Finished the week off with 45 miles. Taking today, Sunday, off. Been feeling alright but darkness has come and soon the colder temperatures and rain will arrive challenging progress.

Severn Way entering Worcester

The other day the Worcester bridge was clogged up due to protests so I parked a few miles outside of town and ran the Severn Way in to work. Nice little three mile run to, and then a couple extra miles  on my way back. Nice change of scenery but will likely be muddy in the winter.

I managed to get a new rain jacket off eBay. A super pimp Arc’teryx Norvan running specific hardshell. Very excited to test it out. Their products have always been top notch however anytime “waterproof breathable” is mentioned I become skeptical especially when being used for high output activity. Nothing ever breathes enough. Initial impression, the fit is awesome as expected, however the hood could use an elastic adjuster to cinch it up a bit. It’s really stripped down to save weight. It does seem though if using a hat underneath or visor the hood will “track” with your head turns which is good. The Montane Minimus I have is fantastic for hood tracking however the durability is low overall. I was really tempted to try a Montane Stretch Minimus to avoid the plastic bag noise you get running in a hard shell but the Norvan peaked my interest because it’s a bit heavier duty without adding weight. Thinking and dreaming of high mountain European races a stout jacket would be nice.

Rad spinning elbow photo!

Mid day I had my second Muay Thai grading. It went really well. Compared to JKD it’s a lot less nerve racking. It’s much more physically intense and less mentally exhausting. Of course there’s proper technique to all of it but a lot more hard fast hitting. You walk away soaked in sweat. I earned my orange armband and of course had a lot of fun. 

Lots and lots of Thai round kicks 

I wanted to improve my speed and reaction time and this seems to be perfect. JKD is much more varied in what you do day to day which is super fun. However Muay Thai is far more focused, I feel I get more practice on the basics. 

Back up to normal mileage just about. Have yet to run today and finish the week off but I’m at 39 miles and wanted at least 40 so I’m happy. The foot issue remains but I’m still hammering away at it. I understand that it can take time to go, I’ve accepted that and am doing the work. 

I paid for the Lakeland 50 so will hopefully race that in late July. I’d like to enter sine other 50km races as training races as well. It’s a good way to get miles in but we’ll see. 

The first week of both kids in school was exhausting but good. I can easily get an extra 5 mile run after work which is great. Theoretically I can run 18 mile days Monday through Friday if I want or need to. Saturday’s I could get in up to 21. That’s with working Monday through Saturday. It’s nice to see time opening up and become available that doesn’t interfere with family. I have big plans for training however some of these ideas will interfere with family which I don’t prefer however they’d have great benefits. 

So back to easy base miles, strength work, and chasing this plantar fasciitis. I’ve fallen off the JKD habit which sucks but have been practicing Muay Thai at home. It’s less complicated and easier to jump in with a short practice session when I’m tired. Too much to juggle I guess, something always slips. 

The Tor des Geants has been going on all week so I’ve been obsessed with training for it, curious what other people do. I get down and lose confidence when I see people who live and train in the mountains or are able to fly to Italy or France for four weeks to train. Must be nice. I think back to when I could’ve done that but I guess when I lived that life I took full advantage of it, at least I hope, doing other things. Either way I realize I’m older now and life has other challenges and just finishing one of these events is unreal. 

A few photos from recent runs.

I’m making great progress with the plantar fasciitis. Went to JKD and Muay Thai last night as a test and I’m doing alright. I’m planning a run tomorrow to see how it responds. I’m excited. Hard work pays off for once.

I entered an unplanned lottery the other day. In 2014 I ran the Lakeland 100, one of the UK’s premier ultras. I had a miserable race despite finishing. I’d like to return and redeem myself but I figured why not see if I can get in the 50? I tried. I got in! So I have until tomorrow night to commit to it. It lines up well with any racing in late August or September and has a boat load of vert, nearly 10,000 feet over 50 miles, just what I’m looking for! 

Anyway, hopefully back to training tomorrow!

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! 

Base miles and Muay Thai

Extended runcommute along the Severn Way, Worcester

Today is the first day of summer break for the kids. I cut back on work for 6 weeks (only working Saturdays) until they start up again, I normally work Monday - Friday 10-2 while the kids are in school. Finding time to run will become more difficult as my run commutes to and from work are obviously put on hold. My commutes have become an easy and tremendously helpful addition to my weekly mileage. There's really rarely a reason not to run a few miles to and from my car. I'm doing a little more research looking at maps to make this time even more productive and efficient time-wise. I like it as it has no compromise on sleep unlike the cumulative early mornings.  

Leapgate rail line

I've bailed on the half marathon this fall, just not feeling it and am excited to just put in a lot of really easy running and build a huge base. So no races in site, just anticipating race lotteries that start in December. Western States 100, Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc, and Tor des Geants. I've got the usual aches and pains but am running alright. Just enjoying being outside. I've even stopped with podcasts, books, and music some days while I run. The early mornings and silence are very welcoming. I'm still up at 4am to get out before the wife goes to the gym. I'm glad she is enjoying exercise so am happy to accommodate her. She's definitely made it a solid habit which isn't easy but to do.

Muay Thai grading

I'd been joining in with the Muay Thai boxing classes for a couple weeks and was coerced into doing the grading. We do a fair amount of Thai boxing in Jeet Kune Do so I knew the basics anyway. The classes are very intense which I enjoy. The main focus is technique for now but there is a possibility of fighting in the ring in the future! Not sure if I'm up for that as Thai boxing is really violent but you never know! Being a sport fighting style it's a bit different as we use the gloves for blocking but it's a lot of fun with a great group of people. The academy really has become a fantastic home away from home. They all love to jokingly making fun of my accent and nationality which is always a laugh. I'm there Monday through Friday between my classes and my daughter's tae kwon do, just wish my son would take more interest. I've had a couple weeks I was there 7 days! 

The Thai classes are immediately after JKD so since I have the time available I may as well join in. You m usually really tired but always worth it. The few photos are from the grading.

Muay Thai grading, clinch sparring

The clinch sparring was super intense. Essentially you're fighting for control of the upper body while trying to knee the other person. After the grading our head instructor told me he noticed I had put the time in to prepare. With such a short time between the grading and the few classes I had I definitely did going over the handful of drills we needed to do. I knew the strikes but needed to hone my footwork, positioning, and range. 

getting my yellow arm band  

So that's about it for now. Nothing really exciting, I did get a couple new pairs of shoes! Brooks Transcend 6 for run commuting and the new Altra Torin 4, my every day road shoe, the previous version I had 800 miles on! Also had my buddy from Minnesota bring over some new running shorts to try out. The company Rabbit isn't available in the UK so I had them shipped to his house before he flew over here for a work trip. So far the Rabbit FKT 5" short is good, but still need some more miles in them. I previously had the Patagonia Strider Pro 5" which were greet but the new version they changed the liner and they're just a bit too tight for me. Both models aren't cheap but I feel they're worth every penny.