Merrell Ascend Glove Review: A little test drive- Mt Wilson Loop, 27 miles- wow!

When  I got home from work yesterday I was excited to find that the Merrell Ascend Gloves that I bought on-line last week had arrived.    So at 6am this morning I hit the Sam Merrill trailhead to take the Ascend Gloves out for a test spin...the 27 miles Mt Wilson loop I've posted about the last couple of weeks; the loop has 7500 feet of climb and descent, on the decomposed granite trails characteristic of the front range of the San Gabriel mountains.  I was anxious to try the new Ascend Gloves because my feet have been getting a bit battered on this trail wearing the Trailgloves with their 4mm sole.   Its littered with scree and the descents are often 10-15% grade...feels fine up to about 20 miles but by the final descent back down the Sam Merrill Trail...my feet are getting pretty tender in the Trailgloves.  The Ascend Glove was designed with a 6mm sole and was reportedly made for folks that want to run longer and need more protection on the feet.   That would be me!  But otherwise its basically the same as the Trailglove;  and although 6mm doesn't sound all that much thicker than 4mm, its actually quite a bit more rigid in the sole.

I took a pair of Trailgloves in my running pack as a backup  (cool that one can do that...they are so light and flexible) because this was my  first test of the Ascend Gloves ... a 27 mile test run straight out of the box... and there aren't any bailout points on this run.  Well, suffice to say I didn't need the back-up...the Ascend Gloves were superb.     The traction was noticeably superior to the Trail Glove on this  trail,  presumably because the thicker sole permits much more aggressive lugs to be molded than on the thinner Trailglove. Even on sections with sand and gravel on bedrock the Ascend had great traction.   The thicker sole is just what I have been looking for for my longer runs.  While I could feel the trail, the soles of my feet felt well protected even running through sharp scree.   

The Ascend gloves are noticably longer than the Trailgloves I own of the same nominal  size.  I was dismayed when I saw this and compared the shoes side by side, but I think its because the last is a bit different shape that the Trailglove-1-  the extra length in the Ascends is more in the big toe area and frankly I appreciated it at the end of the run today;  for the first time running this 27 mile loop my toes were perfectly comfortable after the run (unbattered).  Like the Trail Glove, the Ascend Glove also has a big, roomy toe box-  comfortable straight out of the box.

Trail Glove on the left, Ascend Glove on the right, both sized 11.5

What I like best about these Ascend gloves is that they feel just like running in Trailgloves but with more positive traction.  I had a sense that my footplants were more secure and I could push the pace a bit on terrain where previously a faster pace left me feeling a bit battered....my time today was 5:28, a bit faster than the last week.   Many other shoes out there have a base wider than one's foot, this is not the case with the Trailglove or the Ascend Glove...I really like this feature because my footplant is completely natural in these shoes.  For those that may be reading this review without the having read the context of this blog, I must add that the zero-drop feature of the Merrill Ascend Glove and Trail Glove have been decisive in eliminating knee troubles that  had been persistent over my ultrarunning career when I was running in traditional shoes with a big heel cup, arch supports and the like.  So this feature is, for me, a non negotiable requirement for injury free running.

Permeability of the upper:  Another issue I've had with the Trail Glove -1 is permeability of grit/sand through the mesh upper.  Its gotten hard to find a running shoe these days without a mesh upper, they all admit grit and sand...  The Ascend Glove has a sort of dual mesh upper and it did better than the Trailglove-1 has done in keeping grit out over the course of this 27 mile test run.  I did wear socks lightly greased on the inside with Cramers' SkinLube and didn't experience any discomfort from the grit.  I always do wear socks with the Trailgloves for the reason of grit (and to keep them smelling sweet).

POSTSCRIPT Aug 17:

Here is a photo of the pair of Merrell Ascend Gloves reviewed above, taken after the Angeles Crest 100.  You can see in the photo some Velcro tabs which I put on the shoe to hold some lycra covers I put on over the mesh to keep sand and grit out.  I did this as I was racing and didnt want to mess around with changing socks in the race.   These shoes are the most comfortable running shoe I have ever worn and are proving to be quite durable.  The tread shows virtually no wear.

Postscript Sept 6:  Question about the arch in the Ascend Glove as compared to the Trail Glove:

A question came in from "graphissste" about how the arch compares between the Ascend Glove and the Trail Glove.  Feeling it with my fingers the arch seems to have the same contour on the inside of the shoe for the two models;  however, because the Ascend has a more substantial sole, the bottom of the shoe was kept flat in the area under the arch, while the Trail glove preserved the curve of the arch (maintaining roughly constant sole thickness as the material sweeps up and back down in the arch area)...so unavoidably the arch is more structurally pronounced in the Ascend Glove than in the Trail Glove.  I was surprised and cncerned when I saw this and first put the shoes on, but this more burly arch has not bothered me in wearing the Ascend Gloves.  Flat footed folks may want to try the Ascends out... running... to see if the more substantial arch is a problem.

Ascend glove top, Trail glove bottom

Thoughts on shoes and socks and such...

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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!

...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.

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.