Monthly Archives: August 2010

Downhill Pedals vs. SPDs and general stupid man (mahon) tricks

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Platform pedal with pins

Platform pedal with pins (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I am a HUGE fan of using downhill (DH), or platform pedals on my mountain bike. I have found that by combining my WellGo pedals with Five Ten DH shoes, it is possible to climb with the same efficiency you have in clipless pedals. While doing a little research on this article, I came across some cheesy marketing material for the Five Ten FreeRider shoes that said “Free Your Feet and Your Mind Will Follow.” This oddly resonates with me since I love telemark skiing.

Side note: Perfect day, get Shel and the kids up early, make some tele turns, cruise back down and mountain bike a bit, have some lunch, golf 9 holes and then cruise over the Mountain Sun Pub & Brewery for a Gooney Bird and an FYIPA or two. Hmm, no work, stress, tv or conference calls in there. Weird!

I tried DH pedals for the first time about 1.5 years ago after I broke my left wrist 1/2 way through the Slick Rock trail in Moab, UT. I was riding by myself, of course, and jammed my pedal earlier in the day. I found this out after my fall. I had banged the pedal on a rock earlier in the ride, but had not fallen off. I was hauling butt up a VERY steep hill, hit a rock and started falling backwards. This would not normally cause alarm, you simply twist your left foot out of the clipless pedal and step/jump off the bike. It may sound complicated for non-biker folks, but it is very easy after you have done it a couple thousand times. The problem is that my pedal was broke and I didn’t know it. The result, I put my left arm out to catch myself. As my son told me later that day, not very smart Dad.

I broke my wrist and have a really cool triangle star on my elbow. I duck taped my wrist, took some ibuprofen and walked and rode out. I had to ride or I would have been walking out in the dark because the desert gets dark at 5 PM sharp in late November. I have some photos of the scar and tape, sorry about the blood.

Cool triangle scar

Duck Tape Wrist, the knot above the break is my broken wrist

Being a stubborn and resilient man, a little wrist break wasn’t enough to get me to switch pedals. I have ridden for years and had no major injuries, so I didn’t really think about it. The real impetus to switch was because after spraining my ankle for one last time, I couldn’t rotate my left ankle out of my pedal. That really sucked BTW, not being able to rotate your ankle out of an SPD pedal is a pretty strong testament to the stupidity that I have surrounding taking care of myself medically :-) In any event, I made the switch and haven’t looked back. I don’t make money endorsing DH pedals, my Maverick ML8 bike or any of the other items in this blog, except this one: my company. I just really enjoy riding hard. You have to get a wide enough platform with big ol’ calf tearing spikes and good shoes or you will hate it. It also takes some getting used to, if you hit big jumps going downhill both feet come off the pedals. This can be more than a little freaky.

I love my bike (my Capre Verde), have to include it and a shout out to my favorite bike shop in Boulder, Full Cycle on Pearl. This is an old one missing pedals and my Maverick Speedball with remote, now the Crank Brother Joplin.

Thoughts on Mountain Biking and Running: Mountain Biking is still way more fun than running

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I remember liking my runs more when I was lighter, in shape and not carefully running to avoid injury to my feet and ankles. I ran three more times this past week in barefoot sandals and just couldn’t shake feeling like heck. I felt worse than heck, but this is a family blog, so there you have it.

I ran Marshall Mesa this week with Shelly. I felt best running uphills, but I couldn’t quite shake the tightness I felt in my left ankle. My forefoot hasn’t really adjusted to running barefoot yet and I have a some discomfort with the straps on the sandals. The other two runs I had this week were on the Boulder Creek Path and much easier (albeit, less fun) than trail running. I have been considering keeping a history on my running progression, to see if there is a departure from sanity or potentially something positive that helps keep me accountable and on track.

It is also not recommended to run in Luna Sandals and mess up the way you tie the lace around the forefoot. Luckily my wife is patient and waited for me while I messed with the laces. Eventually I sat down and retied my right lace and realized I wasn’t securing one of the ankle laces. Nice YouTube video clip of how to tie your huaraches:

I broke down and ran on a treadmill today at a hotel in San Fran. Dang was that fun. I ran fast(ish) and long(ish). Any distance over 5K for me right now is long. I actually had fun running and tried to get some video on my iPhone of running on the treadmill while I was holding the camera. After almost falling on my face a couple of times and watching the kids in the pool laugh hysterically at me, I gave up. I was a little sad that I enjoyed the treadmill so much, but the softness and convenience are hard to beat.

I still wear my flip flops around as much as possible to toughen up my feet and build up my arches. It must be helping because I am not as sore when I am back in TKD.

Side note: I have been reading some pretty inflammatory blogs about barefoot runners being nutters. Interesting reading, but I am not much of a fan of ranters, regardless of the topic. It seems like people should be entitled to their opinion, but should realize how crazy they sound when they are calling everyone around them crazy. Anywho, off to the biking part.

Dave, smiling after an uphill at Hall Ranch

Shelly: AKA Deer, Tornado, Hot Stuff, My Girl

My wife and I have been riding with friends and family a lot lately. The pace is a little slower sometimes, but overall the social and casual atmosphere has been really enjoyable. My great friend Dave is becoming a biking nut, he is smiling away after riding the uphill section of Antelope on Hall Ranch very well. This is not how he rode this ride last fall, turns out watching calories and working out all the time is a good thing. I ought to follow his lead.

Waiting with me after I broke my derailleur

Bike trail maintenance tip number 1, learn to work on your bike so you can cobble it together if you break it and still enjoy the ride back home. I broke my rear derailleur hanger and was able to fix it so I could enjoy the fast, fun ride down Hall Ranch on the way back to the truck. It beats walking out in the dark everytime.

My first three runs in Luna Sandals

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I wanted to provide a quick update on running barefoot. I have run three times in the past week. The first was on a treadmill, I know that is cheating, but I was concerned about cushioning and just generally being able to run in the sandals at all. Aside from being disappointed that I could only run about 2.5 or 3 miles and had to walk at times, I was very pleased with my pace and general feel. I didn’t have trouble with the arch afterwords and my feet were not sore. The hardest transition was running differently. The Born to Run book mentions that we should embrace our natural pronation as it allows our foot to provide cushioning support for the body. The mental metaphor I have been using to change the way I run has been to pretend that I don’t have a heel. It sounds funny, but it works. It is HARD to run this way. I have always been a pronounced heel striker. Of course I have always had back problems and have torn my achilles slightly running The Leadville 100 a couple of years ago.

Great trail run just west of downtown Boulder

My second run was on the Foothills trail, Mt Sanitas Valley and Dakota Ridge trail runs. I have a picture of the trail map in this post, but you can find more information about the run here. I love this run or used to anyway. It was not the easiest trail to run for someone that hasn’t run for a 4 years and is trying out sandals. The most awkward part initially was the loose gravel slipping under my feet. I was able to adjust the sandal to handle this and I suspect this will get better as I perfect this new running style. It was a little easier to run on my forefoot today, but still awkward.

First outside run using the Luna Sandals

The sandals are surprising grippy and comfortable especially on the flats and uphill. The next area to adjust to is the sharp little rocks that are everywhere on the Sanitas Valley/Dakota Ridge section. I have to say I am not worried about spraining my ankle, I am running with a lot of attention and focus on my foot placement. If you get a little sidetracked or tired and complacent, you get a nice sharp rock on your forefoot to remind you to wake up. I used to run downhill very fast, well fast for me anyway. This has changed a bit as I am getting adjusted to the slippery feeling (perceived not real) of running in sandals and general fear and concern that I have about the ankle in general.

Second run in the sandals

My third run was on the Boulder Creek Path. It was shady, concrete and dirt. I had an excellent run. I didn’t blaze a speed pace, but I was able to run 7:30s. This pace made me feel pretty great. I had no real uphill or downhill to speak of. I am not sure if you know the Boulder Creek Path, but it may be a reason to move to Boulder. Overall I felt great, I don’t have any wind yet and no knee or back pain. I am also encouraged that I am not crippled and hobbling around running. I actually feel worse after Tae Kwon Do.

One of the funniest things that has happened on both outside runs is the reaction I get from people running near/by me. I swear I am going to have to help someone up after they crash and fall watching my feet. Some people try the sneak look a couple times and some people steer wide of me and look at my face and feet with high speed alternating frequency like their head is on a bobble head swivel.

BTW, my lovely wife kicked my butt on this run. My girl, the little deer or tornado depending on the day.

Quick Poll:

My Progression from running Ultras, to not running, ankle reconstruction surgery, and Barefoot or Sandal Running

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I wanted to capture some thoughts I have been having about barefoot or sandal running. The basic premise is pretty simple. I haven’t been able to run since about January 2006 and really want to start up again. This would normally be a big deal for a lot of people, but I used to enjoy trail running, a lot. I spent about 8 years running 30 – 75 miles a week.

I sprained my ankle for the last time (pre-surgery anyway) in May of last year hiking with some great friends to Conundrum Hot Springs outside of Aspen. I rolled it at the top of the hike while we were loaded up with backpacks. I was able to walk it out because my ankles no longer swell when they are sprained. The reason my ankles don’t swell when sprained is because the is no more soft tissue to damage. It still hurts like heck. Good friends Ken and Mary are on the left and my lovely girl is on the right with me.

Ken and Mary crossing the waist deep creek

My lovely Wife and I smooching at the start of the hike

In August of last year I had reconstructive surgery on my left ankle. My ankle was basically worthless. Most ankles have about 3 – 5 degrees of play in them when you try to purposefully sprain them, my ankle had about 25 degrees. I would constantly fall on my face while tripping over large blades of grass or take myself out of a month of mountain biking or telemark skiing while taking out the trash or walking home with groceries.

The decision to go through with ankle surgery was not a quick one, but in the end it was pretty easy. I have watched my father struggle with his ankles for at least 25 years. He injured his at about the same age as I injured mine. We share a lot of genetics and bad luck with our ankles and feet. He recently found out that the ligaments and tendons in his feet are shot and he needs to have two full ankle replacements. I certainly did not want to go down this path, so I started searching for alternatives. I consulted several doctors, natural paths and rolfers and ended up selecting a wonderful orthopedic surgeon in Boulder. You can see his handy work in the following photos.

New ligaments put in from tendon graft on my foot

Most people ask how I have injured myself. I wish there was a great story, well there are a few. The basic reason is that I have spent the past 20 years injuring myself while running ultras, climbing, mountain biking, playing hockey, chasing kids down stairs and missing a step while messing around. However my all-time favorite hospital story is when my wife poke-checked my ankle after dumping the puck between my legs and I rolled all the way over her stick. I was standing and my ankle was flat. Don’t mess with Shelly! Good times.

Lengthening the gastroc tendon, I should be taller now

I have to say, I was surprised at how much ankle surgery really sucked. I thought I would bounce back in a week or two and be hobbling around wondering when I was going to run again. Suffice to say this was not the case. I spent 7 or 8 days on bed rest, only getting up to bathe or use the facilities. I spent roughly 2 weeks in dressing, laying flat, and spent 10 weeks in a surgical boot. I do have some really great scars on my foot and fortunately or unfortunately the two screws I have in my forefoot don’t have enough metal to set off metal detectors in the airport.

Two of my 2-inch screws, holding a busted joint together

The surgery was basically four-in-one. I had my torn ligaments cut out and replaced by a graft from a tendon in my lower foot. This was attached by drilling holes in my ankle and tying or knotting the tendon. Once the bone grew back, voila, I have a new ligament. Two lesser surgeries were creating a notch behind my ankle so my wild tendons would not roll over the ankle bone and come loose on me and my gastroc tendon was lengthened as it was too short and causing my to sprain my ankle by rolling over the big toe. The final surgery and most painful was to put in two 2-inch screws into a joint in my forefoot that was non-functional. In the past, I had feet that were as flat as a duck. I thought I was born with no arches in my feet. This wasn’t true. Instead, I have a joint that is broke. The simple solution to that busted joint was put two screws in it to make it rigid, thereby giving me a fixed arch.

Biking in the surgical boot, also deciding that 6 months of inactivity isn\’t good for the waistline.

The results:
My ankle is awkwardly stable. It has not felt this tight, ever. I don’t completely trust it yet, but I am running, mountain biking, tele-mark skiing and back in Tae Kwon Do. I don’t notice the notch that was cut in the ankle or my gastroc tendon. The screws however, man do they bother me. Everytime I jump in TKD, the screws hurt. If I walk long distances or even short ones, the screws hurt. If my ski boots are cold, it feels like someone is jamming a knife in my forefoot. Hence my logical decision to start running barefoot, or at least in sandals.

I have to admit that I read “Born To Run” and was really intrigued. I have had this idea floating around in my head, placed there no doubt by my rolfer friends, that if I strengthened my arch by strolling around in flip-flops most of the time I would be able to do my favorite things with limited to no pain. Thanks Amy and Judy Koons.

I haven’t tried Vibram 5 Finger toes, but I have toe socks from running ultras that drive me nuts. I think my pinky toes are too fat to wear them, seriously. I decided after hiking 4 miles in flip flops in the CO mountains that I would give Barefoot Ted and his sandals a whirl. I’ll write up a post describing how not to start running in sandals soon. I’ll also probably post a poll about whether people prefer shoes (crazy :) ), sandals or 5 fingers, because I am curious.

Quick Poll: