OK its a rather prosaic title I know; but one realization I have had in my training over the last couple of months is that while the Merrill Trailglove is an outstanding trail running shoe, its too light (un-armored) and permeable for me to run the AC100 in it. Although I ran the Leona Divide 50 miler in them, I had problems in that race with sand and grit getting in and had to stop three times during the race to clean out the shoes and my feet. Still, my feet held up reasonably well.
The AC100 course is another story. My recent training runs on the Mt Wilson loop have brought home that the steep 10-15% grade downhills on rocky trails leave my feet pretty battered when only protected by 4mm of rubber/foam.
So I have been looking for a zero drop shoe with a thicker sole than the Trailglove ideally with a fabric upper rather than mesh to keep the sand out. As far as I can tell this shoe doesn't exist. On the basis of Jason Robillard's post on the Merrill Mixmaster 2 (http://barefootrunninguniversity.com/2012/06/21/merrell-mix-master-2-review-new-offering-in-the-m-connect-series/), I ordered a pair of these in the waterproof option (which has a fabric upper, rather than mesh). This shoe has a 4mm heel to toe drop. Its as stiff as a board (or so it feels since I've become accustomed to the Trailglove over the last 6 months) so I was worried about it...But I tried it on trails today and it seemed fine- didn't interfere with my gait and the rock-feel was significantly attenuated; the fabric upper kept all the grit out. My feet were pretty sodden at the end though, the shoe doesn't breath much.
I've also ordered a pair of Merrill Ascend Gloves- a thicker-soled version of the Trailglove. We'll see how it works out; I expect the mesh upper will allow grit in. I also ordered another zero-drop make, the Go-Bionic, as its been reviewed favorably and can be bought online for under $50.
I tried an old trick on my weekend 27 miler: I coated the inside of my socks with thick grease (Cramers' Skinlube, like vaseline but much thicker). It seemed to keep my feet free of grit..maybe it forms a grit barrier. I am open to suggestions should you the reader have any thoughts, please leave a comment.
Pete Sercel's ultrarunning training blog --my experience with running injury prevention and recovery, and training for the Angeles Crest 100.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Sunday, May 19, 2013
And again the Mt Wilson loop....
Got up this morning, like last week, at 0 dark thirty, slurped down a couple espressos and off to the Sam Merrill trailhead. Same run as last week, the 27 mile loop over Mt Wilson returning via the toll road and Idlehour. Today I did it in 5:41 all-in including stops to fill bottles and pump water from the stream (the GPS ran out of juice at Idlehour so I dont know the exact runtime); so it was about 20 minutes faster than last week...due in part I'm sure to the fact that it was also a fair bit cooler (77F at noon vs 90F last week). I ran pretty much everything except the first mile (warm up). I felt strong during the run and OK after although like last week my feet feel battered and generally speaking I feel pretty worked over. Its a tough loop. My knees hurt off and on during some of the uphills and downhills but they felt OK after the run, not like last fall when they stiffened up afterwords running in ASICs.
Yesterday I did the trail maintenance requirement for AC100 with "Uncle Hal" and 24 other race entrants. It was a terrific day with great, earthy, bawdy folks; great to hear Uncle Hal's war stories as well. Spend 8 hrs on my feet and trudged about 7 miles carrying fairly heavy tools. A good feet-toughening workout.
Yesterday I did the trail maintenance requirement for AC100 with "Uncle Hal" and 24 other race entrants. It was a terrific day with great, earthy, bawdy folks; great to hear Uncle Hal's war stories as well. Spend 8 hrs on my feet and trudged about 7 miles carrying fairly heavy tools. A good feet-toughening workout.
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Mt Wilson via Sam Merrill, Idlehour, 27 miles, phyew!
This morning I awoke just before my wrist watch alarm went off at 5:30am; had a couple espressos and headed out to do my old Mt. Wilson loop via the Sam Merrill trail-/ Mt Lowe railway returning via the Mt Wilson toll road and the Idelhour trail through upper Eaton Canyon:
The GPS put the run at 27.2 miles; I took 5:46 excluding time spent at Idlehour to filter water out of the stream. A bit slow! The last time I did this run was July 21, 2007, when I did it in 6:12. My notes from that run state "had to walk out of Idlehour...no steam!" It was the same drill today. At noon the temperature hit 90F in Pasadena and it was fairly humid besides (30%, lower than Thailand but high for southern CA). I lugged 3 qts of water this morning which was good as the Mt Wilson gates (and so, the spigot within) were locked when I arrived; I had enough to get to Idlehour and I had brought a filter pump for the stream there. The water was cold and delicious; in hindsight I didn't take enough water at Idlehour as I got dry by the end of the run and had the empty belly/ cavitation feeling that I get when I'm a bit too dehydrated. Although I drank 6 qts of fluids in the course of the run and immediately after at the trailhead, I was 6 lbs underweight when I got home. Its a heck of a run, much harder than the routes I've been doing in the Verdugos. Its very committing...no bail out points - which is why Ive been doing the Verdugos while I "find my legs"-- but lately I feel fairly strong. The trail grades are brutal especially going down. Total elevation gain was about 7542ft per the GPS: Here is the elevation profile off my Garmen GPS:
I walked the steep section for the first 2.5 miles (see left) to warm up, and the climb out of Idlehour- the second big climb in the figure, was mostly sun exposed, and was largely a power hike today, the heat load was just too much for me to trot the uphills.
The calves cooperated (I wore compression sleeves as over the last week Ive been rolling out a few knots) and I remain ambulatory; but I do have a dull ache in my lower legs and knees. As I said, this is brutal route. I should have brought a camera...its a beautiful route, particularly the trail through upper Eaton Canyon. The vertical relief is stunning, down in the canyon the granite rises on all sides like broken bones, its magnificent. Didn't see any runners today. Saw lots of hikers on the Sam Merrill (it was Asian girl hike day apparently) and a few mountain bikers on the toll road - cool- and on the Sam Merrill trail (unfortunately). One pair passed and then had to stop at a switchback turn, pick up their bikes and rotate them 180 degrees to negotiate the turn while I stood and waited. I followed their skid tracks the rest of the way. Its not a mountain bike trail guys....
I met a cool guy who was starting his run as I finished mine. He was a lean, weathered looking guy running shirtless with a white beard. As it happens he knows and used to run with all the local veterans including the guys that started AC100. His age? 68, and believe me he didn't look it, I'd have guessed mid 50s. He attributes his health to a raw food diet, and I am pretty certain that folks chowing the "Standard American Diet" don't run trails on 90F days at age 68. It was inspiring to meet this guy.
The GPS put the run at 27.2 miles; I took 5:46 excluding time spent at Idlehour to filter water out of the stream. A bit slow! The last time I did this run was July 21, 2007, when I did it in 6:12. My notes from that run state "had to walk out of Idlehour...no steam!" It was the same drill today. At noon the temperature hit 90F in Pasadena and it was fairly humid besides (30%, lower than Thailand but high for southern CA). I lugged 3 qts of water this morning which was good as the Mt Wilson gates (and so, the spigot within) were locked when I arrived; I had enough to get to Idlehour and I had brought a filter pump for the stream there. The water was cold and delicious; in hindsight I didn't take enough water at Idlehour as I got dry by the end of the run and had the empty belly/ cavitation feeling that I get when I'm a bit too dehydrated. Although I drank 6 qts of fluids in the course of the run and immediately after at the trailhead, I was 6 lbs underweight when I got home. Its a heck of a run, much harder than the routes I've been doing in the Verdugos. Its very committing...no bail out points - which is why Ive been doing the Verdugos while I "find my legs"-- but lately I feel fairly strong. The trail grades are brutal especially going down. Total elevation gain was about 7542ft per the GPS: Here is the elevation profile off my Garmen GPS:
I walked the steep section for the first 2.5 miles (see left) to warm up, and the climb out of Idlehour- the second big climb in the figure, was mostly sun exposed, and was largely a power hike today, the heat load was just too much for me to trot the uphills.
The calves cooperated (I wore compression sleeves as over the last week Ive been rolling out a few knots) and I remain ambulatory; but I do have a dull ache in my lower legs and knees. As I said, this is brutal route. I should have brought a camera...its a beautiful route, particularly the trail through upper Eaton Canyon. The vertical relief is stunning, down in the canyon the granite rises on all sides like broken bones, its magnificent. Didn't see any runners today. Saw lots of hikers on the Sam Merrill (it was Asian girl hike day apparently) and a few mountain bikers on the toll road - cool- and on the Sam Merrill trail (unfortunately). One pair passed and then had to stop at a switchback turn, pick up their bikes and rotate them 180 degrees to negotiate the turn while I stood and waited. I followed their skid tracks the rest of the way. Its not a mountain bike trail guys....
I met a cool guy who was starting his run as I finished mine. He was a lean, weathered looking guy running shirtless with a white beard. As it happens he knows and used to run with all the local veterans including the guys that started AC100. His age? 68, and believe me he didn't look it, I'd have guessed mid 50s. He attributes his health to a raw food diet, and I am pretty certain that folks chowing the "Standard American Diet" don't run trails on 90F days at age 68. It was inspiring to meet this guy.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Leona Divide 50 miles
Yesterday I ran the Leona Divide 50 miler in 9:39. What a fabulous race! Beautiful runnable course with some gorgeous technical sections, nice views, well marked and stocked, and friendly folks at the aid stations.
My race plan targeted a 10 hour finish- 5 miles per hour, to be achieved by walking the steep hills and running the down, flats and moderate uphill grades. This is what i've been averaging in the last month including water stops, walking steep hills in the sun etc. So I beat my goal. I ran completely flat splits which was cool, and today I feel very little soreness, none at all in the knees. The run felt fast which is sort of amusing since 15-20 years ago I was running 50 milers in around 7 hours. THAT was fast, but the challenge in racing the clock to beat 10 hours yesterday was satisfying nonetheless. Probably felt fast since in the back half of the race I was passing lots of people who were walking, struggling with the heat; I still was running and had spring in my step. I placed 47/229; within the age group 40-49 I placed 8th man out of 46.
The day broke warm at 6am and the guy at the pre-race briefing went over the race rules- passing, leave-no -trace etc, and then: "Its gunna be M-F-ing hot folks! Manage the heat" he warned, or "the heat will manage you". His prediction was right, it was very hot and dry on the trail as the day advanced and the sun was like a solar furnace. Accuweather gave the high at Lake Hughes as 92F; my better half who crewed me w/ the kids maintains it was hotter than that. I stayed cool by wearing my light white dress shirt, a visor w/ bandana (my prosthetic hair to prevent scalp burn) and carrying one hand held bottle of ice water all day just to douse my head and shoulders. I stayed cool and well hydrated the whole day and felt great. The guys with IVs in their arms at the finish attested to the reality of the "...or the heat will manage you" part of what the starter official had said at the pre-race briefing.
The only issue I had was the balls of my feet got very tender as the day progressed. The Merrill Trailgloves have a mesh upper which keeps the feet dry because its very breathable, but does allow trail grit in, and I wasn't wearing gaiters. I hadn't had a problem with this in training but on the Leona Divide trail, which was often very sandy, my shoes collected enough sand and grit that it became a problem- I stopped three times to clean my feet, shake out the grit. My better half and the kids met me at mile 42 where i was able to change my socks (ahhhh) and boy it was great to see them there. Anyways it seems clear that I'll need gaiters or something a bit more grit proof for AC 100; the feet were just awefully tender by the end of the day (no blisters though!).
On the other hand- no knee pain; no calf problems and I could go dancing today if I had the rhythm.
The absence of calf problems was a welcome relief. I had a knot in the lateral soleous 1 week after my 29 miler on March 23, and had been trying to rehab it since. I took a week off, walking only; I finally "fixed" it with a foam roller and an 18 miler up Mt Wilson 2 weeks ago. I'd walked 9 miles up Mt Wilson...walking instead of running since the calf was hurt...but it hurt walking, so I decided to screw it and run down (it hurts either way right?). After a half mile or so the knot literally popped, felt better, and since then I've been on the road to recovery. Last weekend I ran 24 miles in the Verdugos, calves were fine but I was running very gingerly on the uphills to prevent overtaxing them. And yesterday- no problems at all!
I took a fair bit of hazing yesterday for my white dress shirt and the full length Columbia pants I wear. These are the pants type with the zippered legs that remove to leave shorts. But I started keeping the legs on to keep my calves warm back in January, and have kept them on because they keep sun, grit and poison oak off my legs. By partly unzipping the legs there is enough air flow to keep the legs cool. Haven't folks seen what people wear at events like Badwater?
Anyways one young'un in the race that I passed yesterday at about mile 5 cat-called "hey, you late for the office or what?" Another older guy later on helpfully pointed out, "Hey, you know you are wearing long pants? Its hot out, you'd be cooler if you wore shorts!" Really? These guys I guess are too new to the sport to recall that white dress shirts used to be common- great sun protection, and the fact that they have collars and open up in the front is a feature I havent seen in any "official" sportswear. Anyways, by the end of the day, folks were calling me the "Shirt Guy" and a couple folks that I had passed in the back half of the race came up afterwords and offered that "I guess you know what you're doing. But whats the deal with the PANTS?"
It was a great day to be out there with the family and the run just seemed to flow. I especially enjoyed the stretch from mile 20 to the turnaround at mile 29 and back down to mile 42. This stretch, on the PCT, largely paralleled the ridge line about 30-40 ft down from the top, on the north side so there was shade. It was a running dream ...and I felt like I was flying; I had it to myself and I was singing and just having a blast. I am so grateful for this day!
 |
| The boys clapping me in to finish |
My race plan targeted a 10 hour finish- 5 miles per hour, to be achieved by walking the steep hills and running the down, flats and moderate uphill grades. This is what i've been averaging in the last month including water stops, walking steep hills in the sun etc. So I beat my goal. I ran completely flat splits which was cool, and today I feel very little soreness, none at all in the knees. The run felt fast which is sort of amusing since 15-20 years ago I was running 50 milers in around 7 hours. THAT was fast, but the challenge in racing the clock to beat 10 hours yesterday was satisfying nonetheless. Probably felt fast since in the back half of the race I was passing lots of people who were walking, struggling with the heat; I still was running and had spring in my step. I placed 47/229; within the age group 40-49 I placed 8th man out of 46.
The day broke warm at 6am and the guy at the pre-race briefing went over the race rules- passing, leave-no -trace etc, and then: "Its gunna be M-F-ing hot folks! Manage the heat" he warned, or "the heat will manage you". His prediction was right, it was very hot and dry on the trail as the day advanced and the sun was like a solar furnace. Accuweather gave the high at Lake Hughes as 92F; my better half who crewed me w/ the kids maintains it was hotter than that. I stayed cool by wearing my light white dress shirt, a visor w/ bandana (my prosthetic hair to prevent scalp burn) and carrying one hand held bottle of ice water all day just to douse my head and shoulders. I stayed cool and well hydrated the whole day and felt great. The guys with IVs in their arms at the finish attested to the reality of the "...or the heat will manage you" part of what the starter official had said at the pre-race briefing.
The only issue I had was the balls of my feet got very tender as the day progressed. The Merrill Trailgloves have a mesh upper which keeps the feet dry because its very breathable, but does allow trail grit in, and I wasn't wearing gaiters. I hadn't had a problem with this in training but on the Leona Divide trail, which was often very sandy, my shoes collected enough sand and grit that it became a problem- I stopped three times to clean my feet, shake out the grit. My better half and the kids met me at mile 42 where i was able to change my socks (ahhhh) and boy it was great to see them there. Anyways it seems clear that I'll need gaiters or something a bit more grit proof for AC 100; the feet were just awefully tender by the end of the day (no blisters though!).
 |
| First-born crewing me at Aid Station 9 |
On the other hand- no knee pain; no calf problems and I could go dancing today if I had the rhythm.
The absence of calf problems was a welcome relief. I had a knot in the lateral soleous 1 week after my 29 miler on March 23, and had been trying to rehab it since. I took a week off, walking only; I finally "fixed" it with a foam roller and an 18 miler up Mt Wilson 2 weeks ago. I'd walked 9 miles up Mt Wilson...walking instead of running since the calf was hurt...but it hurt walking, so I decided to screw it and run down (it hurts either way right?). After a half mile or so the knot literally popped, felt better, and since then I've been on the road to recovery. Last weekend I ran 24 miles in the Verdugos, calves were fine but I was running very gingerly on the uphills to prevent overtaxing them. And yesterday- no problems at all!
 |
| The "Shirt-Guy" at Leona Divide |
Anyways one young'un in the race that I passed yesterday at about mile 5 cat-called "hey, you late for the office or what?" Another older guy later on helpfully pointed out, "Hey, you know you are wearing long pants? Its hot out, you'd be cooler if you wore shorts!" Really? These guys I guess are too new to the sport to recall that white dress shirts used to be common- great sun protection, and the fact that they have collars and open up in the front is a feature I havent seen in any "official" sportswear. Anyways, by the end of the day, folks were calling me the "Shirt Guy" and a couple folks that I had passed in the back half of the race came up afterwords and offered that "I guess you know what you're doing. But whats the deal with the PANTS?"
It was a great day to be out there with the family and the run just seemed to flow. I especially enjoyed the stretch from mile 20 to the turnaround at mile 29 and back down to mile 42. This stretch, on the PCT, largely paralleled the ridge line about 30-40 ft down from the top, on the north side so there was shade. It was a running dream ...and I felt like I was flying; I had it to myself and I was singing and just having a blast. I am so grateful for this day!
Saturday, March 23, 2013
...and again, 29 miles
Got up at 5 this morning for a long one in the Verdugos, ran 29 & change in 5:20. Good runnable stuff. Knees are fine, feet ae fine, calves are a bit sore. Quite a new experience to run such distances and be functional for the rest of the day afterwords. After the run, I took the kids to the pool and to the local climbing wall. All in all a fine day.
Next week is a recovery week; then I'll do two more hard weeks, a taper week, and then Leona Divide on April 27.
Next week is a recovery week; then I'll do two more hard weeks, a taper week, and then Leona Divide on April 27.
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Verdugos again
Beautiful run this morning in the Verdugos. Started at 6:30am up Hofstader road up to the crest, roughly midpoint along the crest. I stashed water at the junction, and then did my usual run along the crest, both west and east for a total run of 24 miles. It was very slow, total time 4:35, but I ran most of it and the calves cooperated. Some soft tissue soreness during and after but again, none of the old "runners knee" going on despite the climbs and descents.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Verdugos
I awoke at 5am this morning...err, 6am, due to DST and drove out to run my old benchmark course in the Verdugos from Morning Glow, up to the spine of the Verdugos, and along the crest for 10 miles, then return for a total of 20 miles. It was a spectacular, crystal clear morning that started cold and got hot. The view from the crest of the Verdugos is stunning, the San Gabriels looked like I could reach out and touch them.
The route follows a steep trail for 1.5 miles until it reaches the crest fire road. I walked most of this- paranoid about the need to warm up the calves properly before starting the running. Unlike my runs in the San Gabriels since January, where I have walked up (and up and up), summited, and then ran down, this day I ran most of the way except for a few steep sections. I figure I ran about 16 miles, walked 4.
My time was 3:42, off the benchmark 3:18 from last November and my typical 3:25 on this course. But the big difference again was- no knee pain at all. This is the longest run (as opposed to run/walk) I have done since transitioning to the minimalist shoes (previous longest was 10 miles run out of 20 total). It really felt great. Only one point where my calves were a bit tight et voila I hit a hill, walked up it about a half mile until the grade lessened and that loosened the calves back up. Its been a while since I've done extended uphill running, so it was good to see the calves and knees survived just the same.
Another difference. I ran with just a 1.5 liters of water; usually on this route I take 3-4 liters (there is no water en route). I felt fine. I did guzzle a liter of cold soda water/coke mix after the run (Jack in the box en route home) as I was a bit parched by the end.
The previous week was a scheduled rest week where I chopped the mileage and cut out the long weekend run for a rest up. My calves had been feeling "brittle" so I needed a rest. Indeed 2 days into the rest week, after my last long run (Mt Wilson, 20 miler) I went out in rush for a lunchtime run from work, without walking the usual mile warm up, and suffered a minor ping in the right lateral soleus after a mile and a half. I stopped and walked home- walked a three days without running, got some ART and its been fine since..but the lesson is: warm up, and don't run while still sore from a big run- let the muscle soreness dissipate first.
The route follows a steep trail for 1.5 miles until it reaches the crest fire road. I walked most of this- paranoid about the need to warm up the calves properly before starting the running. Unlike my runs in the San Gabriels since January, where I have walked up (and up and up), summited, and then ran down, this day I ran most of the way except for a few steep sections. I figure I ran about 16 miles, walked 4.
My time was 3:42, off the benchmark 3:18 from last November and my typical 3:25 on this course. But the big difference again was- no knee pain at all. This is the longest run (as opposed to run/walk) I have done since transitioning to the minimalist shoes (previous longest was 10 miles run out of 20 total). It really felt great. Only one point where my calves were a bit tight et voila I hit a hill, walked up it about a half mile until the grade lessened and that loosened the calves back up. Its been a while since I've done extended uphill running, so it was good to see the calves and knees survived just the same.
Another difference. I ran with just a 1.5 liters of water; usually on this route I take 3-4 liters (there is no water en route). I felt fine. I did guzzle a liter of cold soda water/coke mix after the run (Jack in the box en route home) as I was a bit parched by the end.
The previous week was a scheduled rest week where I chopped the mileage and cut out the long weekend run for a rest up. My calves had been feeling "brittle" so I needed a rest. Indeed 2 days into the rest week, after my last long run (Mt Wilson, 20 miler) I went out in rush for a lunchtime run from work, without walking the usual mile warm up, and suffered a minor ping in the right lateral soleus after a mile and a half. I stopped and walked home- walked a three days without running, got some ART and its been fine since..but the lesson is: warm up, and don't run while still sore from a big run- let the muscle soreness dissipate first.
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