Altra Vanish Carbon

Shoe: Altra Vanish Carbon

Reviewer: Gary Manley, experienced runner, England Athletics Qualified Coach, Obsessed with running.

Date: April 2024

Summary: A quick shoe but arguably not a super shoe.

In a Nutshell: 

• It is great for runners who want a quick shoe that is zero drop. 
• The Vanish Carbon offers a partial carbon plate and super foam but probably not up to the level of some brands.
• It is quick but there are concerns around comfort and durability. 

Upper:

• It's built on Altra's Slim Fit last, which means it's narrower than some of their other shoes known for a wider toe box. However, this doesn't necessarily mean it's narrow overall, in fact I can still fit in the 8 1/2. 
• The upper uses a thin, breathable mesh that conforms to your foot.
• There are minimal overlays or padding, keeping the shoe lightweight.
• While not ideal for the absolute widest feet, I did find the Vanish Carbon surprisingly accommodating due to the thin, flexible mesh.
• The tongue can be fiddly to get in place and is very thin, I have however raced my half marathon PB in this shoe and it was fine. I have also had a slight issue with the fabric at the tip of the toes, it seems to have a chance of folding down and rubbing against your toes. I have had 3 pairs of these (.thanks vinted.) in 8.5 and had that issue in 2 of them, the size 9's I haven't had any problems with. 

                                            

Midsole:

• Stack Height: The Vanish Carbon has a 33mm stack height in both the heel and forefoot, which falls into the category of a high cushioned shoe.
• Cushioning: It uses Altra's EGO PRO foam, known for being lightweight and responsive, providing a good balance between shock absorption and a propulsive feel. I hear others talk about their super shoes and although this is comfortable I don't feel a massive pop from it.
• Embedded within the midsole is a Carbitex carbon fibre plate. This plate helps with propulsion and energy return during toe-off, aiming to improve running efficiency. As I said I don't feel as much as others have reported but my feet are too fat to try other plated shoes so I don't have a comparison to make and do still love this shoe. 
• A core feature of Altra shoes, the Vanish Carbon maintains a zero-drop platform, meaning the heel and forefoot are at the same height. This promotes a more natural foot strike for some runners.

                                          

Outsole:

• Material: It uses a rubber outsole with a strategic lug pattern.
• Traction: The lugs are low-profile but strategically placed to provide good grip on dry pavement and light rain. However, they might not be ideal for very loose surfaces like gravel or wet trails. It is great for roads however it can be a little slippery in the wet. 
• Durability: The rubber compound is generally considered durable enough for high mileage road running. However, it does wear, especially in the heel and I am mostly a forefoot striker. 
• Flexibility: The forefoot of the outsole is designed to be flexible for a natural toe-off and a smooth transition during your stride and I haven't found the shoe to inhibit my normal running pattern. 

                                               

Performance:

• This shoe is best for races and speed work. I have set PBs at all distances from 1k through half marathon in this shoe. 
• It is actually a show that works well at slower paces but should probably be kept for race day. On the plus side you don't have to change between the warm up and the race. 

Value:

• Often on sale for around £100 and now the Altra Vanish Carbon 2 has been released there could be some good deals. 
• If you want a zero drop, high performance shoe this is great. Also consider the Vanish Tempo, which I might actually prefer, even if it is maybe sightly slower. 

Overall:

Overall this is a great shoe, especially for those that have wide feet and want to race hard. I have tried racing in the Altra Escalante racers (I had set my previous 5k PB in them) but honestly there is no going back. The shoe is fairly firm and I have raced a lot of miles in them but don't expect them to have the durability of a daily shoe and conserve them for race day, or once past it, speed sessions.

As I mentioned above the Altra Vanish Carbon 2 has come out and initial reports are promising that it is more like a traditional super shoe and maybe it will be quicker. 

I do love that I can buy pretty much any Altra shoe in 8.5 / 9 and sometimes 9.5 and they fit great and feel great. I have never had that with another brand, I have tried Topo and they have too much of an arch for me and with non zero drop I get injured and with proper barefoot I can't run as fast. 

                                                

Another Summer Course PB

Another Summer course PB this week. Below are the splits between last week and this week. You can see I had a much more aggressive start and was 17 seconds up after 3k, I suffered because of this or the heat, it was really hot, in the 4th km and pushed through that in the last km to end up 12 seconds quicker. 

The table below shows my recent results. You can ignore the 21 and 22 minute runs as they were intentionally slow due to races, pacing or something. At the start of August I was struggling to break 20 minutes and by September was down to 19:14 and then over the last 3 efforts I have taken off 30 seconds, 24 seconds and 12 seconds! Some of that is weight as being back strict carnivore I have been getting back into race shape, the temperature has also decreased, though as I said it was hot, humid and breezy today. Really excited to see what I could do on slightly more rested legs, much cooler conditions and on a quicker course. 

The other bug change I have made that has contributed to the improvements over the last few weeks has been mindset. I have been listening to all the resources I can on it and have been implementing some changes. I won't go into details here but I think the changes I have made are going to continue to help me going forward in training and racing as well as processing when things don't go according to plan. 

It doesn't matter what you believe, just believe

Great to title a post with a quote or paraphase from Firefly, well Serenity but it's all good. Since my perceived failure at the 10k a few weeks ago I've been looking into various aspects on the mental side of things. This is not just about running but a wider view and some of the research out there is very interesting. 

There is some very interesting research out there showing that believing something will work for you is beneficial. The famous example is the milkshake mindset experiment where people had different biological responses to milkshakes depending on what nutrient value they thought it had. The upshot is if you believe food is good for you and filling and indulgent then you'll get a bigger response from your body! In my eyes this is perfect for Carnivore as the food, at least by those is the know, is seen as healthy but it is also seen a filling and awesome unlike a puny salad. 

In terms of your mindset when performing this can also be important so here's a list of things I think help my training or recovery or health that might have an additional impact because I've done research on them and still believe they truly work. 

Carnivore

Slow training

Highish miles

Short sharp speed work

Red light therapy

Breathing exercises

Compression and massage for recovery

Intermittent Fasting 

Short consistent strength and jumping work. 

Enjoying training and having a positive mindset

Barefoot training

You can read the original research here. 

A great run

So far the year has gone really well, I have felt that my fitness is improving and my mileage has been higher than required, even for my super push target. I will admit that today I am taking a day off running, my legs felt tired and this afternoon I even closed my eyes on the sofa, so I clearly needed a break. So far this year, and we are on the 15th, with today being a rest day, I have run 119 miles! To be on target for 2000 / 2200 / 2500 I need to be on 82 / 90 / 102, however I only see myself doing around 40 miles this week as I am tapering for a 10k but even that would see me stay ahead of my push target assuming I can recover well from the 10k on Sunday. 

My strength training is also consistent and I have even started with my Airofit again and the odd session of meditation. I have also been sleeping great which always helps, using my massage gun and balls and compression gear when I feel it will help. Of course debatable whether these things help but in my head they do which means they do help. I am also doing great with my target of lots of parkrun runs and volunteers with 3/3 runs and 5/5 volunteers. 

I am going into the 10k on Sunday full of confidence after my latest run at parkrun. Conditions were awful, last week the were over 300 runners and this week only 150, it was raining with winds of 20mph and gusts of 50mph with all the local prom parkruns getting cancelled. 

I started in the front line and soon settled into 6th, just behind someone I know is about 30 seconds quicker than me but I felt comfortable. Around 800m one of the faster runners dropped back, think he was just running the start with a friend as it was cross country the next day. Turning onto the back straight, in theory with the wind behind us, the 2 of us caught the guy in 3rd and cruised past (he ended up over a minute behind us). Myself and the other runner stuck together, each taking time in the wind, not that he let me stay in front for long. He put in a burst around halfway but didn't get more than a few metres ahead. 

I know that my strong point is not kicking so around 3k I made a move to pass him into 3rd place and it stuck and I put some air between us, judging by his footsteps it got up to around 10m by 4k but I could always hear his trainers splashing behind me. I kicked on in the last 500m but could hear him reeling me in but I managed to stay ahead for my first podium (well it is a run not a race but still) since October and my 2nd fastest ever time, only 12 seconds off my PB. *** Note the guy who got his PB hasn't run at this parkrun in a while and has been running 30 seconds quicker on an arguably slower course in recent weeks. 

Looking at everyone's results and chatting to people the conditions were probably worth 30 seconds which puts me in sub 18 shape on a perfect day. Even at a result not taking into account the conditions it puts me in 38:30 shape for the 10k. But then that also doesn't fact in the 115 miles in the preceding 2 weeks with no taper, so hopefully with an easy week and good conditions I will get a 10k PB on 22nd and at least break 39 and maybe get near that 38:30. 

Legoland, fasting and the heat

 An update on things and why I stopped posting so much.

I have not been posting much, well at all over the last few months. I have had an interview at work for a promotion of sorts and this took priority of pretty much any spare time I had and that doesn’t take into account spending time with my family.

I have kept on running and at least maintained OMAD even though the alternate day fasting has taken a step back in the heat and with trips to Legoland meant that staying healthy whilst spending all day in 40 degree heat. I think one of the top considerations when performing fasting is to not be too strict but at the same time don’t flake out too easy.

I think I heard that you should try and stick to things 100% of the time but if you manage 80-90% of the time then that is a success. So mentally I am not beating myself up over not sticking to alternate day fasting, my weight has crept up a little but it is the summer and I am eating fruit, so I am hoping worst case that my urges for this will shift to lower carb alternatives as the weather starts to cool. At the same time one of the things I am enjoying with Keto IF over Keto is that I am not so strict with the Keto, in fact it is more Paleo than Keto.

I am hoping to get back to posting once or twice a month, hopefully with some more details on running style and analysis of gait from myself on the treadmill in different shoes. This should tie in nicely with my club where we might be looking to give better access to this kind of training.

Another week of fasting, running and weight loss

Another week of alternate day fasting and running and I am starting to get my mojo back. Things have not been great over the past 2 weeks, my weight has not really moved much and my 5k time trial did not go as hoped. At the same time I have made some good progress with my running motivation and am back into the swing of it. My goals have changed from doing the 5k training plan to building my base.

I mean really building my base should always have been my aim but I really wanted to speed up, then again building you base can speed you up. I am back to 2lbs away from being a healthy BMI as well and longer slower running should help with this. 

Wow this post is all over the place. Anyway my primary reason for shifting back to longer slower running is the heat but also that fast running doesn't work great with fasting (at this point). If you run hard before you eat you are feeling quite depleted and the act of running fast makes you deplete glycogen stores and then it is harder to stay fasted as this increased your hunger. 

Overall I am further ahead of where I was in 2015 in terms of weight loss and on a par with my fast running pace. I am currently on a run steak of 6 days running at least 20 minutes, though with 2 10 mile runs in there as well I feel it was a productive week. 

Now my plan to to keep my run streak of at least 20 minutes a day going for as long as I am healthy to do so but with the aim of increase my miles. Next week I will aim for 3 10 mile runs, which will be helped by England Athletics advising that running clubs can start again. So hopefully next week I can do 3 x 10 miles runs on Monday, Wednesday and Friday (always helps with the Saturday morning weight in) and then do at least 20 minutes on the other days. Will aim to build this up to more and more days a week, with lots of recovery chucked in of course and hopefully by the time I am back in the office I will have done my highest ever mileage week. 

Running Goals to stay motivated during COVID lockdown

With the success that I have had with fasting the weight loss motivation is doing great, 5 weeks in and almost 20lbs down. Fasting itself is getting easier and the introduction of the psyillium (I can't spell it) husk has massively improved the IBS issues I was having after coming out of any sort of fast. It is all well and good saying that I would like to set a 10km PB in December but that is a long way off and I need some shorter terms targets to make sure I am on the right track. 

For a bit of context my 10km PB is, for me a rather poor, 42:50. In one race I was on for sub 40 minutes until 6k when the heat got to me and I staggered home in just under 43. That remains my official PB but if I remember correctly I also took part in a 10k the year and ran 42:45 but this was a low key event and it is not on any of the usual sites. So basically I set my 10k PB in 2015 when I had only been running properly for 10 months but was at the peak of my weight loss. I matched that, as said above in 2016, but 2017 was when it all started to go wrong and I have not yet gotten back into that sort of shape. The closest I have come was February this year, I was at a decent weight and was less than a minute away from my PB and I had a cold. Said cold became a chest infection, 2 months off running and then lock-down started, During that time my body did not react well to reduced running and probably stress eating and put on 30lbs. 

Anyways. I thought I good way to motivate myself was to track some of my progress this year compared to 2015, much like I am with my weight. So below is a table of some of the times as a comparison. 

The top half of the table should be completely irrelevant as I am in much better than 26 minute shape, well I hope so anyway. The bottom half, given where I am with weight, could be interesting. Sure I ran much quicker than 23:04 earlier this year but the rest of the times have been out of each for me since some time in 2016! So I guess, depending on me getting some GPS going, the aim is to try and break the times by the dates listed below. Whether I do this as one effort and see how I go or give myself several changes I am not yet sure. If I make this I will be back running sub 20 by the end of the year.  

Another table showing my parkrun results from that year, some with buggy, pacing or with my wife, if I stick to that I could be on 19:40 by the end of the year! Results above are slightly different as it took into account time to get over the line. Also shows me that the above was showing a time set in the week start the date shown. 

One difference to note between 2015 and 2020 is that I now run in barefoot shoes. This is for injury prevention and works great for me in that respect I am just not 100% convinced they are quite as fast, by then I have not been at my race weight since I started using them! Fingers crossed I can do this. Perhaps my goals now should be to relive past glories, wonder if I can rectify the time I just missed the sub 90 half. 

If nothing else I am hoping that this helps me with motivation of running during whatever is left of the COVID19 lockdown. The above running was mostly done with my wife (minus the racing) as my daughter was small enough t go in a buggy. 

I also want to go through some of my coaching material and see what else I should be doing, I am already doing some mobility work, squats and planks etc. but given my previous with injuries it is better to be safe than sorry.

Barefoot Running

I thought it would be good to do a running post as I have focused on fasting so far. Today I am going to have a look at Barefoot running, mainly because an article came up on it and I advocate it anyway. 

As someone who tried to follow an evolutionary fitness model barefoot running makes sense, I actually do it because without it I am a hobbling wreck with constant knee pain. My problems started around April 2017 with the Brighton Marathon. The training for this involved lots of pain in lots of way but the biggest obvious issue was knee pain, consistent and bad knee pain that got to the point I had physio and basically didn't run for 18 months. 

Physio and everything helped but the biggest difference for me came when, upon reading several books and starting my coaching journey, I decided to try barefoot running. Instantly my knee pain was gone, I tried cushion shoes again and the knee pain came straight back. I was sold and I have since introduced others to these shoes and they have also noticed improvements 

Then yesterday I came across an article about barefoot running and it was mostly positive. In my experience one of the biggest issues with most of the health fitness issue is money. Drugs make money, sugar laden foods make money but telling people to eat non-processed food and to fast decreases money (and gets them healthy without drugs). There is also more money in performance based shoes rather than health based shoes. 

I have read a few really good books that mention barefoot style walking / running, they are all basically linked to natural movements. 

A video by one of the authors can be found below, check out his book and it has some great tips and stories on the health and fitness side of thing and some low-carb stuff.