As I approached my 50th birthday, I decided to take up running to lose weight, enhance my fitness, and strengthen my bones. What started as a simple exercise routine quickly transformed into a meditative practice, a way to solve problems, ignite creativity, and alleviate stress. Running became my superpower. If you're already a runner, you know this feeling well. If not, I highly recommend trying the Jeff Galloway Run/Walk/Run program, which has helped countless individuals, including myself, embark on their running journey.
Initially, my pace was quite slow, as I hadn't maintained much fitness before turning 50. Despite the initial struggles, perseverance led me to complete my first NYC Marathon a year later. The experience was so exhilarating that I've since participated in six NYC Marathons and two others in different cities. My proudest achievement is improving my time with each NYC Marathon, setting personal records every time.
My first marathon took nearly six hours to complete, largely due to inadequate training and preparation. However, just before turning 63, I ran my fastest marathon yet in 5 hours and 10 minutes. Although I aimed for under five hours, my tendency to stop for photos with New York's finest and bravest along the course slowed me down. My daughter rightly pointed out that I might achieve my goal if I focused more on running and less on photo ops. Stay tuned for future attempts.
Why am I getting faster with age? Is it my disciplined training and diet, the insights from Runner's World, or the Pedialyte and Maurten gels I consume before races? Perhaps it's the shoes.
The Shoe Journey
Initially, I can't recall the brand of shoes I wore, but as I got more serious, a podiatrist recommended HOKA One One shoes for joint protection. I highly recommend them for beginners, especially older runners. Despite my love for the HOKA Clifton model, I felt my shoes might be limiting my speed.
On expert advice, I switched to Adidas Adizero Boston 7s. Training in these shoes from May 2019 to the NYC Marathon in November helped me shave 20 minutes off my previous time and achieve personal records in other races. I believed I had found the perfect shoe.
Then came the game-changer: Eliud Kipchoge's sub-two-hour marathon in the Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% prototype. Following his feat, Brigid Kosgei broke the women's marathon record in the same shoes, and Geoffrey Kamworor won the NYC Marathon wearing them. Nike's innovation, a foam called Pebax, offers an 87% energy return, and the shoe's design enhances a runner's efficiency.
The Vaporfly Experience
The Vaporfly's advantage is so significant that World Athletics considered banning them from competitive races, likening their impact to doping. A study revealed that runners in the ZoomX Vaporfly Next% were 4 to 5% faster than those in average shoes.
For my 63rd birthday, my husband surprised me with a pair of these vibrant pink shoes. They fit perfectly, but I waited until after the DisneyWorld Dopey Challenge to try them, sticking with my reliable Adidas Adizero Boston 7s for that event.
Finally, I took the Vaporflys for a short 4-mile run in Central Park. My initial thoughts were mixed, pondering whether the shoes were giving me a "Dumbo Effect," where belief in their power, like Dumbo's feather, might be the real boost.
To truly assess their impact, I plan to train for the NYRR Manhattan 7-Miler Race using the Vaporflys. This will reveal whether they are a magical enhancement or just a placebo. Ultimately, does it even matter if they make me feel faster?