Good morning all. Yesterday's run went fairly well although it only ended up being 20 miles instead of 26. I literally just ran out of time. As I am sure you all know it can get tricky some times trying to juggle business, training, being a good father, and being a good husband.
For yesterday's run I listened to a new book on tape. Someone had recommended I try "Jon Stewart Presents the Earth". I know he can be a polarizing figure for some but I must say his book is pretty funny no matter your political persuasion. I did find it interesting that my pace slows dramatically when listening to audiobooks vs my music. I was trying to run slower anyways but it felt harder then usual to speed up. So at about mile 12 I switched back to my pump up music and was able to shave 2min/mile off my pace without a problem which made me feel better.
The title of the post is referring to the weather forecast. My 50 miler is on March 5th and as of right now the forecast is calling for rain the day before as well as the day of the race. The race director informed us that if it rains this course will be MUDDY! Although I am always up for a little adventure I was kinda hoping to actually be able to run this race vs slog my way through it. Oh well, such is life! Have a great day everyone.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Sorry!
Sorry everyone! I know I have been slacking a little on the blog posts. Lot's of big things going on at Everyday Endurance and my race preparation. I promise I will have a new post for you tomorrow. In the meantime check out:
New design "The Pacer" going on special pre-order tomorrow. I am giving it to you guys first :)
A fantastic review and giveaway by Kelly at www.trimommylife.com
And a preview of what I am going to look like after a 26 mile training run tomorrow
Have a great night everyone. I'll check back in with you tomorrow!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Newton Terra Momentus Review "Preview"
Despite having the injured back I have been able to get out on the trails the past two days. I was hoping to have a little more audio/visual for you guys but for now I will just give you some of my first impressions. Yesterday I did a 6.2 mile run on some fairly technical trails. Today I went out and did 15 miles of varied terrain. So far my experience has been mixed.
For background I am a big Newton fan. I train in the Newton neutral trainers and race in the Newton Distance stability racers. I held out high hopes for their take on the trail shoe, especially since their founders are big trail runners.
First the good - For those of us that strike on the forefoot you have decent padding as well as a little bit of the "action/reaction" spring in your step you expect from Newton. The effect is definitely less then you would get running on the road but is still present. The grip was also pretty good. There was a little slipping on the bed of dry leaves and pine needles but not any more then I have had with other shoes. Although I would say that Newton does not provide as strong a grip as other trail shoes it does well enough for 90% of the terrains you might encounter during an Ultramarathon.
Items that disappointed - The most noticeable problem I had with these shoes was the slipping of my heel. My Newton road shoes do an amazing job at cupping my heel and forming around my foot. I bought the trail shoe in the exact same size and my heel definitely did not feel secure. Although I did not develop any blisters over 15 miles I am a little concerned for my 50 miler coming up. The second item that was disappointing was the area under my shoe laces never felt comfortable. I always felt something digging into the top of my foot no matter how loose I tied the laces. I am also afraid the ride might be a little high as I rolled my ankle more than usual.
That is all for now. I will be training much more on these leading up to my race and will provide a more detailed review soon.
For background I am a big Newton fan. I train in the Newton neutral trainers and race in the Newton Distance stability racers. I held out high hopes for their take on the trail shoe, especially since their founders are big trail runners.
First the good - For those of us that strike on the forefoot you have decent padding as well as a little bit of the "action/reaction" spring in your step you expect from Newton. The effect is definitely less then you would get running on the road but is still present. The grip was also pretty good. There was a little slipping on the bed of dry leaves and pine needles but not any more then I have had with other shoes. Although I would say that Newton does not provide as strong a grip as other trail shoes it does well enough for 90% of the terrains you might encounter during an Ultramarathon.
Items that disappointed - The most noticeable problem I had with these shoes was the slipping of my heel. My Newton road shoes do an amazing job at cupping my heel and forming around my foot. I bought the trail shoe in the exact same size and my heel definitely did not feel secure. Although I did not develop any blisters over 15 miles I am a little concerned for my 50 miler coming up. The second item that was disappointing was the area under my shoe laces never felt comfortable. I always felt something digging into the top of my foot no matter how loose I tied the laces. I am also afraid the ride might be a little high as I rolled my ankle more than usual.
That is all for now. I will be training much more on these leading up to my race and will provide a more detailed review soon.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Ouch, my back!
Hello all. Again life is conspiring against me. I went to go help my brother lay some new hardwood floors and here is what happened:
So my brother has a baby on the way. Before the baby gets here he is trying to get the house ready which involved, new sub-floor, new hardwood floors, tearing down walls, new drywall, and laying out a new kitchen.
If you notice the floor we are sanding down in the first pic you can see the old paint on it. The floor John is installing is actually the stadium basketball floor from (Clemson) I believe. When they pulled it out of the old Stadium John was able to get access to it. Definitely makes for an interesting story for the house and they are really nice hardwoods.
Although I tried to use good form while working, I woke up with horrible back spasms hence the second picture. So instead of knocking out the 20 mile runs I was looking to get in leading up to my March 5th race I am at home popping muscle relaxants and snacking on more food than I should be. Oh well, I guess with endurance sports it's all about dealing with adversity anyways! I hope everyone has a good weekend.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Bad Blogger
I know I haven't posted in several days but things have been a little crazy around here. I plan on shooting some video on the trail I am using for my 50 miler training. Hopefully I will have that up soon. My ultramarathon coming up March 5th is turning into a rather difficult training challenge. Life seems to be getting in the way just as I am supposed to be building up those miles. I remember at about mile 45 of my last 50 miler I started having a hard time even walking and I was really looking to avoid that this time!
This should be an interesting season opener. I am looking forward to getting out there whether my fitness is up to par or not. I love ultramarathons because you can run at whatever pace you are feeling that day and there is little pressure to "compete". The environments are very relaxed and everyone is incredibly supportive. In addition, as a wilderness loving adventurous introvert, the event is kind of like a little getaway for me.
I do apologize for the lack of posts. I will try to get you guys that video as well as my initial impressions on the Newton trail running shoes soon. Have great day everyone!
This should be an interesting season opener. I am looking forward to getting out there whether my fitness is up to par or not. I love ultramarathons because you can run at whatever pace you are feeling that day and there is little pressure to "compete". The environments are very relaxed and everyone is incredibly supportive. In addition, as a wilderness loving adventurous introvert, the event is kind of like a little getaway for me.
I do apologize for the lack of posts. I will try to get you guys that video as well as my initial impressions on the Newton trail running shoes soon. Have great day everyone!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
New Shoes!
The first stop on my race calendar this year is the 50 mile GUTS Reactor Run. In anticipation of this event and several other Ultra's I will be running this year I bought a new pair of trail running shoes.
These are the Newton Terra Momentus. I started "drinking the Newton kool-aid" at the start of 2010 and have really fallen in love with the shoes. They work very well with the way I run and I seem to be running faster and injury free. I'm not sure that I can credit the shoes with this but if it's not broke don't fix it! The Reactor Run in March 5th so I will have about 1 month to train in the new shoes. I will be sure to report back and tell you my experience with them. If any of you have run in them before I would love to hear your experience.
Now if I could just lose that "holiday" weight before the race I'll be all set. ;)
These are the Newton Terra Momentus. I started "drinking the Newton kool-aid" at the start of 2010 and have really fallen in love with the shoes. They work very well with the way I run and I seem to be running faster and injury free. I'm not sure that I can credit the shoes with this but if it's not broke don't fix it! The Reactor Run in March 5th so I will have about 1 month to train in the new shoes. I will be sure to report back and tell you my experience with them. If any of you have run in them before I would love to hear your experience.
Now if I could just lose that "holiday" weight before the race I'll be all set. ;)
Welcome to the Blog
Good morning Endurance Crew. It appears that some of you are finding your way to the new blog today. This blog will be a collection of my training & racing, Everyday Endurance news, as well as profiles and updates from other staff and followers. I will try to provide photos, videos, and anything I can do to keep things interesting. I will also review “non-Everyday Endurance” gear that I come across. Please excuse the construction as I try to figure out how to do this whole blogging thing 
My background – Although I have always loved the outdoors I am someone who has struggled with their weight for a long time. A few years ago after hitting a high of 250 pounds I watched my brother complete Ironman New Zealand. This led to a radical change in my life. What started as a quest to lose weight turned into a quest to finish a marathon, an Ironman, an Ultra-marathon, and now has become a passion and lifestyle. It’s this passion for the lifestyle that led me to start www.everydayendurance.com
I love to compete in all endurance and outdoor adventure sports and activities. I do still struggle with keeping the weight off as evidenced by the 25 pound weight gain I had in the 2 months following Ironman Wisconsin 2010. This year I will be participating in multiple marathons and ultra marathons with some half Ironman’s thrown in there. First up in a new 50 mile ultramarathon Guts Reactor Run I suppose that’s all for now. I hope you will follow along and if you ever have questions about me or about Everyday Endurance please let me know.
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