Red Shoes
In the building where I live, all my neighbours know I'm a runner. When I coincide with them, which is usually in the lift up to our respective flats, or on the way down - which often means I'm standing there sheepishly in garish technical running gear - they smile and ask me how l far I ran or am going to run, always with a bemused amusement. This extends even to local shopkeepers, taxi drivers and waiters. It's always good-natured and polite, although you sense they think I'm barking mad, especially when they've caught me out running at some ungodly hour. I suspect also that they link this in some way to the fact I'm a foreigner, that in "my country" everybody - bloody weirdos, the lot of 'em - does this and it's considered normal there.
But I don't mind this - in fact I quite like it. I would far rather be defined in this way as a person. Very often people are defined by their job, or even their studies. It always amazes me when somebody I meet tells me that they're a psychologist or a biologist or an engineer, and then when I ask them where they work, it turns out they're unemployed or at least doing something totally unconnected. But the point is, that is what they studied and that is what they feel defines them. Worse, there's a man who walks round the neighbourhood constantly smoking a big, fat cigar. Now, I would hate to be defined by that.
This might all be my own fervid, febrile imagination, of course. I'm sure that in reality none of these people gives me a second thought. But I'm equally sure that they must think I love running to do it so doggedly, and indeed many people have suggested this. So, they're surprised when I tell them that, no, in fact, most of the time I absolutely hate it.
I like the person running can make me: it keeps me in good physical shape (when I actually do it, that is) and as I have to fit running around my work and life schedule, I have found that it helps me to be more efficient with my time and be better-organised. Then, there are the pyschological benefits, and it's not just a cliché to say that I feel less stressed and generally calmer as a result of running. Just imagine what I was like before!
Running represents time I can dedicate exclusively to myself, and whatever happens in the rest of my life, I can generally either disconnect from it or at least get things into perspective. I can honestly say that I have never come back from a run thinking it was a mistake to have gone out.
On the other hand, when I'm not fit and/or a few kilos over my ideal weight, then running becomes a constant battle of physical anguish and mental torture, something to get done, to get out of the way until the next time, while I hope and pray it is doing me good and that that next time will be easier and, yes, even enjoyable. Of course when it is going well, I do enjoy it; I feel all the benefits, and the numbers back me up in terms of times and race performances. But generally, it's a case of a downward spiral: the worse I run, the more I hate it, and the more I hate it, the worse I run.
As a sport, I love the idea of it. The sacrifices in pursuit of self-improvement, the committment to something which can make me a better person in all sorts of ways, the mental picture of gilding effortlessly along, mile after mile (poor, delusional fool that I am), and even the very aesthetics of running. Not to mention the great kit you get to wear these days and of course, the shoes.
Ah, the shoes...
My "wheels" of choice these days are the Mizuno Wave Rider 18s. I've got to look to protect my knee(s) as much as possible so I go for shoes with plenty of cushioning, but some of the top-of-the-range cushioned shoes of other brands are really clunky and unresponsive. I had a few pairs of New Balance shoes (1060, 1061, 1080) but while they were undeniably comfy, at times it felt like I was wearing a pair of those "amusing" monster-feet slippers. The Wave Riders, on the other hand, are light and versatile - suitable for both interval work and longer stuff. Plus, they look great:
Shoe companies have an annoying habit of mucking about with models from one year to the next, and Mizuno are no different. The Wave Rider 12 and 13 were great shoes and really popular: I had two pairs of the former and five of the latter. But someone at Mizuno decided to bugger about with the 14s and raise the ankle section to the point where they chafed your skin right off. Result? No-one bought them and I defected to Saucony, and their glorious Triumph model.
I say "glorious" because they were so beautiful, they practically begged you to put them on every morning:
In total I had thirteen pairs (thirteen! I should be a major shareholder in that company, by rights) and they served me very well. Even so, I always felt that while they fit well, it depended on just how you laced them up each time - sometimes great, sometimes not so great. So when I heard that Mizuno had seen the error of their ways and redeemed themselves by the time the 17s came out, like the prodigal son, I returned to the fold and snapped up a pair.
As long as I can continue to find them at a decent price, I'll stick with them from now on. I would love to be one of those runners who weigh so little they can use the lightweight racing flats, but I'm not made like that. I'm 6ft 4 inches tall (192cm), and even if I'm down to my ideal racing weight, I'm still too heavy for that kind of shoe.
I know this because back in the day I had a pair of New Balance 834s. They were really light and I loved them, but only over shorter distances. However, I made the massive mistake of wearing them for the 2006 Madrid Marathon. I actually ran a decent race over a gruelling, hilly course, finishing in 3:14. But as soon as I got over the finish line and stopped, I felt as though my knees were on fire...
I tend to know when I need a new pair of trainers. I can feel it in the knees of course, but I generally feel tired all the time and sleep badly. This is usually after 700-800kms of use, which translates to one pair every 2-3 months or 4-6 pairs a year, depending on how much I'm running. Therefore this running lark can get a bit expensive, so while I wish I could afford to buy my shoes in an independent shop, the truth is I get them online at wiggle.com or SportsShoes.com. It's the difference between paying 140€ a time or 80-90€.
So after so much preamble I suppose I should talk about the actual running I've done this week. In fact, there's not much to report. This month I'm just keeping things ticking over, with three sessions during the week and a longer one on a Sunday. In November I will increase the weekly number of runs to five, and hopefully start to include something of quality (interval sessions, fartlek etc.) All I've done so far this week is two 5-mile runs at 4.45/km pace. Tomorrow I'll drag myself out for something similar, and then on Sunday I will be going off-road in one of of my favourite places to run in.
But to find out what and where that is, you'll have to wait until the next thrilling instalment.
Is anyone still there? If so, I thank you and wish you a very happy time till we meet again.
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