Buckle display

Something I’ve been wanting to do for a while. Build a display for my 100 miler buckles. There are some really cool ideas out there but I’ve got limited time. I took a board from a baby crib I was throwing out and sunk some nails in it and we’re done. It works for now I guess. Don’t really trust the cats or the kids though, they still could knock them all off! 

I’d rather have a nice rustic piece of brown wood or maybe a steam punk-industrial look. A door could be cool too but this is a start! Better than the drawer!

The laundry room contains this, my JKD black belt certificate, and my Shepard’s crook from winning the Snowdonia 50. Would like to get my actual black belt up too. It’s not really a belt to wear, definitely a display belt. I like to think I’m a modest person but I am pretty proud of these accomplishments. I guess on display in the laundry room is a modest place to be proud!? 

More messing with this new app, above should be a short video of my buckle display.  Crazy background noise courtesy of cats playing LEGO! 

New (ish) Shoes

A quick post to test out this new blogger app discussing briefly my newish shoes I mentioned in my previous post. 

First my beloved Altra Torin 4. High level of cushioning but not so high that you lose sensitivity with the ground or reduce the flexibility of the shoe. For me it’s the perfect amount. I like tons of softness underfoot but want a lot of flexibility and feel too. They changed the cushioning material and I say it’s a bit more responsive (“bouncy” in technical terms!) versus the really “smooshy” (another technical description!) of the previous version. 

The toe box is a little bit lower volume making the shoes look a bit less crazy with the foot shaped toe box. At work the look of these puts many people off. Of course they still have the zero drop (no big chunky heel) as with all of Altra’s shoes. Pretty much the closest think you can get to super soft cushioning in a natural motion, barefoot feel. 

Then there’s my “commuter shoe,” the Brooks Transcend 6. Very different from the Torin. Tons of soft cushioning, quite a bit more support, and a more traditional shoe fit and feel. I bought these because they were comfortable and I needed a shoe for standing around in at work but I could also run in. I am able to sneak in a couple easy runs from where I park my car to work. It’s normally a 1.5 mile walk but with a bit of time management I can get in a 3-6 mile run to and from work. 

I normally would not buy a support shoe. They’re too stiff and rigid which I feel is bad for most people. However Brooks has removed the traditional medial post in their support shoes and replaced it with a new concept called the guide rail. See the black “stripy material” on the inside and outside of the Transcend below? That’s the guide rail. Altra has it on their “support” shoes as well. Think of your feet as bowling balls rolling down the lane but the gutters have bumpers in them. If the foot rolls in or out the guide rails nudge it back to center. The whole concept is focusing on keeping the knee centered, not the ankle. The bonus? The shoe is much more flexible letting your foot work like it’s suppose to and not fight the stiff shoe. 

I really liked the feel of the upper material and shape, and of course the super soft DNA Loft cushioning. I figured the higher 10mm heel to toe drop, versus my zero drop Torin, would be a good thing reducing the pull on my calves and a little bit of support from the guide rail would be welcome after a long day on my feet. 

Overall it was just comfortable, the number one factor in shoe selection, and of course I was curious how the guide rails felt. I do sell this shoe at work and being something I normally wouldn’t use I felt it a fun option to test out just to improve my knowledge as well. 

Summer's coming to a close

Well summer is nearly over, it's dark in the early hours of the morning and the kids go back to school within two weeks. Running has been going well. I've been consistent with the early mornings and keeping the tiredness at bay so far.

For the past 8 or so weeks I've been just trying to keep consistent building a super solid base. So super easy running. It's been enjoyable and I've been looking at new road routes to mix it up and prepare for winter. I prefer to train on the roads versus trails because I don't return home covered in mud. Showering is usually optional for me as I sometimes run three times a day!

Speaking of running three times a day, on Saturday I woke and did my usual early run, 8-10 miles. Then I managed to leave for work about 20 minutes early so extended my run commute to 5 miles. After work on Saturdays I usually just head to the car in order to get home to the family but I ended up getting out a bit early. Right near where I park there are some football fields with really nice looking grass. I have always wanted to run a few laps, this ended up being that day! So with time to spare and being within a 1/4 mile of the car I sat down pulled my shoes off, and ran a bunch of barefoot laps! It was a hot sunny day and it just had to be done. I ended up running another 4 miles barefoot. My feet got a nice stretch and felt really good. I knew however I'd might pay for it later as I've been managing plantar fasciitis (PF) in both feet for a few months now.

barefoot running

haven't done this since high school cross country

Unsure about the PF. I believe it came on from my weight routine which incorporated a lot of jumping. Running makes it better it seems and I'd hate to take time off. It seems that it was caused by tight calves, something I know I'm prone to. I've been aggressively stretching, strengthening, and massaging focusing on the root cause (calves) in the hopes of it going away but it's holding firm. I'm excited to run more and feeling good but I really need this to go away so when it's time to REALLY train I'm healthy. In my research it's an elusive injury with no clear cut resolution. I guess for now persist but I'm tempted to take a couple weeks off from running, tempted. Running makes me really happy and I hate removing that.

Annabelle insisted on joining me for a run!

Looking ahead to the future and training I've purchased a rad book, Training for the Uphill Athlete. It focuses on mountain races and can be applied to people who live in flat lands as well, like me. A big portion of the training focuses on meeting vertical foot goals, versus miles, building muscular endurance for big mountain races. I've been trying to figure out if and how I'd be able to make these plans work. I think I've got it figured out. I now have access to a NordicTrack Incline Trainer at the martial arts academy. These treadmills go up to 30 to 40% incline! I googled an incline calculator and spending a hour or more on this thing once a week will help me get the vertical I need to accomplish the recommended training for some of the monster races I aspire to do! I've also found the time to do it too, I may have to sacrifice a Muay Thai class once a week but the time is there. I'm really psyched for racing next summer and of course the process to get there.

River Severn

      
The new version of  my preferred current shoe of choice, the Altra Torin, was released and I jumped on a new pair right away. The 4th edition is fantastic. Not that the 3.5 was bad but after 800 miles it was time (most shoes last about 5-600 miles)! I fortunately scored a second pair on eBay for 50 pounds, 25 pounds cheaper than I normally can get them through work. So, 2 pairs of Torin 4's and I'm set for winter as far as training shoes go. I've been commuting in a pair of current Brooks Transcend, I think Transcend 6. I never wear support shoes as they are far too stiff and rigid which I feel is bad for most people however I was intrigued by the new guide rail system Brooks has put in the Transcend and Adrenaline. It provides support focusing on keeping the knee inline, not the ankle. Pronation is a natural motion and causes few problems, marketing to solve it was an idea not backed by science. Despite providing support to keep the knee inline it doesn't make the shoe overly rigid. I've been pretty happy with them but I just prefer the Altra fit and feel. I got to see the upcoming version of the Altra Provision, a supportive shoe with guide rails, it has had major changes and is significantly better. I'm excited to hopefully try a pair of when they arrive this winter.

That's about it for now, besides the kids keep bothering me so time to get going! 

4am Stourport high street

  
I’m hoping to blog more because I just found a Blogger app that’s compatible with IOS! This was the main reason I cut back, it was a pain in the ass to add photos from my phone and the original Blogger app for IOS went away and wasn’t being updated! We’ll see how it works!