New 5K PB 8:17. Although I felt I should have gone 8:00 or better.

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8:30

Goal for next year: hit below 8-minute mile.

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I must admit my performance for this race kind of sucked. 9:48 pace? I knew I shouldn’t have gone to that Indian buffet yesterday…

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I signed up for a few high-profile races this year:

• Bike New York
• Spring Lake 5-Mile
• Atlantic City Marathon
• Philadelphia Marathon

I’m a bit nervous about the AC and Philly Marathons…those would be my FIRST and SECOND Marathons, respectively, and just a month apart.  If I survive both, I’m going for NYC Marathon next year…and maybe the holy grail of marathons after that: Boston Marathon!

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So I finally did what I’ve been “preparing for” for months yesterday: my first half-marathon in Atlantic City.

I managed just OK; i averaged just below 10-minute mile. I knew i could have done much better because I was running just below 9-minute mile on the first 5 or 6 miles and i actually RAN the whole course.

It was maddening…in my previous races, my left knee has always been the issue. Guess what? For the first time, it was my right knee. By mile 10 i was running around 13-minute mile because the pain was killing me…at that point i just wanted to finish the race.

All that bitching about my knees, it’s stilll my fault for not preparing enough. I ran 13.1 miles yesterday. So when was the first time i ran 13.1 miles? Yesterday.

Next year will be a full marathon.

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PR 26:59 (Garmin GPS) Official time is 26:52

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I mentioned that I was contemplating on exchanging the Newtons for a half-size larger because of the very slight digging on the big toe that I felt during long runs.

Yesterday, I ended up doing just that. I told the associate that the size 9 I have was mostly fine except for that slight digging sensation after a run which is neither pain nor numbness. She said that over longer runs that would become pain.

So I exchanged it with a 9.5…which, to be honest, was a bit weird…but the associate assured me that it was fine, since the location of the lugs on the shoe’s forefoot is still where it should be in reference to my foot (wait…did that make sense?).

I went for a 6.5-mile run this morning…and I’m happy to report that the digging sensation is GONE.

Thank goodness I bought this through RoadRunnerSports. The 60-day “No Questions Asked” return/exchange policy is a godsend.

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I am not running with any other shoes. There, I said it. At this point, I don’t care if I have to pay $500 for my next pair of Newtons. OK…maybe not that much…but you get the point.

I attained a PR of 27:44 (official time is actually 27:39.27) and with no numbing nor pain whatsoever.

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I just registered online for my first half-marathon for the fall.

Yikes.

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I’ve been reading about Newton shoes all over the intarwebs since I took running everyday seriously some 1.5 years ago…A lot of runners swear by them but for the longest time I couldn’t get over the sticker shock: almost twice the price of a “regular” pair of running shoes.

Over that short span of time, I’ve learned quite a lot about running…and during this short span of time, spent a deal of dough in pursuit of the perfect running shoes.

Over the last few months–while trying to get accustomed with midfoot/forefoot running–I’ve settled on the Nike Free series…while running with the Vibram Classics from time to time.  I’ve suffered from ITBS from time to time, but with these shoes, I rarely deal with the symptoms of the pain.

Until, of course, I had the embarrassing first 10K run.  ITBS came back with a vengeance.

So I broke down and finally bought a pair of Gravitas.  Fortunately, I bought this through a local RoadRunnerSports store…with the membership and some coupons, it sort of eased up the blow of the sticker price.

When I tried it out on the store, I knew the shoes were different…it had a beefy midsole…and I was a bit skeptical.  The store offered that I try it on a treadmill, but I didn’t have much time…plus I wasn’t too keen on the idea of running on a treadmill while somebody looks at me as if I’m some kind of rodent on a spinning wheel for a science experiment.

They did say I could return the shoes within 60 days if I’m not satisfied.  SOLD!

Now I’m writing this after my first 2-mile run on a treadmill, and here are my impressions:

• With the Frees, I have to be conscious of making sure I run the proper form and land on my mid/forefoot.  With the Gravitas, I can’t land on my heels without feeling awkward; I can actually forget about having to be conscious about my running form.
• NO PAIN.  I know this is probably some kind of Placebo effect, but I did not feel any form of numbness or pain like I would occasionally feel with the Frees or the Vibrams.
• Not too excited about the electric blue color (with bright red-orange laces!).  I really wish Newton would offer a bit of more subdued colors in the future…heck, I would settle for another color.  Perhaps I’m being picky, but I really don’t wont to be noticed when running…and with this color, people can see me from a mile away with their peripheral vision.

So…in conclusion (so far), it’s worth every penny.   That may change in 60 days…We’ll see.

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