Hope is a good thing...

...maybe the best of things.

Good recovery week. Since I'm not running right now, I went into the gym old school last week and did basic muscle development isolation exercises. I hadn't done this since I discovered Core Performance 4 years ago and found how well that routine fit with my pursuits of cycling/running. It's been fun to focus solely on lifting and interesting to see how hard exercises are now that used to be easier. It's great to feel that burnt feeling of lifting heavy. But it's also killing me to not have that exhausted feeling you get after a big run or bike.

Yesterday I went for a two hour mountain bike ride which was super fun. The terrain here is incredibly technical...and we were on trails that some consider easy. I have a lot of work to do to improve as a biker on these trails. That being said, after our ride and so far through today my foot feels good. I was off the bike quite a bit yesterday on uneven terrain so I definitely worked my foot, so to not hurt today is a good thing. I'm going to keep moving forward with my lifting routine this week, maybe sprinkle in a yoga and/or spin class and if next weekend I'm feeling good, I may try a short run. Hope, hope.

Derailed?

Pretty sure I've mentioned this here before but now I'm actually worried. A few weeks ago I thought I had a pinched nerve in my foot as there was a pain there that went away after a day or two. This was following the 15 mile run that started my disdain for the GoLite Versa Force and eventually led me back to my Sun Dragons. Well, the pain has persisted, particularly after longer (10+) mile runs. I didn't think much of it as after a day or two of rest the pain would subside, never completely, but enough so that I wouldn't really notice it when I walked or even run short distances.

This morning, after yesterday's ten, I started browsing around online. We've all become qualified doctor's afterall in the age of the internet (I'm pretty sure my wife is about to open her own practice: True/WebMD) and I found this on www.orthoinfo.aaos.org when I Google'd 'stress fracture foot':

• Symptoms:
  Pain that develops gradually, increases with weight-bearing activity, and diminishes with rest
  Pain that becomes more severe and occurs during normal, daily activities
  Swelling on the top of the foot or the outside of the ankle
  Tenderness to touch at the site of the fracture
  Possible bruising

Yeah, I pretty much meet all of those symptoms. I haven't noticted much bruising, but everything else is dead on. Especially point numero uno, with the pain diminishing with rest.

Ugh. I was really mentally prepared for the 23k this weekend, but if my little doctor work is on target and I keep running I could potentially fracture my foot. This sucks...I think I'll stop running entirely this week, hit the gym religously and plan a few big days on the mountain bike and see how it goes from there. I'm very tempted to take the risk and do the race, but I need to be smart and not find myself on the DL any longer than I need to be. Pissed off is not a strong enough phrase for how angry I am...how about Fucking Agitated.

I swear this year is cursed. I ended 2007 in the best shape I'd ever been in, and between injury and disease I've had an awful 2008. Hopefully that means I've paid my dues and 2009 becomes an epic year, but I'm not holding my breath. The worst thing I can do right now is believe that it's all related, because it's not. Shit like this happens. Hell, look at Ken Griffey, Jr. Talk about a string of bad luck. I really shouldn't be complaining. But disappointment, is disappointment regardless of what it is that you're disappointed about.

I'm rambling. I'm in the gym tomorrow...hopefully they'll let me use the spin bikes.

Viva la Sun Dragon!

Yep, I'm back in the old school Sun Dragons and they are treating me much better than those awful Versa Force's. Down with posting in Trail Runners say I!

Last weekend was pretty fun. We were up on Lake Winnipesaukee so on Saturday Carli and I went running on Mt. Major. This tiny mtn on the south side of the big lake is a popular summer hiking spot. It's only 1780' tall, but the trailhead sits at 780' and the trail is straight up over about a mile and a half. So you gain the 1000' in elevation really quickly. Also, the trail is pretty much either loose gravel and baby heads or slabs of granite and cliffs. So for it's small stature, Mt. Major has its challenges. I hadn't been doing too much work on hills so this was a great way to test the legs and lungs. I made it up and down in about 35 minutes and I"m pretty happy with that. I did have to take a few breathers and walk a bit of the uphill, but I hadn't done anything this steep since Brooks and I ran up Bear Peak in Boulder last December. Carli did well also, making it to just below the final slabs before meeting up with me and running back out. The trail is ankle turner city so we were both happy to come through with no injuries.

On Sunday we went mountain biking at Bear Brook State Park in Allenstown, NH. BBSP is a known mountain bike hot spot and man did this place deliver. The trails are super fun. Fast and flowy, especially for New England, with lots of quick technical steeps to challenge you, but always turning back down so that you don't lose too much momentum. I cannot wait to get back to Bear Brook and put in a full day. We didn't have much time as my folks were watching Lily so we needed to beat it back to the lake.

On Monday, Labor Day, we came home and I did my standard 8 mile trail run from the house. I was slow, being pretty sore from Mt. Major, but it was a great way to cap off the weekend.

Today, we've been waiting for Tropical Storm Hanna to make it's appearance in New England. While it didn't rain most of the day, the humidity was off of the charts. If the sun had been out, I really would have given pause to running today. Just being outside made you sweat. I spaced out in prep to do my triple lap 15 mile run and didn't bring any Gu or Clif Shots with me and with the heat and humidity the way it was I definitely would have bonked had I attempted the third lap. Still 10 miles was good given that a week from tomorrow is the Pisgah 50k/23k trail running race. I'm going to attempt the 23k so I should begin tapering anyway. I'd like to get in a decent day tomorrow, take my standard Monday day off and log 3-5 miles on Tue-Friday before resting again on Saturday before the race on Sunday. Should be a blast.

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.