Church of the Long Run

Long-time readers of this weblog are probably aware of my weakness for cheap commercial tricks. So when the New England-based running brand “Tracksmith” announced its “Church of the Long Run” challenge in Strava, I immediately jumped on it. While the official Strava challenge does not start until next month (i.e. when “The Escape Plan” ends), I thought that I needed a head start, especially now when I have the Beirut marathon coming up in just 52 days.

“there’s something magical about the long run, especially in those middle miles that blur together: step follows step, breath follows breath, thought follows thought”

After giving my knees two full days to recover and downing a booster dose of caffeine, I went for a 21 km long run this morning, bringing my total mileage for September above the 200 kilometre threshold. Once again, I ran in my red Craft V175 Lite II. What I especially like with these shoes is their wide toe box and the high energy return. The more I think about it, they may even be a contender for the Beirut Marathon, if nothing else as it would be cool to run in something unusual and Swedish. At the same time, I am not sure if the Craft shoes really have enough cushioning to support a full 42 km of running. Any input on this would be much appreciated.

Now, however, it is time to bike up to the university for a long afternoon of seminars and meetings with the rest of the senior faculty.