I tried moving around a bunch of stuff from one database to another, cleaning up my server, etc. Somehow I managed to bonk the permissions on WP and lock myself out. I am still here, still trying to keep the site alive. Running has been slow since the half marathon – running two halfies in two weeks was a little tough on the body. Mostly, 13.1 miles on pavement was tough on me – despite doing it in the FiveFinger KSOs.

Immediately after the Detroit Half, I spent a week battling H1N1, missing a few days of work and being generally miserable. The wife had it, too.

We’re both better now. I’m wrapping up a bunch of freelance work, getting back into the swing of things. This was the first weekend I didn’t work straight through, and it feels refreshing to have days off here and there, like normal folks sometimes do. It also felt great to get out for some lovely Michigan Fall running. The leaves are all on the ground and the trails sound different with the sound of my feet sloshing around dead leaves. But it is beautiful, as always. Winter running is ahead of us, and it is my favorite season for the trails – bar none.

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.

My wife’s first words when I told her I registered: “you’re gonna die!”.

It has been a great feeling cross training, and the benefits have been immediately apparent in my running. I’m getting outside more, stressing the knee less, and feeling my overall fitness increase markedly.

Inspired by a former classmate who just finished a full Iron Man, and trying to make good on a promise I made to myself years ago, I’ve finally set the date for my first Triathlon.

The biking and the running aren’t a concern – and I’m pretty sure I could tough out the combination with just a few months’ training. It’s the swimming I’m most concerned about. Hopefully, with the better part of a year to build up, I should be fine. Guess we’ll see!

I’ll likely try a sprint tri and an olympic distance earlier on next season, just to understand more how it operates. This will remain my training goal for the next year, though. Not sure how doing a specific 50k falls into the training, but I’m sure it’ll all fall into place eventually. The goal has been and will always be to spend as much time outside as possible and to enjoy every minute of it. Having plunked down a hefty $200 registration fee should really force me to get off my ass and make it happen.

TODD BYERS was among more than 20,000 people running the San Francisco Marathon last month. Dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, he might have blended in with the other runners, except for one glaring difference: he was barefoot. Even in anything-goes San Francisco, his lack of footwear prompted curious stares. His photo was snapped, and he heard one runner grumble, “I just don’t want the guy without shoes to beat me.”

+Wiggling Their Toes at the Shoe Giants

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.

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.

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.

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.

MichiganTrails.us

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.