Training&Marathon with Vaporfly

Training Advice/Discussion

4 years ago 10/16/2019 9:04am EDT

So I went out in Chicago on a 2:46 pace and went through halfway around 1:23. It felt relatively effortless up till then and I was sure to reach at least 2:47. A bit past 25K I started to lose pace though with losing more than 1 minute in the last 5K finishing around 2:49. Not a huge drama, but what I especially noticed afterwards but also during running was a serious strain in my hamstrings and glutes. Right after the race I could barely walk which is not abnormal after a Marathon but usually I have more pain in my quadriceps and calves. My theory was that because of wearing the vaporflies I lean more forward and stress other muscles harder compared to my normal running shoes. I didn't do much runs on them beforehand (about 5 runs, max was 12 miles) which also explains the muscle fatigue after 30K. Anyone else experience this ?

4 years ago 10/16/2019 10:55am EDT

re: SmurfPS

Yes - I experienced this after my first half with them. My hamstrings were very tight and painful starting around mile 10. I’m not sure I would have been able to finish a full in them. Prior to the race I probably ran twice in them, maybe 10-15 miles total. Other than that, I was training in Hoka Bondis. I had the same thought that the ultra cushioned shoes I was used to wearing were not forcing me to use my hamstrings as much as the Vaporflys.

Here is what I did:

Kept the Hokas for all easy and recovery runs. They have kept me injury free for several years.

For faster workouts or tempos, I switched to a Nike shoe I thought would be more similar to vapor fly’s. I landed on the Peg Turbo - similar feel to vaporflys and more cushion than the regular Pegs.

Periodically use the vaporflys in training. I like them to longer tempo runs to get used to distance and pacing in them. I kept one pair for training and purchased a new pair for races. I am around 140 miles in them and have started to noticed they have lost some of the pop and cushion. Not sure how long they will last...

After doing this, I ran another half in the vaporflys and had no hamstring issues at all.

Warning - after switching to more training in the Peg turbos and vaporflys, my hamstrings were consistently sore a day or two after. I found the ice followed by a warm epsom salt bath and some gentle rolling helped immensely. Don’t over stretch them. This eventually got better after a month or two as my legs adjusted.

4 years ago 10/17/2019 5:36am EDT

re: HamstringTrouble

hi, thanks for the response. I'm looking at Nike zoom as a potential replacement but the suggestion on the Pegs is very useful thanks !!

4 years ago 10/25/2019 1:33pm EDT

re: SmurfPS

Same thing happened to me at Des Moines.

Goal was 3:00, hit half in 1:30 on the nose. Started cranking down to where I was on about 2:56 pace and then I fell off a couple minutes when I got hamstring cramps in both legs around mile 20. I've never had cramps there to my recollection and it just didn't feel like the usual type of cramping in the end of a marathon. Like those muscles weren't strong enough.

Hard to know for sure.

4 years ago 10/25/2019 2:52pm EDT

re: erik

I've never understood this idea of feeling great after a half or full marathon with the Vaporflys. I felt just as torn up after a race, both the half and full distance, when compared to any other shoe .

4 years ago 10/25/2019 6:48pm EDT

re: UA Runner

People experiencing hamstring and glute cramps during or after a marathon are lacking electrolytes. Plain and simple.

/thread

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