Hope these are killer…

http://www.altrazerodrop.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_-1_15151_18952_75503_176939

I’ve been contemplating giving Altra a try for a while now. If the Skechers or Newtons had worked out, I’d be running in those.

The Altra Instinct appears to be really similar to the Skechers GoBionic I tried about a month ago in terms of design – zero drop, but with some cush running the length of the shoe; wide toe box. I think the wide toe box may be the key to happy feet for me. I liked the design and feel of the GoBionic, but an odd hot spot on the top of the shoe quickly progressed to a blister.

Altra has a great new commercial – I’ve seen it running on ESPN a couple of times now. They seem poised to take off with a slew of new offerings coming out any day now.

Significant discount on the old model of the Instinct right now $60 & free shipping. The new 1.5’s are $100. A trusted reviewer says the changes are primarily cosmetic. Altra says the 1.5 is made to fit your foot better. I guess that depends on what shape your foot is. I went with the bargain – hope it was the right choice!

Review coming soon…

Sunday morning was really foggy! Temps right at freezing at 5:00 am. I thought there was a meteorological term for “freezing fog” but I am now convinced I was thinking of something else. There was frost, and fog, but nothing preciptating out of the air. Can’t complain – fog means little to no wind. I would trade 10 degrees for 10 MPH just about anywhere below 50F!

Had a good short run (around 5 miles) with my friend (I need to get your permission to start using your name – you know who you are!). Then another mile with Ellie. She found her Christmas tinsel along the route again.

Swapped my unworn neon yellow NB MR00’s up a half size for a new pair. I think my red 11.5’s were too small. Looking forward to their arrival. I’ve been running in my round toe ZEMs again. I think they are helping me to maintain good form and not overstride, but some EVA on the pavement is going to be nice.

This past week also included two treadmill runs. Who likes the treadmill? Not me.

I have been gradually purging gluten from my diet. At first, this wasn’t really a concerted effort – it was collateral to me swapping a salad + protein source for a protein source between two slices of bread at lunch. Given the wide variety of non-wheat breakfast options, it wasn’t that hard to make it to dinner before encountering some gluten. It’s not a 4 letter word, but I have some intolerance in the family tree, and some would say I occasionally have some symptoms (no further comment is necessary…). I don’t think I can completely say goodbye to bread. It’s the staff of life, man. However, I’ve been trying to stay away from it when it’s not strictly necessary (i.e. the communal meal is lasagna) or particularly tempting (like if it’s fresh-baked).

Now if I can just bring myself to try the GF crust at Spin!  Here’s an article with some good information on the subject, including alternatives:

http://www.runnersworld.com/nutrition-runners/good-bye-gluten

A run on Sunday – two actually – 5 miles with a friend and another mile with Ellie – went pretty well. The nagging stuff from my back to back Sept-Oct marathons has gone away. Cardio didn’t seem to suffer too much for substituting the elliptical, although I haven’t been as consistent as I’d like. It will be hard to not jump right into the training schedule for the Garmin/Oz in April. I’m thinking 2 runs per week mixed with some ellipitcal for now. It is going to be very tempting to shoot for the 1000 mile mark this year. Fortunately, I’ve got less than 50 to go, and about 3 weeks to do it. It would be my first – got close in 2010 and 2011, but didn’t get there. Need to keep the perspective that it’s just a number. So are 13.1 and 26.2 though. I have had two month long breaks this year – all of March, and 30 days beginning Nov.10. Both have seemed to help me get back to a baseline. 2013 goals in a future post…

Registered for the Kansas City Marathon today. Thanks to “where’s my free finisher t-shirt guy,” anybody who ran the race in 2012 got 50% off if they registered by the end of this month. Kind of makes you wonder where the $75 was going if they can theoretically run the race on half that next year. Bring your own gatorade? Fewer portapotties? Tolls?

Eleven months seems like kind of a long way out – but I’m committed to helping a friend run his best possible race. Hopefully I’ll be in shape to do that next October!

For me this means a few weeks in an elliptical orbit…unless of course some Mizunos show up on my front porch!

http://www.runnersworld.com/running-tips/winter-break

How Tough Is Your Marathon?

Didn’t find KC or HOA on this list!

Two runs in the new MV2s over the weekend. Don’t think that these will be my new favorite shoes. A short run (perhaps overlaced) at a slow pace produced numbness – an unusual phenomenon for me. A longer run with looser lacing still produced some numbness. Fit seems fine – even respected the crazy upsizing (whole size up).

These will probably be relegated to the occasional change of pace on a short run end of the closet.

Meanwhile the New Balance MR00’s remain the reigning favorite.

Just filled out an application to be a wear tester for the Mizuno EVO Cursoris zero drop shoe. Pick me! Pick me! “It ain’t even out yet.”