All shoes are created equal... but some are more equal than others

I ran in a new pair of shoes yesterday.  I have been running in the Newton Terra Momentums and the Saucony Kinvaras.  Whenever I run in the Newtons, the runs are a bit more "sloggy."  Or put another way, I always feel lighter and bouncier in the Kinvaras.  This has been surprising, since all of my other Newtons have felt bouncy.  And since I've given them a good 200 miles to see if they changed (and they didn't), I thought it might be the shoes.  Spring, being what it is, I decided to break out a new pair of shoes, the Newton Distance S (below). 

They are NOS, as the deal between the Army Triathlon Club and Newton changed last year, so I decided to stock up while I could.  As soon as I started running in them, I knew that
the difference was in the shoes.  These Newtons have the same bouncy feel that I previously had experienced.  I ended up doing some tempo work and was pleasantly surprised that 6:30 pace didn't feel all that bad.  It's funny, though; since the technology was similar, I thought that the Terra Momentums would feel the same as the Motions that I had previously used. But they were definitely not the same.

In a similar way, I ran in Saucony Mirages 2 years ago.  They are similar to the Kinvaras, but made to be a bit more stable.  I had the same dead feel in the Mirages as I do in the Terras.  The Kinvaras are much more lively.  Moral of the story:  even if shoes are supposed to be very similar, there can be light-years difference in the feel.  I haven't decided whether I'll just shelve the Terras for awhile, but I'm tempted.

Bicycle, bicycle, I want to ride my bicycle

Yesterday was a treat.  85 and sunny in May here in the Pacific Northwest.  I had originally planned to swim after work.  However, since I spent all weekend at the pool, first announcing a swim meet, and then watching a water polo tournament, and it was the nicest weather weekend of the year, I felt that I needed to get outside.  So, I raced hom from work, took my tri bike off the trainer, pumped up the tires, and headed out to enjoy the warm sunshine.

While it was just a short ride, I felt better than I have in a long time on the bike.  It certainly wasn't my fitness, because I have not been riding enough.  And it certainly wasn't my saddle, because I'm still working on finding the right one (perhaps more on that later).  But, the heat and the warm wind did wonders for my outlook.  I'm not sure if it is because I first started riding in Arizona, or whether it is just because my body feels better in the heat, or whether it's just nice to be out in the sun.  All that I know is that, short though it was, yesterday's ride was the best of the year. 

Now, I just need to get into better shape!