For Now

I am very stoked about last week's running. I got in about 50 miles (49.7 according to my log). I am battling a little PF niggle in the left foot that is, I'm almost positive, related to that foot's issues over the past 6 months. The PF niggle started back in 2008 when I blew it out descending a ~2000ft hill in my first trail half marathon. I've started jump-roping again and I think that will help. The various shoes I wear and of course the various surfaces have something to say about how my foot feels as well. I will do mostly flatter surfaces for now, but sneak-in some up and down trails for that kind of business. The priorities are clear. I would rather show-up to my first mountain race (15k, 2/8) without a lot of climbing/technical trail, than to show-up with a bunch of trail vert in my quiver but a gimpy foot. Thinking long-term here.

I really want to get into some Trail Commentary right now, but for now I need to organize my thoughts. AJW got everyone scrambling about some issues in the 100 that seem very interesting. I argued over the last few months that the sport has a split personality. That split manifested in another way on his blog and I want to pour myself all over it. I will write about it for an up-coming article I'm writing for a trail pub. Either way, it will find its way onto the screen. I am geeked for this. I can not wait for that 50k in March. 2012 the beginning of a huge bash consisting of long runs and long beers.

Yes the beer is flowing. I will post some pics but for now it's still Olympias between double IPAs. On that note: Rick Merriman is a fitness genius and an incredible mountain runner. He posed a routine of doing 50 crunches for every beer. That's my routine now. I do about 150 crunches every (other) night :)))

Thanks, Rick! This is no joke.

Let me machine-gun a few thoughts on the mainstream sports landscape. A few things there that have me trippin.

1) Interesting L.A. developments: The Clippers are eclipsing the Lakers and the Angels the same to the Dodgers. It's happening before your very eyes. Arti Moreno is a marketing genius. Pujols is a marketing tool, period. But they should do pretty well in the box score, as well. The Lakers and Dodgers are a mess. Make no mistake about that. Their leadership is in transition and/or in the toilet. The Clippers. Wow.

2) The media missed the big issue with the whole Lakers/Clippers/Chris Paul trade. No one is recognizing the fact that Kobe Bryant is, essentially, done. I hear people say he has another 4-5 years. These people are so diluted is funny. Did you see last year? He can't close games the way he's supposed to. The league is younger, he's banged-up, the shortened season will accelerate the demise and the team around him pretty much sucks. Kobe is done.

3) Tebow continues to ruffle feathers, which still I find fairly astounding. The guy is just doing a good job. He works hard. But he is as polarizing as the Kardashians New York Yankees. The best discussion I heard recently revolves around the necessary expertise (analytical skill) of those who have played the game. Indeed, people are posing that question: just because you played does not mean you are necessarily qualified to analyze the game. You might say that reverberates beyond the Tebow scenario.

That's it for now.

Oh, and if anyone has any thoughts on this (but I'm probably ordering them by the end of the night): I want a pair of inov8s that I can use on technical trail and grassy hill (I have found some local fell), but also run longish. I've owned one pair in the past, loved them, but forgot which ones. Santa is stud!