All photos DME
Only hardy folk venture out onto the frozen playground in the frigid extremes of northern Iowa. One of the store marm’s who works at a shop on Main Street there had never been out on the ice!
“I think people don’t realize how bad these races are for your body. They do extensive damage; you are running hard for such a long time. Your brain chemicals get really out of whack after doing something that hard.” – David Laney
Later in the September issue of Trail Runner he talks about being in a complete funk for a week after an ultra, “post-race depression”. There is another condition your body goes into when it has gone too long without nutrition called “Catabolysis”, and your body has no energy left and starts to breakdown muscle tissue. Ultra runners who run an entire day or multiple days during a 100 or 200 miler can’t consume enough food. It is in essence “starving to death” during the run.
So let’s see, after an ultra your body starts to eat itself and throws you into a depression. Who wouldn’t want to do that?? Seriously though, when you have gone past physical fitness and into harming your body, that’s just stupid. The whole point of running is for health and the runner’s high. What David Laney describes in his on words is not good for the body or mind. It does not compute. I read Trail Runner for the wonderful vistas and stories of human triumph. Unfortunately there is a dark side to it as well.
From the October issue of Runner’s World: “In the 1982 Boston Marathon during their ‘duel in the sun’, Alberto Salazar and Dick Beardsley famously duked it out on an unusually hot day. Their sprint to the finish remains one of sport’s most epic moments.
Salazar won – by 2 seconds. Soon after, he was rushed to a medical tent for 6 liters of saline solution, delivered by IV. As he told John Brant in a 2004 Runner’s World feature: “After that I was never quite the same. I had a few good races, but everything was difficult. Workouts that I used to fly through became an ordeal. And eventually, of course, I got so sick that I wondered if I’d ever get well.”
Salazar did get well, eventually, but his racing career never fully recovered.”
Another example was in the June 2018 issue of Runner’s World about Amelia Boone. She was crushing it in “obstacle racing” (90-pound pack for over 72 hours at a time in freezing rivers in the dead of winter). She amassed four obstacle racing world championship titles and over 50 podiums in five years. All the while nearly destroying her body by not having a coach and not listening to her body.
When it should have been the happiest time of her life, “I would sob before races because I was afraid of letting everyone down.” “That if I didn’t win races I wouldn’t be loved.” “I spent years winning race after race and wondering why I still wasn’t happy. Why the more I won, the less fulfilled I felt. I kept waiting for the time the winning would finally fill me up, without realizing that winning was never going to be enough. No number of wins on earth would make me happy. I was missing the point all along – to embrace the things that truly brought me joy: the pursuit, and the sharing of that pursuit with others.”
It’s a good thing I’ll never own a shoe store, it’s got to be a tough business. Brick and mortar stores are facing a world of hurt from that monster Amazon. eBay and other internet sales are nipping at their heels. Zappos, Sierra Trading Post are all getting their share of the consumer dollar. Then you have one of the biggest irritants of all, the nitwit shoe buyer. There are several classes of OCD buyers, each with their own irrational phobias and bias. Men who need an EE shoe, and wonder why it doesn’t fit in a D. Women, who have a much higher return rate then men period, will often decide days or weeks later they don’t like the color or fit. You didn’t know that when you bought it?
But often times the local store doesn’t help itself. Ames has two main street shoe stores, Emerhoff’s and Brown’s. Both have displayed incredibly poor customer service. Emerhoff’s ordered a pair of running shoes for me, but was completely disingenuous about how long it would take. How do you turn “3 or 4” days into 10? You knew darn well. Then when it finally did come in, they knew they would be closing in the middle of the week for inventory, but made no arrangements for me to come in and pick them up. I can meet or beat your prices by going online all day long, you might want to think about providing customer service.
Brown’s had another issue. Some Ames princess had gone in and rented a pair of Hoka Vanquish 3 for a couple of weeks. She’d had no intention of buying this $170 dollar shoe. She’d returned them weeks later after getting the fun out of a new pair of shoes. Then the store had compounded it by not returning this used pair of shoes to Hoka, or putting them on the clearance / as is rack. It was upon walking to the checkout I notice on the bottom the stickiness of walking through a cherry soda, the divot in the heel and the overall scruffiness and dirt from weeks of wear. Sorry dude, I’m not going to pay $170 dollars for a used pair of shoes. I know what the bottom of a new Hoka looks like, snow white. Tissue wraps the shoes and there is a thin plastic loop through an eyelet that holds a couple tags about the “Orthalite” sole and whatnot.
You need to change your return policy. I come from a world where if you go off the carpet with a new pair of shoes, you own them. You either need to have the manufacturer take the hit on returns, or change your return policy. I see it on the internet all the time, people returning shoes weeks or months later for some vague, “I didn’t like them” reason. You need to figure out in the store whether or not you like them. You see this “the world owes me” attitude all through society. People feel they have the right to endanger others by texting and driving. People who think Starbucks has some sort of obligation to provide them with Wi-Fi for hours on end because they bought a $2.20 cup of coffee. People who can’t return a shopping cart to the rack or leave their soda cups in the parking lot.
Competition is a killer. I’ll vote with my wallet. Des Moines stores aren’t that far away, neither is the internet. You’d help your good customers by being tougher with your bad ones. Its not my job to come in and buy their mistakes. The mall stores are trying real hard. They have some topnotch salesmen and women at Scheel’s, Finish Line, Tradehome and others. If people are going to pay your premium prices, they want premium service.
Through some bit of incredible luck I was able to obtain the original New Balance Zante off of EBay from a Canadian shoe store for $54 American. That color is the version I got. Sure its ugly, but who cares. Really. The version 3 was just coming out and how I was able to go back 2 generations was beyond me. I’d heard a lot about this shoe from YouTube reviews from a couple of years ago. They had made it sound like the lightest and cushiest shoe ever. I was kicking myself for not knowing about it then (I invariably come into things late in the game).
I took it out for the maiden voyage a couple of weeks ago and was decidedly underwhelmed. It wasn’t very cushy at all, and if it was 3 ounces lighter than my pet Ghost, it was hard to tell. I had weighed it myself right out of the box, 7.6 ounces, the lightest shoe I have. Point 2 ounces lighter than the Hoka Clayton even. But the Zante version 2 seems like the better shoe, even if it is an ounce heavier at 8.8. It comes with a very unusual insole. A thicker, perforated foam that is somewhat stiffer than usual. Light weight too, it comes in at a surprising .5 of an ounce, compared to a Hoka insole at .8 ounces.
It has that rubber outsole running the length of the shoe that I had first experienced a year ago on the New Balance 1080 v6. Its going to last forever. A lot of yahoo’s on the internet think the version 2 was a step backwards, I disagree. The version 2 is a soft shoe. I don’t understand how or why, but that’s what it seems to me. I took the original on a Sunday morning ‘long run’ earlier today. By the end of an hour I was okay with it, but boy for the first half it really felt like my feet, knees and legs were taking a pounding. I should do the same next week with the version 2 to compare. I would almost guarantee it will be softer.
I’m just waiting to see if I get past a “break in” period that causes me to fall in love with the Zante. Until then, its a good shoe, if not great.
[EBay is an interesting experience. I almost got a pair of the original Hoka Clifton. At $55 dollars I was outbid for this used shoe. I wasn’t going to pay more than that, even if it was “hardly used”. It is impossible to find a new/unused Clifton. That was a legendary shoe also. I was able to find the original Clayton at the Hoka site itself.]
5 on the 4th is a 5K charity run to benefit the Friendship Ark in Ames. It is held at Ada Hayden Park north of Ames at 8 am on July 4th. “Friendship Ark celebrates the uniqueness of adults with intellectual disabilities by providing homes and community services. We help these core members reach their fullest potential through faith, family and friendship.”
All photos DME
Its nice to get your money’s worth once in awhile ($120 at Emerhoff’s). There are too many great shoes available for $120 or less to pay more than that. Not to mention getting the pricier shoes at a discount once they have been out a year. The Ghost had always been a supportive shoe, now it has gotten a lot cushier and lighter (one shoe weighed 10.3 ounces, the other the advertised 10.4). None of the problems you read about in customer reviews of other shoes; no hotspots, it breathes, the laces stay tied, no “too much arch”/”not enough arch”, no the toe box is too small, or its not wide enough (it is available in EE for those numskulls who try to stick their wide foot in a D shoe) great heel counter.
Brooks will no doubt change it when they release the 11 next year but they shouldn’t. The only changes they should make are cosmetic (unless they want to make it even lighter). A lot of the reviews you watch on YouTube or read at Amazon are full of it. They weren’t in this case. I started catching a lot of buzz online about the Ghost 10 in early June ahead of its July 1 release date. Cushier, lighter, plush upper, they were right. I took a chance and had my local shoe store order a pair the first day it was available. A great shoe worth every penny.
Podiatrists seem to take Brooks seriously, as Brooks takes making shoes seriously. Neutral shoes, stability shoes, motion control shoes, serious damage can be done to your body, joints and nervous system if you’re not running in the right shoe. Its just nice to get in on the ground floor of a great shoe, and not a clunker.
The Ghost 6 got me into running, so when it wore out I went down to Emerhoff’s in Ames and got the Ghost 8 on clearance for $100 (the Ghost 9 was coming out 1 year ago so the they knocked $20 off the 8). My ignorance on shoes 1 year ago was almost total. I knew Brooks was a quality maker and I knew in vague terms that the Ghost was a quality shoe (4 years ago an article in central Iowa from a local seller had said the Ghost was a good shoe for people who ran 10-15 miles a week). Little did I know then there were many other considerations when selecting a shoe (were you skinny, were you heavy, did you have flat feet, did you need room for orthotics…). Lucky for me the Ghost was for neutral runners of average height and weight.
1 year later there are several things I’ve noticed about the shoe having run in it for approximately 100 miles. It has the best lateral control of any shoe I have due to the supportive upper well in unison with a solid outsole. There is no fear on corners. I corner like a bulldog heading for the supper dish. Ain’t nothing taking me out. I may not be a greyhound on the straightaways, but ain’t nobody gonna beat me on the corners in the Ghost 8. You also feel the bottom of your feet are very well protected and supported. Looking at the outsole, I would guess the rubber has another 75 to 100 miles on it. Not bad. One thing that concerned me shortly after my purchase was the weight. Coming in at 10.9 / 11.0 ounces, the Ghost 8 was a good 2.0 plus ounces heavier than my Zante. (The Ghost 10 is supposed to come in at 10.4 ounces and have a softer ride.)
After going through my obsession for lightweight shoes this past year, I no longer have the concern for the weight of a substantial shoe. While I like to have a light shoe in my rotation, there’s something nice to be said for a supportive and protective shoe. The other thing I’ve noticed from a durability perspective is that with its strategically placed overlays, no toes are going to be wearing through the top or the sides, the upper is reinforced. the toe box is perfectly roomy. If you have a wide foot, guess what? Get a EE. If you’re 220 pounds, guess what? Get the Brooks Beast. Don’t ask a shoe to do what it isn’t designed for. A lithe 20 something isn’t going to have the same requirements as someone whose feet have been abused for 40 years.
And as far as weight, get an electronic kitchen scale for about $15 bucks and get a better idea about weight factors. A hair more than 1.5 ounces separate a “lightweight” shoe like the Clifton 3, and a heavier shoe like the Ghost. 9.2 ounces and 10.9 respectively. What is the ‘real world’ impact of 1.5 ounces? 1.5 ounces happens to be the weight of 2 ankle socks. I extended my shoed foot with my eyes closed, and had a pair of socks put on the toe to see if I could detect the weight of 1.5 ounces. Maybe, not sure, it was never definitive. One thing I am sure about, is what happens to your feet if you run in a cheap shoe. The end of your running career and a detriment to your health. There are other things to consider than 1.5 ounces. As noted earlier, protecting the bone structure of the foot on corners and from ground obstacles on the bottom is one of them.
Another thing to consider is price, and not letting shoe manufacturers get away with charging a $150 dollars or more for a shoe they made in Vietnam or China for $5 bucks. 2 of my favorite shoes are made by New Balance and Brooks for $100 and $120 respectively. Those same two companies also make two very fine shoes (the 1080 and the Glycerin) for $150 dollars. I personally am not going to support that. Certainly not when really good shoes are available for a lot less (Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 34: $110 dollars). And the same expensive shoe when it is outgoing at the end of a model year can be had for discounts of 20% – 35% off. The “daily trainer”. There’s a lot to think about, and its a lot to ask of 1 shoe to fulfill all roles. I’d make it 2 shoes.
[Got the Ghost 10 ordered today at Emerhoff’s. Due in Saturday or Monday. The excitement is palpable.]
… what I know now, I could have saved myself several hundreds of dollars in unneeded running shoes. Going to the “experts” for guidance and direction often seems pointless as the reviewer of shoes many times has a conflict of interest to promote certain brands and not piss off the manufacturing gods. The makers of course are in the business of selling shoes and will tell you anything. What shoe is comfortable, cushy or yields great performance for one person, rarely does so for everyone.
A person could hardly afford to buy all the shoes of one line say Nike, let alone all the shoes of the dozen or so major brands! And since the shoe is pretty much ‘it’ when it comes to equipment for this hobby, choosing the right one is critical. I have seen it happen where the over pronator is not aware of their problem, and seriously undermine the health of their knees, hips and back because they did not realize they needed something as simple as a stability shoe!
What I have pieced together from my own experience and that of others, is that it is good to have 2 pairs of shoes for running. The variety of experience for your foot helps prevent repetitive stress injuries. The same goes for varying your route. Your body benefits from mixing things up. Its amazing all the things a person can learn via the internet in a relatively short time about a subject they knew nothing about! The difficulty is separating the wheat from the chaff.
The 2 types of shoes it seems a person wants are somewhat contradictory. A cushier more protective shoe for the foot and another more minimalist one that “exercises” the foot. Cushioning and support is good, yet its also partly like a back or knee brace, you don’t want that part of the body to become dependent on it or it will never grow strong. In the same vein you don’t want to always be taxing your foot to the max with a minimalist shoe especially on long runs!
This of course would only apply to someone of normal height and weight. A large person on the other hand (over 200 pounds for men, over 150 for a woman) would always want a supportive shoe. A podiatrist on YouTube going over the Brooks line made this recommendation. A lean person could likely get away with about anything as the stress is so much less on the body. I can’t help but feel my plantar fasciitis was helped tremendously by the loss of weight combined with the exercise of the foot through running.
When you first get plantar fasciitis you question whether you’ll ever walk again! I’m happy to report that after 7 years, many orthotics and exercise, my feet seem to be in the best condition ever. I suppose that contributes to the obsession with getting good shoes that don’t set you back in the rehabilitation of your feet. You can get a cushioned neutral shoe in the lower 9 ounces from both Hoka and Nike. The durability edge going starkly to Nike. (Another cushioned shoe that is said to be fairly lightweight is the New Balance Vazee Pace.)
The only lightweight shoe in the 8 ounce range that I have found that has a comfortable fit and reasonable cushioning at a good price is the New Balance Zante. There are other lightweight shoes out there, but the ones I found were too tight and too hard or too expensive. The Nike Free line would seem to have a lightweight shoe with good ground feel, but come with a host of con’s (too narrow, no control on corners…).
The last major consideration after comfort, fit, durability and performance, is price. I refuse to contribute to the move towards the $180 running shoe. These shoes made in Asian countries with dirt cheap labor, have no business charging these outlandish amounts. Which brings me to the last and perhaps most important point, buy last years outgoing model! While new models come out throughout the year, a majority of the new lines come out in the spring. Starting in January or so and continuing through at least July, you can routinely pickup last years outgoing model of shoe at a greatly reduced price. A $150 dollar shoe for $99. A $100 dollar shoe for $65 AND free shipping. The other benefit is that by a time a shoe has been out for a year, all the quirks and mistakes have been identified by other buyers, so you know which shoes NOT to buy!
The last point is to identify your foot type and if you have a tendency to over pronate. Over pronators have flat feet. You need a knowledgeable person to steer you into either a stability or motion control shoe. What I have been talking about applies to a “neutral” runner, someone with a normal arch and stride. As a neutral runner the wear on my shoes goes in a diagonal from the outside of the heel, up to the big toe at the front.
The New Balance Zante V2 was my 3rd shoe and kind of got lost in the shuffle. For some reason it never seems to get the hype of some other shoes. A shoe I wasted my money on that is in the same class as the Zante is the Kinvara 7. Reviewers rave about the Kinvara, the accolades just flow. Yeah? Its like running in a wooden shoe. Hard, tight, inflexible. Where’s the wow? I don’t get it.
I didn’t try it once and give up. I probably tried it a dozen times. It is by far and without a doubt the tightest 9.5 size shoe I’ve ever had! Every other manufacturer (Brooks, Hoka, New Balance, Nike) gets the sizing right, why can’t Saucony? You’re in the shoe business! Size is job #1. It runs like a rock. I just don’t get the love affair YouTube and Running World reviewers have with this shoe.
The Zante pictured above runs I imagine like Nike’s Flyknit series. With incredible feel for the road. Its light, responsive and cushy in a nice way. It makes me think of what a glove for the foot would feel like. Soft, nice. Not hard and tight. I don’t get it. The good news is I got the Kinvara on sale for around $75 bucks, so at least I didn’t shoot the moon!
[It’s interesting to note that shortly after this was posted, Runner’s World Spring 2017 shoe guide made the Zante V3 their Editor’s Choice.]
It doesn’t get any better than this. For those wanting an elliptical with a small footprint, this Sunny SF-E905 from Target is about perfect. It is only 20 inches by 30 inches at the base! Sturdy as all get out. 8 levels of difficulty. Ordered it on a Monday, it was delivered by Friday. Other than a couple of assembly hiccups (“What the hell are they trying to tell me??”), this thing is burning it up (and my thighs)!
This and a Weslo Pro recumbent exercise bike from K-Mart for $180, all my needs were met for less than $500! Take that 2nd Wind. And they both fit on a 4′ x 6′ rubber exercise mat.
Iowa life 