A jaunt along Skyline and a shoe review

The training is going pretty well. I'm starting to settle into a regular routine of running, mixing it up between lunchtime runs around the streets of Johnsonville and Khandallah and early morning runs from home up on the trails of Mt Victoria.

I had planned to do an 11km trail run this weekend up in Owhango (part of the T42 Central Plateau event) but other commitments ruled this out. So with this in mind, and a week out from the second round of the Xterra Wellington series, I set out on Saturday morning to do at least 11km of trail running.

The destination was the Skyline Track along the hills to the west of the city. Starting at the Makara Road end, I planned to set out for a target 6km before turning around and heading back again. The conditions were perfect for running with it being a cool but not cold morning and with little to no wind. The views in the colourful dawn light were spectacular.

Dawn over Karori

 

 

 

This run also gave me the opportunity to test out a couple of new items of gear. Firstly my new Craft Elite Run Light jacket was ideal for keeping the chill off until I had warmed up properly. My Salomon Advanced Skin S-Lab 5 was providing me with hydration and storage for my keys, iPhone, camera and jacket (when it came off). Lastly my new shoes... Salomon XR Crossmax 2s, were providing a more trail specific solution to the road shoes I've been running in to date. Keep reading as the XR Crossmaxs are the subject of my first gear review!

The terrain was a mix of single-track and 4WD farm track. In general a pretty easy surface for running on although the single track was a bit slippery in places due to a decent dose of rain earlier in the week. Nothing to throw me off my feet though.

Looking north. Mt Kaukau in the distance.

The outward leg was nothing fast. I was trying to keep within my limits knowing that 11 - 12km was a significant step up in distance from my previous longest run (7.9km at Xterra round 1) in this journey back to getting fit. I was also slowed by the distraction of running with a camera, the photographer in me having to stop every few minutes to snap yet another vista.

On cameras... the point and shoot that I was carrying is a waterproof Samsung WP10. The briefest of reviews of this is that it is largely a disappointment. Results in all but the most consistent of light are erratic at best. I'm looking at other options for a waterproof point and shoot.

As I approached the 6km mark I was approaching a fence line atop one of the numerous hills I'd navigated. This provide the ideal demarcation point to turn around and head back to the car. It was also a point that provided an awesome panorama of a waking Wellington.

 On the return leg, I paid far less attention to the scenery and concentrated more on the running. The only hiccup along the way was a bout of stitch passing through the 10km mark, but this passed fairly quickly and didn't slow me much. Emerging from the trees to the Makara Rd carpark I had notched up an incredibly satisfying 12.1km with plenty of energy still in the tank.

Skyline Track - out and back run. Saturday, 4 May 2013.

Roll on Cattle Ridge in the Rimutakas next Sunday!!


GEAR REVIEW: Salomon XR Crossmax 2

Road shoes just aren't cut out for any decent amount of trail running. This was no more evident than in the mud at Makara during the first round of the Xterra series. A dedicated trail-running option was called for and in dedicated gearhead fashion I immediately ordered three pairs to cover both training and racing. 

The first of these to arrive were the Salomon XR Crossmax 2 - described by Salomon as "the ideal training shoe for running from your door to any trail, anytime". They come from Salomon's door to trail range and are in all effect a hybrid road and trail shoe that utilizes a multi-compound sole to provide grip on a number of surfaces. 

Salomon XR Crossmax 2

 
The real test of comfort was the fact that I took these out of the box, ripped the tags off and then put them on for what was the longest run that I've done for a number of years. Initially I thought they might be a tad narrow but once my feetwere in I was surprised at how deceivingly accommodating they are in the toe box. After 12kms I had no comfort issues at all and had completely forgotten that I was wearing a brand new, straight out of the box pair of shoes.

Salomon XR Crossmax 2

 Salomon's Quicklace system is fantastic. Give it a pull, slide the tab down to secure and then tuck away into the lace pocket in the tongue. Fast to put on and take off but importantly no worrying about laces coming undone at inopportune moments (like on the descent, less than a kilometre to the finish of Xterra 1!)

The light weight of the shoes is impressive, and they certainly look to be well constructed. The multi-compound Contragrip sole is nowhere near as aggressive as dedicated trail shoes such as the Speedcross 3 (of which I'm awaiting a pair) but provided adequate grip for the predominantly 4WD farm track, and forest single track that I tested them upon. A completely different league to road shoes on this terrain which would have really struggled on some of the wet, steeper sections of trail.

Salomon XR Crossmax 2

The only issue that I could identify was a distinct feeling of less than perfect stability on rocky terrain. This corresponds with the feelings of other reviewers, but still they provide an infinitely better platform offroad than the road shoes I had come from.

The reason I picked Salomon shoes was because they engineer trail shoes from the ground up rather than adapt existing other use designs for trail use like a lot of the other big name athletic shoe brands.  And I must say that my first impression of their product is very positive. I think I've found the ideal training shoe and I look forward to experiencing the Speedcross 3 and XA Pro 3D Ultra 2 that I have on the way.

As far as price goes. They have a RRP of $279 here in New Zealand but are available for significantly less online. As I write this, R&R Sports have them on sale for $195.30 and UK sites Wiggle and Chain Reaction have them for about $130 to $150 depending on discounts and exchange rate. I picked up mine from Chain Reaction.

If you're looking for a training shoe for trail-running then I can highly recommend these.