Hometown Tour de California

run with your feet

Another post on running form! Can there ever be enough?! 

Run with your feet…

That’s it. It’s brilliant, right? It may seem pretty simple. That’s because it is. It may seem obvious. But it’s taken me two decades to think about it in this way. There’s a lot of discussion about footwear or lack thereof—about form, posture, stride, cadence, etc… There’s talk of forefoot landing, heel strike, motion control and cushioning. But things change—the body, goals, energy level, terrain… So, I think, perhaps, that, while I still intend to strive for best form, there really is no perfect lesson which will apply to every, or any, runner all the time. 

In my recent running, I’ve been letting my feet go, letting them do the running and following their lead. And I’ve had some great runs and even some fast ones in this way. Sometimes this means I land on the forefoot, sometimes on the heel. Sometimes this means my knees lift high, sometimes I shuffle. And often it all gets mixed together on a single run. Trying too hard, forcing your feet to do something they’re not interested in, may not be the best approach to finding that natural stride and form. The foot is not an inanimate block on which we land but a springy complex creative improvisational free floating jazz master! 

So run with your feet… run like a jazz master… and the rest will follow…

The Fenix Has Landed!

sisters

I may have mentioned before that there seem to be a lot of runners that live on my street. Or at least live nearby and run on my street. I see several everyday. Two of them are sisters. They may even be twins. And they have the most amazing form—running form! I’ve become a bit of a connoisseur of running form—perhaps because I feel that my own form is far from perfect and it seems to hinder my performance. So I blog about it and I think about it and I practice it as much as I can. Watching other people run with good form may be the best way to understand how it all works. And then imitate to the level that one can. There’s something so beautiful about seeing these sisters run. No doubt it is amplified by the fact that there are two of them and they are fast! It’s inspiring. They get me running and they get me running better. And on a rare occasion they even show that they, too, (two), are human. A few days ago I saw one of them run by. Then a few minutes later the other one walked by, looking rather beat. I was probably a bit happier to see this breakdown than I should have been, but it made me realize that running is sometimes hard even for the best of them. And maybe if one’s form is breaking down it may be better to stop for a bit. To walk for a bit. Rather than practice poor form. 

Rain Practice

I don’t do much running or riding in the rain. Here in Southern California it’s usually only a day or two wait until better weather so I just accept it as a rest day. And while this El Nino season hasn’t exactly delivered on the higher than normal rainfall, I have had a few opportunities to get out in the rain. Three days in a row now, actually - run, ride, run. And I’ve noticed something. After some good suffering (not struggling, mind you!) in the rain I find myself calmer and more alert back in the real world, so to speak. A bit like a meditation practice might do—a rain practice…

basic things in common

I met up with a friend in the pub yesterday evening. He’s someone I’ve done a few long rides with. And a few short runs. So we talked about riding. And running. And the people that seem to rotate in and out of our circles. And we drank beer. Pretty basic. It was a short visit. We both had other things to attend to. 

shower almonds

So you’ve all heard of the “shower beer…” That’s okay, I don’t think I’d really grasped the widespread nature of the phenomenon either. I guess the idea is that you get home after a long bike ride or run or day at work and you take a nice cold beer with you into the shower to enjoy and get the evening started and/or multitask and/or drink in private/secret, later tossing the can out the bathroom window, hoping to get it over the fence into your neighbors yard where it will sit in the weeds under the rotting ’72 Plymouth. I’m assuming the use of canned beer here although I don’t really know the protocol. I figure No Glass in the Shower is a reasonable policy. Of course, I wonder, too, is the beer sipped? Or chugged? Does one turn the shower off during the period of time when one is drinking the beer and not actually making use of the water which is swiftly running down the drain to the ocean, this being a drought and all and water being a most valuable resource as we head straight away into the future. It does sound lovely. I can imagine it’s like drinking beer in a Jacuzzi. That’s always been fun. I can see the draw. Personally, though, I don’t think I need to find any more places to call drinking places in my life, mine being mostly happy hour after happy hour anyway… I do subscribe to the importance of some quick recovery foods after a period of activity and recently having discovered a small container of almonds and chia seeds left over from a long run in my pocket as I stepped into the shower - yes, why not pre-rinse those stinky synthetic fibers! - I enjoyed my post run protein recovery snack… in the shower. 

1000 Mile Shoe Club!

These still look quite good! I think this is the 5th member of the club.

Here's a look at the next thousand miles...

best/worst race coverage

mi.imalist

Rolling Cowboys

Cool name for a shop - Seen in Little Ethiopia, Los Angeles, CA

0.00 again and again...

The Mindful Mule

eyes in the back of your head

Knowing what's going on around you in traffic is so key to safe riding. So here are two tips to knowing what's behind you without turning around.

You're riding through an intersection. An oncoming car is waiting to turn left. After you pass through they will either turn left behind you immediately or wait. If they turn immediately you generally have at least a gap of space/time behind you. If they wait to turn then there's a car bearing down on you. 

People like to wash their cars. A lot. They get them all real nice and shiny. Back tailgates and hatchbacks and bumpers and the like make for occasionally great rearview mirrors. 

sexy cycling shoes spied on the train

where's a car when you need one

The magnetic sensors in the road that trigger a traffic light to change rarely work for bicycles in my town. I guess all the lights with these sensors also have pedestrian cross buttons to trigger a light change but sometimes I don't feel like riding up on the sidewalk. So I wait for a car or pedestrian to arrive. It's usually a short wait. But often also one of those surprising moments of stillness - sitting quietly in the glaring fall sunshine...

seen at the farmers market

Finally got a copy!

the endless cycle…

old tube tool

I finally got around to tightening the headset on "Totally 80's." It's been loosening on its own as I ride and I've been hand tightening on the fly. I don't have the perfect size wrench for it - I think maybe it's 1-1/8 or 1-1/4. So I use the adjustable wrench which can mark the nut. I used to use a rag to protect the nut. This time I used a piece of old inner tube and it worked much better.

the tool floor

i like to keep things where i can see them...

three fingered wave

When I cross paths with other runners it seems natural for me to give a little wave of acknowledgement and encouragement for a person that is choosing to be out participating in the same activity. I'm more likely to wave if I'm on a trail - somehow the sidewalks and streets have become all business. 

Hikers will often do this, too. Maybe that's where I learned it. They'll even say Hi or stop to exchange information. 

Bicyclists do this. Usually just a wave or a nod of the head but only, seemingly, if you're dressed in the same manner and/or riding an equivalent or better bike. 

On longer runs I carry a water bottle in one hand. Sometimes I'll switch the bottle to my outside hand so I can wave with the closer hand to the other runner - I'm not sure why but maybe it just seems more welcoming. 

Sometimes I don't switch the bottle but just raise three fingers while holding the bottle with the other two. I do this when I get tired or someone appeared unexpectedly or I've already waved to the same person earlier in the run.

Some people refuse to wave back. Or say Hi. Or smile. Or acknowledge my presence in anyway. Maybe they're lost in thought. Or have a different perspective on what it means to be a part of the running community. 

good idea

Tie some sparkly ribbon to your seat post...

hand stand Or smooth move Or sweetness

I went out to dinner with "the ladies" tonight. The Lady and The Daughter and The Gran. We met there having come from different parts of our days. They took a car. I took a bike. After dinner, on the way home, they passed me (could have given me a little more space!) but I caught up to them at the light at the bottom of the hill and I rested my left hand on her right rear view mirror as casually as if that were just what cyclists always did as they got to a stop light - and wouldn't that be so nice! No need to un/de/clip or foot down. They noticed. The light turned green. We rode off into the sunset… 

bicycle wheel on car - youtube

epidemic!

[after heavy editing] Please use the turn signal mechanism provided with your vehicle every time you change direction… 

bringing sexy back!

running the plank

Before your next run (or ride, or day) try a quick planking exercise. Even just 20 seconds or so helps to engage the core which should help you find proper running form sooner and make for a more enjoyable experience. 

front row parking...

…as usual

nice bike and/or...

As I was riding home from my regular Sunday morning group ride today I heard someone call out from a passing car, "Nice bike!" I was turning left from the middle of a moderately busy intersection and trying to navigate through traffic so I couldn't quite interact or reply. I thought about the comment for a bit. I mean, yes, it's a nice bike - midnight purple, Faliero Masi, Ultegra, etc… But, really, what I think/hope she wanted to say was, "Nice Ass!" 

humorous bike locking

One of my friends got her bike almost stolen recently. Miraculously someone saw it in progress and the thief was stopped. Unmiraculous was that I'd told her that her bike was locked up only to her front wheel and she should lock it up better and not leave it out for days at a time locked improperly. 

I do my share of improper locking myself, although, not in high traffic areas. Almost every Sunday morning I lock my bike to itself (front wheel to frame) next to my garage after pumping up the tires and otherwise prepping it for The Brunch Ride. Then I go back inside and get kitted up and such - usually only leaving the bike alone for several minutes. 

Today, though, with the recent bike theft attempt in my mind, I locked the front wheel to the frame AND an old metal tub that's great for icing down beverages on the back patio on warm summer evenings. It seemed a humorous scene, imagining someone trying to walk off with that collection of cabled together oddities. 

a touch of PF

For the last few days I've had a sensation in my right heel. It's like there's a sewing needle imbedded in the far back and to the right. Is this Plantar Fasciitis? I looked it up and apparently it's very common with runners. Luckily for me it doesn't bother me when I'm running. But I fear that it could someday progress into a terribly depressing hobblement. So I suppose I'll take the course of action  I've always taken with my many injuries and ailments: a) ignore the pain. b) increase my activity level. c) plead  ignorance. d) drink more alcohol. e) run like the wind. f) get some kind of new accessory - I'm thinking maybe a seventies style headband… g) blog it!

bloody nipples

Yes, this a running blog, too. And it's been hot and humid. And combined with a bit of chronic dehydration some of us may find ourselves - as one of my friends recently, and so eloquently described it - wearing the number eleven jersey… Well, based on one test run you needn't look any further for a solution for here it may be found! Chamois Cream! Yes, this is a biking blog, too. Apply chamois cream where you need it on a run and your problems may well be solved! Eureka! 

summer nights

to the desert

crossroads

Or perhaps this is what one could categorize as mid-life crisis. Something needs to change. I just can't keep riding these hammerhead bikes. Or maybe I should stop riding! I'm always tempted by the idea of fancy new carbon frame models but can they fit a wide enough tire? Can I squeeze a 28 in there? Is 28 even enough? Am I barking up the wrong tree? Should I be going full in for steel randonneur style? Should I "make the leap" to… dare I say it… 650B?! And I can't just think of my present self but need to plan ahead for the rider I'll be next year and maybe ten or more years into the future. I can't imagine I'll want a carbon racer when I'm 25% older…  

Or maybe getting a carbon racer will breathe new life into my riding...

But maybe getting a steel rando will guide me in the direction I really ought to be going…

Happy Earth Day

It was kind of a weird Earth Day for me. Or maybe it was perfect. I can't figure it out.

I had an appointment at the DMV to renew my license at 3pm. It had been 15 years since I'd set foot in there. I was anxious. Remembering all the early eighties horror stories of long lines and bureaucracy…

I rode my bike there. It's Earth Day! Of course.

How can going to the DMV on Earth Day be perfect? Well, on bike remember… it celebrates/protests all that we juggle: our decisions… our reality… our passions…

And it turns out that the DMV ain't so bad these days. I was in and out of there in 14 minutes!

I felt so relieved.

I went buy the pub to celebrate on the way home.

Bike: 17.25 miles.

Happy Earth Day… everyday...

New Kassette

Sarah's bike

…she's so cool… 

Pre-Mid-Post Solvang

See you next year…

MM

PowerGlide

This is my new running mantra. It really helps me to understand and remind myself throughout the run what I need to be doing with my stride - it's amazing that after all these miles I still need to focus and keep myself running efficiently but, for me, at least, form always falls apart - I begin to wander… 

The Power part comes from a strong down step - that seems to be what generates speed.

The Glide part comes from all moments in between the Power step when everything quickly reverts to a relaxed float… a glide. 

These are two very different aspects, I know, but I feel they need to both be there in repetitive alternation for maximum speed and efficiency. 

I like the mantra for other reason, too. It reminds me of that old transmission from GM. The PowerGlide - smooth and easy and powerful and fast - like some big, blue Malibu stealing through the desert night… 

N Express

I went for my usual neighborhood run this evening. It's a simple, short, out-and-back - to the top of the hill/street and back. But on Thursdays the Farmers Market takes up residence right in the middle of my route. Which is fine - only a minor dread - and really, a nice change of scenery. Today I was briefly excited by one of the vendors. My first glimpse of their truck gave me the impression that it was a running shoe demo truck - what I saw painted on the side of the truck was N Express. And so, naturally, obviously, I was sure that New Balance had come to find me! But that first view was partially obscured by another vendor's truck. What it really said - as I soon learned - was Cumin Express. Not really the truck I was hoping for… 

the three bears

Catalina Currant (Ribes viburnifolium) after the rain

men to match my mountains

I was standing at my bus stop this afternoon. Standing because it was raining and the bench was wet. I was well dressed for the occasion with boots and jacket and umbrella. Still a bit wet, though. It seems I can never really hide from the rain - some people seem to have a knack for it - not me - I'm always a wet rat. 

I stood there for 25 minutes. In the rain. Waiting for my bus. One came by and stopped but the driver said it was "discharge only" and that he was sorry but he couldn't pick me up in the pouring rain - I get it - same thing happened to me last time except the driver was like all "Hey, Baby, I 'm supposed to be discharge only, but just hop in and let's go…" Thank you, Bitchin' Bus driver lady. You're so cool.

But today, no. More rain. And, that's fine. As I said, I was prepared. But I just really wanted to make it to the pub quick because my window of availability was closing fast… I need my 90 minutes of Sunday relaxation, you know… 

Eventually I made it and everything was really just fine and cool. 50 minutes total. 25 minutes standing in the rain under an umbrella. Biking would have taken me 30 minutes but I'd have been soaked soaked soaked so maybe okay - maybe just great. 

But as I was standing at my bus stop in the rain I was thinking about my friend. My dead friend. And I was like, he would love to be able to be standing right next to me in this rain watching the cars drive buy - it really was a nice rain shower… And so I felt humbled and better… "we" would make it there in time.. no place else to be…

But I also got to thinking about a poem by Snyder, Gary - one of my favorites. The title is "Left Out in the Rain" - or is that just the book title? Which led, after reading his, to a poem of my own. It's in that compilation I put together a while back. (I'm sure you've all ordered it!)

But that night that I read Snyder's poem a dozen plus years ago - that night, that poem, that solitude on the eastern edge of the High Sierra Nevada Mountain Range in that little town that holds fort at the only eastern entrance to one of the most celebrated National Parks in the country/world - that little unassuming town called Lee Vining at the junction of Highway 120 sparked a dream within. Where, actually, as I keeping digging through my memory is home to so much more - where I became an Indian through deep eye-soul connection with the saddest last real Indian I ever saw (and I use this word because of the times then and because you just have to - he was a Native American, of course, but he was also an Indian - as he would have called himself) - I was maybe 6-years old - he was about a million - he became one of my grandfathers - maybe me only because there was no one else that loved him anymore. It was sad and tragic and yet such a beautiful moment that those mountains rising up to the sunset never left me - us. 

And so I still dream about someday riding that road all the way through those mountains - starting in LV and taking the 18-mile-ish steep climb up through the thin air and sketchy RV squeezing-out-the-lane traffic and then descend all the way down and down and down and around and through all the way to The Valley on the other side and then prop my feet up and enjoy a nice beverage at The Ahwahnee bar. 

And then just keep on riding and riding and riding on…

and now the Wild Lilac (Ceanothus)

and manzanita, too

camouflage

first poppy

Hitched outside the pub

One day they will set up trainers for us to ride our bikes on while we drink at the pub…

Circa 1994 times two

I think Mindful Mule just turned 21!

a couple that bikes

Love-bikes!
Old Pasadena, Dec. 2014

Clean, shiny, vintage, and out on the town… I don't know this couple but I like the way they roll...

long december

Long december - it's one of my favorite songs - and one of my favorite months if there can be such a thing - because after this it only gets lighter - so I've revamped the blog to dark background - "and there's reason to believe, maybe this year will be better than the last…"

I've been thinking about the speed of walking - and how it shows you the over-zipittyness of this place - tried to walk across a street lately?

And I've been thinking about long, undocumented rides through the mountains - carrying a picnic…

And runs through the endless silent hills…

new brake pads

I just put new brake pads on the road bike (the Masi, aka Purple People Eater). I understand that this wouldn't normally be considered a topic of relevance for a blog post (too bore sooo many readers). However, I've had these brake pads for 10 years. It seems impossible that I've never changed them as I feel like I ride a lot. Maybe I just don't brake a lot? And it wasn't like I felt they (the old pads) were at the end of their usable lifespan. But I just got to thinking that maybe after all those years in the heat and the cold and the sun and the rain that these old pads might have lost a bit of their tackiness, their rubberiness, their squish. I haven't even taken them for a test ride yet because I didn't want to bother changing pedals (at the moment I'm sharing pedals between Masi and Centurion, aka Totally 80's!). But just the process of changing the pads was so nice - just loosening that tiny pin screw and sliding out the old pad and in the new without hardly even having to adjust the brake cable much - what a great design! And so sexy! If I notice a difference - and I think I will! - I'll do a similar swap for Totally 80's! - although in her case I'll need to replace the whole pad-and-bolt-on-mechanism because she ain't got that tiny little pin screw to slide out her old pads - upgrade! 

currently reading

Because you can't just not mention Lance.

1000 Mile Shoe Club!

Oldest living CamelBak dies

I don't remember the exact date or year when I first got this Camelbak but it's outlasted a number of girlfriends and life changes - I'm sure I had her in '98 - so sixteen years plus or more. Tonight she died. Upon opening her up tonight the membrane around the filling port tore. But this morning she ran up Brown Mountain with me for one last time which is just how I want to go, too. Thank you Camelbak for keeping me hydrated all these years - oh the adventures we've had! 

dream

woke up from a dream about coffee and bicycles…
or was it a dream…

a million cars can ruin your whole day

This has happened to me a number of times lately - and I feel it's just getting worse - I've just come out of the mountains and/or some secret winding, rolling road and/or path under a dark canopy of trees only to emerge into such a steady stream of cars I can hardly believe or understand. My feelings of fatigue induced euphoria are quickly stomped on by the speed and rush and hurry and the cold steel feel of a car unthoughtfully buzzing by. And so sometimes I just pull over and wait. It's a long wait. But I figure it might save my life. And I wonder if car drivers ever do the same - wait - for anyone… I hope I do when I'm behind the wheel but I've got a different perspective - after so much time on bike and foot - so, I try - and I do see other car drivers trying and I greatly appreciate it - but, still, I get confused - a bicycle is not an anomaly - I know cars pass bicycles all the time - but each time a car driver passes me I feel like it's the first time they've ever done it - too much uncertainty - or worse, too much disregard… we are humans, all - traveling humans… 

clean bottle found

I found this Clean Bottle in the gutter - at the bottom of a hill - actually my hill - or, at least, the one I ride down nearly every day - there are some bumps in the road - thank goodness - they slow the cars - so probably some bicyclist hit those downhill bumps just forcefully enough that their bottle popped out of their cage, never to be seen again - I suppose I could have left it there - or propped it up on the sidewalk where it may have been more visible and refindable, but I really had no way of knowing how much time had passed since the bottle popping out incident occurred - although, the water was warm - and so I selfishly and/or riskily grabbed the bottle and made it my own - and, anyway, it's a Clean Bottle so I shouldn't be concerned about being able to wash out a little spittle and foam… And anyway, it reminded me of my friend who has become quite famous on a certain popular afternoon television talk show, I guess you call it. He's like what I would call a sidekick - let's call him Sideshow Andy for now - he often dresses up in costumes and dances around on stage - and if you're interested in cycling - you've no doubt seen the Clean Bottle costumed man trotting alongside the peloton in Tour of Cal and perhaps others… That Clean Bottle muppet always reminded me of Sideshow Andy and so I just had to snatch up that Clean Bottle - and it's insulated! 

currently reading

Murder in the High Himalaya: loyalty, tragedy, and escape from Tibet.
by Jonathan Green, 2010.
Intense and upsetting but a story that must be told, read - and current events, no less!

p.s. - for those of you who haven't been in a while, that's the library in the photo… get there.

cool breeze

a cool breeze blowing in as the sun goes down 
ushers in our first cool weekend of fall
windows opened to pull it inside 

summer's not gone
supposed to be a hundred again next weekend
but only eighty tomorrow 
for a run up Brown Mountain

the last hot day is the best hot day

Sycamore Skye

We've made it through the summer. A hundred degrees today. A few rain drops on the back porch for happy hour. This Sycamore might not make it to next summer. But she likes today. A beautiful hot goodnight summer day, evening. Goodnight Sycamore, goodnight…













p.s. - maybe the mule is ready for a revamp…

the hems

typical friday night

wine and inner tubes

Had to move the operation to the laundry/garage due to lack of light (I like this photo) (the crayon marks the spot of the puncture!)

And… for the record: it's goathead season! Look it up if you must. Or imagine a spiky seedpod that penetrates all and everything. It was a goathead that popped BOB's tire that you see pictured above.

And… I know you won't believe this, but my shoe picked up at least a dozen goatheads on this morning's run - on one shoe!

family portrait

Ceramics by Hugh Watts

trimming the hems

After another summer of running with drenched clothing that gets lower and heavier with every drop of sweat that won't or can't evaporate quickly enough I've begun to consider some options and take on a few experiments. 

One item of clothing which could be helpful is the running singlet, aka a tank top. But I somehow feel like I'm too old to wear those now - although I used to. Also, I've developed some killer cycling/farmer tan lines and it would take quite a while to recolor the bare spots. 

Shorter running shorts: same as above - but I might just try it again anyway.

What I have been able to agree on for the present moment is to trim off the hems on my running shirts. Now it may not seem like that would really make much difference but because they double over on themselves they actually represent a fair amount of water holding, weight adding fabric.

So far I've experimented only with my least favorite running shirt, of course. I used scissors to trim off the hems on the sleeves and around the waist. I left the stitching of the hem, though, to maintain some amount of form to the garment. So far I've left the one around the neck but depending on the shirt I may trim those off, too. 

Next up I suppose will be to trim off any hems on shorts and their linings. 

things found in the road

A neat threaded linky thingy