Finally Have My Luna Sandals Dialed In

Almost perfect, but not quite

I think I have figured out the ideal, or nearly ideal, lacing position and pattern for my Luna Sandals, and it only took me about 530 miles to get there!

The first pair I ordered used the ATS lacing, which sounded like the best option, but I never could get them to fit perfectly. You can see them on the Luna Sandals site, as it is their default lace on all models. My left foot continually moved to the left of the shoe, with the toe lace portion moving under my big toe. That is painful after a while. I also didn't care for the underside of the buckle. It would generally either rub my foot raw or just scratch it.

Now my walking sandals

After about 250 miles of that, cut those off and replaced them with hemp laces. Those worked much better, but by now, the sandal footbeds had conformed to my feet, and my left foot was off center. I decided to get a new pair, which was a good decision. These have right at 490 miles on them now and are still in fantastic shape. I figure the footbed will last 1,500-2,000 miles. My hemp lace pair are now my casual sandals. I ordered another pair of the Luna Sandal Originals with the leather covering, and this time the 3/8" laces.

I've finally figured out the best way, for me at least, to lace them. First of all, as you can see in the top image, the toe lace comes straight up. This is close, but not perfect. I actually have it so that toe lace comes to the inside of my foot, so it is slightly tugging on my big toe. Contrast that to the hemp lace at left that is slightly tugging away from the big toe.

Shaved off the edge, making the laces
thinner and easier to tie

The other modification I made was to make the laces thinner at the top. A 3/8" strap of leather isn't easy to tie off. I went to the hardware store and picked up a few C-clamps and some thin strips of aluminum and shaved off about 1/8"-3/16" off of the last 16" of the laces. This made a world of difference in tying them off at the top. It may not look like much in the picture, but trust me, it is night and day.

I am wondering what a full set of 1/4" laces would be like though. I like the feel of the 3/8" laces on my foot. I need to order a set of trail sandals, and I may go with the 1/4" lace system.

I am still slightly tweaking as I go. Unlike shoes, sandal laces are in constant need of adjustment. You cannot just slip them on, tie them off and go. I spend about 2-3 minutes each morning I run putting them on, and may adjust slightly in longer runs, though I've run for 15 miles with no adjustments needed at all.

After having run in classic running shoes for 800 miles, Vibram Five Fingers for almost 3,500 miles and now sandals for just over 500 miles, the sandals have been the most comfortable and least annoying thing to wear. I would like to run barefoot more, but I get into areas where there are rocks and debris, which takes a significant chunk of joy out of running. And just running barefoot around the neighborhood 10-15 times just gets boring.

And yes, I'll admit, I enjoy the looks I get from people as I run by them in my sandals. They think I am some sort of hippie. But I know my feet are far better for it instead of being in a shoe put together by someone in marketing and then sold as the ultimate running shoe, until they dream up the next model.

Free Summer Barefoot Running Magazine

If you are interested in barefoot running or even more minimalist running to minimize injuries and maximize fun, check out the free Summer 2012 edition of Barefoot Running Magazine.

Healthy Doesn't Just Happen - Effort Required

Making a commitment to get healthier or more fit is the first step, but that alone does nothing. Action is required!

 

Posted with Blogsy

Don't Bother With Runner's World Shoe Recommendations

I love reading Runner's World magazine. I like the features on running gear, various running events around the world and the back story on people that are big in the running community. Since subscribing to it a few years ago, I always took their running shoe reviews with a huge grain of salt, and eventually came to read them so I could get all of my eye-rolling for the month done in one quick session. Now it seems Runner's World itself has said as much.

Christopher McDougall, author of the Born To Run, has posted some information from Runner's World itself that indicates not only that some of the shoes it has been recommending may exacerbate injuries, but that every shoe posted is basically recommended for at least one type of person. In other words, there are no bad shoes!

This was from a 2008 shoe review:

We’ve reported in the past that a more stable shoe will help relieve the pain you feel just ahead of the heel. But recent research has shown that stability shoes are unlikely to relieve plantar fasciitis and may even exacerbate the symptoms.

Whoops! Sorry about that readers.

The founder of Runner's World started the shoe review as a way to help readers find shoes that would help them run better and be worth their hard earned money. Now, the reviews are little more than advertising. In fact, I'd go so far to say they are nothing but advertising. He states the reviews are "a grading system where you can only get an A."

Your body was designed to run. Man has been running for thousands of years with sandals or in bare feet. For 99.9% of running, you don't need much more on your feet than to protect them from the surface you are on, and that is surprisingly little. A thin 2mm strip of rubber in a pair of Vibram Five Fingers, huarache sandals or any number of other minimalist shoes is all you need.

Well, that and good form, something modern day shoes discourage! Heel striking is increasingly looked at as a fundamental problem in running, and it is something that wasn't done until the mid 1960's. It is almost impossible not to heel strike when you have a shoe that has a thick heel. It is going to touch the ground first, and that inch of foam isn't going to do anything to protect your joints and muscles for thousands upon thousands of steps.

The vast majority of people don't need anything to correct our strides either. Motion control, stability, etc. Those are all marketing terms. Runner's World is figuring this out, or it already has and just isn't willing yet to tick off all of its advertisers just yet. Most shoe stores don't like this trend either, though the smart ones are getting behind it.

I sincerely hope in 5-10 years, we'll look back on the "modern running shoe" and laugh like we currently do about decades old fashion. After all, current running shoes are little more than a fashion statement. They aren't doing anything for your health.

Luna Sandals From Here On Out?

Less Is More - Luna Original Sandals

After deciding traditional running shoes weren't for me a few years ago, I switched to Vibram Five Fingers and have put over 3,400 miles on them in about 2 years. I couldn't go much more than 13 miles in them without a nice set of callouses though from the 3-5 points they rubbed on. I then started wearing Injinji socks, which drastically reduced the problem. Still, running 40-50 miles a week left me with small callouses on the outside of my big toes, which would start to burn a bit on runs over 15-16 miles and be seriously annoying by mile 20, and by mile 30, I was done.

A fresh pair of socks would usually take care of it, but Injinjis are too expensive to be replacing every 200 miles for me, so I recently decided to try something different.

The ultimate minimalist shoe is the huarache sandal. This is little more than a rubber sheet with laces of some sort. I ordered a pair from Luna Sandals, the company run by Barefoot Ted. I got a pair of the originals with the suede footbed and ATS laces, a combination that looked to be the best for the type of daily street running I do.

After A 7 Mile Run

I immediately put them on after they arrived this past Wednesday and decided to see what they felt like. I took them out for a 2 mile test run and they felt good. I must have stopped about 10 times in the first mile tweaking the laces though, adjusting them so my feet stayed securely in the middle (front to back, side to side) of the shoes. The second mile I ran straight through.

I thought I had them adjusted right until the next morning when I went out for a longer run. The right one fell off before I had passed 100 yards. I tweaked them again about 4-5 times and by just over 0.6 miles, had them where I wanted them. I ran the next 6.5 miles with no issues.

I went for a longer run on Sunday. I had a better feeling for how they should be on my feet, though I still don't have them exactly right. I had to adjust them about 5 times over 16 miles, though only the first adjustment was necessary. On all of the others, I was just fine tuning and experimenting. I am getting to where I can diagnose the issue and know exactly which straps to pull on and tighten or loosen to move my foot around.

The point is though, I ran over 16 miles with absolutely no issues at all, and nearly a mile of that was on a mulch-covered trail I discovered today, something the Luna Originals weren't designed for. I could have easily gone further but decided not to push it. Without taking my shoes off and carefully examining my feet, I couldn't be sure there were no early stages of a blister or raw spot on the skin. Over 10 hours after the run though, my feet feel fine.

I was worried the buckle, which is like a miniature buckle on a backpack to adjust the straps, would rub a raw spot on the top of my foot. When I took the sandals off, there was definitely an indention where it had been, but it wasn't raw and didn't hurt anymore than the indention my iPod arm band leaves on my arm, which is to say, it didn't hurt at all.

It is still early of course, having only done two real runs in them in the last five days, but I can say that I've never felt this good after a run as far as shoe comfort goes.

Some may ask why I don't just go barefoot? I do a few barefoot runs each month, but I find I am spending way too much time watching where I step, to the point I lose what is going on around me. Not only do I need to watch out for glass, rocks and other debris, there are cars, pedestrians, cyclists and pets I need to watch out for. Barefoot running requires too much focus on the ground. Having a thin layer under my feet allows me to only worry about larger debris. I still cannot tromp around like I had a pair of Brooks Beasts on. The Lunas give plenty of ground feedback and I can still feel even the smallest branches and debris the size of an apple seed, it just isn't annoying like it is when barefoot. That allows me to focus more on my surroundings.

Does that mean I'll never wear VFFs again for a run? Maybe. Right now, something would have to go seriously wrong though for me to go back, at least for street running. As an added benefit, my feet don't sweat, which is likely a big reason for the lack of blisters. Water+skin+fabric is the worst thing for any type of repetitive exercise lasting over an hour.

For trails, I'll still take my Vibram Spyridon LS shoes for now. If I continue to get better at lacing them up and not fooling with them during the run so much, I can see getting some of the trail sandals, which simply have a thicker sole and an aggressive tread.

As an interesting aside, all of the Luna Sandals still use outsoles made by Vibram, which is what the company has been known for for over 80 years. They never made shoes until VFFs in about 2005. No matter what my decision, I'll still have Vibram technology with me.

Ragnar SoCal 2012 Recap

Team Sole Train

The Southern California Ragnar Relay is over. Team Sole Train finished Saturday afternoon around 4:23pm on Coronado Island in San Diego. We started at 6:45am on Friday morning. That means that for 33 hours and 38 minutes, someone on our team was running non-stop, around the clock, to cover the 203.5 mile course. The only exception would have been at a busy street corner while waiting for the light to change, and sometimes not even then.

Pictured left is our team, except for Susan, who was about 3 minutes out on her way to where we were waiting at the finish line, and Zoe, who must have wandered off camera right as I snapped this. I really want to thank them for letting me be on their team this year as an alternate. I had a fantastic time and hope I did the team proud. Team Captain Adam did a fantastic job of keeping the team motivated and piloting Van 2, in addition to running the fastest times for the team. Amy, Matt, Mark and Susan were the others in Van 2.

Ivy kept Van 1 organized, which also had Rob, Zoe, Jen, Lauren, and Michael.

While the mileage was roughly even between the two vans, each van had its own challenges. I would say without question, those that ran on Friday between noon and 5:00pm bore the brunt of the heat and had the toughest runs because of it. All of Van 2 had a piece of this and Jen from Van 1 got the tail end of it. My 4.9mi leg in 96 degree heat and was the toughest run I've done in a very long time. I was never so happy to get through a run and grab a cold Zico Coconut water and Vega Sport Chocolate Coconut protein bar, as well as continually wiping my face down to keep sweat out of  my eyes.

I'd say that the leg that Jen started right after us was the toughest leg of the entire journey. It was a 10 mile run that started around 4:30 or so and the temps were still in the upper 80's at least. The first mile was a near 300ft elevation gain. To make matters worse, it was in a section that had no sidewalk or trail, so Jen was forced to run most of the distance on the shoulder of the road. She is a kindred spirit in her running style and was shod with a set of Vibram Bikilas. The problem is the shoulder was full of rocks and there is no protection at all in those shoes. They are made for streets, not pebbles and rocks. One of the Treks or a pair of the Spyridon's would have made a world of difference. She did an amazing job finishing that leg. I am not sure if I could have.

Right Before The Temps Got Insane

Whereas Van 2 ate heat during its first leg, Van 1 definitely got the short end of the sleeping stick. You'll see why shortly.

Van 1 started at 6:45am on Friday and knocked out 25.4mi by around 11:00am or so, give or take. They ran from Huntington Beach towards Corona, but it was early and temps were nice. Van 2 took over from there with 33.5mi ahead of it, all in the heat and deeper into the desert. Adam had the first leg, which was 8.8mi. The first 4 to 4.5 were pretty easy and he declined any support as we met him half way. He said he felt fantastic (left with the Camelbak) and didn't need cold water. Notice Amy had two bottles of semi-frozen water he declined to drink or have poured over him. By the time he got done though, the temps had shot up and he was feeling it. The five remaining members of our team would have to finish 24.7mi among us in temps that were never south of 90 again and the heat index got up to 115. Oh, I cannot forget the obligatory "it was a dry heat."

Sleeping Quarters For Van 2

We wrapped up around 4:30pm, exchanged the wrist band with Van 1 and Jen headed off on her brutal 10 miler described above. We wished them well and headed off to dinner. It was right in the middle of the day so Van 1 didn't do much while we were running but roast in the heat. No one could really sleep that early in the event with the sun burning down on them. Our rest time though was as the sun was going down. We drove 47 miles to the next exchange, spread our sleeping bags on the golf course and caught some zzz's. I read on my Kindle for about 15 minutes and turned if off as it was getting dark. I was asleep in 10 minutes. My teammates got varying levels of sleep.

Around 12:30am or so, we woke up, packed up as Ivy finished her 2nd leg and passed the wristband to Adam. Van 2 was back on the road. This is where Van 1 should have had a good opportunity to rest. Unfortunately for them though, running conditions were excellent and for some reason, we only had to cover 22.2mi, which we did in well under 4 hours. By the time Van 1 drove to the next exchange, found something to eat and settled in, they would have less than 2 hrs to rest. It didn't help that everyone on our team posted their best times of the event. Van 1 didn't stand a chance to get real rest here, and it was their only opportunity under the cover of darkness.

We wrapped up around 3:30am-4:00am, and off we went to the next major exchange. Once again, we would have more time as Van 1 had to cover 32mi. We arrived, got out our sleeping bags and were laying down by 5am. The sun was coming up, so I just slid down into my sleeping bag and got at least 2hrs of sleep.

Our final leg would be a 43mi stretch that started at Torrey Pines, just a few miles north of La Jolla. The scenery should have been fantastic, but the marine layer was thick. We only saw the sun for about 30 minutes on Sunday. Again, prime running conditions for us. I am not sure how the individual legs were broken up, but for some reason, one of the six legs we had to cover here was 11.1 miles, over 25% of the overall distance for the 3rd leg of Van 2. Adam had seen my website and assumed I was the right guy for it. This was the only big mistake Adam made the entire weekend. I was tired, sore, dirty, sweaty and in the same clothes I had been in since 3am on Friday morning when I got up. I decided to duck into a gas station and change my shorts and put some anti-chafing cream on my lady parts before my run. I threw my Camelbak in the cooler a few hours before I started and decided that was all the prep work I could do.

All Of My Run Times

It was a pretty good run for me. The first 4 miles and last 5 were pretty flat and scenic. The middle 2 though were several hills through a neighborhoods with more than 200ft in elevation change in about a mile. Not the toughest hill in the world, but it wasn't nothing either. Out of about 10 runners I was around, I was the only one that ran the whole thing. Everyone else walked. I chalk that up to the hills I have to run on every day around my neighborhood.

Once I got on the other side and things flattened out a bit, I turned on my metronome to reset my cadence back to 180. I was feeling good and stepped it up a bit, switching my iPod Nano to some Blonde Redhead. Not exactly running music, but it works for me. The worst part now was having to stop at a few red lights and dodging people that were walking along the harbor. I wanted to finish this leg with nothing left, so kept pressing ahead. I passed a few people that had passed me near the start of this leg, which made me feel good. For the last 500 yards or so I was sprinting and when done, I truly had nothing left. I could hardly walk, much less run another mile.

Overall, I had an 8:55 pace on that leg. I ran a half marathon in 8:31 last year but I hadn't trained for this event much, was sleep deprived and had already run early 10 miles in the preceding 24hrs, so I was happy with it.

I had a fantastic time and got to know a few more people, especially in Van 2. I hope I did the team proud.

I'd say the Ragnar officials did an overall good job. Sure, there were a few exchanges that were questionable and I ran into a few forks that the only reason I knew where to go was to follow the person in front of me (usually way in front) and hoped they knew where they were going. One fork I had coincidentally run last weekend when I was in San Diego for other reasons. If it wasn't for that, I likely would have gone the wrong direction. Overall though, it was a great event that I thoroughly enjoyed. I'd have to say I enjoyed this run more than any other official runs I've done.

While we had fun, there was a good cause we were running for. If you have time, click on this link and donate a few dollars to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Finished My Leg With An 8.57 Pace

I'll definitely take that on the third leg. Just 14-15mi to go for team Sole Train!

Waiting On Runner 2, Ready For My 11.1mi Leg

Team captain Adam and Amy at a checkpoint waiting on Matt to give him water. Once Matt is done, I start my run.

Sun came out, but the high is supposed to be 67, so this shouldn't be too bad. Mostly sore, sleep deprived, malnourished and a bit loopy.

Van 2 Is Ready For the Final Leg

We cover 43+mi today starting in an hour or so one the final runner from van 1 arrives.

A serious marine layer bodes well for the temperatures. Anything is better than what we had to endure yesterday.

Second Leg Done

Van 2 is well under way. I just finished my second leg and busted out an 8:27 pace, which is pretty good for me at 2:15am. It was only 3.9mi, which is fine because I have an almost half marathon to run at around noon today.

Van 1 hates us right now because this is their time to sleep and we are hitting record times and only have about 22 miles for this segment. They can sleep this afternoon when we have to polish off the last 43 miles.

Reached Our Campground For The Night

Very nice area. Surprised the resort is letting is crash on their golf course.

Beautiful scenery too. Hope to get 3hrs of sleep.

It Is 96 And The Heat Index Is 1,008.4

Holy crap it is hot in Corona at 1pm and anyone running in this heat has a mental defect.

Next leg for me is at 1am and I pray it is a cool 30 degree desert night.

Van 2 Is Under Way

Our fearless leader Adam at about mile 4 of his 8.8mi leg.

We Spared No Expense On Van Decorations

Used only the finest copy paper and clearest packing tape.

Our Legs

How did the new guy (me) get the longest leg?

Complaining about our assigned legs has become a way to pass the time while waiting.

Waiting To Start

We are somewhere between Huntington Beach and Corona at a runner exchange point waiting for out first 6 teammates to arrive. Our first runner in van 2 should take off around 11am. My first leg isn't until 12:30 or so. Should be good and hot.

Shown is the line of vans arriving for the other teams.

Also first time I've posted to the blog with email. Hope it doesn't look too bad.

Running The SoCal Ragnar Relay Today

This morning I'll be joining 11 team members that call themselves "Sole Train" to run just over 203 miles through southern California in the Ragnar Relay. It should take us somewhere between 25-35 hours. The distance I have to run isn't huge, just under 20 miles split between 3 legs, so this seems to be more about endurance as we'll be operating on whatever food we can pack with us and little sleep.

The team has chosen to run for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, which is a good cause, especially for me as I found out recently that a co-worker was recently diagnosed with Leukemia. If you have a few minutes and a few dollars, a contribution to the Society would be appreciated by people more than you know.

Assuming we pass the pre-race safety training (and that is a big assumption), by the time this blog goes live our first runner will be on their way while the rest of us pile into two vans towards the next leg of the race.

Pray for our safety and sanity. And for random Domino's Pizza delivery people to get lost and dump pizza our way.

Run Barefoot Or Die

 

Sometimes Technology Gets In The Way

I wanted to run some intervals on Tuesday so gathered up my normal running gear and my interval timer and headed out. I didn't even make it to the driveway before the tech conspired against me.

Somehow the last time I used my GymBoss interval timer I left it in single timer mode instead of dual timer mode. I messed with it for a few minutes and almost left it behind. However, I really

wanted needed to run intervals, so I headed back in and went to my laptop upstairs and reviewed the PDF instruction sheet I scanned into Evernote. Tap tap press-hold-tap and spin counterclockwise on my left heel, and done. Dual timers. Good to go.

I get outside and turn on my GPS watch so I can capture my distance. It hooks up in about a minute and off I go. 30 seconds later, my 6th generation iPod Nano starts talking to me, and not in a good way. I usually listen to the Wall Street Journal from Audible during weekday runs. The Nano kept insisting on lowering the volume and speaking over the narrator to tell me the program title and chapter number. I finally got the Nano to reboot and that fixed it. It does that about every 3-4 months and drives me nuts.

Sort of makes me want to run with no tech at all. Still, 99.5% of the time it works just fine. After all of that, I felt better after my run than I have in weeks though, so maybe getting my blood pressure up before I finally took off was a good thing.

Maybe not.

Pocket Fuels As An All Natural Alternative

When going for long runs, I have to refuel. The human body generally only has enough stored energy to keep the body going for about three hours. I'm always looking for natural sources of energy to keep going. Even going that long without refueling is asking for trouble.

5 Flavors Of Pocket Fuel 

Some of the more popular choices for runners and bicyclists include Gu Gels and Hammer Gels. Those may be entirely fine, but honestly I cannot understand the ingredient label. Here is the label from one of the flavors of Gu for example:

Maltodextrin (Glucose Polymers), Filtered Water, Fructose, Roctane Amino Blend (Histidine, Leucine, Valine, Isoleucine), Ornithine Alpha-Ketoglutarate (Okg), Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid, Potassium Citrate, Calcium Carbonate, Natural Flavor, Sea Salt, Caffeine, Contains Preservatives [Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate], Natural Vitamin E, Oleoresin Paprika (Natural Color).

Some of those words scare me a bit. There may be nothing in the world wrong with them, but my rule of thumb is, if I don't know what it is, I don't eat it, and to eat the above would require me to spend about half an hour on Wikipedia researching before I was comfortable with it.

For almost two years, my go-to running food has been the "gels" by Honey Stinger, as well as Honey Stinger Waffles. If you look at their nutritional information (PDF file) you will see some pretty big words in the ingredient list, but most of those are the chemical names for various vitamins and minerals. I still love Honey Stinger products and will continue to buy them buy the case.

I wanted some variety though and came across Pocket Fuel in the April 2012 issue of Trail Runner Magazine. The article listed 5-6 natural and organic nutrition options. I immediately ordered three of the products and am trying to get a sample order of the rest that has a variety of flavors versus having to order 6 of one that I might not like.

The first one I've tried on the run is Pocket Fuel. My goal was to run 20 miles on Saturday and see how it went. The weather had other ideas though. It rained all day (one of the 10 rainy days we have here in southern California) and I don't like running for hours in the rain. The chafing risk is too high. So, I went for a 9 mile run, and no nutrition is needed for that. On Sunday though it looked like there was going to be a break so I decided to head out. After running 9 miles on Saturday, I figured 20 would be pushing it, especially with a race coming up this weekend. I decided 12-15 would be enough, so I gathered up my water, a 4oz pouch of Chunky Coconut Cherry Pocket Fuel and a few Honey Stingers just in case I didn't like it.

My backup fuel wasn't necessary. Pocket Fuel is almond butter based. Almond Butter is usually pretty thick, often a peanut butter substitute for those with peanut allergies. Pocket Fuel is thicker than honey, but not as thick as JIF. You are supposed to squish (technical term) the packet to ensure it is mixed up so I did that before leaving the house. This one also had coconut shavings in it and supposedly bits of cherry.

I say supposedly because I never tasted any cherry, or much coconut. I could tell there was a good bit of coconut in it by the texture, but the almond butter flavor overwhelmed all other ingredients. It still tasted good, just don't expect some sort of coconut cherry pie flavor.

Personally, that is fine for me. I don't like sweet foods when running. While I love Honey Stinger waffles for example, I cannot stand the strawberry flavor.

The packets are much larger than normal gels. At 4oz, you cannot stick these in the normal pouches that may have no problem holding one or two of the 1.3oz gels. The side pocket of my Camelbak XTC easily held one, and might have been able to hold two. I'll test that theory when I go for a longer run, preferably a 3-5 hour trail excursion.

Pocket Fuel is packed with energy. They typically have between 430-490 calories each and between 18-31g of carbs. Each packet also has around 600mg of potassium, which is the equivalent of 1.5 bananas. Finding natural sources of potassium in long exercise sessions is better than drinking many of the sports drinks, which are often loaded with sugar and artificial ingredients. The Chocolate Espresso pack even has 200mg of caffeine. While I generally shun caffeine, I've found it does have its place early in a run. I often consume Honey Stinger Ginsting gels early in my runs which has natural caffeine from the koala nut. Caffeine from naturally occurring sources is fine with me.

Best of all, the ingredient list for Pocket Fuel is something I can understand.

Dry roasted almonds, organic evaporated cane syrup, organic coconut, bing cherries, organic palm fruit oil, sea salt.

The packs have a easy to use screw on cap so you don't have to consume the entire thing at once like you do with the smaller gels that have a tear-away. You also must have water available to help wash it down, just like almost all other gels. This isn't because you can get sick, as with some other gels, if you don't mix with water, but just because it is so thick.

I still have 4 packets to try from a flavor standpoint. I am wondering though if I will be able to tell the difference. Had the label not indicated what was in this, I am not sure I would have been able to tell it had coconut or cherry in it.

That said, I'm sold. Once I burn through these other 4 flavors, I'll settle on one or two and start ordering by the box. I'll continue to use Honey Stinger, and perhaps one or two others from the Trail Runner article, but Pocket Fuel will definitely have a place in my backpack.

There Is A Right Way To Run

When it comes to sports and activities, there is generally a right way to do things. There is a right way to swing a golf club, a right way to throw a football, a right way to surf, a right way to swing a baseball bat, and a right way to consistently bowl a strike.

Wrong (left guy) vs Right (right gal)

Why then do a lot of people say "well, that is just how I run?" Now, there are different kinds of running of course. I am not talking about doing hurdles, sprinting or other track-and-field activities. I am talking about the kind of running most runners engage in, which is relatively leisurely running for distance, health or both.

Jason over at Barefoot Running University has thrown down a challenge to anyone to make an assertion that it is more efficient and safer to run the way most shoe companies would have you believe, namely:

• by having a long stride
• landing on your heel with your foot in front of you
• have a slow cadence, somewhere well south of 180 strides per minute, getting your speed instead by kicking out and leaping forward with each stride.

Note that no one is saying there is one way to run. You can run with a quick cadence, landing mid-foot under your hips and still modify your lean angle, how far you kick between strides, the angle of your elbows, etc. Some may be more efficient than others depending on your desired speed, the grade the hill you may be going up or down on is, and even the terrain. Note too that methods like Chi Running (my favorite) or the POSE method advocate slight differences, but fundamentally, they are the same, which is a fast cadence (180+ strides per minute) and landing with your foot under you, never in front.

Do you agree, or disagree?

Soleus GPS 2.0 Watch Only $95 Through Groupon

New Soleus GPS 2.0 Watch

If you have been considering getting a GPS watch but haven't taken the plunge, now might be the right time. Groupon's latest offer is Soleus GPS 2.0 watch, which hasn't been released yet. Unlike most Groupons, this one is only valid for a few days. It expires March 5, 2012, so you'd need to use it pretty much as soon as you printed it.

I've had the GPS 1.0 watch for a few months and really like it. The biggest gripe I hear about it is the lack of being able to upload data to your PC. The GPS 2.0 watch adds that feature, as well as an interval timer.

I like mine and don't really miss the features the 2.0 watch adds, but if I was in the market for one, this would be on my short list. It appears to be the same dimensions as my 1.0 watch, and it is the first GPS watch I've seen that can be worn as a regular watch without looking goofy. It does take a while to lock on, up to two minutes, but once it finds the GPS satellites, it doesn't lose them. I've used mine for about 350 miles on roads, forests, mountains and valleys and it has never lost signal.

The only thing that irritates me is I paid $89 for my 1.0 version just 2 months ago. Now for $6 more, I could have had the latest version. Oh well, all of technology is like that.

Heel Striking And Cushioned Running Shoes Is A Modern Invention

We've all been taught that landing with your foot in front of you on the heel is the right way to run. This is called heel striking because the heel strikes the ground first, followed by the rest of the foot as the body moves forward.

It turns out that this method of running, as well as cushioned heels in running shoes to make heel striking tolerable, is a modern invention. Before 1970, there were no cushioned heels and thus, no heel strikers. That means for thousands of years, man has run either barefoot or with shoes that have little to no drop. Drop is defined as the change in thickness of the sole from the heel to the forefoot.

Today's running shoes typically have a drop of 12mm, going from 24mm in the heel to 12mm in the forefoot. The Brooks Beast has an enormous 16mm drop.

It is interesting to note that injury rates haven't fallen one bit in the 40+ years since the introduction of a design that changes the way the foot lands, a change that takes it away from its natural movement. Try and find a company that asserts their running shoes actually reduce injury. A few may claim it may reduce injury, but none have been shown to do so.

Nicholas A Campitelli has written two articles that should be of interest to all runners. The first is Do Running Shoes Still Need Heels? The second is for runners that go one step further to modify how their feet naturally perform - Do Runners Need Orthotics?

Unfortunately, I know runners that are constantly battling injuries like plantar fasciitis, shin splints, knee pain, etc. Rather than peel away the level of shoe they wear, they bulk it up, getting shoes with even more motion control or support, and even going as far as getting orthotics.

Making matters worse, few runners get a new pair of shoes and then go put in a lot of mileage on the first run. They need to be broken in. As the mileage piles on, the shape of the sole changes, ultimately to a point where the shoe needs to be replaced with another pair you need to break in again. It doesn't make sense that you should run in shoes that are not only constantly changing the way you run, but the way they change it  morphs over time.

It is time for us to get back to how our bodies were designed to perform. Leonardo da Vinci said it best: "The human foot is a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art." Why are we taking this marvelous creation and wrapping it up in a contraption that is often driven more by the marketing department than scientific research?

Review: Vibram Five Fingers Spyridon LS

When Vibram announced their spring lineup a few months ago, the Seeya piqued my interest as a road running shoe, but the Spyridon did nothing for me. After getting more serious about trail running in January though, it was clear the Spyridon was something I needed to investigate.

Five Fingers Spyridon LS
Military Green w/grey & black accents

I've owned a pair of Five Fingers KSO Treks for about a year and a half and have occasionally used them for trail running. When running on dirt trails with relatively shallow grades or trails that have minimal rocks, they are pretty good. When the grade gets steep though, the kind that requires you to go up on your toes or down with very rapid shallow strides that are essentially a controlled fall, they could use improving.

After running just over 70 miles on trails this year so far, I was getting close to investigating other offerings, like the Merrell Barefoot trail shoes. My wife has a pair and loves them. Actually, I already have a pair of the Tough Gloves, but those are my dress shoes, so I'd need something for outdoor abuse.

That was when I recalled the announcement about the Spyridon LS from Vibram. The shoe is named in honor of Spyridon Louis who won the first modern Olympic Marathon in 1896. The "LS" in the name refers to the speed lacing system the shoes have rather than the Velcro strap most often seen on Five Fingers.

I received my pair via courier on Thursday and decided to test them out on a 10 mile run Monday through Whiting Ranch, an area that provides a wide array of surfaces and grades.

Outsole, including a view
of the "rock-block" mesh

The tread is an aggressive design, mimicking the tread on a BMX bike tire. The outsole is a mere 3.5mm thick, compared to the 4mm thread on the KSO Treks. Despite being a bit thinner though, the Spyridon's offer better protection from rocks. The midsole has a nylon mesh that spreads the impact from a rock over a wider area, thus lessening the impact. It is difficult to see in the pictures, but that white area just under the arch is a semi-transparent piece of plastic or rubber. Under that you can see the mesh that protects the midsole of the foot.

The tread also offers superior grip on loose surfaces, such as dirt or rocks. If you compare the sole of the KSO Trek and the Spyridon, you can quickly see the difference.

KSO Treks, top
Spyridon LS, bottom

The KSO Treks, the brown shoes on top in the image to the left, have 5 cross shaped lugs on the heel and just over a dozen under the ball of the foot. The rest of the sole has ridges of various thicknesses. After running on loose surfaces, I am convinced that sole is more for looks than actual traction. For trails with low grades, they are great, but steep grades causes more slipping than I would like. Part of the reason is those lugs wear out fairly quickly. I have 100 running miles and 24 hiking miles on those soles, plus a few hours of casual use. There is also about 10 miles on asphalt or concrete running to and from trails. With under 150 miles on them, those lugs have gotten too worn to be very useful. That tread may be more useful as a hiking tread than a running tread.

Tracks made by the Spyridon

The Spyridon, in contrast, has the same tread design over the entire sole. This tread continues around the edges on the sides, front and rear. I found this to be helpful when running on sections of the trail where the sides of your feet are likely to need traction in areas where water has washed out part of the trail, or on sections that are heavily banked. Of course, if you are going up or down a steep grade and the surface is completely loose, you are still going to slip. It is like thinking your fancy SUV with AWD is invincible in the winter. If you get on ice or aren't careful on snow, you will break traction. The same holds true on a trail. The Spyridon doesn't allow you to be an idiot oblivious to the surface, but it does give the focused runner more security than the KSO Treks. (In case you are wondering what an oblivious idiot looks like when running, check this video out.)

An example of a trail that, with
careful steps, you can easily tackle
with the Spyridon LS

When wearing minimalist shoes, you have to keep your eyes about 10-15 feet in front of you so you can anticipate where to step. Unlike shoes that have very thick soles and heavy cushioning, true minimalist shoes offer little more than a thin layer to protect the skin of your foot from the running surface. You can step on a dime and feel it. This is good because you are more focused on the run. This is both more enjoyable and can prevent the type of injury you get from stepping on a large object like a tree root or in a hole, both of which can cause a twisted ankle or a severe jolt to any number of joints not expecting the impact.

The Spyridon offers a good compromise between the these two extremes. You won't feel a dime, but very small rocks and twigs are noticed. Larger rocks, say the size of a small grape, though no longer cause as much pain due to the rock-block effect at mid-foot, the area you are most likely to get hurt. You will still feel small objects though, perhaps two dimes thick, so you aren't insulated from the run.

As far as comfort, the Spyridon's feel great. I quit trying to run sockless in Five Fingers a year and a half ago. I always run with Injinji socks. No matter how well Five Fingers fit, there is slight rubbing directly against the skin, and when running for several hours, that can cause blisters and eventually callouses. Injinji socks almost completely eliminate that possibility. There are people though that like to run sockless in Five Fingers and these should perform well. The fabric is made of a sock-like material, similar to other offerings from Vibram like the Bikilas and Komodo Sports.

Carrying the shoes on
my Camelbak

Tread life is an unknown at this point. In order to maximize tread life on my trail shoes and minimize the frequency I have to purchase a new pair, I've started driving to the trail heads instead of running to those that are closer to the house. The closest one though is still nearly two miles away, and putting that kind of asphalt mileage on trail shoes will take its toll. On my first run in the shoes today though, my wife needed the car so I decided to run to the trailhead barefoot. I figured I'd carry the shoes and put them on when I got there. The only flaw in that plan is my hands are the first things to sweat and carrying anything, especially a shoe in each hand, got annoying quick. While running on the trail, a place where I do a lot of thinking, I remembered by Camelbak has some straps on the back that I've never had any idea with to do with. Now I know. I ran barefoot home and this was a much better solution.

Styling is about what you would expect from Vibram. Toe-shoes always garner attention and Vibram throws a bit of flash in for good measure.

Top view of the Spyridon
before the run today. They will
never be this clean again.

The sides near the ankle have a rock pattern, suggesting their off road purpose. There are two colors of fabric accenting the shoe as well as reflective strips running from the toes swooshing to the outside edge. When it comes to running shoes, the more reflectivity the better. While it might not be very useful on a trail, the reflective properties could help if you run on a fire road or unpaved country road when the sun isn't up.

Cleaning is the same as all other Five Fingers. Wash in a gentle cycle then allow them to air dry in the shade or inside. I always recommend using a fan to speed the process to minimize any odor issues, a problem most likely to occur if you don't wear socks.

The shoes are $120. I ordered mine from CitySports, a store I've had good service with. You should be able to find them at your favorite online Vibram Five Finger supplier. Right now you cannot order them directly from Vibram. Immediately after launch, Vibram gives 100% of its production to retail partners until there is an adequate supply. If looking for them locally in a retail store, focus on stores that have a wide array of off road shoes, like REI. It has the shoes on its website, but when using the inventory tool, it shows all stores in my area "out of stock" which means they don't have them in yet.

If you have some Five Fingers already, the sizing should be the same as other models, both in men's and women's sizes. I have several pair and all of them are size 43, except for my KSO Treks (42) and Mocs (44). If you have Flows, KSOs, Sprints, Classics, Bikilas, or Komodo Sports, the size should be the same.

I highly recommend them for running trails, but only if you have experience with so-called barefoot shoes.

Related links:
Vibram Five Fingers Spyridon LS Page
Birthday Shoes Review - From the perspective of someone that runs with no socks

How Others See Me As A Vibram Five Fingers Fan

The latest in the "How People See Me" meme is from Vibram, and it pretty much describes me to a T, especially the one about friends. I've had to really dampen my enthusiasm for the shoes when they are mentioned by someone.

This comes from the Vibram Facebook page.

The Run Up To Santiago Peak

Last week I was set to go for my longest trail run to date, a 24mi round trip run to Santiago Peak. It is the highest point in Orange County with an elevation of 5,689 feet. I was meeting other runners from the Orange County Trail Runners Group at the Maple Springs Visitor Center, which is somewhere around 1,800-1,850ft in elevation, so this was going to be a 3,800ft climb. And descent! The run was put together by Lauren at the Orange County Trail Runner's site. Ultimately, 6 of us showed up.

Camelbak 18x 100oz
Hydration Pack

Not knowing how long it would take for the run, I decided to take plenty of water and nutrition with me. I have a Camelbak XCT hydration pack (discussed here) that holds 70oz of water and a little bit of food in the side pockets, but not much else. I knew there would be no water available on this run, so I decided to get a Camelbak 18x hydration pack. I'd been looking for an excuse and this run was it! It holds 100oz of water and has the same side pouches, but it has extra storage in the back. Closed, as shown at right, it has 13.5 liters of capacity. If you unzip the center zipper, it the storage area expands to a cavernous 18 liters. I kept it closed and still put an insulated bag with two 11oz Zico coconut waters, a small ice pack and several energy bars. Given the temperature on the day I ran, I took about 30oz too much water with me, but when it comes to water, better safe than sorry! This pack is definitely my go-to pack for longer runs, especially in the summer.

I also had this idea that as long as I was going 24 miles, could I throw in another 6 in there and do an even 30? To do this I was planning to run three extra miles on the back of the mountain, then turn around and run 15 back to the car.

We started off at about 6:15am, which is still dark. It wasn't until 6:30 that there was enough light to see around you. Fortunately, the first three miles is on asphalt because I didn't bring my light with me. Had it been trail, I'd have just stood around for a while until the sun came up.

Ed and Kurt at about the 4mi mark.

 The road eventually turned into trail and we began the real ascent. This is a fire road used by local authorities and utility companies maintaining the array of radio towers at the peak. Most vehicles could make the drive, but only at about 10-15 miles per hour. The dirt parts are the best in my opinion. I wore my Vibram Five Finger KSO Treks for this journey. They have a decent tread pattern, but absolutely no rock protection. To keep the road from washing they periodically dump gravel or larger fist-sized rocks to hold everything in place. Good for tires, not so much for my feet. I ran on all but the largest rocks. While I can run on the larger rocks, it just isn't as much fun and I wind up paying for it later.

Matt and Kurt as the sun comes up
and hits the peak in the background.

At roughly the 4 mile mark, I stopped to take a few pics. Kurt and I had led the pack early on, though it wasn't a speed contest at all. In fact, I had no illusions I'd be dead last as we descended. Downhill isn't where I get speed. It never has been. Matt wasn't far behind and we got some pictures of him too.

The other three runners, Lauren and two other ladies were further back, so we pressed on ahead to the peak.

Matt and Kurt started to pull away in the next mile or so. I considered keeping up, but my 30 mile goal lingered in the back of my mind and I decided energy conservation was better, so I let them go on ahead.

Fun part of the trail

The image to the left is the kind of trail I prefer for long distances. It isn't pure dirt, but not too rocky either. There is plenty of area for me to find good footing without stepping on too many rocks. This too is why I have started to like trail running. I've easily done over 4,000 miles in the last 2.5 years of running on roads and on all 4,000 miles, my legs to the exact same thing over and over and over. With trails, you have to adjust, take the occasional shorter stride. I cannot remember what book I read this in, but it holds true. When navigating a trail, if you can make the same distance over an obstacle in two or three steps, always go for three. Much less chance of injury that way.

Somewhere in the 6-7 mile range

As I made my way up, I was feeling pretty good about going for 30 miles. The grade wasn't that bad and there was no speed here, I didn't ever resort to walking due to being tired, just in a few cases where the rocks were more than I wanted to deal with. My food and water were in good shape too.

Ice!

The more I climbed though, the cooler it got, even with the sun coming up. Normally, I can run in temps as low as 30 degrees and my hands will warm up within 15-20 minutes and start sweating at 20-25 minutes. That is on the road though where I am running faster and also know exactly what is ahead. I was in unknown territory on this trail though and was keeping my pace down to save energy. Then my hands started to get cold. At about the 8 mile mark, I ran into this large puddle on the left. That's right - ice! It was melting but I also knew the temps up here were lower than they were just 30 minutes ago. It wasn't my imagination. I picked up my pace to get my blood circulating and after about 10 minutes I was warm. Well, warmer.

More rock than I wanted to deal with
and it would get worse in places.

The higher up I got, the more likely there was to be rocks. You don't ever want to come crashing down on these with your feet no matter what kind of shoe you wear. If you have classic trail shoes, you are likely to sprain an ankle or worse as your foot hits at an odd angle. With the Five Fingers though, your foot just wraps around it. No permanent damage, but it still doesn't feel great, and if you do that a few hundred times, you'll really start to feel it a few hours into one of these runs.

In the picture on the right, there was still enough room for me to maneuver between the larger rocks, but in some places there wasn't, so I'd walk that until it cleared up a bit. I probably walked a 1-1.5 miles in total due to the rocks, which in a run this long isn't too bad. Very few people run 100% of a trail run unless it is really short or a level dirt path. The walking parts gave me an opportunity to eat as well.

Santaigo Peak!

This picture is probably about three miles from the peak, though likely less than a mile as the crow files.

This was right at the peak. The Maple Springs Visitor Center isn't listed for some reason though. Bedford Road must be the asphalt part of the trail and being 3-3.5mi, that puts me 12 miles from where I started, which matches what my GPS watch says. Matt and Kurt were here and waiting on the ladies to make it up. I told them I was feeling pretty good and was going to start my descent on the other side and try and get in that extra 6 miles. What a dumb idea.

The problem was this was headed down to Holy Jim trail. This grade was steeper and a heck of a lot rockier. I only made it down 2 miles when I decided that was enough and I turned around. By the time I got back to the top, everyone had met up and left. It easily took me an hour to go those 4 miles, and it is hard to believe any of that distance qualified as "running" but that is my story and I am sticking to it. The run down was much slower. My feet were getting sore and after 6 hours, I was just wanting to get this done.

Ultimately, I went just over 28 miles in just over 8 hours. If you do the math, the time sucks. I felt good about the outing though and know I can do better on a second try now that I know what lays ahead. I am also getting a new pair of Five Fingers called Spyridons that have a nylon mesh that provides a rock-block effect. While the tread should be better than my KSO Treks, the key is that mesh. I'll have to test it out on some rocky trails around the house. I most likely won't do Santiago Peak this year again, but I am definitely going to do it in the near future.

You can see more pics that Lauren took as she and the rest of the group took the more sensible 24 mile route. I've also uploaded more of my pics to my Smugmug account.

I am glad I've added trails to my running routine. These are much more enjoyable to me than having to deal with traffic lights, women pushing strollers 3 wide covering the entire sidewalk, dog owners that think it is "cute" when Fluffy tries to get close and sniff my legs as I try to maintain distance, and the monotony of the concrete and asphalt.

Just A Few Weeks Until Vibram Spyridon Launched

I'm really excited about the new trail running shoes from Vibram. My current KSO Treks are in need of a replacement. When I first saw the BMX bike tire tread on the Spyridon's, I wasn't too enthused about them, but the more I read about them, the more I like it. According to Vibram, these should be in stores, or at least online, by February.

Leah at Birthday Shoes has written up a pretty thorough review of the new shoes if you are interested. Now to start tracking online retailers.