Haven't been around for a bit. I 've been having some foot pain and it looks like it is a stress fracture. Can't figure out what I did, but in my research I found that tight hips can help cause them. Well, if there is one person with tight hips, it's me. Oh well, I have to have xrays in a couple of weeks (the stress fracture doesn't show until the heeling process begins). It does feel better, but I haven't run in two weeks. Back to the bike and pool.

I want to give props to one of my peeps!

Jocelyn worked for the shop last year and moved to Georgia for grad school. She finished the Wisconsin Ironman. She won the womens collegiate championship at the Ironman distance! She was 3rd in her age group, 42nd women, and 275 overall.
Way to go!

New Balance 1st quarter '06

New Balance has one new exciting shoe and two important revisions.

The new model will be the 1010. It is a motion control shoe that is probably the most runner friendly of any of their mc's. It starts with big chunks of the Abzorb sbs cushioning in the forefoot and heel. The midsole is called Acteva, it is lighter than regular eva and is supposed to hold up better (though haven't really seen that). It has a Rollbar and a polyurethane medial post! It is very stable but really felt good on the short jog I took it on. This is a shoe for you severe overpronators to try.

The next big change is the 991 is being replaced by...You guessed it, the 992! After about four years they made a few updates. The main one is they are using Abzorb SBS and top loading the front piece. The shoe felt very similar (maybe a bit more cush), though the toe box was a little narrower. This surprised the rep, so it might be changed during the final production. It still uses pigskin in the upper and still looks like your father's (or by now, grandfather's) shoe.

The most important update is the new 857. The 850 series have been very popular since being introduced (in spite of NB's efforts to ruin it). The first thing you notice: no rollbar! They are only going to use rollbars on motion control shoes. I have never considered this series to be mc, even though Runner's World seems to think so (of course they do not watch people run in them).
They have extended the medial post and are using the TS2 medial post. The old medial post was a single density, the TS2 (Transitional Support System) has a graduated density. It is firmest by the heel and gets softer towards the toe. They are also extending the Stability Web.
The midsole will be Acteva and they are adding a piece of Abzorb under the heel below the insole. The ride was very smooth and nice. The 856 was flat and clunky (to my foot) and the 857 is much smoother. What about the stability? Well, It didn't feel as stable, but the rep says it is more stable. The smoother ride could be fooling my feet, so I am going to reserve judgment until I see some people run in it.

Any quetions about a particular model? Let me know.

ah!

Just got out of the shower. Put in a comfortable 7.5 miles. The weather was perfect. Clear and cool (mid 50's). Had my Ultima after the run. Just waiting for my oatmeal to finish. I always toss some fruit in it. This time two handfuls of blueberries. I can smell the coffee brewing. It's good to have Monday off. We actually closed the shop! Oh yeah.