Gear Review: Brooks Ghost 3

I wore the Nike Pegasus for nine years. Don't get me wrong, I messed with other shoes for workouts and races and trail runs and whatever else, but the Pegs were my go-to workhorse shoe. I had a few issues with them, for example, the instep of the shoe never quite fit me right, and to prevent extensor tendinitis, I generally had them tied so loose that they never had to be untied, but for the most part, they worked great. They even got me through second semester freshman year relatively unscathed, when I decided it would be a good idea to go from 40 miles per week to 70 miles per week over the span of a month (and the 40 miles per week was already a significant jump from high school). They also got me through my second year after college, when I went from 80 to 100 miles per week in a couple of weeks. What more can you ask for from a pair of shoes?

Um, how about for the company not to change it? Last summer, I ordered my regular pair of Pegs in a size 8, the same size I've been wearing since 2002, and they didn't fit me. Weird. I did a lace lock to prevent my foot from sliding around so much, but predictably, ended up with extensor tendinitis a week later. I also noticed the ride felt like it changed slightly, and less than two weeks and 150 miles after picking up the new Pegasus, I strained my hip flexor (I had never had a hip flexor problem before).

Back at the National Running Center, my friend Rob told me that yes, the Pegasus has changed, but that most people loved it. Well, that didn't bode well for me, since that gives Nike even less of a reason to change it. After trying on nearly every shoe in the store (including a different size Pegasus), I had it narrowed down to two shoes: the Brooks Ghost 3 and Saucony ProGrid Ride 3 (the only two that fit me). I really love Brooks' T Racer, so I went with the Ghost.

Gear Review: Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey

For some reason, a lot of runners (and other athletes) tend to overcomplicate nutrition. For something that should be really easy, we tend to make it really hard.

Calories (1 Calorie = 1kcal = 1000 calories) come from three major sources: carbohydrates (4kcal per 1g carbs), proteins (4kcal per 1g protein), and fats (9kcal per 1g fat). There's also alcohol, but for purposes of this review, I'm going to ignore that. Exactly how you're supposed to balance this seems to be up for debate, with recommendations ranging from the 40:30:30 Zone Diet to the 60:10:30 supposedly balanced diet to the 75:10:15 high carb diet to a million other carb:protein:fat ratios. I'm not going to even touch macronutrient ratios, seeing as I'm not a nutritionist, other than saying that I personally perform best off a high carb, low fat diet, but your mileage may vary. Just wanted to give a little background information for anyone who needed it.

Anyway, I find that when I'm training hard (which is often), my cravings are very carbohydrate focused. Considering carbs are your main source of energy, this is mostly good. However, I've found that a little bit of protein mixed with my carbs helps tremendously with my recovery, particularly immediately post-workout, in that 20 minute glycogen restoration window.

Enter Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey.

Gear Review: The Stick vs. OPTP Foam Roller

 

VS.

  

The Stick and the OPTP Foam Roller are two of the more common massage tools used by athletes. For the purposes of this review, I will be reviewing the Travel Stick and the OPTP AXIS Roller Black.

Running Playlist

The big news today is the new Boston qualifying standards. Kudos to the B.A.A. for taking action so that there's not a repeat of 2010 in the future. I think rolling registration is the fairest way to go. I know a lot of people are upset about the standards being tightened, to which I say, train harder! It'll make you a better runner, I promise. Anyway, I've ranted on marathons enough in my last post, so I'll refrain from commenting any further on the Boston situation.

I feel like I wrote a lot of heavy stuff lately, and I feel like putting up something fun.

Marathon Training and the Long Run

If you're reading this blog, you no doubt know that we're approaching marathon season. The Mardi Gras Marathon and Half was last weekend (Molly Pritz, rockstar that she is, rocked the half in 1:11:05 to take second overall female! And to make me look unbiased, Kim Smith ran the fastest half by a woman on US soil, winning in 1:07:36), and the training for most people who are running a spring marathon is now underway.

Gear Review: P90X Final Thoughts

You may remember that a month ago, I wrote up a review of P90X. Well, I've finished the 90 days, and figured I would give some final thoughts on the program, as well as a few pictures of my results.

Focus

Yesterday, I did a quality two hour trainer workout. As a grad student, I felt obliged to try to get some studying in during the workout. This was no problem during the warmup and some of the early steady state stuff. But as soon as the tempo and power intervals started, I found my focus changing to the workout itself. It was unconscious, and every time I tried to refocus on anatomy, no matter how hard I tried to focus on the rotator cuff and its innervation, within two seconds my mind was back to the workout, either monitoring cues from my body or focusing on my cadence and power.