My Legs Get A Little Crazy

I recently participated in the race that got me started with running a few years ago. The Crazy Legs Classic is an 8k race in Madison, WI. I love this race for so many reasons; The finish at the 50 yard line of Camp Randall, the route through my Alma Mater, the cold beer waiting for me at the finish line, and the great friends from college that always reunite to run the race.

It was a cold and rainy day. I like cooler weather but the 40 degree weather had me in gloves. My SmartWool kept me warm during and after the race too. The cool temps probably helped me finish as strong as I did but the slick roads had me a bit worried on the large downhill portions.

I worked hard at coming out slow and building my speed towards the end. The Rocky theme song blares at the same spot on the last mile every year and it always reminds me that I can dig just a bit deeper. I also found myself calling on my old Running Back skills from my football days as I look for gaps in the runners and accelerate to squeeze through a wall of 3 friends running together (avoiding hitting any of them, of course)

As you turn the corner into the stadium you can start to hear the massive amounts of people. My legs were tired but the downhill ramp and entering one of the oldest stadiums in college football gave me a surge. I knew I would set a PR but it was a matter of by how much. I hit my Garmin at 45:54 and was very excited to share it with family and friends. Setting a PR is another reason I love this race.

It's also a great measure of how my running has been going over the years. I used to train for each race about month before the event. This was my first full year of training before running the event. Let's look at my past performances:

2008 54:30
2009 53:08
2010 1:01:49
2011 52:25
2012 45:54

I was very excited to dip under the 50 minute mark let alone shave 6 plus minutes off of my Personal Record. Very excited with my performance.

The Stinky Feet Challenge

I was poking around on the Facebook page of my sponsor, Smartwool, when I saw a response to a customer asking questions about the durability of the socks. The response mentioned that Smartwool socks can be worn for consecutive days without stinking. That 5 days isn't unheard of at the corporate offices.
I thought this was hyperbole. Maybe a tongue in cheek comment about the laid back ski town culture at the corporate office. So I decided to do a test of my own. I recently got the Hiking Ultra Light Crew. They are brown so they can pass for work and play.
I started off thinking these socks stood no chance. My feet smell bad. Really bad. In college a girl told me she considered not dating me because my feet smelled so bad. My wife also mentioned it as a hurdle when we started dating. As an RA in college the residents on my floor would mention that my shoes stunk up the hallway as they walked by. As you can imagine, it was pretty embarrassing growing up with sweaty stinky feet.
So I decided to set the rules. I'd wear them all day except when I went for a run (I like my running socks and didn't want to change anything). I don't sleep in socks so they would get a breather then. I decided the impartial judge would be my neat freak wife. She was not happy with this newly appointed role but she begrudgingly accepted the position.
Day 1- She slowly approached the socks and sniffed with the socks a few inches away from her face. After smelling nothing she put the socks to her nose and ruled... "I got nothing."
Day 2- I took my socks off after 2 days of working in unventilated dress shoes. A recipe for funk. Again she slowly approaches them, moves in for a better smell... "Nothing."
Day 3- I take them off and let her know its time to smell. She fearlessly buries her nose in the socks and says "Still good."
Day 4- She gives them a smell and decides "Just barely. I can kinda tell you've worn them."
Day 5- No judge needed. I smell them and decide to they are officially dirty. I love Smartwool but it's not worth sleeping on the couch over.
We were both pretty shocked. Day 4 smelled like 20 minutes would in my old cotton socks. We decided a family member might be getting a pair in his Easter Basket this year. So being in sales I can't help but think about the benefits of Smartwool socks;
1. They're So Soft- I refuse to wear any other sock.
2. Conserve Water- Wool can help you cut your laundry load to 1/5 of what it is. If socks last 5 days who knows how long pants and shirts could go.
3. Confidence- Now you can kick your shoes off without making your date's eyes water.
4. Great Gift- You can give them to your husband or wife and enjoy their feet not smelling. Now you both get a great gift.
5. Durability- They don't wear out and a satisfaction guarantee means you'll always be happy (Unlike my dryer that went out after 2.5 years. Can you tell it's still kind of a sore spot)
I challenge you to do the Stinky Sock Challenge and see how long they last for you.

Adventures in Barefoot Running

I met up with a friend of mine from Highschool to watch our alma mater play in the playoffs. She is a runner too. She even joined my Ragnar Relay Team for the Madison to Chicago 200 mile overnight running relay. When we talked about running she asked me if I ever did any barefoot running. I quickly responded no.

As I was driving home I realized that I had quite the adventure running in my bare feet. I played Football in HS (oddly enough my least favorite part was running) and after a Friday night game I went to relax with a another teammate at a classmates house. Her older brother and his friends came over with a few cases of beer and started to party. Being the good kid that I was I declined their offers to join them.

The boys started to get louder and before I knew it, police had pulled up to the front door. I decided this would be a great time to get some wind sprints in and headed out the back door. As I ran through the dark, I quickly hopped a fence and lost my sandals in the process. There I found myself running barefoot down the residential road.

After the wind sprints I decided to stretch out my legs in the woods for what felt like forever. When I thought the coast was clear I headed back to my car. Halfway down the street I saw a car with a search light on it pull down the road I was walking on. I quickly dashed into a nearby bush for some yoga. As I did my best Crouching Praying Teenager pose, the searchlight came, but most importantly it kept going.

My racing heart eventually slowed down when the neighbor let out their dog. I was on one side of the fence as a large dog with his hot breath barked at me from the other side. After a few minutes the woman came out to scold her dog to be quiet and that no one was out there!

After the dog quieted down I decided to make my move. I positioned myself to get up and as soon as I snapped a twig, I learned the dog was silently waiting on the other side of the fence to continue his barking. I could hear the owner of the dog scolding him again when I took off from behind my bush. I finally made it back to my car and got my first experience with barefoot driving.

I did decide to try some Vibram Five Fingers after seeing a decent discount at a local running store. I took them out on a trip to Myrtle Beach this weekend and went for quick 3 mile run with my wife on the beach.

I ended up with one blister and a very tender achilles heal. Who knew that impromptu barefoot running would lead to less discomfort than running with Vibrams. I think a pair of Smartwool toes socks from my sponsor might be needed.

All Work And No Play Makes Brent A Dull Boy

Living in Wisconsin can make you a bit crazy in the winter. It is about half of the year after all. When cabin fever strikes, we find all kinds of dumb reasons to go outside. My wife even attended the Wisconsin vs. Michigan outdoor hockey game while 9 months pregnant (Wisconsin won and she gave birth 3 days later). To celebrate his birthday, every year we drive 4 hours north to a stones throw from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. But this is no ordinary Birthday party, it's an outdoors birthday party.

Every year we head out to the sledding hill, start a fire, and spend some quality time with the family. This year has been such a mild winter in Wisconsin we weren't even sure we'd have snow on the ground to sled in the first place. Luckily we got a couple inches on our way up. We hit the sledding hill and it was a brisk 14 degrees out.

My son is a daredevil at heart. He loves all things fast, high, and dangerous. He giggles with joy when the wind and snow whip against his face. We had to take turns because his desire for speed was greater than our ability to drag him up the hill.

A funny thing happens when you have an outdoor party in the middle of winter, everything freezes. I made the mistake of grabbing a carrot with my glove and biting into it. It was frozen solid from the hour it spent sitting outside in the 14 degree weather. Ice started to form on the tomatoes.

My wife's cousin even got to hang out with me. Lucky guy.

The Snowmobile Trip With No Snow

Day 1

I took a 3 day weekend to get out and enjoy some snowmobiling in Northern Wisconsin. The only problem? No snow. We've had an amazingly mild winter in Wisconsin, leaving even the most norther spots bare.

Needless to say we were pretty depressed on the 4 hour drive as we traveled further and further north with no snow in sight. We also had a sledding birthday party planned for our 2 year old son. It's pretty hard to have a sledding party with no snow.

We made it up safely and got settled in. We woke up the next morning to see 3 inches of fresh snow waiting for us. We let Nana take over diaper duty and got ready to hit the trails.

We got the snowmobiles fired up and headed out on the in-laws 120 acres to head to the country trails. We zigged and zagged and pulled a few U-turns. We were completely lost. There are a few old logging roads and it can get confusing on which one leads to the trails. After an hour of getting lost we decided we were late for breakfast and finally had to give up.

Day 2

After consulting her Dad, my wife found the right path (a down tree was throwing her off). It was nice to get out onto the trails and open up the throttle a bit.

My wife wisely marked where we turn of the trial with some ribbon so we knew we wouldn't get lost on the way back.

While she tied the ribbon I decided to get a pic of my little buddy hanging out on my sleeve. After a great breakfast at our favorite diner we headed back.

I snapped a couple more pictures as my wife untied the ribbon we used to mark the trail. I never imagined, growing up in the city, that I would be having so much fun in 10 degree weather. I am really starting to love these trips we take. I even put my iPod on to listen to some music while I'm riding.

We made it back safe and sound. We had Nana get our son dressed and he road around the front yard with us on the snow mobile. My wife even hooked up his sled to the back of the snowmobile and took him for a couple cautious laps around the house. He was in heaven and so were we.

Northwoods Trail Race

I recently got the pleasure of participating in a 4 mile trail race in the Woods of Northern Wisconsin. I brought my phone with so I could snap some pictures to remember the event. The starting line was a drive way on a 120 acre farm in Pembine, WI. The runners took their position and the race finally begun.
I had a great start and before I knew it there was only one runner in front of me once the race got under way.

We got a hearty cheer of Moos from the spectators looking on.

As we ran along the fence line, the sprawling farm grabbed our attention as we ran through the snow covered course.

We made it past the fence line and found our way onto the old logging roads that made up most of the course.
The winding roads made for a gorgeous winter scene out of a movie. One other runner and I continued to swap the lead. As he took back the lead I looked behind me and could not see another runner in sight.
The road gave way to an old narrow path and we struggled to keep our footing in the sometimes rough terrain. Luckily I had my Yak Tracks on, without them I never would have kept up with my agile competitor.We both got a bit lost but stuck together and back tracked until we found the path again for our out and back course. As we headed down the stretch we got a standing ovation from our fans. They cheered on loudly as we gave them quite an entertaining finish.

As we neared the finish line, I realized that my competitor's endurance and speed was out of my league. I ran a good race and finished strong. I was happy with my 2nd place finish. (I did have a 1st place finish in my age group)

I moved indoors and warmed up after a great race. Here's my race recap:

What it lacked in Water Stops, a Timing System, First Aid, and Trail Markers, it made up for in Uncrowded Courses, a Unique Spectator Experience, Low Registration Fees and Ability to Win Your Age Group. I must say the complimentary Hot Chocolate was some of the best SWAG I have ever gotten at a race.

My First Sub Zero Degree Run

After being sick off an on for a month, I am finally feeling healthy and hitting the road again.

Tonight I ventured out for my first subzero run. The bank sign on my drive home read -3 degrees. I've run in the cold and snow before but never this bitterly cold. Part of me was really excited to try out my Smartwool samples that were sent to me as part of the Smartwool Ambassador program. I was pretty much covered from head to toe in Smartwool like a kid playing with his new toys the day after Christmas. I set out for the run and it was awesome.

It was so quiet out. Since this was the first sub zero temps of the year, everyone was staying in (except yours truly). The only noise I could hear was my shoes crunching over the snow covered road. I don't know about you but my entire body gets the shivers when I hear the sound of snow crunching. I am typing this as fast as possible because just thinking about it is making me shiver. It's like nails on a chalk board to me.

I finally decided to put in my headphones to drowned out the crunching snow sound. I try to maneuver them and they won't bend. The rubber had tightened up and they were as stiff as can be in the freezing temperatures. I finally shove them in and get moving. As I work my way down the road I can start to feel ice forming on my eyelashes. Between my hat and my face mask, my eyes are the only thing exposed to the elements. I decided to leave the ice crystals so that I can see what it looks like when I get back.

The most impressive thing during my run is that I don't fall once. Training for a marathon this past year was disastrous when it came to catching my foot on uneven sidewalks, or wooden planks sticking up on pedestrian bridges, or slipping on the wet wood at railroad crossings. The snow and ice were not issues. Believe it or not I had to stop and strip off a layer because I was getting too hot at one point.

Toward the end of my run I can feel my self finishing a bit stronger in anticipation of looking in the mirror at the ice crystals that have formed on my face. When I got inside I looked like I had just climbed a mountain. It made the run that much more rewarding.