Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Preparation for the Trail Mix 50K

Yesterday I received a pair of Forms from Skora, a company located in Oregon and a great company all the way to their core principals so if you have some time check them out and let me know what you think, I immediately took the shoes out on a run and was blown away by the fit. I have never loved an upper when I have tried a shoe on. I have always just gone with whats breathable and a strong outsole but you don't have to compromise with the Forms. I am so excited for the race on Saturday to really give them a test and I will of course give a race report as well as a shoe review. 
It was a brisk morning but still a perfect time to head out and get a short trail run in before the race this coming Saturday. I have been cutting down my mileage leading up to the 50K and will continue to taper off the rest of this week, which by the way is very difficult when there is a new pair of amazing shoes calling your name. I am very up in the air as far as which type of hydration I will go with for the run but what I have decided is that I am going to love every minute in my Forms. I will be up early in the morning to have a breakfast of 300-400 calories and pack up my gels for the race. I am a huge peanut butter fan and absolutely love the Gu Peanut Butter gels so I will be fueling up with those on my adventure Saturday. I am planning on giving it my all and so gels and calories are going to be a huge part of my hope full success. Lets hope for some warm weather on Saturday and go out and give your self a treat with an adventure run on Saturday as well.
Run Real My Friends.
 

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Review of the Skora Base shoes

I have been lucky enough to start running in Skora running shoes with the Form wrapping around my foot with a very breathable upper. Looking at the shoe immediately I thought to myself that there is no way that the velcro strap will hold my foot for all of the running that I am doing but to my pleasant surprise the strap works in ways I never though of when I first started in them. The top strap seems to flex and move with the foot so well that I have never taken the shoe off to find a bruised upper or anything like that. I can not tell you enough about the fit of the shoe especially through the toe box, I love the room that is provided for your toes to splay and keep you stable. My heel feels so snug and at home in the shoe with the adjustable strap on the outside of the heel. I run completely barefoot, no sock liner or sock or anything for that matter, just a bare foot and I appreciate the sock liner built into the shoe. For anyone who has ever run in other zero-drop or other barefoot you know whether or not the company thought of a sock liner and for most of the other shoes that I have tried it seems to have slipped their mind totally. The Form has a removable insole located in the shoe, when you remove the insole all you feel is a comfortable shoe bottom. I run both trails and road, the pattern on the outsole has been more than enough traction for those nasty, fun, hill climbs and has been stellar for wet road runs. The cap on the toe is very effective when you accidentally kick a stump or something.

The best part of the Form is that it can handle absolutely anything that I can throw at it. I have taken it out and tried beating them down with speed work and still the last thing that was tired were my feet. They felt like they were still fresh and ready to go after I got home and slipped the shoes off. My favorite speed workouts are tempo runs and for the most part they hurt the best when I finish them, this is not the case anymore with the Forms flying on my feet. The shoes are one of the fastest things that I have ever had on my feet, I love having them on so much that each local route has been having the record for it just crushed. This shoe is everything that I have been looking for in a shoe for training on roads, trails, and for racing.

I cannot wait to give the shoes a huge test this coming Saturday in a local race.

Run Real my friends.

 

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Bitter sweet Boston '12

I had qualified for the Boston Marathon this year with my first marathon that I had ever raced last year. It was my first and only marathon for the year and I was so excited that I qualified, I thought I was in for sure. I had plans to go, plans to train and push closer to my goal of 2:30. I did not make the lottery selection and boy is that bitter sweet this time of year. I thought for sure that I would be in Boston eating cream pie and snooping around to meet some of the fastest marathoners in the world. Like I said it was my first marathon and I qualified for Boston so I consider myself very lucky and I realize how special that run is to so many people so in a way I am glad that I didnt get in so that I can learn from this first experience and decide for myself if I want to focus on the marathon or something farther. My goals have changed since than but I am still feeling a little low lately because I am not on a plane to Boston.

Running always seems to be a blessing in disguise and I say that because if I would be running Boston I would have never run in the 50 miler that I just completed or have signed up for any ultra that I have planned this year. I am also glad that I am not heading to Boston right now because I get to race this weekend with my little cousin Blake and my lovely fiance Amy in a fun run down by Lake Harriet. There is nothing better than realizing how lucky you are for being a runner, life changing really. So at the end I would like to say thank you Boston Marathon, you let me down this year but you just wait, one day I will be there to race with the best of them and I will soak in every moment.

Run Real my friends. 

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Land Between the Lakes 50mile and 10k Run

Just wanted to toss up a picture from the Land Between the Lakes run in Grand Rivers, KY


Welcome to my blog.

If you know me you know how much running is just a part of who I am. Its not an obsession or a fix, its simply who I am and what I do as part of my daily routine. There is something about going out and making things simple again with each step you get to take. As runners we have to remember that each step is a gift and something that we shouldn't take for granted. Stop every once in a while and just look around, take in your favorite running spots and always be in search of new ones. Running so many different things to so many people that it just can't be a one way run, it should be a two way run meaning that as we go out on the route we let that route come into our day. Give it a try once and I promise that you won't be thinking of your next run as a punishment for your body but instead a nice relaxing and unique experience.

I started trail running last year and it all came on a simple thought of " Hey man do you want to try and run the Jail Trail?" The jail trail is a local mountain biking trail filled with twists and turns. Its really not a bad trail to train on and its really the best thing for off road running in the St. Cloud area. That first run sparked something in me that I honestly never felt before, almost like a sense of adventure that I was missing on the regular road routes, which by the way are engraved into my memory by now. Each step on the trail is different and each step on the trail is new. You can never run a trail the same way twice, I run the Jail Trail 4 or 5 a week and I have yet to have the same experience out on the trail.

All I had known before venturing off onto the trail was pavement and how each run for me was about one simple thing, SPEED. I wanted to be the fastest person on the road and I simply let my runs pass by, not taking in the scenery or the experience that each run has to offer. I love to lace em and race em but there is a time for that and I was still figuring that out last year, honestly it took me a while to find out why I run but it most certainly happened once I stepped off the pavement and on to the fresh dirt. I always knew the feeling that each run gave me but I never knew there was more to it than simply racing around the city everyday. The best part of me finding running on a deeper level is that I realized there are all sorts of runners, and each runner has a special connection with their running.

The best piece of advice I have recieved about running, but it works for everything in life, was from my Dad. I was feeling a little bummed about DNFing in Duluth for the 100k and extremely nervous for Land Between the Lakes 50 miler in Kentucky. My Dad told me to simply finish it because I want to, that digging deep is what it really took. I knew my training was where I wanted it to be but I didnt know if I could dig that deep and pull it all out of myself. In the end it was a success and I finished my first 50 mile run with the time of 9:14. Getting that huge confidence booster with the strong finish, I have signed up for the Lean Horse 100. This is where I will be posting my experiences along the journey to 100 miles.