Thursday, April 8, 2010

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!

13 comments:

Lisa (bakebikeblog) said...

hmm what an interesting side effect that your comfortable pace is now faster - now THAT is a good side effect :)

Joanne said...

It seems like these shoes are really working wonders! Onward to weeks 3 and 4!

Kelly @ Healthy Living With Kelly said...

I am so glad those shoes are working for you, Shannon. I love reading these recaps!

Averie @ Averie Cooks said...

Great info Shannon and glad the shoes are working!
glad the protein post of mine at least got ya thinkin :)

Cristin said...

My 2nd pair of Newton's come tomorrow. I ran in them for months prior to back surgery and found my efficiency increased and my power and effort decreased at a quicker pace. I also found I was less body sore running in them. I am looking forward to eventually getting back to running and using the Newtons. I am also studying Chi Running, same concept but involves more than mechanics.

Kelly said...

Finding all of this sooo interesting, thanks for posting about it!

sophia said...

Okay, I've been lagging in my running these days...I'm gonna blame it on my lousy old shoes!

Emily said...

Wow, I think the shoes sound very promising!

I like the sound of that bundt cake, too.

Also, love the new look of your blog!!

Reeni said...

How interesting that your knees aren't bothering you. That was one of the reasons why I stopped running and went back to walking. These shoes sound amazing so far!

Jess said...

That's awesome that you're running faster!

kitchenbelle said...

I am so intrigued by these shoes! Have you read Born to Run? I think it might interest you!

Kerstin said...

Wow - you're faster and your knees are doing better than in your normal shoes - how cool! I'm loving your reviews :)

Eric Petersen said...

I'm so glad your doing this. I've looked at Newtons for a while now but never wanted to spend the money to get them. Your information is great! Thanks!!

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