Watch out for the waves

Last Saturday I got up early and set out for Zuma to train with the team from work. I arrived around 7:15am and got the bike unloaded and was setting up, everyone was getting their wetsuits on and the yellow lifeguard truck drove up. Turns out the lifeguards performed nearly 100 rescues on Friday and were expecting the surf and riptide to be just as bad for Saturday... they wouldn't let us go in the water. I drove the 1 hour 15 minutes specifically to swim in the ocean so I was a bit disappointed.

We decided we would do an extra long bike ride. Normally we just do the race route of 18 miles but with the additional time we decided to add on some miles and headed north up the coast and doubled that distance. It felt great, I was able to maintain a good pace and finish strong. Then some barefoot running to work on the transition.

the barefoot running overall felt good (as each run has) this was the first time I really felt like I found the rythm and could tell when I was doing it right. As a bonus my calfs felt much better afterwards.

Monday I went for a run at lunch time, again in the VFF's. This time I added a mile and some hills to the route. Maybe not the best idea. I started to feel a little something with my knee right at the end at about 3 miles and about 2 hours later my calfs started to knot up. The knee felt fine when I started walking and has been fine since, but I could harldy walk on Tuesday morning because the calfs were so tight. they loosened up as the day went on and today feel a lot better.

Wednesday I set out for a run again. This time flat and just 2.27 miles. During the second half I stopped to do pushups every couple of hundred yards and got in 120. Again I felt the rhythm and had a good pace for the run. The plan now is to keep it flat and slowly increase the distance.

Swimming at the Duarte pool tonight. My endurance is getting better, and stroke is a little more efficient with better body placement in the water but I really need to work on breathing.

Barefoot Running

Went for a little run around the Lot at lunch today. It's the first time in quite a while since my left knee has been bothering me a bit. As I've been reading about running in the Vibram Five Fingers (VFF) and barefoot running I thought I'd give it a try. I figure since I'm pretty sure it was my shoes that contributed to the sore knee and there seems to be a fairly good argument for running barefoot I would see for my self.

My initial reaction is, WOW! Following advice I kept it to a short run of about 1 mile, then a 1 mile walk back to the front of the Lot. My feet and knees felt great through the whole run but both calfs are pretty tight now. Every one said it would use different muscles and they were right so that's the point of easing into things. Based on my recent knee history it's probably good to ease into things for that too.

It felt good to get out and run again.

So, that's day one. Wednesday I'll give it another go.

Some freaky new shoes

Well, I like going barefoot and have been wearing flip flops to work for the past month or so. It's pretty well known (maybe not accepted) that I will wear sandals to work in the summer time. Keith tends to mock my dry cracked heels. The other day I kicked off the flip flops and was wandering around the office that way (though not to the restroom, that place requires a hazmat suit) and the only comment I got was, "Where are your shoes?" So then I started thinking, why not go barefoot? The big thing I came up with is that it hurts to walk on gravel and asphalt and I'm not a big fan of pain.

I have read a little about the benefits of going barefoot and even a bit about how some people have made the argument that the athletic shoe industry is really just a marketing engine that has created it's own market based on the notion that the human foot needs cushion and support. They make a compelling argument that I'm not sure I fully agree with... yet.

So the same day I was walking around barefoot my friend Stew sends me an e-mail with a link to an article on sneaker free running. I read it and that started me on a trail of articles where I found the Vibram Five Fingers barefoot shoes.

I was intrigued. They look funny but a ton of people say they are extremely comfortable.... with that combination I thought, "I need to give those a try." Well there's plenty of places to order them on the internet but I wanted to see these freaky things and try them on so there began my search. Turns out one of the local Sport Chalet stores carries them (though only in limited quantities and colors). Yesterday I went and tried them out.... people were right they are amazingly comfortable. Like wearing gloves on your feet. I dropped the cash and wore them back to work.

I got the Five Fingers KSO version in black hoping they would just kinda slip by unnoticed.


Not really unnoticed. I noticed one person in the elevator looking at them and trying not to but they never said a word. Another guy said, "do they sell men's shoes at that store too?" Then there was the discussion in one office where I really got the feeling that some were thinking "there goes Fred again."

So, my initial response after wearing them for a day and a half: they are really comfortable. As I said, like wearing gloves on your feet. They breathe well and protect the bottoms of my feet. I can feel the ground. I'm curious if as some research suggests, my posture will improve and my feet will get stronger and less prone to injury but I'm not sure I'm ready to wear them running. For now though, I've got happy feet.

Hillbilly Hill Adventure Race

This year's Hillbilly Hill race was the day before we left for vacation and proved to be a fun challenge again this year. Temperatures were down from the 103 degree start of last year, it was maybe 75 at the start this time out. The field of racers was a little smaller this year with 11 entrants.

As usual it was a rolling start with Trevor counting down to 5:30pm.


I kind of teamed up with Reid as we seemed to take the first bike portion and the run up to the waterfall at the same pace. He and I got to the waterfall with 4 racers behind us, and not too ar behind two others. I was feeling prety good because they were all guys I was a long ways behind last year. So either they slowed down or I was a little faster this year.


Rog was coming up the trail as I headed down. I was able to run down the hill at a pretty good pace but still stopped for a photo.


I made good time down the run and on the paved road part of the bike ride and pulled ahead of
Reid. By the time I reached the summit of Hillbilly Hill I had gotten a ways ahead of Reid and headed down the back side of the hill. The road was hard packed and light sand, not a great combination. I came around a corner about 1/4 the way down and saw Wade and overreacted a bit to make sure I stayed on my side of the road and went over the bars. I ended with a Pete Rose style head first slide along the side of the road.

Wade stopped to see that I was OK as I got up. Some road rash on my left knee and elbow and I jumped back on the bike to find the chain off the front sprocket. I got off and had to fight to get it back on track, in the meantime Reid blew on past me. I was able to get things going again and finished the ride down to the Hillbilly Gate and was able to keep Reid in sight. The ride back down the hill I was not able to catch up to him but did make up some time.

Before I got in the pool Trevor took a picture.


I was successful on one of the 3 "Adventure Skills" which took 1 lap off of the "Adventure swim" which meant only 13 laps. I got in the pool on Reid's first lap and somewhere along the line he let me pass.

Here's Rog with his soccer ball skills test.



And getting washed off while doing pushups.



My total time was 1 hour 32 minutes which is 22 minutes faster than last year. It felt good.


Even with injuries. I did win the trophy for most blood.


After 8 years Danny finally came home with first place.... well, he didn't get to take the trophy home, it stays in Trevor's garage till next year.


Now it's time to start training on the road bike.