ING New York City Marathon cancelled

EXCLUSIVE: Pre-New York City Marathon Interview with elite runner Molly Pritz!

Molly Pritz and her crew. Photo courtesy of Brad Hudson

I recently had the opportunity to talk with ASICS America's Molly Pritz about well...not exclusively running, so let's just say I had a chance to interview her. As one of the nation's top runners, she's done quite a few interviews lately, but many of them don't truly capture the essence of Molly (full disclosure: this woman is my best friend, and she's absolutely hilarious, and I wanted to try to show you guys that side of her too. And to be honest, I talk to her multiple times per week, but no one wants to hear those conversations...seriously).

Gear Review: SKORA Form

Over the past couple years, more and more reduced and minimal shoes have hit running store shelves. Big shoe companies have expanded their line to include shoes with reduced profiles. (In my opinion, more variety is usually good, unless a company is axing an awesome shoe in favor of a less awesome shoe, because that's not variety, that's just obnoxious). Additionally, many new companies who solely offer minimalist shoes have entered the market. I may not be a minimalist, but I can appreciate a greater variety of shoes on the market, especially when some of those minimalist shoes are sweet and give me options to wear on days when I just want less shoe. One of the new companies specializing in minimal shoes is SKORA, who offers two models, the Base and the Form. Their premium model is the SKORA Form.

Cumulative Fatigue

Huh...turns out cumulative fatigue is real.

Okay, on a more serious note, this month is absolutely crazy for me. Getting hit with midterms, as well as the last hard month of training before my taper. However, I wanted to give you all a quick update of what's on the horizon, because I have a backlog of reviews I need to get to.

On the shoe side, I want to thank all of you who voted for my Kinvara 3 design for the Flotrack contest. I finished sixth! I originally thought that only the top 5 got prizes, so I was like "Great, first loser," but it turns out that it's the top 10! So thanks again for voting, and I'll have a Saucony Kinvara 3 review up, hopefully sooner rather than later. Also, for you minimalists out there, I'm in the process of getting some miles on the SKORA Form, so that review is forthcoming.

Book-wise, I've been doing quite a bit of reading for school, but hey, you can never really learn enough, right? So I have Hansons Marathon Method: A Renegade Path to Your Fastest Marathon currently on order, and am hoping to have a chance to read Lize Brittin's book, Training on Empty, over Thanksgiving break (if not over Thanksgiving, then definitely over Christmas...haven't bought this one yet because I really can't afford another distraction at the moment, heh).

On the miscellaneous side, I'm in the process of writing a review for the Black Diamond Storm headlamp, and have an Aeropress coffee maker on order (yes, caffeine is running-related!).

Thanks to all my loyal readers for your patience!

Gear Review: Brooks Racer ST 5

For some reason, the word "stability" next to a shoe's name sends neutral runners sprinting in the other direction. Runners see a new shoe, ask what type of runner it's meant for, and as soon as they hear the words "stability" or "overpronator," they cast away all thoughts of buying that shoe, terrified that it will overcorrect their stride or force them to run unnaturally. And for good reason (sometimes)...put a neutral runner in the Brooks Beast and you're bound to have problems. But remember, stability in shoes is not black and white, but comes in shades of grey. So what about those so-called "mild stability" shoes, the ones that overlap with more structured neutral shoes? Is there any real reason for neutral runners to stay away, or are we all just brainwashed by myths about foot type and running shoes? Or are there shoes that neutral runners and mild overpronators and possibly even mild supinators can all enjoy? Enter the Brooks Racer ST 5.

Gear Review: Mizuno Wave Universe 4

It's no big secret that I loved the Adidas adiZero PR. The PR was an early attempt at an ultralight flat, taking the sacrifice of cushion and structure in order to save weight to the extreme. At only 3.9oz, the PR was little more than a spike without a spike plate. Coming off of several years of high school and college running, I yearned for the familiar feeling I got from spikes, and the PR was pretty much a spike for the road. I wore that shoe for everything from the 5K to the half-marathon, and if the praise that shoe gets on LetsRun is any indication, I wasn't the only person who loved it. Then, sadly, Adidas discontinued it. Desperate for a replacement, I first tried the ASICS Piranha. The Piranha wasn't bad, I guess...I mean it was still super light and felt ridiculously fast, but for some inexplicable reason, I found myself overpronating noticeably in them, something that never happened in the PR. I eventually gave them away to a friend. Then Mizuno began offering the Mizuno Wave Universe 4 in small sizes (earlier models were only available in men's 8 and larger, I believe). I gave them a try next, and I believe that fans of the adiZero PR may finally have a replacement.

Update: School and Training

So I'm sure you've all figured I've given up on blogging by now. Not true! I have a Mizuno Wave Universe review written up...but I have moved back to school and have no idea where my camera is, and no one wants a review with cell phone pictures. So as soon as I find my camera, I'll have a Universe review up. I also have another shoe on order that I'm sure all of you will judge me for, but whatever, JUDGE AWAY! Other than that, I am officially signed up for the Philadelphia Marathon in November, so that means that marathon training is underway, which takes up a significant chunk of time. It does not, however, take up as much time as grad school, which is also underway. Finally, the school doesn't serve dinner on Friday or Saturday or any meals at all on Sunday, so that means I have to cook which also takes up time (to be fair, cooking takes up much less time than school or running). Also, thanks to anyone who voted for me in the Flotrack contest...the submission period is over but Flotrack hasn't posted the finalists yet, so I have no updates for you as to what's going on there.