Where There Is A Will

There is a way. Or so they say.

I had gotten a new pair of running shoes since mine had been delegated to double duty as riding shoes and are 4 years old. Technically you are supposed to change running shoes every 500 miles or 2 years whichever comes first. Its not the tread that goes bad, it is the midsole (the part squished between the insole, part foot touches, and outsole, part ground touches) that dries out on you.  Prior to the last 5 years, you needed new shoes every year regardless of milage because the midsoles were junk and prone to dry rot. Recent technology improvements bumped that up.

Brooks Glycerins have been my go to running shoe for years and years and I have always loved them. I need a neutral shoe with loads of cushion to help give my lower legs shock absorption. I have high arched, rigid feet and this type of foot just can't absorb the shock it needs to, so it vibrates up the calfs. You can actually see it in people if you know what to look for. I always try to get the previous years model for the price break and did the same this time. I laced them up with anticipation of the cloud like cushion I've known for years. And then my feet hit the pavement and I was immensely disappointed. They had changed. Enough to be very noticeable and actually by 1.5 miles I had medial knee pain and sub 1st MPJ pain, neither of which I ever had before. As I ran I could feel how the shoe was effecting my foot motion.

Needless to say they got sent back, but this put me on the prowl for a new shoe. Fortunately, I have the vast knowledge of my hubby and his running pals to dig into and all suggested I try the Asics Nimbus. I did and they felt like a true neutral running shoe with cushion to help with shock absorption and I was very happy.  Asics seem to run really small though. My feet measure a 5.5 and I always wear a 6 unless in running shoes. Always go up a half size in running shoes. Pretty much always. So my Brooks are 6.5 but the Asics were jamming my big toe just standing there so I jumped to a 7. Now I look like I have clown feet. But they are pretty, shiny, pink and blue clown feet, so I'll take them :)

With shoes that finally work I wanted to hit the pavement, but it has been raining all crappy week. I don't mind running at night in the dark and I don't really mind running in a light rain (as long as it is 40 and above out), but I do mind running in the dark and rain of safety reasons. As luck would have it, my parents were looking to ditch their old treadmill.  They just moved here from the Arctic North and have been enjoying the ability to run outside during the day all year round. They don't like the fact that I run at night and so when they decided they didn't want it anymore, they offered it up to me. The thing is close to 20 years old, but works (or so I thought) just fine. This is great addition because a) I am weird and don't mind running on the mill and b) now I can run inside while Dusty gets to run outside so we can both get runs in. Before this it was one of us runs while the other stays inside with Wyatt as he sleeps. This frees up a bunch of running time.

I plugged it in and was all ready to go when the console refused to light up. The belt worked just fine and you could change the speed, but nothing registered on the console. No time, distance or speed. My dad came over to see if he could fix it, but nothing worked so I was left with either not running due to it being super rainy out or running on the thing anyway. I chose to run anyway.

I turned my phone to Pandora, found a stop watch function and let it rip. I picked a pace typical for me based on my foot falls and breathing and went for 30 minutes. I just listened to the music while I ran in the garage with nothing but as of yet unpacked boxes to look at and focused on tuning the world out. Its why I actually like the treadmill. I can tune out the world much easier than running outside with scenery to look at.

I loved the new Asics and think I found my new shoe. Unless they change these as well.

Since we now have more freedom, I sent Dusty out for his own run. He is just getting back from an injury and is taking things slower/shorter than normal. Typically he goes out and runs 10-15 miles multiple times a week at a pace I can't even keep for 2 miles. He went around 4 miles tonight at a moderate pace. Before he left I strapped the Bia to his wrist while he had his Garmin on the other wrist. Here are his screen shots:

First up the new Bia. It stinks. Sorry, Bia but it does. Apparently, it just really doesn't like tracking you on the road and instead would prefer to show that you went right through people's houses. I apologize to all our neighbors for Dusty's rudeness as he went crashing through your living rooms. On the plus side, the lines are smooth finally and not so jumpy. The Bia read 3.81 miles.

Bia

 Here is his Garmin read out from the exact same run (had it on his right wrist). See, he did stay on the road. He also runs with a Garmin Forerunner 410 and got it the same time I got mine. This read 4.00 miles. I think I trust the Garmin a lot more.

Garmin Forerunner 410

With these two read outs in conjunction with mine from before, I'm sending the unit back for a refund. I just don't trust it at all and don't like the fact that they are saying that this is a good reading. If they had responded that this was crappy and that they were working to improve it, I would hang in there. I am al for supporting a new company as long as it seems like they are being realistic.

It is a shame too because the darn watch is so easy to use. I love the interface, the fit, the extremely fast GPS connection and uploading data. I just can't use a watch that I don't trust at all. Hopefully they fix this in the future and I can try again later, but for the high price point I don't see enough benefits to tie up that money in it.