Baw Baw Trail Run Festival

Yup. Did the 21k 2 years ago & just getting a bit nostalgic tonight of my fitter days & felt like writing something :)

Overall recollection of the 21k event is... I shat myself, I remember panting a lot .. I recall running this event knowing I would suffer due to lack of training, so yea... make sure you train your elevations! It is a mountain event afterall.

Overall route impression was.. challenging undulations & mixed bag wrt terrain, runnables + single trails + semi-technical to technical.. one would want to ready running through certain sections that have undergrowth covering one's view of the single-trails that are laden with roots & rocks.. going fast along these sections (esp downhill) would require nimble feet, strong ankles (& decent flexible shoes - stiff shoes will likely result in rolling one's ankles)..

Or one could go slow :)

Expectedly this wasn't my best run in my best form. I ran simply to satisfy my trail-running-in-mountain itch :)

Would I recommend the event - absolutely. If you're pretty seasoned trail runner.. this event would make a decent challenge. I heard from friends the marathon distance is sweetly brutal as well. If you've just started to love trail-running, then take it easy on yourself for this one & just soak in the beautiful Baw Baw when you're out there..

Happy running folks! Need to get back on my feet soon.

*Pant pant pant.. 

Shoe Sizing (Personal Ref)

Feet measurement - 23.5cm long/11cm wide..

North Face Vective Enduris = US9.5 UK8.5 = ?

Hoka Challenger ATR3 - US10 = just right
Hoka Clifton 3 - US10 UK9.5 = toes bit roomy/long
Hoka Rapa Nui - US9 UK8 = toes just fitting, narrow

Hoka Stinson ATR 5 - UK9 = perfect

Salmon Sense Pro Max - UK 8.5 = bit narrow + length OK.. 
Salomon XT Hornet - UK 9.5 = just right
Salomon Fellraiser - UK 9 = bit narrow + toes ok
Salomon XA Pro 3D - US8.5 UK8 = toes just fitting, bit narrow

Topo MT2 - US9 = bit tight

Topo Phantom - US9.5 = perfect

Altra Lone Peak 1.5 - US10.5 UK9.5 = too big, too roomy

Altra Olympus 2.5 - US9 UK8 = need half-size more.. 

Altra Olympus 3.5 - US9.5 UK8.5 = perfect

NB MT610 - US10 UK9.5 = toes bit roomy
NB  MT876 - US9 UK8.5 = toes just fitting, tight
NB RC900 - US9 UK8.5 = OK, bit narrow

Brooks Pureflow - US10.5 UK9.5 = too big
Karrimor - UK8.5 = OK



Wide roomy shoes (in general) = UK8.5
Hoka - depends on shoe shape.. = UK9 ?
Salomon = UK9.5? (if you can find roomy shoes)

Altra Olympus = US9.5 UK8.5

Topo = US9.5 

Hoka One One Challenger ATR - Sizing & Product Review

I know this model is pretty much 2015 and Challenger ATR 2 is already out, but I read somewhere the versions are pretty much the same between the two so I'm hoping to contribute my quick insights & a bit of guidance re sizing & fitting :)

I took a chance with the fitting as I couldn't find this model anywhere in the local stores.. and as it turned out, it does fit well with my wide-ish forefoot! Hoorah!

So if you have feet like mine - see HERE - then this fits well - choose size US 10.

I think if you're researching to buy this shoe, you pretty much know all the pros of this shoe & Hoka shoes in general.. personally for me, I like the fact that it is giving me maximal cushioning protection (my joints are getting old!) with minimal clunkiness & weight. And of coz the fact that it fits!

And on the point of old joints - that is the only reason why I have chosen Hokas over Salomon.. it's the long-term I need to think about as well, so one should really start protecting one's joints before it is already damaged.. having said that I have swapped the Hoka standard insoles with Salomon's Ortholite insoles as it was more comfy. The Hoka ones were way too thin for my liking..

This shoe fits really differently to my previous Hoka Rapa Nuis.. where the toe box was just much tighter.. see here how the shape is different:

Additionally I've circled the area where it has made a great difference for my type of wide-ish fat feet.. the upper material is softer & more flexible allowing a better fit in that particular area. You can imagine with the big toe & bunion bone having more room - the overall feet has more toe space to splay.. here's a closer pic.. showing how I can tuck my finger underneath the bunion & how the upper allows that stretch:

The traditional laces are also a welcome design.. easier to lace & adjust like.. any other shoe? :)

I like the thin upper & tongue.. how it has been kept to a simple design & very breathable. Here's some 'inside' shots showing how airy they are:

The toe guard isn't much of a toe guard which is fine - having said that it is hardier material & pretty flexible as well.. so your toes won't be jamming into something overly stiff. Your toes are sitting couple of centimetres above ground most of the time anyway..

Perhaps one particular area lacking in sewing finesse is just this part of the shoe.. not sure what you call this part of the shoe, nonetheless pretty sure it could've been a bit more professionally finished up..

I should mention I have had symptoms of sesamoiditis (big toe joint pain) during some runs which I thought were caused by this shoe.. but as it turned out it was due to placing too much pressure on my big toes (usually happens during steep climbs).. so in fact the cause was running technique, not shoes.. (you can read more here about this symptom & how to fix it: http://www.drnicksrunningblog.com/running-with-sesamoiditis-how-i-resolved-a-10-year-injury-by-ditching-my-traditional-running-shoes/ )

Welp.. hope you found this quick review helpful, I certainly think this will be my go-to shoes from now onwards (I know I've been saying that for most of my shoes, but this time it's for real!)

Take care & happy running.

Some other reviews can be found here:

http://running.competitor.com/2015/02/shoes-and-gear/2015-trail-shoe-year-hoka-one-one-challenger-atr_123344

http://www.irunfar.com/2015/07/hoka-one-one-challenger-atr-review.html

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21 Jan 2018

RIP my good friend ... with my limited running it has taken me nearly 1.5 years to take this shoe to close to 500 miles / 800km.. whilst there is seemingly plenty of outsole left (it is HOKA afterall), the bounce is no longer there, I took it out for a final 10k lap of honour last night - I could feel the weariness of the shoe after so much pavement pounding..

the upper is finally disintegrating too, I have adamantly hung on to them to a technical trail run few weeks back I rolled my ankle as the upper support was no longer there... but it is REMARKABLE the upper has lasted this long (compared to what I read about later models..)

why you ask..

coz they were THAT awesome, that's why..

RIP my good friend - you have served me well.. my only regret is I've never taken you on an ultra journey that you truly deserve.. I hate to say goodbye ~ but wow, what good times eh? :)

Maroondah Dam Trail Run 30k

Beautiful medal eh??

What can I say... I'm glad I signed up for just 30k because I would've perished if it was any further! While Maroondah Dam is a beautiful location, this event is absolutely brutal of a course with all the uphill & downhill cramped into one big ascent & descent. If you're searching for hurt, this is the one!

Anyway I've been taking it easier with events for the past months as I come full-circle in a way in terms of realising that my body can't keep getting hammered without sufficient time to recover!.. and I feel fortunate to have realise this now before any irreversible injury might have occurred, a few twisted ankles & niggling knee pains are enough reminders..

I will actually be taking a looong vacation soon from running (and that's for another higher reason altogether).. I nominated Maroondah to be the 'last' event and I feel it has been a good choice not just because I've always wanted to do this course, but I felt it would be challenging enough to allow me to push & leave it all out there on the trails.. as such it would be nice to pick up from there again once its time to do so.... :)

This year's course is in fact a brand new one, and having run the old course before as part of my preparation my preference is actually this new course.. straight up & down with all the best bits!

Check out beard-guy's huaraches! Courtesy of Piffles Inc

It's all about hill-training if you're thinking of doing this event, for me what I lacked in preparation was knowing how well my legs would hold up after more than 5k of steep downhill.. and how fast/slow I should be going to enable a more consistent 15k finishing. The race-mentality I brought with me was 'the first 15k is the one you need to worry about, after that it should be easier!'

I was clearly wrong about the last part.

I definitely had insufficient sustained downhill training & whilst I had a great time going fast on the steep downhill from Mt St Leonards, it left my legs with very little once I was back on the flatter sections.. sips of gel + heed kept me going but my legs felt absolutely wrecked. I know better now! Needless to say the last 3 hills near the finishing, small as they are, felt like 3 mountains..

Here are some fun insight notes I have put together regarding the course!

The small creek crossing in the last 5k was god-sent. The battered legs needed some refreshing & it couldn't have come at a better time. It did give me blisters but that was mainly because I got lazy with taping my toes properly. It would've been nice to have a few more creek-crossings along the way! 

Here's how my last 5k went:

Last 5k.. in a world of hurt! Courtesy of Trailsplus

I did do a more inspiring jumping shot across the finish! Courtesy of Trailsplus

All in all, I would highly recommend this event to anyone searching for a challenging course.. we were fortunate to have beautiful weather this year, the course would be a different beast if there was rain! Should think about poles if it ever does rain..

Hey its a brief entry but thanks for reading folks, its been a blast! happy running! See you on the trails soon.

Running Shoe Lacing Techniques

Hmm.. maybe I can cut the laces off my narrow Salomons & try some of these.. 

Knee Injury? Read this

http://www.runnersworld.com/health/preventing-knee-injury

Some useful excerpts:

High arches and low ones. Bow legs and knock knees. Too little strengthening. Too little stretching. Too many miles. Too many hills. And those are just the major culprits. 

The best way to protect your knees is with daily stretching and strengthening exercises, and the easiest way to stick to your daily program is to do the exercises at home without any special equipment. Here we show the two best, simplest home exercises to keep your knees in top shape.

ITB Stretch
Stand with one leg in front of and crossed over the other leg. Exhale, and bend your body to the same side as your front leg. Hold for a count of 20, straighten up, then repeat the bend nine more times. Reverse leg positions, and repeat 10 times in the other direction.

Quadriceps Strengthener
With your feet side-by-side, extend both arms forward, and slowly lower yourself into a half-squat, stopping before your legs are parallel to the ground. Keep your back straight. Repeat 20 times.
Adapted from The Knee Crisis Handbook,
--Brian Halpern, M.D. 

Compressport Trail Running Shorts - Product Review

OK straight up. I wear these without underwear.

I mean I tried them with, of course. But it was just uncomfortable like hell for my jewels I had to go commando.. anyway more on fitting later! :P

So the above is what Compressport is selling on their product description. I'm generally happy with the compression I'm getting (a quality product no doubt) & as always I'll just focus on the things I feel can be improved:

Silicon Grip (3d grip) - to be honest they don't work as intended for me.. in case you've not seen the shorts up close this is 9cm of rather flappy waist band material that has some silicon grip on them meant to go round your belly area & 'keep your back & body straight'... unfortunately I'm just your average joe trail runner & have a bit of gut + love-handles that essentially overpowers this flappy band & they end up rolled down after about 500m into any run.. (sad I know!) - check out the pic below.. I have shamelessly circled out my love handles popping out.. :D

I would recommend for Compressport to consider making this band with thicker material that will hold its shape a bit better. And I really don't feel it has helped kept my back & body straight? Its too soft to provide any form of support to be honest...

See how sad I look.. 

Close-up of thin flappy waist band material

Close-up of the seam that joins the flappy waist band to the rest of shorts..
thanks to my waistline I do feel these seams & I always put lubricant to ensure no chafing takes place 

Powerclimb Silincongrip - ie. the silicon rings that helps sweaty hands grip better during power-climbs.. works a treat but I would say it would be ideal if there was more of these in the mid-section of the quads + more to the side as well  per picture below.. I find that when I power-hike I'm pushing more in the mid-section of the quad (maybe I have short arms) & during occassions where I do end-up pushing closer to the knees (eg. steeper climbs) my fingers would be wrapping around the sides as well.. not just on top of knees

More rings on the mid-section + sides would be ideal for me.. 

Referencing Emelie as my model..

Flat-Lock Seams - just a quick comment on the seams.. these 'solid & discreet' seams are marketed to 'avoid any chafing', my advice is still to put plenty of lubricant at chafe hotspots regardless.. that's all. But to be fair I only do feel the top seams joining up the waist-band thanks to my waistline, nothing else.

Fitting - you do need to pull these things up & tuck them into corners of your hip, butt & quads.. especially if you've got quite a big butt like me. The shorts do tend to drop a little bit when I start running & the edges run into my knees.. but after a few good tugs (careful not to rip them) they do tend to settle in & you're on the home-run. I do wear them commando style mainly because the compression is extremely good & adding on another layer of cloth ie undies, it does feel very uncomfortable for my jewels & also it helps keep that sensitive region well-ventilated at all times! ie. less chafing. It does come down to the particular shape of your anatomy vs the compression curves of the trail shorts.. so you'll need to buy & try & see how it works best for your particular shape.

If you're shy & worried about too much groin popping out, the material around the groin region does seem thicker than lets say the Compressport trail underwear's... besides you can always wear your bib over it or like me, ensure your top provides sufficient cover!

What I do love - & i'm pretty sure you will too, the compression of course (especially tight on the front quads), thermo-regulation/wicking ability & it is ultralight... running long distance there's nothing more pleasant than running light & naked... these shorts will help achieve that for sure :D

Hope this review helps! Thanks for reading!