Run Bulldog Run

Newton Running July 4th Special Package Deals

Steve — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 02:06:15 +0000

If you’re a regular Run Bulldog Run reader, you may have gathered I’m still loving the Newton Experience and looking forward to kicking off my Richmond Marathon training in the Newtons on July 6th. If the fairly high price point has put you off ordering the shoes, the following July 4th special offer may just entice you to try them out.

Newton Running are currently selling the following package for both men and women: Motus = Motion Stabilty Trainer (reg $175), short sleeve tech tee (reg $30), race hat (reg $20) and ankle socks (reg $10) for just $205, which in my opinions is pretty good value. Basically you’re getting the shoes for regular price and the three apparel pieces for 50% off regular price.

Just before I left for vacation last week, I received a couple of pairs of the socks, two of the Newton tech tees and a black Newton hat (made by Headsweats) - I’m happy to pass on the news that all of the apparel is great quality, super comfortable and looks pretty cool too!

If you’re interested in either of the mens or women’s special offer packages, click on the image above and you’ll be taken to the Newton Running web site where you can choose shoe size, tee size and sock size.

I know for sure my wife Ally will be ordering in the next day or two. She’s been following my training closely and also reading about the benefits of forefoot/midfoot striking and watching the many videos on the Newton Running web site. Think she’s definitely convinced about the great Newton experience……

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First Run For A Week

Steve — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 01:47:21 +0000

Not sure the last time I went almost a week without running, but tonight was my first run since June 23rd. The rest period was self-imposed and looking back at the first 6 months of 2009, was probably just what the doctor ordered.

Tonight’s run was just an easy four miles to get my legs moving again and in all honesty went rather well - no soreness and no aches and pains, although the extra couple of pounds from the 6 day vacation made me feel a little sluggish.

With a July 4th 5k planned for Saturday, I was conscious of not going too fast and set off at 7:30 per mile pace. The first two miles were exactly that but on the way back the Newton’s took over and I finished with a 7:26 and 7:08 third and fourth mile.

Nice to back on the roads and I’m looking forward to the second half of 2009 and the 20+ races I have planned.

Any predictions for Saturday’s 5k? Think I’ll be happy to break 18 minutes…..

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Heather Fuhr Loves Newton Running Shoes

Steve — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 02:53:08 +0000

Short video explaining why Ironman world champion, Heather Fuhr, loves Newton Running shoes.

The revolutionary technology of Newton Running shoes has brought the fun back in running, I can’t wait to get out the door. Now at 41, I am running as fast as ever.

The shoes are awesome. You can definitely feel that they get you up and onto your forefoot. I have to keep slowing myself down because I just want to run fast in them!!!

Western Branch 24 Hour Fundraiser Run Update

Steve — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 15:44:52 +0000

Quick post:

Just found out that Western Branch High School sold over 300 raffle tickets at the Ed Lowery 5k Bash yesterday (see comment here). Apparently, some, if not all, the credit goes to my blog for posting about the Western Branch 24 Hour Fundraiser Run. Just goes to show what a great bunch of people there are in the local running community!

If you weren’t at the race yesterday, (a) you missed out on a great cross country event and (b) there’s still time to buy raffle tickets for what is panning out to be one of the great giveaways of the year. Tickets are just $1.00 each with current prizes as follows: airline tickets, a flat screen TV, Nintendo DS, digital picture frames, iPods, free race entries, gift certificates to numerous retailers, and much, much more. There’s also a 50/50 raffle which is increasing in value all the time.

Just stop by Western Branch High School during the event next Tuesday/Wednesday to make your purchase or feel free to contact Coach Ryan Carroll for more details - rcarroll82@gmail.com or 757-282-1440.

View Larger Map

There’s also still plenty of time to make a donation to the Western Branch Cross Country/Track Team for their upcoming 2009-2010 season. Just click here to visit the ActiveGiving web site.

Good luck to everyone on Tuesday/Wednesday!

Ed Lowery XC Bash

Steve — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 00:16:38 +0000

Thoroughly enjoyed the Ed Lowery XC Bash this morning at Bells Mill Park in Chesapeake. It turned out to be cross country at its best, with a rain-soaked course and several muddy areas to run through. Of course, Ryan Carroll, coach of the Western Branch XC team, made light work of the course and the conditions and romped home in just over 16 minutes. This is Ryan at about the half way mark making it look oh so easy:

Ed Lowery Bash XC 5k from steve speirs on Vimeo.

I had a solid race considering my 6 and 8 mile training runs just a day earlier. The first mile felt very comfortable in 5:55 and I had fun chatting to high school senior Connor Doan who’d been up all night at a graduation party. How you can run that easily with no sleep is beyond me…

The second mile was also fairly comfortable (5:59), although towards the second mile marker I could tell my legs were starting to get fatigued. Here’s a short video of me running alongside Connor and a few other high schoolers:

Ed Lowery Bash XC 5k from steve speirs on Vimeo.

Mile three I had to work really hard to stay under 6:00 per mile pace. By this time Connor had left me for dust (actually, left me for mud would be more appropriate) and I was left to battle it out to the finish pretty much on my own. I finished in 18:44 - good enough for 7th overall and 1st in the 40-44 age group. Not bad considering Friday’s training and the challenging cross country conditions.

The race was in honor of Ed Lowery, a local coach who lost his battle with cancer last year.

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Friday Double Day

Steve — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 01:58:04 +0000

Morning:

An easy 4 miler that somehow morphed into a progressive 6 miler. Would have run more, but ran out of time before work. Temperature was almost perfect and the morning breeze made the run a real pleasure.

Splits: 8:06 7:37 7:31 7:26 7:08 6:44 - 6.2 miles in 46 minutes.

Afternoon:

Nice relaxed 2nd run of the day. No Garmin Virtual Partner, but planned to average 7 minute miles for the best part of an hour.

Splits: 7:05 6:53 7:04 6:58 6:56 6:56 6:58 6:54 - 8 miles in 55:47

Humidity much higher than this morning and it looks like it’s going to storm [again].

Feeling pretty good despite 14 Newton miles for the day. Looking forward to the Ed Lowery XC 5k in the morning, but as I posted yesterday, I’m not really expecting anything special. Definitely not a priority race for me….

Soccer Field Loops And Some Strength Work

Steve — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 02:42:20 +0000

Should probably invent a name for this type of workout. Any suggestions, please leave a comment below. I guess it’s a circuit workout of sorts, and here are the details:

3/4 mile run on grass, 6 soccer goal pull-ups, 15 push-ups, 15 crunches - repeat 10 times.

Totals: 7 mile run, 60 pull-ups, 150 push-ups, 150 crunches.

It was good to feel well-rested after yesterday’s day off and I’m thinking I should probably incorporate more recovery time into my weekly schedule. The run was almost one of my favorite progressives, but a rock in my shoe messed up the 4th mile.

Splits as follows: 8:04 7:50 7:39 7:43 7:28 7:16 7:04

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Ed Lowery 5k Cross Country Bash

Steve — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 02:31:57 +0000

Saturday’s race will be a 5k cross country run at Bells Mill Park in Chesapeake in honor of Ed Lowery, a local coach who lost his battle with cancer last year. I’m not expecting a fast time and will just treat it as an intense tempo effort. The XC 5k will be my 28th race of the year and puts me in a great position to hit my goal of 50 races in 2009.

It will also be the last race before a 5 or 6 day break to prepare myself for Richmond Marathon training which begins on July 6th. It’s been a tough, but enjoyable six months, and I’m sure the short period of down time will do me nothing but the world of good, both physically and mentally.

Should be a fun race on the rolling Bells Mill course. Note to self: definitely need to find my Nike spikes before Saturday morning rolls around…

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Western Branch 24 Hour Fundraiser Run

Steve — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:03:44 +0000

You may recall about a year ago, local runner Ryan Carroll running 100 miles in 24 hours on a track to raise money for cancer research, whilst his student athletes kept him company and took part in a 24 hour relay to raise money for their sport. Well this year Ryan’s athletes will be circling the track once again in the hope of raising much needed funds for their upcoming 2009-2010 season.

Recently announced, the Western Branch Track Club will be conducting the 24 Hour Relay on June 23rd at the Western Branch High School track starting at 7am Tuesday and ending 7am Wednesday. Funds are desperately needed due to the drastic Athletic budget cuts due to the current economic climate.

For more information about the fund raiser, please contact Ryan Carroll at 757-282-1440 or via email. You can also make a donation (large or small) at the designated fund raising page at ActiveGiving.com. Donations can be made with a credit card or via PayPal.

In conjunction with the 24 hour track run, a merchandise/gift certificates raffle is also taking place. Tickets are $1 a piece and the great thing is you don’t have to be present to win. Current prizes include, but are not limited to, airline tickets, a flat screen TV, Nintendo DS, digital picture frames, iPods, free race entries, gift certificates to numerous retailers, and a 50/50 raffle which is increasing in value all the time. Seems like a great opportunity to win a tremendous prize.

Tickets for the raffle will be on sale at this weekend’s Ed Lowery 5k Bash at Bells Mill Park (which so happens to be my next race), or you can stop by Western Branch High School during the event next Tuesday/Wednesday to make your purchase. Another option I just heard about is to send Ryan an email and ask that part of your donation be applied to raffle tickets. Ryan will add your name and contact information to the ticket and ensure it is entered in the raffle. Feel free to contact Ryan for further information:

Email: rcarroll82@gmail.com or
Phone: 757-282-1440

For what it’s worth, Ryan is probably the top area runner and regularly wins all the local races he shows up at. Somehow he juggles an impossible schedule yet remains one of the nicest, most genuine guys you could meet. Nothing appears to be too much trouble, and he’s always dishing out great advice and cheering folks on at the races. Furthermore, his athletes are a total credit to the local running community and regularly show up bright and early to volunteer at many of the local races. Not only are they good kids, but they’re talented athletes too - you should see what they’ve achieved in recent years!

I’ll soon be heading over to ActiveGiving.com to make my donation. It’s definitely a worthy cause and I’ll be more than happy to support Ryan and his great bunch of kids. Good luck to you all and make sure you don’t get too dizzy out on the track……

Update: Just made my donation. Didn’t see an option for PayPal, so please disregard my original information. Visa, Mastercard and AMEX cards are definitely accepted though. Maybe Ryan will chime in with an official response soon?

Update #2: Just realized why the Western Branch XC and Track teams are so successful. The athletes spend a ton of time following the 100 Push-Ups program! http://bit.ly/5vHad Thanks for your support Ryan and the team!

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150 Miles Logged In The Newton Gravitas

Steve — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 02:28:41 +0000

It’s been a couple of months since logging my first miles in the 2008 Newton Gravitas and now, 150 miles later, I figured a quick update as to how they’re holding up is in order. As you can see in the pic on the left (click for larger view), the 150 mile shoe is definitely showing signs of wear compared to the brand new one I have waiting in the wings, especially on the actuator lugs. However, without doubt, there’s plenty of “spring” left in the lugs which means I’m still receiving an energy return from every foot strike.

Newton Running claim that their shoes should last as long as a regular training shoe. For me, that equates to about 400 miles and means there’s still plenty of forefoot running left in the orange and yellow shoes. My only question would be I wonder how I’ll “know” when they’re done? Anyone have any input on this?

In case you haven’t got the message from previous blog posts, I simply love wearing the Newtons. They’re so comfortable that out on the road they almost feel like a carpet slipper. In fact, they are so comfy, quite often I’ll forget I’m wearing an actual training shoe and not a minimalistic racing flat.

As for training, now that I’ve totally found and experienced the “Newton Sweet Spot”, I’m able to run longer and faster and am confident I’ll be able to wear them with great success at the Richmond Marathon in November. Last Wednesday’s longish run was a prime example: just over 13 miles in 1 hour 26 minutes - a time that would have put me in the top 80 at last years Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon in Virginia Beach! Actually, now that I think about it, it wasn’t too many years ago that I was struggling to break 1:30:00 in a half marathon, so to go out in training and run this fast is pretty sweet.

Thank you Newton Running for the boost! Coupled with the motivation and inspiration I’m taking from DailyMile.com at the moment, I predict the second half of 2009 is going to be even better than the first half! Here’s to a couple of hundred more miles in the ‘08 Gravitas, and then onto the next pair. And the next. And the next…..