Salomon Speedcross 2 - Slippers with Teeth

Using the excuse of my Inov-8 Mudclaws cutting my heels to pieces I decided to invest in a pair of Salomon Speedcross 2s. As you may know I'm a big fan of Salomons having used their Raids and XA Pros for many years. Until now however, they have not ventured beyond trail shoes. The Speedcross have a much more agressive tread somewhere between Adidas Swoops and Mudclaws.

Finding my size (12.5 UK) was difficult but managed to find a pair from Wiggle at £10 off street prices. Ordered them on Thursday and they were waiting for me when I got back from Manchester on Friday. The fit has the classic Salomon cupping of the heel but the forefoot is a lot more snug than the XA-Pros, presumably to stop the shoe slidding around as it grips the ground. Admittedly I was a tad worried they might be too tight but after wearing them around the house in the evening I then put them on in the morning and they felt fantastic. Salomons really suit my feet.

So, Phoebe dog and I (matching dog and shoes) took then out for a test run over the Chilterns. Lots of slimy chalky mud. My test of good kit is that you forget you're wearing them while they're doing their job and these passed with flying colours. They've managed to keep the cushioning of the XA-Pros while giving them the required grip. If I'm honest the grip is not quite as good as the awesome Mudclaw grip but the fit (like a pair of slippers) and a excellent grip make them an amazing shoe. I can't wait to give them a longer run.

Meanwhile, I've also got some Salomon XT-Wings on order. What the hell. I've only got one vice, running.

Alles ist gut

The world seems to be getting back into some sort of order now. Kate has left The Apprentice (is she evil or what?) and I'm getting back to my running after the office move (am I a goody two shoes or what?). Did a lovely run round Wendover Woods with Phoebe dog on Monday evening. We went late and it was just us, apart from some wild animal making a right racket, in the woods. Meant to go out Wednesday but got stuck at work. Last night I took to the roads, apart from a detour hacking my way through the undergrowth because the aforementiond Crong hill was blocked off for roadworks, and did a rolling 20km run in around 90 mins. I'm finding the Chiltern hills to be too easy so I'm going to have to find another way to do my hill training. One idea doing the rounds in my head is to crank the treadmill up to 15% then committing to running 5 miles uphill at least once a week. Not quite the 12 miles uphill on the Jungfrau but it'll have to do for now.

I was in the local paper last night (local to my home town of Doncaster that is). Tony's wife Max had contacted them in response to an article on cancer. She told them about Tony and my Jungfrau run and the fact I was doing it in aid of Brain Tumour UK . Overall the article was pretty good and gave my sponsorship webpage address (no response yet though) but they named the wrong village that I grew up in. This was after detailed discussions about the right villge. Jounalists!

Just had a call in the middle of writing this from my old schoolmate Dave Harcombe who saw the article and is now sponsoring me. Cheers Dave.

Still no news from the cardiologists.

Onward and upward (my motto for the next three months).

Big Softie

I really am too soft. I'd planned my long road run on Sunday but couldn't resist taking Phoebe dog out on an off-roader. She loves running and goes mad when I put my shorts on (believe me it's not the sight of my legs). Those pleading eyes are just too much for a big softie like me to resist. So a quick replanning later and off we go down the Ridgeway path, over Ivinghoe Beacon then round back through Ashridge forest. A mere eight miles but a lovely run on a gorgeous spring morning.

Interestingly, I found it difficult to get the heart rate over 120. Not sure what's going on there. Maybe something to do with the curry the night before.

Woof woof!