Thank You Notes, Boston 2014 (round 3)

Hey ya'll. It's Saturday night and the Boston Marathon is in two days. This is right around the time I usually send out my marathon themed thank you notes. Here goes:

1. Thank you to my family and friends. This includes everyone who is part of my immediate support team- my girlfriend, parents, sister, close friends- living near and far. You girls and guys mean everything to me and I would not have the will to do what I do without you.

2. Thank you to my somewhat new product sponsor, Skechers Performance Division New England. I have been receiving shoes and clothes and support from Skechers since last fall. Due to injury, I have not actually gotten a chance to race since beginning this partnership. I am humble at the opportunity to represent such a fantastic brand. They took a chance on me with a 2:47 personal best in the marathon. While not a slow time, it is not elite. I stay true to the prove people wrong theme with my training. Skechers knows what's up and that good things are coming. If not now, in the near future because I am not planning on stopping any time soon.

3. Injury. Well this is more of a sarcastic thank you so I may as well let injury know how I really feel. Thank you for the developing hamstring pain that started last April. Thank you for having that pain affect me last fall in Chicago. Thank you for lingering through this marathon build-up and spreading to the other side as well. Thank you for IT Band pain, causing so much pain to bend my legs that I had to miss extended training time. Thank you to my recently developed left foot pain. If you're not gone by Monday I am willing to run 26.2 miles and suffer the stress fracture. Here's a little hint: just go away because again I'm not stopping.

4. Thank you for being self coached for this marathon build-up. I have learned invaluable lessons from making my own training plan and trying to follow it. I mostly learned how to adapt training when your body physically will not let you run. I listened to my body and took the most time off I've taken in years. Even with this being said, it is a miracle that I am even going to be on the start line feeling as good as I do.

5. Thank you to people who shout "Run Forrest run" at me. You are still unoriginal and you still suck.

6. Thank you to barking dogs, most of you are small and look like rats. I think I actually might pity some of you so keep barking if it makes you feel better.

7. Thank you Providence. You might be a small city but you have plenty to offer as far as running goes. You offer a city feel or places you can go and feel like you are on your own. You have plenty of hills and enough flat terrain to map out some solid tempo runs. You have treated me kindly throughout my four years here and I thank you for it.

These are just some of the many things I am thankful for from this past marathon build-up. While a couple are more serious than others, I have learned a lot about myself from the many setbacks I have been experiencing. I realized that I am one stubborn runner. It would have been too easy to give in and pick a different race at a different time. This would have actually been the smart thing to do. I may go out and run a 2:56 like I did last year or under my current 2:47 PR. I have no idea really but I am a little more relaxed this year. I do not feel like I have put much pressure on myself to achieve a certain goal. I am definitely thankful to not feel pressure like I did last year. This year, regardless of the time I run, I will enjoy myself more on the course on soak in running's victory lap.

David

Review on Review on Review

I have been a member of Skechers Performance Division, New England and training in a few different shoes since last fall and just wanted to take a little time to provide some insight on them.  Here goes:

MEN'S SKECHERS GORUN RIDE 2 - NITE OWL

This was my first pair of Skechers to try out.  I was very excited to get a chance to represent a running brand and ran faithfully in this pair of shoes for much of last fall.  The color scheme on these shoes caught my attention right away.  The shoe simply stood out.  If exposed to light, the shoe is able to glow in the dark.  This worked particularly well on night runs.  Not only do I wear reflective clothing, but now my shoes

helped with visability too.  This model weighs in at 7.9 oz which is pretty lightweight.  While running, the shoe felt flexible on my feet and absorbed contact well.  My only caution would be for runner's who typically run longer distances to be wary of the stability of this shoe.  It does feel cushioned but I would recommend this shoe for runner's looking to stay under 10 miles.  Overall, a good shoe that I would recommend mainly for beginning runners but it could also double as a shoe used for interval or tempo run workouts.

MEN'S SKECHERS GORUN RIDE 3

Now this is a shoe that I really like a lot.  I have been using it for easy runs and long runs in training.  You can really feel the cushioning of this shoe.  My feet have felt secure on every run in them and they only weigh in at 8.4 oz.  This is an ideal shoe to implement into marathon training.  It holds up for easy runs and long runs well.  I have gotten through most of my easy miles in them in my build-up for Boston.  If you want a durable and stable shoe that you can add up the miles in, look no further.  Have I mentioned they're extremely comfortable?

MEN'S SKECHERS GOMEB SPEED 2

This is the shoe I will be lacing up when I toe the start line of the Boston Marathon on April 21.  This shoe is a lightweight 6.8 oz.  While lighter than the GoRun Ride 2, my feet felt more comfortable and secure in this racing flat.  Runner's who are chasing PRs and fast times should give these a try.  After all, they're worn by the top marathoner in the US.  When I put them on for the first time in a workout, I felt fast.  That is the kind of feeling I look for in a shoe I would consider racing in.  The 4mm heel drop is the same as many of the top shoes other brands put out there.  My stride has not changed in these shoes.  If you want a shoe that you can put on and feel competitive, this is the one to try.  Skechers has found something good here.

Conclusion:

Those are my three quick shoe reviews for some of the different models I have had the opportunity to try out.  They each offer something a little different from one another.  To be honest, I was skeptical at first of trying some of these shoes.  Skechers is relatively new to the running game and has had a difficult time reaching out to runners who consider themselves "serious."  Some folks on message boards or blogs will rip a shoe they haven't even tried.  To be honest, shoes are shoes.  The runner makes the shoes.  There was a time when humans had to survive by engaging in hunts in which they ran barefoot to tire out animals.  Nowadays we have fancy, technical running shoes that all claim to be the best and cost upwards of one hundred dollars.  Now, I am representing Skechers and I have found them to be refreshing.  I like their light feel and how I feel fast when I put them on.  I would recommend them to beginners and advanced runners alike.  If they're good enough for Meb, they better be good enough for us.  If there are any questions people have about a particular shoe please feel free to post in the comments section below and I would be more than happy to elaborate on anything.

Cheers,

David