Saucony Grid Type A2 - Tri Specific Shoes

I finally got some new shoes for racing this season. My old (and I mean old) pair of Mizuno Aeros served me well for a couple of years but they’re getting to the point of retirement. Maybe some training on the track but that’s about it.

I’m excited because after much searching I settled for a pair of Saucony Grid Type A2 race flats. These shoes are triathlon specific and have some cool features like pull loops for the heal and tongue.

The pull loops for the heal and tongue.

Other cool features are drain holes in the sole of the shoes for water drainage. The elastic strap to hold the tongue in place can get in the way when slipping on the shoe but isn’t much of a problem.

The drain holes run along the center of the shoe from heal to toe.

The insole has drain holes also.

The shoes are lighter than my Aeros too. I wear a size 14 and they come in at 238.5 grams (8.5 oz) compared to 335.7 grams (12 oz) for the Aeros. They have surprisingly good cushioning for a shoe this light and great flex throughout the entire shoe. These are for people with a neutral foot strike.

My old Aeros weigh almost 100 grams more than the A2

Saucony makes great shoes and to come out with a tri specific shoe is going to have the other shoe companies running to get a model into the multisport category. Zoot has come out with their tri specific shoe but at $130 compared to the $90 I paid, I’m happy with the savings. And Saucony had the Grid Type A out for well over a year before upgrading to the A2 while Zoot is just beginning to market theirs. Plus I think red just looks fast!

A new set of Yankz and I’m T2 ready!

Bad Luck with Continental GP 4000

Back at the end of '05 I had bought a pair of Continental GP 4000. I heard they had good rolling resistance and decent puncture protection. They didn't have the Kevlar belt but instead used what they call a vectran which saves in weight and is (supposedly) stronger than steel. I must admit that they do have a good ride to them. Although they weren't as fast as some other tires I rode, they were good enough for me to race on. I had put a couple hundred miles on them when one morning I flatted. But not just the tube, my front tire split across the silica tread. I was lucky that it wasn't too big and I put a boot patch and rode the 7 miles home.

I got kind of disgusted with the tire and put the second one on the side and bought a pair of Michelin Pro II for the P3. These are very nice tires and I like them a lot better than the GP 4000 I've got a close to a thousand on them and have yet to even flat them once. I finally put the second GP4000 on my road bike along with a Bontarager Lite that I had in the garage. I have about a thousand on these when the GP split. This time it wasn't just across the top tread but also down one sidewall. Again I was lucky and was only 1 1/2 miles from home. I had been riding up some of the ridges around the area and was going to go out to Waikiki and back for some high cadence work. No patch could salvage this blowout. I'm just glad it didn't happen on one of my descents.

I must admit that in both cases I ran over something. I looked but couldn't find anything. Yet I've rode over objects before and never had a tire split on me. After my first incident, I read some posts that others had the GP 4000 split on them also. It could be coincidence but my luck with these have been on the "not so good" side. I think I'll go shopping for another pair of Pro II.

Getting High Tech

I don't know what happened, but Santa must've thought I was good this year. He (or she) got me the Forerunner 305 and put it under the tree. I thought all I needed to run was my shoes, some nice clothes and my watch. With all the new mapping available on the net, I would just map my runs to get the mileage.

Now I got this high tech GPS HR monitor/watch. It's very nice and has lots of bells and whistles. Add the Motion Based website and zowie, now I can run anywhere and let the watch & computer do all the work. I'm having fun replaying mine and other peoples workouts. It monitors not only my position but my HR, pace, elevations and with the user profile, calories burned. For the bike I can add a cadence sensor but that's latter. Right now I can pull up the stats at any point of the workout when downloaded to MB. I'm just learning how to use it and have only done 2 runs and 1 bike with it. So far it seems accurate but I kinda doubt the elevations. I'm excited about this new toy and tend to push myself out the door just so I can record something. I'll report more as I learn more. Now what's that thing called an ipod?

End of 2007

Well I'll try to recap some of what happened in '07. First off I tried to make it on Team Hawaii Capital Management. This was a new start up and there were 4 of us. Good group of athletes and I felt excited to be part of it. But they never got me my tri gear until the Hawaii 70.3. By that time I had only planned to race one more tri afterwards. Then Dave (the owner of HCM) wanted his uniform back just before Tinman. Gave an excuse of changing the logo but none of the other teammates knew anything about it. Oh well, I guess I wasn't good enough to be on his team.


Did the North Shore Swim Series again. I love those swims and if you get a chance to try it, you'll love them too. They are a series of swims on the north shore of Oahu in the summer when surf is usually small. Beautiful water and marine life to take your mind off the swim. I like that it starts at 9 am rather than the usual 6 am starts for tris. More sleep is good!


Then of course the Honolulu Marathon. This year it was wet. Some heavy rains leading up and into the race made it cool. Bad part was not only dodging people but also large puddles. In some spots everyone squeezed to one side of the road and you had a bottle neck. A new timing system didn't workout so well and a lot of people had the wrong time or not time posted at all. I was lucky and my time registered correctly. At least according to my watch.


Just before the marathon my wife was talking to Chet the Jet and he was looking for one more person to go to Vineman in early August and asked if I'd be interested. Duh! This had been one race I'd hoped to do since I got into this nonsense. My wife asked me and told me it's ok with her. We wrote the check the next day. I am so excited to have a chance at this race. Currently I'm putting together a six month training plan but have started some early base building. I need to take care of the ITB in my right knee that flared up in the marathon. But for tonight I will watch Black Beauty with my daughter and have some coffee ice cream.

Metric Century

As I come over the crest near Halemano at dawn, I can see Haleiwa, the gateway to the North Shore. The ocean is relatively mild today with wind generated ocean swells breaking over the reef. I pull into Kaiaka Bay beach park which is the staging area of today's ride. At 7:30, a peleton of 700-800 will invade the North Shore for what is believed to be a great day for riding.

The Metric Century Ride is compromised of a 25k, 50k and 100k out and back ride along the North Shore of Oahu. Known more for it's epic surf, this is country living Oahu style. Rural communities, two lane highways and old beach front homes fighting the progress of newer housing development. I choose the 100k that will take me out just past the Crouching Lion to Swanzy Beach Park for the turn around.

Starting out I was in the first 150 or so riders as we were led out of town with a police escort. Once cleared of Haleiwa we were set free and we all tried to stay with the stronger riders just to get the pull from their draft. I managed to hang with them for around 7 miles until a morning shower dampened the road. With the spray of water & dirt muddying up my glasses, I backed off into a free space. There I peddled solo for another 10 miles before being picked up by a second group. I jumped into the pace line and enjoyed the draft, giving my legs some recovery from working alone.

At the 50k turn around, some broke off the group for a rest or to turn back. I chose to keep going not giving up my spot in a group that was definitely my speed. I'm not sure how many total were left in our group but I know that I along with two others did the pulling for the pace line. A couple of time when I jumped out to pull I went too hard and dropped the group. I slowed to wait for them and did my share. Coming around Crouching Lion we could see Swanzy and we all stopped for a quick rest.

Because the ride started 30 minutes late, I was anxious to get back on the road. Electing to do the return solo, I ventured out before my new friends. Not having to pull or concentrate on being in a pace line gave me time to enjoy the ride and the views it had to offer. With a tail wind now, I could average a fast pace without as much effort. A couple of pace groups passed me by but I stayed solo. I stopped once more to refill by water at the 50k turn and again went out by myself. Past the shrimp farms and Turtle Bay Resort and the final 12 mile stretch towards Haleiwa. Then somewhere between Ehukai (Pipeline) and Waimea Bay I flatted my rear tire. I always wondered why the rear flats more than the front. A quick tube change while vowing never to by Continental tires again, I was again pedaling and praying I don't get that second flat.

Around Waimea, past Chuns and soon the Joseph Leong bypass came into view. It was now just 5k to the refreshments and camaraderie of my fellow cyclists. Eating a few figs and half a banana I rode down the heart of Haleiwa towards Kaiaka Park. It's such a pleasant surf town with wooden buildings and no sidewalks so that you're walking on the roadside. I enjoy coming here and wish I didn't live on the opposite side of the island. But perhaps that's what will keep it special for me.

Lazy Boy - First Race

Man have I been lazy. Haven't had time to post here and now the new race year has started. Did my first marathon in December and though it didn't go as well as hoped I finishe in 4:20. I felt I could have done under 4 but had a bad day on the road.

Anyway as far as the first race of the season, it was the Iroquois Point Triathlon. High wind gusts in the 20-25 mph range were expected but I think it had calmed down a bit for the race. Others thought differently.

The swim was clockwise from waist deep water with the men starting 5 min. before the women. I positioned myself up front but a little off to the right hoping to catch the feet of one of the faster guys. Worked out pretty good for the sprint off the line but as everyone began to settle into pace I got stuck on the feet of a slower swimmer. Passed him and made the first buoy just ahead of a guy next to me. He was cutting just outside the buoy and I had to bump him further out so I could make the turn. On the way to the second buoy I got rolled by an unexpected wave but didn’t throw me off. My sighting today was spot on and I made a decent time.

Got on the bike and noticed what a lackluster week of training does. My gluts were tight and I never really found my bike legs. Only hit bad headwinds in a couple of spots and my darn speedometer kept crapping out on me. My friend Dave passed me at the turnaround and I paced him for a bit until he dropped me.

T2 went as well as T1 and I got out quickly but I was hurting from the bike. I knew to keep on pushing and my run legs would catch up. They did around the 2nd mile and I found a nice rhythm. Spotted Dave up ahead about 1 mile into the run so I just took my time knowing I’d get him before the line. Around 2.5 miles I was about 10 yd behind him and he took a left turn and peeked back and saw me trying to sneak up. We ran together for the rest of the way until he began to kick. I thought he was going too early because I thought we had further to go. When we came upon a right turn I saw the blue fence for the finisher chute and sprinted trying to get Dave. He beat me by 1 second. Thankfully he’s in another AG.

Finished the race in 1:14:00 and took 2nd in my AG. Dave got 1st in his and my team manager got 1st in his AG as well. My line score was 12:22 (750 yd), 0:53 (T1), 34:39 (13 mi), 0:52 (T2), 25:15 (3.5 mi). Good race, fun day and got another medal for Nikki to show off at school.

Bad Run Day

I was supposed to do intervals today. 4x1600 @ 7:20 with 800 RI. It started out bad when I woke up 30 min later than planned. I figured I could still get in 2-3 intervals and headed out. My legs felt good and my left knee wasn't bothering me during the 1.5mi run to Kaiser HS so I thought it'd be no problem. Got to the track and began my first interval and knew I was going too fast. Tried to slow it down but ended doing a 6:47 for the 1st 1600. My breathing became harder as the laps went on till I felt short of breath. Walked for about 1 min and jogged the rest of the 800 RI. Lined up for my second 1600 and began at a slower pace. Somewhere around half-a-lap my legs went soft. They began to feel like jelly and that they would just give out at any moment. Stopped the run after the first lap right on goal pace @ 1:50. Tried to walk it off but the legs just didn't feel right. Decided to run another 400 interval but now at a higher pace. Did the lap in 1:30 and still felt weak. Wanted to do more but decided that I would just do a tempo run home and take the longer route. Ran the 3 mi home in 22:05. It was hard to keep tempo and my pace yoyo'd. Couldn't wait to get to the end of the run and just walk it off. Turned out I couldn't walk too much because now I was behind schedule and had to get ready for work. I will go on a longer run than scheduled tomorrow to make up for today. If I feel good I'll try and run some fartleks.Today at work I only have a half day so I can go watch Nikki play soccer. After her game I'll do Linesman for the next game. After that we plan to go to the pumpkin patch with her friend Chris and pick a couple of pumpkins for Halloween. Hope to get in some rest because next week I have a long run of 16 mi on Tuesday and a half mary on Sunday.