New Balance MT110's are great

Hunter Creek 6 miles 1:09

I had no idea when I bought these shoes that they had just been released. Dumb luck I guess. I really like the lighter version of the New Balance shoes, (the Minimus Trail MT10s), partially because they feel like you are running in slippers.  Here is what the MT10's look like:

I wear these shoes nearly all the time (with jeans, weightlifting, etc).  For trail running, if you know you are going to be running on smooth trails, they are great.  I ran the Tahoe Rim Trail 50k in these last year, but I knew in advance that the entire race was on very smooth singletrack.  The downside of these shoes is that if you run on any rocks at all, the soles are so thin that the rocks destroy your feet.  The MT110's have all of the benefits of these shoes, but solve the rock problem with a much more substantial sole and better traction. 

I tried them out on the Hunter Creek trail, which is the most technical section of trail near my house.  It has smooth singletrack, pavement-like packed dirt, ankle breaking scree rock, ice, sidehill stuff - the whole nine yards.  The shoes were amazing.  I could tell a real difference in grip.  In fact, I was suprised that on the way back of my out and back trip I could see nearly every footprint I had made on the way up the trail, and each footprint was very clear.  I have never seen that with a shoe before and it seemed to confirm my impression about the grip.

Bottom line, these are the best trail shoes I have ever worn. 

A caveat though.  If you haven't run in minimalist shoes before, I wouldn't advise starting from scratch.  It took me nearly a year (and a nasty case of shinsplints) to transition from regular running shoes to shoes like this.  I'm happy I put the time in to do it because my feet and lower legs are much stronger, which I feel has protected me injuries, but it takes time to make the switch.

Here are some pictures of the shoes:

75lb Dumbell Press

"The best path is the hardest one. Always choose to do more."  Robert MacDonald

DB clean 75lb x 6 x 1
DB C&PP 75lb x 4 x 1
treadmill 2 miles 17:05

First time I have ever been able to press the 75 pounders over my head. Granted I needed a pretty big leg push to get it started, but locking it out is all shoulder strength. This is the strongest I have ever been. Two years ago I was just able to get the 75lb dumbbells to my shoulders once.  I'm very excited about this.

Heavy weightlifting is like most physical activities, it's a lot more mental than people think. You would be amazed what your body can do, you just have to believe. I decided yesterday that I was going to get those dumbbells up this morning. I thought about it all night and frankly the idea of doing it made me nervous. The first 4 tries I failed to lock the weight out, but I was determined to get it. Then of course, after you do it once it instantly becomes easier, so I was able to lock them out overhead three more times.  Everything is so relative in your mind.  Ever since I ran a 50 mile race, every other run I do seems short. 

Often in training and in life the best things I ever do are when I overreach and try to exceed my limits.  Even if I fail, it helps put everything else in perspective and makes so many other things seem easier. 

The moral of the story - go do something impossible today.  

NASA calls the photo below “the most detailed true-color image of the entire Earth to date.” (source: The Big Picture blog)

Unbreakable Movie Was Great

"Courage is the discovery that you may not win, and trying when you know you can lose."  Tom Krause

DB C&PP 60lb x 10 x 4
DB clean 75lb x 10 x 1

Watched Unbreakable (the documentary about the Western States 100) last night.  It was a really impressive movie which I highly recommend.  These elite guys are beyond amazing.  The first 3.5 miles of the Western States is from the base of Squaw Valley to Emigrant Pass.  Most of that same track is the course that is used for the Squaw Mountain Run (the first 3.1 miles).

I am by no means fast, but I'm no slouch either.  When I ran the Squaw Mountain Run I ran 3.1 miles up the mountain in 45 minutes and wanted to die at the finish.  In the Western States 100 the elite guys ran an extra 1/2 mile and probably another 500 feet of elevation gain to get to Emigrant Pass.  They got to the top in 41 minutes - and it was the first 4 miles of a 100 mile race!  The amazing part is they look so effortless when they are running, but they are covering some serious ground at unbelievable speeds.  The winner averaged 9 minute miles for 100 miles with over 20,000 feet of elevation gain.  Unreal.   

Had some Christmas money burning a hole in my pocket, so I bought some new trail shoes. 

Mileage Recap

"Do you have a race goal for 2012? Did you wake up knowing what you'll do to help achieve it today? High goals require daily action."  Joe Friel

treadmill 5 miles 42:53

I ran just a little over 1000 miles this year versus 1300 last year.  Yet I am faster, especially over longer distances.  No injuries either.  Not sure what all that means.

It seems that most competitive runners tend to run between 3,000 and 4,000 miles in a year.  I'm not interested in putting in that kind of volume to shave a few minutes off my 5k time.  So I guess I will resign myself to running a bit slower, but spending a lot of time on the trails and hopefully staying happy and injury free. 

Oops.

Picture of me at the CIM marathon.

I've been doing it all wrong!

"Success -- a willingness to do what the average person is not willing to do." Unknown

DB C&PP 60lb x 10 x 4
farmers walk 75lb x 5 x 100ft

It's a good thing I have a tv in my garage where I workout.  I learned that I have been doing this training thing all wrong.  Heavy weights, long runs and consistent training?  Nope.  All you need is this for your workout, this for your diet, and this for your training plan.  Glad I figured this out before I wasted any more time. 

Some motivation quotes and pictures from the archives.

If you do enough farmer's walks, you too can look like this:

Commitment Defined

"It is important to realize, all pain is not significant." - from the movie, Running Madness

DB C&PP 60lb x 10 x 4
DB clean 75lb x 5 x 1

Just in case you were wondering what commitment looked like --

"As of yesterday's run, I now passed 5,000 miles for the year!". That was a tweet this morning from Tyler McCandless (@trackty) who is training for the Olympic trails marathon in January. He has averaged over a half marathon of running every single day this year. Oh, and did I mention he doesn't even hope to make the Olympic team until 2016? So he is planning on at least 4 more years like this.

View of Desolation Wilderness in Lake Tahoe from the top of Dick's Pass in August.

Merry Christmas

“It takes twenty years to become an overnight success.” Eddy Cantor - quote from this past blog post

DB C&PP 60lb x 20 x 3
DB clean 75lb x 5 x 1

First time I've been able to clean the 75lb dumbells to my shoulders.  Very cool. 

Wearing a watch all the time is overrated, especially since your GPS watch is wrong. 

Supposedly this chart explains why people get fat.  Another example of how our society overcomplicates things.  How about just eat less? 

Some more pics from the Mt. Rose Summit trail from last August.

Merry Christmas!

Mount Rose Summit Run

"Summer races are won in the winter." Joe Friel

Mt. Rose Summit 10 miles

Sadly, Lake Tahoe has had essentially zero snow this winter. So as an early Christmas present Steve and I decided to run the Mt. Rose summit since it was snow free. There was iced over snow in the shadow areas and one brutal ice field, so it ended being more of a hike than a run. Probably for the best since I am not in very good shape for this high altitude climbing stuff. Still, it was crazy (and depressing) that the last mile to the summit was completely snow free. On December 23.

We screwed around on the summit for about 10 minutes and due to the temperature inversion that was the warmest spot on the run. It was great to be up there and not worrying about shopping or anything except enjoying the mountains.

Here is a picture of Tahoe from the summit in August. Unfortunately, there really isn't any more snow on the mountains now.

Great Weight Workout

If they can make penicillin out of mouldy bread, they can sure make something out of you. ~ Muhammad Ali

DB C&PP 60lb x 20 x 3

Having a lot of fun with the weights lately. I lot of people fire up for training after January 1. I'm getting a good head start on them.

Headed up Mt. Rose tomorrow.

Who are you going to hang out with?

"You know you're an ultrarunner when you're embarrassed that you've only done 50K's."

treadmill 5 miles 44:05

I am always saying that you are who you hang around.  This blog post from the cycling world is a great reminder of that.  Are you going to stay safe, or challenge yourself by training with people you have no business training with?   

"Only through the group, I realized — through sharing the suffering of the group — could the body reach that height of existence that the individual alone could never attain."
 
I have mixed feelings about crossfit, but do you have any idea how hard it is to do a pistol on a kettlebell? 

Thought provoking read for a Monday

"Michelangelo didn’t create “David” in a day. Train patiently. A few chips daily eventually creates a masterpiece."  Joe Friel

DB C&PP 60lb x 5 x 3, 60lb x 20 x 2

Very thought provoking read - The Five Regrets of the Dying Be thoughtful about how you live your life - you only get one shot at this. 

My Christmas present (the 75's) along side my regular training partners (the 60's).  I have the tools, now let's see if I have the discipline to get it done for the next year. 

 

Effort

"Because after the finish all the suffering turns to memories of pleasure, and the greater the suffering, the greater the pleasure" T.Krabbe

treadmill 5 miles 42:19

This is sweet - "On a deep subconscious level you must be willing to go through the barrier not even of pain, of effort.  You're just not going to slow down." 

In case you're curious what it looks like to kayak down a 90 foot waterfall, you don't have to wonder anymore.  Go to about 1:10 in this video. (via @pkedrosky)

Noccalula Falls Full Edit w/ POV from Isaac Levinson on Vimeo.

Defining Dedication

"I can’t give you a formula for success but I can give you a formula for failure which is 'Try to please everybody’." Herbert Bayard Swope

DB C&PP 60lb x 20 x 2
row 500 meters/1 min rest 1:49.7, 1:49.4, 1:47.6

1lb of excess weight costs roughly 2 seconds/mile when running Joe Friel

Eat more protein and less sugar (insightful, I know)

Talked to a friend of mine who is about 40 years old.  He just started competitive cycling 4 years ago.  He is now a pro level rider on a team with sponsorships and everything.  Dude trains 20 hours per week, in the offseason!  I was thinking when I was talking to him that saying 20 hours/week is one thing.  But actually quantifying it into 30 minutes in the morning, 1 hour at lunch and 1 1/2 hour in the evening really shows the level of committment required to be competitive at endurance sports.  Impressive dedication.

source:  crossfit.com

Some Links

"You are either a blessing or a burden; an asset or a liability; a problem solver or a problem. Your choice" Dr Tayo Adeyemi

treadmill 5 miles 41:31

Don't stress out.

Absolutely epic pictures from Geoff Roes in Alaska

Amazing nature photos

Lottery Winner

"The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will.” @JeffRabhan

DB C&PP 60lb x 20 x 2

I got in to the Way Too Cool 50k in March 2012.  That fills a nice spot in next year's potential race calendar.

March - Way to Cool 50k (definite)
May - Silver State 50k (probably)
July - Tahoe Rim Trail 50k (definite)
October - Chicago Marathon (maybe)
December - North Face Endurance 50k (maybe)

picture source: Gretchen

People who inspire my training

"Podium athletes have an unwavering commitment to high goals. The less dedicated call them 'obsessed.'"  Joe Friel

treadmill 5 miles 41:55

I strongly feel that you are who you hang around.  I am very lucky to have a bunch of seriously motivated and inspiring friends.  Here are a few:

Jen (my wife) - Gave birth to two amazing kids in the course of 3 years.  Each time lost all of her pregnancy weight and more in a matter of months.  Set a two minute PR in the half marathon last fall, 9 months after having our son.  The best part is her previous PR was set four years earlier before kids.  When I think I am having a hard time because my body is sore or my joints are achy, I am inspired by what Jen's body went through twice with having kids and how strongly she recovered from it.   

Brian -  Even though he has always been in good shape, its been mostly weights and basketball for him.  Even though he is a big dude (6'4" tall and weighs around 205) he has run two half marathons and two marathons in the last 2 years at over 40 years old.  When I get stuck in a rut and am afraid to try new things, I think of Brian. 

Caesar - Has a very busy job and two kids.  Yet he made time to train nearly 20 hours a week for a half Ironman last year and is already training for a full Ironman next year.  His wife Theresa is a very strong runner as well, so they have both been able to juggle kids with each of them fitting a full training schedule in.  When I think I don't have enough time to train, I think of Caesar.   

Steve - The toughest runner I know.  A 2:52 marathoner who truly understands how to calmly embrace racing pain.  Whenever I think I am actually pushing hard, I think of Steve and remember what I wimp I really am. 

Paul - Over 50 years old and still kills his training nearly 7 days a week and snowboards like a maniac.  Whenever I feel like I'm old and shouldn't be doing the crap I do, I think of Paul.

Caitlin - Training for her first marathon next year.  She is fairly new to running and has already run two half marathons.  She just sucks it up and gets her training done, regardless of the weather or the challenge.  She reminds me that the only way to get really good at something is to start by putting one foot in front of the other.  Ten years from now you will be amazed how good you can be. 

There are many more, these are just a few examples.  I'm a lucky guy to have such good friends.

Busy

DB C&PP 60lb x 20 x 2
row 500 meters/1 min rest 1:50.9, 1:49.8, 1:47.6

So busy I forgot to post this workout.  Great weight workout though. 

I'll make up for a thin post with one of the best quotes I have ever read:

"Here is another fat loss tip: Stop eating so much shit and being fat."  @TorgHammerstien

2012 Plans + Cool Lunar Eclipse Photo

"We will find a way, or make one." Hannibal (crossing the Alps with his army).

DB C&PP 35lb x 2 x 10, 60lb x 5 x 2
treadmill 4 miles 34:41

The run was harder than I thought it would be on my legs.  Still recovering from the marathon I guess. 

My motivation is very high right now.  I wake up before my 4:45 alarm each morning ready to get training (for various life reasons I usually try to finish training by 6 am each day).  I may back it up to 4:30 so I can get more work in. 

While these things are always subject to change, here's the general plan for 2012:

- Gain 5-10 pounds of muscle (currently 170)
- Lift weights or do heavy plyometrics at least 3 days per week (goal is to eventually work up to 12 reps of dumbell clean and press with 75lbs.  See here for more info). 
- Run 3 days per week - try to run more a mellow pace than usual, maybe :30 to 1:00 per mile slower (I chronically run too fast a pace on all of my training runs).  Do an hour or so on the treadmill on Tuesdays, my regular 10 miler with Steve on Thursdays and a longer run between 10 and 20 miles (or more if I have time to go to entertaining places in the mountains) on the weekend. 
- run approximately four 50k trail races and possibly the Chicago marathon.

I thought this was a solid race report.  I Especially liked this quote:

"What would last year have been an inconceivable level of pain was instead an exciting challenge of endurance – the kind of effort that is mentally and physically exhausting but highly fulfilling as a result."


I tried to get some pictures of the lunar eclipse this morning.  After a bunch of lens changes and photo cropping, this was the best one.  I love stuff like this.  Reminds us that we are just temporary visitors in this world.  Enjoy your life, but maintain a healthy perspective.  1,000 years from now no one will care about our daily drama. 

Western States 100 Movie

"You can never make the same mistake twice, because the second time you make it, it's not a mistake, it's a choice. Think about it."  Carolyn Parker

DB clean and push press 60lb x 15 x 1, 5 x 2
row 500 meters w/1 min rest 1:54.2, 1:53.2, 1:52.4

I hit 800 total posts for this blog. It's crazy how time flies.

Asked for this for Christmas.   I remember tracking this race on twitter and was amazed by the battle.  It will be cool to see the movie. 

New Toy

"A simple formula for success: Set a goal and don't quit until you attain it. Keep repeating that process over and over again until you die."  @bobbymaximus

med ball thrusters 25lb x 4 x 25, 40lb x 8 x 10

What did you ask for from Santa?  I asked for a 40lb medicine ball and 75lb dumbbells.  And because my wife totally kicks ass she said I can have both.  The med ball came yesterday.  It ended up being the perfect weight for what I am looking to do (I had to guess, because its not like I know anyone with a 40lb med ball that I can try out).  It is going to get a lot of use and abuse this year. 

Pretty cool story about the Australian women's cycling team selection camp. 

I got an e-mail from CIM that I was the lucky recipient of a "social media finishers badge".  What the hell is that?  For what it's worth, here is what was in the e-mail.  Guess I'm supposed to post it on the facebook account that I don't have. 

Some quality running blogs

"A goal without a plan is just a wish." Antoine de Saint Exupery

db press 35lb x 4 x 10
db push press 60lb x 10 x 1

I believe that if you hang out with people who are better than you, you will improve.  I can't hang with these guys (all but one of them don't even know who I am, and they all live in Colorado), but reading their blogs daily inspires me. 

George Zack's Blog - Super nice guy who I was able to run with one day this summer.  If you think you are training consistently, read his blog and he will put you to shame.

Lucho's Blog - If you think you are training hard and pushing yourself, read his blog and he will put you to shame. 

Brownie's Blog - Probably the funniest blog I read.  The running smack talk and the beer obsession are hilarious. 

Riding the Wind - One of the best ultrarunners in the world.  His consistency and love of the mountains is amazing.  This blog helped inspire me to start trail running a couple of years ago. 

Stole this picture from Lucho's blog.  This is from his neighbor's yard.  Dude lives in the wilderness. 

CIM Race Report

California International Marathon - 3:26:45

Short version:
-marathon PR by 15 minutes
-beat my brother's best marathon time by 5 minutes (critical issue)
- met my C goal (better than nothing)
-very well organized event. I would definitely recommend this marathon.

Long version:

As I mentioned a couple of days ago, this was the first relatively flat marathon that I actually somewhat trained for. So I didn't have good feel for the right pace to target. My 2013 Boston qualifying time is 3:15 and I figured that was probably on the edge of my fitness, so I thought I would start there (go big or go home right?).

I felt great the first few miles (doesn't that always happen?). The course was mostly rolling hills for the first half. I tend to do well on uphills so I enjoyed powering up the hills and relaxing on the downhills. Around mile 10 I felt good and started to think that 3:15 might actually happen. We rolled through the half marathon in 1:37:10, but shortly after that I decided that there was no way I could keep that pace up for another half marathon. So I pretty quickly pulled back the pace for a couple of miles (probably a minute or so per mile slower). In hindsight that ended up being pretty wise.

I actually picked the pace back up around mile 16 until I could see the 3:15 group in front of me. But around 18-19 miles I knew I was headed for trouble. I could feel a good bonk coming on and my right quad/groin started to cramp up. I had a few salt tabs so I took three of those, which solved the potential cramp issue. However, I knew I had to fuel up better or I might be taking the walk of shame to the finish. I took an extra minute at the next aid station and drank a ton of water and took a couple of Gu's.

After I regrouped, the last 6 miles was just your standard "numb legs/tired body last 10k of a marathon" experience. It's always a gut check (if it wasn't, it wouldn't be such a big deal to people to finish these things). I knew that sub 3:30 was the primary goal so I relaxed the pace enough to make sure I could get that done. After I felt pretty confident I had that in the bag I picked up the pace and ran the last couple of miles around 8 min/mile pace.

So I ran the first half in 1:37:10 and the last half just under 1:50. That looks like a pretty big blow up (which in one sense it is), but I wasn't disappointed. I went for a target that was over my head and when I knew it wasn't going to happen I felt like I intelligently managed the mess that I had made and turned it into a good overall experience. There is no shame in that.

Observations:

1. I have asked myself what I would have done if my Boston qualifying time was still the 3:21 standard (the 2012 standard before they lowered the qualifying times for the future). Even though I say I don't care about Boston, I apparently do because it has definitely played into my thoughts. I guess for better or for worse it is considered the dividing line between recreational and competitive runners. To be honest, if my qualifying time was 3:20, I probably would have tried to run that pace. In hindsight I think that is probably closer to my actual fitness level. Could I have broken 3:21? My best guess is that would have been a tough task, but if I were to run this marathon again tomorrow I would target 3:20.

2. My time for this race highlights a lot about my training approach. I run low volume (25-30 mpw) because I'm just not interested in running 5-6 days/50-60 miles per week. On one hand, a sub 3:30 marathon by a 39 year old "reluctant runner" is impressive. It also highlights that if I want to meaningfully improve in the future I need to fully commit to significantly more volume. I will get into this more in a future post, but that isn't going to happen because I'm not interested in devoting that sort of time to just running.

3. I was surprised how much I had to fuel on such a cool weather day (race start was about 44 degrees). I ended up eating 7 Gu's, 8 salt tabs, 4 Advil and a ton of water. Not sure it means anything, but it was a bit surprising.

4. Overall it was a great day and a great experience. I always feel fortunate to be able to do stuff like this. We take a lot for granted in this world. When I passed a blind runner with a guide runner I was very humbled. Don't take your health for granted, take advantage of it.

5. Loved a shirt on a guy at the start. It was a cross country team shirt that said, "our sport is your sport's punishment". Classic.

Marathon Sunday

"Racing without pain is not racing"

treadmill 4 miles 30:46
db shoulder press 35lb x 2 x 10

Goals for Sunday:

C: under 3:30
B: under 3:20
A: under 3:15

I have only run two marathons.  The first was the Napa marathon in 2005.  I literally just showed up with no actual training, signed up on race day and ran it (remember when you could actually sign up on race day for major races?).  I ran something like a 4:40 and blew my IT bands up for a month.  The second one was the Lake Tahoe marathon last year.  I did pretty well, but blew up and did the walk of shame the last couple of miles.  I still finished in the top 25, but my 3:43 time was weak. 

The CIM was intended to be my first real marathon effort with proper training and running a fast course at sea level.  I figured if I run ultras once and awhile I should at least have a marathon personal best that is somewhat respectable. 

Its hard for me to get excited about this race because I know its just going to be a sufferfest.  I know that my time will ultimately be driven by how deep I am willing to venture into the pain cave.  I admit that my last couple of races I have wimped.  When I hit that point where the running devil punches you in the face and asks you if you are willing to pay the toll to get on the road of faster race times, I have backed off in the name of "intelligent pacing".  I know there is more in there, I just don't know how interested I am in visiting that place on Sunday.  We'll see.

I put together a link with a bunch of quotes that I use to try and remind myself that proper racing involves embracing pain. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but regardless, here's the link. 

A couple of the quotes:

"Distance runners are experts in pain, discomfort and fear. You're not coming away feeling good. It's a matter of how much pain you can deal with on those days. It's not strategy. It's just a callusing of the mind and body to deal with discomfort. That's the nature of their game. Taking pain." Mark Wetmore
___________________________________

"You just peg your heart rate at 180 beats per minute for 2 hours, and suffer". He shrugged his shoulders and said, "you have to like pain to race."
____________________________________

"When the guy says go, you start to suffer—or you might as well not be out there. It's a small piece of your life, make it hurt."