The Saucony Kinvara 3 is honestly the most comfortable running shoe I have ever put on. The Flexfilm technology, which is a pliable material welded onto the upper, sort of locks the runner’s foot in place. It almost feels like the entire shoe shrinks around your foot without squashing it. It really is a shoe worth trying on. Even if it is just to put a smile on your face.
Below there are 2 videos and so pictures to give you a better idea of what the Kinvara 3 is all about. You can also read more about it on Saucony’s Community Page.
Over the past years I have experienced lower leg trouble to the extent of full blown compartment syndrome which required an operation in May 2009. A bilateral subcutaneous fasciotimy was what the procedure was called. Simply put, the thin facia (sheath) which encloses the muscles were too tight. This resulted in the muscle filling up with blood faster than it could drain. The rock hard muscles restricted blood flow to my feet and also affected motor-neuron function which more often than not made my feet go completely dead. Not ideal whilst running. I needn’t mention the pain either.
I tried everything, orthotics, duct tape strategically stuck to my inners, 6 different pairs of shoes but nothing worked so it was operation time. 18 days after my operation I was running again. It was recommended that I get some compression socks so that’s what I did. I was blown away as to how well they actually work. Having tried just about every brand under the sun I have now discovered Zensah. Quite simply, it is a compression revolution.
Let’s run over compression, what it does and how it works.
Athletes have been frustrated by the onset of muscular fatigue for quite some time now. Muscular fatigue results in loss of power and efficiency and occurs as a result of the depletion of muscular glycogen, a lack of oxygen and an increase in muscle lactic acid (increase in hydrogen-ion concentration). Muscular fatigue occurs during brief intense exercise. However over an extended period of time by training without significant recovery from muscular fatigue you will experience accumulated muscular fatigue. And recovery from this is not just a few days to a week… so you may want to avoid that.
It is important to avoid muscular fatigue during training, especially accumulated muscular fatigue as this will affect your technique.
Applying graded compression (This is one aspect where Zensah is miles ahead of any of the other brands) to working muscles improves blood circulation which means that you will:
Improve your performance
Compression gets oxygen rich blood from your heart to your muscles faster. This means that they perform better. This also means that you get fresh blood into the muscle and thus getting nasty by-products out of them.
Recover Faster
Again, getting oxygen rich blood to tired muscles is the key. Like a massage, compression promotes better blood flow to traumatized muscles. Better blood flow means faster and more effective recovery to the muscle cells. It’s recommended they be worn for a couple of hours after exercise for maximum benefit.
Reduce your Risk of Injury
Picture a “Time-Warp” (Like the show on Discovery Channel – super-slow-mo video) of a runner’s foot striking the ground. Imagine the downward shockwave through the thigh followed by a reverberation as the quad bounces back up. All this violence causes the muscle fibres to tear. This is the natural degradation of muscles that lead to fatigue. Quite simply compression reduces the shock. This means less damage so you can go for longer and have less damage to recover from, thus avoiding accumulated fatigue.
And that my friends is what compression can do for you.
Now onto why Zensah, I actually ran in my Zensah calf sleeves tonight up and around Vredehoek. Zensah is a 10 out of 10 product for me. They are super easy to get on and off and the seam is guaranteed for life. It is one piece of fabric with 3 different weaves, each weave developed for each specific targeted area. It really is a beautiful thing.
But don’t take my word for it. If you’re considering compression do Zensah. It is the best by miles!
They say that when you come across a Black Mamba in the wild you have two options: to die now or to run and die later. Either way you’re not getting out of there alive. It is the single most feared predator on the African Savannah. The Black Mamba attacks with ferocity, it is unforgiving. In the wild only the strongest survive; but against the Black Mamba even they don’t stand a chance.
The CEEPO MAMBA is the road bike for triathletes.
I can hear you thinking “who are CEEPO?” and “why should I trust them?”
The official bike partner of Ironman Triathlon; CEEPO are a Japanese company who specialise in triathlon specific frames. The MAMBA was the result of demand from their ITU athletes to provide a light, aerodynamic frame that was ITU compliant.
A road bike made for triathletes; the CEEPO MAMBA incorporates UCI compliant, ITU triathlon specific design. Whilst the average age group triathlete will not need the ITU compliant geometry, they will benefit from the comfort and aerodynamics that the frame provides.
RIDE
I was given the CEEPO MAMBA for two weeks. Each year I ride my TT bike during the summer season and then pack it away for winter as I log some base km’s in the wet, cold and rain. Apart from not wanting to wreck my TT bike; I want to keep it race friendly for as long as possible. When talking to mates, I found that most triathletes were in this position.
The CEEPO Mamba rides like the child of a top end road bike and a TT frame. The first thing I did was to fit some short clip-on aerobars to the frame. If CEEPO was right I should have been just as comfortable, powerful and efficient in both the ‘road’ (handle bars) position as I was when I switched it into ‘triathlon’ (aerobars) mode. They were right. It has completely changed the way I look at my winter training. Now I can incorporate good climbing and longer intervals into the same workout; whereas previously I would have chosen a frame (road or TT) to suit my specific goal.
It has meant that come summer I will have (hopefully) held onto some of my flexibility and be closer to triathlon specific bike fitness. That can only be a good thing.
SIMPLE
So let’s keep it simple. What makes the CEEPO MAMBA stand out from the crowd?
Made from 100% High Modulus Carbon and weighing in at only 1000 grams; the CEEPO MAMBA frame is super light, super tough and very responsive.
During winter, athletes want to give their TT bikes a rest. When summer comes around they have lost the flexibility that comes with being down in their aero-position. The CEEPO MAMBA gives triathletes the ability to keep a similar position on their road bike.
In a world where road bikes are made for pure cyclists; the CEEPO MAMBA was designed for triathlon. This means that you can attach clip-on aerobars and achieve a comfortable and efficient fit for training during winter.
The MAMBA is the perfect bike for those who want to invest in a new bike, but can’t decide between a road or TT frame style. It is fast enough to complement the strongest riders whilst also allowing those new to the sport room to ‘grow into their bike’ as their strength and skills improve.
CEEPO has harnessed the collective power of both the high end road and TT frames with the MAMBA. It will change the way you think about winter training. The CEEPO MAMBA is fast becoming the most feared predator in triathlon.
In the wild only the strongest survive. Make sure it’s you.
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