New: ASICS GEL-Nimbus 17

Thanks to #TeamASICS for sending me these ASICS GEL-Nimbus 17s! Looking forward to breaking in these new rides as we train toward the Airbnb Brooklyn Half on May 16.

ASICS Holiday Wishlist

I dropped in on my friends at the ASICS New York City Meatpacking District Store this afternoon and bought the new PR Thermal 2-N-1 Beanie reversable knit cap. I'll get plenty of use out of it as I start training through another tough NYC winter, this time for the Walt Disney World Marathon scheduled for Jan. 11. It's just $18 and a huge addition:

While I was in the ASICS store, I also took a barrage of photos of ASICS STUFF I WISH I HAD. Let's call it the ASICS @Marathoner Holiday Wishlist. If Santa wanted to drop any of this stuff under my Christmas tree or in a stocking next month, hey you're the jolly mon. Here are a dozen items that especially caught my eye on the "guy side" of the store, with links on asicsamerica.com.

ASICS GEL-Kayano 21 Giveaway!

CONTEST IS OVER!

Congrats to Garrick Black, aka @DJ_GBlack! You were randomly chosen by Rafflecopter out of the qualified entries in this contest. ASICS GEL-Kayano 21 code is on the way to your email so you can order a free pair at asicsamerica.com!

ASICS Foot ID: How to Buy the Right Running Shoe

"What running shoe is right for me?" Biomechanical analysis finally gives us the answer.

The comprehensive ASICS Foot ID is the best way to know exactly what shoe type you need and therefore run healthy for years to come -- the most important part of running. Today we had the opportunity to experience the full effect of the ASICS Foot ID system inside the ASICS NYC Meatpacking District Store. Rachel, our 19-year-old NY Road Runners member who ran her first Half last weekend, needed a new pair of shoes for the Staten Island Half next week. This was the perfect opportunity to explore the process from start to purchase, and I want to thank Boris and the awesome team at ASICS (and Rachel!) for obliging my documentation for you.



Those are the six easy and informative steps, and we'll go through each of them here with photos and videos.

Step 1. Registration. Rachel fills out the quick form with some basic info to help the staff assess her current situation as a runner. Rate yourself from 1 to 7, with 1 being a brand-new runner and 7 being a high-mileage competitor. She put down 4. Notice how comfortable the setting is in the middle of the store, with room for your belongings.

ASICS GEL-ELECTRO33

ASICS sent me a free pair of GEL-ELECTRO33s to test out a few months ago. Initially I felt a bit of rubbing on my back heel and worried about blistering, so I put them in the closet. Then I gradually would pull them out and wear them casually. Then I started moving around in them, and now I'm rotating them in with my Hamptons Marathon trainers. Has anything like that ever happened to you? They are super-light and make me feel fast. Let's see where they go now. After my 10th PT session today, hopefully my hamstring will be up for marathon No. 15 as well on 9/27.

100th Race: Brooklyn Half Recap

You know how there is an unwritten rule on how long you can wear your medal after a race? Well, the same thing applies to finishing your 100th race. I am going to savor this one just a little while longer than I normally would, feel it, and thank a lot of people for their help before I move past the 2014 Brooklyn Half.

In no particular order . . .

Thank you to this blog's readers, as we have almost reached 100,000 page views -- about a thousand for each race. I try to read as many other running blogs as I can and it means everything to know others take the time to look at this one.

Thank you to Melinda and my friends at ASICS. They shipped me a box of gear to help me celebrate my 100th race in style at the 2014 Brooklyn Half Marathon. I started in ASICS and I stay in ASICS.







Thank you to the weather. There were 25,587 finishers and I hope every one one of them said a special thanks for our conditions on Saturday. A powerful storm system had canceled the Yankees' game the night before and pounded our roof through the entire night. Then it stopped raining around sunrise and what was left behind was the most glorious day in late spring a runner could imagine. Here are shots of the Brooklyn Museum start at Prospect Park and the finish on the Coney Island Boardwalk.





Thank you to my new Garmin 220 for the help maintaining my pace, a first for me in my sixth Brooklyn Half. My splits were :31:04 for 5K, 1:06:38 for 10K, 1:41:33 for 15K and 2:18:14 for 20K. My finish time of 2:25:57 represented a course PR for the Brooklyn Half. I'm well in the back of the pack as usual, but to quote the Black Eyed Peas: "The race is not for the swift...but who really can take control of it."

Here are my Garmin splits. It recorded a slightly longer distance and thus a minute longer, but it helps to see my splits and match it against elevation and so forth. I can see where I wear down a little in the long homestretch but I was able to finish with two straight negative splits!

Split	Time	Distance	Avg Pace
Summary	2:26:05.3	13.28	11:00
1	9:35.6	1.00	9:36
2	10:23.1	1.00	10:23
3	9:40.2	1.00	9:40
4	10:45.4	1.00	10:45
5	11:28.2	1.00	11:28
6	11:44.6	1.00	11:45
7	10:08.2	1.00	10:08
8	11:35.6	1.00	11:35
9	10:48.5	1.00	10:48
10	11:28.1	1.00	11:28
11	12:08.7	1.00	12:09
12	11:47.7	1.00	11:48
13	11:25.3	1.00	11:25
14	3:06.1	0.28	11:01

Thank you to Coach Andrew Kastor. His mantra of "Everything Forward" was someone I said to myself every time my mind wanted to wander or worry. I would look down at my body and identify every body part that was moving forward -- shoulders, knees, thighs, stomach, penis, ankles, shadow, shoes...each time I did that another minute or so ticked by and I was closer to the end of that mile. Most importantly, it made me think about leaning forward with my form -- like Meb did in winning the Boston Marathon.

Thank you to the Big Cats Running Team. This is the MySpace group I joined at the start of 2007 after I began running. It was national and we each had to pick the name of a big cat species (no duplicates) to enter. Most common ones were taken then, so I chose Monster Cat. I became known as Monster Cat to many other runners. For my 100th race, I went back to that identity with my stripes and roar, and it was great to be reunited in this race with Big Cat runners Roxy (below) and George (in Mile 8).



. . . you remember MySpace . . .



Thanks to Brooklyn, to Coney Island and specifically to Nathan's Famous. We stood in line for close to an hour after the race just for the sake of hot dogs, because hello it is Coney Island and they are worth it. The soles of my feet ached in doing so but I was wearing cushiony ASICS GEL-Cumulus 16s so they were up to it.



When I finally got to the front of one of the many lines, I had Lisa snap a pic to show I had another big finish. I got two chili cheese dogs, fries and a large Blue Moon. (Funny side story: Just as I reached the front of that line, I noticed some guy sidle up alongside our line and tell the woman with a baby behind me that he was going to pay for her whole meal if she would get him a couple of dogs and a drink. She said yes so he had to wait like 60 seconds in line.) We then camped out on the sand and enjoyed.





Thanks to NYRR for the opportunity to race year-round. I have averaged about a dozen races a year. Thanks especially to Mary Wittenberg for her leadership and relating to runners.

And most of all, thanks to my family. To my three sons Matthew, Benjamin and Joshua, because when I started running after my Dad passed away in 2006, I told myself I was going to live as long as possible and set a good example for my sons. Thanks to my beautiful wife Lisa for always being so supportive. Thanks to my stepdaughter Rachel, for encouraging me with my nutrition and fitness and for taking up running as well. Thanks Pennstress the McThinstress and Liam the Mango Tickler for joining the 100 bash, and to the hippie who sold me a Sinatra album on the boardwalk though I have no turntable. Dream the Impossible Dream forever.

On this perfect day, Lisa and I even munched on mango sticks. Ever tried those? Yum.

Here's to the next 100. Amazing things keep happening when you just run.

PLEASE ALSO FEEL FREE TO READ:

• 50 Lessons Learned In 100 Races
• My 100: Race By Race List

How many races have YOU run?

Lookdown Survey Video: ASICS Dominates The Field

I have read in the past that one out of every two pair of shoes in the 50,000+ TCS New York City Marathon field is ASICS. I actually believe the percentage is higher -- 66% I think, so I decided to start putting this to the test in what will be a series of 2014 Lookdown Survey Videos on this blog.

Here is the first randomly shot iPhone video, while 8,000 of us were being herded toward the start of Saturday's UAE Healthy Kidney 10K, another weekly New York Road Runners event at Central Park. It is MORE than 66% ASICS shoes in my immediate area (7 of 9), including my own ASICS GEL-Cumulus 16s. I used the x2 slow-mo in youtube and captured stills below for further detail and comment.



The first glimpse is of a flash of purple-hued ASICS, along with my black ASICS GEL-Cumulus 16s (you know what they look like from my previous blog posts here). . . .

Brooks on the left, I believe, and the other two are ASICS...

The green ASICS on the left are already counted above. Immediately to my right are Nikes because I could identify the red swoosh. The aqua-hued shoes on the far right were unidentifiable to me after looking at the frames over and over, possibly Sauconys, so I was going to list those as undetermined...

...until I looked at my frames on the iPhone, which was clearer resolution. So I blew this up in Photoshop and sure enough, those are also ASICS:

The blue on the left are already counted in the second photo above. Immediately ahead of me in the black capris is an ASICS runner. And I initially listed the dark shoes in the upper left as undetermined although I suspected they were ASICS. . . .

...and then again I took a closer look at the iPhone frame by frame and it was clear as day. Those dark shoes in the upper left are indeed another pair of ASICS -- maybe Kayano 20s like mine:

So that's 9 runners, 7 ASICS, 1 Nike, 1 Brooks. And in this case we were going to start running very soon so I urgently took this at the last minute and on the move. It was very clear looking around me that almost everyone seemed to be wearing ASICS.

Again, I don't claim this to be scientific but I will be doing these Lookdown Survey Videos occasionally throughout the year at our NYRR races and I think it will become clear. ASICS provides me with running shoes to test from time to time, some I buy. The company has nothing to do with this video series; it's just something I want to do out of my own curiosity. I went through a long stretch of only Brooks Glycerins for a few years, and I've tried all major types. I'll wear ASICS for my 100th race this Saturday.

Undoubtedly the numbers are more spread out at the head of the pack, where there are many runners endorsing various shoes, but I am focused on the field in general and don't feel that the elites at the head are representative nor relevant to this type of survey in terms of runner volume. If you want to know what shoes runners are wearing in races, look at all the corrals and just compare.

I think two out of every three runners is in ASICS at our NYRR events year-round, including the TCS NYC Marathon. Look around at the feet around you and see for yourself.

100 Races: Why It's All About The Shoe

On May 17, the finish line at the Brooklyn Half will make it official: 100 official scored races done! It is celebration time on this blog, which has chronicled a devotion to running. I believe that shoes are the most important element in this physical and spiritual journey, and mine is a story of lessons that begins and ends with ASICS. If you read all the way to the end, you'll even find a review of the new ASICS GEL-Cumulus 16, shown in both pictures above.

On December 1, 2006, I moved to the Upper West Side and traded a box of KOOLS for my first box of ASICS. I joined New York Road Runners that day and I took the 1-2-3 train to Times Square and walked into Foot Locker and said I needed running shoes. That's all I knew to do at the time. The salesperson put me in these ASICS GT-2110s:

That is what they looked like when I brought them home. They were size 10 1/2, light and cushiony. With different lighting and 300 to 400 miles of use, this is what they looked like later:

I still have them here right next to me as I am writing this. All the other early shoes in my running career were donated to Soles4Souls in 2011. These I wanted to keep for posterity. I see only memories of Central Park solitude laps on the bridle path as I pull them from a basement storage bin and take these two iPhone pics now. You can see below that I replaced the factory inserts back then with an even more cushion set that I bought from Paragon Sports at Union Square, if I recall correctly:



This is what they looked like inside if you removed the factory insert:



This brings me to the most pivotal moment in my own history as a runner. It is the one thing I most want to get across to aspiring runners who may be just starting as I was then.

It is all about the shoe. So many other things are important: your heart, your willpower, your stamina, your training, your nutrition, your support network, your knowledge buildup, your schedule of races, your goal-setting, your purpose, your gear for all elements among them. But NOTHING is more important than shoes.

That is what decides whether you will be a happy runner or an injured and worried and frustrated runner.

Let's move to the second pair of shoes and my first hard lesson. It was early 2007 and I was feeling a little smarter, having run my first Manhattan Half, a regular on the Central Park path, drinking gallons of water and eating better and losing weight. I headed for Jackrabbit Sports on 14th Street, a short walk from our MLB HQ. They had a video gait analysis, and that was a hot new thing. I needed to rotate in a second pair. Ladies and gentlemen, the ASICS GEL-Cumulus 9, about $90 at that time:

I would have been fine had I just walked out the store with those shoes. Unfortunately, here is where the hard lesson comes in. The Jackrabbit employee was an imbecile. He misread my video gait analysis. He showed me what appeared to be overpronating, so he assured me that I required Support shoes. He said I could have this Cumulus and just replace the factory insert with a support insert that is built-up on the instep. You can see the insert in the picture above. So I had a little hill on the inside of each foot. He said that would correct my "problem."

I was happy to have another new pair of ASICS and I put those new shoes to the Central Park test, race after race after training run after training run. In 2007, I finished 18 NYRR races totaling 139.7 miles, not including an Oklahoma City Half. During that summer, I mostly wore these Cumulus shoes and my problems mounted. I had bad shin splints. Worse, my right arch was starting to burn. And burn. I had plantar fasciitis. To date it is the worst injury I could wish upon a runner. You try to heal it with an ice ball, with a tennis ball, with a Strasburg Sock, stretch stretch stretch...all to no avail. IT'S THE SHOE!

Or in this case, the Support insert that I supposedly needed. My goal was to run a marathon in my first year, so I bought a third pair of ASICS  a month or two before that 2007 New York City Marathon. It was my third different ASICS model in that first year as well. And I used those same Support inserts again. These shoes were beautiful, and finishing a marathon was a feeling like no other, but I cannot forget that I ran it in searing pain, landing each step of the last 14 miles on a different part of my right foot to spread around the pain due to plantar fasciitis. I still had no idea why it was not improving; I was just toughing it out. I was associating ASICS with foot pain that first year and wondering why people raved about ASICS.

Turn the page on 2007, a painful learning year in ASICS. I wore mostly ASICS gear for cold and hot, I loved ASICS, but I was eager to run in someone else's shoes that made me feel good. In February of 2008, while visiting my boys in St. Louis, I went to the Fleet Feet Store in West St. Louis County. Something amazing happened. A young saleswoman who was also a devout marathoner helped me. I told her about my first year and took off my shoes. I will never forget how she got down on one knee and placed her index finger under one of my arches.

"You have high arches," she told me.

I didn't know that.

"You need a Neutral shoe," she said.

I was then given a pair of Brooks Glycerin shoes - a Neutral. No Support shoe, no Support insert. This is what I needed, she said. Go run in them outside the store, she said. I did. I was happy. My first marathon in them was the 2008 GO! St. Louis Marathon, when I ran 5:21 and shaved 40 minutes off my 26.2 time. That fall, my sixth overall pair of running shoes were a yellow version of those same Glycerins and I PR'd again, this time in the NYC Marathon, in 5:13. I was feeling so strong that I even finished the Knickerbocker 60K two weeks later, my first ultra. I went through an extended stretch where I would go to Super Runners Shops around Manhattan and only change color for new Glycerins. My motto: If it works stay.

In 2010, I started looking around. I ran in my first Sauconys, the most cushiony shoe I ever had, until my English Bulldog puppy ate a chunk out of them. In the spring of 2011 I bought my first ASICS GEL-Kayano (16), and it was OK. Not ideal for me at that time, I felt, but I rotated them in as trainers. I would realize later why they weren't perfect for me. Here were my Kayanos:



I tried Nike Vomero, and they had no issues, again mainly trainers. Soon after that is when I donated nearly 10 pair of the shoes that had gotten me to that point. The miles in them meant less to me than the potential of what they could mean to someone in need. Running had brought me to my new wife, to a new home purchase, to happiness in all parts of life. I was content as a runner, finishing marathons in Paris, New York, Miami and elsewhere. I was racking up the miles. I was experimenting with Mizunos, more Brooks, well-attuned to the nuances of running shoe styles. Experimenting with shoes? Look no further than the reason I went through my only other injury as a runner: ITB Syndrome in early 2012. It required 14 PT sessions and resulted from a weak left hip. Everything starts with the shoe. It is all about the shoe. Lesson once again, stop experimenting. Know your shoe and stay healthy.

Then at the end of 2013 I received an email from ASICS. They asked me to be in the ASICS LA Marathon Blogger Challenge on March 9, 2014. There were 11 of us, and ASICS began stocking us up with their gear. It felt like going back to my running roots. I looked in my drawers and realized that I mostly had ASICS gear for years. They sent me a pair of Kayano 20s and a pair of GEL-Nimbus 15s for training through the winter. They even had a pair of the limited-edition LA Marathon GEL-Lyte 33s (pictured) waiting for us at check-in at our Santa Monica hotel. Raceday arrived, and I was happy with my run under the circumstances (87 degrees at the finish for me), but the one thing I noticed was that the soles of my feet ached throughout the second half of the race more than I could remember in recent years. There had no such issue during my long training runs, but this was different. The Kayanos are awesome, but I am a heavier runner and so they are not ideal for me. I needed more cushion, I realized. Here I am finishing the ASICS LA Marathon in my blue Kayanos:

BACK TO CUMULUS: ASICS GEAR REVIEW

Sometimes in life, things come full circle. Sometimes in running, it happens as well. A few weeks after the ASICS LA Marathon, Michele aka @nycrunningmama and I had dinner with Melinda of ASICS, and I was pleased to hear I would be receiving a new pair of ASICS to review. That next week a pair of the new ASICS GEL-Cumulus 16s arrived at my front door. I have put them to the test on pavement and packed-dirt paths, on training runs and in races, in short and marathon distance, on warm and cool days.





There was a time in 2007 when the word "Cumulus" almost gave me nightmares. I associated it with my plantar fasciitis. What was this evil shoe? Now I had gone from the Cumulus 9 for $90 in 2007 and had been given Cumulus 16s that were retailing on asicsamerica.com for $115. Let me begin by saying that an increase of only $25 in the course of seven years, in today's sporting goods environment, is appreciated by runners.

The GEL-Cumulus series just keeps getting better. In 2007, it was billed as cushiony heaven because of the way it dispersed gel, unlike the Nike air system or others' use of existing materials. This 2014 version offers a top-of-the line FluidRide midsole and larger Rearfoot and Forefoot GEL Cushioning units. When combined with an updated Guidance Trusstic System and refined open-mesh upper, the product page says, "underpronators to mild overpronators will be treated to the lightest and most cushioned version of the GEL-Cumulus series ever." As I read that, I was stopped in my tracks. It's OK to wear these if you are a mild overpronator. That original Jackrabbit employee should have done some homework, should have checked my arches. It was OK to overpronate a little and still wear a Neutral shoe. I would have avoid injury.

Here is a features checklist worth reposting from the product page:

• Impact Guidance System (I.G.S.)
  ASICS design philosophy that employs linked componentry to enhance the foot's natural gait from heel strike to toe-off.
• FluidRide
  The latest evolution in ASICS midsole technology, FluidRide provides the ultimate combination of bounce back and cushioning properties with reduced weight and exceptional durability.
• Guidance Trusstic System
  This Trusstic System integrates Guidance Line construction for enhanced gait efficiency while providing midfoot structural integrity.
• Guidance Line
  Vertical flex groove decouples the tooling along the line of progression for enhanced gait efficiency.
• Rearfoot and Forefoot GEL Cushioning Systems
  Attenuates shock during impact and toe-off phases, and allows movement in multiple planes as the foot transitions through the gait cycle.
• Discrete Eyelets
  Independently placed eyelets disburse lace tension, creating a customized fitting environment and enhanced upper comfort.
• ComforDry Sockliner
  Provides cushioning performance and anti-odor properties for a cooler, drier, healthier environment.

Now I am very happy in these GEL-Cumulus 16s. Last week I ran a full marathon entirely within Central Park, simultaneous to the Boston Marathon. It was my "Run For Boston Marathon" as part of the Boston Marathon World Run, raising money for One Fund Boston. Some of it was on the main Central Park pavement 10K loop, and some was on the bridle path or around the reservoir's packed clay -- leaving the dirty ankles you see in the top picture here. These shoes were really put to the test that day. I have been using them consistently, pounding and pounding, driving up and down hills with intensity. They are giving me steady comfort and support, and they feel light in the process. The shoebox is spacious enough, although during the marathon I needed to retie my outer laces as I was feeling some tingling and needed more space in the shoebox. That took care of it. In addition to the cushiony midsoles and terrific gel distribution, I also really appreciate the pillowy feel around my ankles -- look at the thickness of that ComforDry Sockliner in this pic below at the recent NYRR Scotland Run 10K:



I will be around 200 miles on these after the Brooklyn Half, and I know they will have major lasting power. It is so much different than how I viewed Cumulus years ago.

Soon it will be time for another donation, as I have seven or eight pair of running shoes in my house. The Healthy Kidney 10K on May 10 will mark my 99th official scored race since I bought those first pair of ASICS in Times Square, and Brooklyn will be my time to party when I finish on the Boardwalk at the Atlantic Ocean. As I cross that finish line with my arms held high, my face will be smiling, and if you look down at my feet you will see the biggest reason I am still running and specifically running in ASICS. Why wouldn't I smile? Deena Kastor just favorited my @Marathoner tweet to this post!



Coming next: Breaking down the first 100 Races

Question: What is your all-time favorite running shoe?

Both winners of $150 #ASICS Gift Codes announced

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The ASICS LA Marathon is now just days away, and before flying across the country to run it I was honored to give away a pair of ASICS gift codes as a way to thank my friends for their support!

The two codes were worth $150 each and are redeemable on asicsamerica.com, and if you entered, thank you very much and please follow my blog because I will be giving away more stuff in the future! For now, this one is done. We have our two winners!

FIRST WINNER: Heidi Gerhardt! Congrats @heidigerhardt -- I contacted her with her unique ASICS gift code to use to order shoes, clothing or any other gear up to $150 at asicsamerica.com. I used a random number generator and she was the random selection. SECOND WINNER: Congrats to Shay of @WhineLess! She wins the same thing, and she has just been selected the same way.

I've described most of the amazing perks that has come with being selected to the ASICS LA Marathon Blogger Challenge Team over this winter, and this is just the latest one. ASICS emailed me and asked that I give these out to my readers as a way of saying thanks. How cool and legit is that? Being able to just go onto asicsamerica.com and finding what you want, like perhaps a pair of GEL-Nimbus 15s, similar to the model that ASICS sent me over the winter for my training!



Thank you again for all of your support. And if you'd like to support me during the actual ASICS LA Marathon, you also can do that by going to supportyourmarathoner.com and leaving me a message of any kind that I can see when the going gets tough during the race! I'm bib #19926 in case that helps.

Official ASICS LA Marathon Gear Pack

ASICS is expanding its reach into the influential running blogger community, and it has been such a thrill ride to be part of their grassroots efforts with the new ASICS LA Marathon Blogger Challenge Team. I have previously told you about many of the benefits, and last night after a long day at work I came home to one of the latest examples. It was a care package on my front steps, in advance of being flown across country next week to run in my first ASICS LA Marathon. This card was included in the box:

Well, I was super excited to open the box. In a recent post, I showed you a sneak preview of the new ASICS LA Marathon gear at the new ASICS Meatpacking District store in Manhattan, and I was leaning toward running the race in the Core Short Sleeve Tee. Lo and behold . . .

 

And this I RUN THIS CITY Tee is what I probably will wear for our scheduled light run that Saturday morning with Coach Andrew Kastor and some of the ASICS elite athletes . . .

And for a little warmth when needed, voila, Men's Favorite 1/2 Zip.

Even my English Bulldog King Bingley liked the box . . .

One of the items was quickly put to the test. I ran for 1:15 to Piermont Pier north of NYC along the partially frozen Hudson River, plus 5x strides (80% of maximum effort) with a base layer and the 1/2 Zip. It is incredibly soft and warm yet great moisture management and breathability. I love ASICS gear.



Now that I've been given the chance to feel what it's like being a sponsored ASICS athlete, I can show you how to enjoy it as well. From now through March, you can enter to win Gear for the Year from ASICS. You can enter one email address per day through March 31 for a chance to win, and the winner receives a $500 promo code each month for asicsamerica.com.

10 days to the ASICS LA Marathon. 30-40 easy miles + 5 strides on today's training plan. Follow me @Marathoner on Twitter.