Lists have been made and taped to the fridge. I am pretty sure they'll be ignored, but it's been a comforting exercise writing them anyway.
I've made the decision this trip will be a bit of work, A LOT of play, and very little rest. I figure I can sleep on the plane.
Before I leave, we celebrate my first born's birthday. I farewell my parents on their travels and at some point I have to turn the hypothetical: 'what will I pack in my travel bag?' into, you know, actually packing my bag. So there's a fair bit to do.
But I travel with my mind eased on one issue of GRAVE CONCERN.
Shoes.
Historically, high heeled shoes and I do not have a great friendship. It's more a one way love affair, with me the swooning admirer, and the shoe itself ready to wreak havoc at any opportunity.
And so even though I love wearing them, it's really just too painful.
Recently I had the fortune to attend a talk with a person I have long admired. I immediately spotted her all too fabulous shoes and wished longingly that I could wear said items, for any length of time without developing blisters and aching bunions.
Oh yes, my feet are devastatingly attractive.
I chatted with the object of my admiration afterwards and as we walked across the grass together she took a pair of flip flops out of her satchel and removed the shoes.
This, she told me with a knowing nod, meant she got the best of both worlds.
And really, that simple tip transformed my world.
So when you see me at the ABC I will be wearing some wondrous high heels.
But in fairness, you should also know that whenever the opportunity arrives for me to hide my feet, as in, we're sitting at a table or something.
The flip flops discreetly tucked away in my bag will be coming out.
I felt it only fair to be completely honest with you about this.
See (many) of you on Saturday.
Got any secrets to share?

I'm leaning toward the green for New Orleans, simply because the fit is a little better than the pink (women's 12), but all things being equal I think I'd rock the pink considering it's the Mardi Gras Marathon.

So anyway, this post is nothing more than a shameless plug for Pearl Izumi's new Streak II, which is either already available or will be within the next week or so. I've had the good fortune to run in these for a few months now, and can safely say they're the best road flats I've ever worn, which is not necessarily saying a great deal as I've only ever owned two different pairs (beyond the Streak), but still...

Anyway, they weigh in at about 7.7 oz in the 9.5, which while not in the uber-light category is still a distinctly light feeling shoe. Wear testing suggests they're good for at least 300 miles, which is a large number for a road flat. The extra ounce or two in the Streak II versus the hardly-there flats (4 to 6 ounces) comes in the form of a little extra cushioning in the midsole and a little added structure to the upper. For me, this makes the Streak an ideal shoe to race the marathon distance in. The legs are always the first thing to break down in a marathon, so hopefully the extra cushion will allow the legs to hold up a little better to the relentless pounding of 26.2 miles on asphalt.

With all that said, no shoe in the world is going to prevent a full-on bonk if I go out too hard, so I sure hope I've guessed my pacing right.

After a pretty lackluster run at the Rat Race 10k on Saturday, I decided to try and get a bit of mojo back for Pikes next weekend by putting in a solid run/scramble up Longs Peak, the most dominant of all peaks along Northern Colorado's Front Range. Due to its proximity to urban centers and Estes Park, this mountain is heavily trafficked, probably the most trafficked in Colorado.

Not surprisingly then the range of abilities on the mountain ranged from serious climbers (although not too many of those in evidence today) to casual hikers who had no idea what they were getting themselves in for when they agreed to take on Longs. I saw some genuine fear in a few people's eyes on some of the sketchier stuff near the peak. This is after all a serious mountain with no sympathy for the trivialities of human existence. Considering the log jams we encountered through a few of the crux areas on the mountain, I was surprised to learn from the rangers once we were done that there had only been five serious accidents this year and just one fatality (heart attack).

Getting back to yesterday's 10k, I was disappointed to put up a fairly pedestrian 37:22. With some pretty strong winds, my splits ranged from a 5:17 tailwind-assisted mile to a 6:15 last mile into a howling headwind! The winner, Cliff Campbell, still managed to run a 33:xx, which, considering the conditions, was pretty impressive.

Feeling pretty deflated with regards to Pikes after yesterday's race and a poor run to Barr Camp last Sunday, I was ready to get out and have some fun running up to Longs' Boulder Field and then hiking/scrambling the last mile or two to the summit. Got a ride to the TH with Ryan, where we met Nick P and got started. The trail up to the Boulder Field is very well maintained, so the run through these first five or six miles was pretty relaxed and uneventful. Got up in 1:19 and then hopped across the boulders heading towards the Keyhole - a notch in the ridge between Longs and Storm peaks. It was blowing pretty hard by the time we got there, but not too bad.


The terrain beyond the Keyhole is definitely more serious than anything leading up to it, and it is this last stretch that I am sure gets a few people into trouble every year. We traversed on ledges around the peak following red and yellow bullseyes towards the Trough - a large gully that ascends towards the summit of Longs - where the traffic was heaviest. By this time we were well above 13,000 feet and many of the people we passed looked to be working very, very hard. Because much of the terrain on the Trough is loose, the most serious danger here is probably falling rock from those above. Near the top there was a slightly more difficult section to negotiate, and there was litterally a line of people waiting to get up or down.

After we finally got up the little notch section at the top of the Trough, it was a short jaunt across the Narrows - an exposed ledge - to the Homestretch. Ryan and I pretty much ran the cracks up this last section for a summit time of 2:01 and 5k of climbing. The weather was pretty good on top - just a bit windy - and we sourced a nice spot on the east side of the summit that was free of people, sheltered from the wind and bathed in sunlight as we waited for Nick to get up.




We were very casual in getting down and actually took 5 minutes longer on the descent than on the climb for a round trip of 4:07. One serious-looking hiker (lots of expensive gear) called us show-offs (!) as we eased past him at the Boulder Field, while a lady with a kinder disposition labeled us her idols as we neared the end of the run. Whatever, just getting a workout in, as Ryan explained to disgruntled hiker-man.


On a sidenote - saw my buddy Eric Lee from the Fort Collins Trail Runners coming down from the Keyhole. He was well on his way to finishing the 'Radical Slam' (solo) having started six hours earlier at 3:30. What's the Radical Slam? Well it's a climb and traverse of all 7 peaks in the Longs Peak Massif region; Meeker, Longs, Pagoda, Storm, Lady Washington, Battle Mt, and Estes Cone. Phew! Funny sometimes where you bump into people.



Wore the Wildcats on this one, and they held up really well on the rock. The grip was great and the shoe, despite its minimalist toebump, was totally solid in protecting the foot on rough terrain: front, sides and bottom.

I started this blog primarily as a means of keeping track of my training and racing activities. I decided to put it in the public domain to add an extra element of peer accountability to my running. I've since found that writing full race reports and weekly training summaries has helped me tremendously in reflecting on what I am and am not doing right or wrong in racing and training. Whether or not people read what I write has largely been a secondary concern.

As it happens, however, a few trail-running souls (and supportive family members) have taken to reading my posts from time to time, and I'd like to repay your time with what I think is an unbeatable offer, in the form of an opportunity to pick up a pair of LaSportiva Wildcats cheaper than you'll find anywhere else ... online, in person, or otherwise (if you can actually find a pair at your local running store/outdoor retailer. I couldn't).

I'd been eying these shoes long before I was fortunate enough to develop a relationship with the fine folks at Wilderness Running Company (WRC), who asked me to review a pair. The reason I never bit the bullet and bought the Wildcats was because I draw the line on shoe purchases at the three figure mark - no matter how sexy they might look - and these things retail at $100 across the board, with little to no exceptions.

From casual observation at recent trail running events, I can tell you that these shoes are already proving massively popular in their first year of availability. And for good reason. The shoe is remarkably comfortable and agile, while also managing to offer great cushioning and stability, all in a package that weighs in at a light (for trail runners) 12oz. And did I mention that they're an awfully good looking pair of shoes? I know, completely irrelevant to performance, but like good food, visual presentation is half the battle in getting a product sold (or eaten).

I wore these bad boys at the Leadville Marathon the other weekend (a tougher testing ground would be hard to find) and they performed to the max, with just a minor amount of slippage in the heel on really loose and steep descents (pretty much my only beef, and one that is easily remedied with an extra pair of socks or a tighter lace-up on the top two eyelets).


Other than that, the shoes barely felt like they were there. They were surprisingly cushy, and the bite on the soles was highly aggressive. Given the rockiness of the course at Leadville, I was concerned that the all-mesh upper would take a beating and rip as other mesh shoes of mine have in the past. However, they came through 100% unscathed, despite numerous high-speed (all things being relative) jagged-edged rakes from the rock-strewn jeep tracks around Leadville. So, yes, I'm digging these shoes. Still not enough mileage on them to warrant a full-on review and and a confident thumbs up, but I'm getting close.


So what's the deal and where can you find them? The location is Wilderness Running and their price until the end of the month is just $90. You may be able to find one or two other retailers that have begun discounting the shoe, but the $90 price tag is just the beginning. Use coupon code Nick10 at checkout and take an additional 10% off, while also enjoying free shipping and the joy of giving nothing to the government. That's right folks, $81 (out the door) gets you into a pair of these awesome Wildcats. AND THAT'S NOT ALL. Buy in July and you get a pair of the much-touted Drymax running socks thrown in for free ($12 value). AND THAT'S STILL NOT ALL. There's a ton of other stuff at WRC on sale through the end of the month, and the coupon code mentioned above is good on all of it, today, tomorrow and for the foreseeable future.


AND THERE'S STILL MORE. The people at WRC are trail runners like you and me; they have a profound love for the sport, intimate knowledge of their product and a keen desire to please and see others enjoying the great outdoors at a speed faster than a hike. These guys carry nothing ... nothing ... but trail running gear. Check 'em out, they're working hard for your attention in these tough economic times.

Last time I chased Round Mountain, in January, I was pretty pleased to get up the 4.75 miles and 3,000 feet of rocky, switchback-laden singletrack in under an hour (58:23), but at the time I figured I was good for at least a sub-55-minute ascent with increased fitness and better, snow-free conditions. I decided to take a stab at the 55-minute goal last night. I was joined by Jonathan Zeif, who is in training for his tenth Journey Across the Sky in Leadville this summer. If successful, which he will be, J.Z. will bring home the coveted (and ridiculously large) 1,000-mile belt buckle.

The conditions at 6:30 on this evening were overcast and spitting rain - pretty good considering it could have been sweltering or massively stormy. As usual, I didn't much feel like embarking on an hour of hurt, but that's what mountain racing is all about (once you find your threshold and rhythm, it's never that bad).

Through the first mile, I was huffing and puffing, feeling slow and generally out of sorts. I was surprised then to see my one-mile split at 10:09, which was a minute faster than last time. Hmm, effort felt hard, but sustainable. I was going to wait for the two-mile split before calling this one a PR'able run.

Second, and toughest, mile came in at 11:53, another minute quicker than last time. I had found my groove and knew that a PR and FKT was in the cards. My effort felt similar to my run in January, so I concluded that I was simply a minute per mile fitter over this climb than I was in the winter. The third mile, which includes some flatter and faster sections, in addition to some of the steeper switchbacks on the climb, came in at 10:35; 90 seconds up on January. Now it was just a matter of maintaining the effort and seeing where I could shave some extra seconds with increased push. I decided to stay steady on mile four, hitting the split at 11:04 (one minute faster again), and then push the final 3/4 of a mile with whatever I had left.

The final stretch has probably the steepest climbing of the whole run, but it also has the best footing so you can really push if you have anything left. I felt like I still had some good push in me, so put my head down and ground out what I could, which turned out to be a 9:13 last split (another minute shaved) for a total run time of 52:55, or a 5:20 PR and new fastest-known time (FKT) for local runners who keep track of such things.

Very pleased with this run and the evidence that I'm in good aerobic shape despite significantly reduced mileage in the weeks either side of Bighorn. My legs felt great, so appear to be back on track after the beating they took two weeks ago, although I'm fully aware that they're probably not entirely healed. I plan to take it very easy after the Leadville Marathon next weekend to let everything repair properly before shifting my focus to the roads, and the beginning of a training cycle that will hopefully culminate in a sub-2:40 run at the Dublin Marathon in October.

I wore the Crosslites for their first outing since I got them the other day. Unfortunately I had the laces pulled too tight, so suffered through numb feet for most of the run. In addition, I had some pain in my right arch because of the narrow fit. On the plus side, the shoes are like none I have ever run in before, both in terms of lightness of feel and in flexibility across the whole shoe. I know La Sportiva build rock climbing shoes, so I couldn't help feeling that the fit of the Crosslites kind of felt that way: tight and flexible. These shoes are going to take some getting used to, but once I've figured out the right tension to put on the laces, and find trust in the flexibility of the shoe, I think they're going to rock as much as I thought they would when I got them out of the box for the first time.

I'm not one to get too excited about trail running shoes, or running shoes in general, but wow! I've been blown away by a pair of La Sportiva Crosslites. Out the box, these things looked aggressive, light and sharp, and the feel once on was exactly what a mountain running shoe should feel like: tight, without being constrictive while also maintaining a degree of flex for the toes; all characteristics that prevent blister-inducing foot slippage within the shoe on quick and rocky descents, while also allowing for great responsiveness to the trail. The tread looks out of this world and super aggressive with heavy, durable spike-like lugs forming deep and wide grooves for maximum grip. Nice!

A word of thanks here to Stacy from Wilderness Running for taking the time to exchange multiple emails with me in pursuit of the perfect mountain racing shoe from his stocked selection. These guys deal exclusively in trail running shoes and gear (the only such retailer I know of), so they know their stuff. In addition to the Crosslites, I also picked up a pair of Vasque Celerators (a new lighter-weight trail racer) and a pair of La Sportiva Wildcats (oh, and the running socks they give away with every pair of shoes) in return for a bit of work I did for them. Nice deal. I'll be offering some thoughts on all three shoes, as I get a feel for them, both here and at the Wilderness Running website.

The Wildcats are the only shoes I have run in thus far - they arrived yesterday - and I'm sad to say they got their debut outing at ... the track, a place I hadn't seen in over ten months until last night. Five-time marathon Olympic trials qualifier, Jane Welzel, was leading the session and there was a turn-out of probably 40+ runners. Fort C is just a great all-around outdoors town.


Anyway, the Wildcats felt solid and light, if a little more roomy and jiggly than the Crosslites. I have a feeling, and hope, these shoes are going to be my go-to daily runner. They're designed to offer a little more cushioning than the brand's race shoes, so hopefully they'll stand up well to many hundred miles of rocky mountain trail.

The Vasque feel a little stiff walking around, but they're lightweight and should be a decent shoe - hopefully an excellent shoe - once warmed up. We'll see.


A note on sizing: I typically run in a 9.5 shoe, but have consistently found Vasque shoes to run big by at least a half size, which means I wear a 9.0 Vasque. The Sportiva's use European sizing to allow for slightly more subtle distinctions between sizes. I ordered a 42.5 (between a 9 and 9.5, but closer to 9.5) and they fit like a glove, er, sock.

The early odds for my top pick from the three are heavily in favor of the Crosslite from an initial out-the-box feel, but it's early in the race and I need to see how each shoe holds up to a couple hundred miles of gnarly trail and a few races before calling a winner. The Crosslites go out tomorrow night for a time trial up Round Mountain. Can't wait.

Those who know me well would probably use the adjective 'frugal' to describe me in relation to my spending habits. Those who know me better might even use the adjectives 'tight' or 'miserly.' I prefer 'cautious,' but I guess all things are relative.

One of the many reasons I love running so much is the simplicity of it versus other gear-dependent sports such as climbing or biking. An avid climber or cyclist can expect to fork out serious dough on equipment and repairs annually. The runner, by contrast, needs a few pairs of shoes, socks, shorts, T-shirts and sundry cold-weather gear to get through the year.

However, runners, like humans more broadly, do come in many shapes, sizes and flavors. There are certainly products and races out there that can do serious damage to the pocket book. The cost of running Badwater, for example, when all the supplies, fuel, crew costs, hotels, rental cars, sauna fees, training trips, ice, etc are factored in can be as much as $10,000.

If you're into gadgets, then there are plenty of GPS-type devices on the market that can run you $300-$500.

I tend to forgo overly expensive races, and simply don't feel the need to spend money on gadgets that, to me, are of marginal utility especially as relates to performance.

Running minimalists such as myself subsist on clothing schwag from previously run races, while also maxing out the mileage on their shoes way beyond the (Runner's World-/manufacturer-) recommended 350-500 miles. My buddy Felix would be a good example of the shoe-stretching runner.

Personally, I haven't bought an item of running clothing, except for a $4 pair of gloves from Big Lots, in over two years, while I bought a grand total of two pairs of running shoes last year (both on clearance) and won a couple more pairs. Socks, T-shirts and hats come courtesy of race giveaways, while shorts last forever. I am currently subsisting on trail shoes from last year and reusing previously retired road shoes, although I will have to bite the bullet soon and pick up a new pair. I wear my wife's jogging pants for leg warmth through the winter (it's a good look!) and don't actually own my own pair.

Despite my best efforts, however, the outgoing-dollar total racks up quickly when one considers travel to and from races/trailheads, race entry fees, and other miscellaneous expenses. It definitely ranks as my biggest annual discretionary expense, but to the tune of how much? I intend to find the answer to that question by keeping a monthly log of run-related expenses, and to then assess whether I am getting value for money (although I already now the answer to that question).

For the sake of simplicity with regards to car miles, I am calculating just fuel costs, and not other factors such as insurance, depreciation, and wear and tear. The IRS calculated all those costs combined at 50.5 cents per mile in the first half of last year and at 58.5 for the second half.

For the Month of January:

Jan 10 - To Round Mountain & back (45 miles).
Jan 17 - To Wyoming for Twin Mountain Trudge (165 miles). $5 donation to race $4 on food for race.
Jan 22 - Treadmill ($277).
Jan 31 - To Conoco to meet Chad (20 miles).
Jan early race entries - Collegiate Peaks ($65), Fruita ($65), Crazy Legs ($20).

Totals:

Running-related car miles (230 miles @20 mpg & 1.70 per gal) = $20.
Race fees = $150
Gear = $277
Food and race prep = $9

Total = $456