But then came Wednesday's track session. Instead of doing the pyramid workout I intended which has a total of about 5k faster than race pace, I changed to doing 6 x 1 k at half marathon pace (15k overall) mostly because I got to the York Track at around 11:20 am and my athletic injury class was at 12:30. So I had less than an hour and about 10 min to change before the run, warmup, hammer out 15k, cooldown, stretch, and change. I figured the pyramid wouldn't give me enough time to do that, and don't worry I made it to class on time with time to spare (sure I was a little sweaty, but luckily it wasn't a full class so I could space myself out put my legs up and learn all about the knee - I think God must have designed it on the Monday of that week so he wasn't really thinking clearly). But anyways throughout the workout I didn't even think about my shoes. And afterwards I realized something, I never thought about them in St. Catharines, or during last year's marathon, why because they are only meant to go fast. So it will serve as further motivation for myself knowing if I drop to a slow pace like 3:50 on Sunday the shoes will feel stiff and clanky, faster you go the better they feel. More on the shoes, you may think isn't that strange for a racing shoe to have a 9mm offset. Well actually the majority of marathon flats have comparable offsets. The reason, I have researched this quite a bit, and there is no real answer. But it is something most people misunderstand since most think the name racing "flat" means there is a zero mm offset. And that is not true. What I think they mean with the name, it that the shoes are similar in style and design to a track racing spikes but without the spikes on the sole and hence a "flat" sole. In term's of why I think the racers have 9-10mm offset is a marathon specific feature. If you look most 3-10k shoes like the Hagio, wave universe, RC5000, LunarSpider R3, Piranha, etc they have anywhere from a 2-5mm offset. Why? Well during a 10k glycogen depletion and hence quick sand feet are not an issue. So although lactate levels are high your form isn't breaking down much so you are most likely still running at the end of the race with a smooth midfoot transition and therefore not needing much of a heel. Conversely, in a marathon at around 38 km most people will experience something I call quick sand feet. Basically, it is the strangest thing I have ever felt in my life. You feel like your running in quick sand. You continue to tell your legs to continue forwards but it is as if the message is not reaching them. It is an out of body experience where time slows down (literally you look at the your watch and it has only been like 3 sec since you checked it last), the miles seem longer, and your legs aren't really moving with any authority. I don't know what it feels like to go under general anesthetic but I imagine this is what it would feel like. Anyways, at this point your form isn't great. The nice smooth transition you keep for the last 38 km is gone. At this point to survive the last few kilometers I think it is critical to have some heel cushioning hence the 9-10mm drop. Now even though I don't think that will happen to me on Sunday because I have gone on 6 40+ km runs and one 42.2 kilometer one during that epic 230km week, I now what to expect of my legs near the end, here's a look at some of the best available marathon racing shoes. Sure you may not want to buy a brand new pair before the Oct 20 marathon but if you are racing in the Niagara Falls International Marathon on the 27th or the Hamilton Road to Hope Marathon on Nov 3 here are some options and comparison between what is out there:
The Nike Flynit Racer has a 10mm drop. It features an incredibly lightweight upper (when I picked it up in the store it was essentially a sock-like material on the upper). Now it is on the narrow side of the spectrum especially at the arch. So if you have wider feet the medial side of your foot may get a little irritated. Size 9 in men's is a crazy light 6.2 ounces. It has full-ground contact on the sole, and the foam is definitely softer than the adios. Whether you want that or not is up to personal racing preference. For me I like the propulsion the adios give because of there stiffness.
Now here are the awesome ones. The brand new NB 1400v2 in sulphur yellow. The other color options are pretty awesome too. These are 0.8 ounces lighter than the original 1400 at 6.3 ounces. How are they so damn light. The Revlite midsole is 30% lighter than other foams featured in racing flats. A 9mm drop and a sweet outsole pattern that has some blown rubber meaning it will give some nice grip on the road. The seamless upper is extremely light, although some runners who ran in the orignial 1400 have said this upper doesn't give them the same lock-down and close-to-foot fit. Still looks awesome, I will definitely be buying a pair for races next year or maybe for racing in november (if I decide to continue to race season after Sunday but we'll talk about that later). So there it is. Obviously there are alot more options like the saucony fastwitch, wave ronin, lunaracer, ST5 etc, but don't have the time or information to review them all. So 48 hours left packing in the carbohydrates, and 1 and a half more sleeps to go (If you know what I mean) and it's game time.
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