Hope and a Future

(Before today’s post, a reminder: if you haven’t done so already, point your clicker to this webpage to register for Wilderness Running Company’s Garmin 405 giveaway drawing, which will be awarded on Friday. Go ahead and do it now … I’ll be here when you get back.)

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“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
- Jeremiah 29:11 (New International Version)


I’m glad that someone has plans for me … because I’m sure having a hard time making them for myself.

For each of the past two years, my training and racing revolved around a solitary goal: finishing the Western States Endurance Run. Working backwards from the race date, the pieces fell into place fairly easily: build high mileage through February and March, do a killer ultra in April, another one in May, and show up at the start line in June.

This year, everything’s different. There’s no big goal race. No compulsion to build mileage at any particular time of year. No pressure to cross a specific task off my bucket list. And consequently … not much direction to making a schedule.

Most of this predicament was voluntary; I owed my family some time and attention that were long diverted while chasing the Western States dragon, and that compensation started during the last half of 2009. And as it turns out, I kind of like sleeping in on weekends or seeing my kids before they go to school in the morning – so I wasn’t exactly chomping at the bit to jump back into Crazytown right away. Lottery signups (most notably Western States and Miwok) came and went, and I felt no compulsion to take part. Races with rapid-fire signup lists opened and filled to capacity without a pang of regret.

Combine the above factors with an all-around busier schedule from career and church obligations (all of them good, but still), and it makes sense that even when I had the inkling to commit to a race several months down the road, the reality hit me that I’m not in a great position to do so. The longer all of this went on, the possibility of spending an entire season on the sideline grew, and I even started to have some peace with the idea.

And yet …

This is what I do. These events are what I love. This training reveals the person I am. So I’m not getting rid of it all so easily.

Where does that leave me in regards the race calendar? Nowhere specific, but I’ve got a few guidelines for my decision-making:

Short notice: I can barely tell you what my situation will be one week from now, let alone 5 or 6 months. I need to wait a bit longer than usual to sign up for races, to see if I can actually pull them off. However, I’ll definitely need to factor in some buildup time, because I also like to …

Go big: Apologies if this sounds smug, but here’s the thing: I’m perfectly happy to do 30-milers at home. I block out some time, load up my hydration pack, get myself lost somewhere in the hills of Monterey County, then grab a quick shower before getting on with the rest of the day. So if I’m going to pay entry fees and travel to a race, it needs to be something bigger than what I can do on my own. My goal isn’t to run every trail race in California; in fact, I’m making a concerted effort to …

Stay close to home: If I can’t drive there in a half-day or so, I’m not going. Fortunately, that still leaves me a lot of options in the Western Mecca of ultrarunning better known as Northern California.

And with that, we’ll see what happens. Of course, some of these conditions may change over the course of a year, but that’s where I’m at now. As far as specific races go, the only one on my radar right now is the Diablo 50M - which seems to be affected by the same uncertainty bug I’ve contracted, in that the April race date is still tentative. It’s truly an epic race; beautiful and fearsome, empowering and intimidating, exciting and terrifying all at once. For the past two years I’ve done it as a tune-up to gauge my Western States preparations; this year I’d like to appreciate it as a destination in itself.

So far, that’s the list. I’ll announce updates as warranted, with the hopes of grabbing myself a few more wonderful race experiences before the year is out. But if it doesn’t happen that way, that’s OK as well. At most other times in my life, it would have bugged the heck out of me to enter a year with no plans, but I recognize there are larger forces at play here. There’s always hope and a future out there for me, even when they’re not entirely visible.

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Cloudveil Run Don't Walk Vest Review

When you can’t decide whether to use an item of apparel as workout clothing or casual dress wear, I guess that’s not such a terrible problem to have.

That’s exactly the dilemma I’ve found myself considering with Cloudveil’s Run Don’t Walk vest – a top that’s built for high-performance activity, but is stylish and comfortable enough to use every day.


Cloudveil is a Jackson, Wyoming-based company who debuted in 1997 with apparel targeted specifically at the year-round mountain athlete. Founded by a pair of skiing aficionados, Cloudveil’s product line began with their signature soft shell jacket, and over the past decade has grown and diversified to accommodate a wide variety of activities, including warm-weather apparel and specialized garments for cold-weather endurance athletes.

The company now offers an entire product line called Run Don’t Walk, designed to combine high comfort with high performance. The vest is an ideal option for those workouts that aren’t quite cold enough for a full jacket, but too chilly for a single layer. Contributing heavily to both comfort and performance are two specialized fabrics: Polartec Power Stretch® on the front and back panels, and Polartec Power Dry on the sides.

Polartec’s Power Stretch material is probably one of the most versatile fabrics around. It’s a highly breathable 4-way stretch material with “touch points” on the inner surface to draw sweat away from the skin, then spreads moisture across the outer surface area for rapid evaporation. The Power Dry side panels are super-thin, but also highly effective at pulling moisture away from the skin.

Side view: Polartec Power Dry in triangle pattern, Polartec Power Stretch everywhere else.

These fabrics combine to provide an extra layer of insulation that feels extremely light and comfortable on top of a baselayer. The entire vest weighs just seven ounces, so you’re unlikely to get overheated if the temperature gets warmer during your run. The only unforeseen circumstance that would spoil your run is a heavy rainstorm, as the fleece material doesn’t have the water resistance of a soft shell fabric.

Truthfully, the vest is so comfortable that I’ve taken to wearing it around the house, or as a casual outerwear piece - it’s the kind of vest that you can wear all day long, and its design goes very easily with a pair of jeans or hiking pants. So that’s my decision point after taking it out of the wash each time: do I want to run in this right away, or wear it around the house for a few days first? The answer varies on different weeks, which I suppose is as good a compromise as I can hope for. Or maybe I’ll have to buy a second vest, so that I have one of each.

Cloudveil’s Run Don’t Walk vest retails for $75 from the company website, and select styles from the Run Don’t Walk collection are also available at Amazon.com (men's pullover jacket is linked).

*Product provided by Polartec
** See other product reviews on sidebar at right. If you have a product you’d like reviewed, contact me at info@runningandrambling.com.

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Indulgence

Wow, the New Year sure seems busy already. Between heading back to work (me) and school (my kids), looking at the race calendar (separate post coming soon), and attempting to ramp up my training while gradually recovering from my traditional holiday cookies-and-wine bender, the past 8 days or so are kind of a blur. So today’s post is short and sweet, and brings together a couple of ideas from separate items published earlier in the week.

On New Year’s Day, I embedded a video made by Matt Hart, featuring ultrarunners in all sorts of epic races, on majestic trails and spectacular mountain terrain. The point was to express some of the joy I get from trail running, as well as to give you a motivational nudge to start 2010 off right.

In 2007, a similar video was made featuring Anton Krupicka, one of ultrarunning’s top young guns, right in the midst of his rapid rise to the top of the sport. The 3-minute video below is actually a trailer for a full-length movie called Indulgence: 1000 Miles Under the Colorado Sky, which documents Krupicka’s training and philosophical approach to life in the same laid-back style of the classic surf or ski films of the 1970s and 80s.

I haven’t purchased the movie, so if anyone out there has watched it, please let us know in the comment box what you thought of it, and if it’s worth the purchase price. For example - and on a somewhat bizarre note - the soundtrack appears to be some sort of French rap music, which I didn’t even realize existed. It’s, um … interesting. After listening to the preview, I’m seriously wondering if I could sit through 90 minutes of it. I guess Eddie Vedder was out of the production crew’s price range.

Anyway, for those of us who haven’t seen the film, just enjoy this preview as another small dose of trail mojo to begin the year.

Also, I said this video brings together two previous posts … and the other one is my review of New Balance’s MT100 shoe. In that review, I described Krupicka’s reputation for carving normal running shoes apart to eliminate as much bulk and weight as possible – and if you didn’t quite believe me, pay attention to the first 40 seconds of the clip. I also mentioned that he runs as simplistically as possible: no water pack, often barefoot, usually no shirt, and for darn sure no GPS. You'll find that quality on prominent display in the video below.

Here's to running simply and joyously. And to keeping it rolling all throughout the year.

"Indulgence" trailer (click to play):

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CSI: Carmel Valley

(Admin note: a few weeks ago I showed a picture of animal bones on this page, and some folks commented that it made them squeamish. If you’re one of those, you might want to mark this one as read and check back next time. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.)

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“Forget it, Jake. It’s Chinatown.”
- From Chinatown (1974)

One of my favorite things to do during the holiday season is take a midweek day off work, allowing me a rare opportunity to enjoy a winter’s run without needing a headlamp to light my path. So on the morning of New Year’s Eve, a few of us headed towards my favorite hills in Carmel Valley, looking for a memorable way to conclude another year.


Unfortunately, the benefit of sunlight never seems to make the day’s first climb any easier, as it gains close to 2000 feet of elevation over about 3 miles. However, instead of the usual darkness and fog on the horizon, there are clouds and hillside vistas and, off in the distance, the outline of the Monterey Bay curving around towards Santa Cruz.


Near the top of the hill sits this junction with the aptly-named Cougar Ridge, a long connecting trail that traverses the back country of Carmel Valley into the most remote regions of Garland Park. And why is it aptly-named, you ask?


These tracks were less than 10 feet from the signpost above. One week prior, on the morning after a heavy rain, two friends and I followed these tracks for a good two miles in the midst of a long run. Actually, I should clarify that to say that my friends were following the tracks, with me following a few steps behind them. I mean … if you can’t use your training partners to run interference on deadly predators, what good are they?


Eventually the climb crests into a hilltop mesa that’s relatively indistinguishable from countless others in Carmel Valley. It was kind of hard to completely savor the view, however …


… given that we had passed a recent kill zone on the way up. Luckily for us, this had the looks of an older crime scene, as opposed to one that happened closer to our arrival. There’s really no way to know for sure …


… since the only witnesses were the trees. And they weren’t talking.

One thing that seemed obvious, however, was the identity of the guilty party …


… who left evidence all over the place. Mountain lions aren’t exactly the type to worry about covering up their work.

More difficult to confirm was the identity of the deceased. At first glance, the body looks to be the size and shape of a coyote, but that’s primarily because the remains are fairly spread out over a wide distribution. And with closer inspection of the bones …


Those look more like Bambi hooves than Wile E. paws, don’t they? I think we’ve got our Jane Doe. (Or Deer Doe? That’s kind of redundant, isn’t it? How about just Doe? Unless it’s a buck. This is getting complicated.)


Since there was no clear and present danger at the scene, and since I had not one ounce of interest to track down this specific perpetrator, there wasn’t much further work required to close the book on this particular case. The only thing left to do was head back down the hill, look out over the peaceful village below, and finish the remaining miles of the run.

You don’t want to dwell on death scenes like that for too long, so it’s best to just forget them. It’s Carmel Valley.

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Comparison Review: Black Diamond Sprinter, Spot, and Icon Headlamps

When I introduced my series of headlamp reviews in December, I mentioned that one lamp was something of a category changer. Since then, that particular outlier has also become one the favorite products I’ve tested this winter: the Black Diamond Sprinter.


Why is it a category changer? It doesn’t easily fit within the standard size/weight classifications, is versatile enough to replace two distinct varieties of headlamps, and has features that are unique among all of its peers.

Obviously, a full review is in order … so that’s just what I’ve written over at FeedTheHabit.com. After you read the review, check back here for a comparison of the Sprinter with other Black Diamond offerings, and well as a link to a discounted purchase offer for the Sprinter. See you later.

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Did you read the review? It’s a pretty impressive little lamp, huh? You could make a strong case for the Sprinter to replace any other headlamp you’re currently using – but there are definitely some situations where you might prefer one of Black Diamond’s other offerings. To refresh your memory, the Spot is a compact lamp that gives you great bang for your buck, and the Icon is a very affordable external battery pack lamp that provides all the brightness you’ll need for technical trails.

With that as our starting point, let’s compare all three. However, instead of giving one lamp and “advantage” over another as in my other comparison posts, I’ll just include a general comment, and try to indicate the conditions where one would be preferable to another. Away we go!


Weight (with batteries):
Spot: 85g/3.0oz
Sprinter: 100g/3.5oz
Icon: 187g/6.6oz

Recommendation: Although the Sprinter is an external battery pack unit, its weight is remarkably low, and it sits on your head comfortably enough to hammer out some fast road miles. Compared to the Spot, you get a huge brightness boost for a very slight weight increase. How much more brightness, you ask? …


Brightness (high setting):
Spot: 47 lumens
Sprinter: 68 lumens
Icon: 100 lumens

Recommendation: If you’re a road runner, or stick to groomed trails, the Spot is perfectly adequate to light your way. The Sprinter is bright enough to give you some confidence over tricky footing – but if you’re taking on consistently technical terrain, I’d stick with the Icon for as much candle power as possible.


Beam Type:
Spot: spot and flood modes
Sprinter: flood, with rear LED
Icon: spot and flood modes

Recommendation: Here’s one of the Sprinter’s unique features that gives it a huge advantage: the rear blinking LED that alerts passing cars to your presence. Better still, the rear LED can be turned off manually, so if there’s a group of runners behind you, you won’t blind them after several miles. If safety on the roads is an issue for you (and it should be), the Sprinter is ideal.


Maximum beam distance (high setting):
Spot: 70m
Sprinter: 50m
Icon: 100m

Recommendation: The Sprinter comes up short here, primarily because it doesn’t have a spot mode like the other two lamps. If you shift from flood to spot mode a lot, pick one of the others.


Battery type and lifespan:
Spot: 3 AAA, 100 hours. Not compatible with rechargeable batteries per Black Diamond specs.
Sprinter: built-in lithium rechargeable battery, 5 hour burn time.
Icon: 3AA, 80 hour lifespan on high setting. Compatible with rechargeable batteries as well as the NRG rechargeable battery pack sold separately.

Recommendation: The Sprinter is the first - and to this point, the only - runner’s headlamp powered exclusively by a rechargeable battery pack. It’s the greenest headlamp available, although its battery life at full power is quite short, so you have to remember to dock it after each run. Almost equally impressive is the Icon with the rechargeable NRG battery pack, which gives you a much longer lifespan between charges.


Price:
Spot: $40 from Wilderness Running Company (currently out of stock, but available shortly).
Sprinter: $80 from WRC
Icon: $60 from WRC, with $30 NRG rechargeable battery pack sold separately.
(*all of the above items are available at a 10% discount with coupon code R&R10 – but you knew that already.)

Recommended: if you grabbed the Icon when WRC gave away the NRG pack for free, congratulations - you made off with the best possible bargain. At this point, the Sprinter is the most expensive of the trio, but if you shell out for the Icon’s NRG pack (typically $30), the Sprinter is a relative bargain. However, the Icon is still priced quite competitively, and the extra money you spend for rechargeable batteries with either model will quickly be made up in saved batteries.

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So which one is best for you? If you’re on a budget and need something basic and dependable, the Spot can’t be beat. If you need something with extra safety features for the road that is bright enough for basic trails, lightweight enough for fast running, and eco-friendly enough to make your inner tree hugger smile, the Sprinter excels in all of these aspects. If you need maximal brightness for technical trails and don’t mind lugging a bit more weight around, the Icon is an outstanding choice.

Regardless of your selection, these are all very solid offerings from Black Diamond. If there’s any comparison info you’d like explained further, leave a comment below and I’ll follow up in reply.


*Sprinter headlamp provided by Black Diamond
**See other product reviews on sidebar at right. If you have a product you’d like reviewed, contact me at info@runningandrambling.com.

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Sugoi Running Pants Review and Sale

Attention! Huge Sugoi Flash Sale - Save Up To 55% On Running & Cycling Performance Apparel At TheClymb.com. Expires 9/19/2011 At 9AM PDT.

It’s not too much of a stretch to say that Sugoi has made an incredible impact on the fitness apparel industry.

In fact, the company - whose name is the Japanese word for incredible – has made exactly that kind of progress in its two decades of existence. It was founded as a cycling apparel company out of Vancouver in 1987, and gradually made inroads into the specialized worlds of triathlon and running. The company quickly established a reputation for innovation and excellence across all of its product lines, and developed something of a cult following among both elite and recreational endurance athletes.

This winter I’ve had the opportunity to test three different running pants from Sugoi’s Fall 2009 collection, which are classified according to Sugoi Comfort System ratings from S1 to S3+ based on varying degrees of moisture management and protection from the elements. Two of these products are available as part of the Screaming Deals sale from Wilderness Running Company, so if something looks good to you, follow the links below for some great bargains to get you through the winter.

Sugoi’s S1 category is primarily designed for breathability and optimal moisture transfer away from the skin. Their Piston 200 compression tights have increased pressure against the large muscle groups to improve circulation and enhance muscle efficiency during strenuous activity. Like all of Sugoi’s pants, these are built with zone construction which breaks the pants into 10 distinct panels, allowing variation of compression and/or protection in the areas that need it the most. All of the seams are flat, so comfort isn’t an issue even with all the different areas of articulation.

The Piston 200 tights are built for high-performance; they would be an outstanding choice for cold-weather racing or recovery from hard workouts, or everyday training in temperatures below 40 degrees. They have a super-snug feel that is noticeably tighter than other compressive pants I’ve worn, and they stay in place and remain comfortable even during multi-hour runs. The only drawback I found to these is that there’s no zipper on the ankles - so if you like that feature, these aren’t your best option.

Further along the Comfort System Scale are Sugoi’s MidZero tights. They have the same zone construction and flat lock seams, but provide a higher level of warmth and protection than the Piston tights. The MidZero fabric is extremely effective at wicking moisture while maintaining body heat – I’ve worn these for long runs in sub-freezing temperatures without any noticeable effect from the cold. It combines a tight, smooth surface on the outside with a softly brushed fabric against your skin. These pants also have 7” ankle zips and silicone leg grips for easy on/off and good stability during activity. They're probably the most versatile pants of this group being reviewed, and are included as part of the WRC sale – see link below.

If you live in extremely harsh conditions and need the utmost protection from the elements, Sugoi has you covered with its Firewall 220 material. I did a review of their Firewall gloves recently, and was very impressed by how much insulation they maintained in a relatively thin (compared to other gloves) fabric. The exterior surface is a soft-shell material that provides outstanding water and wind protection, and the inside is the same soft-brushed finish found on the MidZero tight. The tri-layered Firewall material is classified as S3+ on Sugoi’s Comfort Scale, providing the highest degree of protection and thermal regulation among the entire product line.

Sugoi offers Firewall 220 bottoms in two styles: traditional tights, and looser-fitting pants. Both styles have 10” ankle zips, silicone leg grips, elastic waistband and back zip pocket. The tights have a bit less stretch than the MidZero material, and the pants wear slightly snug through the thighs and looser on the calves. I’ve worn the pants quite comfortably in mid-20s temperatures; hopefully I won’t have a lot of opportunity to test them much colder (I think I’ve made my position on winter weather fairly clear), but I’m confident that they’d be totally up to the task with temps into the teens and lower.

You pay a price for that kind of protection, and the Firewall stuff will typically set you back a few dollars - upwards of $150 from various retailers. The tights are on sale at a considerable discount as part of WRC’s sale: while supplies and sizes last, they’re available for $84 bucks. Use my R&R10 discount for another 10% off, and the deal looks even better. If you need a hardcore, top-of-the-line pant to dependably get you through a long, harsh winter, that’s probably an investment worth making.

Sugoi’s Piston 200 tights retail for $90 from the Sugoi website.

Sugoi’s MidZero tights retail for $70 from Sugoi, and are currently on sale for $42 from Wilderness Running Company, plus an additional 10% with coupon code R&R10.

Sugoi’s Firewall 220 pants retail for $160 from Sugoi, but are currently on sale for $112. Firewall 220 tights retail for $150 from Sugoi, and are currently on sale for $84 from Wilderness Running Company, plus an additional 10% with coupon code R&R10.


*MidZero tights provided by Wilderness Running Company
*Piston 200 tights and Firewall 220 pants provided by Sugoi

**See other product reviews on sidebar at right. If you have a product you’d like reviewed, contact me at info@runningnandrambling.com.

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Find Happiness

Sometimes you get tired of writing the same things.

For each of the past several years, my friend Mike and I have used our first Monterey Herald column of the new year to encourage people to make resolutions of fitness, exercise, and healthy living. The problem is, there are only so many different ways to say, "Running is good for you!" or "You can do it!", and after several installments, it becomes somewhat redundant.

So this year, we posed the question: Why exactly do we run, anyway?

Obviously, the answer will vary for everybody - I run for far different reasons now than I did 15 years ago - but the one thing we could agree on is that on some level, running should make you feel better about yourself. That's the message we hoped to convey in this week's column, which follows below.

On a related note, and as a postscript to the article, is one of my favorite videos found this year: a compilation of trail and mountain running scenes compiled by ultrarunner, endurance cyclist, ski mountaineer, and all-around adventure badass Matt Hart. Although there are a few too many snow scenes for this California boy's liking, the video on the whole is a pretty accurate reflection of the joys I take from my running exploits nowadays. It also features one of the best Coldplay songs ever written, which is always a nice bonus.

Whether you're running for health, for serenity, for PRs, for beating your competitors, for pushing your personal boundaries, or any of the other countless reasons out there, I wish you success and happiness in the New Year ahead.

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Running Life 12/31/09 “Find Happiness”

Before a big race, it’s always interesting to hear what people have to say.

Sometimes when we’re counting down the days to a marathon or long trail race, we receive e-mails and texts from friends wishing us success in the upcoming event. Our running friends recognize how many months are spent in preparation beforehand, and they can all sympathize with our pre race jitters and anticipation.

Most friends say things like “Good luck”, “Run fast”, or the ever popular, “May the wind be at your back.” Others try to build your confidence by saying “You’ve done all the training, now enjoy the race”, or “You’re strong and ready - now go do it!”

Fortunately, runners never abide by the traditional good luck message used by the theatre community: “Break a leg!” For obvious reasons.

Some running veterans offer messages that are wise, simple, and can be used as a mantra during the race: “Patience”; “Perseverance”; “Strong and smooth”; “Run smart.” One well-known local example comes from the Harrison twins, Olympic sprinters from Salinas, who used to instruct each other to “Run to your destiny” before each race.

Having run many races over the years, we thought we had received every possible well-wishing message - but our friend Jon surprised us recently. Before an important marathon, Mike had been complaining about various aches and pains going into the marathon; maybe looking for sympathy, maybe subconsciously making early excuses for a less than perfect run.

Jon sent him an e-mail simply saying, “Find Happiness.”

Return message from Mike: “Very Zen … are you joking?”

Jon’s reply: “Not joking Grasshopper”.

The unspoken implication is that virtually every marathoner has aches and pains before a big event, and every race is a choice that the runner decides to make. At any time before the starting gun goes off, it’s possible to simply decide not to run – however, even with lowered expectations, the satisfaction of finishing the marathon is always a great thrill.

Mike’s mantra for that marathon became, “Don’t worry, be happy.” It helped him a lot; it’s amazing how a focused mind can mask all kinds of body aches and pains.

It’s actually quite helpful to consider your reasons for running any race. Is it a method for you to “Find Happiness?” If it’s not ultimately enjoyable, then why do it? As you make New Year’s resolutions for 2010, take a few minutes to contemplate why you run. Resolve to find joy in your life and in your running. Be thankful for how lucky you are for your health and ability to exercise.

We usually set goals that involve finishing various races, or improving our racing times and personal records. In 2010, along with those things, be sure to celebrate your running and fitness throughout the year. Savor the miles spent with friends and the beautiful places we get to run. Enjoy your energy and freedom to do the activities you enjoy. Play a bit more, and be serious a little less.

Running’s “first philosopher”, George Sheehan, once said, “Every mile I run is my first. Every hour on the roads is a new beginning. Every day I put on my running clothes, I am born again. Seeing things as if for the first time, seeing the familiar as unfamiliar, the common as uncommon.”

See those things for yourself. Run for the joy of it. And Find Happiness.

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"Ultrarunning", courtesy of Matt Hart:

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