Product Review- Spira Stinger Elite

SPIRA Stinger Elite-  The ‘Banned’ Shoe that should be in any serious runners race day bag

http://www.spirafootwear.com/products_running_mens_StingerSRR103.php

The Spira Stinger Elite is not really banned and it is under debate whether it was actually really banned or not… The point of this review is not to delve into this issue but more importantly, to give a resounding “Heck Yeah this is a GREAT Shoe” review.  I admit, I was somewhat hesitant to switch from my normal training and race day shoes (Asics Gel Kayano and Asics Gel Bandito for 6+ years) but I was intrigued by this shoe and the technology behind it.  So, how did it fare:

 

The Test(s):  I ran in this shoe a total of 6 times with a combination of track workouts, street tempo runs and a Half Marathon which was 8 miles of some very extreme trail running and 5+ miles of pavement.  You ask, why run with this shoe on a trail run marathon… well- I was testing the shoe in all conditions.  Here’s how it performed:

 

On the road and track, the shoe is a gem, super lightweight (not the lightest in the bag but one of the lightest in it’s category), supportive and no blisters without socks.  I opted to replace the laces with lace locks and was happy with my decision.  The cushioning is much more then what you would expect in a lightweight trainer but I still would not use it as my everyday training shoe- nor is it intended to do so.  The shoe is very comfortable and the inside upper almost felt like a skateboard shoe when I first put it on(the old airwalk style).

 

On the trail- the shoe performed equally as well. I found my foot slipping from time to time where I was worried about coming through the front of the shoe (the trail running was very hilly with some narly descents) but the shoe held up great and provided all of the support I needed- Disclaimer: I had the laces yanked down pretty tight.   Unlike other lightweight trainers, I did not miss the extra cushioning or motion stability on the trails, ascents or descents.  

 Verdict- Great Race Day Shoe from everything from a 5k to a Half Marathon.  I am sure it would hold up great and provide great cushioning in a full marathon but I can not comment as of yet as it is not part of my experience.

•  Fit: True to Size
• Cushioning- Best out of the lightweight trainer / race day shoes I have used
• Socks or No Socks: Either way
• Support- No Motion control support but the shoe holds up well
• Distance:  Up to Half Marathon

Lots of Time Has Passed...

Wow... it has been almost 2 years since my last post and a world of change has occurred.  A picture tells a thousand works; check out a few of my favorite and peep some of the highlights, or better yet, the things I can remember right now:

- Morgenstarr and I have explored everything up and down the California Coast and are loving 

  our new home and the beach lifestyle of Hermosa. We are actually moving this week to a new 

  townhome which will give us some more space. We will definitely miss our courtyard but are     happy to be staying in the same neighborhood. (We are moving about 20 blocks due south    

  of where we live now.

- I am managing the sponsorship / marketing of Endurance Sports for Toyota's advertising 

   agency   Saatchi  & SaatchiLA- It is a DREAM JOB!!!

- Morgenstarr is finally, after 2 years, getting used to an easier, less pressured job and worklife 

   balance.

- Joey T bought a house and is engaged!!

- We have rocked out to Bon Jovi live in concert went to margaritaville in Vegas for margarita's and a Jimmy Buffet Concert!!!

- Morgenstarr and Jasmine had a fantastic girls trip to Costa Rica!

- We have had great adventures in Cambria, Whistler, Santa Barbara, Colorado, Tahoe and 

   many more places.

- Triathlon: Publish Post

      - Lake Placid was a debacle- Last time I wrote I was getting ready to go for a 'W' at LP. 

      Instead, I cracked my bike in half in a parking garage 2 days before the 

         race and ended up passing out on the course after being in about the top ten going into the 

        run.

      - 2008: - I took 3rd place in the elite amateur divison the the Race To the Toyota Cup                                   National Championships.

  - Team FeXY has officially formed as the antithesis to a typical triathlon club and is                    currently creating charters across the US. (www.teamfexy.com)

- Team FeXY gear is so freakin cool and is currently available for sale.

    - 2009: - Goals:

- Weight: 144 / Current Weight: 157

- Sub :33 10k off the bike

- Sub :21 min swim (Olympic)

- Sub :57  bike

- I have been working with Mike Doane, Andy Pott's coach and it has been a truly    educational experience.  I am training less 'BIG' days but more consistently and    feeling much stronger.  Who knew that swimming, biking and running everyday    would make you faster :)

- New Sponsor Reviews forthcoming for:

- Spira Running Shoes

- Velovie Bikes

- BlueSeventy wetsuits and swim skins

- Orca wetsuits

- Mototabs

- Liquid Fluid replacement

I hope anyone who actually stumbles upon this and make it this far enjoys what is to come.

See You At The Finish Line,

Daniel

Countdown TTT

We are less than 1 week away from TTT, one of the most looked forward to races of the year on my calendar. Morgenstarr & I are leaving for DC today, so the bags are packed, the cabs been called & the only thing left to do is to get on the hog & grease it a bit before it's time to leave.

It's an interesting dilemma I am in; I am 2 weeks out from Wildflower Half + Olympic & 1 week out from TTT. Last week I did virtually nothing in terms of training (8 hours), all really light but this week I started to get the 'itch' / need to train. I tried to balance the desire to train, with the need to train by substituting some short, high quality sessions in lieu of the longer sessions. Now, at 5:40am on Saturday I am feeling jittery & plan on heading out for a 4-5 hour cruise. Nothing too hard, nothing too long. I just hope that this ride & this past week of training was the 'right amount'. I guess we'll see next weekend when the Triple T monster stares down at me...

The Sands of Time

For some Birthdays are nothing more than another day that the sun rises & sets. For others, they are monumental affairs of either great rejoice & celebration or they are a time of 'mourning' & realization that time does not stand still, life moves on & that they are not completely 'happy' with where they have moved(or not moved).

For me, I lie somewhere in the middle. As others see New Years as a time to 'start anew'; I like to use my birthday as a period of reflection, to take stock in where I have been & where I am going. To help myself out with this, I have kept a journal, aptly named, The Birthday Book, which I record some key stats about myself & the year; as well as any random thoughts. This year, I went to pull out the book & realized it was gone. After searching high & low, I am succumbed to the fact that it was lost in the move. This poses a new opportunity, a chance to once again start anew... This past year has been filled with so much change & so many wonderful things. I could not be in a better place in my life despite some 'life goals' which will probably go unfulfilled- it is the realization of this & the realization that I am content with this that allows me to feel like I have grown & am in a good place.

So, like the days in our lives, the book lying in front of me is filled with blank pages, pages ready to be filled with many great stories, adventures & photo's...

Mini Camp Day I

What a joy it is to see familiar faces & friends...

Today, Scott Baldwin, my best friend from VA & truly first 'tri friend' arrived in LaLa land for a 4 day mini-camp which will culminate the end of a 4 week build period which has left me feeling a bit tender in some places but overall very strong. It is great to have an old training buddy in town... we quickly fell into our groove of giving each other shit constantly & trying to 'one-up' each other with nastier stenches eminating from our rear's....How sweet it is :)

Day One's training was light:

- Run: 30 minutes easy
- Swim: 500 stroke choice, 500 (50 drill, 50 swim), 4x200@1:30(30 sec rest), 200 stroke choice, 3x200@1:30 (30 sec rest), 500 stroke choice + Drill

We will quickly see what we are made of & if all of our training is beginning to pay off, day II is t-minus 9.5 hours.

An interesting Question... Why Do I Race?

Why do I race?
(FYI: This is going to be one long stream of consciousness, an inner monologue if you will.)
...I think Dean Karnazes said it best when he said that anyone who races or runs knows the ‘why’…. It is an indefinable or intelligible collection of ‘thing’s that are inexplicable & cheapened by putting into words…So, why do I race….I ask you, Why Not? ...
...I cannot imagine my life without triathlon, without racing, without the
training, without the friends & people I am able to meet & compete against, without the experiences of traveling to great places, riding & training in the most beautiful places in the rain, snow, sleet & beautiful sunny skies…without the opportunity to push myself to the limit day in & day out & then push myself further. Anyone who has ever competed at a high level knows that it is more intoxicating than any drug you can ever take. The spirit of competition is invigorating. The sense of belonging to such a wonderful sport & community is equally fantastic. I love being able to pummel my competition in a race or even a training session & afterwards to be able to sit down & all talk about what we got out of that session; how good we feel from it….ways that we all can improve & learn from each other. ….How I started triathlons might shed some light into where I have been, where I want to go & why I race….

I got into triathlon 4 years ago because of a bet... a roommate of mine was racing & I made fun of him one day for his tight tri shorts. He told me I could not beat him in a race & I decided to race the following weekend on a borrowed bike; I had no idea what triathlon was & if there was a specific order of events. I went to the race, a Super Sprint, & ended up winning 1st overall. More then the victory, the feeling of competition (something I was missing since my days of playing futbol) & the feeling of being a part of something that I can both take & give to immediately hooked me. I signed up for an Olympic race 1.5 months away, became a sponge for any & all information regarding triathlon, bought a bike & gear & started to train. It was then, when I started to train, that I became a complete Fanatic for this sport. The training opened my world up to so many great people, places & all of the great feelings that come along with training hard & working towards a goal. In my ‘prior’ life, I was used to training 2-3 times a day & my only focus was recovering & being ready for my next training session. This was my life. Triathlon gave me some of this back & so much more…it gave me new challenges, new methods of training, new sports & disciplines to not only master, but to fall in love with. And however hokie all of this sounds….in those 1.5 months of training, falling in love with this sport is exactly what I did. So what happened: being such a newbie to the sport I did not know any better, went out & raced the Olympic race, throwing up 2x but still breaking the course record. Fortunately, someone actually beat me & therefore holds the new course record which fueled my fire to want to race more & subsequently train more & harder.

Why do I race…
I race because I have to, I have to because I crave every training session, every race, every interaction, I crave everything about it, I crave it because I love it… I love it because it is part of me… It is part of me because I am a triathlete.
….Sorry for the rambling, I just figured that if you wanted an idea of what I feel & what drives me, a total stream of consciousness was the best vehicle.