Brooks Pure Grit Resole? Maybe?

Feeling really good as of this morning. Mileage is heading towards 50 plus miles this week which is pretty much back to normal for me. I'm running faster than before as well which is nice to see. Really psyched to begin running to work on Saturday mornings which is about 17 miles on trails one way. Been vigilant about stretching and preventative exercises to reduce injury which keeps me from wasting time on my computer!

Really stoked on the Brooks Pure Grits I've gotten and have been focusing on more of a mid to fore foot landing. The shoes are awesome in every way but the outsole totally sucks. It slides on wet pavement and don't want to know what it's like on Welsh slate! I'm just going to assume they are horrible in UK mud as well. No problems on the footpaths and canals I train along though.

This is the first version of this shoe and supposedly the Pure Grit 2 has better traction but I'm still skeptical for UK conditions, the shit is REAL here. No nice pulverized granite here! I kind of retired the Puma Faas Trail's I had been running in. Excellent shoe but after a couple longer runs I developed blisters on the outer balls of my feet, the last is just too narrow. I was kind of bummed about this but enter the Pure Grit!

Pure Grit sole - horrible!

I did a little research and I may have Lancashire Sports Repair resole them with an aggressive fell running sole (the Walsh PB fell shoe sole). Not sure how this will alter the stiffness of the shoe but since I won the shoes I may just do it and see how it works. The outsole is tried and true here in  the UK so traction-wise it should be bomber. I e-mailed to be sure they can do it since it's an odd shoe. Looks like they can but may have to cover/fill the toe and heel "gaps". Honestly I don't think they do much anyway.

Walsh PB outsole - eats people

So all is well for now I guess. Still a little soreness sometimes on the inside of my right knee but only after I run, never during. Ice and stretching seem to keep it in check. Otherwise injury free for now. My tweaked back is all good after a few days of no lower back exercises, I think it was really weak and actually strengthening it bothered it.

Well the mileage is slowly growing. My legs are feeling it and I'm once again adjusting to less sleep. Got out in the light the other day, sun was actually out which was nice for a change. Beautiful day! Wish the little one was with me but it was her nap time.

Rode the trainer today for 40 minutes but also am staying on top of my body weight exercises and stretching every day. Kind of tweaked my lower back the other day so been taking it easy with the back arches. Overall feeling pretty good and am eager to ramp it up but need to hold the reigns back to avoid any injury.  

Racing off the couch

Well yeah, we're back in running mode. Had been running a few miles a day and increasing a bit each time I got out. Then the wife pressured me into running the Wyre Forest 8 today which I did last year. I wasn't sure what to expect from my legs but I guess the race went well.

Wyre Forest 8 map

I was slower than last year and finished 5th but any injuries never presented themselves, well except for the odd MCL thing I have had going on which is mildly sore post race. The race course ended up being very muddy and wet, and the wind in any open areas was brutally cold. What a miserable day, I think it was in the upper 30's and raining. Legs felt alright but I could tell I hadn't ran consistently since mid-December!

Wyre Forest 8 Elevation profile - about 1550 vertical feet

Anyway, nice to have a little confidence back in my legs. Now it's time to train again.

So a good friend turned me on to a stretch that may have solved my leg issues. It's call the Couch Stretch and really works on the hips and quads. After a few days of working on this I got out for a run yesterday, 3.6 miles, no leg issues! So I'm hoping I have solved this thing. Self diagnoses are funny, I originally was dead set on this being IT band but it ended up being something different. I wonder if I would have just went to a physio if it would have been solved right away?

grey, yet again.

at least I got outside for a run!

So hopefully we're back in running mode. My knee is feeling yesterday a little bit so ice and more stretching and I hopefully will be good to get back into this.