The past 8-9 days have pretty much been a runner’s dream for me. Near PR in the 5K, Meb wins Boston, vacation to Mt. Ascutney VT with the family (site of the VT 50K each Fall), and I ran my first long trail race (~15K) in several years yesterday.
Getting out on the trails reminded me how much fun off-road racing is, and the combo of doing the trail race plus the stay in Ascutney has me really seriously considering a trail 50K this Fall. I backed out of the VT50K last year due to a lack of sufficient training, but I’m in a better place now and might be ready for the challenge. We’ll see!
Runblogger Posts From Last Week
Newton Motion III Review: Five Lugs Are Better Than Four
April 23, 2014 – Great shoe, moving to a five lug design was a wise move for Newton. However, still tough to justify $175 for a shoe with so many good options out there.
Meb’s Boston 2014 Post-Race Interview
April 22, 2014 – A couple of post-race interviews with Meb Keflezighi.
Go Meb!!!!!!
April 21, 2014 – Video of the finish of the 2014 Boston Marathon.
A Tale of Two 5K’s: How a Change in Race Approach Led to a Near PR
April 21, 2014 – A personal post on my last two races and how I managed to shave 50 seconds off of my 5K time over the span of two weeks. Pretty sure it had more to do with my brain than my body.
Recommended Articles From Around the Web
1. My review of the Newton Motion III came out just a few days after Thomas Neuberger posted his review of the same shoe. We shared similar feelings about the shoe and Newton’s move to a 5-lug design. Read Thomas’ review of the Newton Motion III here. Thomas also posted a review of the maximally cushioned Altra Paradigm last week. I have a pair, but have not had a chance to run in them yet.
2. Nick Jenkins wrote a great post titled “6 Things I Learned From My Last Ultramarathon.” Here is a list of 6 things I liked about Nick’s list: 1. the rather disturbing image of Harry Potter, 2. that he appreciates the value of good underwear, 3. that Nick is fueled by Snickers, 4. that he likes list posts, 5. that he uses the word/phrase “un-bonk,” and 6. that he enjoys cursing at himself in races. I liked Nick’s list post so much that I think I’m going to steal his idea and post a similar list based on my experience running a ~15K trail race yesterday.
3. Craig Payne wrote a nice post titled “The ‘Wet Footprint Test’ is a Furphy.” I liked the post because of the use of the word “Furphy” in the title, and I now know what that word means. You have to read it to find out for yourself (hint: we both hate the wet footprint test)!
4. Outdoor Kinetics reviews the Inov-8 Baregrip 200 v2. I’ve never really understood the purpose of a trail shoe with no midsole or protection (the Vivobarefoot Evo Trail was my one and only short-lived attempt at that), but I don’t run in fields or through mud very often (mostly roots and rocks for me when on a trail). Gone is the lime green colorway, and the upper looks to be more durable. Not a shoe I’d likely ever use myself, but a solid review.
5. A ton of Boston Marathon race reports came out last week after the race. I liked this one by Jason Fitzgerald of Strength Running since he discusses how a lot of things need to come together on race day to yield a top performance in a marathon. Jason struggled a bit in Boston, but still managed a 2:45. Impressive time given the challenges he encountered during the race!
About Peter Larson
Hi, sorry this is off topic, I tried posting on the forum, but could not figure it out. I have been told that I over pronate, which is why i switched out of kinvaras after a stress fracture. I now have run in the pure cadence 1( which give me arch pain) and the asics gt2000(which just don’t work for me fit wise). I am thinking about the brooks launch, but am worried that it will increase my pronation because of one article recently stating that some neutral shoes increase pronation because they are meant to combat supination? I am asking you for help because all of your articles have made so much sense and are reasoned out. I will be running at the collegiate level next year and need a good shoe to consistently train. I am 5’11″ 140 lbs with a mid foot strike. Thank you so much for your help!
Where was your stress fracture located (which bone)? The Launch is a relatively soft shoe, so it may roll in a bit more than most, but only way to know for sure is to have someone film you running in them. You might look also at something like the Mizuno Sayonara which is also a lightweight trainer but is a firmer shoe.
Thanks a lot. It was my third metatarsal on my left foot. I will check out the mizunos. I loved the kinvaras and I forgot to mention that I had also run a race in merrell trail gloves for a race and some workouts which I think could have caused a large amount of stress. What is your experience with the Kinvaras? I have looked at the Brooks ST5, but am not sure if that would be enough shoe for it is a race flat? Thank you!
OK, so my suspicion with a met stress fracture lies far more with the Merrells than the Kinvaras. In a very minimal shoe the forces at pushoff are more focal and can strain the mets as they bend, which In suspect is why we see met stress fractures as a common injury in a transition to a minimally cushioned shoe. The bones need time to adapt and strengthen. Combining speed with a very minimal shoe without adaptation can be a double whammy. The ST5 is plenty of shoe I think, but have not run in that one myself. Brooks flats tend to have more heel cushion and higher drop than other brands.
So would you assume if I used the kinvara again, I would be relatively safe if I made a slow transition and increased my running slowly? The most miles and fastest I have run was in the Kinvara. Have you had good experience with the kinvara in terms of “over-pronation.” I have read some of your other articles and it seems to be a favorite shoe of yours. Thank you very much for your time and responses, it is greatly appreciated. I think I am looking at purchasing the kinvara 4 now.
I would be very surprised if a 3rd met stress fracture was linked to overpronation. It’s really hard to say whether the Kinvara or any other shoe was to blame, people get met stress fractures in all kinds of footwear, but I do think the risk may be elevated during transition into more minimal shoes, particularly things like the Vibram Fivefingers and Merrell Barefoot shoes. It could also simply have been that your training load placed stress on your feet that exceeded the capacity of the bones to recover and remodel in response to the stress being applied. I personally found the Kinvara 4 to be restrictive/tight in the forefoot, waiting to try the 5 still.
Actually, after reading your review of the 4 I am going to wait to see how the 5s are. Any other shoe recommendations? Thanks again.
If you want to try something a bit firmer, the Mirage is the “stability” alternative to the Kinvara.
Thank you very much for your help and a great blog!