Saturday Challenge

Have you ever gone to do a workout not really sure you were up to the task? Maybe had a plan which would push you well past your comfort zone or any limits you had passed previously? I did on Saturday.

One of my favorite places to run is a state park about 20 miles from my house called Sleepy Hollow state park. They have this trail that weaves and winds all around the outer edges of the park and is approximately 12 miles long if you go all the way around. I have always enjoyed running different parts of this trail but had never even comprehended the thought of doing the entire loop, until Saturday. Once I set out to train for Steelhead one idea I liked the thought of was building up to run the entire trail at Sleepy Hollow as part of a regular long training run. Saturday I had a free day, the weather was great and I thought why not see how far I can go.

The plan was simple. Set the countdown time on my watch at 10 minutes and run until it goes off. Then walk anywhere from 2-10 minutes (reset the timer if needed) and repeat. Go until I feel like I've gone far enough then turn around and head back or do the whole thing which ever comes first. 30 minutes into the run I was really questioning my sanity. It was a gorgeous spring day here in mid Michigan, mid 40's and sunny as can be. I never thought about the inch of snow we had 2 days earlier and that maybe just possibly the trail would be a slippery, muddy, water filled mess. 30 minutes of slipping and sliding and trying to avoid the large puddles that more closely resembled small ponds and I was tired, sore and my feet were soaked to the bone. I tried to decide whether to turn back or press on. I decided it had to get better at some point or I might at least go numb, so I pressed on. At the 1 hour mark I hit a major stretch of trail that was on the high ground and was awesome to run on. I continued on forgetting how awful the trail had been just yards back. At the 1 hour and 20 minute mark I was back in the slop again and started to seriously question my sanity. At this point I realized I was over half way around and there was pretty much no turning back now. I could, but then I would have to re-traverse all the crappy trail I had been down to this point so I might as well at least finish on, as of yet, unseen crappy trail. Besides it was now closer to continue than turn around.

It was at this point that I began playing the "just make it to some unknown point in the distance" game and I'll reward myself with some walking, or if the trail comes close to the road I'll just hop on there and run that back to the car. I learned, yet again, that I lie to myself just to keep going. Every time I'd get to that point or close to the road, I come up with some even better reason why I should keep going. My walk to run ratio started changing as well. I found I only needed to a couple of minutes of walking to consistently recharge for the next 10 minute run. I kind of got into a rhythm and the great outdoors was flying by. Until about the last mile. That's where I started to notice chafing in places I had never wanted to imagine and the bottoms of my feet were cramping. Not up under the arch but under my HEEL! What the heck, I've never felt THAT before. My legs began to feel like lead weights with every step and I am quite positive my walking was faster than my running at this point. But, like the determined zombie I was, I kept pushing on.

Seeing that end point right where I started was a pretty happy moment for me. I had completed nearly a half marathon of epic proportions, at least in my mind it was anyways. I had run, slid, slogged, walked, fallen, skated, hopped, tight-roped, jumped, slipped and barreled up and down hills, across ridge-lines, through valleys, in fields and through forests all for the fun of it. I challenged myself and found I grew. 2 hours 21 minutes, that is what it took. I had often thought it would be fun to pack a lunch and do the entire trail in a day. I never thought I'd do it in 2 hours and 21 minutes.

Now I can't wait for the next opportunity I get to go try it again. I hope it dries up a bit before then but now I have a personal best time to beat. Oh, and as a side note. Sunday I was a little sore, as I expected, and today I feel much better. Life is good when you can push yourself beyond your limits and don't have to pay with too much pain.

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It's all about the goggles.

Let me just start by saying that I am an "old school" swimmer. I grew up in the pool and have been a Speedo goggle wearer as long as I can remember. That has changed this winter. It was time to replace my current goggles about a month ago. So off to the store I go to take a look at the latest and greatest Speedo, TYR and Nike had to offer. I haven't been exactly pleased with my most recent Speedo goggles. They seemed like the most uncomfortable pair of goggles I had worn in a long time. The problem I have is that I miss the old days with the soft neoprene foam gasket around the lenses. It's hard to find a pair with that anymore that fit right or the neoprene doesn't obstruct the view. This time I decided maybe I'd go a new direction. I checked out all the Nike goggles, they looked cool and seemed ok but nothing really caught my attention. I looked at TYR and that's when I found what had to be one of the coolest looking pair of goggles I had seen in quite some time. The rubber they were made from seemed soft enough so I had to give them a try.

What I bought was the Nest Pro, Blue made by TYR. Here is TYR's description from their website.

A performance goggle that transcends traditional design. Inspired by the unique bird nest architectural design of Beijing's main stadium for 2008. The structural elements of the Nest Pro's frame creates a unique grid-like effect, similar to the way a bird's nest is intertwined for support. TPR frame/gasket features dual-injected system with over-molded nosebridge. Patent Pending Nest Frame Technology.

• Polypropylene over-mold nest frame provides unique high-tech structure design.
• Headstrap features patented Glide Clip system which allows easy on-head adjustment.
• Double VTS (Varied Tensile Strength) silicone headstrap conforms to side of head while flat back straps allow for secure fit.
• Wide peripheral Cellulose Propionate (CP) lenses feature imbedded anti-fog properties and are UV protected.
• Soft TPR gaskets for comfortable, water-tight fit.

Now enough of the "company line" propaganda. What's the real story with these goggles?
Plain and simple. I LOVE THEM!!! The fit reminds me of the old school goggles of my youth. They look awesome and the comfort is out of this world. I am not sure what the heck "Soft TPR gaskets" are but where the rubber meets the face is the softest most comfortable fit I have found in a long time. The strap is easily adjustable. They are extremely fog resistant with incredibly clear and wide area of vision. I have had no issues with water leakage to date. The only con I have is the strap. I really, really like the old single, fat rubber strap. All the new goggles have a double strap of some kind and to me it is a pain in the rear end to deal with. Yeah, once they're on and set they, for the most part, are good but I would prefer the old single strap. I mean the double strap always ends up twisted around it's self and like a single strap by the end of the workout anyways so why bother. I have noticed the strap has a tendancy to slip up my head during flip turns occasionaly when wearing a swim cap. But if the strap is the biggest complaint I can find with these goggles then we've made huge strides.

This old Speedo goggle guy has officially become a TYR goggle guy. I can't wait to try them in a race or open water swim to see if they still hold up but as of now they have my vote.

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