40 Mile Training Run: From Minimalist to Maximilist

This post is more of just a journal entry highlighting my adventures yesterday. I will have to review some of the gear I am talking about because it was all very helpful in finishing the runs.

Yesterday I set out to do my first 40 mile training run. I really want to get 100 miles at Merrill's Mile, but I know that if I don't push my body during training that I won't have the confidence to complete it.

Before my run I stopped at Big Peach Running Co. and picked up some Body Glide. While I was there I decided to try on some different shoes. I tried on the New Balance Leadville's. They were very nice trail shoes for those long runs. I also tried on some Hokas(Mufate 2, Stinson Evo, and Bondi B). My favorite were the Bondi B, since they were more road-friendly and had less aggressive tread. Not thinking anything of it I told the staff that I appreciated their help and that I would keep them in mind for my next shoe purchase.

I started out at The Greenway in Cumming, GA. This was my arsenal of gear: Brooks running hat, a sun hat, a cotton tanktop, underarmour underwear, Nike shorts, Swiftwick socks, Vivobarefoot Evo II, and a Camelbak 220z water bottle. I have also been practicing Fruitarianism again, and was eating a lot of Bananas, but mostly Gu during the runs.

After about 10 miles it started to get really hot and I was unable to keep up with my calories and hydration. The water bottle was not working out since there are really only two places to get water on The Greenway. I pushed to get to 22 miles and decided to stop. I was disappointed with myself and had some doubt about the 100 miles. The conditions I was running in were similar to that of Merrill's Mile. Actually The Greenway was probably a little cooler than Merrill's is going to be(4th of July).

On a side note, during this run I saw a baby green snake on The Greenway. I looked at him and he lifted his head up and went back and forth. After 30 seconds of that he turned around and started heading off the path(which is what I wanted since there are bikes there). I used my toe and gave him a little tap in the butt so he would squiggle off and be afraid of The Greenway. I wouldn't want him to get hit.

After the 22 miles my feet were sore and my legs were tired. At 22 miles, with low confidence, I needed something to change. Maybe if I had a different, non-minimalist, pair of shoes I could switch into them during the run and protect my feet as well as use different muscles?

I decided on the Bondi B. I am going to do a comparison of them to minimalist shoes, but to be honest I have found that I can run with the same gate and with less pain during long runs.

During the drive home I tried to eat back some of the calories, but I know I didn't even come close to what I spent.

I stopped by my parents house and picked up a Nathan #020 race vest that I got really cheap off The Clymb. When in doubt, try out a bunch of new crap!

For this run, my arsenal was: The same Broooks running hat, a tech shirt, the same Underarmour underwear,  the same Nike shorts, Zensah calf compression, Swiftwick socks(higher ones that compress my ankles), and the new Bondi B.

It took about a half mile for me to get used to the Bondi B. I was a breath of fresh air from minimalist shoes. I still kept my stride the same, but I did feel some different muscles working. I also noticed that my feet felt a little more stable and did not roll in as much as they do in minimalist shoes(the rolling takes a wear on my ankle and hurts after a while). Needless to say, in a little over 3 hours and some struggle I had 18 miles done!

On another side note, during this run I saw a baby bird in the parking lot. It was pretty tiny and was just sitting there yelling. I kept going, hoping that I wouldn't have to rescue it. The next lap he was gone, hopefully back with his mother.

I don't really want to go too much in depth about any of the new gear I purchased. I don't think I have given any of it enough use to be critical and I don't want to give something a positive review without more testing.