Countdown to Condura 2010: The Shoes

The great thing about working in a running store, especially one like ours with its own kick-ass treadmill, is that I get to try on different pairs of running shoes to get a feel for them. This is very important to me because I can give realistic up-to-date feedback to customers and of course, I can be very sure about which shoe to purchase next.

My next shoe purchase has to have a very specific purpose, that is to get me through my 1st real marathon in over a year!

My plan is to run the Condura 42k next year in under 4 hours, shaving at least 30 mins off my personal best time at the 2008 Pasig Marathon.

To do that, I need a shoe to "carry" me through the distance.

Give you you some idea, my shoe for 10 to 21k is my trusty and favorite NB 827s. However at a lightweight 260 grams, I am unsure if I want to use them for a full mary, having not used them for anything farther than a half!

So I need a new neutral shoe with cushioning and of course a great price!

So in the end, my choices come to this...

The trusted outgoing Asics Nimbus 9, which is on sale right now or the Tubes 100, by the new kids on the block, K-Swiss.

Price-wise, factoring in the discount for the Ascis, it only comes out around 750 pesos more than the K-Swiss.

Looking at the Nimbus 9 first, there really is not much to say that hasn't been said about this shoe.

Being currently on its 11th generation, the shoe is renown for its cushioned and comfortable ride. One, which I can seriously attest to after putting a pair through its paces on the treadmill.

Having used lightweight shoes almost exclusively this year, the comfortable padded feeling has definitely something new for me.

And a big plus factor for me is that I personally think it looks really cool with the silver and red!

The downside though is I think its a bit heavy at 320 grams...

Another thing people should be aware of when buying marked down shoes is that they are usually of older stock, meaning they have been sitting in a store or warehouse for a year or more. This can be a concern because after a certain period, the glues and other materials in the shoe will begin to degrade, meaning that an "old" new shoe may not last as long as a "new" new shoe.

However, since I intend to put alot of miles on this quickly and then discard it after the BDM 102, its not a pressing concern to me.

Next up is the tubes 100.

For me, this definitely is a unique shoe. Hector and I both agree that it rides like no other shoe we've tried. Very soft and pliant in heel and fore foot area. As you can see there are "flex grooves" on the forefoot area, making it very pliant. In fact, this was the 1st thing I noticed with the shoe. The Nimbus 9 is definitely stiffer, however "ride" wise, while the Tubes is very soft, the Nimbus feels more stable and plush.

A good friend of mine says it feels abit like the Adidas bounce. Which I haven't tried yet.

A genuine cause of concern to me though is the aforementioned unique ride. On a few Ks in the treadmill, it worked fine, it was comfortable and really felt alot faster than the "leaden" feeling i get with the Nimbus. However, I believe the Nimbus will stay comfortable and consistent for 42K, will the Tubes? Or am I headed for a world of hurt?

Looks wise it comes in many colorways as you can see above, however I believe that the Asics looks "racier" while the K-Swiss looks alot better in jeans than CW-X, hehe. Porma-wise, Clubbing-wise, panalo to.

It also helps this shoe that is 20 grams lighter. I like that alot.

For me it comes down to this.

The Nimbus = comfy, and reliable.

The Tubes = lighter, faster, but unknown long run performance.

Hmmm???

What you guys think?

Officially Official! Condura Run 2010 will have a FULL marathon!

I got this text yesterday from my good friend and accomplished marathoner Pat Concepcion, I will post it below verbatim so nothing gets lost in translation!

We are pleased to announce that the Condura Run 2010 will be on Feb. 7, 2010. It will feature a full 42km marathon. The route is being finalized but will go from the Fort up Kalayaan Buendia up the Skyway all the way to Bicutan and u turn back to the Fort. The route shall also take marathoners to the on and off ramps of NAIA 3. Condura is making the announcement this early so that runners can begin training as the event is 5 months away.

More details to follow!

I am excited for this as not only did I get to run on the Skyway, I had a good finishing time of 1:47 in Condura half marathon this year. Next year's edition is a can't miss for me. As my 1st official marathon in over a year, getting to run on the Skyway and pass NAIA 3 would be a treat!

Though, I'm sure the uphill areas, i.e. going up the ramps, will be brutal!

See you guys in Condura next year!

P.S. I wonder what shoes I should get for this... paging Hector!

Condura Run Recap

There was a time that I joined every running race that I could get my hands (feet?) on. However, a few months of running every weekend can really take a lot out of you. And with my diversion into multi-sports and MTB, plus my MBA classes, I really have begun to pick and choose which road races I do.  In fact, I think that my last race run was during the Happy Run more than a month ago, which in a city where there is a race every weekend, is a very long time.

But when I heard from Patrick that the Condura Run would have a 21k and would be on the Skyway, I didn't hesitate, I automatically registered!

For me doing this race was a no brainer, not only because Patrick was a good friend. For 1, 21k is probably my favorite distance for a road race; it’s just long enough to be challenging, but not too long that you contemplate suicide along the way. 

Secondly, last year's run was arguably one of the best managed in the country, so I knew I would be able to enjoy and race this year's event worry-free.

Lastly, come on! One month between road races is way to long!

Night before race day, I got a text from Pat that there would be 6,000 runners registered for the race, so he advised coming early.

Imagining the problems I would have parking if I went late, I decided to take his advice to heart and arrived at the venue a good 45 minutes before the start of the 21k.

Once there, I laced up, wore my I am Ninoy jersey, using the CR, and talked a bit with my friends.

15 minutes before the start, we made our way to the start assembly area, where my visions of a perfect and trouble free race quickly crumbled. I couldn't find the entrance to the assembly area; I saw a sign for a 5k and 10k but no 21k! Then I ran into a rather rude race official who said we had to enter by the 10k sign.

Once I got in line for the assembly area, it was so crowded that I only got in a minute or two before the start of the race!

Luckily, when the starting gun went off, all this pre race stress melted away and I concentrated on the primary task of running 21k as fast as I could. 

As any experienced runner will tell you, the 1st 2 or 3k of any road race is spent trying to go around slower runners while at the same time trying not to run too fast and wreck your whole race program.

It wasn't until the pack made its way down from the Kalayaan flyover that I managed to get into some "clean air" and I was able to race at a pace I was happy with. 

 (For those who do not know, I still don't run with those techy Garmins and HRMs and such. I prefer to run "blind" and instead listen to my own body if I can go faster or slower.)

For this 1st half of the race, I decided to run conservatively and was actually thinking of running a negative split. So I definitely ran within myself for the 1st half of the race and was feeling very good as we reached Osmena Highway and the highlight of the race, the SKYWAY route!

It’s at this point that I remember thinking that after we get over the SKYWAY onramp, we should be fine.  In my head, I remember thinking that once this ascent was done with the SKYWAY would be once long flat stretch until the turn around and the eventual downhill run.

Boy was I wrong! The Skyway was anything but flat, instead proving to an undulating concrete snake with energy sapping uphills and knee pounding downhills. Magallenes interchange never seemed to far away to me before!

It was round halfway to the turn around when we saw the lead group of 4 runners. 42 minutes into the race and they had probably finished more than 14 or 15 kms! I haven't even reached the turn around point! Later I would find that they finished in 1 Hour 10 minutes! 

Looking back on yesterday's race, I really didn't get a chance to enjoy the Skyway because on the way to the turnaround I was too busy focusing on running and on the way back I suddenly felt very weak and close to bonking. I really slowed at this point, almost running at 6 minutes per kilometer. I was caught and passed by a lot of people; my team mate Al passed me just off the SKYWAY gave me some encouraging words, which helped. At the very least it distracted me for 15 seconds and took my mind of my pain. 

At this point all I could think of was a bet I made with Hector. Loser buys a bottle of Rush! I assumed that I was ahead of him at this point, so I took a long and careful look at each runner who passed me. I maybe slow, but so long as I managed to stay ahead of Hec, I would be fine!

It wasn't until reached the 16km point that I got my often prayed for and much needed Second Wind. But my problems didn't end there; suddenly my left knee began acting up!

So little kilometers left yet still so many problems! I remember telling my knee to hold it together for another 5k and I'll deal with the pain tomorrow if there was really a problem.

When we finally reached the Fort, I started to run faster, hoping that by finishing faster I would get a good race time and more importantly I can get myself out of my self imposed misery. 

Unfortunately, every time I tired to speed up my legs quickly gave out.

But 300 meters from the end, I saw another runner quickly making ground on the side of the pack. Oh! A Now it would be a race! Could be fun! So I waited for him to pass me and quickly made chase behind him!

Thank god for that guy! By focusing on chasing him, I managed to distract myself all through the finish line and to a time of 1:47! This is probably a PR, because my last 21k was Subic Marathon last year at 1:58:10

So it was all good! And more importantly I finished ahead of Hector! 

 

P.S. Thanks to Marga and Pat for helping me find my key after I lost it in my post race delirium.

Condura Run Tommorrow! I am Ninoy Runners, And More Second Wind News!

Who Hoo!!! First Half Marathon of the Year! I hope I can get my PR! 

Moreover though, tomorrow I and around 50 other runners will be donning the I am Ninoy Singlets to officially inaugurate the I am Ninoy Running Club.

Ms. Mayi Lopa had this to say about the movement in an email.

In summary, I Am Ninoy is not a political movement.  It is an endeavor to bring out the hero in the Filipino.  There is so much poverty and one way to eliminate this is providing education to the less privileged.  We have talked to a group called "5775 Reverse the Education Crisis" to help us facilitate this objective. This group is composed of a number of large corporations that provide funding and technical support. You may be wondering why they call themselves 5775--in a survey done nationwide, it was learned that the average grade of a student is 57% while the passing grade is 75%--thus 5775 to signify the gap that needs to be reveresed in the counry's educational crisis.  They have developed assistance packages in their program to address what they've identified to be the most critical needs.  These include the following:

Nutrition through in-school feeding programs (it was found out that the students were performing bad because of lack of nutrition)

Materials through providing reading, math and science workbooks 

Infrastructure -- building classrooms/buildings 

Everyone can be a hero in his/her own little way. 

So tommorrow, we will not only run for the whale sharks but for the children too. So many causes so little kms to run them all!

In other news, I was at the shop again earlier.

Guess what arrived...

Boxes and boxes of Optic Nerve!!

I've been using the Optic Nerve Savant for sometime now, in fact I'll be using it tom, and I can tell you its very good. Great for running, it's light, great lenses and its surprisingly affordable!

AND...

AND...

(Yes, its that good, I have to say it twice!)

ASICS are now in!!!

Finally I may get to try Asics soon!

Check some of these out! Gel Nimbus 9 and Gel Kayano

So Beeeyotiful! I want those Gel Nimbus! Matches the offical PUR uniform!

Oh...

Ones last thing... a little bird told me...

The will be very, very good discounts on all these Asics shoes when the store opens!

You didn't hear that from me.