Changing up my running.

Frustrated with the pain and suffering I described a couple posts ago regarding the running I've been doing, I read Born to Run, a book recommended by several friends of mine. Great read; I'm now also recommending it. One of the things the book highlights is a hotly debated topic of whether or not modern running shoes have done anything to actually help runners avoid injury. It suggests that they have instead caused more injuries than prevented them. This is supposedly because our feet are not able to react and function in the way they do naturally when not encased in a "protective" shoe. Instead of landing softly on the forefoot with a short stride when barefoot, the running-shoe-shod foot lands hard on the heel are rotates forward to the forefoot after a long high impact stride. And while the cushioning in a running shoe is designed to absorb some of this impact, it cannot possibly protect our bodies from the force generated by that kind of impact. Think about how much you weigh, then factor in the force of your foot's acceleration and landing, and it is rather silly to think an inch of rubber/cushioning will dissipate it all when landing directly on the heel. That's supposedly why we get injured more often now that running shoes have become so prevalent in the past 30-some years. Running barefoot, or close to it, allows the body to react correctly, and we run like we evolved to do. I won't regurgitate the book to you, but I'd totally recommend it. And don't think it's a boring comparative article either, it's actually a very entertaining true story of the author's seeking out of the Taramuhara Indians of Mexico's Copper Canyons to learn how they run into old age in sandles over harsh terrain injury free while dining on corn mush. :) In they end they even put on a 50 mile foot race between the Taramuhara and a few very tough American ultra marathon runners- I won't tell you who wins. :)

By reading this book and several other accounts of barefoot-style running, I decided to try a pair of Vibram Fivefingers footwear, which leave you feeling barefoot, but provide protection against cuts and nicks and small stuff you run into while truly barefoot. It takes some time for your muscles to get used to them, as we've spent our whole lives in shoes, but I love them so far. I haven't felt any of the knee and hip pain that was experiencing while running in the expensive running shoes I got fitted for and started out in. The only thing I've dealt with is an expected soreness in certain muscles, such as my calves, as they are worked harder barefoot, but that's just the body getting stronger, not injured. Sweet. If you try them, follow the Vibram link above to several tips in their barefoot running section so as to not go overboard with it at the beggining. As mentioned, your body needs to adjust, and it might not be for everyone. So far I dig it. I'll keep you posted.

Hiking around Makapuu Point in Oahu in my new Vibram Fivefingers KSOs:

Oahu

Flight benefits have been good to the Jensen's for the past couple years. The latest trip happened last weekend: a quick getaway to the Island of Oahu in HI. It was our first time to Hawaii, and I can tell it wont be the last. November is supposedly a cold month in MN, so we thought we'd get out and enjoy some sun. In actuality, it ended up being 60 degrees and folks were climbing outside here, but I'm still glad we went. :) The weekend was spent hiking, eating, chilling on endless beaches, shopping (yeah, I actually did a little of that), and touring the island via a rented car. Two and a half days isn't anywhere enough time to see Oahu, but it was a start. It also got us riled up to see the other islands too. Oahu is pretty populated, so it would be great to put on a pack and hike around the other less inhabited islands sometime. We'll be going back.

Up above the Makapuu Point Light, where the Island of Molokai can be seen across the ocean (but not in this picture):

Somewhere on the North Shore of Oahu:

Near where Jurassic Park was filmed (and parts of Lost):

Waikiki as seen from the top of Diamond Head:

At Waikiki's Central Beach:

Mobile again.

I'm happy to report I was able to handle another run this afternoon. It's been two weeks since my last run and subsequent period of pain and stiffness. From what I can piece together from all my friends who are runners, I just dove in to fast. I'm used to being out on a bike for hours at a time, and I'm able to repeat that several times a week. So running for twenty minutes left me feeling like I didn't finish exercising; I had so much gas left in the tank, but it was enough of a new activity to kill my joints and hear plenty of screaming from unhappy tendons and muscles. Last Sunday while visiting my folks in Minot, I tried going out for a small run to loosen up in the morning, but found I couldn't handle jogging ten feet due to all the joint discomfort. That's stiff. So I let this week pass to, with a little cycling to loosen up (plus teaching long days on my feet), and today I felt good enough to get back to it, but kept it easy. I only ran about a mile and a quarter, and walked another mile. My knees, ankles, and hips seem to have accepted it all right. So I'm glad I didn't hurt myself two weeks ago; I wasn't sure until the past couple days.

Another note from this week- I went to the Minneapolis showing of the Reel Rock Film Tour this past Thursday night. Incredible. Every time I catch a glimpse of what the world's "professional" climbers are up to, I am floored. Alex Honnold's soloing of Zion's Moonlight Buttress and Yosemite's Half Dome was a bit surreal. I really don't know what to think of it. The climbing world can't help watching in amazement and feel that he is truly a cut above the rest, yet at the same time recognize the absolute absurdity of it all. 1,100-2,000 feet of ropeless climbing on some of the world's most famed big walls is both a showing of the highest level of boldness and insanity. Achieve the goal and feel the purest and most epic climbing experience, but fail and leave life behind after a brief (or quite long), horrifying, fall. At least Dean Potter occasionally wears a parachute. I'm more than content in my well protected climbing experiences. It's already an passtime taking me to places that most do not see and experiencing thrills most wont. No reason to invite death in the mix.

Too early for pain and cold...

So apparently we are skipping fall in MN and going straight to winter. Three measurable snowfall accumulations in the first half of the month, and temps 15 degrees below average. I fear I may actually miss the fall colors on the North Shore for the second year in a row too. Fall is not turning out to be all I'd hoped for so far. Plus, I managed to upset my knees already in my recent running endeavors. I entered the hills far too early and have had to stay away from runs for a few days now to recover. It's amazing how fast your body can turn on you if it's not used to the abuse you're giving it. I can absolutely pummel myself in the majority of cycling ventures and recover extremely fast, but running has been a new game completely. I'm sticking with it though, with due rest periods of course as to not injure myself.

The good part in these semi-painful and cold sloppy days is that my Karate Monkey is rearing to go as it's been hanging on a hook most of the summer while the Trucker and Stumpjumper and Lemond were played with. It's messy bike time again. And I've got to get back on the commuter horse again, as I've been driving too much. I got caught up with other outdoor ventures that were taking up a lot of time, and didn't ride to work as much lately. My coworkers have been razzing me for riding in the butt of winter last year but driving when it's been relatively mild out this summer. Yeah, that's dumb. I better fix things and start riding again now that the snow is back. :)

Rain and good deals

Well this weekend was supposed to be a backpacking weekend near Grand Marais, MN, along the Superior Hiking Trail with myself, Alison, and our friend Julia, who we've been trying to get out with for quite a while. We finally marked down the weekend and we're going to make it happen. But as nature would have it, it wasn't the weekend for us. MN has gone from summer to cold, wet, fall in a matter of days. We had a couple great 50 degree sunny days that definitely elevated my mood from the hot sticky days of summer. But in the past few days the rain came. And the wind came with it. The forecast for the weekend up north was highs in the high 40s, gusty winds at 40mph in some spots (trees crashing on the trail all over) and steady rain. So the trip got "weathered". I probably would have still gone, but didn't want to force my craziness on Alison and Julia, so we're hanging out at home this weekend.

It was worth being around last night. We headed out to REI to get a pair of shoes Alison wanted, and discovered that the "scratch and dent" sale from last weekend was still going with a few items left, and they were getting rid of those things at an additional 50% off. Sweet. We ended up getting a basecamp tent for $43 instead of the regular $400, and another bivy for $63 instead of $200. Nice. Smokin' deals on gear make me love the REI co-op. I tend to end up buying gear for adventures on the weekends that I'm not on adventures. :)

As for the rest of the weekend...not sure yet. Looks like the climbing gym and a run is on the menu for today. And yes, I said run. I've tried to pick up running in the past unsuccessfully, but Alison and I are giving it another go. I've got to get stronger in that realm for backpacking, and hopefully some mountaineering ventures sometime soon.

Anyhow, a rainy weekend cancelled a trip, but it seems to be going ok anyhow...

Headwaters 100 2009

This past weekend was the 2009 edition of the Headwaters 100 in Park Rapids, MN. It was my sixth year attending, so I've now become a "veteran" of the ride. Don't really need the route map anymore. But the ride is still almost as entertaining as it was the first time. I say almost, because the first time I rode it was the second time I'd ever attempted a century (the first time was a non-event ride where I didn't finish the full distance), and I wasn't sure I'd be able to handle it all. So there was an element of excitement, not knowing what to expect. But going into this year, not only have I completed many century's, but I'd ridden the Headwaters route 5 times successfully, and the same level of adventure isn't quite there anymore. But it's always still fun, and well worth the trip up to Itasca country. The reason this year was high on the fun-meter was that Alison came with for the first time. I had planned on doing the full century and finding someone to ride the 45 mile option with her. But as I couldn't find anyone, she was facing her longest road ride to date alone. Not something I wanted to have her do, so I offered to ride with her. She surprised me and said she'd just give the 75 mile loop a try instead! (There are 3 different loop options with differing distances, even though the 100 is the flagship ride). There's the spirit! And she was very successful, riding 77 miles with me and tackling her first cycling endurance event. And seeing as she did not train for it, we both can see the full century is well within next year's goals. Sweet. I'm proud of you babe!

The only camera I had with was my phone, so this is the only grainy photo I have as a memento, but it'll do:

Mmmm...Wasatch.

I was able to tame a bit of my aforementioned "mountain crabbiness" this past weekend by making a quick trip out to the Wasatch. The Paasch clan took me in for another great weekend of climbing and mountain biking.

Friday Kelly and I were both pretty tired, as we both were running off around 4 hours of sleep, but we decided to head up into Little Cottonwood Canyon and do some climbing. I'd never been up to the limestone above Alta, so we did a mostly sport line high up in the canyon. It felt so good to be in the Wasatch again. I miss the days where it was right out my back window. Maybe it will happen again someday and last.

I found the limestone area we were in to be easier per grade than the bottom of the canyon's granite hardman trad routes. It was nice to feel strong for a change. :)

Saturday brought mountain biking, and what I may be so bold as to label the best outdoor day of 2009 so far. Kelly was able to round up a full carbon Fuel 100 for me to ride for the day (thanks!) and we did part of the Wasatch Crest Trail, with a dip down into Millcreek Canyon and a short jaunt of the Great Western Trail for good measure. I was fully expecting to feel weak at altitude (around 10,000 feet at times) due to where I live, but the mountains and expensive bikes must have brought something out in me, because I was feeling stronger than most days at home at 800 feet. The beginning of our route included "Puke Hill", which by the name you can tell is not typically a comfortable climb. I'd walked this hill other times having been to the Crest, but this time I rode every inch of it. I almost cleaned it all without stopping, but the last 50 feet got me. Next time. I'm happy to have not walked any of it though! It went great.

With a "Puke Hill" motivational climb in my system, I was pretty jazzed to be in the mountains and feeling strong for the rest of the day, and thoroughly enjoyed myself. It's great to be in the world's great scenery with good friends.

And we almost made it out with no crashes for once, until the last 1/4 mile of trail, were unfortunately Julie washed out on her Enduro at speed. Bummer. Torn up knee, but no damage inside. Lucky. All in all a good day despite the wreck.

I'm going back to UT soon. And hopefully to live again someday, but we'll see what the responsible world requires of me.

Coming down from climbing in Little Cottonwood...

Actually feeling really great at the top of "Puke Hill"....

Final descent into Big Cottonwood Canyon....

Banning

Banning State Park in MN is a park that I tend to drive right past. It's not that I haven't had the interest to see it, it is that it lies on the way from St Paul to the North Shore, and I'm usually headed all the way there. So on a boring Saturday a few weeks ago, I decided that since I didn't have the time to go all the way North due to obligations Sunday, I'd head to Banning and finally check it out.

The Kettle River seems to define the characteristics of the park, and is a popular place for river boaters (of the paddling kind, not the Grain Belt chuggin' pontoon fisherman kind- both found easily in MN). I hiked along the river for a round trip around 4 miles, and then set up my ENO hammock and took a little nap, as the bugs were not out in numbers. It was a relatively sleepy day, so this worked out well.

Overall I'd say that I'll most likely continue to make the North Shore my destination when traveling in MN, but Banning was worth checking out, and once owning a river kayak I'd probably end up there semi-frequently.

A couple kayakers at "Hells Gate" rapids- I think we've gone and over-named this one folks. :) Oddly enough, one of these guys looks strangely like my uncle Dave, and the other like Edward Abbey. Didn't know they knew each other. :)

Hammocks and MN Rivers go well together...

Adam and Jamie's North Shore Visit

I mentioned a couple posts ago that I took my brother and his wife up to Lake Superior. Adam hadn't seen it since childhood, and it would be Jamie's first time, having spent her whole life in TX. The big lake is certainly something to see. We had a very short time frame (about 5 hours to spend in the area), so I made three quick goals to give them a fast North Shore experience: see one of the many waterfall areas along the rivers that feed to the lake, witness the climbing scene on Palisade Head, and have a good sit on one of the Superior beaches.

For the waterfall experience, we took a quick jaunt around Gooseberry Falls:

For the chilling out along a lake beach experience, I took them down to Crystal Cove (find it on your own, it's better that way... :)

At Palisade Head, we hung out at the top of Phantom Crack and Bluebells...routes I had the chance to climb earlier this summer.

Phantom Crack:

Looking down the Bluebells route:

Adam's ready to rope up.

Finish of Phantom Crack route:

Superior Hiking...

August has been disappearing quickly. The temps are getting less obnoxious; we are not having our Midwestern "muggy" days, and I'm happy to report that. I've found that I'm not as disgusting upon showing up for work on my bicycle, and that's nice for everyone. (I can easily clean up, but it's better when that's not a big project.) It's time to start shopping for a new crankset for my winter bike, as it's service will be called upon in the not too distant future.

The other thing happening with the approach of the fall season, is that I'm getting more excited to backpack. MN is not my number one pick as far as places to live and play, but we do have a fantastic distance hiking trail, as anyone who has followed this blog in the past is aware of. Alison and I went out for a day hike on the Superior Hiking Trail last weekend, and it's getting to that time of year where the place gets downright enjoyable. The rivers/lakes/ponds/etc. are still quite accessible as water sources. There's still several wild raspberry bushes supplying distractions to hiking in the form of snacking, and there are a very few select leaves that have decided to prematurely change colors, jumping the gun before all the others will do shortly. That time will be the best for backpacking on the Trail. There will be wonderful cool temps to hike in, and chilly air at night to curl up in a warm sleeping bag and listen to the woods. The night is longer- a length that allows for a little extended comfortable sleep, but not yet forcing you to be tent-bound and shivering for too many hours as the winter will do.

A couple of the following several weekends may be spent traveling to distant locales, but a couple will likely be spent on this wonderful Trail, a place that keeps my outdoor-obsessive mind occupied while in the Midwest.