Race Report: CLE Marathon

I've got to write this while it's fresh in my mind. Let me start by saying that I was wishy washy from the start with the Cleveland Marathon. I was fortunate to pick up an entry at the Expo literally 2 days before the race. My training plan called for a double Saturday, double Sunday including 26mi that morning...no taper, and more than one speed workout during the week. It's all training for Leadville....so the best part is, no matter how I did...I lost nothing and gained another experience.

After all the exceptional results I have been experiencing under the Seebohar coaching through Runwell, I thought I could eek out a 3:15-3:25 marathon Sunday. I ran with Jim Mann who I know could pace me to a 3:15....but I told him I was really just wanting to beat my 3:32 PR. Let me say this, I am not a road marathoner...I've done a few...but I have never really trained to be fast at the marathon. One day...but not yet. I like the trails too much.

We took off, you could tell it was going to be a warm one. We said we'd hang at a 7:30-7:40 pace until the 1/2 and then pick it up a notch. I've been doing this on hard trail runs so I had confidence that the road would be a cinch. 3mi in I knew where I was headed...the legs still a little heavy from the 8mi threshold trail run, the previous day's double, and so forth. Who cares, right? Just suck it up and run fast? Naw....I think I ran 7:40'ish for about 12 miles before I saw my pace slipping close to 8's. I told Jim one last time, "go...I'm a big boy, I can handle the rest" He did....and finished strong for such a hot day (3:31), for a guy who runs a 3:06...It makes me feel better. It was getting hot, I wasn't feeling super agile & light. Just felt like I was a wanting to trod along. I hydrated very well, lots of nuun, e-caps, did my UCAN in the morning, 1 GU around mile 21, the rest was just dealing with the heat. No cramps, but the pace dropped and I could care less. I kept thinking about spending time on my feet in the heat. How much harder Leadville will be, how much harder a road marathon was that day than touring along shady trails for 26miles.

I was doing a bottle of water between each aid station, dumping a cup on my head, and taking off. Under one of the last bridges in MLK, I ran up to the Medical tent and proclaimed that "my nipples need medical attention!" I laughed...no one else did, the dude just handed me a wooden stick with Vaseline on it for me to apply my own medical attention. As I ran away I re-affirmed that it was really fun to run up and say that...I finally got a smile. I think they were tired of chaffing nipple runners.

The aid stations were great, volunteers are great, and with the heat above 85 after such a mild Spring, I dont think i was ready for it. So, it became a game of heat & hydration. Spirits were good...I ran with a couple BAFF tri guys for a while, one who was completing his first marathon. At mile 25, I see Kirsten in a pink tutu....she had Leghorney with her and so I was able to carry her (the leg) into the finish line. That was probably the best part. I rounded the corners with the leg raised as people cheered. With the last .1mi to go, I raised the leg again and took the final sprint while the announcer called out about a runner with a mannequin leg "only in America" he said. Kirsten & leg made the Plain Dealer and I got interviewed at the end about it as well by Camp Sunshine. Such a fun concept.

I will say this, I have never ever puked at a race....but at the end of the sprint with the leg, I stopped and as a lady asked me what the deal was with the leg, I started to heave....heaved again....held it back...still haven't puked... Then continued to tell her about the leg, it was a charming moment I am sure.

I cannot wait to see the race photos of the finish with the leg held high in the air. Oh, I finished at 3:59 on a 3:15 goal and don't care. I got to see a lot of friends and supporters, people ran their first marathons, Radames KILLED it at 3:16 after a 50miler two weeks ago! It was a great time and a lot of fun....but man, it was hot.

Later that night, I got out and did 40mins on the trails.....tomorrow I've got a ridiculous 10miles of threshold planned.

I will admit a couple things: I was a little disappointed in myself for not at least getting in the 3:20's....but as I look back, it wasn't in the cards that day. Secondly, as we split from the half/full marathon...I saw all these folks getting to finish. I will admit that I kinda wanted to just finish up then...but at that point....there was no reason for that. I would have just had to go home and do the miles anyway!

Happy to have a rest day today, looking forward (kind of) to the killer 10miler tomorrow.

z

Runwell to Leadville

128 days to Leadville 100 Trail Run

Linda Quirk / Runwell has been amazing throughout all of this. It adds something really special to be able to be running for an organization that actually makes a real difference in people's lives. If you haven't looked at Runwell, take a look at the website and see for yourself the level of accomplishment that this organization has reached and who they help.

I have actually looked at flights and locations to stay (hopefully not all booked, but many are). I've also taken a look again at the course guide, runner's packet, and elevation chart.

 

There's just no way around it, this is going to be a brutal race! The best part is that the above elevation profile is one direction....you run 50miles out and back....Hope Aid station is at 11,836 then you continue up and over Hope Pass at 12,600' down the back-side to the Winfield Aid Station to hit the 50mi mark. Turn yourself around and run all the way back up and down (repeatedly)....all the way back to Leadville. This will be painful and a little suffering will ensue before, during, and after. I like pain of this nature, it is all temporary and well worth it, why not push it to the limit? A number of folks have asked me these questions:

Do I have a time goal? Yes, I usually set 3 goals for any ultra:

1. the dream goal - anywhere near 24 hours. 
2. the realistic goal - somewhere around 26-27 hours
3. the most important goal - finish strong.

What am I doing about altitude?

1. I am relying on the coaching from Bob Seebohar (fuel4mance.com). Coach Bob is a Leadman and I have the utmost confidence in the quality training he is providing. I'll be flying in Thursday, check in Friday, Race Sat-Sun, then fly out Monday. Bing, bang, boom, done, back to work. 
2. I've spent time in the Rockies above 10k' running (but not racing) and have done fine. I've also spent time in the Himalayas upwards of 18,200' and although it wasn't a 100mi race, I did fine at altitude there. I'll take the usual precautions, hydrate well, looks for any/all signs of altitude sickness, and be smart about it. 
3. My biggest concern is not the altitude, it's the amount of ascending and descending. We don't have the extreme elevations in Ohio as the Colorado Rockies. Again, I am relying on the very challenging training I am going through now to get me there.

Any other race planned before Leadville?

1. I am directing the O24 on April 28-29th, in Kirtland Ohio. It is a USATF & IAU certified 24 Hour Timed Trail Race being held in Chapin Forest Reservation.
2. I am running the Mohican 50 miler in June as a training run. 
3. The rest is all training for LT100!

-z

Training: +Progression due to Coaching

I'm not the best runner or writer, but I want to try to get my thoughts out there about the success I have had with nutrition & training related to the coaching from Bob Seebohar who is guiding me to the Leadville Trail 100 that I am running for Runwell. It's just too good, this is something that we all need to look into.

Last night, I went out for a 9.3mi negative split run on roads around the area I live in, which is not flat...It's not the Rockies, but it is quite hilly and hills hurt here like they do anywhere else. My instructions were to run 9 miles Negative Split (high aerobic / then tempo). I made the choice to from my house which the highest point in the area (everything is a descent from there) and took it easy at about a 7:15-7:30 pace until I hit 4.5 miles and took it up a notch to maintain about 7:15 all the way home (all uphill). Look, there are thousands of people out there who can run like this daily with ease, I am by no means an elite runner, never will be...I revel in the success of a training run like this. For me, just a few years ago this workout would not happen. Race day, maybe....but not at 8:30pm in the dark after a full days work, kids to swim practice, a core workout, reading stories to kids, then suiting up and killing it for 1hr 9min on this 9.3mi route. I ran by myself, in the dark, a headlamp, with the occasional pair of reflective eyes looking back at me from the woods, and watching my shadow as I passed under the occasional street light (one of my favorite things).

I've never been coached as a runner. I've followed generic training plans and ultimately made my own over the past couple years based on my own experiences, reading what others have done, websites, modified the Hal Higdon marathon and ultra-marathon schedules, but I've never had a coach actually provide me with a month to month plan that progressively grows to peak for a particular race(s).

I'm very coach-able, I literally love to do the work, love to reach the goals of the team and the coach. Highschool soccer & lacrosse was a lot of "fun work",we just had to show up, bring the effort, the determination, follow a some intuition, and the coaches instruction. We had a lot of success during those years but once I got to college and chose to stay on the bike rather than full time on the soccer team, I did not have the benefit of a coach. It's been this way for 14 years now, mostly solo training and reading as resources. I was with Carmichael Training Systems (CTS) for a little over a year and saw some amazing progression in cycling but soon could not afford the monthly fees. With family & work, it was just an extra expense was that needed to pay bills, put clothes on the kids, food on the table, and home upgrades. Paying for coaching quickly went away.


Fast-forward a few years after starting to learn to run ultra marathons (still learning)...and now as an Ambassador for Runwell I have been incredibly fortunate (and you can, too) to be provided coaching services depending on the event you are signed up for. Coach Bob Seebohar (MS, RD, CSSD, CSCS, US Olympic Dietician in 2008, et cetera.) See his website for all his information, this guy is a beast!. He is preparing me for one event, the Leadville Trail 100, that's it...that's the focus. I will say that after running 65-100+ mile weeks for the last couple months, I was a little concerned when I got my first month's training plan and it was a DRASTIC reduction in mileage; something that was probably harder mentally than physically. I admit, I freaked out a bit, assuming that I was right where I needed to be and really wanted to resist the training plan. I did for about a week. After some reassurance, I accepted it and have been following it almost to a "t" since. Part of the reassurance comes from Linda Quirk who is also coached by Bob and has had amazing success in the endurance world (google her, you'll see). They are quality workouts that are all a part of a progression. I have more added focus than ever. I am very excited to see how it all builds 5 months from now. 

Prior to starting the training plan, I began to follow Seebohar's passion: nutrition. If you have read my experience at BR100, you know that I struggled with nutrition...significantly. Over the rest of 2011, I was getting a handle on the calorie consumption using Hammer products and had good success with it at the RWS double marathon in October, but shortly thereafter I began to transition into the Metabolic Efficiency Training (MET) that Bob teaches. I downloaded the two MET books by Bob, read every word and it just made too much sense not to give it a try. It took me about 2 months to transition from being a "carb-addict" to running on very little, if nothing at all for calorie consumption on a run. I will say that for about 4-5 weeks I was experiencing some really good bonks at about 1:45 into a run where my glycogen levels had depleted and my body was looking for more sugar that wasn't there. I knew to expect them, so I plugged along and got through it. My body has now learned, and is continuing to learn, how to metabolize fat as an energy source rather than rely mostly on carbs.

MET is not a diet, it literally is a way of life. For me, it was a smack in the face of how carbohydrate dependent I have been over the years. It's not a complicated concept, and once you have been doing it for a while, it's second nature. I dropped 2.5% body fat in about 8 weeks something I haven't been able to do for a few years. My body composition improvement is visually noticeable and I feel lean and strong. I still reach for the cookie jar probably more than I should, but I allow it on occasion to maintain a healthy balance...can't always behave!

Hydration has been the one thing that I have managed to remain consistent with. I have used nuun tabs for a few years now. I used them before I became an ambassador for them, and I continue to use them in my hydration strategy for every run & ride I go on. I do add S-Caps depending on the weather and the effort.

So, the proof is in the pudding, right? Here are some small but big success examples I have experienced in the last 2months:
50k training run: in the snow, on trails, 5hr 33min including bathroom stops and taking it easy. I ate 3 packets of Generation UCAN = about 360 calories or ~65/hour. I would have normally consumed roughly 1,500cals of Hammer Perpeteum during that time period. That's over 1,100 calories difference that I burned from fat stores. There were no GI issues, no bonking, nothing. For hydration, I had 6 tabs of nuun in my hydration pack (Nathan HPL#020).
50k Green Jewel Race: 4hr 35 min on 2 packets of UCAN. That was a 21 min PR for me and I did not taper a bit (although I should have)! Friend and fellow Runwell Ambassador, Pam Rickard saw even better results with 2 packets of UCAN and an hour PR for her 50k!
Other: I've also had a few negative split training runs over the past 2 months that literally I have set unintentional PR's for 10mi, 13mi, and 25k distances....just in training! Now, I am working hard, but there is something to be said about the other half of your training being proper nutrition. I wish I had known about this years ago when I was racing bicycles, but I know about it now and urge you to check out Bob's website and books.

If you run with me, I'm going to tell you about it. It's just been such a positive life changing thing for me that I am just excited to talk nutrition with others. I will also talk about coyotes, core workouts, and my favorite Altra Zero drop shoes that I picked up from Fleet Feet and my upcoming race, the O24 (Have you signed up yet??). Deal with it, I love this stuff!

152

152 days to Leadville.

Race Report: Green Jewel 50k

Below is my race report for the 2012 Green Jewel 50k.

We ran that far.

I'm not sure how I got talked into NOT following my training plan from Coach Bob for this weekend. My schedule called for a 16 mile negative split run on Sunday. I think it's that I PR'd at the GJ50k in 2009 and I wanted to see if I could run this as a fun training run and beat my time of 4:56. In 2009, it was a 50k PR of 1hr 24mins as I was very new to ultra running. I was fortunate enough to be offered some "rock star" crew treatment from Mike Nicholson (2011 3rd place) whose brother Greg, was running his first 50k. After waiting for the salamander migration to clear at CVNP, we pulled in the lot and I ran into a number of familiar faces (Kathie Teuschner, Pam Rickard, Brian Morris, and others) before taking off and heading to the start.

I love the atmosphere before an ultra. No one was complaining that the race was not going to start on time, everyone was smiling, excited for what we were about to do, taking photos, sharing stories, adjusting bib numbers, and well-wishing other runners. I finally got to meet Lee Shane in person (rather than facebook), accepted an Elmo (gluten & vegan) cupcake from the Basich's, shed a layer, took a quick wizz and off we went!

Pam Crushing PR

I ran a few miles with Pam who stands 9 feet tall in her Hokas and floats through puddles, whereas I was skimming the ground in Altra zero drop shoes :). Pam & I are fellow Runwell Ambassadors and have been under the same coaching & nutrition expertise from Bob Seebohar (www.Fuel4mance.com).We were both very excited to see how the metabolic efficiency training was going to play out for us. 

Keith Finishing Strong

A few miles in, Pam dropped back (but only by a few seconds) and I met up with Keith Lascelles; we began chatting about running, nutrition, the day's goal, and whatever other stories that came to mind. Our goals were similar, to run about a 4:30-4:45 depending on how the day went. This is one of the best parts of the running community I think. There are races that you end up running solo for hours and races where you play leap-frog with people, and ones like this where I was fortunate enough to run with Keith for pretty much the entire race. We kept saying "we need to slow it down, if we take the pace back, it will pay dividends later, etc..." neither of us would do it, we just kind of went with it. Mile 16 flew by and I thought  maybe I can negative split this thing, so I started a slight pace increase. 

Can you guess where the cramps started!

Lesson learned. 

On Friday, I posed a comment in the Outrun group "taper schmaper" after a hard week of speed workouts and a brutal 9 mile race pace run on trails on Thursday, 90mins of intense core (TRX, Insanity, and other core work) on Friday. Seemed a good idea at the time, besides it was just a fun run, right??. At mile 19 something under my right rib cage had such a sharp pain that it made me walk. my pace went from ~8min/mile to 9:30 to an 11:00 pace, not cool. I first thought was that it was my food....nope, dummy, it was my overzealous workout the day before. I met and passed Debbie Scheil, who shortly thereafter patted me on the shoulder to get going so she could chase....she continued on strong (to PR!) and not long after I see Keith. We played leap-frog for a while before the abdominal muscle cramp was manageable to run constant. We hit the marathon mark at 3:45 and the rest was just a solid easy effort to the finish. Everytime I picked up the pace, I was reminded to back off by my ab muscle. Lesson learned. With about 2 miles to go, Keith picked it up and ran a really strong finish...gaining about 4 mins on me by the end (4:31). I came in shortly after with a 4:35.

Green Jewel 50k Finish

Happy enough with the effort, but disappointed in myself for not taking heed to taper even a little. That's all a wash though since the experience was such a great one. I ran into Lee Shane, Crystal Basich, & Keith super exited to hear how they did (so impressed). They asked how Pam was and I guessed about 30mins back. I went to change into warm clothes and as I walked back, I saw Pam finishing an astonishing 4:44!

Pam's first question to me: "what did you eat?".....", "2 packets of Chocolate UCAN. that's it."...nod of agreement, this works. Proof is in the pudding (as long as it's a 1:1 carb/protein ratio!).

Final Thoughts

It's been 4 days since the race and I have still not taken a day off. Got in 8 miles Sunday, 8 Monday, and a really hard 6 miles Tuesday. I finally cross trained Wednesday and am back on track for my Leadville 100 training. Next on tap is more training, the O24 and then Mohican 50mi.

Big Thanks

Please remember that none of these races are possible without a LOT of hard work from the Race Directors (Joe Jurczyk & Vince Rucci) Courtney Russell for taking all the finisher photos and all the volunteers who give time and effort to support runners in these events. There is nothing better than seeing familiar faces at aid stations and getting help from people who have such great ultra & running experience and really do know how to help. Again, how can you not be impressed with the ultra running community? We rock.

Training: The Pain Cave

I was surfing the internet recently and found a site called thesufferfest.com They have a great logo that is just a merge of letters: “IWBMATTKYT: I Will Beat My Ass Today To Kick Yours Tomorrow”  I love this site although I would change it for me to: "IWKMATTKIHT I Will Kick My Ass Today To Kick It Harder Tomorrow." Anyhow, these cyclists post photos of their bike torture chamber. I will say that these guys get exactly what I am writing about in this entry.

I don't have an elaborate man cave like a lot of guys I know. I'd love to have a huge flat screen TV, mahogany & marble bar, leather recliners, wine racks, stained glass lamp overhanging a poker table for texas hold-em tournaments, and a library-like home office and yoga room adjoining the man cave of my creation.

I don't have this; I have quite the opposite…in a section of my basement I have what I endearingly call my "pain cave." The Pain Cave is a little different…it's bland grey painted cement floor & walls, furnace & water heater, exposed rafters , old PC on a tool desk next to a shelf of 30 used pairs of various running, cycling, & snow shoes. There is a nail spike in the wall over flowing with my medals from races, a few plaques from races leaning in various places, next to a rolled-up photo from Kala Patar in the Himalayas where I backpacked many years ago. There is another tool desk housing at least 4 tool boxes, a mounted grinder, router table, drills, saws, various tools and boxes full of well used bicycle seats, brakes, derailleurs, and bottom brackets. This is the view from the core of my cave. 

In the middle I have a full Smith machine, as well as my gymnast style rings hanging from the ceiling, dumbbells and iron plates on the floor, pull up bar, an old mirror to watch my form, yoga ball, and at least one bike pulled off the wall mounted in the bike trainer ready to be ridden. The bike is mounted in climbing position and pointed at the old PC that no longer has sound, to watch indoor cycling DVD’s. There is a massive fan for the summer months to blow the sweat off me and plaster it in various places in the room.

This is not a glorious place to train in by most standards. No one sees what I am doing, no one can see how hard I am pushing myself, no one can see my cool new running gear and how awesome it is, no one is in awe when they ask you what’s the farthest you’ve ever run. It’s just you pushing it for whatever drives you. It’s not pretty like bounding down a gorgeous trail in the woods. I like to think that it’s the times that people don’t see or know what you are doing that helps define your character, builds confidence, overcome life’s obstacles, and help you to push your limitations every day. You may hear me state one of my favorite quotes “make friends with pain and you will never be alone.” Or there is “magic in misery” For me, it doesn’t mean that I am lonely and only pain or misery makes me feel complete…but at the end of the day, I need to make sure that if I have been able to push myself beyond what is comfortable, which usually involves some physical pain, that I have learned to cope with difficult situations and continued to pursue re-defining limitations. I use these learned characteristics to carry over into my marriage, parenting, friendships, and career. I’m not anywhere where I want to be yet, but I am enjoying the journey getting there. It’s no different than what I find on a long solo trail run….

There is a note to be made about this…Most of you know I am a social animal and I love to run with people, it just makes running those long miles a lot easier. But, I firmly believe that you have to make sure that you get in your solo time to really flush out those demons and learn what you are made of. If you don't push beyond your comfort levels, how do you really know what your made of?

So, no man cave for me for a while….just the pain cave. 

175 Days to Leadville.

I'm exicted and I have more than a few thoughts on this. But to summarize, there are 175 days to Leadville 100 Trail Run and I am loving the journey.

I'll complete a blog post shortly, but I just want to send a big shout out to Runwell and Coach Bob Seebohar for this opportunity.

more later.
z

Gear Review: Altra Lone Peak

I picked up a pair of the Altra Lone Peak (trail) and Instincts (road) shoes from Fleet Feet Sports. Below are my personal impressions and opinions on the Lone Peaks.

The below information is directly from the Altra website: http://www.altrazerodrop.com/

Product Features

Inspired by the Lone Peak, one of the rockiest, toughest mountains on the Wasatch Range, The Lone Peak™ was designed to conquer the Wasatch 100. While the foot-shaped design allows athletes to stay relaxed and comfortable for hours, this do-everything mountain shoe promotes happy feet, increases ankle stabilization and improves form with the Zero Drop™ platform. The Lone Peak™ features an innovative, sandwiched StoneGuard™ system that deflects rocks into the midsole for a smoother, more stable ride. Stand above the rest with the ultimate trail running shoe.

Product Details

• Weight: 9.9 oz
• Zero Drop™ EVA/A-Bound Midsole
• Foot Shaped Design: Male FS-1 Last
• NRS: Natural Ride System
• TrailClaw Outsole
• StoneGuard and Trail Rudder
• Strengthen and Support Insoles
• Quick dry abrasion resistant mesh upper with minimal seams
• Asymmetrical Lacing, HeelClaw, and A-Wrap for Superior Fit
• Drilex Premium Liner

My Impressions: 

 I took these out on a 5 mile "get to know you" run on one of the sloppiest days on the trail I have seen in a long while. We had heavy rains for two days and then overnight switched to 2-4" of snow. It's a 1/2 mile of road to the trail head, the trail is singletrack with good elevation changes, roots, mud, rocks, and a calf level couple creek crossings.

First things I noticed:

 1. the traction is amazing. despite the mud & snow, the traction was excellent. the little spikes do not collect mud at all, stays clear.

2. the cushion is firm and adequate. As I understand it, the stoneguard is sandwiched between the midsole, allowing the cushion to take the hits and leaving a smooth feel on jagged rocks. I like this design immensely. It literally gives you a firm ride with cushion.

3. the stone guard makes this shoe feel bomb-proof. I covered some sections of the trail with near reckless abandon that I normally take more care on.
4. the trail rudder....I couldn't tell how much this affected the run, but it didn't seem to do much for me except add some traction on the down slopes. 

5. overall, the shoe is stable and the toe box is roomy enough to fit your feet the way feet are shaped...at least mine are. 

6. water drainage after a creek crossing is average.
7. they are certainly a bit more firm than other trail shoes, you can feel this on the roads especially. It seemed to me to 'encourage' you to mid-foot strike. It took a couple minutes to get the strike just right, but once I was dialed in I took the pace up as usual.

The following day I debated on these shoes or another pair for a 50k training run. I ended up lacing these up for a second run.

Here are my takeaways from the two days (36mi) of running in these. 

1. The quality in Altras is apparent. This is a well thought out shoe that I have no doubt will handle tough 100 mile runs.

2. These are not minimal shoes, the heel & toe cushion is 17mm (zero drop) but they feel light on the feet at about 9.9oz. I would call them natural running shoes.

3. I went down a 1/2 size in the Lone Peaks. 

4. By the end of the 31 miler, I will honestly admit that my feet were NOT sore. I could feel the zero drop difference (compared to my normal 4-7mm shoes I wear) when climbing, but overall it was not significant.

5. The day after the run, my feet were still fine...I ran a fast 10 mile uptempo road run with no issues. 

My overall opinion of this product if you are looking for a zero drop, natural style trail running shoe to handle tough trail runs & 100 mile ultras, this is a great choice. Altra is doing great things.

-ultrailz

Running: 2011 in Review

I started this post, deleted it, then started it again. I am pretty sure I could write a few pages on all the things that occurred with running this past year, the gear I tried, the things I learned, the people I met, ran with, were inspired by, and the places I was able to run. 

I'll try to keep it really simple. 

My main running goal last year was to run the Burning River 100. Check. I did it with fellow running friends who all worked hard to accomplish that same goal.

A lot happened as well with the growth of the Outrun group, creation of the ultra team along with Fleet Feet and NUUN as sponsors, and hosting our first official trail race (Believe & Achieve 5k/10k). The snowshoe race was a success. Running was amazing and we found tons of new trails. 

I was very happy to become an ambassador for NUUN early in the year and more recently with Runwell.

In 2012, my main running goal is to continue to promote running in the community, convert some roadies to try the trails, and maybe introduce some folks to running. I have a few races that I am focusing on (Leadville 100 - main one) and we are hosting the first USATF certified 24 hour trail race in Kirtland (O24) in April. 

My quest for the perfect shoe continues. As I have doubled the amount of miles I ran per year just 3 years ago, my feet have also increased in size. I like to think of them as getting big and strong. I have effectively blown out all of my trail shoes, even my last 2 pairs of Adidas xt3's that I was so fond of. 

I am currently starting a rotation between the smoking light and very well updated New Balance 110's (update to the 101) and the high quality, naturally shaped, zero drop Altra Instinct (road) & Lone Peaks (trail)....Let the duel begin. I think in the end, they will serve similar but different purposes. 

One of the most exciting things I have been focusing on is Metabolic Enhanced Training (MET) as the Ambassadors on the Runwell team are coached by Bob Seebohar (fuel4mance.com). I will not go into all of it, but I have been on the journey to MET for the past 6-7 weeks, and the results speak for themselves. Just check out the website. 

Okay, so it was a bit of a ramble but I tried to keep it simple. I'll leave you with this quote from a short article I read the other evening. 


"...They (ultra runners) understand, perhaps better than anyone, that the doors to the spirit will swing open with physical effort."

z

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