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Wear new racing flats for my RR?
Hey, team--
Input please. Just got a new pair of racing flats last week and have used them on a couple of 4-5 mile treadmill runs and they feel good, seem to fit well (no blisters or hot spots). I've got a race rehearsal scheduled for tomorrow morning (race in 2 weeks). Should I wear the new flats on the run or just go with my regular trainers? Should I think of it like saving the aero wheels and helmet for race day or do you think I should wear them just to make sure they feel good outside and after being on the bike for 56 miles? Do most people who have racing flats (this is my first pair) do a long run in them before race day just to make sure they still feel good after 10-15 miles?
Thanks!
-Chris
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I never owned racing flats, but my 2 cents is to try them out. Never do anything different in a race if you can avoid it.
Good Luck and post how tomorrow goes.
Yup, wear them. That's what race rehearsals are for. What kind did you get?
Brooks Green Silence
http://www.zappos.com/multiview/7595431/218997
My trainers are Brooks Launch so figured I stay same brand for fit. Soles are made of recycled material so presumably I can feel good about my eco-friendliness. They are practically flourescent red and yellow and some might find them hideous but I put them in the so-garish-they're-cool category.
Nice! They look fast.
Chris - You may be asking two questions here. First, should you see if this different pair of shoes works for you, and can thus be used in a race? Of course, for all the reasons noted above. Second, you say this is your first pair of racing flats; are you wondering if you should wear a lighter shoe in a race?
This shoe is listed at 6.9 oz, which makes it a light trainer in my opinion, despite how its marketed. I wear 3.9 oz racing flats (Asics Piranha) in all races, 3.1 thru 26.2 miles. I "tested" them the first time by using them in a sprint tri; my feet were fine, so I wore them the next week in an IM. I don't "re-test" them in RRs, as they break down far faster than regular shoes, lasting maybe 100 miles total.
Thanks for the feedback, gang.
@Al, yes, I got the flats hoping for a lighter shoe to race in but to be honest I didn't think to ask the weight and compare that to other flats. They definitely "felt" light. Now that I know the Piranha is less than half the weight of these I may have to reconsider my purchase (or at least take the Pirhanas for a test run). Thanks for the tip.
@Nemo, thanks for sharing your experience. Hopefully, if they feel good going 6 miles tomorrow they'll feel good going 13.
@Eric, yes I immediately noticed that the laces are a bit hard to cinch up and and hold -- they immediately loosen up as soon as you let go (kind of like trying to tie a ribbon on a package, you need somebody to put their thumb on the knot). Going to put some elastic lock laces on them tonight to see if that helps.
Will report back after the RR tomorrow!
@al: wow! you can do 26.2 in pirhanna's?! awesome. that's Zen running.
i got pirhanna's but i can't run long in those. i use them for mile repeats on the track only. on the track, i warm up in regular shoes and put on the pirhannas ONLY for the mile intervals. i have mid distance spikes for 200-400-800meter track sessions.
i race in Mizuno Ronin racing flats which are sub7 oz, but greater than 5oz. they are perfect for me.
i train in 9oz racing trail shoes typically and most recently a Kswiss light trainier, also in the 7 to 9 oz range. my selection criteria is not the weight, currently. i select by feel for the road. if i can't feel the road, then it's too much shoe for me.
i am 5'8" and race around 160lbs, train at around 165-170lbs.
Safe training, GH
Good to see a veteran going with minimalistic shoes. I am up to 21k in my vibrams and 20k barefoot, 56 K/week overall and will be running IMCanada in the vibrams.
Hey, gang.
Quick report from my RR (moved it to Sunday). Went well. Think I have the nutrition dialed in. Possibly could have gone a little harder on the bike. Definitely need to control myself and ease way off on those first 3 miles of the run but overall it was solid execution and I feel good about where I am.
As for the Brooks Green Silence racing flats, I learned that they are definitely NOT designed for the triathlete with quick transitions in mind. As Eric mentioned, they have asymmetrical lacing and a one-sided wrap-around tongue. I put elastic lock laces in but when you try to put them on quickly you have to fiddle with the tongue to get it to lay flat or the laces will cause it to bunch up. Not a huge deal. Maybe an additional 10-15 seconds total time but still, they're not the slip-them-on-and-go convenience like shoes with standard lacing/tongues. Once I got them out on the road they felt nice and light and comfortable. Still toying with the idea of a just going with my Brooks Launch trainers for the race to avoid any hassle/frustration in T2. I don't think 2 extra ounces on each foot should really bother me too much in an HM. It may be a game-time decision.
-Chris
p.s. Al, none of my local running stores had Piranhas in stock so it looks like I'm going to have to try those out after the race. My next race isn't until end of summer so lots of time to experiment.
P
Thanks, coach. I think I'm going to practice transitions with the flats this week to see if I can get more comfortable with them before the race. Like you said, an additional 10-15 seconds probably won't hurt me if it means light/quick feet on the run. Will keep y'all posted.