Falling Back In Love

I feel like me and the outdoors have been in an estranged marriage. We're still technically married, we see each other everyday as we both go about our business around the house.  I'm doing my thing, she's doing hers. I think I still love her but I sure haven't liked her the past few months.

We've been fighting. Sure, some of it's petty but if it's kept up for a long period of time, it could be a deal breaker in our relationship. For instance, she insists on keeping the thermostat at an ungodly high temperature. I can't stand it. I just am not nearly as happy when I'm hot and sweaty while standing still. I also feel like she always leaves every light in the house on. Can't I go outside for a 7 mile run without getting sunburned or baked by the intense rays of light? And I have no problem watering the lawn occasionally. But is it too much to ask that she take care of it once or twice a month? I just don't want every lawn looking crispy and yellow. 

But lately things have started change a bit. She still leaves the thermostat a bit high some of the days, but lately she's been keeping it somewhat cool around the house. She still leaves the lights on, but she's dimmed the lights a bit and it makes a huge difference. And even the lawn is turning green again. I am finally starting to fall back in love with her.  And now that she's treating me so well I feel motivated to do more. Maybe I'll squeeze in a few more quality runs with her and not just sneak them in while she's still asleep in the morning. Or even going on a hike or geocaching trip might be in the cards. We'll take it slow and see where things go.

How Hyden Got His Groove Back

I took three weeks off from running to rest my Achilles Tendinitis after a dumb 3 mile barefoot run came back to bite me after 2 months of running with pain and stiff ankles. So much can change in 3 weeks. I wore gloves during CrazyLegs in the end of April. Now they are considering canceling marathons this weekend due to heat.

So I decided my first run back would be with the newly formed Johnson Creek Running Club that was started up one town over. I chose 3 miles to start. The route was unfamiliar and filled with hills. I had to stop several times to stretch my calf and achilles. And sure enough, things started to loosen up. Of course it started to loosen up 2.5 miles into my 3 mile run.

I had a second run this week. Five miles. Nice and slow. I even got 2 dozen cows to chase me through my rural route. There's something I love about running past small family farms with old barns and curious cows.

I know I have some adjusting to do. The temps are rising and hopefully my mileage will be soon. The Ragnar Relay will be here before I know it. I'm hoping to get some more blog posts in, so stay tuned.

Adventures In Barefoot Running Part II

I wrote in a previous post that I went for a 3 mile run in my Vibram Five Fingers on a beach in SC. I also mentioned I had a stiff Achilles the following day. That day turned into a week, and the week turned into a couple months.

After turning up the intensity on my training, my achilles became more and more sore. While a good warm up took away most of the pain during my runs, the morning after was a-whole-nother story. After spending the day after my CrazyLegs Run in pain I reached out to a friend of mine that is a Physical Therapist.

She suggested a strict regiment of rest and ice. What!? Rest!? That's outrageous! It's a diagnosis most runners fear, taking time off. I've now gone over a week without running and I am going a bit stir crazy. Today we had a wonderful rain storm that made me want to throw on an old pair of shoes and go sloshing around in the rain.

Instead I am spending some quality time with a bag of frozen peas and a bag of frozen corn. I want rest and get over this injury but with my Ragnar Relay just a few weeks away I feel like I'm fighting the battle of rest vs. training. Hopefully any one considering a minimalist style of running will learn that taking it slow is obviously the most important thing.

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.