“Disclaimer: I received a pair of Brooks Ghost 14s as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find and write race reviews!”
To say I was just a little bit hype when I learned I would be product testing the new Brooks 14s, would be an understatement. I have run in Brooks for a number of years, with the Ghost model being my favorite. Brooks has been really good over the years at evolving their technology, which has kept their customers running happy. Let’s take a closer look at the new Ghost 14s and some of it’s highlights.
Carbon Neutral
The Ghost 14 are Brooks first carbon neutral running shoe. You may ask what does that mean, will that means this technology is assisting Brooks in achieving a zero carbon emissions by year 2040, which will aid in a healthier planet. Brooks to a major step in converting materials used in their shoes to goods that were recycled. I don’t know about you but we got to make taking care of Earth a major objective, after all we only get one. Any company that is doing their part to protect our Earth, deserves to be supported.
DNA Loft Cushion Technology
The dna loft cushion makes sure you have a soft ride and your feet stay happy. Brooks DNA Loft is made up of: EVA foam, rubber, and air. If you have been wearing Brooks as long as I have you might wonder how the DNA loft stacks up with some of Brooks’ previous technologies, like: DNA Amp, Flash and BioMoGo. Lets take a look at a quick comparison:
- DNA AMP has the highest energy return, offering a super springy ride that propels you through your run.
- BioMoGo DNA hits the sweet spot between softness and responsiveness: it’s not as soft as DNA LOFT, but feels softer than DNA AMP.
- DNA FLASH is our lightweight cushioning, built for speed. Soft but not quite as plush as DNA LOFT, you’ll find DNA FLASH only in our fastest racing and training shoes. DNA FLASH technology is also infused with nitrogen.
Test Drive
The most important thing is how well they feel during workouts/runs, because everything else goes out the window. I took these Ghosts out for a few runs that ranged from 3 miles, up to 10 and they did NOT disappoint. The softness of the cushion was real and I didn’t find that my feet were tired after the runs, even if they had just been pounding the pavement for up-teen miles. They fit snug to my feet, while a nice bouncy tread. Bottomline, if my feet are happy, I AM HAPPY.
Recommendation
If you are a Brooks shoe fan, even if you aren’t a usual Brooks wearer, you will not be disappointed in this shoe. Snug fit, light and they come in an array of colors for both men and women. Added benefit….your feet will look great in those post training run shoe pics.
If you have been following my blog you know that in August, I started what I coined as the “Redemption Tour” with the help of Gatorade Endurance. Quick backstory… In November of 2019 I set out to run the Richmond Marathon. Everything is fine leading up to the day of the race. The day before I usually carb load at a local Italian restaurant and I choose one that had a good rating, Bombalini. I woke up the next day with food poisoning and extreme GI issues. I tried to rehydrate as much as I could but I only made it through 14 miles of the race before taking a nice ride in ambulance for dehydration. 
At 7:45am we were off. I didn’t look at my watch, just trusted my body and settled into a comfortable pace. As I was running, the course was coming back to me from the year before. Going over the bridge at mile 8, which is where I had to start walking for the first time in 2019. When I got too mile 14 and recognized the exact spot I had to stop and sit, my stomach tighten up and I just ran harder. I knew that was a mental hurdle I had to get over and I did with no problem. During that mile A spectator read my bib and all i heard was “TK’s Back! Hell yeah he is!” I smiled and thought to myself “damn right” At mile 20, I noticed I was on pace to PR and by a good bit. I was determined to finish strong, I was down to my last Gatorade Endurance (Apple pear) after downing ones at mile 7 and 14. I tore open the last gel at 22, hoping it would get me through the last 4. Richmond Marathon is unique in that the last mile is a steep downhill and I took advantage. Still had fuel in the tank so I went full throttle and crossed the finish line with a time of 3:41:29… that’s a 16 minute PR. I relished ringing the PR bell and smiled knowing redemption was mine! Gatorade Endurance kept me energized and with no signs of cramps. Great product. 
And that’s it, that is how my 2018 race year ended. It ended on the highest of notes and I couldn’t be happier. Now, what awaits me in 2019, I don’t know. I know it will start with Hot Chocolate 15k Charlotte. I will be running Cherry Blossom 10 miler in April and I still hope to run New York City Marathon, after being denied the past 3 years. If I can’t get into NYC, I will either to Marin Corps Marathon or try to redeem myself in Richmond. It will be my 5th marathon so I feel like it should either by NYC or back where it all began with Marine Corps(my first marathon). I don’t know but stay tuned for race year 2019, I think it will be an exciting one.
The Brooks brand is well-known throughout the running community, whether you have used them or not, is a personal preference. I personally have loved Brooks since I stumbled upon them when I first started running. When I began running, I was clueless to the idea of running shoes. I was running in some Nike Shox and was having severe shin splits. I started doing my research and had a gait analysis done at a running expo for which Brooks was sponsor. After that day, I bought my first pair of Brooks and haven’t looked back since. Needless to say, I was all smiles when I saw Brooks gear in our swag bag from The Running Event. I was given a pair of Brooks Ghost 11 and a Brooks Canopy running jacket.
I love this jacket! Not only does it keep you warm on those crisp mornings/evenings, it is water-resistant. The water-resistant aspect is what I have been lacking with other jackets I have tried. Others brands I have tried have either been too light, thus not keeping you warm, or not breathable, thus you are sweating heavily because no air can get in. This Canopy jacket merges both worlds together perfectly. Extra benefit with the Nighlife color I received, is it has the neon yellow accents as well as built in reflective areas so you can easily be seen at night and pre-dawn. I took this jacket out for several runs and loved that it wasn’t too heavy, as well as, the option to use the hood or snap it back. The last and probably one of my favorite features is it is packable. That’s right, the whole jacket can pack right inside the left hand pocket, zip up, and has a nice band you can use to attach to your arm. I was able to put this to the test during one of my recent long runs. The temps were in the high 30s when I started out but pushed its way into the mid 40s halfway through my run. I was able to take off the jacket, pack it into the pocket and continue my run without having to worry about the hassle of securing the jacket around my waist.
I mentioned earlier that Brooks was one of my favorite brands, well their Brooks Ghost are one of my favorite shoes. In all I think I have had at least 3 or 4 pairs of Ghost, dating back to the Ghost 8.
In my previous posts about TRE, I told you about a few pros doing a Zwift run on the first day we were in Austin. The rest of us got to watch and cheer them on. On December 18th, the Pros that didn’t get to run during TRE weekend finally got there chance to test out the Zwift Run. Before I tell you about the run, let me tell you what items you will need to get started.
I must admit the setup was pretty cool. Bibrave already had an event sent up for the date and time, so we just had to log into it. Once you log in, your virtual character appears at the starting line. The starting line header shows how much time you have left before the run begins. As more people sign in, their characters appear at the starting line with you with their name. There is even a message bar that you can communicate with everyone. Once the countdown reached zero, we were off. Based on what pace you entered when signing up for the event, the zwift app tells you what to set your treadmill at. We did a tempo run, so the pace changed several times during the run. Each time, the app would tell you what to set the treadmill(for instance, “increase treadmill to 6.2”) As you are running through the virtual world, you see all our friends running along with you. We even had a santa clause sighting in the middle of our run. Your friends can give you “thumbs up”, and after you finish the workout, you get a workout summary. There is even a saved screen shot of your character in the middle of the run. In addition to group runs, Zwift also has training plans you can use.
TMilesAndRunning 