HOKA (Hoh - Ca) ONE ONE "Time to Fly over Earth"

Training is progressing.  I did my first track workout in almost two years last week with Stephen and ran in a 5k race. Lately, I've received a few inquiries regarding shoes.  I've been primarily running in two different pairs: NorthFace and HOKA ONE ONE.  Given my recent struggles with tendinitis in my right foot, I've also added Sole insoles for support.  The NorthFace are more akin to a stabilizing shoe while the HOKA is more of a neutral shoe.  A friend of ours wrote a great review in Runner's World (http://gear.runnersworld.com/2010/06/what-the-hoka.html).  Lisa really knows her stuff.  

Here to the right, you can see the IMMENSE EVA platform in this picture.  The HOKA shoes take awhile to break in, the upper is very stiff (I'm still having issue with right foot and the edge of the upper digging in just below my ankle - but that is very specific to "me").  Particularly on the downhills, the upper will dig into your foot though because you literally "fly" over terrain with barely a touch.  You do have to be aware that you are running with a 3" platform and you'll need to raise your stride to hurdle common obstacles or risk biting the dust (as I have a few times). I went with a half size larger than my regular shoe size due to the toe box and my feet sliding forward and crunching my toes.  Other than those three things, I love running in these shoes.  My only concern is the large EVA platform and the degradation over many miles of training.  The company that makes the HOKA say the longevity of the sole is better than other pure EVA soles and that Karl Metzler, a professional Ultrarunner has put over 600 miles on a pair, but I'm still going to use my own experience to gauge whether I ultimately will ever race in the HOKA.  I will leave you with this, when you start running in them, it does make you feel like it's "Time to Fly over Earth"!

I was in Del Mar, CA this past week, the irony was so thick...it was almost exactly a year ago I had the PICC line removed from my vein, the antibiotics stopped and the WoundVAC came off. So what did I do...I went for run on the beach I walked many times on with Annie, carrying my fanny pack and "man purse".  It was a solemn experience while also a rejoicing event, I was grateful for the opportunity to end a chapter with a successful exaltation to the lady of the sea.

"The greatest pleasure in life, is doing the things people say we cannot do."
-- Walter Bagehot

And then there were two!

HELLO !!!  What a crazy week, I wasn't too sure about the recovery from last weekend's extravaganza, but Thursday's run felt pretty good and I rested Friday to be ready for the weekend.  Stephen Price joined me Saturday, I've not had a running partner consistently for the last few months, so I was happy Stephen was with me, I've run more miles with Stephen than anyone else in my life...seriously.  That's pretty cool, if you stop to think about it.  I've only known Stephen for the last 10 years of my life.

Saturday we ran north then east and more or less covered the same route as last Saturday, except slightly faster with a little less distance and elevation.


Here Stephen and I are at the Eagle Trail Head and to the far right of this photo you can see the smoldering Left Hand Canyon fire which is now over 60% contained and evacuation orders have been lifted as of 5pm Saturday.  

Check out this link for more details: (http://www.dailycamera.com/lefthandfire/ci_17598733).  We hope this summer isn't a repeat of last summer, we've had a couple of fires in the last year that were a bit too close for comfort.  We had a fire in September that was the worst in terms of damage, then any other fire in the state of Colorado.

Stephen is a Rocky Mountain Rescue volunteer, he's participated in 100s of rescues and recoveries.  I admire his dedication to this organization and the commitment of Stephen and his colleagues to safety in our intrepid mountains near and around Boulder.  Someday I'd like to join them.  If you'd like to support them, please visit this link (http://www.rockymountainrescue.org/index.php) and donate.


In addition to a great run with Stephen, Annie returned Saturday. I'm so happy to have her home after 11 days in NOLA and FL visiting family. We had a normal Sunday with a return to the YOGA studio, Sunday brunch and an easy afternoon, ah joy!


"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start."
-John Bingham

"I danced among deer in the golden rod laden foothills, it was glorious!"

Yesterday, the deer didn't follow me this high (picture to left), roughly 6,400 or 1k above Boulder, nothing to sneeze at, just fun.  I love the views, the peacefulness, the silence.  The views are majestic at worst, breathtaking at best!  I'm always amazed when I come out for run that within a 7 mile radius of my house I have so much to play on down low and up high. I'm not kidding, my eastern most point was roughly 7 miles, my northern point was no more than 6 miles and my southern point was the house itself.  I love where I live, I am grateful and thankful.

 I'm making my way back and loving every minute of it.  I'm not really sure how I managed this weekend, but I did.  I just went with the flow and let my legs take me where they wanted to go.  

The picture to the right is off the Hogback trail, Sunday I went south and searched out other playgrounds in the distance. 

 So for me Sunday arrived and I was out the door again for another run.  Yesterday I went north, more mild grades and elevation.  Today I drove south to Chautauqua and ran from there.  What was suppose to be an easy out and back turned into an exploration of the soul.

The Mesa trail was warm and the sun was still shining, that would soon all change.  After running south along the Mesa trail, I ascended Shadow Canyon fully expecting snow, ice and poor conditions.  I was pleasantly surprised.  In fact most of the trails I was on this weekend were fairly clear and passable with caution.

Here, atop South Boulder Peak (8,549 ft), I found a lot of snow from the top of Shadow to the peak.  Yak-Trax or some form of traction would have been nice, as well as some warmer clothes.  The temperature dropped significantly during the ascent and I was woefully under dressed in shorts, long sleeve shirt and vest.

You can't ascend South Boulder and not also climb Bear Peak on your way either to Green Mountain or the West Ridge for a trip home.

There is this one derelict, stripped to the bone tree near the summit of Bear (8,461 ft), this tree represents all things good about perseverance or it's just a dead tree that has yet to decompose, choose your story.

From here I descended the West Ridge and connected with Bear Canyon and then onward to Chautauqua on the Mesa trail once more.  Needless to say, I'm beat, but feel good.  It's been a joyous return to the trails this weekend, more than I could have asked for from my body, I'm humbly grateful.

Contemplate this if you question anything,"Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us.”