Trail Ride

I hit the local Pig Trail this morning for a ride. Perfect weather except for the high humidity but who can complain when it's 60F at Christmas. Still using my Vibram Fivefingers shoes for riding and I love them. I never really got used to my clipless shoes and wrecked again and again. The fivefingers are a good compromise. I can step off the pedal with no hesitation in a bad spot but my feet can grip the pedal for at least some pull on my upstroke. Plus hiking in them has been great since it's like barefoot with more protection.

I'm planning a New Year's day ride at Panola Mtn. State Park on Jan. 1. This will be my first ride on the Muddy Spokes challenge. I'm going to try and do them all this year. My work hours currently give me every other Friday off so I'll never have a better chance.

Bamboo Bike

Now this would be a cool thing if the price range drops some.

Bamboo 29er

Vibram Fivefingers

I recently purchased a pair of Vibram FiveFinger Sprints. After a dozen hikes I feel like I have enough of an opinion to review them properly. I'll just give a list of pros and cons.

Cons

1. Things hurt that poke in your feet! It takes a while to get used to the fact that you aren't wearing heavy boots when hiking.

2. Debris can come into the shoe from the top. Mostly things like sand and stuff but sometimes rocks can work their way in. It's only a little annoying because you have to stop and empty them periodically. By periodically I mean on a 10 mile hike maybe once.

3. Your feet will be sore. Weirdly, not on the bottoms. At least not in my case. It's the tops that get sore from actually using your muscles and tendons up there. They are used to being folded and smashed together while locked in place when you are walking.


Pros

1. Things hurt that poke in your feet! Why is this also a pro? Because it forces you to slow down and pay attention to your surroundings. No more "powering" thru the woods. Now you are walking IN the woods. I always walk slowly but these enforce that pace. So if you are into hiking to get it done as fast as possible (and wtf would you be hiking for then) then they are not for you.
2. Somewhat related to #1 is the fact that you can feel the terrain you are walking. The only analogy I can think of is wearing thick rubber gloves to touch something and then wearing thin tactile gloves. The difference is amazing.

3. You have monkey toes. Use them. Walking up hills, down hills, etc. you can curl your feet to grip things. This is not a conscious thing its just something I notice happening naturally. Once again, if you are a person with pussy feet who likes to wear "manly" boots this may freak you out at first.

Overall so far I love them. Many of the cons are only cons when you first start. After that it's second nature to look where you are stepping when in doubtful terrain. #2 should be taken care of by a new FiveFinger coming out soon. The KSO. Reviewed here in two parts. Remember also that most of the "trails" I'm walking are really mountain bike trails. Rocky and rooty terrain that's perfect for bikes but not a smooth walkable surface. I love going on them but the Sprints really shine on the smooth doubletrack portions. If you walk in terrain like that your experience will probably be even more positive than mine.

Brick Saturday

WOD: Double Thomson - 11 miles - 95 min.

BFL Sprint Challenge Week 2 Day 2

WOD: WF Lower body weights

Weight: 193.0

Water: 1 gallon

Menu:

B: Myoplex w/fruit
S1: cc/apple
L: vegetable soup
S2: tri-o-plex bar
D: tuna sandwich/steamed veggies
S3: Myoplex RTD

Brick Saturday

WOD: 60 min. hiking. No brick today @ 36F.

In trying to plan my althletic related goals for the year I revisited this. Great concepts and helped me get in my best shape ever last summer.

Stock Market Woes

WOD: HP Green Tara Yoga

Keith's recommendations for the stock market: Buy! Buy! Buy!

The stock market is having a 20% off sale on all American companies. Notify your blow-all-the-money, debt-ridden, sale happy spouse and BUY!

Remember, if you follow the herd and sell you will walk, talk and look like a cow. A foolish cow too.

The strong get stronger?

Wednesday morning it was 4 am, 16F degrees but no snow. It was 42F in my garage. I wasn't there because I wanted to be. I was there because I had to be. You either totally understand what I'm saying or you totally don't.

September 8

Workout of the day: Bike 60 min. / Hike 60 min.

September 7

Workout of the day: Yoga - 45 min.

September 6

Workout of the day: Hike - 60 min.

September 5

Workout of the day: Upper body weights - 60 min.

September 4

Workout of the day: Yoga - 60 min.

September 3

Workout of the day: lower body weights - 45 min.

Brick Saturday

Workout of the day: Brick - 45 min.

August 31

Workout of the Day: Yoga - 45 min.

August 30

Workout of the Day: Walk 45 min.

August 29

Workout of the Day: Upper body weights - 45 min.

August 28

Workout of the Day: Yoga - 45 min.

I'm considering running in the Macon Labor Day 5k this weekend. Still not sure if I'm going to do it since I really overdid it this Saturday on my long cardio day. Plus, I know I will want to ride since I'll have my new Eggbeaters by then on my bike along with some new clipless shoes. The eggbeaters and shoes will cost more than my bike (which isn't much) but the upside is when I get a Gary Fisher I can just transfer them over.

August 27

Workout of the Day: Lower body weights