Oh wow - it has been quite some time, isn't it? Ah well, since my inner muse is still vacationing in Timbuktu or somewhere, I have to make this a short entry, so I'm doing a two-for-one entry this time around. As the title suggests, this post will be about the Milo Breakfast Day Run at UPM Serdang, and my review of the Merrell Bare Access (the old model).
The Race
UPM, being UPM, and speaking from my experience with the 2011 edition of the Mizuno Wave Run, the route was unforgiving all the way. First there was a slight inclination, then a big drop, then a slight inclination, then a very big climb, then a gradual decline, then a climb... you get the idea.
Oh and how I have come to totally not enjoying routes with loops (thanks to Brooks Half Marathon). The psychological stress of seeing people running ahead of you running just beside you heading on the opposite direction can be very overwhelming at times.
Apart from the race, which was neatly organized (it's in UPM anyway so it should be pretty controllable), the breakfast though was far from satisfying. Or healthy. Or properly prepared. Or priced proportionately. Or palatable. I bought a packet of nasi dagang, which has the consistency of pulut, and it came with a packet of kari ayam, which was super oily.
It's shit.
The free Milo though was excellent.
The Shoe
It's awesome.
Lightweight, lots of ground feel but with a hint of protection (so if you stepped on a small rock you'll feel it prickling your feet, but you won't get a cut), and despite built as a quasi-barefoot shoe with not much else between your feet and the ground, the foam on the outsole does provide a decent amount of cushioning as well.
But largely because it is lightweight. Oh mama do my feet fly in those!
My only complain with this shoe is the outsole - since it's straight-up foam and not entirely covered (or protected) with high resistant rubber, I have a feeling that this shoe will wear out pretty quickly. I have seen the latest incarnation of the Bare Access, and this time Vibram rubber covers the entire outsole, which should help with wear. But because Vibram's are quite weighty on its own, I have a feeling that it will add a bit to the weight of the shoe...
And it is! The old Bare Access tips the scale at 5.6 oz, while the Bare Access 2 weighs in at 6.2 oz. Small difference, but when you're running in the shoe, that small number makes a world of difference.
Apart from that small issue, this is a very good shoe. Proper barefoot runners may disagree with me, but I am just a newbie runner who only just recently started to convert to natural running form, so this shoe works the best for me as an introduction to natural running.
(Runner's World did an article about natural running, but it is known as Qi running. Too 'new age' for me.)
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