Gear Review: CEP Compression Socks & Calf Sleeves

As athletes, we use a lot of gear...expecially in sports like running where you wear down products continually. I am only writing gear reviews on items that I have used for extended periods of time.

With that being said, I am totally obsessed with my compression socks & just recently the sleeves. I pretend that I am not a bit of a gear junkie, but I am at least a little. I tried my best to avoid the desire to try a product to help me with recovery; I always think nature is better, let the body do it's job...well, after talking to a few folks who actually use them, I finally picked up a pair of CEP recovery socks to give them a try.

So here is my biased review after owning and using them now for about 6 months. First things first, they are a workout just to get them on. There is a little trick to get them on by pulling them nearly inside-out, leaving the sole of the foot still in, put the foot in, and slide them on with a little struggle.

I now wear these after every long run (say 3 over hours ). On some days, I sleep in them, wear them under my suit pants at work, but I have never run in them. I use them purely for recovery. At first, I thought maybe it was the placebo effect that after everytime I wore them I had great runs, felt light, no problems, etc....but I have yet to have any negative effects from them. Recovery does seem faster and it's now the very first thing I go for immediately after an ultra or long training effort.

 

CEP Compression Recovery Socks

With that being said, I finally thought I should give the sleeves a try. I have only had them for about 4 weeks but I have had a number of good long trail and road runs in them. Aside from looking like a tribal warrior in them with shorts, I just figure people think I forgot my running socks so I am wearing my dress socks. The runs that I have had have been cold and have taken place on the Kettle Moraine trails in Wisconsin as well as rolling roads. I also worn them on a few long trail runs locally.

My opinion is that overall I like them. I can feel that they are supporting my calves as I am running, hopefully reducing the amount of overall vibration & pounding that ultimately causes the muscle soreness. I though that there would be a bit of a squeezing effect since they are sleeves, making my feet feel like they are going to pop, but that was not the case at all. For those of us who wait until the temperatures really drop before finally putting long running pants/tights on...these also give you a some warmth....I have not tried them at warmer temperatures yet.



CEP Compression Calf Sleeves



I have to admit, I did see a pair of mens diabetic black socks at the store for much less than the CEP's and I do wear them, but they compress far less. They feel like tight dress socks. good to wear when the CEP's are in the wash.

z

2012 Running Plans & Thoughts

It’s still 2011, so I have time to post my running plans for 2012. I’ll start this short list with a couple of caveats:

Caveat 1: I have a young family and at this stage in our lives, I have never been one to travel overnight for runs very much. If I could, I would, but not yet...I really prefer to stay local (within a morning drive) and since the NE Ohio Ultra Running community is so strong, I can easily fill up my calendar without having to go too far. I haven’t done all the races for one reason or another, so I am content in general to stay most of the time. With that being said, I am looking at 2 out of state 100 milers.....what the heck?

Caveat 2:  I nearly always prefer training over racing; I have since my days of cycling. As a matter of fact, I think it’s because of cycling that I prefer training. I have always preferred to head out for a hard ride or run for a number of hours to that of spending all kinds of money to do the same thing. As Chris McDougal noted in Born to Run…If you want to run a marathon, there’s the front door. I literally have run more 50k & 50mi runs from my front door than I have actually raced.  I suppose if I was wealthy and semi-retired, or just kid-free I would race far more frequently but with so many mouths to feed, I am happy to get up early in the morning and run a 50k from my front door.  I am quite aware that once the kids are older and they are too cool to hang out with the wife & I, we will be looking at travel in a whole new light. I also happen to live in one of the best places in the country to run from.

I am literally less than a 5 min run to the largest Arboretum (Holden) in the US, with over 3,600 acres, Chapin Forest (390 acres) 1 mi from my house, Penitentiary Glen (424 acres) about 0.4mi from my door, North Chagrin Reservation (BR100 start) is about 7 miles from my house….these are literally “among others”, there are a bunch of great parks around here.  As I write this out, maybe this is why I tend to train instead of race so much…..also why all my races that I am directing are in these areas!

2012 Running List (as of 12/12):

01/15/12 – Lake Metroparks Farmpark Snowshoe Stampede (Lake Farmparks)

02/11/12 – Lake Metroparks Night Light Snowshoe Race (Chapin Forest)

03/03/12 – Lake Metroparks March March Madness Snowshoe Race (Girdled Rd. Reservation)

04/28/12 – O24 (Directing, not running). Outrun 24 Hour, USATF trail race.

06/xx/12 – Kettle Moraine 100, La Grange Wisconsin

06/17/12 – Mohican 50 miler? Loudon, OH.

08/18/12 – Leadville 100, Leadville Colorado.

10/xx/12 – Mountain Masochist 50 mile Race, Lynchburg VA

2012 Running Goals:

·          

      RunWell / Leadville: I am simply overjoyed with the opportunity with RunWell as an Ambassador which is taking me to Leadville and hopefully dragging a few inspired folks with me. I don’t have any particular time goals with Leadville aside from the standard desire to run under 24 hours, my goal is to Run(really)Well for RunWell, enjoy the process, take it all in step by step, and finish very strong, it’s that simple. I want to show that it’s about accomplishing what you put your mind to. I know it sounds cliche but it is what it is. There is no doubt in my mind that I can complete another 100 miler. If for some reason, something out of my control takes me out of the race...so be it, but there is nothing in me that will not allow me to finish.

·         O24: Outrun 24 Hour Trail Race. USATF Certified 1 mile and 13 feet trail course. What started as a need for a Spring 100 miler has turned into a full blown 24 hour race, go figure. I simply want to put on a great event with as little bumps in the logistical road as possible. It should give folks the opportunity to come and test themselves, set PR’s, reach new goals and provide them with a focus throughout the cold, dark, and wet winter months that we endure as athletes. I am trying to keep the race as simple and organized as possible. The intent is to make this a well-known yearly offering for folks who do not want to run the roads for 24 hours.  

·          
      Nutrition: The focus that is equally important if not more this year is learning to get my nutrition on track. I have always managed to get by and be successful by most people’s standards….but I know that there is this key that I have yet to unlock when it comes to eating right. I am quite literally leaning heavily on the coaching of Bob Seebohar from Fuel4mance.com to show me how to get there. I actually plan on doing a before and after Coach Bob report. I am sure I fall in the category of a lot of athletes that get by but could really unlock so much more potential. This is one of the things that makes endurance sports so exciting, it never stays the same, and you are always trying to improve.

·          
      Training: I have got it in my head that I need to cross train more. I got out a number of times on the bike this year and it still irks me that the bike steals away mileage when I look back at my training miles. I have used training hours for years but still focus on miles as a runner. Even with running trails where hours & effort are more of a focus than exact miles, I still struggle with it. I am excited to see the training plan set forth for Leadville, I am really excited to learn from it and see where it will take me. I have to admit, I would like to drop about 10-12 pounds. I hover at 170-172lbs. at 5’8” and although I have gotten much leaner, my weight has not changed much. I am sure I can find a way to eat a few dozen less cookies and drop some dough off myself........................z

Training: what to do.....um.....oh yeah.......run. (100+ mile week)

I was lucky enough to have some lingering vacation days that I needed to take before the year is out. So, I took a few to accentuate the Thanksgiving Holidays. After dropping off the kids at school, I had just over 2 hours each day purely to myself....what to do.....what to do.....um.....oh yeah.......run.

Look, I have only called myself a runner for a couple years now. When I first heard of ultras, I thought a 50k was insane....then I signed up and did it. I thought 50miles was crazy, until I did a few more 50k's...seeing that it was closer than I thought. I thought 100miles was just pure mental, until I ran a 50 miler and as I finished, I thought "hmmmm, could I do that whole thing again?' Now, I've run a 100 miler and I am registered for the Leadville 100. So now even with all these ultras in just a couple years, the only reason I call myself a runner at all is because when I get on the bike now, I don't feel like I did a few years ago...fast and strong on the bike. I am far more in tune with my running than I am on the bike anymore.

Deep down I still think of myself as a cyclist & soccer player. I don't have the background that all these pedigreed runners have. As I grew up, I didn't run track or cross country, I never ran 60,70,80,100+ mile weeks like so many runners do on a regular basis and I never had the benefit of a running coach growing up. I played soccer for hours on end and then became a cyclist and rode thousands of miles in the saddle. Even though I certainly accomplished the equivalent of 100 mile weeks in alternate sports, it just seems like a lot to me. The most I have hit was the week of BR100 with 110miles or so. I am amazed at all the phenomenal athletes out there, I still see myself as trying to squeeze in what I can. So over the break, I managed to rack up some miles with the days off and found myself only a long run away from 100....so, I went for it and got in a really nice trail run Thanksgiving day morning to top it all off. It felt normal, I took a day off running and hit the road bike Friday, ran Sat & ran Sun...feeling strong. To be honest, it did not feel all that different from a regular week.

I know that there are people on all sides of the spectrum here. Some folks that are in the same boat, running, growing, shooting for whatever the weekly mileage/hours call for and peaking at various levels for races ranging from 5k to 100miles+. I see people in my running forums posting 110-120mpw on a regular basis...and to top it off, they are averaging amazing paces....their slow days are faster than my fast days. They run 10 miles in the morning, then 10-15 at night, both faster than 99% of the population runs. Amazing. Will they be running at 30, 40, 50+ years old? I hope so. Then there are the folks who are happy to get in a few miles a week, a nice walk, an active day, etc.. It's all what you want. I think that it all comes down to what you are driven to do. If you wonder what it's like to run 100 miles, study it and do it. I thought it was crazy...and it is.....in my humble opinion it's all about adaptation and mental strength....what you think you can do translates to what you can do....no matter what it is, not just with running...this translates to all aspects of life.

So woop dee dooo, I ran a 100+ mile week (all trails) and I was pretty happy and a little proud. More than that...the majority of those miles I ran with fellow running friends. I did a few faster runs on my own but the majority of the miles were with folks talking about life....sometimes about wool socks, shoe selections, various running related injuries, but for the most part, we were telling stories about our lives....funny stories about kids and college. If you think about it, we spend a couple hours running and talking....we share a lot of experiences. When the runs are over and we finish up our final comments, see who is doing what the next day, how far and where, I get in my car and literally have to sit back and review all the topics covered...it's a great community and great therapy.

The main reason that I am writing this post about running a 100 mile week is that a few years ago, I would have seriously told you I have no desire, need, or ability to run 100 miles in a week...let alone a 100 mile trail running race. I would have said it was not normal, necessary, or even healthy. If you are reading this and you are looking back at your own running goals and accomplishments, thinking "holy crap" that's just silly. I am simply writing this as an example of realizing what you can accomplish if you chip away at it and keep yourself focused on the goal. I'm not out there running these trails to beat other runners, I do it because I want to be better in life.

Inevitably friends & family will ask me about my running, how I do it, etc...I try to take a humble approach, but it's just such a great thing in life that it's honestly hard to not be excited about it. How does a full time worker, husband, father of 3 do it? I get up early or I run late at night, it's that simple....I get up at 4:30am and run...not everyday but for long runs I always do. If I need more miles during the week, I go after the kids are in bed and run in the dark. The most important thing is to be there for the family and at the age of my kids now, I want to be there to make my pancakes and smoothies when they are waking up and at an age that they still want to hang out with me. It might seem simple, but it keeps me focused and out of trouble. :)

Upcoming Events:
USSSA Snowshoe Race Series (Jan.15, Feb.11, Mar.3). Brought to you with Dion Snowshoes & Lake Metroparks.

Race Report: Run With Scissors Double Marathon

Here are my stats per my Garmin 310xt:
10:32:57 total time (4:44 = 1st marathon, 5:48 = 2nd marathon), 12:05 min/mile
Elevation: 9,962’ (Ascent 4,999’, Descent 4,963’)
Rank: OA - 10th

Video of the Wetmore section: Mud

Video compilation from the race: RWS

Mud.

We started from the Ledges Shelter in CVNP on a chilly but clear day (10/30/11) in the park at 5am. From Outrun Mike Nicholson, Crystal & Chris Basich, & I were running the Double and Brian Pulling, Pam Rickard (Fellow RunWell Ambassador), Scott & Brie McGrew, Jack & Betty Sharpe, John Telich, Blondie Hinton, and Carol Krus ran the single. I saw a lot of familiar faces and it was great to see so many people getting out for the race.

Mud.

Wetmore Trail Section

About mile 13 on the Bills Badass Loop

Another runner somewhere about mile 45 with some chickens

Mike & 3 others took off early in the run and I thought I was maybe top 10 assuming that there were people up front that I had not seen. Somewhere around mile 10 or so, I came out to cross the road and a lady in a car yells “you’re going the wrong way!” and points me in the right direction. A moment later, I see the race leaders coming down the path….I join up with them (after technically being in the lead for about 20 seconds) until they start to pull away. I ran in 5^th place for the remainder of the loop, coming into the first marathon at 4:44 and for about another 5 miles I ran and talked with a strong runner, Jamie until he started to pick up the pace.
Mud.

It was a blast to see all the single marathoners coming out from the 8:00 start as the double marathoners were heading back from the first loop. I passed Pam, Brian, Scott, Brie, Jack, & a number of others on their way out. Everyone was muddy; we all had a good mud cake layer from the shoes to the knees. It was the mud that made the already difficult task of running 52.4miles even harder. I saw Vince Rucci flying up one of the steeper switchbacks and shortly after I see the chasing lead guys for the single. They were flying! I think the winning time on the single was 3:13 whereas the double was 9:15 (Steven Zeidner). I would have a hard time running 3:13 on roads, let alone those crazy hills & mud, very impressed.

Mud.

From roughly mile 31 to about 42 I did not see another person running behind me, did the Bills Badass loop and caught a glimpse of a runner about ½ mile chasing but in these races, the passing is often slow. About 2 miles later she passed looking strong. At the last aid station, I finally stopped and got a small cup of Coke as Rick Henderson caught up to me. Rick won the Men’s Masters USATF at BR100 this year so I was happy just to be at mile 50 before he caught me. He urged me to finish with him and although I resisted, not wanting to slow him down, I found another gear and we ran in strong. Two more guys came past us and looked so darn strong, we just let them go. I was happy just to have run well for so long. The mud really was taking its toll since you had to use a lot more of the stabilization muscles to stay upright. The hills were brutal and overall, it was a tough course. The last miles were nice knowing that you were close to the finish; we picked it up through the ledges and into the field for a final quarter mile. I looked at Rick and said “are we going to kick, or are we finishing together?” I am happy to say that in a race like this Rick & I finished together with smiles on our faces, doing the hetero-hand holding victory finish.

Mud.

So, after all this…I am looking back and asking if I think I gave it all I had. I think I gave most of what I had. I walked the hills that needed walking and didn’t allow myself to get into a pattern of letting the walk linger once I topped the hill. I ran solo for so long that I didn’t have anyone to chase, hence increasing my effort. Even when I wanted to walk because the legs wanted to slow it down or the feet were tired, I urged myself to keep moving forward, but not just moving forward at a snail’s pace….I tried to pick it up to play with the energy expenditure and how much the legs felt when I ran quicker vs. just trotting along. Keep in mind at the second loop, everything I was doing was essentially an ultra-trot for me, not some elite runner’s version. Just like anything else, it was a learning experience.

Mud.

Nutrition was really good. I was totally self-sustained with my Nathan 020 pack, 5 tabs of tropical fruit NUUN in 70oz of water, then two Hammer Perpeteum multi hour bottles, and about every hour I did 1 S-cap and 1 E-cap for good measure. I felt even overall and with the significantly decreased level of sugar in my system, it was such a relief to not have the highs & lows on the run. I didn’t have any gastro issues, cramps were kept at bay and I with the nuun every 5 mins or so for a light fruit flavor, I was able to tolerate the café latte flavor for the 10+ hours.

Mud.
Overall, a great race. Roy Heger and all the volunteers were great. Food was just what we needed after from Chef Bill.

Oh, and by the way… I will be representing RunWell at the Leadville 100 trail race in August, 2012. It’s going to be epic, brutal, and inspirational! We will be looking for 3-4 additional runners to join me at the event and the journey leading up to it.

If you know of anyone that might be interested, please check out the RunWell Event Calendar (Leadville to be posted soon) and contact me at: zsj@outrunohio.com

Training: Sasha (trail & snowshoe buddy)

I think she loves the Fall as much as I do.

RunWell, literally.

There have been a couple of interesting things going on with running life lately. I mention the Burning River 100 mile race a lot because it was a big accomplishment to me. A few years ago I just said "those people" are crazy…referring to folks doing regular 100 milers and beyond; especially at paces that are simply amazing. With 3 young children, a full time career, and all the duties that come along with being a husband and "responsible" adult I am just happy that I have been given the opportunity and ability to be able to pursue something like trail & ultra-running. We are so fortunate to live within running distance to some of the best and most scenic trails in the area. 
With that said and thanks to social connections I've made through Outrun I was over-joyed to receive a phone call from Linda Quirk (Racing the Planet, Run 7 on 7, and now RunWell) for a little conversation or two that has turned into what I feel is a phenomenal opportunity. You may have seen communications on RunWell from Pam Rickard who has also taken a role with Linda where she is essentially promoting the mission of RunWell as well as embarking on an amazing journey in 2012 at the Gobi Desert! It's not often I get phone calls like that….wait, no….I've never gotten a phone call like that. These are things that you sit back and watch on the Discovery channel and think, that's amazing…. "I wish I could do that." Well, here it is…staring me in the face, with the caveat that you promote what you love to do and encourage others to do the same. No problem.

So, bottom line….I have accepted a spot as 1 of 4 US Ambassadors with RunWell (Non-Profit 501(3)(c)) to help promote the mission of recovery (drug, alcohol, & wellness) with a focus for now on the domestic Ultra & trail running scene (Leadville 100??). We'll look internationally later. For now, I am just happy to be a part of it. I feel that the focus on recovery through competing in events and raising funds & awareness for RunWell supports my perspective of the reasons why I have always pursued endurance sports. For me personally, it's been the element that helps keep me balanced in life and that is a big part of recovery and life in general.
If you take a look at all the folks in the local ultra-running community, it's staggering to try to keep up with all the good things that people are doing. I see people raising awareness & funds for all types of amazing non-profits like Girls With Sole (Liz Ferro), YMCA's, Camp Sunshine of Aurora, etc… How amazing is it to see people working so hard to accomplish things like running 100 mile races, desert expeditions, local 5k's, etc… and on top of it all working to help others! If you are not giving back to those around you, not bettering the community, not offering your skills to help, what are you doing it for?

Like I said, I'm excited to be a part of it. Outrun (group & team) will continue to progress through group runs, events, & discussion. We have members on the team who run for other organizations (both profit & non-profit). It's all such a great time to be a part of the growing sport of ultra-running.
So, there's the update on my little running life. I'm not elite, not the fastest guy in the pack, but I love the challenge & reward that comes from it, no matter how fast or slow I may be moving that day.



Push-ups:

I have kept up with it….I love this little app on the droid called "100Pushups". I started being able to do like 44 good pushups straight, by week 2 was doing 65, and by week 3 or so I was able to knock out 103. I love it, it's simple, effective, and I can do it anywhere. I have taken it back a notch but work to complete at least 100 a day. I also picked up another app called Pull-ups and I am progressing on that to be able to complete 25 consecutive pull-ups. Both of these are in effort to work on things that I have always been pretty terrible at. Pull ups more than pushups, I don't think I've ever been able to do more than 15 at a time. I'm up to ~40 a night now (total set).

Shoe review:

Adidas Adistar XT-3 – (Weight: 10.4 oz (size 9)Stack Height: Heel (20mm), Forefoot (13mm); excludes 5mm average lug height. I don't see these on the Adidas website anymore, looks like they have been replaced by the Response Trail 18? I )I have got to admit after the great experience I had with the Boston II shoes, I took the recommendation from the Adidas rep for the XT3 at BR100. I am on my second pair of them now. I honestly would have been happy to run the entire 100 miles in them, if needed. I've talked about them a lot and have a couple friends loving them now, too.
Nutrition:

Man, this has been, and will continue to be…a journey. I mentioned before that I have been giving the Hammer Perpetuem a serious second consideration for runs going beyond 3-4 hours. I am loving it. You simply load up the multi-hour bottle and sip on it every 10-15 mins. NO PROBLEMS! LOVE IT LOVE IT!!. I have finished a number of 4+ hour runs strong, no bonk, no gastro issues, etc. There is a little tweaking on the amount I intake per hour…but that is not bad. I load up with NUUN in my Nathan 020 hydration pack for my hydration & sodium plan, stash a few backup calories (Hammer Gel or similar) in the pack… but I have been so happy so far! We'll see how it all goes this weekend at the Run With Scissors Double Marathon.

Races:

Run With Scissors Double Marathon is next. I have the Autumn Leaves 5miler (I know, short) Then we have the upcoming Snowshoe Race Series (registration opening 11/7) and planning a 24 hour trail race in April. 
Leadville 100 or Cascade Crest 100 are the ultras I am looking at for RunWell. I am also wanting to get into The Mountain Masochist 50mi Fall, 2012. 


The list for the RWS is looking pretty good. I think there are like ~65 people signed up for the double and more for the single. I'm excited to do this one, it's going to be nothing but fun!!!!


z

Training: Cookies & Pushups

Regardless of the sport or athletic endeavor that I have been involved with over the years, nutrition has played such a critical role that it amazes me what I am still learning. As I mentioned in a recent post, I spent a bunch of time talking with folks about the issues that I had during BR100 and potential solutions for getting the nutrition plan in place, at least during the events.

A couple years ago I met with Lee Ann DiBiasi, a nutritionist in with Summa Wellness Hudson OH who did a complete nutritional analysis for me based on my weight, target weight, activity levels, and specific caloric plans for long runs. I learned a lot from it and I am pretty certain she told me everything that I needed to know, what to do, literally almost how to do it, and more information beyond that….but here we are 3 years later and I am struggling with it. This is not to say that I struggle with normal training, eating, and so forth. I struggle with taking the time to plan out my nutritional needs for longer events. As a father of 3 young children, working full time, and husband I am lucky that I even have enough time to train for ultra marathons. I know that I am not alone in this (or very similar) situation. I struggle with the fact that despite I know that 6-8 cookies per night do not do good things for me, I reach for them anyways…. As I reach for the cookie, I even say in my head “DON’T DO IT”…..but then will power dies and the cookie wins.

So, what to do? I think like any other thing that you want to accomplish that you are having a hard time with you’ve got to start chipping away at it one bit (or cookie) at a time. I can’t go cold turkey for a long time, so I have just started to have less and less every day.

Nutrition on the trails

Here is where I have had some success in the past month or so. I have become quite the fan of the Hammer Perpeteum multi-hour bottle and a Nathan HPL#020 hydration pack filled with 60-70oz with nuun. Every 10-15mins I take a decent sip from the multi-hour bottle and in between, I keep the nuun/water flowing. I have not been able to go longer than 3.5 hours at a time in the past month, but so far everything has been excellent. No digestive issues, no bonking, no cramps, not tired of the flavor. Interesting that last summer I tried it and never liked it. I always make my food the night before my long runs, races….well, as I understand it with Perpeteum and their Sustained Energy products, there are no artificial preservatives, so they sort of….spoil overnight and especially in warm weather. I always noticed this and had 3 bottles of it in the Summer Buckeye 50k last year which must have spoiled…..well, I fell out of love of it and that was that.

Pushups

Former NFL player and current MMA fighter, Herschel Walker’s weight plan was all body weight activities with only three main exercises: Sit-ups, Push-ups, & Chin-ups. Google the guy, you’ll see articles and interviews from him, extremely determined person, positive, and driven to continually progress positively in life. The other key to his physical success was his nutrition plan. According to the articles I was reading, he ate very little, and only one meal a day….~1,200 Kcals per meal. I think I would faint on that level of food, but it worked for him and continues to work. Anyhow, he is well known for his rigorous body weight training. Here is the excerpt from the article above:

Every Day:

750-1,500 Pushups

2,000-3,500 Situps.

That’s it.

So, about a week ago I downloaded an app on the droid called ‘100pushups’ with the intent that by the end I can complete 100 pushups straight. 7 days in and I’m up to 150 a night at this point (in 5 sets) and the reps just keep growing each day. I read about Walker and thought that if I can do a couple hundred a day, it would benefit my upper body, core, etc…. Ultra runners aren’t known for looking like MMA fighters, so I am just looking for core strength, muscle lean-ness, and a little body fat loss.

It’s all such an interesting journey.

Running: I wish I was a fly

This one's not about running, just a pure moment that I wish I could have filmed with my son over the weekend.

I spent a good 8-9 hours this past weekend chain-sawing and splitting wood. When I was about done, my young son came out and wanted to watch me for a while and help me stack the split wood. The area where I was doing all this work is in the back corner of my lot by an older shed, wooded, with  enough moss cover on the ground to allow you to sit or lay down comfortably. We sat there on the moss for a while enjoying the peaceful moment that I don't often get. While we sat there, a really large hoverfly flew over to check out the wood stack. We sat there for probably 10 minutes watching this fly hover, check out the new surroundings, shift from side to side, stop, move, stop, land, get back up and look for bees for it to eat, and every so often check us out. My 3 yr old says "I wish I was a fly, I would fly all over, over the house, in the house" he said this a couple times and I could see how he was intently studying this insect and imagining himself flying around in just the same way. I felt like if I could look into his mind for a minute I would see the view from his eyes of him  imagining himself flying over the house on this gorgeous blue sky day, then shooting into the house, through the rooms, down the hall and into his room to play.

The hoverfly eventually tired of us, we finished up the wood and headed to the side yard where my 4 legged trail running buddy was laying down in her favorite spot. We sat down next to her and rubbed her belly. My son says to me "I wish I was a dog" and I when ask him why he says "So, I could eat dog treats." I said, "well, you can have a dog treat right now if you want, buddy"....he thinks for a second and says "I think I want to be a fly."

z

Running: My legs were pissed at me, so I took the elevator today.

It's been about 5 weeks since BR100 and I have been having a lot of fun. Quite on purpose, I did not schedule anything on the remaining 2011 calendar as far as ultra's go. It's biting me a little bit because I would love to do a couple of them that are timed well and are already sold out.

I was "running" on day 2 after br100, but ended up running myself over to the pool and aqua jogging a while. I think I logged about 25 miles that week, and a couple 1,000meters in the pool. By week 2 I was up to 45 or so, and by now I logged 50 last week as well as a 60 mile road ride. My speed is not there, but it'll come.
So, after all the wondering about what happened to me shooting for a 22-24hr 100 miler, I realized that I showed up with a fuel tank full of nothing (did not even eat breakfast, idiot), and tried to chase that for the rest of the run. Why? Who knows, maybe I was getting over confident and under-experienced about it all. So, long story short....I have spent some time talking to folks who know what they are doing with regards to nutrition (thank you Crystal & Chris Basich, and Jody @ Fleet Feet!). Looks like for now, I have settled on getting my calories through multi-hour bottles of Hammer Perpetuum. It may change, but I am going to stick with the plan for a while and see how it goes. At least I know what I really need to do now.

I'll continue to pop my nuun tabs as my hydration strategy and may even mix 'em all together for some ultra martinis (although, I have a couple friends who use it for the morning after a few too many beverages :)

With all that said, as I was talking to folks about it, I kept thinking that I had been doing this to myself for a couple of years. A 50k or even 50 miler, you can get away with a lot of different products...I still think I could run an ultra on coffee and cookies..... but it all reared it's ugly head at BR100, exposing the fact that my calorie plan was simply not up to par. My hydration plan has been solid for a while, especially since I discovered nuun, but it's the calories that really made me suffer. Such an interesting sport, this is why the experienced runners do so well, they know what works, what doesn't work, and continually tweak it as time marches on.

Blah blah blah, so what's next?? Run With Scissors Double Marathon if family, work, travel all work out. If not, I am going to reproduce the Johnson Five-0 (50 miler), shirts and all.

After RWS, looks like the USSSA (US Snowshoe Association) accepted my January 15th Race as a State Championship race and qualifier for the USSSA Nationals in Frisco, CO! Boo yah! I feel kind of like I have discovered an untapped market in Ohio, we have snow, we have winter athletes, why not race on the
snowshoes??? Well, I got a 3 race series planned for you:

Jan.15th - 5k/10k USSSA National Qualifier, Lake Farmparks, Kirtland Oh.
Feb.11th - 5k Race at Girdled Rd.
Mar.03rd - 5k Race at Chapin Forest (night race), under the lights.
-z

Training: Smoky Mountain Running

I have asked a lot of my friends in the past this question “what would you do if money was not an issue but you had to work?” Meaning that you have to work but you would never have to worry about funding your life expenses. It’s the old adage of find your dream and make it happen. We spent the last week in the Smoky Mountains on an awesome family vacation. This blog is about running, so I will not stray too much from that path…..but running is a part of life and so they often collide.

I spent a large part of my life in Tennessee, high school and undergraduate academics then left to go back to Florida. As we were driving closer to Knoxville on our way to the Smoky Mountains for a family vacation, I had all these memories flooding my mind from all these experiences I had growing up exploring the parks and city in the area. I must have said “…this is where I used to mountain bike, road ride, hike, fly fish, trail run, backpack, etc…etc...” about a hundred times to anyone within ear shot of me. Every time I came across an area, I realized that I had story upon story to share about where I got stung by hornets, caught my first brook trout, ran 16 miles and needed toilet paper (used leaves), ran into black bears, how fast I climbed Clingman’s Dome on my road bike, how fast I descended, saw a red wolf, saw tracks, found my favorite quiet spots, on and on and on. With all this pouring into my mind, I did plan one long run and it did not disappoint.

I started from the house we have rented over the past 20 years and ran 2.7miles up to the Rainbow Falls trail head. I knew it was going to be rough when I was already walking a good portion due to the 96 degree heat and tremendous incline on the road. I averaged a 10 min mile for the first 3 miles, showing up to the trail head soaking wet, but smiling. More than 10 years ago I started from the trail head and ran the entire trail up to Mt.Leconte, the second highest peak in the Smokies (2^nd to Clingmans Dome) only by about 200 feet. Driving to Clingmans is about 27 miles from the bottom to the top. This trail does it in 6.5 miles. It’s about 4,000 feet vertical change. I “ran” for as long as it made sense…..lasting about 2 miles before I decided to speed hike up the trail. I was planning on a trail marathon that day, but when I hit the peak 10 miles later at over 3 hours…..it was time to realize that although the view was spectacular, I had a family waiting for me at the bottom. I took a few photos, a couple bouncy videos, and decided to make the descent back to the house. It took me 1hr 30mins to descend what took me more than twice as long to go up. Admittedly, it was some fancy footwork down the trail and I stopped at each waterfall to dump my nuun visor in to cool me off, but man o man I love to run fast down hill.

As I ran the trails that day, I took the time to revel in the memories I had created in the past years on these same trails…they hadn’t changed much but I sure had. The last time I ran these, I was working as a drug/alcohol counselor after finishing my undergrad and would come to the Smokies after work to run and then fly fish until it got dark. I wasn’t married, no kids, I could do what I wanted essentially. Now, I have a large family waiting for me to come home and tell more stories, share food and drink with. Which one is better? It has all been amazing, but when it all comes down to it, the family is what provides that main ingredient to the drive that I have had all my life. The following day, I took the family with me to a spot in the mountains that only locals know about. As we were walking up the trails, we passed an older couple who smiled seeing all my kids walking up and they said “starting them off right” as they passed me. I smiled and said it was 100x better than video games and sitting inside. It was how I grew up, how I live now and how I want my kids to be. There are a lot of life lessons to be learned being in the outdoors. You just don’t learn about the cycle of life while you are playing first person shooter games on the xbox…well, you do but it’s violent and demented. While walking up a trail to a waterfall and my 5 year old is asking questions, I turned to her to ask her how waterfalls start. She immediately said from rain but when I asked her how the rain all gathered together to form a creek and eventually waterfall, she literally pointed out a little creek and we sat to examine it coming out of the moss, across the trail, down the hillside and to a larger creek. Look, we didn’t discover electricity, but she learned what a lot of kids don’t get to experience. I know I am rambling, but the point is that we need to get ourselves and our kids off our asses and get outside. I am not going to start quoting stats about the obesity rates in the US or in certain parts of the world. I think we all know how large the average US person is becoming.

My personal answer to the question posed in the beginning of this rambling blog is not completely concrete but it is swimming in an answer of inspiration. I love to be active, it keeps me sane and relatively balanced….without it I become a bit of a grouch. Why can’t we take something as raw an pure as running and inspire people to do it? Maybe it takes us running extreme distances like 100 miles or more for people to say “well heck, if they can run 100 miles, maybe I can get out and walk for a mile?” That’s it, that’s the magic of it…..someone watches, reads, hears about someone doing something amazing and they are inspired to do a little bit more than what they did yesterday, then tomorrow they do it again. I love people, I love meeting people and talking and hearing stories about what they are doing and exchanging personal stories that allow us to relate to one another. So, take all that and inspire people. I want to have a job that allows me to be with my family & friends and inspire anyone that I can. That’s it. So, with that….I am working to make it happen. It is this passion where the OUTRUN team came from, this drive to do what we love to do in a positive and social atmosphere, it is this that drives us to create our running events, multisport events, epic runs, etc…. there is a will, and we are finding ways to make it happen.

z