To Free or not to Free

That's the question I'm trying to find an answer for. I've been running in Nike Free running shoes ever since my first run in early 2007. The Free's are special, the sole is divided into small segments to increase flexibility to a maximum. If you're used to wearing "standard" running shoes, that particular model will certainly surprise you the first time you wear them - it's probably unlike anything you've worn before when it comes to running equipment or even shoes in general. It's almost like you're not wearing any - almost. Switching from a normal running shoe to the Free is like taking off concrete blocks, it was an eye-opening experience for me.
Lots of different opinions are floating around when it comes to Nike's unusual offering. "It doesn't even come close to running barefoot", they say. "It's only for training, 5-10k runs". "You can't run a marathon in it without injury". "It can't be your primary running shoe", some proclaim. Nike doesn't help by labeling the shoe a training instrument, not a regular running shoe. Whatever your opinion might be, fact is that the shoe can be your one and only running shoe, I know from experience. Up until February 2009, I had not worn anything else. In January, I ran the Dubai marathon in them. Shoe-wise, it was a pleasant experience. No issues whatsoever. None! So, you can indeed run a marathon in Nike Free's. The critical thing is though that you need to get used to the Free experience before doing so. Slowly increase distances to make sure that your feet can catch up without injury. As long as you keep that in mind, the Free works for just about anything...

Right after Dubai, I thought about replacing my worn-out Free 5.0 V3 with a new pair. That's when I stumbled across the Adidas Adizero line of running shoes. These are similar to the Free in that they represent a minimalist design. The sole, however, is more traditional and not as flexible as the Free's. On my first run, the Adidas Adizero Adios felt great. Running fast seemed to require considerably less effort. Several runs later, I still felt that fast paces were easier to handle in my new shoe of choice. I must say that it took quite some time until I felt truly comfortable in the Adizero Adios during long runs. Now, more than 600k and a marathon later, the Adios feels as good during runs and races as the Free.

The Adidas Adizero Adios still seems to be better suited for higher paces than the Nike Free I had which is why I'm going to keep the Adios for now. It's all subjective of course. Maybe a lighter version of the Free might feel the same. I tried the 3.0 back in 2007 and switched back due to knee problems - maybe it was just too early, the results might be different now. In any case, it's good to know that Nike is not the only one to offer lightweight running shoes. For those of you who're looking for alternatives, the Adidas Adizero Adios might be the perfect choice.

What's your take on the Free? Can the Adizero match up?

How do you share your runs? Do you?

I don't. My current solution for logging runs is a Windows-based software called SportsTracks. It supports the basic set of per-workout metadata as well as input from devices such as a heart rate monitor or GPS receiver. I use Garmin's Forerunner 305 to record workaround duration, distance, heart rate and course, the import works like a charm. Additionally, SportsTracks provides you with an extensive toolkit for analyzing individual workouts by means of statistics and interactive charts, and generating reports covering multiple workouts. What I love about workouts is the logging ritual. Logging a new run after a hard workout and browsing through the data that was silently recorded throughout the last minutes or more likely hours, that's something I really enjoy. I'm obsessed with my distance totals too ;) That left aside this facility serves as kind of a virtual trainer that can actually provide objective feedback...

I have two problems with my current solution. One, SportsTracks is Windows-based and will probably never run on Linux or Mac OS X. My current system runs on Mac OS X, so I have to fall back to a Windows system to import my new workouts and analyze my progress. SportsTracks used .NET, thus, the chances of a Linux or Mac OS X version are practically non-existent. I don't want to go the virtual machine route, not for one application.

Two, and more importantly, there's no easy way to share all data of my past runs via the internet. Yes, I know - not true. What you can do is export maps and workout data as HTML, an automatic upload via FTP can be triggered as well. Right, my idea of sharing my runs though is to provide visitors with an experience that is similar to SportsTracks. For example, with every new run, I can easily check new distance totals in SportsTracks. In the case of per-workout exports, these totals are not available. Another aspect is interactivity with tables and charts, static images are of course limited to a single view of data.

I guess, I'm looking for some kind of service that provides runners with an easy way of sharing workout data and visitors with a clean yet feature-rich interface for browsing through the shared data. Nike+ provides a nice interface that goes into the right direction. Understandably, it only supports Nike+ input (which is why I had to manually migrate run-by-run from Nike+ to SportsTracks when I switched to the Forerunner :/ ). It fails in respect to sharing though, there's no way I know of to share all runs as opposed to a single selected run.

So, my fellow runners: How do you share your runs? Do you share them at all?

Panting for air on the 4th floor - not anymore

When you go to work, walk up the stairs to the 4th floor and end up panting for air, then, at the latest, you know that the workout comprised of writing lines of code throughout the day - I'm a software developer - is not enough, much to my surprise :) Ever since day 1 of my existence, I've never gone in for sports, the exception being mandatory sports classes during high school, which hardly count. April 2nd, I started to run out of the blue, I simply felt like running - run Horst, run...

Of course, I couldn't have done it without some sort of interesting equipment. For one, I am running in Nike Free's. I bought my first pair around a year ago and the experience was mind-blowing, at least for me. It is said to be like walking or running barefoot. Certainly, it isn't but it comes close. That is what makes the Free a perfect (though expensive) shoe for everyday use, that's what I've been using it before April 2nd. When running, the special properties are particularly beneficial.
Second, I am using my iPod (including Nike+iPod) to record my runs (pace, distance, duration, ...) and keep me entertained. The first aspect is very convenient because the training log writes itself and always contains relatively accurate information on the individual runs (for example, I don't have to estimate the distance myself using Google Maps). More on that later...

So far, I haven't stopped, I'm trying to gradually increase distance and frequency. Since April 2nd, I've been running 155.73 km (you know, that crazy unit equally crazy Europeans are known to think in). It's quite easy to keep going, even for a software developer, because these workouts tend to become addictive (just like hacking the Linux Kernel, but that's a different story ;) ).

As for "panting for air on the 4th floor", well, it's getting much easier already but it's only been 1 1/2 months so far, so there's loads of room for improvement...