Mizuno U4iC

As mentioned before Mizuno will discontinue two of their most popular shoes Elixir and Precision. Precision is getting retired  this summer and Elixir next year. Are you a big fan of these shoes and are worried? Don't! Mizuno has something really exciting coming up this summer! A brand new shoe called Sayonara with the brand new lighter mid sole compound U4iC.

This is how Mizuno and Seth Hasty  introducing this exciting new compound:

Feel lighter, run faster.

So dont feel sad that your favorite shoe is getting discontinued! Mizuno will get it right for you with upcoming replacements!

Less then 50 days...

Times is flying by and its now under 50 until Boston Marathon 2013. Training goes really well and we have now started to drill more Boston specific workouts, with longer hill intervals both up and down. I can tell that the base training really got to me in the end with brutal cold weather and drilling step hill intervals. I really feel stronger from it although and I cant wait for the warmer weather to arrive here in northern NJ. I have also started to try out some new energy gels and fuel, hopefully I can blog more later about this topic. When it comes to gear, I have narrowed it down to a a few brands, will update in a later blog as well.

I also made a decision to get rid of my Polar RC3 GPS. Having a Polar has been a dream of mine as Im from Scandinavia and Polar is really big over there and when they released the integrated GPS I bought it immediately. I should have wait for the reviews....  In the end I couldn't stand the watch, it is still the best looking watch out there and slimmest but it simply dose not work for as an running watch for me. I wonder if Polar even bother to have real runners to try this product....? The display useless as you couldn't customize it. You had to push the buttons up and down until you find the options Polar had decided was good, but who has time to that during a race? It also took forever to upload to RunningAhead.com and when it was completed all data was not included, like Elevation and at times laps went missing. Even the updates on their own traininglog was screwed up and the support just came up with excuses. Honestly I was sick of Polar in the end...I was happy to get most of my money back as I put it up on Ebay. Lucky my coach Reno had a spare Garmin 610 that I could buy for a fare price. And I will never look back again at Polar.
As tune up race for Boston I was hoping to do New Bedford, but my work schedule did not work out.....So Im now looking at the weekend after 3/24/13 and a 18 miler upstate NY, its very hilly and should be a good test for me...http://www.sullivanstriders.org/30k.htm
Other news for the blog, I have reached out to all (I think all )compression brands in USA in order to do big review blog with my suggestions. I have just started to try some of them, really interesting stuff....Stay tuned...

Skechers GoRun 2 Review

GoRun 2 was released in December 2012. As mentioned earlier in this blog I was at first skeptic to try Skechers. The first GoRun got mixed review pretty much because of the aggressive mid foot "bump". Some runners loved it, some runners hated it. On the 2 edition the bump is reduce a lot, it s still there but not noticeable. GoRun 2 is now in my rotation and my review is based on apx 100 miles of mixed running (endurance, tempo, hills, intervals, you name it...).

What Sketchers says:

Skechers GOrun 2 is the next generation of a serious minimal running shoe. Designed for speed with innovative performance technologies to promote a midfoot strike, it works as a great transitional shoe to foster a barefoot running experience.

Details:

Independent circular GOimpulse sensors offer flexibility and feedback for a more responsive running experience

M-Strike Technology™ promotes a midfoot strike

Radically lightweight - No extra material, no extra weight, nothing to slow you down

Breathable 4-way stretch mesh toe panels engineered to allow toe splay

Custom Fit insole is removable for an even more minimal feel

Roomier Forefoot - Extra space to reduce friction and allow your toes to spread, grip and push off

4mm Heel Drop - substantially less heel drop than traditional running or training shoes to bring you closer to a natural barefoot experience

Resalyte™ Midsole - Proprietary lightweight injection-molded compound with memory retention helps absorb impact

Progressive Flex midsole transitions from stable platform to forefoot flexibility

Construction:

Nearly weightless synthetic and mesh fabric upper

Nearly seamless flexible upper with lace up front

Flatlock stitching detail for seamless feel and lighter weight

Soft smooth fabric shoe lining for easy barefoot wear

Weight: Radically lightweight 6.6 oz per shoe based on a men's size 9 

This is my take:
Im not going really compare it to the first version as I have not tried it, other then the reduced bump. The second edition does not have a bump to talk about really and my concerns with the GoRun Ride I had, has been addressed (pebble collector, aggressive bump, folding mesh).

Upper:
The upper is created by stretchy mesh, by Sketchers called 4-way. It really looks minimalistic but it really does a good job keeping your foot in place. On the Go Run Ride I had concerns about some mesh getting folded, this is not a concern with this shoe. The heel counter, is soft but keeps the heel in place. Ive heard from other runners about possible heel slippage and the insert sliding back, but I have not experienced this matter myself and the heel counter offers enough of support and a secure lock to me. One concern is the lacing. The laces are flat nylon and during several of run I have experienced some hot sport on top of my foot. They also make it harder to secure the arch lock. After I switched the laces this issues was taken care of.  Regarding breathable mesh, I have to wait and see more towards the summer as Ive only been using the shoe in cold weather running.

 Mid sole
The Resalyte really shines and I cant say enough of positive things about this mid sole compound. Reaslyte is a really light and responsive compound. You get a really nice energy return, a specially on your faster days! On Go Run 2 the foot sits really close to the ground and the road feel is great. At first I was concerned about the thin fore foot but the more I got used to them it was not really a concern. I have taken the shoes over 20 miles and the compound holds up really well. For the right runner this shoe can go the full marathon for sure. The Resalyte is very durable and does not show any sign of breaking down.

Outsole

Lack of rubber in high traffic area.

The sketchers use its Independent circular GOimpulse sensors technology. The pods are definitely smaller then the Ride ones and can possibly wear out quick. I read Runbloggers review and the wear test shoes he did. Apperently the first versions of the GoRun2 had more rubber under and on the high traffic pods.  I could have used some more rubber in the high traffic area, so the durability is  a concern of mine. The placements of the pods and the flex grooves makes the shoe very flexible. So far the shoe has not collected any pebbles, this is during winter months with ton of salt and pebbles on the roads.

Over All
Go Run 2 gets more and more time in my current rotation. This shoes is up against Saucony Kinvara 3 in my rotation and the Kinvaras get less usage. You can pretty much use this shoe for anything, for me it could be the potential Boston marathon shoe.The shoe really shines when you take them for tempo runs and its easy to go too fast (could be an issue :) ) Some concerns I have is the laces but its an easy fix, just change them. Also the durability could be an issue as the mid sole compound is exposed in higher traffic areas. Some runners have experienced heel slippage (Insert slides back) but my foot has been secured at all times. Sketchers keeps improving and I'm sure this shoe will replace competitor shoes in runners rotations as it did in mine.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I receive Running shoes from Skechers Performance Division as part of their Skecher Performance Division brand ambassador program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Pearl Izumi new website for E:Motion

The N1 trail shoe has now reached the stores. Rumors says that the N1 road version is delayed but Pearl Izumi has not confirmed this rumor/information yet. According to PI representative, they aim to release N1 in the end of Feb. 


http://projectemotion.pearlizumi.com/

Smartwool Phd Run Ultra Light Mini

I was super excited when Smartwool announced their release of updated Phd line. I always been a big fan of Smartwool and been using them pretty much for anything. Summer, winter, short distance and Marathon. So I drove a an hour to the local Smartwool store "Ramseys Outdoor Sport". Maybe everything went wrong from the start, when I entered the so called "release party" a young high school girl asked med if I wanted to try the new hiking socks from Smartwool. Friendly I asked if I could try the running sock instead. But apparently Smartwool only sent the "hiking" sock to try on this US nation "release party". Very disappointed I had to drive home empty handed. Later when I got home I ordered the socks from an online store. The new Smartwool Phd Run Ultra Light Mini.

Smartwool Phd Run Ultra Light Mini features:

Knit in USA of 52% Merino Wool, 44% Nylon, 4% Elastane

• New 4 Degree Elite Fit System uses two elastics for greater stretch and recovery to keep the sock in place
• Patent pending ReliaWool Technology in high impact areas provides the longer lasting protection to keep feet comfortable Low profile and durable virtually seamless toe
• Alternating 1x1 welt
• Single layer 1x1 ribbed top
• 3.75" overall height

 About the Techonlogy:

Wow Technology™

We maximize the amount of wool against the skin in all our products, because more wool against the skin provides more comfort. Specifically in our PhD socks, we created WOW™ Technology, (Wool-on-Wool). Here, we've replaced some of the nylon in the high impact zones with more Merino wool to the heel and forefoot, so you can enjoy more wool comfort.

Wow™ Technology Graphic

 4 Degree Fit System

The 4 DEGREE FIT SYSTEM in our PhD socks is a proprietary four-point sport supportive system that provides an incredibly secure, comfortable fit around the heel, arch and instep.

Im a size 9.5 and I'm kind of in between sizes when it comes to most sock brands. 

Chart: 

ADULT SOCKS (shoe size reference)

Sizes	US Men	US Women	Euro	UK
Small	3-5.5	4-6.5	34-37	2-4.5
Medium	6-8.5	7-9.5	38-41	5-7.5
Large	9-11.5	10-12.5	42-45	8-10.5
X Large	12-14.5	N/A	46-49	11-13.5

So I had to order the Large size. My Smartwool felt to big on my feet. I never got the snugg and secure fit the advertising  and the new 4 degree fit system promised, although it felt comfortable enough, so I decided to use them for my upcoming marathon. I tried the socks for about for 4 longer runs before the race and did not have any really issues other then the snugg fit. Around mile 15 at the marathon I started to feel blister under my arch. Never had this happen before with other socks and my shoes was well broken in and have never caused me issues. My old Smartwool never caused me any issues like this and they also had a snugger fit?!? The blisters did not slow me down during the marathon, but they were very present and caused discomfort.

Smartwool has alway been very pricy and with other socks in this price range you get a Right/Left foot specific sock.You would have thought when Right/Left foot socks is kind of a standard these days Smartwool would have done the same when they updated their socks? By doing so I think Smartwool would have had a "game changer" and a sock with much better fit.

The feeling of the new Smartwool is less "woolish" then the old version. When I buy wool I buy them for the wool feel as well as a good fit.

Conclusion: With the same price as the old version, you get a sock with less wool feeling as the old version. If you re between sizes, the fit lacks. When going for Large as Im a 9.5 the sock felt sloppy. One of the most pricy sock out there lacks the Right/Left feet specific features.