Great Article on How We Forget the Discomfort of Racing and Remember The Good Times!

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/06/03/forgetting-the-pain-of-exercise/?smid=nytnow-share&smprod=nytnow&_r=0

We are very excited, in recent past we feel that New Balance had struggled to keep pace in the every changing highly competitive running shoe market. Released in 2014 their Fresh Foam Midsole has allowed them to become a player in the running shoe category once again. Today we will be taking a look at the new Fresh Foam Zante, a light weight 7.5oz neutral catagory shoe. New Balance has stepped up this new model with many features you will find in other popular brands today such as a 6mm heel to toe drop allowing the foot to land more naturally. A very comfortable breathable no sew upper that almost has a stretchy feel to it alowing it to give with different pressure points on the foot. The Zante's interior is one piece with no sewing verses the older style of using 3 pieces sewn together which could cause discomfort for some runners.

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If you happen to be someone that has problems finding a shoe that doesn't rub your ankles the Zante has a low cut around the ankle area that shouldn't allow any irritating rubbing for you. Being a neutral shoe a higher arch is generally a welcome feel and the Zante has nice arch support and a bit wider toe box than past New Balance models. The high light of the shoe is it's Fresh Foam midsole, manufactures find it hard to make a soft midsole stable but this single piece construction with no gel uses convex and concave shapes modeled into it that allow it to be soft but not sloppy with a nice transition from heel to toe that also gives your toe off that springy feel. Able to handle 5ks to Marathons in comfort and style and surprisingly priced at $100 you should give this one a try if you are in the market for a new light weight trainer / racer.

Have a fun run,

Ultimate Fit

Brooks Pure Series Shoe from Ultimate Fit

Light, cushioned and quick sums up the latest versions of the Brooks Pure series of shoes. Today we are taking a quick look at one of our most popular lightweight stability shoes for the medium arch runner the Brooks Cadence 4. At 7.6oz for the womens sz8 model these are light weight but not fly weight shoes that we believe you get the best of both worlds because it is light enough but still offers plenty of cushion. Brooks uses DNA gel blended into their BioMoGo midsole that adapts to every runner of every size to offer custom cushioning. Brooks incorporates their ideal heel ( rounded heel ) in this model along with a 4mm heel to toe drop that helps to move the point of contact forward encouraging the runner to strike more midfoot. The upper of the 4 series is completely seamless with all of the overlays 3D welded on to reduce any pressure points. The interior is a seamless one piece construction and features a stretch nav-band that fits securely over your instep and offers a nice comfortable fitted feel. Since the Cadence 4 model falls under the light weight category you can expect  mileage to be 250-300 ( your mileage may vary ) in these which is a tad less than a traditional trainer.  If you have a neutual gait Brooks offers this series in the Pure Flow 4 model it has all of the same features as the Cadence 4 but is made for the medium to high arch person that doesn't need a stability shoe. I have ran in the Cadence model on and off for the last few years and feel for a lighter shoe the fit and cushioning are amazing. Stop by and test the Brooks Pure series and see if you agree.

Have a fun run,

Curt Jones

Ultimate Fit

USI Human Performance Lab: Fitness Assessments

USI is now offering fitness assessments for runners/cyclists that are looking to make some positive changes in their training! See below for offerings and prices. (Click on pictures to enlarge)

Brooks Transcend

WED. FEB.19TH AT 5:45pm ULTIMATE FIT IS HAVING A BROOKS WEAR TEST EVENT FEATURING A 2-3 MILE FUN RUN WHERE YOU CAN ACTUALLY TRY A PAIR OF TRANSCENDS FOR YOURSELF. CALL THE STORE FOR DETAILS 812-431-0201.

SEE OUR SHOE REVIEW PAGE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BROOKS TRANSCEND

Breakfast On the Go

It's a new year and people are holding strong 12 days into their resolutions, right? If your goal is weight loss, more energy, training for a new race, one thing that is important is eating breakfast! I know it can be tempting to grab a breakfast sandwich at your preferred fast food place, but how healthy is that? Personally, I have been taking an individual package of oatmeal most mornings to heat up once I get to work. While that isn't necessarily bad, I have been looking for something different that is just as easy, but provides more protein. Protein in your breakfast is important to help you feel fuller longer and aids in muscle repair if you've done a morning workout.

Below is a recipe for Ham and Egg Cups that are easy to make on the weekends and quick to take and heat up once you get to work. **I tried to use won-ton wrappers for the half the batch and it didn't turn out as planned, so I think in the future I'm just going to stick with ham and egg.**

Ham and Egg Cups (makes 12 servings)

Ingredients:
8 eggs (just use egg whites as a healthier option)
1/2 package of Jimmy Dean sausage
12 slices of deli ham
3 cloves garlic
1/2 medium yellow onion
1/2 red pepper
Shredded cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Using a muffin pan, place a slice of deli ham in each opening, making a cup
• Cook the sausage and set aside
• Finely dice the peppers, onion, and garlic and mix this in a bowl with the eggs
• Add the sausage and whisk until this is all incorporated well
• Poor the mixture into each ham "cup" until it's about 3/4 full
• Bake at 350deg for 15 min and if you choose add a little shredded cheese and bake for another 5 min (If you don't want the cheese, just bake for 20 minutes)

The fun thing about this recipe is using more or less depending on your taste. I'm not a mushroom person, but I think that could be added well. Some might choose to use bacon over sausage, so be creative! Essentially this is like a tiny, portable omelet. The possibilities are endless.

Disclaimer: I'm not a photographer, nor a professional chef, but here are a few pictures I took while cooking.

We'd love to hear about what you would use for mix-ins!

Post to 'comments' below

Does a minimalist shoe decrease impact forces?

Below is an article published in Runner's World. There has been a lot of recent talk about how minimalist shoes decrease ground reaction forces, but a recent study looking at the Nike Pegasus vs Nike Free, found the opposite.

Study: Impact Forces Greater in Nike Free than in Pegasus

Researchers surprised by their findings.

By

Scott Douglas

Published

July 26, 2013

One of the main criticisms of conventional running shoes raised over the last few years has been that they encourage "hard" landings that increase the impact forces of running, especially on initial contact with the ground.Minimalist shoes, some advocates say, can help reduce impact forces, in part by encouraging a "softer" foot strike and more of a midfoot landing.

A new study by two well-known researchers suggests that, as is often the case in matters of shoes, form, and injury, things aren't that simple.

Richard Willy, Ph.D., of Ohio University, and Irene Davis, Ph.D., of Harvard Medical School, had 14 men run on a treadmill for 10 minutes at a time, at 8:00/mile pace. The men were all rearfoot strikers who were accustomed only to conventional running shoes.

For one of the 10-minute runs, the men wore the Nike Pegasus, which the researchers classified as a standard running shoe. On another 10-minute run, the men wore the Nike Free 3.0, which the researchers classified as a minimalist running shoe. According to the researchers' measurements, the Pegasus' heel height was 36.3 millimeters, compared to 17.6 millimeters for the Free. On the basis of compression tests, the Pegasus provided 31% more cushioning, the researchers said.

While the men ran, Willy and Davis recorded impact forces, stride length and other biomechanical data. They took measurements at the 1-minute mark of the run, and again at the 10-minute mark, to see if impact forces, joint angles, etc. changed during the short run.

The results were the opposite of what Willy and Davis had expected. As they wrote, when in the Free "runners struck the ground with a more dorsiflexed foot [toes pointing toward the shin, meaning more of a heel strike], in more knee flexion, and with higher vertical impact peak and higher average vertical loading rate."

These differences remained consistent throughout the run. That is, as the men--who, again, weren't used to running in a shoe like the Free--continued to run in the Free, they didn't adjust their form to compensate for being in the Free. Their stride length and stride rate remained comparable to when they ran in the Pegasus, and their impact forces remained greater than in the Pegasus.

"Absolutely," Willy wrote in an email when asked by Runner's World Newswireif his findings surprised him.

"We expected that impacts would initially be higher in the minimalist shoe than the standard shoe in the first minute of running. After 10 minutes of running, we expected the reduced cushioning of the minimalist shoe would cause heel discomfort, resulting in a less inclined foot at foot strike, perhaps even a midfoot strike pattern. We then expected a likewise reduction in impact forces. Obviously, our results were completely counter to what we hypothesized."

Willy said that he and Davis used the Free instead of a more barefoot-style shoe, such as the Vibram Fivefingers, because of the popularity of the Free and its positioning as a transitional shoe for runners looking to switch from conventional trainers to barefoot-style running.

"These shoes are widely marketed to the general running public to closely mimic a barefoot running experience to gain many of the benefits of barefoot running, i.e., reduced impact forces, without the increased risk of foot injury due to road debris," Willy wrote. "Due to the popularity of this shoe type and industry claims, we felt that it would be an interesting study.

"Another major reason why we wanted to study this type of shoe is that clinicians often prescribe this type of shoe to patients who are recovering from an impact-related injury to encourage a reduction in impact forces during running. Our findings suggest that this practice may not be advisable, at least in the short term."

It's important to keep in mind that the runners in this study were unused to minimalist shoes. It's possible that, over time, they might have altered their form in the Frees to lessen the increased impact forces Willy and Davis measured.

To Willy, that fact provides another important take-away from his research.

"Our subjects were novel minimalist shoe runners and they did not receive any instruction on running mechanics," Willy told Newswire. "In order to see a change in running mechanics, a structured training program focusing on changing a component of gait may likely be needed.

"For instance, increasing step rate during running has been shown to reduce ground reaction forces," Willy wrote. "Therefore, runners who wish to transition to minimalism should consider that a thoughtful and directed gait retraining program may be necessary to mimic barefoot running, regardless of the shoe worn."