Archive February 2017

Busy weekend really in terms of not running.  Saturday was a 10k run that was supposed to be in z4 but yeah that’s not happening.  Ran it the someone who’s still a little behind me in ability and she was pushing 11:00 pace but we did have to do a impromptu run walk run starting about mile 3.  Finished with a 12:07 pace which was a PR for me on a 10k so not too shabby.   For me.

they’re all a little weird to me in consistency and flavoring”

I could have finished it faster I’m sure, I didn’t feel the need to walk, anymore than I normally do, when we did walk but it doesn’t bother me.  I was asked about that and honestly it doesn’t.  I’m #notarunner so running slower with someone else isn’t a problem for me.

Bottom line is she’ll catch up.  And I have no doubt subsequently pass me by.  I’m not built for running.

Sunday I had the thought of doing a little extra so that  on our scheduled hour run in Z2 we’d be in sync.  And as it turns out I was spot on.  I showed up a little early and did 2 9minute miles, a 2 mile PR for me thank you very much.  My current runner in tandem showed up right as I was finishing so we just went straight at it.

During the run we were both at the same spot in our HR zones the entire time, when I was pushing into Z3, she was and when we slowed down we were both at the top of Z2 etc.   It was better than the normal state where I’m a full zone behind.

All in all I did  2 9 minute miles and 5 12 minute miles and overall happy with that.   It also shows that running slower with someone else is still improvement.  Maybe not as fast as pushing yourself every time, but also not nearly the same risk of injury.

My TE aka Training Effect for the last couple of months since I started primarily running with her has been around 2.5-2.6.   2.0 is maintaining, 3.0 is improving.  It’s a Garmin thing in conjunction with someone else.

My 2 miles today was a 3.0, the next 5 miles was a 2.4.   The 10k the day before as a 2.6.

I had some Clif Bloks right before I started today and finished the package after I did the 2 miles.   Miles 2 and 3 of the slower 5 mile stretch were feeling a little ‘pushy’ for me after the fast pre-run miles but by mile 4 the carbs got metabolized and things went a little easier.

Clif Bloks aren’t my favorite energy source, I just have several I need to use up.  In the “it’s like old Jello” type of carbs I prefer Stinger brand, they’re not as hard to chew as Clif’s and go down a bit easier.   Gels such as Gu and Clif and Stinger are all quicker to ingest but they’re all a little weird to me in consistency and flavoring.

Which brings me to a chia based gel I tried.  Never again.  It was like eating some weird slime jelly except gritty like it had mushy sand.  Yes I know that’s exactly what chia seeds are like.  I shan’t be partaking of this again.

Of the various energy sources I’ve tried which is most at this point, I’ll likely settle on Stinger Waffles, Tailwind (in water) and Jelly Bellys + SaltStik (or pay the premium for Sport Beans), at least once I’ve used up the various brands of gels and blocks I have.   I might switch out the jelly beans for Stinger’s gel block option.  The jelly beans are harder to eat.

I’ve got my own recipe for energy cookies which is a DIY Stinger Waffles recipe.  It fairly closely matches them in carbs and electrolytes and just in terms of costs are what I’ll likely be using this spring summer as the training sessions get longer and longer.    I make them as cookies since I don’t have a pizzelle waffle iron and it seems dumb to spend the money on one when I could just buy 3 or 4 boxes of stingers for the same money.  So cookies it is.   I’m still playing with it, once I’m happier with it I may post here.

I’ve got a problem with wearing out the heels in shoes.  Just picture a velociraptor trying to wear shoes and that’s me.  In the last 8 months I’ve gotten blisters twice, once due to a bad tie job on my laces and once due to a combination of distance, pace, old worn out shoes and wrong socks.   It all came together to leave me with bloody heels that day.

the next pair I put in I’ll get my wife to help hold the crease open so I can stick them in”

So I went looking around and found Engo Blister Prevention patches, specifically for the heels.  In my new Nimbus 19’s, which had already started to pill up after only 100-150 miles I decided to add the heel patches.

They went in pretty easy although the next pair I put in I’ll get my wife to help hold the crease open so I can stick them in.   After roughly 15 miles on the heel patches I believe they’re providing the service they say.    My heels feel cooler due to the decreased friction coefficient after the run and they show no signs of coming off.

They’re fairly spendy for what they are, just some teflon impregnated material with an adhesive backing but if $10 worth of patches both saves me from blistering up and gives me an extra couple of months of shoe life then they’re worth it.   My 18’s were still good in terms of padding, just the inside heels were eaten away.

If you have problems with blistering or premature wear in the inside heel liner of your shoes then these are worth examining I believe.

Set a new PR today for a 10k of 1 hour, 14 minutes, 54 seconds.   Some folks are rolling their eyes at at that I’m sure.   But try putting a backpack of 70lbs on your back and 25lb ankle weights on each ankle and let’s see where we stack up against each other.  🙂   That’s roughly the difference in weight between myself and the average male distance runner.

she was eaten by zombies twice”

This was the 10K Z4 training run of the Garmin level I HR based half marathon training.  Week 8 or 9 I think.    Tomorrow is a Z2 hour run.

I have issues with Z4’s.   I can’t sustain it for long much less 6 miles, I’m pretty much a Z3 racer/runner when I push it.    My heart is more like a semi truck than a Porsche.  It takes time to ramp up and the gas pedal only goes down so far to reach the top end.   Bu

I was running with a girl, technically a woman but women younger than me by more than 10 years are girls in my mind.   This was her first 10k run in several years and 2 kids ago.  She’s doing so much better than me.   From nothing to 10k in 2 months to reach a pace it took me 6 months to reach.    She’s a Porsche.   She runs sustained at a heart rate that would quite literally kill me.

Granted she was eaten by zombies twice when the random zombie chases of Zombie Run kicked in and she couldn’t kick in the 20% faster pace necessary to escape.  The zombie chases are brutal if you’re already near the top of your distance sustained pace.

So in the event of a real zombie apocalypse it’s good to know I don’t have to outrun the fast zombies I just have to out run her.

The Fleet Feet Sweetheart Double has been done.   I ran this with a very old friend of mine.  Not that he’s old per se, he’s younger than me, but that I’ve known him for 25 years give or take at this point.

there was some hot and heavy sweating all the way through”

This was his first 5K and he chose to run both the 5K and the 10K with me.  I’m happy to report he did really well given he’s only been running awhile and he’s only run 3 miles at one time a single time before now.

The 5K was fully ran albeit slow but we finished fast enough to be ready for the start of the 10K.

I wore my Jurek FKT vest for the first time today, just water bottles, no bladder.  I must say I liked it.   It receded from concious notice fairly quickly and easily.  Kind of like wearing a LBE Vest for awhile, you just forget it’s there until you need the stuff on it.

I had no problems having enough ‘stuff’ for the races, some beans, some waffles for the two of us and had pockets to store trash in.   The waterproof pocket held up, I put a couple of salt tablets in it and they didn’t melt on me and there was indeed sweating going on.

Like I thought it might, the lack of any 3D mesh or air foam or ridging meant there was no air flow between the pack and my back.   It’s also fairly wicking so… Since I didn’t have a bladder in the vest there was some hot and heavy sweating all the way through.

I’ve got a long run tomorrow as usual, it being Sunday, 10min warmup, 50min run, 5 min recovery, 50min run, 10min cool-down, and I’m going to put a bladder in it, I have an old platypus that mostly fits.  I may get a new 2L Source bladder, I really like their bladders, for the vest but we’ll see how this one rolls.

When we finish our half marathon training in another couple of months we’ll start a full marathon, just in time for Oklahoma summers.   Since I’m not a morning runner and I don’t like running later in the evening after I’ve eaten, I may end up running alone during the week.  But that’s a problem to worry about later.

So tomorrow I have a 15k to run. Technically it’s a 5K followed by a 10K immediately afterwards. The reason I’m doing both is because they forced me as a #JEWELRYCOLLECTOR to do so.

bask in the glow of my double heart medal”

The 5K medal is just a medallion, a small heart. The 10K medal is a twin heart but one heart is set with magnets to hold the medallion.

So if you want a full medal you have to run both. And I run races for medals. It’s the only reason to pay someone to let you do what you can do for free anywhere for me at least. The t-shirts are okay but typically are covered with sponsors on the back and yes I get that the race would cost more, and the profits to the race producer would be less, if there were no sponsors. But the end result is really that we wear our race shirts to work the Monday after the race and probably never again.

But the end result is I’m running both races back to back. Now I’m running with someone who is slower than me so it shouldn’t be hard race for me. But still it’s 9.2 miles.

And the day after I have a 2 hour running session, 10min walk, 50min run, 5 min walk, 50min run, 10min walk.

So this weekend should be interesting by the end of Sunday. On the plus side we have Monday off so I fully intend to do not a damn thing on Monday except bask in the glow of my double heart medal.

Note that I’m using Heart Rate based training and I have no intention of killing myself so I keep a eye on my HR and when the signs of over exertion kick in, I’ll chill it down, walking if I have to.   I’d like to see my kids adults after all before I kick the bucket and return back to the dirt.

And with that pleasant thought I’ll bid thee adieu.

An interesting post popped up in my flipboard feed on running today.  A new running pack over on kickstarter.   The most interesting thing is it uses a X harness that’s more like a racing harness than the traditional over shoulder under arm with cross chest linkage that you see for other packs.

rubbing back and forth on those things till something gives”

It’s currently available for cheaper than SRP with a delivery date in April.  Of this year which is pretty fast for a KS in my experience.   I’m more used to buying it now and then getting delivery a year later.

The strap pockets seem more likely to be useful than say the Jurek FKT’s side pockets as you may be able to stuff them with stuffy stuff without having to worry about rubbing back and forth on those things till something gives, most likely the skin on your inside elbows and forearms.   It depends on how far back those things go on your body.

I’m going to keep an eye on it and try to figure out if it’s something I want to try out.   If nothing else it would be a loaner pack for our current wild hare idea of doing a 50K this fall.

And best case it might just be an awesome pack.

So I’m, we’re, thinkin’ about doing something stupid and trying a Ultra in the fall.   Given I’ve not yet run a half marathon distance this is where the stupid comes from.

leave me looking like a masochist trussed up in some basement dungeon waiting to be punished”

To that end I’m going to be running further and further distances in the spring and summer.   In Oklahoma in the summer, long distances?  Soooo stupid.

While I have a couple of hydration packs in case of zombie outbreak they’re not designed for running long distances.  One I designed and sewed myself for attaching to a molle vest (also sewn myself) and the other a Source Hydration Pack.

So long story (too late) made shorter I did some research, then more research on hydration carrying options.  I settled on a vest type as I currently have an amphipod for carrying my phone and one water bottle but a 10oz bottle and a Note 4 cause the belt to slide down my butt and I have to keep adjusting it during a run.  Can you say annoying?

But which vest?  Reviews were spotty and we’re back to that size issue I have.   What fits the normal runner, much less the elite runner would leave me looking like a masochist trussed up in some basement dungeon waiting to be punished for being a bad boy.   So I reached out to my unknown friends at Running Warehouse (it’s weird I keep typing Wearhouse) and sent them an email outlining my trials and tribulations with genetics and bell curves, my current running, my planned running and what I thought I might want.   I got an email back quickly saying they were going to research but it might take some time.

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I can live with that so I patiently waited and in a couple of days got back a long detailed email from them with three proposed options and a breakdown of each one.   Of the three options the Jurek FKT aka Fastest Known Time vest appealed to me the most visually and it had the features I wanted.  And the Large size purported to be likely to fit me.

I promptly ordered, yes from RW and not Amazon.   Choosing something for visual appeal is a little shallow but it was far from the only reasons I chose this one.

In a couple of days (free shipping) I got my vest, today to be frank.   I’ve gone over the thing and the quality is good in my sample.  Even, clean seams, no loose threads, all seams banded or overlapped (sewer talk).    It comes with a two bottles but no hydration bladder.   For the price you’d think they could throw one in but honestly I’d rather pick my own, I have preferences in bladders and unless they happened to source the same I’d still get my own and then have paid for a bladder I wasn’t going to use.

It took me a couple of minutes to figure out the bottle nipples.  They’re a type of bite valve but you also have to pull them up.  And if you bite too firmly they close up on you.   They’ll take some getting used to, at least by a #NOTARUNNER such as myself.

Tucked away in the side pockets are some take up straps that keep the side pockets/straps shorter.  I was able to loosen those and end up with a vest that actually fits me and even has some a little extra.  The bottles end up on my Although chest and not under my arms.

If you border on the big side like yours truly then this may be the best option for you.  If your chest at the nipples (bonus points for using the word nipple twice) hits 48″ or more or your chest at the bottom of the rib cage hits more than maybe 45″ then this is unlikely to fit or at least fit well.   I’m currently a 45/43 so I’m happy to reiterate it fits fine.   But there aren’t that many of us big ol’ boys out there trying to train to run stupid long distances.

There are plenty of pockets to carry plenty of things. Although some seem questionable.  Honestly there may be too many if you’re not long distance trail running as you might be inclined to use all those pockets.  Just be smart about what you put in there I suppose.  Ounces equals pounds equals pain when it comes to moving yourself from one point to another.

My biggest complaint is that the supposed cell phone pocket, I assume it is anyway, on the left side strap is only good for smaller phones.  Nothing + sized need apply.   Something on the order of a iPhone 5 or a Galaxy 2 etc.   Galaxy Note’s, S7’s, LG Flex, iPhone 6+, not a chance in hell of fitting.   But it’ll fit in the side tube pockets no problem.

The side pockets seem questionable.  Anything of any real size is going to cause me and possibly you to rub your arm against it while you run unless you’re chicken wingin’ it.   I tend to be a tucked in and tight running so maybe some gels or waffles or something but that’s about it.    They’re also difficult to get into on the run for me but that could be due fitment on my bigger than life frame.

One design changed I’d make if it was my own design is to add attachment points either webbing loops or D rings on the edges of the back to be used with elastic webbing to help keep a bladder flat rather than balling up in the back.   It does have a couple of clips that can be kind used for that but I think some dedicated keepers for the bladder would be good.  But then that’s one more strap that you have to deal with if you’re you know in a race to race and trying to refill your bladder and adding seconds to that etc.

I’d also like to see a mil-spec D ring sewn in at the top of the bladder compartment for hanging bladders from.  Right now there’s a Velcro loop and Velcro, even good mil-spec Velcro, has a limited life span.   I’ll likely just add a D ring there or design and 3D Print something to hang my bladder of choice from.

If you’d like an insulated pocket for the bladder you’re going to have to provide your own insulation.  Some 2 or 3 mil neoprene would work well and is available online.

There are no air flow ridges, bumps, patterns etc on the next to your body side of the vest.  Having put those kinds of things in my own vest design I’m honestly not sure just how useful they are.   Our skin, shirts etc tend to fill those crevices and nooks anyway.    I wouldn’t mind seeing a 3D mesh though as a backer piece and I may sew some in depending on how things get in the heat.  This though would add an ounce or two to the total weight.

I wasn’t too sure about the color, there’s only two options a white one and the other one that’s kind of gray with some green highlight zippers and a yellow elastic netting pattern on the back for holding a jacket or something similar.   The white one wasn’t an option for me.  But in person the color isn’t bad and is acceptable.

The fit is good.  Once you get the straps adjusted, both the take up straps on the sides and the chest straps it fits snugly.  I haven’t taken it for a run yet, a combo 5K + 10K is this Saturday and I’ll wear it then but just a little jogging around the house and it feels good like you’re not wearing anything.

I think I’d like to see some elastic on the chest straps so I may replace those, something to give with you as you breathe and move especially for trail running.

The straps can be moved up and down which makes it more capable of fitting everyone especially women who may have a little more in the chest area than others so you can adjust it up and down so it fits on your boobs where it’s most comfortable.   They’re held in place by T hooks through something that’s basically a very thin molle web.  Pull them through the ‘wrong’ way and then bend the T so it’ll go back through the strap and you can then pick another location to put it.   It’s not as easy as something that just slide up and down but it’s far better than ones that don’t adjust at all.   And frankly unless you’re sharing it with someone, this type of adjustment is typically a one and done.

All in all, yes it’s not the cheapest option but in my many (too many) years I’ve learned if you’re going to use something and use it hard, then you rarely fare well going with the cheapest option.   That doesn’t mean the pricey option is guaranteed to be the best, but your odds are higher.

If I find out it just sucks majorly after putting 50’ish miles on it, I’ll come back here and denote that.  If there’s no ‘update’ mentioned anywhere and this article is a month old then it’s a fairly conservative bet that it’s working out for me just fine.[/expand]

The idea of trail running appeals to me.  I spent untold hours in the woods in my youth, wandering around, catching lizards, climbing rocks, rolling boulders down hills, okay granted they were small boulders.  Even being 6′ by age 12 there’s only so big a boulder you can dislodge by yourself or with friends.

I’m on the far end of the bell curve in terms of size in most areas.  Most.”

Knowing from experience that my road shoes of forced preference suck  donkey butt on grass and non-road terrain I went looking for shoe options.

Thanks to genetics, nutrition, active life style and nurturing environment in my youth, I’m on the far end of the bell curve in terms of size in most areas.  Most.

So with my size 13 4E ideal shoe size requirements firmly in hand I go looking online.  I’m shocked to find there are not one but two whole options for a dedicated trail shoe that comes in that size that is for a neutral to slightly pronated gait.  The New Balance Leadville V3 and the New Balance Hierro V2.   Okay shocked is a strong word, fully expecting is probably the best term.

New Balance has for a lot of years now, okay decades, been my shoe of choice simply because they’re the only manufacture that actively caters to the large footed crowd.

So that they make both of the options I could try isn’t surprising.

The question becomes which one…  Trying one on locally isn’t an option, no one carries either one in the size I need.  Yes I did call around.

The Leadville, in spite of it’s homage to a rather famous trail run as I hear, has a few complaints about it and I don’t care for the odd number of lace holes and the lack of a heel lock hole.  The Hierro being brand new has no real world reviews.

So I’ll have to guess I suppose.  Order one from Running Warehouse and hope it works out.  I have a 50/50 shot of getting the better of the two.

The reason this is coming up is I have this stupid ass thought of trying to do a 50k trail run in fall.   Says the person who’s still to do a half marathon (scheduled for May).   It’s a beginner trail run with a fair amount of dirt and gravel roads as part of the trail.  And 50k is enough to get you the Ultra runner status albeit by just a few miles.  But you can by letter of the law sashay around the holding pens in your “yeah I ran an ultra, what have you done lately?” shirt.

And honestly isn’t that worth something?

I’ve been there, hell I’m still there.   These are some of the things I’ve done wrong and done right since I started my trek down the #NOTARUNNER path.  Mostly wrong.

“That second piece of chocolate takes far less convincing to get you to eat it.”

#1 thing done wrong.  Not getting the right shoes to start with.   Shoes remove a considerable amount of ‘this sucks’ from running.  The wrong shoes will give you hip pains, knee pains, back pains.   Shoes are not something you can easily go cheap on or do it by yourself.   Do you supinate?  Pronate?   Do you need control shoes?  Are you a neutral?  Are you a heel or toe striker?    The answers to these questions strongly dictate the shoe that will be the least sucktastic for you.    And it takes a lot of research and even then you can get it wrong.   But you know what?   Those skinny folks at the local runner stores typically have a lot of experience with a lot of shoes on a lot of people’s feet and they typically do a lot of research for their own shoes which they typically own a lot of.  Bottom line is they’re typically a very happy to help, very knowledgeable crew.  And go to the local store rather than some nation wide chain.  You’re far more likely to get enthusiasts of the sport rather than folks just earning a pay check.

#2 thing done wrong.   Don’t buy two shirts or shorts in your current size when you’re starting out running and you know you’re going to lose a fair amount of weight.  One will get you through and then when you drop a size you can buy another one.   Yes you’ll lose points in the fashion contest wearing the same gear each time but you’ll also not end up with gear that you wont’ ever use again as long as you’re running.

#3 thing done wrong.  Make sure you properly lace and tighten your shoes.  Speaking from experience coming back from a out and back with blood soaked shoes this is important.

#4 thing done wrong, well kind of depending on your disposable income level.  Big name brand gear with big name brand logos on them aren’t necessarily any better.  You’re paying for that name, the tv and print and online ads and apps that go with it.   That doesn’t make it bad per se.  But if you can buy 2 or 3 Champion tech shirts for the cost of 1 UnderArmor shirt… There’s nothing intrinsically wrong with going the UA or [insert other expensive lines of clothing].  But there’s also nothing intrinsically wrong with going with a lesser fashionable and subsequently lesser cost option.

#1 thing done right, set a training schedule and stick to it come hell, high water, work, weather, sickness.   Not injury, don’t run injured if you can avoid it.  But do everything you can to stay on schedule.  When you miss a day it’s far easier to miss the second time and easier to miss the third time and then it’s been 3 weeks since you last ran.    It’s much like dieting.  That second piece of chocolate takes far less convincing to get you to eat it.

#2 thing done right, find the rightist shoe I could of the available options.  You very likely have far more options in a shoe so enjoy your freedom of choice but choose wisely.

#3 thing done right, taking my time.  At age 50 there’s very much more risk in engaging in physicality than at age 20.   I’m using heart zone based training rather than pacing or distance.   Pace and distance will come along naturally.  But this way I can be, and feel, comfortable that I’m not going to blow out a ventricle.   It took me 5 months to reach a 10k and you know what?  It’s not a race.   It’s a way to get healthier and have a chance to be around to see grand kids or at least see the kids become responsible adults capable of self sufficiency.

I’ve had my Nimbus 19’s for maybe a month now with maybe 50 miles on them, mostly shorter runs in the 3 to 4 range and one 8 mile run as of now.

“if you were getting pounded by well over 300lbs 3.4 times a week for 4+ months…”

Being a #NOTARUNNER I can’t give you a ton of technical details on these and honestly you can get that stuff from Asics or Running Warehouse etc with far more substance and authority than some random 50 year old on the internet who’s been running for 6 months.

What I can say is that for a large runner such as a myself the Nimbus 19s are one of the few options you have in a road shoe.  For trail shoe’s we’re even more screwed but more on that later.

Luckily the 19’s are a pretty good option as it turns out.   My prior shoe was the Nimbus 18’s.  The 18’s in my opinion wore out fast in the heel area for me but if you were getting pounded by well over 300lbs 3.4 times a week for 4+ months you’d likely wear out fast too.  [So many comments could be made here].

The 19’s are not as wide as the 18’s both visually and in practice.    This is an improvement I believe in general.

The heel support isn’t as obnoxious on the 19’s, I don’t even notice it’s there thankfully.  Unlike the 18’s where that rigid heel cage would on occasion be very noticeable and un-enjoyable.

Don’t get me wrong, the 18’s were up til this point a good shoe for me of the very few options I have and they had close to 300 miles on them. And I’m hard on the heel area of shoes, it’s always the first place that wears out on me.

The toebox is about the same.  Which for me means my pinkie and ring toes on my right foot still rub but they do that on every shoe.

The cushion feels a bit softer but honestly without a brand new pair of each it’s really impossible to tell other than just “I think it’s better”.

Bottom line, there’s a reason the Nimbus line is one of the most popular shoe lines for runners and although stupid expense to thee and me, at the end of the day, reducing the suck factor of running is worth the extra expense for me.