Posts Tagged ‘Altra running’
My first Triathlon since retirement!
I know, I havent blogged in a while. There has so much to talk about this past year! Many fantastic stories and memories, retirement from professional racing, baby Zena, my first winter in 23 years(!?) and new beginnings in the coffee shop and my coaching business. But as any new parent will tell, you – once you have a baby in the house – priorities (and time) change beyond imagination!
Being known as “the sporty couple”, we have been warned that our baby is going to be busy! We thought it was cute at the time, but no jokes! Zena is one busy body!
We also opened CavemanCafé in Specialized Stellenbosch mid December, which is has been really hard work.
However much fun it is, one needs a break from working all that coffee magic…
Then I got an invite to race WestCoastWarmWaterWeekend , a race I remember very fondly. Previous blogs showcasing the scenery & special race here .
Did quite a few 14hr days
Embrace the space. The story about Altra’s FootShape toe box
A foot shaped shoe! My Altra Lone Peak 2.0s. Why are the other companies still making shoe shaped shoes?!
Altra’s FootShape™ toe box allows the toes to relax and spread out naturally and the big toe to remain in a straight position for more stability, speed and efficiency. Not to mention no more blisters and black toe nails!
Embrace The Space
Traditional running shoes feature pointy toe boxes that squeeze the toes out of their natural position –increasing risk of bunions, hammertoes and plantar fasciitis. Personally, I suffered really painful Mortons Neuroma- nerve damage from many years of too narrow shoes. The Altra’s FootShape™ toe box allows the toes to relax and spread out naturally and the big toe to remain in a straight position. This enhances stability and creates a powerful toe-off to maximize running performance. We wish we could call it some scientific breakthrough, but we’re simply giving your foot the working space it needs.
Benefits:
- Keeps big toe straight for greater stability and a more powerful toe-off
- Allows toes to relax and spread out naturally
- Allows foot to naturally stabilize excess pronation
Replicating Perfection
The human foot is an anatomical masterpiece. It’s designed for stability, speed, and to get you from point A to point B. At Altra, we choose not to mess with perfection and simply let your foot do its thing. Every Altra shoe features a last that has been molded around the healthy position of a human foot. A shoe last is a 360-degree model of a foot used to create the shoe’s heel, instep, and toe box dimensions. Unlike other shoe companies that alter the last to make the shoe look more sleek and fast, we’ve chosen to let your foot decide the shape of the shoe.
Conrad Stoltz – 2015 XTERRA Hall of Fame Inductee from XTERRA TV on Vimeo.
A touching video of my XTERRA career highlights, which was screened at the XTERRA Hall of Fame induction in Hawaii recently.
To my XTERRA friends, sporting friends, supporters and sponsors: Aloha and mahalo for an awesome ride!
Next up:
- Caveman Café in Stellenbosch
- Stoltz Coaching. Online & camps
- Conrad Stoltz Biography
- South African hour record attempt (Bellville Velodrome)
“Are you CaveMAN or CaveMOUSE?” Jeep Warrior Race#7
My stomach turned as we arrived at the venue and saw the huge structures built for #Warrior7 at Meerendal.
PrincessHotstuff piped up: “Today we’re going to see if you’re CaveMAN or CaveMOUSE…”*
*Derived from an Afrikaans saying “Is jy man of is jy muis?” – which translates to “Are you a man or are you a mouse?”
I entered the Black Ops Elite division, the hardest thing they have: 15km of running with 30 obstacles.
The total extent of my prep for this race was watching 1 Warrior Race on YouTube. I immediately realized I’m way out of my depth, and took the approach of “participating for “fun””.
I spent my life trying to be as light and trim as possible, so initially, it was nice to see that for once in my life, I’m one of the smaller guys on the start line…
#BEAST & #Caveman. At the start with Thomas van Tonder – who finished 2nd.
It started out with a fair bit of running and obstacles ranging from “fun” to “challenging.” I didnt bother
Caveman goes Altra Running
I’m very happy to announce a Caveman and Altra Running partnership!
After years of struggling with injury (since I cut my foot at XTERRA Richmond) and not being able to run much, I believe I found the answer to my calf injury woes. A shoe that promotes Natural Running, and also gives you many cushioning and tread options: All Altra shoes have Zero drop soles- which promotes proper foot strike (a problem I have not been able to fix by simply concentrating) – where your foot is supposed to land under your belly button and improve posture. The wide, foot shaped toe box is not only super comfortable, but also makes your big toe and Achilles work properly.
Read more on the very insightful “Learn to run” page.
Golden Harper the founder and owner of Altra ran a 2.45 marathon at age 12, looked at the science of injury prevention, and went on to remove the heel drop in shoes by baking them in a toaster and shaving the heels down. Sounds Caveman enough for me!
Why Altra is awesome:
A foot shaped shoe!
Who would have thunk?! Seems like common sense, but no one else does it. Using your big toe is crucial for stability and efficient running, and the big toe box allows your toes and forefoot to function naturally. Absorbing impact, balancing and pushing off.
