Road Racing Flats and Distance Track Spike Reviews

The Nike Air Zoom Katana Racer IIs remain as one of my favorite, light weight road racing flats.
Weighing in at around 7.5 ounces they are lighter than most flats and still provided enough support for my 145lb frame to run a full marathon at 5:25/mile pace.


The Nike Eldoret distance spikes are great for a 1500m/mile to 10k on the track as well as cross country. They look like the milers, yet their heel is more extended and they are a lighter spike. They seem to offer more support than the old Ventulus....which also had a permanent spike plate.


The Nike Air Streak Zoom XCs are what I do most of my tempo runs in now. They offer adequate support and are still flexible enough to allow for a natural pronation and toe-off. I run with a pretty neutral pronation and a conservative marathon "shuffle stride" so their minimal cushioning is not a concern. However I wouldn't run a full marathon in them.

The Nike Mayfly is the ultimate in sustainable design, light weight, and low cost racing. It says it has a 100km limit of racing...which is plenty to get your money's worth. I ran a 24:48 8k on pavement in these puppies and my legs and feet felt great. The no frills design is all about minimalism and simplicity....although the bright color configurations are quite a spectacle. Good for racing distances from a mile-10k....maybe a half marathon for you light weight, neutral pronators.

Post your own week/block of training here:

A Snapshot of focused Winter Training

I've set my sights on the Chicago Marathon in 2008. Before that I have a long indoor and outdoor track season starting in January and lasting through May. The focus is going to be on speed development and I plan on racing a 3k, a mile, a couple 5ks, and a couple 10ks all on the track.

This is how my training has been going since a took 5 days off after cross country season:

3 weeks of easy running, about 60mpw and a couple tempo-like runs of 6-8 miles at 6:00/mile pace down to 5:15/mile.

Now, I plan on focusing my training for the next several weeks starting with this week (I will update as the training progresses).

Start of Week #4 in training:

12/16/07: AM: Easy 57min on the trails
PM: Easy 52:20 on treadmill 7.5 miles, lifted weights,
(15 miles for the day total)

12/17/07: AM: Easy 66min trails...