TC Running Company: Embrace Winter

I really enjoy running outside in the winter and I'm sure that makes me an odd duck! I enjoy the challenge of determining what I'm going to wear from my footwear all the way to my headwear. I enjoy the serenity of the trails and even the sidewalks as most stay inside to keep warm. It turns out I'm not the only one. Check out the blog post below from the TC Running Company located a short distance away from my office:

TC Running Company: Embrace Winter

Enjoy the fresh snow!!

Forefoot Striking and Pronation: Insight from an Ultrarunning Podiatry Student | Runblogger

More and more studies are being completed on how running barefoot or in a minimalist shoe affects our running form. Here's an interesting article that was just posted on runblogger.com. I have been running in minimalist shoes and barefoot for over a year and have found that the 6 month adaptation period it talks about in the article is pretty accurate.  Click on the link below to read the article:

Forefoot Striking and Pronation: Insight from an Ultrarunning Podiatry Student | Runblogger

Running Update and My Shoe Lineup

Knee issues (patellar-femoral syndrome initially diagnosed in summer of 2007) sent me down a path of re-evaluating the active side of my life... I have fully converted to minimalist footwear and when warm enough (and not dark out), barefoot running. Running in a minimalist shoe has gotten me back into running and I enjoy it for the first time in my life. Running in a minimalist shoe retrained me how to run with the correct form and now I know how terrible my form used to be. I used to be a heavy heel striker, so it's now wonder I've always had some sort of knee, ankle or hip issue.

My minimalist shoe line-up started off with VFF KSO's (Oct 2009) and then I added Feelmax Kuuva Boots (Dec 2009), Feelmax Osmas (Feb 2010), Terra Plana Oaks (Dec 2010) and recently won a pair of Vivobarefoot Neos (or Evos depending on availability) through Donald's Running and Rambling blog. I love testing out new shoes and have pretty completely only wear a minimalist shoe whenever possible.

I do have a pair of Inov-8 295s (Almost 3 years old and ready to retire) and recently purchased a pair of New Balance MT 101's. These don't fall under my definition of minimalist (however, they are minimalist compared to the majority of running shoes used by the general population), but have worked well for me for trail running, running in snow and hiking/backpacking. The elevated heal of these trail runners doesn't seem to affect my gait too much on an uneven surface like trails and snow.

But alas, my new enthusiasm with running caused me to overtrain for a 25k trail race last spring and since then have been wrestling with IT Band issues. After much research and testing to keep it from flairing up, my plan for my training will now consist of 1 long run per week and cross-training (core exercises, hiking, biking, weight-training, etc.) I've also found that the slow-to-medium pace running seems to irritate my knee the most, so I've adopted a modified Fartlek method of running. It seems that my knee doesn't seem to bother me when I run fast and it doesn't bother me when I walk. So after I warm up, I run hard and then power walk (to catch my breath), run hard and then power walk, repeat, repeat.... This seems to be the ticket for now and maybe at some point I can reintroduce longer runs with consistent slower running. This and icing my knee after every run seems to be the key to keeping the knee from flaring up from the IT Band irritating it.

Does cushioning in your shoes affect your running?

A blog I follow has a really good synopsis on the potential affects of cushioning in your running shoes. I know that for me, eliminating cushioning in my shoes drastically changed how I run for the better. I feel that I run much more efficiently and am less prone to injuries in my knees and hips because my muscles now absorb the impact instead of my shoes and joints. Check it out:

My Tree of Life (Just One Step at a time): Is cushion the devil?

Rocky Mountain National Park - July 2010

Our adventurous family activity for the summer was a family backpack trip in early July in  Rocky Mountain National Park.  We were out in Ft Collins for a week for my sister-in-law's wedding and were able to take a quick break from the planning action earlier in the week for a quick overnight trip.  William was 1 yr 5 mths old and Isaac was 10 months old.  I pulled all my gear together very last minute, but fortunately my gear lists were pretty up-to-date and it didn't take too long.  I decided to see if I could borrow a tent or if I had good fortune, find a Golite Shangri-la 4 or 5 for sale in Colorado.  Neither worked and I was afraid we would be forced to car camp with my soon to be brother-in-law's 20+ lb cabin tent.  I had not brought sleeping pads for the boys, so when at Walmart looking for the cheap blue foam pads, I happened to see they had a relatively lightweight compact 4 person tent.  I decided to pick it up as it was only $30.  It turned out it was only about 6.5 lbs without the stakes... really not too bad at a little over 1.5 lbs per person.  I wouldn't trust it in a storm, but it will be fine for dry, calm weather.

We headed out with two packs and the two kids.  I rented a pair of trekking poles and bear canister from an outfitter in Estes Park and we were on our way.  According to the map, it was 1.7 miles to our campsite (Old Forest Inn Sites) and William was able to walk almost 1.25 miles of that.  Hindsight, I'm really impressed he made it that far.  Unfortunately, we only brought the one kid carrier for Isaac and had to carry William on our shoulders or in our arms.

We picked the lower of the two campsites which was tucked into the convergence of Fern Creek and the Big Thompson River.  It ended up being a pretty good drop-off to the Big Thompson River, so either way I knew that we would have to watch the boys like a hawk.  Between keeping the boys corralled and keeping objects out of Isaac's mouth, we didn't have much rest time, but it was a lot of fun watching them explore and toddle around.  Isaac started walking end of May, so he was getting around pretty good by this time.

We crawled into our tent at dusk and enjoyed some family time in close proximity.  Isaac quickly crashed and we enjoyed watching the stars come out with William and then he fell asleep pretty quickly with both of us out soon after that.  Meg said she would much rather camp out here then back in MN.  She said she preferred the drier weather and campsites.

Heading out late morning the next day, I lightly load Meg's pack with sleeping bags and clothes and sent her on the way down the trail so that I could finish breaking down camp.  She put Isaac in the carrier, pack on her back and took off with William in hand.  I quickly broke down camp and took off after them.  I figured it would be much easier to get the rest of the stuff packed up without the interference of the two boys and it was.  I caught up with them after about a 3/4 mile and by that time William was done so I carried him.  He quickly fell asleep and we walked along with two sleeping boys trying to keep them shaded from the vicious high altitude sun.  We made pretty quick of the remaining mile, but it was pretty brutal carrying the sleeping weight of William along with the heavier pack.    We didn't have hardly any food left and I definitely prefer to have more in case of an emergency... I will have to plan that a little better the next time.

Enjoy some pictures.

This must be fairly early in the hike...  William was still cruising along pretty good here.  I wished we would have had some minimalist shoes for him as he is used to running around barefoot all the time.  The shoes we had for him were quite the clunkers and he was constantly tripping in them.  I wore my Feelmax Osmas and they surprisingly worked quite well.  The have no support and no padding in the bottoms, but were just fine with my 35 lb pack and carrying both boys at times.  William was about 31 lbs and Isaac was about 26 lbs at the time.

Our campsite was up on a cliff overlooking the convergence of Big Thompson River and Fern Creek.  Maybe not the best place for two little boys to be playing.  It was a full time job keeping them corralled in the confines of our campsite.  Our $30 Walmart tent worked quite well for us and will be a great car camping tent for us.  I have since purchased an MLD Supermid with netting around the bottom and am anxious to try that out.  This purchase was primarily for winter camping, but will work great as a small group and family tent.

Having fun in the tent before crashing hard.   The fleece sleepers worked great for them for sleeping in.  Isaac hates having a blanket on him, so bundling him in a sleeper is necessary.

Winding down for the nite in the tent...  We left the canopy off for a while so we could watch the stars.  William loved it!

Enjoying a Starbucks Via and some morning sunshine with the boys.  They loved crawling and climbing around the rocks.  They are quite the adventurous little guys!

Gotta like that view.  We didn't see a whole lot of elevation change from the trail head, it's quite a bit further up to some really spectacular views.  Not really feasible with the two little guys...  Hopefully I can get back out for a solo trip one of my next trips out.

Gotta love this picture.  Beautiful and precious!!

Summer's gone, fall is here!!

It's been almost 5 months since I last posted, Wow how time flies and boy has life and work been busy!!  Following my spring Trail Mix 25k race, I discovered that the pain outside of my knee was Iliotibial band syndrome.  I also discovered that the more I ran, the worse it got thus I bailed on the Superior Hiking Trail 25k race and the Afton 25k race.  In fact,  I stopped running all together to let it rest and then started to incorporate more stretching and cross-training into my schedule to hopefully take care of the root of the problem.  As a minimalist shoe runner, I attributed the ITBS to a combination of overuse and a muscle imbalance.  Strange as it was, while the pain was too much to run with,  I was fortunately still able to bike, hike and backpack with no pain.

I'm finally getting back into the routine of running and am experiencing no pain.  I think the key for me is to stay balanced in my cross-training and stretching.  I am eying a couple 5k races this fall and just waiting to see how our family schedule pans out before I commit...

Other blog posts in development:
June 2010 Superior Hiking Trail Solo Trip Report
July 2010 Rocky Mountain National Park Family Trip Report
Backpacking Gear Update

sectionhiker.com Golite Ultralight Down Quilt Raffle

Philip Werner over at sectionhiker.com is raffling off a Golite Ultralite Down Quilt and part of the entry is answering a series of questions.  I thought it be fun to take a stab at the raffle, so here's the answers to the questions I'll be submitting:

1.     1.  How long have you been backpacking and what's the longest trip you've taken?

·         I grew up camping and in my junior years we started going to the BWCA (Boundary Waters Canoe Area) in northern MN.  The typical group canoed the lakes and carried all their gear including the canoe over the portages (between the lakes).  We packed very heavy with lots of gear and luxuries... but that was all we knew and I'm sure that's the only way “the dad's” would be willing to go.  Fresh out of college, my brother and I went out for our first official backpacking trip.  We did a 13 mile loop called the Angleworm trail up in the BWCA.  Again, way overpacked with heavy gear, we stayed 1 night on the trail, almost started a forest fire and got lost!  Yet still, it is one of my fondest memories of backpacking!  After that trip, I started buying traditional backpacking gear.  The longest trip I have made to date is 5 days.

2.     2.  When did you realize that you needed to reduce the amount of weight that you carried in your backpack? Please explain the circumstances which led you to this conclusion…did you have a bad trip experience, or just figure it out?

·         In the summer of 2006, myself and five of my buddies set out for a 4 day trip on the Superior Hiking Trail.  I had accumulated a fair amount of gear between my boundary waters adventures and car camping, so I felt pretty prepared. I took a lot of time to organize and try to get all six of us guys on the same page as far as our gear. As much as I tried to communicate to them that I had all the essentials covered, they all ended up bringing their own. I guess that meant that I was going to have to carry "more than my share". 

·         I don't know for sure, but I think our packs were probably at 50-60 pounds each... About half way through the second day, my knee started to have some throbbing pain.  Not wanting to swallow my pride and ask for help, I kept pushing right through the pain. By the end of the third day, I was moving very, very slowly and every downhill slope was pure torture. 

·         Upon returning home, I went to visit a sports doc and was diagnosed with Patellofemoral Syndrome. Basically, my knee cap doesn't ride right over the end of my Femur. Why does this happen? Doctor said I'm getting old and too out of shape to "overdo" it on the trail. He recommended shoe inserts and basically to get in shape before I try to "prove" that I am a man on the trail (my own interpretation).  This experience motivated me to quickly get some inserts and then put me down the road of transitioning to lightweight backpacking. And the journey began....

3.     3.   What is the total weight of your big three: backpack, sleeping bag/pad, and shelter?  Please include manufacturer, make and model names, unless homemade.

·         3-Season set-up: Backpack - ULA Ohm (24 oz); Sleeping Bag - JRB Sierra Sniveller (25F - 24.3 oz) or Lafuma Extreme 600 Bag modified into quilt (45F - 18.8 oz); Sleeping Pad - Nunatek Luna Pad (12 oz or less depending on season); Shelter - SMD Wild Oasis (13 oz) - Also have a Tarpent Squall (2 Person @ 27.0 oz) and a Tarptent Rainshadow (3 Person @ 41.0 oz) for when not going solo.

·         Winter set-up: Backpack - Golite Pinnacle (22.1 oz); Sleeping Bag - Combine JRB Sierra Sniveller (25F - 24.3 oz) with Lafuma Extreme 600 Bag modified into quilt (45F - 18.8 oz) plus insulated clothing as needed.  Sleeping Pad - 1 or 2 Nunatek Luna Pads depending on temps (12-24 oz).  Shelter:  SMD Wild Oasis (13 oz - but probably not a good idea in heavy snows) and an Oware Heavy Duty Pyramid (4 person - 90 oz) for group.

4.     4.  Do you own a scale for weighing your gear? If so, what kind? How often do you use it?

·         I have a food scale (up to 5 lbs) and a fish scale (up to 50 lbs).  I have pretty much all my gear weighed and entered into a spreadsheet.  I obsessively pour over my spreadsheet every trip I make to try and figure out ways to lighten my load without spending much money.  Planning for a trip is as much fun as the trip itself for me.

5.     5.  Where are you in the process of going lightweight? What have some of the notable weight reductions in your gear list been? Is there an example of a choice you made between two different alternative gear choices you can explain, or are pondering?

·         I'm pretty much where I would like to be.  Now I just need to find more time to get out and use it.  Most of my adventures are with a group, so I have purchased much of my gear with that in mind.  My backpack and shelter were the two biggest reductions by far.  I am currently trying to find a smaller and much lighter winter shelter than my Oware Pyramid and am looking at an Oware Pyramid, vs an Oware Alphamid vs the MLD Duomid.  I can't for the life of me decide which one I want.  So, I may end up making my own out of tyvek. 

6.     6.   How much has cost constrained the rate in which you reduce your gear weight? Can you cite an example?

·         It's taken about 3 years to get to where I'm at now.  I sold off all my old gear and have bought and sold several renditions of each piece of gear since then.  Almost everything I have for gear was previously used/purchased or on sale. This has saved me a ton of cash. 

7.     7.   What was the largest amount of pack weight you dropped by replacing or eliminating a piece of gear?

·         This is a toss-up between my pack and shelter but the “biggest loser” is the shelter.  My solo shelter used to be a 4-season 7 lb Walrus Rapeede that I sold to buy a 1.5 lb Floorless Tarptent Contrail and then in turn sold and now have SMD Wild Oasis (13 oz + 1.5 oz ground sheet).  Over 6 lbs savings.  My pack evolution has given me a 5 lb savings.

8.     8.    What's your view on the trade-offs between the following types of backpacking gear, for your specific climate conditions and needs? Are you at the stage where you want to try different options or not interested and why?

a.       Down vs. Synthetic sleeping bags?

o   I have both and there are certainly pros and cons to each.

b.      Backpacks with an external frame, internal frame, or no frame?

o   I have an internal frame and a frameless.  Both function great for me.  Normally I use a closed cell foam sleeping pad and this provides the structure (frame) for a frameless pack.  I bought the internal frame because sometimes I use my Big Agnes Clearview pad that would not provide a frame structure for a frameless pack.  My GoLite Pinnacle (Frameless) has a larger volume which I need for my winter camping.  The smaller and compressible volume of the ULA Ohm (internal frame) works great for the low volume packing of the summer.

c.       Double walled shelters, single walled shelters, and tarps and bivies?

o   I don't really see the need for a double wall shelter anymore after using single wall shelters.  With proper ventilation and/or steep walls (pyramid style), condensation can be minimized and/or avoided.  My bivy use is isolated to cold weather to minimize drafts with my quilts and for sleeping on snow on floorless shelters.

d.      Full size sleeping pads vs. torso sized?

o   Depends.  Full size is necessary in cold weather and in Minnesota, most of the year constitutes as "cool" weather needing full padding for the northern part of the state.  I combine a torso sized with the backpad in my ULA Ohm pack to give me the full length in the summer.

e.      Boots vs trail runners?

o   Trail runners hands down for all but really cold and snow.  I've even used my trail runners down to 25F and snow.  I use Steger Mukluks for colder weather.  The Mukluk is a light boot with a flexible bottom that feels like walking in slippers.

9.     9.  What would you say are the biggest benefits of carrying less gear? Dig deep here. Have you had any spiritual or personal breakthroughs by going lightweight? Has it affected your relationship with nature, for example?

·         It is easier to connect with and observer your surroundings when you don’t feel burdened by a huge pack on your back.  My gear is much less simpler and easier to use which frees me up to relax and enjoy nature more.  I also bring a lot less stuff which means it is easier to find and use the stuff I do have.  Knowing that I have the bare minimum to survive, forces me to sharpen my survival skills and heightens my adventure experience.  Lastly being minimalist with my gear has spilled over into my running gear/footwear and overall general lifestyle and diet.

10  10.  What advice would you give to someone else who wanted to start reducing the weight of their backpacking gear?

·         Start by weighing all of your gear and enter it into a spreadsheet so that you know where you are starting from.  Then focus on buying used gear or highly discounted gear because you will probably end up selling it anyway to get something different.  The Gear Swap forum on BackpackingLight.com is where I found most of my used/pre-purchased gear.  Be patient for gear to show yet be quick to buy.  Pour over the info on this website and others to get a good background of what is available in the Ultralight and Lightweight world of gear.  Everybody has a different style, climate, and environment that they hike in and thus the gear needs are different.  Find a blog of someone that lives in a similar situation as yours and follow it for ideas.