Hoka Stinson 3 ATR- Sorry, But I Really Tried!

For Christmas, I got some Christmas money and I wanted to get some new running shoes. I have been hearing all these great reviews about Hokas, so I thought I would take a chance and I went to the mall and tried a pair on. I admit they felt pretty good and made me stand about an inch taller than normal, but I just couldn't will myself to pay that high a price for shoes. (I know running shoes aren't cheap, but the ones I was looking at were top dollar).

So I waited, and waited and finally broke. I went on to the net and purchase a pair of Hoka Stinson 3 ATR shoes. I was really excited for them to come in the mail.

The STINSON 3 ATR features signature category-defining HOKA ONE ONE cushioning and support, and has been redesigned from the ground up. Updates include a more precise late-stage Meta-Rocker for improved forefoot support, and tuned underfoot geometry for improved ride and stability off-road. The upper features ComfortFrame in the heel and midfoot for improved fit, and light padding on the tongue for increased comfort. The Stinson 3 ATR is designed to be durable enough for the roads while providing ample traction on the trails.

That was the sales pitch from the web.

Now I know it usually takes a few runs in a shoe to really know if you like them or not, so I really tried to take my time in determining if they would work for me. And I really, really wanted them to be the best shoe I had ever ran in, but that is just not the case for me. Here are the issues I had:

• The heel really slipped pretty bad on me. I tried to re-lace them several times and finally got it laced right, but it seemed to always be on my mind that my heel slipped. It wasnlt a good fit for me.
• It actually made one of my feet hurt after running. Now this may be a "that's the way God made me" issue, but the shoe never really molded to my foot like other shoes did and I think it made me alter might stride or footstrike, which is never good.
• The shoe felt tight on one foot vs. the other foot. Not sure how to explain that and again I went in search of different lacing methods to help, but I never got the right shoe feeling "right"
• Knee pain. Now I cannot say this is 100% due to the shoes, but I did do an experiment. I ran with my Hokas, and then I came home and changed into my Brooks shoes. My knees did not bother me in the Brooks shoes like the Hokas.
• To be fair, I did put about 30 miles on the Hokas before I made my decision.

So I am going back to my Brooks shoes that I love. I should have asked my buddy when I asked him about Hokas, he response to me was to "stay in what got you where you are". I wish I had listened to him and stayed with Brooks. I really did want to love those shoes, but they will not be my running shoes.

I Love Me Some New Shoes!

Yes, I got new shoes this week. They actually were delivered to the house while I was in Atlanta. For the past three years, I have been running in Brooks Glycerins. I currently have 4 pairs of them, but they have all hit their mileage mark with me, and it was time for new shoes. I could tell. there are a couple of ways I can tell when I need new shoes.

1. My feet hurt after running. Simple right? Well sometimes I just figure that my feet should be tired and sore after a long run, but then when you have a new pair of kicks on, the feet feel great.

2. My knees hurt. I have been having some issues with my right knee. Almost to the point of wanting to see a doctor about it, but after getting in my new kicks, the knee pain is slowly disappearing.

3. Mileage- I am on of those guys that tracks the mile of each run and on the shoes, so I know when my shoes hit about 300 miles, then I need new shoes.

So after reviewing these three factors and placing a check by each one, I order some new Brooks running shoes. I ordered the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 14 shoes.

So far I nothing bad to say about these shoes. They are a more supportive shoe, even more than the Glycerin I think. They feel great and my feet feel a ton better after a run. I do not think you can ever discount the importance of a good shoe when running!

What's your brand of shoe? and how many of them do you have?

P.S. My wife and I just registered for the Elvis Presley 5K here in Memphis! I am all shook up about this and can't wit for that race report to be filled with Elvisisms!!!

I AM THE ALARM CLOCK!!!!!

So Thursday morning, I thought I had a dream, which turned out not to be a dream. here's what happened:

So both my wife and I had plans on running Thursday morning. I was going to get up earlier than her to start my run and I figured i would see her out later and we would finish running together. I know that is a long shot logistically, but it would be nice to end the run together right? Anyways, I awoke suddenly that morning without an aid of the alarm clock, which is becoming more of a habit. I hate it when I wake up just prior to  the alarm going off!!!!

So I wake up and notice my wife is not in the bed with me. I think I have messed up my alarm clock somehow and I just blew my run that morning. I get over it quickly and curl back up with the covers. Not even 10 minutes later, I hear my alarm going off, and this is quite puzzling. You see I had already made amends with missing my run. I was good, but then the alarm!!!

So I grab my clock and see that it is only 5:38AM!!!

And where is my wife???

So I grab my gear (shorts, socks and Brooks shoes, so not a lot to grab) cause I figure if I do not go run now, I will be pissy all day, and I have no reason not to run either! Anyways, I go downstairs to see my bride on the couch and my 1st thought is

UH-OH???

I gently wake her to tell her she can go back to the bed. My guess at the time was that I maybe coulda most likely might have been snoring...

Anyways, I had a great run that morning, it was a little cool, so I went back to get a shirt, but it felt good. I think it even felt better because it was a surprise run. I really thought I had missed out, so I was actually happy to find out I woke up early and had plenty of time to run.

P.S. plus my wife got her run in as well!  WIN-WIN

I Want Others to Love Running Also!

As you can probably guess, I have a passion for running and endurance sports. I know I gripe about it a lot, but I really do enjoy it. I love the freedom it gives me. I enjoy the the way it clears my mind and the time it gives me to think. Sometime I can literally get lost in my run. I have even had moments where I miss mile markers, and that is a great feeling. You know we must love it or why else would we get up at dark thirty in the morning to do it?

So with this love of running, I of course want others to love and to see the value of it. Many people understand, others don't get it and many want nothing to do with it, and that is fine, but I have been looking for a way to share this love and hopefully get others off the couch and moving, and this is how it started.

I have never had a problem training  I am very meticulous about it and I can tell what I am going to be doing 3 weeks from today. I also make time for it, sometimes getting up as early as 4:30 AM just to get my miles in. I had a good balance between my family, my work and my training schedule, but one thing I was leaving out was my spiritual life. It never really fit in, I mean I went to church and all, but that was the extent of it. And that's when I realized that I needed to get that area of my life in line.

So a few months ago, I saw an ad for a program called Run for God. It is basically a Bible study with running wrapped around it, basically a couch to 5K running plan with a focus on God.  So I brought it to the attention of one of our pastors at church, and he suggested I lead it. Whooaaaaaaaa!!!!  I am not what I would call a teacher, so I was scared to death to commit. The more I thought it over and prayed, the more I felt led to lead the group. We start Saturday.

So far there are 25 people signed up for this 12 week class. 25 people that have decided they want to grow closer to God and to also start running, it is going to be a beautiful site to watch their progress. I know I have the running part down, but I pray that I also will have the leading part down as well. My wife and friends are going to help. I have some great people with great life stories lined up to help as well. I am hoping for it to be a special time.

In 12 weeks, I am hoping to have 25 people run a 5K that might not have believable it was possible before! And I will cheer them all on, except for the ones in my AG, they are on their own!!

Weekly Ramblings and Winner Announced!

Alright, the winner of the Sync Hydration Belt from Profile Design is...

Big Daddy Diesel!!!!!

Congrats BDD! If you will email me at memphis2309@yahoo.com, I will send you some information about sizing and colors for you to choose your belt! Also if you are not familiar with BBD's blog, check it out by clicking here: TRI DIESEL

Thanks to everyone that read and entered! Profile Design makes a lot of great products, so be sure and support them in all your racing needs!

Other Ramblings:
I am making another change to my workout schedule, getting to tough to work it all in, so I am doing away with my Friday rest day. I am moving a swim over to Friday. Overall, I do not think this will make to much of an impact on my recovery days due to the way everything is spaced out.

Wednesday on my run, I was able to consistently hit a cadence of 90 throughout my run in my Brooks Glycerin 10s. I have been working towards a cadence of 90, and felt good to hit it. The run felt good and effortless.

This morning I wore my Timex Global Trainer in the pool for the first time. I know it says it is waterproof, but there is always that doubt in my mind. So, I tried it and it worked great. My next step is to try it in my swim cap so I can use it to chart distances.

Sunday, I am running the Germantown Half Marathon. This will be the third time I have raced this event. I am not sure how I will do because my focus has been the Memphis in May Olympic Triathlon training plan and my longest run has been 9 miles. My PR is 1:57 and last year I hit 2:07, so anywhere between those times will be great!

The kids were on Spring Break this week and it really made training harder. Normally I am up, done with workouts and back to take them to school by 7:20. Without the time goal of 7:20, I thought, well I do not need to get up as early as normal since I do not have to be back! WRONG!!! Stick to the plan JFord! That is what this Spring Break taught me.

Overall training is going well. My core workouts are really paying off also. I can feel the benefit of the crunches while swimming specifically!

Thanks to the new followers of Daily Trainings! Glad to have you!

Next week, Daily Trainings will have another awesome giveaway! This is definitely one you will want to be entered in!

My Shoes Got Trashed! Literally!

Sunday afternoon, I went for a run. It was a beautiful day and I hit the streets and the trails. I was just out for a run, not a run for time or distance, just a run. I felt great, it was so nice to be out running again.

When I got home, I went upstairs and showered and threw my shoes in the closet. No big deal right?

Monday morning, my wife and I got up to do our P90X workouts (we are on week 4) and I noticed my shoes had dried mud on the bottoms. So I quickly took them off and placed them by the trashcan in our room.

Now in order to finish the this story, I have to tell you this. One of my middle son's job is to take out the trash. And we struggle with doing the job completely, whether it is putting the liners back in the trashcans or picking up trash around the trashcan, it is usually something that we have to follow up on. Except for Tuesday.

Tuesday I went for a swim instead of doing the P90X yoga. I hate that DVD.

Wednesday morning, we decide to sleep in and do our workout later that night after the kids go to bed.

So tonight (Wednesday) I am changing clothes, getting ready to Kenpo, and I tell my wife, "I can't find my running shoes, I remember sitting them right here by the trashcan?" Immediately, we both look at each other. You know that look you give when you know you each are thinking the same thing???

So I go to my son's room and ask him if he saw my shoes. "Yes, I threw them away, I thought they were trash!" So basically, this one time, he does his trash duty completely. He threw my running shoes and orthotics away. They are gone. Sigh...

So now I can't punish him, because he did his job right?? I still would like an apology and next time I hope he'll ask before he makes a decision, but it looks like I am in the market for some new shoes!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!