Sunday, October 28, 2012

Life After Beach 2 Battleship

It's been a week now since Beach 2 Battleship.  I think I was good about taking it easy.  I did a 5 mile run with Daniel on Tuesday.  I mostly wanted to test out my new K-Swiss Blade Foot.  Here are the details from the website:

Product Details

Profile: A zero heel lift running shoe that promotes natural foot strike. 8.0oz, 226.79g
Midsole/Outsole: Blade-Foot zero lift cushioning.
Upper: A minimal and supportive lightweight upper constructed with Air Mesh.
And some photos:
I bought these mainly for strengthening my calves and feet since these are minimalist shoes.  I do not plan on wearing these for longer than 6 or 7 miles.  There is a pull tab on the back of the heel and on the tongue of the shoe.  These are supposed to be for quick transitions, but I think this is a half-assed attempt by K-Swiss.  If they seriously thought that anyone was going to use these in a triathlon then they would have put drainage holes on the bottom of the shoes like they did for the Kwicky QT2, Blade-Light Run, and Kwicky Blade Light. 
The website says that these shoes weight 8.0 oz, but I doubt that.  They are very light.  Road Runner Sports says that they weight 7.0 oz which is what I think they more closely weight.  I've tried shoes as light as 5 oz and they feel dangerous.  As in, I think I may hurt something in my knees, hips, or back dangerous.  There is definitely not enough support in them for me.  I may have to work gradually to work my way down to them, but for now I am happy running in my 8 oz Kwicky Blade Light shoes and using the Blade Foot Run as my minimalist.  I am in no hurry to work on the tiny muscle fibers in my calves and ankles that will cause more harm if they are injured than good if they are strengthened any more.  For the record, I love the Kwicky Blade Light.  I have 5 pairs and I lost 1 (I left it at a race :(  ).  I've used them in marathons and all my long distance triathlons.  They are light shoes with just enough support and cushion for me.  I am a neutral to slight underpronator, my foot rolls out.  If you don't know anything or very little about pronation, check out 'Pronation, Explained' from Runner's World magazine.
OK, so back to the review of the Kswiss Blade Foot Run.  I enjoyed them.  They were a little snug at first, but felt ok by the end of the run.  The laces are supposed to be 'stay tied' laces.  But, I will probably change them out for Yangz! or some other lacing system that doesn't require me to tie anything.  The shoes are supposed to keep your feel cool with a mesh upper.  But, the side is like a leather material.  So, I'm not sure how cool my feet will stay in hot weather.  I probably won't have a race to use them in until Gasparilla when I'll be doing the Beck's Light Challenge again.  I don't know if I'll use them for the 15K or not.  If it's cold, probably because I won't be sweating as much.  I'll give an update after I've used them in a race. 
As for the rest of my week, I didn't do much of anything except work, sleep, and eat, and eat, and eat.  Thursday night I did some strength training - squats, back extensions, calf raises, seated chest press, and seated rows.  Friday night I stuffed myself at dinner with Daniel, Sarah, and Cesar.  That was such a delicious meal at Fire Grill.  Saturday was a full day of shopping with Sarah and today was a pleasant run down Bayshore and breakfast at First Watch.  I felt good during the run today and it was perfect weather, aside from the head wind that felt like it was coming at us from both directions.  The only curious thing was that 2 of the 4 times that we stopped I got light headed.  My heart started pounding and my vision got a little blurry for about a minute.  It was strange, but it only happened when I stopped.  I was perfectly fine while running.  There was no labor in my breathing and my heart didn't feel like it was beating fast.  Although, I wasn't wearing my heart rate monitor so I don't know exactly. 
Tomorrow starts the beginning of regular visits back to the gym and 5 weeks of training for Las Vegas!  I'm not sure what the weight training it going to be.  I think I'm just going to wing it for next week and look for something specific to start the following week.  Here is the running schedule until Vegas:
Week 1:
Tuesday - 8 miles @ 8:33
Thursday - 7 miles; 3 X 1600 @ 6:43 w/ 800 jogs
Saturday or Sunday - 20 miles
Week 2:
Tuesday - 9 @ 8:31
Thursday - 7 miles; 5  @ 7:14
Week 3: 
Monday - 15 - 18 miles
Tuesday - 2 @ 8:30
Thursday - 6 miles; 3 X 1600 @ 6:41 w/ 800 jogs
Sunday - Miami R-n-R Half Marathon
Week 4:
Tuesday - 7 miles @ 8:29
Thursday (thanksgiving) - 20 miles
Saturday - 5 miles; 3 @ 7:04
Week 5:
Monday - 2 miles @ 8:28
Tuesday - 4 miles; 2 X 1600 @ 6:40 w/ 800 jogs
Thursday - 2 miles@ 8:28
Sunday - LAS VEGAS R-n-R!
Also, quick CONGRATULATIONS to everyone who participated in the Rev3 Tri in Sarasota, Miami 70.3 and Marine Corp. Marathon.  This was certainly a busy race weekend. 

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