Tanjung 10km Run 2014

This is the 2nd year I joined this run.  It is so far the cheapest run that I joined, ie. RM20 for 10km.  For last year, the race kit was just a normal T-shirt and BIB.  For this year, I was hoping the same but I was surprise when what I got inside the race kit.

The race kit collection was very smooth.  Not much waiting.  What more is the content of the race kit.  With RM20 in 2014, this is what you get:

You get a dry fit T-shirt as well.

Comparing to last year where I noticed a few buses carrying runners to the starting line, the participants for this year is relatively fewer.  I still remember seeing a few groups of foreign workers joining the race last year.  But not this year.  It could be because the registration was done online and the short duration between the registration to the actual race day.

Anyway, the main reason for me to join the race is to be able to gauge if there's any improvement in my running speed since a year before after putting so much hard work and time for training.  The target that I set to myself is to be able to finish faster than last year finishing time of 57mins.  The route is relatively flat which I can also use this race result to predict my APBIM half marathon time in the coming 2 weeks.

There's no surprises before and during the run.  The route is the same as last year but with less runners.  As usual, I started in the middle of the pack.  Only after 2km I started to feel like pulling myself away from the crowd.

I tried to control myself for not checking my Garmin watch for the speed.  Instead, I wanted to train myself to run by feel.  So, the 1st time I looked at my watch for speed was after 5km.  I was running at 5:10min/km, which is a bit faster than I wanted to.  However, since I thought I could keep this pace moving forward, I just kept running at the same speed.  Unfortunately, I started to feel tired around 7km.  I actually needed to push myself for the last 3km.

In order to push myself forward, I was checking at my watch quite often and try to keep to at least 5:30min/km pace until the end of the race.

With the help of my Garmin watch for checking my pace, I eventually finished the race at 52mins (for 9.8km according to my watch) .  I was very please with the finishing time and most importantly, I don't feel too exhausted with this finishing time.  My legs feel good as well with the Brooks PureFlow 2.  I think I really like this low drop shoes.

I still think I need to improve my control over my pace.  I was actually wanted to be slightly slower at the beginning of the race.  To run slower at the beginning of the race is especially important for the half marathon race.

A pretty satisfying race after all...

Brooks Pureflow 2

The Brooks Ghost 6 doesn't really give me good mileage.  I finally switched to forefoot landing with the hope of no injury from running and my running shoes can last longer.

This time, I decided to try out minimalist shoes, Brooks Pureflow 2.  Due to the old model, I got the shoes for RM170, which is quite a discount from what I normally pay for new a pair of shoes.  However, since the outsole is thinner, I don't expect it to last longer than my previous shoes.  But, my target is to get it works for 170km, which will be similar to or better than what I am paying for previously.  I'll see.

These are the specification of the shoes:-

Specifications

Weight: 8.8 oz.

Profile (Heel): 28 mm

Profile (Forefoot): 24.5 mm

Drop from heel to forefoot: 3.5 mm

Very satisfying run

Just logged another 14km run in the morning.  Although I planned to run 14km today but I wasn't so sure that I could do it due to the fact that I only had 2 hour sleep last might.  Surprisingly, without much problem, I completed the 14km run with my new pair of shoes.

This time, I did have a "better" warm up and warm down.  It could be because of warm up and down session, I didn't feel that bad after the run (especially at my lower back).  Well, this could be due to running shoes change as well.

After all, I am logging faster pace, ie. 6:52 min/km, as compare to earlier 13km run at only 8:13min/km.

Very satisfying run.

Ghost 6

Another pair of Brooks that I bought.  The wear and tear of my running shoes is exceptionally fast.  It all occurs at one small corner at the back of the outer side of my heel.  From the day that I recorded my shoes mileage, it appears that I need a new pair of shoes for every ~300km.  While I am having lower back pain after running recently, I started to wonder if that is due to my running shoes again.  So, I bought a new pair of shoes again.

Since there's no different between Asics and Brooks in terms of usage and comfort, I go back to Brooks due to the price and probably a little bit lasting.

This time, I wanted to try out Ghost 6 although I was feeling OK with my Ravenna earlier.

This time, I really wanted to quantify how fast the wear of my shoes.  For the Ghost 6 that I bought, the heel outsole is measuring 5mm.  I will see how long it last against mileage.

Following are the specification on Brooks Ghost 6 from Runner's World:-

Specifications

Weight: 10.4 oz.

Profile (Heel): 34.6 mm

Profile (Forefoot): 24.1 mm

Drop from heel to forefoot: 10.5 mm

At some point, I will try out shoes with a lower drop from heel to forefoot.

Hope this shoes can last longer.

New Pair of Shoes

Since I monitor my shoes wear off after every run, I can foresee that I will need another pair of shoes in 3~4 weeks time.  So, I have decided to get myself another pair of shoes.

I want to try out another brand to see if the new brand will last longer (although I know I have to work on the the way that I run).  I decided to go for Asics based on my friend's recommendation AND the fact that I had 25% discount coupon for Asics' shoes.

My search in Shoes Finder by RunnersWorld suggests me to get either Asics Cumulus or Asics Gel-1170.  After investigating more of my shoes wear off pattern, I think I am more suitable with Asics Cumulus.

At the store, the shoes attendant also suggested me to get Asics Cumulus rather than Gel-1170 by looking at the way I walk.  She said that although my arch looks normal but my walking style is biased toward high arch type of foot.  She initially suggested Asics Gel-Landreth 7 but the boss (I guess) suggested me to take Asics Cumulus after checking how often that I run each week.  The reason he gave is that Cumulus has been around for more than 10 years for runner while Landreth is only around for a few years.  So, Cumulus is more acceptable to runners from the track record.  After trying both the Cumulus and Landreth, I go for Cumulus.

Now, I have two pairs of running shoes that I can change around.

I worked on my weekday tempo run with Cumulus.  Feel good about it.  This could be because of new pair of shoes.

My decision of my next shoes will based on the results after 2 month of wearing... ... ...

My new Brooks Ravenna 3

Feel great after my 1st run with Brooks Ravenna3 (RM285). I had my Brooks Cantrell2 since early Nov 2011. I had been running > 10km per week since then. The heel of Cantrell2 worn off at outer side (after ~480km). For the last three weeks, I felt knee discomfort after the run and was planning to see doctor if symptom continues after getting a new pair of shoes.

I guess I survive. No feeling of discomfort after the run with my new Ravenna3.

I will need to improve my strength and keep up with the target of increasing 0.5 round bi-weekly!