My brother, a friend and I are trying to pinpoint a date to go winter camping. We have elected to go somewhere along the Superior Hiking Trail, but not sure where yet. I will be posting an update once we nail dates and location down.
Once again as I approach another trip, I am making gear list modifications. My updated gear list can be found in the right-hand column. The major modifications I have made are:
Sleeping System:
I Purchased a Jacks 'R' Better Sierra Sniveller Quilt. This will be my goto quilt for most of my trips and should easily get me down to 25F by itself. When combined with my BPL Cocoon Pro 60 Insulated Pants and insulated jacket/vest, it should take me down to 10-15F. When called for, I will add my 45F poly fill quilt and use it as an overbag to give me another 15F+ of insulation. I would like to test this sleep system out in my back yard in the coming weeks. The great thing about this quilt is that it can be used as a Serape which is why I purchased the Sleeves Accessory. Down to about 20F and maybe colder, this will eliminate the need to bring along an insulated jacket or vest. This is a great way to reduce some weight.
I picked up a second-hand (unused) Titanium Goat Raven XL bivy which I am stoked about. It was a little too small for the guy that I bought it from, so he was happy to pass it off. The Titanium Goat website is outdated, but basically this is the long version as described with a full net hood and side zips added. I will use this when camping with a tarp or any time it will be below freezing. This will also be great to through in when going out for a long dayhike as an emergency shelter. Here are a few links to this bivy if you are interested in seeing it in person. Pic1, Pic2, Pic3 These pics were taken by William Puckett and posted in this Backpackinglight.com forum.
Shelter:
I also purchased (at a great price!) an Oware 9x9 Pyramid Tarp made out of a heavy duty 200d urethane coated nylon. This fabric is way overkill for me, but there is no way I could fork out $240 for a silnylon version much less $225 for a similar version to the one I have. Oware had some special deals going at the time and I was able to pick this up for $50 (very slightly used). The version I have also has a 1' skirt around the bottom along with some additional height. This should shed snow extremely well! It is not ultralight at 5 lb 10 oz, but if shared amongst 4 people, it is only 22.5 oz each. That's actually really good for a heavy-duty 4 season shelter!
Cooking:
I am experimenting with a couple wood stove comments from J. Falk at Trailgear.org. He has plans available on his website to make your own wood stoves. I made both his compact wood stove and his bushwhacker wood gase stove. I have not decided if I will be bringing both of these or just pick one and run with it. I ultimately would like to go with using wood for all my cooking as it eliminates the need to bring along fuel of any kind. The only thing I would bring is some goods to aid in fire-starting. This is also something I will be experimenting with on this trip. I am very confident in my fire-starting ability, I am just trying to find ways to speed up the process. I will blog more about this another time.
Pulk/Tobaggon:
On my last winter trip (10 years ago), I was far from being ultralight and would venture to guess I had close to 60-70 lbs of gear. I had a Lowe Alpine Contour IV 90+15L backpack and a tobaggen that had gear on it. Now that I think about it, it was probably much more than 70 lbs, maybe even approaching 100 lbs. I weighed most of that gear just out of curiousity, so I should go back and add it up some time.
As posted, my base pack weight is 12 lbs 3 oz and the base pulk weight is 22 lbs 7 oz. These really are not bad weights in themselves for winter camping, but if I could eliminate the hassle of the pulk, that would be nice. On the flip side, if I can put all the weight in the pulk, it would save getting my back all sweaty which is inevitable for me.
In reviewing my list posted in the right hand column, I could remove the following things from the list and drop significant weight:
1. Just use snowshoes and leave skis at home. (-8 lbs 8 oz) Is it realistic that we will be able to use the skis with much success on the SHT in terms of giving us that much of a speed advantage? From my experience hiking it, probably not. If we were going into the BWCA, it would be much more reasonable to bring skis and leave the snowshoes at home. Skis would be great for going across lakes or open areas of which the SHT is neither.
2. Leave shovel at home. (-1 lb 4 oz) Can I use my snowshoes as a shovel if needed? The shovel would really be for fun if we brought it, as it's not really a need. I'm sure my brother will be using a pulk, so we can lash it to that if we want to bring it.
3. Leave Bushwhacker Stove at home (-8 oz). I can always test this out on another trip or in my back yard. The Compact Wood Stove will probably be the ticket for winter camping as constant feeding of the stove will be necessary when melting snow for water. This is not as easy with the Bushwhacker Stove the way it is designed. The Bushwhacker Stove will be a much more efficient stove for conditions when melting snow is not necessary.
What would this accomplish? The Pulk is no longer necessary... Subtracting the weight of the Pulk and associated stuff sacks (~9 lbs) and it brings my base pack weight down to 19 lbs 11 oz. This is really pretty decent for a winter set-up! I will work on getting this gear list posted as this is probably the direction I will be heading... I have posted this updated list in the right-hand column as well.
My ULA Ohm backpack is designed for weights less than 30 lbs, so it is my goal to stay well under that including consumables. This is easily manageable although I am more concerned about the bulk of the winter insulation and the pyramid tarp as this may fill up my pack quicker than I would like. I will have to check to see how full my pack gets with this gear set-up...
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Two 25k Spring Trail Runs on my Schedule
It's official, I am signed up for two 25k trail runs this spring and getting excited. The two races are the Trail Mix Race Minnesota on April 17th and the Superior Trail Race on May 15th.
The Trail Mix Race is on the Hyland Lake Park Reserve in Bloomington, MN and is where I'll be doing much of my weekend training as it is the longest section of trails near my house. It will be nice to be able to train where I will be doing my first race. This race is commonly used as part of training prep for Grandma's Marathon which is held at the end of June in Duluth, MN.
The Superior Trail Race is held on the Superior Hiking Trail near Lutsen, MN. The 25k race starts at the Lodge at Lutsen Ski Resort, catches the Superior Hiking Trail going to the southwest. The race has lots of ups and downs including Mystery Mountain, Moose Mountain and then turning around at Oberg Mountain. The irony of the route of this race is that I backpacked through this section last summer. It was a very enjoyable, scenic section of the route which helps me look forward to running it. It will be nice to be somewhat familiar with the course going into it.
The following book was written by a gentlemen who has run this race. The description of the book goes as follows. I am going to have to add this book to my must read list...
"ULTRA SUPERIOR is a true story set in the country's most rugged endurance events, the Superior Trail Races at the Superior National Forest in Minnesota. The book starts as a story of preparation, training and competition; Ending as a vision and realization lasting the ages."
The Trail Mix Race is on the Hyland Lake Park Reserve in Bloomington, MN and is where I'll be doing much of my weekend training as it is the longest section of trails near my house. It will be nice to be able to train where I will be doing my first race. This race is commonly used as part of training prep for Grandma's Marathon which is held at the end of June in Duluth, MN.
The Superior Trail Race is held on the Superior Hiking Trail near Lutsen, MN. The 25k race starts at the Lodge at Lutsen Ski Resort, catches the Superior Hiking Trail going to the southwest. The race has lots of ups and downs including Mystery Mountain, Moose Mountain and then turning around at Oberg Mountain. The irony of the route of this race is that I backpacked through this section last summer. It was a very enjoyable, scenic section of the route which helps me look forward to running it. It will be nice to be somewhat familiar with the course going into it.
The following book was written by a gentlemen who has run this race. The description of the book goes as follows. I am going to have to add this book to my must read list...
"ULTRA SUPERIOR is a true story set in the country's most rugged endurance events, the Superior Trail Races at the Superior National Forest in Minnesota. The book starts as a story of preparation, training and competition; Ending as a vision and realization lasting the ages."
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Is It Better To Be Barefoot?
Is It Better To Be Barefoot?
by Christopher McDougallEvery year, countless Americans stop exercising--or don't even start--due to leg and foot pain. In response, athletic-shoe companies have poured millions of dollars into new cushioning, arch support, and shock absorbers. But despite this technological firepower, as many as six out of 10 runners are estimated to get injured every year.
If shoes are not the solution, could they possibly be the problem? Evolution might hold the answer. Daniel Lieberman, a professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard University, and Dennis Bramble, a biology professor at the University of Utah, argue that for the last 2 million years, humans have engaged in long-distance running. And, for almost all of that time, humans have been running barefoot, coming down on the forefeet with toes spread and bending the ankles and knees to absorb the shock. Lieberman believes that today's sneakers--with their fat heels, squishy soles, and stiff arch supports--may be causing us instead to land hard on our bony heels with our legs straight.
4 Tips for the Novice Runner
Irene Davis, a professor of physical therapy and head of the Running Research Laboratory at the University of Delaware, is a barefoot skeptic turned convert. Like most sports-medicine practitioners, she has prescribed custom-made orthotic inserts for patients with heel pain. When one of her chronically hurt patients wanted to go for a jog with a pair of barefoot-style running shoes, she told him he was nuts. Despite the warning, he went ahead--and came back injury-free. Davis herself tried running barefoot and now is logging up to four miles a day on asphalt. Doesn't it hurt?
"No," she says. "The harder the surface, the more lightly you land and the more easily you spring back." The human body instinctively modifies itself to different kinds of terrain-- just think back to when you were a kid and how it felt to run barefoot on the grass, sand, or pavement.
How to Keep Your Feet Happy
Our legs are thickly woven with rubbery, elastic tendons that absorb shock and also use it as free energy, like a rubber ball ricocheting off pavement. "If you encase the foot in thick shoes, you not only lose ground awareness, you limit natural elasticity," says Robert Schleip of the Fascia Research Center at Germany's University of Ulm. According to a study published in The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness in March, barefoot runners experienced significantly less impact than runners in shoes.
"We've gone too far with cushioning and arbitrary shoe designs," says Stephen Pribut, a leading sports podiatrist in Washington, D.C. Still, Pribut is not ready to tell all of his patients to go barefoot, though he agrees that no study has ever shown that barefoot runners are hurt more often than runners in shoes. In a 2009 review article for the British Journal of Sports Medicine, researchers searched 30 years of studies and were unable to find one demonstrating that running shoes make people less prone to injury.
11 Stars Who've Gone the Distance
Some of the major athletic-equipment companies already produce minimalist sneakers with little cushioning. "If this [barefoot running] is injury-preventive because it's natural motion, we're all for that," says Jim Weber, president and CEO of Brooks Sports, a running-shoe manufacturer. Brooks has been working on a barefoot-type shoe for four years. "But one reason we didn't rush it out is that retailers won't carry it," he adds.
Barefoot-running coach "Barefoot Ted" McDonald believes that the easiest way to introduce the practice to people is to have them try it out themselves. He has taught running classes on the Google and Microsoft campuses, and a few months ago in Palo Alto, Calif., I watched as he led 30 people of all ages and fitness levels in a jog down a city street. The trick to running barefoot, McDonald says, is remembering three points: Be light, be quick, and be upright. You want to land gently and then instantly lift that foot back up so it feels like you're in the air more than you're on the ground. At the same time, keep your back straight with your feet right under your hips. Gradually incorporate barefoot running into your workouts, giving your ankles time to get stronger.
It takes McDonald's students trial and error--and around 30 minutes--to get used to the sensation of running barefoot.
"It's amazing," one woman reports. "I feel like I'm floating."
Christopher McDougall is the author of the best-selling book "Born to Run."
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Traveling, my ULA Ohm and Blood Mountain
A little behind on posting to this blog with the Holidays. Here goes a quick recap of the last week...
We traveled to Atlanta, GA for Christmas this year and all went well flying with our 4-month old and 21-month old. The question is, how does one travel ultralight with kids??? I feel we did pretty good all things considering. Traveling down there, we had the equivalent of two carry-on's (we checked one of them) and my ULA Ohm backpack worth of clothing and other goods. Not too bad for a family of four and a week at the in-laws!! The challenge on the way back was we had a 50 lb suitcase full of gifts. The secret is we put one of our carry-on suitcases inside a larger suitcase (fit perfectly) on the way down there so that we would have this extra suitcase for on the way back... Worked perfect!
In regards to my own packing, I knew I was only going to be able to get out for a dayhike, thus I only brought my essentials in addition to an emergency bivy in-case something happened. I had all of my clothing for the week, gear for the hike, running clothes along with a pack of diapers all packed into my ULA Ohm. Although I didn't weigh it, I'm sure it was well over the weight limit of the pack. Surprisingly it handled very well through the airport along with juggling other suitcases, car seats for the kids, a stroller and oh yeah, the kids themselves. This was the first time I had a chance to put the pack to good use since I purchased it earlier this fall. So far, a thumbs up for the pack. Admittedly, walking the backpack through the airport overloaded isn't the best gauge of fit and use for this pack, but a good start. It also fit well in the overhead compartment the way it is supposed to (i.e. I didn't have to turn it sideways).
On Wednesday and Thursday of last week, I was able to get out for a 5 mile run and a 4.25 mile run respectively in my VFF KSO's and very much enjoyed running in the much milder weather and sunshine. The runs went very well over the rolling hills in the residential neighborhood near my in-laws. I can't wait until spring in MN so that I can abandon the layers and boots to run more free and hit some trails.
I was fortunate to be able to escape for several hours on Saturday and made my way up to the northern part of Georgia to do some hiking and try out my ULA Ohm on some trails. I debated back and forth about wearing my VFF KSO's or my Inov8 Roclite 295's and ultimately decided to go with the Inov8's. This was the right decision as portions of the trail were icy and/or muddy. The temperature was 35-40F and my feet would have gotten very wet and cold in the KSO's.
I stopped in at Mountain Crossings @ Walasi-Yi which is located at the intersection of the Appalachian Trail and Gainsville Highway. They are one of four distributors of the ULA packs and had a large variety of other ultralight gear. The owner mentioned that at one point he was considering buying ULA, but obviously that didn't happen. He also mentioned that they were going to discontinue the Ohm, but I find that hard to believe since it is new pack for ULA and seems pretty popular. I'll have to check into that a little more and see if there is any truth to that.
I talked with one of the other employees in the store for awhile and he made some recommendations for a dayhike. I combined his recommendations with my desire to summit Blood Mountain and set out on my hike starting at the parking lot just down the road from Walasi-Yi. Best as I can figure out, it is 2+ miles to the summit of Blood Mountain via the BH Reece Spur Trail and the Appalachian Trail with an elevation gain of about 1350 feet. I then headed north towards Neels Gap and Walasi-Yi and continued on the AT for another 4 miles or so, then turned around and came back catching the highway at Walasi-Yi back to my car. All-in-all, I figure I hiked about 12 miles in about 5 hours.
The pack performed very well, but the true test will come when I do some backpacking this spring/summer when I will have closer to 15-20 lbs in it instead of the 10+I was carrying on this dayhike. I was even able to comfortably do some trail running with the pack, which felt okay all things considered. I did lose my water bottle out of the side of the pack which was my own fault as I had didn't have it pushed down far enough and was running which I'm sure jostled it out.
Overall, the pack is designed not to transfer a lot of weight to the hips, which is okay for weights under 20 lbs. It does transfer some, but not as much as your traditional pack. The pack fit my body type very well and the size was just right. My back did get sweaty as expected with the padding as it is designed. I think I will try my Z-Rest in lieu of the backpad provided by the manufacturer. The egg-crate construction of the Z-rest should stand the pack off my back a little more and will hopefully provide a little more airflow.
Physically, I felt better on this hike than I have since I over did it 2 1/2 years ago. Considering that I was able to run the downhills and flats the last 4 miles of the hike with no knee pain says a lot for the training that I've been able to do this fall/winter. Prior to adopting primal running, I hadn't been able to run at all or hike downhill with pain. Pretty amazing that I am able to now run downhill with a pack on with no pain!!!
We traveled to Atlanta, GA for Christmas this year and all went well flying with our 4-month old and 21-month old. The question is, how does one travel ultralight with kids??? I feel we did pretty good all things considering. Traveling down there, we had the equivalent of two carry-on's (we checked one of them) and my ULA Ohm backpack worth of clothing and other goods. Not too bad for a family of four and a week at the in-laws!! The challenge on the way back was we had a 50 lb suitcase full of gifts. The secret is we put one of our carry-on suitcases inside a larger suitcase (fit perfectly) on the way down there so that we would have this extra suitcase for on the way back... Worked perfect!
In regards to my own packing, I knew I was only going to be able to get out for a dayhike, thus I only brought my essentials in addition to an emergency bivy in-case something happened. I had all of my clothing for the week, gear for the hike, running clothes along with a pack of diapers all packed into my ULA Ohm. Although I didn't weigh it, I'm sure it was well over the weight limit of the pack. Surprisingly it handled very well through the airport along with juggling other suitcases, car seats for the kids, a stroller and oh yeah, the kids themselves. This was the first time I had a chance to put the pack to good use since I purchased it earlier this fall. So far, a thumbs up for the pack. Admittedly, walking the backpack through the airport overloaded isn't the best gauge of fit and use for this pack, but a good start. It also fit well in the overhead compartment the way it is supposed to (i.e. I didn't have to turn it sideways).
On Wednesday and Thursday of last week, I was able to get out for a 5 mile run and a 4.25 mile run respectively in my VFF KSO's and very much enjoyed running in the much milder weather and sunshine. The runs went very well over the rolling hills in the residential neighborhood near my in-laws. I can't wait until spring in MN so that I can abandon the layers and boots to run more free and hit some trails.
I was fortunate to be able to escape for several hours on Saturday and made my way up to the northern part of Georgia to do some hiking and try out my ULA Ohm on some trails. I debated back and forth about wearing my VFF KSO's or my Inov8 Roclite 295's and ultimately decided to go with the Inov8's. This was the right decision as portions of the trail were icy and/or muddy. The temperature was 35-40F and my feet would have gotten very wet and cold in the KSO's.
I stopped in at Mountain Crossings @ Walasi-Yi which is located at the intersection of the Appalachian Trail and Gainsville Highway. They are one of four distributors of the ULA packs and had a large variety of other ultralight gear. The owner mentioned that at one point he was considering buying ULA, but obviously that didn't happen. He also mentioned that they were going to discontinue the Ohm, but I find that hard to believe since it is new pack for ULA and seems pretty popular. I'll have to check into that a little more and see if there is any truth to that.
I talked with one of the other employees in the store for awhile and he made some recommendations for a dayhike. I combined his recommendations with my desire to summit Blood Mountain and set out on my hike starting at the parking lot just down the road from Walasi-Yi. Best as I can figure out, it is 2+ miles to the summit of Blood Mountain via the BH Reece Spur Trail and the Appalachian Trail with an elevation gain of about 1350 feet. I then headed north towards Neels Gap and Walasi-Yi and continued on the AT for another 4 miles or so, then turned around and came back catching the highway at Walasi-Yi back to my car. All-in-all, I figure I hiked about 12 miles in about 5 hours.
The pack performed very well, but the true test will come when I do some backpacking this spring/summer when I will have closer to 15-20 lbs in it instead of the 10+I was carrying on this dayhike. I was even able to comfortably do some trail running with the pack, which felt okay all things considered. I did lose my water bottle out of the side of the pack which was my own fault as I had didn't have it pushed down far enough and was running which I'm sure jostled it out.
Overall, the pack is designed not to transfer a lot of weight to the hips, which is okay for weights under 20 lbs. It does transfer some, but not as much as your traditional pack. The pack fit my body type very well and the size was just right. My back did get sweaty as expected with the padding as it is designed. I think I will try my Z-Rest in lieu of the backpad provided by the manufacturer. The egg-crate construction of the Z-rest should stand the pack off my back a little more and will hopefully provide a little more airflow.
Physically, I felt better on this hike than I have since I over did it 2 1/2 years ago. Considering that I was able to run the downhills and flats the last 4 miles of the hike with no knee pain says a lot for the training that I've been able to do this fall/winter. Prior to adopting primal running, I hadn't been able to run at all or hike downhill with pain. Pretty amazing that I am able to now run downhill with a pack on with no pain!!!
Friday, December 18, 2009
11F and running in VFF KSO's
My morning run today: 11F and 3 miles in my VFF KSO's with the Injinji Wool Socks. Toes were pretty cold the first 1.5 miles and then warmed up and was perfectly comfortable. Could have gone further, but ran out of time... I was running on the asphalt trail and not in the snow as that would obviously quickly freeze my feet. My plan is go on a longer run tomorrow of which it should be warmer... I think the key to keeping the toes warm is to dress in a way that the when you start to heat up, it then forces the heat down to your toes. I let myself get a little warmer than normal and yet was not too warm that I got sweaty while running. Highly breathable clothing is key!! AND, I would highly recommend going with merino wool as much as possible because if you do get a little sweaty it is much warmer than any poly type clothing when it is wet. I am finding out that I would rather throw on another layer of merino wool than my windshirt. It always seems that I get much more sweaty under my windshirt and end up shedding it not too long into my run. The windshirt also provides no insulation value. I think the only time that I would wear the windshirt is if it is super windy and I felt my merino wool layers would not protect me in regards to the wind chill.
My 2.5 mile run earlier this week was in my Mukluks and those also felt good to run in. They are just so heavy compared to the KSO's, and certainly a bit clunky and awkward. I felt they gave me a good leg work-out and I could run off the trail as well in the 6-8" of snow. But, there is something great about the feeling of running in minimalist footwear and being able to feel the ground below you. The Mukluks are great in the sense that they offer no support and that the bottoms are totally flexible, but with all the insulation beneath your feet, they greatly reduce the feeling of the ground beneath you.
Currently my achilles tendons are pretty tender and for some reason my Feelmax Kuuva Boots put some pressure on the tendons. So until my achilles are feeling better, I will switch back and forth between my KSO's and my Mukluks.
I'm headed to Atlanta for Christmas and am looking forward to doing some trail running down there as well as some hiking. I'm really looking forward to running in some warmer weather and without snow.
My 2.5 mile run earlier this week was in my Mukluks and those also felt good to run in. They are just so heavy compared to the KSO's, and certainly a bit clunky and awkward. I felt they gave me a good leg work-out and I could run off the trail as well in the 6-8" of snow. But, there is something great about the feeling of running in minimalist footwear and being able to feel the ground below you. The Mukluks are great in the sense that they offer no support and that the bottoms are totally flexible, but with all the insulation beneath your feet, they greatly reduce the feeling of the ground beneath you.
Currently my achilles tendons are pretty tender and for some reason my Feelmax Kuuva Boots put some pressure on the tendons. So until my achilles are feeling better, I will switch back and forth between my KSO's and my Mukluks.
I'm headed to Atlanta for Christmas and am looking forward to doing some trail running down there as well as some hiking. I'm really looking forward to running in some warmer weather and without snow.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
The Case for Avoiding Pavement of any Kind!!
Combining variety in your running surfaces with barefoot or primal running seems to be a great combination!! Allowing your feet to be strengthened by removing all support and improving your form by removing all cushion will give you more of a full body work out than you would think could come from running. One advantage to running in MN in the winter is you can run on snow. My most recent run was 6.5 miles and about 2/3rds of it was in 4-6" of snow along side of the asphalt trail. It really slowed my pace, but I did feel it was much more of a full body workout. The key is to completely relax your body and let your feet speak to you. I was wearing my Feelmax Kuuvas and the flexible minimalist bottom allows me to sense the ground under me and as my foot lands, by whole body automatically adjusts accordingly. I have found that if I am not relaxed, my back muscles in particular get really sore. As Ken Bob Saxton says "RELAX, RELAX, RELAX!"
The following is an excerpt from Always Running the Same Way - The trouble with running on concrete and asphalt by Paul Ingraham, RMT
The body is an all-terrain vehicle. We cannot run on concrete for long without consequences. In the case of running, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting to get away with it! Although most runners believe that the rigidity of concrete is the main problem, it may be that the continuity of the surface is just as bad or worse.
Lack of variety in running surface
Unfortunately, most recreational runners are running on sidewalks. Any sunny morning, you can see hundreds of them on the seawall in downtown Vancouver. They never touch the grass or the sand. They have succumbed to the illusion that a hard, constant surface is the path of least resistance. But on an unvarying surface, your body is subjected to exactly the same forces with every strike of the foot. Not only is the stress of impact exaggerated by the hard surface, but it is also repeated excessively because the mechanics of every step are exactly the same.
Worse still, the body is given no chance to adapt to other stresses. At best, same-surface and hard-surface runners become strong in one way, but weak in all the others — and therefore vulnerable to injury.
A classic runner’s injury, for instance, is a kind of tendinitis called iliotibial band syndrome. It is caused by muscle imbalance, by a relative weakness of the gluteus maximus and minimus. These muscles are lateral stabilizers; they control side-to-side movement of the hips. On a flat surface, they aren’t needed much — it’s easy to stay upright on a flat surface. They don’t exactly atrophy, but the other leg muscles get disproportionately stronger. When you see people running sideways, this is partly what they are trying to prevent. It’s a good idea, but it’s futile unless they do at least half the run that way.
The alternatives to running on hard, even surfaces
The solution to most running problems is to get off the concrete. Even trail running (chip trails and other groomed trails) is not adequate — it may be soft, but it is still same-surface running. We have evolved miraculously complex reflexes and musculature that can keep us upright on virtually any surface, even shifting surfaces like the deck of a ship. To develop and maintain a well-rounded fitness, all of those reflexes and musculature need to be constantly stimulated and challenged!
Ideally, everyone should do true trail running, or cross-country running. Your run should be on soft, constantly changing and unstable surfaces. For instance, I live in downtown Vancouver, which is runner’s Heaven: miles of scenic seawall running. The seawall itself is paved. But for most of its length, you can stay off of it, and run on beaches or grass, hop over logs and benches, go up and down hills, scramble over rocks. This is perfect!
Alas, most people don’t have the option of running on the beach. The solution is what I call “urban cross-country.” The key to urban cross-country is creativity: do anything you can to vary your running surface, and to get off the concrete every chance you get. Put parks on your route whenever possible. If it’s a small one, run around it on the grass five times before continuing. No park? Run on people’s lawns! The sidewalk is not your path: everything else is. Look for stairs and steep hills, and put them in your route. Run with one foot on the curb and one foot off for a block.
The following is an excerpt from Always Running the Same Way - The trouble with running on concrete and asphalt by Paul Ingraham, RMT
The body is an all-terrain vehicle. We cannot run on concrete for long without consequences. In the case of running, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting to get away with it! Although most runners believe that the rigidity of concrete is the main problem, it may be that the continuity of the surface is just as bad or worse.
Lack of variety in running surface
Unfortunately, most recreational runners are running on sidewalks. Any sunny morning, you can see hundreds of them on the seawall in downtown Vancouver. They never touch the grass or the sand. They have succumbed to the illusion that a hard, constant surface is the path of least resistance. But on an unvarying surface, your body is subjected to exactly the same forces with every strike of the foot. Not only is the stress of impact exaggerated by the hard surface, but it is also repeated excessively because the mechanics of every step are exactly the same.
Worse still, the body is given no chance to adapt to other stresses. At best, same-surface and hard-surface runners become strong in one way, but weak in all the others — and therefore vulnerable to injury.
The solution to most running problems is to get off the concrete.
A classic runner’s injury, for instance, is a kind of tendinitis called iliotibial band syndrome. It is caused by muscle imbalance, by a relative weakness of the gluteus maximus and minimus. These muscles are lateral stabilizers; they control side-to-side movement of the hips. On a flat surface, they aren’t needed much — it’s easy to stay upright on a flat surface. They don’t exactly atrophy, but the other leg muscles get disproportionately stronger. When you see people running sideways, this is partly what they are trying to prevent. It’s a good idea, but it’s futile unless they do at least half the run that way.
The alternatives to running on hard, even surfaces
The solution to most running problems is to get off the concrete. Even trail running (chip trails and other groomed trails) is not adequate — it may be soft, but it is still same-surface running. We have evolved miraculously complex reflexes and musculature that can keep us upright on virtually any surface, even shifting surfaces like the deck of a ship. To develop and maintain a well-rounded fitness, all of those reflexes and musculature need to be constantly stimulated and challenged!
Ideally, everyone should do true trail running, or cross-country running. Your run should be on soft, constantly changing and unstable surfaces. For instance, I live in downtown Vancouver, which is runner’s Heaven: miles of scenic seawall running. The seawall itself is paved. But for most of its length, you can stay off of it, and run on beaches or grass, hop over logs and benches, go up and down hills, scramble over rocks. This is perfect!
The sidewalk is not your path: everything else is.
Alas, most people don’t have the option of running on the beach. The solution is what I call “urban cross-country.” The key to urban cross-country is creativity: do anything you can to vary your running surface, and to get off the concrete every chance you get. Put parks on your route whenever possible. If it’s a small one, run around it on the grass five times before continuing. No park? Run on people’s lawns! The sidewalk is not your path: everything else is. Look for stairs and steep hills, and put them in your route. Run with one foot on the curb and one foot off for a block.
Author's Original Post with Footnotes:
Research Article on Natural Surface Running
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Feelmax Kuuva Boots Initial Review
I received my Feelmax Kuuva Boots on Monday and took them out for a 4 mile run both Monday and Tuesday. It seems very strange to talk about running and boots in the same sentence, but that is what I am doing, so here's a little background before I get into the review.
Background
I adopted a minimalist/primal running style over two months ago after reading some of the reviews of Chris McDougall's book 'Born to Run' and similarly to the author discovered that my pain with running went away as my running style completely changed. It had been over two years since I have been able to run without an onset of excruciating knee pain after a 1/2 mile of running. And in over course of that two years, I've paid visits to two different doctors and and received physical therapy for patellofemoral syndrome and in the end, it helped some, but certainly not solved the core issue. I had all but pretty much given up on running until I discovered primal running. The theory behind it is that running in a padded and/or raised heal shoe oth allows you to run with poor form and additionally inhibits you from running properly. Up until the introduction of the padded/raised heel by Nike in 1972, running injuries were almost unheard of. Now, as many as 70 percent of runners experience knee injuries at some point in their lives, according to Dr. Kevin Plancher, an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist. For more information on this theory, check out the article "The Painful Truth about Trainers: Are Running Shoes a Waste of Money?". This article was written by McDougall just prior to the release of his book.
The first time I ran in my Vibram Fivefinger KSO's, I ran almost 3 miles with no pain! Granted I've had sore calves and achilles tightness since then as well as rare minor twinges of pain around my knees as I increase my mileage. This kind of pain I can deal with and the calf and achilles tightness is typical with those adopting this style of running. Currently I am up to almost 7 miles and am thoroughly enjoying running, enjoyment that I've never had before...
The best and quickest way to correct your running form is to totally bare your soles. I did get a chance to do a little bit of barefoot running this fall before it got too cold and really enjoyed it. The reality is that here in Minnesota, it is too cold for almost 6 months of the year to go barefoot. In addition, the days that it was warm enough, it was getting dark too early to run barefoot. I will bring this back into my training next spring of which I really look forward to!
As the temps dropped this fall running in my VFF KSO's, I quickly realized that they would only take me so far and if I wanted to maintain this running style, I would have to find a different solution. Searching high and low in forums and internet searches, the Feelmax Kuuva boots were one of very few options that I could find. The great thing about these being boots that as the snow starts to fly (and remains, typically until early April), I can continue to run as these are water resistant and they come up midway up my calves.
Initial Review
Initial Use
I currently have worn these boots for a 4 mile run on Monday, then going to get a Christmas tree, a 4 mile run on Tuesday in 1-2" of snow, and to work on Wednesday. For both runs, I wore my Injinji Nuwool socks in them, for getting the Christmas tree, I wore a pair of REI Merino Wool liner socks in them, and for work I wore a thicker pair of Bridgedale socks. It was a little over 20F degrees for the first run and getting the Christmas tree. The second run was 18F degrees (5F degree Wind Chill).
Construction
The uppers are constructed out of Clarino (water-resistant, breathable synthetic leather) and Canvas with a minimal amount of padding and insulation. The soles are 2.5mm of very flexible CeraPrene. Obviously, as a minimalist shoe, there is no arch support and no cushion in addition to the sole. The overall construction, stitching and style are superb. One potential flaw is that it looks like the bottom of the soles are constructed in two parts and thus they are glued to each other. I could see this eventually coming apart, but only time will tell.
Weight
My size 46 came in at 652 grams (23 oz) for both pair which is 326 (11.5 oz) grams per boot. This compares to 153 grams (5.4 oz) per pair for my VFF KSO's (Size 45) and 722 grams (25.5 oz) for my Inov8 Roclite 295's (Size 12). Great considering that as a boot, they weigh less than a typical trail running shoe.
Sizing
I am between the 45 & 46 sizes and decided to go with the larger size so that I could both layer socks and/or wear thick socks in them. I find that even with just a pair of liner socks in them, I am able to snug them up enough with the laces.
Warmth
My feet seemed a bit warm when running at 23F, but certainly not uncomfortable or sweating yet. At 18F with 5F windchill, they were perfectly comfortable. When out looking for a buying a Christmas Tree, I did find that when not moving around much and standing on cold concrete, the bottoms of my feet felt a bit cold. I don't think I could sustain being out in this cool of weather without continually moving. In wearing a thicker sock sitting at my desk all day, they were a bit warm, but still very comfortable, however, by the end of the day my feet were a bit sweaty. My initial reaction is that I will use these when below 20F or when there is snow on the ground below 35F. All else above that, I will switch back to my KSO's.
Water / Snow Resistance
After running in 1-2" of snow and some drifting of 4-5", my feet and ankles remained completely dry. The are water resistant enough to keep out snow and yet breathable enough to keep my feet from getting sweaty.
Price/Purchase
I purchased mine through Amazon.com which ultimately comes from Gifts From Finland. Were I to do it over again, I would have bought them direct from Gifts From Finland so that they don't have to pay the Amazon.com surcharges. Either way, they were currently on sale for $120 + Shipping, but it looks like they are currently out of stock. Extremeoutfitters.com, Mission-outfitters.com, and Outdoortactical.com all also sell these boots.
Manufacturer
Feelmax is headquartered in Finland, but it looks like these boots are actually manufactured in Germany per the label on the boot.
Other Reviews
Adventure in Progress - First Impressions - Feelmax Kuuva
Adventure in Progress - Minimalist Footwear for Winter
Living Barefoot
Background
I adopted a minimalist/primal running style over two months ago after reading some of the reviews of Chris McDougall's book 'Born to Run' and similarly to the author discovered that my pain with running went away as my running style completely changed. It had been over two years since I have been able to run without an onset of excruciating knee pain after a 1/2 mile of running. And in over course of that two years, I've paid visits to two different doctors and and received physical therapy for patellofemoral syndrome and in the end, it helped some, but certainly not solved the core issue. I had all but pretty much given up on running until I discovered primal running. The theory behind it is that running in a padded and/or raised heal shoe oth allows you to run with poor form and additionally inhibits you from running properly. Up until the introduction of the padded/raised heel by Nike in 1972, running injuries were almost unheard of. Now, as many as 70 percent of runners experience knee injuries at some point in their lives, according to Dr. Kevin Plancher, an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist. For more information on this theory, check out the article "The Painful Truth about Trainers: Are Running Shoes a Waste of Money?". This article was written by McDougall just prior to the release of his book.
The first time I ran in my Vibram Fivefinger KSO's, I ran almost 3 miles with no pain! Granted I've had sore calves and achilles tightness since then as well as rare minor twinges of pain around my knees as I increase my mileage. This kind of pain I can deal with and the calf and achilles tightness is typical with those adopting this style of running. Currently I am up to almost 7 miles and am thoroughly enjoying running, enjoyment that I've never had before...
The best and quickest way to correct your running form is to totally bare your soles. I did get a chance to do a little bit of barefoot running this fall before it got too cold and really enjoyed it. The reality is that here in Minnesota, it is too cold for almost 6 months of the year to go barefoot. In addition, the days that it was warm enough, it was getting dark too early to run barefoot. I will bring this back into my training next spring of which I really look forward to!
As the temps dropped this fall running in my VFF KSO's, I quickly realized that they would only take me so far and if I wanted to maintain this running style, I would have to find a different solution. Searching high and low in forums and internet searches, the Feelmax Kuuva boots were one of very few options that I could find. The great thing about these being boots that as the snow starts to fly (and remains, typically until early April), I can continue to run as these are water resistant and they come up midway up my calves.
Initial Review
Initial Use
I currently have worn these boots for a 4 mile run on Monday, then going to get a Christmas tree, a 4 mile run on Tuesday in 1-2" of snow, and to work on Wednesday. For both runs, I wore my Injinji Nuwool socks in them, for getting the Christmas tree, I wore a pair of REI Merino Wool liner socks in them, and for work I wore a thicker pair of Bridgedale socks. It was a little over 20F degrees for the first run and getting the Christmas tree. The second run was 18F degrees (5F degree Wind Chill).
Construction
The uppers are constructed out of Clarino (water-resistant, breathable synthetic leather) and Canvas with a minimal amount of padding and insulation. The soles are 2.5mm of very flexible CeraPrene. Obviously, as a minimalist shoe, there is no arch support and no cushion in addition to the sole. The overall construction, stitching and style are superb. One potential flaw is that it looks like the bottom of the soles are constructed in two parts and thus they are glued to each other. I could see this eventually coming apart, but only time will tell.
Weight
My size 46 came in at 652 grams (23 oz) for both pair which is 326 (11.5 oz) grams per boot. This compares to 153 grams (5.4 oz) per pair for my VFF KSO's (Size 45) and 722 grams (25.5 oz) for my Inov8 Roclite 295's (Size 12). Great considering that as a boot, they weigh less than a typical trail running shoe.
Sizing
I am between the 45 & 46 sizes and decided to go with the larger size so that I could both layer socks and/or wear thick socks in them. I find that even with just a pair of liner socks in them, I am able to snug them up enough with the laces.
Warmth
My feet seemed a bit warm when running at 23F, but certainly not uncomfortable or sweating yet. At 18F with 5F windchill, they were perfectly comfortable. When out looking for a buying a Christmas Tree, I did find that when not moving around much and standing on cold concrete, the bottoms of my feet felt a bit cold. I don't think I could sustain being out in this cool of weather without continually moving. In wearing a thicker sock sitting at my desk all day, they were a bit warm, but still very comfortable, however, by the end of the day my feet were a bit sweaty. My initial reaction is that I will use these when below 20F or when there is snow on the ground below 35F. All else above that, I will switch back to my KSO's.
Water / Snow Resistance
After running in 1-2" of snow and some drifting of 4-5", my feet and ankles remained completely dry. The are water resistant enough to keep out snow and yet breathable enough to keep my feet from getting sweaty.
Price/Purchase
I purchased mine through Amazon.com which ultimately comes from Gifts From Finland. Were I to do it over again, I would have bought them direct from Gifts From Finland so that they don't have to pay the Amazon.com surcharges. Either way, they were currently on sale for $120 + Shipping, but it looks like they are currently out of stock. Extremeoutfitters.com, Mission-outfitters.com, and Outdoortactical.com all also sell these boots.
Manufacturer
Feelmax is headquartered in Finland, but it looks like these boots are actually manufactured in Germany per the label on the boot.
Other Reviews
Adventure in Progress - First Impressions - Feelmax Kuuva
Adventure in Progress - Minimalist Footwear for Winter
Living Barefoot
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