The blog feels more and more without focus lately. I have been forcing myself to sit and write but I haven’t been that happy with what is coming out. If anyone is still following, I apologize for the lack of inspirational or motivating content. I have a love/hate relationship with writing. I seem to have the most amazing ideas for topics when I’m miles from home on the trails but once I actually sit down to write, not a word comes to me. Keeping the blog going seems like a good idea most times. It is doing a great job of keeping me honest with training mileage. I think Jakob, maybe even Sara and me, will appreciate it in years to come. It will be an interesting way to look back on who I was and what I spent my life doing.
The rain has been falling heavily for the past 5 days. Even when there isn’t rain falling, there are large rivers and puddles in yards and streets. I have spent almost 7 hours in the last 5 days running and riding in the pouring rain. I’m definitely starting to feel a little waterlogged and I’m ready to see the sun. There are still a few days of rain in the forecast too so it won’t be over soon. Fortunately, it has been over 50 degrees so the cold isn’t a huge concern. Every workout ends with me peeling off sloppy and muddy clothes to reveal pickled skin. Yesterday’s long run was interfered with by the city posting signs that many of the trails near our house were “closed due to hazardous conditions.” If it weren’t illegal to run past such a sign, I might have encountered some sections of trail flooded with water over my knees and one even close to waist deep. In some sections I might have even seen ankle deep mud or had to crawl over downed trees.
Riding my bike to work continues. I’m at a crossroads in my running schedule. The easiest way for me to get big running mileage in is to start running the 16 miles to and from work instead of riding. The bad part about this is that last year, when I was running to work 3 days a week, I found myself really missing my bike ride. I wanted to do both! The easiest solution, with the least impact on family, would be to get up and run early in the morning and then ride in to work after that. The problem is, while I am an early riser, I’m not an early runner. I like to run in the evening. So why not just ride to work and then run at night? Going for a 2 or 3 hour run in the evening puts a huge dent in the amount of time I get to spend with Sara and Jake and I’m just not willing to compromise that much family time on a regular basis. I may find a workable solution that allows me to have my cake and eat it too but at this point, I’m not sure what that will be.
I did get some new running shoes in the mail today! I have been shopping for less and less shoe over the past few years. I did a lot of my running last year in the Vibram Five Fingers. While I loved the way they let my foot work, I found they lacked in protection for really rugged terrain, which is where I like to run the most. My last shoe was the New Balance MT101’s. I used them for the 100 miler and thought they performed fairly well. My only complaint was the heel was still lifted more than I like. Fortunately, New Balance just released the Minimus MT10 (shown below). It has a lower heel which brings me even closer to the barefoot position but still offers sole protection from sharper rocks and road debris. I’m excited to put some miles on them and see if they work as well as I’m hoping. I guess we will see how they handle the water first.
Week of April 18 - Bike 80, Run 31, D 10, U 5
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