:53…cool.  Less than 2 min per 100m…I’ll take that considering my miserable swimming performances leading to this race.  Second split was the bike..26:51 averaging 22.3 MPH…Sweet! I never did that before.  Finally, a 26.35..5k run.  Well, I have run much faster, but not during a triathlon.  8:33 miles per minute…honestly I thought I did better, but I accepted it.  More Bricks, more bricks, more bricks.

Overall, 1:06:36.  A personal record(PR) since my last Sprint was 1:19 so you would think I would be happy and at first I was, until I looked at my place; 38th with only 67 athletes in my age group.  Not even in the top 50 percent.  That dropped me from my high pretty fast.  There were still runners on the course so maybe there a few more in my group out there where I can at least be in the top half.  As I check the results while I write this, it turns out there were I am ranked 39th out of 84 so I made it, just barely but I did make the top half.

The end of the morning consisted of congratulating friends, socializing and grabbing some breakfast at Lucky Dills in downtown St. Pete.  I couldn’t have imagined a better morning.

Next up, the two race day continues.