https://vectorportal.com/ On this Earth Day 2024 (April 22), I am thinking of my sister Sandy who passed away 18 years ago. It's been a long time. Still miss her, but some memories are fading. Need to share stories with my brothers so we don't forget. Every April 22 I take the day off of work, run on the trails (Sandy loved nature), donate to local humane society (she loved animals), and think about her and the rest of the family. Today I was tired from running the Allerton Trail half-marathon on the weekend and only managed a slow 2.25 miles at Lake of the Woods. Better than nothing ..read more

The end of December through January was a busy time for me and running. I had the Clinton Lake Winter Solstice Run (30 miler, but I DNF'd at 20 miles) plus the January Riddle Run 28-miler (I DNF'd at 20 miles). At least I am consistent in my DNFs. No injuries, no illness, just terrible winter weather and two poor races. February was a rest month. No specific training, no racing, just getting out the door, running, and throwing in a few strides. Now that March is almost here (thanks Leap Day!), I have plans for real training as I prepare for 3 races in April. Here are those races and my plans ..read more

2024 winners with RD This past Saturday was the 25th annual Riddle Run, which is a 28-mile trail "fun run" that started back in 2000. I have become the "caretaker" of the event since Jeff Riddle, fun run founder, gave up that task. The weather was pretty good (35F to start with heavy fog, but no rain, snow, or ice). The trail was extremely muddy and wet due to melted snow and recent rains. My race plan was to stay slow and steady for the full seven 4-mile loops to reach 28 miles in about 6 hours. Last year I went out way too fast/hard with Eric Smith on the first loop and that damned ..read more

I've been sick all of 2024 (7 days). Not feeling optimistic about this year and my running. Guess having a sore throat, hacking cough, and fever will make you a little pessimistic about the future. On the positive side, it's been a good break from running and my body should be recovered and ready for future training. Assuming I have any lung capacity left! Damn illness.  Here were my goals for 2023. And here is my reflection on those goals at the end of 2023.  So, what should I do this year? Will 2024 be better than 2023? Looking back on previous running goals, I always had a mixtur ..read more

2023 was an okay year for my running. Not great, not bad. Certainly not as good as last year. At least I did finish the Free Ultra Trifecta (Riddle Run + Backyard Ultra + Winter Solstice). It started in December 2022 with the Winter Solstice 30 miler and finished with the July 2023 Backyard Ultra (28.8 miles, 7 loops). In between was the January Riddle Run 28 miler. Nice accomplishment--and the only buffalo runner to do it! Otherwise, not that many highlights to report. I did run a 6:07 mile. Pretty fast for a 57-year old. Guess a fast mile and a couple of ultras is a reasonable year for an a ..read more

My Well-Used Trail Model I started running in Atreyu shoes when they first started back in 2020 by subscription only! It's been a while. Back then they only had the Base Model (v1). Now they have a new Base Model (v2), plus Base Trail, Race Model (previously "The Artist"), and the Daily Trainer. No more subscriptions. The company has a slogan of "honor simplicity." I like that. And they truly seem to believe that motto. Their shoes are basic, simple, and no frills. And their prices are reasonable too. All models score high on value for cost.  I've tried all of their models (alway ..read more

For the last few years, on the winter solstice (December 21), our local buffalo trail runner group has run the Clinton Lake northfork trail. We try to run 3 loops (30 miles), but often many of us just do one or two loops. Still a nice achievement on this hilly trail. I did the full 3 loops (30 miles) last year and was confident it would happen again this year. In fact, I was a little cocky in thinking this year would go smoother and faster. I was wrong! Last year I was feeling good for 22 miles, then dramatically slowed down for the last 8 miles with lots of walking. Had hip pain. This year ..read more

Example Runner Box stuff My wonderful wife got me a year-long subscription to "The Runner Box" last Christmas. I've now experienced 6 boxes (once every 2 months). Based on reviews around the web, it seems to be the best gift box option for runners. But is it any good? Worth the cost? Fun to receive as a gift?  Via a subscription, every 2 months you get a box full of runner-related items. You an also make a one-time purchase. Usually 10-12 items are stuffed in each box, nicely wrapped. The presentation is quite pretty. I almost feel bad ripping the box open to see what goodies are ..read more

September was my lowest mileage I've run in past 6 months (only 95 miles). Intentionally, I tried to rest more, but also run harder/faster. That meant less miles overall but at faster paces. I'm trying to get ready for 2 trail races in October: Aruna 5K on Oct 14 and Allerton Trail 5.7M on Oct 29. We'll see if this strategy worked in 2 weeks. Then another 2 weeks for race two! The graph above on right side shows power bands. Dark green is very easy, then light green (basic aerobic), then yellow is tempo, orange and red are fast intervals. Compared to last few months, I had a lot less dark gre ..read more

Running shoes are crazy expensive. Not sure why they cost so much, but they do. I understand inflation. I understand that shoes have gotten better over time--lighter, faster, more durable. But still, why so expensive? It's not uncommon to pay over $200 for a pair. Several are pushing $300. Try to find a pair for around $100 and you better find them on sale. A big sale!  Fortunately, I have found two really good shoes that sell for a reasonable full retail price: both for $100. One is a daily trainer, the other a race or speed workout shoe. Still haven't found a perfect cheap trail shoe, b ..read more