*This post is out of order because it didn't publish this past week! Sorry!

And like that I'm back in the groove! 

I now have the option to run on the Wyre Forest pushing the little guy in the buggy five days per week! I also have the evening to run too! Options are good but I need to use caution to not over do it.

Been having tons of fun testing new shoes and just taking it easy on runs. Just how it should be. My body is bouncing back quickly and feels good. My toe injury seems to be doing ok but I still need to be mindful of it. 

Ahead we go! 

Consistency returns.

This past week was my first solid week of running in a long time. It was friggin' AWESOME! I've only ran just over 30 miles but need to hold back to avoid injury. 

It's unreal how happy I am when I'm out there. It's nice to have my head back!

Did a little exploring too this week, one area of the Wyre Forest has always been too rough for the Chariot but seemed doable now. Yeah it was a bit bumpy for efficient buggy running but nice to see new terrain. A lot of the new stuff was part of the Wyre Forest Half Marathon. 

Out running I keep looking at long term goals for running. Things like Tor des Geants and Arrowhead 135 always come to mind. The Tor in particular. To survive a race like that you need crazy durability. More and more I look at it and think what can I do now in order to finish that race two, three, even four years down the road? 

Consistency is king. Running, calisthenics, clean eating, mobility. Without consistency there will be no results. 

Welsh TV!

The Snowdonia 50 seems to follow me. I don't mind as it was an awesome race, a shame I couldn't make it back this year. If this link works it should go to a Welsh Facebook page for a Welsh tv channel, I think, I don't speak Welsh! Anyway, the video is a bunch of footage from the race when I ran it. I'm in the green shirt chasing the guy in bright orange. I drafted him until he broke. Then went on to win! Anyway at the end I'm proudly wearing my red Pump N' Munch gas station Pine City, MN shirt! 

Unfortunately I couldn't find the video itself to post.

Here's the link, you may have to cut and paste until I get on my pc to edit the link:

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1117979274952245&id=252534428163405&ref=bookmarks

Shoe revelation

full moon over river front park Stourport

Got out for a full moon run the other night. It had been a long busy day so needed to escape. I know my mind has reset when I can motivate at 9pm on a Friday! 

Tried out the Inov-8 Trail Talon 275 on mixed terrain and it was a great shoe. I knew it fit me well and I had acquired a pair from the training I went to last week. Very happy with them. Actually very happy with a lot of the new styles and brands we are carrying at work.

Inov-8 Trail Talon 275

Went to work to Saturday and had a "shoe revelation." The new Altra Torin 2.5 road shoe and Lone Peak 3.0 trail shoes had come in. These had always peaked my interest and immediately tried them on. Ran on the treadmill with the Torin 2.5 and was sold! What a comfortable shoe! The Lone Peak was great too but I'm currently overloaded with trail shoes!

Altra Torin 2.5 road shoe, check out that toe box! 

Super wide toe box (great for people with bunions hint hint!) and super cushioned. I took them out for a run at lunch and bought them. Unfortunately two weeks ago I bought a pair of Saucony Ride road shoes, I was unsure of them despite being very nice, but I needed road shoes. It took all day going back and forth comparing them with Brooks Ghost, Inov-8 Road Claws, and Saucony Kinvaras. All good shoes, but I never got that "yes, this is it" feeling.

The Torin immediately was good. That's how shoes should feel when you put them on.

Just noticed that Strava hasn't been showing my recent runs. Oh well, nothing special anyway! I think I haven't been "unlocking" them so they are staying hidden. 

Crazy times lately. Not much running. No photos to share. Have been swamped with life lately. Kids. Kids. More kids. Work. Work opportunities. No sleep......

However next week I'll hopefully have the opportunity to get out on the Wyre Forest with the little guy and the Chariot Monday through Friday! Let's hope he either A. Cooperates and sleeps or B. Starts sleeping in past at least 6am! Running with him in the Chariot while he's awake is no good, he should be moving around  and not sitting on his butt so I prefer if he sleeps!

Any formal run training isn't necessary yet but I've got a bunch of stuff to test out, mainly from Inov-8. I was in the Lake District for a retailer retreat with them for work yesterday, learned a ton about their products, future products, briefly met a bunch of people I get along really well with, and got hooked up with way too much kit! Pretty cool of them. It all fits well and I'm looking forward to using it and then using that knowledge to sell it better at work.

I've only been to the Lake District twice now, the other time was for the Lakeland 100, and it's great. Mainly because I actually fit in up there! 

Been crushing the pull ups and hand stand push ups. I cut back on the high sets/low reps (100-200 total/day) and have been doing 1 rep max with weight for pull ups. Fun. Super fun! I can do one pull up with nearly 100lbs hanging off my waist! My body is adapting by recruiting more muscle fibers thus increasing my endurance as well. I'm now up to 20 strict pull ups in a row and I'm only into week 3 of 8 for this cycle. Best part is I've increased my strength but have gained zero mass. Also been playing more with l-sits and flags. The pull up routine has been transferring nicely.

JKD and calisthenics I can do throughout the day and have become my focus for now, filling that hole that no running has made. I'm itchin' though to get out and see things, escape for a bit, however my toe injury is still an unknown!