It’s no secret how much I love the Brooks PureGrit 1. Despite that shoe having a major traction flaw, I still consider it one of my favorite trails shoes – especially for the dry socal trails I run on. When the PureGrit 2 was released, I was stoked to learn they almost certainly addressed all of our traction concerns. Unfortunately, that’s not all Brooks changed.

A stiff outsole, a hefty upper made of thick and stiff materials, a new lacing/tongue system, and an overall heavier shoe does not an improvement make. Despite putting almost 70 test miles in this shoe, I cannot say that it won me over. In fact, I purchased another pair of Pure Grit 1s just to satisfy my trail needs. I hope Brooks sees this review and perhaps takes my problems into consideration when working on the Pure Grit 3. Hell, why not start using the hashtag, “#FixTheGrit” to see if they actually listen to us!?

Click to watch the review above and don’t forget to subscribe to my youtube channel! (CLICK HERE TO SUB)

LIKED:

• Same fit as Pure Grit
• New Traction

DISLIKED:

• Tongue/Lacing
• Upper thickness/stiffness
• Outsole stiffness
• Concave Outsole
• Heavier

QUALITY: 3/5
COMFORT: 2/5
PRICE: 3/5
LOOKS: 3/5

TOTAL: 11/20

For more info on this shoe, visit: Brooksrunning.com

The new 2013 Injinji Performance 2.0 line of toe socks are AWESOME. I’ve worn my fair share of these foot-beasts and can vouch for not only their comfort, but their ability to get you through long races unscathed. I was hesitant about toe socks after a pretty bad experience with Five Fingers, but once you get them on and log a few runs with them, you’ll see what I mean. Also, with the new 2.0 line’s varying degrees of thickness, you can tailor which socks to wear with which shoes for which events. It’s nice. My favorites are the no-show midweight, no-show lightweight, and compression. While they can be a little pricey, the amount of comfort and stress-free running justifies the cost for me. Let me know what YOU think in the comments below! Do you have a favorite sock?

Click to watch the review above and don’t forget to subscribe to my youtube channel! (CLICK HERE TO SUB)

LIKED:

• Comfortable
• Varying degrees of thickness
• No blisters
• No seams
• Coolmax fabric blend

DISLIKED:

• Pilling
• General sizing
• Potential wear/tear

QUALITY: 4/5
COMFORT: 4/5
PRICE: 4/5
LOOKS: 3/5

TOTAL: 15/20

For more info on this shoe, visit: Injinji.com

I love wearing the Skora Form all around in my daily life. While I’ve found the faults to interfere with the comfort of wearing them on regular long runs, I still find these shoes to be very comfortable for the day-to-day lifestyle as well as form/speed drills. I’m also not a big fan of the $185 price tag. However, they have a more affordable brother, the Base (which I have not tried). Have any of you run in Skoras? What do you think of them? Click to watch the review above and don’t forget to subscribe to my youtube channel! (CLICK HERE TO SUB)

LIKED:

• Comfortable
• Asymmetric Lacing
• Wide Toe-Box
• Tongue
• Oder Resilience
• Zero Drop
• Good Grip

DISLIKED:

• Sizing
• Heel-Cup
• Materials (leather)
• Price ($185)

QUALITY: 3/5
COMFORT: 4/5
PRICE: 2/5
LOOKS: 4/5

TOTAL: 13/20

note: this item was provided by Skora for review. The opinions are my own.

BROOKS PURE CONNECT

I FINALLY get to review the Brooks PureConnect. Its a dynamite reduced-running shoe with a smooth, fast, flexible ride. The BioMogo is super soft and the shoe fills that niche of low-drop and extra-cushioned shoe nicely. The shoe felt narrow at first, right out of the box, but actually running in them proved they do expand enough to be comfortable (those with wider sized feet, try them on first. I’ve heard the Flow and Grit are better options for width). Most of the problems I have with the shoe involve premature wear and the pods under the forefoot. In fact, the forefoot pods have become increasingly more painful. I think it’s a combo of the rubber outsole not wearing as quickly as the midsole EVA. Feels like I’m running on a lump now that I have about 200 miles of running. But the design elements are SOLID and I still consider this one of my favorites.

LIKED:

• Light
• Comfortable
• Midfoot
• The Upper
• Ride
• Flexible
• Low Drop

DISLIKED:

• Durability
• Narrow
• Outsole
• Forefoot Pod
• Toe Guard
• Not Zero Drop

QUALITY: 4/5
COMFORT: 4/5
PRICE: 5/5
LOOKS: 4/5

TOTAL: 17/20

note: I bought these shoes for myself and the thoughts are my own. I was not provided a sample.

I’m pretty sure that I am crazy. I decided to take on a one-day double century bike ride smack dab in the middle of my marathon training schedule. Why? Because I thought it would be a fun challenge. I guess that’s if you consider torturing your body and social life a “fun” challenge.

My first endurance race: The Seattle to Portland 220 mile bike ride.

THE HISTORY

So the Seattle To Portland bike ride (STP as we call it) was my very first endurance challenge back when I was a teenager. I remember training for that race on my brother’s beat-up old Cannondale, wearing MTB shoes, and barely knowing anything about cycling. I was naive and stupid. Regardless, I finished the race in one day. I don’t know how I was able to ignore dehydration, starvation, pain, suffering and horrible butt chafe, but I did.

So jump ahead more than decade to the fall of 2011. My sister calls me and tells me her whole family just signed up for the STP two-day ride, and her son, my 19 year old nephew Jake, wanted to do it in one day. Oh man, I knew I was going to sign up for the one day ride the second I hung up the phone. No WAY I was going to let my lil nephew do this epic ride alone. Besides, it gave me an excuse to buy a bike, learn to ride again, and rock a double century. Oh, did I not mention I didn’t have a bike? Oopsie poodles!

THE BIKE

So in October of 2011, I started my bike shopping. I knew my budget was less than $2000, I wanted a carbon frame, and I wanted a fast bike. I found a sweet BMC SL02 for sale over at CompetitiveCyclist.com and snatched one up right away. I fell in love with the frame design, the responsiveness and quickness almost instantly. This bike was a beauty! After training for a few months off and on, slowly bringing up my mileage like a good boy, my girlfriend – Mile Long Legs – got me a Retul fitting for Christmas (WHAT A GIFT!!). The second I went in, the fitter told me the frame was the wrong size and that the bike would BARELY be able to work with my body. Wait, WTF?

After some detailed discussions of leg length, torso length, arm angles, and a whole bunch of math, I too came to the realization that I had been convinced to buy a frame 2 centimeters too small for me. The argument by Competitive Cyclist was that “smaller = faster and more nimble”. I heard “faster” and forgot about “comfort”. On a double century, a rider’s main concern will be long-distance comfort. Last thing I wanted was to ride 200 miles, 170 of which I was in crippling pain. I was fucked with this bike.

Seeing as Competitive Cyclist wouldn’t take the bike back, for obvious reasons, I turned to local shops (none of which would give me more than 50% of what I paid) and Craigslist. In a matter of hours, I had an interested party willing to drive up to look at the bike. We met, they fell in love, and I parted ways with my first BMC, fully reimbursed! THANKS CRAIGSLIST! But the big problem: 4 months until the STP and NO bike (and likewise, little to NO training). What does a clue-less cyclist do in situations like these? Turn to the internet for the answers!!

The beast. 2011 Felt AR3 SRAM Force.

My decision to build my own bike came after endless days searching forums and stores for bike recommendations in my price range. The BMC I had originally bought was no longer available ANYWHERE in my new size. I was right back where I started and nothing was looking good. After looking at Specialized, Trek, Cervelo, Cannondale, BMC, Litespeed, and more, I finally fell in love with the Felt AR5. It was more expensive than I wanted to spend, but hot DAMN that frame is a sexy beast! I thought I might be able to find a used or older AR in my price range online. After a few days, a frame popped up on ebay. It was not an AR5, but last year’s AR3 – a lighter, better looking version – and was BRAND NEW at a screaming price. Boom. Bid. Bought.

Thus began my first bike build.

I concocted a devious recipe for my dream budget bike: an AR3 frame, SRAM Force groupset, LOOK carbon blade pedals, Reynold DV3K wheelset, Conti 4000s tires, 3T stem, and FSA compact bars ALL for the price of a brand new AR5 (built with far lower grade components). Yes, I was spending more than the BMC, but I felt that I was getting a KILLER bike for a fraction of what it would cost retail. And boy did I ever. Sourcing my parts from online resellers, ebay, and craigslist, I managed to build a $4500+ bike for around $2500. I win. But I was also MONTHS behind training by the time I jumped on the bike for the first time.

TRAINING

The 204 mile STP was on July 14th. I started training on my bike May 25th from zero. Just learning to clip-in to my pedals took a week of trial and error (and a couple embarrassing spills). After running the Big Sur Marathon on May 18th, I got an awesome training guide from my coach, Eric at Rock Hard Runners, that would push me harder than I’d been pushed. I had to ramp up my bike mileage and simultaneously maintain my running mileage for the San Francisco marathon 2 weeks after the STP. Yeah, this was going to be hard. 6 days a week of running and biking long hours. Spending what felt like far more time in a saddle and on the trails than at home. Brutal. (I do realize that training for an IronMan is FAR more training than what I’m currently engaged in, so HUGE respect to those of you in that league. I owe you a beer or 5!)

My 100 Mile Ride

In the end, the longest ride I had scheduled was a single 100 miler. This was far less than the STP-recommended multiple 100 and 125 mile rides over the course of 6 months. Needless to say, I was going into this double-century nervous and anxious to see if I had put in enough saddle time. Shit was about to get real.

THE RACE

The one-day riders started from the University of Washington parking lot at 5:45am on July 14th. Mile Long Legs drove my nephew and I to the start a few minutes early so we could do a last minute check on our bikes, make the necessary porta-potty stops, and ride up to the line. I was surprised at how few riders there were at the start. Out of the 10,000 STP riders, some 1,500 were also doing the one-day ride. It only felt like a few hundred joined us that morning. Regardless, before we had a second to relax, we were off on our 204 mile journey through Washington State and into Portland, Oregon.

The idea was to stop at every major sanctioned rest-stop to make sure our bikes were in order, our fueling and hydration was accurate, and our bodies had a moment to rest. As I mentioned earlier, neither of us had adequate training for a ride of this caliber, but we were pushing through regardless – and at a 20+ mph clip no-less!

Before I knew what was what, we were rolling into mile 50′s rest stop. On a normal day, I would still be sleeping off a hang-over. On this day, I was refilling my water bottles from a garden hose and trying to down warm jamba juice. Yum. Ignoring a bout of nausea that settled in the second I stepped off the bike, I ran into an old college roommate – one that I ran my very first marathon with over a decade ago! He’s still ripped. I’m still beer-chubby. Cool!

Mile 50 of the 2012 STP

My nephew and I hopped back on our steeds and continued on. 25 more miles and the nausea began to wear off. No idea where it came from or what was up, but by mile 100, I was spry like a young lad once again! By this point my nephew was taking it a little easier having pushed pretty hard early on. We met up with Mile Long Legs at the half-way point, grabbed some lunch, and again, mounted our crotch rockets. Next stop was mile 145.

My nephew’s pace picked up around mile 130 and we both were continuing to feel strong. That is until we reached the 145 mile stop. As soon as I dismounted, I knew I was in for a tough time. This wasn’t so much a bonk as I’d felt in the past, but more of a “fuck this, I want to stop riding” sort of feeling. It sucks when all you can think about is how many more HOURS of riding you have to do! My heart rate was elevated, my fear of bonking was high, but after a good 40 minutes of lounging in the grass and talking myself down off the quitting ledge (with the help and support of my girlfriend and WAY to energetic nephew) I knew it was time to get back on the bike and push on.

And push on we did. We kept the pace fairly moderate, conquered the surprise rollers that didn’t seem to end, stopped at every water station to refill (the heat had finally struck) and kept pushing through pain – both crotch and elsewhere. By the time we hit the St. John’s Bridge, I was so delirius and ready to be off that fucking bike. We had been riding all day and now the finish line was only a few miles away. This is also where my already short fuse nearly cost me the finish. The last 6 miles of the race are riddled with endless stop-and-go intersections. Stopping almost every single block was not only tedious, but downright infuriating. Imagine approaching the finish line to a 204 mile bike race, able to see it a mere 30 feet ahead, then purposefully stopped by a race coordinator to let foot traffic cross the course. We had to stop for 2 minutes just FEET from the finish line. At that point, I was THIS close to punching a baby bunny had one presented itself.

After those 2 minutes of finish-line blue balls, I crossed with my nephew fairly anticlimactically. We did it. 204 miles on a bike in one day was under the belt and in the record books. We calculated a total ride time of just over 11 hours. Not BLAZING fast by any means, but I’m proud we broke the 12 hour mark! Time for BEER(s)!

Finishing the 2012 STP

REVIEWING THE STP

While I have run a number of marathons, half-marathons, and a number of varying distance trail races, I have only ever ridden in 2 sanctioned bike rides (the STP doesn’t consider itself a race). Both were the STP. So really, I can only compare this ride to itself 11 years earlier, or to my running events. Take that as you will.

I want to start by saying a very special thank you to ALL of the volunteers that manned the rest-stops and water stations throughout the course for 2 days. I also want to thank every resident that lives along the 204 mile route as I’m sure you had a shitty time pulling out of your driveway those two days! And finally to all of the cities, large and small, that accommodated all 10,000 riders safely through your intersections, 4-way stops, bridges, pot-holes, and rail road crossings. You all deserve high fives!

To me, the STP is like an oreo cookie. The start and finish are the two stupid layers of cookie, while the stops along the route are the delicious soft white creamy middle. Ugh, that’s such a stupid metaphor and I’d be lying if I didn’t say I sat here for 15 minutes trying to think of an equivalent sandwich option that had delicious surrounded by lame.

Basically, what I’m trying to say is the race start could have been SO much better and the race finish was so aweful, it’s made me reluctant to ever sign up again. But the middle 204 miles were a delight of both scenery (well, for the most part that is. A lot of industrial freeway action the last 30 miles is unavoidable I’m sure) and race support.

The start line could have featured loud music, tables with bananas, more porta-potties, water stations, bagels, coffee, better commentators, etc. For some reason it just felt, well, BLAH. Not a ton of energy by any means. As for the finish line, not only should they fix the intersection-finish-line problem I detailed earlier, but they could add bands, food, entertainment, food, showers, medals, drinks, food, and oh, did I mention FOOD??

As soon as my nephew and I rode our bikes into the finishing park, we hesitated to try and find the ACTUAL finish line. We were quickly yelled at to get off our bikes only to realize we had already passed under the finishline banner at the intersection stop 50 feet earlier. Talk about anti-climactic. Then a small patch was thrown around our neck. No medal, just a small boyscout patch. LAME. At that point, we just needed to sit down and try to get some food. Well, no luck. The only place to sit was on a small patch of muddy dirt that had bikes strewn about (many of which I saw THROWN around by race coordinators angry at riders for occupying the space – $10,000+ bikes, mind-you). Luckily Mile Long Legs was there to greet us and protect our bikes from the throwers while my nephew and I looked for post-race goodies.

Nothing. We managed to grab the last 2 small chocolate milk bottles, but otherwise NOTHING. No bananas, no bagels, no PB&Js, no muffins, no soup, nothing. And if there WAS something, there sure as hell weren’t signs to lead us there. The closest thing I saw were a bunch of food huts set up by local restaurants who were charging for their fare. Fuck paying for finish-line food, I want the goodies, yo! The entire race we were fed like kings with more items than I could carry! But this finish-line was a bust. I also remember quick showers-in-a-semitruck at the finish when I was younger, but those were no where to be found (the next day I found them tucked along the backside of the park behind a bunch of tents and porta-potties. LAME.)

Post-STP Libations at Rogue Brewery!

The one-day riders had it pretty bad at the finish, that’s for sure, at least compared to most marathons I pay less for. Needless to say, I had to get out of that park as soon as possible in order to get my beer & pizza on. Jump ahead to the next afternoon when I returned to the park to greet my sister, brother-in-law and other young nephew as they crossed the finish line with the other two-day riders. Not only were there bands and entertainment, there was dancing, hoards of people partying, and plenty of post-race goodies to go around. WTF? They couldn’t find an excuse to spread this party over two days??

Oh and the worst part was the jack-hole announcer at the finish line. He was SO rude and condecending to all the riders crossing the line that I was on the verge of running up, grabbing the microphone, apologizing to everyone for his crude asshole behavior, and taking over. In retrospect, I should have. How dare a finish-line announcer treat the announcing like his own personal stand-up show with incessant jokes at the rider’s expense. Show them respect and let them bask in their HUGE accomplishment. How dare a finish-line announcer laugh at riders crossing the finish in tears because of the pain and suffering they put themselves through. How DARE a finish-line announcer comment to a larger rider that there’s no way his friends will believe what he just did because of his size.

It was appalling. And it went on for hours.

But as soon as my family crossed the finish-line – also with stupid jokes being shouted at them in the process – we left the park in search of more friendly, beer-filled atmosphere. Thank goodness Portland is riddled with amazing breweries! I ended the long long weekend with a chilled JedIPA from Deschuttes in one hand, and a fork full of beer Mac N Cheese in the other. It was pretty much the only combination to help me forget about the pain in my legs, chafe in my crotch, and mixed feelings on a historic NW ride.

LIKED:

After seeing a pair of the New Balance 1400′s in person, I went online, bought myself a pair, and have fallen in love. Simple as that.

I’m a huge fan of these shoes – both as runners and also as casual all-around shoes. They are extremely comfortable, light, and look awesome. While I’m not a fan of the laces of tongue system, the comfort of the upper more than makes up for it. While these don’t have the most minimal heel drop, about 10mm, they do feel low and accurate in a good stride. Give them a shot, try em on, enjoy the compliments you’ll get.

Check out NewBalance.com for more info!

LIKED:

• Light
• Extremely Comfortable running/casual
• Look RADGASMIC
• Fast
• Awesome upper

DISLIKED:

• Lacing System
• Tongue
• Little too much heel/toe drop

QUALITY: 3/5
COMFORT: 4/5
PRICE: 3/5
LOOKS: 5/5

TOTAL: 15/20

I really enjoy running in the Newton MV2 (“MV Squared”). This sucker is light and fast, exactly what it was designed to do. While I love it for anything from 5ks to 10ks (and it’s capable of MUCH more), I haven’t been able to wear it on anything longer than a half marathon without soreness. But that could be due to my weak, weak, ginger legs.

One of the major changes from other Newton shoes is the addition of a lug on the bottom. Now there are 5, each landing under the forefoot’s metatarsals. The shoe feels far more stable underfoot than previous interations, which can also be attributed to it’s lower profile and more minimal cushioning. If you are into forefoot or natural running, check this shoe out.

My only real problems have to do with the upper. I’m not a fan of the materials used – which is a similar problem I’ve had with other Newtons. I have a hard time running in these shoes without socks due to blisters. The lacing area, tongue and upper, are joined together with awkward seams which have caused irritation. That aside, tossing on a pair of thin socks does the trick.

Overall, I love the MV2s. I run fast and efficient wearing these. Take the time to adapt to the zero drop and you will love ‘em too. As I get into more minimal zero-drop footwear, I’ll keep you posted on how the MV2s stack-up! Visit http://NewtonRunning.com and follow @SirIsaac for more information!

Also be sure to subscribe to the Ginger Runner YouTube Channel here:http://bit.ly/subGINGERRUNNER

LIKED:

• Light
• Zero Drop (w/ 3mm Lift)
• Resilient to Wear
• 5 Lugs

DISLIKED:

• Lacing System
• Materials
• No Lug Cushioning
• Looks

QUALITY: 4/5
COMFORT: 3/5
PRICE: 3/5
LOOKS: 3/5

TOTAL: 13/20

This pair was provided by Newton for review.

I’ve spent the last few months running trails on and off in this shoe. Salomon does an amazing job with the Speedcross 3. It’s rugged, relatively light, fast, and grippy. Not having run in earlier iterations of the Speedcross, I can’t speak to the changes from the previous versions, but I can stand by the solidity of this model. The lugs allow for constant grip on softer surfaces, even performing beyond expectation on snow and ice. I can now understand why Salomon ranks high amongst trail runners for brand loyalty & quality of goods.

Despite an overall positive experience with the shoe, I did have a couple of problems. The shoe is pretty bulky and the heel drop is pretty extreme, especially for someone like me that favors reduced running shoes or even minimal running shoes. Salomon seems to be addressing that with the Sense, due out later this year. The shoe is also a bit narrow keeping my toes from splaying properly. And finally, like the La Sportiva Crosslight 2.0, the shoe is condition specific in that the bigger lugs limit it’s usefulness on hard pack trails like those I run in Southern California.

Despite these shortcomings, I really love the shoe. If you are a trail runner like me, definitely slip some on and get some miles in. Even the minimalist in me likes them and the soft comfort will impress you! If you have any questions or want more information, be sure to visit: http://SalomonRunning.com and follow @Salomon_Running (these shoes were provided by Salomon for review)

Also be sure to subscribe to the Ginger Runner YouTube Channel here:http://bit.ly/subGINGERRUNNER

LIKED:

• Looks
• Grip
• Build Quality
• Comfortable

DISLIKED:

• Heel Drop (roughly 9mm)
• Terrain Specific
• Narrow
• Bulky

QUALITY: 4/5
COMFORT: 3/5
PRICE: 4/5
LOOKS: 5/5

TOTAL: 16/20

The Newton MV2

I’m not gonna lie, I’ve been looking forward to trying these shoes out since some sneaky images of them appeared online months and months ago. Well, the press release is out, the shoes are pre-orderable, and they start shipping next month.

Needless to say I’m pretty excited to try out a quality, extremely light, zero-drop shoe – especially with the Portland Marathon just around the corner (looking for a nice shiny PR!). Many of you know I’m a fan of Newtons and currently run in their lightweight trainers (video review coming soon), so this should be a fun review. Stay tuned!

From their press release:

Newton Running Debuts the MV2

Zero-drop, 5.8-ounce natural-running shoe encourages faster, more efficient gait

08.08.2011– (Boulder, CO) – This September, leading natural-running education and footwear brand Newton Running is launching the MV², a super lightweight, zero-drop shoe that encourages a natural-running posture, provides protection and energy return. The 5.8-ounce MV² (pronounced M V squared) offers a unique solution for runners who want to run faster, perform better and avoid injury by adopting a natural running stride, but not sacrifice protection.

“While all Newton Running shoes feature a low heel-to-toe ramp angle to support natural-running posture, the next logical addition to our line was a shoe that was completely parallel to the ground,” says Newton Running co-founder Danny Abshire. “The MV² facilitates landing on your midfoot instead of the heel, which supports proper biomechanical alignment, faster turnover rate and greater running efficiency. This means you run faster with less effort.”

The MV²’s second-generation Action/Reaction Technology™ is the next evolution of Newton Running’s patented midsole technology. Five articulating lugs align with the foot’s five metatarsal heads. With each step, the low-profile lugs depress into a chamber and rebound quickly with the aid of a highly resilient membrane.

Therefore, unlike racing flats or minimalist shoes that employ a thin layer of midsole EVA foam, which dissipates energy and breaks down rapidly, the MV2′s Action/Reaction Technology™ provides long-lasting impact reduction without dampening responsiveness or proprioception.

The highly breathable mesh upper is reinforced with a durable microscreen to block out dirt and debris and transparent PU support strapping ensures a high-performance fit.

Included with every pair of the MV² are instructions for adjusting to a zero-drop shoe.

The MV² is available in men’s sizes 6 to 14 and women’s sizes 4.5 to 12 and will retail for $125. Pre-orders are available now at www.newtonrunning.com and will be in specialty retailers by mid-September 2011.

The 2011 San Francisco Marathon

Things I now know because of the San Francisco Marathon: I know nearly every square inch of San Francisco. I know what it feels like to cross the Golden Gate Bridge. Twice. On foot. I know what it feels like to finish a race without wanting to die as soon as I cross the finish line. Finally, I know what it feels like to have a favorite marathon.

When I started running again as an adult almost 2 years ago, The San Francisco Marathon was always a race I wanted to defeat, but was always scared to commit to. 26.2 miles running through one of my favorite cities on the planet with hills that’d knock out the best of us manages to be both enchanting and daunting. Well, a few months ago, before the Vancouver Marathon, I decided to suck up my balls and commit. I missed most of the early-bird price-cuts, so the $161 price tag as a late registrar hit hard. Now in hindsight, it was obviously worth it.

Yeah, blow your nose dude.

I took a couple of risks with this marathon, like a good Ginger always does. Firstly, I throttled back my training regime quite considerably since the Vancouver Marathon a few months ago. Between the two marathons I don’t think I had a single LSD that felt both efficient and strong; none of my weekly mileages totalled more than 40 miles; and I was slipping off my strict diet of no sugars or excessive beer guzzling (oopsie poodles!). Secondly, I received a pair of Salomon EXO II WINGS TW SHORTS (review soon) that I wanted to give a good trial. I am always preaching, “never try anything new on raceday”, because it can easily fuck with the system you’ve trained with, but I really wanted to try these out on a hilly, long brutal run. The San Francisco Marathon would be a perfect test.

Delicious Mexican Food, SF

Both MileLongLegs and I travelled to San Francisco the day before the race in order to settle in, plan our morning attack, hit the expo (extremely organized and efficient, btw), and grab some grub at one of our favorite Mexican joints in the city, Gracias Madre. We hit the hay pretty early seeing as the race start was an EARLY 5:30am. Despite my normal pre-race anxiety and the added stress of feeling VERY underprepared, I got plenty of sleep and awoke fully rested at 4:30am. We brewed some VIA (my new favorite pre-race caffein boost), tried to down a couple bites of bagel (which I didn’t realize had loads of cheese inside and would have spelled disaster to my tum tum had I finished it), and booked it to the start-line along the water on the Embarcadero.

On the Golden Gate Bridge

The race starting line was extremely well organized on the Embarcadero. Plenty of volunteers waiting to take your race bags, shuffle you into your correct waves, and get you started on-time. By the way, this was the very first big-scale race I’ve been a part of where the volunteers were strict about keeping you in your assigned waves. I saw many get turned away for trying to sneak in before they were supposed to. Props to you, SF Marathon, for doing what no other marathon has the balls to do: DISCIPLINE THE ASSHATS!

Before I had time to set my watch and shove the last of my gels into my new compression shorts, we were off! Even MORE props to the SF Marathon crew for getting us across the start-line within 60 seconds of our quoted crossing. I tell you what, when you are a big bag of nerves before a race, there’s something settling about knowing you are in good hands and can trust the race organization. One less stressor I suppose. So many races do it wrong, that when one does it right, you can’t help but get excited!

Running towards Land's End

As soon as I crossed the start, it was time to focus and stick to my plan. I knew I wanted to take the first 13.1 miles extremely easy. These would prove the hilliest and most challenging miles according to race reports. Taking the first half at an easy pace would also allow me to store more energy and strength for the second half and especially those last few miles. Smart theory, Ethan. I kept a slow 8:47/mile – 9:30/mile pace for most of the first half, speeding up only slightly on any downhills or flats, and clipping along slowly on the steep climbs. I also changed my gel intake due to a lack of any real breakfast calories. 1 at mile 3, mile 6, mile 9, mile 14 and mile 20. It all worked. Even the Salomon compression shorts, which I was worried would chafe or cause some discomfort, kicked serious ass.

San Francisco Marathon Elevation Chart

Running through Golden Gate Park

Let this paragraph be where I do nothing but gush about the beauty of running through San Francisco. From running along the Embarcadero in the morning fog; jogging through the smells emanating from Ghirardelli Square and Boudin Bakery; climbing the first hill at Fort Mason with a clear but distant view of the daunting Golden Gate Bridge; actually crossing beneath the magnificent, towering golden gates on foot; experiencing the race’s first real downhill mesmerized by the view of Land’s End; entering Golden Gate Park to the sound of thousands of spectators and half marathon finishers/starters; running around Stow Lake as memories flooded my mind of past visits to this exact location; being passed by the second half marathon elites down the hills of Haight; feeling a pop then excruciating pain in my right foot on the same hills of Haight; mustering enough strength to continue towards San Francisco Bay and the Bay Bridge; passing bands and cheering sections that rival any race I’ve participated in prior; getting teary-eyed as I realize I have less than a mile to run and my body hasn’t suffered or given up on me; to finally crossing the finish line in a time far faster than I could have anticipated from a race with as many hills and challenges as the San Francisco marathon.

I DID IT!

IN CONCLUSION

I thoroughly enjoyed the San Francisco Marathon. Hell, consider this review my love letter to the city and the race. They made the expo efficient and painless, the race was very well organized and staffed, the shirts are fuckin’ stylish and the ONLY race shirt I might wear in public, the course was challenging and rewarding, and the entire experience was absolutely worth the hurt. Thank you SF Marathon for giving me the bar by which to compare every other race I participate in.

LIKED: