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Good news sports fans. Official registration is out for the fourth annual Keith Nintzel Memorial 5k. For those of you who don’t know, the Nintzel is a race me and some of my high school friends organize every year in honor of our buddy Keith who passed away in a car accident in 2004. It’s a fast course and we always have great prizes. The t-shirts are Brooks Podium technical fabric shirts with the race logo on them and last year we gave out pint glasses for trophies. It’s one of those races you won’t want to miss.
You can check all the pertinent details of the race at www.Nintzel5k.com.
24
There are hundreds of insoles and foot-bed products out there, so today I thought it would be a good idea to pick one to examine in more depth. I’ve recently been wearing a pair of Superfeet Insoles making them a convenient place to start.
Superfeet - Green
Although Superfeet makes many different kinds of color coded insoles, their “Green” ones are far and away the best product they have for runners. Intended for high impact athletic or industrial use, they stand the test of time against the pounding incurred by running. The Green inserts employ a supportive firm foot-bed which goes against most people’s first assumption that softer is better, but is in line with the style used in prescription orthotics. This allows them to better align body weight, taking tension off of joints, muscles and tendons.
Often the true test of a product how much attention the manufacturer pays to the details. Superfeet passes this inspection on a number of fronts. They utilize only a full length style insert cover for their running models. This is ideal for minimizing sliding during exercise. Additionally, the cover material includes Agion, an antimicrobial fabric that helps kill bacteria and thus reduce smell. These two features are small, but important when considering all the miles you’ll be sweating in them.
Superfeet are often used to correct problems such as plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, and shin splints. Generally, the work well to align the body and neutralize any excessive pronation or supination by a foot. While they are not a custom made prescription orthotics, they might just be the next best thing.
17
In honor of St. Patrick’s day, here’s a video of Irishman Eamonn Coghlan running the indoor world record in the mile in 1983:
16
New York City is starting to play a larger and more important role in hosting major American distance running events. Between the Armory up on 168th St, Ichann Stadium, Madison Square Garden and Central Park, numerous big time elite races are held in the NY metro area each year. Yesterday, the US 8k Championships took place on a hilly loop inside Central Park, the same venue which held the men’s marathon Olympic trials just a few months ago. Last year, Patchogue native Anthony Famiglietti won the 8k race, but he did not return to defend his title. Instead, Jorge Torres of University of Colorado fame took home the win on the guys side, and Shalane Flannigan won the women’s race. At first it seemed that the food poisoning suffered by title contenders Alan Webb and Flannigan leading up to the race might put a damper on the competition. However, Flannigan won handily in spite of the sickness and Andrew Carlson from Minnesota challenge Torres all the way to the tape while continuing his recent hot streak (in January, he won the NYRR New Years Eve Midnight 4 miler in record time).
New York Road Runners has complete coverage on the race here.
If you have any interest in running at all, I highly suggest you find an excuse to pop into the city for one of these big time pro events live and in person. Aside from the fun of watching the elites cruise at speeds unimaginable to the weekend warrior, it’s also quite an experience to see the metropolis invaded by a large contingent of runners.
12
Double Dip Tonight. I’m feeling prolific.
An interesting conversation about the wide variety of socks came up at the store today. In the interest of voicing my own opionion I figured I’d share a review of two of my favorites, which are made by Balega and Feetures!.*
The first is the Balega Hidden Comfort sock. I generally tend to use this sock on longer or recovery days because it has a little bit of padding on the underside of the sock. In contrast, the top is constructed with a much thinner mesh which allows your foot to breathe. I’m not really a fan of heavy socks and despite the padding, these socks are really quite light thanks to the construction of the top side. Combine that with the little semi-invisible tab that keeps the sock from slipping down into your shoe and a really, really soft, plush texture and these socks are a total knockout.
Click Here to check out more Balega socks from Sayville Running Company.
Sometimes however, you just want to let rip. Thats why on my faster workout and race days I often turn to the Feetures! Light No Show sock. It has a supportive band sewn into the midfoot of the sock and is really, really breathable. Where the Balega has a very luxurious feel, the Feetures! Light has a very comfortable, no frills performance feel. Its simplicity allows you to focus on the workout and not how cushiony your socks feel. Overall, the No Show Light has become a reliable sock for me.
Click here to check out more Feetures! socks from Sayville Running Company.
*Feetures! brand poses an interesting punctuation problem since they use an exclamation point in their name. I’m not really sure how to deal with that. Bear with me because it’s been a while since I’ve had to consult the Punctuation and Style Guide.
12
Today was the first official SRC Tuesday Night Group Run after setting the clocks ahead and it was phenomenal. For the first time in months we were able to see where we were going, causing Steve Chaklos to half-jokingly ask, “Wait, there are houses on these blocks?”
Much of the mid-run banter was focused on last weekend’s two races, the Kings Park 15k and the Brentwood Pancake Run. You don’t have to look too closely to notice that Felipe Garcia won both of them. Now thats quite a weekend.
10
For our debut review I’ve decided to give you the lowdown on the new Brooks Defyance due out in April, 2008.
Basically, the Defyance is a neutral version of the Brooks Adrenaline. For those of you unfamilliar with the Adrenaline, its a stability shoe and probably Brooks’ best fitting, most popular trainer. It fits so well in fact, that it is consistently one of the top two most purchased models nationally. It has developed a cult-like following amongst overpronators, but up until now, neutral foots were out of luck.
The Defyance will be built on the same last as the Adrenaline, but offer a smooth ride for high arched or neutral footed runners. It will utilize Brooks’ MoGo cushioning and HydroFlow gel for excellent shock absorption. Since the Defyance has no medial post* it should be a little bit lighter than the Adrenaline. I expect it to become a fan favorite almost immediately after its introductoin and I’m certainly looking forward to putting it on some neutral feet.
If you like what you’re hearing about the Defyance and want to reserve a pair for yourself, check out SayvilleRunning.com. You can preorder them now or pick up a pair when they come out in April.
*Medial Post = A mechanism, most often a firmer wedge of foam on the medial (inner) side of the shoe, used to correct excessive pronation
7
Dates have been officially set for the second edition of the Sayville Summer Series. For those of you unfamiliar with the series, its a collection of local road races here in town that are run during June, July and August. It gives some cash prizes for overall champs and gift certificates to SRC for age group winners. Mostly though, its just a great way to tour Sunny Sayville. Check out www.SayvilleSummerSeries.com for more info.
Here are the dates:
Nintzel 5k - June 7th
Schwachmann Diamond Dash (5k) -June 14th
Run for Cystic Fibrosis (4 mi) - July 27th
Sayville Summerfest 4 Mile Run - August 2nd
Bonus points for anyone who can name the artist/band the song lyric in the title references…
6
Hey! Welcome to the official Sayville Running Company blog. We’re going to try and update this fairly regularly with all sorts of fun running related info. We’ll post reviews and previews of shoes, info on local running events, pseudo-celebrity interviews, and track and running related videos.
For starters, let’s kick things off with a video every runner should see at least once. Next time you need some inspiration before a race, check out Billy Mills’ win in the 10k at the 1964 Olympics: