You Can't Curl Your Toes Around A Memory

As a species, humans are capable of feeling the six basic emotions (Anger, Disgust, Fear, Happiness, Sadness and Surprise) as well as much more complex ones such as stress, modesty, shame, anger, and patience. I'd like to focus today on sadness and the more complex emotions stirred up by loss or bereavement.
You see today I had to say goodbye to two friends.
Friends that have been with me all the way through this journey. Friends that have helped me along the way, been a source of comfort when at times I felt I couldn't go on any longer.
When I hit that wall they were for me, willing me through what seemed like an insurmountable barrier of pain. Staring up at me through the void.

R.I.P MY TRUSTY NEWTON MOTIONS, DON'T GO, DON'T DIE, PLEASE DON'T DIE

R.I.P Newton Motions

Anyway, don't feel sorry for me my friends as as painful as my grief and loss were, it was easily cured by popping out to the shops to buy a new pair. Gong Xi Fa Cai, Gong Xi Fa New Shoes as they say in Malaysia. They don't really say that anywhere in Malaysia except for a tiny recess of my mind that has been compartmentalised by my brain as the area that we (Me, Myself and I) store stuff that is called Made Up Stuff. It's a small teak drawer with a tiny paper label on the front that has Made Up Stuff written on the front or that's what I imagine it looks like. It's just down the road from the Fantasy and the Storing Mobile Telephone Number sections of my mind. It once shared a drawer with Personal Details but that went a bit awry and I'd rather not talk about it. Lets move on I say.

Back to the Newtons.

Hello Better

It's safe to say these are the best pair of running shoes I have ever owned hence the reason for purchasing a brand new pair. They are also quite possibly the loudest pair of shoes I have ever worn and this is coming from a man who once owned a pair of purple Kickers.
The older pair of Newton Motions had stuck with me for just over 750 km without feeling uncomfortable, in fact my last run in them was on Saturday past. An enjoyable LSD run of 23 km. Most running shoes last for around 500-600km before needing replaced so these have served me well.
So why change now?

Old and New

Newton running shoes are unique in that they have steered away from the EVA foams and gel types cushioning we have become accustomed to in our running shoes. They also have a set of four strange lugs on each midsole that help promote good running technique by employing the Land-Lever-Lift methodology. Land quietly in an athletic position with each footstrike under your hips; Lever off the front of the lugs; Lift your knee to begin a new stride. I'm not going to lie, it takes a bit of getting used to having these lugs directly under your midsole but the feeling disappears after a few runs and starts to feel natural.

Not much difference other than dirt

After having a rest day on Sunday I had to head out this morning and resume my current training program. The training program called for an easy 8km but the noticeable comfort of having a new pair of boots strapped to my feet resulted in me trying to run as fast as my little legs could possibly go.
My tempo runs recently have been around the 5:20 to 5:40 km pace but this morning saw me run possibly the fastest I have ever managed in recent memory. I had a fair idea that my route was around 8-9 km so I wasn't really paying much attention to my watch and concentrating on running as fast as possible and maintaining a good posture. I ended up running 9km with an average pace of 4:53 per Km which for me is fast. Hello Better indeed in fact hello man on the scooter in front of me not expecting me to overtake you in the traffic. Whilst you pick your nose.
Being a frugal Scot it's quite possible that the shoes needed changing a couple of hundred Km ago but parting with money on shoes has never been one of my favourite pastimes. This morning made it all seem worthwhile and I'm kicking myself as another km would have probably seen me through a sub-50 minute 10k. Oh well, as my granny used to say "Fit’s afore ye winna ging ahin ye", roughly translated from Doric as "What’s meant for you won’t pass you by".
So my emotions now range from Happiness and Surprise to Resolve in this New Chinese Lunar year. Resolve to try and run things a little bit faster, let things go that have passed and look forward to new things happening. If you won't take my word for it then listen to the most excellent Johnny Thunders, You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory. Indeed.

Gong Xi Fai Chai my friends, stay lucky.

PS - If you'd like to try a pair on, head up to see the lovely people at Key Power Malaysia in the Gardens Mall.

https://www.facebook.com/keypowermalaysia

If you would like to read a bit more about the science behind Newton Running then go here -

http://www.newtonrunning.com/why/science

Glider

To glide or not to glide. That is the question.
As my weekly mileage continues to increase I find myself looking for a solution to a common running problem caused by the rubbing of two totally pointless (for men) body parts against my running shirt.
Sore nipples.
I am currently sporting a couple of nipples that resemble game show buzzers and boy do they hurt.

It's quite possible Saturday mornings shower after my long run was the most painful in recent memory and you know what they say, "It's in the shower you feel the pain of victory".......Unless your in high security prison. Then it's a whole different story.
So what option do we have to relieve our selves of this burden? 

Tape - I may or may not have mentioned before that I have a hair problem. It grows all over my body like Malaysian Jungleweed. Well everywhere except the areas of the body susceptible to male pattern baldness, they just keep getting balder. Any tape I attach falls off within 20 minutes of a run and I'm back to square one with a pair of braying hooters sticking out of my shirt like a pair of monkeys thumbs. The only tape that's really going to work is Duct Tape and I fear the pain of trying to remove it cancels out any lasting benefits.

Vaseline - Now this I like and I have tried it AND it works but what a mess it leaves on your running gear. I also tripped once and ended up whoooshing down the road on my belly like the silver surfer. A hairy silver surfer.

Nipple Removal - They may be of no use whatsoever but I'm not going to entertain the idea of having someone remove my nipples under anaesthetic. Do they replace them with prosthetic nipples? It's quite possible that they do and I urge you to take my word for it and not carry out a search on google images for prosthetic nipples.  I started writing this blog post on Monday but ended up waylaid carrying out further 'research' on the subject.

Running Topless - Not an option. I am not going back to jail/zoo.

Man Up - The seventies are dead man, let them go.

One of my running friends, Samantha has pointed me in the direction of Body Glide and I shall be purchasing a thingumy of it on Monday from her. I've had a look at their website and it appears to be the real deal although I'm always hesitant to add expense to something that should really only be shirt, shorts and a pair of running shoes. In this case I think the additional expense is worth it if it takes away the pain.

Their website is full of useful testimony such as Elisabeth who has now devoted her life to spreading the word about body glide after it er, um, saved her life after a heart attack. I had to watch that a couple of times as I thought she had possibly had the heart attack because of her chaffed nipples.

So hopefully Monday brings a solution and If you suffer from this affliction yourself then fear not. You are not alone *hugs*. If you continue though the pain then I salute you. Wear those medals with pride, you earned them.

Thanks to Stephen Brown

Stay lucky.

Transformer

So my mate contacts me last week.
When I say mate I mean MATE MATE. The type of mate that you spend your school years, adolescence, good times and bad times with. Your formative years if you will. It's safe to say that if I ever faced a life crisis of monumental proportion that he would be one of my go to guys.  So he has a confession.
He wears tights.
Not the same kind of tights that Holly wore to hitch hike her way across the USA but a different type of tights. A pair of tights that make you run faster than a dodgy plate of Ikan Bilis (Dried/Fried Anchovies). So I empathise with with my mate and also come clean and admit that yes, I too am a wearer of tights. Come clean to you the readers of this blog. Not to him.



Now, I feel it's important to highlight that the tights in questions are of the compression variety and not the kind a lady would wear. I purchased a pair last year at the lovely sport shop in the Gardens Mall and it was only when I got home I realised my rough Scottish upbringing would completely forbid me from wearing them in public. EVER. That's not to say I have any objections to folk wearing these garments in public but it comes more from the fear that should I ever be photographed at one of the numerous racing events in Malaysia wearing a pair and that photo ever made it back to Scotland and landed in the hands of my friends then god help me sweet baby jesus. It's safe to say if I was ever allowed to show my face on the streets of Aberdeen again it would most probably be whilst being pursued by a gang of youths shouting obscenities and haranguing my every step as if I was wearing a beige safari suit made of crimpolene.

The stay at home and not let anyone see tights

Now lets not get too carried away. I like a performance boost as much as the next person but do they really work? Yes and No. There's a growing body of evidence to suggest that the use of these garments post run (well is there any other sport?) actually aids recovery. I can put my hand on my heart and say that I can totally agree with this and have had many rescued Saturday and Sunday mornings after a long run where I have not only be able to move but been able to waltz across the house like Fred Astaire. When I say like Fred Astaire I'm obviously talking about a 75 year old Freddy with a dash of Alzeimers but you catch my drift.
I visited Brisbane recently and managed to purchase a pair of 2XU compression socks in the local running store and the main reason behind the purchase was:
1 - Smaller and more inconspicuous than a pair of tights
2 - Low Cost
3 - Plain black, no logos, nada, nothing. Just BLACK

Brisbane for those who have not been there before is a city in Australia that was built specifically for runners and runners only. If you don't run, you aint gettin' in mate. Brisbane is Hebrew for 'City that Runs'. Fact.
Anyway, so I'd managed to knock out a couple of long runs before stumbling upon the sports shop and socks so threw caution to the wind and thought what the heck. Buy them.
Unfortunately, the next morning I caught sight of myself in the hotel room mirror and just couldn't do it. It's safe to say I resembled Lou Reeds 'Holly' (see Youtube link above) forty years after the song had been written, a hairy, overweight Pippy Longstockings if you will. I just couldn't do it because in the back of my damaged Scottish mind that bunch of kids are sitting outside the hotel waiting for me.
Last weekend I started the first of my Saturday morning long runs plodding round Melawati and even I know that Scottish Neds are not likely to be awake at 4:30am in the morning so I went for it. I wore the socks.

Goth Socks!!

The first 20 minutes were awful. That's how long it took me to actually get the bloody things over my calfs. After my upper body workout pulling the socks on I headed off on a gentle but hilly route round sleepy Melawati. I'd love to tell you that I noticed a difference but to be honest I couldn't really see what the fuss was about. I felt less 'jiggly' down there. Not 'there' but further down 'there' where the socks are and maybe that's a benefit as there's less muscle movement when you run. I didn't run any faster and didn't feel like I'd be breaking any records anytime soon so the jury is out with regards to using them as a performance aid. I kept them on after the run for a couple of hours and as before with the compression tights I felt like I could go out and do another run the next day without any aches pains or DOMS.
As with everything it's really down to what you feel suits you and what you feel comfortable running in. Sometimes you need to take a walk on the wild side to truly find whats good for you. I'm happy walking on the mild side.
My mate back home? I told him he's owe me a bottle of Whisky or I'll tell everyone he's a transvestite.

Stay lucky.

Running Sucks

honestly, running sucks.

In the tropical heat of Malaysia, you have to worry about heat rashes, and soaking your shirts through. You want to take a water bottle with you, but you know it’s a hassle to carry it on your run.

During the winter, Oh, what winter?

Then there’s the usual problems of dry heaving, athlete’s foot, eating properly, injuries, race anxiety, speedwork and hill work sessions. Running is literally the punishment of all other sports. 

so, yes. running sucks. 

but you know what sucks even more?

not running. which is why i still run. as much as i hate running, i hate not running a whole lot more.

Hearts of Darkness

Hearts of Darkness

After an evening spent guzzling delicious Thai food at Rama V and drinking a heroic dose of Singa’s that in normal circumstances could have paralysed an elephant i headed out on the first of several trails i plan to run in the next few weeks. 

Taman Tar provides a short but scenic 2.4km loop that is for the most part fairly short but with a side route that offers a steep climb up around 150m in height. So like Marlow in search of Kurtz i headed deep into the Malaysian jungle only to find the path suddenly ends and is impassible due to overgrown plants. I found no village at the end of my journey and no Kurtz and certainly no villages of savages massacring cows in strange rituals although i did come across, what looked like from a distance a person disco dancing at the end of the trail. It turned out to be a local fellow carrying out some form of prayer dance ritual. He looked pretty cool to be honest and if i can move like that when i’m in my sixties i’ll be happy. I imagine people would travel from far and wide and say things like “forsooth dear sir, pray tell us where art thou could find the famous old man who runs and dances” and I would say things like “travel no further child for it is he, i am the man you seek and I shall bewilder and befuddle you with my snake hips but fear not for I am a friendly sort” and then they would say things like “well thank goodness it’s you because we have been travelling for days and days and days and must rest up, dazzle us tomorrow for tonight we take condiments” and ….well you get the idea. Man this hangover is much worse than i first thought. But it would be great if people travelled to come see you dance eh? Anyway, i digress….

The Brooks Cascadias held up well and I really noticed the difference between them and the road running shoes I normally wear on a trail run. The major plus point for me was the ability to handle varying trail terrains such as small gravels, running over wet tree roots and on the steeper parts of the climb the very wet clay like soil. The shoes give a lot of confidence in that each step is going to land solidly without slippage. The drainage on the shoes is also a very positive factor. After plunging through some of the river sections and puddles it’s easy to see why the Brooks Cascadia has been a perennial favourite amongst the trail running community. There’s nothing worse than running around with a couple of things attached to your feet full of water and dubs (Scottish Mud) and having to stop and tip them out. Especially when your feet smell as bad as mine. Imagine a fresh Durian coated in bin juice sprayed with a liberal application of dog fart and your getting close. Maybe a wet dog fart would push you nearer to an accurate description.

Unfortunately i only managed one loop as my body purged pure Singa from each and every pore. So a very short but steep run, a very happy pair of feet and a REALLY sore head.

If you are going to go for a run/walk/hike around Taman Tar, things to note -

Some very steep sections to access the reservoir area. I wouldn’t want to be caught there in a shower. Stories of a naked man flasher aplenty in the local press so take a camera and a machete don’t go alone. Lots of bugs and beasts so plenty of repellant.

So i’ll end my Apocalypse Now themed post with the Mantra “Never get out of the Brooks, absolutely goddam right, unless your going all the way.”

And here’s a video of Marlon Brando swallowing a bug.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16lGwL6Pbcc

And so it begins….

Several months ago I sent an e-mail off to the lovely people at Brooks Running volunteering myself as a blog reviewer and now that the shoes have arrived in Kuala Lumpur I find myself finally having to review and test them over the next few weeks.That’s the easy part. The hard part has been trying to find a platform to say what needs to be said and after much wrangling I have settled on tumblr. I didn’t realise how big the internet was and had thought there would be someway to speak to my computer and tell it what I thought of the shoes and it would then dispatch a robot out to take some artful shots. The robot would then return, upload it all to the internet and then shoot off to make me a lovely cup of tea. I would only have to sip gently on the tea whilst casting a creative eye over the finished product and then nip off to watch Homeland. The internet is BIG man, it’s bigger than YOU and It’s bigger than ME. 

I sit here now unwashed for three days with a keyboard covered in toast crumbs and kids sweets but at last settled on a design and format of which I hope you not only find soothing to the minds eye but also so absolutely sweetshop that you will treasure the experience like an island. Yes. 

Anyway, enough about me and more about the Brooks Cascadia 8 trail running shoes. 

I’ve eased my self into wearing these shoes after previous ITBS issues through either hill running or wearing shoes until they have worn right down to the skin of my feet so a sprightly 5km on the roads at the weekend followed by Monday night hill sessions seemed apt enough to get me started. Although made for trail running, I found the Cascadia 8 to be remarkably light and responsive underfoot on the road. The hill sessions at Lake Gardens usually involve running up and down short and sometimes treacherously slippery pathways but the shoes provide a lot of comfort due to the “BioMoGo DNA which is used to create a super cohesive transition and has deluxe-ified the Segmented Crash Pad”. Now, I’m not a huge fan of liberally applying medical terms and buzz word bingo to describe the sole of a shoe so it’s easier just to describe it as a pretty comfy landing be it on tarmac or gravel. I’ve yet to get the shoes out on a trail but plan to do so this weekend to see how they hold up on mud and also how easily they disperse puddle water/stream water/bin juice. 

Aesthetically, the shoes are not too bad although I did receive some mild abuse in the gym regarding their size. That could be down to them being extremely shiny and new. That said, they diverted attention away from my running shorts which seem to have developed mysteriously permanent creases down the front. The creases don’t make me run faster but I do tend to find people using me as a slipstream. Personally I like my running shoes to be as inconspicuous as possible so the dark uppers with minimal orange are right up my street. I normally wear Newton Motions which in the first few weeks of wearing found me being chased down the road by street urchins haranguing me as if I was wearing a bright orange crimpolene safari suit.

I have fairly flat feet/low arches so the shoes offer really good support but a lot more drop than I’m typically used to. The ‘Drop’ has nothing to do with The Beastie Boys  which is actually ‘MMMM…..Drop!” but refers to the difference in height between your forefoot and your heel. Certain schools of thought propose that if you are going to hit the ground running and hit it with your heel then best to do it with a big wedge of cushioning. The Cascadia 8 has ample cushioning for any heel strikers out there and I’m looking forward to trying them out on the unevenness of a trail run to see how they feel.

So to summarise, as far as road running and hill work are concerned the Cascadia 8 passed with flying colours. Very comfy, very responsive and they work well on very slippery surfaces. I’ll blog again after taking them out on the trail.