Michael: On Deck

Between the thunder
That rolls through my life there is
Some silence at night.

Tuesday, February 26, 2019

With my two long races out of the way, and 0-2 in accomplishing my prime goals; one of finishing a 50 miler in 8 hours (8:17) and the other of going 12 hours in the 100k (12:22), it’s time to turn toward disappointments that won’t take nearly as much time both in time on my feet and the recovery afterwards.

Last year I didn’t finish a mile under 5:30, a 5k under 20, a 10k under 40, a road half marathon at all, and only competed in one duathlon.

That last one, duathlon competitions, may be put off indefinitely as I was scheduled to race in one March 9. If it weren’t for moving I’d probably push myself to get up for that event as I love those type of races and enjoy the course and format of the Pasadena Du. But it’s just one of those life glitches where the unexpected gets in the way and we’ve got to move by the 15th so it’s hard justifying the time and expense of that race.

I’ve also got a carry over from last year that would allow me to race at the Goleta Beach Duathlon later this year, but that’s on a Sunday and I just started working those, so that may also get nixed.

And then the marines took away one of my favorite events; closing off the Devil Dog Du to military personnel only.

I also thought I might not have to face the embarrassment of getting whooped in the mile this year like I do annually at the State Street Mile. That’s also on a Sunday, but I just saw that on Memorial Day there’s a mile billed as “Foothill’s Fastest Mile” in La Canada/Flintridge. So I’ll probably get to go another year with testing myself in my old high school track event.

The great thing for me about all these races, except possibly the mile, is that they aren’t going to require me to really modify my training. I always do speed work, tempo runs and long trail runs. I enjoy them and it gives me the flexibility to compete well enough at most distances not to worry about being unprepared for any particular challenge.

Michael: One and Done?

Alarms all around
Yet nothing is alarming
Enough to wake me.

Sunday, February 24, 2019

Yesterday I ran my first 100k and perhaps my last.

Not that it was a miserable experience, in fact I enjoyed it more than I did last month’s 50 miler. It’s just that I had planned on going back to shorter events because I feel it fits better with the training I do and enjoy, promotes all that is essential for good health, and for variety’s sake.

But I did learn a lot from yesterdays outing that I would definitely apply if I ever go long again.

One is what a difference an experienced crew member makes. Jim, a friend from work, really was on top of things; from saving me steps by checking me in and out during my 8 laps of the race, to taking care of all my needs, and most importantly by having such a positive spirit. It made me want to keep going just not to let his and my wife’s sacrifices go to waste.

The little technical niggles that are now causing me grief, like changing my shoes on the last lap when it wasn’t necessary, I can live with. After all, it was part of the plan and changing at the 50k mark worked well, so I won’t fault myself for that, but I wouldn’t do it again.

Mentally, I had a lapse during lap 6, but recovered to have a good lap 7, but it took me way too long to dig out of my final lap 8 hole. So I figure I’m getting tougher and better at the mental game of ultras but still have some work to do.

Given my training and performance, I also believe that there’s just way too much emphasis placed on long runs and back to back long training days than is necessary to succeed in ultras. Predominantly, I still feel the benefits of that type of training involves building confidence in your hydration/nutrition plans and once those are comfortable, those super long runs and grind it out weekends just unnecessarily beat you up.

My third place finish and decent time has me convinced that older athletes can remain competitive in ultras given so much of racing at longer distances is a head game, but just because of that it doesn’t mean I’m going to calendar any of those types of events in the near future. Now it’s time to mix it up and work on the mechanics of running by getting back into some shorter races that can be done between breakfast and lunch and not from before sunrise to sunset.

Michael: Breaking Up Already

The sound of water
Cascading down the trial
Is tranquil chaos.

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Alright, I’ll admit I’ve never been a handholding type of guy and just after one test run I’m ready to shelf the handheld experience until after this weekend’s race.

The problem for me is that handhelds are just too good at what they’re designed for - staying in your hand, which isn’t as convenient as you’d think.

I worry too much about stumbling and not being able to use my hand to brace myself, or even worse, the handheld getting in the way and somehow causing what would’ve been a minor annoyance into some kind of funky long lasting wrist or arm injury.

Also, with a handheld I’ve only got one hand free to use for gels, clothing adjustments and whatnot that you don’t have to think about when you’ve got two hands free. I’m going to have to talk to all those runners out there that tie up not just one of their hands but both with handhelds.

For now, I’m going back to my hand/butt cheek hybrid formula that allows me to stash a bottle behind me when I’ve drunk enough fluid and/or need both hands. I may get back to the handheld at some point, but for now I’m going to stick with my tried and true. I just wish some company out there would create a bottle that worked well for what I find a great way to carry hydration.

Michael: My Handheld

The bright bitter cold;
The sun as a false angel
Promising relief.

Tuesday, February 12, 2019

Run. That means drop all your sh.. And get the heck out of here.

That’s why I’ve never used a handheld. I figure if I’m running I should be moving along at a good clip for a good reason and I don’t want to be holding on to anything that might slow me down.

But this past year I’ve been holding a quiver of orange flags as part of my job marking trails for a wellness center’s hiking group. And, yes, I do feel that it slows me down.

So why am I going to start training with a handheld and possibly start making use of it during longer trail races?

Because for some long events it might not be a bad thing to be reminded to take it a bit easier and slow down a little. I’m particularly thinking this might be a wise move for a 100k, and I have one of those coming up next week.

The record time for the Sycamore 100k is just a little over 12 hours. That’s just barely above fast walking pace. With my tendency to start out overly aggressive, I’m thinking it’ll be wise to switch it up and start this event with a handheld that will hopefully tamp down my adrenal response at the start of a race and get me more into a “relax, let’s take it a bit easier this time out.” mindset.

Another one of those fun experiments that make long trail events just as much of a head game as a physical challenge.

Michael: I (Didn't) Fix It

The penetrating
Cold exposing an anger
That shouldn’t be there.

Tuesday, February 5, 2019

Youtube; how did people screw up their lives before it? Well, maybe I should just speak for myself.

My latest Youtube inspired goof was trying to replace my I-phone 5 battery.
The Youtube video from I Fix It made it look so simple I ordered there product with all the necessary tools included.

Once here, I followed the step by step instructions and was pretty set to go through half the procedure; the taking it apart part. Putting it all back together took a bit longer as their video didn’t cover that. I guess they figured I’d be bright enough to know that I should just reverse the steps I followed to take it apart. I am and I did. But as the Humpty Dumpty story goes …

Though I was able to clamp everything back together a few times, I could never get the damned phone to turn on. After a few hours I decided it was time to throw in the towel and seek professional help.

Fortunately, not too far away was a repairman who was able to quickly inform me that I had torn one of the wires connecting the drive to the screen. He had that part on hand and could replace it for $60. That seemed like a pretty good deal to me.

Despite this, I doubt I’ll give up on Youtube easy DIY projects. I’ll just need to note that they should all come with the following disclaimer; “Dufus, you should know this isn’t going to be as easy as it looks and someone like you is bound to screw it up, so before you attempt what’s demonstrated in the video be prepared to contact a professional repairman or pay for a new gizmo.”

Michael: Lost and Found

Spider web droplets
Cover the office windows
In unmoving tears.

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Almost as soon as we walked out our door yesterday a theme was set as to how our day would go.

Right at the end of our driveway was a couple trying to coral a small dog.
We tried to help, but the dog didn’t want to be handled and had no I.D.
We left, but today we saw a Lost Dog poster up saying that they had the dog and left their contact information hoping to find the owner.

Less than two blocks later, an older Asian gentleman approached us saying he had found a lost wallet and if we would take it and try to return it. I don’t feel he spoke English well enough or had the tech savvy to track the owner down. We took the wallet and for the $1.95 fee it cost to get some info about him from some web service, we returned his wallet to him that afternoon.

Later that day our landlord contacted Kimme to inform her that she was moving to New York and that we should plan on moving out by April. So now were essentially lost in L.A. as well.