Contemplating Runblogger’s Future: Something’s Gotta Give

clock clipart sm 5cm (Photo credit: you get the picture)

People have occasionally remarked that they can’t imagine how I’m able to manage everything that I do. As if being a tenured Biology Professor, Department Chair, and parent of three active young kids isn’t enough to fill my time, I’ve layered on top of that writing a book and managing a very active blog. Oh, and let’s not forget fitting in time to run and practice Taekwondo!

Something’s gotta give. I’ve spent a great deal of time over the past 6 months contemplating my future, largely because as this blog has grown, it has occupied more and more of the empty space in my schedule, to the point where it is now encroaching on the “already filled” space (e.g., I haven’t been able to fit in a run yet this week, and I’m about 2 months behind on responding to email!). I often tell people that I essentially work two full-time jobs – this blog occupies an enormous amount of my time.

The problem is that I love trying out and writing about running shoes. I love running. I love reading and writing about the science of running. I love working with individual runners to help with shoe choice, injury, and training issues. These are the topics that occupy my mind most of the day.

I’m also quite lucky to have a very stable and secure job, and it’s a job that I’ve done quite well at. I truly love teaching, and working with students in the classroom is what I enjoy most about my day job. However, there are aspects of my job that I could do without, as any college professor would probably agree. One simple aspect is that I’m tired of spending 1-1.5 hours in the car every day commuting to and from the office. Another is that I simply don’t fit the Academic mold all that well, but that’s a story for another day.

I’m in the process now of contemplating the future. Most people in Academia would tell me that I’d be nuts to give up a tenured professorship (not to mention salary and benefits) to be a blogger, and they’d be right. But this blog is currently my passion, and writing about science here is just teaching in a different way. Runblogger has grown to the point where it is now generating enough income to make me think seriously of becoming a full-time blogger – it’s not a sure bet yet by any means, but given more time to put into it I think I might be able to get by.

So this is where I am right now, and forgive my rant, but I needed to put some thoughts out there. This blog is my sounding board, and my place to let thoughts escape the confines of my brain. I’ve decided to apply for an unpaid leave of absence from my academic position for a year to sort things out a bit. I also have a business opportunity that I’m very excited about that would involve doing what I love most, and you’ll be hearing more about that in the coming months.

I’ve decided, as I have always done, to follow my passion. Sometimes the safe path isn’t the best path, and I’ve gotten along well so far in this life by following my gut. My gut right now is telling me to run and write and be around more for my kids while they are young. I may be crazy, but that’s my style :)

Thanks for listening!

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Contemplating Runblogger’s Future: Something’s Gotta Give

clock clipart sm 5cm (Photo credit: you get the picture)

People have occasionally remarked that they can’t imagine how I’m able to manage everything that I do. As if being a tenured Biology Professor, Department Chair, and parent of three active young kids isn’t enough to fill my time, I’ve layered on top of that writing a book and managing a very active blog. Oh, and let’s not forget fitting in time to run and practice Taekwondo!

Something’s gotta give. I’ve spent a great deal of time over the past 6 months contemplating my future, largely because as this blog has grown, it has occupied more and more of the empty space in my schedule, to the point where it is now encroaching on the “already filled” space (e.g., I haven’t been able to fit in a run yet this week, and I’m about 2 months behind on responding to email!). I often tell people that I essentially work two full-time jobs – this blog occupies an enormous amount of my time.

The problem is that I love trying out and writing about running shoes. I love running. I love reading and writing about the science of running. I love working with individual runners to help with shoe choice, injury, and training issues. These are the topics that occupy my mind most of the day.

I’m also quite lucky to have a very stable and secure job, and it’s a job that I’ve done quite well at. I truly love teaching, and working with students in the classroom is what I enjoy most about my day job. However, there are aspects of my job that I could do without, as any college professor would probably agree. One simple aspect is that I’m tired of spending 1-1.5 hours in the car every day commuting to and from the office. Another is that I simply don’t fit the Academic mold all that well, but that’s a story for another day.

I’m in the process now of contemplating the future. Most people in Academia would tell me that I’d be nuts to give up a tenured professorship (not to mention salary and benefits) to be a blogger, and they’d be right. But this blog is currently my passion, and writing about science here is just teaching in a different way. Runblogger has grown to the point where it is now generating enough income to make me think seriously of becoming a full-time blogger – it’s not a sure bet yet by any means, but given more time to put into it I think I might be able to get by.

So this is where I am right now, and forgive my rant, but I needed to put some thoughts out there. This blog is my sounding board, and my place to let thoughts escape the confines of my brain. I’ve decided to apply for an unpaid leave of absence from my academic position for a year to sort things out a bit. I also have a business opportunity that I’m very excited about that would involve doing what I love most, and you’ll be hearing more about that in the coming months.

I’ve decided, as I have always done, to follow my passion. Sometimes the safe path isn’t the best path, and I’ve gotten along well so far in this life by following my gut. My gut right now is telling me to run and write and be around more for my kids while they are young. I may be crazy, but that’s my style :)

Thanks for listening!

Read More

Merrell Bare Access 2 Review by Biker Nate

One of the guys I talk to the most about running shoes is my buddy Nate Sanel. Nate lives in the next town over from me, and we share an obsession with running shoes.

In many ways, we complement each other nicely since he’s a trail ultrarunner and I’m primarily a road runner. As such, we often share thoughts on shoes the other has not tried (e.g., he’s the reason I may give in and try a pair of Hokas). Nate and I have also been working together lately on reviewing the same shoe from our individual perspectives, as well as doing some product development work with Skechers (e.g., we wear-tested countless iterations of the Go Bionic, and are currently wear testing a trail version of that shoe that is fantastic – stay tuned on that front).

A few weeks ago I posted my review of the new Merrell Bare Access 2 zero drop shoe. Today Nate posted his take on the shoe, and I wanted to direct you to it since I think it’s always valuable to read multiple perspectives on a given shoe. Like me, Nate liked the shoe a lot. Unlike me, however, Nate has received a shipment of Merrell’s M-Connect line for 2013 – I’m jealous, and am hoping I have said package on my doorstep when I return home this evening (see his post to see what I’m talking about!

Read Nate’s Merrell Bare Access review here: http://bikernate.blogspot.com/2012/11/merrell-bare-access-shoe-review.html

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Merrell Bare Access 2 Review by Biker Nate

One of the guys I talk to the most about running shoes is my buddy Nate Sanel. Nate lives in the next town over from me, and we share an obsession with running shoes.

In many ways, we complement each other nicely since he’s a trail ultrarunner and I’m primarily a road runner. As such, we often share thoughts on shoes the other has not tried (e.g., he’s the reason I may give in and try a pair of Hokas). Nate and I have also been working together lately on reviewing the same shoe from our individual perspectives, as well as doing some product development work with Skechers (e.g., we wear-tested countless iterations of the Go Bionic, and are currently wear testing a trail version of that shoe that is fantastic – stay tuned on that front).

A few weeks ago I posted my review of the new Merrell Bare Access 2 zero drop shoe. Today Nate posted his take on the shoe, and I wanted to direct you to it since I think it’s always valuable to read multiple perspectives on a given shoe. Like me, Nate liked the shoe a lot. Unlike me, however, Nate has received a shipment of Merrell’s M-Connect line for 2013 – I’m jealous, and am hoping I have said package on my doorstep when I return home this evening (see his post to see what I’m talking about!

Read Nate’s Merrell Bare Access review here: http://bikernate.blogspot.com/2012/11/merrell-bare-access-shoe-review.html

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5 Ways to Tell if a Running Shoe is a Good Match for You

How do you know when a running shoe is right for you? I’ve often contemplated this question, and for me at least, I can usually tell after a single run if a shoe is going to work out for me. In this post I’ll try to articulate what it is that makes me know that a shoe is going to be a good match for my body.

This week I’ve gone for first runs in two new pairs of shoes. First was the On Running Cloudracer. On is a new company from Switzerland that makes shoes with unique “shock-absorbing pods” on the outsole. It’s an interesting concept, and the shoes are decent, but for some reason they just haven’t clicked for me. There’s nothing particularly wrong with them – they fit fine, they’re comfortable, and they feel reasonably well-cushioned – they just lack that magic something that makes me want to pull them out when it’s time to head out the door (I’ve now run in them three times, and still feel the same about them – review coming soon).

Contrast that with the shoes I wore today. I can’t reveal what they are since they are pre-production wear-test samples (I’m on an NDA), but I knew the moment I put them on that they were going to be fantastic. Perfect fit, crazy comfortable, and the sole cushioning was just right. Took them out for 4.5 miles on the trails behind my house, and am now in love.

So what is it that lets me know that a shoe like the one I wore today is the right one? I’ve tried to think about this scientifically, but sometimes subjective impressions are good enough, or even better when it comes to individual impressions. Here are 5 subjective things that let me know a shoe is a good match:

1. It causes no pain. No abrasion, no hot spots, no unusual aches in my legs or feet. No pain is good. Note: sometimes pain may be present as your body adapts to a given shoe, and it starts to feel better after a few runs, so this may not always be a perfect indicator on your first run in a shoe.

2. It disappears on my feet. If I weren’t concentrating on how it feels, the shoe would go completely unnoticed. It doesn’t make me think about my form, it doesn’t force my feet to move in ways that they don’t want to, and it doesn’t get in the way while I run. When I run in a shoe that’s a good match, I feel strong and as if my body is in complete control. A good shoe works with my body, not against it.

3. Ground contact simply feels “right.” This is something that is extremely difficult to verbalize but very easy to feel the moment I start running in a shoe that’s a good match for me - a good shoe simply feels right when it hits the ground. Unfortunately, it may require running in a lot of shoes before you get a sense of what the “right” shoe feels like for you. After you get a sense of the variation among several shoes, you begin to notice that some shoes feel dead on contact, and they feel like they rob your legs of energy. A good one feels responsive and like it’s helping you progress forward on your run.

4. It makes you want to run fast. Sometimes a shoe feels so good that you simply want to cut loose and run wild. It’s an incredible feeling to have everything clicking and hit that moment when you start cruising down the road or trail with reckless abandon – it’s like I imagine sitting behind the wheel of a sports car might feel (I drive a Prius…). A good shoe makes you want to move, and move fast!

5. A good shoe makes you long to run in it again. This, for me, is the number one sign that a shoe is a good match. When I finish a run in a good shoe, I simply can’t wait to run in it again. In fact, it may motivate me to get out the door simply so I can put it back on my feet. As I sit here writing this, I have the shoes I wore on the trails this afternoon on the floor next to me, and I have half a mind to go out for an evening run in them just to put more miles on them. On the other hand, it takes willpower to run in a shoe that just doesn’t feel right to me – it’s like a wasted opportunity to get maximum enjoyment from the time I spend on the run. When you want to run in a particular shoe even though you have 50 to choose from, you know it must be a good one :)

These are 5 signs that a shoe is right for me – anything I missed that help you determine if a shoe is right for you? Leave a comment!

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5 Ways to Tell if a Running Shoe is a Good Match for You

How do you know when a running shoe is right for you? I’ve often contemplated this question, and for me at least, I can usually tell after a single run if a shoe is going to work out for me. In this post I’ll try to articulate what it is that makes me know that a shoe is going to be a good match for my body.

This week I’ve gone for first runs in two new pairs of shoes. First was the On Running Cloudracer. On is a new company from Switzerland that makes shoes with unique “shock-absorbing pods” on the outsole. It’s an interesting concept, and the shoes are decent, but for some reason they just haven’t clicked for me. There’s nothing particularly wrong with them – they fit fine, they’re comfortable, and they feel reasonably well-cushioned – they just lack that magic something that makes me want to pull them out when it’s time to head out the door (I’ve now run in them three times, and still feel the same about them – review coming soon).

Contrast that with the shoes I wore today. I can’t reveal what they are since they are pre-production wear-test samples (I’m on an NDA), but I knew the moment I put them on that they were going to be fantastic. Perfect fit, crazy comfortable, and the sole cushioning was just right. Took them out for 4.5 miles on the trails behind my house, and am now in love.

So what is it that lets me know that a shoe like the one I wore today is the right one? I’ve tried to think about this scientifically, but sometimes subjective impressions are good enough, or even better when it comes to individual impressions. Here are 5 subjective things that let me know a shoe is a good match:

1. It causes no pain. No abrasion, no hot spots, no unusual aches in my legs or feet. No pain is good. Note: sometimes pain may be present as your body adapts to a given shoe, and it starts to feel better after a few runs, so this may not always be a perfect indicator on your first run in a shoe.

2. It disappears on my feet. If I weren’t concentrating on how it feels, the shoe would go completely unnoticed. It doesn’t make me think about my form, it doesn’t force my feet to move in ways that they don’t want to, and it doesn’t get in the way while I run. When I run in a shoe that’s a good match, I feel strong and as if my body is in complete control. A good shoe works with my body, not against it.

3. Ground contact simply feels “right.” This is something that is extremely difficult to verbalize but very easy to feel the moment I start running in a shoe that’s a good match for me - a good shoe simply feels right when it hits the ground. Unfortunately, it may require running in a lot of shoes before you get a sense of what the “right” shoe feels like for you. After you get a sense of the variation among several shoes, you begin to notice that some shoes feel dead on contact, and they feel like they rob your legs of energy. A good one feels responsive and like it’s helping you progress forward on your run.

4. It makes you want to run fast. Sometimes a shoe feels so good that you simply want to cut loose and run wild. It’s an incredible feeling to have everything clicking and hit that moment when you start cruising down the road or trail with reckless abandon – it’s like I imagine sitting behind the wheel of a sports car might feel (I drive a Prius…). A good shoe makes you want to move, and move fast!

5. A good shoe makes you long to run in it again. This, for me, is the number one sign that a shoe is a good match. When I finish a run in a good shoe, I simply can’t wait to run in it again. In fact, it may motivate me to get out the door simply so I can put it back on my feet. As I sit here writing this, I have the shoes I wore on the trails this afternoon on the floor next to me, and I have half a mind to go out for an evening run in them just to put more miles on them. On the other hand, it takes willpower to run in a shoe that just doesn’t feel right to me – it’s like a wasted opportunity to get maximum enjoyment from the time I spend on the run. When you want to run in a particular shoe even though you have 50 to choose from, you know it must be a good one :)

These are 5 signs that a shoe is right for me – anything I missed that help you determine if a shoe is right for you? Leave a comment!

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Music Recommendation: Mumford & Sons

Totally non-running (though I do listen to them while I run!), but since this is still a personal blog I’ll take the liberty of going off-topic a bit. If you don’t listen to Mumford and Sons yet, you should – I can’t get enough of them right now!

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Music Recommendation: Mumford & Sons

Totally non-running (though I do listen to them while I run!), but since this is still a personal blog I’ll take the liberty of going off-topic a bit. If you don’t listen to Mumford and Sons yet, you should – I can’t get enough of them right now!

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Foot Strike Patterns of Runners at the 2012 Western States Ultramarathon

A friend on Twitter (thanks Josh N.!) forwarded me a link to a post on the Sharman Ultra blog that discusses research results from the 2012 Western States Ultramarathon.

A group of researchers had set up a study to look at foot strike patterns and stride characteristics of runners at several points in the race, and the post provides the text of an email summarizing their results (the blogger, Ian Sharman, had run in the race). In a nutshell, here’s what they found:

1. 80-90% of runners were heel strikers at all four locations where they analyzed foot strike patterns (10.2 miles, 56.1 miles, 56.4 miles, 100.1 miles). This is in-line with data I have published on marathon runners.

2. Excluding the downhill analysis point, stride length was longest at the earliest examination point (10.2 miles).

3. No relationship was observed between foot strike pattern and performance (I found the same among marathoners).

Making the likely assumption that all of these runners were shod, and that most were wearing somewhat cushioned shoes, these results don’t surprise me and are in line with my own findings on foot strike patterns among shod runners in a road marathon (I also did a bit of filming at the VT100 this year and would guess the results would have been similar there). It may turn out that in some of the locations heel striking in trail ultramarathoners was a bit less common than in road marathoners (I observed 88.9% heel strikers at the 10K point of a road marathon), but we’d need the raw numbers to address that (not just a range).

It’s also important to note that neither this nor my study examined variation among heel strikers – there is a great deal of variety in the amount of dorsiflexion at ground contact among heel strikers, and lower limb orientation is also highly variable – heel striking isn’t really a category so much as a spectrum that encompasses a wide range of variability.

What I like about studies like this is that they provide data on what runners in the “real world” do outside of an artificial lab environment. This study provides further evidence that when distance runners wear shoes, even those who run huge mileage on trails, they tend to land on their heels most of the time. The results don’t provide insight on whether heel striking is good or bad, and if anything they suggest that at least from a performance standpoint it doesn’t much matter how your foot contacts the ground. All of this contributes to my belief that as long as it’s not too extreme, it’s OK to be a heel striker!

Read More

Foot Strike Patterns of Runners at the 2012 Western States Ultramarathon

A friend on Twitter (thanks Josh N.!) forwarded me a link to a post on the Sharman Ultra blog that discusses research results from the 2012 Western States Ultramarathon.

A group of researchers had set up a study to look at foot strike patterns and stride characteristics of runners at several points in the race, and the post provides the text of an email summarizing their results (the blogger, Ian Sharman, had run in the race). In a nutshell, here’s what they found:

1. 80-90% of runners were heel strikers at all four locations where they analyzed foot strike patterns (10.2 miles, 56.1 miles, 56.4 miles, 100.1 miles). This is in-line with data I have published on marathon runners.

2. Excluding the downhill analysis point, stride length was longest at the earliest examination point (10.2 miles).

3. No relationship was observed between foot strike pattern and performance (I found the same among marathoners).

Making the likely assumption that all of these runners were shod, and that most were wearing somewhat cushioned shoes, these results don’t surprise me and are in line with my own findings on foot strike patterns among shod runners in a road marathon (I also did a bit of filming at the VT100 this year and would guess the results would have been similar there). It may turn out that in some of the locations heel striking in trail ultramarathoners was a bit less common than in road marathoners (I observed 88.9% heel strikers at the 10K point of a road marathon), but we’d need the raw numbers to address that (not just a range).

It’s also important to note that neither this nor my study examined variation among heel strikers – there is a great deal of variety in the amount of dorsiflexion at ground contact among heel strikers, and lower limb orientation is also highly variable – heel striking isn’t really a category so much as a spectrum that encompasses a wide range of variability.

What I like about studies like this is that they provide data on what runners in the “real world” do outside of an artificial lab environment. This study provides further evidence that when distance runners wear shoes, even those who run huge mileage on trails, they tend to land on their heels most of the time. The results don’t provide insight on whether heel striking is good or bad, and if anything they suggest that at least from a performance standpoint it doesn’t much matter how your foot contacts the ground. All of this contributes to my belief that as long as it’s not too extreme, it’s OK to be a heel striker!

Read More

Experienced Zero-Drop Runners Wanted: Apply to Be a Wear-Tester for the Mizuno EVO Cursoris

Got an email this morning from Mizuno asking if I would share a link to their wear-testing application for the Mizuno EVO Cursoris. The Cursoris is a zero-drop shoe set to be released in early 2013, and they are particularly interested in wear-testers who are experienced at running in zero drop shoes or who are midfoot runners.

Click here to apply to be a Mizuno Cursroris wear-tester.

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Experienced Zero-Drop Runners Wanted: Apply to Be a Wear-Tester for the Mizuno EVO Cursoris

Got an email this morning from Mizuno asking if I would share a link to their wear-testing application for the Mizuno EVO Cursoris. The Cursoris is a zero-drop shoe set to be released in early 2013, and they are particularly interested in wear-testers who are experienced at running in zero drop shoes or who are midfoot runners.

Click here to apply to be a Mizuno Cursroris wear-tester.

Read More