Accidentally Too Far

The thing about trails is once you commit to running one, you pretty much have to finish it. There's no taking a shortcut, unless you're one hell of a bushwhacker.

Having consulted a map of the trails I planned to run, I thought I had a good seven-miler routed. Turns out I miscalculated the distances of the connector trails, which added almost a mile and a half to my Saturday morning run.

Despite the extra distance, I felt good -- loads better than a week ago when I had skip a trail loop and cut my run short. Maybe it was the shoes?

New Balance Minimus Zero Trail shoes (MT00)

I've been on a bit of a running gear buying binge. I'll give my new New Balances the "First Taste" treatment later this week, and you'll soon be hearing about what I bought to solve the issue of carrying my phone on the run and new visibility apparel.

Last week's running plan vs. reality turned out to be one run short, but only one mile short of goal, with three runs for 15 miles and a long of eight miles (and change).

This week's running plan calls for four runs and a total of 17 miles, with a long run of eight miles and at least one trail run. I also want to get back to my strength exercises, which I ditched when I got sick.

Saturday is the Dirty Dash, a 10-kilometer race in the Dirty Trail Race Series, my first race of the year and first trail event ever (hence why I bought new trail shoes). My goals for the race are 1.) don't fall, and 2.) finish with pace around 11 minutes per mile (an overall time of ~1:08:xx).

I hope everyone made it through St. Patrick's Day alive and free of legal trouble. Cheers!

Flashback Friday: Of Altitude and Bareness

It seems all my altitude training paid off, as last night's barefoot three-miler was blisteringly fast. My phone clocked me at a 9:04 pace, a new fastest, and my lungs felt better than they have in weeks.

This weekend's schedule calls for another three-miler and a seven-miler, which I'll likely run on trails. It's been a couple weeks since I've completed all the planned runs on my pre-training schedule. I'm hoping to change that trend.

Last week, I was forced to cut my attempted seven-miler to six miles because of fatigue. While I'm still coughing up gross bits and suffering from a stuffy nose, my energy level is much better than it was during that run.

The weather has been more than ideal for March and is forecast to remain in the high 60s and 70s for the next several days. It's almost criminal not to be running.

Back Talk
Wherein we address the resident heckler

Nitmos seeks to put salt in the wound: "You know what would have prevented that left big toe hot spot?"

Answer: Grapefruit rinds? Although socks would have likely done the trick.

Happy Hour is just around the corner, teammates. Have a finely brewed weekend and don't get too out of line this St. Patrick's Day. Remember to cast out the snakes and don't order an Irish Car Bomb in the vicinity of an Irishman. Run well and drink well. Cheers!

A Salty Climb Up Capitol Hill

Taking a midday break to run while in Salt Lake City on business, I laced up my new Altra Samsons and headed toward the Utah state capitol building, conveniently about a mile and a half from from my hotel.

Before heading out, Mrs. Viper reminded me that I was running at a higher elevation than I'm used to, so it might be harder. SLC is 4,226 feet above sea level, while Akron is at 1,004 feet. Little did I realize that when they say "Capitol Hill," here, they mean the hill part.

About a half-mile from the capitol building, I had an Inception moment, where the street suddenly went vertical. I looked to my right, and I could tell the mountains were still a bit off in the distance and not suddenly underfoot.

My lungs, still icky from being sick, burned with effort. And then, there were the stairs. For some reason, capitol buildings tend to feature lots and lots of stairs. I continued the climb, as I wanted to circumnavigate the building and see the various monuments surrounding it before heading back to my hotel.

The route I took back traveled through the heart of what must be the Mormon Super Complex, with a mammoth Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a convention center with stepped levels and patches of pine trees, a historical library, Joseph Smith memorial hall, and more interesting sights in the Temple Square.

The only downside was the amount of street lights that slowed me down. Between that and the probably effect of running at altitude, my final pace was in the high 11s.

Thanks to Ian for suggesting Liberty Park as a running venue, but it turned out to be about as far away as I wanted to run total.

I ran without the insole this time, and found the BareSole footbed comfortable enough. However, after the long downhill from the capitol building, I started to feel a hot spot under my left big toe. But overall, a good run. And on the way, I found the BeerHive Pub, where I stopped for a bite and beer (Wasatch Polygamy Porter) before getting back to work. Cheers!

First Taste: Altra Samsons

The good people at Altra saw fit to send me a pair of the company's latest minimalist offering in its all zero-drop line of running shoes: The Samson. (It's sister model is called Delilah, designed specifically for women's feet.)

The Samsons are basically a laced version of the Adams, which I've been running in since last September. My biggest beef with the Adams were the cinching straps, but that problem is resolved with the Samsons.

The Samson, MSRP: $99.99

Thoughts Out of the Box
The Samsons weigh slightly more than the Adams at 6.5 ounces and feel a bit sturdier. The upper is a thicker mesh than found on many other shoe brands, but is perfectly breathable. The decor of the upper, the orange logo and silvery patterns, add little heft and, along with the wide toe-box, allow the foot to move freely inside.

The Adams came with three insole options, whereas the Samson have a redesigned "Strengthen" insole and the "BareSole" footliner for two insole options, which is just as well, because I found the "Support" insole to bee too much squishyness underfoot with too little ground feel.

It has become customary now to test a minimalist shoe's flexibility by rolling into a ball. While the Samsons pass the test, they were a bit tougher to roll up than the Adams, and according to the Altra website the midsole is stronger than in its predecessor. This will be the main area of observation as I continue to test these shoes.

Rolled up, but tougher to do so.

First Run
My first run was a short neighborhood route, where I ran over varying surfaces such as pavement, brick, asphalt -- all in varying degrees of decay and strewn with debris. The Samsons allowed good ground feel, but I have yet to try the shoes without the insoles.

Walking About
I've had more opportunity to wear these shoes out and about. They're slipper-like in comfort, and my feet haven't gotten tired trekking around airports, as I am currently on a business trip (ironically, in Salt Lake City, just 40 minutes south of Altra's headquarters in Ogden, Utah).

Testing Points
Over the next month, I'll thoroughly test the Samsons for a more thorough review, as I've done with past shoes. My main observations will center on the my 3F criteria (remember, that's flat, flexible and ground feel). I'll try these on all sorts of terrain and at all sorts of distances.

Altra brothers: comparing the Samson and Adam, with
Strengthen insoles.

My first impressions have me looking forward to putting these through my slow paces. If all tests out, I hope these will be my shoes for the next Akron Marathon. Anybody know of any good running spots in SLC?

Flashback Friday: Happy to Spring Forward

This weekend we get to lose an hour of sleep, but we'll finally regain some sunlight at the end of the day.

The Viper household is looking forward to setting the clocks forward Sunday morning for Daylight Savings Time and saying goodbye to Seasonal Affectation Disorder.

I'm still getting over whatever disease I contracted at my friend's wedding last weekend, but I'm hoping to complete my planned weekend runs, especially that seven-miler.

Stay tuned for Monday for a first look at some new running gear I received last night. I'll be testing it out over the next couple days for a quick and dirty review next week.

Back Talk
Wherein we bask in our cultural diversity

B.o.B. wants a taste of my 'hood: "[U]m, you have a neighborhood rapper? [I]'m soooo jealous."

Answer: Indeed, we live in a diverse urban area. And this wasn't the first time the roving rapper has included me in his spontaneous flow. He walks down our street rappin' at full volume, and I once gave him the hairy eyeball. Boom! He spouts, "Sir, why you lookin' at me like that?"

Happy Hour is nearly upon us, teammates! Have a finely brewed weekend. Run well and drink well. Cheers!