Saucony’s first foray into minimal running was wildly successful with the almost revolutionary Kinvaras – but the Hattori make the Kinvaras look like big ole army boots by comparison.  The Hattori are the first “zero-drop” (zero mm decline from the cushioning at heel-to-toe) minimal shoe offered up by the company.   Weighing in at a ridiculous 4.4 oz, they weigh almost half as much as the Kinvaras and are even lighter than all the different Vibram Five Fingers (VFF) models.  Obviously, there is no added filler for stabilization or support in this one – not the shoe for an over-pronator.

The shoe looks… well… funky.  There are all kinds of crazy colors to choose from and a rather polarizing design – some folks (like myself) think they look fast and slick, while others (like my wife) think they look like ugly clown shoes.  To each his own on this one. 

The shoe fit and feel is unique and distinct from any other shoe.  If a water shoe and a racing flat had a love child, this is what it would look like.  They are easy to slip on (far easier than my VFFs) and have two simple Velcro straps to secure the shoe across the top of the foot and behind the heel (although the heel strap seems wasted to me and does little to enhance the fit).  The upper is light and flexes with the foot, while the foam insole is soft and comfy, significantly cushier than the VFFs.  I wear a normal-width size 11, and an 11 in the Hattori was just barely snug around my foot, with a ton of room (almost too much) in the toe-box.  For me, this fit has worked – but the shoe doesn’t hug the foot as much as some may like, and this could cause slippage within the shoe, particularly on uneven terrain.  To get a more minimal experience I wear the shoes sockless, and have experienced no rubbing or blisters.  However, several others I’ve talked to have developed rub sores, presumably from the loose fit, and have to wear socks with their Hattori. 

The sole is relatively thin (about 13mm) and is almost completely exposed EVA, with very little rubber on the bottom.  This keeps the weight down and makes it a bit springier than most shoes, but it’s also hard to imagine that this would hold up well when you start piling on the mileage.  There is a more cushioned landing in the Hattori than in VFFs or Merrell barefoot gloves.  There are three rubberized pods of support underneath, but their placement seems misguided.  In a shoe designed for minimal runners with a mid/forefoot strike, why is the support placed on the heel and medial forefoot, instead of the lateral forefoot where most Hattori wearers land? 

For me, running in the Hattori is smooth and silky.  After a couple minutes you forget you’re even wearing shoes, and I’ve never found it so natural to mid/forefoot strike in a shoe before.  The Hattori will improve your running form.  This super-light, good-form running leads to another perk- the Hattori are fast.  In my two months with them I’ve set personal records in both the 5K and the mile. 

While the Hattori is certainly a minimal shoe, if you are looking for that barefoot feeling of the ground beneath your feet, there are better options available. The ground feel is just not the same as you get in a VFF or a barefoot glove – the more cushioned sole is not as grippy and reactive.   The Hattori is not for trail running – it has very little traction, you can’t use your toes to grip the terrain like you can in a VFF, and I suspect that after a few miles over a rocky trail you will have torn up both your shoes and your feet. 

Where the Hattori really excels is on the track and short grass, and, for the more hardened minimal runner, on the road.  It is my shoe of preference for speed work and short races.  It is an excellent training tool that can help you run with better form and improve your calf and foot strength.  If properly integrated into a training regiment (i.e. avoid the common “too much, too soon” pitfall), the Hattori can make you a faster, stronger runner. 

So let’s recap- if you are a neutral, minimal runner, looking to:

• Improve form
• Build calf and foot strength
• Get faster
• PR in short distance races
• Look super cool

Then the Hattori may be for you.  If you’re a jogger, an over-pronator, hitting the trail, or running an ultra, you probably want to look elsewhere. 

The Hattori rocks – but only in what it’s meant for.

About the author: Ben Prosser, is a 28 yr. old biomedical researcher at University of Maryland School of Medicine where he studies cardiac physiology otherwise known as heart research or nerd things.  Ben loves everything health and fitness related – he is a huge proponent of functional training, speed workouts, and running races that cause him physical pain and injury (he once broke his leg while running the Baltimore Marathon).  Ben thrives off motivating his friends and family to exercise with him and live healthy lifestyles!  He lives in Mt. Washington with his smart, hot and humble wife, Erin (who may have written this bio) and his old and smelly Boston Terrier, Bubba.  Follow Ben's training on dailymile.

The 890 is a neutral trainer but has more substantial cushioning than the others I’ve tried. Interestingly, the cushioning is supportive, soft and forgiving all at the same time. This shoe provides great surface-feedback; the cushioning seems to let just enough surface to push through the sole, giving a nice connected feel to your foot. On a gravely surface you will feel the gravel under your feet. I am finding this surface connection very satisfying. As a comparison, my previous favorite shoes were from Newton (Gravitas and Sir Isaac). The Newtons are a totally different animal but the point is that I don’t feel the road surface in the Newtons because of how the sole is built. Until I ran in the 890s I didn’t know what I was missing with regards to road-feel.

This is what my wear looked like after 271 miles. As you can see, substantial rubber is missing on the outside edge of the shoe. I suppose the wear pattern says a lot about my stride but I’m just happy that the sole isn’t more worn; they’ve still got life. The shoe is very flexible and does not have any solid plastic pieces in the sole. Instead, there are grooves that allow a lot of flexibility in the forefoot.

Looking at the New Balance 890 web page, you can see ample color selections. I’m happy with the gray and neon theme which also has lots of reflective parts. I put lock laces on all my shoes, so the “odd” (but effective) flat laces that come stock in these shoes are missing from my photo. Before installing the lock laces (and deciding to keep the shoes) I did a couple 5 and 10 mile runs and the stock laces never came untied.

Honestly, I had not even considered a New Balance shoe until trying them on during one of my marathon (pun intended) shoe-try-on-sessions at Road Runner. New Balance did a nice job describing the shoe design processes, and they have delivered a solid product that has lived up the the 890’s marketing hype. Features that attracted me to the shoe include a flat arch (no arch plate) to assist with fore/midfoot striking and the diagonal lines in the sole to ease the transition through each stride. There is a lot more “purposeful design” crammed into this shoe so check it out at the 890 design page for more fascinating insight.

The welded seams used to hold the shoe together have no visible wear and the inside of the shoe feels great on my foot. Normally I wear a thin sock but my two or three sockless runs in these shoes felt really good. The seams and shoe durability are holding up even after 347 miles; I’m guessing the bottom/tread of the shoe will disappear long before holes appear on the top-side.

These shoes feel great on the road, great on rail-trail conditions and great on the track. Some people might not like the extra soft feeling of REVlite + track surface, but for me the track feels so awesome that I am gravitating there at least once a week just to experience  “the squish”.

This shoe review was written as an enthusiastic evaluation of the New Balance “Baddeley” 890, and NB did not compensate me in any way. I can’t find anything bad to say about this shoe except that they’re “bad ass”. I’m expecting this pair to survive 500-700 miles before retiring them.

About the reviewer Stein Langlie: I have had an active lifestyle for twenty years and only began focused running and training in early 2010. Since then I have been on the prowl for the best shoes as I improve my running form and stride. My weekly mileage is usually 30-50 miles and average around 8 minute miles. I’m a mid-foot striker who is not concerned about switching my stride up a little on longer runs, just to give different leg muscles a rest. I have completed one marathon (Baltimore 2010), one 50k (HAT 2011) and one 5k (Preakness 2011). Upcoming events include a 40 miler on 6/17/2011 (join me!), a fall marathon (undecided) and the Ragnar Florida Keys relay race in January 2012. 

What better way to experience the emotional, inspirational Marine Corps Marathon than paying tribute and supporting wounded U.S. Service members while you run?   The Yellow Ribbon Fund Marine Corps Marathon Team is in search of team members.

The Yellow Ribbon Fund (YRF) is a charitable organization that supports wounded service members recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and National Naval Medical Center.  YRF provides morale-boosting activities and excursions for wounded warriors, free transportation in the form of rental cars and cab vouchers, lodging and airfare for families to visit their soldiers and Marines, job mentoring and a family caregiver program.

This is the third year that YRF has registered a Marine Corps Marathon team – in just two years, they’ve raised more than $36,000 to support the charity’s programs.

There are currently 20 team slots available for the October 30th race.  To confirm your spot on the team, contact me for a registration form and return it, with a $90 registration fee (check or credit card), to YRF.   YRF asks that each team member commit to fundraising a minimum of $500, which is tax-deductible for you/your sponsors.  You’ll also receive a YRF race packet and a carb-loading dinner the night before the race.

Thanks for considering the invite.  As you run past the monuments and memorials of our nation’s capital, and through Arlington Cemetery, you will know you’re doing a great service in honoring the men and women who have made great sacrifices for us.

Find more information on The Yellow Ribbon Fund

On the course

I will cut to the chase… I had a great time.

January in Baltimore is bitter cold and dreary as hell.  The idea of getting out of town and heading to warm temps sure is appealing.  From the moment we touched down in Phoenix our spirits were lifted.  We peered out of the shuttle taking us to our rental car and saw blue skies and green grass.  When we picked up our car and started to head towards Scottsdale where we were staying, I couldn’t help but notice how clean everything looked compared to the east coast.  There were no pot holes!  We had booked a vacation around the marathon to get a little RNR (rest and relaxation not Rock n’ Roll) and were staying at the Boulders Resort.  It was a little out of the way but totally worth the extra driving.  It was beautiful there.  You are out in the middle of the desert with cactus, big rocks, mountains in the distance, we were totally transported to another world while on the resort property.

Our schedule was pretty packed but allowed for downtime too.  The second day there, I hit the running expo with Cindy.  I love the atmosphere at the expos and I am a kid in a candy store with all the running gear.  I still haven’t found an expo that has topped the Chicago Marathon Expo, not even the New York Marathon was as good.  The PF Chang’s RNR Marathon Expo was just okay.  Maybe it is because Brooks Running is the main sponsor or maybe it is something else but, other than Brooks the other shoe manufactures were not there in full force.  After the expo we headed back to the Boulders and went to the pool to chill.  I love sitting by a pool when I know it is FREEZING where I would normally be.  I also can’t tell you the last time I was able to sit by the pool and just relax.  Since my son Theo, I have been on baby duty when it’s pool time.  Later that evening we went to meet up with some dailymilers for dinner.  This was a lot of fun.  I spend so much time interacting with the group online that it is great to get a chance to sit with them and break bread.  I have met some amazing people through dailymile.

The Pool

Expo

Saturday, the day before the race, Cindy wanted to check out some of the shopping in Scottsdale so we did a little bit of walking around and then got back to the pool.  I loved the pool at the Boulders, did I mention that.  My nerves were calm the whole way leading up to this marathon.  Now for some reason, I started getting a little bit jittery.  I wanted to do well in this marathon, I had my sights set on a new PR and wanted to finish in 3:40.  I didn’t run New York smart two months prior to this marathon.  I went out too fast, hit the wall around mile 16 and battle to finish 3:57.  I spent 10 miles mentally beating myself up, it sucked.  My PR going into the PHX marathon was 3:45 with a caveat – I ran the Baltimore Marathon under an injured runners bib as a training run 3 weeks before New York City’s marathon.  I have no official record of the PR.  I wont get in the debate of ethics of running under someone’s bib.  The sport needs to figure out more ways to solve race bib transfer options.  Anyhow, The looming memories of the crushing NYC marathon performance filled my head with some self doubt.  Steve Speirs was running the PHX marathon too, I couldn’t decide what I wanted for a pre-race dinner so I talked to him.  Steve eats a Hamburger with a pint of Guinness, he is a sub 3 hr. marathoner, I figured if it works for him I will give it a shot.

Pre Race

Post Race

Sunday came after some rough sleep.  I had a head cold all week and it seemed to be getting worse.  Cindy dropped me off at the finish where we were shuttled to the start in buses.  I met up with Brooke, Jenny, Steve and Ally before the start.  Jenny, Brook and I were all hoping to finish around 3:40 so we stayed together and got into the corral where the 3:40 pacing group was gathering.  This was my plan, I would stay with the pace group until mile 16, if I had gas in the tank I would try to push a little harder.  The weather at the start was perfect for running 48º and overcast.  It was the first time I saw clouds since coming to Arizona.  The gun went off and we started running full of excitement and energy.  The course was as promised, it felt really flat.  My local running routes in Baltimore are filled with hills so I felt really prepared for this flatter course.  There were some stretches with some slight uphill grades but nothing too severe.  Jenny and I talked quite a bit the first few miles, it really helped those miles go by.  I was feeling boxed in by the jockeying other runners were doing to stay close to the 3:40 pacer.  The group had created quite a dense pack.  I found myself wanting to get away from them.  There were only two options, fall behind the group and make some comfortable space or get out in front of them.  Around mile 11, I decided to get out in front.  I didn’t look back.  It was great motivation to know the group was on my heels.  When I ran through support crowds, I would hear them say “I see the 3:40 sign here they come.”  Not wanting to get passed by the group I would dig a little deeper.  There were plenty of water stops, I was very happy with the way they spaced them out on the course.  There were not enough GU stations.  Just one for the whole marathon and it was deep in the race, around mile 23 I think.  As I finished the last 3 miles, I was beat but still in it and still pushing.  I gave this marathon my best effort.  I felt good about how I managed the race too.  The whole race different people that have sent me well wishes and support scrolled through my mind.  It is amazing what the people on dailymile do for each other in the way of motivation.  I ran with a lot of friends in my head.  When I crossed the line I saw that I had a new PR at 3:38:48!  I was super tired and super happy.  The sun was shining +70º and it was time to meet up with my wife and the other runners.  Everybody seemed to have had a great day.  Steve and Jenny both PR’d and Jenny qualified for Boston.  It was a great day.

Mexican Celebration Dinner

Later, Steve, Ally, Jenny and Brooke met Cindy and me out for some Mexican food.  Everyone seemed so relaxed.  I really will have great memories from this marathon and consider it a great one to do especially in the middle of the winter.  I am really excited that next month I am heading back to Arizona to run The Ragnar Del Sol Relay event with a great group of dailymilers.  Arizona is a great place to visit.

Very special thanks to my Coach, Coach Caleb for your help with training and helping me believe.

Believe in the run.

Juda (ran the GORE-TEX TransRockies with) and John her husband picked me up at 12:30 to head down to packet pick-up. I was sort of excited to run this 5k because usually 5ks are family events and I just run them with the stroller and my wife averaging 10 minute paces. Today I would be able to push a little harder. Honestly, I wasn't sure what my 5k time would be. I needed a time to start working against and the Resolution Run would give me my benchmark.

The Resolution Run course is in Patterson Park on the east side of Baltimore. It has some hills so it makes for a challenging 5k. When the gun went off I was enthusiastic and started strong. After a mile I was feeling the booze and lack of sleep. I actually considered dropping out. The stomach and lungs were giving me trouble. I stuck with it and was punished even more by a long climb up a steady hill. Knowing that there would be a downhill kept me going. I finished up with a time of 24:06 (7:42 pace.) I think this is a good start and I will be trying to improve on this now that I have a reference time for 5ks.  Maybe I will see you at next year's Resolution Run.

PS- Juda ended up 2nd in her age group and I was beaten by a 9 year old.

I hope you are off to a great 2011. Believe in the run.

-Thomas

View from Hotel

For those of you that like to flip to the end of a book, I will give the results first:

Place – 13384 out of 44,829
Gender Place – 10692
Age Place – 2070
Finish Time – 3:57:20
5k – 25:10
10k - 49:49
13.1 – 1:47:10

Splits:

1- 8:49
2- 7:27
3- 7:50
4- 7:47
5- 7:52
6- 7:53
7- 8:01
8- 8:04
9- 8:15
10- 8:07
11- 8:26
12- 8:20
13- 8:21
14- 8:40
15- 9:47
16- 11:03 BRIDGE!
17- 8:49
18- 9:01
19- 9:32
20- 9:38 WALL!
21- 9:48
22- 10:05
23- 10:38
24- 11:00
25- 11:37
26- 9:34

First, I want to thank all my friends online and off that supported me on this run.  I really do feel your encouragement when I am running and think about the well wishes that you thoughtfully took time to send.

The trip up to New York started out Saturday morning.  We left from Whitemarsh, Maryland on a Megabus.  About two hours into the ride the bus driver pulled the bus off to the side I-95, got out and started barfing.  He got back onto the bus and drove another twenty minutes before he pulled over again to resume the barfing. (barfing is a fun word that I haven’t used in awhile)  We then pulled off at a rest stop about 45 minutes from the city where we waited for a replacement driver for two hours.  During that time a woman with a strong Jamaican accent started yelling at the driver that he should keep driving.  She also kept repeating “This feels EVIL.”  We eventually made it to NYC, grabbed a slice of pizza and headed to the expo.  The expo was a little disappointing.  Chicago’s expo was pretty great and it set the bar pretty high.  I really thought that NYC was going to blow Chicago out of the water.  It didn’t.  To be fair it was the last few hours of the expo.  People were tired and the booths were run down after 40,000 plus visitors.

Chowing on pizza

2010 NYCM Expo

Cindy and I went to an early dinner with our good friends Juda and John McGannon at a little Italian restaurant, Pomadora Rosso.  The food was very good.  I had a salmon vegetable and pasta dish.  Next stop bed then getting up early for the bus.

The alarm was set for 4:30 a.m.  I was up and ready to go.  It was cold out, in the 30′s F.  I had my layers of clothes that would be shed and left for volunteers to donate.  I walked to the bus pick-up at 42nd and 6th Ave. and was loaded up almost instantly.  Getting to the village was a bit confusing.  It was still dark out so I just followed the other runners to a Dunkin Donuts tent and enjoyed the free coffee.  There were tents filled with people like some bizarre refugee camp.  I laid down and waited to hear from Juda and John.  They made it to the tent and we began the long wait until start time.  We made friends with an Englishman that lives in Brooklyn named Martin Rowe, he was a nice witty chap.  About an hour before my start time I headed to the starting corral.

It was a little chaotic, the instructions from the waiting area to the corrals were not good.  There was a lot of confusion.  When I got to my gate there was some shouting and pushing going on.  It turns out people had arrived late for their wave and were blocked out from getting in to that wave corral.  It boiled over and a couple French guys bum rushed the gate attendee and completely toppled him head over ass.  While that happened others pushed their way in and yet more people broke in by busting a gate open.  It was a little crazy but peace was restored.

I was now in the corral pressed tight with the 2nd wave of runners.  A very chilly wind was blowing when we started to move toward the starting line.  Once there a few minutes of waiting around, a speech to spur us on crackled over the P.A. system, and finally, a cannon went off and we were running.  It was hardly as crowded as I thought it would be.  It seemed like it was going to be a great day for running.  The sun was out and the air had a nice chill to it.  At first I was running just to get warm.  My pace seemed effortless and I was surprised how quickly I made it to the three mile mark.  I used Caleb Masland’s mantra “smooth equals fast” and I was pretty, pretty, pretty smooth.  It gave me confidence that I would later regret.

The NYCM had the best aid stations I have experienced in my 10 marathons.  There were so many water and Gatorade aid stations you could skip one with confidence that another one would be right around the corner.  The crowd support was awesome as promised.  I made it to the half way point in relative ease, I was full of hope that this was going to be a banner day.  Then all of a sudden around mile 16 going over the bridge I started to hit the wall, first physically, but, more importantly mental.  This began the toughest ten miles of mental torture I can remember.  I really did a number on myself.  I was mad that I ignored common sense that tells you to go out at a reasonable pace and build speed over the miles.  I felt fooled by what seemed like an easy performance on a difficult marathon course in Baltimore three weeks earlier. (3:45 PR)  I realized limitations in the middle of a race and that is a tough place to take a lesson.

The whole show started to crumble in the last 4 miles.  Physically I was giving it everything I had.  I was doing my best and leaving nothing on the course.  I was also having to take short walk breaks on wobbly, beaten legs.  I was so close and could not muster the energy to move my ever tightening legs.  I now was thinking about what Steve Speirs says “BYB” (be your best) and it helped a little.  Gassed and beaten I willed my feet to give one last mile of running to cross the finish.

OMFG! This was the longest post finish march! 100 yards to the space blankets, another 100 yards to get the medal, bag drop was a mile away!  I had to stop my legs totally cramped.  I was escorted to the medical tent.  They rubbed my legs out and I was discharged to continue the death march to bag pick up.

I ran the TransRockies! 118 miles 25,000 feet of elevation, and my legs never cramped up.  NYCM kicked my butt and I felt responsible for it too.  I did not play this one smart.  I thought maybe I was holding myself back and that there actually was a faster marathoner in me.  That maybe if I ran faster and tried harder that would be enough.  This was a great learning experience and I take away a real respect for proper expectations.  My next marathon I will go out with a better pacing plan.  Did I enjoy the New York Marathon? No and yes.  I hardly noticed my surroundings in the mental state I was in.  I do love the experience I gained from running the NYCM.  Purely on logistics, waiting around in the cold for 5 hours before you start running sucks.  The finish line march of death was less then fun, however, I would recommend every one run it.  After all it is the New York City Marathon.  You kinda have too.  I will leave you with a quote from NYRR president, Mary Wittenberg “the great thing about running is how much it means to every runner, how it transforms lives.” Believe in the Run.

Special thanks to Caleb Masland that helped me figure out my marathon training, (It’s not his fault I went out too fast)  Michelle Jacobs for hosting a dailymile meet up that I arrived to late to attend, Juda and John for being there and being friends, my in-laws Jace and Mead Slaughter for watching Theo while we were in NYC.  Lastly I want to thank my wife for being the biggest cheerleader and best support any runner could ask for.  She came up to NYC with me pregnant, sick, and tired just to be there for me.  I am a lucky man.  Thanks Cindy.

Cindy and Me

NIKE LUNAR ECLIPSE

Sunday I will be running the NYC Marathon for the first time.  I gotta admit I am pretty excited about it.  Since training and running the GORE-TEX TransRockies Run, I have been feeling great and have gained some speed too.  I have high hopes for a great race in NYC.  On my last run before NYC I had a good one. I just relaxed and went for a 7 mile loop.  Everything is feeling good.  I have my weapon of choice picked out the Nike Lunar Eclipse.   After my knee gave me a little trouble on Monday in the Nike Pre, it was virtually gone in the Eclipse.  The shoes feel great.  I am focusing on staying relaxed for NYC and trying to enjoy the event without clouding it with expectations.  I want to continue to run faster and would love to beat my Baltimore marathon time of 3:45:32 two weeks ago but, more than that I want to enjoy running an event as big and celebrated as the NYC Marathon. I can always focus on the Phoenix Marathon in January for a new PR.

Speaking of the TransRockies run Juda and I got some coverage in the Washington Running Report, check it out…

Believe in the run.

Finisher medal and official time

A week before the Baltimore Marathon I decided I wanted to run it.  It made sense, I am training for the NYC Marathon and had a 22 mile training run scheduled for the same day.  Why not add 4.2 miles and get a medal?

The event was sold out, so I put the word out that I wanted to run it and if anybody knew a way for me to get a bib contact me.  I even tried calling charities involved to see if I could run legit.

Social media came through when traditional channels failed.  I found a guy that injured his foot and could not run.  I was able to buy his bib and gain entry.  He wanted to keep the shirt so we worked out a discount for it.

The eve of the race came quickly and I found myself more relaxed than I have ever been before a big run.  After all this was just a training run not a race.

I got up early Saturday morning and the family headed down to Fells Point to meet up with some friends.  After getting everyone together, we finally started heading to the start with about a half hour to spare.  We got dropped off about a mile from the start line.  I had told another friend I would meet him at the start for his first marathon, I felt bad that we were getting there late so I ran to the start to meet up with him.  The warm up was good.

We lined up with the 3:50 pace group in the corral.  I concentrated on running easy and relaxed from the get go.  During the run I started to see familiar faces which kept the miles sailing by.  Soon we were in front of the 3:50 pace group and feeling quite relaxed.  Baltimore is a hilly course, I knew I had to keep some reserves for later but, in the mean time, the pace seemed quick and comfortable.  Overall, that is how the race went.  I got in a comfortable groove and just held it.   I was even able to resist the urge to sprint to the finish line.  As I came into the finish I looked up and saw the clock and was honestly surprised to see 3:45.  I had just run my best marathon on a tough course in relative ease.  I was pretty pleased.  I just got a new PR and finished my 9th Marathon.

The bummer is that my time is officially under another name not mine.  The good news is that it filled me with confidence and excitement for the NYC marathon coming up in November.

I definitely believe that the TransRockies Run has put me into the best shape of my life.  I got to write my review of the GTTR, I am just having trouble getting my head around it.

Believe in the Run.

Believe in the Run.