Achilles update #3: Shit

So I hopped on the treadmill for the first time in a while. It was a Fast-ish workout due to time constraints. I wore shoes that border on the small side with a 6mm drop and set treadmill elevation at 1.0%.

Low and behold, the Achilles felt twingy.

So despite good behavior as of late...adding three somewhat textbook Achilles offenders (inclination, heel cuff pressure, intensity) can cause almost instant irritation. 

So I dropped inclination to .5% then 0%, and luckily the workout was brief. So after effects were minimal, I can feel it today. It's sensitive when I does idled with a straight leg, but luckily still didn't  have the achy and tightness in morning.

Sad to have a slight step backwards, but have the ibuprofen onboard and hope for nothing long term.

Puma Ignite Ultimate Review

As stated multiple times before, my geekiness regarding shoes is somewhat understated. 

Thus, when I come across shoes, especially concepts or brands that I haven't seen before that actually look legit... I typically will pull the trigger (especially if I can get them for a deal).  This was the case for today's shoe review for the Puma Ignite Ultimate... Which I got online for a ludicrous $31 bucks and change... SHIPPED. Man I love bens bargains and slickdeals notifications for things like this. 

So, I put these on, right out of the box I could tell the running sizing was about right, generally go a minimum a 1/2 size larger than your dress shoes. So, good there. I'm actually quite impressed at the build. A nicely molded heel cup, precise seams, padding under the laces, double stitching, contrast color glued full rubber sole, reflective logo... Altogether a nicely done shoe for a company not typically renown for its running acumen. There was an interesting mesh/forefoot structure/overlay that is supposed to increase breatheability. 

I put on the shoe and immediately noticed a couple of things. One, the insole has a quite peculiar texture to it that I do not understand. I have a tendency to wear thinner running socks and therefore could feel it better than I would assume someone who prefers thicker socks. Secondly, the shoe offers almost zero  molded arch support in the sole, or the insert. As someone who appreciates a little bit of material there, I was disappointed.  There was nothing remarkable about the heel collar padding which is not necessarily a bad thing. 

I broke one of my own rules and went on a longish run in a new pair of shoes. I do not advise that, but these shoes felt remarkably like my original Adidas boost shoes. It is interesting that the sole design aside from the material type is very similar in shape and ride characteristics.

The EVA material is insanely similar in texture and feel to some of the "energy return" materials touted by Adidas and Saucony in the boost and ISO2 lines.  The EVA has that rubbery springy texture instead of the dense sponge-ish texture from standard EVA. The difference between this and the others, however is that the other two take small pieces and fuse them together where this is one solid block. It gives the whole shoe a solid, consistent feel, but seems to come at the slight expense of weight.  

Run wise. It is a shoe for heeling and or a heavier runner. It feels remarkably similar to early boosts, so this may be your favorite shoe ever. I ran seven miles on hard packed crushed gravel and have almost nothing negative to say about its run characteristics other than its heel weight orientation. I suppose I could have deducted that from the build and offset (12mm).  I will also note that since there is no significant arch structure or any rear to forefoot mechanics built into the shoe, so from a technical perspective there is no noticable transition from heel to forefoot. So, it will, or at least did in my one run, come across as somewhat stiff to me...but that is not necessarily a bad thing to everyone.  This may improve with usage.

The shoes show zero signs of stress or fatigue in the EVA, and from my overall perspective, if you are looking for an adequate trainer that will last you a while, you are a heel striker and aren't looking for anything racy... This is a pretty decent trainer for the money, especially if you can get it on the cheap.  

Pros: Nice build, good materials, cushioning will last longer than most 

Cons: peculiar insole, not much arch support. 

Achilles update 2

So yesterday was an interval day, and I didn't wear my boot last night AND I didn't roll out calf. So, I suppose my non-compliance led to some initial soreness in my Achilles this morning. Nothing major, just a sign and a reminder that "getting better" is not the same thing as healed.

Just to note, yesterday's run of 2x1mi and 4x400 was in 6mm offset shoes, and was done on a track.  So, I am a tad curious if the constant turning may have aggravated it too.  Today is a slower 6.5 mi in 13mm shoes.  Will see how Achilles reacts tomorrow morning.

One thing I just recalled about the beginning of my recent turnaround. I keep going back to my shoe guy (Caleb) stating that I shouldn't have calf/soleus pain.  He believe that to be connected to the Achilles issue I was having and not a by-product.

I immediately started with foam rolling and using my stick roller. When working on the calf I noticed a particularly tender area in TWO different spots on the external part of my calf. Note the third and fourth ones in the pic below.

Why this would cause pain in my heel, I have no clue, but let's continue.  

Spot three on the lower edge was knotted. So I rolled it for a bit and then stuck the end of my roller stick (https://www.amazon.com/Pro-Tec-Athletics-Massager-Trigger-Release/dp/B00P3QPC18) right into it. It hurt quite a bit, and was sore there for a couple of days... But the knot was gone, and is still gone today. 

However today, I've discovered I'm quite tender in spot four. Same process, roll, pressure... Now soreness. Now heading out for a run. 

I'm really intrigued as to whether release of calf tension will help remedy the Achilles issues. 

Stay tuned.

The Grave of a Villain

Before the Internet, and before Atari, and before cable television… There were books. Books and two television stations and some days three if you could adjust the rabbit ears just right.

On Saturday and Sunday afternoons, It was not uncommon for my father and I to watch old grainy westerns. From what I remember, they were quite cheesy.  Nonetheless there was something very comfortable about the westerns. It was very easy to know who the villains were, and very easy to be enamored with the hero. 

In between the movies, I had books, toy six shooters, etc. and lived with the eternal expectation that I just might actually run into Indians in the land around my grandfather’s farm in central Missouri. One thing I was particularly enthralled with was this faux leather bound set of Time-life books… Each volume focusing on a different aspect of life in the old west. The first book of the series was the only one of any relevance.  The Gunfighters.

I think I memorized every picture, enamored with the grainy photos, the guns, the maps of shootouts, the photos of hung men and their blank stares in death. It's all weird because NONE of them looked like the men in the movies. 

I'm a huge fan of westerns, but hadn't really considered the role they played in my childhood. Just recently I found out that two of the more notorious gunfighters from the books and movies were buried within miles of my home. One is Frank James, the brother of a the more notorious and charismatic Jesse James and the other is Cole Younger, a member of their gang.

These ex-confederate guerrillas pioneered brazen bank robberies, participated in a particularly gruesome attack on Lawrence, KS, and branched out to stagecoach and train robberies and even robbed a fair. They were hunted for years, but embraced by locals like heroes.

It's weird what Hollywood can do to history. Frank James has been portrayed by Henry Fonda, Johnny Cash, James Brolin, Bill Paxton and freaking Leonard Nimoy!  Cole has been played by David Carridine and Randy Travis (among others). It's really strange how their stories were often so twisted and out of context. It's fascinating how two guys, involved in an ISIS level of savagery were actually quite revered by the locals in the region. 

I decided to make a Labor Day ride out of it, just to see what a gunslinger’s grave looks like. 

I rode to the Frank James grave first. In a small stone walled cemetery located along the north edge of a large open area and skate park. It's a small 25x25 foot square walled area with an ancient iron gate, several marked graves, and I assume some that aren't marked.  Interestingly, it doesn't show “Frank” but Alexander F. Supposedly it's haunted. High noon, no ghosts but a fitting time to be sitting on Frank James grave, right?

Anyway, from there I rode through Independence and then to Lee’s Summit. It would have been a nice ride aside for the block headwind that made things slow. 

I found the cemetery and was overwhelmed by the sheer size and volume. Old graves intermingled with new, and no guidance as to its location, but alas it was right at the end of the first road I took. For some reason the dude had TWO headstones alongside several dead brothers and one dead mother. 

So, from there… MEGA TAILWIND home so I used the time to reflect on the relative lack of fanfare that someone so infamous gets in death. Perhaps a mundane marker prevents miscreants from mucking with them. Who knows.

Good ride. I love rides that slow you down from time to time.