Spikeless Cross Country Flats or WWPW?

I’m thinking about getting a different type of running shoe. It might be a crazy idea or it might be a bit of sneaky genius. I got the idea from thinking about the book, Born to Run by McDougall. I haven’t actually read it yet because it’s a very hot item at the library right now but the idea it puts forth (probably) is that humans have run long distances for a long time and are actually designed (creatively or evolutionarily) to do so. The problem is that we’ve forgotten how to run properly and running shoes (companies?) are forcing bad habits upon us.

Running shoes have really high cushy heels designed to absorb the impact of heel strikes. While the idea of cushioning seems pretty okay, I think it’s the high heel which causes problems. We never really get a chance to let our feet do the running. We’re always cramped into a shoe contraption.

The book looks at the Tarahumara people of Mexico that have been running long distances barefoot as a natural part of their culture for many generations with few running related injuries. Many people have started to follow their lead and try barefoot running or running with specially designed barefoot-shoes like the “Five Fingers” by Vibram which is basically a fancy (expensive) rubber sock with individual toe spaces.

Running shoeless, or nearly so, allows you to lengthen your calf and hamstring and back muscles (probably) with every stride. You land on the ball of your foot our almost flatfooted depending on your speed and the terrain. Your heel is lowered to the ground slowly by your leg muscles to reduce impact shock.

And your heel is lowered further. Probably close to an inch lower than would be possible with standard running shoes. So you can’t really practice this form technique while using your old shoes.

Since it’s cross country season and all, I’ve been seeing a lot of the local school teams out on their training runs. Most of them are wearing regular running shoes. It’s a hard habit to break (same old story.) But when you look at all the elite runners from the track or cross country none of them are wearing standard running shoes. They wear shoes that have low heels. This gives their feet some amount of protection from ground abrasion and a minimal amount of shock absorption, but again, maybe most importantly, it lowers their heel. (What Would Pre Wear? WWPW)

It reminds me of the call to arms of the telemark skier, “Free your Heel!”

So, I’m thinking it would be an interesting experiment to get some of these cross country shoes and use them as a transition to occasional barefoot running while still maintaining a bit of foot protection and not looking like a fool running around barefoot.

I should probably just use them on the trails for a while until I can redevelop my natural running stride.

Plus, racing shoes just look really cool… And if Everyday Joes can dork around in running shoes all over the place then I (as a fairly non-poser runner, right?) should be able to wear sweet looking racing runners.

Injury will be the judge…

“Forest Closed to the Public”

That’s the giant sign that “Lefty Tony” and I found waiting for us at the trailhead this morning.

It’s kind of a rude sign. Couldn’t they (NFS) have at least tacked a note on there saying, “gee, we wish we didn’t have to close the trails but we just don’t think it’s safe up there right now. We hope you’ll understand. Feel free to use the drinking fountain just up the road if you need to fill your bottles. We’ll open everything up just as soon as conditions improve. We’re looking forward to seeing you up here for lots of adventures this fall. Until then, be safe and pray for rain (but not too much as it will wash the mountains away.) Have a nice day, Smokey and friends…”

Maybe I’ll print that out and post it myself…

I’m not sure why the forest is closed now. There’re rumors of there being Santa Ana winds that could stoke a fire but it’s not windy where I am. And it’s hot (95) but certainly not hot enough for anything to spontaneously combust. And there’s really nothing left to burn up there.

But still, it is closed. With no report about how long it will be closed. Maybe a day. Maybe a year.

No biking Brown. No running El Prieto. Not even riding the Angeles Crest Highway – that’s closed too.

So I guess I’ll have to be a townie this weekend.

Black is the New Brown

Brown Mountain is Black. Everywhere. I thought there’d be a few spared spots but it’s pretty much torched all the way up to the top. I’d call it 99.9% torched along the 6.5 miles of trail.

The dirt road/trail is still in fairly great shape. There’s a lot more loose rock on it than before but in time that will all get brushed aside by shoes and tires and maybe the NFS will send a road grader up there soon.

There are already a lot of slides coming off the slopes above the trail. It could get really ugly up there come the first rains of the season. Maybe there will be some regrowth in the next few months to keep the entire mountain from washing down into the ocean.

Visibility around the corners, however, is great. Better than ever.

And, actually, it’s pretty awesome to be able to see all the landforms next to the trail that have been hidden under brush for decades. So many little canyons and slopes and rocks and gullies that are all new to me.

Sorry I have no photo evidence but I have no camera. You know what a campfire looks and smells like the morning after… well, multiply that by a million and that’s Brown Mountain… I mean, Black Mountain.

On a positive note, it felt really good to be riding Metamorphosis again and it’s still a great ride up there. Luckily it was pretty cool and foggy up there this morning, though. It will get pretty hot up there when the sun is blasting it. There wasn’t much shade up there before the fire, but now there is none.

I did see one new green shoot punching through the soil. Hopefully lots more will join it soon.

It will recover. And I’ll keep riding it over and over again as it does.

the mountains are open…

The fires are out…

Sunday is forecast to be a cool 82 degrees…

Things are looking Fall.

I rode by the trailhead yesterday to scout out the openness of the forest. I figured everything would be blocked off still with signs and that yellow do-not-cross tape but it was totally clear. Totally quiet too. No one around. I don’t think anyone knows it’s open. Unfortunately I only had time to ride back about a mile just to see if everything was a go. I don’t know why but I was scared I was going to get arrested for entering the closed forest.

Hope to make it up there this weekend to observe the fire (and ‘dozer!) scars first hand.

CX 2009

It's cyclocross season! I'm not a cx'er but it does get me excited anyway. Found this old film over at SoCalCross:

celebrity sighting

I spotted Andy Kumeda last night in Old Town Pasadena. I almost got up from my beers to talk to him. Next time (as I tend to say a lot.) It’s strange when the cyber and real worlds mingle – sort of like seeing a ghost. Ghosts are inspiring.

Currently reading: Pacific High - Tim Palmer

a run of some kind

It’s been three weeks since my last real run. But I made it out this morning for a slow/easy (sleazy) three miler. It felt okay. The back is almost better. Maybe this injury was providential, though. There’s been enough smoke in the air lately that it may not have been a good idea to have been out running in it. If I hadn’t been injured I probably would have gone out running in the smoke anyway and maybe caused some lung difficulty. Although, the smoke hasn’t seemed to bother me much on the bike – nor has the back – I’ve been riding along just fine.

I haven’t been up Brown all summer - two months! That is just dumb. Now that it’s on fire and the NFS has closed the trail due to threat of death, I suddenly really crave it up there. I hope we won’t have to wait too much longer to visit our mountain.