Test Run 4

Primary objective: test in-run nutrition 

Secondary objectives: test night-time running after a full day of being awake, test trail running (have so far mostly been running on paved roads), test my own ability to run longer distances, test night-time equipment, monitor post-run physical condition

Time: April 9 / 10 

Estimated Duration: 6 hours

Distance: 50 km (22 circles of 2,25 km)

Terrain: flat trail (wood chip mulch)

Weather: rainy, 3 degrees C, south wind 10 m/s 

RESULTS

Primary objective: success. I now have s smoothie formula, which containes everything I need for resupplying my by during the Run and it comes in a semi-liquid form which can be consumed while on the move. I made a slight miscalculation by finishing a carbohydrate rich pasta meal 2 hours before the Test Run 4. I was still feeling the pasta when I hit the track. Note to self, leave at least 3 hours between the meal of solid food and starting the Run. The in-run smoothie containes: 

Secondary objectives: partial success. 

1. Test night-time running after a full day of being awake. Success. Didn't feel sleepy at any point. Of course, I had not spend the previous day running. And it was the first night. During the actual Run I suspect the second night might be the most difficult.

2. Test trail running. Success.  It's much softer to run on compared to paved roads, but it has different challenges. Uneven surfaces, especially during the night, can be a fast-track to ligament sprains. Also, part of the trail was wet, making it slippery. There's things to think about, then.

3. Test my own ability to run longer distances. Fail. It was a floodlit track, but they turned the lights off at midnight, which I did not know about beforehand. I started Test Run 4 at 9pm and was planning to go run until 3 am. I was wearing my headlamp, so when they turned off the floodlights I was able to keep going for another few laps, but not for long. So the actual run wash just 3 hours and 25 km, instead of double that, as I had planned.

4. Test night-time equipment. Partial success. Very comfortable to wear. I was expecting it to slide out of place or jump up and down as I run along, but there was none of either. It's early spring and 

monitor post-run physical condition

Starting to check out the route

Went to Võsu today, to check out the starting point of the Run. I'll likely book a stay somewhere there, so I can start early in the morning. Checked out the beach, where I'll start from, and then the roads from there. Because the snow under the forest was still knee deep, there was no running. But the idea is, that if I'll be able to scout a substantial part of the route beforehand, especially the turns, intersections etc, then I won't need a map when running. Or at least will not need to consult it as often.

It was good news all around. Because I will be following the trails of the State Forest Management Centre, I found them to be well marked by colored spots on trees and an occasional sign. The initial part of the map I had created at home also checked out fine i.e. the terrain corresponded to the map. On the photo below is one of the first bigger intersections. It's actually called the "Intersection of Six Roads". Took a bit of map consulting to determine, which road I will need to take from here (the one to the immediate right of the construction).

All things told, it was a succesful scouting trip. Need to do a bunch more of these, with hopefully less ice road driving :)

The Equipment - Received the Headlight, Update on Shoes

The Headlight

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I found a 225 lumen, 20 hour Li-Ion rechargeable Black Diamond Sprint running headlight, which I think best fits my use case. It arrived yesterday, I haven't been out running with it yet.

The Shoes

I found someone on eBay selling a new pair of size 11 men's Nike Flex Run 2016 shoes, but together with transport from the US and tariffs the price came to € 168. That's an unreasonable amount to pay, considering, that I paid around € 40 for my first pair years ago.

I've been pointed towards "barefoot" running shoes. They're not really barefoot, it's just a more minimalist design approach to running shoes. Reading up on it a bit, I've found, that interestingly Nike Flex Run 2016 adhered to many of those principles - mesh top, very light, very flexible sole. 

I went to a small boutique shop selling barefoot shoes to try them on, but they were out of my size for the Xero shoes I'm interested in. I will be going back in a few weeks, they said they will be receiving new pairs soon. 

While Nike Flex Run has become overengineered, there are other Nike running shoes, that adhere more closely to the minimalist principles, so I will be trying these on as well. Look for more posts on the shoes issue in the future.

The Equipment - Shoes failed, found a headlight

 

Found a headlight

I was looking around for a headlight and yesterday came across this pretty comprehensive review in the Runner's World. Reading through the comments and categories, I think the 225 lumen, 20 hour Li-Ion rechargeable Black Diamond Sprint is the best option for my use case. 225 lumens sound enough, given that there is always going to be some natural light during the white nights of our summer, even under the forest. Also, there is only going to be a few hours per night, when the sun is below the horizon, so 20 hour capacity is more than enough. Especially considering, that I'm likely going to pick up the headlight from my support team in the evening and hand it back to them on the morning, so it can be recharged for night #2.

Cannot run in Nike Flex Run 2019

I also had a test run for the new shoes today. Was planning on 27 km, but only did 12.5 km, because the shoes were so bad. This was the second run in the new shoes, I had done a short 5 km evening workout a few days prior. 

The newer model of the Nike Flex Run has everything that the older model had - thin textile on top, super flexible outer sole, very light build. But then they also have something the older model didn't - a profiled inner sole 😠. Noone mentioned it in any of the reviews. You cannot detect it by feeling inside the shoe with your hand and it definitely does not show up on photos. But when you put pressure on it, the soles of your feet feel slight bumps and depressions. I guess Nike intended them to support the foot somehow or maybe they are artefacts of the profiled outer sole pressing through the soft inner sole, but whatever it is, it makes running very uncomfortable for my feet.

I felt the profiling on my short evening run, too, but it did not become such a problem. Today, between kilometers 5 and 7 it was uncomfortable under both feet. Eventually, the left foot somehow adjusted and the supports worked to some extent. The right foot is clearly built differently, it never got used to it, one of the "supporting" bumps was in a completely wrong place and it started hurting after km 9. Because there was a layer of snow on tarmac, I was able to adjust my style a bit, landing less on the ball of the foot like I normally do and more on the mid-sole, enabling me to keep running. It is under the ball of the foot, that most of the profiling can be felt.

It's now an hour after completing the run and I have a swelling under the right foot, where the bump on the inner sole of the shoe was pressing against the ball of the foot. It'll go back, no long term harm done, but clearly, I cannot run in these shoes. I never had any of these problems in my old 2017 model.

I understand, that Nike indended this profiling to somehow support the foot while running. But the foot needs no supports. Evolution has had 2 million years to work out the most ergonomic design for running. Why does Nike Inc think, that they can do better in some decades? They already had the perfect running shoe in Nike Flex Run 2017 - lightweight, flexible and breathable. Why did they have to go changing it? Stop innovating!

It used to be, that you had one type of trainer. Now I have a pair for volleyball, another one for tennis, one for cross-country, two for running and now I need to go back online and start hunting around to see if I can still get a new pair of the Flex Run 2017 shoes. Sad.

The Equipment - Minor Update 1

 The Equipment - Minor Update on Shoes

I was looking around for a new pair of running shoes to start wearing in for the Run, since my current Nike Flex Running shoes will not last until summer. Read and watched some reviews and it seems like Nike Flex is still the shoe that best fits what I'm looking for - as light and flexible as possible, minimalist approach, textile top, running toe-first, not heel-first. 

I've just ordered a pair of Nike Flex Run 2019 RN shoes that were on sale. One number bigger than my actual size, just like the last pair. In fact, several reviewers recommended ordering one size above actual size. The thinking goes, that if they feel anything as comfortable as my current pair, then these will be the shoes for the Run. If not, I will use the new shoes for training runs and keep the current, well worn and trusty pair for the Run. I'll receive the new shoes, do Test Run 2 and then report back to the blog.

* actual picture of the shoe I ordered