Newton Running Week 2

This is the second in a series of posts about my experience with Newton running shoes.  In case you're wondering what they're all about, check out my first post to learn a little bit about the shoes!  

To recap the first week of running in the shoes, I took things pretty slow and experienced some (expected) tightness in my calves.  After a back-to-back run with the Newtons and my Asics, I was cautiously optimistic about the Newtons--  they seemed to make running easier, both in form and in my joints.  This week I tried out my orthotics in the Newtons for comparison!

Tuesday (no run)

Wednesday (Run 5):  3mi

     I ran to/from a yoga class in the rain, so I wasn't so much thinking about my feet/legs ;)  I did try to check out my form in a few of the buildings I ran by, but it was a little hard to do!

Thursday (Run 6):  ~1mi w/orthotics

     I went to an intense spin class and didn't have any tightness in my calves!!  To celebrate, I snuck in a little run to do an errand ;)  Since I wasn't about to put on my old shoes after Sunday's run, I tried out my orthotics in the Newtons (removing the insoles and replacing with my orthotics).  Certainly not as light as w/o them, but they felt ok during this short run.

Friday (Run 7):  4.15mi (w/o orthotics)

     After a rather sleepless night, I felt a bit sluggish but legs felt relatively good.

Saturday (no run)

Sunday (Run 8):  5mi w/orthotics

     While I wanted to get a long-ish run in to keep up my mileage, I didn't want to push too much (2 runs over 4mi in 3 days) so I threw my orthotics in the Newtons and took off.  No tightness and legs felt pretty good.
     After this run with my orthotics, I can say that I think I like running in the Newtons better w/o them.   I think my feet don't have to work as hard when I wear them (more support/cushioning), and something about my alignment seems a bit off.




There's a few things I haven't mentioned...  when I run in the Newtons, the comfortable pace I fall into is roughly 30sec faster than it used to be.  I tried to keep my mileage the same and haven't done speedwork since my recent 5k, so I think it's more a consequence of quicker cadence/improved form.  I actually have found that my legs want to go faster than my breathing can take me, so hopefully getting back into some speedwork will help!   

The other (accidental) issue is that I haven't been doing my PT exercises for my knees.  I really didn't mean for this to happen, but a busy schedule got the best of me.  What I was surprised about is that I didn't have any problems with my knees.  Sunday was a minor "setback"...  more of a reality check, when I spent most of the day on my feet, barefoot (after a 5mi run).   My knees didn't appreciate that, and I'm paying for it now.  I'm planning on getting right back into it, so hopefully my last two weeks won't be tainted!

Spring has sprung!