Return to The Potawatomi

Diving more seriously into my harebrained idea of completing a half-marathon on the Poto in under 2 hours, I manned up and made the trek out there today for a practice run. Being my first real run in two weeks, it took some time to wake the legs back up. And it was one hell of a wake up call.

I’m always gripped with nervousness en route to the Poto. Is it because I perceive it as the only somewhat technical and challenging trail in the area? Compared to my regular haunts, it is a complete step up. Elevation, terrain changes, miles upon miles of rocks. A few miles into the trail, though, and I recognize that it’s all worth it. It’s also among the most scenic runs I’ve found within driving distance of Detroit – and I’m looking forward to a handful of return trips over the next few months (and probably into the winter).

The good news: I took it slow today. Mild run for 8 minutes, walk for 2 minutes. Walked all hills. Stopped to take pictures when necessary. I wore FiveFingers, which I personally think are a ballsy idea for such a rocky trail (as evidenced by the three inch bruise on the bottom of my left foot). All this said, I still did the loop only slightly slower than my racing pace from the last time I did the trail half marathon. Hopefully, slapping some New Balance 790s onto my feet next time for a little rock protection, cutting out the walks and holding a nice, brisk pace will help me reach my goal.

Also, and somewhat tangential: I forgot how much it sucks running with a Camelback. I noted today there are various “watering” stations along the route – basically a spot to pull up well water. I think if I run with powdered Accelerade in one bottle I can keep refilling and mixing the other. We’ll try that next time.

Go (North)west, Aging Man

The Juan de Fuca Trail

The bags are packed. The plans are made. Weather is supposed to be perfect for our big wedding this Sunday. Tomorrow we leave our lovely yet decidedly boring Midwest landscape and take off for the wilds of the Pacific Northwest. Land in Seattle, drive to Vancouver, then ferry to Victoria – where we’ll remain for the next week and some odd days. Yes, I’m excited, and yes, I could go on about it – but alas this is a site about running.

In the midst of all the planning, entertaining, stress and family and friend activities – I’m hell bent on getting in a few solid trail runs. Some quick searches for “Victoria+BC+Trail+Running” took me to some amazing photos of the Juan de Fuca trail. And, as luck would have it, it’s only about 1/2 an hour from our hotel.

God willing, photos and stories to follow.

Pre-order Vibram KSO Treks (Warning: Not Inexpensive)

It seems there’s a way to pre-order the latest offerings from Vibram; the KSO Treks, Mocs and Performa. A little googling for more info on the KSO Treks took me to a post over at Birthday Shoes, which in turn linked me over to Kayak Shed.

I’m interested to see how the new additions to the lineup hit. One of the things I’ve most enjoyed about my trusty KSOs over the past year has been their ability to run through rain, straight through puddles, streams, creeks, and whatever else the trail had to offer. You get them wet and they remain almost weightless and, conditions permitting, they’re dry within the next mile. How will Kangaroo leather hold up? Are we going to see a chamois cloth effect that gets bogged down with water? How will they breathe? I’m a little skeptical, but will of course give the benefit of the doubt.

Just incase: Dear Vibram – can you please make a KSO Trek out of the lightweight mesh I’ve come to love?

But, oh. . . $130! Yikes.

Methods, Goals and Plans

So I’ve been a little reckless with training lately, kind of feeling like I’m teetering on the brink of injury. My weekly mileage (bike and run) was 75 miles, with 30 miles running and the rest on two wheels. Nothing huge for many folks, but I still consider myself recovering from the knee injury. Also, to put it into perspective, the last week literally doubled my overall mileage for the last 30 days, which seems too aggressive a ramp-up in retrospect.

I will say I feel entirely (maybe too) motivated after watching crewing and pacing for Dirt Dawg at the Burning River 100 earlier this month. I feel ambitious, to say the least.

Things that have helped:
1) Biking / cross training: Immediate and obvious benefits come on uphill work. Heritage Park offers some bite-sized yet steep inclines, and they’ve been easier and easier the more miles I log on the bike. Also, cycling has helped me maintain and increase fitness, let me get outside more often, without worrying too much about my knee. I also never realized before – I really enjoy it.

2) Cutting out dairy and fish: I’m in my 15th year as a vegetarian, but never considered Veganism until last week when reading up on athletes like Scott Jurek and Dave Scott (a champion ultra-runner and a champion iron man, respectively). The more I read, the more I believe a strict vegan diet is more appropriate for athletes. Ethical considerations aside (which are also important to me, but maybe not to Joe Reader), a plant-based diet has more nutrients per-pound than meat. Also, less fat, less heart-attack causing stuff, fewer chemicals like antibiotics and growth hormones, etc. Anyway, there’s science behind it. My point here is that I’ve seen a noticeable increase in energy and endurance within the first week of this experiment. If it continues to go this well, I’ll continue to keep at it.

I’m currently scouting out events for my first 50k, which I’m aiming to do next year. I was planning on the Dances With Dirt in Gnaw Bone, but alas my younger sister chose that specific day to get married. I’m currently looking around, but maybe thinking something like the Vermont 50m later next year would be just as good – just stick to self-supported marathons in the interim.

Been loving summer, but I’m looking forward to winter/snow runs.

Anyway, this post has quickly lost its form. Just wanted to update and keep this thing alive.

Getting Stronger

Lakeshore Park
10 Miles in 1:42
Vibram FiveFinger KSO

My first 10 mile loop of Lakeshore this season. The run itself was amazing. One week into a vegan diet and my energy levels feel much, much higher. Was running most hills, fast-walking the breaks and sprinting at some points. No fatigue until mile nine, when it became so dark I couldn’t see and kept tripping over roots and branches. Despite the thrill, I found myself a little discouraged and (embarrassingly) kind of scared. Lakeshore has a tendency to confuse, and I’ve been lost there more than once in broad daylight. Can’t imagine being stuck there after dark, lost with no torch.

Around late dusk I was in Loki’s Loop – a heavily wooded section of the trail. My feet hitting the ground must’ve been waking the bats from their sleep, because they seemed to “eek” and flutter out of the trees along with me as I made my way back to the trail head. This was kind of surreal, and one of those strange moments that makes trail running so much more meaningful than sidewalks and streets.

Dusk came pretty fast, and the last two miles of the trail were run mostly in the dark, since I didn’t anticipate needing a headlamp. The last half mile was run in almost complete dark, and my strategy was to more or less aim for the blurry, white line which seemed to be the path.

Got to the trail head and it was dark out, but all in it was a great, tiny adventure to cap off the weekend.

My running pace must have been pretty solid, since I was running 8 and walking 2. To average out to a 10 minute pace I must have been going pretty strong on the running sections. I’ll wait to see how I feel tomorrow before calling it a success. If I’m good, I’ll consider this a promising training run for the Woodstock Hippie Half Marathon next month.

Gear
The Forerunner 405 continues to absolutely shit the bed when it comes to trails. This is a 10 mile loop, and the GPS is coming up short of 9 miles? On streets, it’s fine. On trails, an expensive let-down. Additionally, the buttons and bezel often fail to work/respond to touch when they’re wet with sweat. But hey, at least it looks cool, and can double as a real watch.

On the other hand, the FiveFinger KSOs continue to impress. Over a year old and hundreds of miles logged, with little sign of wear and tear. The small tear in the cloth that recently developed can be fixed with a needle, thread and some goop in a matter of minutes. My feet are getting stronger, and I felt absolutely great all the way through the loop. I’m looking forward to the KSO Treks, but am on the fence about them due to their Kangaroo Leather upper. Aside from the ethical considerations, I wonder if they’ll feel as light and if they’ll be able to handle puddles and moisture as well as the KSOs or other “topless” models. I guess we’ll see. Maybe I can ask Barefoot Ted when I see him in a few weeks.

Clif Bars and Accelerade seem to be a working combination, but I’m going to start moving to real food, and will likely swap out the sports drink with Green Magma in the near future.

The Buildup

Perhaps a bit reckless, but nothing extraordinary comes from ordinary actions. Last weekend I attempted my first 10 mile trail run absolutely barefoot. Having not run Lakeshore Park much this year, I forgot what the terrain was like in the more distant sections of the park.

First few miles were fine. By the time I got to mile six I was on the verge of throwing up from the pain. Had to chicken out and grab the FiveFinger KSOs for the rest of the run. The difference is amazing, though. Just adding some protection almost revolutionized the way I ran. More fearless of roots and rocks, the pace dropped by over a minute per mile. I don’t necessarily see this as good – just something to note.

Going to keep working at it, still hoping to do a barefoot trail marathon before the season is up.

Despite the pain in my feet, I’ll keep at it. The ultimate purpose is still in place – I’m running with better form, gentler and more in tune with my body. Actually listening to my body. The knee is fine, with soreness and stiffness working itself out in a matter of a day or two – not months.

Back to Lakeshore Park, Barefoot #2

This should have been a longer run, but I didn’t feel like emptying the tank. It’s both bogus and sad to me that 4 miles was all I did on this fine, beautiful, near tropical Sunday. But the dismay is diluted with pride in the fact that I ran these slippery, muddy miles barefoot, and that my legs feel wonderful, and that I feel like I could have gone twice as far.

Maybe I’ll try stacking on more miles in the near future. I’m just enjoying it right now.

This was my first post-snow run at Lakeshore for the year. I almost like it better when its frozen; the general pestilence like mosquitoes, horseflies, and Oakley-clad, shirtless frat boys on mountain bikes aren’t there in the winter.

They were out in full force today.

Still, Lakeshore is one of my favorite trails. Not too much climbing, though rife with rolling, gentle ups and downs. The trails are soft on the feet and perfect for barefooting. No huge stretches of wood chips, and maybe only a few spots of sharp gravel – nothing to really ruin your day though.

Great trail, and a great run today. I can’t wait for the summer. Especially once Max gets his mileage up.

Congrats to Dirty and Brian on conquering Trail Marathon today. Hope I can join you next year.

More Thoughts on Rainy Trails and FiveFingers

After working more than 60 hours since Monday and not really having a weekend to speak of, today’s rainy, empty trail was especially timely. Perhaps one of the best parts about running is the absolute catharsis you feel from only 45 minutes of time alone in the woods. At least for me, anyway.

I set out intent on barefooting it, knowing full-well that I need to work up some good pads for October’s marathon. As I pulled into the park, tough, the temperature dipped to 49, which is below my threshold for any shoeless adventures. I chickened out and wore the FiveFinger KSOs. But hey – they still feel great to me.

Heritage Park was empty, aside from two vinyl-poncho clad hikers with crampons and ski poles and two stoned teenagers sitting by the river with their feet in the water. Both were surprised to see me, but more so the high-ons. Days like this are some of the best for running. I love having the trails utterly to myself, and the sound of the rain falling through the trees sets a rhythm that kind of Zens you out and drives you forward. It’s too easy to get lost in your thoughts, and that’s a good thing.

I took a rest at my favorite portion of the trail, which is also the highest point of the park with the best view. As trail runners, we’re exposed to a lot of outdoor beauty, but stopping to reflect and observe gives you a much more in-depth experience than just running past it. You don’t often think of Suburban Detroit as having spots of breathtaking beauty, but I’ve found a few.

More thoughts on FiveFingers

This was my first run in them this year, after a long respite for the winter, and I’ve got a few new observations.

Despite offering little traction on muddy inclines – they’re practically weightless, they develop your leg muscles in the same way, and for my level of experience they offer welcome protection against gravel and wood chip portions of trail. That said, they do make a noticeable difference in form and technique compared to a naked foot. With the extra protection, you allow yourself to run more recklessly and do things you wouldn’t when completely unshod. The point of barefooting is to step softly, work in tune with your body and reduce stress on your bones – and that’s somewhat undermined in the FiveFingers. I think Vibram marketing them as a “barefoot alternative” is a bit dishonest, not to mention contradictory. It’s like calling a bathing suit a “nudity alternative” (or to that end, calling the Swimsuit Issue “the Hustler alternative”). You can’t really have a half-absolute.

Still, the FiveFingers have been an excellent gateway drug into minimal running, and I’d recommend them to anyone willing to give them a shot. Aside from the most important thing – making running more enjoyable – they’ve helped me rework and improve my running form. As such, I’ve fixed a lot of the knee and foot problems I was having before, running in my New Balances, Pumas and Salomons. I think it’s best to view them as training wheels of sorts, though, recognizing that they are shoes nonetheless.

Barefoot Season Begins

. . . Tentatively. This being Michigan and all, we may be knee deep in snow 48 hours from now. But for today, I had no choice but to capitalize on the warm sun and relatively balmy 50 degree weather.

It felt pretty weird at first. I haven’t been running much on account of the recovery process, and the running I have done has been shoes-on for the better part of the last year. Suffice to say, my callouses were a bit underdeveloped.

That said, if I’m going to work my way up to the big barefoot 26.2 by October, it’s definitely time to man up and put my game face on.

After the first mile it was pretty easy to fall back into the groove. Steady eye on the ground to monitor for sharp sticks, jagged stones, or whatever other hazard there might be. Loosen up, relax, step softly and enjoy.

The majority of the trail was dead leaves and soft mud, which felt amazing. That feeling alone sells me on this whole thing.

No surprise – five barefoot miles on hilly trails were easier to digest than two miles of shoes on the street. That’s both mentally and physically.

2009 Goal: Barefoot Marathon

The more I think about it the less I think any of the summer or even early-fall races of reasonable distance will be possible. Things are feeling better and better, and I want it to stay that way. To be sure of that, and to get the most out of what I love about running, my focus for 2009 will be to continue barefooting on as many trails as possible – with the ultimate goal being a grandiose 26.2 completely unshod.

Ideally, I’d like this to be for the North Country Trail Run (which I DNS’d last year) in late October. The timing seems comfortable and from what I understand, the trails are pretty plush. That said, I feel no real inclination to do this for any official race, and might just as well go up by myself and run it alone (or with anyone who wants to join) and un-chipped. Frankly, I’d probably enjoy that more, anyway. It’s neat getting official t-shirts and feeling the all-around energy surrounding race-day – but it never quite compares to the peace I feel when going it alone.

So here it is, officially entering my 2009 objective. No big races (and thus no entry fees), no time goal. Just the distance and the method. And the hope that I’m still feeling fine afterward.