Signing up for the Pikes Peak Ascent marathon in September. Psyched I haven’t trained for a distance race for a couple years. Ready to be back in the thick of training.
I'm usually a minimalistic shoe boy at work and around town. Barefoot shoes. Recentlly the foot has been bothering me as the day goes along so ive been wearing normal running shoes for work(I can wear whatever shoes I want at work and I walk around all shift). Blending some barefoot back in here and there while working on some other leg strength stuff to keep correcting. Running itself isn't so bad. I'll supplement running with a bike day if I feel anything off.
I've started doing Norwegian 4x 4:00 and my blood pressure hasn't been better since I was in my early 20s. Hasn't helped with weight loss at all though.
anyone got any recommendations for dealing with hip flexors? i’ve been more or less off running since christmas with this mother fucker and probably gonna have to cancel my half marathon in 2 weeks.
Do that and then up the easy volume throughout the week. I delt with that a few years ago. I went to a guy to do a deep tissue massage. He's a runner as well and works on some the general population as well as collage athletes(so he knows whats up). He dug into me severely and helped me get over my flexor issues. There are some muscles under your abs that lead down into your hip flexors that I did not know were there. Those were uncomfortable for him to dig into but I know it helped. I did some PT exercise as well on top of the massage. I'd like to go back to get another just to flush some things out.
I ended up placing 3rd overall. Foot started bothering me around mile 20. Made it to 28 to my shoe change bag. Swapped shoes. Didn't hurt at all. I was going to drop if that didn't help. But it did, and I didn't. I slugged it out.
Picked up a pair of adidas adizero’s and I’m blown away. First non Nike running shoes in many years. Psyched for some road running, treadmill runs on these. Looking for a pair of trail running shoes. Heard good things about Gina speed goats.
Just got my Adizero EVOs recently and I’m really enjoying them. They have a bit of pep in them where I want to go fast, but feel very roomy for my wider feet, and enough cushion to make easy runs comfortable. Got a pair of Novablast 5s for longer runs and excited to see how they compare. also, if anyone is looking to use their FSA/HSA funds, running shoes are eligible if you use Backcountry.com
I’ve historically ran in anything, but I’m getting too old for that shit and these feel live a luxury. I like in Colorado and definitely need some proper trail shoes, but these are killer for training. Has anyone used Runna for training? I’m meeting with a coach next week. I want to just follow a plan without having to think about it for this race.
I currently have a pair of the EVO SL's and the New Balance FuelCell Rebel V5 going in my rotation. I like the EVO SL's overall, but my biggest knock on them is the short tongue that inevitably bunches up. I've tried tightening them, using the last set of eyelets, and even doing a few different lacing techniques and nothing works. It's not a dealbreaker, but I hope they address it on the next version. I know the EVO has been the super-hyped trainer the last year or so, but I prefer the Rebel V5 for a shoe in a similar space. While both don't do great when it comes to sandy concrete or wet pavement (especially turns), I just prefer the NB, personally.
Attempting to make the jump from Apple Watch Ultra to a garmin. I immediately hate the interface but I want the data a the battery life. Going to give it a week. Like 6 months ago I tried the Fenix MIP and lasted like a day. I do love how much less chunky this Forerunner is on my wrist. Excited to get some runs in over the weekend and see how it feels. Using the run coach as a loose plan will be rad too. would love any feedback
I got a COROS Pace 4 and I love mine and how low profile it feels on my wrist, even if the GPS tracking isn't 100% accurate. The biggest issue I have, which is shared with any Watch tbf, is that if I do an activity outside of the COROS pace (e.g. Peloton)- there's no smooth way to import it smoothly, so my training load tracking isn't accurate. But I'm excited to use the training plans available, they look great.
It just depends what is most important to you on a smartwatch. If you value being in the Apple world and having text, calls, and Apple Music in a seamless environment, that also can track activities, then the Apple Watch is great. But if you value the endurance activity more, then a Garmin or Coros is a much better option. Yes, you give up some of the day-to-day usage of the Apple Watch, but the Apple Watch isn't really intended for the serious runner, biker, or activity tracker. It can do those things, but not as well. The all-touch and sensitive touch (even when turned down) of the Apple Watch makes it pretty annoying to use in the rain, snow, or wearing long sleeves. The easy lapping ability by just pressing a button compared to turning the speed mode on with the Apple Watch and then pressing the correct area (and not swiping) mid activity is no comparison for me. I love and miss my Apple Watch, but from a workout and training standpoint, it's just not really close for me. Garmin and Coros are much better if you are taking those things more seriously.
I actually don’t care about the smart watch features, im just so used to the Apple Watch interface. I also religiously use the sauna, and being able to access Spotify for pods and music from my watch is so nice. I got a third party data tracker, but just dont use it a ton, and even with the ultra I find myself having to charge at night so I miss sleep tracking 2-3 times a week. I just need to use the garmin long enough to have full daily reports and im sure I’ll get used to it. It is just a tough sell. IMO the ultra is severely lacking in data and battery for the way they market it. It would be nice if the ultra had a host of fitness stuff that was exclusive to that watch and a way to increase battery. lol im just being picky they clearly cater to two different audiences. My hope is to crush this marathon and begin Ironman training and I feel it puts me in the category to have a dedicated proper fitness tracker.
Team Garmin since maybe 2018. Have always had the higher end Forerunner. 935/945/955/970. Went from Apple Watch as well and immediately missed being able to text back with my wrist by just talking into it.... but that's about it. The notifications of messages, emails, Teams, whatever work just fine to determine if I need to pull out my phone or not. My new one(970) has a led flashlight built in and that's a minor game changer for everyday life. AMOLED display is great. I have never once, in the history of me having a Garmin, lost an activity due to it screwing up. I've always bought my new one and sold the old one to a friend. I bought an official Garmin velcro band off Amazon and it feels much better than the stock one. Knock off bands work fine, but I like the official one best. My only hold up with this 970 is the battery probably won't last through my next 100 miler in November. Will have to charge it during the race. (weird 1st world endurance athlete problems). Stats state 26 hours, and I hope to be done before that, but you never know. My close group of 5 friends all have Coros, but I think the real ones have Garmins.
If you are into marathons and going towards Ironman, you should be using a Garmin or Coros. The battery life alone should be the selling point like you mentioned earlier. The sleep data takes a little bit to be accurate after you start using it. I tend to look at month or week trends with that though after you get familiar with the daily sleep data. Similar to the VO2 max. These things aren’t completely accurate so keeping that in mind is helpful. The race prediction stuff, I find takes a lot longer to become accurate because you need to log different distances and tempos for it to get a sense of what you can actually do. If you are just doing easy training it will be lagging behind your actual ability. Just a heads up but I’m sure you have seen that already.
That’s why I am biting the bullet, training is getting serious and intense and I want to finish these races strong. Is there a definitive reason why the 965 is objectively better than the 265? I got the 265 to test it out. It feels very iPad Air vs iPad Pro where the lesser device has like 85% of the meaningful pieces and the extra 15 is pretty give or take. I am leaning toward getting the 965 if I commit to Garmin, but largely it feels pretty unnecessary. Best of luck for the ultra. I dabbled in ultras a couple years ago and live in co. Leadville would be rad, but I’m focused in on building for Tri’s currently. I am assuming I’ll either get the bug or be one and done. Fine with either.
Also any feedback about Amoled and MIP. When I got the Fenix last year for like 2 days I was appalled at how bad it looked, but at this point I am about the function over the fashion over it all.
I know 965 has full mapping feature. Load a route in and follow via topo maps and trail maps on the watch. Invaluable for someone like me who likes to make weird route, or do adventure runs in unknown places. Battery life is much better too. I had MIP for my first 3 Garmins. Coming from the AW, MIP did feel bad. But I got used to it. Function. Now having an AMOLED I'll never go back. Colorful, crisp, bright... feels up to date. Battery life takes a hit vs MIP, but unless you're doing those 30+ hour GPS adventure runs, hikes, ultras, it won't affect you in the slightest.
Since this thread is active… For anyone in the Cincinnati area: We are almost 2 weeks away from Flying Pig Weekend! It’s not too late to sign up for any of the races. Friday is the Fifty West Mile, Saturday is the 5K and 10K, then Sunday is the half and full marathons. There are a few other races that weekend as well. If you’re interested in joining any of the races, you can use code CHANDLER26 when you register for a 10% discount. Register here: 2026 — 2026 Flying Pig Marathon Weekend —
My first Forerunner (220) went 7+ years. I think not staying on top of software updates is what did it in. Currently using the Venu(1) SQ but know it doesn’t have much life left in it. I’m frustrated that Garmin got rid of the the 200 series. But it seems like 165 has everything I’d want anyways.