Pure Zion; Run Tellman Run!

I’m still putting some finishing touches on my Half Dome report, so I’m giving that one another day to simmer before serving it up for public consumption. In the meantime, I have a handful of announcements to fill this space today: two from my favorite trail running company, and one about a very intriguing character who is either tremendously heroic or hopelessly delusional – or maybe a little of each.

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First up: the summer apparel sale at Wilderness Running Company that I’ve promoted a couple of times is drawing to a close. There are still some very sweet deals on tech tees and shorts, and they’re also blowing out a handful of watches and sunglasses as well. No matter what kind of bargain you find there, you can still use my coupon code R&R10 for an additional 10% discount. The sale ends on September 20th, so get going.

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Next is an announcement of a different sort from the same company. I’ve mentioned a few times before how dedicated WRC is to the trail running experience -and now they’re putting together an event that reflects both their love for the sport and their mission to share it with others.

On November 7 and 8, Wilderness Running Company is hosting a two-day event called Pure Zion, which takes place in Utah’s Zion National Park. It’s basically a weekend trail-running getaway in one of the most beautiful locations imaginable, with a small group of like-minded souls to accompany you.

Promo pic from WRC website

The first day features a 20-mile run through the heart of the park on the Wildcat Canyon and West Rim Trails. Sunday’s run is a 15-miler on the La Verkin Creek Trail in the Kolob Canyons section of the park.

This opportunity is unique for a few reasons: first, the group size is extremely limited by National Park policy. There will probably be no more than a dozen participants in the weekend. What that means for attendees is plenty of flexibility to adapt the runs to participant interest. For example, the first day could potentially be anything from a half-marathon to a 50K, and the second day can easily be extended to 20+ miles.

(And before you ask ... no, I probably won't be there. That shouldn't make it any less enticing for you, though - in fact, I would think it makes it more so.)

The other very unique – and very cool – aspect of the camp is that there is no charge to attend. All you have to fund is your own transportation and lodging while in town, and WRC will provide the rest. They’ll give you a pre-run dinner on Friday night, a picnic in Zion Canyon on Saturday, and all the run-related transportation and logistical support you need on both days. And since they’re in the gear business, they have some sweet product giveaways in store as well.

Sounds cool, huh? If you’re interested, check out the information page and e-mail WRC for the required pre-registration. Since the number of slots is extremely limited, if you want to sign up, don’t drag your feet.

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Finally, a story that I’m not quite sure what to make of: the curious saga of Tellman Knudson, and his quest to raise 100 million dollars. This is one of those dream-chasing stories that I’d honestly love to see succeed, but I’m almost completely certain is bound to come off the rails.

Tellman wanted to do something dramatic and inspiring to raise money for homeless youth, so he came up with the idea to run all the way across America. Shortly thereafter, he was disheartened to learn that a small number of people have already grabbed that particular brass ring, so he increased the crazy factor exponentially by deciding that he’d do his run completely barefoot.

For having such a grandiose plan, Tellman has flown somewhat under the radar, although he does count Richard Branson as one of his primary supporters. I have no idea how much money he’s raised thus far, but it’s probably somewhere in the four-figures instead of the nines. On the plus side, he does have some interesting YouTube videos documenting his quest.

Tellman is also a relative neophyte when it comes to running barefoot, as he claims he’s only done it for four months. If that’s the case, one of two things will inevitably happen: 1) he’ll end up injuring himself before crossing his first state line, or 2) he’ll have to break down the 3200-mile distance into pieces so incrementally small that they’ll consume the next 10 to 15 years of his life. (As a point of comparison, I’ve been running barefoot for about two months, and the most I can go continuously is less than four miles.) If he were an experienced barefoot runner, I’d give Tellman a puncher’s chance – but without a solid foundation underneath him, I fear he’s destined to wind up far short of his goals.

On that note, I’m not going to recommend that you donate to him, for many folks have dismissed this as nothing more than a goofy publicity stunt. I guess my announcement here is just to make you aware that Tellman began his odyssey from New York’s Battery Park last Wednesday (on 9/9/09, making it easy to remember), and that the story may become much more compelling as it unfolds. He may be coming to a town near you in the weeks, months, or years to come - or maybe not. I honestly have no idea.

At any rate, here’s a video of Tellman on a morning news show in New York City, to give you a sense of the guy:


Like I said, I don’t really know what to make of it, so for now I’ll just say this: Run, Tellman, Run!

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Half Dome

Yahoo!

Click to enlarge

An amazingly perfect day. Report to follow next week.

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Out of Office: AutoReply

If all goes according to plan, at some point today I'll be standing on top of this:


Presumably without quite as much snow this time, I hope. I'll post an update as soon as possible afterward, with a full report to follow next week sometime.

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The Barefoot Files: Training Update #3

"Easy, then light, then smooth, then fast. Take care of the first three, and fast will take care of itself."

- Caballo Blanco (pictured), from Born to Run by Christopher McDougall


One indication that your life has taken a turn for the crazy might be when you start considering mantras from a quirky, mysterious, middle-aged vagabond to be some kind of universal wisdom.

Nevertheless, that’s exactly what’s become of me over the past few weeks as I try to settle into a comfortable routine as a barefoot runner. While some parts are falling into place quite nicely, there are other aspects that I continually struggle against – although I think I might have had a minor breakthrough in that regard, as Ill explain shortly.

With that, let’s get to the details. (I’m trying to keep these reports shorter, I promise.) If you missed them, update #1 is here, and update #2 is here.


Week 6: 4 barefoot runs, 2 Vibram Five Fingers (VFF) runs

Barefoot:
• 30 min on asphalt
• 20 min on all-weather track
• 10 min on dirt
• 10 min on asphalt

Vibram Five Fingers (VFF):
• 60 min on trail
• 65 min on trail

The 30-minute road run represents the longest duration I have gone without shoes, and also the first time that I walked out the door solely to do a barefoot run. That is, I didn’t tack these minutes onto the end of a longer shod run; the entire workout was 30 minutes long. Kind of sad for an ultrarunner. Even more depressing was the fact that I probably only covered about 2 miles – more on that issue in a second.

I figured I’d try running on the track one day, thinking that its springiness would be a comfortable departure from the hard asphalt. It was, and it wasn’t. The impact of the track was very minimal, but the rough texture of the all-weather surface was the perfect formula for creating friction blisters on my toes. I cut this workout short just as I started feeling some hot spots.

Resting in the meadow

Dirt surfaces weren’t much of a relief, either. Remember the quaint little meadow I wrote about recently? I run on the dirt paths there sometimes – and if I’m not tormented by sticks and pebbles and acorn shells, I’m wincing from the little thorns dispersed from the recently mowed wild grass. It’s amazing how such tiny little things can cause such immense discomfort sometimes.

On the plus side, one nice development has been my rapid progression and easy tolerance of using the Vibram FiveFingers. Aside from the traction issues on steep downhills that I mentioned in my KSO review, I feel very confident tackling any kind of terrain with them, and I don’t seem to suffer any strange aches or soreness afterwards. They’re the only means by which I can get any decent mileage on trails right now.

In fact, I felt comfortable enough to debut the VFFs on a group outing, at our weekly 6-mile hilly trail run. My overall time was a few minutes slower than normal, but I kept up well enough that the rest of the group didn’t have to wait for me more than a couple of minutes at the bottom of some long descents - or maybe they were just being polite to the freak who showed up wearing gorilla feet. It’s sometimes tough to tell.

Hitting the trails in VFF

Week 7: 5 barefoot runs, 2 VFF runs

Barefoot:
• 20 min asphalt
• 12 min asphalt
• 6 min dirt
• 24 min asphalt
• 15 min asphalt

VFF:
• 55 min trail
• 65 min trail

My VFF mileage stayed pretty consistent this week, mainly because I didn’t have enough training time to push further. That will come soon enough.

The primary revelation from this week has been a mental shift in my approach to running barefoot on asphalt - and that’s where I’m starting to channel my inner Caballo Blanco.

From the very beginning of this experiment, my biggest frustration has been how excruciatingly slow you have to go when starting out barefoot. On most of my road runs, I’ve tried to push the pace as soon as I felt capable of it, only to develop some strange (and usually sharp) pain as a result. My form would falter a bit right as I tried to speed up, and I could feel the difference in my foot strike immediately. More often than not, my barefoot road runs would end with me nursing one sore spot or another that developed due to my impatience.

Finally, in the midst of struggling down one particularly rough stretch of road and feeling down on myself, I recalled the quote that introduced this post, and decided to check myself before I wrecked myself. I basically thought, “Screw it – just run the right way, as easy as you need to in order to make it more comfortable, no matter how slowly you’re moving or how ridiculous you look.” I shortened my stride to near baby steps, and slowed my pace down remarkably close to walking.

It sounds surreal – but just a few moments later, the asphalt became much more tolerable. (I warned you that this stuff could turn crazy.)

At one with the road ... seriously

I came to realize that I’ve been battling the asphalt all this time, when I should really be trying to work with it instead. So during my last two runs of the week, I did exactly that: I ran as easy as possible, taking only what the road gave me without striving for anything more, and disregarding any expectation of speed or distance. That mental shift made a world of difference; now instead of finishing workouts in pain, I’ve completed the last couple of workouts feeling like I could keep right on going if I had the time to do so.

In other words, I think I’ve got easy down now. I’m working on light (not exactly my specialty), then I guess I’ll need to figure out smooth (whatever that means) somehow before I begin to worry about fast anymore. I don’t know if I’ll ever get there, but at least the long journey won’t be quite so painful anymore.

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Nike Free Everyday+ 2 Shoe Review

"I'm running free, yeah ...

I'm running free."
- Iron Maiden, "Running Free" (video after post)

*Admin note: It was virtually impossible for me to review a running shoe called the Free and NOT think of that classic Maiden song. If you're a hard rock fan of a certain age, you've already got the chorus stuck in your head just by reading it. For the rest of you, the video follows the post.

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Just about every runner has a Nike story.

The company has been so ubiquitous in the development and expansion of the sport of running that you’d be hard pressed to find someone who has never worn Nike shoes. They are the 800-lb gorilla that every other shoe company must contend with, and they’re a force of nature within the running community.

Given their size, Nike also makes an easy target for criticism, some of which has become high-profile over the years. In the 1990s, the company was widely criticized for human rights concerns within its Asian workforce (an especially interesting point for me, in light of this recent post), and for environmental negligence. While some of those concerns (especially the labor ones) have persisted into the 21st Century, Nike has done a respectable job of cleaning up its act when it comes to social responsibility.

For example, the environmental organization Clean Air-Cool Planet ranks Nike third among 56 companies for its climate-friendly business practices. Nike has also created innovative products such as the Trash Talk shoe, constructed from materials gathered from the factory floor during manufacturing. Perhaps their most successful initiative, from a community and environmental standpoint, is the Reuse-A-Shoe program, which recycles old running shoes whose materials are then used for basketball courts, running tracks, and playground surfaces.

So while the company may not be perfect, they’re certainly making strides in the right direction. And through all the controversy and reform efforts, their shoes have continued to sell like crazy, indicating the mighty influence Nike still wields among shoe consumers. Therefore, when Nike trends in any particular direction, the entire industry takes notice.

In many regards, that’s exactly what’s happened with the whole barefoot renaissance that’s taking place. I’ve already written about how the company who more or less invented the modern running shoe has also been at the forefront of the barefoot movement, but it bears emphasizing how large a role Nike played in the development of it all.

It was Nike who listened to feedback from its sponsored coaches (most notably Vin Lananna at Stanford) and athletes who found improved comfort and performance while running barefoot. It was Nike who spent millions on research to develop footwear that allows the foot and ankle to function naturally in the framework of a traditional running shoe. And it was Nike who promoted the benefits of barefoot running to mass consumer markets. It’s impossible to prove - but if a smaller, niche company had come out with a “barefoot running shoe” several years ago, chances are it would have been roundly ignored or ridiculed by the rest of the industry; since Nike did it, every other company was forced to respond.

Can your shoe do this?

Before we get to this specific shoe, I’ll try to clear up some confusion in regards to Nike terminology. The original Nike Free series that debuted in 2005 now has several versions on the market, classified by numbers like 3.0 and 5.0. The scale reflects “degrees of freedom”, or how closely the shoe mimics barefoot running. 10.0 would be a standard running shoe, and 0.0 would be running barefoot (or in purely minimal footwear like Vibram FiveFingers).

Since the transition to a more barefoot pattern can be problematic, some runners found it difficult to train in Nike Frees on a daily basis; that’s where the Free Everyday+ comes in. With this shoe, Nike attempts to combine the feeling of natural movement, but maintain the cushioning and support of an everyday trainer. It’s a neutral cushioned shoe that would sit somewhere in the upper half of Nike’s numeric scale. The Everyday+ 2 is the second generation of this particular series.

The Free series’ biggest departure from standard running shoes is in its flexibility. The midsole - and a good portion of the outsole - is made of Phylite material that is very lightweight and pliable, while the bottom of the shoe features deep flex grooves (both lateral and horizontal) to allow motion in all directions. The composite rubber outsole is highly durable and provides adequate traction for any kind of road running.

Groovy!

Given that the Free Everyday+ 2 is a transitional shoe as opposed to a true barefoot trainer, there are still several comfort features that Nike retains from its traditional running models. There is a soft midfoot saddle that wraps around the rearfoot for a secure fit, a molded sockliner matching the curvature of the foot for comfort and support, and a segmented crash pad in the midsole for shock absorption. There’s also a Nike Zoom unit in the heel for added cushioning; this is the only model in the Free series to feature air cushioning in the heel. These features don’t add significant bulk, however, as the entire shoe weighs in at a fairly lightweight 9.9 oz.

Upstairs, I was pleasantly surprised by both the form and function of the shoe’s upper. From a design standpoint, it’s got a serious old-school vibe to it, like a throwback to the days of the waffle trainer. It also has some smart features from a performance standpoint, such as a large forefoot area to allow natural foot movement, and an extremely breathable mesh for ventilation and comfort.

Old-school cool

If you’re wondering what the “plus” means in the name Free Everyday+ 2, it indicates that the shoe is compatible with Nike’s sensor technology – another feature that is missing from the rest of the Free series. Nike+ allows runners to measure and monitor their progress in conjunction with separate equipment such as the Nike+ SportBand, Nike+ iPod sport kit, or Nike+ iPhone 3GS. It’s pretty cool gadgetry to play around with, if you’re into that sort of thing. Since I tend to gravitate towards low-tech applications (have I mentioned that I like running barefoot?), I didn’t spend a lot of time with this feature to test its accuracy or reliability.

I have, however, put a lot of miles on these shoes since I received them a couple of months ago. They’ve been a great accompaniment to the barefoot mileage I’m running; on days when my ankles were feeling a little sore, or my feet were still too raw from asphalt friction to go barefoot again, I’d put 8 to 10 miles at a time on these shoes very comfortably.

It seems like Nike hit pretty close to the intended target with the Free Everyday+ 2: it’s a comfortable, durable trainer that would be a good transition shoe towards barefoot running, or a good alternative for barefoot runners who want to maintain a higher weekly mileage while giving their feet time to recuperate between barefoot workouts.

The Nike Free Everyday+ 2 sells for $92 from the Nike Store as well as various online retailers.

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Iron Maiden, "Running Free" (click to play):



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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Oak Tree Meadow

Approximately halfway through my routine 6-mile neighborhood run, I circle the perimeter of a local meadow. It’s about two acres in size, and I’ve probably run around it about 500 times without giving much thought to spending any length of time there.

That was before I had a 5-year-old daughter.

One day last spring, our family took a walk through the meadow, and our youngest daughter discovered her own little nirvana: a lonely rope swing hanging from a branch of the largest oak tree. The meadow is now one of her favorite destinations whenever we have free time, and one of my favorite spots to take her when she needs some independent attention away from her brother and sister.

When I’m there with her, I find myself considering the meadow through a 5-year-old’s eyes, and feel a profound appreciation for this little Carmel Valley oasis.

The oak which holds the swing is enormous, and looks like something straight out of a storybook. It’s somewhere between 200 and 300 years old; it’s undoubtedly had thousands of kids climbing its branches over the decades.


Its trunk is thicker than any oak tree I’ve seen in the valley, with twisting and curving branches that surpass the size of many independent trees in the area. The base of the tree is so sheltered and quiet, it’s exactly the kind of spot where someone like Rip van Winkle could fall asleep for about 20 years.


One medium-sized branch holds the rope swing, but there’s usually a bit of tree climbing to be done before my daughter takes to the swing.


Some of the branches reach more than 40 feet horizontally from the trunk, but somehow manage to keep their mass above ground. However, they slope down low enough that an ambitious kid can pull herself aboard – as you’ll notice my daughter demonstrating with her legs sticking out on the left of this picture.


Thankfully, the branch is still strong enough to support an ambitious grown-up tree climber as well.


Several dirt paths meander through the meadow, which have become my daughter’s favorite trails to practice her bike riding. I’ve also found them a somewhat convenient place to practice barefoot running, but that’s for a separate post someday.

On this particular afternoon, after watching me take pictures for a while, my daughter commandeered the camera to snap some photos of her own, so the rest of the post is thanks to her.


She kind of surprised me, in that she actually has a decent eye for framing a photo; I like the artsy way she caught her bike in the shadow of the tree trunk here.


The inevitable “Now YOU get on the swing, Daddy!” picture. Pretty hard to say no to that one.

The next picture deserves some setup, which will be explained by the following conversation we had just beforehand:

Her: Dad … why do you take pictures of your feet so much?

Me: I’ve been telling some people about running barefoot, and sometimes I put pictures of my feet on the computer to show them I’m really doing it.

Her: I want to take a picture of my foot with yours, too.

Me: OK, go ahead.


So there you go.

I’ve decided that it’s kind of cool to see pictures from the eyes of a child; even better is to see the whole world – whether it’s an oak tree, a sunny meadow, a simple rope swing, or anything else we encounter - from that perspective as well. Outings like this always make me wish that my daughter and I can do this sort of thing more often.

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What's Done In Our Name

"No longer can we assume the Earth's resources are limitless; that there are ranges of unclimbed peaks extending endlessly beyond the horizon. Mountains are finite, and despite their massive appearance, they are fragile."
- Yvon Chouinard, Patagonia company founder

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Given the amount of scandal and corruption in the corporate world over the past few years, I find it very refreshing to be pleasantly surprised by an American company every now and then.

Half of my enjoyment in doing product reviews – which hopefully shows through in the published posts - is educating myself in the histories and corporate philosophies of the companies whose gear I’m testing. I love learning about how certain visionary people can shape the spirit and work ethic of an entire business around them, how humble operations with shoestring budgets eventually grow into industry heavyweights, and how a company’s origins are almost always reflected in their product offerings, no matter how large or multifaceted the enterprise becomes.

And with increasing frequency, I’m very interested to hear about a company’s sense of social responsibility.


I mentioned in my review of the Release shoe that Patagonia is a socially responsible business, but that description doesn’t nearly do justice to the extent of their commitment to a multitude of environmental, ecological, and human rights causes - or to how impressed I was as I continued to gather information. They contribute a staggering amount of money (more than $25 million thus far) to a wide range of programs, and they have a core belief that business and technology should inspire solutions to global crises rather than worsen them. It's the kind of story that makes you feel continually better the more you hear about it.

Unfortunately, it often seems that some companies today consider themselves eco-friendly if they have a recycling bin in the break room. Others proclaim social awareness simply as a trendy marketing tagline, or consider it a necessary burden of doing business in the public eye in the 21st Century. Patagonia, on the other hand, preaches responsible business practices with a missionary’s zeal, and keeps it as the primary tenet of virtually all their business decisions. (It’s always been this way for them; the above quote from company founder Chouinard was from 1974.)

Most importantly, they also turn the microscope upon themselves - which is where today’s video clip comes in. It’s the first of a 3-part series produced by Patagonia, which investigates the vast complexities and concerns that must be considered in today’s global marketplace. Company executives as well as representatives from various environmental and human rights groups also discuss how every consumer – even those of us half a world away – has an impact on the survival of those programs and initiatives.

Sometimes it’s hard to comprehend how our individual purchasing decisions influence the practices of large companies, but this clip helps put that issue in to a sharper focus. It also suggests a question regarding personal ethics: namely, whether we value social responsibility enough to pay a little bit extra at the cash register (or, more likely, in the online checkout cart - but you get the idea) in support of companies who actually practice them faithfully.

In my Release review, I made an offhand remark about Patagonia’s reputation for having expensive products; clearly, the issue is far more complicated than that. Is it better to buy a $100 pair of shoes from a responsible company, or an $80 pair from a company with a lesser (or perhaps just a lesser-known) commitment? It’s never an easy decision to make, and in the current economy, the choice is probably a larger dilemma than it’s ever been for consumers. I’m not saying you’re morally obligated to spend more money every time you go shopping - but more and more lately, I’m thinking there should at least be some kind of internal discussion on the subject before you hand over your hard-earned dollars.

So that’s my little soapbox speech for the weekend. Watch the video and consider all the factors for yourself. One final note: the video is lengthy – clocking in at almost 16 minutes – but since it’s a holiday weekend, I’m hopeful that you can spare enough time for it.

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The Footprint Chronicles: “What’s Done In Our Name” (click to play):

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