theoverhangingsky-blog

[theoverhangingsky-blog]

Please Help Us Fight Against Dumbf**kery

[theoverhangingsky-blog]

View of Morro Bay from Montana de Oro

[theoverhangingsky-blog]

Pups Above Cuyama Valley

[theoverhangingsky-blog]

Working through some minor overuse injuries, last weekend I headed up Gaviota Peak and beyond before I got caught in some rain. Great run! Check it out.

[theoverhangingsky-blog]

Episode 23 - Adobe Trail

This is my last "long run" before the Spooner's Cove 50k. I decided to revisit a less-traveled trail off Highway 166 called the Adobe Trail. Watch the video to see what it was like.

[theoverhangingsky-blog]

Episode 22 - Five Summits

This was my longest, climbingest training run for the upcoming Spooner's Cove 50k. In fact, it is my longest, climbingest run ever! Check out this video to see how it went. Click here to see the route and stats.

Enjoy!

[theoverhangingsky-blog]

Five Summits, No Shadow

I completely screwed up my longest run in my training leading up to the Spooner's Cove 50k on Thursday. I dwelled on it for about half a day before I made a plan to make it right. That was this run. I think this is the most difficult run I've ever done. It is definitely the most climbing I have ever done in one day. I can't say I'm not proud of the outcome, but it was more of a struggle than I wanted it to be. The last climb up Valencia Peak was brutal. Then I realized I wasn't going to hit 24 miles by simply doing one more climb of Valencia. So I cut off on the Bebee Trail that, according to the trail sign, should have given me just over 24 miles by the time I reached my car. But that sign was lying by a half mile, and I wasn't willing to make any compromises after last Thursday's run. I had to finish solid. So I headed down the Bluff Trail, which was surprisingly full of people on a Monday in mid-November, for some reason.

But it ended without compromises. It ended without injuries. It ended as one of the most difficult runs I've ever done. Yes, it got rough near the end, but that's what endurance running is about:: becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable.

I'm very happy with the outcome.

[theoverhangingsky-blog]

It took me a little while to finish this video, but here it is. This is the last installment of my Oregon Road Trip. I planned to check out Fern Canyon and the Redwood State Park. It was an incredible run that turned out to be longer than I expected. If you would like to see the activity date, click here. Watch the video to see what it was like. And plan to visit someday yourself.

[theoverhangingsky-blog]

If you don't VOTE, you are underestimating your power in this country. And you're being a lazy ass. Register now if it isn't too late. If it is too late, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING WITH YOUR LIFE?

If you are registered, simply VOTE on NOVEMBER 6. I recommend voting by mail. It's about as easy as easy gets. If you still have trouble, avoid the coffee and watch this video.

[theoverhangingsky-blog]

Shadow Runner

Point Sal, Santa Maria, CA

[theoverhangingsky-blog]

The Wind and the Sand

It sure felt like more than 2500 feet of climbing. Very steep hills. And it didn't help that the hills closer to the beach were sandy. Two steps forward, one step back. But it was a great day to be out there. Very good run.

[theoverhangingsky-blog]

Last Monday, I decided to do my long run in Deschutes National Forest. It was a beautiful place - so beautiful that I got lost multiple times despite my research, planning, and maps. See what it is like doing a 21.5 mile run in an unfamilar place. You can find the activity stats here. Enjoy!

[theoverhangingsky-blog]

Vlog #19 - Black Butte

Today, I climbed Black Butte in Mount Shasta just as I did 10 years ago. Also just as it was 10 years ago, it was cold, windy, and rainy. 5.2 miles and over 1800 vertical feet. Click here for GPS data. Enjoy!

[theoverhangingsky-blog]

Snake Face

[theoverhangingsky-blog]

Dog Meets Snake

I had to get the German Shepherd out for a run today. I would have preferred to go mountain biking, but the dog needed exercise. We were going to do some hill training loops, but the dog was slowing down on the hills. I don't think he understands the point, so after the second little climb, we headed out to less steep trails.

I ran across a little gopher snake on the trail. I wanted to move him, so he didn't get run over by someone, but he wasn't very responsive. I pet his back, and he didn't respond much, so I decided to just pick him up and move him. In the process, I wanted to see what the German Shepherd thought of him, but the dog couldn't care less. Maybe he was already too tired to care, but there was no reaction. So I put the snake down off the trail, so he could live another day. Overall, I think that is good news for the dog, since things could get worse if he went after a rattlesnake someday.

Other than that, it was a short run. The dog was tired for at least 20 minute afterward.

[theoverhangingsky-blog]

Never Do a Long Run Using a Brand New Device

I really hate losing GPS and tracking data on a long run. It seems like it never happened. But it did, and it was hard.

Yep, I just spent almost two hours troubleshooting a new Apple Watch that was not communicating with my phone. We tried everything we could to avoid losing the GPS file, but eventually, the watch needed to be wiped. So I guess you'll just have to take my word for it that I ran my ass off yesterday night.

I started as early as I could at Rice Ranch trails. I headed to the trails to east for the first five miles as the sun set. It was a pretty good sunset as the sun was shining through the coastal fog that was moving in from the west. It was also getting cooler quickly. I headed to the trails on the west side next and spend the next almost 15 miles over there.

I was having fun, but it felt like more of a chore. I think I just wanted to get home and start my weekend even though the run really is the start of the weekend. Not much of note happened on the run. I saw a few more tiny scorpions. There were a bunch of centipedes all over the place, which was odd. I was running into them about every 3 feet, all of them about an inch and a half long. When climbing the hill up to the water towers, I looked down in the dark to see a dove sitting about a foot away from my foot. Again, a little odd. He/She looked at me for a second and then decided I was not the kind of person worth hanging around and flew away. I also ran into a rather large frog right near the abandoned, haunted, graffiti-covered murder shed. I thought frogs like water, and I don't believe there is any water around, so that was surprising. Maybe he was eating centipedes. And it was quite foggy on the hilltops.

Sometime after I saw the frog at around mile 14.7, I got a text message from my brother. I unlocked my watch to view it, but I did not re-lock it after that. Another tip, if you are using a smartwatch while running and you also have an article of clothing that touches the watch, always lock the screen. This time, my jacket decided to mess with my Strava setting. About a mile later, I looked at my distance and was surprised to see about 20.7. But there was no way I ran five miles since last looking at the watch. Turns out, my jacket set the distance to kilometers instead of miles. I was actually at 15.5 miles... maybe. About a half mile later, I looked at my distance again. Still 15.5 miles. Apparently, when my watch set the distance to kilometers, it also paused the run. How long was it paused for? No idea.

Still my goal was to get 18 miles. And I wanted to see 18 miles when I was done. So despite having lot maybe a mile and a half of the tracking, I continued to get 18 miles on the watch. That meant I was actually running somewhere closer to 19.5 miles. But I was feeling ok, so not a big deal. I finished with 18.1 miles on the watch. I can only guess the elevation gain, but I assume it was between 2500 and 3000 ft.

But when I was done at around 10:15 saturated in sweat and quite cold, the run wouldn't sync to the Strava app. As I looked into it, the watch and the phone weren't communicating at all. So it wasn't Strava's fault. But in the end, I lost everything. Remember the days of running and riding without any tracking devices? I barely do. But I will say, I haven't lost a run in years now. I guess I was due for one simply for making the mistake of doing a long run with a new device.

Lastly, I'm running with Tailwind Nutrition until my 50k. It is an easier way to track how many calories I'm taking in, and I think it has more electrolytes than what I was using before. I focused on making sure I was drinking frequently throughout the run. I ran out of liquid at about 15 miles. In the morning, I am not feeling sore, I have had no cramps in my legs or feet, and I feel well hydrated. So that was a win. Tomorrow, I plan to do a longer ride with a new hydration pack if I still feel good.

[theoverhangingsky-blog]

Second Long Run of the Day

I had to get in 5.5 - 6 hours on my feet today, but I also had a half marathon race this morning. So I split my training into two run. This is my evening run which turned out to be another half marathon. It was slow, but I felt great. In fact the second half felt way better than the first half. After the sun set, I had a nice peaceful run through huge eucalyptus trees all alone. I also got a burst of endorphins. It just felt great. There were no shin splint problems. My muscles didn't even really feel sore. I am just amazed that I ran 26.5 miles today with over 4700 feet of climbing. This is a good sign for upcoming plans. Very happy.