Winning

 

Happy Thanksgiving weekend! On Thanksgiving day we got up and headed all of ten minutes to the start of the Encinitas Turkey Trot. It is an annual tradition no matter where we are to find a turkey trot. I did a solid warm up. The start is narrow so it make sure you don’t get trampled it is best to line up early at the front. I was probably too cautious on that front and ended up standing in place for almost 10 minutes. I was in mid conversation with a guy I met at the starting line when the gun went off. I started off right on the heels of the guy. He had run the Berlin Marathon and then done the 70.3 World Championships in St George. The pace was too hot for my fitness and I had to let him go. About a mile in I heard someone on the side of the road scream go Hillary! I kind of knew instantly that I had a multiple Ironman winner and Ultraman World Champion on my heels. In my head I said no chance, she is not passing me. The 5K race is an out and back. At the turn around, she did pass me. That lasted 5 seconds before I put in a surge. For the next 1.5 miles I could hear her behind me. The gap was opening but not enough for my comfort. I chose places along the course to dig deeper. The screams for Hillary were still there (she is kind of popular). As soon as the finish line came in view I pushed. I finished a few seconds in front of Hillary but when I looked at the time I was disappointed. I was racing to finish 1 minute slower than last year. I knew I wasn’t in shape to run fast but I am hoping it is just a fitness issue and not an aging issue. After the race I ran back out on the course to run the last 1/5 mile with my wife. When we got home my ultra competitive wife checked her results then she checked mine. I won my age group. 

Shoe of the Week

Saucony sends me lots of shoes. They sent the Endorphin Pro 3 to me just prior to the launch in the late summer of this year. When I was in Berlin earlier this year I woke up one morning to rain and cool temperatures. It was my last day in the city and I had not seen much of what I love about it. I put on the Endorphin Pro 3 and went running/sight seeing. I did this big loop of 10 miles simply following the key sights. The 10 miles was effortless and beautiful. My hands were frozen but my feet were feeling great. 

Here is my review of the shoe: 

Walk a Mile

 

It has been a busy 4 months. Four marathon majors and two half marathons between September 4 and now. The last event was the NYC Marathon. It was a great weekend full of running energy. I met Ken Rideout. Search his name and you will find a guy who runs really fast for his age of over 50. In fact he is the fastest right now. I ran with the Believe in the Run crew and about 300 others for a shake out run. Finally I did my work for 7 hours in The Bronx. In 1998 the first Rock n Roll Marathon was held in San Diego. The selling point was a rock band ever mile. It was a great idea and great selling point. That said there is nothing like the party atmosphere at the NYC Marathon. The city fully embraces the event and instead of tolerating it, the city joins in the celebration. If you want a different NYC experience be there on the first Sunday in November. 

On Tuesday Mary and I went to watch a ceremony with a former student of hers. Juan was brought to this country by his parents. Four years after arriving he walked into Mary’s classroom. She saw something in this kid. Although the chips were against him she invested her time in him. He blossomed and became a leader in her classroom. Long story shortened for this, Juan is a member of our family. Not officially of course but he refers to Mary as his White Mom. The ceremony was held on the campus of San Diego State University where Juan attended and graduated with honors. The school opened a resource center for kids like Juan who are part of the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program. DACA kids can go to college here in the US but their immigration status is always up to politics. The resources available to them to navigate college life are limited. There were none when Juan went to school so instead of complaining he got to work and organized a support group. That support group turned into this officially recognized resource center. Juan spoke about his dream for the students in attendance. He talked about his success but admitted it was not easy and that he could not have accomplished it without the help of people like Mary. Juan is married, owns a home and became a US citizen earlier this year. Just walk a mile on Juan`s shoes. It is a story of persistence, love and grace. 

Shoe of the Week 

I am behind in my shoe updates. In May of this year Saucony sent me the Ride 15. I had scene a couple pairs in the Boston Marathon and was impressed with the visual update. The shoe feels better than it looks. I put a great deal of running in this shoe in May and June then I set it aside for other shoes. When I nearly broke my ankle in July I knew it would take a special shoe to allow me to run. When the swelling went down and I could run again I reached for this reliable trainer. It did not fail me. My foot and ankle felt great running in this shoe. 

Why? It a dynamically designed one piece midsole. It delivers mild support and a great deal of soft feel under foot. There are shoes you where because they make you feel fast or they over protect you from the road. Then there are shoes that feel like home. The Ride 15 is just one of those shoes that feels like home. I felt so good about the shoe I bought a pair for our son. He half joked that I sent him a Saucony Ride. Then he started running in it and felt what I felt. He is 30lbs of chiseled steel heavier than I am and is hard on his running shoes. The shoe stood up to his sub 6 minute/mile pace mile after mile after mile. 

Returning From Running Injury

 The ankle mishap put a huge dent into my fitness. In fact it set me back to the start. In the first 3 weeks I could do no running and limited cycling and swimming. Nothing that maintained or improved my fitness. I use Training Peaks which I highly suggest to anyone and everyone who runs, rides or does multi sport. 

As of last Sunday my 42 day average stress score (a formula Training Peaks uses to measure the stress of the training taking into account the duration and the intensity) sat at 50. My 7 day average was 51. That simply means that I was fit for a normal human but not really fit to my standards and the 7 day average said I wasn`t doing anything to become more fit. 

The age old question is how to do you increase your fitness after injury to ensure you won`t set yourself back. 

This past week I did it this way: 

1. Recovery days were below the average or in this case below 50. 

2. General days were kept at the average. 

4. Improvement days were allowed to be free of constraint. 

The week looked like this. Total Stress 487

Monday: 31

Tuesday: 102

Wednesday: 52

Thursday: 66

Friday: 37

Saturday: 77

Sunday: 122 

My 7 day average is 56

My 42 day average is 51

To give some perspective, in December, January and part of February while gearing up for Ironman 70.3 Oman my weekly TSS was above 800. If I tried to execute an 800 Stress Score this week I would probably put to much strain on my ankle and quite possibly develop strain somewhere else. It is really boring to be this cautious and this specific but it will make sure I come out of this ankle thing stronger. 

Shoe of the Week 

New Balance Super Comp Trainer

My thinking for my ankle was that I needed stiffness and maximum cushioning in my running shoe. I bought this shoe for that reason. 

Highlights

1. 47MM in the heel and 39 MM in the forefoot. That will make you taller. 

2. Carbon Fiber propulsion plate that is specific to the stack height of this shoe. 

3. Fuel Cell foam which is resilient and alive on feel. 

The first 2-3 runs I was deciding whether I made the right choice. The shoe felt stiff and a bit firm for my ankle. Then all of the sudden it began to feel like butter. The midsole softened up and came alive. Running in it felt smooth and with that stack height and those other features there was no stress on my feet or ankles. 

If you are looking for a shoe to completely take the road out of the equation (don`t want to feel the road) this is a great option. 

Double the Trouble - Double the Fun

One week ago today we arrived home. Cooper {black lab} and I had spent 4 days getting to know each other driving from North Carolina home to California. In June of this year Cooper was picked up by animal control on the streets of Clarksville TN. After spending just 4 days with him Iˇve determined that before being picked up Cooper was a survivor. He survived living on a farm, in the back country or on the streets of Clarksville. He can dumpster dive like no dog I have seen, is quick to peel gum of the street and has a nose for anything edible. He also has a rather vicious protection mechanism that I found just after meeting him. 

None of that dissuaded me from brining him home. He is not 100% Lab but his general disposition is 100% Lab. He is sweet to the core and aims to please. 

The guy who picked chose Cooper from the shelter did a great job taking care of him. That includes training him. Less than two months after he had brought Cooper home he moved to Fayetteville, NC and had to enter the Army school of his dreams. He had to give Cooper up. Our son who grew up with Labs quickly decided to adopt him. The only problem is his young wife could not handle the pressure. Young Labs can be a handful and young nervous labs just overwhelming. He bonded immediately with our son but his wife told him she could not. Mary (my wife) was on the way to visit after a long stint abroad. When she arrived she fell in love with Cooper. Two days after she got home I was on a plane to pick him up. 

This week we have focused on the things he knows. Sitting, staying, heeling and come when called. We have also been training him on rules of the house. Because he aims to please he picks up on everything after once or twice. 

For me personally it has been a grind. Berlin and I were on easy street. Morning walk with friends and an afternoon session where she could run and play with friends until she dropped. Today the morning walk with both dogs is a half hour earlier. We are trying to avoid other dogs and people. It has been working fine but it is a half hour earlier. Then in the afternoon, Berlin and I do our normal afternoon play session. After I get Berlin home I turnaround and take Cooper out for an extended leash walk. 

Three walks a day plus my running or riding is really taking a toll. By the time I actually get to dinner I am fairly exhausted. I know this is temporary. We are working on giving Cooper a life he deserves. One where he doe not need to fight for his meal or fight to defend himself. Essentially give him the life Berlin has. There is a slight rush to all of this since I am leaving for Europe on September 1st for a week and then again at the end of September for 3 weeks. 

He is a special dog and I can`t wait for the day Berlin can share him with all of her friends. Double the trouble but also double the fun. 

Injury Recovery

 It took 3 weeks to recover from the heavy ankle sprain. It is the longest in recent memory I have had to hold off running. I started back 3 weeks to the day after the injury. I found that more flexibility in the shoe felt better than less. I managed 17 miles total for the week. My account of how I did it is below. 

Patience 

There is no other world that comes to mind. As a younger man that word did not exist. I am not sure you can have patience in all things when you are younger. Since my plan is to be running for years and years to come I know time off would not hurt me. Be patient. 

Don`t Rush 

Early on in the three I rushed to therapy. It only made the swelling and pain worse. So this is what I did. 

1. Started swimming right away. It was hard to swim with a stiff injured foot but it was not painful. 

2. As soon as I could put my foot into a bike shoe I got on the bike trainer and pedaled for 45 minutes every other day. I was not building or maintains fitness just moving the legs. 

3. One morning I woke up and my first step out of bed was not searing pain running up my leg. I gave it two more mornings to make sure it was real. Both of those days I stepped on the floor pain free. 

4. From there I started riding out doors. 

Swelling and Pain 

The swelling and movement pain continued. I would wake up in the morning with limited swelling and pain. Then both would grow through the day. That is when I started the actual work. 8 days out from my first run I started taking Aleeve. I kept it in my system 24 hours a day. In the evening I would soak my foot and ankle in an epsom salt bath. 6 days after that process the swelling was gone. Most importantly it would not come back during the day. I stuck with the protocol until that first run. 

Not 100% 

4 weeks into this the foot is still there. It doesn`t hurt much but I can always feel it. Never in my wildest dreams did I know how uneven our world is. Running down the road is treacherous. My left foot and ankle feel every divot and crack in the road. Stepping of or back on a curb requires thought. I must remain patient with my running for now. Never pushing the pace or the distance. 5 miles was my longest run last week, maybe it will be 6 this week. 

The morale of this story: 

Always wear a light when it is dark. 

Two Parents one Child and Far Reaching Lives

 

My wife and I decided to wait 5 years after we got married to have children. In both of our cases our parents rushed to children. In both cases the marriages didn`t last and it was the kids that felt it the most. 

Our son turned 24 this week. 

On Father’s  day he sent me two messages :

• Thanks for the genetics
• Thanks for guiding me to athletics

I am not sure what he sent his mother on Mother’s Day. I was in Prague that day doing my work. They are the best of friends. They talk virtually every day. If I were to guess what he said or what he will say one day. 

• Thanks for the World View you gave me. 
• Thanks for the daily education on things that matter. 

Before his 5th Birthday

• A trip to Texas
• 2nd Birthday in Mexico
• 3rd Birthday in Spain
• 4th Birthday in Puerto Rico

After his 4th birthday I gave up long distance triathlon racing. I had a couple of goals and completed them. I wanted to go under 10 hours and I wanted to qualify for Kona. I qualified twice and on both occasions let it roll. I had already done Kona twice before he was born. There was more to it than that…

I stopped long distance triathlon racing so my wife could begin her doctoral work. She did not stop teaching she simply piled her doctoral work on top. I agreed to take up the slack with our son. This is where he and I developed the very tight bond we still have today. 

Ankle Update

The searing morning pain is gone and has been gone since last Sunday. The swelling at my ankle and the lateral moment pain is still there. I tried running on Tuesday. The run felt good and there was no pain. After the run though the throbbing was debilitating. I will not do that again. Since then I have been soaking my lower leg in Epsom Salts. Each day the foot is improving and the swelling is receding. I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. 

Disciplined

 I love to strike up conversations with US Veterans. I share a kinship with them not because I am one but because our son is making a career out of the military. On Sunday there was a guy standing in line in front of me and he had a hat on that said 101st Airborne. That is the group our son is attached to right now. It was an easy conversation to strike up. He did two tours to Vietnam. His first was in 1968 at the start of the Tet offensive. He said on that first tour he was surrounded by men who had dropped in on Normandy. The 101st made a name for themselves on D-Day and long after. 

I did some quick math to determine this guy who was standing in line to enter the competition pool was 76-78 years old, happy and fit.

 The picture of the puppy above takes me back to a discussion I had with my step mother. She is a wonderful woman and I would not be who I am without her in my life. The puppy is replacing Buster the dog she and my father got just before his passing. My visit to meet the dog was also a couple days past my fathers birthday. My step mother brought something up that was totally out of the blue and also disturbing in a way. She said “your father was such a disciplined man, he always wished you kids would have more discipline”. 

My Dad spent 2 years in ROTC and then 2 years in the US Army. He was an officer and he learned discipline there I guess. I didn`t reply to my step mom but I have to say her comment has been eating at me. Talking to a 76 year old Vietnam Vet brought her comment to the surface again. My father did not see his 76th Birthday. 

Our father left our family when I was 8 years old. He and our mom sat us down and told us they were divorcing and that he was moving out. He first moved not far away then he moved with his new wife (his former secretary) to Bogota, Colombia, where I was born. There they had my little sister. My memory of my father from basically birth to 18 was one of absence. In the first 8 years he was always traveling. His stories of travel were legendary. Then of course he moved to Bogota before internet and cell phones. 

Discipline 1

One of my vivid memories of my father was drink in one hand and cigarette in the other. On nights he was home for dinner, he would always come home and pour a martini. I was young and did not pay attention but I am certain it was the first of a few. He would not give this practice up (he later switched to beer) long after his first heart attack. 

In my teenage and adult life I have not shied away from alcohol. I spent a number of nights in college stumbling my way across campus doing a face plant in my bed. I still like to tie one on from time to time with my wife or our son. But never did I come home from work and grab a beer and rarely if ever on a daily basis do I have more than a single beer or glass of wine. My discipline of wanting to start the day fresh and raring to go far outweighs any desire I have for alcohol. 

Discipline 2 

Both my mother and father smoked. I believe he introduced our mother to smoking. We sat in smoking sections on trans -continental flights, our parents threw parties at our house where everyone was smoking. My dad would smoke while playing golf. He finally quit when he married (3rd Marriage) my step mom with the puppy. I think I was 18 at the time. 

This one was easy. Not a single one of his kids or step kids smoke. We were so turned off by what it represented that none of us ever started. 

Discipline 3 

The heart attack that killed my father was massive. It was the second. Between his first and 2nd my Dad and I became the best of friends. We rarely went a day without talking. He helped us raise our son. He became the father my wife Mary never had. My step sisters and their cousins all regale what a wonderful man he was and how much of a father he was to them. 

I train my ass off, watch what I eat, get regular blood tests, take my HRV daily and wear and Oura Ring. People always ask me “what are you training for”. My answer is always “For the rest of my life” The discipline I have for this borders on obsession. I want to be that 76 year old guy standing in line waiting for the pool to open. I want to run at night with our son even it means falling on my face from time to time. I want live longer than my disciplined father who died way to early. He was 72. 

The Multi-Sport Approach. To Running

 My Foot

Last week after blowing up my ankle I did almost no work on healing. My job was to help our son and his wife move from one Army base to another. The days that should have been spent icing and recovering were busy with moving an apartment worth of stuff down a flight of stairs to the truck, driving the truck 400+ miles then moving the same apartment worth of stuff up a flight of stairs to the new home. 

I spent the first two days after my flight home working to bring the immense swelling down and working on some mobility. Each time I took the dog out for a walk the ankle would swell up again. Finally after two days of this the swelling began to stay down. 

Multi-Sport

I have a life time of multi-sport in my body. Rarely in my adult life have I gone long periods of time without running, biking, swimming and strength training on a weekly basis. I am so consistent with it that if I choose to do a triathlon (any distance) or an ultra running event I can train specifically for 6-8 weeks and be competitive. 

Swimming

Right now with my foot in disarray the only things I can do are swimming and strength training. I swam for the first time on Wednesday. In general I can swim a regular workout. One of the things I aways do in swimming is band my feet together when I put a pull buoy between my legs. That cuts the circulation off my swollen ankle so I won`t be banding. Also I am only pushing off the wall on flip turns with my right leg. I think in the end this will add more range of motion into the foot and it will generate blood flow that the foot needs to heal. 

Biking

As soon as the swelling is gone I should be able to put a cycling shoe on. Once I can do that I will start by riding indoors. There are too many times where my ankle will need to be used when riding outdoors. I can`t see that being very safe at this time. Indoors there is no balance needed, just sit on the bike and pedal. That I know I can do without pain. 

Running

It`s what I love. I have always been on in a triathlon that can`t wait to get to the run. Right now I simply can`t run. I do not know when that will be possible. What I do know is with some swimming and cycling my running is not that far away. When the time comes I will be able to ramp up my running to my standards 30-40 miles without much of a problem. 

That, is the multi-sport approach to running at its best. 

Injured Runner

 

There are two types of running injuries. 

• Stress Injuries - These are the most common. There are people just predisposed to running injuries and those who get their trading balance wrong by running too much at tempo or faster and not enough slow and easy. I personally can count on one hand the number of stress related injuries in my years of running. 
• Impact Injuries - these are less common. Trail runners get them often when they hit a rock, root or anything else at an odd angle and hit the dirt. For me it takes two hands and maybe more to count the number times I have been injured this way. 

The picture shows my latest one. I was in Tennessee helping our son and his wife move to North Carolina. We had eaten dinner and watched a movie when my son said “Dad, do you want to go for a run?” By the time we got to the parking lot where we would run it was almost 9:30 pm. We headed out down a a bike path without lights (Next time I will choose to wear a light). The trail lead into the dense forest where it was just the two of us and the bugs that frequent the dark. We were having a glorious run, just chatting about life. We hit the turn around at close to 3 miles and headed back. There were two obstacles on the path. There was a bridge and at each end there was a poll in the middle ensuring nobody would drive a car on the bridge. That was it, stay in the middle of the path and all would be good until the polls. Early after the turn around I some how ended up on the left edge of the path. Without warning, my left foot hit the edge of the path which was raised 3-5 inches off the ground. My ankle gave way and like a rag doll I went down. 

I twist my ankle often enough to know I bend but rarely enough to hobble me. I got right up and started walking. My son told me not to rush it. I walked a bit and although I knew it wasn’t minor I started running. It felt ok over the final 2.8 miles but by the end of was throbbing really good. Aside from that I was bleeding down my right leg and left hand. Later I would find road rash on the front of my right hip. 

I was partially right on this one. I did bend and for sure did not break any thing and also did not snap any tendons or ligaments. What I did do was heavily strain the lateral side from my foot to just above the ankle bone. 

By Wednesday morning as I helped load the U Hall (that I drove to NC) my foot ankle and calf swelled to almost tripped their normal size. Over the next 4 days and we work driving and finally unloading the truck all I could do was manage the amount of swelling. 

Home now I can feel the healing process at work. In general I heal fast. Only time will tell how fast from this one. 

It was a dumb mistake on my part. That said I would not change a thing about it. The opportunity to run with my son far outweighs the pain in my ankle. If he asked me to run today with my ankle the way it is I would go. I am grateful every chance I have to run with him. 

Are You Running Too Hard?

 

I was listening the the Rich Roll Podcast with Camille Herron one of the greatest ultra runners we have ever seen. During the podcast Rich asks the ball of energy Camille about her training knowing that she was a bit of a stat freak. She said based on Strava, 86% of all of her running is easy. When Rich asked what her easy pace was she said “somewhere between 8 and 9 minutes per mile”. Later in the show they were talking about her coaching service and Rich asked her “What is the #1 problem when you meet a new runner” Her answer is the same answer from virtually any running or triathlon coach out there and it is not new. She said “most run there easy days way to hard”. 

Also this week I read the new book from Steve Magness, Do Hard Things. The one thing I got from the book fits right into what Camille was saying. I will paraphrase: People are constantly looking at the pace or race time they want to run. What they should do instead is bring the floor up to meet them. In other words, you have to understand where you are right now before you can set a time or pace you want to run. 

On the Track

I do my track sessions on Wednesday. I go to the local middle school which has a dirt track. We have access to mondo tracks but for some reason I prefer the solitude of the dirt track. On my plan was 12 x 400 with a 200 float rest. There are two keys to this workout. 12 hard 400s and the float. I know if I run too hard I won`t be floating by the end and will probably stop floating around rep 6. So I set out on the first 400 at a comfortably hard effort. On my third of fourth effort the best runner in the county and maybe in the state in my age group starts a workout. I stuck in my head, do your own workout. We exchanged a few words then continued our workouts. I was doing great. I was running about 6 seconds slower then the last time I ran this workout but I was was also executing the 200 float. On the two times he and I were on the same straight I noticed something. We were running the exact same pace. I was energized by that. Not because I think I am that good but because I was actually executing a workout as planned and still running reasonably well. I had not reached for a time I had brought the floor up to meet my feet. 

Shoe of the Week 

Saucony Endorphin Pro 3 

In my regular work I track all shoes but since last year I have tracking super shoes. Over the last year that has been one dominant shoe, the Nike Vapor Fly Next %. That is no secret. The #2 shoe is always the Alpha Fly Next % also from Nike. Number 3 is the Endorphin Pro from Saucony. With the Endorphin Pro 3 I think Saucony did everything right and it could lead them to jump of the Alpha Fly Next % to the #2 spot in the rankings. What did they do?

1. They increased the amount of foam under your foot. Their Power Run PB foam is a Pebax based foam just like the foam Nike uses in Zoom X. The increased the stack height to the absolute maximum allows by World Track and Field. 
2. They stripped the upper down to the bare minimum. When you put your foot in the shoe you can instantly feel the speed. 
3. They continue with why I think they are so high on the charts. I think with every other super shoe on the market there is an obstacle you mush get over. With the Alpha Fly Next % it is the super high arch support. With the adios Pro from adidas it is the unstable feel a slower speeds. With the New Balance Fuel Cell RC it is the rather strange lacing system. With the Saucony from the start, you put them on and run. There is nothing you need to get used to. 

Race Predictions

 

The other day I was texting back and forth with a friend of mine. He had just run a 10K race and won his age group. He made the standard comment “I started out way to fast” which I will cover later but one comment really struck me. He said “when I heard the split at 5K of 19:20 ish I thought I was running slow. The race predictor on my watch says I should be able to run 6:04 pace and I ran 6:19 pace” 

The above picture is from my Stryd foot pod. These race calculations are based on all of my recent training. To my knowledge it is basing these numbers off my critical power of 264 watts or 3.99 watts per KG. My 1 mile run would have to be run above that number to hit the time listed. My 5K would have to be run at that power for the entire 5K and so on down the road. 

Notes about Me

1. The 3.99 watts per KG is kind of high. It is based on me being at race weight of 146. I am not there right now. The question would be should I go down the slippery slope of trying to get to race weight?
2. Every predicted time on that list would be a new PR. I am fairly confident I could train specifically for one of those races (I have never trained specifically for any one of those events) and maybe I can set a new PR but those times I am not sure. 
3. I don`t ever pay attention to these numbers. In fact I didn`t even know they were there until my buddy talked about his GPS Watch. 

My reply back to him was in three parts. 

1. There is no way you could accurately track your mile splits on that course using GPS, you would have to use a Footpod to get more accuracy. The course he ran is on a bike path around a lake. The path follows the contours of the lake which almost looks like a leaf off an oak tree. Many virtual u turns and lots of short ups and downs. GPS would struggle to keep up. 
2. Everything would have to be perfect on the day for you to hit that pace. You probably played Pickle Ball last night and there is a couple seconds per mile right there. I am not suggesting you don`t play pickle ball. 
3. Starting too fast is a chronic problem of yours. You need to train that into yourself. Years ago I coached a friend to a PR in the marathon and a Boston BQ. She told me about her tendency to start fast. Once a week I had her do a medium length run 7 - 10 miles on an out and back trail. I have her a split at the turnaround and then a split for the finish. As we got closer to the event the run got a bit longer and the differential got a bit larger. So say we stated with 30 minutes out and 28 minutes back. Maybe we ended with 45 minutes out and 40 minutes back. The goal was to go out easy enough to be able to run back comfortably faster. She negative split her marathon and had a great race. 

Morning Routines

 

In general I have the same routine year round. It is possible I have talked about a morning routine here before but as always I try to improve it over time. The two variables that have an effect on my routine are my travel and my wife. During the summer neither has an impact. My work travel starts in February ends in June and then resumes in September to the beginning of December. My wife is on her normal summer trip. This year she is gone for a month in Egypt working on her Arabic while teaching English to Sudanese refugees. During the school year her alarm goes off at 5am. 

The Routine

Wake Up - I don`t use an alarm. I wake up when I wake up. During the summer I am usually up around 5:30am. That is when the first light of the day creeps into the room. 

Measure HRV - I grab my Polar HR Strap (the best in the market) lay down on the floor downstairs and take a measurement. It takes roughly 5 minutes. 

Make Coffee - I get the coffee brewing. 

Cold Shower - I sleep hot. During the summer it is hot. The only cooling we get is the regular cooling outside and a ceiling fan. Even in the winter I still sleep hot. So the Cold shower is what I have found to wake me up. It is a miserable feeling jumping into a cold shower but I always feel revived when I get out. 

Coffee - Once out of the shower and dried off I have my coffee. I mix in one scoop of Bullet Proof Collagen Powder and a half a teaspoon of Lion`s Mane. The Bullet Proof is protein that my body needs and the Lion`s Mane is to get my brain functioning. 

Snack - If I am doing a standard run or a swim I skip the snack. If I am doing a hard/long run or intervals on the bike I have a snack of GF toast with peanut butter and honey. 

Write in my Journal 

Dog - By 6:15 we are out the door on a walk. We have a small canyon in our neighborhood where she can run free. I do some hip mobility and stretching as I walk along. The walk is usually 20 minutes but can stretch to 40 if one her friends is also in the park. 

Usually around 7 I head out the door to work out. Nothing is exact in the process. Today for instance I think I left the house to run my normal 10 on Sunday at 7:40. 

Shoe of the Week - Saucony Endorphin Speed 3

Available in August

$160

The Endorphin Speed is the best shoe to come out of the Super Shoe craze. The Power Run PB foam is just plain fun under your foot. The Speed Roll  in the forefoot just ensures your roll off the toe is smooth and the TPU plate offers some resilience. It is not nearly as stiff as the carbon plates in all the super shoes. Put all of this together and this shoe just feels outstanding. The Endorphin Speed and the Endorphin Speed 2 had the same midsole with some upper modifications. The Endorphin Speed 3 has a new midsole and a new upper. 

Honestly I don`t think anyone will notice the change in midsole. It is visually different but functionally the exact same. That is a good thing. 

The upper is a very good update. If I had any complaints on the first two versions it was that the uppers stretched too much. Both the original and 2nd version got a bit sloppy at the end. The upper on the Speed 3 won`t do that. It will hold up and probably won`t stretch too much. 

Every day I run around the world in places where there are runners I see someone in the Endorphin Speed. On Thursday on a one hour run at mid morning I saw two runners. One was in the Endorphin Speed 2. Today while running down the coast for the start of my 10 miles I saw at least 2 people running in it. There is no doubt in my mind this is the hottest shoe to come out over the last 3 years that is not a super racing shoe. Go to any running store near you and try it on. I bet you go home with it. 

Saucony Tempus

 

A few months ago in one of my reports I told Asics the Kayano needed to be reimagined. I had spent a long while listening to runners as they described their experience in the latest version. At the same time I listened to sales people talking through the latest version. I then asked them if the shoe was easy to sell or hard to sell. To a person they said it was getting harder to sell. The Kayano was butter. For more than 2 decades it was one of the easiest shoes to sell. Find the runner who needs that kind of support, put the shoe on their feet and more than likely they would never take it off. If the shoe was getting hard to sell I thought it needed to be reimagined. 

The Tempus

About 4 weeks ago I received an email from my Saucony contact. She said “I am sending you two shoes to test.” The first was the Saucony Ride which I talked about last week. The second was a totally new shoe called the Tempus. 

I like discovery so I didn`t read the description. I simply pulled it out of the box when it arrived and did my normal 10 miles in it. Instantly I knew it was a supportive trainer. After only a mile the though bubbled to the surface “This is the reimagined Kayano”. 

Foam and Structure

The main midsole you are running on is Power Run PB. Until this shoe this foam has shown up only on the go fast shoes of Endorphin Pro, Endorphin Speed and Freedom. It is ultra light, ultra resilient and just plain bouncy. It just feels fast. 

To support your foot there is a Power Run (EVA) super frame. It is the best way I can describe it. This foam provided the guidance your foot needs. As your weak foot and then ankle come in contact with the running surface the frame guides your foot to that super bouncy foam under the ball of your foot. This fame is not the selling feature. You need this frame. 

What you have always wanted is a lighter shoe that feels bouncy. The Power Run BB Foam gives you both. 

Upper/Fit

The upper is a premium mesh with support built into it. The heel fit is outstanding. The under foot just feels supportive. 

Price: $160

Available at www.Saucony.com or at your local running store. 

If you need a supportive shoe, you owe it to yourself to search this shoe out. You will understand what lightweight and fast feels like. 

Track and Field plus Saucony Ride 15

 

Philadelphia is a nice place to run. The picture above is in the first mile of my run and the run got better from there. I was in Philadelphia for the New Balance Outdoor Nationals track meet. It was my first time in the city and of course my first time at the famed Franklin Field where the Pen Relays are held each year. 

The Track Meet

• Every time I am around high performance track athletes I am humbled. Their dedication and determination to the craft is outstanding. 
• If you ever get the chance to go to a track meet spend some time watching the field events. My favorites are the Pole Vault and High Jump. The kids become friends by the end. You drop out of the competition when you fail on 3 attempts at a height. I watched the boys pole vault. The boy who won passed on a height. The 4 boys left after 3 attempts all failed at that height. The boy had to go to the next height and get over it or the championship would go back to the previous cleared height. He would finish 4th because the other boys had cleared that height in less attempts. The boy under much pressure calmly ran up to the pit, planted his pole and cleared the new height. He was crowned champion. But because he hadn`t failed out it is customary to keep jumping until you do fail. That is why everyone becomes friends. In the end, everyone fails. 
• Every time I go to one of these meets I compare the runners and their times to the times our son ran at that age. He would have been competitive in both the mile and 2 mile for 4 years. His team when he was a sophomore would have placed high in the 4 X 1 mile relay and DMR. 

The Saucony Ride 15

On my trip I took two pairs of running shoes. The New Balance 1080 which I love and put 500 or more miles in. I use it for my work at the meet and with all the walking I do to get to the meet it was a comfort. I took the Saucony Ride 15 to run in. Saucony has sent me so many shoes it’s crazy. I saw the Ride 15 at the Boston Marathon on a runner. I sent my buddy at Saucony a note on how dynamic it looks coming down the road. He sent me this pair. It feels better than it looks and like I said it looks quite dynamic. 

• The base of the Ride 15 is wider. I am not sure how much wider but I would guess between 5 and 10mm. That simply gives you inherent support. 
• They did something to the Power Run foam that makes it feel bouncier. 
• They added an upgraded sock liner which feels really good when you step in. 
• The upper is simple and effective. It has plenty of room in the forefoot for most feet and it comes in widths for everyone. 
• At $140 it has some competition. The Brooks Ghost is the #1 shoe at this price and the Nike Pegasus at $10 cheaper is the most dominant shoe in all of running. The Ride 15 for the first time ever stacks up against both of these shoes. Will it outsell them, probably not but for sure it will take sales away from both of them and from others trying to win feet at $140. 

My best judge of a shoe is that I never notice it. On brutally hard surfaces in Philly on tired legs I never once thought about my feet in 16 miles of running on the weekend. 

It`s a good life…….

The Swedish Way

 

Earlier this year I put myself into the best shape in a couple years. My main purpose was to race the 70.3 Oman. There I did not have the fastest time but given the long travel 3 days prior and the 12 hour time difference I was very happy. Most importantly I was energized after the race and no drained at all. Clearly I had done something right. I noticed through all of my work travel this year that the fitness carried as well. No, I was not and that supreme fitness but I was good. 

There was something missing though. Maybe it was all the travel or maybe it is my age, I could not recover like I used to. My sleep score on my Oura Ring said I was simply worn out. My resting HR rate would be higher than normal or my sleep would be restless. My body temperature would be high or my HRV would be low. 

My former coach Gordo Byrn said he was going to work on getting extremely race fit again. He was going to use the Swedish protocol of 5 days on and 2 days off. The more a read up on the benefits of doing this the more it made sense to me at my age. I have been on it now for two weeks. 

I will update more as I get into summer. Realistically I am training for life and the extremely busy back half of the year. 2 - 3 trips to Europe with one keeping me from home for slightly more than 3 weeks then a quick turn around to NYC. 

So, You Want to Hike/Run Rim to Rim in the Grand Canyon

 

Before I get to my thoughts I will start with a car rental story. 

We rent cars because we have an electric BMW that is really great for where we live but not great for long distances. For our trip to the Grand Canyon we rented a small SUV to transport our dog with us. At the rental counter the happy guy said “just the basic coverage today?”. Before my wife could question it I said, Yes. As we were driving away in the suv my wife had buyer’s remorse. I simply said, we took the coverage for peace of mind. Anything happens to this car, we walk away. 

The Grand Canyon is dark when it is dark. There are no street lights and the roads are mountain roads. We were driving out of the park in the dark. Within 10 minutes or so we came upon some deer. I slowed and hoped they would run off. They did. I thought to myself “good thing they ran away from the car and not towards it or across the lane” Not 10 minutes later I was coming around a blind curve in the road. I was going the posted speed limit of 45. Deer. I swerved left towards the center of the road and slammed on the breaks. This time the deer ran towards us. Thwack I hit one of them or maybe two of them. I instantly felt sick to my stomach. I stopped in the middle of the road, put on the flashers and got out. While my brother in law surveyed the damage to the car I searched for a deer lying on the road. I found no trace of deer. They were all gone. Back to the car and in the dark I could see the damage. Broken headlight cover, compressed front quarter panel and a large dent in the rear passenger door. 

We turned the car in on Monday and other than an incident report the rental company let us walk away. Sure, your insurance may cover it but at what hassle? For 160 bucks we walked away from some real costly damage. 

The Canyon

I have attempted to run Rim to Rim to Rim and this past weekend my wife and her brother hiked from the South Rim to the North Rim. Below are my thoughts. 

- Prepare, my brother in law did not do much in the way of training for the hike. Meanwhile my wife did what she could during the week and on the weekend for 6 weekends put on her pack, carried more water than needed and walked the hilliest routes around for up to 4 hours. She made the hike in great shape, he did not. 

-Start hydration early. Your are going to start early in the day when it is cool in the canyon. You also start downhill which is deceiving. Start drinking early and stay on a strict drinking schedule. If you are feeling it at Phantom Ranch which is 3 hours in you are too late. 

-Separate Hydration from Fuel - Hydration is the most important aspect of the hike. The dry air, wind and oppressive sun/heat demand it. Mixing fuel and hydration is a mistake. I use LMNT for hydration and it is what my wife used. She then had real food to eat. 

-Load Hydration and Food - When executing an Ironman it is good practice to front load on the bike. This prepares you for the demands of the run. If you wait to try to hydrate and fuel during the run you are asking too much from your body. In the canyon you have a 3-4 or more hike up from 2400 feet to over 8,000 if your finish on the North Rim. You better be loaded for that hike, it will be hard to eat and drink your way up. 

- The I must be absorbing all of the water I am drinking I have not peed yet fallacy- Hot dry air is so deceptive it is not funny. When your body sweats it drys really fast in hot dry and especially windy conditions. If you have not peed much you are not drinking enough. 

-Pace, the Canyon is really difficult to pace correctly. The start is always downhill and you are fresh. You will want to gain time early. Don`t do it. You should feel as fresh at Phantom Ranch (South to North) or Cotton Wood Campground (North to South) as you did at the start. In both cases on my run and my wife`s hike our partners pushed the downhill. In both cases the warning signs of dehydration were there in Phantom Ranch. In both cases it was too late to fix. 

Hiking or running the Grand Canyon is one of the most amazing things you can do in your lifetime. The Canyon delivers beauty, calm and serenity all day long. At the end you will know you did something special. Your body will be tired but your mind will be alive. Ensure that happens with a few small tips I have shared. If you have more to add, leave a comment so more can learn. 

Saucony Freedom 5 vs New Balance Fuel Cell Rebel V2

 

I have traveled all over the world this year and I have seen runners running in both the Saucony Freedom and New Balance Rebel in Marathons. I tip my hat to all of you who do that. Yes, the foam both of these shoes are made of is bouncy and protective but overall they are much lower to the ground than the super shoes and therefore not nearly as protective against the hard ground. 

I first bought the Fuel Cell Rebel (130 dollars) in New York City on marathon weekend. Every time I ran in the shoes I put a note on Strava that I pulled out my house slippers for a run. The upper and the midsole feel as good as your house slippers at the end of a hard day. I found these shoes to be perfect either running fast on the track or doing hill repeats or as recovery run shoes. I will be honest I did not run long in them. There simply isn’t enough shoe there for me. 

The wide platform under your foot feels good while running. The shoe is built with the minimalist in mind. 

Saucony sent me the Freedom 5. I found this shoe to be perfect for the same type of running. Running fast on the track or doing hill repeats and on recovery days. With the Freedom 4, Saucony switched the midsole to their Power Run PB a Pbax based foam. It shows that you do not need a high stack height to feel a bounce in your step. 

The upper unlike the Rebel fits like an old school racing flat. It hugs your foot tight from the heel all the way through the forefoot. There is a security about that kind of fit when you want to run fast. The Freedom retails for 150 dollars which is pricy but you will forget that price as soon as you run in the shoe. That bounce feels great. 

Bottom line you have a choice for your fast run days. While some of you are choosing to run in your super shoes on those days many more are choosing the same bouncy foam without the stack height and stiff plate. Still others are simply running their marathon in these shoes. The main difference will be the fit. Slipper like in the Fuel Cell Rebel and strapped to your foot like the Freedom 5.