Eaton 10k Dash and Summer Shoe Review

A couple Thursday nights ago was the finale, for a few weeks at least, of my post-Park City racing season, and boy did it end on a high note. Going into this race I knew that the competiton would be steep for a couple of reasons: the race doubling at the OMA Championships, and the fact that it was in Burlington, where races tend to get a good turn-out of fast runners, ranging from cross country runners from Mac, Guelph, and a couple from Queens, as well as a few Kenyans to keep things interesting. Me and my Dad arrived in great time to register, and to go on a few kilometer warmup run, followed by about 20 minutes of drills. I had ran and worked out earlier in the day, so my legs were already pretty nice and loose, so I was feeling pretty good. My only concern heading in was that after my track workout of Tuesday night, my left hamstring was acting up a bit. Just prior to the race, I noticed there were a large amount of McMaster Mauraders Cross Country Squad at the race. Went over to talk to one of them- Gabiel - who told me he was aiming for 31:30. This was after I had told him that next year I was planning to be on the team, and I instantly got a little more nervous (I am always very nervous before races already going back to elementary school) since I felt that this was now essentially a tryout. I had to impress Gab, and told myself not to get dropped, no matter how much pain I'm in. There were a few others on the team in the 10k, and a bunch in the 5k which started 10 minutes earlier. So at 7:30 we were off and underway. After being very focused on the Mauraders in the race, me and the rest of the field were quickly reminded that Fred Karanja was also in the race, a very fast runner from Kenya and living in Burlington now (who you remember from Dundas 10k last year and then getting my revenge in the marathon), when he took off about 150 meters into the race like the rest of us were standing still. I have never seen someone run that quickly, since Gab, Gatundu, and I were all running at around 2:40/km and he literally left us in the dust. But me and Gab quickly reacted and worked our way back up to him, and within the first 400m it was a three man race, Gab and Fred shoulder to shoulder and me just chillin, sheltered in behind them from the wind. That was definitely was of the most relaxed 2:55 opening kilometers I have ran. At about 1.4 kilometers after not really looking at my watch for a while because I was just looking at the back of their singlets, I could feel the pace dropping significantly since we were now heading back into the wind, and I guess Gab and Fred were feeling the effects of it. I figured I could probably stay behind them until 9.5k then surge, but based on that first surge by Fred at the start, and knowing the speed that Gab possesses, I figured the marathon runner may get smoked in a sprint to the finish. So I wanted to push them now to stay at a high pace, but at the same time I wanted to stay in a pack (to push each other along) so I didn't surge crazy hard, just enough to get the group's pace back on target. I passed Fred on the left and took the pace over (almost like in the time trials in the tour de france when the lead cyclist is spent the next guy comes in to take over the pacing). I brought us back from doing the first half of that kilometer at 3:21 pace to doing the kilometer in 3:13. From there on the about 6k nothing really happened we just got into a really nice rhythm knocking off 3:13, 3:11, 3:13, 3:13. Amazing how we were running this fast while having to make at some points very quick footed moves around the 5k runners especially on the turns where they were staying in the inside lane. Turning back north at about 7k me and Gab dropped Fred, and now it was a two man race. At 8k Gab surged really hard to try to drop me but I reacted and stayed right there. Now this was my only mistake of the race. When he surged and I caught him I should of right then and there pushed with my own surge because after his little sprint he was really tired and I should have capitalized. At 8.5k or so he gained 2 or 3 steps on me after a turn and sometimes its amazing that over a 10k race all it takes to gap your opponent is a couple steps. He instantly put down the hammer and dropped me. But the race was definetly not over. At 9k, I went really hard going 2:50 something for a bit and managed to close the gap back again to 5 meters or so. Gab looked back saw me, and surged again. Turning back south to the finish I sprinted hard as I could and if the race lasted 100 meters or so more I had him, because I closed the gap back again and lost by 3 seconds. But I was very happy with two 3:07 splits the last 2 kilometers, and shattering by PB from a few weeks ago with 31:57 in the 10k. Gab was extremely impressed and clearly pushed really hard (he was exhausted at the finish), plus the Mauraders coach was at the race, and basically I think I'm on the team. Me and the coach chatted afterwards for a bit, then myself and 6 or 7 other guys from the team and Queens cross country team went for a 30 minute cooldown. Overall a great night.

Shoe Guide

If you don't already know I own quite an extensive shoe collection. Pick any colour, I have multiples of it. Pick any distance, I have a shoe for it. I currently have 9 pairs (around 31 pairs overall) that I rotate throughout any given week - adios boost, adios 2.0, lunaracer, streak lt2, mirage3, pegasus 31, pearl izumi n2 (won these), soloman s-lab ultra, and skechers GoMeb Speed 2 (won these too) . I love talking about new shoes and their new features, here is a list of shoes that I have composed of shoes to try out for your summer training and a couple to try possibly for fall racing.

Training Shoes  

Nike Pegasus 31

In the past I had always avoided the pegasus because former versions of the shoe had a marshmallow feel, and I prefer a firmer midsole that is more responsive. The new pegasus answered my calls, and they firmed up the midsole a bit. It still offers a tonne of cushioning over the long miles, and you can certainly feel the zoom pocket in the shoe which rebounds when you strike the ground to add to the responsiveness. Yes the shoe does have a 10 mm heel-to-toe offset which would normally eliminate it from my rotation of shoes because I prefer a shoe to be at least under 6-7 mm. Oddly the heel drop doesn't feel as high as it actually is possibly because of the full-ground contact outsole,and the contoured forefoot which makes for a quick toe-off. So I have found that midfoot striking is not compromised in the shoe. Besides the responsiveness of the shoe that I love, Nike is head over heels ahead of there competition for their upper design. The shoe fits to your foot like a glove, and the narrow feel makes it feel fast despite the weight being around 10 ounces for a men's size 9 (I am an 8 so its in the 9 ounce range). My only criticism on this perfect training shoe for I would say every runner from the newbie to elites like Mo Farah (he was a critical part of the design) is that based on a run in it on wet roads the outsole rubber is not very grippy (it does slip a bit when trying to push the pace on wet surfaces). Overall though, the Pegasus 31 is an amazing shoe perfect for many different paces. In fact my first run in it was a 23 kilometer fartlek doing 10 times 1 min on/off, then 10 times 2 min on/off, then 5 times 3 mins 2 minutes off, so the pace was going from fast to slow, and back and the shoe performed well at every pace.

Saucony Cortana 3/4

In my gear guide last year I introduced this shoe to you guys, and now after putting 850 kilometers in a

pair of them I can give you a true and detailed description of how this beast performs. First off I will say that if you go out and buy the 3s, keep in mind that they may be going on sale soon since the 4s are due to come out in the US in August, which probably means they will be here in Canada sometime in 2016 (no just joking expect them to be stocked in running room a few weeks after there release in the US). Also, know that Saucony hasn't changed the 3 completely so getting the 3 over the 4 isn't that big of a deal. The only difference with the 4 is deeper grooves in the outsole to improve your transition slightly through the gait cycle and improved the fit of the shoe around the heel - although I never had any issues with the fit of the 3. So basically the 3 captured the essence of what I believe the perfect shoe is. It is well cushioned for logging big miles in them - I logged two 200+ kilometer weeks in them, and the month of november of last year, where a chunk of those 850 kilometers were logged, was my fastest month of running I ever had. Mostly the 4mm heel-drop and the light weight is to thank for the extremely fast feel of this trainer, but also the midsole has incredible responsiveness, in addition to it being extremely durable. The upper fits very well, and unlike the pegasus it has a wide toe-box. But that is not a negative. I beleive every shoe has a different character and it is up to the company to essentially put different components of a shoe together that work well together. Just like a car or a road bike, the components must work together well. And in this case the wide toe box works well for this shoe, as it allow for a whole lot of toe splay which is necessary for a shoe with such a low heel drop. I loved these shoes from start to finish. But you may ask, why am I in Pegasus now, the price tag of this shoe was too much to come to terms with. At running room it runs for 179 plus tax, so in the 200 dollar range Just too much to spend on a pair of shoes especially when I run through them so quickly.

Adidas Tempo 6

With 815 kilometers in these babies through the heat waves of last year, me and these infared shoes have a special bond. We battled through tough conditions, and many long grueling runs of 40+ kilometers, and two a days totaling over 44 kilometers some days. First off if you want a shoe that you will definitely stand out in and look fast go with these. The colour-way is called infrared (a really bright orangy-pink) with navy blue accents. I remember my first ever run in them, looking down and almost getting blinded by how bright they were. The shoes are crazy light for a trainer - less than 8 ounces, and actually have some very mild support. I'll stress very mild once again, don't get these shoes thinking that they are a stability shoe because they are absolutely not that. I would say they are geared to quick runners who are used to wearing firm racing flats, and basically the very small plastic piece on the medial side of the arch is more for a psychological confidence boost (thinking "oo I can rip through these miles, my feet are supported" - But not really). Mostly the extremely firm and ridiculously snappy ride (they really pop off the road) means that your foot isn't even on the ground long enough to pronate. They have a 9mm drop which is typical of most adidas shoes, and the outsole provides unparalleled traction on any surface, not to mention the fact that is is incredibly durable. Really the only issue I had with this shoe was the upper. The overlays on the medial side were just so that they could cause some irration on the medial side of your foot. Overall the shoe performs really well, and the 110 dollar price tag from running warehouse who does deliver adidas to Canada is great. Plus they have one colour-way going for 79 bucks right now.

Racing Shoes 

Nike Zoom Streak LT2

Let me just start this review before I run out of adjectives. This shoe is crazy fast. By fast, I mean you

will never know how fast you are actually capable of running until you've ran in these once. From the upper, to the midsole, to the outsole this shoe is perfect in every way. I have zero issues with it. Ican't offer one single criticism or advice for how I think the future iterations can be improved. And heck I pray Nike doesn't do something stupid like true to make any future versions. A discussion I was having with my Dad the other day was basically that nowadays it is almost impossible to fall in love with a particular pair of shoes and say okay that's my racing/training shoe for the next decade. Sometimes the new innovations are groundbreaking, but most of the time, shoe companies and any company for that matter, is always looking to improve. Yes I want that out of a company, but also I wish companies sometimes knew when to say, this shoe or product is perfect and there is no need to change. Basically, this is my long way of saying please Nike do not change this shoe. So the shoe itself hovers just over 5 ounces and thanks to the extremely narrow and snug upper, you sometimes forget that you're actually wearing shoes at all. The shoe is super responsive, it leaps off the road. The waffle outsole is designed in a way that suits the shoe to any surface: road, rubber (track), grass (cross country), gravel, and dirt. If you want a fast shoe that based on my own experience can hold up to atleast a half marathon - after a 71 minute half my legs were fine. Although it's my go to shoe for anything up to half, most will find it suitable as a 5-10k racing flat (I would only use it for a half if your very light footed and efficient).

Adidas Hagio 2

I would say this shoe is a first cousin of the lt2. It is fast, and excels for the 5-10k range, and up to the half for those efficient runners. It is like minded to the lt2, but there are definitely some noticeable differences in the feel, fit, and ride. Again a very light shoe at 6.5 ounces - so about an ounce heavier than the lt2). That weight could be attributed to a more substantial upper material than the lt2. The shoe has a very low-profile much lower than the lt2. The lt2's heel-to-toe drop is 22mm-18mm, whereas the hagio is 17-12. So it is sitting a whole 5-6 mmm lower than the lt2. This is evidenced in the ride of the hagio. It is much snappier thanks to a very firm midsole as you can expect in most adidas shoes, and has some more pop off the ground than the lt2. And like usual, this adidas offering has amazing traction. In addition, I managed to get 450 kilometers out of these flats thanks to a very durable midsole and outsole. I would say much more durable than the LT2, which after 100 kilometers of hard racing in them are looking pretty worn in some areas of the forefoot. So more pop off the ground than the LT2, and more durable, plus a similar price tage 75-90$. So why do I prefer the LT2? Quite simply the upper is far superior for the LT2. I love adidas shoes don't get me wrong, I raced in them for 8 years. But adidas seems to have a knack for making shoes that while offering amazing traction and responsiveness, they just feel separate from your foot. If only I could put flywire's and a flynit upper on a pair of adios or hagio.

Nike Lunaracer 3

Amazing how a shoe can possibly have so much cushioning suited to the marathon but be less weight

than most 5-10k racing flats, at 6.2 ounces. Firstly, let me just say I really like this racing flat. However, it is a bit of an oddity. I don't really know how to describe the ride of the shoe. For instance, when I think of the hagio I instantly think snappy. When I think of the Lunaracer, a word doesn't instantly come to mind. Maybe a phrase, "Ridicuolously lightweight cushioning." The lunarlon midsole they use is very light, but soft. Normally, I prefer the firmness in the adidas for example, but for some reason this soft light foam really works. Although it is light enough for 5-10k, it's bread and butter would be the marathon, thanks to this cushioned fast ride. The flywire on the upper really hugs the foot nicely, and that combined with the low heel drop for a marathon flat, really give the lunaracer a fast feel. I only have two complaints with the shoe. Firstly, like previous versions of the shoe, the toe box has a very low height, so low that your toes touch the top. I can see this possibly being an issue late in a marathon. Second, the outsole pattern is not particularly well designed with lots of exposed foam in key areas which leads to poor durability of the outsole. Despite having 300 kilometers of workouts in these shoes, the midsole is going to far outlast the outsole. The feel of the shoe is still perfect, and feels like it can go for atleast a few 100 kilometers more thanks to the cushioning in the shoe, but unfortunately the base of the shoe will be torn to shreds much sooner I suspect. Notwithstanding, I think it is a great racing option for the longer distances, and even the shorter ones thanks to the weight. One last observation/advice, this goes to Nike, why would you have the option of putting in a Nike plus shoe pod into this shoe. I highly doubt any fast runners (for whom racing flats are geared towards) actually use a foot pod.

Adidas Adizero Adios Boost 

Adios Boost

For years now the adios has been the choice of some of the world's best marathoners. It seems you look on the feet of the leaders in any given international marathon and you see either nike zoom streak's or the adios. The only caveat is that while this version does carry some of the same genes as previous versions, the 2.0 and the beloved original, it is a very different shoe. As you can tell in the name, the adiprene midsole that the adios was built on and crowned world's fastest shoe changed to the boost midsole. This is essentially hundreds of small pieces of foam that have been fused together with heat, for what adidas claims it offers more bouncy cushioning, and more durability. This really did change the feel of the shoe entirely, it just doesn't do it for me. It lost that adidas responsiveness and snappiness that I had come to crave. Now it seems no matter how hard you push the shoe, it is still just bouncing around in the same manner. I haven't used these for a marathon, but based on their weight, that is the only place I would see suitable for this shoe. The boost midsole increased the weight of the shoe even more than it already was. Previous versions were already heavier than most racing flats in the low-mid 7 ounce range but the incredibly firm midsole made up for it. The boost is now 8 ounces, and the new adios boost 2.0 that just came out is even heavier. Adidas could remedy this issue if they removed some of plastic overlays that just weigh the shoe down. Otherwise the shoe is literally heavier than many of today's training shoes like the kinvara, tempo 6, asics 33 series, and others. How can this be a racing flat if it weighs more than your daily trainer. In fact, I have on occasion now just taken this shoe out using it in exactly that way, as a daily trainer. So from a racing point of view, I am not a fan of this shoe, and feel adidas has ruined a great racing flat. It seems that they are lost, and can't seem to agree upon a direction for the pedigreed shoe to go in. They aren't sure if it's a racing flat, or a trainer for up-tempo days, is it designated for the elite, or with all this structure and marshmellow cushioning is it designed to make faster shoes more available to the average runner. Durability, I am all for that in my trainers, but in racing flat they need to last for a couple A races per year, that's it. The adios 2.0 already lasted me about 500 kilometers, I don't need it

Takumi Sen 2

to last 700. Really all I cared was that it lasted 42.195. What I do know, is that if you still crave that old school feel of the powerhouse that once was the adidas adios, purchase the Adidas Takumi Sen 2. It looks like a slightly bigger brother to the hagio, with a 22-17 drop and 6.3 ounces, compared to the hagio which is 17-12.