Weekly Jog Log January 2nd-January 8th

Monday 1/2/2012
Vulture Peak-3.89 miles (47:49)
Took a ride out to Wickenburg to take Patsy to her new job. I had the day off and thought I'd spend some time out here hiking, running and geocaching. Was a tough run because my body has been rather immobile for about ten days and this was the first real effort. It was a beautiful climb and visibility was very good from the top. Unfortunately I didn't take any photos because my phone died on the way out. Was good to get back on the trails.

Tuesday 1/3/2012
AM-Arizona Canal-5.49 miles (45:01) +6 mins barefoot
Just a standard morning run in the canal. Spotted an owl perched on the guard rail this morning and got to pondering what it would be like to get attacked by an owl. Came to the conclusion that it would be quite frightening. Thankfully I'm not a rodent and lets hope the owl never mistakes my headlamp for a glowing mouse!

PM-Arizona Canal Bike Home-12 miles (53 mins)
I will be riding the bike more for the next couple of weeks since my car now drives an hour to Wickenburg each day.

Wednesday 1/4/2012
AM-Arizona Canal-5.9 miles (49 mins) + Barefoot
I'm having to get up earlier to get my miles in now since we have to leave the house by 6:30 if Patsy is going to make it to work on time. Makes for a very long day but I'm adjusting. I set out on my usual path and planned on an uneventful run but it turned out to be more eventful than I had anticipated. See here.    

PM-Arizona Canal Bike Home-12 miles (50 mins)

Thursday 1/5/2012
AM-Arizona Canal-5.42 miles (45 mins)
Decided to head toward Bell Rd. on the canal this morning to avoid the possibility of yesterday's visitor to still be sleeping under the overpass. Figured I'd let them get their rest today. Bad news about this run is that I dropped my headlamp coming back into the house and it has yet to turn back on. Frustrating. 

Friday 1/6/2012
PM-Arizona Canal Bike Home-12 miles (52 mins)

Saturday 1/7/2012
AZ Canal--Thunderbird Rec--67th Ave-18.68 (3 hours)
Decided to opt for a flat, exploratory long run. Goal was to see if I could run from the apartment all the way to the Thunderbird Rec Area. This  can be done and this will become a long run for the future. I lacked calories at the end of this run and ended up being pretty miserable for the last 3 miles or so due to the lack of fuel.

Sunday 1/8/2012
Arizona Canal-7.8 miles (78 mins)
Nice, easy run with Patsy. Legs felt pretty good after yesterday's run.

Run Total: 47.22 Miles
Total Time: 7 hrs 23 mins
Bike Total: 49.08 Miles
Total Time: 3 hrs 29 mins

As you can see it was quite a busy week. This is true both on the running, cycling, and commuting front. Patsy now commutes an hour to work each day so we are required to get up quite early in order for me to get to work on time. I am now biking home again which allows me the opportunity to get some cross training in for an afternoon workout. I also was able to get in a good back to back longer runs in this weekend. These runs were completed almost entirely on the blacktop because there is a chance I may be a late-minute entry in the Rock n Roll Marathon this weekend. Details are still pending on that  Until then, enjoy these pictures from our Christmas trip to Minnesota.

Jog on Mates! 

Dogs in the Night

My run this morning turned out to be a rather eventful one. So much so that it is receiving it's own post. Over my years of running I have encountered dogs in many different capacities. Some bolt out of no where to scare you until you mess yourself but then sheepishly retreat at one harsh word. The leashed kind seem to be the most obnoxious as they jump against their owner's weight in attempts to get a piece of your calf muscle. This morning I was treated with an encounter of a new sort. About a mile into my usual course, I begin my descent into the welcoming arms of the canal that conveniently runs next to our apartment. As slow to scale down the boulder-strewn wall, a shrill bark pierces the night.  Instantly my body freezes in place and every hair stands on end. The glow from my headlamp attempts to open the veil of darkness but the source of the sound cannot be located. Finally the adrenaline loosens it's grip on my muscles and I begin to move only to be stopped by another bark. This time my eyes become fixated on two glowing eyes peering at me from under the overpass. A turning point. A decision must be made.

Do I continue and hope this animal is friendly and is just letting me know that it is there or do I turn back to the warmth and safety that is my bed?

Compromise.

I'll run with this rock in my hand, so if the animal does decide it would like a taste, I can do my best to bludgeon its efforts. Slowly I tip-toe past the animal and it's now visible, human companions. One of the persons begins to stir as I hasten my steps and continue on into the darkness, rock still in hand. I am still cold with fear and forget that I am now running and should be concentrating on foot placement rather than unfortunate mammals behind me. After a prayer for the individuals and their health, I am comforted that the Lord has provided man with an animal for companionship. That dog wanted nothing to do with me but just wanted to give a warning shout to both his master's and myself to make each party aware of the other. So next time you are chased down the road by someone's rampant companion, swiftly kick the animal in the jowls, then say a prayer for the owner, and thank the Lord for the companions the He has provided.


Jog on Mates!

What in the world is a Haboob?

Record-breaking haboob rolling over Phoenix

Another shot of the haboob

The Ha-whats?? A haboob, according to the ever-so-reliable source, Wikipedia, is “a type of intense sandstorm commonly observed in arid regions throughout the world.” In laymen terms, a haboob is simply a dust storm. Given the fact that Arizona is a fairly arid region located in the Sonoran desert, this phenomemon has become a recent guest of the Phoenix area. In the last month, we have witnessed one of the Largest Haboobs in the state's history as well as a smaller counterpart a week later. I am not a weather expert, but my keen observation skills have led me to believe that these haboobs are signs of the monsoon season that we were warned about. I was given the pleasure of observing this haboob-monsoon combo move last week while enjoying a bowl of Pho with Stash, Ellie, and Patsy. Now one of the key components of these monsoons is rain. Yes I said rain. Rain, this also has become a foreign event to me and I almost forgot that the sky was capable of producing such moisture. The rain in Arizona does some crazy things.The ground here is about as hard as the asphalt on your driveway so when it rains, the water does not soak in but pools up and finds the lowest point it can get to....the canals.

Another haboob

In addition to the haboobs and monsoon-like rain, we have also been afforded the joy of a recent thunderstorm. At about 10:30 PM the other night, while enjoying the outset of a good night's sleep, a large bolt of lightning flashed outside. Now, everyone knows that thunder always follows lightning and one can count the seconds between the flash and the thunder to determine the distance you are to the flash. Everyone also knows that the farther away the lightning, the quieter the rumble. Not the case on this particular strike. About 7.5 seconds after the lightning flash, our apartment was rattled with the loudest crack of thunder that has every entered my ear cavity.  It was as if a bomb had gone off. After about 5+seconds of continued after-rumblings, and after the house stopped vibrating, you could hear the not-so-pleasant noise of about 10-15 car alarms going off in the parking lot. Apparantly thunder of that magnitude demands a honking ovation. A 30 minute-long ovation at that.

As previously mentioned, the rain from these thunderstorms and monsoons needs to go somewhere and that somewhere is typically the canals that are spider-webbed around the city. As I mentioned in a previous post, my new running playground is the canal that is adjacent to our apartment. I now see the value in these canals and their purpose. Although they may be dry and serve a great place to stretch my legs in the morning, they are also a great place to get really muddy after a rain storm. My runs have now been converted into a navigational challenge as I do my best to avoid the mud holes. This is obviously nearly impossible at 4 in the morning and I often give up and just trudge through the mud. Much to my wife's displeasure I might add.

So what have I learned about Arizona weather??

1. It does rain here. And when it does, it rains hard and fast and then floods.

2. A haboob is not a dirty name high school kids are calling each other these days. Although I wouldn't be surprised if it soon becomes a slang term of some sort.

3. Running in the mud isn't as fun as it was when you were a kid. There is a lot of cleanup involved and it is still a recipe to get you in trouble with the woman of the house.The only advantage that I have now, is my wife doesn't have a freezing cold garden hose to spray me with when I get home. That one's for you, mom.


Jog on Mates!

Rock, Paper, Scissors, Toe....who wins??

We all know the rules to this game but who wins when you throw a fourth player, my toe, into the mix.  This is a story about an experience that I had with this very game this last week. The answer, as much as I regret to say this, is rock. I know, pretty obvious, but you never know when an underdog will prevail. In this instance, the underdog was my left, big toe and it did not prevail. This past Wednesday morning, on my morning jaunt thru the canal, I decided I wanted to do a little speed work. About 4 miles in, after a 5 minute stint at about 6:15-6:30 per mile pace, I decided that my throat needed a little saturation. As I begin the usually easy process of taking a drink of water (while running mind you), I caught my right foot on a rock. Because I do not like tumbling in the cactus and rocks I did my best to try to catch myself. One way the body naturally does this is to try to “run out” of the trip. So this is what I started to do but it wasn’t long (like .000015 seconds (just a guestimate)) that I realized that I was going down. So….I just let it happen. After dusting myself off and picking up my now muddy water bottle, I felt a slight twinge in my left toe. Thinking that I only stubbed it badly and possibly just bent the toenail back, I continue the remaining two miles back to the bike trail. This is where I typically finish my run with a 1-1.5 mile barefoot run. Upon removing my socks and shoes I realized that what I thought was a slight bending back of the toenail, was actually a complete removal of the toenail. Looked a little something like this….

Obviously I wasn’t about to put my socks and shoes back on so I just ran home that way. Leaving quite the odd looking foot prints along the way. So….the moral of this story is…don’t always bet on the underdog, or the big toe. The rock is typically going to win this one. On a better note….I finally bought some new running shoes and I think the reason I had this little mishap is because the old shoes knew that it was their last time out on the trails with me. My old Sauconys were good to me though. You can see (pic below) that they got some good use. This is the first shoe that I have literally ran the tread off of. 

Running the tread off

I am now comfortably enjoying the New Balance MT101 and am pretty sure I am love with those shoes. I have one week to get them broken in on some desert trails and then I am venturing back to Virginia for a week where I will have a few dates with trails there.

Dreaming of trail runs….Jog on mates!

My New Found "Trail"

Once again, it has been some time since I’ve updated this thing. Sorry.  So what have I been up to since you last heard from me? Well….lace up your boots…a whole lot and a whole lot of the same. Riveting, I know! I have been running a lot more. I discovered a local “trail” that I have put to good use. I suppose I should rephrase, it’s not actually a trail. It’s actually just the canal with some open sections on either side. As I have previously mentioned, our apartment complex is conveniently located on the Aqua Fria Canal here in the greater phoenix area. Well this canal is lined by bike trails that one can run/bike/skate/skip/walk/jog/scoot all about the city. The problem is, I detest pavement, almost as much as I detest dreadmills. Okay not quite that much, but, when given the option, I’ll choose the dirt right next to the pavement every time. So this is exactly what I’ve been doing. Every morning at the late hour of 4am, I’ll lace up my tattered shoes and venture south on the bike trail for about a mile, and then continue on thru the brush, swamp, rock bed, or whatever it is. There really isn’t a trail or any markings just two 20 foot concrete walls with about 100-200 yards of brush, swamp, water, cactus, dirt and garbage in between. This is where I run. It is the closest thing to trail run I can find while being extremely far from single-track. The terrain varies from sand to large boulders which would break my ankle in two if given the proper opportunity. We will definitely avoid this at all costs. Now you may be wondering why I would venture from perfectly paved smoothness to this rocky wasteland?? Well…as previously mentioned, I detest pavement. So this “trail” provides the perfect escape. Although I would much prefer to go run the many mountain recreation areas here, but, time is an enemy that is rarely defeated. So it on this “trail” I find my solace.

Now one would think that because this “trail” is located in the city, or in the suburb at least (if Phoenix has suburbs??), it would be devoid of much wildlife. Very wrong. Here I have seen a wealth of wildlife. Actually nearly every morning I encounter a whole family of coyotes that lives within a mile of my apartment. I've tried catching one of them but they are always just out of reach.

Guess I need to get some more speed work in. I also have recently found a large family of javelinas about 4 miles from my apartment. Now these buggers scare me. They are basically a big ole pig but I know what pigs can do to someone if they are spooked or just plain feel like eating you. Luckily they run away every time I come trudging by. The most common species is the common jack rabbit. See tons of these. They are everywhere and are wicked fast. If only I had ears like that. I have yet to see a snake in the canal and I hope to keep it that way. However, Patsy and I did have a rather frightening encounter with one about a week ago while on a trail run in Deem Hills Recreation Area. We ran to the top of the small mountain there to watch the sunset and then took the trail back down. By the time we were down it was getting dark and as we rounded a corner we both froze when we heard the rattle of snake. I had hair sticking up in places I didn’t even know there was hair. Good news is, I guess the snake will warn you before it takes a bite out of your leg. That is if you don’t step on it first. This prompted me to do some research on how to treat snake bites if you are out and about. I guess you are supposed to cut an “X” between the bite marks and then suck out as much of the poison as you can. We’ll just make sure to avoid that event. 

Other than the above running adventures, I have continued my daily 12 mile commute from work every day. Yes it has hit 110 degrees on some days and makes the day quite toasty, but the dry heat is much more manageable than the humid nonsense from which we came. I’ll take this heat over VA heat any day. Not saying I don’t miss the mountains and green of Virginia, but Arizona holds a beauty that is much different and whole different type of enjoyable. I have upped my training mileage in hopes to run some longer races come fall. The first of which is the Flagstaff Marathon. This one is a wild card because Flagstaff is much higher elevation than Phoenix and I don’t think I’ll be able to get up there to run too much. So we’ll either just wing it or see what happens or I’ll just have to make a few weekend trips as the race draws closer. The one I’m really excited about is the Javelina 12 Hour Full Moon Night Run. This will be my first attempt at a race longer than 26.2 miles. Yes I know, maybe I should try a few marathon distance races first, but quite frankly, I just don’t want to. I would much rather get lost on trails for 30+ plus miles than pound pavement for 26.2 miles again. This is not saying that I won’t do a marathon again. I have some redeeming to do since the last one didn’t go as well as I had hoped. But that is a whole different story. For now, I’m going to continue to explore my new found trail and get myself into the best trail-running shape I can so I start doing some longer trail races this fall. I hope you’ve all enjoyed this rather long prose on what I’ve been doing….if you got this far…thanks for caring! I promise, we'll meet again! 

Jog on Mates! 

Graduation Weekend…back to Lynchvegas!

This past weekend my wife and I traveled back to Lynchburg, VA to participate in our graduation ceremony to confer our master’s degrees. My wife received her Masters in Professional Counseling and I will be getting mine in Teaching as soon as I finish my last classes this summer. The ceremony was awesome and over 10,000 students graduated. My parents and my sister flew in from MN for the occasion and as always time with them was too short but tons of fun. Aside from the obvious fun of hanging out with them, I was equally stoked to run on the trails surrounding Liberty Mountain. Upon arriving, I was disheartened to learn that the forecast for the weekend was rainy with a chance of rain. Luckily,  the rain held off for the graduation as well as both of my morning trail runs. I did however manage to find myself some large mud holes in which to dirty myself. Below are some pictures taken from my phone while on the run. As you can see, my phone doesn't take the greatest of pictures but it does the trick.

I'm grouping 2 weeks of training together because I'm still playing catch-up and have been very busy. I am currently researching some races near Phoenix to run this fall. You can see the very, very tentative race schedule posted on the right. These are all up in the air as of right now because money and time off work are going to play a part in them since most are 4-5 hours away, save a few. But either way, I'm training to be ready to run an Ultra this fall. Most of my weekly mileage is done on the flat bike path near my place and I try to get my weekend runs done in the "mountains" in the city. My run mileage has been quite low due to increased bike mileage and simply lack of hours in the day. I've also sufficiently bruised the mess out of my feet.

Monday, 5/2/2011
AM-Ride to Work-11.66 miles (45:35)

PM-Ride part way home from work-7.25 miles (27:38)
      -Flat Tire Run-4.13 (34:06)
Ended up blowing a tire on my way during this run so had to run whilst pushing my bike the rest of the way. Ended up making pretty good pace considering I was pushing a deflated bike. Looked pretty retarded too.

Wednesday, 5/4/2011
Arizona Canal-3.13 miles (22:52)

Thursday, 5/5/2011
Arizona Canal-4.76 miles (34:58)

Sunday, 5/8/2011
Hedgepeth Hills-5.45 miles (53:14)

Monday 5/9/2011
Bike from Work-11.88 miles (49:51)

Tuesday 5/10/2011
AM-Arizona Canal-3.01 miles (23:13)

PM-Bike from Work-11:11 miles (44:34)

Wednesday 5/11/2011
Shaw Butte Trail-5.19 miles (53:06)
Tried out the North Mountain Preserve area next to work. Good trails. Really rocky but some decent elevation change. Will try to use this trail more often. Most likely will have to be in the morning as the afternoons are getting too hot for my liking. Ran a mile barefoot on the infield of the track by work while waiting for Patsy to come pick me up.

Thursday 5/12/2011
Ride home from Work-12.85 miles (57:50)

Sunday 5/15/2011
LMTS-Lake Trail/Great Escape/Split Decision-7.5 miles (1:18:20)
Great run on the trails. Started the run very early and in the dark and the rain so it was very slow going to start with and the slow pace seemed to continue throughout the whole run. I didn't mind because it was good to be back out in the woods again.

Was nice to run under a canopy and in the mud and green! 

 

 

It was also nice to get some decent hill climbing in as well. The run up the Split Decision road/trail is all uhill and by the top I was above the low cloud/fog and the sunrise was beautiful. Monday I ran basically the same route with a short detour onto the lawn mower trail, picture featured here.

High quality images from my high-res phone!

Fog or clouds?

As always friends...

My contribution to the graffiti in the gazebo on the mountain

Terrapin Mountain Half Marathon

Wow so this post initial was written on the 29th of March...Better late than never right?? Obviously things have been a bit busy. So here it is...my very belated Terrapin Mountain Half report.

Prerace, trying to wake up

I had originally intended on running the 50k version of this race but grad school and moving have significantly limited my training. I actually wasn't even going to do this race at all because of fear DNF due to poor training. I registered knowing that if I didn't register I wouldn't actually race. Weather for race day called for rain and it was actually fairly chilly. I struggled with shoe choice because my only trail shoes are the minimus and I have had just a few miles on them. I was nervous about how my calves and legs would feel as this was going to be the longest run I've done wearing these shoes. The race began with the sound of a gong and off we went went down paved road. I made sure to put myself closer to the front of the group because I knew the pace would slow considerably once we hit the base of the hill.The road slowly changed from pavement into gravel, from gravel to stones, and from stones to boulders, stumps, twigs, roots, streams and mud...the works.

As I expected the climb was slow. But I was able to run the majority of the time. One thing I didn't consider was the amount of rocks and roots I would encounter. The shoes held up great but I think that for future races, I may need to go with something with a little bit more cushioning because my feet were very sore from any rocks that were trod upon incorrectly. When I got to the Camping Gap aid station, I thought we were at the top but soon learned that true climb was yet to come. I didn't take any food at the aid station as I tend to lose a lot of time at aid stations and I also carried water and gels with me. After the aid station,  the course steepened considerably and I was forced to power hike the majority of this portion to the summit. Once at the top,  the course breaks from the actual trail and you have to climb out on the peak to punch your bib, proving that you've actual braved the climb and reached the summit. I wish they would subtract at least five minutes from your time so you could stay and enjoy the view.

After the summit, then comes Fat Mans Misery. Now, I had heard of this in the pre-race briefing but had no clue what to expect. This turned out to be a space between two rocks that were at angles that you had to climb thru. This is where my first big scare came . As I was climbing down my right foot slipped and my left stayed planted. Now my left knee is the one that I unfortunately had surgically altered due to multiples dislocations and isn't quite as sturdy as the other. Thankfully nothing came of the slip and, unlike most other runners, I found the second punch.

From this point the trail follows the ridge for a while and then begins downhill...rapidly. This was the best part of the race. The pain of the four mike climb was erased with the elation of cruising across the ridge. Once the trail starts down I found it difficult to hold back too much. Once on the Rock Garden the run became more of a controlled fall making sure to pick up my feet so not to go down the remaining decline on my face.

It was on this downhill where I met Tom. Tom and I talked for a while about our New Balance shoe choice. Tom probably made the wiser choice with the 101s but I was very pleased with the Minimus. I passed a few others at this point and was very pleased with how my downhill running had improved. Once again, I didn't take any food at the second aid station. I stopped briefly to throw my trash and then started back up the hill.  This part was very fun as it was just a constant up and down on rolling hills that switched back and forth so you could see runners in front and behind. There were a few small stream crossings scattered throughout, just enough to keep your feet soggy. Tom caught up to me here and was a good pick-me-up as I was struggling on some of the uphill portions. I matched Tom's pace for the remainder of the race.The trail eventually returns downhill the same way we came up earlier. The Reed Creek crossing seemed deeper than the first time and there just so happened to be a photographer strategically placed here hoping to catch any unlucky persons who may fall. Thankfully I didn't get caught in a photo or in the creek. The remainder of the course is all down hill and eventually back to the road we started on. As we came out of the forest we were accompanied by a hound dog who ended up clipping Tom's heels and bowled him over. About a mile or so from the finish I decided to test my leg speed and opened it up a bit for a strong finish. After high-fiving Clark and changing in my car I returned to learn that I had actually placed 12h overall which was way better than I thought I was going to do.

Finishing

This race confirmed my love and adoration for trail runs and proved the value in mountain training/running. Please check the next post for updates on my new running venue. Quite different from what I am used to but will be fun.

Bi-Weekly Jog Log: Mar. 7-Mar. 20

Due to crazy busy happenings this blog may become neglected and possibly a bit stagnant in the coming months. I am hoping to keep up with and I will definitely have some good stories as there are lots of new developments in the Carlson family. I will be sure to keep everyone updated as to those as they happen. 

Wednesday 3/9/2011
Blackwater- 7 miles (1:00)
First day back running in a couple days due to busy but successful weekend of traveling. My wife surprised me yet again with a pair of New Balance Trail Minimus. Love them! I didn't take much heed to the warning listed on the shoes that calf strain is likely and I ran until I got sore...most likely a mistake but was very enjoyable. These shoes are awesome. Closest thing to the ground without sacrificing comfort or safety.

Thursday 3/10/2011
Poplar forest-7 miles (61:00) + Barefoot
Real Rainy, sluggish run this morning. nothing special.

Friday 3/11/2011
Beechwood -2.7 miles (21:00)
Nice shakeout run this morning in the Vibrams. Took it easy because my calves were still a little sore.

Sunday 3/13/2011
Apple Orchard Falls Hike
It was a gorgeous day today so me and the family decided to take a hike to Apple Orchard Falls. I was also using this to scout part of the trails used for the Promised Land 50k as I intend on running that (depending on AZ move). Beautiful hike! The trail was a little washed out and even underwater in some places due to the recent rain.

Stash and I in the middle of the falls.

Monday 3/14/2011
Run home from Work-5 miles (41:00)
Had a lot of time off my feet in the past two weeks and this was meant to be just a quick jaunt home and ended up going really well. I was able to really test my speed and how long I can hold a quick pace.

Wednesday 3/16/2011
Hortons Dam Playground-4.5 miles (46:00)
Overslept this morning so I wasn't able to go near as long as I wanted to. I was planning on doing 10-12 miles but only did 4. Lots of up and down on the Liberty Trail System on some trails I haven't hit up yet. I also registered for the Terrapin Mountain Half Marathon. I was hoping to be fit enough to have a go at my first 50k but I haven't been able to get even one "long" run in, let alone multiple long runs.


Thursday 3/17/2011
Poplar Forest - 7 miles + barefoot (58:00) 
Finally was able to conquer daylight's savings time. Ever since we've had to change the clocks I have had the hardest time getting up at my normal 5 am. Finally was able to get out of bed this morning and wow was it dark. Rather uneventful run, minus the old man who looked like he was cross-country skiing and wearing a HAZMAT suit.

Saturday 3/19/2011
Farm Road/Towles Mill-7.5 miles (1:08)
This was originally going to be a long run but due to the weekend's travel plans I needed to cut the run short. I did the full run in the Vibrams and my legs were really quite sore so it was good to only go so far.

My training has been quite casual as of late due to busy schedule getting ready for April's big adventure. I'm going to be racing on Saturday in the Terrapin Mountain Half and I'm excited to put my legs to the test although a bit nervous about my current level of fitness. I guess we'll see. My calves have been a constant area of soreness so I'm going to take it pretty easy this week.  


 

Weekly Jog Log: Feb. 28-Mar. 6

Tuesday 3/1/2011
Poplar Forest - 7 miles + barefoot (56:00)
Had a good run this morning. Was a bit chilly because the air was very damp from all the rain we had yesterday. Most mornings I do this run with my head lamp so I don't face plant on the back roads by poplar forest. There seems to be a high frequency of large, misplaced boulders that more often than is desirable decide to jump out at my feet. Well this morning I forgot my limitation a almost paid for it. Due to recent gale force winds, there just so happens to be a large number of giant sticks all over. These sticks are also completely invisible to the human eye at 5:30 in the morning. Thankfully, the particular stick that decided to make acquaintances with my shin, was kind enough to break before bringing me to the ground. The other issue with forgetting your headlamp is this, in the rare occasion that you happen to meet other morning joggers who were fortunate to remember their illumination, they can't see you. Doesn't matter if you are wearing a bright obnoxious reflective vest and breathing like a stuck pig at christmas. This chick just about ran me over but right before the impending collision, she saw me an most likely pooped herself from fear. Quite hilarious until I see the same joggers three miles later. I'm very sorry for whoever you are!

Wednesday 3/2/2011
LMTS-10 miles + barefoot
Ran up Candlers mountain and the back thru the trails via the camp hydeaway trail head. This was only meant to be a six mile jaunt but ended up being around ten. I got really hungry during this run. Actually, the last two days I've gotten real hungry mid run. I think my fat stores might officially gone and now I will really need to concentrate on fueling. Finished the run with a fast barefoot loop around campus.

Thursday 3/3/2011
Poplar forest-7 miles (55:00)
Ran in the Vibrams today. My intention was to just go real easy but my feet tend to get a little carried away in the Vibrams. Ended up turning into a training run of sorts. Felt good to sustain a strong effort for a couple miles. I also got cussed at by some older lady in 70s jogging suit because her dog would have rather joined me than trudged along with her. Rude!

Friday 3/4/2011
Subway run-3.5 miles (35:00)
Ran to subway and back with Patsy to get some lunch. We went at the worst possible time because school was letting out and there was lots of traffic and Patsy is not very skilled when it comes to navigating traffic as a pedestrian. Sorry love! Was real easy jog just to get to my legs moving.

The running week was cut short due to some scheduling mix-ups at work and weekend travel plans. It was still a good week of running and outdoor enjoyment. Due to a successful(more about this later) weekend trip, let's just say my scenery will be changing soon. Please check back for some exciting updates on that subject!

Total Miles Jogged: 27 miles
Total Time Jogging: 4 hours

Weekly Jog Log: Feb. 14-Feb 20....Has anyone seen the girl in Pink??

Monday 2/14/2011
Poplar Forest-7 miles (55:00)
Valentines Day! Was able to get a good run in before heading off to work. Made sure to order some flowers for my wife before leaving.

Today brought with it some very big news for our household. Patsy was offered an internship position at Remuda Ranch in Wickenburg, AZ. This is an offer that we've been praying about and hoping for for a while now so it is almost 100% that we will be moving to Arizona. So, now I am on the job hunt and we are hopeful. Thankfully, Remuda has told us that the position will be waiting for her until we can make the necessary arrangements. This is truly an answer to prayer as Patsy has been dreaming of working at an establishment such as this. Now we just need to find a job for me and then finalize the technicalities. I'm excited for a new set of trails and running routes. I am not such a fan of the warm weather year-round but I hear that it is beautiful there. Plus, it will be fun to start a new adventure!

Tuesday 2/15/2011
Rainbow Forest- 5.3 miles (48:00)
Lots on the mind this morning. Lots of prayer about future decisions and what moving to AZ might entail. Actually ended up taking the day off work I got myself so worked up. Good news...I feel much more at peace about everything now. God is so good and knows what He is doing and just wants us to trust Him.

Wednesday 2/16/2011
Candlers Mtn.-8.7 miles + Barefoot (1:22)
Great run up Candlers Mountain and then back through on the Lake Trail to Snowflex. Finished with a barefoot loop around campus. Always fun to see the looks you get when you run around public places without shoes on. If only they knew the freedom of running unshod.

Thursday 2/17/2011
Richland Hills- 6 miles + Barefoot (56:30)
Just a casual run around the Richland Hills area. Didn't have a plan for this run just wanted to get out and run around. While running and enjoying the view of the moon, this random thought came to mind. Everyone enjoys seeing a sunrise and sunset and also enjoy the moonrise but how many people get to enjoy the moonset? That number I would imagine is much smaller. Oh the joys of getting up at the crack of dawn!

Saturday 2/19/2011
Run to Snowflex - 5 miles (42:00)
Liberty Mountain 5K -22nd out of 193 (25:08)

Snowflex to Home - 6 miles + Barefoot (55:00)
Because Saturdays are typically my long run day I had a bit of a dilemma since the Liberty Mountain 5K was on the same day. So....to remedy this problem, I just ran to the race, ran the race, and then ran home. This was the first time I was going to be racing since the Marathon and I have not done any speed training so I didn't have too high of hopes for a 5K. I have been running these trails a lot lately so I felt I would do well coping with the technical aspects of the trail as well as the hills. Thankfully my hill training paid off and I felt very strong on the uphill parts of the race, which was pretty much the whole second half of the race. It felt great to get out and run fast and I was very please with my performance and how well my legs and feet felt after already having run 8 miles on the morning. After the races was over I ate some fruit and then headed home.

The afternoon proved to be rather eventful as my wife had big plans for my birthday weekend. I had no clue what the plan for the day was. After watching Manchester United move on to the next round of the FA Cup, Patsy and I got in the car and headed north. I had no clue where we were going because she wouldn't tell me where we were going. The ride up was quite eventful as our area of Virginia has been hit with forest fires. About 15 minutes south of Charlottesville the road was covered in thick smoke from a fire somewhere to the West. The smell of smoke reminded me of the times my dad, my brother, and I would burn the swamps back in Minnesota. Miss those times!

Once we got to Charlottesville, Patsy surprised me by taking me to Blue Ridge Mountain Sports Store to get fitted for some Vibrams. Patsy isn't too fond of my recent infatuation with running barefoot so she decided to help my poor little feet by getting me some Vibrams. After the shoes, we ventured to the Downtown Grille, where we had a rather...um...interesting dinner. Lets just say, they make good steak, as for sides...we'll just say lacking.

New Running Shoes

Sunday 2/20/2011
Blackwater Creek Bike Trail- 9.3 miles (1:30)
Today is my birthday! Patsy made me breakfast in bed this morning! I housed 4 cinnamon rolls in about 5 minutes accompanied with a big cup of Dunkin Donuts. Doesn't get much better than that. After church, Patsy and I went to the bike trail for her weekly long run. Rather than doing this run barefoot, I wore the Vibrams. This run is the reason for the title of this weeks entry. I desperately wanted to try the Vibrams on some trails because I have been dying to go completely barefoot on some single track but the frequency of rocks, sticks, stumps, shards of glass, razor blades, heroine needles, and whatever else may be lurking beneath those leaves has kept my shoes on when on the unbeaten path. So after about 2 miles of pavement I convinced Pats to let me venture off on some of the dirt trails that Blackwater Creek area has to offer. I had planned on joining back up with after a short test run. Problem #1: Neither of us had our phone. Problem #2: I underestimated the speediness of my blonde beauty.

After my short jaunt on the dirt trails, I ventured back up to the paved bike path. Thanks to Patsy's bright pink shirt and blonde hair she is usually easily to spot. However, I did not see her. "Did you guys pass a girl in bright pink?" I inquired of two gentleman as they jogged by. They told me they had so I started up the trail the way we had been going when we parted ways. So I took off at pretty decent clip thinking I would catch up with her in short notice. But I began to second guess her whereabouts as I met another runner in pink. So after about a mile I decided I would turn around, thinking that I must still be ahead of her. After returning to the trail with still no blonde in tow, I once again turned around again. After passing the same people for the 3rd time I finally decided to just run the length of the trail. Sure enough, two in a half miles later I find her waiting for me. So what was supposed to be a 7-8 mile easy run turned into a 9+ mile run with about 2-3 miles of speed and anxiety in the middle. I guess from now on when I want to do some speed work I'll just tell my wife to go out and get lost and I'll sprint around to find her. We'll call them "Patsy Mile Repeats".

This is me running thru the woods in my new shoes

Total Miles Jogged: 51 miles
Total Time Jogging: 7:36 hours
Total Elevation: 4,578 feet

Jog on Mates!