Rocky Mountain National Park in January!!

So we decided to take advantage of the amazing winter weather and head up to RMNP to do a bit of trail running up in the mountains. We decided over a few beers that Lumpy's Ridge was our destination. Lumpy's is best known as a classic climbing destination on the east boarder of the park, but we picked the 11.05 mile Twin Owls Loop, as our distraction rather than the soaring cliff faces.


With the sunny weather in the 50's we took off from the trailhead at 7800 ft and headed northeast towards gem lake and balanced rock. The run took off straight up hill and all four of us, myself and my buddies Josh, Jude, and Paul, were feeling the mixed effects of the altitude, steep terrain, and a few too many beers the night before. But as we quickly climbed we were rewarded with amazing views of Long's and the rest of the majestic mountains that make up the horizon of the park.


We kept climbing all the way up to an elevation of just over 9100 feet before we left the mixed dry and iced trails of the south facing slope for the ankle to knee deep snow on the north facing aspect. The next 5 or so miles were a mix of uncontrolled downhill running on slippy snow, to a grueling slow paced trudge breaking trail through knee deep powder. It got a little tiring and was a surprise somehow, even though we were running in the highcountry in late January.... Anyway we managed and after loosing probably 1500 vert and then of course regaining that lost footage we were back on the south facing slope and the snow had melted away.



We finished our run on the dry plains above Estes Park under the massive cliff faces of Lumpy's. We spied a few brightly colored dots of climbers hundreds of feet off the valley floor as we dashed under them. By the time we had gotten back to the car, over 11 miles later, everyone was pretty beat, but as smiles were still abundant we chalked it up to one hell of a time. It was a hard run for sure, but one hell of a little adventure too! Thanks Colorado for being so rad!!!

Dead Yeti...

Nothing big today, just a little run to stretch the legs. 7.5 did end up hurting my legs a bit the day after, so I figured I would run short today just to get out and enjoy the warm sunny weather. Taking tomorrow off and running a long one on Saturday.

The weather here has been amazing actually, it's fully short and t-shirt weather outside and it's the 27th of January in Colorado!!



Oh a little other news, went mountain biking yesterday instead of running and I exploded my $3500 bike. The rear triangle is/was made out of carbon fiber and it shattered in 3 spots after a drop of about a foot at best. It was unreal. And I shaved my head, for the first time in about half a decade I have short hair, really short. Well if you live here, enjoy the weather, sorry if you don't!!

A little more....

Well today I pushed a little harder. I am finally feeling good enough to get back to some respectable distances. It was hard for a month being limited to 2 and 3 mile runs with the long ones being only 4 or 5 miles. But with still no snow on the ground, and trails bone dry I felt the urge to get out there on the dirt.

I pushed just past 7.5 miles, about half was on single track half on pavement, and although it's always more fun for me to run on the dirt, it is a little tricky in the five fingers. You just need to be really aware of where you are stepping. I also noticed for the first time today, how much more difficult it is to run down hill in the vibram's. It could have been a combination of steep grades and rocky dirt trail, but noticed how much I had to slow down at one point on one of the longer descents.

With that all being said though, I did run my longest distance yet in the five fingers and I felt really strong and much faster than 4 months ago when I really picked running up again. I cannot contribute that all to the shoes, they have helped me smooth out my technique, but I also think I am finally really getting stronger and more fit, so speed and ease would come with that I suppose. Well nothing else to report, I love the shoes, and so far no blow outs, a concern I had when I bought them since they are so thin. My bro's already are seeing some tearing and he got them about the same time as me, so I will try to report any unusual wear if it occurs. Later!

5-5-12

This morning I "laced" up my 5 fingers for an nice but chilly 5 mile run and don't have to be into work until 12! The temps here were in the 50's early in the week but yesterday that all changed and I got stuck riding home from work in a sideways blizzard. Although I was deterred to run last night thanks to the weather, I motivated this morning and got out of bed and took off. The roads were icy, but the sun was shining and it was a perfect January morning for a little exercise.

I ran again in my 5 fingers and my legs are feeling great. For anyone who has been following this pointless series of rants, my legs have been getting stronger, but at first, man the barefoot running lifestyle was killing my lower legs, a spot I liked to call my calfilles. But today was the longest I have pushed them so far, just over 5 miles, not much more than my run last week up in Estes, but still a little further. And I have to say, my legs are feeling great, there was actually almost no tightness as I ran, a first, and now that I am home writing this my legs actually feel normal! I have only ran in these things a half dozen times of so, but I feel I am really falling into stride with them. I don't know if my old runners will get any more love.... This run may have been the turning point where I really concentrate on only running in the vibrams from here on out.

Also, sorry if you are a big time geek, and are expecting me to post times of my runs. I feel lame enough keeping such a line on how far I am running. I do like to know my own times, but normally forget to find my watch before I head out the door since I don't like wearing watches. It's a 50/50 if I grab it.... I am really just running to run, it's fun again, and although I have my goals to get ready for the races I have coming up, time is an afterthought. And I felt fast today, so that's really all that matters. To think of it I really only have one time that matters for any of this, 3:10:59, and other than that one run, it's really all just about finishing for me. Well enjoy your Thursday, the weekend is almost here!!!

In the shadow of Longs!

Well I’m up in Estes Park this weekend coordinating Campus Step Up which is a social justice retreat for students here at CSU. For those of you that don't know what I currently do, I work in student affairs at CSU as a graduate leadership coordinator. I plan events that are based around co-curricular leadership training; from 3 day retreats like Step Up that focus on social justice, to workshops on a variety of topics, to a 6 day retreat up in the mountains based around building and understanding leadership. We also bring in distinguished speakers and host or sponsor a variety of other events on or around campus. Co-curricular leadership is just a small part of the office, there are some amazing things going on here at SLiCE to help students get involved in their community and become more socially conscious individuals.

Anyway so I’m up here in Estes for the weekend and staying at Lake Shore Lodge, watching students grow through thought and learning about themselves and their peers. I of course brought my 5 fingers, and there just happened to be a nice 5 mile trail around the lake behind the resort!! The picture above is the view from the lounge; Long's and Meeker were beautiful this morning as the soft yellow and orange light from the rising sun bounced off the face of these incredible peaks. I got up nice and early and without stretching I took off. I wanted to run cold and see how my body and legs would react. My legs were feeling great after a few days off from running and I figured it was time to push again. The run this morning was not particularly hard, or even long for that matter, a quick 5 miles, but it was all on pavement and I was wearing my vibrams. My stride and technique are getting better I think and my toes didn’t hurt at all this morning. I didn't feel like my calfilies were getting beat on either, but after the run they were tight for sure! Really tight actually, and I was thinking I was in for a long day of painful legs.... But after about an hour they relaxed and now their is little to no lingering pain. The first few runs in these bad boys made my calfilies sore for days on end, but not this run. Maybe they were sore because I didn't stretch at all before I ran, or maybe my legs recovered faster because they are just getting a little more used to my new running style. Either way, I am glad the pain is gone, I really want to run this loop again tomorrow morning!!

So 2 weeks in and I’m feeling great. My legs are getting stronger, I think my technique is getting smoother, and I love how the shoes fit and feel. I am not going to push past 5 miles for a while in these things though, I do think I need time, to allow the muscles I haven’t used in years to really catch up with the rest of my body, but every day my feet and legs get stronger and every day I feel a little better about running! I am having fun running again, for the first time in years!! I'll keep the updates coming as I push longer and harder, and I'll keep notice of any little thing that these shoes lead to. Thanks for reading!!!

Ps I don't know why the fonts are all screwed up on this post, I have tried to change the font like 10 times, Blogger is messing with me......

Nice Saturday Run

So I laced up my regular runners today and went to stretch the legs a bit. After a few days of running short distances in my 5 fingers I wanted to see how my feet felt in my normal shoes. Me and two buds decided to head to the Michaud trail and get dirty in the mixed melting snow and mud. We started out with about 7 miles of trail, that climbed and descended through some fun terrain. Everyone was feeling great, the feet were solid, and my sore right calfilles got a needed respite from the five fingers. I did notice the balls of my feet were a little sore, but after 7 or so miles in the five fingers this week I got to say I was feeling pretty good! I think I'll keep jumping back and forth between my runners and the five fingers for a few weeks at least, continually pushing the distance in the vibrams, and slowly cutting back on my old shoes. I had a tough time with the last 4 miles that were on the road, me feet did get tired, but I think as I get stronger that will go away! It was a nice easy 11 miles, not too long but still a decent push with sore feet and legs, really a perfect way to spend a few hours on a Saturday afternoon....

Nothing else that exciting happened on the run, I forgot my camera so no pictures today, it was a gray dreary day here in the fort anyway....

Click on the title to this post, it should link to a map of our route! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!!!!

Day 2! Off Road!!

Okay so day two saw temps in the high 40's here today so I figured I would brave the melting snow and hit the hills. My feet felt great after a nights rest, and the only thing that was tight was my right calf. And really it isn't my calf, more my Achilles tendon I think... I say I think because it's not down where I would expect my Achilles to be tight, but rather right below the bottom of my calf. Anyone who has been on a bike tour knows the spot I'm talking about, the spot you cannot stretch with your normal calf stretch but rather only when you keep your feet flat, bend your knees a little and push forward. Anyway I call it my calfilles.

I went out for just over 4 miles today, and up some good hills, I ran Maxwell, a local trail here in town close to my house. I ran the road there and back and only up to the valley on top of Maxwell to keep it a little shorter. My feet were wet within a block of leaving the house, and normally I hate wet socks and shoes but with the five fingers I barely noticed. There was no rubbing or soreness, and my calf stretched out a bit within the first mile or so.

Overall, day two was enjoyable, it was warm enough to wear shorts and the trails were only slightly muddy, oh by the way, the bikila's had decent traction on the damp trails, I would be weary about the KSO's, but I'd like to try them and see the difference. The added hard rubber on the bottom of the bikila's also seemed to keep sharp rocks from bugging me, another concern I'd have the the softer and thinner KSO's. Anyway, not much else to report, I think I will take the day off tomorrow and let my calfilles rest, and I'll post something from my long run (in regular runners) I'm going to do on saturday! Have a great afternoon, go get out there!!!

1st Impressions of 5 fingers

So for 2011 I've decided to relearn how to run. I'm opening a company this year designed to help fuel adventure athletes, and the one thing I really have yet to delve into is distance running. So I figured, this is the year, but first I needed to learn to run again. In the past, training for a marathon was a terrifying thought, even running consistently was daunting. I'm in pretty good shape, but over the years I've stacked up injury after injury to my body, and after weeks or months of running everything always seemed to start to fall apart.

Well I was living up in Lander, WY for most of 2010, and one bluebird afternoon I pulled out and dusted off my running shoes that hadn't seen any real action in quite some time. A friend and I decided to run to Popo Agie Falls, a short but fun trail run just outside of town that dead ends at one of the more awe inspiring falls I have ever seen. It's only about a 3 mile run round trip, but it gains almost 700 feet in the short mile and a half jaunt to the falls. It was easy, I felt light, and I had fun, a fun I hadn't had in years in my running shoes. I was exploring a new place, on foot, going fast, I loved it! I started thinking about reasons why it didn't hurt my knees, and after a little research I realized I was running correctly. I hadn't run in so long that jumping back into it on a steep dirt trail littered with rocks made me run more on the balls of my feet rather than flat footed rolling from heel to toes as I had in the past. Anyway, I didn't think about it too much, but I kept looking for new trails to run because I was having fun.

Fast-forward 3 months, I'm now back to living in Fort Collins, CO where trails zigzag the mountains basically from my front door and I'm having no problem running 10 miles without pain, faster than ever, and almost none of the struggle I used to have with running. But I want to get stronger, I want to run longer, and I want to be fast. I plan on running 3 or 4 distance races this year that will hopefully lead to a 50 mile ultra race outside of Denver called the Bear Chase. I feel I still need to get better technique to get faster, this is where my new pair of Vibram Five Fingers Bikila's come into the picture.These funky shoes are supposed to force you to run more like we were meant to run, without the arch supports, heel lifts, pronation and supination adjustments, and padding that modern running shoes afford runners. The idea is that modern running shoes allow runners to land on their heels and roll through their stride over their mid-foot to the balls of their feet and toes. The problem is that there is much less protection from impact on your heel then there would be if runners landed on the balls of their feet, allowing the foot to naturally flex and absorb the energy of impact, and although running shoes market air pockets, springs, soft foam, and the kitchen sink to protect your heel, it may not really help...

Enough of the science, I like to try new things, so I got a pair with the gift card my sisters gave me for REI for Christmas and today was run number 1 in them. I am reviving my blog again to chronicle this year, my new company, these shoes, running, and of course all the other adventures I'll go on!!

Day 1:

Some people complain that these shoes are hard to get on, and even decided not to purchase because of the difficulty, I disagree, for me they are no problem. I do find it easier to put them on the ground and push my foot into the front of them rather than trying to slide the shoes onto my feet. As soon as they were on though, they are comfortable to me, like socks, I am actually still wearing them right now as I type. A few of my concerns on the first run were going to be cold toes, since there is snow on the ground in Fort Collins today, arch pain, and the dreaded heel impact pain everyone bashes these shoes for.

I didn't want to push my self, well my feet, too hard on the first run, so I only went out for 3.5 miles. Now over the past month or so I have really concentrated on running on the balls of my feet, so the adjustment to running in these seemed natural for me. If you are still running heels first it's going to take some time to change your gait, and you'll possibly want to go for a few walks, or run in the grass to re-learn how to land on your feet. There is no heel lift in these, so even for me I was landing on my heels every now and again, and I really needed to concentrate on how I was running. I would say, if you still are landing hard on your heels after a mile or so, slow down and take it easy, there is no padding back there and I can see how people get injured in these shoes.

As for my other concerns, my arches didn't hurt at all, but we'll see if they are sore tomorrow, I'll report back on that. My toes did get a little sore actually, tired, like I worked them out. You notice right away how much you don't use your toes in your regular runners. By the time I got home my toes did want a rest. I think that's good, it's like the feeling you get from lifting weights but in your toes, again I'll report back tomorrow if they get sore. As for cold, my feet were fine, warmer than my cycling shoes in this weather, and I didn't feel or notice any wetness from the snow. My calves are a little sore, really just my right one, so I am going to concentrate on what I am doing different with my right foot tomorrow. As a note, when you start running on the balls of your feet, the first few runs are going to make your calves really sore, mine were for about 5 runs, but it's good I think, it's because you are using your muscles again! My knees and back don't hurt, and I am excited about running again tomorrow. Overall, for day 1 I am impressed with these things, but like I said, you really need to focus on landing on the balls of your feet, almost over exaggerated, or it could lead to disaster.

Come back soon to more updates, and have fun in the snow!!!!