Michael: Seemingly Perfect

The hunters were there

With their high powered crossbows

Walking on the trails. 

 Tuesday, September 17, 2019



I was a bit jittery about doing the Silverton to Durango section of the Colorado Trail since I hadn’t done a solo hike in over 5 years, but the trip was a real confidence builder and went off almost without a hitch…almost.



Fortunately, the glitches were slight, manageable and even mildly comedic.



The smallest of glitches had to do with not packing something I hadn’t seen come up in any of the youtube hiking videos. That was a decent size nail file. By my third day out I had some pretty good size calluses on both heels that were causing some discomfort. This wasn’t surprising given that I generally file my calluses down every couple of days. So put another small item on the gear checklist because I overlooked it this time round.



And although I thought I had prepared decently for the cold nights at over 10k feet by buying a new inflatable mattress and pillow, I was slightly off. Although they worked great and I’ll use them again, my old sleeping bag was just slightly under filled. It was originally rated for 30 but given that’s about what the temps on a few of the nights were, I’m presuming that rating was either originally a bit optimistic or after hanging in there for over 15 years, it’s lost a bit of it’s loft.  I’ll definitely look into replacing it if I’m up that high again or in that kind of cold.



I was also thinking of ditching the idea of using a bivy again as it’s pretty damned cramped, and some of the single ultra-light tents are pretty damned light now a days. But There were a few nights where it was pretty windy and I could see the advantages of having such a low profile and small footprint. Again, I will probably replace what I have with a slightly sturdier and heavier version if I’m going to be that high up or in that cold of weather.



My pack was also at it’s limits. And therefore, if I’m going to make a few tweaks in equipment going to slightly larger gear, I’m also going to have to get a slightly bigger pack.



One advantage and offset of getting a more durable bivy will be that I can ditch the light but bulky foam pad I used to protect the delicate bivy I used on this trip.



So there’s the domino theory in action; although the trip seemed to have gone exactly as planned logistically, I’ll be making what could be considered major overhauls in equipment next time I get out there under similar conditions. I don’t see it that way. These are just minor (but costly) tweaks that come with getting out there and learning what my equipment and I are capable of. We worked well together this time out. And it makes me anxious to get back out there and see what I’ll learn and how whatever new equipment I get will perform together.

Michael: Nothing But Blue skies

 Sparkles of berries

Enliven our summer walks

Through our own backyard.

 Monday, September 2, 2019

As a professional hiking guide (my main qualifications for that is I’m getting paid.), almost every week I give our guests the rundown on our hiking protocol. Occasionally, I’m also asked to give the “lions, tigers and bears; Oh My!” speech, where we talk about how really safe they are out there and there’s just not that much to be afraid on the trail, particularly when you compare it to the hazards of the city.



But now, as I approach my first solo hike in over 5 years, I’m getting a bit of the eebie-jeebies myself. But it’s got nothing to do with animal attacks. No, as this will be my first foray at sustained high altitude, much of it above tree line, I’m a bit concerned about afternoon thunder showers and the lightening that goes along with them.



In Panama, I got use to big lightening strikes, but we lived down at 5,000 ft. and were surrounded by much higher peaks and plenty of other buildings and trees taller than us, so I never worried about being the shortest distance between the sky and the ground. But out on the Colorado trail things could be much different.



I’m sure just as with the lions, tigers and bears, my fears are greatly exaggerated, but this is giving me a very good lesson in empathy for those who come to us and worry about rattlesnakes. 

Michael: The Jaws of Bees

The Jaws of Bees: Saturday, August 31, 2019



Our prayers were heard.

God is looking out for us;

Giving us cover.

Saturday, August 31, 2019

 

While not quite a Jainist (is that right?), I have been a vegetarian now for just about 40 years originally starting from the moral premise; the least you should try to do ethically is to do no harm.



Yet I found myself once again amused by the growing casualty rate of bees my dog chomps on while we walk. On rare occasions she has killed much larger prey; a squirrel and a rabbit, and although I didn’t chastise her for those, I also didn’t find them amusing. In fact they were sad not only for the loss of life, but for the suffering the animals endured as she kill them, for their deaths were not instantaneous.



I suppose since I myself will occasionally knock off an insect, particularly if it’s in the process of trying to do me harm, I don’t empathize with the bees as much as I do my fellow mammals. Yet the bees are just minding their own business when our dog will, seemingly at random, choose to hunt one down. And, I confusedly confess, it’s this random leap of attack that triggers my amusement.



To see our 60 lb. lab/pit bull mix lunge at such a small creature as if it were a mortal enemy makes me chuckle. And that should probably make me wonder about my own state of mind. And it does… a little.

Michael: Bound to Happen

A breath of slumber

Takes in the cool damp breeze that

Seeps into your dreams.


 Monday, August 26, 2019



On Saturday I had my first DNF in 5 years. Although I had sworn earlier that wasn’t going to happen again, for this race it wasn’t completely unexpected.



At my last 50k at the end of July, I bruised my heels pretty badly. A mistake that may have been caused by not using my usual Superfeet green insoles. I’ve been trying to work through recovering while still maintaining enough training to go after the age group record for the Bull Dog 50k on Saturday. I thought maybe if I got through it fast enough I’d be off my feet before the pain really kicked in. I was way off.



I did the first loop of the two loop course in 2:08, which was faster than my time in the 25k last year of 2:14. But my left heel was bothering me on the downhill and when it got worse on the uphill of the second loop I felt my day was going to either end in further injuries or end prematurely. I decided to pull the plug at the 21 mile mark.



In the past most of my DNFs involved some kind of emotional trauma. This was a purely rational decision that I feel will allow me to heal properly so I can get back into the flow of training as soon as my heel’s recovered.



I’ll take my time and try to maintain my cardio vascular fitness bicycle riding and keep up my running form by doing speed work. I also have a few days left of work before going on a 6 day hiking trip to Colorado. There, I only plan on walking. When I return I’ll see how the heel feels and go from there. But it’ll only be races less than 30k for the rest of this year. 

Michael: The Man I Forgot to Forget About

Innocent mistakes

Like silent raindrops falling

Into her coffee.

 Monday, August 12, 2019



There are quirky people you meet under quirky circumstances that you figure you’ll never encounter again, so though you think that moment will make an indelible impression, but it both kind of does and doesn’t.



For example, about 7 years ago when I was training for the first ever Backbone Ultra I did a marathon training run that ended at the three road junction at the Louis Ewen Overlook. There an older Japanese gentleman greeted me and began to tell me how he use to be a marathon runner and that I should train for one since it looked like I had the right body type. I tried to explain to him that I had just finished a marathon to get to the point we were both sharing, but that didn’t seem to stop or even slow his continued advocacy of how and why I should take up marathon training.



Since I didn’t run into him again for years I completely forgot about that incident until last Wednesday. Then I was riding my bike up Shueren toward that very same point as he was walking down that street. He greeted me with a thumbs up, not recognizing me. But with a flash I recalled who he was.



I’m sure after a few more rides and runs past that point I’ll once again forget meeting him until the next time we cross paths.

Michael: Junk

Simultaneous

We breathe next to each other

My wife and best friend.

Junk: August 6, 2019



I don’t enjoy giving talks, particularly when my idea of what would be an interesting talk is rejected and I’ve got to wing it.



At work I usually have dinner with the guests on Saturday night. On that night a prepared talk is given on their VO2 test and Bod Pod results by one of the persons in charge of giving those tests. But I was switched to Friday night where a full timer usually talks about diet and exercise. I was semi-prepared for this and submitted a speech to my boss about why I believe endurance training is important. That speech was rejected.



That left me with a day to come up with something to talk about related to diet. Thank God for Google. I decided to briefly describe the differences between a few diet types; plant based, veganism, whole food, and vegetarianism. That’s short, pretty straight forward, and pretty non-political.

I didn’t receive a standing ovation but I wasn’t booed off the stage either, so good enough for now.



What I’d really like to talk about is why, with all the information we have available, are people still not making wiser decisions about issues related to their long term health. I’ve ordered a book; The Fitness Mindset, which I hope will give me some insight that I can pass along to our guests when I’m called upon again to give a talk.

Michael: Super Feet

Eucalyptus trees

With their old skin shedding

In the summer heat. 

 Wednesday, July 31, 2019



There’s always lessons to be learned from a race and I learned a lot at the Harding Hustle 50k on Saturday. Mainly I learned not to go without my Superfeet green insoles for any run lasting over 3 hours.



On Saturday I wore a shoe that I had only run in twice before, the Inov8 260s. They were great on those couple of training runs. They felt so good in fact that I thought I could go without my usual swap out insoles. I was wrong and I’m now paying the price with painful steps on bruised heels. Oddly, it’s far more prevalent on my left, but since hopping is an extremely tiring way to train, I’ve taken a couple of days off of running to let my heel, heal.



So why ditch the inserts if they’ve been working for me? Because there’s a compromise in using the Superfeet greens and that is they make a shoe far more stiff laterally which makes if feel like I’m more prone to roll an ankle. That hasn’t happened to the extent of causing an injury, but it is a disconcerting feeling running down a rocky or uneven trail.



But I’ve discovered that for longer events I don’t have a choice. I’ve also fortunately found two shoes I’m now very happy using in ultras; the Hoka Torrents and the Inov8 260s. I just won’t be using either without replacing their insoles with the old reliable Superfeet green insoles.