31 Hour Fun Run

County Loop

Each year for the last few years around my birthday I run my age in miles.  This year I'm going to mix it up and run my age in  hours instead of miles.  Starting on 27April13 at 6Am I'm going to run Country Loop in Mount Zion. With a Saturday 6AM start time I'll finish at 1PM on Sunday.   This is just shy of 5 and a half miles.  I'll run this over and over again till I run out of time to finish a loop. At that point I'll finish off the time on the Mount Zion Track.  Any and all runners are welcome to join me for as much or as little as they want. Cyclists that are out are welcome to deviate from their normal routes and … [Read more...]

Petzl MYO PRX

MYO PRX

I’ve had the Petzl  MYO PRX for about 6 months now as my primary headlamp.  It’s a bit pricey but it’s worth it if you do a lot of night time trail running.  This thing throws enough light that when the trail is wide enough to run side by side my running partner (who forgets her headlamp more then not) can see as if she’s wearing the lamp herself and has no troubles tackling technical sections of trails at night. Specs: MSRP – $89.95 Power – 3 AAA batteries Waterproof Optional over the head third strap Programmable Boost mode for temporary extra light Lens to allow for flood or spot Water resistant Regulated … [Read more...]

iSport Headphones

iSport with case

I’ve been using the iSport by Monster dubbed “The Athlete’s Headphones” for a few months now.  Overall these are solid headphones that stay in place no matter how active I’ve gotten. There are other headphones that claim this, but none have lived up to it. Boxing drills, sprinting, trail running, hiking, walking, cycling, lifting… I’ve yet to have them fall out even when trying to shake them loose.   Specs: MSRP - $99.95 In ear clip Waterproof In line volume control and mute Pro Sound Isolating Eartips (that sounds cool) Sensitivity and Frequency response – not published When I  first saw the price I … [Read more...]

Overshare

The reason I came across the iSport headphones to begin with is cause of Pauline Nordin, who is Fighter Diet. She’s smokin’ hot, walks around stage ready and is a blast to follow on Facebook and Twitter. She’s sponsored by the iSport headphone.  I figured if someone of her caliber likes them, then I probably will too. I rarely remember my dreams when I sleep, maybe five times my entire life.  The other day I dreamed about going on a date with Pauline.  The only reason I’m sharing this here is I wanted to tell someone about this dream, but I don’t like to talk. If I were to tell this it would take way too long and go past my … [Read more...]

Black Diamond Ultra Distance Z-Poles

Full and collapsed length

While running in the McNaughton 200 miler this year I noticed that all the other runners there had trekking poles.  Those that didn't start with them ended up using theirs by the end. I talked to a few of them about this cause it was really obvious that I was missing something.  In hind sight I wish that I had a pair with me, I'd have used them every step of the way.  The most common pole there was the Black Diamond Ultra Distance Z-pole.  As soon as I got home I ordered a pair and have been using them the last few months. Over all I love these poles and think they are perfect for trail running. My buddy and stud ultra runner Steve … [Read more...]

Music on my iPod I’m embarrassed is on there

This post is about all the crap on my iPod playlist that I turn the volume down if someone is near me just so they don't overhear what I'm listening to. Why am I doing this? I have to learn to accept me for me. These are all songs that I hoped no one would ever look at my iPod and see on there. I figure since I'm nervous to have people see it I should get over myself and publicly admit to it. I've learned long ago that if something scares you, it's probably what you need to do. I also believe everyone has songs like this, we all have guilty pleasures. Yes, I have metal, country, rock, jazz and all kinds of stuff, but here's what I'd rather … [Read more...]

Injured

Makes my calf look massive

Memorial Day weekend I was out on an easy trail run and I rolled my ankle. I rolled it bad enough that I fell face first right away. On the way down I had two thoughts; 1."Huh, I stepped on a stick, snapped it and am now falling" 2. (this is when the pain set in) "Crap, that wasn't a stick, that was my ankle". Those both happened before I even hit the ground. I laid there for a bit, eventually got up on both feet and hobbled back. It was only about a mile, nothing too bad. Several doctor visits, an MRI and some X-Rays later I have a full diagnosis. 3rd degree ankle sprain with a high ankle sprain in the right ankle. Basically I tore … [Read more...]

McNaughton 200 Mile

Some of the runners for the 200

This race report is proving difficult to write. It’s tough to write about a DNF, especially when so much of the race is a blur. This is probably more a collection of incoherent thoughts then anything else. I attempted to complete the McNaughton 200 Mile Trail run and fell short, way short. At mile 100 I dropped knowing I’d be unable to finish. This year the race actually had a 100% DNF rate. 10 of us started, 10 of us did not complete the distance. There was a 72 hour course cut off, when I reached the 100 mile point at 43 hours that left me 29 hours to run the second 100. I’m not capable of running a negative split like that. I took … [Read more...]

Laura getting ready for McNaughton 200

Laura posts on her blog about getting ready for the 200 that starts in two days! Adventure Foot - Ultra running style … [Read more...]

Brenda’s I-Challenge Report

Another friend of mine Brenda also ran in the I-Challenge this weekend. Here is her report. She has an epiphany that I believe all athletes should realize for themselves. Good lesson there. I've had the pleasure of working out with Brenda before. She has the attitude needed to succeed. She pushes hard, craves going beyond her comfort zone and loves every second of it. Read her "A little about me" for her full story. Brenda's report here … [Read more...]