In an earlier post, Kerri had mentioned how she liked the look of my green shoes ( Asics Hyperspeed 2s), better than my orange shoes ( the new and supposedly improved Asics Hyperspeed 3s). Well… so do I (though for slightly different reasons).

I reason I bought the “orange ones” in the first place, was because I couldn’t find any of the “green ones” (they discontinued the Hyperspeed 2 model last year). Well, after scouring the Internet for months, I finally found some more of the green ones, and have decided to train in both to see which ones I like better. No, not at the same time, though that would look kinda cool:-)

When you walk and /or racewalk as many miles as I do, your feet become extremely picky as to what they will allow you to put on them. Actually, I could care less about the color of the shoes(unless it’s something like neon pink ). When I’m shopping for walking shoes, I go through a pain staking trial & error search. There are several things that I look for in a distance walking shoe , but many times can’t tell for sure if the features are there unless I actually try on the shoe. The problem is, most shoes that are suitable for racewalking and/or long distance walking are only available online, which makes trying them on a costly proposition. (you usually have to pay for the return shipping if the shoes don’t fit).

I look for shoes that have a low profile heel and lots of toe room. Cushioning isn’t a big deal for me ,as I use my own custom orthotic insoles in all my shoes. Racing flats tend to work best for me, but because they are so thin and so light- weight, they’re not very comfortable for longer distances and they tend to wear out very quickly ( about 250 miles of wear is all I get out of them). These ones only weigh 5.8 oz ( a normal running shoe weighs twice as much).

So, all things being equal, which shoes do you think I should wear for the Boston marathon? The older Green ones? or the new and improved Orange ones? Oh… and in case you’re wondering, both colors will go with the rest of my race apparel.

OK, I never actually said I wasn’t going to do Boston. What I said, is that a victory seemed unlikely. By victory of course, I meant finishing the race in the allotted time. Well, I may not finish the race, but that doesn’t mean I can’t start it. So ready or not, on April 19th, I’ll be taking my place at the starting line in Hopkinton Massachusetts for the 114 th running ( or in my case, walking) of the Boston Marathon. Heck, I get psyched just seeing my name on the entry list ( Stephen Gaudet)

Because Ive had so many lung delays and hospital stays (oh..that rhymes) in the last 3 months, I now have less than 8 weeks in total to train and prepare for this race, making this the most ambitious fitness goal Ive ever set for myself. I’m just hoping that the severe asthma flare-ups will leave me alone long enough so I can get some serious training in.

I may be crazy, but I’m not stupid. I know that due to my declining lung function over the last year, that my chances of finishing this race are slim, but this is something I really need to do , while I’m at least still partially able to. I’m not going to push myself to the brink of death like I did last year. I will walk hard, long and give it my best, but if the work of breathing gets to be too much, I’ll withdraw from the race. If I don’t finish the race it won’t be the end of the world (because Ive already done it once), but if I don’t at least attempt it, I think I would regret it for the rest for my life. So,with health permitting, from now until April 10th, I will be in full time training mode for the Boston marathon.

For some self inspiration, here I am ( in the blue shirt) at the 21 mile mark( 33.7 km) at last years race. The crowds on the course have thinned out dramatically (and not only because we’re at the back of the pack). What a lot of people forget, is that out of 25,000 people who started the race, more that 3000 people didn’t finish it ! (and 99.9% of those people were healthy I’m sure). Many of them became causalities of Heartbreak hill 3 miles behind me. So don’t it over until the fat asthmatic lady says it is

Well, despite a few minor setbacks, I still managed to end the year with883 miles walked. A drop of almost 400 miles from my best walking year back in 2006, but nonetheless, still impressive when you consider what I have to work with.

Overall, my basic walking routine really hasn’t changed that much, I’m still out there walking at least 3 days a week when my lungs are behaving, and I try to hit the gym up at least once a week. I think the reason I was lagging behind in 2009, was that I was incarcerated 3 times (exacerbations and hospitalizations can really put a damper on things). That, plus I only completed 3 training cycles for the year, instead of the usual 4. One was for a full marathon ( Boston) and the other two for half marathons (ET midnight and San Rock&Roll). Those training cycles can really pile on the extra miles. Training for a full marathon for example, can easily add an additional 300 miles to the count.

I hate to admit it, but my lungs are finally starting to impact my ability to exercise and to walk long distances. It used to be that I would get 10-15 days of decent breathing in between flare-ups, even when I was training for marathons. Now it seems that every walk or gym workout that I do leaves me severely short of breath… sometimes for days. I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be able to keep this up.

Having said that, my goal for 2010 remains unchanged. I want to complete one more full marathon ( hopefully Boston) and Id also like to pass the 5,000 mile mark with my walking. After that, I’m definitely going to slow down.

And speaking of mileage; My legs, feet and lungs aren’t the only things that are suffering from wear and tear…. Check out my shoes!

In 2009, I went through 3 pairs of these Asics Hyperspeed 2s racing flats. Weighing only 158 grams (without the insoles) and with a low profile heel, they make excellent racewalking shoes. Unfortunately, since they’re made for speed and not distance, they wear out really fast. It’s also hard to find them now, since they’re not making them anymore.

[The Asics Hyperspeed 3 racing flat]

For 2010 I’m going to try out the replacement model (the Hyperspeed 3) They’re pretty much the same shoe, though the new ones don’t seem to cup my heel as well.

Check out my new walking jacket.

I can’t tell you how long Ive searched for a sleeveless jersey or jacket with pockets, that I could wear on cold days or long training walks and races without over-heating. As a marathon walker with major health issues, I also have to carry tons of stuff with me, but I hate wearing those bulky packs around my waste.

Well, I think I finally found the perfect solution. It’s called the “Thermal Velocity Vest” made by Specialized (the Bike people). This vest/jacket has pretty much everything I want in a cold weather training top. It has a large zippered pocket on the rear, and a sleek breast pocket on the front. But, what makes this vest special, is that it’s made of a breathable material to keep you cool, and at the same time , fits like a wet suit to keep your core body temp warm. And because it’s a vest, your arms can move freely, which is really important when you’re fitness walking or racewalking . I think it will work out nicely for training on those cold days or for walking a course like the Boston marathon, where the temperatures and winds can fluctuate so dramatically .

A little pricey as far as vests go, but I think worth it. If I’m breathing OK this morning, I’m gonna try it out.

It’s official, I’m going to Boston…AGAIN!

Took a while, but I finally got my race results for the San Jose Rock&Roll half….3:08:22
For some reason the results of dozens of people weren’t showing up on the race website. Turns out there was a glitch with active.com when they tried to upload them. Better late than never I suppose. I think there were people out there who were starting to doubt whether or not I actually finished the race.

Anyways, not my best finish time, nor my worst. I was 15 minutes slower than my fastest time ever , but a whopping 52 minutes Faster than my slowest time ever, so I’m very pleased. A 14:24 pace is kinda slow for me in a half marathon distance, but I think that was because I was afraid to push myself too hard. I guess I should have went all out, cuz I got sick after anyway.

I don’t have anymore half marathons scheduled at this time, but if I did, I’m pretty confident now, that I could still finish one in under 3 hours. I know my finish times seem really slow by running or racewalking standards, but considering that I’m working with lungs that are about 130 years old, I think I’m pretty fast. This might sound silly, but if there was a way to age grade my race results based on lung age, Id be one of the fastest runner/walkers in the world!