So Cal? Ain't So Bad...

I know some of you are stuck somewhere in a cold, dark place in the world, so I thought it would be nice to share some So Cal stills. Don't worry, spring is almost here! These were taken today on a mountain bike ride with my daughter. I don't know of much I would rather do than to cruise from place to place with my daughters in search of amazing things. Keep exploring my friends....   

New Routes. Favorite Songs

I’ve written that one must find new routes everyday to keep running real. I still believe this, but I need to qualify it.

This week I was on my way to completing a ten mile run, much of it at night. As I was moving through a section of the run I stopped for minute and looked around. I realized that I’d been running on this same trail for 20 years.

The trail felt familiar, but something about it was different. It was like a favorite song that I haven’t listened to in a while. I hear its familiar sound, but then I notice something new about it. The voices, the melody...I’m not sure what.

Like Daron and Serj from System of a Down and their cat and mouse harmony in the song Radio Video. I’ve listened to this song dozens of times, but I never really heard their nuanced vocals intertwine like they do. Or Stevie Nick’s haunting vocal in Silver Springs. Again, I’ve heard it many times, and didn't used to call it a favorite. But then I heard how much she just lays her self out there in the live version of the song. It takes some time to build, but is worth the wait.

I look across the creek next to where I’m standing, I notice the lights reflecting off the still water. There is something new about it...but I’m not sure what.

50 Years. And Into the Unknown

As I ponder the thought of "getting old" on my 50th birthday, my mind flashes back in time. To a moment in my early 20s, at an office birthday party for me. I was turning 23...and I was horrified. I remember thinking I was only two years away from 25...which is half way to 50! Boy did I feel old that day.   

I'm pretty sure that was the moment I lost my fear of growing older. It must have been a cathartic event, turning 23. For some reason, I have no idea why, growing older no longer was a step closer to the grave, but rather step closer to something I had yet to accomplish. Maybe that year was my coming of age. After all, it was the year I got my first office job, my first case of the hemorrhoids from sitting at a desk all day, my first apartment, and my first live-in girlfriend. It was also my first year to experience running. I hadn't run a marathon yet, but I do remember thinking how difficult it would be. The thought lingered, and eventually it turned into inspiration.  

Some call it dreaming. For me it is more about visualizing. Dreams happen in my sleep. Visualizing occurs when I'm sitting at a conference and I realize I haven't heard a word the speaker has said. I try to listen, but I can't focus. I look at my watch. I look around the room. I start to feel like a caged animal.      

The next thing I know I'm training for a marathon, running through the streets at night. From somewhere, maybe above the misty street lights overhead, comes this strange feeling in the back of my neck. It's vaguely familiar, like a tingle of warmth from a smoldering fire. Slowly, it moves down my back, into my hips, then down to my legs. This tingle is now a surge of energy, and it washes the fatigue flowing through my veins right out of my body. Now I'm moving effortlessly over the cold, black asphalt. But the source of this energy isn't from the misty lights above. It's locked up somewhere inside of me. Then it occurs to me that, when running, I'm holding the keys.

I keep running. Through the pain which I determine is just a facade to be crushed under the weight of my ambition. I push into new realms, an exploration of self, a discovery of the undiscovered.  With marathon's behind me, I move up to fifty, then one hundred mile races. My hobby turns into a passion, then boarders on obsession. When months turn into years, an unwelcome truth slowly emerges from the ashes of reality. My body sends messages, but my mind isn't listening. 

When I was younger, my body was always ready and waiting. Poised and strong, ready for every command. Knowing this, my mind knew few boundaries, for its partner was always there, pushing the limits. My ego took center stage. But nothing lasts forever, even the sun and the moon. It wasn't long before my ego started to take my body for granted.                        

Subtle at first, the messages kept coming. Of course these were just part of being a runner, I thought. Injury, fatigue, general malaise, all classic signs of pushing too hard. Then, finally, I started to listen to the messages. My body was teaching me a lot, helping me understand its limits, so I could work with it, not against it. Consistency before duration, duration before intensity. Run within myself. Build the base. Now my body takes center stage. With a new found respect, my body talks and my mind listens, without prejudice. And my ego? It's a mere bystander. 

The same thought that lingered when I was 23 still lingers today. Difficulty remains my calling card. But now that I'm listening, my body has taught me that I have experience and knowledge on my side. These are my successes and failures, my strengths and weaknesses.  These are the keys that I now hold, and they accompany me on every mile, on every trail, and, now that I'm 50, into the unknown. 

Asics GT 1000 - A Review

The Taco Test

It has been written that finding the perfect running shoe is a lot like finding a perfect partner. It can take years, even a lifetime. Some would say the perfect “one” doesn’t exist. Others say you have to go through a lot of them to get to the right one.

Onlineshoes.com recently contacted me to do a review of a particular running shoe. I was reluctant, at first, since I haven’t “strayed” from my Hoka One One’s in a while. Mainly I just don’t do a lot of reviews when asked by product sponsors or distributors. I’ve always felt there is a bit of a conflict of interest when a company gives away its product in exchange for a review.

But I decided to do this one anyway. Why? First, I’ve used onlineshoes.com in the past and found their service to be very good. Second, they asked me to review a pair of Asics GT 1000s. Cool, I thought. I’ve run more miles in Asics than any other shoe made. 10ks, half marathons, marathons, 50 mile and 100 mile races. I’ve run them all in Asics. But I haven’t run in Asics for a couple years, so I thought it would be interesting to see how they compare to my latest quiver of shoes. 

My first test was to weigh the shoes. I’m a little anal about shoe weight and I’m always interested to see the variance in the advertised weight of a shoe compared to what my shoe actually weighs. Manufactures use smaller shoe sizes (lighter) for advertising the weight of a shoe. Consequently, I’ve always found my shoes to be a little heavier than what is advertised. Sure enough my 10.5 size GT 1000s weighed in at a 11.6 oz, or 1.2 oz more than the 10.4 oz advertised on onlineshoes.com. 

My second test was to bend the GT 1000 from heel to toe. Whenever I walk into a running store and look at a shoe the first thing I do is fold the shoe like a taco. The purpose is to see where the shoe bends. If it bends near the ball of the foot, like the GT 1000 does, it passes my test. If it bends in the middle of the shoe, at mid foot, it fails my test

The reason? If a shoe bends near the ball of the foot then it will bend naturally through the running gait from foot strike through toe-off. If the shoe bends in the middle it will put much more stress on the planter fascia, the last thing a runner wants. I have run in shoes that bend at the midfoot and the result is searing pain in my planter fascia within a few miles. I've returned dozens of shoes over the years for this reason. Once I started doing this taco test I stopped returning so many shoes.

While running in the GT 1000 I discovered the shoes are a relatively stable, firm ride on the road. Not too much cushion, but with gel in the heel and forefoot, enough to give you the protection you need. I like what Asics calls their Trusstic System which is a plastic midfoot unit built into the shoe to increase torsional rigidity. It is this system that prevents the bend in the midfoot.

I have pretty high arch and over the years I have found Asics tend to fit my foot well. The GT 1000 in no exception. The overall fit of the shoe is snug, particularly in the heel and midsole. The forefoot is also snug, but I would prefer a bit more room in this section of the shoe.

Since I started running in Asics some 25 years ago the company has used a DuoMax Support System which is a dual-density material in the midsole that is designed to reduce over pronation. I don’t pronate but I have found this system to enhance shoe durability. DuoMax is basically a harder material that is used on inner half the midsole.

ASICS stands for “Anima Sana in Corpore Sano,” Latin for a sound mind in a sound body. Whether you are a serious runner gunning for a local, state or national title, or a novice simply seeking to get in shape, ASICS has the goods for you. The GT 1000 is a solid road trainer for those of you with the commitment and resolve to meet your running goals.

Post Script: I need your help! As you can see, I don’t write this blog for money…hence no annoying pop up advertising. However I do write to encourage and inspire others. My only way to know I am succeeding is getting feedback from and building a following of readers. If you have found value in this blog post, please leave a comment below and follow my blog by entering your email at top of page or on Twitter by clicking here.  

Thanks for your support. You keep me motivated!!

V Formations

The last few weeks has brought millions of visitors to Southern California. Not the normal Disney/beach seeking human form, rather the feather/flocking migratory form.

Just last week I was out on a hike with my daughter in the upper newport bay. Overhead came drove and drove of these v-shaped flying formations. There must have been 10,000 in these flocks that flew over our head in less than 5 minutes. And they kept coming! As I watched I could only wonder, where are they all going? Do they sleep? I just new they were headed toward the ocean.

Two days later is was out for a rare run on the beach. It was about the same time of day, just before the sunset. Then over the sand they came. Thousands. Swooping down from their v-formations several hundred feet over head to just inches above the surf. They continued flying, so close to the water they disappeared into the choppy sea.

It's good to be in the presence of nature.

 

  

The Great Curve

It's been a rather slow blogging period for me these last few months. Sorry folks. The number of posts I've written are at an all time low. I just haven't been motivated to write. Such is life. I think it has something to do with my overall fitness and training. I've written a couple of posts but just can't see the value in publishing them. One was on whether elite runners dope like cyclists. But I realized there is just too much negativity surrounding doping. I would rather write to inspire myself and anyone reading my blog, not dwell on negative energy like that topic does.

As I write this, I realize there is nothing that creates more motivation to write than running itself. If figures, because my running has been lacking as of late. Maybe it's due to my chronic sore groin, or maybe its simply the ebb and flow of my own motivation. One thing I've come to realize is that I can reach out and grab motivation, but I can't always hold on to it. This conversation with myself reminds me of the great Talking Heads song the Great Curve. If motivation where my "world", this song says it all. "the world is near...but it's out of reach...some people touch it, but they can't hold on". I love that song. I used to listen to it really loud in my car.      

In any event, I'm signed up for Vermont 100 and Leadville 100 in July and August. Wooohoo! I'm looking forward to both, but not in the way I used to look forward to 100 milers. In previous years the mere thought of training for and attempting a 100 mile race would send a surge of energy through my veins. I would rush out the door and pile mile upon mile into my training. Then my body would simply break down. Maybe I've finally learned more about my body. About my own feeble limitations. My weaknesses. 

"...A world of light...she's gonna open our eyes up...A world of light...she's gonna open our eyes up

She's gonna hold it move it hold it move it...Hold it move it hold it move it

A world of light...she's gonna open our eyes up..." 

Yes, when my motivation comes around, I'm going to open my eyes up. 

The Lance Armstrong Saga Continues...

Just when I thought the doping scandal of Lance Armstrong had become yesterday's news, I read this. A confession! Really? What? When? Why? Of course...bring it on Lance! As I said in my letter to you in October, you have so much to gain with a confession. It could be your mea culpa. Your coming out. As long, that is, as you admit you did the wrong thing, and behaved the wrong way...for most of your career. As long as you apologize to the countless people and organizations you berated, bullied and sued to prop up your now-disgraced and pummeled anti-doping image.

Lance, do the right thing. Confess. We know it will cost you a lot of money. But what is the value of a clean conscience? What is the value of looking someone straight in the eye and telling them the real truth? What is the value of being capable of openly talking about your own weaknesses? At this stage, we don't care about why you did it, we care about why you now believe it was wrong. We don't care if you want to compete again in triathlons and confessing is your only option to do this. We care that you, after all these years, want to do the right thing. Now, stand in front of the microphone...and do the right thing.

Saltwater 2012 - The Final Assault

Santiago Peak 5'600 feet at 2:47 pm Sat. December 29

This was a hard one to write. Not because the topic isn't meaningful. No. On the contrary, the final assault was freaking awesome. I think it was hard because it's hard to cram 11.5 hours of so much into so little.

Our first attempt from the ocean to the top of Santiago two weeks ago ended in mixed emotions. Naive about the possibility of the access road closing, we had to turn back with only 2 miles to go to the top. But we weren't prepared. No crew access and eleven runners without water or warm clothes in what would have been 12 more miles and a 45 mile run.  

So why attempt it again? It seems absurd. It was one of the coldest days of the year with rain starting at 9 am and snow starting at 4'500 feet. No vehicles to meet us on top. It was absurd, I think...which I guess is why we did it. But what ensued was really why we did it. 11.5 hours of joking, gasping, sweating, shivering, posing, falling, slipping, sliding, drinking, pissing, eating, crapping, hiking, climbing, worrying, flailing, kneeling, laughing and....oh yea...running. What else are you going to do on a cold winter day in Orange County? Yes, we made it from the ocean to the top of Santiago peak and back down the mountain without vehicles. It wasn't pretty. It wasn't easy. I was just really cold.   

Leading up to the 11.5 hours was, of course, the fact that we haven't failed to reach the summit of Santiago in 9 years. Why let this be the year of infamy? I couldn't bear the thought. 

Thanks Rob M, Bino, and Chris "Cracker" C for sharing my sentiments about this tradition, and for spending those 11.5 hours with me. It was worth every wet, freezing minute. There simply wasn't enough time to coordinate schedules and rally all eleven runners and required crew and transportation for this one. I hope you guys and gals understand. And thanks Jen C and Trina M for dropping and fetching us.        

Pacific Ocean at 5:25 am Saturday Dec 29

"Don't those pants come with big red shoes?"

"Wake up turtles"

"I just texted Padilla...asked him if he's in the mood"

"Smile numb nuts"

My Original Running Family!

Lemon toss tradition....

Jack and the Box. A new tradition? 

Rain Begins at 9 am. Weatherman said 6 pm!

Guys...what else would you be doing today?

Near Old Camp

"I can't feel my fingers!"

"This is colder than I thought it would be"

"Why did we do this?"

"Holy crap, are your lips stuck?"

"Now....both hands on my shoulders..."

"What time did you say we'd be at Cooks Corner?"

"Lets see....I've fallen 5 times and I still have to run down the mountain"

Finally down the mountain. 5:01 pm.

Saltwater 5000 v.9.0

"Everyone has a plan until they get hit in the face"

Mike Tyson

Call it a lesson learned, a hard knock, a SNAFU (situation normal: all-fucked-up). Whatever you want to call it, Saltwater V.9.0 was a little bitter-sweet. Bitter from not reaching Santiago peak.  Sweet from a great day on trail with some awesome people. Eleven runners started, ten runners ran 41.2 miles. Two runners completed approximately 20 miles. No official course on this day. Only time on foot.

Pre Dawn Start

There were many exceptional moments. A few that stand out are Bino rambling incoherently at the top of Joplin while making his way to his hands and knees...begging for the niceties of a crew. Shivering, chips nearly exiting his upper orifice, but not to be. Tracy D outing Joe R for violating Saltwater's culture by "racing" ahead, only to see Bino flush it down the toilet as he separated from the group up Santiago trail. Dave B et al running on "pizza boxes" through El Moro and Whiting Ranch. Lincoln's dive on the divide. Jeff D and Kevin S shameless ride down the mountain with Uncle Sam. Rob M thinking like and falling apart like the Scarecrow on the top of Joplin (food? layers? what me worry?). Tin Man Kevin S putting the Scarecrow back together. Jeff P not being in the...eh...mood?  Larry R not complaining once the whole day!

Skate Park

But without the crew the day would have been much different. Locked out of the access road by forrest rangers, they waited at the bottom of Maple Springs road with a half gallon of Meyers Rum. Apparently feeling no pain and hearing some emotion from Tracy D, they ordered forrest rangers up the mountain to save us. Why USFS didn't have the gates open to the public still puzzles me. The website showed the gate was open (see my redemption below) but we are talking the federal government here...

Screen Shot - Open Gate!

A mighty thanks to all the runners of Saltwater 5000 this year, for putting up with my misguided adventure, for sticking to Plan A when the vehicles weren't there, and for getting through it despite the lack of crew, water and revery at the top of Joplin. Also, thanks to all the crew: Dawn, Trina, Eric, Marshall, Ernie, John John, Kevin, and most importantly after nine consecutive years, Al. You guys and gals are what make this event what it really is...a good time with good friends.

Santiago Truck Trail head

Keep it real Saltwater runners and crew!

WTF??

Larry, Moi, Chris 

Weird Love Affair

Chris and Larry

McNair's Step

Tracy and Eric D

Larry R

"I set the course record in 1993 on....."

We're done!

Note to Self...

Just another visual on a day's run. 

Running is a very measurable activity, if you want it to be. Hell, if you're a runner, you might even keep track of your daily miles, weekly miles, PRs, goals, long runs, minutes per mile, heart rate, maybe even your VO2 max . You might even write these things down in a journal somewhere (ok...I'm guilty of some of these, but not all!). But is this a good thing? 

During my run today I told myself to stop and look around once in a while. As soon as I did, I stumbled upon a few things. It was worth the 2 minutes and 45 seconds added to my run. Note to self...try to remember the journey is the reward.  

Maple Leaf Ball?

  

Shroomin

Veterans Day Tribute

Prior to running UTMB last summer, my family visited the Dday beaches and the American Cemetery and Memorial in Normandy, France. The following is a short video of our experience. Double click to enlarge.

Normandy from Will C on Vimeo.

New York City Marathon - How Big Is Too Big?

Today I watched an interview with Mary Wittenberg, President of New York Road Runners (NYRR), saying that cancelling the New York City Marathon was an “extraordinarily tough” decision. She also said that it was “extremely difficult news to share with the city and with runners from around the world who are here.” Wittenberg said the decision was made together by NYRR and Mayor Bloomberg’s office. The decision to cancel was made two days before the start of the race and was a reversal from the Mayor’s original decision earlier in the week that the marathon would indeed be run.

I’m struggling to understand why this decision was “extraordinarily tough.” A decision is tough when the outcome of such decision is not clear; when one path becomes two, and you have to decide which path to take, but you’re not sure where either leads. In this case, however, the outcome of the decision was very clear. Run the race and divert critical city resources away from the victims of Hurricane Sandy, or, alternatively, cancel the race and put those resources toward people suffering.

In her interview Wittenberg said  that “the whole idea was come Sunday, for the marathon to bring everybody together, uplift everybody, and help us both honor those hurt and lost in this really difficult tragic storm and also really move the city forward.” She went on to talk about how it was “sad” that the marathon became a matter of “controversy” and “division” in the city which was so opposite of what the marathon is all about.

I understand in normal times how a marathon can bring people together. Volunteers come out to help support the race. Spectators and families come out to cheer for the runners. But after a major natural disaster? When people are without homes and are trying to figure out how to put their lives back together? Is a marathon going to be uplifting to or honor these people? I don’t see it.

How Big is Too Big?

The marathon brings in an estimated $340 million to the city of New York. People travel from all around the world to run this event. They rent hotel rooms. They eat out at restaurants. They buy souvenirs, tee shirts, posters, key chains and hats. They also raise an estimated $34 million for 200 charities. With over 40,000 runners, it’s the biggest of the big city marathons. How big? The biggest in the world. Bigger than the marathons in London, Paris, Tokyo, Chicago and Boston.

The decision to cancel the race wasn’t made until Friday, four days after the mega storm slammed into New York and New Jersey. Of course by that time runners from around the US and oversees had made the trip to New York. It’s no secret Mayor Bloomberg and NYRR’s original decision not to cancel the race generated outrage from local politicians, residents even runners.

Unfortunately, in listening to Wittenberg, it sounds like the Mayor and NYRR made the decision to cancel the race not because it was the right thing to do, but because they faced so much “controversy” and “division.” I would have hoped they reached the decision to cancel the marathon on their own without the pressure from others.

When things become too big they can take on a life of their own. Companies, banks, governments, institutions. Sometimes they can become too big, outgrow their purpose, become self-serving rather than serving their community or constituents. Their leaders talk and act accordingly. When I hear the leader of the organization responsible for the NYC marathon say it is “sad” that the marathon has to be cancelled because people are voicing their concern for the victims of a devastating natural disaster, I can only wonder...has the NYC marathon become too big? Has it taken on a life of its own? Has it become self-serving rather than serving the community?

Turns out that many runners decided to take matters into their own hands. They went door to door to give supplies to the victims of Hurricane Sandy. That is what I call serving the community.   

Never Stop Exploring My Friends!

An Open Letter to Lance Armstrong

This letter was posted October 17, 2012, two months before Lance confessed on the Oprah Winfrey show.

Dear Lance:

I don’t know you, but I feel like I know you. Maybe it’s because we share a love for endurance sports. Or maybe it’s because I’ve watched and read about you for so many years.

I remember watching the Tour de France in 1995. Your teammate Fabio Casartelli was killed that year in the Tour when his bike crashed on a dangerous mountain decent. A few days after Fabio’s death, you rode away from the peloton by yourself to win the stage. That day you rode with Fabio. That day you rode with your heart.

The next year you were diagnosed with cancer. At the time, I had no idea how serious your condition was. I later read that you were given a 40% chance of survival. From a world class athlete to a sick patient staring death in the face, you fell into a chasm most humans will never fall. But then you fought back. From that very dark place, you fought back with all your heart.

Your fight to climb out from that dark place is what people care about. Maybe it is because, as human beings, we all need hope. Maybe it is because hope transcends so many things we experience as humans beings. Weakness, fear, passion, success, regret, even death. Hope transcends them all. You should never forget that you have given people hope.

But there is one thing that hope cannot transcend. That is truth. In fact there can be no hope without truth. For a patient to have hope to survive a life threatening illness, he first must know the truth of his condition. For a young athlete to have hope to be a champion one day, she first must know the truth about the rules of her sport. Hope without truth is denial.

Thoreau said “Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.” But who was Thoreau? Some cast him aside because he lived in the woods as a hermit, away from society and all its pressures. We all know society and its pressures. Sometimes it can make us lose perspective on what is really important.

Just as hope needs the truth to exist, the truth needs nothing at all. The truth exists even when there is no hope. Maybe that is why it is very difficult for us humans to embrace the truth all of the time. For we humans need hope, and when there is no hope, we struggle, and sometimes we turn away from the truth.

Lance, now is the time for you to embrace the truth. When you do, an abundance of hope will be waiting for you. Hope for the continued success of Livestrong. Hope for millions of cancer patients that look to your strength above all else as a cancer survivor. Hope for forgiveness and your own piece of mind. Even hope for the sport of cycling to find its own path to truth.

Watch Your Thoughts; They Become...

I'm now officially seeking motivation for another endurance endeavor. With some 17 ultras behind me,  I'm torn between yet-another-100-miler-commitment and something more ethereal, unknown. In the process I came across this quote. It kind of makes me want to explore... 

Watch your thoughts; they become words.

Watch your words; they become actions.

Watch your actions; they become habit.

Watch your habits; they become character.

Watch your character; it becomes your destiny

Lao Tse