Ten days later: marathon aftermath

For the first week after the marathon I rested. On Monday I ran/walked close to 4 kilometres just to test my legs out.  But as I'm still not 100%, I'm going to rest another week.

I have a few thoughts as I look back on my performance at the Saskatchewan Marathon, as well as regards the event as a whole.

First, not keeping an eye on my running gait probably caused my race time to inflate by an hour.  A simple examination of the underside of my Mizunos Wave Inspire 10's (the shoes I wore for the marathon) reveals that the tread on the lower right quarter of the heel has been filed down to a smooth patch.  I suspect this occurred because of fatigue and stiffness, which in turn happened because I wasn't probably prepared to race (I missed too much running in the final month).

Second, although the overwhelming majority of what I have to say is positive, I think the organizers missed an opportunity with the race shirt this year.  Whereas last year that shirts were a rich blue with dark blue strips, and "Saskatchewan Marathon" across the chest, this year the shirts (the men's shirts, at least) were a strange violet/purple with white stripes and merely "Saskatoon" across the chest.  It feels like someone screwed up by not having the event name across the chest.  As for the colours... Hmmm... I would have preferred pitch black to this.  But that's me.  I suppose it's tough to try to distinguish a race shirt each year.

While my distress has eased considerably, my attention has turned to future races.  Here in Saskatoon we have several on the horizon, including the Mogathon and Mayor's Day Marathon on successive weekends.  Then there's the River Run Classic (HM, 10k and 5k) in July. Of course I have no intention of attempting either of the first two races, but the River Run Classic might be a good one to attempt to set a new 10k PR.  I've only run three 10k's, and none of them at full speed. 

Beyond these races are the Edmonton and Queen City Marathons in August and September.

Mizuno Wave Inspire 10 Review

Generally speaking stability shoes come in quite a few varieties.  That said, I just took a pair of Mizuno Wave Inspire 10's out of the box for a quick 4k around the neighbourhood.  My first impression is that these shoes are built for comfort as well as stability control.  I wouldn't use these for speed work, but I would for a marathon.  They felt a bit heavy (despite their reputation for their lightness--they are purported to weigh 9.3 oz), which isn't a big deal since the comfort they provide more than makes up for the weight.

I ran a slow first kilometre (6:03) and followed with a faster 5-minute kilometre before settling in at a nice 5:30 pace.  This is where the Mizuno Wave Inspire 10 just blows me away: I thought I was going much slower than 5:30.  Wow.  When Runtastic advised me of my split, I almost couldn't believe how I was basically gliding along at my marathon race pace without even realizing it.

After my run, I stretched and had a nutrition shake and then took a look at the shoes.  The Mizuno Wave Inspire 10 looks and feels like a shoe for which a lot of care and inspiration went into designing.  The pairing of midnight blue and neon green trim with the silver logo looks even better in real life than it does online.  (I thought the green lace tips were a nice touch as well.)

To recap, the Mizuno Wave Inspire is a stability shoe for runners who overpronate.  It's a great training and marathon shoe, but for shorter racing distances you might want to stick to a lighter shoe.

Other reviewers will talk more technically about the foam and cushioning, so I'll stick keeping it real simple.  The Mizuno Wave Inspire 10's are a terrific running shoe.