Shoe Review

We will now be featuring a weekly shoe review from Curt Jones, owner of Ultimate Fit, and shoe specialist! Check out the first one posted today!

Time to Train

GPS watches are becoming a staple for runners and cyclists, and Garmin seems to be the brand of choice. The Forerunner 910XT is the newest in the line of Garmin's watches and it is the only watch that provides metrics for swimming, biking, and running. The triathlete's dream watch if you will. While you swim, it can track your distance, path, and even detect your stroke and swimming efficiency. While you bike or run, an alert can be set to remind you to eat or that you've hit a split. The bad news? With the heart rate monitor, the cost is $450. The good news? Garmin still offers a wide range of other GPS watches that may suit your needs without breaking the bank. The Forerunner 205 can track your distance, pace and time and will even allow you to compete with your past saved workouts. This is Garmin's simplest watch, yet still provides the features that most runners are looking for. The $150 price tag is a bit more manageable as well.

We'd love to hear from you! What watch do you like to run/bike/swim in? Post to comments.

Old Soles

You just purchased new running shoes to start the year off right, now what do you do with the old pair? There are several programs that are excepting donated shoes. You can also check with a local running store to see if they have a partnership with a charity that accepts donated shoes. This is an easy way to "go green" and do your part to recycle!

Shoe4Africa

Nike Reuse A Shoe

Soles4Souls

Give Your Sole

Harold Carey, An Inspiration

For the Evansville running community, this is definitely worth the re-post.

EVANSVILLE — Harold Carey didn't start running until he was in his 60s but he turned it into a 25-year career that never failed to inspire people.

Carey, 89, died Tuesday at St. Mary's Medical Center after collapsing during a training run last week.

Local Facebook and Web pages dedicated to running lit up with people commenting about the loss of Carey.

MOLLY BARTELS / Courier & Press Harold Carey, 87, braves the below freezing temperatures to do a few laps around the First Southern Baptist Church Christian Life Center parking lot in Evansville on Tuesday, February 9, 2010. Carey who began running at age 64, ran his first half-marathon at age 75 and is now training for his first full marathon this April. "At first, I couldn't run a half-a-block but I just kept at it," said Carey. He hopes to finish the marathon in six hours flat.

PHOTO BY MOLLY BARTELS

MOLLY BARTELS / Courier & Press Harold Carey, 87, braves the below freezing temperatures to do a few laps around the First Southern Baptist Church Christian Life Center parking lot in Evansville on Tuesday, February 9, 2010. Carey who began running at age 64, ran his first half-marathon at age 75 and is now training for his first full marathon this April.

"Everybody has gone crazy with stories about how he inspired them," said Sally Kroeger, who knew him through her work organizing the annual Half Marathon of Evansville and its training program for the YMCA of Southwestern Indiana.

Carey retired from the United States Air Force after 25 years. He became a dedicated runner who was known to train in all kinds of weather and never gave up on his goals.

"He was stubborn, and I mean that in the most loving way," Kroeger said. "He just inspired so many people in the entire area."

Carey was an ever-present fixture at area races, said Graham Paxton, owner of the Swift Athletics running store.

"He just showed that age is something that is in the mind," he said.

A frequent winner in his age division at races, Carey was a four-time gold medal winner at the National Senior Olympics, winning his first 5K in the 50-and-over division of the Senior Olympics in 1999 at Orlando, Fla., when he was 75. He followed it up with victories in 2001 at Baton Rouge, La., 2003 at Norfolk, Va., and 2005 at Pittsburgh, Pa., and placed second in the 5K in the 80-and-over division at the 2007 Senior Olympics at Louisville, Ky.

He ran his first marathon at age 87 in the Southern Indiana Classic in 2010.

Jim Nolan, owner of Ultimate Fit running store, said Carey's marathon finish was an American record time for his age.

"Evansville and the area really lost a great guy. He was just an overall great person," Nolan said. "He had a pretty exceptional story. I was just amazed at how much he loved running. He was always giving people advice about it. He just loved the sport so much," Nolan said. "He was always talking about helping people."

He said Carey had a love for helping people, especially new runners.

"I talked to him two weeks ago. He was getting ready for a USA Track & Field masters meet," Nolan said. "He said there was a 90-year-old he had to look out for."

Logging Your Miles

Keeping a log of the miles put on your shoes is important. The rubber soles will break down with time and wear and ultimately could lead to injury. The general standard is to replace shoes every 300-500 miles. Depending on the make-up of the shoes and your weight, you may need to replace shoes sooner or later. Regular runners might be able to tell when it is time to replace shoes based on minor aches and pains following a run. For those looking for a little calculated assistance, we've created a spreadsheet to track your miles and based on your weight, a more realistic range for replacing your shoes.

Below is a picture of the spreadsheet. It is not interactive in this form, however if you are interested, please email me at mriley@prorehab-pc.com.

New Year, New You!

How To Get Started on the Right Foot

With so many choices available, how do you pick the right shoe? Your shoe selection should be based on the structure of your foot. Some feet have excessive movement and some are fairly rigid. Your shoe should be reflective of this. There are 3 types of shoes:

1.   Cushion

A cushion shoe is very flexible and does not offer a lot of support. If your foot tends to be stiff and rigid, this is a better selection for you.

2.   Motion Control

A motion control shoe provides more stability and is better suited to a foot with excessive movement. If you are subject to ankle tendonitis, the extra support of this shoe will benefit you.

3.   Hybrid

The hybrid shoe is a middle of the road shoe that is a mix between cushion and motion control.

Specialty shoe stores can help you determine which fit is right for your foot type. REMEMBER: The most expensive shoe on the shelf is not necessarily the best for you! 

**For more information on shoe wear, view Bob Tank's video on the right side of the screen.**