The Muir Project Behind the Scenes; Weekend Shopping Spree

Before getting to the subject at hand, a few items of interest for your shopping pleasure.  For some reason, I’ve been bombarded this week with announcements of sales of all varieties – and some of them seemed good enough to pass along.

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The first one features kigo, a small, environmentally responsible company whose shoes I prefer more for general walking around than for dedicated running.  My kids happen to love kigos as well, and we’ve purchased a few pairs for them when we could grab certain models on sale.

Beginning Friday, the company is kicking off what their promotional e-mail calls “the most killer kigo footwear sale ever.”  They’re discounting every shoe on the website to 50% off for a short time (perhaps a week or so according to the e-mail).  In some cases, you can grab kigo’s eco-friendly minimalist shoes for as little as $25.  Check out the sale here.

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If you want a little more rugged outdoor gear, Backcountry.com is discounting Spring 2012 products from The North Face up to 40% off, and they’re offering free shipping on purchases over $50.  Backcountry carries a very impressive inventory of TNF apparel and gear, so instead of me describing it to you, you should probably just go look for yourself.

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One more: remember my post about GoLite’s daring new business model?  Well, they’ve been putting some crazy deals online recently, and this weekend they’ve got a handful of items on sale for up to 60% off normal retail price.  I really hope this model works for GoLite, because the savings they’re able to pass on to customers is extremely cool.  Be sure to check this one out as well.

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As for today’s topic: it’s also a solicitation of sorts, but one that speaks more directly to my heart than a bunch of shoes or gear; it has to do with an upcoming documentary that I’ve promoted a few times in the past.

The Muir Project is a multi-media collective that set out to hike 219 miles of the John Muir Trail last summer.  They’re compiled enough footage and music to put together a couple of mouthwatering trailers, and they’re now making the final push to make the finishing touches on a full-length documentary.

Or as the e-mail I received this week states:

As we approach the first anniversary of our departure on the John Muir Trail, we look back on our adventure both on and off the trail. 

We're working hard to get our documentary, MILE … MILE & A HALF ready for festival submissions starting this July.  The picture edit is close to complete, sound editorial has begun and our amazing trail musicians have started composing their musical score. 

So much of this has been a labor of love for us.  We've had some generous sponsorship offers, but are still looking to help offset the cost of this endeavor.  Our hope is that there will be enough awareness of The Muir Project by the time we submit to festivals, that we can make a big splash and find distribution in one form or another.  Please help us spread the word and keep the good news coming. 

Consider it done.  If you’re interested in contributing to the Muir Project documentary, go here to help them knock this one out.  And if you need some more convincing about the coolness of the project, here’s another clip to give you the general vibe.

“The Muir Project – Behind the Scenes Featurette” (click to play):

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One final note as we head in to the weekend, which promises to be an exciting one for me, as my son and I are headed here:

Clouds Rest in Yosemite National Park, which will be a continuation of the adventure we embarked on with a memorable day on Half Dome last year.  If this trip ends up half as spectacular or rewarding as that one, it will definitely be worth writing about – which is a report I hope to deliver sometime upon our return.

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Altra Samson Shoe Review

Among the multitude of minimalist and natural running shoe manufacturers out there, nearly all of them seem to be staking out one particular segment of the market.  Some are throwbacks to old-world designs, others try to be as minimal as possible, and others seek to be an all-purpose transitional shoe for newcomers to the natural running Renaissance.

And then there’s Altra, which is doing something altogether different: they’re producing very solid entries in every segment across the board.

Last year the company released the Instinct and Intuition, 9-oz men’s and women’s models that feature a somewhat stiff zero-drop midsole platform and a total stack height of 21mm off the ground.  They quickly followed that with the Adam and Eve, pure minimalist models that remind many (including me) of Vibram’s groundbreaking KSO: they are lightweight (4.7 oz), low to the ground (4mm), and completely flexible.

Altra Samson

With this year’s Samson (and women’s equivalent Delilah – don’t you love how Altra’s model names are male and female counterparts?), Altra now occupies a middle ground between their two previous releases.  The vital specs – 6.5-oz weight, 10mm stack height, moderate protection and flexibility - are all comfortably situated between the Adam/Eve and the Instinct/Intuition.  The Samson also features all of the compelling design aspects that Altra has made standard with its entire line of footwear, and it’s proven to be a very comfortable and durable shoe for me over about 100 miles of testing.

The Samson also addresses one criticism that many users has with the Adam, in that the upper uses a traditional lace design instead of the slip-on / pull-on upper that some users found difficult to use.   

Although I didn’t have a problem with the Adam’s fit, it’s clear that a lace system represents a large improvement both in terms of ease of putting on and customization of fit.

The remainder of the upper is a quick-dry mesh that ventilates the foot very effectively, but also does a decent job of keeping grit away from your toes.  As I do with virtually all my shoes, I did the majority of my Samson testing off-road; after a long run, my toes are a little dustier than usual, but not so much that it bothers me during the run itself.

Inside the shoe, Altra provides the option of using a 3mm insole (which results in the 10mm standing height), or ...

... removing the insole and riding directly on the BareSole footbed that feels comfortable against bare skin and creates a resulting stack height of 7mm.

Below the footbed, the Samson has 3.5mm of EVA for a very moderate degree of cushioning, which makes this a nice option for a couple of potential users: 1) those who are almost ready to go all-in with completely minimal footwear but aren’t quite there yet, or 2) pure minimalist users who want a slight margin of error when pushing the envelope of high mileage runs.  You obviously sacrifice a little bit of ground feel compared to the Adam, but it’s a very subtle difference, especially if you run without the Samson insole.

Even with the midsole EVA, and even with the insole in place, the Samson is still very nicely flexible in all directions.  Also ...

... like all Altra shoes, it also allows plenty of room in the toebox for your toes, so there’s nothing about the overall structure that will interfere with your foot’s natural motion while it’s contacting the ground.

That ground contact will be made with the same siped outsole that Altra uses for the Adam.  It is remarkably similar to Vibram’s old KSO in terms of appearance, durability, traction, and overall performance.  It’s more than grippy enough for road running, and does remarkably well on most trails aside from loose gravel or very steep climbs and descents.

With the Samson, Altra presents a very solid natural running option in that elusive middle ground between pure minimalist entries such as Vibram, VivoBarefoot and Soft Star, and more structured zero-drop shoes like Merrell’s Barefoot line or New Balance's Minimus Road shoe.  Obviously, it’s also a comfortable medium for Altra’s own existing models – so if either side of the existing spectrum is too much for you, the Samson or Delilah might be just the shoe you’re looking for.

Altra’s Samson retails for $100 with free shipping from Amazon.com, and the Delilah is available for the same price.

*Product provided by Altra.  Affiliate sales support Running and Rambling.

**If you have a product you’d like reviewed, contact me at info@runningandrambling.com.

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Random Shots of Beauty; Farewell PCTR

Before getting to the subjects at hand, let’s take care of business and announce our CLIF Kit’s Organic winners.   Rachel, Michael Helton, and Kelly Covert: e-mail me your contact info – you’ve won!  And if anyone is curious, Rachel was entry number 1 on the comment list – proving that every number has an equal chance of winning.

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Since I’ve been making up for lost training miles this week, I figured I’d make up for some neglected Random Shots of Beauty by throwing in a couple extras this week – starting with …

The view looking west from Snively’s Ridge atop Carmel Valley, at approximately mile 11 of this morning’s run.  Then moving on to …

Tall sentinels at the bottom of Redwood Canyon in Garland Park at mile 19.  And finally …

A view looking back from the top of another climb up the adjacent ridge line a couple of hours later, during a run that ended up being nearly 30 miles.  In the words of George Costanza, I’m back, baby!

Much of this morning’s run featured trails that were used for my first-ever ultramarathon, the Carmel Valley 50K that was put on by Pacific Coast Trail Runs almost 10 years ago.   Longtime readers may also recall that in the wake of my initial Western States disappointment, I ended up doing my first-ever 100-miler at a PCTR event as well.  I’ve entered several of their races over the years, and like many Northern Californians, the company had a special place in my heart.

That’s why I was sorry to see the official announcement this week that Pacific Coast Trail Runs has gone out of business.  Even though the news isn’t surprising to anyone familiar with the situation – and even though the financial implications involving current registrants remain quite messy – it’s a sad milestone for anyone who grew up on PCTR ultras.

I suppose the good news for me is that none of my upcoming races are PCTR events – but one of them will be a new event that is hosted by the company that moved into the void left by PCTR.  I hope to have more to say about that company and the race in the near future; in the meantime, I need to stay focused on training my tail off. 

Leadville happens in 10 weeks.  Game on.

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CLIF Kit's Organic Bar Review and Giveaway

There's no such thing as summer vacation for the CLIF Company – at least, not if the procession of packages at my door over the past few weeks is any indication.

First up was Gary's Panforte, which I described and gave away a few weeks ago. Those are still available on store shelves – I saw some at REI just last week – and this week is another giveaway featuring yet another new product. However, instead of commemorating company founder Gary Erickson and his adventures in the Italian Alps, this product spotlights the other half of CLIF's “dynamic duo”: Kit Crawford, Gary's better half who also happens to be an organic farmer extraordinaire.

Kit Crawford; photo courtesy CLIF Company

Last summer (when I was reviewing their Family Wine, which still ranks as one of the all-time coolest product reviews in R&R history) I mentioned the CLIF Family Farm, founded in Northern California in 2003. Gary and Kit developed the farm as their commitment to organics and sustainable farming, and to promote the larger vision of family farming and local consumption.

The newly released CLIF creation, called Kit’s Organic, is a fruit and nut bar that reflects Kit’s lifelong passion for organic gardening and simple food production. Each bar has 200 calories or less, and they're all gluten-free, soy-free, and dairy-free – and they're made with just a handful of 100% organic ingredients, in some cases as few as four. They have a very soft, chewy texture, and come in four flavors: Berry Almond, Cashew, Chocolate Almond Coconut, and Peanut Butter.

Berry Almond flavor Kit's Organic bar

In size, texture, and ingredient count, these new bars are very similar to a product called the C Bar that was released a couple of years ago … and now that I'm looking for them on the CLIF website, I realize that C Bars must have been discontinued. My family and I really liked the C Bars, and these Kit's Organic bars hit the spot as well, although the flavors are more nut-based than the fruit-heavy varieties (such as cherry pomegranate, apple, or blueberry) of C Bars.

Each of Kit's bars has a three-quarters serving of organic fruit, and it's a good low glycemic index food that is also high in fiber. They also prove the notion that simple combinations of ingredients can produce wonderful tasting goodies, and they're a great representation of Kit's passion for organic farming.

Kit’s Organic bars are now available from the company website as well as select stores nationwide, but thanks to the generosity of the CLIF Company, a few of my readers will get to try them for free. Three winners will receive a sampler box containing 2 bars of each flavor, or 8 total bars per winner. Leave a comment in the box below to enter, and winners will be announced this Saturday, June 9.

Special thanks to Kit Crawford and the CLIF Company for sponsoring this contest, and good luck to everybody!

*Products provided by CLIF Bar and Company

**If you have a product you'd like reviewed, contact me at info@runningandrambling.com.

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Slacker By Numbers

Obviously we're not quite back to operational capacity around Running and Rambling just yet; I could go into all the details, but I suspect that would sound too much like complaining.  Instead, I'll do a quick by-the-numbers rundown as a status update of what's been going on, as well as a look ahead at what's to come - and we may as well start with our customary Random Shot of Beauty ...

5: number of weeks since I took this RSOB in Toro Park, a place that used to be my training ground at least twice per week for the past 10 years.

0: number of times I've run in Toro Park since the above photo was taken. 

9: consecutive days I spent without running while dealing with one of the most stubborn illnesses I've had in recent memory.

6: number of miles I was finally able to run one day last week ...

4 (and counting): number of days I haven't run since then.  No, I'm not nearly healthy yet.  Normally this wouldn't be such a lamentable situation, if not for ...

11: weeks until I'll be on the start line of the Leadville 100.  Yes, I'm beginning to panic.   However, there's one bright spot ...

9: number of weeks that my kids are off school now, meaning I have a bit more flexibility to squeeze in some extra mileage over the next several weeks.  Assuming I can get healthy, that is.

See?  It's easy for me to get carried away with the kvetching.  On to some better news ...

82: approximate number of seconds it took me to officially fell in love with the following skate video featuring Kilian Martin.  I could tell you about the beauty and artistry of the 4-minute clip - but trust me, it will be far better if I just show you:

"Kilian Martin: Altered Route" (click to play):

2: number of skateboard videos I've shown here in the past 8 days.  I don't think this reflects any sort of trend ... although I'm still trying to spend a lot of time on a new pair of Rollerblades that I'll be reviewing later this summer.  I don't anticipate changing the masthead to Rolling and Rambling anytime soon, though.  

24: number of cool new CLIF Bars that will be awarded from my website: 8 bars each to 3 winners after a new product review sometime next week.   So hang in there with me; I promise there are better times ahead.

Speaking of which ...

9: miles I hope to run tomorrow morning.  Because Leadville doesn't really care if I've lost my mojo lately - so I had better start building it back. 

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VIVOBAREFOOT Ultra and Ultra Pure Review

Although I've reviewed a lot of VIVOBAREFOOT shoes in the past, one notable model flew under my radar - perhaps because I never knew what to make of it.

VIVOBAREFOOT Ultra

The company's Ultra is the shoe equivalent of a Rorschach test: whatever you want to see in it, that's what it can be.  It was originally released in 2011 as a beach or travel shoe, but it's equally suitable as a casual shoe or a super-lightweight running shoe.  Its modular construction allows you to use the same pair for a variety of uses - and with a kids version released this year, it can also be a very cool schoolyard shoe: bright and fashionable for wearing in class, but athletic enough to sprint around the playground at recess.

In hindsight, I'm sort of embarrassed that it took me so long to get around to reviewing them - so to make up for it, this is a double review: I've been testing the modular men's Ultra as a running shoe, and my daughter has been wearing the non-modular (I'll explain shortly) Ultra Pure as an everyday kids shoe.   There's also an Ultra Kids model which is basically a scaled-down Ultra Pure with a Velcro strap.  All of the shoes are 100% vegan, and are constructed with the same injection molding technique which creates the entire outer shell from EVA.

VIVOBAREFOOT Ultra Pure

Or, as my daughter put it, "They're like fancy Crocs!" - which is the primary comparison people make when they see or feel the Ultra for the first time.  However, in my opinion they're WAY better than crocs ...

... because they have all the features we love about VIVOBAREFOOT: completely flat, completely flexible, and completely suitable for pretty much any activity you can think of.   

They're also very impressively light: the standard Ultra weighs in at 5.5 oz, and the Ultra Pure weighs a mere 3.7 oz.  The difference between the two models is the presence of a sock liner that snaps into place at the heel and at the base of the lace area: the Ultra comes with the liner, the Ultra Pure doesn't.

If you remove the sock liner, there's a small pad that can snap into place underneath the laces on top of the midfoot.  All of this snapping back and forth can be done in a matter of seconds. 

One minor drawback I found with the lacing system is that the clasp that holds the laces in place can be very stiff when switching to the "unlock" position.  Fortunately, you don't really need to adjust the tension through the laces very much, and the shoe essentially functions like a slip-on once you get the proper setting established the first time.

Since the primary difference between the Ultra and the Ultra Pure is the presence of a sock liner, if you happen to be mathematically gifted, you can deduce that the liner itself weighs 1.8 oz.  If you remove the liner from the Ultra, it weighs the same as the Ultra Pure.  Some users wear just the liner without the shell as a protective second-skin sock, similar to a Sockwa or Moc3; the advantage of VIVOBAREFOOT's sock over those others is that it has full puncture protection underfoot.

This brings up another distinction between the Ultra and the Ultra Pure: on the Ultra, the puncture-resistant layer resides on the bottom of the sock liner - so if you take the lining out and wear just the shell, you don't have the same resistance that other VIVOBAREFOOT shoes provide.  However, on the Ultra Pure, the inner lining on the footbed is fully puncture-resistant.

The interior of the sock liner is very soft and comfortable against bare skin.  I run in mine sockless for all road mileage, but use a thin layer of socks for long trail outings. 

With the liner removed, the insole surface is lightly pebbled, which feels a bit odd at first but quickly gets accommodated by a bare foot.  This is the same insole pattern featured on the Ultra Pure, which doesn't have the sock liner. 

  

I tend to keep the lining in my Ultra for road running for a couple of reasons: 1) I'm usually running in the early morning when my toes get cold, so I like the insulation of the sock to keep my bare toes warmer, and 2) when your feet start sweating, if you're not wearing the liner there can be a bit of movement inside the upper as the EVA insole surface gets a little bit slick. 

Back to the shell construction: all Ultra shoes employ a modern EVA injection molding technique which combines a softer density (and more flexible) EVA in the uppers and a higher density (and more protective) EVA on the outsole.  The high-abrasion EVA upper is highly durable but very soft, allowing the foot to flex and move naturally.  The outsole portion is 7mm thick, but according to the company specs can compress down to as much as 3mm with long-term use.

The outsole EVA is also firmer than the upper to enhance ground feedback.  Obviously, the primary drawback of an EVA outsole is the rate of deterioration; my pair came with a disclaimer slip stating that with proper running technique, they should last for up to 300 road miles.  However, since I'm primarily running on trails, I anticipate that they'll last significantly longer.

Traction isn't outstanding - in fact, it's probably the worst of any VIVOBAREFOOT running shoe.  On steep hills or gravel fire roads it's definitely a limitation compared to something aggressive like the Breatho Trail outsole.   And interestingly, considering its original marketing as a aqua shoe, I've found that traction on wet, rocky stream crossings is pretty shaky.  However, the grip is perfectly adequate for road running in all but the slickest conditions, as well as for groomed trails that aren't obnoxiously technical.

It also makes a great hybrid shoe for high-mileage runs that shift from roads to trails, which is why they were on my feet during my 20-mile Pebble Beach adventure a few weeks ago.  You may recall that run had significant stretches of running in deep sand, and since the Ultra's outer shell is completely porous, I was curious to see how the sock liner protected my feet from sand intrusion over the long haul.

I was pleasantly surprised, as this picture (click to enlarge for a better view) taken after a long sandy stretch illustrates.  Very little sand made it through to my socks (Drymax hyper thin, if you're interested), and most of the debris was either trapped by the sock liner or fell to the bottom of the shell for easy removal.

Overall, the Ultra and Ultra Pure turned out to be highly functional for both my daughter's and my needs.  She loves the open look and summertime feel of the Pure without a sock liner, and I'm impressed with the Ultra's performance as a hybrid running shoe.  (Of course, for me or any other ultrarunners out there, the name of this shoe conjures something that's better equipped for rugged trails than for tame roads, but that's just semantics.)  They're also very suitable for a lot of cross-training activities, or simply as a funky-looking warm weather casual shoe.

All of VIVOBAREFOOT's Ultra shoes are quite affordably priced, and available from the company website at the links below:

The Ultra retails for $80.

The Ultra Pure retails for $50.

The Ultra Kids retails for $40.

*Products provided by VIVOBAREFOOT

**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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Weekend Ramblings

"Down, down, down, down, it gets me so -

Down, down, down, down ..."

- Blink 182, "Down"  (video after post)

You could say it's been something of a down week around this little corner of the Internet.

I guess that's what you get when you combine the height of training season, a frenzied end of the school year, exciting new work opportunities, and a laptop-shaped void where my most familiar writing tool used to reside.  (That last one's a long story I'd rather not re-tell.)

To top it all off, I got knocked on my tail by a nasty illness this week - the kind that makes you want to crawl in a hole so the world won't be bothered by your whimpering.

Consequently, I'm spending much of my holiday weekend passively taking in the world around me - and over the past several days, a few items seemed interesting enough to pass along.  I hope you appreciate them, as I'm probably infecting my wife's keyboard in order to publish them here.

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Coincidentally, the first item comes from my wife, who had the privilege opportunity obligation to chaperone the final 8th grade dance that doubled as a "So long, middle school!" party for all the kids heading off to high school in the fall - one of who happens to be our son.

This story isn't about our son, though - it's about the girls at the dance, about whom my wife commented afterward, You should have seen the heels these girls were all wearing, before demonstrating by holding her thumb and forefinger about 5 inches apart.  Considering that one of my top-5 father goals is to prevent my daughters from ever wearing high heels, this was certainly a discouraging report. 

However, the next part of my wife's account cheered me up immensely:

The funny thing was, right after the dance started, almost all of them just took their shoes off and spent the whole night barefoot.  The ones who didn't were walking around in pain by the end of the night.

So maybe there's hope for me after all - and one day, females of the world will come to their senses and outlaw those foolish contraptions once and forever.  For my part, I'll raise two girls who are ready to join the crusade.

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This one's a quick link, but a lengthy must-read: Caballo Blanco's Last Run, as seen in this week's New York Times.  It's wonderfully written, and a fitting tribute to a reluctant ultrarunning legend.

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This one took me by surprise, as I initially dismissed it as just another skater/shredder clip.  However, the piece stands out for a few reasons:

- It features Jeff Ament, who until this week I only knew as the bass player for Pearl Jam. 

- In the piece, he speaks about the ways that skating satisfies his soul in much the same way I often talk to people about trail running.

- It portrays how Ament was able to spread his passion in a heartfelt act of generosity that could have positive ramifications on an entire community.

The clip is a bit on the long side, but you'll be glad you watched.

"Pass the Bucket With Jeff Ament" (click to play):

And hopefully we'll resume regular programming in the next few days, assuming I can get myself up from being so down.       

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Blink 182, "Down" (click to play):

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