What did we get ourselve into on Wesser Creek Trail

6/10 run/hike 3 hours 43 mins on Wesser Creek Trail in New Balance MT101's with a fully loaded 100oz CamelBak Lobo

HR avg 110 max 152

I guess I should have read the description before haplessly agreeing to the +1's plan.  The description states, "Hiking up to Wesser Bald and back (5 miles each way) is an all day affair requiring a lunch, plenty of water and lots of stamina."  She didn't tell me to bring lunch!  We started off with a nice run, not realizing what happens after the first mile.  I guess I should have figured out what was going to happen when she told me we were to finish with magnificent views of the surrounding countryside.  After the first mile we began the climbing and switchback after switchback through overgrown vegetation.  No one else was on the trail and at points, it looked like no one had been on the trail in a LONG time.  A few parts were completely overgrown.  We did get some magnificent views and photos.  Thank goodness we didn't turn around.  There were two distinct points where we thought we were lost or confused about the distance.  I believe the actual distance is about 10 miles even though my garmin recorded 8 and my Timex got 8.5, which I think is the result of a combination of tree cover, elevation and switchbacks.  A peek at the gps data confirms this, as it resembles the result of an unsupervised 2 year old with a red crayon.  The +1 took so many beautiful pictures on this hike I wish I could share them all.  This trail is one of the most beautiful I've been on, but unless your name is Anton (get well soon!) I wouldn't say it's very runnable.  Here's a sample:

Our faithful steed survived a hailstorm and bottoming out on countless rocky dirt roads

Ohh, I guess that looks kind of like a trail!

I totally wanted to climb across these logs

What could possibly go wrong?

Honey says no... hence I am still alive to write this post

Just stunning

The canopy

A huge tree's roots had cut into the rock causing it to fall

Shot of me monkeying around for scale

This was before we realized how much climbing was ahead

so many beautiful water features

This was the coolest miniature waterfall

Made it to the Appalachian Trail intersection!

Mountain Laurel was in full bloom

So this is what they meant by "overlook"

Speechless

Mountain's Majesty

It's worth it, but bring a lunch ;-)

Tsali right loop

6/9 run/hike 78 mins on Tsali right loop in New Balance Minimus MT10 with my CamelBak Lobo, 2 big dogs and the +1

HR avg 109 max 154

We brought both the dogs along for this one and left the bikes behind.  Saw lots of mountain bikers in the parking lot, but today right loop was reserved for hikers and horses.  Perhaps we didn't get far enough into the trail due our geriatric boxer, but I didn't find the trail to be particularly remarkable or special compared to some of the other trails in the area.  I would say it was flatter than most of the others and probably the only one that would be rideable on a mountain bike.

View from Tsali right loop

The damned drive to Nantahala Dam Drive

6/8-6/12 in celebration of our 3 years of marriage we decided to go somewhere without cellphone reception or straight roads.  This turned out to be a wonderful trip and we managed to run/hike almost everyday.  Although we never made it into a raft or kayak.  On the trip down we got caught in a wicked hailstorm in Asheville.  Thankfully my inability to follow simple GPS directions meant we weren't on the highway and I was able to take shelter in the service bay of Asheville Chevrolet.  Our car would be wrecked if not for the kindness of the folks at this dealership.  You should go buy a Volt or a ZR-1 from these guys.  I will do the same as soon as I win the lottery.

best pic I could get, autofocus was going nuts

Last lift before anniversary trip

6/6 lift power clean 5x205 deadlift 4x390 no auxiliaries

My lifting partner was crazy enough to do an orienteering/adventure race the day before that had him on a bicycle for about 10 hours, so between his baboon ass and my jetlag we had a decent 5x5 workout.  I only got four reps on my deadlift but I did move up 5lbs.  It's nice to finally feel like I'm moving past my back injury.  We got stuck with one day of lifting a week between the family events and my anniversary trip.

A few pics from MN trip

6/1-6/4 MN trip

After the funeral we spent some time with my Father-in-law's extended family going through all of her Grandfather's picture albums.  Here are a few I managed to save.  I have altered them to protect the innocent.  In the interest of equality, I promise to add some of my own awesome photos next time I go back home.

Something tells me I wouldn't have passed muster for go steady material

Apparently Duke was not his first choice ;-)

1. Depart Plane 2. Eat Chipotle 3. run 4. ??? 5. buy new underwear

6/1 run 34 mins on the sidewalks of MN in New Balance Trail Minimus MT10 with Drymax socks

HR avg 143 max 156

This was going to be a nice, easy run until I decided to wolf down some Chipotle on the way to the Mother-in-law's from the airport.  Thankfully the +1 was smart enough to stay in front of me on the run, although she did ask where those horrible noises were coming from on a few occasions.  I managed to not blowout my o-ring, but I think I did my part to push ahead some atmospheric climate change in MN.

Billy Mays' crowning achievement: Chipotlaway

Lift before Lift Off

5/31 lift box squat 5x300 towel close-grip bench 5x225 plus dumbell snatch 5x80, 3x102.5 pull-ups +55lbs

I moved up on the bench and my snatches are finally starting to improve.  Squats were a struggle, but that seems to be a recurring theme for me lately.  This was my last workout before we headed to MN for my Grandfather-in-law's funeral.   He was 86 and I was lucky to have known him.  This was a rough trip of 4.5 hour flights followed by 7 hour car rides, but it was great to learn more about my in-laws, or as I like to call it; a field study in chaos theory ;-)

High of 94 degrees

5/30 run 70 mins on American Tobacco Trail soft side in New Balance MT101 w/ Balega socks and CamelBak Lobo

HR avg 158 max 169

I picked up a 100oz CamelBak Lobo at REI over the weekend and decided to take it for a test run on Memorial Day.  The pack is designed for mountain biking but it's a very lightweight design with minimal bulk and storage.  I wore a sleeveless mesh top and I didn't have any chafing issues.  Running around with over 6lbs of water on my back definitely slowed me down a bit and takes some getting used to.  I figured with the rising temps and my need for longer runs this would be my best option.  I filled it up with water and ice and away I went.  I put my gels in the top pocket, so I could reach behind my head and unzip the pouch with one hand and grab them with the other.  It works pretty well.  The added storage is great and doesn't make the pack bulky or interfere with your arm swing.

I had some trouble getting my heart rate under control between the ridiculous heat (I ran right before sundown) and the pack on my back.  I'm down to 3 weeks until my next race and the heat has me worried.  I got faster as the sun went down along with the temperature.  I'm looking forward to more runs with the CamelBak Lobo.

Tick, Tick Boom!

5/28 run 67 mins @ Eno River on Shakori, Ridge trails in New Balance MT101 w/ drymax hot weather socks

HR avg 150 max 182

As you can see this post is a little late.  I've got a bunch of posts that I'm behind on but as I'm officially on vacation I will try and get caught up over the next few days.  We decided to bring along our LBD (large black dog) aka lab/newf mix aka Maddy Mud Butt.  She is a bit of a trail hog, even with her gentle leader but she loves to run.  This run felt more like an interval workout as the LBD is a natural sprinter.  On our return loop I felt something bite my ankle and found I already had a tick attached and several more crawling on me.  Apparently my 40% deet spray wasn't doing a very good job.  We promptly began decontamination procedures upon returning to the car and found a bunch more ticks.  Some attached and some not...  We left our shoes and socks in the back of the Jeep and slapped a fresh dose of Frontline Plus on Maddy as soon as we got home. 

To give you an idea of how bad the ticks were, TWO days later when I went for my next run I found 5 more ticks on our shoes and socks that we left in the car!  They were all very much alive and actively waiting for our return with open arms...  Here it is June 8th and the tick bites from this run are still itching me and the +1 has marked Shakori and Ridge off her list for awhile.

Week of Weightlifting catch-up mini-mega post

5/23 lift box squat 3x320(assisted) towel close-grip bench 3x240 snatches 5x80,3x100 pull-ups +55lbs
5/26 lift powerclean 3x215 deadlift 3x400
5/27 lift squat 3x275 Hard! close-grip bench press 3x230 atlas stone carries and pull-ups +55lbs

We did back to backs on Thursday and Friday.  I even managed to give myself a migraine in the process!  Decent progress was made all around but my squats are still garbage.  Looks like this coming week might not happen at all between the holiday and family obligations.  Under one month until the Carolinas Super Spartan in SC.  This should be a blistering hot day, so I really need to up my hot weather cardio.  Now I have a good excuse for why I'm dumb enough to run in the mid-day sun.  My mantra, as always:

Consistency and Follow-Through (paper and candle form)

Staying Humble

5/20 lift squat 6x255 close-grip bench press 6x205 saved auxiliaries for the Gladiator...

I started this post awhile ago and I'm just finishing it up now.  Not a lot to say other than we should have done our full workout!  

Gladiator 5k "race" report aka crappiest 5k ever

5/21 race 31 mins @ the Gladiator 5K in New Balance MT101's

your point is moot Gladiator 5K report

It was a sunny 83 degrees by the time our 11:15 start time rolled around, not that it mattered as they started us 25 minutes late.  The Gladiator 5K made many promises of awesomeness and shaming other 5k's.  I think they got it backwards.  The only awesome part was not having to wait for parking.  I really HOPE all the money we paid for this went to charity, as it clearly wasn't put into the course or the staff.  Now, I'm not going to place 100% of the blame on the race director(s) as I read the Town of Cary nixed the fire pit, barbed wire and monkey bars.  Apparently monkey bars are safe enough for preschoolers to climb on but not adults who sign full waivers, but what can you expect from a town that knowingly and willfully violates their own resident's freedom of speech.  Now this does not excuse the fact that they only had 9 obstacles and they were all so poorly constructed that I think an unsupervised Cub Scout troop could have done a better job.  I wonder if anyone involved in the planning and creation of this event has ever done or seen a real obstacle course.  Hell, or even a playground at McDonald's as I could have run through one of those and had a lot more fun.

A triple horizontal balance beam
off to a decent start although it was unsupervised so no one to instruct on how to complete or penalize teams who skipped it etc
a crawl under 1 1/2 foot cammie net
this was supervised at least

a cargo net A frame climb over

probably the best obstacle on the course and supervised

This was about as much of a challenge as you're going to get

a 7ft wall
a 9ft wall
I don't recall either of the walls being supervised and they were of such poor construction I was seriously concerned about the number of competitors that should be on the walls at the same time
some drainage pipes to crawl thru.
These pipe was a challenge, as it's the smallest pipe I've encountered on a course.  Lots of people just running by them and no one supervising the obstacle.
2 sets of A frame balance beams,maybe 3 foot tall at peak.
No one at this obstacle either, I ran and jumped over it not even realizing the side supports were meant as balance beams until one of my teammates started running up it!  Now if someone was here to instruct the participants...but I'm starting to sound like a broken record.
A "mudpit" 
This was basically a backyard slip slide/kiddie pool with a cammie net over it.  The water was kind of dirty but there was no "mud" and I didn't even get my shoes wet.  I don't think it was more than 6 inches, but I guess you can drown in anything!  It was supervised at least...
a tire pit with a hanging tire cage over it.
This "never ending valley of tires" was only about 4 tires deep and the construction was laughable.

Check out that quality construction.

No finish line mud pit or rope bridge.  No finisher dog tags.. they are supposedly in the mail.

Since most of the obstacles were unsupervised, you had people just running around them with no penalty.  On top of that we saw MULTIPLE people cutting through at points where the course intersected.  At one point you come out on the main road and the staff person tells you to run down to the end on your left, touch the gate, cross the road and run back down the other side.  We watched as multiple people would only run down half way or less and immediately crossover and run back.  The staff didn't seem to be marking anyone down or paying enough attention to care.  So basically all the times report on this course are garbage.

Share your thoughts with the douchebag race director:

Wayne Street
1212 Marbank St
Wake Forest, NC 27587
+1.9196040555
wayne@gladiator5K.com
wstreet@gmail.com

running in a field, this turned out to be a recurring theme

The end

Running with a billion buddies

5/19 run 59 mins @ Eno River on Cox Mountain Trail and Fanny's Ford Trail in MT101's and Balega socks

HR avg 155 max 175

Just driving into the park I started to get excited at the site and smell of the woods before me.  It's been far too long since my last "real" trail run.  As soon as I opened the door on my Jeep I was greeted by the deafening sounds of the world's largest cicada brood.  I'm glad the +1 wasn't along as we would have needed to shout to carry on a conversation.  This made for a very surreal run and a splitting headache later that night!  Apparently cicadas are non-toxic and edible, but I think I'll stick to gu's for now...  I remember getting back in my jeep and closing the door only to be amazed at the silence.  My ears were ringing as if I had just spent an hour front row at Ozzfest.

Brand new GU Energy Roctane Cicada Crunch flavor!

I ran a little harder than I probably should have with the Gladiator 5k coming up this Saturday but it was nice to power up some climbs again.  I really needed this run to get my head back in the game and I'll probably run the same trails next Thursday.  In addition to the cicadas I got to run around a 4+ foot black snake.  He didn't even have the common courtesy to move off the trail when I yelled, "on your right."  I wasn't going to stick around to argue with him though.  I bet he was thinking here comes another effin' runner!

Random post-run foot shot

Back to Back is hard on the Back

5/18 lift power clean 2x225 deadlift 2x400 plus incline dumbell presses and rotator cuff bands

The power clean felt really heavy as my hips and glutes are still fatigued from yesterday.  I had to get really low to clear the double and my second rep felt a little squirrelly but I got them both without any misses.  I stuck to my 5lb increase on the deadlift, which involved a lot of shin dragging but no hitching (apologies to the video owner, but a great teaching aid!).

This was my first time trying to do a regular elbows out style pressing exercise in awhile and it seems my shoulder is no better.  I'm not sure what is going on, but as soon as my elbows move away from my sides and closer to 90 degrees it feels like my left shoulder is coming apart.  I should just be thankful I can do any pressing at all and stick with that!

Monday workout on Tuesday

5/17 lift box squat 6x295*assisted close-grip towel bench 6x210 plus snatches 5x80,3x100 and pull-ups +55lbs

Struggled on the box again, got all screwed up trying out some new breathing techniques.  Bench was hard but made it through.  Miraculously, another week of easy snatches.  I'm not sure what is going on, but my snatches are stronger than ever.  I think I'm really sticking my form and getting a tremendous leg/hip drive off the floor.  Either way, I'll take what progress I can get!  Today I just felt tired and like the workout was dragging on forever by the time we were done.  I'm not sure what my deal is.  Off to fix my evil mower again...

Yes, I still run or at least jog

5/15 run 46 mins on ATT soft side in New Balance Trail Minimus MT10 and Drymax hot weather socks (first time trying them)

HR avg 130 max 150

I'm finally completely free of all the respiratory/sinus crud. I was actually free of it in time for a Thursday run, but the rainstorms combined with my natural slug-like tendencies transpired to keep me firmly planted on the couch. So I planned to rack up a serious long run on Saturday. I'm not going to bore you with my excuses for why I missed that one too. I think I've been on my longest non-self-imposed running hiatus since I had my foot injury. So Sunday rolls around and thankfully the +1 is game for a run as well. She's battling some injuries of her own and isn't supposed to do any long or high effort runs per her PT. So we set off for a nice, short jog on the American Tobacco Trail.

Wow, I can't believe how unhappy my body was on this run. If not for the heart rate monitor I would have thought I was killing myself. My feet ached, my right knee was killing me, my legs were heavy and even my shoulders were aching. At least my respiration was finally back to normal.  I'm hoping I knocked some junk loose and will be back to normal for my next run.  I'm looking forward to getting in two more runs before the Gladiator 5k on Saturday.

Through their lack of making their presence known, I realized the Drymax hot weather socks were doing a great job.  I never once thought about hot spots on this run.  My feet ached but that was due to some foot issues and not the socks.  I think at least some of the Drymax hype is true.

Feeling Good Again

5/13 lift squat 1x275 close-grip bench press 1x245 plus atlas stone carries and pull-ups +55lbs

Finally started feeling strong in the legs again today. I cut my squat single back by about 20lbs, but at the previous weight I was struggling to get low enough and my form would break down. Added some more weight on the bench again, my shoulders are still feeling really healthy, so I'm going to stick with the close-grip for now as my single was clean and super strong so I could see going up another 10lbs next month. This was our second workout with the 170lb atlas stone aka Satan's left nut. We did three pickup and carries and they all felt strong. I even figured out a way to breath on the last one, which should allow for some longer distance walks with it. I could see us moving up to its 240lb companion in a couple of months at the rate we are progressing.

I've been having some weird issues with my right knee though, it seems to only occur when drop into full squat. It feels like something is catching or pinching in the outside back corner of my right knee. It's like a sudden sharp pain and it feels as if my knee gives out as a response to the sudden stabbing pain. I'm hoping it will resolve on its own as I would really like to warm up with full squats again.

Conservative Estimates

5/11 lift power clean 1x230 deadlift 1x410 plus dips +50lbs and curls

We've decided to stop getting greedy on lifts and to adjust the weights back if we miss a workout. With that in mind, I stayed the same on power cleans and added 5lbs to my deadlift. This keeps me moving in the right direction. We seem to do better making conservative increases and hitting our numbers each week, as opposed to missing a lift at a heavier weight.

I'm still not running, but I should run on Thursday as I seem to be almost completely well! (knock on wood)

Feets don't fail me now

5/9 lift box squat 3x275 towel bench 1x245 plus snatches 5x80,3x100 and pull-ups +55lbs

I should probably say "legs" instead of "feets" as it seems I'm still struggling with squats. Hopefully it's just the combination of getting over sickness, traveling and lack of consistency the last couple of weeks. My snatches were the best I've had in weeks though.

Soft Focus

5/6 lift squat 5x245 close-grip bench press 4ishx225 plus pull-ups +55lbs and 3x170lb atlas stone pickups

Once again, my squats are sliding thanks to some sporadic workouts and being sick.  I'm not eating enough quality calories either.  Due to my busy work schedule today my lifting partner had to go it alone and he was kind enough to roll in the atlas stone from the garage.  I figured I couldn't let him have all the fun, so I did the same auxiliaries with it tonight.  Talk about a beast, admittedly it takes very good technique to move it, but once it's on your chest trying to extend or walk with it is serious fun.  I tried to simulate lifting it to a high platform, so I would pick it up to chest height and arch my upper back to get it as high in the air as possible before returning it to the ground.  On the last lift I did a short walk to the other end of the mats.  Wow, it is really hard to breath when you are death gripping a giant concrete ball into your chest.

I got greedy on the bench and tried to move up 20lbs, which was more like 2.75 and 1.5 reps, as I get the bar well above the rack points but I struggle with locking out my triceps when using the close-grip.  Once again, another poor performance due to sporadic training... My body seems to be craving routine, structure and moderated intensity.  I need to start building again and get out of this mix of travel, improvised training and excess intensity.  Yet here I sit committed to do Philosopher's Way with the +1.  I really really really need to run this as a recovery controlled run.  I'm still coughing up crud and I feel like I wouldn't be getting out of bed but for the antibiotics.  Oh well.  enough whining for one night :-)