People's State Forest Long-Run

Yesterday was a great day to do a long-run. It was cool and dry. I last ran this 11-miler in July. I had run it twice before then in May and June. Back in May, I ran it at 8:43; June 8:55; July 8:50; yesterday 9:01. I haven't been doing long runs, so I attribute the slower pace to this. It certainly couldn't have been the weather. I need to start running long on a regular basis if ever plan to run another long race. Also worth mentioning is that it was nice to run this with someone. If it wasn't for Jessica, I would have run this in like 9:30. You know?

Nike Free 3.0

I've put almost 370 miles on my Nike Free 3.0.1. I could put more miles on them, but I'd like to buy a new pair soon, as the old pair feels flat and is worn-out. The only trouble is that I can't find the first generation Nike Free anymore. Out now is the second generation Nike Free 3.0.2, and I don't like the feel. The design has been completely revamped. Why? The reviews for the first generation were great--mostly 5 stars. The reviews for the second generation, and I think they're accurate based on my trying on the second generation shoe, have been 50/50. It seems that the folks who gave the second generation shoe a poor review are folks who wear the first generation shoe and love it. The bottom line is that if you compare the two shoes, the second generation share pales in comparison to the first generation shoe. According to Nike, folks complained about the toe ripping in the first generation shoe, so Nike decided to add a thicker, more durable, piece of material to the toe. I hate it and all other updates.

Northampton trails

I did some kayaking and ran some trails in Northampton last weekend. The trails were great, wide and mostly flat--not much in the way of rocks, roots, etc. This I like. The last time I ran trails with rocks and roots (Bigelow Hollow State Park), I twisted my ankle three times and could barely walk a few hours after finishing the run. I like running trails, so perhaps I should slow down to decrease my injury risk. However, running in general is more important to me than running trails. Are Northampton trails the balance?