K-Swiss Blade Max Stable, QT2, Blade Foot Run & K-Ruuz Reviews

Gear up and check out these new kicks from K-Swiss! Read on the reviews by Philippine elite triathletes Monica Torres and Sandra Araullo-Gonzalez on the Blade Max Stable, QT2, and Blade Foot Run posted in http://3isgreaterthan1.com/. Below is my review on the new K-Ruuz 1.5.

Fit: At 5.5oz (155.92g), K-Ruuz 1.5 is lighter by 1oz than the K-Ruuz. Felt great the moment I slipped them on for a test run. It’s superlight and comfortable without socks.

Design: The new K-Ruuz made do without the old model’s outer support in the toebox. It’s upper Seamfree technology makes it light but snug all around the foot with no hotspots. It’s breathable with the open-air mesh upper, so you won’t worry firing the afterburners. No worries also soaking them wet with it’s ion-mask (hydrophobic) technology.

Type of workouts/races : Track workouts, interval training, off-the-bike runs. Sprint to 70.3 races. I would love to try it in 42k’s / Irondistance tri.

Type of runner/triathlete: Great for anyone who’s looking for superlight/fast racing flats. For a runner/triathlete whose focus is to run fast: improve a 5-21K PR or a blistering off-the bike run.

The K-Ruuz 1.5 will jumpstart your run training. Wearing it makes you look and feel good. And feeling good makes you run faster

The K-Ruuz 1.5 on and off the track

Biking for a sustainable future

"People have different ways of advocating causes they believe in. Some march on the streets. Some write stories. Others bike."

Feature on Rappler.com by David Lozada for the Cordillera Challenge. Biking for a cause.


BIKING. A sustainable mode of transport. Photo by Jijo De Guzman

 Here were some of my thoughts on Biking as a solution (as featured in the Rappler.com article):

- Our leaders should be more conscious of the environmental problems that we face.

- Biking is a major solution to such problems.

- Inclusion of biking as a sustainable mode of transport to solve environment and urban traffic problems.

- The Clean Air Act must be strictly enforced
- Biking is not just a hobby. It's an avenue to advocate for the change we believe in.

Top Kona Finishers - Running Shoes

Every year, after the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Slowtwitch.com posts interesting stuff about the big island race. Triathletes and gear geeks look forward to see the top Pros run and bike gears. 

Pete Jacobs posted the fastest run split yet again, a blazing 2:42:09 with his Saucony A4. His swim and run bookend efforts earned him 2nd place, with Crowie  Alexander setting a course record to claim his 4th Ironman Championship title.  

Mirinda Carfrae flew with the K-Swiss K-ruuz, setting the run course record of 2:52:09. It wasn't enough though to claim the Kona title from the comeback queen, Chrissie Wellington.  

Here's what the top 5 Pro Women/Men ran and flew with:  

Top 5 Mens
1. Craig Alexander (Australia) - Newton Distancia S, 2:44:03
2. Pete Jacobs (Australia) - Saucony A4, 2:42:09
3. Andreas Raelert (Germany) - K-Swiss K-ruuz, 2:47:48
4. Dirk Bockel (Luxembourg) - K-Swiss K-ruuz 1.5, 2:53:04
5. Timo Bracht (Germany) - Saucony Fastwitch 5, 2:47:26

Top 5 Womens
1. Chrissie Wellington (Great Britain) - Brooks T7 Racer, 2:52:41
2. Mirinda Carfrae (Australia) - K-Swiss K-ruuz 1.5, 2:52:09
3. Leanda Cave (Great Britain) - K-Swiss Kwicky Blade Light, 3:06:36
4. Rachel Joyce (Great Britain) - Adidas AdiZero adios, 3:09:55
5. Caroline Steffen (Switzerland) - Avia AVI-Bolt II, 3:15:17

Top 10 Womens/Mens Run shoe tally:

K-Swiss - 5
Saucony - 4
Avia - 3
Brooks - 2
Adidas - 1
Mizuno - 1
New Balance - 1
Newton - 1
Pearl Izumi - 1
Puma - 1

Follow this link for Herbert Krabel's list/article with pictures on the 2011 Top Women 15 Kona finishers - during the run.

Race 12 Ironman And Get A Kona Spot

Kona is a Dream. Crowie takes 3rd Kona title.

(photo from slowtwitch.com)

I came across this news while browsing through sites about the recent Ironman Word Championships in Kona, Hawaii.

World Triathlon Corporation CEO Andrew Messic announced through the IM Talk podcast that anyone who has completed twelve (12) or more Ironman races will automatically qualify for a Kona spot.

Messick explained that:

“For athletes who have done 12 or more Ironman over their career – and who are still racing – we are going to make sure that they have a chance to race Kona. It might take a little bit of time to cycle them all in but we feel that you should have an opportunity to race Kona once in your life if you’re a serious triathlete, are serious about the sport, are dedicated and are loyal but you just happen not to be fast. I believe that being a long term triathlete and demonstrating by doing twelve or more fulls…you deserve it as much as people who are super quick."

WTC will probably release the guidelines on Ironman.com soon, but this early, there's a lot of talk regarding this development.

Given that I've done one Ironman already (IM Malaysia 2010), I could try to qualify the hard way (age group Ironman podium finish) each year -- or just finish. Because by 2023, I'll have my Kona slot and race the dream. 

What's your take on this? How should the World Championship slots be alotted?

__________________________________________

*source article here (competitor.com)

Lighting Bolt - Usain's edge

It's interesting to know that at full sprint, say for 100m, World Record holder Usain Bolt's legs move essentially at the same rate as you and I. So what makes him the fastest man alive?

Usain Bolt's sprinting power. (photo from ThePostGame.com)

In "Usain Bolt: Case Study In Science Of Sprinting", Jay Hart wrote an interesting insight on Bolt's sprinting power.

First off, we have to understand speed. Experts say that running fast has more to do with the force one applies to the ground than how quickly one can move one's legs. This emphasizes the importance of the push-off in the run dynamics. 

Peter Weyand (Science Professor at South Methodist University in the U.S.) notes that speed is dependent upon:

    i) the force with which one presses against the ground and 

    ii) how quickly the force is applied

Off the bat, runners and athletes will understand this to be what we call cadence and run efficiency focusing on toe/midfoot strike. What I find helpful is the insight that the amount of force and how quickly you apply it with every foot strike dictate your running speed. To get faster, one should also take note of the force you apply with every step as much as we give importance to cadence or leg turnover.

So why is Usain Bolt the fastest man alive? 

He applies an enormous amount of force with every strike at the quickest possible time. Top that with a very a massive physique. At 6'5", he just takes  41 strides versus 44 of the other 100m sprinters of equal sprinting speed and strength. Usain Bolt has the holy triumvirate for a sprinter: He's one of the best accelerator with the highest top-end speed and highest endurance. 

I might not beat Bolt but I can try to sprint and run like him for that next PR.

Motivation and Dreams of Kona

"Are you motivated?"

The loaded question asked me head on while I was browsing through Kevin Beck's Volume Control article in competitor.com. Now I have to answer to move on.

I've been struggling to get back to triathlon training after the month-long Pharmaton MVP Unleashed Challenge in March. A lot of factors contributed to what I will now call a training slump. Maybe I lost some steam.

I was signed up for Ironman China in May but it got cancelled. The cancellation made the Cobra Ironman 70.3 in Camarines Sur (August) an Ironman World Championships qualifier. The 30 Kona slots were given so the Asian region can still be represented in the sport's holy grail event. I was supposed to focus training and vie for the much-coveted slot. Qualifying for Kona is a dream, and racing for it in Camsur makes it a little within reach. Well, it was surely. The Pinoy Kona-bound athletes are now deep in training and preparations with less than a month to go before the big show. 

Unlike them maybe, I didn't have enough drive and time to log in the miles and chase the Kona dream. Maybe, I accepted defeat even before laying down the plan to win. Maybe I was just not ready. I was just not ready, physically but I think more mentally. Already, I was dreading the hard workouts and endless training sessions even before planning the program. I knew what it takes to prepare and train for the Kona slot, but I guess I was just not willing to expend the required amount of time, energy and resources at that moment. I was beat even before trying.

I was not motivated enough to win that Kona slot. Maybe because I took Kona as it is, just a dream. 

Peanut butter and Racing

Having a bottle of peanut butter in the office is a bad idea. A bakery stall downstairs doesn't help at all. Peanut butter sandwich is my quick staple pre-race breakfast. Now it's an all around meal/snack I have access to anytime. 

Peanut Butter - Race Reminder

Well, what has it got to do with triathlon or running? Well, I guess it somehow reminds me that Cobra Ironman 70.3 in Camsur is just around the corner (August 14). 3 weeks out and I'm not in race shape at all.   

Coming off from decent race finishes both in Subic (Subic International Triathlon in May, Subic Bike King Cycling in July), I was geared up to race at the TriUnited triathlon (July 17). I planned to run strong after the swim (2km) and bike (50km), but I got toast the whole 15km of the Matabungkay run. Somehow, the heat has it's way on me around this time of the year. It reminded me of my first Camsur Ironman 70.3 in 2009 where I also had a meltdown on the run. The heat was too much. No cramping and no sign of leg pain, I was literally put to a stop, struggling mentally to will my legs to run.   

With Cobra Ironman 70.3 race on sight, focus should be on heat training and just running more. It was clear, I need to run more and  shun the peanut butter.