Refresh II

There were a couple of more things I wanted to say about last weekend. I guess mainly that meeting Tim for the first time was outstanding. Nice to see that what you see SOMETIMES with the way someone comes across online is pretty close to how they actually come across in person. That was Tim. We're very similar in some of our fundamental views. Best of all, he's laid back. So, not only was it a great experience helping him in whatever way I could to take part in and finish that race, but I got to know a pretty good guy. I'm stoked to do some more big trails and recovery with him in the future.

Tim, a couple of times, which just seems fucking crazy, suggested I run a 100. Why wouldn't he. He's running about 23 ultras this year, he came into town and I kinda crewed/paced him, so the topic has to come-up. I think later in an email he suggested that I do SD100 next year since he's probably coming back. I mean really? I haven't run a 50K yet or even an official marathon, yet I'm going to even exchange words in that direction. . .

Last weekend is still weighing on me. I love the trails out there and don't even get out there as much as I'd like. Running the SD100 would be huge. I almost feel like I'm at a crossroads in my life, not just running and I have this crazy idea that investing in something as consuming as ultra running is a great idea. In fact, although the evidence is certainly not there, I have been rather consumed by the long distance trail run for a few years now, only I have opted to run shorter, more easily manageable commitments. I have been wrong all along.

I get cc'ed on almost every email that comes from a huge San Diego ultra crowd, pretty much the crowd. I could be running up there (in the Lagunas) several times a month if I wanted with company (which is key by the way). Those kinds of relationships can be pretty rich for life and leisure. I did run with a few of those folks a few years back, trained in the Lagunas amongst other places, ran the World of Hurt 25k near Vegas with them (camped with the kids, etc.) and basically got into great shape. I was on the verge. And then I flatted. No idea why other than the proverbial I'm a pussy excuse. But here's the thing, the benefits of that lifestyle are huge, life changing huge.

The fellowship and the suffering are exactly what I'm talking about.

I was watching Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King yesterday, snoozing on the couch. I love those films. Always have. I was never really into the literature of Tolkien, but the films blew me away. I own all three. Early in my blogging daze (in fact it might be in my Blogger profile where it mentions my favorite films) I alluded to those films having such great scenes of trail running. The Twin Towers (sequel) consists of some serious cross-country with Aragorn, Gimili and Legolas footing it in pursuit of the Orcs who have snatched the little Shire folk.

Well, yesterday while watching the final installment, where Sam and Frodo are trying to get to Mordor to destroy the ring and the rest of Middle Earth doing whatever they can to indirectly assist in this kind of coup de grace, I was stunned at how the drama of this final leg of the journey was similar to some of the stuff I have heard and did hear and see last weekend with regards to ultra running.

The scene where Sam and Frodo are on the foot of Mordor (Sam is pacing Frodo by the way), Frodo is near death, wasted, adios and Sam is trying to get him to recall the Shire, the flowers blooming that time of year, the taste of strawberries, etc. Frodo is beyond memory of sense. But he endures. They get through the event and how fucking satisfying it is, in fact deadly, in fact beyond reason, but they did it. And part of me thinks that finishing is secondary to the journey, to the purpose of the journey, which can be many things. This we can all agree on: suffering is good for the soul.

To be continued. . .
---------------------------------------------------------------

A little note on Tim's and my recovery.

Night 1: went to a pub and each had some Pliny and Pure Hoppiness.
Night 2: Pliny, Pure Hoppiness and Green Flash Le Freak.
After the race and a nap, we headed back out to the race site to get Tim's drop bags and then stopped at Alpine. Tim: Duet. Me: The Ugly.
Night 3: Green Flash Imperial, Firestone Union Jack and Stone IPA.

So much good beer it's kinda silly.
Very good times indeed.

Refresh

The newest blog title, Yo, Feet! maintains my sexy white chocolatey vibe, but we're getting back to the feet ala my url matt-feet.blogspot.com. This all means I love my feet. They've been the target of tickling and scratching since I was a boy. I remember being obsessed as a young boy with a picture from a National Geographic photo essay involving some sherpas, and this one guy's feet (the picture was of just the bottoms) had some weeds growing out of them. My first experience with foot porn. I loved it. So, I love my feet (not your feet by God, just mine).

Running involves feet quite a bit. And shoes come into play to protect our feet, attempt to maintain some comfort during running bouts, among other things. I have a similar obsession with shoes, particularly trail running shoes.

So what about my running. I've underachieved a great deal in the last few years. I've been fairly steady running the trail half marathons, but my lifestyle has devolved, so I just haven't been the best training partner for my feet or my cardiovascular and musculo-skeletal systems. I have been trying to get my running in order for an ultra like a 50k. I figure I have to start somewhere. This past spring Tim (Footfeathers) and I were planning to run the Grand Canyon's R2R2R. He's got a nutty ultra schedule, yet was somehow going to fit that in. I was preparing to join him.

The training for this, which I developed with the help of my go-to team of Footfeathers and James Walsh along with every other damn ultra/trail running blog I fondle on a weekly basis, was plugging right along. But the bigger days started to take their toll, especially since I was running on the road often, for my longer runs (20+ miles). I remember running on grass down in Mission Bay early in the spring/late winter and turning my foot/ankle on an insidious clump of grass. That happens all the time, the ankle turn; on a technical trail run it can happen 5-10 times depending on the length of the run. Well, this little grass ouchy didn't go away. That, along with the general wear and tear, started to add-up.

But I trained through it all. Tim is a big fan of speed hiking. I am now a big fan of speed hiking. It's a great workout, really engages the steeper or volume climbing trips, and doesn't ruin a runner. So, that helped with some of the training. One week I did about 11,000ft of vert (a lot for this city boy) with a lot of speed hiking up and running down. Great stuff. I was coming into "form" for the R2R2R. I figured since I'd hiked the Canyon a few times and was being pretty consistent on the prep, and have a fairly solid game "face" that I'd be fine.

I have to mention the feet, of course. They were really hurting, especially after my longer runs. The toe joints, my metatarsals, my ankle, the tops, you name it. The only thing I didn't seem to have was any plantar issues. My feet just felt OLD. The doctor looked at them, but the pain description just didn't seem to warrant an x-ray. So I endured.

And then Tim decided he couldn't make the trip, which was totally understandable given his schedule. At that point, I was done. I stopped running, was sick of the pain and wanted a break. I resorted to some anti-running rhetoric, but it was superficial. I was just tired. I resorted to hanging around more, sitting on the couch, drinking beers, eating some f-ing crap, doing more things with my family, etc. I loved it. There was no pressure to run, go to the gym, find some clothes that didn't stink, etc. Sigh.

I then started to hike and lift weights. This was a consistent routine. This felt good. I was sorta maintaining. This felt good.

And then Tim came into town last weekend to run the SD100. Read his race report to see how it went down for him. A very very gutty performance that probably will turn-out to make him deadly on the mountain ultra scene for years to come, at least for a guy consistently reaching the top 5-10. He's going to "age" well.

I wanted to pace him for the final 20+ miles, but I was not "there." First of all, I didn't have the endurance due to my aforementioned recent lifestyle. But worse, I hurt my knee playing soccer about a week before the race, so I was sorta limping around (I had been playing soccer most weekends too, so that helped with the maintenance some).

We went for a little run on the Friday before the race; he just wanted to do an easy 30min run. We hit Mission Trails and ran the 5k trail that rolls around the ranger station there. I felt okay. We chatted the whole time. It was good.

And then the plan was set for me to pick him up at the last main aid station (mile 91) and run-in with him to the finish line. That whole experience is another post all together that I won't actually write, but will most likely refer to for the rest of my life. In the end, I finally found him in the dark out on the PCT heading towards the Big Laguna trail at ~4:00am. We finished, speed hiking some climbs and running people down. He was firing on all cylinders at the end of a brutal 100 miler. I hung-on for dear life. But I hung-on. Not too bad. My knee hurt the next day (the advil wore off) and still hurts, but I'm rebounding. Tim said we ran the last section hard, respectably. Thanks, Tim. Funny how he was the one pacing me. Tis what it is.

It's time to start thinking about running again. A lot. For the record, hopefully we (Tim and I and whoever else shows-up) run the R2R2R this fall. Other than that, same ole. It's just nice to be back, my feet in great shape (come'on knee!) and getting hungry again for some rough trails.

Chances are you'll see me hiking and jogging a lot this summer on Mission Trails and Mt. Laguna. Other than missing my feet during this running hiatus, I missed the trail, the big trail with all of its bigness (beauty, distance, snakes and mt. lions, and thirst for IPA, etc.).

It's good to be back on my feet.

Helloooooooooo!

I'm definitely in a state of yo. Stopped running (for the sake of running) for a few weeks and really stopped, it seems, everything. I ate a few doughnuts, stopped in-haling IPA, didn't worry about anything other than my family and professional prospects (my family) and watching some TV, and following some very interesting folk on twitter (not the kind that say "I'm wiping my ass" but rather the kind that say before anyone else says it "Bin Laden is toast," or my recent favorite line going something like this: Bin Laden's replacement has been whacked; I hope they have some depth on that roster).

About 3 weeks ago I started doing some short hikes to go along with the light squatting and lunging and various upper body "presses" I've been doing. In the last week I've started to jog a little and am getting that itch again.

Best of all, I've been playing soccer on weekends with some "veterans" who still have some handle. It's been nice getting out and pushing some fellas around, dusting-off some of my collegial moves and so on. My son having joined an Under 8 traveling team is fairly cool, as well. Last weekend, spent the day at a tournament (2 full-days). Much more competitive then the juniors teams I have coached this past year. My boy is in great company and has a lot to learn.

Then, to celebrate my running itch return, I tweaked my leg in yesterday's match, so I need a few days before I can get back to the trail.

Some thoughts on some things. . .

This NBA post-season has left me with a few thoughts:

Kobe Bryant's lengthy and tumultuous attempt at GREATNESS went thud. Of course, his bid for a three-peat with the second most talented team in the league went disasterously bad by getting swept badly out of the playoffs. But for the keen observer, it's The End. It's clear that his game has gone dead south, so much that I am seriously wondering why beyond the prospects of continuing to collect a check he will continue to play, especially since the demise of such a high-level talent can be intolerable, mostly for the one with the talent (Granted, I am aware that his "pursuit of greatness" will continue as he wants merely to add to his all-time scoring total so he can continue to climb that list certainly to eclipse some of those greats, especially ONE in particular). But, can he really continue to play without Phil Jackson on a team that has run-out of gas, mainly because he himself is running on empty? I could find the stats, but the point is he may only be in his lower to mid thirties, but has late 30's wear and tear on that body. He came into the league when he was 12 (or 18) and has played a lot of ball. But style plays into this math, as well. For the keen observer, he, UNLIKE JORDAN, has always had to work much harder for his production. He's not too pretty. He's done. And the league, as evidenced by this post-season play, has accepted its youth movement: there are new kids in town (see Chicago, Miami, OK City, Memphis).

The Miami Heat are on the verge of winning a championship. I am actually surprised they have been able to pull this off in their first season together as the Big Three and (bargain role player) Company. So, kudos to them. They have two of the best players in the league. A few things on that dynamic.

Fascinating watching the back and forth concerning who is the leader of the team. At this point, D.Wade appears the winner, but has been the natural leader all along. He's won a championship and finals MVP (2006), he's older, he has tremendous big game talent, and Lebron signed-on to join him (Wade), meaning despite Lebron winning two league MVPs recently, and many people already anointing him best player in the league, he chose to join Wade in Miami. In other words, it was Wade's team and still is his team.

But to complicate matters, Lebron, the anointed one, has taken over several games this season and more importantly in the playoffs. Taken over means this is my team and I am going to will this team to victory. If that kind of transaction happens enough, a player like Lebron ends-up with enough currency to take ownership of the team. He was really dominant in the Eastern Conference Finals against Chicago. His multiple fourth quarter masterpieces have complicated the leadership dynamic.

Furthermore, Scottie Pippen, Michael Jordan's second in command during their massive and indelible reign, said recently (during the aforementioned Chicago series) that Lebron will be the greatest of all time (if not now) someday. For pretty much anyone who knows the NBA, this was blasphemous.

But my point is that he's NOT THE BEST on his own team. I think his style is more commercial, bigger in the sense that he "looks" so dominant. At 6'8" 260 Lbs., he's a beast with a lot of versatility, a lot of power on both ends of the floor. He took the league by storm coming out of high school and leading his hometown Cavaliers to the playoffs, to the NBA finals (where they were swept by the Spurs in 2007). He's the next great one.

But these playoffs have for me realized that Dwayne Wade is the best player on the Miami Heat. He's been overshadowed and I'm not sure how. He won a championship, but then that team was broken-up. He didn't return to the finals ala Kobe and the Lakers. Wade didn't have the team to do that.

And now he does. In this post-MJ league, Wade is the best two-way 2 guard in the NBA. He defends and scores better than anyone. Lebron might be his superior someday, but right now, James can't close consistently like Wade. He's not as clutch.

But as Miami closes in on its first of several championships, Lebron James may have an opportunity to develop this story in his own light. For now, however, it's all about D. Wade, the best player in the league. Believe it or not.