Race Review: Francis Marion Dirt Dash 2015

Getting up at 330am for a race can be kind of harsh. But you do what you gotta do, because you love what you do and that's why you do it. Doodely do.

A new friend in my local running group posted he was giving a free rego to the Francis Marion Dirt Dash. (I cant find a dedicated web site on this, only the FB Page.) So I figured "What the hell, I haven't raced this month."  Heather helped me secure the entry and off we went.

Awendaw, South Carolina is about 90min south of us, just north of Charleston. As I mentioned we woke at 330, got Heathers ankle biters out of bed, and made it out the door by 410.

Our plan was to hit the Dunkin Donuts just outside of town. I need that for an early morning road trip such as this. In fact, DD is a (disgusting) part of my pre-race fuelin'! But alas, and I should have guessed, the Dunkin was closed.

Now I'm under caffeinated, and there's at least one whiny little kid with no donut in the back seat. At least I didn't have to pee.

 There's no Dunkin's open before 6am between Myrtle and Charleston, by the way. Just a helpful FYI for ya there.

Parking for the race was kind of interesting, and very well done I must add. Just of Hwy 17 is the Seewe Visitor Center. It was dark as a pocket when we got there at 545 but the shuttle to the race showed up shortly after we got there. The shuttle took us down the hwy a bit to a dirt road which we walked down, in the dark. It was kind of neat actually, maybe a quarter of a mile. I probably could have done without the 6yr old's screaming, but we made it to the start line without me finding out if South Carolina bears eat little kids. 

 The race organizers were a couple of minutes late getting everything set up, but no biggy, this was a pretty laid back event. My rego transfer was tit. My buddy grabbed the rego he was giving me and all I had to do was let the Time Official know that I was no longer a 30 Something Female, but instead a 45 year old male. Good to go. No hassles at all. You really gotta appreciate that.

 We were originally scheduled for a 7am start, but as mentioned earlier, things were running a bit behind so I believe it was 710 or 715 when we finally got running.

 Jesus Christ, it's raining buckets right now. As I write this! Not at the race, it was really great weather for the run actually.

Start of the Eagle Endurance Dirt Dash

A video posted by Heather Gannoe (@relentlessforwardcommotion) on Aug 29, 2015 at 4:18am PDT

                                 (My girlfriend took that video, btw)


There were 2 different races going on. A Half Marathon and a 12k (7.5m). Both starting at the same time and partially on the same course. I'm doing the 12k and the course is "F" shaped, only backwards. (I don't feel like trying to find an image of a backward F.) 

 We run down a dirt road, take a left and turn around at big oak tree. We run back to the original starting road and take another left. Up the road a bit and a left. Down this portion of dirt until we come to the safety tape marking the turn around. Turn around and then make a right on to the original road all the way to the finish.

 No single track on my race, all cart road, but quality cart road. The course was indeed very well marked, in fact if you got lost...you deserved it.

 Unfortunately, this was a new course for the 12k, and the mileage wasn't dialed in correctly. We only ended up with 5.5 instead of 7.5 miles. Again, no biggy, this isn't the damn Olympics, it's a local race, shit happens. 

 I'd heard rumors of two to three hundred people rego'd for this. I haven't checked that but for a local race it seemed pretty popular. The race director knew a few of the racers by name and was very friendly with everyone.

Post race swag was pretty good for a local. Yuengling  was actually a sponsor of the race, so racers got a beer or a Mimosa (I had both) along with fresh orange slices, bananas, M+Ms, crackers and such. The volunteers were nice and had some flyers for another race coming up soon.

 After the race, we hopped on the golf cart to take us to the shuttle bus to take us to our cars. Sound complex? It wasn't. They did a great job moving participants from A to B.
The T-shirt is pretty damn cool too. It's tech, which is freeking fantastic, and has a really cool pattern on it.

2 of my cats. They appreciate what I try to do. Crappy camera huh?

This was a good race to get started with this organization, Eagle Endurance. With any luck, Heather and I can race the next one together. There's a good amount to choose from.

Me, the non-screaming kid and a Yuengling Recovey Drink.

Product Review: Ryte Mojo Plus Pack

I originally started taking the Ryte products in January 2015 when I was mostly working on gaining some muscle, not weight loss. 
I substituted my normal Pre-workout for the Ryte Spark, my normal Post-workout for the Ryte Fuel and added the Ryte Rejuv to my overall program.

Thats my cat. She's really cute, old too. But this gives you a gist of the size of the boxes

I was taking the Spark around 3pm, 2.5 hours before my normal gym time.
Now, I typically get cranked on nasty pink sugary Pre. I normally get this Walmart stuff that I actually really like. It's sweet and gross, but works pretty damn well. So when I cut this and substituted the Ryte, I had some reservations.

But hey!  The Ryte is alright! There was NO hyper-activity from this. No racing heartbeat or sweats or anything. There was however, just a nice feeling of alertness. Ya know, like that feeling you get after a 10-15min run. Nothing over the top, but enough to get you through a 2hr gym session.

The Rejuv stuff however, that knocked me on my ass, as it was marketed to. Now, keep in mind I took this around 930pm, after working out. I normally sleep pretty good anyway, but this stuff really knocked me out. I did however, often wake up at 4am to pee, then stayed awake, entirely alert. This may have something to do with my natural sleep patterns or the horrible cabin fever we're all suffering. Or maybe I only need 6hrs of sleep....dunno. But this stuff will PUT you to sleep in less than 15min.

The Fuel: Not too shabby. Not too shabby. If you keep a mixer ball in your water bottle, it'll mix up all nicey-nice. No chunks. The flavor is pretty decent. No chalky taste, no over the top sweetness. I wouldn't want to drink it while running though. Its got that milky consistency.

In January I was weighing in around 200lbs or so. I was taking all this gear and basically eating anything (vegetarian) that I wanted. There was very little cardio going on.

THEN: Heather signed me up for a Marathon. Weight loss time.
I am now taking a packet of Ryte at noon with lunch, instead of 3pm. This does a pretty good job of curbing my appetite for my typical 3pm snack.
I am also eating a good bit less of dairy. I have tons of veggies for 10am breakfast, and noon lunch. I have a bar of some sort around 5 and try to keep the cheese to a minimum.
I am back taking my normal Pre and doing a boat load of cardio to train for this damn marathon.
In the past 5-6 weeks I've dropped down to about 190lbs. And I feel pretty damn good. I don't get any kind of mid-day crash and I hit the gym motivated.
As I don't really have any trouble falling asleep, I've stopped taking the Rejuv for a while. I do still occasionally take the Fuel, but am also mixing in an Amino Acid bevvy for a Post.

As with most products out there, you need to exercise and eat right to really see any benefits.You can take all the crap in the world, but if you don't put in the effort you shouldn't expect much. I think this Ryte product line up is great if you're putting in the work.

Here's some stats on this stuff: No GMO's. Not Artificial junk. Safe for Glutards and Veggie Caps.
All good. If you want more nitty gritty, go to their site http://www.ryte.com/

Another pic, with my cat. This shows envelope size.

The products absolutely do what they claim to do. They're easy to consume and digest. The little packets are nice to carry in a pocket, although perhaps creating a bit of extra waste as opposed to a bottle of 30caps.
Is a 30 day supply of this gear worth the 200 bones listed on the website?
I say no. This is good product, don't get me wrong. I'd take it year round if I could. But 200 bucks?!?! You know what you could do with that? I mean c'mon, thats 2400 a year!
I feel you'd be better off hiring a Personal Trainer and a Dietician. Take that moolah and do some races or fun-runs. Hell, go by a new gym wardrobe.

Ryte is basically a pyramid scheme concept, simalar to Beach Ball Body. Don't ask me exactly how it works as I am not interested in the actual marketing.

I've really been enjoying In Absentia from Porcupin Tree today. Good music.

The long and the short of Ryte products!!! I'd pay 50$ a month for this gear. Maybe up to 75$ if I really needed to drop some weight. But I could cycle some steroids for 200...

Please remember however, the source of this review. I don't really have any weight issues, I sleep like a baby most nights and I'm already very active and eat a vegetarian diet.

If you are struggling with motivation and weight loss, please try to find some more Ryte reviews written by people of situations similar to your own. This seems like a good company trying to make a product for your average joe, not your anarchist gym rat.

Product Review: Reebok ATV19 Sonic Rush

Heather bought these for me last time she was kicking at Reebok HQ. She wanted to score me new pair of shoes and on a whim, I asked her for these. Because, ya know, they're really weird looking.    

I've done a few runs, a few hashes and 2 pretty gnarly trail races, and a wimpy OCR in these. (Seven Sisters and Pisgah, thanks to Relentless Forward Commotion for the links)

And I gotta tell ya, I was pleasantly surprised. Well, not wicked surprised. (See my review on the Outdoor Wild.) I knew this shoe'd be good.

First, Reeboks fit me perfectly. A size 9.5 fits. Spot on, fits. Although I supinate, I don't have any kind of goofy shaped foot. No webbed toes, no gross sausage toes, no big ugly toe knuckles. I don't need a stupid large toe box for my flipper to splay in. This shoe gets it.

There is cushion in this shoe folks. It's not a little barefoot thing. 

There's support. 

And there is really freeeeeking strange tread. 
Just look at it!


Well, that tread is awesome. Ya, it's not your typical off road shoe traction, but it works. I ran on everything that Spring in New England can offer. Rocks, roots, rivers, mud, wet leaves, dry leaves, scree, road, cart road, singletrack....all of it. They were great.

Now, I'm not positive if this is what the design originally entailed, but because there are only 19 lugs on the bottom, all the runner's body weight is concentrated into that small lug. This puts a good chunk of pressure from each little lug into the terrain, making them stick and dig a bit into the ground. They are phenomenal on soft terrain, even grassy slopes.

That being said, take them on to pavement. Well, you can def feel the lugs. It's not horrible, but you feel a rolling sensation coming from the lugs. I don't think I'd want to run a 10k in 'em, but if your trail has a bit of pavement....it's all good. This shoe is cumf.

"How's it perform wet?" you ask. Well, the traction is still great. The shoe does get wet inside and it gets spongy. But! The fit never changed and my foot NEVER slides around in the shoe. You are locked in to this thing. It doesn't drain particularly well, but it's a damn trail shoe, not a flip flop. If you want a shoe that drains like a sieve, you may want to look elsewhere. 

I'm trying to get used to running in wet shoes, so I'm fine with this.

The problem however, it that they shrank a bit after washing them. Now, I should know better..ya, ya. I didn't dry them, just washed 'em in cold. They shrank maybe 1\8 of a size, tops. It's been my experience though, that all shoes do this. So it's not really a jab, just something to share.

We all like sharing.

What d'ya think of those colors too? Flash! The colors have held up wonderfully. Even when I have to wear my stupid steel toe shoe covers over them, you can still see the flash.

But really, how do they feel on trail? You will know you are wearing this shoe. It's not stupid light, and it certainly isn't small. 

But it is pretty nimble (at least for my fat ass) and it descends as well as it climbs. 
You won't get every nuance of the trail. Duh. Look at it. But you will still get a nice grounded feeling. 
I'm thinking it's going to be hard to roll and ankle in this shoe. Those lugs...those lugs basically keep your foot where it belongs, even with my supinatation, I never felt nervous about rolling.I didn't even tape up.

Update 9-4-15.
I'm on my second pair. I like this shoe. They last a pretty decent amount of time and are really nice if your run is going to bring you varying terrain. Hell, I've worn them a couple times for The Seven Sisters Trail Race, and they worked pretty well on that slop.


Update 9-21-15
I wore these for my Myrtle Beach GORUCK and they were fine.

Product Review: Saucony Mirage 4

It's a drag I get these cool review shoes in the Winter. I hate Winter in Vermont. I don't run outside when the temp is less than 40, and I won't run outside when you can't see the pavement or sidewalks due to snow. So basically it's treadmill for me for 5months a year here.

Damn I can't wait to move.

 A while back Saucony sent me the Guide7 to check out ( Click this ), but now I get to try the Mirage 4.

I've been trying to pile up the dreadmill mileage in these. I've also been using them for Leg Day at my gym. Before we had the mandatory switch to steel toed frankencloppers at work, I used them there too. 

Have I mentioned I can't wait to move?

I want to get outside and RUN in these! They fit like a dream. (Size 10 for this guy in Saucony sizes) They are light. They are very comfortable, right out of the box even. The Guide took me while to break in, these didn't.

There is a bit of cush in these, a perfect amount for me so far ( I NEED PAVEMENT!) and they feel secure on my feet when I'm Squatting.

They feel pretty light, I'm going to chuck one at Heather later on and we can get her opinion.

Here is Saucony's blurb on the Mirage 4, but let me give you the run down in my own laymen terms: This shoe is going to make me faster. I know it.

There isn't a ton of cushion or heel lift, but I don't feel the impact of a barefoot shoe either.

At about 10oz, they're light enough but also sturdy enough to support my fat ass. I have yet to feel any unwanted lateral movements.

The upper is especially comfortable, there has been no chaffing at my ankles.

There's a large built in reflector on the outer side of each shoe, that's a pretty nice perk for us night runner types. (Please supplement with upper body reflective garments!!)

Now, I haven't run long distances in them outside yet, so I cannot honestly confirm or deny the breathablity of the fabric on these. I can tell you however, that mine stink already. I don't necessarily feel my feet sweating, but these shoes smell already. Could just be me, dunno.

These puppies retail for 110$. That's a good chunk of coin. In a couple months when it's nicer outside I'll do a follow up review to see if 110 bones makes sense. Initial assessment says yes, but we'll have to wait and see.

Update 9/4/15
After some mileage, my ankle supination become to pronounced in this shoe and I had to retire it.
I am now running in the Kinvara. And that shoe is AMAZING. I should probably review that.

Product Review: Saucony Guide 7

 

Saucony Guide 7  Size 9.5 or 43.5

So as I’m writing this, it looks like this sneaker isn’t even released yet! Cool. I like to demo stuff, new or old. But there is something special about demo-ing a product not even on the shelves yet. Although maybe by the time I post this, these will be out….

I raced in Saucony waaayyy  back in the late 80’s\early 90’s when I was trying Tri. I was very new to running but I  remember wearing nothing but Saucony for years. I’m hoping these end up performing up to my past experiences.

I take them out of the box. Flash! They are pretty flashy. I like that, not just because Im a show-boater, but if people can see my running shoe, they can see me running! 



Top View, Slick looking eh?



I put them on my feet. They’re a bit snug. Just a bit. Not a huge worry because I know my feet swell and shrink though out the day, and I know I’ll stretch them a bit. The problem is they feel like I’m walking on 2x4s. I clunk as I walk across my apartment floor.  Again not a huge worry, the woman downstairs blatantly refuses my requests to turn down her music (she’s getting evicted soon!! Haha jokes on her), so I’ll clunk around a bit…

I wear them around the house a bit here and there, but they’re still a bit snug and clunky.

This morning however, I wore them to the gym (just to lift). They are definitely starting to break in. They are feeling more comfortable and actually feel good on the gym floor.

I hope to take them for a spin on the road tomorrow.

A quick 2miler on a stereotypical dirt road in New Hampshire and they feel pretty good. That 2x4 feeling is slowly disappearing and the shoe gets more comfortable every day. These really do feel secure on my feet. As mentioned they’re a bit snug (9.5), but not painfully so. I think I’m looking at these as a 10k or less shoe at the moment just due to the size.

I am a Heel Striker. I do run in some barefoots and minimals sometimes. But take those off, and I heel strike. No big. These shoes feel great on my landing and push off. I tried to mid-foot, but it felt very bizarre, uncomfortable even. So I'll continue heel striking. At an 8mil offset this feels fine.

This shoe is specifially designed for nuetral and mild pronater runners. I supinate. But the secure feeling of this shoe didnt bother my ankles in the least. (You should probably check with a qualified running coach or even a doctor if you severely supinate before running in these though I would think)

Here's a link to what Saucony says: http://blog.saucony.com/saucony-lab/product-corner/guide-7/

I'm taking these out for a Hash on Saturday and really putting them through the ringer, so expect a follow up in the next few days.

Not sure what a Hash is? Click it, find out, and try it.

These shoes could not have performed better than they did yesterday. Although not plyo's, the way I run at a Hash is very similar to old school Suicides (remember those?). I make a lot of sudden turns, I'm off and on the sidewalk, sprinting, walking, it's not your standard run. These felt great. No slipping inside the shoe, no slipping on the pavement at my sudden stops. These are my new Urban shoe. (I managed to avoid getting called out for New Shoes somehow)

I also wore these for Leg Day at the gym this same morning. Lots of lifters (myself included) prefer to Squat in flat shoes. So I was a bit apprehensive getting into the Squat Rack with these.
Well, they worked. You can absolutely feel the cushion. You can absolutely feel the 8m drop. But more importantly for me, you can absolutely feel the stability. No one wants a squirrelly shoe squatting, and these were solid.

Conclusion: I'd buy this shoe. But definately check the sizing. If you know your Saucony size, then you're golden. If you're not sure though, get to your local running store and check them out.

Reebok Outdoor Wild OCR Shoe Review

I’ve never felt a pair of shoes that fit both form design and function more perfectly than these. I mean, right out of the box I knew I wanted to race in these.

One of the unwritten but oft spoken rules of running is NOT to race in brand new shoes. Ya….well I did. And there was much rejoicing.

The particular race was the Spartan Charity Sprint held at Killington VT on September 23^rd 2013. (More details\review of that in another post, or hell, read Relentless Forward Commotion's deets ) 

If you’re not familiar with Killington or Vermont as a whole, there are some things you should know: It’s hilly and it’s wet. And this shoe dominated on this terrain. I’ve never felt a pair of shoes that fit both form design and function more perfectly than these. I mean, right out of the box I knew I wanted to race in these.

Photo courtesy of Relentless Forward Commotion.

I’ve trained and raced in a few different shoes. Vibrams, Brooks and InoV8s to name a few. And I like them all for different reasons. But this shoe is perfect for OCR. 

There’s cushion. These are NOT barefoot or minimal or zero drop. This shoe is comfortable without being overbearing. It doesn’t feel like I’m running in pudding, but I definitely get enough protection from the shoe. I don’t feel like I’m 3 inches off the surface either. I supinate quite a bit (big toe rolls up and out) and these shoes felt great on my compromised ankles.

Hey, it fits! I asked for a 9.5, and they fit. I used to wear the big ol’ white Reebok High Tops back in high school so I was familiar with Reeboks sizing (even if they’re VERY different shoes). The fit even stayed true when soaked thru. You’re not going to do a Spartan Race and have dry shoes….

Look at the bottom of these things! That’s some grip, some really good grip actually. The traction was fantastic on the steep slopes, and look at the heels. I was able to jam my foot into the mountain side when descending the steep stuff. I had slid all over the place in my other shoes the day before, not this time. And check out the sides, there is traction there to help on a rope climb if you do need to use your feet.

The laces never slipped during a double knot, the colors are kind of cool and they have pull tabs that you can hang the shoes from.

So there’s the Pros. Cons?? Well, this is tough one. I haven’t found one yet. For a shoe that MSRPs for 85 bones, you can’t really go wrong here. If you’re not a minimalist or a barefooter, this is great off road shoe. I’d love to run in them on Peavine and do a high desert review......

Update 10/25/14

I've since put these through a Rugged Maniac, a few Hashes and many trail runs. They are still holding up excellently. There has been no stretching or misforming of the shoe. Nothing is falling apart. I've pretty much beat the hell out of these.

I'll try to remember to post a Snow update, but I think they'll be excellent. 

Update 9-21-15 

I still have a pair of these. I ran a loop at Infinitus in them and still regularly train in them.

Update 5/816
I still have them. They're pretty much packed out now. My feet have grown or the shoe shrunk, or something. The tread is almost shot and I've run countless trails in them.
I still really dig this shoe and keep putting a new insole into it.

Merrell shoe reviews

I don’t like clunky shoes, and none of these Merrells were clunky. Score!

They all, however, do fit quite differently and not just based on their purpose.

So, maybe my feet are shrinking in my forties, or maybe the sizes of shoes have changed and I missed the memo….but regardless, please note that although I was trying out size Tens, they all felt a good half size larger.

It’s also that lovely time of year in Vermont where going outside to train is highly dependent on our weather. So, lots of indoor experiences here.

Four different shoes, four different fits and experiences:

Proterra Hiker, Mix Master, Run Barefoot, Vapor Glove.

The Proterra Hiker: As stated earlier, felt a half size to big for me, but more importantly, they actually felt a full size too deep.  My toes swim in these shoes. They also felt as if they were pushing me into a more pronated position than my normal stride. I laterally rolled my right ankle a few months ago, so this was actually a welcome feature. I added another insole into these and now my feet feel quite comfortable, and I still get that small bit of pronation.

I’ve worn these to work and the gym many times. I stand for my nine hour shifts and these shoes feel pretty good. They feel good on the gym floor as well. I’ve squatted and dead lifted in them. They do have a bit of ankle on them, but they work just fine.

In my training I don’t need a low drop, low weight hiker. When I hike, I want a big, heavy, mud kicking, trail building boot. Whether in Vermont or Nevada, I need more foot protection for my hiking than this shoe offers. I do like the shoe for day to day use, however.

My shoe was spec’d at a 21mm stack height with a 0mm drop over 8mm of cushion. A unique color green on this shoe earned me quite a few complements.

Mix Master: Same general fit as the Proterra on me, big and deep. So I added a second insole to them and the fit is much better. These shoes do not pronate my stride at all. They have a nice neutral striding feel to them.

I wear these to work, to the gym and run in them. They are nice and light and offer just enough cushion for about anything. Although not specifically designed for trail, if I could have gotten them tighter on my foot, I would have loved to take them off road. They feel good on the treadmill and work well for box jumps.

This is definitely an athletic shoe. When I happen to wear them with a pair of jeans, everyone knows I’m a runner. Not a bad thing, but worth noting as there is nothing casual looking with this shoe. No pull tab on the back makes lashing these to my bag a bit more of a project than shoes with a pull tab.

My treads are spec’d with a 19mm stack height, 4mm drop over 8mm cushion. The bright red color on my model stands out like a fire truck.

Run Barefoot: These fit differently than the two previous. Still at a size ten, my second toe actually hits the front of the shoe a bit. However, they are not deep like the others, no need at all for me to add an insole. This shoe has a very neutral stride to it, but has a large arch in it. In fact I can only wear these for a few hours at a time as my feet start to hurt. These are very lightweight and make an excellent gym shoe. Because my toes hit, I don’t run in them, but I have done squats, jumps and olympic lifts in them. They meld with my gym floor nicely.

The Run Barefoot is spec’d at a 9.5 stack height and 0mm drop. A very nice looking shoe, it’s easy to wear this model going out when I don’t feel like being over the top flashy.

Vapor Glove: Zero everything, or close enough to it. This is a minimal shoe in almost every sense. If this shoe had been my size, it would never leave my foot.

I’ve been running in Vibrams for years and love the barefoot running concept and this shoe captures it, only without the potential of ripping a toe off in the deep woods. I have not run in this shoe, much to my chagrin, as they’re not sized right for me. I have worn them to work and the gym and they are excellent minimal shoes. Walking on concrete for long periods of time is uncomfortable, but they are excellent gym shoes. They feel great around the house and wearing them out is fine. It’s a shame its winter in Vermont, because I would wear these twenty four seven.

The color of mine though….Peach? Orange? Porange? I’m not sure what it is, but it is unique, and rather ugly.

Summary of my Merrell shoe samples: Credit where Credit is due, but also criticism where criticism is due. I provided the wrong shoe size to Merrell and it’s winter time in VT. So this makes a true fitting impossible, and also makes trying all shoes for their designed purpose challenging.

With that said though, all four shoes fit differently. The Vapor should obviously feel different, but the sizes and fits of the other three shoes, all tens, should feel the same I think. The arch in the Run Barefoot is too pronounced for my liking, but I appreciate the pronation in the Proterra. Every shoe on the market these days seems to come with a huge toe box, and these do too. I’ve never thought I had shrinking narrow feet…..but there it is.

The Proterra will definitely be a solid work shoe for me. I look forward to doing long road miles in my Mix Masters. The Run Barefoot is my gym shoe, hands down. And I hope to get a nine and a half pair of Vapors for summertime trail running. A few different purposes than what Merrell had in mind, but still functional. 

9/4/2015 Update.
 The Mix Masters lasted about 6months before they were too shot to run in. 
I had to unload the Proterra as the forced pronation was getting too uncomfortable. 
The Run Barefoots are still in good shape, I never run in them.
The Vapors are finally starting to show signs of wear. This shoe has been fantastic. It's great for wearing on road trips due to its very minimal design, it packs nice and small, it makes a decent water shoe.