Asics 3020

June finished with my mileage at 600.3. I would like to run more, but 100 miles per month is my without fail target so I'm satisfied. The current week finds me out for some short runs pushing Elliott in the original Baby Jogger that I bought used fifteen years ago for Valerie and tried to sell at a garage sale the month before we knew Elliott was going to exist. It's blue canvas is rather faded, the spokes are rusted, and the two rear tires are thin on tread and lined with cracks, but it's a smooth ride so we like it.

The short runs have given me a chance to accustomed my feet to a new pair of running shoes. I like the Merrell Trail Glove, but my right foot is structurally challenged to handle day after day or runs over an hour and a half. My analysis is that on that foot the big toe point inward and in effect doesn't extend out as far as the second toe and consequently the weight burden disproportionately carried by the second metatarsal which fractured last summer under the stress. Minimalist running though has helped me change away from being strictly a heel-striking runner. I have bought several different running shoes over the past year and nothing seems to work for me so I keep running in either the Merrells or two very used pairs of Asics Evolutions, but the tread has worn smooth so I've had a little difficulty with traction on the trails. Last week I bought the Asics 3020 (available in EE) which is supposed to accommodate a mid to forefoot strike and it seems to live up to it's billing. I haven't been able to get out on any technical trails with it or for any runs over an hour so I can't state unequivocally that it meets my needs. I am a little concerned that I've sensed a little Achilles tendinitis in my left foot. This seems to occur with new running shoes if I don't alternate them in slowly with other shoes.

I think I will be able to take them out on the trail this weekend at some point. The forecast is for mid nineties so I may not run for more than an hour and a half but that should be long enough to give me a sense of whether the 3020 is going to work for me as a trail shoe although it certainly isn't designed as one. The Trail Glove suits my wide foot but almost all of the traditional trail shoes only come in a standard width so I have to use a road shoe for trails if it's not the Merrell.

Speaking of trails, I was looking at my elevation gain for the year. On 600 miles I have 53,000 feet of elevation gain in six months. I remember looking at Anton Krupicka's stats for the first month of this year and he had over 100,000 feet of elevation gain. I guess the trade off on that is that I'm able to run and he's been injured most of the year.