cold, but well shod

I’ve been up with the sparrows these last couple of days, trying to fit a decent run in before the endless rounds of meetings, emails and the other boredom that makes up a working day.

That would be all well and good if it weren’t for the recent drop into winter temperatures here in Melbourne. The days have been nice and warm, but the nights and early mornings are what my Dad used to call “spanner weather”.

This morning it was something like 5 degrees. Almost cold enough to make me reconsider running in light t-shirt and shorts. Almost….

It doesn’t help that my house’s central heating chose last weekend to pack it in. Here’s a tip: now is not the best time of year to get someone to fix a central heating unit. Everyone’s doing it, which means big delays and tradespeople who don’t really need your business.

So, we’ve been heading to bed at about 8pm, huddling under multiple doonas.

Thankfully, someone came today and fixed the thing, so we’re feeling relatively tropical tonight.

Shoes
A few days ago I posted a screed bemoaning the state of running shoes in general and the prices you have to pay in Australia in particular. Well, just that day I ordered 2 pairs of Brooks Adrenaline from a site in the US for not much more than you’d have to pay for 1 pair here in Oz, and they’ve arrived already. Order placed on the 14th, shipped on the 15th and arrived on the 18th.

Pretty impressive stuff. I’ve waited longer than that just to be served in Myer.

Running
16km yesterday and 14km this morning. Both cold, but good. The conditioning phase is going well.

running shoes are a ripoff

It’s true, running shoes are a ripoff. There are plenty of people who question the need for the things; they argue the human foot is well adapted to run without special aids for “pronation” and the like.

But, even if you accept the claims coming from the shoe manufacturers, they are way too expensive, especially in Australia.

Take the shoes I wear, Brooks Adrenaline. If you go down to your local Rebel Sport, they’re going to sting you $220 AUD for a pair of the latest model (and you can’t buy previous models).

However, you can find them online from America for $100 USD. That’s only $112 in Australian money. So, the same shoes cost pretty much exactly double in Australia.

Before you say anything, the cost of shipping isn’t that much. I ordered 2 pairs from an American company and they charged my $272 all up, including shipping. The same 2 pairs from Australia would cost me $440!

I don’t know how they can justify that.

Running
It’s been a while since I last posted, so let’s see if I can remember. Ah yes, on Wednesday I was sick, so no running. On Thursday I went out for a little gently recovery run but got distracted and ended up running for 12km. This morning I intentionally went out for 18.4km, starting from the city and heading down to St Kilda via Beaconsfield Parade and back via Albert Park. Here it is on mapmyrun.com.

168km for the month so far.

a thing of beauty

I could almost grow to like this summer lark if it keeps on going like this.

Last night I got home from work, and faffed about with things, putting the kids to bed and such, and headed out for a run at about 8 o’clock. It was lovely. Light, but with the sun starting to set. The temperature was in the low 20s and there was a wind to cool me down.

I ran just under 15km before collapsing in my customary sweaty puddle on the doorstep.

Shoes
The run was helped considerably by a new pair of Adrenaline shoes, which just arrived from the good ol’ US of A. God bless America and god bless the internet and all who sail on it.

My old pair will have been made to walk the plank today. They haven’t even been given a decent gardening shoes retirement, it’s straight to the knackery for them.

trouble with shoes

Another thing that irritates me these days: shoes. Specifically, women (mostly young women) who don’t wear them even on cold days.

For example, these last few days have been quite cold, especially in the morning. There’s a young women, who looks about 18, who rides on my train and she’s been rugged up in a coat and scarf and jeans but, get this: thongs!****

Thongs, I tell you!

So am I right to assume that every part of her feels the cold except for her feet, which somehow exist in their own separate climatic zone where it’s always 40 degrees? It’s insanity, I tell you.

Regrettably, this practice has extended to the male half of the population, although only the younger ones.

*****(If there are any UK people reading this, I mean “flip-flops”. I have no way of knowing if she was wearing a thong)

Running shoes
My running shoes, the pair I keep at work, are starting to concern me. They’re scruffy, and have been ever since I went running on a wet, puddly day months and months ago. What’s worse, they’re unhealthy. They are the Monty Burns of the shoes world. The black grippy bits are worn away at the toe and almost disappeared on one heal. I’m running on the white cushiony bits.

I think it’s time to put them out to pasture. I will as soon as the new pair arrives from the US. God bless the exchange rate, I ordered new Adrenaline GTS10 for $70 less than they cost in the shops here, and that includes delivery.

Running
9 easy km this lunchtime.

chucking out dead shoes

There’s a definite life cycle when it comes to running shoes, at least for me.

It goes something like this:

1. Shoe comes out in the US – becomes object of lust, possibly unattainable
2. Shoe comes out in Australia – I begin to haunt Rebel Sports
3. I come into money, or the old shoes fall apart – they are mine!
4. Too nice to take out of the box
5. First few runs – avoid taking them anywhere there might be water, mud, dust or muggers: in short, anywhere
6. Preferred option – run in them whenever I can
7. Dependable – the default shoe
8. A little tired, but still good
9. Very comfortable, but seen better days
10. First foot pain on long run – ignore it
11. More foot pain – can’t ignore
12. Move to cupboard – use for short runs
13. Move to other cupboard – for messing around the house

I can get that far pretty well, but there’s one last step I can’t take, namely:

• Put it in the bin

The affect of all that is I end up with cupboards full of old running shoes, lending a peculiar “fragrance” to the house.

There have been complaints.

So, last weekend I bit the bullet and chucked a few out. I now own:

1. 2 pairs of actively used Brooks Adrenalines – 1 for home and one for work
2. 1 pair of Brooks Racers
3. 1 pair of Brooks Adrenalines for messing around the house

And that’s it! I had to be cruel and lose, by my calculations, something around 5,000km worth of shoes.

Running
A 14.1km run this lunch-time in the cold. It felt good, like I was running well and fast. Not particularly quick though. 1 hour 5 minutes.

fun weekend

Apologies for the more than slightly sarcastic post title there.

It’s been cold, wet, windy and generally wintry here in Melbourne, which never really boosts the joie de vivre. Driving all over town looking at car yards doesn’t help either. For some reason, the entire car sales industry of Melbourne has taken the weekend off too, which makes it double irritating.

It’s one thing to have to stand around kicking tyres and making conversations with slimy crooks, it’s even worse when the slimy c’s don’t even bother to show up.

Anyway, we have our eyes on a car to replace the one lost in last week’s spider/tree incident.

By the way, if you were worrying, the spider was okay too. In fact, I half suspect the spider never existed, either that or it made a really quick getaway post-crash.

Running
5km on Friday to pick up a hire car. The long run was yesterday – 32.5km in exactly 2.5 hours. A nice run – not too much fatigue and I felt fine for the rest of the day

Active Feet
I dropped into AF in Heathmont this afternoon. I’d never been there, and was keen to see how my feet might measure up. I tried some Kayano 15s (very good – would consider buying them), some Trances (not so good – quite firm) but unfortunately the guy in the shop was quite definite that Brooks Adrenalines were the ones for me.

Damn it. I’m sick of them. Sadly, I think I’m locked in a vicious cycle. I’ve been running in them so long my feet have adjusted so perfectly to them, nothing else is quite as good.

I’m not going to switch mid-marathon training, but I might consider it later on in the year, just for a change.