A rep called yesterday and asked if I could see her that afternoon. I said "sure". She wanted to show me the new shoe line she picked up. The brand is Inov-8. They are very technical trail shoes designed in the UK. They felt really good!

The company takes a minimalist approach to shoes. No unnecessary stuff on the uppers, very low profile midsoles, very little in the way of stability devices and very light (for trail).

They were almost like wearing a racing flat. The first couple of runs should probably be short, to allow the calves and achilles to get used to the lower heel.

We share many of the same ideas when it comes to running shoes and running so I ordered a pair to try and I will let you know how they are after I get some miles on them.

If you do a lot of hilly and/or technical trails, I would try a pair on and see how they feel.

http://inov-8.com/

Ever wonder how fast you should be able to run?

I stole...I mean found this website on April Anne's blog. It is called McMillan Running and they have a cool pace calculator. You put in a race time and check what event it was in. The calculator gives your estimated times for events ranging from the 100 meters to the marathon. While there are many variables when it comes to this stuff it still is fun to check out or to use for goal times when changing distances.

Check out my links section for McMillan's and April Anne's sites.

Nutrtion?

1. I was driving by McDonalds last night and decided to get a cone. Haven't had one in years. Well they dip them in chocolate now. AWESOME!!!! This may be the best fast food idea yet!
2. If you can't decide what to eat, have a hot dog. They are Nature's perfect food. EVERYTHING is in a hot dog!

Later

Brooks o6

I had a question about Brooks on the previous thread so I will cover them next.

A number of shoes will have $5 increase in price.

So Monster, I had a chance to check my notes and the Addiction 7 does have a few changes.

It has a new, more breathable upper. It is lighter (about 1/4 oz). The hydroflow in the heel is larger. The big structure change is they are using a progressive diagonal roll bar (pdrb) instead of a diagonal roll bar (drb). WOW what the ... The DRB is a dense form of eva that is designed to stop overpronation. You have 2 different densities: the midsole eva and the denser DRB. The PDRB adds another density of eva that is between the hardness of the midsole and the firmest eva. The idea is you have a smoother transition to the firmest part of the shoe.

I still think it feels similar enough to the 6 that you should be able to go right into it. I look forward to your post in May telling me how differnt they are:)

The Trail Addiction is toast!

The Adrenaline will have a 2nd colorway. Very bright. Foot Locker.

The Axiom will have a sponge rubber forefoot which should give it a little nicer transition.

As you can see Brooks isn't doing much this spring. Mostly color changes or additions (most of them much brighter).

I spent most of my time on the Addiction because it is HUGELY popular and any change is scary for the wearer and fitter a like.

Any questions a particular model not covered let me know!

Asta la pizza, BABY!

Asics '06

Most of Asics shoes will be updates. They are using a new EVA called Solyte in the Kayano and the Evolution. Both shoes are lighter. The Evolution (motion control light) is much lighter, but is a little more stable.

The big news is the Gel-Kinsei. It will be Asics premier cushion shoe. It is noticeably softer than the Nimbus (assuming the sample accurately represents the production model). The heel looks a little Shox-like. The heel gel is slightly firmer on the medial side for some stability. They call the heel a "discrete heel unit" Under the heel is a resin cradle to hold and support the foot. The midsole has the most gel of any of their shoes. Surrounding the gel is the new Solyte eva. The upper uses their Spacemaster material. It improves moisture movement, breathability, and UV protection.

Running with a Kinsei on one foot and a Nimbus on the other the two things I noticed was the super soft heel strike and the light weight. The Solyte midsole is very light. We will see how durable.

Oh yeah, the price. Are you sitting? Take a deep breath. Now exhale.

$165.00

OUCH!!!!!

The shoe will be released to specialty gold accounts 2/01/06 and then to general gold accounts in May or June.

If you have any questions about a specific model let me know.

Take it easy!

One more thing...

If you have a question or comment that doesn't relate to a post, go ahead and post it in the comments section. I will address it in another post and start a new thread. So have fun.

Spring 06

I have seen most of my reps for spring 06. Nothing really very exciting! I'll talk about a couple of new things in the next few posts. So stay tuned!

I'm Back!

Ok I took an extra week. Anyway, running in southeastern Washington was fun. The area is called the Tri-cities. The towns are Pasco, Kennewick and Richland. Yes this is the home of the Tri Cities Marathon. It was actually featured a couple of years ago in Running Times! The area is dry. A lot of agriculture. The main feature is the Columbia River. It runs right through the towns. It is really nice. No big mountains but some nice hills for variation.

My favorite run is right along the river. Trees, grass, and the river, what more could you want? The trail is flat and you can just cruise along for mile after mile. It was pretty warm (highs around 100), but the mornings were comfortable.

Would I go there for the running? NO NO NO! But since I was there for family the running is more than acceptable.