First Miles: Brooks Adrenaline GTS 12

A few weeks ago, I second-guessed my recent purchase of a pair of Adidas adiZero Tempo 4s, worrying that their lack of stability was going to spell doom for my IT bands.  Well, that hasn't happenned (yet).  I've been running in the Tempos and can't argue with the results:  Two races, the Shamrock 8K and Hershey 10K, and PRs in both of those distances. The Tempos are comfortable, well-ventalated, and light.  It's amazing what a difference 3oz makes from the Supernova Sequence 4s I'd been running in, but I feel faster in the Tempos.  (I'm not always actually faster, in reality.)  Bottom line is I like them a lot.

Still, the downside to them is that, relative to the Supernova Sequence, there's a lack of stability and cushioning.  The Tempo isn't a minamalist shoe by any means, but it's been a pretty big change from what I'm used to.  I notice the lack of cushioning, I do feel like there's a little more rolling in my ankles, and I've noticed some twinges of ITBS.  Nothing like the painful flare-up I had 14 months ago, but there.  

So, I decided to get a shoe with a little more stability as I eventually (and with warm temperatures here already and summer approaching, I'm in no hurry) build up distance again. I'd gotten a pair of Sequences ordered for me, but after trying them on I found that preferred the other shoe that I'd been considering when buying the Tempo:  the Brooks Adrenaline.  Brooks' motto is "Run Happy."  My motto is "Revenge!"  It seems like a good match.

It's a stability shoe, but lighter than the Sequence and less than an ounce heavier than the Tempo.  The cushioning in the Adrenaline, and other Brooks shoes I'd tried on previously, had felt very foreign too me (in my experience, you don't feel the cushioning in any of the Adidas I've run with -- I don't mean their hard, but the insole feels flat).  I had a gout flare-up at the time, so I wasn't going to do more than jog a little outside the store, but the Sequences just felt noticeably heavier to me.  They've been a good shoe for me, but if I can have the lightness of the Tempo and the stability of the Supernova in the Adrenaline, it seemed worthwhile to go in a different direction.

Having run the Hershey 10k considerably faster than I thought possible, and  in considerable pain afterward, I decided that I'm not going to kill myself for a PR in the Sole of the City 10K this weekend, so it seemed like a good week to break in the new shoes.  I took my first run in the Adrenalines last night, will hopefully get out tomorrow, and plan on wearing them for the 10K on Saturday.

Last night's run was 5 miles and I was really impressed.  The Adrenaline's weight difference with the Tempo doesn't seem noticeable while the increased stability and softer cushioning where.  My quads were still tired from Sunday, but my feet felt great!  The Tempos seem better ventilated, so they might be cooler in the summer, although that wasn't an issue last night (cool, but humid).  I felt good and felt like I was running hard, but my time, 47:30, didn't show that -- it's right where I usually am in a 5-mile training run.  Whichever pair of shoes I'm wearing these days, I just don't have a good feel for effort vs. pace right now.

I like both pairs of shoes.  Tentatively, my plan is to wear the Tempos for any 5K or 8K race, most training runs of 3-5 miles, and probably any 10K where I'm shooting for a PR (my time at Hershey is a pretty big outlier from any 10K race or training run I've ever done, so I might not touch that again this year even if I try!).  The Adrenalines will get the nod for any longer training runs, any 10-mile or half marathon races (I suspect I'll get there while this pair still has mileage left on it), and any shorter distance runs when I'm tired or sore and just want a little extra support.  If I like the Adrenalines as much as I think I will, they'll probably be my marathon shoe of choice as I get myself back in Shamrock Marathon condition. 

I've always had one pair of running shoes at a time (not counting the retired pairs I use for biking or the gym), but since I have both I might as well use them.  I'll decide over the next couple of months it's worth getting new sets of both models as they wear out, or if one of them will "win".  To that end, I'll try some longer runs in the Tempos to see how my IT bands hold up, and run some 5Ks in the Adrenalines, too.

In the past, I've mentioned some of the advanced technology contained in my running shoes (Pro Moderator, Adidaprene, Geofit), and don't worry, the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 12 has lots of top secret tech, too.

Apparently, the shoe is filled with DNA.  What kind of DNA?  I don't know.  I'm sure it's classified, but I suspect it's the DNA from ground-up cheetahs.  That would make sense, right?

The DNA is apparently stored in this round particle accelerator on the sole of the shoe.

Is this legal?  Is it safe?  I don't know.  I just don't know.  

I've Got a Bad Feeling About This (Post-purchase Shoe Research)

I've only been tracking miles on my last two pairs of shoes, so I suspect that I've probably gone over-mileage pretty significantly on all of them, with varying results. My last pair of Glides definitely felt dead to me. I have no idea how many miles I had on them, but I was running in them from April 2010 to the end of January 2011, with one half marathon and the beginning of marathon training in there. I'm sure they were way over their limit when I retired them after my ITBS flare-up. (I do still bike in them and use them as my main gym shoes because they're so comfortable).

Conversely, the Supernova Sequence 2's that replaced them still seemed pretty supportive when I retired them, ahem, 604 miles on them. And I've heard everything from "OMG you should replace your shoes every 200 miles!" to "Relax guy, you can put way more miles on them than that. Of course the shoe company and shoe store are going to recommend you buy new shoes all the time."

I put the Sequence 2's out to pasture because I was worried about how high the mileage was, but these Sequence 4's really seem like they're toast. I don't think it's "trail running" in the tradional sense of jumping over roots and running through mountain streams, but perhaps running a lot of miles on the gravel rail trail vs. the roads and sidewalks of suburbia shortened their lifespan. At any rate -- I would have been glad to just get another pair of Supernova Sequences, except the store I shop at didn't have them, and since it is carrying less Adidas stuff, didn't seem like they'd be getting any in.

Now, I should probably really start buying shoes elsewhere, just because this store is really far from my house and there's a perfectly excellent running store here in York. But, I'd bought my last several pairs there, was there for a packet pickup, and needed shoes NOW! (Of course, since I'm an idiot, I forgot to wear them on last night's sucky six-miler!)

So anyway, here's some further research on the Supernova Sequence and the two options I was shown by the Sales Associate. The reviews are from runnersworld.com brought to you by the power of Earn Your Donuts' proprietary HindSight Technology.

First, the Supernova Sequence 4, my current shoe:


Now, the Brooks Adrenaline:


And lastly, the adiZero Tempo:


Neither of these shoes seems to have tested very similarly to the Sequence 4 at all. I'm not sure whether this means I should have looked harder for a pair Sequence 4's, or whether I'm about to embark on a magical new journey filled with PRs. The light weight of the adiZero tempo appeals to me, and is in fact why I picked it, but seeing the lack of stability even compared to the Sequence worries me a bit. It is recommended for distance racing and everyday runners, and I suspect that stretching and foam rolling has done more to control my ITBS than the shoes, but I'm probably about to find out how much I actually need a stability shoe.

At any rate, if my calf feels better tomorrow night (still a little sore today), I'll run 2-3 miles in the adiZero Tempos and then I'm planning on wearing them in the 8K on Saturday. I hope I like them, they're really light and comfortable.

(I'm not trying to be negative with the title. Any time I can make a Star Wars reference, I'm going to.)

New Shoe Revue: Adidas Supernova Sequence 4

When you're a running blogger who's currently having a bit of writer's block, new shoes are a godsend. Not only did I review my old shoes, a pair of Adidas Supernova Sequence 2's (While I prerfer to use roman numerals, Adidas does not), I can now blog about my new kicks, a pair of -- you guessed it -- Adidas Supernova Sequence 4's.

My approach to footwear has always been, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." So I went through three pairs of Supernova Glides until I broke. I don't blame the shoes for my IT band problems -- I suspect a lack of proper stretching was mostly to blame -- but it was recommended I try something with a little more stability. Hence, the Supernova Sequence. I'd put almost 500 miles on the Sequence 2s with no recurrence of IT band problems, so when Chris and I stopped at Charm City Run to pick up her packet for the Baltimore Women's Classic, I inquired about a new pair. They didn't have any Sequences, but were glad to order them for me at no additional cost once it became apparent that I didn't want to try any other brands.

I'd seen a picture of the Sequence 4's in Runner's World, and they were cool:

I'd never had a pair of running shoes this funky looking, but I figured that these were also probably the newest models, and that I'd probably end up with Sequence 3s or another pair of Sequence 2s, which would be fine.

It turns out that my new shoes were indeed Sequence 4s, but just not in quite as wild a color scheme:

I don't care that much about what my running shoes look like (I had two pairs of Glides that were ugly yellow things) but I do think these are cool.

They're clearly based on upgraded, perhaps even alien, technology. The pro-moderator is much more pro-moderational than that of the Sequence 2:


And look at this, this isn't just the inside of the top of the shoe, it's "GeoFit!"

I'm mocking my new shoes a bit, but I'm doing so with love. You see, these are the first pair of Adidas since my very first pair of running shoes (Ozweego Running Classics that I got at Value City) that I actually thought felt really soft and comfortable when I tried them on in the store. I've also disliked each pair of Glides and the Sequence 2s for my first couple runs with them, but then loved them once they were broken in a bit and I got used to them.. However, I felt very comfortable in my first run in the 4s, a cool, overcast, but very humid10-mile slog through Mt. Wolf this morning.

Hopefully, that's not a harbinger of doom. I'm a bit worried that since I like them so much right out of the box, that 2 weeks from now I'm going to hate the Sequence 4.

But I don't think so.