Not really

I don’t really want to write about Christmas, about this season that doesn’t seem to mean what I think it’s supposed to mean. I don’t really want to sit here and talk about the things I see every year that lead me to wonder about humanity. How hordes of shoppers descend upon stores to get that one indescribable thing that will be out of style, obsolete, broken or simply unwanted come the following year. I don’t want to talk about the war we wage on each other all in the name of materialism, just so I can say I got what I wanted, wrapped and under the tree. I really do not want to put one more word to paper in favor of, or against the use of, such phrases as Happy Holidays versus The Christmas Season.

It would be infinitely easier for me to take a vacation to a monastery in Tibet than to witness the same carnage year after year. It’s not that I become depressed or anxious. I don’t get angry or frustrated or flustered. It’s more of being disappointed, really. I want to believe that in the deepest recesses of the human spirit there is something far greater than just another wasted trip to the mall to stand in line for the latest temporary fix. My heart and my head tell me to hope, so each year I continue to do so. Each year I see a few things that lead me to believe that we are indeed capable of more than this.

In a world where everything happens so quickly and what happens winds up online even quicker, there is little time to react to most things properly. Yet, Christmas is something that comes every year and following Thanksgiving we typically have at least four weeks to prepare ourselves. My concern is that we seem prone to forgetfulness regarding the insanity that arrives on or around the first of December. Also, unlike any other major holiday, we spend weeks preparing as opposed to just a couple of days. And all of this preparation would be OK, if, in the end the reason why was different from what it seems.

How amazing it would be if we spent four weeks asking those around us, family and stranger alike, what they really needed for Christmas. And instead of mere gifts that come from a store, what if we gave the gift of time or energy? If you’re going to spend the money anyway, take a day off of work and spend it with your kids or with your parents, or God forbid, your neighbors.

To me, first and foremost, Christmas is about the birth of a child. Christmas represents an opportunity for me to give Him something, even though He doesn’t need anything. So, I give Him my heart, just so He can give it back, that I might serve those around me. What I’m left with is a desire to help, serve and love, at a time of the year when it is so easy to wonder what I’m getting.

In the end, Christmas was never meant to be about us anyway. It has always been about someone else, even when we’ve gotten caught up waiting in lines; or writing about it.

Shoe review - Brooks Pure Connect 1

For those that know me well, this was the shoe that began the whole "bright shoes guy" phenomenon. I got so many comments about these shoes, which were super bright, neon orange, that it would have been excusable for me to have become self conscious about them. Seriously though, Brooks did a wonderful thing with the roll out of this minimalist set of shoes. In spring of 2011, Brooks introduced the Pure Project as a way to break into the super lightweight, barefoot feel, minimalist movement of shoes that were hitting the market. At the time, I was doing a lot of research on the barefoot movement and relative minimalist shoes that were available. I was running and racing in a pair Scott T2 Comps and loved them for how light they were (9 oz) and the 8mm drop, which was the least I had run in at the time. I was hoping to transition to a 4mm drop next.

Along came the Brooks and my initial thought upon trying a pair on was no way. While they felt a little like a tight fitting pair of slippers, they had way too much instability when simply standing, as if I would just roll an ankle. But the feel was amazing and based on the design features, I felt compelled to run in them.

First, here are some particulars:
The Pure Connect is the lightest of the 4 shoe options in the Pure Project line, weighing in at 7.2 oz.
4mm drop from front to back. 10 mm forefoot, 14 mm heel.
Narrow design for a tighter fit, incorporating something that Brooks calls a Nav Band, which is located under the laces and helps lock the foot in place.
Ideal Heel, which is designed to move your heel forward, improve your center of gravity and help you to be more of a midfoot to forefoot striker.

I was certainly leery about these shoes initially, especially given how narrow they felt. I have slightly wider than average feet, primarily at the balls of my feet, where a narrower shoe can be a real pain. The first few runs with these were concerning as I was afraid I had made a mistake in buying them. The fit was so secure that I was sure that I would develop some wicked blisters. Instead, the shoes never moved on my feet while running, providing an almost glove like experience. One of the most noticeable things is the weight, simply because at 7.2 oz, you are much freer in your stride because your muscles are working less to bring each foot forward.

At the time I got these, all my races were on road so most of my training was on road. By that fall I began to run a lot more trails and as a side note, I bought a pair of the trail shoes from this line called Pure Grit. I wore them 3 times and gave them away, they did not work for me. As I hunted for a good pair of trail shoes to wear, I began wearing my bright orange Connects on the dirt. While these shoes were certainly made well, they were not made for the trail and within just a month, they were toast. That first pair netted 560 miles, which isn't bad, but I needed to test a pair strictly on road to determine longevity.

I bought my second pair in the fall of that year and chose the electric blue color. I didn't do a lot of road running that winter and the shoes were just 100 miles in when spring rolled around. By summer I had more than 750 road only miles on them and was also doing a tremendous amount of trails. I decided to turn them into a backup pair for trails by that fall and today, they are still in my closet with about 1200 miles total of road and dirt. However, I still wondered how many miles I could get on a pair if I was good and just ran road in them.

So in March of this year I bought pair #3 and had to go with the bright orange ones. As I rehabbed a stress fracture, they collected a bit of dust until May but to date, they have about 870 miles on them and have strictly been on road only. Until recently, I would have thought this would be the only pair of road shoes I would ever want to wear again, but even with that discovery (see Merrell Bare Access 2 review), the Connects are a simply amazing shoe. I have turned several runners onto them over the past couple of years and highly recommend them to anyone looking to transition into a 4mm drop shoe, especially one that has amazing longevity as well as the fit and feel.

Shoe review - New Balance MT1010 Minimus Trail

New Balance was one of the first major shoe manufacturers to jump into the minimalist trend. When they first did it, I remember friends who bought the first pair. We all had a good chuckle later when they had to go back to something with more of a heel because, quite simply, they did give their legs and feet a chance to acclimate to the minimal heel drop.

With the Minimus line, New Balance went right after the natural barefoot feeling and after some initial success with a couple different road shoes, introduced a good looking trail shoe option. When I saw the first road shoes that were offered from this line I scoffed. But when this trail shoe came out I thought seriously about giving it a try. When it was time to buy a new pair specifically for trail, I picked these up for a fairly reasonable price on Amazon when New Balance was introducing their second version of the same shoe.
Currently, these are in my closet with about 250 miles on them. Before I get to how they perform, here are some specs:

4 mm drop from front to back. 10 mm forefoot, 14 mm heel.
7.8 oz weight per shoe. Super light weight.
RockStop rock plate that runs from the toe to the midfoot. Good for rocky terrain.
Designed to be worn without socks...no, seriously. (I wear socks with mine)

When I first got these shoes and tried them on, I noticed the tongue was very different in how it was integrated with the rest of the shoe. I am still not sure I like it in how it sits on top of my foot, but that is a minimal issue. The lace holes are as I like them, with 2 options at the top for best fit. The arch support is like most shoes in this style, meaning there is some but not much. The one plus for me was the toe box. Being a guy with slightly wider feet than average, these fit very well in that area. As far as colors go, I went with a muted red and black option but noted there were several color schemes available, which I always think is cool...I like the bright colors usually.

As for running in them, I was not terribly impressed. From the word go, they have always rubbed in a way that leave me with wicked blisters after every run. I dutifully game them a firm 100 mile break in period, believing that they would soften or work themselves in to a point where the chafing would subside but after more than 200 miles they still rub. I will honestly say that I have no idea why this is and I am fully aware that thousands of runners wear these and do just fine. It could also be due to the fact that the shoes were designed to be worn without socks. As of yet, I have not tried running in them without socks and am not in a big hurry to do so since I don't want my shoes to absolutely reek to high heaven.

One positive note is they do well on trail in regards to their overall grip and handling. They were definitely built with rugged trail running in mind and are very capable in any off road terrain. They also do well on both short trail runs and long ones. To date, they have been used on short 5 mile jaunts and a couple of 20 plus runs. Because of the chafing however, the longer runs tend to be a little more painful, so I tend to minimize my runs in these shoes to 8 miles or less, which is in my opinion, tragic.

I have also noted that I can transition from trail to paved on the same run with ease. Trail shoes can sometimes be clunky when run on road and yet these handled well and were comfortable to do so. They are wearing well though, as far as mileage, which is always good. The tread is still strong on both shoes and should last me for at least 200 more miles. If I can somehow manage to run in them without the rubbing, I would suggest that everyone try them.

More than one way to skin a cat

I have heard it said that there is more than one way to skin a cat. As curious as that statement is, I have never had the need, nor the desire, to skin a cat. I am also quite positive that some animal rights group would camp out on my door step and build tree forts in my yard for weeks in protest. That visual alone is worse than actually skinning a cat. I’m also fairly certain that any attempt to skin a cat would result in losing as much skin as the cat

And while I certainly understand the metaphor, I would rather consider how many wonderful ways there are to cook a turkey, something that is indeed useful. One of the more trendy ways to cook a bird for Thanksgiving is to deep fry it. If you think I’m kidding, try typing the words deep fried into any search engine of any browser. This is America, we love things deep fried, as often as possible. Deep fried turkey is amazing, especially if done right. The skin of the turkey is fantastic and all the meat is juicy, not just the dark stuff (which is way better than white meat).

Another fascinating concept is that of beer butt turkey. Again, if you doubt this, just check it out online, it’s where all the best information is at. Inserting a can of beer into the center of a turkey and then BBQing it is apparently another great way to get a moist bird. And seeing as how I am responsible for cooking the turkey on the BBQ this year, I might have to try that. Are you supposed to drink the beer afterwards?

One idea that I am intrigued by is turducken. If you are unaware of this phenomenon, let me enlighten you. First, you take a duck and stuff it with stuffing. Then you shove it into a chicken. Next, you stuff the chicken into a turkey. Any open pockets are to be filled with more stuffing. Then, when you can’t stuff anymore, you bake it. Apparently, after that you eat it. All of a sudden I’m hungry, not sure why.

If there is one thing that will definitely not be served in our house, it’s tofurkey. Tofurkey is the equivalent of a Milli Vanilli song. There is absolutely nothing you can ever do to make it sound good to me; it will always be a fake.

At the end of the day, if you want to really impress your friends and make your mother in law look at you funny for more than three hours, you need to spatchcock your turkey. Don’t look at me like that. Basically, you butterfly your turkey before you cook it and in the process, you can eat in an hour and a half. I’m thinking that spatchcocking is starting to sound pretty good, instead of just really weird.

Whatever way you go this year, save me some dark meat, unless it’s tofurkey. In which case, you might try deep frying it…or feeding it to the cat.

Shoe review - Merrell Bare Access 2 Barefoot shoes - 1st review

Okay, most of you who have been reading my stuff for any length of time know that I have written about politics, religion, faith, family, sports and such. What you might not know is that nearly 3 years ago I decided to start running. What started out as a kind of joke between my wife and I, since I had turned 40 and she laughed that I was no longer a spring chicken, has since become an absolute joy for me. Simply put, I love to run and I run a lot.

With that said, I have gone through a fair amount of shoes in the last 3 years and have determined not only my own personal running style and shoe style, but have also become fairly adept at understanding the shoe world, the brands that do a good job and the costs associated. It is important to note, right here and now, that every runner out there has a different opinion regarding shoes. So, for this post and any subsequent post about shoes, please understand that I am writing from my perspective. What works for me may very well not work for you and that is something you will probably not get from your local shoe store. If you are serious about running, you MUST try on shoes and actually take a short trot in them before buying them if they are a brand you have never worn prior. The risks involved are serious and can ruin your joy for running with injuries that are preventable. So, buyer beware, my reviews are going to be based on my perspective and opinion only, please bear that in mind.

For my first ever review, I would like to start with a pair I bought last night from REI. I like to check them out occasionally because they will sometimes have very good prices on a few things and this was one of those times. I was actually shopping for a new pair of trail shoes and first tried on the Merrell Barefoot Trail Glove. I loved them but alas, they were not on sale and I'm kind of hard core about buying shoes on sale, so I put them back. I did notice, however, that they currently have the Merrell Bare Access 2 Barefoot shoes on special for $64.93 and available in 2 colors; carbon or charcoal/orange. I went with the carbon pair in size 8.5, which is small for me but they seemed to fit very well. With a group run planned for in the morning, I definitely left excited about breaking them in.

First, here are the specs:
0 mm drop. This is a big deal for me and for all those who do not want a heel in their shoes.
7 oz weight per shoe. Super light weight.
13.5 mm stack height.This is the thickness of the sole. The smaller the number, the less between your feet and the road. These shoes are uniform front to back.

Given the specs, the number one thing I noticed when I put them on the first time was the width of the toe box. I happen to have wider feet than the average guy so narrow shoes are tough to wear because they rub. These are amazingly comfortable for the space that the ball of my foot takes up. They remind me of my Keen shoes in how the front of my foot fits in the shoe.

The next major thing I noticed was the arch, which is longer than in any shoe I have ever worn. The arch extends from the center of the ball to the center of the heel in these shoes and provides for added comfort when running. Where I noticed it most was as my foot came forward to make contact, the shoe supported my foot in a way I have not experienced before. Part of that may be the fact I went with a half size smaller than usual. Either way, this particular arch support was not expected for a minimalist shoe and while it surprised me, it was a welcome benefit.

Lastly, the weight, or lack thereof is especially nice. The shoes fit like slippers in that they are extremely light weight and comfortable. They happen to wrap my feet nicely without any added toe or heel weight. Ultimately, they are extremely well balanced.

Typical for most good running shoes, these give you two options for the final lace hole for tying the laces. This is critical for a tight fit so there isn't any slop in the shoe while running. If you like your shoes to fit just a little loose towards the top, you can tie them in the second to last lace hole. I like a slightly tighter feel overall and so I usually use the very last lace hole and skip the second to last one. If this seems like more information than necessary, again consider how different we all are. For me, this is an important feature because I expect my shoes to take a ton of abuse.

The initial run was a success, although there was a moment in there where as I ran downhill, the choice of size became an issue. By the end of the run, the shoes seemed to stretch out a little and my toes felt great, but during that down hill, my toes on my right foot were screaming at me because of the tight fit. My plan at this point is that most likely I will end up getting the next size up.

As a runner who lands exclusively fore foot (I land on the ball of my foot and my heel never touches the ground), my foot splays as it makes contact, so a slightly tight fitting shoe can be uncomfortable. Be careful to take this into consideration for any shoe, but this really comes down to determining how you run, how your foot makes contact, whether you are pronate or supinate (how your foot rolls as it comes forward to land) and how many miles a week you plan to run.

These shoes are definitely a pair I would buy again based on how I run. I am curious to see if I can find the Merrell Trail Glove shoes on sale given the comfort of this pair, but at the moment I am loving my initial foray into the Merrell brand (pro Brooks/Vivo guy here).

In the coming weeks, I will post a follow-up once I get a hundred miles on these or so. It's important to break a pair of shoes in and determine if they are worthy. The other important thing will be the total mileage I get out of these shoes. For that, I will do my best to make note of that and mention it in the future.