Work, kids and UTS!

Well it's been an odd week. Not necessarily busy but odd. I've worked a couple extra days, only 4 hours each though, and the little guy had fun at nursery. One big bonus is the little guy is able to attend nursery on Friday mornings, about 9 - noon, which will give me some free time. Ideally I'll be out the door running but obviously just having some kid-free time will be beneficial in getting things done. 

More work is good but I struggle with it as it's a fun job and my boss is a great guy, not to mention super flexible, but it's by no means a career or something I really look forward to as it can be kind of boring. It just doesn't have a fun exciting community surrounding it like all of my previous jobs have had. So, adding on some more time at work is a good thing financially, it mentally is kind of a downer. It just seems like a lot of commuting and hassle for little benefit. It kind of feels like my old job in Tahoe to some extent. Awesome place to work but you see what it could be, and probably should be, but it's held back. Then I think about any future as far as jobs go and holy shit is it a dead end for me considering my age, job history, and being tied to kids for the next (at least) 5 years...... Ugh, think happy thoughts!
   
Anyway, I mulled it over and committed my money to the Ultra Trail Snowdonia 100. It's a doozy! I still need to get on it and drop out of the Thames Path 100 and more importantly register for Autumn 100 so I keep that Western States lottery thing going on. The main unique thing about UTS is 39,500 vertical feet of climbing. The most I've ever done in a 100 miler is 23,000 I think. I'm planning on incorporating trekking poles which can be beneficial for the ups and downs, plus with my nordic ski background I know how to use them to my benefit. A few models that break down but are lightweight are what I'll get, probably some Black Diamond Carbon Z as they seem the most bang for your buck and have solid reviews. I also need to consider the technicality of some of the trails. It's an "alpine style" race so ridge lines, climbs, and descents could end up being third or fourth class scrambles. Anyway, I could talk for hours about what is needed etc. but the key addition is an ass-ton of up and down! Time to start training!   

I survived the onslaught of consumerism. The mountain of toys wasn't as bad as in the past and the amount of parties and get togethers were fewer than previous years which I appreciated. I ate and drank pretty much the same as I always do just had more family time than normal. If anything I sat down more, did less. I also managed to take advantage of having the wife not working and had a few really nice runs during the day. Getting back on my hilly 10 mile road route was a nice confidence boost. It's a wonderfully difficult but beautiful run. 

The holidays are always a wrench in the routine so I decided to pre-start things to be able to slip back into it a little easier. This also focuses my mind away from the US; this time of the year is always hard being away from family and close friends. I always wonder why New Years Resolutions are such a thing. Why not start now? From my perspective I guess that holiday wrench screws it all up, makes me rethink things, I start making "lists" of things I should do more or better. I do not have any resolutions I guess but the timing of it all resets my plan and I'm excited for that. 

2017 seemed to be a pretty consistent year for me running. I managed 1756 miles which I'm happy with. Looking ahead I may consider going for 2000 miles in 2018, that ends up averaging about 38 miles per week. A nice round number, 2000. I know I can handle 40 miles per week without injury so I may just keep that goal in the back of my mind. Event-wise I believe all I did was Western States 100 which is a pretty big deal. I still struggle to recall the week with all the jet-lag and the culmination of running the race. I plan to return at some point. I'm not sure what the allure is but I think it's not the race but the people and the place having lived there for a while.

2018's big change for me will be the little guy going to "nursery" (or day care) a few days per week starting next week. He's definitely ready for it. Here the government gives families money for this so kids get socialized earlier. Pretty cool in all reality since child care is so expensive. In turn I'll be working at the running store another 8-12 hours per week. My boss is fortunately super flexible and is letting me work four hours a day when I can. He has kids and understands the routine and issues involved with little ones which has been probably far more significant to us than we realize. Thanks boss!  So two to three of my days will consist of dropping kids at school/day care then drive to work for four hours, then home to pick kids up. It will be nice to have a little more money for bills (i.e. Storage unit! I haven't forgot!), I barely scrape by each month. 

I got a dumb idea of dropping out of the Thames Path 100 (WS100 qualifier) and entering the Ultra Trail Snowdonia instead which is a week later in May. Then also entering the Autumn 100 (WS100) in October. The Snowdonia race is brand new, 100 miles, and a brutal 39,000 feet of ascent. It's very intriguing and close to home, a true alpine race much like Tor des Geants and some races in Spain. It's not a qualifier for anything other than true bad ass points. So, in order to have a go at the Western States lottery I'd need to run the Autumn 100 too. I'd be running Thames Path specifically for its WS100 qualifying, there's no other draw to it for me. UTS100 is exciting, scary, and in a phenomenally beautiful location on much of the Snowdonia 50 terrain I've previously ran. I don't know how I feel about this decision but there's 40 spots left so I have a little time to mull it over. 

Well that's about it for now. The things in my head. The rest of the week for me will be tough. The wife is back to work and out of town limiting my running options in the morning. Night running, although an option, sucks. I'd like a 40 mile week and I'm running out of days, I'll make it happen. 

Last post it was snowing. Since then a decent amount of snow has come and gone but I did take advantage of it, though it's sad to see it gone. This morning it was around 47 degrees F, I guess we're back to normal.

skating down the road

I don't know what the actual totals were but I'd guess at least 6 inches fell and stayed around for a few days. Although the ground wasn't frozen it did make for great skiing. With no infrastructure for snow removal everything gets packed down forming a solid base which is good initially but a few days later that base turns into ice. They don't shovel sidewalks and only plow major roads so side streets and anywhere someone would walk is really slippery. I found it humorous they cancel school while it's snowing however the worst conditions are after. It's an utter shit show.

Yep, JKD photos. I'll talk about that in a bit...

my instructor and I

the two guys and I who graded with all the help

Since it snowed for a few days that base got refreshed so one night I was able to ski literally everywhere. I would've been happy skiing dust on grass but I skied down the road, on the sidewalks, through the park, down the canal , even down the high street in town (the main street). I was happy. I forgot how much I miss that sport. I keep kicking around the idea of contacting the British Nordic team here and seeing if they have interest in the West Midlands for a training group. The Wyre Forest has good roller ski terrain and the Stourport Cycle track is a paved loop that is free of cars. I get excited and then remember I'm tied to children.

boxing

single stick drills

My JKD grading has come and gone. I can say I have a black belt in martial arts. It went ok and of course was a lot of fun. I was disappointed in myself though because I know I can do better. I don't feel as if I'm at that level. I passed of course but I don't know how I feel about it. All the JKD photos are from it. When the academy reopens in January I need to talk to my instructors about what's best to do at home other than curriculum.

Thai boxing drills

single stick sparring, I'm in blue

After a rash of sick family members (not me fortunately), lack of sleep, stress from JKD, Christmas stress, among other things I'm trying to get back on track. I'm having a rethink of my calisthenics routine in order to figure out a more efficient program, mainly looking at lower reps and higher difficulty exercises in order to gain strength, not size. I need to figure out the same for JKD as I mentioned above. Running is going alright other than I've been really tired  lately making mornings difficult. I'm excited to start doing speed work once or twice a week but have yet to commit. The Thames Path 100 isn't as inspiring as Western States so in times of injury or being exhausted motivation is tough to find. Not that it's a lesser race it just doesn't have such a personal connection.

muddy Wyre Forest made for slow running but fun

 So this week I've been jotting down notes, doing a little research, trying to set habits again. Re-start old habits such as meditation and stretching, two very beneficial practices. These are so beneficial but I never do it. In the past I've had a good routine with both but it fell to the wayside. Speaking of stretching the academy is starting yoga classes in the new year and they fall immediately after JKD. I'm tempted but I already ride the line as far as taking up personal time. I was kind of hoping they'd be a different night so the wife could go, now she's had a glimpse of the community involved at the academy it's peaked her interest and something like that would be extremely beneficial for her. 

icy and snowy Wyre Forest run

Sorry if the photos don't line up well or are poorly formatted, the kids are driving us fucking nuts today so patience is short. I just read it and yeah it's kind of out of alignment with all the JKD photos sorry.

So into Christmas we go. 

Temporary smiles

And it's been a while once again. As I've mentioned before, photos are usually my catalyst to post and running in the dark isn't all that conducive for good photos! Anyway.....

I dropped my name in the Western States 100 hat again. Didn't get picked which is kind of what I was hoping for. I'd like to do it again and have the family there. Now we chase. The Thames Path 100 I'm signed up for in May is a qualifier so as long as I finish I can enter the lottery next year. Cool.

New Altra Torins and kick ass Stance socks! 

 I had been running consistently again until this past week. The wife was out of town for work three days, then she returned with an ear infection, daughter got an ear infection, and the little guy got croup. No one slept for three - four nights so this week has been horrible for running. I also had been focusing on my JKD black belt test which was suppose to be today, Sunday. But.........

dawn patrol, breaking trail

It's been snowing! The JKD grading has been rescheduled for next Saturday, this place shuts down with any snow. I got out running this morning in three inches of snow too! I wasn't going to but decided to despite everyone being sick. Screw 'em. Only a short run though, 3 miles, but it made me happy. Winter sucks here and I get really down. The realization that I won't get to show my kids the fun of winter that I got to grow up with hurts. It has always been such a huge part of my life until I moved to the UK. 

no one knows how much I miss this culture

I scraped the shitty storage wax off the rock skis the other day and am hoping to nordic ski today. I'm itching to get out but with everyone sick and sleep deprived no one is happy and me wanting to ski would probably be seen as selfish. I'm just sleep deprived, and of course ski deprived, but what does that matter to everyone else? I miss everything about the ski world, the smell of the wax, the people, the cold, it's just such a beautiful thing.  

Hoping to get back on track with running once everyone heals up. I'm still hanging on to a couple odd injuries. Knee plica, which doesn't bother me running, and also right hamstring/glute pain. An odd ache that comes and goes but is tolerable. I'm excited to run more but life has just been getting in the way. One observation, despite everyone being sick the one person everyone judges on his choice of diet is still healthy. A plant based, whole foods diet done correctly creates an insanely strong immune system.       

November is already half over!?

Been a while, sorry. I guess photos are a motivator to blog! Been damn dark at 430am since the time change!

After my last post I had two real, real easy weeks. Life was busy. The little guy's sleep took some adjusting to the time change. The wife was out of town a lot taking away my mornings. Oh well. It happens. 

Kept up knee strengthening exercises and my minor knee injury, plica syndrome most likely, is slowly fading. Had a 30 plus mile week last week and going for the same this week, slowly building back up. It's been fun running early again but challenging getting back to routine. 

Been exceedingly tired for some reason. Sleep has been normal. Possibly the consistent early mornings and adjusting to running more. I'm not losing weight so I'm not too concerned about calories however it's easy to eat more so I'll start with that! With the sheer volume of vegetables I eat it's also easy to go into a calorie deficit.

Through work I got a new fun toy. The Milestone Pod, see it on my shoe in the photo. It's a tiny pod that attaches to your shoe laces and only costs around $30! It's completely independent of your phone, running on a watch battery, and starts automatically with movement. When you are finished runnng you sync it via Bluetooth to a phone app. It's not only a tracker (miles, pace, etc., no mapping) but most importantly it recognizes and records some key running metrics for monitoring technique! Cadence, stride length, leg swing, foot strike, impact force, ground contact. I think that's it. The cool thing is you can see this and then consider it when running in order to improve you technique. 

Have a couple races in the near future. A new half marathon in January at the Wyre Forest and a 50km  trail race, in March, that tours around the Black Country outside of Birmingham. Both close to home, both on Sundays so I won't miss work! The Black Country race is really cool as it goes through one of, if not the, longest canal tunnel in the UK. The Netherton Tunnel! Headlamp required during the day! Here's the Wikipedia: 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherton_Tunnel_Branch_Canal

Pretty rad! 

And we are running

Went for my first run in two weeks this morning. It was good as expected. Only went for four easy miles just to be safe and test my knee. Despite hurting off and on over the past two weeks it felt fine running. I don't think it's a running injury because it isn't any worse post run, if anything it's better which leads me to believe it's a mobility issue. I'll try to focus more on what I know I should be doing anyway: stretching, rolling, strengthening. A little goes a long, long way. 

Since I hadn't been running I figured it a good time to play with the "Recovery" settings on my Suunto Ambit 3 Peak watch. I'd always forgotten to do this in a rest phase. It needs to be calibrated and in the middle of heavy mileage and lack of sleep isn't a good time to do it. The watch tracks your sleep and heart rate all night giving you an estimate of how recovered you are and also your actual minimum resting heart rate. It's probably best to still adjust training by "feel" versus what the tech says but fun to see the numbers. I was extremely happy my resting heart rate was tracked at 31 beats per minute! 

Oh, and a side note my blood pressure has been below what is considered "normal." Historically it's insanely high. Only change I've made is no meat or dairy. I still eat a boat load of fruit, raw and cooked vegetables, and have added more beans, quinoa, rice, and starchy vegetables. One thing to keep in mind too is I don't eat processed junk food, candy, or "meat replacement products." I'm excited to get my blood checked this winter and see how the numbers compare to last year having cut out animal products since June. 

No official training plans yet, just going to ease back into it and then in November most likely formulate more of a focus. 

A brief update

view of Zurich from hotel room

A friend was in Europe on business so I met him in Zurich last weekend. What a beautiful place. Clean and the people were all super friendly and helpful. Got a taste of Oktoberfest and also spent a day in the Alps outside of Lucern. God I miss the mountains. Beautiful weather, people relaxing in the sun, smiles everywhere, music, alpenhorns. Just awesome positivity. Would love to have spent longer here and more time on our feet rather than using the trams and cog rail but really cool none the less. Oktoberfest was great. Everyone of all ages was singing, shaking liter mugs high in the air, and having fun. Best part was on the way out some drunk guy starts excitedly telling a story to my friend, huge smile on his face, but of course in Swiss German! I'm walking behind and am laughing as Aaron has absolutely no idea what he's said! Such happy people. In the UK people just get belligerent, yell profanities, and fight when they drink. Probably another reason why I don't fit in, I'm a happy drinker. All the photos are from this trip.

Oktoberfest

Decided to take two weeks off running despite feeling decent and having fun. My left knee had some odd pain but now nearly done with the two weeks off it has me concerned a bit. It still randomly hurts. I've been stretching and rolling with little effect so I may just start running and see what happens. It's possible it will just work itself out like many things tend to do.

view from Pilatus

My body weight training has gotten better which is fun. It's fascinating how strength and skill build. I infrequently practice clutch flags at the playground but they get stronger every time I try them. I think a full human flag would come easy if I focused on it. It shows that a little bit of everything consistently (my standard go to exercises: handstand push-ups, push-ups, pull-ups, bridges) adds up to significantly bigger movements. One part of me wants to focus more on this but I think what I do now is plenty.

vertical gain here is serious business, would love to train here

The Eiger

JKD hums along. I'm finally getting the habit to practice more at home to stick, I've struggled with that. I'm also incorporating more hand speed drills since I'm seemingly one big slow twitch muscle. Comparing hand speed training to sprint training for running I'd guess it's the same physiological response so I'm hoping it has a quick benefit as does the running. So far it seems to be working. This stuff is so much fun but difficult to practice alone. I've been doing it for a while now, I knew it would be challenging since I don't have the mentality of a fighter, but it's coming together which is fascinating. Movements flow into each other and things just happen without thought. Awesome.

I believe the world's steepest railway coming down the cog rail thing

we started in the far right and came down the far left