Raghav, my son says that I go crazy buying 'stuff' in marathon expos. He may be right, I am a perfect sucker when it comes to running gear particularly at marathon expos. I blame it on the atmosphere.. Once I paid double the street price for a pair of Crocs and the other time ended up buying costly Asics running socks sold to me as an 'investment'. This time at Big Sur marathon expo it was Vibram five finger running shoes. The only redeeming aspect this impulse buying was that I may have just paid the 'fair' price for it (USD 100).
Though, I have been talking about experimenting with Vibram shoes, I wanted to transition in to it via the cheaper Bata PT shoes, but ended up directly plunging in to Vibrams at the Big Sur marathon expo.
It has been 3 weeks since I bought but was kind little hesitant / scared to use it for a run. But I finally took the plunge today and glad I did. I was traveling all of this week and didn't get my run fix for 4 days, so decided today's run is going to be big day for the Vibram dive.
I am glad to report that it wasn't as bad as I afraid it would be. My legs are ok even after 3 hours now. They do feel little different but I am on my feet and walking around. Isn't that a good sign???
I will give myself a pass, meaning would continue to experiment with it. I went to Anna University with a my regular ASICS shoes as backup.. just in case. but there was no need for it.
First few minutes were dreadful as I wasn't finding the rhythm so I slowed down but continue to run at 9k pace. I did feel the change in landing rhythm particularly with my left leg. It was lot of tentative and cautious. Also, my stride length reduced considerably.
I am not sure whether it was the draining humidity or the Vibram, took couple of walk breaks. Nevertheless managed to run my quota of 10k for the day at pace of 7:02. It is slower than my regular pace which is generally around 6:00 per k but no complaints. Being the first run with Vibram, I am happy with 7:02 pace.
Now that I got my first Vibram run out of the day, I would continue to experiment with it in the coming weeks. I have no plans to switch to Vibram completely, but would like to do one run per week with it to optimize my landing and improve stride.
Another new release tomorrow.. -:) Yes, I got myself a new ASICS 2160 during my recent US trip and planning to 'release' it tomorrow.
Though, I have been talking about experimenting with Vibram shoes, I wanted to transition in to it via the cheaper Bata PT shoes, but ended up directly plunging in to Vibrams at the Big Sur marathon expo.
It has been 3 weeks since I bought but was kind little hesitant / scared to use it for a run. But I finally took the plunge today and glad I did. I was traveling all of this week and didn't get my run fix for 4 days, so decided today's run is going to be big day for the Vibram dive.
I am glad to report that it wasn't as bad as I afraid it would be. My legs are ok even after 3 hours now. They do feel little different but I am on my feet and walking around. Isn't that a good sign???
I will give myself a pass, meaning would continue to experiment with it. I went to Anna University with a my regular ASICS shoes as backup.. just in case. but there was no need for it.
First few minutes were dreadful as I wasn't finding the rhythm so I slowed down but continue to run at 9k pace. I did feel the change in landing rhythm particularly with my left leg. It was lot of tentative and cautious. Also, my stride length reduced considerably.
I am not sure whether it was the draining humidity or the Vibram, took couple of walk breaks. Nevertheless managed to run my quota of 10k for the day at pace of 7:02. It is slower than my regular pace which is generally around 6:00 per k but no complaints. Being the first run with Vibram, I am happy with 7:02 pace.
Now that I got my first Vibram run out of the day, I would continue to experiment with it in the coming weeks. I have no plans to switch to Vibram completely, but would like to do one run per week with it to optimize my landing and improve stride.
Another new release tomorrow.. -:) Yes, I got myself a new ASICS 2160 during my recent US trip and planning to 'release' it tomorrow.
Nice to know Ram. I've been thinking abt Vibram for over a year myself, but i've kept deferring it everytime i head out for a (marathon) trip. In fact i almost ventured into one (even though it was at a 20% discount at the expo, Vibram surely is going all-out in their marketing) in Champaign during my double weekend. But i decided to pass this time to try it at a later date, extending my 'wait time' on it. Glad it worked out good for you. This serves as even more temptation to go for it soon :-) I've heard a lot abt how better it makes your stride and strengthens those calf muscles. Maybe this will give you that boost to go well under 4 hours :-) Good luck Ram. I'm surely gonna be watching this space for more!
ReplyDeleteI got the 2160 a few months back and it's a great shoe. A tad bit different from it's predecessor (a bit more comfortable and cushioned). I'm sure you'll find it great.
Run On!
Navin