Mountain Bikes, Bass Guitar, and other stuff I like

Major stoke for tomorrow's 50k at Oak Mountain! I feel pretty ready for this and have put in a lot of time and miles in training. Promises to be an adventure-filled day. So grateful that my parents and wife Renee Lowe (+the little one :)) Also, good luck to my fellow runners tomorrow at the Georgia Death Race and Mountain Goat Adventures race. I hope that the trail rises with you. #trailrunning "The best pace is a suicide pace and today looks like a good day to die." -- Steve Prefontaine oakmountain50k.com

Renee and I went to Garland Mountain for a run today, a place where we had ran a few times before, and also had done a few races.  This trail is primarily used for horseback riding but the Parks Department has agreed to allow hikers and by proxy, runners, to use this beautiful gem of a trail-system. Welp, it turns out that it is now illegal to run there, as of January 2015. Yes, one can hike on the trail but running? Nyet!  They literally have posted on their sign, "No running." We were made aware of this fact by two people who were doing some trail maintenance (which is always appreciated.) "You know that you can't run here right?" This was how the woman greeted us.  I guess I looked like a runner and not a hiker?  It mus have been the purple socks and multi-colored shoes.  Hmmmm? "You runners have all kinds of places to run and we only have this one place to ride horses." she continued.  Renee was pretty upset at this point and I was too but trie...

I am considering starting a series of posts dedicated to stuff I use when training.  I do not receive any compensation from companies of said products.  I would simply like to inform the reader of things that I find useful and have purchased with my own money.   If you find these posts useful, please let me know! I will start with the super-useful Nathan Quickshot Plus.  I was using this on a run the other day and it occurred to me how ingenious the design is.   This is a handy little device that is so minimalistic that you forget it is on your hand after a while.  It holds about 8oz. fluids and has a pocket that will hold a few gels and your car key. I use it for runs in about the hour range.  Great for either road or trail.  After that I need more fluids.  This handheld  has been great in races and has a lid design that I now frankly take for granted.  Well, it has no lid, as a matter of fact! Just squeeze and fluids are disp...

Welcome back to my blog! I have been busy training for the Augusta half-Ironman for the past 4 months and am glad to bring you this post straight from the murky depths of training stupor.  I thought that I would dedicate today's post to running and my thoughts on the subject, observations and stuff I have learned over the last 3 years.  Enjoy my post on speed and getting faster! Flat footfall and no flexion = happy shins! Do not brake every time your feet hit the ground.   If you hear "scuffing" every time your feet hit the ground, that is essentially braking yourself and slowing down.  Aim for a nearly silent footfall.  Achieve this by increasing your cadence. Ideal cadence for most is 80-100 per minute.  Top marathoners barely strike the ground. Run fast.  Often.   To get faster,  do short sprints and if those are not feasible, then run up hills.  Running up hills will make you faster and stronger on the flats.  Sprint...

My apologies for not posting in a while but it has been a busy spring with Renee's 100-miler training and my off-season training as well. My last post was in March so I figured I would update everyone now that June is here. I had a freak swimming pool accident that sliced open 2 of my toes so I had to miss the first Mountain Goat Adventures trail race at Garland Mountain. I was super-bummed and was able to give my spot to Renee. I'm doing the short-course series this year to mix things up since I normally do the long course. I've discovered that my winter running has made me fast.  That and dropping 10 lbs. since last fall thanks to Primal Paleo eating and cutting out a lot of junk. Huge thanks to my wife Renee for getting me started on cleaner eating.  I am setting PRs left and right on both biking and running. It's been great! I have worked so hard the last several years and feel like my results have been mediocre and I'm finally starting to see better than medio...

Rope Mill Half-Marathon June 14th 2014 My goal this year was to get on the podium (top 3) in the Long Course race series for Mountain Goat Adventures.  The long course is 9 miles or over with the longest race being a half-marathon (13.1 mile) race at Rope Mill in Woodstock to wrap up the series.  Last year I missed the podium because I sprained my ankle in the first race of the series in Cartersville, GA and it was difficult to overcome the deficit.  One has to have 4 consistently good race performances in the series to have a chance.  While I didn't podium in any one individual race and came in 4th on today's race, I am still enormously pleased with my result today coming in 2nd on the Long Course for my age group. I put in a 12-mile effort last week in Raleigh,NC where I was on temp assignment working on a technical manual.  There aren't as many hills over there but I knew that I needed to get at least one long run in while I was there.  This helped my ...

Went into the half with 6 days of rest thanks to snow and a sinus cold.  I don't recall resting the entire week before a r Haven't exactly been training like gangbusters for this race since it is Winter and all.  Done 3 or 4 long runs plus a few short runs for speed work.  Also down 5lbs. from the holidays helps. Thank you Paleo! Had a 30 degree 8am race start. Up at 6am! Wore the new Altra Superiors (no lacelocks yet). This was the Altra's second long run and they performed beautifully.  Great trail feel and decent grip.  No PF flare up after the race! Unfortunately, now they are completely covered in mud! Rained the night before causing a muddy course, foot-deep water crossings.  This race really felt like an adventure or obstacle race with the harsh conditions.  Narrow planks across creeks and tree crossings.  The first tree crossing I took but it really slowed me down so on the next two I just ran through the creek.  Hey, cold,wet feet ...

Had a great time and an excellent race at my 3rd Rope Mill Duathlon. It consisted of a 6 mile bike, 3 mile run, then another 6 mile bike.  Try to imagine all out effort for nearly 90 minutes.  This race was a beast last year and was one of the toughest races I did.  This year was no different except that I am pleased to report that this year I felt a lot better physically and mentally. My bike to run transition was more "pleasant" and I didn't feel nearly as trashed going up the first awful hill to Explorer Trail.  I was a lot more assertive and in control.   I had rested all week except for a short MTB ride on Wednesday. Also haven't been doing much running to speak of for the past several weeks.  I think I may have pulled a muscle in my right quad as it's been bothering me since the ride on Wednesday. We had a race start in the 30s this morning. I couldn't feel my hands and was having to rest my palm on my bars and brake with 2 fingers.  My feet wer...

Really enjoyed my 1st duathlon of the season although I would've hoped for a better result. I seem to do well in these multi-sport events and I enjoy their dynamic more so than a dedicated bike or run event. Renee even made a comment that I multi-task well.  This duathlon is a tough 5 mile run/11 mile bike course at Blanket's Creek.  I think I finished in about the same time this year as last year, around 1:52. (my watch stopped working mid-race) The time was good enough for 4th place AG.  I am disappointed with the result as I consider the duathlon as my bread and butter. More frustrating is that 3rd was 31 seconds ahead at the finish.  I think I was right behind the guy going in to the bike leg then he slowly pulled away from me over the next several miles.  Weird thing about racing is that you just never know who's in front of you! HA ! I was hoping for at least 3rd. Also, the top 2 guys are monsters.  I know I could've found 31 seconds out th...

First year doing the Allatoona Creek race. Missed it last year because I had a duathlon on the same day. This course is sneakily difficult with the most challenging being the Mason's Bridge section.  On a bike, it's easier and more fun because you can roll through all the dips but running through those is really tough.  There aren't very many climbs and no big hills but that course is a grinder.  There was a torrential rainfall a few days before the race so the first 3 miles was a mud run through open cross-country.  I really liked this part though felt I got off to a slow start.  Pacing is so difficult because I don't know how much energy I need to spare.   Feet were wet out of the gate but it was no big deal.  There's a twisted part of me that prefers adverse conditions. Went in to the singletrack section at Rusty Bucket and shuffled through twisty sections, not very fast through there.  In fact, I felt leaden the entire race. I had ran the da...

Went with Renee to the 10.2 River Gorge trail race at Prentice Cooper State Forest near Signal Mtn, Tennessee.  Renee had done the race last year and loved it so this year I decided to jump in.  We were promised a rainy race but luckily the rain had moved out by the time the race started.  Trail conditions were muddy however and treacherous in places.  For some reason, I decided to wear my new Merrell shoes, which are more suitable for less technical trails and road running.  I wish I had brought my Roclites today since they would've served me better on an extremely technical trail.  The only trail I can liken it to is Snake Creek Gap near Dalton,GA.  There was so much slick, leafy downhill that I felt like the trail was all downhill I was actually looking forward to the climbs because that is where I could make most of my time.  I rolled my ankle 2 weeks ago and am still treating it gingerly. I am not the strongest downhiller and today really emp...

The greatest video game you'll ever play is with your heart pounding in the woods.  I'm talking about riding a bike through rugged terrain through a forest. Yes, mountain biking.  Preferably with hills for both punishment and reward, downs and ups. This sport beats an Xbox any day. Believe me I know.  I used to be sedentary and play Xbox all the time. Take today for example: I had poor sleep and had a lousy day at work and a crummy attitude in general by the end of the day.  One person looked at me and asked "Are you lost?" In a philosophical sense perhaps.  It was a smarmy question but one that made me think. I could've not gone riding and stayed in the apartment and moped but I knew better.  This is nothing new. I know how good it is to be done with a grueling ride. It's my medicine.    It was an absolute beating that I desperately needed.  I'm telling you folks, this is good therapy.  It was such a grueling ride with seemingly un...

Wounds healing nicely and scabbing over. I'll spare you pictures, unless requested. Ha! My legs are still recovering from a deceptively arduous trail run on Sunday with Renee. I have this nagging cramp/sore spot in my right calf that won't let go. It began after pedaling big gears on my 29er which I did in an effort to prep myself for going singlespeed. The woods are an offshoot of Boling Park in Canton. It was surprisingly remote. I believe it is called the Sutallee trail. The trail is confusingly marked with orange, yellow, and gold markers! It is gorgeous out there though. I saw an awesome owl and the owl saw me as well. It was stirring to have a bird like that regard me in the woods.