It's a day off after the holiday, which means I have time to hit the trails on a weekday. With a 50K lined up this weekend as my last long training run, today is all about playing with some speed in my new shoes.
I recently got the new Superior 7s, and I have a relationship with this shoe. My first version was the 4.5, and I loved it—I still have it. Superior is by far my favorite Altra shoe for trail running. It's not meant for long days because the cushion is minimal, but that makes them light and fast, relatively speaking.
The Superior Comeback Story
I tried the Superior 5s some time ago and was so disappointed that it turned me off entirely from ever buying the shoe again. But watching a review from Run Moore (shout out, Steve) sold me, mainly because he said the shoe was somewhere between what would have been Altra's standard fit and wider original fit. So I thought I would return and give it a try.
I've also got a challenging event in the second half of this year that I may be using these for. So, not only is today a first-impressions run, but I want to see how they feel. I might be on my way to smashing my PR on this course.
Flying on the Trail
I am flying. I am very close to finishing, but my first sub-30-minute trail 5K is within reach. Let's go.
Run done. Not only did I set a new Trail 5K PR, that loop, which is only a little bit more—I think my best so far was maybe 37 and change—I just took five minutes off it. It's got to be the shoes.
More than Just Amazing
I would consider that somewhat hard. I felt very strong. I wish there was a higher setting today, because honestly, if amazing was an RPE scale, that's how I felt.
I got a good night's sleep. It's a little on the chilly side. I had a light day yesterday, just a 5K ruck. I did that fast 10K on Saturday, so I think this is what you get. Of course, I still have to do 50K this weekend. We'll see how I feel then, but today, I feel great.
Final Stats
Here's the breakdown for those keeping score:
Distance: 5K+ trail loop
Average Pace: 9:31/mile
Heart Rate Zones:
Zone 1: 7% (≈2 minutes, 10 seconds)
Zone 2: 33% (≈10 minutes, 50 seconds)
Zone 3: 57% (≈18 minutes, 45 seconds)
Elevation Gain: 440 feet
Training Effect: 3.8 aerobic, 0.4 anaerobic
Training Status: Productive
Recovery Time: 31 hours
VO2 Max: Still holding the higher VO2, but didn't get a bump
Now time for breakfast.
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