Good eats

Need healthy food that tastes great?  It's almost time for The Holidays, when most people just accept that they'll gain a few pounds at the expense of indulging in tasty treats.  But what if these treats didn't always have to be bad for you?  Why must we sacrifice our hard earned abs, just to enjoy a few nice meals with family? 

A skilled cook can easily figure out exciting flavor combinations without overdoing it with sugar and butter.  Check out the pictures provided by Chef Elizabeth Sasseman and tell me you don't want to try her cooking:

Oh and she is a stud Ultrarunner who completed the Leadville 100 this year at the baby age of 23!  So you know she understands the importance of proper nutrition for the long run.

Photo:  Chef Elizabeth Sasseman

Warning:  this is a shameless plug for my friend Liz's cooking, but seriously I'm plugging her cooking and food because after talking to her, I can tell she is really passionate about cooking healthy food for people who might otherwise not have the time to do so.  Not to mention she is a fantastic cook who makes healthy food taste great.  Its not easy to do. 

Check out here website here:  http://chefelizabethsasseman.com/
Like her facebook page:  chefelizabethsasseman
Send her an email:  chefelizabethsasseman@yahoo.com

Photo:  Chef Elizabeth Sasseman

Photo:  Chef Elizabeth Sasseman

Photo:  Chef Elizabeth Sasseman

Bad day at the races, So what? - I still had fun

UROC 100k Race Report

Been seriously neglecting my blogging duties.  Sorry, I'd say I didn't have time, but I did.  I guess I was just lacking something to write about.  

But now I have a story to share.  Its called, I got ROC'd at UROC/remembering how to have fun at races.  

I had a really good summer of training and racing.  There is no way I could complain about the two top ten finishes at the Leadville series of races.  But then I had to go back to Michigan, finish my dissertation, move out of my apartment, defend my dissertation, move to Colorado, start a new job, and hopefully train as much as possible.  

I did all those things, but some of them I did a better job at than others.  Actually I trained really well through late August and into mid September.  However, after starting a new job doing research at the University of Colorado, I was noticing that my system just felt stressed.  OK, I need to rest, I'll start my taper for UROC.

UROC is the first of the series of races I signed up for to keep myself out of trouble this fall.  Its the unofficial "World Championships" of ultrarunning, but actually it was the championship race for Skyrunning.  This meant that it drew an incredible field of the best runners in the world, and I was excited to see what I could do relative the what is generally considered some of the fittest endurance athletes in the world. 

In fact, I was so excited that I was vibrating the entire day before the race, it'd been a while since I was so excited mentally to go out there and run run run.  Maybe it was because I'd been spending a lot of time cooped up in the lab. 

Sammy and I - ready to party

It snowed a lot up high the night before the race, and by up high I mean above 11,000 feet.  That's really high up if you're not from Colorado.  Like two miles up.  

Anyways, after figuring out what I thought was appropriate clothing, I found myself giving Sammy a high-five and making my way towards the starting line for the start of what could only be something EPIC.  The gun sounds and we're off.  A stampede along the road until we hit the ski slopes in Breckenridge.  As soon as we hit the climb I knew something was wrong.  I felt really good on the flat, then going up had NOTHING in my legs.  Scary Nothing.  Like a mile into a 60+ mile race scary.  Whatever, I've run enough of these things to know that sometimes you just gotta be patient and stick it out and things will turn around.  

On the climb up I kept the elites in sight and watched Sage, Dakota, Killian, Rob Krar, and Emelie Forseburger-doodle go flying down the singletrack towards Frisco.  Yay, my turn to go down.  Then people started passing me.  Thats weird, not a lot of folks can usually pass me going downhill, quads kinda feel achy.  Uh oh, flashes of previous poor races came rolling back into my mind.  I pull myself together, keep running and find that as we get closer to Frisco (and lose altitude) I start to reel back in the people who passed me earlier.

Frisco Aid Station.  Its cold, but not terrible.  Ryan informs me that I am currently 5th woman.  I get a good laugh out of his joke, slurp down a half frozen gel, and run back out of town.  No clue what is ahead.

I'm starting to realize this might not be "my day."  I've been blessed to have a lot of good races; perhaps because of my grad student-ness, I was typically well rested/unstressed before races.  Shiiiit.

Going up.  up.  up.  I talk to some folks, and then they run away from me.  Glarg, competitive spirit does not like it.  I try to go harder.  I feel sick.  Almost puke.  Slow down.  Long race, not even 20 miles in right now.  You'll catch them later.  

Holy crap, all of a sudden we're above tree line and there is...  ~10 inches of snow on the ground. Slip.  Slide.  No motivation to run hard.  Francesca Canepa trucks on by me.  She looks super strong.  Euro power.   Wait, I'm in a good mood?  Look around.  Crazy wild terrain, where in the world am I?

12,500 feet up running along a ridge line looking out over the 10 mile range at some jagged peaks covered in fresh snow on a blue bird day.  Oh.  Ok, ok ok, this is still fricking awesome.  Descending now, into the Copper Mountain ski area.  Really muddy with all the snow melt below tree line.  No problem for me.  I like mud.

Hmmm, GPS says 28 miles and I'm not at the 26.5 mile aid station yet.  Consistent theme throughout the day.  See Ryan, Liz, Tiffany, and Justin when I finally get to the aid station.  No BS to Ryan, bad day for me, just going to enjoy myself.  Then 12 miles of road.  Legs fall off again, while going up.  Some guy passes me.  His pacer is carrying all his shit for him, #cheating #idontcare.  I'm walking, but walking fast...  Im whining in my head right now.  No, I'm such a stud to be walking so fast. 

New aid station up ahead, I act like I've been running the entire time.  Oh hey, its Geoff Roes.  I make a few jokes, he laughs, now the paved bike path heads downhill.  I jog, then run, then run fast.  I'm flying.  I pass at least 4 or 5 people.  I take a gel, I feel really good, make jokes at another aid station, keep the mood light, stay positive.  Now I'm running up this big climb.  Ok, hitting about 11,000 feet and snow again, I'm in a strong pow-hike, no one is gonna catch me at this rate, 42 miles in and I might be finding my form.  Some guy goes running by me like its no big thing.  I deflate physically/mentally (not sure), laugh, and decide not to suffer so much and relax.

I get to the top of the second to last climb.  Coughing.  A lot.  Kinda deep chest rattle.  Pulmonary edema?  Don't be dramatic.  Eat a gel, instantly barf neon green into the snow.  Lemon lime gel.  Eat another gel.  Stays down.  Run down fast.  Start seeing other runners who were way ahead of me.  I'm actually catching up.  Get to Minturn, GPS watch says 56 miles, aid station says 51.  Someone is lying.  Bachelorette party offers me a cigarette, I strongly consider taking a drag.  Decide no.  Grab my headlamp, and for no known reason decide to change shoes.  Bad idea.  Eat two turkey sandwiches on my way out, to the amusement of many passerbys I'm jugging Turkey Sandwich #2, headlamp, gloves, jacket, shirt, waterbottle.  

Up.  Up.  Up.  This again?  I catch a few more people, feeling strong at this altitude.  Starts getting dark.  Turn on headlamp.  Uh oh.  Not working.  Bad.  Arrogantly didn't think I would use it at this race - didn't change my batteries out from Leadville pacing duties (4pm-4am).  Rotate batteries.  Maybe 20 lumens.  

Top of last climb.  Eat soup.  Too hot, burn mouth, spit it out.  Politely ask them to put water in it.  Try again.  Good.  Ask for soup in my waterbottle.  Get a weird look.  Confirm that is what I desire.  Sipping on chicken broth all the way down the mountain.  

Where am I?  Lost again.  Turn around, go back up.  Find trail.  See a person with a pacer, dash ahead of them.  Stay ahead.  Run off trail into bushes and into a branch.  People behind ask if I'm OK, yes, just lost.  They guide me back on trail.  I dash ahead again.  I'm being stubborn.  OK lost again.  Last time I swear.  No reflective tape on flags, very few markings, headlamp almost dead, blah blah, poorly marked course at night.  Now the people who've I've been dashing in front of are gone.  Where did they go?

Finish line in sight.  Just finish.  Almost go the wrong way.  Finished in under 14 hours (30th at the "World Championships"), get belt buckle (all I really care about).  Coughing, trying to find Pizza, end up in a room that was supposed to be locked.  Its all set up for a wedding reception in the morning.  Am I hallucinating?  Smell Pizza, FIND PIZZA.  Chair.  People who I kept dashing in front of finish.  They got lost, despite the fact the pacer had run up that road earlier that day.  See!  Not just me.   I swear.  Hot tub.  Beer.  Sleep.

And that folks, is my UROC summary.  Everyone said it was long.  Probably 4 miles long.  66-67 miles, depending on how many times you got lost (67 miles for me!).  My legs honestly felt dead tired if I tried to go fast, they didn't ever really hurt, I had no cramping issues to speak of, but struggled mightily to find energy and keep food down when I got up above 10,000 feet.  That being said, I had a fantastic time, the pressure of racing hard was gone because I knew I just didn't have it.  Its nice to know that I'm strong enough to just kinda meander through a race on a sub-par day and still find the finish line.  I can't help but wonder if the race had been another 33 miles, would I have reeled in more people?  Despite no speed, I felt capable of moving at my pace all day, probably because I was going so slow earlier.

First year races are a gamble.  They need to figure out the distance, and mark the course better for night time running.  I believe 73 people finished out of 215 starters or something.  Thats a very very low finishing rate.  Perhaps that speaks to how hard the race is, but also how demoralizing it is to get lost/find out you have 5 miles further to go than you thought.  

Nike Zoom Terra Kiger Review

Enter the Nike Trail Collection: Nike Zoom Terra Kiger Review
By Jason Robertson

        After my block of 50 milers in July I was ready to explore a new shoe.  I had run the Devil's Lake 50 miler in the Nike Zoom Streak XC3s on July 13th.  Two weeks later, I competed in the Voyageur 50.  In this race I tried the La Sportiva Vert K and switched into the XC3 about 20 miles into the race.  The upper on the Vert K was just too loose, allowing for a lot of forward foot movement on the downs.  I'm sure this is why my two big toes have black nails.  I love the XCs, but they just aren't built for the long, technical terrain that the Voyageur dished out.

Nike Zoom Streak XC3: Not quite a 50 mile shoe...

        Towards the end of the Voyageur,  I came up to a guy wearing the Nike Zoom Terra Kigers.  Chris Beck had sent me some info on these a few days before the race, so I was pretty excited to spot these shoes out on the course.  I initially passed him about mile 38ish, not noticing his footwear.  However we came to a steep downhill leading into the Chamber's Grove aid station and he quickly caught me, then passed me upon our exit from the station.  I managed to catch him a little later and we started chatting shoes.  He had purchased the Kigers the day before the race and he stated that they were great, right out of the box.  I had noted his downhill prowess in the shoes and thought I should try them out.

What is this new line?:
        The new Nike Zoom Terra line derives from an old 'Earthy' line of, what I think, was a cross country shoe line.  Nike pulled the name Kiger from a breed of wild Mustang native to the Oregon area.  Two shoes exist as of now in this line: The Terra Kiger and The Wildhorse.  The Kigers have Nike Trail printed on the insole, so I do believe the company is entering the foray of low-drop, lightweight, trail racers.  And in my opinion, have entered in a crushingly, fantastic way.

Enter the Kiger:
        The Kiger is NOT a new shoe.  The Kiger is pieced together from several other Nike shoes and a brand new sticky rubber outsole has been added. According to Nike the last is taken from the Free 5.0.  In my opinion, the entire shoe reminds me of the Free 3.0 v.3.  With its half-tongue (think New Balance road 00) and buttery smooth inner with a beautifully loose (no heel counter allowing for a flexible but still supportive heel, it is hands down the most comfortable trail shoe I have.  The Brooks Pure Grit comes close with its satin-like heel material.  But, the award for the most comfortable upper now belongs to the Kiger.  This didn't surprise me, I loved the Free 3.0 and this shoe is a direct blood relative.  

Very nice heel fit, soft yet supportive

The fit of this shoe is not overly wide like the Altra Lone Peak, but not as narrow as the XC3.  Overall, sizing is comparable to the MT110, I wear a size 10 in both of these shoes.  There is no rockplate but because the shoe has a full length rubber outsole, the protection is somewhat comparable to the peregrine.  Runningwarehouse has the stack height at 23mm in the heel and 19mm in the forefoot.  The shoe feels very flexible and has a nice amount of energy return.

Lacing system and shoe

The lacing derives from the new Flyknit system, where little string eyelets are looped to receive the laces.  This system performs the midfoot lockdown, and does this quite well.  While the upper and the last of the Kiger is not new, the outsole has not been seen before.

all new outsole- the colors create a bullseye to reveal where the zoom air units are located, good stuff!

Initial findings out on the trail:
        Socks or no?  I decided the very first run with these would be sockless.  The upper feels great on the skin. Satin on the heel/achilles area, seamless construction throughout- out of the box, sockless run- no problems, no blisters.  If you've ran in the Frees and felt good, you'll like this upper.  This is one of the nicest uppers of the trail shoes that I have worn.  However, it did loosen a little on my initial run.  I have a foot length discrepancy: my left is a full size bigger than my right.  I size to my left foot, which puts me in a 10.  My right would fit nicely in a 9.  On my right foot, the shoe did slip a little, especially after the water crossing.  I simply tightened it up, and on my way I went.  No major issues, but I did read a few initial reviews about how the Kiger's upper was too loose for some tastes, so I wanted to take notice.  The shoe drains nicely, laces stay put, and there is good mid-foot lockdown.  The upper is not as responsive as, say a 110.  It gives a little, but I did not think it squirmed too much on the tight, twisty mountain bike course where I was testing.

Is the outsole good enough?:
        Ok, this was my dilemma.  The Brooks Pure Grit were the most comfortable shoes in my quiver.  However, if I even thought of running when a little moisture was present, the shoe became downright dangerous.  After slipping on the Kiger, I immediately thought of the Grit's comfort and hoped this thing hooked up on the slicks.  Sure enough, at least my initial findings, this thing grips just fine.  The trail was relatively dry, but I went through the stream twice and with a wet bank on either side.  The shoe gripped going up and down, no slippage.  Took the Kiger over a wet, wooden bridge, no problems.  I'm thinking the shoe will hook up well, but until I run through a slop-fest, rain-dance, I'll be slightly cautious.  It seems the outsole patterns itself similarly to a Cascadia.  It has a similar lug pattern around the outside of the shoe and little blocks/pods in the center switching directions just after the arch creating a multi-directional system.

Final Thoughts:
        This is a beautiful shoe.  I had wished back in 2010, when I had worn the XC2 for Stumpjump and the Free 3.0 for a few long trail runs, that Nike would create a trail specific shoe that would hang with the likes of the New Balance 100/101. I think their first shot at this is successful. I think they waited until the ultra-minimal phase was over and then jump in with both feet. The shoe is not uber light, but the company did not false advertise: a male size 10 is 8.6 oz, just as mentioned on the Nike site.  The 4mm midsole drop shoe is VERY comfortable and so far, does a good job on hooking up on the trails.  The shoe is pricey at $125 U.S., but with Salomon's Sense line toping out at $180-200, nice trail shoes are going to put you back a little.

Just on a side note - I think this is a great direction for trail shoes to be headed.  "Minimalist" shoes such as the 110 just don't have enough protection and cushion for a lot of us, yet personally I still desire something with a low drop and relatively light weight.  The Kiger achieves both these things, while also providing adequate protection.  Nike has been a long time coming in entering this arena, but I think this shoe not only performs great, but also represents the direction consumers (and thus the industry) are desiring.

Hoka Bondi B 2 Review

By Guest Reviewer Jason Robertson

Jason's review of the Hoka Stinson Evo Low was so popular that when he bought a pair of the new Bondi 2's I pestered him for a review until he finally agreed.  Enjoy!

My Recent History with the Hokas:

     Last June I picked up a pair of Hoka One One Stinson Evo B Lows.  In my review I raved about their downhill prowess, sticky rubber traction, and the polished fit and feel.  I also questioned the outsole longevity and how would running in such a pillowy-soft shoe effect the training adaptations typically received in lower, less cushioned, more flexible shoes.

     The summer is my high volume time of the year as I am not teaching.  So I ran.  Mixing the New Balance 110’s, Brooks Pure Grit, and the Hoka Stinson B’s; I averaged 85 miles per week.  The Hokas were my long run shoe of choice.  I continued this until the peak phase for the Hell 50k in September.  I ran the Woodstock 50K and two weeks later I raced and won the Hell 50k.  I did both races in the NB 110’s.  After Hell, my hip was incredibly sore and I took October off.  During this time the Hokas became suspect to the hip injury and I shelved them.

     During November and throughout the winter months I tried several new shoes and started to mix the Hokas back in.  My hip healed up after some much needed cross-training and yoga sessions.  Finally, in February, I was 18 miles into a road run wearing the Altra Instincts.  My left calf felt as if someone had snuck up and stabbed it with a knife.  I immediately called my wife and she graciously picked me up.  Throughout the next two months I tried every shoe, stretch, and rehab technique in my inventory and nothing seemed to help.  The calf would seem ok, then boom! Injury and back to square one.  I pulled out of the 100 miler I was signed up for, but I had this awesome trip planned to the Smokey Mountains.  I utilized Running Warehouse’s return policy, sending back the Altras (both the Instincts and Superiors) and had them send me a pair of the new Hoka Bondi B 2s.

Hoka Bondi B’s

     These shoes allowed me not only to enjoy the trip, but to run much more than initially expected.  I started very cautiously, hiking the ups and jogging on the downs (there’s not much in between).  Then, toward the end of our first outing I was able to run the downhill and feel zero pain in the calf.  The next day, I ran everything that my current state of fitness would allow and no pain.  I commented to Jon several times how good these shoes felt and how good my calf was doing.  Third day, besides crossing an icy river of death, all was well.  On the fourth, I switched to the Brooks Cascadia because of some preconceived notions of mud in the upper elevations needing increased traction.  My calf spoke to me all day.  I still have no idea why the calf is good in the Bondi B’s and nothing else, but I’ll take it.  Here’s my take on the shoe

The author horsing around in his Hoka Bondi B 2's

Fit and Feel:

     The Bondi’s have a great upper.  Very thin mesh on the outer, a hexagonal structured material and then a final mesh that sits against your sock that is very comfortable.  I had over seven hours and never felt a hot spot or uneasy rubbing.  The shoe runs true to size, if not a touch over-sized.  I wear 10’s in the NB 110’s and bought a size 10 Bondi.  I could probably go for a 9.5, but with long races and foot swelling, the 10’s will be just fine.  My first run in the Stinsons did develop some chaffing around my pinky toe area.  I had nothing with the Bondi.  From the first run until now, no blister or hot spots; these uppers are top-notch.  One of our shorter outings, a 3.5 hour, had a stream crossing right off the bat.  Feet were wet the entire time and no issues. They are not over-built, but do offer enough structure for technical trail use.
     As good as the uppers feel, there does seem to be a weak spot.  I now have well over 50 hours in the Bondi.  After yesterdays trail marathon the upper around the toe box was stressed to the point that some holes were forming in the first layer of mesh.  These had not formed until yesterday and the race took place on a mountain bike course with many tight, twisty switchbacks.  I wasn’t too surprised by this and it confirmed the major weakness of this shoe.

Slight wear on both sides of the toe box

Not a Shoe with the Quickness:

     This is the major drawback with the Bondi, in my opinion.  You just don’t get a high turn-over or quick turning manners from this shoe. Think slow(er) and methodical versus light and racey.

On the first major downhill, heading back to Laurel Falls the trail was strewn about with a lot of technical debris: rocks, roots, mud, tight-twisty turns, and off cambers; I thought I was flying.  Jon came up and let me know that our 9 minute per mile pace was ok, but went shooting by in his Senses (half the weight, half the mid-sole, much higher turn-over).  I just didn’t feel safe following.  I felt very protected and could’ve ran that pace over that terrain all day, but just didn’t feel like I could handle all the technicalities any faster.  Yesterday’s trail marathon was on much smoother terrain where I could really fly on the downs, but the tight-twisties forced me to slow slightly.  

     Safety on the down hills is also where this shoe seems to shine over the Stinson.  I never felt my ankle twist or have any major deflection on the loose rock as I did with the Stinson B’s.  This did give me more confidence going into loose rock piles and slick roots.  In my opinion, I think the Bondi does a better job of absorbing the side-load impacts than does the Stinson; most likely because of mid-sole design.

Outsole design:

     Super tacky! As good as the Stinson B’s outsole and the quality of the rubber for trail use is, the Bondi trumps it.  As mentioned before, I wore the Cascadias on our last outing because we thought it would be incredibly muddy with all the snow melt.  I didn’t notice much of a difference in traction levels and was left wanting the plushness and calf soothing feel of the Bondi. Anything but algae covered river rock is traction for the Bondi.  Back in Fort Wayne this week, we had a few days of sloppy, snotty mud and while there was some slippage, I was happy with the way that this road shoe handled the mud.  Hoka could make a very nice winter running trail shoe simply by adding lugs to the rubber portions of this shoe- good stuff.

Outsoles after about 50 hours

Conclusions

The Goods:

1. Great fit and feel, the upper and sizing are spot on. All day comfort, lace ‘em up and forget.

2. Protection and midsole shape.  Inspires confidence and great for injury prone runners and recovery days.

3. Awesome outsole, holds on to multiple surfaces even though it’s marketed as a road shoe.

The Bads:

1. While very comfortable the upper is weak in some spots

2. Not a fast turner or allows for high turn-over as other lighter shoes do (12oz on the food scale)

All in all, these are allowing me to run and get back to a normal training schedule.  If you’re in the Hoka market, I would definitely look at, and try on a pair of the new Bondi B’s.  They are very useful for trail applications, high mileage outings on road, trail, mountains, ect. If you’re racing 50 miles or more, these would be great in a drop bag- the longer the race/outing the better they feel. 

  

Tecumseh Double Trail Marathon

I put my graphic design skills to work

TTDM.

I'd never run the Tecumseh Trail marathon before.  If I had, I'm not sure I would have agreed to run the course in reverse the night before, per Scott Breeden's brilliant suggestion.  I've run in Southern Indiana before, and I never cease to be amazed by the plethora of excellent trails the area has to offer.  The hills are also much larger than what we have available anywhere near where I live.  If you want to check out what the area has to offer, you can read Scott's article here.

Great idea Ryan.  Also, notice the nice minivan/station wagon hybrid in the background

Sometimes I like to get a little stupid.  And luckily, I have friends who think the same way.  Scott asked around, and before I knew it, he had found two other saps to go for the TTDM with us.  We all met at the campground in Morgan Monroe State Forest, where race started the next morning (Saturday).  Then, Kevin, Ryan, Scott and I all hoped in the Toeriffica and drove to Yellowwood, where the race would finish (Saturday).  After nearly driving off the road multiple times, I finally got us there safely.  We proceeded to each take a pull of paleo-style buffalo whiskey in order to provide some analgesic effects. And we were off.

Ryan, Kevin, and I enjoying a beautiful day

I should point out that it was also nearing 60 degrees, and soon we were all warm and had to adjust our layers.  The first 45 minutes or so flew by, we were moving at a good clip, and I had noted to Ryan Case at least once that the hills were rather large.

Anyways, we ran, and ran some more, the mood was light, energy seemed good, and I was running the hills fairly well (at least for me).  We had water stashed at mile 13, right at the bottom of Indian Hill, and if you've never run down Indian Hill, its really freakin steep.  After bombing down it, I realized I'd have to go up it tomorrow, and knew it was going to be fun.

Indian Hill Bombing

I think someone farted

mtn bike gloves for $5 are good for grabbing trees

We continued along our marry way, dodging dogs and hunters, until we finished.  Upon reaching the campground where our tents were set up, a muscle in my left leg notted up into a nasty charlie horse, and from then on it felt as if I had a deep tissue bruise.  Definitely a new feeling, I've never had that happen before.  I blame it on only drinking 2 bottles of water for the 4 hour run.



We refueled with Mexican food, met up with more friends, then Scott and I screwed around in the woods, foraging for firewood and falling down ravines (that part was mostly me).  Before I knew it, it was 1am, and time to crash for the night.  Slept pretty well in my tent, and then it was race morning.  The first thing I noticed when I woke up was a big knot in my leg from where the cramp had been the previous day.  Not much to do but run on it.

TTDM day 1 a success

I can't emphasize how nice it was to sleep at the race start, as there was havoc in the shuttle system, one bus broke down, another one tried to run over a car (the race ended up starting 45 minutes late).  I found some friends, said hi, peed in some bushes, then stood around anxiously awaiting the start.

We started, and half of us ran down the road, while the other half cut across the grass and ended up ahead of us.  Interesting...

The first mile ticked by in 6:45, then another 6:45, and the 3rd mile?  You guessed it, 6:45.  I thought, oh crap at this effort levels im going to bonk, and I could still see Scott Breeden, which should have been the first sign I was going to hard, but then we hit the hills and Scott was gone.  My legs had felt strong climbing the previous day, so it should only be expected that they would be flat and dead on the inclines on race day.  So I tried to back down to a good pace, and ran with some guys Scott knew from Bloomington, and still felt like it was an unsustainable effort.  Josh Wopata was still near at this point, so we shared some laughs and I tried not to think about the fact that I was getting roasted on the uphills.

Sooner rather than later, Josh scooted away, I fell down, and I started to question my goal.  What was my goal?   Oh yeah, to finish.  I figured I could at least do that.

Up direction

Mile 12 came and went, then mile 13 at 1:45 into the race, and this time we had to go up not down Indian Hill.  It was as steep as I remembered from yesterday.  However, my legs were starting to come around, I was a little suprised I wasn't feeling bonky despite the early pace, and I felt confident that I had settled into a effort that I could maintain for hours.  I started the race with two scoops of roctaine powder in my water bottle.  I figured at the high intensity I would shoot for 150 calories an hour or so and continued to fuel at this rate.  I never had any stomach trouble and just ate gels and drank water after my Roctaine bottle ran out.

Around mile 16 I started to really feel good.  Only 10 miles left, and I feel this good???  I still couldnt believe I wasn't hitting bonk city running between 7:30-8:30 miles on trail in this hilly woods.

I guess my last two races had been 100 milers and I've forgotten that you can run hard at the end of shorter stuff.  Thats great.  I slowly worked my way up the field.  I think around mile 13 I was in 10th or 11th, now by mile 18 I was in 6th or 7th.    

I pushed hard when I saw Josh up ahead.  He had slowed a little, and I was moving well, so I said hi and kept moving.  He has done this to me numerous times in races so I had little remorse about not slowing to run with him.  I picked off a few more people, until I saw Scott's friends from Bloomington, probably around mile 25.  Usually if you are running hard enough to see someone you haven't seen all day, you know they're probably blown and you can catch them easily.  This guy...  Not so much.  I think hearing my panting behind him really woke him up, and he floated up a series of switch backs.  I dug deep, went deep to the well to try to match his effort, and came up with nothing.

Almost done

A couple wobbly running steps later, I pow hiked the remaining steep portions of the switchbacks and ran as soon as I reached douche' grade, but it was to no avail, 4th place was outtro.  We came into a long road section and I could see 4th and 3rd place about 1/4 mile ahead of me.  With only a 1/2 mile to go, I smiled, laughed a little bit and ran it in.  What a day.  Scott was already finished and was hanging out with Becky and Rebecca, other members of our crew; cheering and waiting for everyone to come in.  I asked Scott if he got the W, he said yes, which gets a thumbs up from me.

Scott posing for the camera

Finishing holding hands - how cute

Ended up 5th overall, in 3:26, which means I negative split the race, and funny because I've run slower road marathons...  I think it might have had something to do with the generous downhill sections towards the end, but I'm going to pretend it was my excellent pacing.  I think everyone had a great time - Fellow michiganders Ryan and Alaina Case also participated in our pre-race shinanigans, and then crushed it the following day (Alaina was 3rd OA woman in her first trail marathon!).  I fear if those two feed off each other and really train hard, soon I'll be getting Case'd.  Kevin Kearney, the other member of our stupid adventure finished with a strong kick, beating out whoever he had been running in with, and although I'd just met him, he seemed to always be in a good mood, making for a good running buddy.

Tecumseh is challenging, but beautiful.  Friday we ran the up direction, while Saturday we had a net downhill run.  We had great weather, like 60s and sunny, and the creekbeds were relatively dry - I can see them being difficult to maneuver if there had been flowing water.  According to my Garmin the up direction (Yellowwood to Morgan Monroe) has 3400 gain and 2800 decent, with the opposite being true for the actual race.  This is slightly less than advertised, but its still a lot for a marathon.  It felt more like the advertised numbers of 3500 ascent and 4000 decent, but who knows (or cares). 

Comments on paleo and the run.  For breakfast I had a banana with a ton of cashew butter, and followed the fueling plan I described above.  I'm still very interested in the fact that I didn't bonk.  Personally, I don't feel like I have any business running that fast of a trail marathon, especially running one the previous day.  The previous day I did the entire 26 on just 2 gels, which is on the low end of things.  I also felt like I got more of a kick out of the gels than I used to.  This was the first race I've run since going paleo, and I think that at lactic threshold, I am metabolizing more fat than I used to, allowing me to run longer at a higher heart rate or intensity without bonking.  Just a thought, but it would be pretty cool if that was the case.

Asics Gel Fuji Trainer 2 Review

I was very impressed by the Gel Fuji Racer, which caused me to be quite optimistic about the new Gel Fuji Trainer 2, a midweight trail shoe from Asics that fits into the Gel Fuji line of shoes.

The geometry of this shoe is quite appealing to me.  A decent stack height with the forefoot being spec'd at 19mm and the heel at 25mm.  Overall, creating a 6mm heel to toe drop.  Furthermore, the lugging pattern looked much more aggressive than the Gel Fuji Racer, and the weight wasn't too crazy (under 10oz)


Fit
I ordered a size 11.5, which seems to be the typical size I order these days.  It is also the size I wear for the Gel Fuji Racer, and lengthwise I would say these shoes are very comparable in fit, and just right for me.  However, the Fuji Trainer 2 feels much wider throughout the midfoot and maybe a touch wider in the forefoot, something I found a little disappointing.  I should mention, I hated the skinny black laces that came with the shoes and swapped them out for a pair of old MT100 laces.

While most Asics shoes fit my feet like a glove, with a nicely tight midfoot wrap, the Fuji Trainers felt loose and baggy.  Combine this with the fact that the lacing system is a little unique (and strange), I have found it hard to really get these shoes to be tight enough without cutting off circulation to my feet.  I think this is magnified by the fact that there is not a traditional lowset eyelet and the end of the eyelets, which usually allows for the lockdown style of lacing.  Honestly, the little cloth lacing eyelet seemed kinda useless and stupid.  Thinking about it harder, I think because of the wide base of the shoe, the overlays aren't as useful as the typical Asics overlays; maybe if my feet were a little bit higher volume this wouldn't be a problem.

No eyelet for ankle lockdown lacing

Very roomy around the ankle (a little too much) (ignore the saucony insole)

Careful study of the shoes has led me to conclude that the entire area from the tongue to the heel collar is very large and open, thus if you have somewhat skinny bony ankles like myself, there is a lot of room for your feet to move around.  I am unable to get my heel to lock down even though the length of the shoe is perfect.  It hasn't caused me too much grief, except for the fact that debris enter the shoe a little too easily.  Also, there is a perforated, removable insole, which I swapped out for my favorite Kinvara insoles.

Traction
Traction on these shoes is pretty awesome.  The lugs do exactly what you'd expect.  Combine this with a full contact outsole and a wide platform and I found that they bite into just about any type of trail I have available to test them on.  The wide platform really helps give the foot a stable landing pad when running through sandy sections of trail.  The lugging almost reminds me of the Speedcross, except they aren't quite as tall.

Lug height isn't crazy, but its enough

However, towards the heel, Asics implemented a series of offset square lugs rather than the winged lug pattern found on the rest of the shoe.  I think this is to help de-couple the heel if you're a heel striker, but what I have found is that these guys really suck up mud and don't shed it well.  I've ended up with clumps of my stuck only to my heels on several wet runs.

Mud sticks to the heels a little bit

Ride
Along with the traction, the ride and underfoot feel of the Fuji Trainer 2 is probably my favorite aspect.  They are protective without being sluggish, firm without being too solid, and the 6mm drop really feels smooth when running fast or slow.  There is no rockplate, but the foam is fairly firm and I haven't noticed any problems when running across gravel on dirt roads (my nemesis).  They are moderately flexible, but nothing compared to the Fuji Racer.  I have about 150 miles on my pair, and when I definitely feel as though they have been getting a little more flexible as I break them in.  I have noticed that when running across road or very firm trail, the lugs seem to add more cushion, but also a slightly unstable feeling.  It is nothing series, but I just thought I should mention it.

Conclusions
As of right now, I like this shoe, but its not quite what I was expecting.  The fit and lacing issue is a big disappointment on what otherwise is a very solid offering from Asics.  If you have wide feet, high volume feet, I could see this being a great shoe.  I have since tried to add an eyelet of my own in order to help secure my heel, and it has helped, but for some reason I can't help but think Asics could have done a better job of this than I did.

Added my own eyelet

Because of the traction, relatively low weight, and the comfortable, protective ride, I can see these shoes being a great choice for a long race such as a 50 or 100, especially one that has mixed terrain.  If these fit your feet properly, I think they would be an amazing shoe.  I still enjoy mine, even though I can get irritated that with the roomy feel.  I just wouldn't expect them to fit like a pair of Fuji Racers.

Questions?  Comments?  If there is anything I haven't covered, or if you have experience with these shoes, please leave a comment to help anyone else out there, looking for...  The Perfect Shoe.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

We are alone, running on an enormous beach, falling into a rhythm and quickly covering ground.  But then its time to slam on the brakes, breathe in the scenery, and take a couple photos; one can't help but be slightly overwhelmed with the magnificence of this lakeshore.  Repeat this series of events over and over again.

Vanhoose cruising along the lakeshore

 The North Country Trail is an enormously long trail that runs from New York all the way to North Dakota, covering over 4600 miles.  This includes a section through a part of Michigan that is less traveled, to say the least.

More or less on a whim, Ben Vanhoose and I decided to head way Up North and run trail for 5 days.  We found a campsite at Little Beaver Lake (luckily) and were good to go.  This particular campsite/trailhead allowed for excellent access to nearby trails and Lake Superior.  From here we launched most of our daily runs.  I'll write about our destination runs, as some of our shorter trips were just to wake up in the morning without the aid of coffee and loosen up the legs a little. 

Run 1:  An exploratory jaunt to get an idea of where we were in relation to the lake, other trails, and to shake out the legs.  The section from the campground out to the lake is fairly technical, but once we made it to the lakeshore the trails were moderately packed sand.  We continued East on the North Country Trail (NCT), until we saw signs for Trappers Lake Campground and turned South.  After some guesswork, we found the trail that took us along the side of Beaver Lake.  All in all a very cool run, with a crossing of Beaver Creek on a super wooden bridge.  Total of about 9 miles.  The trails other than the NCT were hardly traveled, and quite overgrown.

 

Run map

Vanhoose Crossing Beaver Creek

  Run 2:  We drove to the Hurricane Ridge Campground parking lot and ran towards the Au Sable lighthouse, then continued on to the Log slide, a part of the dunes where loggers used to slide felled trees into the lake for shipping.  This section was different.  The trail from the parking lot to the Lighthouse was essentially a dirt road, so we threw down some fast miles.  Finding where the NCT continues on past the lighthouse was only moderately challenging, and soon we headed up towards the Logslide.  There were a couple nice climbs, and the trail was not as technical as the West end of the park.  We chose to run to the logslide because there was (potable) water at the parking lot.  Just for the hell of it, we explored a couple other trails nearby and found a really fantastic overlook of the Grand Sable Dunes. Then we ran back to Hurricane Ridge and cooled off in Hurricane River.  The round trip ended up being just shy of 10 miles.

You can just see where the dunes begin at the point where we turned around

Atop a dune

More dunes

Run 3:  This was our biggest day.  And the most spectacular.  The park ranger we spoke to described this section of the park as the Gem of the Lakeshore.  Needless to say, we stopped for a lot of photos.  Even cooler, we were able to launch this trip right from our campsite.  Starting at Little Beaver Lake trailhead, we ran to the NCT, then turned West and proceeded to run along the sandy/grassy shoreline that slowly climbed to the tops of magnificent cliffs.  We were also reworded with a great view of Spray Falls (I think this was my single most favorite visual), a waterfall that cascades off the top of a clif and into Lake Superior.  Continuing Westward, we reached Chapel Beach (again we were the only two souls on the beach) and took some pictures, checked out Chapel Rock and then continued down the NCT towards Mosquito campground.  On the way to the campground, we passed Grand Portal Point, an exposed area on top of the Pictured Rocks that offered some stunning views.  Upon reaching Mosquito River, we found a bridge across, and luckily chose the right trail to take us to Mosquito Falls, then to Chapel parking lot (no water) and then headed past Chapel Falls down to Chapel Beach again and back to our campsite via the NCT, essentially making a lollipop-style loop.  Total Distance, just shy of 23 miles.  Terrain went from technical with roots, to flat out fast buffed out trail.

Just an awesome route

Spray Falls behind me

Vanhoose thinking about going for a swim

View from Chapel Beach

Pictured Rocks

At Grand Portal Point

Pictured Rocks namesake

Run 4:  Started at the Munising Falls Visitors Center, which provides immediate access to the NCT.  From a purely running standpoint, this was the most fun section of trail we ran all week.  Incredibly technical in some areas.  Rotted 2x4 bridges over swampy ground, incredibly rooty, and plenty of up and down, and some small stream crossings.  Interestingly, there were quite a few streams that just seemed to go off the sides of the cliffs into Lake Superior, but were unnammed and unmarked.  There were also some ski trails near Munising which intersected with the NCT, it was not too difficult to choose the correct trail, but it also made me want to explore more of the trail system.  We ran to the Miners Castle Overlook, where there was drinking water, then turned around and hammered the miles back.  I didn't bring my camera, which was OK, as this didn't have the views that we experienced on our earlier run, just amazing terrain. Total distance was 13.5 miles.ish.

Along the Lakeshore with Grand Island just off the coast

Miner's Castle (photo Ben Vanhoose)

Overall, the experience was tremendous.  It was somewhat surreal that there were so few people on the trails.  That being said, it was peak season!  I can't wait to go back, hopefully show some more people some of these amazing views, its so spectacular you just want to share it with people.  Much credit to Ben Vanhoose for dreaming up this trip.

A few roots (photo Ben Vanhoose)

There are a few more runs that I still want  to do.  I am curious what the NCT is like from Mosquito River to Miners Castle - the cliffs and trails in this area occasionally fall into the lake, so who knows what the trail is like.  I also would love to explore Beaver Basin Wilderness area more.  Lastly, being so close to Grand Island, its tempting to take the Ferry to the island and explore some of the trails that are used by the Grand Island Marathon (Great Lakes Endurance).  I think another trip is in order!

Saucony Kinvara TR Review

The original Kinvara was somewhat of a break through shoe.  The first cushioned model to sport a 4mm heel to toe drop, the stack height and soft midsole allowed for a dramatic number of people to begin a foray into minimalistic shoes.

Me, personally, I went through a pair of Kinvara 1 and Kinvara 2's, and found them to be a good shoe when doing casual running, but experienced a little trouble getting them up to top speed.

Kinvara TR (left) vs. Peregrine 2 (right)

Looking for a trail version of the Kinvara, I tried out the Peregrine 1 and Peregrine 2.  While the Peregrines fit my feet nearly perfectly, something about the lack of flexibility, combined with a thick midsole, really left me feeling like there was NO energy return in the Peregrine.  I still run in them occasionally, but never fell in love with them.

So when the Kinvara TR was announced, I was very excited, could this be a great semi-minimalistic option for those of us who like lightweight shoes with a low-profile midsole?

The stats:  Stack height 18 mm (heel) down to 15 mm (forefoot).  My size 11 weigh just under 10oz (9.96oz), which is comparable to a pair of Rogue Racers.

Flat and simple midsole with plenty of flex (Kinvara TR left and Peregrine 2 right)

When I first put it on my foot, I was surprised by a couple feelings.  First, they felt a touch firmer than I expected, which I attribute to a lower stack height than the actual Kinvara, as well as a fairly substantial outsole/rockplate.  Overall, I liked the feeling, it makes them feel very racey, and you want to run fast.  Second, they are a touch more narrow in the toe box than the Peregrine or Kinvara, in fact, they are almost pointy, more similar to my Adios 2s or Speedcross 3s.  The tongue is gusseted, but only towards the bottom, and they use a different lacing design/system than the Peregrine 2.  I bought a size 11, which is the same size I wear in the Peregrine 2 as well as the Kinvara 2.  They use Saucony's flex film technology in the upper, which works, I guess, to me, it was nothing too unique or special.

Kinvara TR (left) more narrow than Peregrine 2 (right)

Running in them, I really notice the minimal heel to toe drop.  More than I have noticed in other 4mm drop shoes like the Peregrine, MT110 and MT10s.  Turns out the Kinvara TR are a 3mm drop, but does 1mm really make a big difference?  Either way, it has taken a little bit of re-adjusting to let my calves and achilles stretch out.

Now that I am more or less used to them, I have really enjoyed running in the Kinvara TR.  Total, since they arrived on July 23rd, I have a little over 200 miles on them (wow really?).  I guess I must like them, as they have been my go to shoe for several 5 hour long runs, on the Mohican 100 mile course, and in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (more to come on that epic trip).  They fit (and feel) more like a racing flat than the road Kinvara or Peregrines. 

The lugging on the outsole is somewhat unique with multidirectional lugs facing both forwards and backwards.  While the lugs look like something found on the Speedcross, they are very shallow, maybe 3mm in height at the most.  Secondly, although they are described as "soft lugs" I found them to be a fairly hard rubber.  So much so, that they make a clicking sound on wood bridges, rocks, and pavement.  I do wish they were a touch softer, and it would make the ride of the shoe a little more forgiving, but with such shallow lugs, they would wear out very quickly.  Maybe there will be a Kinvara Mud with a more aggressive outsole??  (Wishful thinking I suspect).

The outsole also has a few black numbs, that I assume are supposed to function as traction devices, although I doubt they provide much in the way of grip.  Compared to the Peregrines outsole, it is a much lower profile, and does a great job shedding mud.  Similar to the Peregrine, Saucony advertises a bedrock outsole on the Kinvara TR, which does a great job in providing protection, from what I have experienced thus far.  To me, it also appears that there is an exposed rock plate in the forefoot, viewable as the red/yellow sections towards the middle of the above picture.  Overall, the outsole provides decent traction and decent protection, perfectly acceptable for this catagory of shoe.

Perhaps my favorite thing about the Kinvara TR is the responsiveness and flexibility.  To me, they feel very race ready.  Wearing them, my cadence picks up, and I don't notice a bulky heel at all.  They have a tightly fitting upper, which may bother some people with high volume feet.  While my feet are wide, they are not very tall, so I am accommodated nicely in the Kinvara TR.   Compared to the Peregrine, they are lighter, more flexible, and almost feel softer once broken in (I have always found the Peregrine to feel very firm underfoot), but are not quite as protective.

 Despite the fact that I have read several less than stellar reviews of the Kinvara TR, I personally am a huge fan.  I think I do like the upper from the Peregrine better than the Kinvara, but the midsole + ride easily won me over.  Maybe Saucony can mate the upper/last from the Peregrine to this midsole/outsole and have a truely outstanding shoe. 

I hope this review was helpful.  I will keep updating as I continue to run in these.  Feel free to ask any questions in the comments section.