Chinese takeout, M&M's and 8 hours on one's rump = Good run in my Newtons..

Posted by baselbutt on 6/14/2007 on baselbutt's blog

I flew down to San Diego yesterday for a retreat of the Board of Directors of the Challenged Athletes Foundation and figured out the secret to a good run in a pair of Newtons... GI Distress...

Not to poke fun, but I think what has kept me from having a good run in them is not my running style, but the fact that every run I've done in them up to this point, my mind was fixated 100% on how they felt and how different they felt when compared with my trusty Asics. Well surprise SURPRISE - they're designed to feel different.. I can't believe someone didn't already tell me to just stop griping..

Anyway, after sitting in a windowless conference room at the Pacific Athletic Club for 8 hours developing the strategic plan for the Foundation with the rest of the Board, devouring two plates of somewhat questionable chinese food for lunch, and several scoops of peanut M&Ms, I went for a run with another guy who himself is trying to make his Newtons work for him.

It was a great run ~ mostly on trails, which wasn't ideal for the shoe, but it was just what we needed after a long day of work.. After climbing a long gradual hill, I felt a tinge in my lower intestine that could only be the result of some over sauteed vegis, fried rice and a spring roll or..four laying under a blanket of M&Ms.. Did I say blanket? I meant mound..

I flirted with a complete gastric "meltdown" - quite literally - for about three miles all the way back to the club and ended up running three miles in the low 6's.. The feet/shoes felt simply FANTASTIC..

So there you have it.. The secret to making shoes work for you is to nearly soil yourself.. A bit unorthodox, but hey, it worked like a charm!

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I've got a free training pass this weekend because my wife and kids are flying to Seattle to visit her parents, so I'm hoping to get in some serious miles to prep myself for my pacing duties NEXT weekend at Western States.. Shouldn't be too tough... I "only" signed up to pace the guy for 38 miles..

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3 comments

Jetfuelburner says:

Isn't that amazing how we look at pacing as such a small chore? I am doing my first pacing in a few days at the Mohican 100 in Ohio. I can start pacing with 39.1 miles to go, but my runner wants to just pick me up at the aid station I am working, so I ONLY have to run 32 miles. yeeehaa! Since that is ALL I have to do, I am going down to mark trails tomorrow morning.

I hope to catch a pair of Newtons this summer. I just have to find some goof off money, since you can't really try them on at a store. Did yours fit true to size?

"Bravery is being the only one who knows you're afraid."

by Jetfuelburner on Thu, 2007-06-14 06:32

baselbutt says:

I tend to buy my shoes big, but with Newtons getting them in my normal size didn't work well when I tried them out at the Expo.. I'm a street 11, Newton 12, and Asics 13...

The pacing should be a lot of fun - luckily I'll be picking my runner up after he's been to hell and back (sorry Steve if you're reading this) so hopefully I won't need to expend too much energy..

For this race, I'm pulling out my North Pole Marathon shoes... That is, if my wife didn't send them out to get bronzed yet... : )

Great flying weather up here this week.. I'm heading up to Santa Rosa this weekend... Tough to beat those $300 hamburgers..

"if you run for yourself, you might let yourself down, but if you run for someone else, you'll never let them down..."

by baselbutt on Thu, 2007-06-14 16:09

trailtrekkersteve says:

"The pacing should be a lot of fun - luckily I'll be picking my runner up after he's been to hell and back (sorry Steve if you're reading this)"

No worries. I have a very vague idea of what I'm in for. (He naively says, completely unaware of the fact that "to hell and back" is a major understatement).

"so hopefully I won't need to expend too much energy.."

Not to worry....you won't. You may want to bring a book to read...I'm sure my crawling those last 38 miles will afford you the time to catch up on some reading...uh...that is in between kicking me in the "end" and telling me to stop my crying and to get moving. :D

by trailtrekkersteve (not verified) on Fri, 2007-06-15 17:47