Paul Grave’s blog

Why did I buy these? My wife is a big fan of Ultra Boosts and they were heavily discounted. After 2 runs I’m not sure when or why I’d ever choose to run in these.

The sock-like fit is nice, they’re like putting on slippers. Unfortunately I think I might be faster in slippers.

The Adidas sizing is frustrating. I initially ordered a size too small. In the UK shoes are sold in UK sizes, most of the time. My European size is 46. Unlike Brooks, Saucony, and HokaONEONE, a European size 46 in Adidas land is 11 whereas it’s 10.5 for the other brands.

The toe box is spacious and they do allow in more air than any of the other shoes I own.

It feels like there’s a fair amount of flex in the sole. The heel feels well cushioned but the forefoot feels somewhat uncushioned. Not sure I like this, I prefer my shoes to bit a bit more ridgid.

Weighing 373g, the Ultra Boosts are by far the heaviest running shoes I own. My next heaviest shoe is the Ghost 14, weighing 311g. My 18 month old and worn out Ghost 13s feel better than running in these.

These Ultra Boosts are totally underwhelming.

Impressions after a tempo 10k…

The size 46 and the fit is great, the toe box is nice and roomy. I would say I prefer the fit of the Endorphins over my HOKAs. The HOKAs are a close fit.

The shoe itself is nice and light. They might be as fast as the Rincons, but I’ll need to complete a few more runs.

These will likely be part of my regular rotation which currently includes HOKAOneOne Cliftons and Rincons 👍🏻

Fantastically well organised @ilkleyhalf First half marathon race. Really happy to manage a sub-90min. Crowds were amazing. Thanks Ilkley. 👏🏻

First ever half marathon tomorrow. Aiming for 90mins but the second half is a bit lumpy. We’ll see. Also using this to test marathon fuelling strategy. 3/4 gels: 60g of glucose. A 375ml water bottle with 50g of sugar (1:1 fructose/glucose), and 250mg of sodium citrate. Aiming to offset a ~1.5L sweat rate with drinking 330ml at each of the water stations. (I’ve spent some time thinking about this). Hoka Rincon 2 seem to be my preferred shoe these days. They’re light, comfortable, and feel like they improve my running economy more than any other shoe. #ilkleyhalf

Second dose of AZ today. Fully vaccinated now. H+6 and feeling fine. HR is a bit elevated. Slight headache.

Love watching this Denmark team. Quick and precise passing. Great finishing. Not afraid to press against so-called stronger teams.

A European Super League could indeed be attractive and perhaps become one of the most watched and lucrative leagues in the world. I don’t see how you get there without FIFA/UEFA support.

Vaccinated with AstraZeneca at 17h. Fever from ~04h through to ~20h. Finished the evening with fries and falafel. Blewing my calorie budget by 600kcals. This morning I’m 1kg lighter and it’s the lightest I’ve been in over 20yrs!

AZ vaccine applied at 17h. Can you tell when the fever kicked in? Feel exhausted.

Today’s workout was fuelled with 100g of caster sugar, water, and fresh lemon juice. Turns out it’s a bit sweet 🤮 Next time I’ll reduce the ratio of fructose by adding in some maltodextrin to make things a little more palatable.

Shout out to the people running the vaccination operation centre in Bradord today. Very slick. 👏🏻 The guy would delivered my vaccine still had 3 hours left of his fast but was still polite and cheery. 🙌🏻

I’ve just setup a new LG OLED TV, and I don’t hate the UI! Okay, so the UI animations are janky, but in general WebOS is quite intuitive. The remote is much better than the Apple TV’s.

Overwatch related post… I’m done listening to teenagers whine about healing whilst they die. No more heals for you! I don’t care if it sinks the team and my SR.

Morning runs along the Leeds/Liverpool canal.