Cars, More Wind, and Races

My car finally let me know via the odd, German brake pad warning light symbol what I had known for months - that I indeed needed new brakes up front.  To add exasperation and exclamation to the warning light, my car (his name is Bullitt, from the Steve McQueen movie, and that my car is silver) let loose with the check engine light and oil service lights.  At night, my dash display gives the interior of my car the appearance of the Studio 54 dance floor.  So, knowing how expensive stuff is to fix and maintain on my car, I employed a co-worker to do the labor for a small fee.  I bought all the parts and fluids and filters and brought them over to his house yesterday.  Even though he eschewed my questions regarding his ability, I took the liberty to print both the directions for changing the front brakes and changing the oil for my car model and year.  He laughed at me while tossing the instructions in one of the many receptacles in his large garage.  I handed him the keys and went for a run, one of those nerve bending runs in a strange area.  I took my phone with me just in case I ended up halfway to Kansas.  My iPod is no longer functioning, so I had no company, no music, and no idea where I was.

When I made it back to my mechanic-friend's house, he had one wheel off my car and my instructions scattered, in some sort of order, around his tools, and was referring to them with a scowling face.  I expected him to be nearly finished when I got back and instead he hadn't even removed the first brake caliper.  So, I changed and began helping him.  Once he realized I intended to dismantle and otherwise discard the brake wear sensor, things went quickly.  We (he) finished up everything down to the air filter and I was on my way home by 6:30pm.  Next up, he's flushing and refilling my radiator to meet the soon to be too hot weather.

My hamstring is still slightly tight and feels as though it could give way, snapping, like a Hindenburg tether.  I decided to just do my daily 45 minute speed walk today and not run, which I'm not missing at all with the 40 mph winds coming down the mountains (sick-of-wind).  It's fine since I race 50 miles in a week, 50 more miles in another week, and then fumble through a three day mountain bike stage race in Salida the following week.  Yeah, May will be busy.  I'm intending it to be shorter, consistent, frequent efforts to slingshot me into the monthly 100 milers beginning in June with San Diego.

Time for some IPA hydration on this late Friday afternoon...

Mt. Carbon Trail Half Marathon (13.4 mi) Race Report

Registered for this race on a whim since it was close and I needed my race fix and it would set me up nicely in training for the back to back 50 milers beginning in two weeks.  I certainly wasn't expecting much, so there was no anxiety leading up to it and no nerves on race morning.  I haven't run a shorter distance race in a long time (read: the suffering of a half marathon scares me more than running 20 hours straight).  I also almost never train for any speed, rarely dipping below 7 min pace in any training run (unless I run with GZ...).  So, overall, I'll take today's performance any time.

Lucho was there at the start and I met Brad Poppele, whom I've known in the blog/running world for a couple years.  He's training for Green Bay's marathon in three weeks and his speed showed today!

The start was this convoluted, tangled mess of a short out and back around a cone, then back through the start line backwards and on out for a figure 8 style loop before heading out onto open trails.  Once the bumper car running was out of the way, Lucho pulled out in front for good.  Then there were about four guys and then me behind him.  I jumped around this joker who was jostling between fast and slow surges.  I think Brad came with me around him and we eased into a comfortable pace.  Brad came around me before mile two.  We ran as though tethered together up past mile seven.  At that point we hit the main climb of the day to the top of Mt. Carbon.  It really was nothing much to speak of but for some reason I was in a brief funk just before we reached it and I dropped back about ten meters from Brad.  Throughout the first half and beyond of the race he and I were in 4th and 5th place and really not much chance, short of breaking both ankles, of getting caught from anyone behind.  The climb being over left me angry that I was soft up it, so I cranked it down the other side of the hill.  With Brad and my surge (and 3rd place fading), Brad caught and overtook 3rd just before mile ten with me not far behind.  I went through mile ten in 1:07 and shortly saw we were going to be climbing another decent hill, so I waited until about 300 meters before the climb and passed the other guy for 4th place.  He looked tanked, so I didn't worry about much from behind and focused on just running steady the last three miles and hoping my abnormally tight hamstrings didn't snap or convulse into a twined ball of muscles.  I ran just fast enough to finish comfortably under 90 mins.

1st 1:21 (Lucho)
2nd 1:26 (some dude)
3rd 1:28 (Brad P)
4th 1:29 (me)

Fun time all together, got to meet Brad, see Lucho, eat a bunch of cashews, run a solid tempo, and win a $20 gift certificate at Fleet Feet.  Good course, well marked.

Tecnica Diablo Max Shoe Review

Tecnica Diablo Max

"Ever try Tecnica?" 

"Yeah, I had some sweet Tecnica ski boots."

Tecnica has been developing quality outdoor footwear for 51 years, starting in 1960 with indestructible work and mountain boots (you know, the ones that would take 5 years to break in and then outlast the owner's life).  Tecnica is also the company that brought us the moonboot in the 70s.  And, of course, they moved into producing some of the best ski boots in the world.

Now, they're at it with trail running shoes and have released four new models this spring: Diablo Max, Diablo Sprint, Inferno Max, Inferno Sprint.  I'll be writing about the Diablo Max today. 

I put in a good week of training only in the DMax, culminating in a 5+ hour run gaining 7,500 feet in Boulder, CO, covering rocky technical terrain and icy steep trails up higher.  The Diablo Max performed perfectly.

If I had to come up with a sentence describing the shoe (which I did have to recently), it would be:  Sure-footed confidence and responsive comfort make Tecnica a shoe that runs as sweet as it looks.  Cheesy?  Maybe it's cheesy but it's accurate.  The cushioning is the first thing you notice.  It's not the marshmallow cushioning of some shoes but more responsive with an active feel.  The last and sole provide one of the best heel to toe transitions I've ever experienced and I've worked in specialty running stores and worn just about every flavor of shoe from waffle racers to 18 ounce stability bricks.  The Diablo Max is a great blend of nimble  feel on the trail and shock absorbing cushion.  The cushion allows for less punishment after hours of running and uninhibited descents over the gnarliest trail.  The hourglass shape of the cushioned sole with the heel and forefoot wide and the arch area narrow provides amazing stability.  Ankle rolling is not an option in the Tecnica.

The attention to detail and design is apparent in the Diablo Max.  I've always wondered why so many shoe companies spend millions on design and development and then slap some cheap insert in it.  Tecnica is smart (it's mandatory to be smart when you make a $1,000 ski boot that is worth every penny).  They use Ortholite insoles in their trail runners.  Sure, they cost more to use and are likely overlooked by many users but for those of us who notice quality, it's an appreciated detail.

The sole is another well designed feature.  To save weight, Tecnica uses criss-crossing strips of knobby tread (as opposed to one full layer of heavy rubber) on the outer sole.  It worked as well as any shoe I've tried over varied terrain.

The fit is well thought out.  A form-fitting heel cup that keeps your heel in place gives way to an ample forefoot.  I have a narrow foot, so I have the laces cinched fairly close together.  It's going to be nice to have that option of extra room in races lasting 10-20 hours when the foot tends to swell a bit.  The sizing is true.  I wear a 10.5 in most shoes and it fits perfectly in the Tecnicas with about a half inch between my big toe and the inner wall of the tip of the shoe.

Overall, I'm sold on Tecnica and look forward to wearing them on many trails this year.

Next review will be the "hot" styling Inferno Max.  I got some yesterday and took them out for a quick spin.  I can see a beautiful relationship forming between the Inferno Max and myself.  I hope the Diablo isn't jealous because I love it too!

Green, Green, Green

File Photo: GZ and me.  We're texting one another.

GZ and I were trying to decide on a mini adventure to replace the postponed trip to the Grand Canyon.  In our most creative brainstorming, we came up with repeat laps to the top of Green Mountain (8,144 ft).  We intended to do four laps but it became clear that there would be time constraints that wouldn't allow for 7 hours on the trail.  I felt a little lethargic for the first 3 hours but started getting into the groove and felt fresh on the third lap, nearly coaxing George into a fourth trip to the top.  Still, it was 5.5 hours of good work on terrain varied from warm, dry rocky trails to solid ice up higher.  I've seen George trip and fall on a flat bike path, so I was surprized that he negotiated the full day with 7,500 ft of climb without much more that a slip on the ice here and there (which would be impossible to avoid in some sections).

I followed it up with a soft 10k recovery run this morning just before the 80,000 mph winds began.  It was a good, mellow, week of training with a little cycling, some fast walking workouts, and a few runs.

Renewed both my road and mountain bike licenses with USA Cycling.  I have to start over as a Cat 5 (like riding with a bunch of blind bulls - all strength, low skills) road and Cat 2 mountain classification (what happened to 'expert', 'sport', etc??).  Feels good to be licensed and ready to race again.  I'll likely only race road races and not crits on the road bike.  A 1993 crash during the Tour de Michigan stripped away my nerve to hit a 90 degree turn at 30+ mph with 125 other cyclists.  The mountain bike races, for some reason, don't bother me, go figure.

Coming up:  Review of the new Tecnica Diablo Max trail shoes that I wore for the run on Green.

Sunday

Though the forecast (which I'm certain are hopeful guesses) called for a pretty crappy day here today, it's currently blue sky and calm wind.  I'm taking that as a sign to get my butt out for a run before the weather decides to show up.

This morning I'll be testing and reviewing the Tecnica Diablo Max (cool name) trail shoe.  So, watch for a review of it.  I'm intrigued by Tecnica's release of several new trail runners but the proof is in the use, not the looks.

Registered today for the Mt. Carbon Trail Half Marathon on April 23.  Of course, I missed the early registration fee cut off by 8 hours.  $6 penalty and lesson learned.

So, today's run, negative split half marathon, obviously!

Off to chase the sun.

Later now...
Couldn't negative split because my out and back course on Teller Farm was super glue, death by chocolate cake muddy, so I turned back and ran roads for the last 6 miles to get my planned 13mi.  The Diablo Max shoes are great.  I'm always skeptical of trail shoes made by a company with other missions but these seem well designed, well made, and have the best heel-to-toe transition I've felt on just about any shoe.   A more thorough review later, once I take them up a local peak and have a good idea on the ascent and descent characteristics of the shoes.  Did my taxes after the run.  I was dreading having to do them for the last three months and am always amazed at how fast and easy they are to complete (must be due to the small numbers being calculated).

74 miles on the week on 5 runs and getting the motivation back.

Open Weekend

The freedom of being single and having no family is sometimes the best thing in the world.  On occasion, the structure of scheduling and planning via limited open time slots would be nice instead of sitting here with the next 12 hours open, which breeds inefficient time-use.  Here I sit at 8:09am typing indoors when I could be out on a trail.  Oh, I'll get out there soon enough but I'm not sure where or for how long I want to go!  I'm thinking an off-road brick of 10 mile mtn bike, 10mile run, 10 mile mtn bike would be fun.  My fear is after one of the stages there's too much pull during clothes changing and such just to stop.  More likely, I'll do a 2.5 hr run and 1.5 hr mtn bike.  Marshal Mesa as a starting point is a likely choice...  Not so good at following a plan (reason I don't typically post workouts before I do them).  Let's see how it plays out.

Got up Green with a slow, worn down GZ yesterday (he did a lap up Green before we met) but I was able to open up with harder effort for a while on Mesa trail for the return loop.

Yeah, I ripped down the moving plans post.  I'll keep it to myself for now.

CONGATULATIONS DAVE MACKEY WINNING AMERICAN RIVER 50 TODAY!!!

Like I said, it's tough for me to plan a workout.  21+ miles in 3:01.  Nothing terribly interesting about this run other than experimenting with how a bonk progresses and how long it takes for 1 gel to pull me out of it (took like 10 mins).  Now, mtn bike ride.  The quality work done at University Bikes made the bike velvet-smooth.  The front fork is like new.

Moody Weather

Ever been on a run and audibly cursed the weather?  I have, several times.  It's almost always the wind that personifies nature enough to evoke bursts of angry words from my otherwise clinched jaw.

Yesterday took the cake.  Got started at 8am to near 70 degree temps and sunshine.  20 minutes later a wave of icy wind crashed into me and remained at full 25mph force for the remaining 1:15 of my run.  The temp went from 70 to 40 in a matter of 30 seconds.  I went from sweating heavily to freezing in a matter of three minutes.  By the end of the run I couldn't feel my arms from the elbows down.  They looked like a marble statue's arms, solid, deep red, and detached of feeling from my body.  Glad I got out for the run instead of waiting because the day just got progressively worse until it was snowing and 30 degrees.  Crazy.

I took the opportunity to take my "new" mtn bike over to drop off at ubikes for various work (rebuild forks, adjust brakes, repack bottom bracket, adjust derailleur, and some other crap to make it perfect).  Jeff (mtnrunner2) told me about a poor tree at the outside apex of a switchback descent that has been stripped of all lower limbs and bark from overly ambitious bikers going into the corner a little too hot.  So, with that thought in my mind all morning, I dug out my helmet this weekend too.  On the road I've been "old school" since the mid 80s and refuse to wear a helmet on the road unless riding with a group.  Of course, I wear a helmet on the trails.  Something about flying ten feet in the air on a rocky trail at 25mph makes me think bad things could come when the rubber isn't the first thing to hit.

A guy in my mountain bike riding club in NC (Trailblazers) died in late summer 2006.  He was riding fast on trails behind his new wife and didn't hear her yell back to be careful of a drop off.  He hit it too fast and landed head first, breaking his neck and killing him instantly.  That was just about when I started thinking of getting into trail running.  At my running speed, the worse I could do to myself is get my palms dirty after tripping.  So, here I am again missing the speed of mtn biking.  There's so much precision and handling skills to hone that it's a constant learning experience.  I know how to run now and, though it's far from boring, it's predictable.  Nothing much to work on in terms of skill or fitness.  I just sort of have to accept where I am with running and enjoy it, which I do.  I'm looking forward to having the two worlds mesh again.

(September 2006) So far behind everyone, I have the trail to myself!

Bikes, Runs, Wind, and Friends

Antelope 100.  I look like a rodeo clown.

Took me a couple days to shake the stunned and sour feeling from dropping at Antelope.  Haven't been that angry at myself in a long time.  The old body seemed to bounce back well.  I gave it a couple days rest and will end the week with 62 miles (12 tomorrow) and got in a 1:20 mtn bike ride!  Yep, picked up a used, oh, so, sweet xc racing mtn bike.  The thing weighs 23 lbs, full xtr components and oozing with carbon fiber parts, and is a blast to ride.  It's been three years since I raced NORBA events and didn't realize how much I missed the speed on the trails.

Ran with Nick P. (just became DOCTOR Nick P. on Thursday).  I had to give him a lesson in clouds and levels of the lower atmosphere.  The rocket scientist responded, "I'm more involved in things much higher up."  Whatever.  We ran a couple loops at the reservoir with sustained winds in excess of 35 mph.  Considering he weighs less than one of my legs, I thought I'd have to fish him out of the res on a couple of occasions.

Met up with mtnrunner2 down at Mt Falcon this morning.  We planned on 3+ hrs but I was getting this blister on my heel (wtf with the foot problems this last week?).  And, my diapers were all bunched up, so we held it to 2.5 hours.  It was getting damn hot by the time we finished; think it's hitting 80 today.  On the way home I stopped at s. mesa trail and ran that for another hour and even 20 miles.  The flat running didn't mess with the heel.  Body feels sharp and ready to put in the work for races coming up.

Planning a fun, long run with tons of climb next Saturday (the 9th) if anyone is interested in joining.  It will include Green, Bear, Walker Ranch, and beer.

Still spaces available for the all-inclusive "kick your butt" mountain running camp.  It's the deal of the century and will leave you talking about it for the rest of the year.