White Out at Crazy Horse / Run With Bill Rodgers

This past weekend I was supposed to participate in the Crazy Horse Half Marathon. A few hours before I was supposed to leave I got a notice from Delta about my connecting flight from Minneapolis to Rapid City.  It had been moved from that evening to the next morning. Well, that isn't good. As you now know, South Dakota and surrounding regions were absolutely crushed by record snowfall.  I had to make the executive decision based on experience from oodles of traveling to cancel my trip altogether.

It ends up I probably could have never even gotten to Rapid City by any other means than sled dog. The race was eventually canceled but not due to a lack of trying by the race organizers. Many of those organizers still do not have power today. Rough day all around.

When I went to show support on the race's Facebook page the vast majority of the comments were supportive. Some, however, irked me tremendously.  I do know that one bad comment doesn't undo 10 good ones but I often wonder if people think before they type. Well, actually, I know they don't and the problem with an off the cuff comment in the written form is that it stays there forever, always and perpetually making the same dumb/rude/ignorant statement.

Which leads me to a plea I have made often to runners. Sure, we cannot know all the inner workings of a race and where the money goes and how volunteers are used, etc. I am not expecting runners to know what it takes years of working in and around the industry to grasp.  However, most runners should at least volunteer at a few races. Behind the scenes they will see how it is virtually impossible to honor some of their request for refunds, course changes and any other last minute issues. They will become much more sympathetic to the problems of being a race director and realize there are few people who want the race to go off without a hitch more than those involved with putting it on.

So, staying home, I decided to go for a run and enjoy some of the most beautiful weather Portland has seen in weeks.  The remnants of the typhoon had passed and the fall weather was beautiful.  Lo and behold, I ran into my friend and one of the greatest marathoners ever, Bill Rodgers.

As I had not expect to be in Portland this weekend, I had completely forgotten he would be in town to promote the local marathon.  He asked me if I was going to be in town the next day and if I wanted to go for a run.  My answer centered around something about a bear and what it does in the woods.

Karhu Steady3 Review

Full Disclosure: Karhu is my shoe sponsor.

Even More Disclosure: if you know anything about me you will now I say it how it is.  So, if these shoes sucked, well, I might put it in the most diplomatic way possible, but I would tell you they suck.  Or I would probably not write a review. Fortunately, they far from suck. They are also resilient.  More on that in a bit.

(And if you stick around to the end of this review, I have a 15% off code for you to use! Erinomaista! That is Finnish for Excellent.  Or at least I think it is.)

I am a heel striker.  I won't say proudly because there is no pride in doing something which comes naturally. However, it is how I run and it has given me zero problems over 146 marathons and a few other running adventures. The Steady is a shoe built for those who strike as such so I thought I would give it a try. Granted it is engineered for everyday stability training and I am not one who normally needs a "stability" shoe, but it couldn't hurt to give it a go.

First run impressions were that it ran very smooth. In fact, even though a surprise rain shower soaked me and the shoes, they didn't feel that heavy.  Part of that has to do with the fact that they only run 8.9 ounces to begin with but another is the highly breathable mesh upper that really makes the shoe so much more airy. (Check out this video from my man Jordan for a quick tutorial on The Steady and The Fluid which I reviewed here.)

While, the Steady provides support through the medial midfoot for runners who require more guidance and may pronate a bit, I did not feel like it was pushing me over, even though I do not overpronate.  In fact, it was such a nice cushioned ride I couldn't believe the shoe weighed as little as it did.  I was eager to give them another run later on that day.  This first run had contained a few small rises, all on pavement for about 9 miles.  I planned on a shorter, faster run, some on it on dirt with twists and turns through nearby Laurelhurst Park in the evening. Then, my stupidity kicked in.

I set the Steady3 next to my fireplace.  Too close to my fireplace.  Whoops.

Now the question began, how can I possibly review a shoe that I have damaged.  One run is not nearly good enough to give ample feedback to people.  Then I realized that perhaps the damage was only cosmetic and the only way to find out was to give them a go. Well, I am unsure if it was my imagination but I think the damage went a little deeper than the surface.  It felt like I had definitely damaged the shoe. Then I had to stop at a stoplight which really bothers me for no rational reason and I lost my train of thought.  I then had to jump over an enormous puddle and around some branches strewn on the ground from the monsoon we have been having in Portland.

Next thing I knew I was in Laurelhurst Park.  I run this park when I want a nice safe and easy run where I can add one mile loops as I feel fit.  Since my Dane to Davenport ended I have run this repeatedly as I haven't had much pop in my legs.  Every time I have run it, however, I have run it faster than the previous time.  I could tell that I was going to be close to keeping that streak alive here so I really focused in on my stride, my arm swing, my breathing and where my feet were falling.

My Feet! They are in burnt shoes! I had absolutely forgotten about the shoes.  If I really concentrated I think I could feel where I had done the damage but maybe I was thinking too much.

So, I thought lets give them another run.  Obviously I do not want to run in shoes which are going to be harmful (because of my stupidity) so too many more runs would be counter-productive.  But a run up nearby Mt. Tabor, which would be completely different than either of the other two runs, would really give me more feedback. On a sidenote, I could not believe it had been nearly two months since I ran this route up Mt. Tabor (about a mile from my loft.) That gives you an idea of how much I travel, I guess.

The Steady performed admirably.  However, I did notice that they were a little less "grippy" than I would like to be but that could have been a combination of the fact that the pavement was slick from rain and that I only had about 18 miles on the treads. Perhaps I had not sufficiently scuffed them up yet.  Or maybe shoes are always a little slippy on wet pavement and I never cared when I wasn't being ultra-sensitive to how they fit and wore.
Will I make the Steady part of my must-have arsenal? Well, as I mentioned, I don't overpronate so the need for a shoe that helps correct that is not high on my list. I do, however, think they are a darn good shoe. I will also use them as part of my rotating Karhu collection as I begin my post-Dane to Davenport ramp-up in speed. Even with the burnt outside (chicks dig scars, right?) I think the shoes will suit me just fine.


In addition, as promised, if you use the code "SEEDANERUN" on Karhu's website, Karhu will automatically knock off 15% whopping percent from your purchase. Treat yourself today!