u/acaurora

Completed the Portland Marathon today and I couldn't be happier to have done it. Having spent the past year getting into running (coming from a cycling background), I did the progression from 5K to 10K to Half pretty fast, and spent probably *too* long of a training block leading up to this.

Starting out, I had intended on a finish time more around 4:15, but in the excitement of the start, I stuck and clung onto the 4:00 group. That came to bite me later on as by mile 8 the pain was starting to settle in. Around mile 18 is when I had to switch to run/walk, and 22-24 were the real struggle, with my hamstrings very tight and ready to cramp (which has never happened during my training!). I managed to get back into a rhythm for the last 2 miles and cross the finish line with a smile.

The entire race though, I was in a pretty good mood for the most part, and cheered other runners on. Took in the sights, enjoyed the day, and overall it was great! Would I do it again? Ask me after my legs stop hurting, haha!

Congrats to all of the 15K+ runners that came out today! Now I'm off to go eat a burger and not think about any gels for at least the next week (my stomach is on a HARD PASS boycott on those for now haha).

Also, sandals are the secret cheat code post marathon! I was SO glad I brought them once I finished and got my shoes off (and carefully peeled off the socks to assess any damage).

Hey everyone, just thought I would post here for those of you that were curious about the updated version of the Fast and Free Half Tight. I have the originals as well as the Nulux versions. Briefly:

Original FnF: The gold standard - I really like these. The fabric is not thick and the fit is good.

Nulux: I think of these as "what if the original FnF had a baby with a running belt?" - same fit, the fabric feels smoother and maybe slightly thicker, but not in a bad way, and the upper part with the mesh pockets are great to hold things like gels.

Updated FnF: Here are some changes I noticed

• There is the introduction of bonded seams - not everywhere, but more than the previous versions. This may be for comfort.
• The side pockets seem to be wider - my iPhone 17 Pro Max doesn't stretch out the bottom of the pockets like it does on the other two models. The pocket fabric is also ribbed. Notice on the original FnF there seem to be reinforcement points on the edges of the pockets inside the shorts (gray dots).
• The two horizontal shirt/towel loops are converted into two thin vertical loops, kind of reminds me of belt loops. They are much thinner bands and not as stretchy. I never used them on the originals, so I don't know how that effects durability.
• The leg openings do not have the thin strip of silicone dots to hold them in place - the original ones had dots around the entire opening, whereas the Nulux only have them in the front under the contrast piping. Additionally along the taped seam there are several 'notches', I believe that these may be guides for if you were to have them hemmed or adjusted for reference? (see last pic)
• The zippered pocket in the back remains comically tiny.

One last note is that I am 5'9, 155 lb and in between an XS and S. My original FnF / Nulux are XS and this updated one is a S - I have an XS on the way. Comparing lengths, the S seems about 1" longer than the XS pairs that I have. I have run in both the Nulux and the Original several times and they both I would say fit about the same. I have a long run coming up this weekend and will try the updated ones - aside from being larger I will see if I can notice any other differences, such as fit.

Overall if I had to pick between the original and the updated version... it's a hard pick. I would go with the original I think because of the leg grippers to help keep them in place - while the bonded seams may help with comfort I never really felt that the stitching irritated my skin or effected the fit in a bad way. To be honest I actually do like the Nulux really because of the added convenience of the mesh pockets (they seem to be on final sale now... maybe time to stock up!).

Hope this helps you runners out there make informed decisions - if you have any questions just ask and I will see what I can do. The XS will be here on Wednesday and I will try to update this post if there is anything else different.

A few weeks ago, I picked up a pair of SB3s and really enjoyed them for the long runs - they were soft yet supportive. My only issue was the 'pod' (circled in red). I noticed that on the longer runs it would catch/scrape on my right side. Then on one particularly long progressive run, I tripped and fell because of the catching (it literally stopped my foot from moving forward).

I understand that this would indicate that as I get fatigued, I don't lift my right leg high enough, causing the scraping and eventually the injury. Now that I am starting to run again, I am worried about having the same incident again, even if I am trying to consciously think about the motion of being sure to pick up my feet towards the end of the long runs.

My question to you is - if you were in my situation, would you totally avoid these shoes and try something else (I am looking at the Brooks Hyperion Max 4s), or try to stick with it and *hope* that the mental act of consciously picking up your feet/focusing on form when you're tired will fix it? I just really don't want to fall again.

EDIT: I want to clarify, I am not blaming the shoes, but am just seeking guidance on what to do next.

Some running background - I have been running for about a year and am training for my first full marathon in October after having done a 5K (0:22), 10K(0:47), and Half Marathon (~1:42). My easy run pace for long runs is generally around 8:30-9/mile. I'm 5'8, 160lbs, 42M if that matters.

Other shoes I run in:
Adidas EVO SL (I really love these but have not tried taking them past the 10K mark)
Adidas Adios Pro 4 (Worn these for all my races, really love them)
Nike Vomero Plus (Got these when I first started running, and they work, but nothing particularly noteworthy for me)
Nike VaporFly (Got these on sale, have run 5K/parkruns in them but again not really my top choice)