Going minimal!

I am beginning to suspect that my wife is tired of hearing about shoes. Mostly because of the way she rolls her eyes and shakes her head whenever she asks what I am doing on the computer and I say, "reading about shoes!" Isn't the purpose of a blog to ramble on about things that people in your house don't care to hear about? No? Well, it is today.

Like a ton of runners out there right now, I am jumping on the minimal bandwagon. In case you haven't read a running magazine in the last 3 years, what is referred to as "minimal" footwear can be generally described as lighter, more flexible, less cushioned shoes. The sole thickness difference between the heel and the forefoot, or "drop" is also a trait of minimal shoes. The basic theory is that thick-soled, cushioned, heavy shoes that try to control motion don't actually prevent injuries, they cause them. I have read articles that compare the modern over-built shoe to having two casts on your feet, causing the muscles in your feet to atrophy. That seemed a bit dramatic until I really give it some thought, then it seemed so obviously correct I wonder why it didn't occur to me a long, long time ago.

The problem is after having your feet trapped in bulky shoes for so long, you just can't throw them away, proclaim "I'm free!", and head out the door for a 6-miler. It would be like deciding to start weight-lifting and going to the gym to crank on your biceps for an hour straight. You would be quite a bit less enthusiastic the next day when you could not move.  It is recommended you go minimal in stages. For instance, go from a shoe with a 10 mm drop to one with a 4 and start out with short runs, working your mileage up in gradual increments.

After battling Plantar Fasciitis (if you don't know what this ailment is you don't know how lucky you are) for a couple of years I decided to get with the trend and get a little minimal and bought the Saucony Mirage for road running. It weighed in over 2 ounces less than the usual Saucony shoes I was used to and the Mirage had only a 4 mm drop. I got these in the last fall when I knew I would't be training for anything that would require any longer runs. I could immediately feel the difference. First, my Achilles and the muscles in my lower calf were pretty darn sore for a while. Also, over a short period of time I was naturally using a shorter stride, more like the length of stride I used when running a semi-technical trail, and turning my legs over noticeably faster.

Even though I was sidelined for two months over the winter with a non-running injury, I was completely sold on the benefits of more minimal shoes by spring. My legs had adapted to the shoes and my slight over-striding only showed up when I was fatigued and going downhill. Though it hasn't disappeared, my Fasciitis has improved dramatically. I am definitely going to take the next minimal step with my next pair of road runners and get the Kinvara 2 or 3, which also has a 4 drop but is even lighter than the Mirage. My son has a pair that are, unfortunately, too small for me to borrow. But just handling them I am in love with the flexibility of the shoe. In short, I think all the motion-control we have been sold as the answer to preventing running injuries was total bullshit.

Without knowing it, I had actually gone sort of minimal a few years ago. While in Florida I had picked up a pair of what I call "water" shoes. You may know them as "pool" or "aqua" shoes. If you don't know what these are they looks like slippers with an insole and a thin rubber sole, and they are usually black. I believe the original intent was as a deck shoe for sailing but I am not sure. Not being a big sandal wearer (and a fierce hater of the flip-flop) I thought the water shoe looked interesting. And they were cheap! I have been buying a pair of these every year or so ever since.




My water shoes. Not only minimal but the ultimate in footwear fashion!


Lo and behold, when I started surfing the internet about minimal shoes and barefoot running, I found out some people are wearing water shoes to run in! Again, why this hadn't occurred to me earlier is a mystery, since I had been wearing them casually for about three years. I suspect I may need more hints than the average person for the obvious to sink in. So I started running in grass or on trails in them earlier this summer as a cool down, first for just a few minutes and eventually working up to about a mile. I even wore them for a five mile trail run after I had driven 30 minutes only to realize my trail shoes were at home in the living room. This proved to be a bit unwise (I had a shin splint problem on and off for a while after that) but I have to tell you, it felt GREAT at the time. Talk about feeling the trail under your feet! I could feel every twig! I wouldn't wear them on anything at all technical but down the line under the right conditions I plan on doing some shorter trail runs in my water shoes. Did I already say they are cheap?

Right now I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of a pair of New Balance MT110's to my doorstep. I have been running in the same pair of Nike Alvord 8's on the trails for over two years, and they have served me well. The MT110's have been praised in a lot of shoe reviews (I mentioned I have an addiction to reading about shoes, didn't I?) including The Runblogger, and they are a favorite of former Dubuque, Iowa, ultrarunner Brad Williams. Oh yeah, and Anton Krupicka helped design the shoe. I think he knows a BIT about what makes a great trail shoe, right?

I really don't know what the end game of my flirtation with minimal footwear will be. I don't see myself running a race in my bare feet someday, but I seriously doubt I would ever by a "standard" running shoe again. I will say that my thinking is that I want to get as minimal as possible in my trail running down the road. Got to find a happy medium there somewhere. Road running is a different animal, altogether. If the goal of running barefoot is to run like men ran thousands of years ago, with their feet to the ground, I am not sure if that applies to road running like it does to trails. After all, our ancestors did not pound their bare feet over asphalt and blacktop. I think most runners will always need some kind of cushion when pounding pavement.

While I am on the subject, if you haven't read Born To Run, pick up a copy as soon as possible. It's a masterpiece and would be a great read even if you have never run a step.

Until next time, kids. Gonna grab a Landshark. Good summer beer originally made for Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville restaurant. That's a very short beer review. I live to serve.

Trail Review: White Pines State Park

I decided to do my first trail review on White Pines State Park, which is located between Oregon and Polo. I run at this park probably more than any other due to the fact that it is not too long a drive from  my house and I think it is just a blast to run due to the fact that it doesn't have long climbing (so you can put the pedal down if you want and not bonk) and it is easily the most technical running I know of in Northern Illinois. If you have a thing for tree roots, this is the place for you! There are some bluff areas, probably no more than 30 or 40 feet high, but still take care because the trails generally get more technical nearer these bluffs.



Holy tree roots, Batman! The Razor Back Trailhead


Razor Back Trail is by far the shortest trail in the park (about 1/2 mile) but one that I never fail to hit at some point during a run or hike. It has rooty, rocky climbs at each end and the trail skirts the bluff edge. It does have railings along a good portion of the trail, though. During the Spring and Fall when the leaves are off the trees it has in my opinion the best views of the valley and Pines Creek. It is 100 percent singletrack.




Rock steps at the Sleepy Hollow Trailhead


Hands down the coolest trail at the park! As you can see from the pic above, it begins with a boulder-ish short climb that brings you out on a root-infested ridge covered in pines. It also has several creek crossings. Most of this trail is fairly wide but like Razor Back, it gets very technical in spots and measures out at a little over one mile long. You can tell it is my favorite since there are more pics from this trail below.



ridge portion of Sleepy Hollow Trail



yep, that's my shoe giving some scale to some of the roots I am talking about

Fireplace thingy along Sleepy Hollow

Sunset Trail, Whispering Pines Trail, and Look Out Trail are all interconnected on the Northeast end of the park. Consisting of mostly wide track, they give a runner or hiker a chance to eat up some miles, and Sunset borders the bluff for aways, so watch your step on the roots.  Also on the East end of the park are the Red Squirrell and Grey Squirrell Trails, which can be accessed easily from up top at the Inn's parking lot or from down below at the tree identification area. You will find some singletrack on Sunset, but mostly this side of the park is nice wide trail. I usually park near the tree I.D. area and either begin at Razor Back or Grey Squirrell. That way I can ramble around and sort of circle the park and not do too much backtracking. I have gotten in some nice 7-8 mile runs without getting repetitive about it. If you shoot down some side trails into the valley and criss cross it a bit you could get in a real decent long run.

White Pines Trail Map.

Some other nice features of the park: There are four fords in the park, two you can drive through and two toward the rear of the valley that you can wade through. They feel damn nice on your feet after a run, let me tell you! Just be careful, they can be a bit slippery. If you want a camping experience, it's a cozy camping area with a suprisingly nice store that is part of the White Pines Inn. There are also cabins, though you have to reserve those well in advance. If you are just there for the day there are several shelters, a couple that are really neat little things. Although it is nice to have a park and it's trails almost to yourself, this is almost never the case at The Pines, it is a well visited little park with a lot of activity whether it be picnics, fishing, or what have you. Me and the family and some friends spent a night camping here last weekend and had a blast. Got in a good eight-miler with my wife and did a lot of relaxing!

Had a very enjoyable running weekend! Took my son Coop to the ByronFest 5k on Saturday morning. He is 16 and runs track and XC. I thought with the awesome programs they have at Byron that there was sure to be a great level of competition for him at this race and I was right. He set a PR with 18:43 (that includes road 5k's) and still didn't medal! That's OK with us, we would rather he ran good times using stronger runners as rabbits than go to some little road 5k and finish top five with a slower time. For instance, he ran in a very small road 5k earlier this summer and won it, but with a much slower time than Saturday at Byron. I brought home 3rd place medal (22:07) in what I like to call the "younger old guy division", otherwise known as 40-44. It's becoming a running joke with me and Coop that we go to a race, he beats me by 3-4 minutes,  I come home with another medal to add to the pile in my dresser drawer, and he gets nothing!

Also, A big shout-out to the Rockford Road Runners Coyotes, you guys were out in force! Always nice to see that group, they epitomize what running should be all about. As great as ANY kind of running or race is, I feel that those that run trails have a bit deeper understanding of what running should be about. Times, PR's, splits, pace, tempo runs... those things are fine and dandy and useful to become a better runner. In my opinion, though, running is one of those thing we were meant to do, and we were probably not supposed to be doing it on blacktop with cars and trucks rushing by us. We are supposed to be putting our feet to the dirt and grass, connecting with our surroundings, competing with ourselves rather than other runners, and just having a damn good time!

Anyhow, we came straight home and packed up for a one-night camping trip with friends at White Pines State Park. I had not been camping in quite a while and it was remarkeably peaceful, though I didn't sleep real great. The next morning me and my wife headed out on for a 8-miler on the Pines trails. We ran a super easy pace, which was nice since I was a little tired from the race the day before and the lack of sleep. I love running at the Pines because it is easily the most technical trails you will find anywhere around here. If you like tree roots, this is your dream come true. I hope to get a detailed review with some pics up later this week. 

Well, no beer comment this time. It's not even noon, for crying out loud!

Let's review this past weekend's running mistakes. 1) Stayed up until 2 a.m. on Friday night. 2) That same night drank many beers (Boddington Ale, if you haven't had it your existence is not quite complete). 3) Though I knew it was going to be brutal hot, I slept in and didn't get out for my 8-miler until late morning. Mistake number three MAY have been a result of mistakes 1 and 2 but I can't be 100% sure! In my defense I realized my mistakes early on and took it REAL easy, did a fair amount of power-hiking up the steepest hills, and survived in decent shape considering it was in the mid-nineties by the time I finished up.I recovered enough to do an EZ 5 the next day on the Galena Territory roads.

I have been not myself since that Saturday run, though. I don't know about anybody else, but I have periods where I am not what I would describe as fatigued, but what I would call my "energy level" is just not there. I won't be sore and I can go out on a run and feel decent, hitting any time or distance goal without much problem. But I just feel mentally hazy all day long and won't have any real motivation or enthusiasm for much of anything, especially running.

I have been pretty careful not to overextend myself since my marathon training, where I completely burned myself out and stuck rigidly to my training schedule no matter what my body and mind was telling me. That experience completely changed how I train for a race, though I have not tackled marathon training since then. I now pretty much wing it on my own training schedule, which in a lot of ways mirrors what I do when I am not training for anything, just with more mileage. I only run during the work week on Tuesday and Thursday. One of those days I make it a point to hit a park trail, running completely on feel with no time goal. The other day is a road tempo run or hill repeats on a long gradual hill in my town. On Wednesday I either go for a walk or hit the eliptical for 30-45 minutes, then some core work and leg work like lunges and toe raises. I always totally rest on Friday and if I do anything on Monday it is very easy.

The weekend I always run both days, usually long trail runs on Saturday and an EZ shorter run the next day. The long run I really try to stay away from time goals and focus on running according to how I feel. This is easier said than done if I am not on a trail because, like a lot of runners I suspect, I become more concerned with the numbers on the watch when I run on the pavement. I feel one of the worst things I personally do to myself in training is push myself on my long run, resulting in "leaving my race" in training. So the end result is I only run 4 days a week, seriously cross train one day, and usually totally rest two days. This hasn't solved every problem I have and I have not achieved running bliss or anything, but I feel it works well for me. I haven't had nearly as much periods of low energy that I described above since I started this schedule. It's a constant learning experience, though. I might be doing something totally different next year. Who knows?

I am taking my son to the Byronfest 5k on Saturday. It's at a forest preserve that he runs at for cross country a couple times every year so it will be a good race for him with some good competition. I may run also (I will not be one of those providing "good competition" for him) if I feel like manipulating my weekend training schedule a bit. Saturday night I will be camping at White Pines State Park and running the trails there. One of the things I plan on doing with this blog is providing some trail running park reviews, so I might start with The Pines next week.

Later, trail fiends! There is a Potosi Fiddler in the fridge waiting to get in my belly!

Happy Birthday to me!

Yes, today is in fact my 41st birthday and, apparently, the best way to celebrate this occasion was to grab a run at Severson Dells on my way home from work. Though it was about 98 degrees out at the time, I elected to run on trails then, rather than on the road later when it cooled a bit. I typically run about half my runs on trails and under my current training plan I run roads Tuesday and trails Thursday. So heat be damned, I was going to hit the trails today no matter what.

I should explain further this "plan" I have. I am running the Clinton Half Marathon in Clinton, Iowa, on September 9th. But I also don't want to miss the HOBO 25k, a trail race, which is on the 15th. So I have cobbled together a plan that should have me ready to rise to soaring heights of mediocrity in both races and hopefully with a minimum of suffering. I am now several days into this training regimen and ready to proclaim is a total success already! Nothing could possible go wrong. Right?

This likely will be one of the last long road races I do. I have only done one other half and that was two or three years ago in Madison on an unseasonably hot spring day. I ran a couple minutes over 2 hours, which I know I can beat since I was well under that time at the halfway point of my only marathon. I later imploded in that race, but that is a story for another time when I feel like revisiting that torture chamber. So I am basically running this road half for no other reason than to see what kind of time I can get. Unless I get the urge to tackle a road marathon again (about as likely as me flying someday) I will be doing all my long races on dirt from now on hopefully.

Where was I? Yes, yes! My run today. Was supposed to be an EZ four but nothing is easy when it feels like you are running in the midst of a solar flare. 98 degrees is no joke, my friends! Thankfully, I forgot my watch at home so I had to approximate the distance. With temps like today I am pretty sure I "accidently" underestimated and probably ran more like 3.5, tops. Close enough. I took my handheld Nathan bottle because I didn't want to stroke out and die, but that sloshing was throwing off my rythym, so that wasn't helping things, either. Maybe not the most enjoyable run ever, but any day on a trail is a good day to me.

Looking forward to this weekend at The Galena Territory with friends. The trails there are actually pretty fun and about as hilly as you are going to find around here. Some washed out sections add a bit of technical to the mix. Even if I decide to hit the roads on sunday it won't be bad since I love up and down and the Territory roads have plenty of that. The big question is I can con my son, who is scheduled for a 6 miler, into coming with me on Saturday for my eight. Considering he will have to slow up so I can keep him in sight, he should be able to handle a couple extra miles!

There is a Summer Shandy calling my name...