adidas running - join the debate

So, after scaling the heights of the Great Orme at Llandudno last month, it was on to Portland Bill near Weymouth for the BMAF 10 Mile Road Championships.  The hilly course and wailing winds meant the course was just as demanding as the Great Orme, so I got round just 13 seconds quicker in 62:56.

My name’s Frank - I’m one of the administrators of this micro-site - and yesterday I signed up for the London marathon, meaning that as long as I can find enough generous acquaintances to raise £2,500 (to be donated to ‘Survival’, a British-based charity that protects indigenous tribes from the threats of globalisation), I’ll be one of 36,000 competitors running the 26.2 mile course required to earn the right to brag of involvement in the world’s largest annual fundraising event. Last year's race generated £41.5 million for charity - five times more than the New York City Marathon (which has a couple of thousand more runners) and six times more than the Boston Marathon – and the organisers’ expressed goal is to smash this record when the event reconvenes on the streets of our capital capital on 28th April 2010.

I got home from work yesterday to find the introductory pack from the London Marathon waiting for me.  I could read ‘Acceptance Form’ through the plastic wrapping, but within moments of the initial elation, the thought of all that winter training brought the reality of the challenge ahead crashing home.  Even after having previously completed twelve London marathons and an Abingdon, it’s still daunting to look ahead to all those twenty-plus-mile runs. The Adistar Salvations I’m trialing are certainly going to be put to the test.  I’ll be sixty in early March, so I’ll be targeting around 2:55 - a fast-for-age time.

Later today we will be launching a series of user editorials in which reviewers and bloggers will be submitting guest posts onto this hub. Keep an eye out for chronicles of training exploits and competitive successes or failures coming up right here over the next couple of months. 

On Sunday morning - two hours, six minutes and eight seconds after the 9:00am gun – Haile Gebreselassie broke through the ticker-tape stretched below the Brandenburg Gate to win the 36th Real Berlin Marathon.

How much are you prepared to pay for new running shoes? Is there any difference between a £50 pair or another that costs £150? Depending on how often you replace your shoes and how many you have on the go at any one time, buying running shoes can be an expensive business. How much is fair and what can brands do to make sure they’re offering the customer (you guys) good value for money?

When we interviewed Dan (one of our video trialists) he was adamant that manufacturers were charging too much.

Do you agree? Check out his video above, click through to the forum section and let us know what you think.

Check out the latest adidas running ads, featuring the likes of Tyson Gay, Christine Ohuruogu, Allyson Felix, Jeremy Wariner and many more.

In the Telegraph this monday their was a fantastic article about how excessive exercise can be as addictive as heroin. They found that too much of it sparks a reaction in the brain that is similar to heroin – and it is just as addictive. It gets worse. Sudden withdrawal can lead to trembling, writhing and teeth chattering.

The adidas running shoe trials are well and truly under way and we have gathered some fantastic information so far. If you haven’t checked them out, then make sure you do by clicking on one of the reviews on the side panel or the 'Running Shoes Reviews' tab on the top navigation panel.

Amongst the reviews, we have had some great stories about your ultimate runs, from getting lost in a forest, to running along beaches in Colombia or finishing above prediction in a national race. Sunny Sunday morning runs seem particularly popular but equally a lot of you seem to enjoy battling the elements head on. A selection of our favourites can be found below:

We wanted to put some adidas running shoes to the test and recruited two willing guinea pigs to help us out. James Connor who runs for Kent AC and Dan Agustus from Woodford Green AC stepped up to the plate.