28 Miles in Vibrams: Salinas Valley Half Marathon Report

Framed by the Santa Lucia mountains to the west and the Gabilan range to the east, the Salinas Valley is known primarily for its flat terrain, fertile fields, and cool morning fog. It’s an ideal environment for crop development – not to mention a sweet area to host a road race.

That was the intent of the race committee for this year’s first annual Salinas Valley Half Marathon, which attracted almost 1300 runners from all over the country to experience a taste – literally and figuratively - of what Monterey County has to offer. This race wasn’t officially on my calendar, but when the opportunity arose to jump in at the last minute, I thought it would be foolish to turn it down.

Since I wasn’t really in race shape – and with very little asphalt running this summer, barely in road shape at all – I took advantage of the morning to enjoy a high mileage day against a scenic backdrop, with a little bit of aid station support thrown in for good measure. I was also anxious to test my new Vibram FiveFingers Bikilas, which had arrived in the mail two days prior, and which were custom made for cranking out high road mileage. I’ll post a formal review here later on, of course, but you’ll probably get a sense by the end of this post whether or not I was satisfied with the Bikilas.

In other words, a lot of pieces had fallen into place for a very sweet run – one that was worth waking up a little bit early for. I headed out into the pre-dawn darkness, under a heavy blanket of cool morning fog which would cover the valley for the majority of the day.


About 1.5 miles down the road, I passed the entry to Pessagno winery, which would serve as the finish area later in the day. From this point, I was on the half marathon course, and my plan was to cover the 13.1 miles in reverse before arriving at the start line.


Over the next hour or so, the sky gradually turned from black to gray to … well, to lighter gray. The sun never entirely burned through the fog - perfect race conditions for runners - but it gave plenty of light to start enjoying the sights of the valley while traveling down the road.


This isn’t some random jogger I found; it’s my friend Andrew, who accompanied me on my little pre-race down-and-back stunt. Here’s how you know you have a cool training partner: If he sends you an e-mail asking about your plans for the morning, and you tell him that you’re heading out at 4AM to run 14 miles before the start, and he replies with “That sounds cool – mind if I join you?” That’s Andrew.


Reaching this stretch of road about 2 miles from the start, I checked my watch and realized that I was ahead of schedule to reach the start line. I didn’t want to arrive too early and stand around getting stiff-legged, so I decided to kill some time by running an extra mile or so …


… and taking some goofy pictures by the side of the road. I like this one, but you can’t see my Bikilas as well in this picture …


… as you can in this one. Yes, I was sitting in the road to take this shot; like I said, I had a bit of time to kill.


One thing you can count on whenever running through the Salinas Valley is a stark reality check when passing laborers in the fields. At any hour of the day, in virtually any weather conditions, the amount of manual labor utilized up and down this valley is simply staggering. Seeing these folks preparing for their day well before 7AM, and knowing they’d still be working long after I’d gone home and showered was a nice reminder of how relatively frivolous all this running stuff really is.


Eventually I continued down the road and reached the Soledad Mission, whom Franciscan friars christened for Our Lady of Solitude, which now hosted 1300 runners eager to begin the race. I timed my arrival perfectly, and picked up my bib number with just a few minutes left over …


… to sneak away by myself for a moment and snap a couple pictures of Nuestra Senora de la Soledad in private.


Once the race was underway, I settled into a nice comfortable rhythm for a while, chatted for a bit with a few friends, and fielded a lot of questions from strangers about the Bikilas I was wearing. I also had a nice discussion with …


… this dude on the right, who was wearing a pair of Vibrams (the Sprint model) as well. Other Vibram Guy and I compared notes on our minimalist running experiences for a few minutes, before I picked up my pace a bit and left him behind for the day. Or so I thought.


Up to this point I really hadn’t been paying attention to the clock, but when I rolled into the mile 3 aid station, I glanced at my watch and noticed my race time was somewhere around 22 minutes. I was not only making decent time, but I felt pretty darn comfortable while doing it.


I decided to see if I could maintain a nice cruising speed, and spent the next several miles enjoying the gently rolling terrain, keeping a steady 7:10-7:20 pace while pulling aside every so often to take pictures. I was feeling great, and didn’t feel the need to push the pace any further …


… until I was framing this picture at the 8-mile mark, and guess who should pass me? Other Vibram Guy! I knew that there were only about 40 other runners ahead of me, and I was reasonably certain that none of them were wearing Vibrams - which meant that I had a challenger for the title of First Vibram Guy. Sure, it's not quite as prestigious as an age group award, but it seemed like a pretty cool thing to brag about afterwards. All of a sudden, I had a race on my hands.

(Note: I also couldn’t claim to be the First Down and Back Guy for the day: that honor went to my friend Andrew, who smoked a 1:21 half marathon after running early with me. Have I mentioned that he’s a great training partner to have?)

I picked up my pace a bit and surged past Other Vibram Guy, but I couldn’t ever build a good cushion in front of him …


… partially because I kept stopping every so often to take pictures, like at this strawberry aid station. We all know where I stand on strawberries, right? Needless to say, this was one of the highlights of the course.


Somehow, even with the picture taking, I maintained a narrow advantage in the First Vibram Guy category … and nearing mile 11, I closed in on my friend Mike, the co-author of my Monterey Herald column. Soon I was in First Herald Columnist position as well; the day was looking up!


Mile 13: pretty fields, tired legs, pounding chest. I was working hard, and this part didn’t feel so great … but I knew it was a temporary inconvenience …


… because the finish line was right around the bend in the road. There were a lot more people here than the first time through, and I was way more than twice as happy to be here.


I crossed the line with a race time of 1:35 and change, and headed straight for the post-race area at Pessagno winery, which was loaded with everything a tired runner could ask for. Bagels, fruit, drinks, beer, music, massages …


… and a Jamba Juice booth! Complete with a guitar-playing banana, and free smoothies for all runners. I was in Jamba heaven.

Incidentally, this wasn’t the first time I had seen the banana guy; sometimes during the week he stands outside a Jamba Juice store on Main Street in Salinas and spends a couple of hours hollering, jumping around, and acting like a complete maniac.


So of course I had to get my picture with him. You’ve got to admire that kind of enthusiasm.


Given that we were at a winery, it made perfect sense to hand out wine glasses to each finisher along with their race shirt and goody bag. The only disappointing part was when the volunteer asked me what size I wanted and it took me a second to realize she was talking about shirts, not wine glasses. Because an XL of each would have been sweeeet.


Truthfully, there wasn’t anything about the morning that could have gone better for me; by the time I returned to the car I had knocked out a nice long run in the beautiful Salinas Valley, discovered a competitive spark that I wasn’t really expecting, and felt quite comfortable while logging more than 28 miles on my new Vibrams.

(As for how the Bikilas performed, stay tuned - I’ll have a brief update in my next post.)

It was the kind of day that makes you love being a runner – especially one in the beautiful Salinas Valley.

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Tahoe Rim Trail Pacer Report*

*Or, How to Not Screw Up Someone's Perfectly Good Ultra


Before summer completely slips away from me (if you think I’m kidding, don’t laugh – my kids start school this week), I figured I should take a final look back at one of the highlights of the season: serving as crew and pacer for Gretchen at the Tahoe Rim Trail 100. Since that night, a few people have asked whether I would write a report, but I was sort of reluctant at first, figuring the race wasn’t really my story to tell; it was Gretchen’s story, and she did a great job of telling it.

What I decided to do instead was provide a little bit of perspective on my role as a pacer, and highlight a few points that other pacers might keep in mind for future reference. However, it should be noted as a disclaimer that I’m not really an expert at pacing; I just came across the right situation with the right person, and things fell into place very nicely for us on our way to the finish line. With that in mind, we'll begin with one of the most important instructions for being a good pacer:


1. Pick the right runner

You know the old joke about how the secret to being a good runner is to pick the right parents? Well, the secret to being a good pacer is to pick the right runner – except in this case, you actually DO have some say about who you’re pairing yourself with for a challenging, unpredictable, potentially problematic trek into the wild. While there are obvious personality issues to consider, you should also think about the likelihood that your runner would do well anyway - even if you’re not there. In other words, the best runners to pace are the ones who probably don’t even need pacers in the first place.

In my case, I knew that Gretchen was a talented ultrarunner who not only had a previous 100-mile finish under her belt, but had finished this exact course before. She had trained like a maniac prior to race day, and had all the confidence in the world that she was going to succeed. Take look at the picture above: does she look like a basket case or a bundle of nerves? She’s having fun, and absolutely ready to knock out an epic task. As long as I could avoid screwing things up, I knew we’d be just fine.

That’s not to say your job will be a cakewalk, though; you’ll still be on the hook for some decision making, even before the race begins. Such as …


2. Tell your runner to get her ass to bed

This is Gretchen at 2:30 AM on race morning:

Which sounds (by ultrarunning standards, at least) only moderately crazy until I also tell you that she was already awake and showered by the time I woke up at 2:15. And she was still awake when I had gone to sleep at the previous midnight – as in two hours prior.

This was probably my biggest mistake as a pacer; the night before the race, I joined several people at Gretchen’s house for dinner, and as the night wore on, a few of us made observations like, “Hey, shouldn’t you be getting to bed?” Gretchen protested and said she wouldn’t have been able to sleep anyway – but if I had it to do over again, I would have dragged her to the bedroom, and instructed her husband to force her to lay down and shut her eyes. Functioning on one night’s lack of sleep is generally doable, but as we would eventually find out, working your way through a second consecutive sleepless night can make things a little bit sketchy.


3. Bring extra clothes to the start


This is our friend Olga, who was also doing the 100-mile event, and who complained of being cold at the start line. Since I would be the one walking back to a warm sleeping bag about 2 minutes after the start gun went off, I figured the gentlemanly thing to do was to let her use my sweatshirt. I have to say, it was kind of cold out there wearing just a t-shirt – although I knew better than to complain to two women who would soon be running 100 miles.


4. Get everywhere early

This is Gretchen rolling into the mile 30 aid station:

Before the race, she told me she’d be at this point sometime around noon, and I figured that getting there an hour ahead would leave me plenty of time to set her stuff up. So I arrived the parking lot shortly before 11AM, headed over to the aid station … and about 3 minutes later, Gretchen shows up.

The point is, average paces at ultramarathons are very tricky to predict – especially early in the day, when runners are feeling good and occasionally get sucked into keeping pace with faster runners they have no business hanging with (yes, Gretchen did this). So if you’re given an approximate arrival time, allow for 90 minutes to 2 hours on the front end, and at least 2 or 3 hours on the back end for your 3-4 minute window of service. The U.S. military might have invented the phrase “Hurry up and wait,” but ultrarunners take the notion to a whole different extreme.


5. Bring a camera – and know the ground rules

Gretchen and I have had a few discussions about shots like this:

She dismisses them as “pictures of my butt”, while I think they’re pretty cool images that capture the overall beauty of ultrarunning. Ultimately we settled on a sort of compromise where I let her get a short distance ahead of me before taking pictures that included her backside.

Another reason to have a camera at the ready is this: a couple of days after the race, you might get a pleading e-mail from your runner saying, “Hey – do you have some pictures I can use for my race report?” If your runner happens to be a blogger, understand that your pacer role isn’t fully completed until her race report is posted.


6. Be a decider – but be selective

For the most part, I let Gretchen determine the pace, when to walk and when to jog, what to eat, and so on. However, she had a few periods of indecision – especially when it came to an important decision early in the evening:

Basically, she had spent the previous 5 miles or so telling me about blisters developing on her toes, as well as her apprehension to get them taken care of for fear of losing too much time at the aid station, getting her socks dirty, or some other concern that might somehow make the situation worse. It took me saying “You need to get those taken care of” about 10 times before she finally capitulated – and even then it took a friend of hers at the aid station to back me up before Gretchen was fully convinced.

It ended up being the best decision she made – and for the rest of the night, I pretty much let her call the rest of the shots.


7. Have fun!

There’s really no other way to explain it - but running 100 miles is a pretty crazy thing to do. We all have ways of rationalizing it, of making it represent something greater or more significant – but in the final analysis, there’s only so much a rational person can do to make the task seem remotely sensible.


So be irrational. Be nonsensical. Laugh at yourselves. Tell jokes. And if your runner asks you to take one last picture of yourselves acting like complete dorks before the sun goes down, don’t hesitate to say yes. 100 miles is far too long to be serious all the time.

The flip side of this is to know when to be focused again, such as …


8. Beware the night – and especially the early morning


Without a doubt, the toughest stretch of the race for both of us was between about 3AM and 6AM. Gretchen had about 75 miles on her legs, was at the tail end of 8 consecutive hours of darkness, and well into her second straight sleepless night. We were on rocky single track trails going up and down steep mountain slopes, and she was misstepping and weaving off trail with increasing frequency.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t in a whole lot better shape – and my periodic efforts to keep her talking by offering up pop quizzes or soliciting her family history weren’t nearly adequate to keep us as alert as we should have been. This is one of those “things fell into place” items I mentioned at the outset – the fact that neither of us tripped or fell or otherwise injured ourselves through this stretch wasn’t due to anything either of us did; we mainly just got lucky. However, we also learned to …


9. Bend the rules a little bit

This is Gretchen at approximately 5:30AM:

The fact that she suddenly dropped to the trail and pleaded for a 60-second nap might have surprised me, except for the fact that she had already dozed off momentarily in the previous two aid stations, and as I just described, she was obviously very far beyond fatigued.

Conventional wisdom for ultrarunners is to “beware the chair”, and to move through aid stations as quickly as possible, because the longer you stop moving, the harder it is to start again. However, under the circumstances, taking a few brief catnaps seemed like a great idea to allow our mental batteries to recharge just enough to carry us to the finish line. In fact, I was so understanding of Gretchen’s plight that I gave her a whole extra minute before waking her up again.

Truth be told, I never had any doubts that she would finish – because as I described before, I was sure to ..


10. Pick the right runner (Part 2)

I don’t really have anything new to add to this point, so I’ll just recap a conversation that took place here at the mile 93 aid station, after Gretchen had been on the trail more than 25 hours. A few of these volunteers had also seen her come around on the first lap in the early afternoon yesterday, and while Gretchen was resting in a chair (staying awake this time), one of them started the following exchange with me:

Volunteer (gesturing toward Gretchen): She’s Batman.

Me: I was thinking more along the lines of Wonder Woman … but yeah. Same idea.

From different vantage points, each of us reached the same conclusion: there was no stopping Gretchen at this race. And THAT’s the kind of runner you want to hook yourself up with.

Finally, we reached the finish, where I still had to …


11. Capture the moment

Having been there a couple of times, I can attest that once you’ve completed a 100-miler, you really only want a couple of things: 1) a chair to rest in, and 2) to get the heck out of there so you can shower and go to bed. You’re not exactly in the mood to pose for pictures, and anything besides those two simple needs seems superfluous - and yet, there will come a time when you want to look back on that moment and recall how wonderful it all felt.


So be sure to take a picture. Because you never know when you’ll want to remember it all over again.

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Calling All Cold-Weather Minimalist Runners: Talk to Soft Star!

When I discussed some durability issues with my favorite minimalist footwear last month, I made the observation that each of the companies seemed very responsive to customer feedback, and I anticipated they would tinker with their products as the need arose.

This month, Soft Star proved me exactly right. (And on a related note: I love it when someone makes me look smart … because it doesn’t seem to happen nearly enough). They’re actively soliciting feedback on two potential modifications to their wonderful RunAmoc, which are as follows:

1) One that I’m not allowed to talk about yet, but probably soon. Trust me, it’s a nice improvement.

2) One that everyone’s allowed to chime in on – especially if you live in cold climates and might be inclined to try your RunAmocs in winter conditions.

Soft Star Winter RunAmoc

Basically, they’re considering producing an additional model in their fall inventory that is geared toward winter minimalist runners. Possible modifications include a layer of sheepskin on the uppers (like the insole of their insanely comfortable Roo slipper), and a slightly thicker non-slip “snow and ice” outsole. The downside is that the moc is slightly heavier (and at $120, noticeably more expensive); the upside is that they’re extra comfy, and might keep you from cracking your head open on the sidewalk. Not a bad tradeoff, in my book.

As a Californian warm-weather softie, I’m going to abstain from the feedback process on this one – but if you’re a cold-weather minimalist runner, please head over to this post and let Soft Star know what you think. And if a new model is released in the fall, who knows - perhaps I’ll move to the mountains for a few weeks for the chance at doing a product review. You can’t say I’m unwilling to sacrifice for this blog sometimes.

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Hey, This Looks Fun ...

Here's where I'll be running on Saturday morning (click to play):



Probably not quite that fast, though. An entry to a local half marathon sort of fell into my lap this week, and since I'm not anywhere near race-ready, I decided to stretch things out a bit and enjoy a long leisurely run through the Salinas Valley.

I'll aim to post a photo report sometime next week; I may not be fast, but hopefully I'll have an interesting story to tell.

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Monkey Shake Winners

All right, monkeys ... the weekend's starting off on a good note for five lucky winners of the Monkey Shake giveaway.

As I mentioned, my 6-year-old daughter sat on the selection panel, and the first four places were unanimous: they went to Dug Deep, Mike, Spokane Al, and Shel. The final spot was a three-way dead heat, so I let my girl cast the deciding vote for Josh. Send your addresses to me at info@runningandrambling.com, and I'll get you on the list to receive your six-pack of Monkey Shakes.

Congrats to all the winners, and thanks to everyone who played. That was fun. And special thanks to 10:10 Wellness for providing such a cool giveaway opportunity.

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GoLite Mesa Trail Shorts Review

An administrative reminder before today’s post: you’ve got one more day to leave a monkey-themed comment on my Monkey Shake post for a chance to win a free six-pack of shake mix. So far the volume of entries isn’t overwhelming, but the quality is pretty impressive – so bring your A game to the comments box. Yes, that’s a challenge.

As for today’s review, let’s begin with a question. How do you like your trail shorts: long or longer? No matter what your answer, GoLite has the ideal shorts for your preference in its Mesa Trail line, available in either 7” or 9” inseam lengths. (If your answer to the question was “none of the above”, they also have a 5” inseam version, but that’s a situation that taller guys – like, um, me - might find a little too revealing for their comfort.)

I’ve been testing both the 7” and 9” versions for a couple of months now, and I’m really happy with both of them, but for slightly different reasons. I’ll start with the 9” version, which was something of a pleasant surprise for me.

GoLite 9" Mesa Trail shorts

Although I tend to like my shorts a bit long, at first glance the 9” Mesa Trails felt a bit excessive, like I could pair them with a backwards ball cap to audition for a rap video. Another oddity was the liner, which goes a few inches down the thigh like a pair of boxer briefs instead of a traditional brief fit. I started by wearing them only for short distance runs, but soon found they were quite comfortable for longer distances as well.

The external panels are made of DriMove Lite fabric, which is quite thin and provides very effective moisture transfer and ventilation, and the internal brief features GoLite’s awesome Minerale, a microporous fabric derived from natural fibers that has outstanding moisture-wicking and odor control properties. The longer liner does a great job of preventing skin contact (thereby decreasing friction and chafing) in the upper thigh area, and is thin enough that it doesn’t feel bulky, with just enough compression to stay in place fairly well over a run of 2-3 hours.

Despite the dimensions of these shorts, they are fairly lightweight at 146g – just marginally heavier than the 7” version – and surprisingly comfortable. Between the increased thigh coverage and the extended brief liner, they ride slightly warmer than traditional running shorts, but not nearly as much as you'd think. I suspect I’ll be wearing these even more as the weather turns cooler in the fall, serving a similar purpose (from a warmth standpoint, not necessarily muscle performance) as a good pair of compression shorts.

Other nice features on the 9” shorts include a brushed comfort waistband, external waist drawstring, and a zippered hip pocket that’s big enough for a cell phone or mp3. The longer styling of these also makes them well-suited for hiking or for lounging around post-workout if you don’t have time to change into regular clothes.

Contrary to my first impressions of the 9” short, I knew right away that I’d like the 7” Mesa Trail shorts. The inseam length is right in my wheelhouse, the styling is fairly sharp, and the fit is super comfortable as soon as you slip them on. GoLite calls these the “ultimate training short”, and they’ve become my favorite shorts for long outings this summer, including the night I paced Gretchen at the TRT 100.

GoLite 7" Mesa Trail shorts

The 7” shorts have a classic brief liner with the same Minerale fabric as the 9” model, with the same DriMove external panels and brushed comfort waistband. They add two front pockets along with the zippered rear pocket, and have an internal drawstring. Overall weight is 140g, and these shorts ride very light and comfortably, even with my longest-distance runs.

This summer, the 7" Mesa Trails have steadily become my favorite everyday shorts, and I’ve found them durable enough to handle the longest days and nights I've thrown at them. More recently, I spent the past few weeks trying to find something to nitpick about these, but I honestly can’t think of anything. Sometimes the gear is just that good.

GoLite’s 9” Mesa Trail shorts retail for $45 from the GoLite website, and the 7” version sells for $40.


*Products provided by GoLite
**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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Monkey Shake Coupon Code and Giveaway!

“Love me baby, love me baby –
Shake me like a monkey baby –
And forever I’m yours, yours, yours, yeah!”
- Dave Matthews Band, “Shake Me Like a Monkey” (video after post)


Even with the amount of new gear and products I’ve been fortunate enough to test over the past couple of years, sometimes it’s nice to keep going back to something that works for you.
That’s exactly what happened after I reviewed a product called Monkey Shakes last year: I continued to purchase them after my free sample supply ran out, and I’ve gradually made my way through two more full shipments over the course of several months. It’s a product I’ve come to love – and this week, it’s also a product I’m thrilled to give away.

Monkey shakes!

If you’re wondering what the heck I’m talking about, feel free to read my initial review, and I’ll give you a quick recap here. Monkey Shakes are all-natural high-protein recovery mixes featuring chia seeds, vitamins and antioxidants (for the super long explanation, click here) that you blend with milk, frozen fruit, juice, peanut butter, or any other ingredients you choose (recipe suggestions are included). They are sold in two-serving packets, but can also be scooped into your normal smoothies in place of regular protein powder.

So, yes … it’s basically a super-fancy milkshake, but I was also drawn to the 10:10 Wellness company, who manufactures the shakes, and who have a mission and values that I feel good about supporting. They encourage people to lead active, athletic lifestyles through training partnerships, and they openly promote the spiritual component of general wellness and healthy living.

Also, each of my shipments came with a hand-scribbled thank you note, and one of those little curvy-armed monkeys from the old Barrel of Monkeys game. Clearly this is a company that’s easy for me to identify with.

Monkey love

(And apparently the feeling is mutual, as I’ve recently been beknighted as a 10:10 Wellness SpokesMonkey. At least, I’m pretty sure that’s meant as an honor.)

When I reviewed them last year, the company was working on something of a shoestring, a point that was most apparent in the product packaging. I kind of teased them about this, and they responded by raising their game and providing factory closed resealable bags for all orders. They also expanded the product line to include Chocolate Monkeys. My preference is still for the vanilla flavor, because it goes best with the fruit smoothies I most frequently blend – but if you like a good chocolate milkshake every now and then, you can add a lot of nutritional value to it with a little bit of monkey mix.

Vanilla and chocolate monkeys

Monkey shakes come in 2-serving bags, and are priced at $15 for three bags, or $68 for a 15-bag (30 serving) case, with chocolate monkeys a few bucks more expensive than the regular vanilla flavor. Since I’m now a spokesmonkey, I get to pass along some monkey love to my readers: if you purchase them from the 10:10 Wellness site, enter coupon code monkeydonald (cute, huh?) into the coupon box for a 10% discount. (Note - this is a different coupon code than was used for my initial review. Use this new one, monkeys.)

However, if you’re lucky – and a bit creative - you can try some Monkey Shakes for free. The company has generously offered to provide a six-pack of either chocolate or vanilla flavor shakes to FIVE lucky winners chosen from the comments section below. However, since this giveaway is so cool, I’m tinkering with the normal rules a bit: instead of just drawing commenters at random, I’m going to be subjective about who wins.

I’m assembling a selection panel - likely to include at least one of the elementary school-aged girls I live with - and we’re awarding extra points for creativity, so your task is to dazzle us. Anything related to monkeys will score extra points. Jokes, witty remarks, goofy haiku, or anything else that makes us laugh will score extremely high. Remember, this is monkey business we’re talking about, so feel free to go bananas.

Good luck, have fun, and I’ll announce winners on Friday night!

*
Speaking of fun and creative: one of my favorite tracks from the latest DMB disc seems more than appropriate here.

Dave Matthews Band, “Shake Me Like a Monkey” (click to play - and scroll through about 90 seconds of intro):

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