Michael: A Weakness Revealed

 Only I was lost

Walking between the dry brush,

Mountain sides and waves.

  Tuesday, November 12, 2019



Until last Sunday I was able to hide one of my biggest weaknesses from my employee. That weakness is my total lack of a sense of a direction.



As a trail guide, one that often marks the trails, I would’ve thought my Achilles heel would’ve made itself known early on, but my memory allowed me to get by and mark trails after I’d followed others several times.



However, on Sunday, I was marking a trail that I myself had suggested and had only done once recently. And that led to my downfall. What was supposed to be a 4 hour hike stretched into 6 as I got lost and confused. And what’s worse, the owner of the program I work for was there.



So far I can only think of a few bright spots that have come from this calamity. One is that, surprisingly, most of the guests were okay with my almost total screw up. Even the owner hasn’t contacted me yet to either fire, chastise me, or ask what the hell I was thinking.



Another bright spot was how I was treated when I decided to post at a point nearly two miles from the end so I could face the wrath of all those I had led astray. Again almost all the guests were kind and even asked me – of all people – the one who was responsible for them hiking two hours and five miles longer than anticipated, how much longer they had to go? There’s no way they should’ve trusted me to answer that question with any kind of reliability. But they did.



How much rope I have left at this job before I hang myself, I can’t say. But the noose feels tight enough now to give me a pretty painful rope burn.

Michael: The Tortoise

 Contours emanate

Unseen radiant desires

That breathe between us. 

 Wednesday, November 6, 2019



Every Saturday, as part of my job, I listen to a trainer tell our guests that there is a far easier way to improve cardio vascular fitness than the hikes we take them on. He suggest, that instead of hiking, they should do HIIT training.



Why?



Because it’s far less time consuming and obtains very similar results.



Maybe.



And why the maybe. Because if all you care about is the exercise numbers he may be right. But it isn’t just all about the numbers. Even the trainer doesn’t believe it’s all about the numbers.



This dude rides a very expensive Pinarello. So why does he invest all that time and money into cycling outside if he can get just about all the same results more efficiently indoors?



Because … wait for it… he can’t. There are all kinds of benefits to getting outside and moving rhythmically for sustained periods of time (endurance training), that aren’t replicated through HIIT training. He knows it. I know it, and so does everyone who gets outside and moves in some way or another for a decent length of time.



That’s not to say that I’m against HIIT training. I do it myself. But as a supplement to endurance training, not as a replacement. It does not and cannot serve as a replacement. I just wish he’d make that clear to our guests.

Michael: Going Solo

 

A meditation

Through the dry brush and creek bed

Gives me peace of mind.

 Wednesday, October 23, 2019



After thirty years, I gave up riding motorcycles about six years ago. Like many things I’ve given up along the way of life, I’ve seldom looked back with regret or feel a longing to resume what I’ve left behind. Riding was exhilarating and I enjoyed it for the most part, but the heightened danger was always hard to deny and as my last motorcycle was also an active participant in trying to kill me, giving it up wasn’t all that difficult of a decision.



Now my wife and I share a car; a Honda CRZ. We’ve been doing this for over a year and it’s worked out pretty well, particularly since we work together and can ride share most days. Having only one car expense really helps save money. For a while she was pushing for a second car, but the financial benefits of just getting by with one vehicle are pretty hard to argue against.



I had thought of getting a large scooter as a second vehicle. I’ve had a couple before and enjoyed them. But as far as safety goes, they’re really no different than motorcycles, so I’ve nixed that idea.



But through the magic of modern technology and a look down the youtube rabbit hole, a third way may have emerged. Could we have a second vehicle that’s not as expensive as a car that’s also not a two wheeled death trap?



Perhaps. And that’s where the Meccanica Solo comes in. It’s a three wheeled all electric vehicle that’s classified as an autocycle, meaning that it doesn’t require a helmet or motorcycle license to operate. It’s seems to be almost ideal as a second vehicle. It’s relatively inexpensive at about $15k, takes up very little space, and would seem to provide some of the joys of motorcycle driving while also providing the comfort of an enclosed and air conditioned capsule.



The downsides are that even though it’s not a motorcycle it’s still much smaller than the hulking SUVs and trucks out there that would squash it like a bug in a high speed collision. It’s reliability is also unproven and I’m sure any repairs or maintenance will be costly and time consuming. And even though it’s relatively inexpensive, $15k is still nothing to sneeze at.



Still, I’ve put a $250 refundable deposit down on one. Though I’m in no hurry for that order to come through. The longer it takes the more I have time to think about it and gather information about what others think about their experience with this interesting little vehicle that I may be driving someday.

Michael: Threes

 The blistering heat

Is worn like a straight jacket

In an open jail.

 Monday, October 21, 2019



At Saturday’s Rocky Peak 30k I had a reversal of fortune.



Two weeks ago at the Monrovia half marathon I won with a time that would’ve had me in third last year. Saturday I came in third with a time that would’ve had me winning the previous two Rocky Peak 30ks. That’s the way the luck of the draw works. Sometimes it’s not about you, it’s about who shows up.



I did beat my goal time of three hours by a minute so I’m pretty pleased. Again, I ran a smart race, prepared well and made good decisions as far as logistics and equipment go. Never sure how long I’ll be able to keep this up, but still up beat about getting out there and giving it the old college try and I suppose in many ways, that’s what counts. 



As another little fantasy feather in my cap, somebody running the 50k, that started 30 minutes ahead of the 30k, recognized me as I passed by and shouted out, “Is that Michael Becker?”.  They recognized me because I’m one of the few runners that wear gloves. I’ve always wished that someday somebody I didn’t know would identify me at a race. It’s a goofy little ego thing I’ll admit, but it still felt good.

Michael: The Pack

 Santa Ana winds


Sweep down the mountain passes

Searching for a spark.

 Tuesday, October 8, 2019



My wife, dog and I considered ourselves a pack. Well, what exactly our dog thinks, I can’t say, but I feel I’m making a pretty good inference by the way she behaves.



And I feel both proud and guilty about that. Proud because she’s such a great dog and I feel honored that she trust me and treats me so well. Also, I think we take pretty good care of her. She gets quality food, care, she sleeps inside and has a decent sized yard to roam free in during the day.



But I also feel guilty that we’ve never allowed her to have another dog as a companion. We also don’t let her off leash like a lot of other people do around here. It wouldn’t hurt if we also took to the dog park a bit more so she could be better socialized.



I realize all these thoughts probably seem pretty self-indulgent around most of the world, and I’m sure most people think we’re crazy here with how we treat our dogs as our companions. I’m on the fence about that. Yes, we may treat dogs a little too well. But is that a sign of social deficiencies we have with other people or a sigh on tenderness toward other living creatures? I’d like to lean toward the latter.

Michael: The Challenger

Cold fingers of mist

Reach into the canyon floors

Before the silence.

 Wednesday, October 9, 2019



There’s an old expression that goes; “Go with what brought ya.” What brought me were the Inov8s Terraultra 260s. But I’m not going with them at next Saturday’s Rocky Peak 30k.



Why?



Not because they’re in any way deficient. In fact they’re my favorite trail shoe I’ve ever had and I plan on buying at least one more pair before the year’s out. So why change? Because, at this stage of the game I don’t feel comfortable trying to do anything longer than a 50k in one shoe and I need to find a second shoe for the Sycamore 100k in February. At that race I’ll use the 260s for the first 50k.



But what about the second half of that race? Initially I was going to use the Hoka Torrents, which are also a great shoe that I have worn and had a lot of success with this year. But at the Bull Dog 50k I was wearing those when I DNFed. And although I don’t blame the shoe as my heels were already injured. It’s hard for me now to disassociate those shoes from the pain in my heels that day and the stress of not finishing.



It also give me a decent rational for buying more shoes. So now I’m going to try out the Hoka Challenger ATR 5 wide version. In the store they felt good and after an initial 13 mile training run I was very pleased. They’re more cushioned than the Torrents and just about as light.



They’re not as snug or as lithe as the Inov8s, and they also fee a bit more sloppy than the both the Inov8s and the Torrents, but I’m counting on the extra cushioning and the profile of the course to offset those deficiencies.



They do offer quite a contrast in profile relative to the Inov8s and that’s a big plus. After 50k I think it’ll be wise to go from a zero drop to a 5 mil with a bit of a rocker profile to change the stresses on my body. I’ve done it in past races with success, so I’m going to keep on doing that. Guess, in some way, I am still going with what brought me. 

Michael: Lightning Stirkes Twice

 Almost everyday

I’ve been lucky enough to see

The deer in the fields.

 Sunday, October 6, 2019



Coming off my first DNF in over 5 years, I was hoping for a good, pain free performance, getting my second overall win of the year while I’m 61 feels pretty damned special.



I will say that there’s always more than my fair share of luck that goes into a win. I’m not strong enough to compete with the elites. But the circumstances were right yesterday, and thankfully none of those people were running in my race.



And that’s also one of the keys for an older trail runner to do well; run in the shorter of multiple races if that’s happening. Yesterday I ran in the Monrovia half marathon while there was also a 30k event. At least 5 of those runners were ahead of me when I hit the half marathon turn around.



For me, for some body changing reasons, I’ve also found it to be extremely helpful to arrive as early as possible. It used to be that I would go to the bathroom once at home then once upon first arriving at the event. But now my body has decided it wants two visits to the porta-pottie before race start. To allow time to avoid that last minute long line and give myself time to warm up, I’ve got to be one of the early birds. Kind of a pain, but essential to compete comfortably.



That’s also where being an old man comes in handy. I go to bed early and wake up early every day. Race day changes are pretty minor and really just amount to different clothes and my usual application of race elixers. Otherwise I’m not up that much earlier and I eat the same breakfast as I always do.



Experience also helps. I do a much better job now of staying within myself as opposed to getting caught up with all the rabbits in their nervous sprinter like starts. Experience also helps me get through what aid stations I’ve decided to stop at in a relatively calm and efficient manner.



The win yesterday was fortunate. Honestly, I thought I would have a better chance of winning the 30k event at the Rocky Peak races in a couple of weeks. That’s also the shorter of two races. The winner of the 30k hasn’t broken 3 hours and that seems doable to me. But again, it’ll all depend on who shows up, feeling great on race morning and being one of the early birds when the gates open.