The Snark Bark Returns...

The Great Antarctic Ice Sheet (formerly known as Fort Collins) has returned. Today it was windy as hell and sort of cold. Not as cold as it was windy.

I took the day off from running and went for a walk with the girls. The girls cross the ice sheets in the neighborhood carefully. They know.

I was so sore from those Maniacs! My legs hurt a little on Thursday but today they were screaming! I sat in the hot tub and later I did some work with the foam roller. Tomorrow's 30 miler should clean them out.

Isabelle checks out the Great Antarctic Ice Sheet. She's hoping for warm weather to melt some of it. Tomorrow could be a challenge running through the streets, before and after it melts. It's either a slick sheet of ice, or slush. Fun.

It's supposed to be warm tomorrow, which I doubt after today, but they say it's supposed to hit nearly 60 degrees. The polar vortex finally left us alone. Except it left some clouds in the sky which ruined what was supposed to be a view of the Aurora Borealis last night. We don't normally get to see that this far south. Damn vortex.

Speaking of the vortex, I had these awful work nightmares twice this week. I can't remember the first dream I had but last night I dreamed of being back in ICU. Somehow I got floated to ICU and they gave me this guy who was detoxing from alcohol, on an Ativan drip, and I had to get report from this other nurse but our shoelaces were tied together in a tight little knot. He wanted to give me report and go home but he couldn't leave because our shoes were knotted up together. Then I couldn't find the Pyxis or the bathroom, either.

And if that wasn't nightmarish enough, then they made me attend this meeting with people I had to work with at the hospital- including some of my least favorite ex-coworkers- and I was so bored out of my mind that I peeled all the skin off my fingers and I had these shredded ribbons of skin hanging off my hands. WTF!

I think I'm having those work nightmares because over the past few days I've read too many reports in medical newsletters talking about nurses being fatigued and regretting the clinical decisions they make, and also hearing from former coworkers that the hospital is going through the motions of yet another Magnet status attempt or something like that.

Well, duh! on both counts! If Magnet really meant anything it would have made working conditions better for nurses a long time ago. All it does is perpetuate the cycles of the enslavement culture.

Since Magnet is nothing but a piece of bling to put on an organization's website and means nothing in terms of real clinical quality, but the public doesn't know that, it will only be a matter of time. When hospitals get their Magnet designation, they always rush to announce it again in the paper about their latest "award" in an giant self-congratulatory public relations circle jerk, as if it means something other than they bought their way to another award, and I wish the public would EFFing wake up about health care and big corporations!

It's simply obesification of the corporate world. Unlike human beings who get big bellies or big butts, corporations gain upper body fat. All the lard goes straight to the top.

And I must be doing better now that I've been out of it for 2 months, because my sense of snark has returned.

Last night I got the good news from my brother that he, my sister-in-law, and my niece Jenny will be up here visiting in March so Jenny can look at Colorado State and CU in Boulder. Jenny and I have our birthdays three days apart in March and we will celebrate both of ours, Jenny will be 17.

I really don't see Jenny going to CSU, it's not really her type of town, but Boulder would fit her well. I was so excited, having Jenny and all of them here will be like a birthday present for me.

That didn't stop my 4 years younger bro from giving me shit about getting old. We have a similar sense of humor so of course it deteriorated...

And it's the middle of January, almost. We're three weeks past solstice. Tonight, for the first time, I noticed that the sun was up a little longer at the end of the day, it was light past five o'clock! I told you it's spring!

I wish I could convince Isabelle, who has the mid-winter blues...

Four Maniacs

Finally we got some sunshine and things started melting! It's not warm, but 40 degrees above zero beats 13 below!

I'm feeling good. The training is going reasonably well now. Despite the recent lack of sugar and grains in my diet I've had plenty of energy and I don't feel bad at all doing 2-3 hours of workouts a day. I happen to be very inspired right now...by my upcoming new age group and by all the records that were set at Across the Years this year.

This morning I watched this interview of Joe Fejes right after the 6 Day race finish. I love his racing and training strategies. But the classic Joe Fejes statement comes right in the middle of the video.

"For some reason, I seem to be a decent multiday runner. So go figure..."

Decent.

It shows his humility, which is always refreshing in elite runners, and listening to him, you know this guy's head and heart are in the right place, and I wish him the best of luck this summer in Alaska. He's a true champion and a nice guy.

Today it was hill workout day, and I needed a little more of a challenge than I've been doing lately. I've stuck to short little hill repeats or a quick 10 mile out and back on Centennial Drive. I'm looking forward to getting up on the Rock Repeats soon, but I'm not quite ready and I don't want to trash my legs the first time I go. I opted for something in-between with a little more vertical today.

The view going up is of Horsetooth Rock and Longs Peak, but you could only see a little of Longs due to cloud cover.

Maniac Hill is known locally among cyclists and runners for it's hill training merits, it's close to town but has a good steady steep climb. I chose north Maniac today, starting from Maxwell Trail parking area behind Hughes Stadium.

I ran four repeats, from the starting line of the Horsetooth Half Marathon, to the top of Maniac Hill, and back. It gave me roughly 10.8 miles and it took 2 hours. Not sure of the vertical total but I think it's about 500 feet per hill from bottom to top, so roughly 2000 feet of climb and the same of descent. I didn't push hard, I just climbed and descended, very relaxed. Just getting the legs used to going up and down.

The whole way up, the shoulder was mostly covered with slush when I started, but by the time I finished things were in a good thaw and it was just wet. At the top of the hill it was clear and the shoulder was runnable. Fortunately all the motorists were nice today, no one tried to run me off the road or splash me with slush.

I hope the weather continues like this, looks like we could have a nice day for a 30 miler later this week.

Blame it on the Polar Vortex! And MICROspikes Trail Review

That was the temperature on Monday morning!

This is the second time it's been super cold this winter. I hope this is the end of it. Oops, meant to say spring. It's the first cold weather of spring, the season that is 7 days old.

This morning it was much warmer, 12 degrees above zero when I woke up. I met Emma for a trail run this morning in the foothills, which was a nice change from my usual road runs, and nice to have company along for the run.

It also gave me a chance to test the MICROspikes on the trails. Thanks to Emma, who took the pictures of me in the MICROspikes!

I liked the way they grip both uphill and downhill. They don't feel too heavy.

I think the MICROspikes outdo the Yak Trax in every way, with two little exceptions: the price, and the weight. If you're looking for something for short, casual walks in the neighborhood, or short term solutions around the house like snow shoveling, then Yak Trax make sense for the price.

For any active outdoor use, the MICROspikes are the way to go. No issues with them slipping off or rolling under your feet. I was able to accelerate, even downhill, without feeling like I might slip. The only thing I would like is something a little lighter weight. It sounds like Kahtoola will come up with such a device soon. Thanks to Josh from Kahtoola for the opportunity to try these and review them!

It was such a beautiful morning, even with the cloud cover, seeing the light over the foothills. Such a relief to get off the roads and back up on trails. No ankle problems, either. In the snow it seems like my ankles do better than on the dirt and rocky surfaces. Or maybe it's just because it's been so long since I ran trails that my ankles are better.

This week the world resumed it's post-holiday frenzy. Monday I stayed home all day, it was killer cold and I rode the bike a total of 2 hours indoors, did some weights, and mostly studied. I did a lot of cooking too, soup and roasted vegetables.

I've been able to stick to the plan and I haven't been hungry. I'm eating five or six times a day, tons of veggies, like a whole head of cauliflower or a whole bag of baby carrots every day, along with other things: kale, zucchini, and a lot of protein. No sugar or fruit and almost all my carbs from vegetables. No grains or anything like that right now.

My challenge will be this week when I do my long run fueled by a very limited number of foods. Fortunately this will be the only long run I have to do during this time while I'm restricting my food intake. Running 30 or so miles on carrots could be interesting. Stay out of my way!

It's too snowy for Buffaloes to go very far outside, they don't like those paw covers, we've tried them. Isabelle doesn't even want to go when it's this cold, and Iris goes about half a mile before she starts complaining of ice balls in her paws. It's supposed to warm up into the 40s by midweek. Then we can have the ice dams at both ends of the street and the great Antarctic ice sheet will be back to cover the neighborhood like a skating rink.

But this year, I will have MICROspikes. Polar vortex, MWAH-HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

photo credit: all photos of MICROspikes by Emma Bootle Peskind

8K, 9F, and MICROspikes Road Review

I woke up at 5:30 a.m., no excuses. Got my butt out the door in these conditions plus a mild wind chill. The Edora Park Tortoise & Hare series 8K is always held on what seems to be the coldest, windiest, snowiest weekend of the year. At least when I show up, it's like that.

It goes along the Spring Creek and Poudre Trails, an out and back. The paths are always plowed so it's the best footing in town when the conditions are not so great for running.

I was the first one to arrive, so I went out for a little warmup run. When I came back there were more people, and we ended up with 28 runners. Not bad for a cold, windy, snowy morning.

Nick drew a starting line in the snow and people started lining up in order of their handicap. My best times are much faster than what I run now, and I'm way off, so I usually get passed by everyone.

After my warmup run, I re-warmed my gloves in the car before I got started. That was a good call, because we started out in a headwind. I had a big scarf wrapped around my head and neck. I had to wait around for a long time to start with fast people, who all passed me quickly. My nose, cheeks, and chin were freezing and it didn't take long to start forming icicles on any place that was exposed.

I ran my first mile in about 9 minutes and said to hell with it and backed off to a more comfortable pace, one that hurt my face less. I kept having to knock ice chunks off my eyelashes so I could keep my eyes open. My legs were tired, probably from yesterday's run in the crappy conditions.

I was the last person to reach the finish line, and Nick was laughing as he greeted me with my popsicle stick, threatening to DQ me for "veering off course". I can always expect him to give me a hard time about something.

I ran around and did a cool down, as if I needed one, and then drove home. I was starving and freezing. I am 4 days into eating weird things and so far it is going really well. I've had a few moments of temptation but allowed those to pass. I just need to get through two weeks of it.

I wanted to test the MICROspikes today but since the trails are plowed, there was no ice or snow to run on during the 8K. Later I tested the MICROspikes in the street in front of my house, but I need to take them out this week on the trails to test them going on rough terrain and up and down hills. So far, I like them.

Kahtoola is the company that makes MICROspikes, a footwear traction device for your running shoes, or other footwear like boots. Just an aside...they are located in Flagstaff, Arizona, which also happens to be home of NAU, where I got my undergrad degree. The MICROspikes are sold at REI, or you can find them online.

MICROspikes attach to your shoes much like Yak Trax, like tire chains for your shoes. Except the MICROspikes are more like real tire chains. They are spikes mounted on chains with an elastic piece that stretches over your shoe.

They grip really well and don't have the springy feeling, like running on a Slinky, like the Yak Trax do.

They are easy to put on, no more difficult than the Yak Trax. The MICROspikes stayed on better than the Yak Trax, which tend to slip on the sole and have a tendency to come off.

They worked well both on the icy patches underneath snow and the deep snow that gets all torn up by the tread on the car tires. I never felt like I was landing on solid asphalt, even though the snow is only 3 inches deep at the most.

They were comfortable, and they fit the shoe according to the sizing chart on the box.

They were fairly easy to remove, although with cold hands, it was a struggle. No more difficult than the Yak Trax.

The only drawback I could see was that they are a little bit heavier than the Yak Trax, but in snowy conditions, who cares? They didn't feel so heavy that I couldn't run comfortably in them. I think the security of knowing you have more reliable footing is more than worth the small bit of extra weight.

What I liked best about the MICROspikes was that they felt more solid under my feet. There are 12 spikes on each foot, and they don't roll around like the Slinky-like coil on the Yak Trax, that compresses and wiggles under your feet.

Does anyone remember the Slinky? Do they still make those?

I got in trouble in physics class in high school for stretching the Slinky past it's elastic limit. Hey, it was physics!

Of course the girls had to get involved. They liked the MICROspikes, too.

As soon as I give the MICROspikes a go on the trails and hills, I'll add that to this review post.

Snowy Butts

It dumped snow for a while last night and this morning, but we only ended up with about 3 inches in our part of town.

Shoveling was the first order of business this morning. I woke up early, so I waited until it got light and went outside with the Buffaloes.

It looked like we would get hammered for a while, but it didn't amount to much except making a mess out of the streets and sidewalks. Not exactly good pogo sticking weather.

It was the kind of snow that gets stuck in little icy clumps between Buffalo toes and they needed a day off anyway, so we just played in the yard while I shoveled.

I procrastinated, it was supposed to ease up by mid-day so I took a chance on that. I did my weight workout and watched the snow. By 1 pm it wasn't letting up so I decided to go out and face it. I have some shoe spikes I need to test, but I needed to get some miles in. It's cold enough that this snow isn't going away soon, so I'll check out the MICROspikes on Sunday or Monday.

I started out in the neighborhood and it was slippery and deep, no one ever shovels their sidewalks on this one street I have to run down in order to get to anywhere. The road had icy spots that never melted from the last storm, underneath the new snow that was all torn up with tire tracks.

Usually the footing is best where the cars have gone, but not today, it was all junked up and nasty. So it took me a good half hour to run the 2.3 miles to the Power Trail, where the city has plowed the bike paths. At the beginning of the run, the Power Trail was pretty clear except for a few icy patches, but it was wet where the snow melted. It was 21 degrees when I started.

The wind was coming from the north and freezing my face off in that direction! The sun was sinking and the surface was starting to freeze, leaving patches of ice on the formerly wet surface that was plowed. Slicker than snot.

"Tough as nails" was the expression that ran through my head. I remembered the cold windy conditions at North Coast last spring. I could do it again. On one little spur off the Power Trail that I took, I noticed a sign on a fence that said this section of the trail had been adopted by the family of a former patient of mine, who passed away last spring. I thought of him, he would have loved to be out there in this snowy weather too.

The footing was getting progressively worse and I still had a mile and a quarter along the nasty unplowed side streets to get back home. I finished with 11.7 miles in two and a half hours when I got back to the warm house with waiting Buffaloes. Dennis was out watching a football game. The girls didn't seem too upset at me for not taking them.

Tomorrow is supposed to be in the single digits, I'm planning on doing the Tortoise and Hare 8K but I'm not forcing myself to wake up for it. It starts at 8 am, which is brutal, when it comes to running in the cold. If I wake up early enough I'll go, if I need the sleep, I'll stick to the warm bed. It's hard to get out of the mom sandwich between two Buffaloes when it's zero degrees outside and you really don't NEED to do the 8K.

We'll see what happens in the morning...

Swinging from the Treetops...

I slept in this morning, until about 6:45. First thing I did was check into the Across the Years (ATY) 6 day race to see how things were going between Joe Fejes and Yiannis Kouros.

The two running gods have been running within single digit miles of each other almost the entire time. Kouros is the current 6 day world record holder from Greece, and I've seen him at several races before. He's getting older, at age 57 now, but in ultras, that's a good thing.

Joe Fejes, on the other hand, is from Georgia (U.S.) and has been tearing it up on the roads for the past couple of years. He set the 72 hour record last year at ATY and that's where I first met him. He talked with me on a few laps but he was kind enough to speak with me on the phone weeks after the race to give me some 24 hour pointers, and has sent me encouraging messages at and between various events over the past year. He's my hero, basically. I never really had a running hero before but he is now it.

I was waiting for a text from Wheaties Boy this morning as we were supposed to run sometime around 9 am, which coincided with the finish of the race at ATY, so when he texted me and said he was running late, it was a lucky break. I got to see Joe break the American record and go on to win with 555.35 miles over the 6 day race.

Joe is 48 years old so that means his best years in the multiday events are still ahead of him. There are no limits, he could be swinging from the treetops...

Awesome...

The 6 day race is something I've been wanting to do, in the future, but I need to get my goals out of the way for shorter distances first. Maybe in 5 years or so. The longest run I've ever done was my Badwater road double crossing which was 270 miles over 5 days, and I loved staying out there, you get so zoned out into that rhythm of moving forward.

I got another text from Wheaties Boy and I headed out the door to run to the church parking lot where we meet. I got a couple of miles in to warm up, and ended up with 8 total. We ran about 6 miles together and I felt pretty damn good. Our first run in about 6 months! We should start meeting regularly again soon, which always helps me.

Yesterday I ran 14+ and threw a little fartlek in, just to push the pace without making it too intense. Tomorrow is an easy day with weights and then Sunday I run an 8K at Edora Park early in the morning with the running club, and it's supposed to be super cold!

This afternoon I sat in the hot tub, looking at the reflection of the treetops. I've made it to day 2 of the weight loss attempt, which is good. I haven't been hungry either. There's only a narrow range of foods I will eat for the next couple of weeks before I start adding my normal foods back. Normal healthy foods. The kind I used to eat before I got all stressed out with my old job.

And no alcohol whatsoever, either, for these two weeks. After that I'll let myself have a beer, or a glass of wine, once a week. This is more about re-establishing habits than anything. I find it takes about two weeks to get into a routine. I just needed to kick the old, bad habits.

So I can turn 50, jump on my pogo stick, swing from the treetops, and live like Sally O'Malley.

First Day of Spring 5K

Happy new year, happy January 1st, and happy first day of spring!

When I first looked out the window this morning at 6:30, the wind was howling and snow was flying in all directions. My first thought was that I was excited about the weather for the 5K, because I love bad weather! I was thinking I'm probably the only runner who is excited about running a 5K in this crap.

I signed Dennis up and told him he was running, whether he likes it or not. He always talks about running more consistently so I was just helping him with his New Years resolution. He drank his coffee and I convinced him to get his running stuff on and we drove over to Runners' Roost.

We saw a lot of people, there was a pretty good turnout. After a little socializing and a trip to the bathroom, we did a warm up run with Josh, and checked out the first mile of the course. It was slick and icy in a lot of places, and the first two tenths of a mile were as slick as a skating rink, not because of ice, but because if the surface of the road with melted snow on it.

I jumped in the crowd and got next to the curb, my strategy was to keep from slipping or injuring myself and stay near the parked cars as we took off from the start. Fortunately it worked, and the footing didn't improve much until after mile 1. I got to the first mile in 8:09, which actually surprised me because I thought I was going much slower and running flatfooted in the slick areas.

I caught up to Dennis shortly after the first turn and we ran together for about 2 miles, until he got bored or something...

I reached mile 2 in 15:57 which means it was a 7:48 mile, a little better with the footing. I could see a couple of people ahead of me I could focus on passing. I tried picking it up in the last mile but it didn't take much to feel like I was going too fast. So I settled back into that pace, maybe 7:45ish. Ended up finishing in 24:26, which is still a slow time for me but better than the last 5K I ran in the beginning of November in 25:42.

For fun, I looked at the age group placings. I was 5th in my age group today, but in 10 weeks I'll be in the next age group, and would have placed first by a long shot.

Saw my buddy Nick Clark this morning, he watched the race with his son Alistair. They just got back from the UK so he was jet lagged. He's turning 40 this year. I'm turning 50. Two runners I know are turning 60.

Should be a good year for celebrating milestone birthdays, which reminds me, I need to get my butt in gear to figure out the birthday run agenda. Hint: there might have to be some pogo stick involvement in this one.

Afterwards we hung out and socialized for a while but it was getting cold in our damp clothes, so we came home to our Buffaloes, and now I'm waiting around and doing some stuff here until later when I go out for round two, another run. And this Sunday I'll be running the Edora Park 8K with the running club.

I bought a parks pass online this morning, for Larimer County parks, which will motivate me to drag my butt up to the trailheads and start doing Rock Repeats and get back to a little trail running this year, which I'm hoping I can tolerate with my ankle.

Lots of fun things to look forward to. Happy new year!