Happily Ever After

Life in The Rural Retreat with a beautiful wife, three cats, garden wildlife, a camera, a computer – and increasing amounts about running

Earlier posts can be found on Adventures of a Lone Bass Player, where this blog began life. Recent entries can be found here.

Goodbye Old Friends

by Russell Turner - 13:44 on 04 March 2020

Today, despite the sun shining on The Rural Retreat, is a sad one. After a little less than 11 months’ service, 381 miles, and currently holders of PB records at 5k, 10k, HM and marathon, my blue Brooks Adrenaline GTS19 shoes went into retirement. They’ll be missed.

The soles and heels are fine, testament to my fortuitously good running form, but the cushioning is not what it was and may have contributed to two black toenails at Warwick. I knew I was pushing my luck but after using them for all my long runs in training they deserved one last half marathon. They didn’t let me down.

My two pairs of Asics GT-2000 6 shoes, with 498 and 469 miles on them, are also not long for the running world: suitable for short, easy training but nothing else. Life is nasty, brutish and short for running shoes.

So today saw the first use of brand new orange BA GTS19s for a short post-HM recovery run. They felt great, although whether they’ll be run-in in time for the Inverness HM on Sunday I’m unsure, as I’ll have just one more run before then. Back-up is a pair of so far lightly used GTS 18s, which will take over when the Asics are retired. By then the orange 19s will be first choice long run and race footwear.

I may not have a shoe mountain to rival Matchgirl’s, but I’m building a decent hillock.

Latest news from the Warwick Half Marathon is that my finish time has been reduced by six seconds, although that, like the rest of the results, is still provisional. Six seconds is not much but it would mean a 2:10:59 finish and I could call myself a 2:10 half marathoner.

The results stats also estimate that my time is equivalent to a 1:45 finish by a runner in his twenties. I’ll take that.

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