Shoe Review: Hoka One One Mafate 2

I am happy with my Stinson Evos (review) for the trail, but when I saw the Mafate 2 on sale for $59.99 at LeftLane Sports, I had to go for it. I am planning on another 50 miler this year so I figured another pair of trail shoes would be a good idea. It also helped that I was saving $90 off of retail price. That's not an easy thing to do on Hokas. I also really liked the look and color of the new Mafate 2s. Yeah, I said it. People often give the Hoka a bad rap because of the look, but it is hard to argue with performance. That said, these Hokas look pretty good if you ask me... as mom laughs and says "Your little bitty legs and those big shoes!" You bet she wouldn't give up her Bondi Bs though.

These look a lot better than the yellow, black and red color scheme
of the original Mafates I had purchased. My new wood floor
also looks pretty awesome. :-)

My first dance with the original Mafates wasn't a happy one. The tongue of the shoe was very stiff, and it dug into the top of my foot.  The other issue was that I had ordered a size 8, and they were just too large.  My Bondi B (review) were an 8, and they fit perfectly. I had read that Hoka had corrected sizing in the newer shoes and the tongue issue in the Mafates so I was ready to give the remake a shot.

So the first thing I did was pull out the insole and break out the old school scale to get the weight of the shoe. I ordered the Mafate 2 in women's size 7.5. Good choice! My Stinson Evos were 7.5. My old Bondi Bs were 8. Seems from here on out I will be ordering size 7.5 in the Hokas. (For reference, I wear a 8 in Saucony Kinvaras and 7.5 in most Asics. 8.5 in Brooks Pure Flow.)

Size 7.5 (no insoles) = 10 ounces
Stinson Evos = 9 ounces
Bondi Bs = 7.4 ounces

Stinson Evo + Mafate 2

Bondi B + Mafate 2

The other thing I noticed right away was that the tongue of the shoe was, in fact, different than the original. Good news! Soft! The toe cap is nice and stiff for those times you accidentally punt an iceberg rock running down the trail. 

So the first thing I noticed when putting these on is that they have a very stiff upper. After taking a step, I noticed that heel portion on my left foot slipping. Ugh. I tightened the laces and used the very first eyelet that I seldomly use in shoes (except for the Brooks Pure Flow). Unfortunately this made the area around the shoe near the front of my ankle dig right on into my ankle. Ouch. After playing around with the laces, I now have what I think may be a configuration that will keep my heel from slipping and keep the shoe from hurting my ankle. I did not have to do this with either the Bondi B or the Evos. I ran a mile on the treadmill in the Mafates. I then put on Evos for a mile. My Evos definitely seem to be lower to the ground. The uppers also have a lot more give.  Then again, they do have over 200 miles on them. I am not a big believer that a person should have to break in shoes. Shoes should feel good out of the box. You shouldn't have to hurt your feet until a shoe feels okay, but that's just my opinion. That said, I think these shoe uppers may soften in time.

Now on to the trail...

I took the shoes out to the super highway of trail running after an evening of rain. There was plenty of fun mud so it was a good a test environment. :-) The tread was great, and I did very little slipping unlike my trail running buddy who was wearing another name brand. I am also happy to report that the tread did not pick up globs of mud so I didn't have to carry around extra weight on my run. Since I haven't put in a lot of extra miles on these shoes, I still wasn't happy with the overall stiffness. Only time will tell.

I like the Mafate 2 much better than the original Mafates, but if given a choice, I would go with the Stinson Evos for the trail. YMMV. Time to fly :-)

Blue Skies

Do you ever have those days that go perfectly even if the details aren't perfect?

When I signed up for the Air Force Half, I had no idea how much I was going to look forward to running it nor did I know how much I would enjoy it. This wasn't my first time at the Air Force Half. I ran it two years ago. Mostly I remember the beginning, a huge crowd of people along the course through the first 4 or so miles, the hill at mile 8, and the end. I also remember breaking 2 hours for the first time ever on the half marathon. I liked to tell people that the only good things about the Air Force Half were the beginning and the end. The beginning includes a fly over of some awesome plane and the end has you running through an airplane lineup and receiving a medal from a high ranking air force officer. Last Saturday, I ate those words. I am very happy about that.

I had not run an event in a couple of months as I was building my way back to being healthy after figuring out my body was running way too low on iron. I was a little nervous because my last two half marathons were terrible. I had no energy and running hurt. I was afraid of a three-peat despite the fact that my training runs had been getting faster, and my endurance had been getting back to my before anemia levels. I really had no idea of what the day would bring, and I was excited and little nervous to find out.

Pre-Race
I decided to enter the base from Harshman Road this year rather than Colonel Glenn. The traffic was decidedly better, and I highly recommend doing it this way if you plan to travel to Dayton for the event. I got out of my car and looked up. There was the B2 flying overhead. That was amazing! It glided through the skies like no plane I had ever seen. Two years ago, a jet flew over before the start and the pilot hit the afterburners. Awesome :-) That was the beginning I had spoken of.

I checked the verse of the day before heading to the start:
2 Timothy 4:7 "I  have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

The weather prediction was a start in the lower 50s and the low 60s by the time I finished. Perfect. The skies were blue, and the grass and trees were a beautiful green.  The Air Force museum looked as lovely as it always does. I headed over to the start to put myself near the 2 hour pace group. I wasn't planning on a half PR, but I was hoping to break 2 hours if everything felt okay. I saw my friend Carolyn over by the pace group. Her plan was to run her first sub-2. Carolyn and I began the race together.

Miles 1-4
The first 4 miles flew by quickly. Running felt easy and good, and I was very happy that the beginning did not resemble the beginning of my last two events. Around mile 4, there was a glitch. The group we were behind took a wrong turn. A minute or so later, people ran by us and yelled that we were all going the wrong way and that we needed to turn around. This gave us a bonus of about a quarter of a mile. I was little surprised as my past experience with the Air Force event was that everything went like clockwork. Apparently this happened to other groups too. (After the event, I heard that some people went as far as 4 miles out and some even had two wrong turns.) This certainly wasn't my first event with bonus mileage. Since I wasn't shooting for a PR and only went a little off course, this didn't really bother me. It did, however, put a little fire in my belly to move a bit faster. I didn't feel annoyed; I felt energized. Really, I was just happy to be running at a decent clip while still feeling good.

Miles 5-7
At the mile 5 mark, Carolyn looked at her Garmin which showed we had traveled about a quarter of a mile more with the misdirection. Around mile 6, Carolyn and I lost track of each other at a water station. I was thankful to have the first 6 miles go by very quickly with good company, and she was keeping the pace right on target. I turned on my music, but I must have been doing a lot of thinking. I barely remember hearing any of the songs except for David Crowder Band's Open Skies. At mile 7, I took my peanut butter Gu which gave a nice energy boost. It was good timing.

Mile 8 brought the first hill of note during the half. It is an overpass, and it slows down many a runner. I remembered this incline from last time. I also remembered the nice downhill that comes after. On the way down the other side, a fellow runner who looked to be a retired military officer of the army or marine variety said something. I'm not exactly sure what started the conversation, but we chatted for a minute or so. He disappeared as quickly as he had appeared. I'm not sure if he wound up behind me or in front of me, but it was nice to have a brief conversation with someone who was smiling and obviously enjoying the run.

Miles 9-11

What I didn't remember from last time were the next hills that followed. I was starting to feel tired, but my lungs felt strong and my legs felt bouncy. I'm not exactly sure what was feeling tired, but something was. The temp was rising and this portion of the course had more ups and downs than the first 7 miles. It could have been my own doing. I had no idea what my pace was, but I am pretty sure I had sped up. By mile 11, I was confident I would break the 2 hour mark so I made the decision to slow down a little when I reached the final stretch. I wanted to enjoy running between the airplanes rather than gasping for air.

Miles 12-13
Flat. Almost there.

The last .1 and the Finish
I did enjoy the jaunt through the planes. :-) As I was crossing the finish, the clock showed 1 hour 59 minute and some change. The announcer was cheering everyone on to push to break the 2 hour mark. A 2 star Air Force General put my medal around my neck. As I was walking through the finish area, there was a woman with a very serious expression who was trying to keep us moving forward. I said to her that I was trying as I made a running movement with my arms and gave her a cheesy grin. "This is about as fast as I can go!" She lit up with a huge smile and told me how great it was to see someone smiling.  This year the end was even better than last time.

I grabbed something to eat and drink and then sat for a few. As I headed out of the race area, I looked down at my medal. The Air Force provides really nice bling. I thought about how I would take that medal home and throw it in a drawer never to see daylight again. That didn't sound like the best use for this beauty. As I walked, I asked for help in finding a good home for my prize. A few steps later, I saw a young boy who looked like he could use a smile. I got the go ahead from the adults accompanying him and placed it around his neck. I know it made my day even better. I hope it did the same for him.

Final Time: 1:57:14

Looking back, I bettered my course time by over a minute even with an extra quarter mile. Based on pace, I would have run around 1:55 without the bonus mileage. It was a beautiful day. Running felt good again. The best part about this race was the entire experience.

You Can't Spell Geek without EE

B-?! You have GOT to be kidding me! I need a B to get credit for this class. Was B- even an option?!?! I have to retake this class???  ARRRRRRGH!

And then I woke up.

  

I guess you could say I was stressed about this class. I have no idea why. I mean, well, yeah, it was a hard class. I spent a ridiculous amount of time studying. It had been over 15 years since I had done a Fourier or Laplace Transform. It was also the last required core course for my PhD. After drinking 4 years of math through a fire hose for my undergrad in electrical engineering, I was pretty much over it. I loved math in high school.  Now, not so much.

The night before this B- nightmare, I had taken the 3rd exam for Linear Signals and Systems. The professor presented the class with a nice little carrot: if you had an A or B after the first 3 exams, you didn't have to take the final unless you wanted to do so. I was 100% certain I would be taking the final. I jumped out of bed and got online to see my grade. I was praying for a B because that guaranteed I would never have to take this class again. I had made a promise to myself that I would give it my best and turn the rest of over to God. That meant if I had a B going into the final, I would spend the next two days studying for a shot at an A and be okay no matter the outcome. I had  just spent the entire weekend and then some studying for the third exam. Motivation was going to be hard to find. Before the summer quarter even began, I had bought the book and managed to make it through the first 3 chapters. I knew relearning calculus while working full time during a compressed quarter and trying to get in some running would be next to impossible. 

I opened the grade report. I blinked. I looked again. And again. How in the world? Next to my number, it said A. I looked again. Really? I don't have to spend the next two days studying? I began to feel a huge sense of relief. Is that a tear?! Yes, yes it was. I felt as if I had been given one of the best gifts ever. Five minutes before, I was trying to prepare myself for two more days of intense studying and suddenly I was free.

I had made an A by exactly .7%. Just barely. 

Had I worked hard enough to earn an A? Yes, I believe I did. I gave it my best shot and invested a lot of time and effort. Did I deserve an A? Based on my performance on the tests and the overall class grade curve, I cannot honestly say I deserved it. Luckily God's grace has nothing to do with what we deserve. 

A grade in a math class is such a small thing, but it was something that was important to me. Having two less days of stress meant a lot to me, and I am very thankful! If God cares about the little things, he certainly cares about the things that matter most.

"God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." Ephesians 2: 8-10

Chick-fil-a Twice Today

Standing room only and a loooooong drive thu line!

I saw people smiling and showing America there is hope. I saw Christians supporting other Christians and showing that they will not allow religious persecution in a country founded by believers. I heard people talking about Jesus without fear that others would be insulted. Today was an amazing day!

God is alive, and he is faithful :-)

Ode to Fe

You don't know what you've got until it's gone? Well, maybe. In the case of hemoglobin and running, that cliché is spot on.

Hemoglobin is a protein that is extremely important to running performance. They're the little helpers inside your red blood cells that carry oxygen throughout your body and also take away the carbon dioxide. Iron is a big part of what makes the process work.

Life without enough hemoglobin is tough. Most runs, I felt just drained.  My normal pace was running about a minute and half slower than usual. I felt like I was dragging through my runs. I was breathing harder and felt like my oxygen had just gone missing. My heart was working way too hard (increased heart rate). I had nothing to give. After 3 months of difficult run after difficult run, I went to see the doc. Diagnosis: anemia. For the first time in my life, I was told to take iron supplements. I also had to make sure I was taking my B vitamins and folic acid on a regular basis rather than just whenever I got around to remembering.

Let's face it, new stuff is scary. I started doing what it is that I do when I feel like I might have missed the clue bus. I started researching. Anemia is a symptom of something else gone wrong. Once you are anemic, they are on the search to figure out why you got that way. There are a lot of things that can cause it. Women are more susceptible due to menstruation. Runners are more susceptible. Vegetarians are more susceptible. While I'm not a vegetarian, I cannot eat read meat due to an allergy and haven't had any in almost 7 years. Red meat happens to be our best and most easily absorbed form of iron (heme). Iron from dark leafy greens and veggies is referred to as non-heme and is less easily absorbed by our digestive system. While I am still not 100% certain at this point what led me to my current situation, I have learned some useful tidbits for runners. Here are the cliff notes for your general edification and perhaps increased running performance.

There are over 400 types of anemia which are divided into 3 groups: anemia caused by blood loss, anemia caused by decreased or faulty red blood cell production, and anemia caused by destruction of red blood cells.

Normal Levels of hemoglobin in the blood (source):
Men: 14 - 18 gm/dL
Men after middle age: 12.4 - 14.9 gm/dL
Women: 12 - 16 gm/dL
Women after middle age: 11.7 - 13.8 gm/dL

"...for an endurance athlete, the lower end of normal should be extended by about 1 gram per 100 ml, due to our larger blood volume." - source Pfitz

Lack of iron can lead to anemia but so can lack of folic acid or B12. Iron deficiency is the most common (source).

Within two weeks of taking iron supplements, hemoglobin and hemocrit levels should begin responding to iron supplementation (source). It can take up to 3 months to get iron stores back (source: my doc).

Certain medications / vitamins decrease iron absorption:
Antibiotics
Certain antibiotics including Cipro (source) which I was put on for Peru belly and Penicillin (source) which I was put on for my tooth.
Calcium (source)
This means if you are taking calcium in a multivitamin, you should be taking your iron supplement 1 hour before or 2 hours after your calcium.
Antacids
Some types of antacids can block iron absorption by the body. Pepto-bismol is said to reduce the chance of travelers diarrhea by 65% (source) so I was taking it every day while in Peru. Oops.

Other items of interest:

Vitamin C increases iron non-heme absorption (source). Order the salad with dark leafy greens and mandarin oranges or strawberries.

Training at altitude can lead to iron deficiency as your body tries to increase your red blood cell volume to account for the lack of oxygen (source). If you are coming from somewhere low (say... Ohio), and training somewhere high (say.... the Inca Trail), make sure you get plenty of iron rich foods.

Ferritin is the level of iron stores in your body.  It's important, too.

Having too much iron in your system can cause big problems so you shouldn't be taking iron if you don't need it.

Coffee and tea reduce iron absorption (source). If you like your coffee in the morning, then it isn't a good time to take your iron supplement.

If you don't have insurance or a doctor, you can pay $29 through DirectLabs to get a CBC (complete blood count).

Obviously there is a lot more to anemia than what's above, but I thought this was good info for the runner. It showed me that I still have a lot of good stuff to learn about endurance training and one of God's greatest gifts: the human body. If you are feeling continually run down during your workouts, a blood test might be a good place to start. Your iron level can make a difference in performance (source).

Here are a couple of great blog articles about anemia and running from two top-notch runners:
Lauren Fleshman
Camille Herron

Angela Ivory

I had spoken to Angela quite a few times at races.  Anytime you went to an ultra in the South, there was a good chance Angela would be there. She was always there with a smile on her face. Angela had an inner strength and kindness. Everyone noticed.

"Sitting, tears in her eyes, and gasping for air, she knows that she can't even walk too far before feeling faint.
One day, she'll run again.
She knows in her heart that the new normal has to be temporary.
She will be well again.
Patience she's never had would come in handy now.
Hope is all that remains.
She has to believe." - Angela's Blog

In her lifetime, she ran over 300 marathons and ultra marathons. Angela passed away at 44 years old from cancer on May 31st. She made the world a better place. Be free to run, and save a place for me, lady!

Summertime and the Living is Easy?

After the Ice Age, it was time to warm up a little in Destin, Florida! Mom, Mona (Major Mary's mom), Jen, Mary, and I had made plans to meet in Destin at the end of May for a relaxing 4 day weekend of fun in the sun. The weather was perfect. The beach was beautiful. The food was yummy. We all had an awesome weekend!

Mona, Mom, Jen, Mary

Mom, Me, Jen, Mona

Mom in the Gulf

We didn't make this, but I still took
a pic of it. Love the white sands of
Destin

Mona, Jen, and Mary preparing a shrimp feast

Lunch with Mary's grandpa.

After a great weekend in Florida, I jumped on the plane to New Jersey for work. I did manage to visit the boardwalk on the Jersey shore which meant seeing two beaches in one week! Nice!

Upon my return it was time for me to start to my final core course in my PhD program: Linear Signals and Systems. At West Point, everyone referred to this class as "red death" because the book for the course was red.. and well, it wasn't an easy course. I had planned for this summer to be less about running and more about taking a break and focusing on math until the end of my class. That meant spending some time brushing up on calculus which I had not touched in over 15 years. Ouch.

In the meantime, I had also signed up for the West Milton Tri (canoe, run, bike) with the encouragement of Vickie who needed a teammate. With very high temps and very low water level, it was one very tough day.

Before the start of a very long and difficult 3.5 mile canoe trip,
90+ degree 5 mile run in the sun, and a nice 17 mile bike ride.

Two days later, I found myself running a 1 mile run at the Dash for Cash. My friend Jen ran as well, and it was her very first time ever running a complete mile in a race! She did great! I also won $5 at the race, and it didn't cost me anything to sign up. That meant it was the first time I had ever made money on a race. :-)

The amount of energy it took me to run that 1 mile, and the amount of energy all my runs have been taking finally prompted me to call my trail running doc. Since Peru, running has been extremely tiring. I have also lost 7 or so pounds despite increasing the amount of food at meal time and decreasing my running. While some might think this to be the ideal situation, it isn't so ideal when it isn't the norm and is accompanied by fatigue. There have also been other things that aren't exactly quite right, but I'll spare you on the details.

Trail running doc did a complete blood (CBC) workup on me, and the results showed anemia.  Apparently my level should be above 12, and it registered as 8.5.  He said it was no wonder I had been feeling so tired during my runs. Now, I've never been anemic in my life, and I didn't have this issue until Peru. So with the weight loss and anemia, my guess is that I brought back a few friends with me from South America. 

So begins the search to figure out what exactly is causing the anemia and to replenish my iron levels and red blood cell count (which can take up to 3 months).  In the meantime, I have ordered a home blood test meter that tests hemoglobin levels. Not sure how accurate it will be, but I'm always up for a good experiment. I'm really a scientist at heart. :-) By the end of August, I should be a mathematician. Hopefully in a few more months, I'll be back to being a runner again as well.  Of all that I choose to be, my complete joy comes from knowing Jesus. 

Onward to my favorite month of the year... July!