Michael: The Tried and True

She has a sharp edge
That she sometimes hides behind
The beauty of youth.

Monday, March 25, 2019

Spring is in the air and REI has sent out our dividends and 20% discount on one full price item and one outlet item so it’s time to look for some new footwear and attire.

Many runners rightfully give the good advice to stock up on the tried and true. Advice that I’ve ignored pretty much because I only have two feet and there’s always so many new shoes to try out there. Right now I’d love to try out the Saucony Switchbacks because I’m keen on trying out trail shoes again that have a BOA lacing system. The North Face had some years ago when they first got into shoes, but they just didn’t work for me. Nothing against BOA, I just don’t think TNF had shoe fit dialed in just yet (pun intended). But generally, I’ve always had good experiences with Sauconys.

I also have a hankering for Arcteryx’s Norvan SLs because they’re new to the shoe market and the SLs seem to be as advertised; super light, and I love the bright in your face orange. But my hesitancy is that super light shoes in the past have always caused me super pain whenever I’ve run over a rocky surface and even with a discount the price tag is pretty steep.

So my reluctant decision is to wait on the Saucony’s and to order another pair of Hoka Torrents, but in a different color then my very nice green. This past year they have kept me unbelievably comfortable up to distances of 50k. I’m sure I’ll delve back into the realm of fantasy and try on a few new glass slippers in the future, but the Torrents are just too much of a made in heaven match for my feet to look past them right now.

Michael: Dr. Jekyll and Mrs. Fur

Bull frogs not choppers
Hover near us as we sleep.
Their croaks a comfort.

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Rarely do I participate in euthanasia, but yesterday I was reminded that as loving, cute and cuddly dogs can be, they can, in an instant be driven by their instincts to be pretty quick killing machines.

Yesterday, Luna, our dog of two years, who has actively been eyeing and pursuing squirrels and an occasional cat, finally nabbed one of the two little tree rodents that was scurrying across our yard. In a blur it was in her mouth and she was shaking the life out of it. We got her to release it, and it tried to crawl away, but it was obviously in bad shape and wasn’t going to live. So I did what I thought was the humane thing to do, grabbed a shovel, and gave the suffering creature a few good wacks on the head to end its suffering.

The incident very much reminded me of a time growing up when my dad forced me to use a baseball bat to club a gopher to death. That also involved a dog. In that case it was our small family dog named Ginger who, after the gopher was flushed out of its hole, I thought was going to bite our dog. So at my dad’s insistence, I killed it.

I don’t relish having to participate in either incident, though I somewhat  understand both. And I certainly don’t fault the dogs. I just find it interesting that some animals can act so viciously in one instant than turn right back into that loving, cuddly, warm furry companion in the next.

Michael: Going Without

White cross on the road.
No idea who it’s for
Yet it’s worrisome.

Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Speaking of Lent, which I know very little about but am semi participating in, I’ve also unintentionally given up the net for a few days and home phone service for a couple of weeks.

These are a few more odd parallels between Panama and Topanga. In Panama the net would go out periodically; maybe once every few months, and when that happened there also wasn’t any phone service as the phone and wi-fi were connected. That’s also going to be how it works here. AT&T doesn’t reach up into the hills of Topanga without wi-fi.

I’m only hoping once it’s in, it’ll be a bit more reliable than it was in Panama. When it went out we’d have to walk about a mile into town to a hotel that had an internet café. Here, we’ll have to walk about the same distance to get to the Topanga Library.

Michael: Don't Move!

Studying myself
Is a very bland topic
And fruitless as well.

Thursday, March 14, 2019

You would think that something called ‘moving’ would be good for your health. But after wrenching my body in ways I haven’t done in years with so many awkward and heavy items, I’m going to throw in my testimonial and declare that moving is one of the worst exercises a scrawny old endurance athlete like me can do. And the worst of it is I doubt this will be the last time I attempt this type of physically and mentally exhausting challenge.

We have now left, after numerous cargo van trips and frequent CR-Zippy shuttles (The rental we moved to in Topanga is on too narrow of a street for me to feel comfortable moving using any larger of a vehicle.), our small duplex in Los Feliz which we loved and was rented to us from my wife’s friend and at an extremely below market rate and have just spent our first night in …lets say “cozy” downstairs granny (servant/nanny) two room hippy villa. It’s still very reasonable though a tad more costly. Larger yard for our dog…closer to work…closer to bike roads and running trails…so we’ll see how it all works out.

Funny, there’s always those little things that you don’t think about that you never realized would annoy you until you move and they pinch you a bit. For example, we haven’t been able to find an outside faucet, so we’ve got to transport water from the kitchen sink to give our dog water. Trivial, I know, but it’s things like that that build up over time until you Lizzy Borden your partner one night because they kept forgetting to give the dog water and you got tired of bringing the bowl into fill it night after night. Note: remember to expertly dispose of this old computer after getting a new one.

Also those little micro-climates that weave through L.A. This morning on my first early morning drive into work, my car displayed that it was in the mid 30s. That’s a bit colder than it ever was in Los Feliz.

But for now, the moving battle is just about over and the dawn of rising mist and slow clean up has begun. Time to rest and recover and try not to worry too much about where and when the winds of change will sweep us to next.

Michael: Lent

The golden poppies
Vivid orange blooms carpet
California’s hills.

Monday, March 11, 2019

Although I was raised a Roman Catholic, I don’t remember ever practicing Lent or learning anything about it. Occasionally my wife or sister will talk about it, but it’s quickly forgotten and I’ve never felt the urge to investigate its roots or give anything up for it.

But this year, since it coincides with our move to Topanga, I thought it might be worth experimenting with not bringing a few delicacies into the new fridge, just to try out this refrain from temptation thing to see where it gets me.

I’ve already mentioned the lack of a walking distance coffee shop which I’ve decided is a good portent to cutting back on my morning danish from two to one a day. I’ve also decided to see how long I can keep cheese out of the house. That’s both an ethical and a calorie thing.

I figure that’ll do for now. If I can drop a couple of pounds and can feel a smidgeon better about how I’m treating the planet, that should be a win - win whether it involves Lent or not.

Maybe next year I’ll vow to give up some of my ignorance and investigate what this Lent thing is all about.

Michael: Adios, Los Feliz

Studying myself
Is a very bland topic
And fruitless as well.

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

Out of all the neighborhoods I’ve lived in in L.A. County, Los Feliz has been the most enjoyable yet. Those neighborhoods have included Playa Vista, Mar Vista, Downtown, Los Feliz and very shortly Topanga. There may have been a few others, but they’ve faded away.

I’m not all that picky as far as what counts as a good neighborhood; I want light, peace and quiet, access to either trails or rides, and a place that accepts and has some room to roam for our dog. Our little place in Los Feliz hit on all but one of those; easy access to good bike rides.

Topanga should cover all these bases except having a place where our dog can socialize with other dogs. For that we’ll have to look for a nearby dog park in Canoga Park. She’s got a big yard and we can walk her on the trail leading into Topanga State Park, though dogs aren’t allowed in there.

I’ll also have out the door access to trail runs and great canyon road bike rides, so no gripes on those counts.

On the upside/downside kind of thing, unlike just about everywhere else one can live in in L.A., there isn’t a coffee shop within easy walking distance. That’s going to be a cold turkey break from my almost daily habit of a coffee and danish. That should help me more easily stay within my fighting weight, but there’s going to be some early morning John Lennon like renditions of “Cold Turkey” until I shake the sweats of my withdrawals.  

Michael: Hare Envy

Random occurrence
Paints the pattern of the flowers
We enjoy each spring.

Saturday, March 2, 2019

With a 50 and 60 milers under my belt this year I’m satisfied I can race like a tortoise. Now it’s time to switch it up and see if I can run like a hare.

Why?

That “variety is the spice of life” thing is kind of kicking in.

And although I’m very gratified with my ultra distance accomplishments, I don’t feel short distance goals ought to be derided as lesser achievements. So as hard as it is to resist the more is more impressive mindset that is so pervasive, I’m not going to schedule anything longer than a 50k for the foreseeable future. Maybe I’ll get an itch to run a 50 or another 100k toward the end of the year, but I’m leaning toward scheduling some fastpack trips instead. Those I shied away from while we were living in Panama, so it’s been a good four years since I’ve done an overnighter and even longer since I’ve gone solo.

Another reason to refrain from ultras is the law of diminishing returns. Long runs, up to a point, promote endurance. For me, two to three hours feels about right. But even then I doubt I’m getting much out of it physically after that first hour. Sure, I could stay out longer, and I’m not knocking anyone that does, but we’re fooling ourselves if we feel it’s needed for endurance training.

 In fact, if I were really aiming to morph into a hare, I’d probably limit my long runs to an hour and a half or less. But it feels good outside, so why not? I just hope I’m smart enough to not stay out there too long to where I start beating myself up and grind myself into permanent tortoise status.