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First Snow Run of the Season and First Time on Antelope Island

First Snow Run of the Season and First Time on Antelope Island

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While in Arizona for the last couple weeks I have been drooling over all of the beautiful snow-running pictures my Utah friends have been posting. So, having just flown back to UT (family still in AZ) yesterday, I resolved to go exploring. A number of people suggested Antelope Island for good snowy trails. I have been out there before (twice) but never to run. I was also excited to test out my new winter running gear: a Bjorn Daehlie Ambition Hat, Buffs neck/balaclava/bandana stretchy thing, Altra trail gaiters, Patagonia Houdini windbreaker, IO-Merino Wool Chaser half-zip base layer, etc… Long story short, the gear worked amazingly – all of it. However it was mid-30s, sunny, and no wind…and I got way overheated.

It was gorgeous and the trails were in amazing condition – nice softpacked snow. No ice. Little to no mud.

My plan was to run the Buffalo 25k course, but that was quickly altered to a short 7 mile loop up above White Rock Bay due to some extreme IT Band pain. The knee problem flared a couple weeks ago during my 29 miler in AZ and I didn’t have a foam roller down there to work on it. Clearly, it didn’t solve itself.

Regardless, it was gorgeous. A real stark beauty. And, I saw a ton of other trail runners out there – which is always fun.

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Snow Cactus
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Trailfie


New Gear Reviews

New Gear Reviews

Just in time for Christmas and everyone’s wondering what to buy their running friends, I recently updated the Gear pages. You can there find the lists of what I have been using lately, some short- and long-form reviews on what I do and do not like. Enjoy!

A Painful Epiphany About Shoes and my Altra Conversion

A Painful Epiphany About Shoes and my Altra Conversion

Last night, as there was a mix of rain and snow falling, I decided to strap on my headlamp and go for a run up on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail from Davis Creek, south (blog post coming soon, perhaps). I figured that higher up on the trail, it would be snow and not rain. Thankfully, I was right. Just snow…and some crazy thick fog banks that the trail kept on climbing up into and then descending below, and then climbing back into. But, that isn’t the point of this post. The point, is my feet.

For the snow, I have a pair of Montrail Badrocks. They are UBER waterproof and have nice grippy soles and lugs. Not knowing how slick it would be, I strapped them on. I got them last winter and only put about 20 miles in them before being laid up with injuries for most of February and March – but I enjoyed how they felt on the snow.

In the interceding 9 months, however, I bought a pair of Altras (the Olympus), and then another pair (Lone Peak 2.0), and then another pair (Paradigm). With the big toe box, zero drop, and MAX cushioning (which is why I picked those specific models), I found that the shoes solved a lot of my prior injury problems. In other words, I completely converted to the brand.

So, last night was my first time running in non-Altras for about 9 months. They felt fine, but I could tell there wasn’t as much cushion. Then, I woke up this morning. Wow. The soles of my feet hurt way more than usual, my knee and hip-joints felt a bit more beat up, even my back hurt more. Was it the shoes? I suspect so. My body has grown accustomed to that max cushioning on the Altras. Well, lesson learned!

As for the snow – maybe I’ll take an old pair of Altra Lone Peak 1.0s that a friend gave me (hand-me-down) screw some 1/2 inch sheet rock screws in there and use them!

Altra Olympus – Gear Review

Altra Olympus – Gear Review

Back in late-April the Mrs. allowed me a 3-months early birthday present – a pair of Altra Olympus trail shoes. I was about to run the Zion Trail Ragnar (read about how much “fun” that was) and hoped that the much raved about max cushioning would help ameliorate impact on some of my over-use injuries. I have now put ~100 miles in them over varied terrain and thought it would be worth a review.

Altra Olympus

Stack Height – 36 mm
Weight – appx. 11.6 ozOffset / Drop – 0 mmHeel Width – 94 mm
Midfoot Width – 120 mm
MSRP: $130

Grade: B+

The max-cushioning movement has been picking up steam apparently over the last few years, and with a lot of ultra marathon runners swearing by the Hoka One-One shoes, the Olympus was Altra’s first foray into the max-cushioning market. Altra is known for 2 major hallmarks: 1. Zero drop; and 2. The wide toe box. The zero drop means there is no mm difference between the heal and toe – whereas most running shoes (and all shoes in general) have a raised heal. With some of their other shoes (I have put in a few miles in a hand-me-down pair of Lone Peak 1.5’s) this requires a transition and takes a bit for your calf muscles and Achilles tendons to get used to them. With the larger stack on these, however, I found little trouble making the transition.  For me, the wide toe box was the bigger selling point. With more room for toes, the foot is able to splay out wider. I found this gave me better stability, but did lead to them feeling a bit sloppy when I was descending challenging terrain. As for the max-cushioning, I love it. They feel so nice – so squishy. I have run ~100 miles in them so far. I have taken them in mud and snow, dry rocky and dusty trail, even terrain and up mountains, and even 25 miles or so on pavement. These have been on short 3-4 mile run and longer 8-10 mile runs. 100 miles in, I have come to some decisions. They are great for easy – medium difficulty terrain, but are not the best choice for overly technical trails. I will continue wearing them on long runs (to save my joints and feet a bit) and on trails that don’t require more aggressive tread or tighter fit. When doing runs that involve climbing up and coming down – with little lateral traverses or “even” ground…I will pick a different shoes.  Overall, however, I am quite please with the purchase. They will be my workhorse for a lot of miles.

Pros:

  • Max cushioning feels amazing
  • Wide toe box allows feet to splay full and adds stability.
    • This may also reduce toes jamming up against the upper of your shoe – causing blisters and toenails falling off. HOWEVER, when making steep descents, I find that my toes do still hit a bit.
    • I have been using some Injinji socks to take advantage of the room my toes have.
  • Light weight and fairly smooth tread makes them easy to transition to pavement if needed.
  • I love supporting local companies (they’re from UT – hence the Mt. “Olympus” name) and my interactions with Altra Ambassadors and customer service have been nothing but positive.
  • Gaiter trap built into the heal. I haven’t bought gaiters yet…but have been thinking about it.

Cons:

  • Not great for uneven terrain. With the higher stack there is some inevitable instability.
  • Weak tread. I was quite shocked by how un-aggressive the lug patters and tread are on this “trail” shoes. I haven’t had serious problems with it, but on steep climbs, mud, or snow, I have found myself wishing I was wearing something different.
  • Fit feels a bit sloppy sometimes – even when using their suggested alternate lacing patters.
  • Tongue slides over to the side
  • Upper and laces don’t seem incredibly durable. I assume the light materials help keep the weight down, but a bit surprising.
  • Thin tongue means if you really crank the lacing down, it causes some discomfort on the top of your foot
  • Color along the sides of the rubber (orange) immediately began to wear off. Oh well. They should be caked in mud anyways, right?

 

 

 

 

Nathan HPL 020 Hydration Vest (on sale!) – Gear Review

Nathan HPL 020 Hydration Vest (on sale!) – Gear Review

I decided to make this my first gear review because I just saw that (at the time of this posting) Amazon has a great sale .  Only $67 instead of the regular $90-100.

Nathan HPL 020 Hydration Vest

Grade: A- / B+

Nathan HPL 020

This was one of the first pieces of running gear I purchased after moving to Utah last June. I had never carried water before while running, but the combination of heat and desire to go longer distance up on remote mountain trails convinced me otherwise.  Oh, that and disastrous trip up Flag Rock in 90 degree + heat with no water. I spoke with a couple people, and although it was pricey, bought it on amazon. I took it for its first spin on my hike up Baer Canyon a couple weeks later and was in love.  Seriously.  I have continued using it on longer runs and have very little to no complaints.  On shorter runs I have started using a Nathan Trail Mix Hydration Belt, that is, when my wife isn’t stealing it for her runs.

Pros:

  • 2 liter capacity.
    • If I am going to head up miles into the mountains on trails, especially in summer heat, I don’t feel comfortable with just a hand-held water bottle. (Nathan makes a number of those – as do others –  and I have heard very good things and see people with them all the time). Not yet at least.  I current err on the side of caution, bringing more water than I need. Better safe than sorry.
  • Comfort
    • I have worn this vest with and without a shirt and had no problem with chaffing.  Even when loaded to capacity it doesn’t bounce when I run and fits nice and snug to my back. The straps are all adjustable so I assume it can accommodate various sizes.  I’m quite small and some gear won’t size down small enough for me – but this gets quite snug.
  • Pockets
    • Along the two main chest straps there are pockets – one with a zipper – to carry supplies, food, gels, a phone, camera, etc… things you need to access without taking the vest off.  Very handy. On the back there is a much larger top pocket, divided into 2 compartments, and containing a plastic clip to hook keys to. This top compartment can fit quite a lot – especially if you haven’t filled the bladder to a full 2 liters. You can also store things in the main bladder compartment – but obviously nothing that may puncture it. I once took an entire bottle of Mtn. Dew up the mtn with me and it fit in there with the bladder. In short – LOTS of cargo space. It will start to feel heavy when loaded up, but still rides comfortably and doesn’t bounce around when running.
  • Bladder Seal
    • The bladder has a nifty seal on the top – a beveled section of plastic you fold over and then lock shut with an attached piece of plastic that slides across. No leaks. I was worried about this and have had zero problems.
  • Straps
    • On the back of the main compartment there are some straps you can use to tie something on.  I have used these a number of time when I go out for a run wearing a shirt, but quickly overheat and want to take it off.  I can quickly secured it to the back and be on my way. I have never had anything come lose – even an entire bag of sunflower seeds once. Don’t ask why I was carrying an entire bag of seeds up the mtn.

Cons

  • Pocket size
    • I love the pockets but wish that they were a little bit bigger. My iPhone – which I use for GPS tracking with the Strava app – fits in the zipper pocket, but barely. Enlarging this pocket just a smidge would really help.  (Its an even tighter fit on my Nathan Trail Mix Hydration Belt…but that’s a review for another day).
  • Bladder Tube
    • The tube that runs from the bladder comes out a hole in the top of the vest, and can run down either strap with a loop to secure it. There is a clip built into the chest buckle that can secure the end of the tube, but it is kind of a stretch to make it reach.  Also, every once in a while water will drip out of the tube, but not often. You can twist it to lock it shut, so not a big deal.
  • Interior Bladder Hook
    • The top of the bladder seal has a little hook that loops around a fabric hook on the top inside of the main compartment.  The idea being that it will hang the bladder inside of the compartment instead of letting it just sag and flop around in the bottom.  Mine never stays hooked.  This isn’t a big deal, and actually has zero impact on performance…it just bugs me that it does it.