After spending perhaps $10,000 on running shoes over three decades, I have recently become interested in shedding them.  I previously blogged on chi running, and trail hiking but it took a library book -- Born To Run -- to get me out the door sans Asics.

The book has been described like this:

"Full of incredible characters, amazing athletic achievements, cutting-edge science, and, most of all, pure inspiration, Born to Run is an epic adventure that began with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt? In search of an answer, Christopher McDougall sets off to find a tribe of the world’s greatest distance runners and learn their secrets, and in the process shows us that everything we thought we knew about running is wrong. "

So, nearly done with the engaging read, I took a short run in our woods today with the Vizsla and left my shoes home.  At first, it was a bit weird.  I realized that I could really feel the grass, the twigs, the roots -- but I also found that right away, I was landing on my forefoot, not my heel.  I took it easy but the muddy spots, which I avoid in running shoes, were fun to squish through on such a hot day.  I nearly stepped on a garter snake, which added some spring to the step, and was glad that no one else uses our woods trails and could not come upon this 70-year-old running barefoot.

You have to watch your step, as I found when my instep encountered a couple of roots, but all in all, it was a good start.  I'll probably try walking and running barefoot once in a while -- our trails with grass and pine needles, are perfect for it -- and see what happens.  So far, so good.

Barefoot Ted -- a runner featured in the book, has some beginner's tips on his website.  They include:

1.  Master gentle, quiet, forefoot-centric landings, silent and smooth.

Learn to move with no hard edges, no pounding by learning how to have the impact of landing flow through the entire foot, starting in the forefoot and quickly spreading through the legs smoothly.  Notice how silent your movement becomes.  Imagine the movement of a big cat.  Watch your dogs trot.  Let them be models for tuned-in, flowing movement that wastes no energy on pound or sound.

2.  Quicken your cadence.  Running in barefeet encourages this naturally.

Some shoe runners are plodders.  You can hear them coming.  Lots of wasted energy on poorly timed impact.  Quicker cadence ends up making sense when you realize that your ability to absorb and recoil energy through elasticity in your body dissipates quickly and is lost if not used.  Learning how to get back in touch with the sweet spot of optimal recoil efficiency is easier to find when you can feel your feet, feeling that encourages a landing phase with foot more in line with your center of gravity (thinking about how you land if you jump down onto a hard surface in barefeet, not on your heels!).  Overstriding is discouraged, nearly impossible barefooted. 
3.  Stable upright posture...balanced head, core engaged, belly button pulled into the spine, no waist bending, head upright.  The feeling of balance: relaxed, yet strong.

I think that good running can be judged aesthetically.  It should look good, not painful.  When you see someone moving or running well, it looks smooth and fluid and graceful and efficient.  The opposite looks painful, when someone is hunched and stiff, robotic and plodding.  Indeed efficient running is tall and stable, the upper body acting as the fulcrum from which the legs and arms can move freely with a serious lack of bouncing or swaying of the head.

 

At first glance it looks like an accident waiting to happen. You see something in the water that appears to be a slab or perhaps an overturned kayak and then you see someone standing on top of it with one long paddle, moving forward with deliberate strokes.

You wonder if he's in trouble until you see that he looks perfectly happy and balanced. Then you ask the inevitable question: "What is that?"

Craig Richardson, assistant manager of Umiak Outdoor Outfitters in Stowe, is an enthusiastic ambassador of Stand Up Paddling or SUP.

About three years ago, Richardson began to hear about this new sport. Last season, a kayak representative had a board with him and Richardson tried it out on the pond behind Umiak's store.

"I loved it right away," Richardson said. "Standing up brings a whole new perspective on the water. It is clean and simple — not a lot of other stuff. It's yourself, your board and your paddle."

The sport begins with the board. Stand up paddleboards come in a variety of lengths, shapes and buoyancies designed for the type of paddling to be done: flatwater, surf, racing, white water or a combination of them all. (Read whole article)

 photo by mikebaird

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When author Heidi Hill was writing Fit Family, she received advice from many parent/athletes.  Two of the most helpful were Dave Blumenthal and his wife, Lexi Shear.  They provided stories of hiking and skiing and several photos which we used in the book.  Dave is the tall fellow in the photo below.

Dave was killed in a bike/truck collision in Colorado last week.  Dave was competing in the Tour Divide race  which runs the length of a 2,745-mile trail that crisscrosses the Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains.  It has been described as the toughest mountain bike race in the world.  Here is a writeup from our local paper.

One of the ideas we used in the book was the Young Adventurers Club which was conceived by Dave and Lexi.  It's a wonderful example of how active parents can engage their kids in a variety of outdoor activities.

Dave and Lexi also shared with Heidi Hill some examples from their two-week hike in Austria when their daughter, Linnaea, was an infant. They noted that while they had to carry more because of lugging an infant, going hut-to-hut gave them many options.   Let me share a few of their thoughts:

 

 “We usually had breakfast and then Linnaea would just about jump in the pack. She’d fall asleep within ten minutes and we’d put our noses down and hike. She usually slept for about an hour and then would look around for another hour, totally content. We’d stop for an hour – some place useful for a stop. We usually hiked about seven hours a day, but it varied depending on when we arrived at a hut as we’d have to make a decision whether to stop or go on to the next one.

Linnaea is an aggressive eater and eats anything we’re interested in. This was fortunate since a lot of what was served at the huts wasn’t kid fare. In town, she was eager for fresh fruit and yogurt. We also carried the European equivalent of graham crackers. These were easy to feed her in the pack and they were handy if she was restless and we had another half hour before getting to the hut.

A challenge was that the sleep set-up was different every night. The huts varied from being like a cheap hotel room to haylofts of a barn to a rustic cabin. The best scenario was when there was a line of mattresses on the floor. We could move them into a corner and move furniture around so Linnaea didn’t flip into anything. We learned a lot about how she slept – how she flips around – which is typical for a child… We were worried about how she’d sleep in a new place every day, but it wasn’t a big deal.

Austria was a good location for hiking with kids for a couple of reasons. We didn’t need to bring extra equipment because we stayed in huts. Also, the hiking was pretty but it was never really remote. If the weather was too cold or she wasn’t into it, we could walk downhill a couple of hours and get to a bus or a train and go to a village. It was easy to bail out.”

A memorial service will be held at Green Mountain Club on July 10, 2010 at 3:30pm with a walk on the Short Trail (a one-mile loop) to follow. 

 

 

This morning at the gas pump, the guy opposite me noticed my boat and asked if I was going paddling.  We talked some about the cold water temperatures and wet suits and then he asked me if I'd tried Wolcott Pond -- his favorite spot.  It's a little pond with a boat access ramp and is pretty much undeveloped.  I decided to give it a try.

 It was easy to find and no one was there as I launched.  Immediately, I saw a couple of Canada Geese with their little ones (photo).  The black flies are starting to show up but keeping moving in the kayak kept them at bay.

I try to combine a workout with some birding and carry my binoculars stuffed into my life vest.  There was no one on the pond and a variety of bird calls floated across the water as I cruised along.  It's a trick to find a little warbler from a coasting boat but a few times, I paused with the bow up against the shore and watched a Common Yellowthroat, several song sparrows, and several other types.  Then, from around the corner, I heard the wild sound of a loon.

Sure enough, up at the far reaches was a pair of loons, in summer plumage, cruising around.  I got quite close to them - too close since they must be nesting.  The male surfaced with a splash right beside the kayak.  I carefully left the area, not wanting to disturb them more.

After another half hour of higher intensity paddling, I slowed to watch a Great Blue Heron fish along the shoreline.  I didn't need binoculars for that -- or as I silently glided up to a pair of kingbirds cavorting in a overhanging tree.

It's a good combination -- the exercise of paddling and the peacefulness of watching birds in a quiet remote location.  Good for the body and the spirit.

It's snowing outside but the forecast three days from now is for the mid-70's.  I've been out once in the kayak, having finally got the truck set up to carry the boats, and plan to get serious this year.

About five years ago, we bought a pair of Eddyline touring kayaks -- real high-end boats that we've never used that much.  Part was the pull of other warm weather activities, another was not having the right racks for new vehicles, and the other was the fact that kayaking made my back ache.

Yesterday, I went up to the great place that we bought the boats: Umiak Outdoor Outfitters in Stowe.  I wanted to talk about seat padding and perhaps buy something to solve the problem.

Joe, one of the experts there, talked to me about boat setup, posture, and technique -- leading me to think that perhaps I need to learn better how to paddle.  He told me that this time of year, getting ready to paddle, he stretches his back by sitting on the floor, with his back up against the wall, while he watches TV.  

 We also discussed preparatory warm-up and stretching and paddling technique, suggesting that I might want to take a class this summer.

So, I'm psyched to get going.  I'm reading more books on paddling technique and boat setup.  I've gotten out my wet suit, shaken out the sunflower seeds which the mice left, and waiting for the snow to stop and the air to warm up.  It will be a challenge to combine performance kayaking for a workout with the calmness of birding by kayak.  It's a nice problem to have.  See you on the water.

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We are working with Jack Rightmyer -- an author, teacher, parent, runner -- who has proposed a book tentatively titled "Sports - A Family Affair."  Jack got into road racing when he was in high school.  Here is a report on his first races many years ago:

 

 Having run quite a few high school track races by that time, I wasn’t prepared for the Mardi Gras spirit of a road race.  I lined up in the middle of the pack, with a bunch of old sweaty guys and waited for the gun to sound.  When it went off we jogged down the road, which was littered with hundreds of potholes.  After a few minutes it began to empty a bit in front of me, and I could really start to run.

I began moving by many people to my right and left.  About two miles into the race we ran by a bar “The Ale House,” and there were some patrons already out on the street holding their beers aloft and cheering us on.  And this was 10:30 in the morning!  This stuff never happened in a high school race.

 

At the halfway mark we had to run around a cone in the center of the road and then go in the opposite direction.  I couldn’t believe how many runners were behind me.  I kept feeling stronger and stronger and when I could finally see the downtown section of Troy I knew we were just about at the finish.  And that’s when I heard a loud roar go up.  Were the spectators cheering for me?  I didn’t think I had a fan club in Troy.  I didn’t even know anyone in Troy.  

 

I could now see the finish line banner stretching across the road and blowing in the wind.  That was the end.  Only two hundred more yards!  The sidewalks were crowded with spectators.  I got up on my toes and began sprinting.  There were a few more runners I could pass.  Spectators love seeing runners sprint it in at the finish.  But why were these spectators waving and smiling?

 

And that’s when Captain Video pulled up next to me.  He was wearing a bright green fluorescent wig, with green tights, a green cape that spelled out Captain Video with sparkly stars and he was holding a wand and waving it at the spectators.  Who or what was this guy?  There was no way I was going to let Captain Video beat me in my first road race.  I put my head down and tried to run as quickly as possible.  I had to get to that finish line before this running freak, this abomination, this embarrassment.  He stayed with me stride for stride, and he was waving to the crowd at the same time.  I wanted to disappear.  If he beat me I’d never be able to walk through these streets of Troy ever again.  Only fifty yards left.  Keep pumping those arms.  Go! Go! Go!

 

But right at the end, with a sudden burst of speed, Captain Video exploded by me and through the finish line.  His cape kept blowing in my face as we moved through the chute, and the local TV stations at the race made sure to film this marvelous green mystery man, but I tried to slink away to my parents who were carrying my sweats, hat and gloves.

 

“Good race, Jack,” said my dad.  “You beat a lot of runners.”

 

“Here, get your sweats on, Jack,” said my mom.  She was concerned that I was going to drop dead from hypothermia.

 

“Captain Video has a fast sprint,” said my dad stifling a laugh.

 

I tried really hard not to smile.  “Let’s get out of here,” I said.

 

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 Photo by Clara S