With only a few weekends left to post Random Shots of
Beauty, I figured it was time to go back into the photo folders and find some
of the pics I decided to put away for a rainy day. And since it’s been raining for almost five
straight days around Monterey County, this seemed like a perfect time to open
up the rainy day file.
We’ll start with this one from a remote area of Carmel
Valley:
A somewhat nondescript oak tree that my son and I
encountered on a summertime bike ride; it’s not remarkably different than any
other of the thousands of oak trees around here. It was only upon closer inspection that my
son said, “Hey – what do you see on that tree trunk?”
To our eyes, it kind of looked like the tree was looking
back at us. It was very Wizard of
Oz-ish.
Continuing on the “slightly surreal” theme is this shot from
my 11-year-old daughter’s favorite trail running area in Point Lobos State Reserve:
It’s not very often that you encounter a whale skeleton on
your evening run. At least not that I'm aware of.
*
One final note from the weekend: my wife and I had the
privilege of seeing the Blind Boys of Alabama in concert on Friday night – and if
there’s any better way to kick off the Christmas season, I’d be amazed. They played a set of their gospel classics,
plus some gems from their wonderful holiday record, including this tune that may be our
family’s unanimous selection for favorite holiday song of all time.
Blind Boys of Alabama, “Last Month of the Year” (click to
play):
“Leaves are falling
all around, it's time I was on my way –
Thanks to you I'm much
obliged, for such a pleasant stay … “
- - Led Zeppelin, “Ramble On” (video after post)
At Thanksgiving I posted an old Bloom County comic strip that referenced the notion of permanence – which, ironically, was published in the summer of
1989, just a handful of weeks before author Berke Breathed officially brought
that chapter of his career to a close. I
remember feeling quite melancholy about the departure of Bloom County from the
daily comics*, even though I recognized that the strip had morphed and changed
and played out so many crazy story lines that it must have been practically impossible
to keep things fresh and exciting anymore.
(*Coincidentally, in the summer of 1989 I had a lot of
things going for me: I had finished my freshman year at the college I had
dreamed of attending since I was a little kid, spent one of the most
exhilarating seasons I could remember as part of the UCLA rowing team, and wasted more days than I can remember bumming around the beaches of southern
California. And although I didn’t
realize it at the time, I had met the girl who would eventually become my
wife. Yet I was still legitimately sad
about this nutty comic strip coming to an end – which should tell you all you
need to know about my maturity level in the late 1980s.)
I couldn’t even honestly say that Bloom County was my favorite strip anymore; at the time, both
Calvin and Hobbes and The Far Side were at the top of their games, proving
themselves far more endearing and universally funny - and in hindsight, they
would hold up much better over the ensuing two decades. Yet there was something special about Bloom County for me. Perhaps it was the lovably quirky characters,
or the absurdly fantastic adventures they set out on, or the often
embarrassingly candid expressions of introspection and insecurity they displayed –
whatever it was, I simply identified with this cartoon more than all the
others.
Click to enlarge
The final story line of the strip described how the
characters eventually found work at other comic strips; among my favorites was
African-American computer wiz Oliver Wendell Jones being bused in to join the
cast of Family Circus. Ultimately Opus,
the character who had become the heart and soul of the strip, walked off into
the sunset with the promise of more crazy experiences awaiting him at some
nondescript destination - later revealed to be Outland, a Sunday-only spinoff that was relatively short-lived and
never remotely established the same emotional connection as the original.
Click to enlarge
The reason I’m telling you all this is because it wasn’t a
coincidence that I ran that strip here last week. It’s time to bring a chapter of my own life
to a close … and we’re entering the final weeks of Running and Rambling.
It’s a decision that’s been percolating in my head for the
better part of a year, and finally reached critical mass over the past couple
of months. This website has always been
a labor of love, but the “labor” side of that equation has been overwhelming
the “love” side with increasing frequency, and I’ve long since reached the
point of diminishing returns in regards to how much time I want to invest on
this pet hobby of mine.
Lest anyone be concerned, rest assured that everything is
fine with me. Longtime readers will
recall that I tried to quit once before, a decision that was precipitated by a
family crisis, under circumstances that seemed abrupt and beyond my
control. (And no, I’m not linking to
those posts – it’s not exactly a period of time I’m eager to revisit.) This time around, things
couldn’t be more different: I’ve had a ton of time to mull it over, and it’s a
decision that I’m making completely on my own, without any external drivers
influencing me one way or the other.
"Goodbye, me" - click to enlarge
In fact, it’s precisely because I find myself so richly
blessed that the day to day machinations of maintaining a website seem
extremely inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. Life is morphing and changing and inserting
me into a hundred crazy story lines, and I want to give all of them my full
attention without worrying about how much time I need to be spending on my
laptop in order to get the next post published.
Or, to paraphrase the immortal philosopher Ferris Bueller: life is
moving pretty fast, and if I don’t stop and look around, I’m afraid I might miss
it.
However, none of this implies that you’ve seen the last of
me. Like the Bloom County characters of 1989, many aspects of this blog will
carry on elsewhere. I’ll continue to be
a gear guru, with minimalist footwear reviews posted on Gear Institute, and all
other manner of products reviewed on Feed the Habit (I’ve contributed to each
of these sites for a number of years now).
Team Soft Star will continue to race at ultras - although which ones and
when, I have no idea yet – with race reports published on Soft Star’s Live Bare blog. And if things go according
to plan, you'll occasionally see my name pop up on freelance writing gigs for
various outdoor or health-related magazines. None of these will have quite the same emotional connection for me as my original website, but they're exactly the type of outlets I need right now.
Same idiot, different websites
I’m tentatively planning to publish my final post on
December 31 – that seems like a fitting date to bring things to a close – so
think of the next four weeks around here as one final adventure. I honestly have no idea how things will play
out; maybe I’ll run some favorite posts, maybe I’ll try some crazy things I've never gotten around to, or maybe I’ll just continue business as
usual and then play "Freebird" on my way out of the building. All I know for now is that I have a few
product reviews to post and at least one more contest giveaway to offer, which
you’ll see for yourself next week.
In the meantime, I’m overwhelmingly obliged to everyone who
helped make Running and Rambling a success; it’s been such a pleasant stay that
I know a part of me will always be legitimately sad about its departure. Hopefully I’ll be able to convey the extent
of that gratitude at some point … but for now, it’s time for me to go – and as fate would have it, tonight there’s a full moon to guide me.
“Now it’s time for me to go, the autumn moon lights my way …
”
-Led Zeppelin, “Ramble On” (click to play):
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Here’s how you know you’ve got a versatile shoe: when you
can wear it for a 100-mile trail run through the mountains in the summer, and
your daughter can wear it as an everyday school shoe in the fall.
Thanks to Soft Star Shoes, that scenario isn’t much of an
exaggeration. By now my exploits running
Leadville in my RunAmoc Dashes are well documented, but the other development
in the Dash story was the release of a youth version this fall. It’s essentially the same model as the grown
up model, with a few kid-friendly design tweaks. My 9-year-old daughter has been putting them
through the paces at school and at play, and they’ve quickly become one of her
favorites.
Soft Star youth Dash
For the most part, the design and construction of the youth
model are similar to the adult Dash smooth, with a solid leather upper and wide
toe box in front to let the toes splay. Both
fasten the midfoot very securely in place …
… but the youth version uses a Velcro attachment rather than
the traditional laces found on the adult Dash.
The youth version also features an elastic band around the
ankle collar to keep the heel in place.
When I first wear tested the adult Dashes, my primary complaint was that
the heel seemed to slip out of the collar fairly often*; this band prevents
that same issue from happening to little heels.
(*Soft Star made some modifications and eventually came up
with a shape that hugs my foot better – it’s not perfect, but obviously good
enough to get me through all my ultras.)
Also around the heel area you’ll see an extra layer of
leather padding to improve comfort. The
back side of the heels have reflective accents to help keep little feet visible
in low light.
My daughter wears her Dashes almost exclusively without socks and hasn’t
had any complaints of hot spots or discomfort.
A thin boar skin insole serves a dual purpose of providing enough grip
to keep the foot from sliding around, and feeling soft against the skin for added
comfort.
Just as with the adult versions, youth Dashes are available
with a 2mm street outsole or the more knobby 5mm trail outsole. For an added cost you can order the leather
outsole that’s an option on some Soft Star models (and popular with fans of
grounding). The outsole material above is
exactly the same as the one I use for my ultras, so I don’t have any concerns
about its durability. We decided to go
with the thicker 5mm option because it’s more comfortable for extended use, and
traction is significantly better on a variety of surfaces that most kids
encounter.
Of course, the thicker outsole doesn’t make the shoe any
less flexible, as the entire thing can be rolled up or contoured just like any
of Soft Star’s footwear. They allow
young feet to move and stretch as though they were barefoot, with the added
benefits of modest protection and a fashionable flair.
Youth Dash shoes come in two standard color options: the
chocolate and nutmeg combo that my daughter chose, or a more feminine purple and shiny violet option. (My daughter’s
never been much for gender conformity.)
As with all other Soft Star models, you can design your own color
schemes for an additional cost.
Although they are technically moccasins, the youth Dashes
are built to handle activity just like the grownup versions. My daughter wears them for P.E. class, all
over the playground, and for pretty much any outdoor activity she encounters
after the school bell rings.
I’ve been blitzed with Black Friday and Cyber Monday
promotions over the past week – and since it’s been a while since I’ve done any
serious affiliate promotion, I figured I’d pass some of them along here. Before we get to them, however, let’s roll
through our customary Random Shots of Beauty, with a double-size edition in
honor of the double-sized weekend.
The first is from a Wednesday afternoon run with my
daughter, on one of the rare occasions I’ve had to run in daylight recently:
A grove of massive eucalyptus trees near a historic
homestead site in Garland Ranch Regional Park in Carmel Valley.
The other is a bit further away …
… and up into the Santa Cruz Mountains, the site of our
family’s annual Christmas tree hunt on the day after Thanksgiving, when most of
the rest of America is out shopping. We
do this every single year, and not one time have I ever wished I was in a
shopping mall instead.
However, on the subject of shopping, let’s get to the
offers. Rather than go into much detail
on any of these, just understand that I’ve used all of the products and/or
vendors in question, and I have no hesitation in recommending them to you as
well. Click any of the banners to jump to the sales.
First up is REI, your best one-stop shop for pretty much
everything outdoor related. They’re
offering all winter gear at a 30% discount through November 26th.
Next is Massey’s Outfitters, who sell the complete Patagonia
catalog as well as an extensive collection of Vibram FiveFingers. They’ve got a ton of their products
discounted (including all Marmot gear), and are offering a $20 gift card with a $100 purchase.
The next banner ad is from GoLite, who offer pretty killer
savings all year long, and this week is no exception. Their holiday promotion is a free beanie with
any purchase.
One more banner – not necessarily because it’s huge savings, but
because it’s one of my favorite companies.
Patagonia is offering free shipping on all orders through December 9th.
Finally, a couple sales that I don’t have banner ads for:
VIVOBAREFOOT has a sweet coupon code for 40% off your order through November 28– just enter VIVOBF at checkout.
SKORA has a “first-come, best-served” type of coupon code where you can
save 25, 50, or possibly even 100% of your purchase price – click here for
details.
Does that give you enough to shop for? One other note is that Amazon.com will have
some great Cyber Monday deals as well – so if you’re looking for something that
isn’t on this list, chances are you’ll find it there.
Regular programming will resume later in the week – until then,
happy shopping!
It’s tradition around Running and Rambling HQ that when the
holidays roll around, we break out the Charlie Brown videos – and more often
than not, I embed a clip from one of the holiday specials here.
So it is again this year, in a brilliant 5-minute clip that
features classic Vince Guaraldi music, heartfelt gratitude in recognition of the
holiday, some of the finest Snoopy moments on film … and Thanksgiving around a
ping pong table.
“Thanksgiving Around a Ping-Pong Table” (click to play):
And while we’re on the subject of animation that
has greater significance, there’s an old Bloom County strip that’s been on my
mind a lot lately. You’ll have to click
to enlarge:
More to follow on this shortly. In the meantime, Happy Thanksgiving to
everyone. Don’t eat too much popcorn and
jellybeans.
It’s worth noting that when I first started reviewing VIVOBAREFOOT
footwear more than three years ago, they were at that time exclusively a dress
shoe company. They hadn’t yet entered
the running business, but there was an inherent symbiosis between their “barefoot”
shoes and the natural biomechanics of a bygone era of running, before modern corporations
turned the entire shoe industry into a destructive vortex of technologies that
none of us needed.
VIVOBAREFOOT Legacy
All of which is my long-winded way of saying that running shoes
used to be much simpler. However, today’s
product review doesn’t feature a running shoe, but the VIVOBAREFOOT Legacy,
designed as a throwback to those simpler days of running – or as the website
describes it, “a luxury barefoot shoe that pays homage to the classic Roger
Bannister era.”
And before we proceed further, allow me to re-state what
longtime readers already know: I’m a complete Roger Bannister freak. (Scroll around the lower right sidebar to see
what I mean.) So when you put together
the words “Bannister” and “barefoot”, you pretty much have me at hello. Admittedly then, I may not be the most
objective person to provide this review – but truthfully, the Legacy is
probably one of the most versatile and stylish shoes I own.
Let’s start with the styling: true to its claim, the Legacy
looks like it came straight out of Oxford University in the 1950s. The entire upper is made with what
VIVOBAREFOOT calls luxury leather. The continuation
of the lacing ridge lines down through the toe box give the shoe a look that’s
equally suitable for office or casual wear.
The toebox is nice and wide, allowing your toes to splay
naturally. This design element seems
almost needless to say for natural shoe reviews nowadays because pretty much
everybody does it - but it bears mentioning that VIVOBAREFOOT was way ahead of
the curve in pioneering this kind of last in office-appropriate footwear.
Unlike most other VIVOBAREFOOT shoes, there’s a bit of a
breaking in period for the Legacy, as the luxury leather is slightly stiff right
out of the box. It becomes softer and
more malleable after a few outings, and eventually becomes like a second layer
of skin around your midfoot (but not so much in the heel – more on that in a
second).
Midfoot fit can be fine-tuned by the traditional lacing
system and waxed cotton laces that hold their tension quite well during long
periods of wear. Each shoe weighs 8.5
oz, (241g) which is slightly heavier than other office options (such as Merrell’s Tough Glove), but is light enough to not be burdensome even after a full day on
your feet.
Around the heel area, the leather is approximately twice as
thick as in the rest of the upper; I suspect this is to give a bit of structure
to the heel collar, but it makes the rearfoot area noticeably stiffer than the
rest of the shoe. I feel the difference
when walking up stairs or up steep inclines, but it’s not enough to cause any discomfort.
Standing height of the Legacy is either 5mm or 8mm,
depending on whether or not you include the removable 3mm EVA insole. Whichever way you choose, ground feel is
outstanding with this shoe, as the soft, flexible rubber outsole provides heightened
proprioception on a variety of surfaces.
Another nod to Bannister is the aforementioned outsole,
which is taken from VIVOBAREFOOT’s luxury Evo running shoe. It’s composed of high abrasion,
puncture-resistant rubber with shallow hexagonal knobbing. From my experience with other VIVOBAREFOOT
models, I’d say this outsole is quite strong from a dry traction standpoint
(especially on dirt or irregular surfaces), but lacks a bit in wet conditions
compared to the all-weather outsole found on VIVO’s Lesotho shoe and other
models.
Functionally speaking, the Legacy’s outsole mirrors its
upper in terms of being versatile for a range of situations and
conditions. Ultimately that’s the
strength of the Legacy on the whole: it’s a very well-built, good-looking shoe
that you can use pretty much every day of the week, or from transitioning easily
from work to a night on the town.
Traditional fall colors are somewhat difficult to find in
Monterey County, but if you do enough running around, eventually some of them will
cross your path. Accordingly, this
weekend’s post features some color-themed Random Shots of Beauty.
The first is from Salinas; I have no idea what kind of tree
this is (any arborists out there who want to educate me, feel free) – all I
know is that it is extremely red.
In my home town of Carmel Valley, many of the colors aren’t
from trees …
… but from vineyards.
Unlike the red tree earlier, these particular plants are very well known
to me; I drive past them every day on my way to and from work, and mark the
seasons by their changing shapes and colors.
I also indulge in their ultimate product (in this case, from one of the
best wineries in the world) or similar Monterey County offerings quite a bit
during the holiday season – which happens to start this week.
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comic strip that referenced the notion of permanence – which, ironically, was published in the summer of
1989, just a handful of weeks before author Berke Breathed officially brought
that chapter of his career to a close. I
remember feeling quite melancholy about the departure of Bloom County from the
daily comics*, even though I recognized that the strip had morphed and changed
and played out so many crazy story lines that it must have been practically impossible
to keep things fresh and exciting anymore.
