Transitional running shoes and a Brooks pureFlow Review

I have spent the past few months putting a lot of work into trying to improve my running efficiency and economy. With the incredible press coverage around Chris McDougal's "Born to Run" book last year, the minimalist movement has really kicked into full swing over the past 18 months. I must admit that this pre-occupation with minimalism always struck me personally as yet another passing fad, and I just wasn't going to bite on that hook.

Fast forward to late Winter of this year, and I began to experiment with running shoes that were classified as "Transitional". What this ends up meaning is that some running shoes target around a 6mm heel-to-toe drop differential. It's not quite minimal in structure, as that implies anywhere between a zero-drop to a 4mm drop. But, the key benefit of the transitional running shoe is that it begins the process of helping you get more comfortable with focusing on your mechanics and your gait. Heel striking is a bad, bad thing for most people, and it certainly was for me. Moving to a transitional shoe was the starting point for getting my economy closer to what it should be.


Now enters the Brooks pureFlow


Out of the box, the pureFlow ("Flow's") are a good fit. They combine a nice, wide toe box (this is completely relative to your specific foot, of course) with a padded collar that really provides a snug but cushioned fit around the foot. The heel cushioning is still there since this is a transition shoe, as opposed to a minimalist shoe in which the cushioning is really non-existent.

From the perspective of comfort on the run, I've found them to be easilly as comfortable as the ASICS Kayano and Nimbus that I ran in for many years, but without the monster heel outsole wedge. Again, because the focus here is to encourage your body to be able to adapt to a forefoot strike pattern, having a minimal shoe drop ratio is key. My old ASICS maintained somewhere around a 23mm heel-to-toe drop ratio. Far too high to be able to let my feet and connective tissues absorb and return the energy that I was expending on the road. The primary goal of a transition or minimal shoe is to allow your lower body and legs to do what they were created to do. No orthotics, no heel wedge, no arch support, nothing.



With over 300 miles on my 2nd pair of them, the Brooks pureFlow does just that. And it does it very, very well.

Elvis may be dead, but I'm still here

Fast forward through a very hot, humid (just like I like it:)) summer in Georgia, and I find myself running around 40-45 miles per week under the typical slowdown that occurs when running in 95 degree heat. I manage to avoid this most of the time since I still do the majority of my training after the midnight hour, but it's still at least 75 degrees when I head outside to run. Nonetheless, I'm targeted now and moving forward toward the goals I have set for myself.  

I know, I know. I also hate it when I'm a regular blog reader and the author just goes missing for a few months. About the time you get into a "flow" with what the blog writer is working through, dealing with, etc, he/she just vanishes with no explanation.

I'm guilty, there's no doubt about it. But I'm back on the horse again now, so let's get it back going, shall we?

What's been happening:
Around the time of my last post back in March, I was coming to slowly realize that the 100k effort I had put forth earlier in February had begun to take it's toll on my body, my mind and my ongoing training. If you recall (and you'd have great memory if you can), I finished the Iron Horse 100 in February. I marveled at how quickly I seemed to recover from that race. Actually, I was back to routine training within the 5 days following the race, and I remember being astounded at how quickly my body had shook off the ill effects that accompany a 100k race. In short, I thought I was much tougher and stronger than I ended up truly being.

By the end of March, my fitness, motivation and enthusiasm all seemed to just take a nose dive. Not only did I not really want to get out and train on a daily basis, I couldn't even seem to put together a decent run at a decent pace. Fatigue was all I felt. Heavy legs, labored breathing and a boat load of discouragement were what I typically felt following a run. At the end of it, I just couldn't understand what was happening to me, and I began to wonder if simple aging was rearing its head and affecting my overall fitness. I'm 42 years old, just for reference, so I'm not as young as I used to be, of course. Was this what getting older feels like? I didn't like it at all. Not one bit. I gradually accepted the fact that my fitness level had diminished (for whatever reason) and chose to begin from the beginning and start re-building.

Where I'm at now:


Goal #1: The North Face Endurance Challenge 50 miler
There was never any doubt that I have to revisit this race and redeem my poor performance last year. I'm trying to attack it differently this year and have been making a few forays into the Pine Mountain Trail for the much-needed on-the-course training that I was lacking last year at this time. This is my goal, focus race for the remainder of 2012, and I've actually managed to secure a trail running partner to join me (at the Starting line, at least). If you remember me talking about Tim running the Iron Horse 100 with me back in February, you'll recall how much of a help he was in those long, early miles of the race. He's registered to run the 50 miler as well, so I'll have company along the course and that's a big, big plus on my side.

With the race less than 75 days away, I'm really stoked about getting people signed up and at the Starting line in October. If you're anywhere near the state of Georgia, I can't recommend this series of race highly enough. From the 5k to the 50 miler, there's a distance that will meet your fancy and give you an incredible trail running experience in the process.