Wilder Foot Races Tech Tee

I know a lot of folks who do races (or forgo certain races) based solely on the “finisher” tee.  Personally I am not that interested in race-shirts (I have a lot of  running shirts so it gets a little overwhelming), but I do have several race shirts that I wear regularly.  Each of them is unique and has it’s own story or appeal whether it be that it’s a comfortable shirt, cool design, or actually good for running.

Grandma’s Marathon 2008:  Way cool and comfortable red cotton tee without a whole lot of clutter; also my first marathon.  People see the shirt and tell me their Grandma’s stories from years past or their ambitions for future races.

Almanzo Tee 2011:  Cool shirt, even cooler race, huge accomplishment.  Some people know what last year’s Almanzo was like, and those folks see the shirt and know that you are either completely nuts or bad-ass.  I’ll take either.

Ironman 2011:  Nice tech-tee.  Pretty plain, and doesn’t scream “I AM IRONMAN,” but it’s darn comfortable and wicks well.

YMCA Maple Leaf Road Races:  They’re long-sleeve!  How cool is that?  And the design is pretty awesome.

And my favorite, the Montrail Wasatch Waddle:  Fun little trail race held in Salt Lake City, UT, during the summer outdoor retailer.  The shirt is a little busy, but it’s a great tech-tee from Mountain Hardwear.  It’s great because this shirt was made for running, not showing off that you’re a runner.  It’s lightweight, breathable, and it fits well.  It’s almost like not wearing a shirt, but more socially acceptable.

Dustin and I have put a lot of thought into what we wanted to do for a race shirt and while it was obvious to do a tech-tee and something of a higher quality than your run of the mill race shirt.  We also wanted it to be simple and a shirt that folks might wear to the grocery store or bar, along with representing us while they’re crushing it on the local trails.

So without further ado we present to you the shirt for the 2012 Wilder Foot Races:

We don’t have an exact image of the back of the shirt, but it will be pretty similar to the volunteer tee shown below.

The shirt will be an Outdoor Research Echo T.  It’s lightweight, breathable, has some UPF for good measure and they claim that the Polygiene® odor control keeps you smelling fresh no matter how hard you’re working…we’ll see about that.

Stay tuned for instructions on how to get your hands on one of these great shirts!

Registration Closing Soon

Hey folks,

Registration is drawing to a close here in 9 days on March 31st!  Make sure you’ve got your postcard postmarked by March 31st and you’re in.  Remember, let us know your name, age, sex, and distance and send it to:

Dustin Harford

8980 92nd st. S.

Cottage Grove, MN 55016

That is all.

Running with an Empty Bladder

I chose to switch it up yesterday on my 4 hour run by doing a destination run.  It worked out that our REI dividend just came in so my wife planned to meet me at the store in Bloomington.  The 29 mile route took me NW from Cottage Grove, then along the river for the majority of the trek.  It was a nice run until I ran out of water at about the 3 hour mark and had to run along American boulevard (worst street in the cities) in the concrete heat.

I wore my camelbak pack, which has been working out alright on trail and road runs.  I haven’t drained the bladder on a run yet, so I was really surprised yesterday when I ran out.  The temperature was around 75-80 with high winds and sun.  This weather feels a bit warm to me in mid-March, and it had me sucking the camelbak dry.

The trip brought back the reality that the weather can be anywhere from freezing to sweltering in May or any month in Minnesota, so it is important to always carry enough water, especially if you are out on your own and not nearby a water source.  I could have stopped at a few places along the way today, but I wanted to push myself without water as long as I could for training purposes (not really a great idea in hindsight.)

Come May, if you’re running the Abel Wilder/100k, I’m going to straight up recommend you have a pack with a bladder equivalent to or greater than 32 oz plus a full size handheld or two.  As of date, the 100k will hit spots with water every 24-25 miles.   You know your body best; maybe you can handle long runs without water, maybe you cannot.  Whatever the case may be, prepare for the unexpected.

Those of you running the James Wilder/50k or the Perley Wilder/30k should pass a potential water spot around mile 17ish.  Remember, the routes could still change between now and May depending on a variety of things, so focus on getting to know your body and what it needs to function properly.

Training

A buddy o’ mine called me up yesterday as I waited for my co-pilot to find his way.  He asked me first off if I thought he could do the 50k if he started training now, which is about 10 weeks out from the race.  I said yes before he even finished stating the question.  I’m no training coach, and everyone trains differently, but I gave him a few pointers which I’ve picked up along the way through my own training and from reading/researching/questioning other running resources.

• Get up in distance quickly by extending your long runs half an hour each week. (Specific to his lack of time issue.  Example, up half an hour each week for the long run)
• Taper down slightly on your long runs every 2-3 weeks and then jump back up in distance for another 2-3 weeks.  Taper 1-2 weeks before the race
• Test out some different water carrying options (packs, handhelds, waistpacks, etc).  Just find out what works best and figure out how much water you need to run for hours without water access
• Eat on your long runs and find out what works best for you.  (Example: I’m diggin salted nut rolls and gu chomps).
• Run on gravel as much as you can and try out different shoes on it.  (I’ve found that my trail runners work better than road shoes due to the stiffer sole, better grip, and more minimalist heel to toe drop.)
• Run hills, trails, or do speed tempo workouts on at least half of your runs per week to strengthen your legs
• Have fun

Smile when you run, cheer yourself on, say hi to folks on the trails, run in awesome places, and listen to your body.

All you have to do is send a postcard?

In the past couple of weeks I have been pestering a few friends to get their postcards in the mail.  Most of them have showed interest in the races equal to my pestering…others are simply full of talk and not “(wo)manly” enough for the task; but I remind them of the postcards anyway.

A couple days ago though I was cruising Facebook when I noticed a friend’s post about Grandma’s Marathon, or more specifically the half marathon.  He and another friend had entered the lottery in hopes of running it together, but as happens sometimes the other didn’t get in. 

So here’s my friend, we’ll call him Nate (because that’s his name) bummed that he can’t run with his friend.

I mentioned to Nate, who has not been what most folks would call a runner for a few years now, that he should run the Perly as a training run for his race in June.  That would of course be stupid…but then again so is paying for a race you night not even be able to run under your own terms.

Surprisingly Nate bit and asked for more information, so I pointed him to the blog.  He came back and said that it seemed like a spectacularly crazy idea considering his training but that he was still interested.  I told him to send a postcard and he can run the race.

He can run the race.  I’m sure of it; and remember, while Nate isn’t exactly in terrible shape, he is not a runner.

This race will challenge even the best runners, but it also has the potential to be enjoyable for every runner from the first person to cross the finish of the Abel to the last person to cross the finish of the Perly, and even those who bail out early.

I’ve done a lot of racing and seen people perfectly conditioned for their sport fail miserably.  Things go wrong all the time.  But I’ve also had the privilege for three years now to watch some of the last finishers for Ironman Wisconsin trickle in.  The folks are amazing.  Some of them are diabetic, others have heart problems, some are seriously overweight, and other still are simply in over their heads.  And I say again they are amazing.  Amazing athletes.

They’ve signed up one year in advance and paid $600, not including the hotel stay and all of the sweet fear that goes with Ironman, just to suffer for one day.  We’re not asking for $600, although if you’re offering we’ll certainly talk about it, and all you need is a pair of shoes, some basic running gear, a bit of training and a postcard.

That’s it.  All you have to do is send a postcard.  We’d prefer it to carry some meaning, but really anything will do.  And then you need to start training.

Good luck y’all.

Du North Review

Hitting the trails out at Afton State Park a few weeks ago left me wondering if I should test out my “due north” Everyday traction aids.  The icy conditions forced me off the path for most of the run, so this time I brought along my tungsten carbide bearing slip-ons.  This was my first use of any sort of slip-on, traction-aid, ever.  Needless to say, I wasn’t sure what to expect.

After I covered the paved path down to the start of the trails I donned the traction aids.  One of the perks of this type of traction aid is that it is versatile and will allow you to transition from pavement to icy trails in a few seconds.  The trails were still very icy and were perfect for testing these things out.  I could immediately feel the difference in stability, weight, and comfort.  The grip on the ice was much better with the due north item than my minimalist Saucony peregrine trail runners, but they also weighted me down a bit more and dug slightly into my feet, especially on the downhills.

As I made my way to the two hour mark one of my traction aids had slipped off once and I had lost a Tungsten carbide spike (replaceable).  In the four plus hours I was out there running they slipped off three times.  Not too bad, but not too great.  Surely, you get what you pay for, and if you go for the Salomon Spikecross CS you will get a superior winter running shoe meant for tough icy conditions, and if you go for the due north traction aids you get a temporary, cheap, yet versatile alternative.

Due North does have other models including the “All-Purpose” traction aid, which appears to be slightly more correlated with running and walking, so if you’ve ever tried out any other slip-ons that you recommend, let me know!  Until the day that I jump into the Spikecross category I will have to rely on these rubber punks.

Salomon Spikecross CS…an Update

I figured that it would be a little foolish to start reviewing another pair of shoes without addressing the last pair I picked up.

If you remember, I picked up the Spikecross during a particularly icy week in La Crosse.  The conditions for a few days there were a perfect recipe for cracking the skull or tail-bone whether running on the trails or the road.  They were also a perfect excuse to take a few days off…which is likely what I did.

The day the shoes showed up was also the day all of the ice melted, so it was a few days before the trails froze back up and I got to try them out.

I originally wanted to wait for a few runs to pass before writing about the shoes, but winter has been uncooperative at best.

So far I have had a couple runs on glare ice trails, a run during a snowstorm and a run on some really slushy trails.  My overall impression is that these shoes, while specialized, have all of the makings of a great trail shoe, with only a couple shortcomings.

The shoes are comfortable, light and responsive; all of which will make or break a shoe for me.  The quick lace system allows for a perfect fit all of the time…every time…with the added benefit of on the fly adjustments.  My only reservation in suggesting this shoe would be if you figure you have even just wider than average feet; it’s a little snug in there.  The snug fit, ample traction and light perceived weight of these shoes along with a pretty minimalist sole provide a very responsive feel underfoot.  Even when trudging through several inch thick powder and equally deep slush I felt very little cushioning and was able to maintain a solid mid to forefoot strike.

The Climashield membrane definitely works, and while it cuts down on some breathability I feel that it’s a fair trade for mostly dry feet and a little bit of extra warmth.  One of my frustrations with the shoes was that the ankle is not very high or very tight.  If you are running in over ankle deep snow or any kind of slush gaiters are a must.  Better yet, just wear them because they look pretty cool.

The carbide studs on the Spikecross feel as stable on glare ice as my Saucony Rides do on pavement.  They left me feeling sure-footed even on the steepest climbs in Hixon and the most out of control descents.  They felt fine running on some bare dirt and even striking the occasional rock.  They did not, however, feel normal or even remotely comfortable or safe on pavement.  It doesn’t seem like much, but the couple millimeters of rise they give, along with the minimal surface area of the point of impact left me feeling like I was on very tiny stilts.  Running from the front door to the trail is just not an option with these kicks.

If you’re even a recreational trail runner throughout the winter these guys are a must.  Not only will they improve the runs you already go on, they will give you the ability to run through the worst trail conditions of the season with grace and ease; unless you’re not graceful.

With any luck winter will be a little more, oh, wintery, next year.  Until then these guys will be sitting in the closet collecting dust.

New Shoes

As promised, I walked into my local gear shop (Three Rivers Outdoors*, check it out…great staff, cool stuff, some good deals if you know where to look), and picked up some new kicks.

Montrail Rouge Racers, in deep turquoise/voltage.  Their darn light at about 9 oz, and are billed as a neutral, aggressive, minimalist trail racer; just what I am looking for…

Light and bright.

I am really looking forward to trying these guys out and reporting back.

With the help of some Advil my ankle might even let me put a few miles down on the Superior Hiking Trail (my favorite place to run, bar none) tonight.  That said this weekend is more about tromping through the woods in some Danners in search of the elusive snowshoe hare, and hanging out with Dad.

Have a great weekend y’all.  Get outside.  Have fun, and be safe.

*For transparency I think that it’s important to say that I managed said shop and the only reason they have this shoe in stock is because I thought that it looked bitchin’…the rest of the world seemed to disagree.  70-some bucks if you want a pair!

The importance of good gear

My run tonight was mostly awesome.  Nine miles, on mostly trails, in the late evening.

It was warm enough that I wore shorts and just a Mountain Hardwear wicking long sleeve shirt over a Craft sleeveless shirt…Pro-zero, I think.

I also had a hat and lightweight gloves, although I would have probably been fine without them.

All of this gear functioned perfectly.  I was warm and dry, and able to move comfortably.

Two key prices of gear did not work so well.  My headlamp and my shoes.

The first was user error.  Me simply not checking that it had adequate light before heading out the door.  It also wasn’t a big deal.  I would have liked more light, but for the most part I was able to feel my way around with what light the lamp did give out.

The shoes on the other hand just suck.  They are too old, too heavy, and too structured for long trail runs.  By the end of the run I felt as though my feet were bound in cement.  Not only because they were so heavy but also because I couldn’t run with a midfoot strike.  Instead every single step ended with my landing on my heel and sending jolts of pain into my knees and IT bands.

Dustin is becoming a barefoot evangelist after reading Born to Run, and while in the past I have seen minimalist shoes as a great training tool, I have also not considered them any sort of magic bullet.

The feeling in my arches and my knees have me rethinking that.  The plan is to buy a new pair of trail shoes tomorrow and hopefully say goodbye to an old pair of kicks.

On race day you won’t be able to control whether it is raining, snowing, or sunny.  You can hope for a light breeze and sixty five degrees all you want, but you might as well not worry about that.  There are only two things you can control come raceday; the quality of your training and the quality of your gear.

Don’t be a dummy…get some good gear and put in lots of miles on it.  Your body will thank you after each training session and years down the road.

Perley Wilder teases us.

I am still reeling from the amazing scenery on the Perley course.  Folks competing in this foot race will be running by grade A trout streams, grade C farmland, and grade B dogs.

I’ve been intending to get on with writing about the Perley course review, and yet here I am, struggling to express how great that run was which Sven and I ran more than two weeks ago.  I’ve edited some photos which I trust will be able to say more than my blabbering sentences, so here it is:

My wife, Lisa, jumped into the mix to get a run in.  She doesn’t do much trail running yet, but she said she would love to run out here every chance she had….less the dogs.  She loved the course simply because it is quiet (lack of motor vehicles), the scenery is amazing (even when your legs and lungs are burning), and your mind will escape your body .  These “romantic” photos do not indulge  some of the challenges you will encounter during your race, but they do provide a glimpse of the unique attributes of Southeast Minnesota, which will continue to draw you back time after time again.

Next up; James.