Birthday Runs

 Since 2016, on the day of my birthday (a few days earlier or later) I've been doing a 10k flat run to test my fitness status, which, woe me, should get worse over time. However, I was surprised when I noticed that my current performance is not worse than those registered along the last 7 years. I remember that in three occasions I skipped the test due to poor conditions or job duties. In a couple of cases, I had to postpone the run to 1 or 2 months. Here is a table that recaps my performances from 2016 to 2022.

YEAR	DATE	TIME
2022	24 March	48’30”
2021	Postponed to 20 June	49’50”
2020	Postponed to 3 July	47’39”
2019	9 March	49’15”
2018	Skipped	/
2017	28 March	n.a. (> 50’)
2016	11 March	47’57”

 

Garmin Vivoactive 4s

 Since I've started running, I've been using cheap, simple devices with stopwatch function, costing up to 10 €. It was enough to keep track of my performances, but I always felt the need of something advanced, capable to provide extra details, such us calories burned during the run, GPS, altitude, heart beat and so on. Yes, out there there were many fitness trackers that would have met my needs, but I wanted a full-optional device. And finally I found it: the Garmin Vivoactive 4s, bought online at a cost of 179 € (actually I had a 100 € Decathlon voucher, but the French retailer sold it at 335 €!). 

Here is a list of the good and not-that-good sides of my choice.

VERY GOOD

The Vivoactive 4s is also a MP3 player! I love running free, without carrying devices in my pockets and without feeling the uncomfortable wires of the earbuds around my arms. It's true, the setting of the wireless earphones gave me a hard time (I learned that I must disconnect the watch when I want to pair it with my earphones), but the game is worth the candle. 

Another useful feature is the possibility to pay using the watch through Garmin Pay, without carrying the smartphone. I've never used it so far, but it is a great option in case of need or emergency (paying a taxi when injured, for example).  

GOOD

Very comfortable. After one week of "adaptation", now I wear it during the night and I feel as I have nothing on my wrist. It's indeed very light and the armband is soft. I am particularly happy of having chosen the small version, as it perfectly fits my wrist and the larger one would have looked "out of size" for sure. 

One of the features I like most is the possibility to watch videos with the training (including fitnees and yoga sessions). This allows me to practice exercises without using a tutorial on a laptop, smartphone or tablet screen. The videos are clear, their definition is good and a gentle vibration informs you about the beginning and the end of a session. In addition to that, it is possible to customise your training sessions, including the running ones. I set a couple of training sessions which I am using constantly and I have to say that I am very satisfied.

It is possible to upload several additional widgets, watchfaces and apps. Some of them are for free and can be first downloaded on the laptop or smartphone, and then redirected to the smartwatch. So far, I've downloaded a couple of watchfaces (but I still prefer the standard one), a calculator and a very useful "emergency info" app, where I registered my name, phone number, emergency number and blood type. 

The smartwatch can be paired with a smartphone, so I can receive notifications directly on the screen on my watch. 

NOT SO GOOD

Honestly, I am a bit disappointed about the GPS, but this probably depends on the fact that my expectations were too high. I use to run around a ring near where I live, which is exactly 500 meters long (at least, this is what internet distance calculators say). Now, when I run slowly, the GPS (no matter which combination: Glonass or Galileo) confirms that distance, but when I run faster, it measures 20 or 30 meters more for each lap. If I run 5K, this means a 300-meter difference which messes up my potential records. I tried to install an application which counts each lap, detecting the exact starting spot, but 2 big drawbacks make it useless: the data of each lap (speed, time) are not displayed and stored; and often the lap is not counted! I will try different combinations and strategies, but at the end of the day I think I will resort to use the "lap button" manually. 

All in all, the GPS is not that useful and reliable in a ring, but it can be handy if used for the "Sunday long run", especially in unexplored territories: at the end of the run, the smartwatch will display the total distance (although not completely reliable, I guess) and many useful details, plus a very simple map of the path. By pairing the watch to a smartphone, the Garmin Connect app will show extra infos.

I had hoped that with this watch it would be possible to contact an emergency number without having the smartphone in your proximity, but this option is not available with this watch (and with any Garmin, I think). 
 

  

A review

 I really hope 2022 will be the right year to resume a decent running standard, after the disappointing performance registered in 2021, due to injuries and bad shape. It seems my legs and feet are doing a good job now, but I knock on wood...

Here below, a review of the last 3 years' performances

YEAR	KM TOT	KM < 5m/km
2021	658	277
2020	1148	626
2019	1047	478

Injuries suffered in 2021 (and 2022)

Woe me, 2021 will be remembered as the year of suffering. Well, I can’t complain, I am still alive and, thanks to the vaccination which I completed in July, I’ve avoided Covid-19 disease (so far). But my muscles and tendons have seen better days for sure. The good news is that I have became wiser (meaning: I let my body be my guide, and not my impulses) and I’ve learnt how not to stress my legs and feet when it is not needed. Furthermore, I gained more knowledge on new diseases which I previously ignored. But let’s proceed step-by-step.

Periarthritis

Over the first months of the year, I increasingly perceived an aching and severe pain on my left shoulder whenever I wore a jacket or a shirt. The pain started gradually in 2020, probably due to excess of push-up repetitions in the summer. It was really painful and annoying, even if I did not perceive any pain when I did not rotate my left arm backward. But whenever I did that movement, damn! I could feel the pain. I made some research and I found out that I was suffering from periarthritis, commonly known as “frozen shoulder”, a “condition characterized by stiffness and pain in your shoulder joint. Signs and symptoms typically begin gradually, worsen over time and then resolve, usually within one to three years.” Three long years! No way! Luckily, on YouTube I found a nice video posted by a professional physiatrist, who showed clear instructions for a soft treatment, which I applied to my shoulder for 5 weeks, 20 minutes every morning. I am not sure whether the pain went away naturally (all in all, it lasted around 6 months), but I tend to think that the exercises I did quickened my recovery. After the 5-week treatment, the pain disappeared and now I can wear a jacket with no obstacle. On top of that, I’ve started again my push-up and pull-up series (actually, this problem did not prevent me from doing the upper body sessions, but I did not want to run any risk).

Achilles’ tendonitis

In autumn 2020 I joined a running team in my home town. We met 2 or 3 times a week to do long sessions and repetitions. Things went on quite well and I was close to break the 20 minutes wall in the 5K distance, thanks to the advice and motivation provided by the running companions. In October 2020, I started feeling a strange sensation on my left ankle, something I had perceived in the summer but I overlooked. Unfortunately, I decided to stop when it was already too late: my Achilles tendons were so inflamed that I felt a sharp pain on my ankle even when I caressed my skin. I quit running for one month, then I resumed it but the pain came back. The beginning of 2021 did not bring me any good news: in the meantime, the pain had changed its location, from the external part of the ankle to the internal part of the left foot. It was no more an inflammation, rather an “osseus” ache. It took many weeks before disappearing in February 2021.

Plantar fasciitis

In July 2021 I experienced an acute pain on the sole of my right foot. It was strange, as those days I was not running (I was busy with a training course in Rome, during which I ran only once during my free afternoon). However, it was a very stressful period of my life. When I came back, I resumed my running sessions using the super-light Nike Streak Zoom 6. Right after 5K performed at a fast pace, the pain I felt in Rome came back, but it was so sharp that I could not even walk on the stairs. I’ve never had this kind of trouble before! Reading on the internet, I found out that I was suffering from plantar fasciitis, which is not an inflammation, but a degeneration of the tissues of the foot. According to the articles I read, it could last a few weeks, but the most serious cases can last up to 6 months! Luckily, also this time I found an effective treatment, which I combined with 4 weeks rest. This occurred in August 2021, when I was close to improve my records and I was forced to stop my training, unwillingly. However, this experience taught me to be patient and to listen to my body (I am not a teenager anymore, you see!). I suspect that the problem might have been caused by the “abuse” of my beloved Nike Streak Zoom 6, which wrap the foot narrowly just around the part when I felt the pain. For this reason, now I am using only the Pegasus 34 and I am running with a pace that doesn’t go below the 4’40” mins/km threshold.  

Osteitis pubis

On 12 February 2022, I had the bad the idea to run beyond my limits without previous training, and I covered 15 km in a single running session. Not only did I avoid stopping when my body told me to do so, but I also concluded the run with some dangerous hill sprints. The result? The day after I felt an aching pain on the left groin. And the bad news is that it didn't go away easily: it took 3 and a half months to disappear. It goes without saying that during that time I could not do any hill running. But I learned a good lesson (which I already knew): listen to your body! 

Brand new shoes (for a brand new beginning...)

The Covid-19 pandemic, caused by the infamous SARS-CoV-2 virus, will be remembered as one of the most disruptive events in human history. As far as I'am concerned, this disease has had an impact on my running routine, too. Unlike many professionals, my workload has dramatically increased over the last year and a half, and my working hours have become much unregular. Being a methodic runner, it was hard for me to keep my body well-trained. In addition to that, the stress caused by an overdose of online meetings led me to develop reflux (I really need to start a therapy for that...). As a result, I could not train as regularly as I wanted. In the past years, I used to run almost 200 km in July and in August, but in 2021 I barely reached 90 km. In spite of all these hardships, I was able to record some achievement: a few days ago, I ran 5 km in the glorious ring of "Stadio dei Marmi" in Rome, where I conducted my first residential training after 18 months. The place is a great track surrounded by marble statues. I intended to cover the distance in 22'30" (meaning: 4'30"/km), but on the last bend I broke down and had to stop. No problem: back home, I ran the same distance in less than 22 minutes, a performance that gave me renewed confidence in my quest to break the 20 minutes wall. Will I make it? I don't know. What I know for sure is that now I have one more ally in my attempt: the superb Nike Streak Zoom 7, just arrived this morning (with the very useful bag inside the box!) from "Koala Sport", one of my favourite online shop specialised in running shoes (at a price of 76,50 €, delivery costs included). I haven't tried them on the road yet, but the feeling is fantastic: even more comfortable than the 6! Not to mention the color of this model, as you can see in the picture. Now I can count on 4 different Nike models for my running: the Streak Flyknit, the 6, the 7, and the Pegasus 34 for the long excursions. I am looking forward to using them all till their soles wear down!

Spectacular!

I still have no doubt about it: the Nike Streak 6 are great shoes, ideal for interval training, races (even if I have never taken part to a competitive event so far) and speed work. But they're not durable: if you run more than 150 km a month, after 100 days or even less time they will start showing evident signs of deterioration. As it's getting harder to find them on eBay and on e-shops at a reasonable price (not to mention the difficulties in finding the right size), I decided to change strategy and to apply the "rotation system". First,  I needed a reliable pair of shoes for long runs at a medium pace. And I found them: the Nike Pegasus 34! It wasn't easy to get them: it's an old model distributed in 2017 and now discontinued. Right now it is easier to find the following models (35, turbo, 36 and 37), which do not appeal me at all. The 34s are much more "traditional" in their shape, and I prefer the classic version. After failing my first attemp to order a pair from eBay (the seller didn't accept the procedure...so why on Earth do this people sell items on the web?!) I found a quite good offer by a more reliable vendor: never worn, brand new, electric blue, with box, 65 € + delivery costs. A bargain, considered that the price on the shelf in 2017 was 121 €. I bid, I won (well, I was the only bidder...) and the postman delivered them yesterday, 5 December (on Volunteer Day, by the way). In spite of an annoying pain at the Achilles tendon which has been affecting my daily running since October, I tested them this morning. The results? Absolutely spectacular! I can feel the two zoom units (one under the heel, one in the front), which make the sole softer but at the same time also very responsive. Compared to the essential Streak, the Pegs are cosier (thanks to the plush interiors) and of course heaviers (as soon as I get well, I will test them in faster sessions). A big difference with the Streaks 6 and LT 3 is the first approach: even if it was the first session, today I felt as I ran 100 km with them. No need to break in, no adjustement, no pain (with the 3 pairs of Streak that I had, it took at least a couple of weeks to adjust them to the shape of my feet). 

Update after 400 km (and 1 year)

After around 400 km, I can say that the shoes are still functioning quite well.  The upper is intact and the sole is worn in the forefoot, on parts of the midfoot and in the external side of the hindfoot (I am a pronator). I tested them under the rain and they performed well, thanks to an effective grip (I am curious about the "shield" version). I realised that they are not suitable to run below the 5m/km threshold, even if in a runners' forum I read that some people wear them to run marathon and half marathon keeping a decent pace. Maybe my legs are not powerful enough, as I feel them extremily heavy whenever I speed up (I compare myself to Frankenstain wearing his wedge heals!). This might depend to the size of the shoe (I am wearing a 44 EU, but my real size with the Peg34 is probably 43 EU), meaning that whenever I run faster, my foot is not stable inside the shoe and this is quite annoying.

Conclusion: all in all, I am still satisfied, even it is clear that I will keep on use them only for recovery sessions in the framework of my "rotation plan", using my Nike Streak (6 and 7) for faster sessions. If I run keeping a relaxed pace, I feel them cushiony and comfortable, and I think that they will do their job along the whole year. I expect them to become stiffer though, due to the Zoom units consumption.

5 pink records

Good news and bad news. Today I've set a new record in the 10K distance: 44'32" at an average pace of 4'27" m/km, even if I kept a 4'30" pace for around 8 km and sprinted in the 1st and last km (I ran the first km at 4'20" and the last 500m in 2'00"). I enjoyed my run in a sunny day, even if the strong wind blowing from SSW (30 km/h) was pretty annoying and the usual insolent driver caused me to lose at least 3 seconds. The bad news is that my glorious pink Nike Zoom Streak 6 are about to kick the bucket, after only 4 months, even if it must be said that in the last 120 days I covered 566 km, running almost every day at a fast pace. As you can see in the picture, the side is almost completely shredded, due to the thin mesh. It was predictable, and this is the reason why I bought two other pairs. Nevertheless, I hope to use the pink one at least for a couple of months more. 

An attempt to keep the side together with stitches...how long will it last?

I will always keep a special memory of these pink Streak, as with them I set my last 5 records (which I hope to break with another pair of Streak soon!). Here is the recap of the greatest "pink" performances:

1 km - 3'27", 29 July 2020

3 km - 12'04", 5 August 2020

5 km - 20'54", 23 August 2020

7 km - 30'47", 28 August 2020

10 km - 44'32", 4 October 2020