Product Review: Nathan VaporKrar 12L Men's Race Vest

I've been running with this pack for almost a year now. I'm not sure why the hell it took me so long to review it, but at least I've gotten some pretty good mileage into it now.

The pack is named after one of Nathan's sponsored elites, Rob Krar. I don't know anything about him, except he must be fast and probably has a beard.
But I can tell you about my experiences with his pack. And while you read this, why not listen to some Ozric Tentacles?

A post shared by Heather (Gannoe) Hart (@relentlessforwardcommotion) on Jun 19, 2017 at 2:00pm PDT

Not an Elite, no beard either.

As of this writing (3/18/18) the VaporKrar actually comes 2 sizes. A 4L and my 12L.
I can't tell you much about the 4L other than it has less storage and doesn't come with any kind of bladder. This review is for the 12L only.

Prior to this I'd been running mostly with the Camelbak Marathoner.



And I was pretty happy with that pack. I beat the piss out of it doing OCR's, snowshoe races, etc. That was a solid,sturdy pack.

But with that durability comes a cost. The fabric on the Camelbak was rather rough. I run with no shirt on, and that fabric would tear me up something nasty.

So when the opportunity came to pro-deal the Vapor, I did. 

This thing retails for around $175. I'm going to tell you this up front, no running pack is worth that kind of money. Holy shit! THAT IS SO EXPENSIVE. If you're fortunate enough to have lots of money to throw around on gear, then maybe. But still!

The nitty-gritty now:

I have a size XL. I'm about 6ft and between 175/190lbs depending on what the hell I'm doing. Look at the video up there, that's what I looked like 5yrs ago. But the XL fits me pretty damn well. (Always try on a FULL hydration pack before purchasing.)

There are 4 points of adjustment, one at each hip, the sternum and belly. The sternum and belly pull in opposite directions to keep overall tension square.
These two adjustments are attached to the vest on these slidey rod things.

I had to sew mine in place with dental floss to prevent them from sliding up and down.

Which is great for setting up the positioning, but not so great because the damn clips kept sliding up and down on those rods. A little needle and dental floss later, I solved that problem. (Always remove the bladder before modifying any hydration pack.)

With all the adjustments set, this pack sits pretty nicely, especially if you're using the provided bladder. And that is rather important, a standard bladder will have a tendency to slosh a bit more, where as the supplied bladder is specifically built. 

See that Hour Glass Shape? That will prevent sloshing.

< Hour Glass Figure

  Hour Glass Shape>

And there are also little baffles in the bladder to help prevent slosh. This bladder also comes with a hose quick release, making it easier to funnel the tube through the pack. The hose attaches to the sternum strap with a magnet (see Sternum strap in pic above).
There's a nice easy open top to this bladder too, making it easy to clean and add ice.
This bladder holds just less than 2L.

The fabric throughout the pack is soft. Nice and soft. However, it doesn't feel overly durable. I would recommend NOT rolling in the mud with this pack. The fabric felt cooler in summer heat than my previous pack and running with no shirt only makes for a few select raw spots, easily prevented with some applied Body Glide.

It gets real hot, real muggy here in Myrtle.

SO MUCH STORAGE!  Nathan says you can carry 12 Liters worth of shit in this pack, I believe it.
There are 2 pockets rib level on each side of the vest. You might be able to jam a standard water bottle into them, but you'd be much better off using the trendy new soft water bottles (Hydrapack). However a standard size celly or any race nutrition will easily fit in these pockets.
Each shoulder also has a zippered pocket, one with a whistle/key loop and smaller change pocket. I found these pockets ideal for carrying GU or sport beans, anything solid in these pockets didn't feel comfortable for me.
The back of the pack has a huge pocket for stashing whatever the hell you feel the need to take with you. There is no zipper on this pocket, but it's a great place to stash stuff you may want a team mate to grab for you while on the go.

Another quality picture. At least you can't smell the damn thing.

Beside that main pocket is another pocket. This one vertically zippered. Open this pocket up and there is a huge amount of storage and even another secure pocket which would also easily fit a celly.
Behind and above these two large pockets is another pocket accessible from the top of the pack. This one isn't huge but does offer a place to keep thing separated. I stash my Emergency Butt Paper in this pocket.
And of course there is the main bladder pocket. The bladder will be held in place with a Velcro loop and as mentioned earlier, you can route the house through the pack. Also worth noting is the fabric difference here. Between your back and the bladder is some different, still soft, perforated material. This is great for Carolina heat. Fill that bladder up with ice, and it'll keep you cool for bit. This fabric is also on the inside of the shoulder straps.
There is one more pocket, at the hip adjustment straps. This is an open horizontal pocket. I haven't used it yet, but it would be a great place to stash an readily accessible  jacket or extra pair of pants. 
There may even be some pockets I haven't found yet...

There are Trekking Pole attachments on the back of the pack.
But of course, I have ghetto poles that don't fit. So no picture for you.


There is some pretty decent reflectivity throughout the pack, but always have illumination when running in the dark.

Long story short. There is a shit-ton of storage in this comfortable pack. Thus the $175 price tag. 

I have run a ton of races in this. Some of them fully laden with supplies, H2O and nutrition. The pack does sway a bit on me. It's not ridiculously distracting, but I'd be a liar if I said it never swayed or bounced. 
But think about it! If you have 3.5lbs of water and another pound of food/gear with you, all strapped to your back, it's gonna sway a bit.
If you have your adjustments set, are using the fancy supplied bladder and pack your gear correctly...you can severely minimize any bouncing and bopping and shit.

Two things to note on this pack. The adjustment straps frayed a little. They seem to have stopped frayin, but this could be a huge issue. And they had that tendency to slip up and down on the adjustment bars. (See picture way up.)
The length of the tube from the bladder may confound some. I've known some people to cut the tube, I just re-routed mine through some sown in loops to prevent the tube from bouncing.

This is not an overall reflection on the pack or even really detrimental, but worth noting before purchase.

 And try as I might, I can't get the stink out of mine.

Here's a review on some similar shorts to what I'm wearing here.

Here then is my summary:
This is a great pack. It is awesome.
I still can't fathom the ticket price, but indeed there are a ton of features here.
If you need a pack to run far in, I'm talking 50k and better, because you need to carry food, water and gear, this might be a great option for you.
If you find you're mostly doing shorter or fully supported races, this might be more pack than you need.
I'll emphasize again to try this pack In Store. Bring your normal gear, fill the bladder up and try it IN STORE. Make sure you have the right size for you, and make sure this is the right pack for you.

Yep, there it is. A year later and there's my thoughts.
Thanks for reading.

Fod Blooging: Ghetto Wrap

I don't actually live in a ghetto. 
But as I'm sure you all know, my food budget does fall right into line with Section 8. So I make due with what food we can get.

Today I'm going to tell you about my Mac-n-Cheese Spinach Wrap.

Cheap and Easy. Just like me!

It's pretty easy and has very few ingredients. It is reasonably portable too, making it a good "Grab and Go" kind of food for my ghetto kind of lifestyle.

The main ingredient: Mac N Cheese.
There's directions on the box, follow those. 

Any brand of Mac N Cheese will work.

Second ingredient: Spinach.
Baby or regular, doesn't matter. Hell, you could even get fancy and use Arugula.

Everybody loves Spinach.

Final ingredient: Tortilla wraps.
Use flour tortillas. You're not really a glutard, you just say you are, and un-cooked corn tortillas taste like 80 grit sandpaper.

Just like Abuelos!

One of the key things of this recipe is to make 100% sure that you have cooked your Mac N Cheese. Using raw Mac would be pretty revolting I'd think.

So you've got your Mac all cooked up?  
Lay out your tortillas and put a nice bed of spinach on each, maybe a cup or so. Make sure not to just clump the spinach, spread it across the centerline of each tortilla.

Then you're going to dump on some of that Mac N Cheese. Again, probably about a cup or so, according to personal taste and how much you actually made.

Shown pre garnish/seasoning.

From here it's up to you on how you want to garnish/season. I like to add Black Pepper and Hot Sauce. But I bet Ranch would be good too.
Roll em up, and eat em!

I've had requests for pairings to go along with some of my Fod Bloogs. And I have a great pairing to go with this dish.
Since you may already have the Hot Sauce out, why not mix a shot of it with a shot of whiskey to make a Prairie Fire? 
I don't think a shot of Ranch mixed with a shot of whiskey would be very good at all.

Yep, there's another great bit of cuisine for you all. 
But I also would like to take quick second to share a Bad Housekeeping idea.

Why not use the wifes hairbrush as a soapdish?

I've asked her a million times to put her stuff away.

Thanks for reading!

Burn Out Sucks.

Burn Out is real. And it sucks.

There's an ailment called "Over Reaching" which typically starts before actual Burn Out. Over Reaching is similar to getting Heat Exhaustion before the Heat Stroke. 

Heat Stroke being Burn Out. 

Suuuucckkkksss.

But, ya know what, it's a gadamn fact of being an athlete.

The odds of Burn Out happening to any athlete are real. If you're dedicated to your sport, it's bound to happen. I suppose if you're a pro making millions a year it may be a little easier to avoid Burn Out. 

But if you're a paycheck to paycheck athlete, spending any extra cash, any extra time, any extra life on your sport, it's gonna happen.

First, lemme tell you the symptoms of Over Reaching/Burn Out. Because Burn Out, if left unattended, will probably cause not just injuries, but a hatred of something you once thoroughly enjoyed. You don't want either of those.

1) Lack of quality sleep. You need to sleep. Drinking yourself into black-out doesn't count.

2) Mood Swings. You probably don't need Prozac you mental prick. You may just need to chill the fuck out.

3) Not quite injuries, but shit just doesn't feel right. Knees ache, fingers falling off, hemorrhoids. Maybe you're sore all the time?

Or maybe you did fuck yourself up because your system is over stretched and now your femur is sticking out of your patella.

4) You throw up your hand yelling "I'm done!" That's a pretty strong signal there stupid.

5) Are you sick all the time? I mean ALL THE TIME. Maybe you're a hypochondriac, but maybe you're immune system is shot to hell because you won't slow down.

6) Loss of Motivation. This may be the easiest one to self diagnose. It is possible you're just a lazy shithead, but if something that was so enjoyable last week is now dreaded this week, it's possible you're burning out.

7) Is your performance suddenly going to pot? Can't finish that easy race? Can't screw the way you used to? Burn Out might be why.

8) Elevated Heart Rate. Sure having a fancy Heart Rate monitor makes this easier. But who the hell doesn't have one these days? Keep an eye on your Resting Heart Rate! 

9) You start spending Entry Fee money on Crack. 

Winners don't do drugs.  Except for steroids, you can do those.

I'm stopping at 9 symptoms. There's more, but these nine will suffice. If you're suffering from more than one of the above, you may need to address it. Especially number nine.

How to deal with Burn Out? (Think I can get 9 bullet points?)

1) Take a fucking break. It's really not a big deal. You have the rest of your life to do whatever sport you've been doing. Ya, FOMO sucks, but grow up and deal with it.

2) Find something else fun to do. Obvious? Seriously, just change sports. You may need to be careful of muscular burn out, but mentally this is great. 

Try a GORUCK if you want something different.

3) Smell the godamn roses!!!  Shit. Just enjoy being ALIVE for a change. Instead of constantly pushing and pushing and pushing...be thankful you have what you have.

We don't normally keep roses, this pic is a one-off from 2012.

4) But you can also look forward to the future! Yes, you need to be realistic, but look at some future goals or events you want to do and start making plans on how to tackle those goals.

5) Have more sex. This is probably the best cure to anything actually. Get off the bike, out of the kayak, off the mat, out of your running shoes or whatever,  just get out of your workout clothes in general. 

6) Instead of training or racing all the time,share what you know, share what you love. Help out other people that have similar goals and dreams. 

Try not to be a conceited dick about it though. 

My Mom and Sister are in both of these of pictures.

7) Remember that Burn Out is not forever. Learn to listen to your body and mind. Be prepared to start up again, but don't push the issue. You'll know when it's right time. 

I'm stopping at 7. My beer is empty and my pants are to tight to keep this up much longer. Remember #6. That's the best one.

But let me try to wrap this up, as you probably already guessed, I am burnt out on running. I've a few more races already in the schedule. I'm gonna do them, just not train for them. I can fake my way through a Half, and I'll just suffer for anything longer.

Burn Out may happen a few times in your life. And it's Ok! That means you pushed it as far as your body was (currently) capable of. Each individual has different capabilities and different cycles of those capabilities. If you take some time to deal with it, you may end up coming back stronger than before.

Hope this helps and thanks for reading.

Thoughts on Night Running

Running at night is one of the funnest things that I, personally, have ever done.

Sun's going down. Time for lamps.

Every trail feels new and unexplored. You don’t freak when you see hills. Easy trails become more challenging. The Sounds and Smells of the trail change, or there’s less traffic on the roads.

I fully encourage everyone to run at night.

Most of this applies to Ultra Trail Running, but much of it crosses over to any kind of night running. This does not encompass every aspect of night running. You are responsible for your own safety. 

Some things to consider, and of course, Safety First:

If you can, run with people. Preferably 2 or more. If something happens out there, somebody can stay with the injured party, and someone can go get help.

Bring a phone.

Safety Space Blanket!!! Especially you 24hr/100milers. Be prepared. There is a lot that can go wrong. Freezing to death should be avoided. Safety blankets weigh next to nothing. Stick one in the bottom of your pack and just leave it there. Heather and I used ours at our last Ultra. Trust me please. Pack a Safety Space Blanket.

Have an Illumination Plan: 

Make sure your lamps are charged a week out from the event, and again a day or two prior. This will give you time to get new ones/batteries if needed.

Ragnars:  You have at most 7-10 miles. For Road Ragnars you need a reflective vest, red rear blinky and a headlamp/handheld (double check the event page!) On race day you can run with your lamps on full power. Especially Road Ragnars, you want to be SEEN! Be as visible as possible. Trail Ragnars, you also should be able to go full tilt with lamps. Most lamps will go about 2hrs on full.

Ultra Runners: You need to either conserve or have back lamps/batteries at the ready. If there’s more than 2hrs between Aid Station/Drop Bags keep your beams on the lowest, yet safest setting. You may be in the dark for 10hrs. ALWAYS have some kind of back-up lamp. If you’re on a looped course or have drop bags you can strategize with switching lamps each loop/drop bag. Have your crew charge or replace the batteries in the lamp you just dropped. (If you’re extra ambitious, train with no lamps to get used to running in the dark.  Although you shouldn’t rely on it, the moon can create some excellent illumination.) Did I mention to always have a back-up lamp? Have one. And not your Cell Phone flashlight. You may need that for an emergency.

If you are planning on using Trekking Poles, you’re going to want Head Lamps! Trying to juggle trekking poles with handheld lamps is just not a good idea.

This is more than a few hours into the Knock on Wood Hundred Miler.

Watch where you’re stepping. I like to run real close behind Heather.☺ But at night your vision changes and shadows really come into play. Give the runner ahead of you some space (this also prevents them from being confused by your lamps) so you can fully see the trail ahead of you, and you won't land on them when you trip.

Pick those feet up! You’re going to miss something and trip over it. A root, rock or curb, something. Try to keep a nice light step.

If possible, use two kinds of lamps simultaneously. Some lamps cast more of an ambient light and others cast a focused beam. I currently sport ambient on my head and focus in a handheld. This allows me to see both what’s directly near me and use my handheld to see further up trail and point objects out to those behind me.

Photos are also different at night.

Sounds are different at night. There are different creatures stirring in the dark. Most of them are afraid of you. Avoid the ones that aren’t.

Keep a first aid kit in your pack or car. You’re going to eat it at some point. Try not to bleed out.

Don’t do speed work on a trail at night. Find a track. A nice illuminated track.

Unless directed otherwise by race officials, always run AGAINST traffic.

Back up lights, got them yet?

If you are on the road, there is no such thing as too much illumination. Reflectors or lamps on the feet and hands are especially effective.

Even trail runners should have some reflectivity as well as illumination.

If you can’t find people cool enough to Nite Run with you and you must go solo:

1. Tell somebody where/when you’re going and what time you’ll return.
2. Bring any and all safety items with you, especially a Whistle and Safety Blanket.
3. Have that back up light I keep talking about.
4. Have enough food and H2O, as well as some form of ID 

There’s a huge variety of lamps out there. I’ve run with a bunch of different ones.  $15 Walmart lamps to $60+ Nathans. They all have their pros and cons. If you have buddies that’ll lend you some stuff, try it out. If you like their gear, buy the same stuff. That way you can swap batteries, straps, etc as needed. If you need recommendations I can tell you what exactly what I've used. Reflective vests are cheap.

I hope you enjoy night running.!

A "Thank You!"

Most of our local, and many of our non-local, friends knew that the wife and I were going through some pretty severe financial shit over the past few months.
 We'd both just been fired from the same job, and we don't have any kind of savings account to draw from.
 Our unemployment was denied. 
 We've one car between us and need to feed anywhere from 8 to 10  different mouths every day (Two athletes, two cats, three bunnies, one fish and every other week we've Heather's bilge rats).
 I won't bore you with too much sob story, but shit was getting pretty rough.

 Over the last couple of weeks though, things started going upward again:

 Heather got a job at American Fitness as their Head Personal Trainer, a job she's most qualified for and she thoroughly enjoys.

Our Run Coaching business is going well and I'm taking on more of that. I will get re-cert'd as a Personal Trainer soon, and perhaps get my Level 3 USAC Cycling Coach Cert also.

 I've started taking both Welding and Pharm Tech classes which are both state sponsored. (Love my liberal friends!!)


 We've gotten our wimpy, scrawny runner bodies back in the gym.

South Carolina Ultra Marathoners, Skinny Confused Ultra Marathoners.

 The days are getting longer.

 We started a working relationship with Eagle Endurance. And we also became official SCUMbag Ambassadors (that's South Carolina Ultra Marathoners for you non-runners).

Except at Frozen Hell Hole, had there been a bell, I woulda rung it.

SCUMbag works for me on a couple of levels.

 We've realized again and again that we're perfect for each other. On soooo many levels. And we still boink like newlyweds.

       (Insert your own imaginative picture here)

 We rescued Mommy Bunny. :)

So cute,. But bunnies will destroy your life!!!

 Things aren't exactly what most people would call great, but Heather and I are about back up to our normal standard of living. We can afford soap. We might have pancakes with blueberries instead of just pancakes, or semolina pasta instead of rocks. 
You get the idea.

 So anyway, we had a lot of people stand by us during this shit, some visibly and verbally, and some quietly and behind the scenes. You know who you are!! :)
  I really want to thank you all so fucking much. We're not completely out of the woods yet (NO pun intended, I like the woods), but you all got us through the hardest times.
  Until we can afford to take you all out for beer and food, I look forward to camping, hashing, running, racing, laughing, and all that shit, with all of you!!!

 Thanks for reading, sorry about the sappy-ass post. It's raining out and I'm feeling introspective. 
 Now I think I'm going to play some Gears of War and drink a beer or two.

Product Review: Topo Terraventure

Runnin' runnin', I like runnin'.

 Especially in good shoes. And I got some good shoes right here. The Topo Terraventure.

I did get both sneakers to make a pair, but chose to only photograph one sneaker.

A quick backstory, I have great friends.

  

I've only recently heard of Topo. I'd bet many of you haven't yet? Lemme give you a small bit of history: 

The dude running this company worked for Rockport AND Vibram. This company is based out of Newton (outside Boston) MA.  

So there's a few positives for me before I even tried the shoe. (I love Vibrams and if you've ever heard me speak, you can tell I'm from the Boston area). 

Here's some Dropkick Murphys for ya.

One of the first things noticed is the Toe Box. We've all seen Altras and it's easy and understandable to make a quick comparison. It's not an unfair comparison! A good idea is a good idea.

Not quite as wide looking as my Lone Peak 3s but still a good comfy box. Everyone loves a comfy box.

The large toe box is designed to allow your toes to do what they would normally do while running barefoot, splay. The wide toe box also makes this a candidate shoe if one had bunions.

I've been running in Altras and Vibram 5s for years, but many people when first trying a shoe with a wide toe box feel a little sloppy in the shoe. This sensation, if the shoe is tightened around the foot correctly, will soon go away and you start to really appreciate the room.

Speaking of tightening the shoe, these fit nice and snug around my mid-foot without any pain or having to modify the lacing pattern. So straight out of the box they were ready to go.

Ready.

Here's a piss-poor quality video, I took while running, of me running in them.

My stride looks like I have two left feet.

My entire foot feels secure in there. No heel slippage.

My terrain isn't very gnarly around here, but there is a rock plate underfoot to prevent foot abuse. You can see on the video the one very small rock garden I ran.  So I cannot give an honest opinion if the plate works or not.

What I can tell you though is that you don't notice it there. This shoe felt pretty springy and the toe off rolled nicely. It's not smooshy like a Hoka and doesn't feel a thing like a Lone Peak, but still has a great ride. 

Topo says this shoe's a bit on the stiff side. I'm a 6 footer weighing in at about 180#s, I didn't feel anything I'd call "stiff". It's not all loosey goosey sloppy feeling, but nothing that felt stiff.

Another quality photo by yours truly.

The traction is magnificent. Yes, magnificent. It's rugged enough for anything I want to run, but just gentle enough for those pavement sections at Knock on Wood. (Which is May18-20th 2018, by the way. Sign up here, we've got a big group and you can come hang with us. Tell Mat I sent ya.) I never slipped climbing or descending, my feet always felt secure to the ground.

Gah, you can't even tell how great that tread is. Go to their website.

I ran through some puddles while trying these. They are NOT advertised as water proof, which is good because they aren't. But I gotta tell ya, while puddle jumping they didn't let in a ton of water. When I took them off to dry at home, they were ready to go in two days.

They weigh in at just under 11oz for a Mens 9. That doesn't seem too bad for a trail shoe eh?

This is a Neutral shoe with 3mm drop and stack heights of 25 to 22mm. If you're predominantly a heel striker or you wicked over pronate, you probably should shy away from this shoe.

If you mid/forefoot strike with a natural gait, this is good option to have in your trail shoe collection. Which should be a minimum of 4 pairs.

My final thoughts on the Topo Terraventure:

It's not the baddest ass looking shoe is it?

But it runs great and is mellow enough looking that I shouldn't have any gangstahs trying to shoot me for my kicks.

It retails for 110 clams. Worth it, every penny.

Try them on, go to dealer. I had to size up by half. 

That was a pretty calm review huh? Thanks for reading.

Book Review: In The First Circle, A. Solzhenitsyn

Contrary to what you may think, I love to read.

Way back in the day I read a ton of Scifi/Fantasy stuff. Then in my thirties, probably due to my second wife, I became very interested in foreign affairs and a Russo-phile. I put down the fiction books and concentrated on history, mostly military history, of course about the Eastern Fronts.

Since I currently have some spare time on my hands and I've read all my books a billion times, I went to my local library and picked up a book that almost bridged the kinds of books I 've been reading.

I'm in suspense for the suspense.

It's set in Russia, written by renowned Russian author Aleksandr Solzhenitysn, and although classified as fiction, this book is obviously based on truths. It was about time I read something like this.

I made to page 206 before I had to put it down.

I think Potapov is now making top shelf vodka.

Most of the opening chapters are confusing dialog and introduction to the characters. I have a decent enough feel for Russian names, but trying to stay on top of this cast of characters was very challenging.

After leaving me scratching my dome, there are then several chapters of the author describing what might be going on in Stalin's head during this time frame. These chapters are incredibly well written and even if you're not a fan of Stalin, you can really get a good feel for him.

Complete and utter bastard.

But after these few chapters, we go right back to confusing dialog and character history that just, at least up to page 206, doesn't make any sense.

As this is an internationally recognized book, I can only assume somewhere down the line, probably page 208, the story and characters start coming into line. But good god man or "Bolzhamaya Muzhik" I tried and tried and couldn't get into it.

I'm gonna try a different Solzhenitsyn book and hope it makes more sense.

I would tell you what the book is about, but I never really figured it out. There's a blurb on the jacket, and I probably could have googled it a bit more, but I wanted to read and enjoy the book, not Clif Note the shit out of it.

On a fun side note, Solzhenitsyn lived in Cavendish VT for a number of years.

So there you go, the first Bigcatbox Book Review.