Saucony Fastwitch 6 Sneak Peak

March 2013 Update: I've run two marathons in the Fastwitch 6 since writing this original review (TOU 2012 and PHX 2013). I won both races, so its gotta be the shoes, right? :-)  In all honesty, I've been very happy about how these shoes have performed over the marathon distance. My feet and toes have held up really well both times. No blisters, no pain. I wouldn't even think about wearing anything else for the marathon. 

My favorite racing flat for marathons (and my primary "fast workout" shoe) is the Saucony Fastwitch. I got my first pair of Fastwitch 5s last fall, wore them for the Philadelphia Marathon, and have used them for about 300+ miles worth of tempo runs since then. This past spring I picked up another pair in bright blue that looked pretty snazzy on the streets of Boston.

Saucony has a new version (Fastwitch 6) coming out in early 2013, and they were able to get me a pair ahead of time for the Top of Utah Marathon on September 15th. The new FT6 is a very slick shoe - Saucony didn't change the midsole/outsole (which is good - no need to alter something that is awesome!), but they revamped the upper - changing it to Flexfilm, which reduces the overall weight of the shoe by about an ounce. So its the same great Fastwitch, just a little bit lighter.

I took the FT6s out for their first test-spin this morning - a fast 10K tempo run. They felt perfect and I'm excited to lace them up for the marathon next weekend! I'm a big fan of how outrageously bright orange they are.

I should also note that Andrea has had a pair of FT6s since we visited the Saucony HQ in April. She had been wearing the FT5s for the half-marathon and marathon with great success, and is also big fan of the "upgrade." She raced in the new version when she ran 1:17 at the USA 1/2 Champs in June.

The two men's color schemes from Saucony Racing (check out their Facebook page)

Another sneak peak from Running Warehouse.

Here's some video previews from Running Warehouse and Outdoor Retailer if you want some more information...

How I got my start in running - Part 2

Two weeks ago I wrote a post about how I got my "start" in running (check out Part 1). It ended up getting pretty long so I decided to split it into multiple parts... here's Part 2:

After my junior year of high school I was "all-in" with running. Over the summer I made the decision to tell my basketball coach that I wasn't planning to play anymore, and I began training more seriously for the first time. I also started to read every book about the sport that I could get my hands on. Running with the Buffaloes opened my eyes to a whole new level of what hard work really was.

The first order of business that summer was qualifying for the Empire State Games (sort of the New York State scholastic summer olympics). I decided to try out for the 10,000m despite the fact that I don't think I had ever even gone for a singlerun longer than 6-7 miles in my life at that point. Long story short - I made the team for the Adirondack Region, and at the ESG I won the 10K.

I went into my senior year of cross country as a man on a mission - I wanted to be the best XC runner in the state. The year started off awesome - I broke course records in my first 3 meets, but then my performances started to slip off. In hindsight, I lost a little too much weight and my strength decreased. Mentally, once I lost my "edge" I couldn't get it back. Going into the Class A Sectional Championships as one of the 3-4 favorites in the race, I completely fell apart and ended up finishing in 26th place. It was ugly and a rough way to end the year.

August 2001 w/ Bill Rodgers before the Old Chatham 5K

2001 Amsterdam XC team

With my sister, Jenna, after the Big 10 Championships

The start of the 2001 Sectional Meet - the worst I've ever fallen apart during a race

My high school didn't have an indoor track program, so I was on my own to train through the winter and prepare myself for the outdoor season. A lot of people probably wrote me off after my implosion at the XC sectionals, but I made my goal for that spring even bigger than before: win sectionals in the 1600m and 3200m. Over that winter my parents and sister started to get more involved in running and racing, which was really fun. My parents and I ran a marathon relay together and won the mixed division. Of all the old newspaper clippings I have, this one below is my favorite:

The spring of 2002 was one to remember. I shattered the school records in the 1600m and 3200m, running 4:17 and 9:16. I won the sectionals and qualified for the state championships in both events, achieving the very lofty goal that I had set for myself. The "believe in your training" philosophy became my go-to mantra.

2002 Niskayuna Invitational - the first time I ran 4:17 for the 1600m

After high school, I went to Colgate University with dreams of being a star college runner. Things didn't quite turn out the way I had hoped. I had a couple so-so years of XC and a few decent track times, but didn't run up to anyone's expectations - especially considering the tremendous upside I had (running 4:17/9:16 in high school). I was hurt a lot, became frustrated with the sport, and during my junior year I didn't want to compete w/ the team anymore. I focused on my academics, ran for fun/fitness, but my college racing days were over before I accomplished anything of significance. Mentally, I was not anywhere nearly as strong as I am now - and that was a very big part of my lack of success.

Freshman Year, Cross Country team

NCAA XC Regionals - Boston, 2003
(Don't ask about the hair!)

While I was living in Maryland/Delaware/Washington DC from 2006-2008 after graduating from Colgate, I sporadically competed in road races - running some decent but unspectacular times - 15:39 for 5K, 26:02 for 8K, 52:22 for 15K, and 1:12:28 for the half-marathon. I kept trying to train for a marathon but always got myself injured... part of it was stupid training, part of it bad luck. At best, my running and racing was extremely sporadic during these years.

During the summer of 2008 I started to get my old track legs back - racing in open meets in Washington DC. I was running some quick times (4:20ish miles, low 9:20s in the 2-mile), but then wouldn't race again until 2011... a 2.5 year break from competition. Somehow, despite never intending for it to happen, I came out of this "hiatus" as a completely different runner - strong, resilient to injuries, mentally tougher - and would start running faster than I ever imagined I was capable of.

I'll save Part 3 - how I got re-invested in racing - for another post, the last in this series. I'll try to get it posted by next week.

DC Summer track meets, August 2008

Wildcat Half Marathon

Start of the Wildcat Half Marathon in Huntsville

This morning I ran the Wildcat Half Marathon up in Huntsville, UT as my last longer/harder workout before the marathon coming up in 2 weeks. After running 1:06:03 at the TOU 1/2 last weekend, I wasn't looking for an all-out effort, just a steady marathon-paced run with a slightly faster finish. I accomplised that goal, coming through 10 miles in just under 54 minutes and then cranking down the pace a bit over the last 5K, finishing in 1:10:12 for 2nd place. I was satisfied with the effort - I got what I needed out of this race and didn't push myself too hard.

A more detailed race report is on my running log - Wildcat Half Marathon Race Report

This was a nice small-town race but with very good competition, mainly because its on the USATF-Utah Circuit this year.

Andrea was out on the course taking pictures...

Course elevation profile

The pack at around 1.5 miles

The valley up by Huntsville is a beautiful area

Running w/ Riley around mile 6.5

Around mile 12

Heading towards the finish

It was humid outside during and after the race!

2012 Top of Utah Half Marathon (Race Recap)

Around 10.5 miles into the 2012 Top of Utah Half Marathon

Yesterday was a great morning at one of my all-time favorite races... I got the win and ran what I feel like was a pretty respectable time (1:06:03) considering my recent training (more details on that subject in pre-race thoughts blog entry). I feel like I am setting myself up to run a good marathon in 3 weeks.

About 4 guys were with me off the start, but after about a 1/2 mile I could feel that I had put a bit of a gap on everyone and couldn't here anymore footsteps behind me. Now it was a 12.5 mile solo time trial.

Down the canyon I just tried to keep an even effort. I wore my cheap Timex watch instead of the Garmin, because this race has 100% accurate mile markers and I really wanted to try and run on feel and what felt like a sustainable effort level. I didn't get out of the gate at a sub 4:50 clip like last year, which was smart. But without anyone to push me (ie. Paul right on my shoulder) the pace was a little slower in the first half of the course. That was fine with me. After the 5 mile mark the famous tailwind made an appearance, and during the mile #7 it was very noticeable and nice. Afterwards I asked the race directors to be sure to arrange that same wind for the marathon. 

My splits from this year and 2011 are below... as you can see - I was about 20 seconds slower in the first 6 miles of the race this year, but then ran nearly identical splits the rest of the way (which is actually pretty cool). Running 1:06 by yourself (especially on the second half of that course) is not an easy task so I'm happy with what I did today. It felt very good to cross the finish line first this time around.

Mile     2011        2012      Net +/-

1 4:48 4:54 +6

2 4:58  4:57  +5

3 5:03   5:04  +6

4 4:55   5:01   +12

5 4:51  4:55   +16

6 4:56   4:59  +19

7 4:53   4:53   +19

8 4:59   4:59   +19

9 5:05   5:05   +19

10 5:06  5:06  +19

11 5:14   5:13  +18

12 5:25   5:26  +19

13 4:58   5:00  +21

13.1 0:28   0:28  +21

Finish 1:05:40 1:06:03

Andrea and my parents were at mile 7, 10.5, and 13. It was great to have their support out there because its an otherwise very lonely (albeit scenic, wonderful, and somewhat challenging) course. That hill from 10.5 to 12 is a tough grind. 

So overall I'm pleased with the performance and where this tells me I'm at. My legs didn't have that "snappy / springy" feel - but there is no way I could have expected them to (after 5 weeks of 150-160 miles/week and then only cutting back to ~120 the week of this race). I feel very strong, though, and that is what will really matter over 26.2. I'm confident I will round into even better racing form over the next couple weeks.

Fast Running Blog - Full Race Recap

Below are some snippets from the Herald Journal's recap of the race. Click this link for the full article: Harmon keeps on winning; Krong gets his redemption

It was also a very satisfying day for Jake Krong, who earned some redemption Saturday. Despite posting the third-fastest time in the history of the TOU Half a year ago, Krong finished 10 seconds behind Paul Petersen, who clocked in at 1:05:30. 

However, the 29-year-old was not going to be denied in the 2012 field, which featured a record number 2,083 athletes who finished the race. Krong pulled away from his main competitors a half-mile into the event and ended up winning by 1:41. 

“Last year was a great duel with Paul,” said Krong, who crossed the finish line in 1:06:03. “We were just battling stride for stride for most of the race, and so this year my time was a little bit slower. But, I led it right from the gun and didn’t have anyone really with me, so it was kind of a solo time trial the whole way.” 

This doesn’t mean it was an easy victory for Krong, though. Although there was no one like Petersen to push Krong, this was arguably the deepest TOU Half field in at least 10 years. The top four men covered the course — which starts at the Hyrum Hydro Park seven miles up Blacksmith Fork Canyon and ends at Zollinger Park — in less than 1:09. 

“I definitely didn’t take those guys for granted,” Krong said. “There was a handful of other very good runners in the field today, so I kind of took it out pretty quick down the canyon and tried to gap everybody, and then just hold on and take no chances.” 

Krong now turns his attention to the TOU Marathon — a race he aspires to win in three weeks. A year ago, Krong’s primary focus was the TOU Half. In 2012, he’s been gearing his training regiment with the hopes of peaking at the full marathon and finishing in under 2:20. 

“All things considered, I’m very happy with how I ran today,” said Krong, who placed 23rd at the world-renowned Boston Marathon earlier this year. “I love coming up here. This is like my favorite race in Utah. It’s pretty awesome.”

Early in the race - Blacksmith Fork Canyon

Around Mile 7

~10.5 miles

Towards the finish

Any race that has Fat Boy ice cream sandwiches afterwards is a first-class event!

Top 5 Men

Post race w/ Andrea and my parents

Jake's Family Invades Utah

Some member of my (Jake's) family decided to escape AZ/CA and come up to Utah for a week. My parents drive up from Phoenix last Friday, while my aunt and uncle (Aline and John) drove out from LA. They rented a "cabin" up outside of Heber and we've been having a fun time doing all sort of stuff - rafting, shooting, fishing, bowling, etc. They all want to move here, and I can't blame them! 

Here's some photos from the last four days...

My buddy Jesse James and I

Horses in the backyard

Sunset from the back deck, where we've been eating dinner outside every night in the cool air

Clearly the owner of this house is a hunter!

Bridal Veil Falls

With the family and the south side of Mt Timp behind us

Andrea in the Provo River

Andrea's first shot with a 12 gauge shotgun!

Dad shooting

My Mom can be a bada$$

My turn to blow apart some clay pigeons

Mirror Lake (High Uintas)

Dad slaying some trout

Trial Lake is LOW this year. We were up here last year at this time and the lake was full.

Provo River Falls

Jupiter Bowl in Park City