If you’ve followed this blog over the past six months you’ll know that I resigned from a 10-year career as a college professor back in May. Aside from my desire to pursue this blog on a more full-time basis, a second big motivator for leaving academia was that I had an offer to work out […]
Bernd Heinrich on Running: Amazing Video
November 7, 2013 By 8 Comments
Before there was “Born to Run” there was “Why We Run.” The latter, a book written by Bernd Heinrich, was the first running book I ever read, and it was one of the launching pads for my interest in running science. In the book, Heinrich mixes his life story with elements of animal physiology and […]
Barefoot and Minimalist Runners Wanted! – Spaulding National Running Center in Boston is Looking for Running Research Subjects
November 6, 2013 By 9 Comments
A few weeks ago I traveled down to Boston to visit the Spaulding National Running Center. The center is headed by Dr. Irene Davis, who is one of the world’s leading experts on running form and injuries, and in addition to working with injured runners in a clinical capacity, they also carry out research studies. […]
Meb Keflezighi is Awesome
November 3, 2013 By 3 Comments
Elite American marathoner Meb Keflezighi has been battling an injury, and going into today’s NYC Marathon’s his ability to perform at his best was uncertain. As it turns out, Meb’s body shut down at mile 19.3, but unlike many elites faced by a situation like this, he didn’t drop. What did he do? He took […]
Saucony Kinvara 4 – A Disappointing Update
November 3, 2013 By 50 Comments
It pains me to write what I’m about to write, but sometimes you have to be honest and tell a good friend that they are headed in the wrong direction. So, Mr. Kinvara, I apologize for being critical. I know we’ve been through a lot together, but we need some time apart until you get […]
ScribeLabs Running Kinematics Footpod – Preview Post on DC Rainmaker
November 2, 2013 By 1 Comment
The world of mobile monitoring of aspects of running form is starting to grow rapidly. It started with devices like footpods that can track cadence and report the value in real-time on a watch or smartphone, but lately new tools have been popping up at a rapid pace. For example, last week when I was […]
Why the Mizuno Sayonara Does Not Work For Me: Technology and A Tale of Two Shoes
November 1, 2013 By 44 Comments
I’ll start this post by stating clearly that people can respond very differently to a given shoe depending on idiosyncratic characteristics of their stride, anatomy, training program (speed, surfaces, etc.) and so on. I’m lucky in that I can run in most shoes without experiencing major issues, but every once in awhile I encounter a […]
New Balance 1400 v2 Review: A Candidate For Shoe Of The Year
October 30, 2013 By 71 Comments
“The 1400 are what running shoes are pretty much supposed to be. That’s not to say that shoes that aren’t like this are no good. I know they are. And not everyone can wear one model. But running is supposed to be simple. At some point we came to believe that our running shoes weren’t […]
Track or Treat: Enter the Clever Training Garmin Forerunner 10 Halloween Giveaway Contest
October 29, 2013 By 6 Comments
If you have kids like mine, you’ve been hearing about Halloween non-stop for the past few weeks. Pumpkin carving, costume planning, and spooky decorating have been ongoing for days in my home, and the culmination of all of this anticipation will be a candy infused sugar high followed by a dramatic crash from Thursday night […]
My Running Gait Analysis at the Spaulding National Running Center
October 28, 2013 By 22 Comments
Last Friday I traveled down to Boston to give a research presentation at the Spaulding National Running Center. I was invited by Dr. Irene Davis, one of the world’s leading experts on running gait and injuries, and it was awesome to be able to spend an afternoon at a top notch gait lab. I got […]
Time For a New Shoe Rack!
October 23, 2013 By 34 Comments
My racks at home are full, and the images below don’t include the full box ready to go to Soles 4 Souls, the rack in my bedroom closet, or the bookcase-full that I brought to work as demos. Yes, I have a problem, and that Brooks Green Silence seems to be missing its partner…
More On Leaving Academia to Become a Blogger: My Interview With University Affairs
October 23, 2013 By 6 Comments
Several months ago I was contacted by Dr. Jennfier Polk, who at the time was writing a blog titled From Ph.D. To Life that focused on career options for Ph.D.s, with a special focus on non-academic careers. Jennifer had seen the post I had written about leaving my academic job to pursue this blog full-time, […]
Patagonia EVERlong Trail Shoe Review and Giveaway
October 21, 2013 By 3 Comments
Intro from Pete: This is a guest review by Laurie Greenberg, an ultrarunner from Warren, VT. I met Laurie this past summer when we coached together at the Craftsbury Running Camps, and was amazed by her ability to eat up miles. She is a certified personal trainer, mother of three, and is one of the […]
Saucony Peregrine 3 Trail Shoe Review
October 17, 2013 By 18 Comments
My last two runs have been mostly on trails down by the Merrimack River. I like those trails for shoe testing since they include lots of surface variety – sand, a bit of mud, roots, rocks, leaf cover, etc. There’s also a good stretch of crushed rock that I can take if I decide to […]
First 100 Shoes at the NYC Marathon Courtesy of Sneaker Report
A reader (thanks Tom!) just passed me a link to an impressive piece of work posted on Sneaker Report. They put together a photo montage of the first 100 shoes to pass by at yesterday’s New York City Marathon. I tend to be a fan of racing flats, so many of my favorite shoes are […]