Saturday, August 16, 2014

Skechers GoRun Ultra Review

First of all I have to disclose that the triathlon team I am a member of, Fearless Racing has a relationship with Skechers. I have received one pair of Skechers GoRun 3. This review will be about the GoRun Ultra, and I have bought the pair for my own money on Amazon.com. Now back to the review.

The first thing you have to get over when you start running in the Skechers GoRun Ultra is not the really nice price of $85 (or cheaper on sale), but that you are doing running workouts in Skechers. Brand reputation will always play a part in how we look at products, but I have tried to be as open as possible that I am running in the same brand shoes as soccer moms watch games in.



I have been running in the Ultras for two months. They have been my main pair of shoes for all running except from intervals on the track. I am not the size of a typical Kenyan runner, but built more like a Viking, 6.2 (1.88) and 180 pounds. I have run in all different kind of brand up through the years and have even worked in a special running store during summer time through college. I am familiar with running shoes.



So how does the Ultra stack up. They are good. First of all they are light, weigh is according to Skechers 8.7 oz in a men's size 9. That is light for a training shoe. The shoe is well built, it does not feel cheap and the craftsmanship is impressive. I especially like the fit and the materials close to the foot. The feet are happy in the shoe. I know this is individual, but these shoes fits me.

The Ultra is a training shoe, it is higher than your normal training shoe, no minimalist approach to running here and that is good. These shoes are meant for long runs and Sketchers has used a lot of material to create a thick sole with a lot of cushioning. I have been waiting for the shoes to get the "tired mattress" feeling, but so far they are still feeling good.



These shoes are good for runners that like cushioning combined with low weight. You will have the cloud feeling in these shoes, so you have to be OK with that.

These shoes should be the go to shoes for long distance triathletes due to their light weight and really good cushioning. The only thing that has not been really good is that the sole has been worn a little to much.



Conclusion:
I am impressed with what Sketchers has done with these shoes and I really like them.

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Biking in the North West

On a sunny day biking around on the east side of Seattle is just nice. This is North Bend and Mt. Si




Always fun with local races

Back in June I did a short sprint in Woodinville. It took me under 30 minutes to drive there. It was small but well organized. A perfect race for both beginners and experienced athletes. The short race report is, swim was bad due to lack of swim, bike OK, run OK. Second overall and I won my age group :-)





Friday, May 23, 2014

Norway, Holmenkoll relay and vacation

May is a perfect time to go to Norway. You have the famous Holmenkoll relay and of course the national day May 17.

The whole family boarded the Icelandair flight here in Seattle May 8. Goal, land in Oslo, Norway mid day May 9.



Henrik ready for the flight.

The pilots at Icelandair had decided to have a 12 hour strike on Friday May 9. So we had to stay in Iceland 12 hours longer than planned. We got a hotel room, but it would be nicer to be in Norway with family.





12 hours later than planned we landed in Norway. So we got to be around 2.30 after a long day. Well Saturday was competition day for me. I had a spot at my brother's running club's team. The team rand in the senior class where you find young, skinny and fast runners. Even without jet lag it would have been hard. The Holmenkoll relay is a 11 miles and 15 stages relay around Oslo. The stages are everything form 600 meters flat to 2,5k. Some are hilly and some are downhill or flat. I had the 5th stage, 1240 meters with uphill in the beginning and end, and flat and downhill in the middle.




Fearless Racing Team at Bislett stadium.

The cool thing about the Holmenkoll relay is that you meet old friends and compete against or around many sports star. I spotted several Olympic medalists.

My run went ok, but nothing more. I had problem getting up to speed, but then again I have not done a lot of speed work either. With some more rest I should have done 5-10 seconds better, but I had fun. 90 minutes after the run, I ran another stage for my brother's employer. This was in the company class so it was mostly for fun. I ran the first leg and did ok. Hard to run fast when your legs are really tired before start.

After the relay I was tired.



Fearless Racing Team

Finally I got my Fearless Racing Team kit. Now my job is to race as fast as my kit look.

The kit is made my Kiwami, the manufacturer of most of the suits/kits you see at ITU events so the quality is top notch.





Monday, April 28, 2014

Soaring Eagle Trail Run Race Report

YEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

The 2014 race season has started and my legs are feeling it. I decided to start this season in the woods. Or to be more accurate, in the local forest park here in Sammamish: Soaring Eagle Park. The Seattle area has a lot of low key trail running competition so I signed up for the 5 mile race.

The last interval workout before the race was awful so I was not sure about my shape.



As a member of the Fearless Racing Team I made sure my race gear was correct. Well, the new kit is in the mail so I went old school with a cotton t-shirt. I raced like everybody else in cotton t-shirts back when I was young and fast, so this most be the slowest race I have done in a regular t-shirt.



The trails at Soaring Eagle Park are full of elevations changes and have a lot of twists and turns. On Saturday I ran through the course but could hardly remember 10% of the terrain, and I have done a lot of running in that park before. The course was challenging and a real trail run course.

Race morning I could feel that I had a race. I always get more nervous for running races than triathlons. But luckily this was a positive nervousness.

The start of the race was a small parking lot, but the organizers had everything us runner needed. I have to say this was a really positive race.



Some last minute reading before start.



Then it was time to get to the start line. And since this is Seattle, no one wanted to stand in the first line. It was kind of funny.



The race organizer counted us down and said go, the 2014 race season had officially started.

I was in the lead after 10 meters. That said a lot about the field of the 5 mile race and not so much about my running abilities. But no matter what, leading a race is really cool. The first kilometer was on a gravel road, before the course started on single track trails with mud and turns. I tried to speed up down hills, look as much forwards as possible without doing face plants and when I had time look back to see what was going on. After 15 minutes I could not see any athletes. I was in front totally alone :-)

I tried to run in an even effort level, but my legs got really tired of shifting directions. I could tell that I got a little more clumsy at the end, but I kept myself on the feet and managed to even sprint for the finish. My time on my watch was 38.22.

 

My big take away. I had a lot of fun and it was a blast to be in the front for a whole race. Now I am looking forward to next race where I most likely will get killed.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Training in Maui + I am now a Fearless Racer

Few things are better to get away for some days and recharge. Also, when the get away place is Maui you have no reason to complain. I was so lucky last week. A good friend of mine invited us to her wedding at Maui and my wife and I said yes.


First stop at Maui is always the store, and another reminder of where we was. The local coffee is nice.



As always I have big plans for all the workouts I will do. But luckily for me and my wife I was there to relax. I got some really nice runs in. But I also got a chance to just relax, read, walk around, eat great food and attend a wedding.





I am now also a member of Fearless Racing Team presented by XLR8 SportsMed under the head viking Lars Finanger. Lars is a stand up guy in the triathlon community and I feel lucky being part of the team.



http://valhallasportsgroup.com/