New Balance RX505

I am testing new running shoes right now - something completely different from whatever I ever tried before - New Balance RX505.

RX505 is a minimalist shoe - low on cushioning, super light weight, intended and positioned for sprinting. I find these shoes perfect for business trips and family vacations. When I need to fly somewhere and the space is limited, I need something very light and space-saving, especially if it is all about just a couple of workouts. And this is when RX505 comes handy. The only problem with it - besides obvious issues with lack of cushioning on longer runs - is that my regular shoes feel heavy after a run in RX505.

GoLite Sundragon review

I have been testing my new GoLite Sundragon shoes for a while.

The experiment with them seemed kinda risky at first:
1) First shoes I bought via Internet without trying them on
2) Sole with huge rubber spikes looks pretty unconventional

The thing is I met Robo at Unknown-K, who was running in those shoes and really recommended them. Just as Robo said I found them for only $30 on eBay + $11 shipping. This feels like quite a bargain considering their MSRP is $120, and I would not imagine buying shoes like that in any of specialized sports brick-&-mortar stores at a price below $90 even when on sale. So I decided to risk it.

So far so good!
My feet are extremely sensitive to inner stitches on shoes, and Sundragon shoes do not seem to have any at all.
The shoes are pretty light: 11.8oz is on the low end of the spectrum for trail running foot wear. Compare it to 13.5oz weight of Asics Trail Trabuco 10, for example.

The sizes of GoLite shoes are pretty strange. I usually buy running shoes of 10.5 size, but my Sundragon's are marked as 10-10.5. How comes? They have a PreciseFit system, which is just 2 sets of additional inlays you stick under your insoles. So the shoes I bought are 10.5, but the size can be reduced to 10.25 or 10. This is pretty cool, except that after I used the inlays, size 10 of these shoes feels still a little too big as if it were Asics' size 11.

But the main thing about these shoes is definitely the sole:
1) Long interlocking rubber claws provide the best traction on the trails I ever experienced – whether I run uphill or downhill
2) They used combination of soft and hard rubber, which ensures also good traction on wet concrete too
3) The claws adapt better to uneven surface of trail and help to stabilize your body: they somehow smooth surface unevenness

The shoes are still available for the same bargain price from Designer Athletics on eBay:
http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?satitle=golite+sundragon
($30 + $11 shipping)

A perfect headband: SWEAT-BLOCK

I found a perfect headband and dumped all other types of headbands and bandannas I was wearing while running.

At first I bought one by HALO at Long Beach marathon expo in October:
http://store.haloheadband.com/ ($12)

I tried to get some more of those at OC marathon expo yesterday and discovered another company that sells exactly the same product under their own brand name - EVAKI:
http://www.evakiapparel.com/ ($10)

Both brands also sell bandannas and tieback headbands based on the same technology but I prefer pullover headband version of it.

“Our headbands are manufactured with Visa Endurance fabric. Embedded with silver ions, this microfiber polyester helps eliminate bacteria caused by moisture to allow for maximum odor control for the life of the headband. The fabric is lightweight and breathable and keeps sweat away from the body which is exactly how you want it.

Utilizing a patented technology called SWEAT-BLOCK our headbands feature a water-tight seal that forces sweat to the sides of the face and away from the eyes. The non-slip surface keeps the band in place.”

Bottom line:
- Unlike any other headbands and caps, these headbands do actually divert sweat from your face
- They fit more comfortably, can be worn under a helmet when cycling, and will never crawl down onto your eyes
- They do not stink for some reason (even if you wear it during several long runs without washing), and they dry up quickly

Asics Gel-Trail Attack (review on 500M anniversary)

I ran 500th mile in my Asics Gel-Trail Attack II shoes yesterday, which also happen to be my first trail running shoes. I still clearly remember my first ever trail run around the lake in Peters Canyon in less than an hour after I bought them. This makes it even more difficult for me to say good buy to them, although 500M is the age for nearly any running shoes when it is highly recommended to do so.

PROS:
- Superb cushioning – same GEL cushioning system as in the Asics road shoes – they feel like road running shoes whether you run on concrete or dirt
- Very light shoes, 11.2oz
- MONO-Sock Fit System with Sand Guard protects your feet from sand and gravel
- These shoes are completely seamless inside: your feet will feel no stitches – even while the shoes are still new

CONS:
- The outsole is more all-terrain than designed for trail. I do not feel comfortable in these shoes on technical steep downhill sections as the outsole does not provide me enough traction
- Same can be said about wet rocks and wet concrete – the shoes become slippery there

CONCLUSION:
I did not try the new Asics Gel-Trail Attack 3 yet, but if they are as good as the Trail Attack II, I would certainly recommend them!

SUCCESSOR:
As a replacement to my Trail Attack II shoes, I got myself Asics Gel-Trabuco 10 last week. It is too early to comment on them yet, but I can already say that they are heavier, and I miss ingenious MONO-Sock seamless design of Trail Attack shoes. On the other hand Trabuco shoes have a more robust outsole that will provide much better traction on technical trails. And I also hope they will compensate their extra weight with even better cushioning system :)

Few new things

I tried three new things during my today’s run in O’Neill park:

1) I tried my new injinji socks

These socks fit like a glove… quite literally :-)
I never tried them before and got my first three pairs this week.
At first they felt pretty funny and itchy between my toes – I am not used to have anything there. But a way before my Garmin beeped me the end of my first mile this morning, I stoped thinking about my toes and they did not bug me anymore.

I would not call it a test yet – let’s see what it will be like after a real race…

2) I got my feet seriously wet

Usually I am trying not to do it to avoid blisters. But when I reached the stream under the Oso bridge this morning there was no other way to cross it, run around it or jump over it. And I just ran through it. The water was pretty cold, but it felt good!

Of course after I got wet anyway, I ran through all the other stream crossings on my way.

One of the funniest was on the side trail that was going along the eastern trim of the park. It led me to a 25-feet-wide and about a knee-deep stream with a bungee rope hanging above it. I did not use the rope and just walked across the stream. The funny thing there was no trail whatsoever on the other side. Probably there are too very few crazy folks in O’Neill park that ever crossed the stream there :-)

My overall wet-feet experience is pretty positive and refreshing so far. When I got home I was sure my feet dried up but they just warmed up and I did not feel I was wet anymore.

Still I do understand it better right now why wet-feet running is not recommended. The skin on my feet became pinky and tender. After I got my feet wet I ran about 6 miles. If I had to run 20 miles like that I would have blisters all over my feet, despite my new cool injinji socks.



3) I ran on Pomegranate juice instead of Gatorade

This was a stupid idea! Running on O’Doul’s felt so much better :-)
Too acid and unbelievably sugary at the same time, pomegranate juice will not quench your thirst on the run, and even muddy puddles will seem a better alternative to whatever you've got in your hand-bottle in a little while :-)

Garmin Forerunner 50

Just noticed Garmin plans to spit out a new model of Forerunner around the 4th quarter of 2007. This new Garmin is smaller than other products in the Forerunner family and … has nothing to do with the GPS at all…

Yes, you got it right – as oxy-moron as it might sound – it is a non-GPS-enabled Garmin!
It has a foot pod, which is similar to the Nike+iPod sport kit.

On the other hand it is good news for city dwellers: my GPS-enabled Garmin never picked up the signal in Manhattan (not even in the Central Park let alone the streets), while this one should work just fine in there.

This new Garmin will be available in three packages:
Forerunner 50, Heart Rate Monitor - $106
Forerunner 50, Foot Pod - $160
Forerunner 50, Heart Rate & Foot Pod - $213

And here is the main piece of news about it:
Every package comes with a USB ANT stick, which is a wireless receiver that will automatically synch up your Forerunner 50 with your PC.

With Garmin’s innovative ANT wireless technology, your workouts are automatically transferred to your computer when your device is within range. No cables, no hookups. The data’s just there, ready for you to analyze, categorize and share through our online community, Garmin Connect, or our Garmin Training Center software.
http://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=142&pID=10527cID=142&pID=10527

All we need to wait for right now is the next version of a GPS-enabled Garmin Forerunner (200 are 300 series) featuring ANT wireless synchronization…

The North Face Arnuva 50 Boa (review)

OVERVIEW: Built for the athlete who runs trails, dirt paths, even road, and offering the cutting-edge Boa lacing system for a rapidly-adjustable, secure fit. These are the shoes that were developed by The North Face together with Dean Karnazes and the shoes Dean was wearing when he was doing his 50 consecutive marathons in 50 states last year.

PROS: Boa lacing system is really cool. You do not need to re-lace your shoes when they get untied. All you need to do is to turn a little bit a wheel on the back of your shoe to tighten them up. So you are not loosing any momentum stopping and re-lacing your shoes – nothing irritates me more than untied shoes on the run.
Another great thing about these shoes is their outsole with a very good system of claws, which provides you an excellent grip on downhill slopes.

CONS: Although these shoes have some “rear foot compression cage” and even “Ultra lightweight compression molded EVA midsole”, you do not get much cushioning at all. At least it feels much harder than Asics trail shoes with their gel cushioning.
Also the outsole is very flexible. On one hand it improves the grip. But on the other hand you feel every sharp rock you are stepping on almost as if you are running barefoot.
The tightening wheel tends to get stuck from time to time and it becomes pretty difficult to pull it off to take off your shoes after a run (not every single time though).

One more downside is the outer mesh that does not provide you enough protection off the trail. Once I had to run through a meadow and got a lot of hay stems that got in though the mesh. Those stems were pretty difficult to get rid of afterwards and were bugging me a lot for the rest of my run that day.

LINK: http://www.thenorthface.com/opencms/opencms/tnf/gear.jsp?site=NA&model=AN0P

SUMMARY: Although I love Boa lacing, I would not recommend Arnuva 50 shoes for trail running. The North Face has two more models of shoes with Boa lacing – Endurus XCR Boa or Amp Boa – and these are made specifically for trail running, while Arnuva is positioned for endurance running. Still as those two other models are likely to have the same cushioning system issues as Arnuva, let’s hope that other trail shoes manufacturers will pick up the trend and will license the Boa technology as well.

Nike + iPod Sport Kit

Apple and Nike came up with a new joint initiative lately: Nike + iPod Sport Kit.
You are getting a kit of a little chip that goes under insole of your Nike+ shoe, a wireless receiver for your iPod nano and software.

Insert the wireless sensor inside the custom, built-in pocket beneath the insole of your Nike+ shoe, then plug the receiver into the Dock connector on your iPod nano.

After you work out you will be able to synch it up with your PC:

Advantages:
- Definitely the price! It is just $29 compared to $90 for a GPS-enabled stop watch.
- You do not need an additional gadget and you run with your iPod anyways.
- Synergy of two great brands: Nike’s “just do it” and Apple’s “think different”.
- It will probably work in NYC where my Garmin 201 never caught a satellite signal.

Disadvantages:
- It will not appeal to the most passionate audience as they would rather go with a GPS-enabled unit than a less reliable substitute
- It requires Nike+ shoes. A lot of people will never buy Nike. I am totally devoted to ASICS and never had a good experience with any other brand. And I doubt this sensor will work with ordinary shoes although the chances are it will.
- It is not evident how this product works and whether it is much better than a $3-worth old-school pace-meter.

Anyways, we will see how it goes and whether this product gets any traction or not.