Beat up

After my whiny post about losing out on more GoLite footwear this will come as a surprise, but I'm pretty sure that those shoes knocked me back about a week. I'll explain.

The newer models of the GoLites have posting in the heel, and if you're a footwear designer take note, is worthless in trail running shoes and only added in as an extra sales/marketing point and to appease retailers. The range of motion that a neutral positioned trail runner will roll through is beyond anything that posting can affect. Also, most posting is added in to help pronators (ankle rolling inward), well, mine naturally supinate (roll outward) so posting can negatively affect me. That being said, I've really had zero issues with both the Carbon Fyre and the Versa Force. Until I upped my mileage.

Last weekend I did 15 miles, this past Sunday I did 10 miles and after each day, in my left foot it felt like there was a pinched nerve and both my ankles were sore and beat up. The other night I went to the gym and just wore an old pair of Sun Dragons, no posting, and boy did that squishy heel feel good. So I am done running in the Versa Force. I'm going back to my Sun Dragons until I head out and get another brand altogether.

With my legs feeling it, I haven't run since Sunday, which is a bummer, but I'm feeling good and planning a light run in the morning with my planned mountain run on Saturday. Updates to come.

Tough Weekend

So the plan heading into the weekend was to run in the Moose on the Loose 10 mile trail run. However with a sick kid I started to think about skipping it, but at my wife's urging I figured I should go and run. I checked out the races website to print off a registration form and I checked out the race course. Turns out it is a fairly flat, mostly double track 2.5 mile loop that you just run four times. Now not to sound like an elitist, but this race was supposed to be just a step towards the 23k that I want to do in three weeks. To be honest, I knew I'd get a greater challenge doing my normal runs locally, so I decided to bail and save the $20. Yeah, I know sorta weak, but I definitely made the right choice.

Yesterday I headed out to do a repeat of the 15 mile run I did last weekend. I was feeling a little worn, but not too bad. During the first 5 milesI fell apart. My legs felt heavy and sore and I had no jump at all. Looking back on the week I determined that I hadn't been eating enough, or even the right things. Not nearly enough protein or veggies and indulging a bit too much in the sweets category. I also felt dehydrated. I got back to the car and went home. I stretched, ate a protein heavy dinner as well as a balanced fruit/carb/proten pre-bedtime snack. I drank a ton of water and went to bed around 8:45. Needless to say, today I felt better.

I didn't push the 15 miles today, but I did 10 and felt a hell of a lot better than I did yesterday. My wife and I are doing the vegetarian thing, and while it hasn't affected me that much when I eat what I'm supposed to, when I go away from what works at all, it seems to really hurt. My goal the next two weeks is to keep track on my day to day eating and see how I feel when running the next day. The plan for next weekend is a challenging hill workout up on Mt. Major on Lake Winnipesaukee, a full day of mountain biking on Sunday followed by a long run on Monday. Than taper towards the 23k. Updates to follow.

Theme Song

While the advancements in portable music have all been praised over and over again, easy to use, no skipping, streamlined players, affordable, the one thing you don't hear about a lot may be their greatest attribute: Theme Music.

Remember in the flick "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka" when Jack and John Spade were setting out to go after Mr. Big and as they hit the street, Jack sees a band behind John and asks, "Who are they?" to which John replies, "They're my theme music. Every hero's got have some." With the onset of being able to carry around your entire music library via an iPod or...uh, well, via an iPod, you can walk the streets with your theme music on at any time. And because they can store so much music you can alter your theme. This morning from the train to my office it was "Little Tom" by Johnny Hickman, yesterday it was "46 and 2" by Tool. Whatever the mood, your theme music is right there waiting. It's fantastic.

Of course all the world sees is another jackass walking around with white ear buds in, but in your head and in your view, you're in a scene in a movie, maybe walking all "Reservoir Dogs" style as you cruise down the street. I've noticed this more and more now that I'm in the city every day. I get to create the soundtrack to my own flick. Which is pretty cool. Definitely the most underrated part of the advancement of the portable music player.

Still lovin' the bike.

So the majority of what I've been doing lately, as noted in this space repeatedly, is trail running. Running is a great sport and I love it. It's definitely the sport I'm most suited to do, I seem to get stronger the more I do it and it's good for me in terms of slowing down my mind and dealing with crap in my head. Also right now, given my work schedule and personal commitments...it's the one sport I can do consistently and train and do races. So it's a good thing that I like to run...especially on trails.

But if you posed the desert island question (what is the one _______ you could take on a desert island) to me about the sports I enjoy the most, mountain biking would come out on top. I'm definitely still learning the technical aspects of the sport, so in terms of the things I like to do, it's probably my worst from a pure skill level...but it is so much fun. It's easy to be reminded when you're running that it's a lot of work. And that's why trail running is so much better than road running. Rarely on a road run do you lose yourself in what you're doing. You're constantly surrounded by man-made objects and you can usually always see where you are going and the terrain doesn't change. Trail running is on twisty trails in the woods (or plains, or deserts, or in canyons or on mountains) so it's a super fun way to enjoy the outdoors and you still get a good workout.

Mountain biking, is just pure fun. Sure there are physical and technical challenges, but what's the one thing every kid loves to do? Ride their bike. And now, you're in the woods (or plains, or deserts on in canyons or on mountains) and you are getting to ride your bike! You get to scream downhill over rough trails and through windy groves of trees. You get to try and get your bike up and over obstacles in the trail that give hikers pause. It's super fun.

Yesterday, on the heels of my long run the evening before, I went out to Pawtuckaway State Park in southern New Hampshire and went for a ride with my pal Gary. He's pretty much a roadie and while I was living out west I've pretty much traded in my road stripes for singletrack and the dirt. The frustrating thing about moving back east is that I just getting comfortable on the terrain of the Front Range of Colorado and the terrain here couldn't be more different. There it was big climbs and long descents, you didn't think much about which chain ring you were on because it was the little ring on the way up and the big ring on the way down. Here there are climbs sure (especially the farther north you get) but mostly it's rolling trails. The trails there are decomposed granite and sandy wash (even up in the mountains the trails are pretty loose) out here it's loamy, muddy dirt which is much more grippy, but there are a ton more trees here so the trails have a lot of off camber roots that when wet (and this summer it's been pretty damn wet) become super slick. There are rocks in both places, but out there it's consistent because your grade is steady (either up or down) so you learn how to go over the rocks or step downs in either direction. Here, because it's rolly/twisty trails, you tend to be bigger gears because you're not on a sustained climb, but then you hit rock gardens and you find yourself in the wrong gear.

The point is...I spent 8 months getting good at the trails there...now it's like learning all over again. But that's ok, and that's another reason mountain biking is so great. Running is running, and yes the terrain changes and causes different challenges, but not like different biking trails.

By the time we wrapped up yesterday it was starting to click for me. The nuances of these trails were becoming clearer, and I was taking more chances like I was before leaving the arid high-desert of Boulder County. I'll keep doing the weekly weekend ride (especially with fall on our door step) and next year we're hoping to move closer to our jobs which will result in more riding time...and hopefully a few mountain bike races. For now I'll take it when I can get it. And if anyone out there stumbles across these unorganized thoughts and has not tried to ride some dirt yet...do yourself a favor and get out there. It may be hard, but you'll see how much fun it can be.

15 miles.

Today was black and white, yin and yang, apples and oranges. I woke up feeling hungover but without the preceding good time to go along with my sluggishness and ill-will towards pretty much the world. I'm pretty sure it has something to do with work being nuts and the week going quickly but being jammed packed and getting the opportunity to relax let all that tension out in a negative way. So there was one thing I was looking forward to: doing a big run to purge the nasty's. But the day kept throwing me curveballs. First a family outing took longer than planned, than another round of thunderstorms rolled through pushing back a planned 3pm start time to 5pm. But regardless...there I was in the early evening ready to run.

Depending on your source, the loop around Kenoza Lake is somewhere between 4.2 and 5.1 miles. The sign at the park states the latter while I used Google Earth and came up with 4.2. Granted my margin for error was high because you can't see the trails on GE, and I wasn't really taking my time. But for ego's sake, I'm going to roll with the higher number...and I did three loops tonight. The best part is that as I was finishing up my third lap, I totally felt like I could rip off another one.

As I figured, the bad mood dissapated and now I'm just whupped. Going to cut this short though, as I'm meeting a buddy at 6am for a mountain bike ride up at Pawtuckaway State Park in So. NH. I've never ridden there, so I'm pumped to have some fun on the bike and check it out.

'night.

Daylight...she's a fadin'...

I've been able to get on the trails yesterday and today. Apparently the dark skies on Tuesday morning were mostly from the storm we were getting. That being said, even though I was on trails the past two days, it was just light enough. Pretty soon it will be too dark at that time, storm or no storm, and morning's will become road runs.

So the big loop is listed at Winnekenni (the one I did twice on Sunday and plan on doing three times on Saturday) as being 5.1 miles long. If that's accurate than I should hit 15 miles on Saturday and if I come through feeling pretty good, than I'll be more than ready for next weekend's 10 miler in Nashua.

Work is nuts right now. Super, super busy and between that and early morning runs I'm a bit tired today. The good thing is that I've been running in the morning and adding in some evening workouts at the gym so this afternoon I was pretty spent. Day off from running tomorrow (will hit the gym in the evening) than run Saturday/bike Sunday. Good times!

I need to get more creative on this thing...but usually when I have time to make posts it's late and I'm whupped and I'm not feeling like being creative...but it's on my radar. Stay tuned.

And as the pictures may indicate...I'm very much looking forward to some snow!

Road Run!

So it's come to this. This morning I got up to run and by the time I reached the trails it was too dark to run without lighting...so I did the unthinkable and did my entire run on the road.

Now, it was super cloudy and storm was moving in, so there's a chance that tomorrow morning if it's clear out I may be able to get in some trail time...but the writing on the wall is clear that if I want to keep running in the morning...I better map out some good road runs and/or get a good lighting system for running!

Today was also Lily's first day at her new school and it went great! She had a good time with all her new friends and her teachers were really impressive. I'm sure there will be an adjustment period, but overall we couldn't be happier about where she is going.

Off to the gym...

A chewed up puppy and a long(er) run

Crazy day today. This morning while taking the dogs out, Porter was off leash and ran out to greet some folks who were walking there dogs on the sidewalk. Well, one of their pups, an older Golden Retriever, wasn't too psyched about Porter's enthusiastic greeting and gave him what for. Totally our fault for having Porter off leash and the Golden was on leash. Porter ended up with about a three inch laceration on the left side of his face and had to be taken in for a slew of stitches. Poor guy had to go under to get them and now his looking like he survived a bar fight. Some lessons are learned the hard way I guess...for him and us both.

After the Porter Incident (as it's come to be known), I took advantage of a beautiful afternoon to do my double of the 4.5 mile loop at Winnekenni park. I parked my car and left a water bottle on windshield so I could grab a sip on my way by. The run went great. I actually felt my best during the second lap so that was very encouraging and after an off-day tomorrow (from running, still planning on hitting the gym tomorrow night), I'm going to do my morning run Tue/Wed/Thurs with another possbile off day on Friday, then do a triple of the same loop on Saturday. That should push my towards half-marathon distance and get me ready for the 10 miler in two weeks.

Overall this was a great last week. I mixed it up a bit yesterday by going out on the Mtn. bike instead of running and it was super fun. The trails are really wet right now from all the rain we've been getting so I was pretty well coated in mud by the time I finished up. I definitely miss biking more, but I'm feeling great about my running and it fits into the schedule the best. The majority of my down time belongs to Lily so running fits in great and it's somewhat of a relief to not have to train for multiple sports. To focus on one is refreshing. I'm sure my ADD will kick in in a few months and I'll be itching to focus on the bike, but for now as long as I mix in a bike ride here or there, my running is still a lot of fun...which is the point.

Also this weekend we hit up an organic pick-your-own farm in Hamilton. The wet weather hasn't treated them very well and the only things they had for picking on your own were string beans and herbs. We indulged and picked a full bag, than bought the rest of our weekly produce at their farm stand which had tons of veggies that they had grown by organic means on the farm. Lily got to feed tomatoes to the farm's pigs, and we saw a ton of turkeys (sure to be gracing a table near you this November). Felt good to support a local farm with the major pay off being that the veggies we bought will taste awesome and fresh.

**Note: our camera died. Hence the lack of current photos recently. We'll be getting a new one in a few weeks, but wanted to call that out. I'll continue to post older pics just so my posts aren't so boring.**

Weekend and No OR

The weekend is upon us and we don't have any firm plans...while I'm happy about that in one regard, another part of me hates not having a plan. I'm sure we'll end up doing something fun.

For the first time since Summer Market 2004 I'm missing Outdoor Retailer. OR is the bi-annual tradeshow in Salt Lake City where outdoor product manufacturers show off their new goods. I'm psyched to miss the rigamaroll that the show puts you through (set-up, late nights, long time away from family, break-down, more late nights, lots of booze) but I have a lot of friends that I made through the Outdoor Industry who I won't see now until perhaps next OR (if I go to that one). I have a feeling when I figure out what I'm doing this weekend and it includes mountain biking, trail running and/or hiking I'll be a lot happier to go outside and do those activities versus being stuck in the Salt Palace talking to people about doing those activities. But I'll still miss my pals.

Blueberries!

Last Sunday to celebrate being back in New England after a week in Delaware, the family and I went up to Stoddard, NH, about 35 miles west of Concord, to pick wild blueberries on Pitcher Mountain.  

The day started as a hike.  The trail to the summit is a short half mile and graded gently over only 400 feet of gain so it was 

the perfect trail for Lily to claim her first 'summit' on her own.  H

owever, about 2/3 of the way up the dark skies that had been lingering around opened up on us.  This being pe

rhaps the first time in years that I've been hiking without shells, we turned around and went down.  

In the parking lot the shower had passed and we found that there was a dirt

 road that went up the backside of the mountain to where the bulk of the blueberry fields lie.  So we hopped in the Matrix and drove up.

We spent the next two hours picking, and ended up with about three quarts of ber

ries.  These are the good wild berries.  Super small, but super sweet.  

Not like the cultivated jumbo blueberries you see at the store most of the year.  Lily soon discovered the fun of eating them right off of the branch and we talked at length about how blue our poop was going

to be the next day.

That night we went home and Carli made Acadian Blueberry Grunt.  So good.  Wild blueberries are one of things I missed about New England so having them now is like a welcome home.  Plus it means that apples and pumpkins are next...fall is on our doorstep.

Back on the Trail

I'll post a blog about a great Sunday spent picking blueberries later as I have pictures, but they're on my other computer. Check out the picture to the left to get a feel.

Today however, dawned with me getting back on my local trails. I'm afraid that within a month my morning trail runs are either going to be first shortened significantly than go away altogether. It's definitely darker at 4:45 than it was a month ago. Now when I hit the first trail on the way to Winnekenni park it's getting tough to see in the woods whereas before it would be pretty bright at that time. By the time I'm in the woods of Winnekenni it's brighter, but every day is getting shorter and while on one hand I'm super pumped because I can't wait for a good New England autumn...I'm also bummed because it means that it's getting closer to the time I'm doing more road running than trail running. Ah, so it goes.

This morning it felt great to be back on the trail. I'm battling some pain in my left shin (I'm going to blame my two road runs at the beach last week rather than the more obvious slack off in training), but once I warmed up I felt great. Tomorrow will be a better gauge of how this will play out. I think I'll be good to go though. This weekend I'm planning on doing the 4.5 mile loop twice in order to up my miles a bit as I prepare for the 10 miler at the end of the month. I'm going to plant a water bottle by my car so I can refresh at the halfway point. Looking forward to stretching it out a bit and start doing some longer runs. Next weekend the intent is to do three laps.

Which brings me to something that has me nervous...no more GoLite footwear. Having worked for both sides of the GoLite brand (footwear and apparel/gear) I've been in constant supply of my favorite trail running shoes for over a year now. Say what you will (and many have) about the shoes, but I'm convinced that the technology in the outsoles take a lot of stress off of your body...and I'm on my last pair. I actually have a pair of the first season Sun Dragon's left, but the fit in those are subpar to the newer Versa Force that I'm currently running in. Thankfully the shoes appear that they will live on with a new home away from Timberland...but they won't be available for some time which means...I'm going to have to buy new shoes.

First of all, I haven't had to buy new shoes for a long time. One of the perks of my previous life, but that's not the problem. I'm going to have to be super picky about the brand that replaces GoLite for my feet. Based on prior experience I'm going to give the initial edge to Saucony, because I always liked their road shoes. But I'm going to shop long and hard and take a long time to make this decision.

Moving along...aside from the darkness in the morning, the weather today (and yesterday for that matter) was just stellar. The air is drying out and the temps were very nice. Getting to the point where I want to wear a shirt while running. As I mentioned I am very much looking forward to fall. Last year in CO, cold weather was pretty short lived. We had a few cool days in the fall, than some coldish weather around Christmas and after New Year's I really can't remember too many cold days. Many people would love this, and I have to admit it was nice to run in February in shorts and to bike on dirt trails in March was sweet, but I missed the harshness of winter a lot. Fall in New England is amazing and I'm really hoping for a good typical fall with foliage and snow in the high peaks followed by a cold snowy winter. All this means is that it will be warm and mild throughout and it will have been three years since a real winter for me, but oh well. The anticipation is great, and see the blueberries arrive means that the apples and pumpkins aren't far behind.

(Note: I tried to post a bunch of pictures that would relate to the content in this post, but for some reason I kept getting an error from Blogspot. Must be something going on with the site, so I'll add them in later.)