Whose the traveller?

My daughter at just over a year old, has traveled more in the last 5 months than I have. That ain't right. And I might be a bit offended relieved. Mistress has gone to Seattle for the week and taking our little baby Mae with her. 

I did offer to watch both Mae and Mighty Mo while she went there, but it wasn't even a consideration in her planning. Yeah, I have never claimed to be a stressless father figure.  It is enough for me to handle myself, Mighty Mo is pretty much self sufficient and then there is a crying, four back teeth coming in, fussy, doesn't like hearing 'No', daredevil of a Mae. Somehow, women like my wife have learned to cope with this behavior, while men like myself would rather face 300 Spartans.

I have significantly improved my parenting when it comes to Mighty Mo. I got him to practice in time Monday and we ate at his favorite restaurant, Chili's.  Tuesday morning he got himself dressed, made his own very nutritious lunch and did all his chores before I was even out of bed. So we went to ihop for breakfast. Grandma made him dinner and I got to have a new dehydrated Mountain House meal for my own. 4 Star cuisine for me.

Oh yeah, for those that don't recall. I don't can't cook. I can boil water like a sumbitch but lost on the subtleties of adding more than three ingredients.  Have no fear we are stocked up on yogurt and protein bars. We're solid. 

Along with half the family away, this is the busiest week of the month for me in my work responsibilities. Training is taking a hit this week which is okay, I often plan for this. I am still getting in daily training of some kind, just not very intense.

I am not going to just exist. I am going to live.

run to Canyon lake - Running - Spot

run to Canyon lake - Running - Spot

New Shiny Thing: SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger (aka SPOT 2)

Why in the age of smart phones with navigation applications and precisely tuned dedicated GPS units that track your position to within a few feet, does one need what in essence is a satellite pager?  The same person who can't get cell phone coverage outside of city limits and owns a top of the line GPS that can only tell you exactly where your at when you need emergency assistance.  This is the territory that SPOT is trying to own. 

SPOT has received a bad name in its short life because it isn't a phone and it isn't a GPS and it isn't a personal locator beacon. But it does contact who you want, it does track where you are at (more on that in a minute) and it can notify people if you are in an emergency situation. So lets take a closer look.

First, why does SPOT have a bad name. Well SPOT is first and foremost marketed as a messenger tool with the ability to assist you in the event of an emergency. The company at first, and possible still try's to come off as an satellite emergency notifier but the provided manuals give this area equal space to the more mundane aspects of the unit. The vast majority of the market share SPOT is trying to navigate is controlled by companies selling units called PLB (Personal Locator Beacon). These dedicated units require no subscription after purchase like SPOT does thus the mud racking. Plus PLB's are the less is more item.. A one shot life saver. Press the emergency button and a distress signal is transmitted on a frequency dedicated to search and rescue teams in your area, which will come to your aid. While SPOT has more more communicative options.

After buying a SPOT unit, made and operated by GlobalStar, Inc,  the user must activate the unit with an annual subscription for basic service with additional payment options for improved benefits. PLB purist scoff at this notion claiming that a for profit company using its own satellites is not as effective as  using the internationally recognized rescue satellites used by all other land and marine based responders.  However, SPOT provides a lot more service than just a one use "Rescue Me, I'm here" button and to date SPOT has saved thousands of subscribers using its system. I have no problem with paying a for profit company for its business as long as it delivers.

The unit is the size and width of a hamburger patty with a solid face with  of mostly circular design with deep set buttons along the bottom third. When turned on the unit sips power off lithium battery's.  Unless told to perform a task it merely blinks green that the unit is on with a estimated standby time of three months. When tasked with a job the GPS light will blink green that it is attempting to find a satellite and then blink when it is sending the message. All errors show with a red blinking light. After it has completed its task it will continue to show the user that it did or did not send the message for up to an hour. This means the owner doesn't have to stare at the unit for twenty minutes waiting for a message to go out, but can look at it later to see the results.

COMMUNICATION.

I spend a lot of time in areas outside city limits like canyons, mountains, deserts and waterways, ergo I spend a lot of time outside of cell phone range. It's important to my wife that she knows I am okay. And it gives me piece of mind as well that she is not concerned about my welfare. SPOT allows you to press a button whenever you want and it transmits one way messages to anyone placed on a online contact list. This is set up using your account profile pages before you go off the grid and can be changed as often as you want depending on your needs. You can send what I call 'pings' to cell phones receiving text and anyone's email. When using the Check In button on the unit, it sends the name of your unit, your location in Latitude and Longitude and a preset message, "I'm Okay". 

If you use the Custom Message button, you can change the verbiage, again using your online profile, to suit the needs of the trip. One day it could say, "At the top of the mountain, heading back to trail head" the next, "Found the last geocache, heading home."  It also sends the name of the unit and location in lat/long. My wife is the primary recipient of my custom messages which say something like , "Finished with workout, coming home, will call when I get in range".

In today's age of instant email and lightening text, SPOT is hit and miss on connection. Granted your using satellites and not cell phone towers and T1 lines. Using a stopwatch and my cell phone as a contact, I would activated the Check In function and measured how long it would take from pressing the button till the message hit my phone. I did the same with the Custom Message. The best time has been 90 seconds. The longest 17 minutes. However, every time either button was activated the message was received. The unit will make 3 attempts over 20 minutes to send a message, (the person receiving only gets one 'ping') so even at the longest time, it is within the company time line.

GPS

SPOT units track your whereabouts but the user can not see the coordinates because there is no data screen.  However, as mentioned before using the basic communication buttons a trail of digital bread crumbs is created with outgoing messages. For an additional annual subscription fee a tracking program is provided on the unit that when activated by its button on the unit, will transmit your location every ten minutes for 24 hours or the unit is turned off. These are not sent to individual cell phones and emails but to either your online account or pre-created SPOT Adventure Shared page. If you create an Adventure page for your event, you are given the URL link for that specific event and you then send it to whomever you want or even social media websites. It will update the Shared page with your current position and update the previous two positions in case the 'ping' did not get out. The map is a Google Map model with the usual map viewing options. This is a very cool tool and well worth the investment. There is no need to download data from a GPS to your computer and then software the route to send to friends. You can also come back later and upload photos from your trip and if your digital cameras internal clock is accurate the program will automatically link photos to where you were on the trip. 

Coming from a dedicated GPS world it does take a few Adventures to adjust your viewing paradigm. With a dedicated GPS, it tracks your every foot and zigzag of movement. The SPOT only sends a 'ping' every ten minutes. When seeing this, you have to adjust to that fact even though you just did ten switchbacks, the tracking function will be a straight line from point to point. Its a as-the-crow-fly's mentality. The map will also show the location of any one way message you send. Those people will only get the messages and not a track every ten minutes. 

Your subscription saves all 'pings' and tracking for thirty days. If you do not set up an Adventure page before you head out,  you can do it when you get back. By selecting the dates you want to use for your adventure, the page will automatically export all your tracks that are in that range of dates to a map.

PLB

No one wants to be in a situation that demands rescue. The fear and panic is only elevated when you are in the middle of nowhere, miles from civilization. SPOT is not a classic personal locator beacon, nor do I suggest you purchase one for such a need if that is your only concern.  SPOT has two covered buttons  on the unit, Help and SOS. These are set along the outside edge of the face at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock. To activate you have to pry the cover off with your fingernail. This is also a point of contention with PLB purists as it's believed that a rescue unit should be able to be activated with one hand.  Its a fair point.

Help, on the left side, sends a message to your set up contacts, again with your unit name and location and a custom message. If you purchase additional services, there are options for road side service and marine assistance. SOS is on the right side of the unit. Pressing SOS will activate a 'ping' every 5 minutes for 24 hours. This message takes outgoing priority on GlobalStar satellites. The message is sent to their emergency center and they arrange communication with the nearest Search and Rescue or1st Responder  unit to your location. An additional service that can be purchased is GEOS Rescue Insurance which provides up to $100,000 for your rescue efforts.

SUMMARY

Filling a niche that continues to become mainstream with each passing month, SPOT is a unit that first and foremost guarantees successful one way communication between user and contacts. This not only brings piece of mind but draws friends and family into your life using your Shared Adventures pages. There is a big difference between needing a rescue because your stuck along the freeway with no more inner tubes for your road bike and having a broken ankle ten miles from your car.  In the rare event that outside assistance is needed to effect your safe or timely return, Help and SOS are there for you to dictate your level of assistance.

Here at Endurance Pursuits, I guarantee I will be using SPOT weekly for my training that occurs in and around the Superstition Mountains. My training area a 30 minutes drive from cell service and my wife as soon as possible wants to know I am safe, in my car and heading down the mountain to come home. As an endurance athlete living in the desert, I feel I am doing my family and friends a service by taking steps to protect myself. 

I am not going to just exist. I am going to live.

New Shiny Thing: RailRider's Eco-Mesh shirt.

I started following Adventure Races like Raid Gauloise and its more successful sequel Eco-Challenge when they began showing in the very early 1990s.  I still follow Adventure Races quite closely.  RailRider's Eco-Mesh shirt was born from the need to provide adequate clothing for these multi-discipline athletes. This shirt continues to have a strong niche with ultra  athletes at events like Badwater 135 and Marathon de Sable  as well as worn by thru hikers on American trails. 

I don't have Adventure Racing on my short list, but I do share a love for training like one.  I also appreciate gear and clothing that has multiple uses. My final impetus to finally buy one was my desire to have a shirt that better dissipated my body heat, thus staving off overheating, dehydration and heat injury. Hey anything that helps me in that department is good.

I bought the shirt in white and was shocked at how brilliant and blinding white the top is.  I have zero luck keeping white clothes stain free but I surmise my main problem will be trail grime and not pasta sauce. Though I think I could pull this shirt off in a lot of nice eateries.

I purchased the shirt from the manufactures website. The shipping and handling were more expensive than the few other sites that sold the garment, even at lower prices, but I chose a decade of drooling on their website as a reason to go to the source.  My loyalty did not disappoint, I received the shirt in two days with their cheapest shipping rate. Much earlier than anticipated. Which gave me an opportunity to try it on the next day for a seven mile recovery run in the Superstition Mountain range. 

Weighing about the same as a short sleeve cotton shirt, this long sleeve 2-ply nylon top dries infinitely faster. The material up the side and down to the cuff is two inch wide mesh that offers terrific ventilation. There is also a thick ribbon along the upper back covered by a yoke of material. The cut is quite generous, more like wearing a pajama top than a tee shirt. It is incredibly breathable. It also has a SPF 30 rating.

The Eco-Mesh shirt has elastic cuffs that are not so tight that you can't hike the sleeves up to the elbow and they stay there. The elastic will also keep out flies, mosquitoes and ticks if need be.  To keep weight down there is no collar and the v-neck can be closed by a Velcro tab. Inside the shirt is a fastener to keep the tab secure when the collar is left open.

I wore the shirt with sleeves up and sleeves down. Each was comfortable and the elastic kept the sleeve from sliding down my forearm. The cut and venting allows air to circulate very well and I don't believe I was sweating any more than I would with a sleeveless technical shirt. The benefit of the shirt here is that without having to apply sunscreen to my  bare skin, it breathes easier and evaporates sweat more efficiently.

I also wore a Camelbak MULE and when I was done the shirt back was quite sweaty. I was surprised that it dried so fast, just a few minutes after getting in my vehicle to drive home.  I was conscious of this fact mostly from the thousands of times I have finished a workout, got in my vehicle and my back has remained wet and clammy till I got home a half hour later.

This is not an item I will be wearing in regular rotation for running on the streets but I see a long future in casual summer wear and I hope it becomes my permanent trail top for hiking and desert runs.  I have had the same make/model hiking shirt for almost ten years and the only way it will be knocked from its pole position in my closet is by the Eco-Mesh continuing to impress me with its quick drying, ventilation ability. 

After ten years of reading fan mail from satisfied customers and my results after a hot, desert run, I predict a changing of the guard in the very near future.

Event Report #2: 2010 Pat's Run

I always arrive early to races. I would rather get a good parking spot and close my eyes in the car than sleep an extra 30-60 minutes in bed. I despise race day traffic. This tradition continued and as the sun rose and completed my visualizations and watched other runners park and walk to the start. I used the distance of just over a half mile to do some warm ups to get my legs ready for work right off the gun. No getting into the groove on the course. At only 4.2 miles I had to fly from the start and not let up if I was to make my  perfect race goal of sub-30 minutes. 

To hit my goal I needed to be in the 7 minute pace group. I wasn't sure if could maintain that pace for the whole race but it was a great place to start. I walked straight to my starting coral and avoided eye contact with people. I wanted to stay focused on my race. My only distraction was that I was surrounded by people half my age. An ASU co-ed stood by wearing an outfit more fitting a jog into a yoga studio than holding a 7 minute mile pace. Another wore a bulky backpack. My confidence was shaking that I was in the right spot. 

My HRM was showing my at over 110 bpm, just standing there waiting. The race was delayed for 20 minutes so more people could get to the course which meant more 20-somethings in my coral. So I closed myself off and meditated for several minutes, controlling my breathing. I looked down at my watch and my heart rate was back under 80. The waiting actually calmed me.

As soon as we our wave was released, it leaped from the enclosed pen and onto the road. After a few minutes of jostling around in the crowd I was able to look at the pace on my Polar 400 and it was 6:30 per mile. I felt good, relaxed in my breathing, but it was very soon the race and I was afraid I had set to harsh a pace. I found someone in front of me hitting 7 flat like a metronome and stayed there. The first rise in the flat terrain came crossing the Mill Avenue bridge and my pacer slide back. I maintained the pace and started reeling some runners in. I love running over this bridge and have done so for years.

It was at this point that realized a major step forward in my endurance pursuits. The crowd had thinned a bit.  People were no longer leaping left and right or surging between runners to find their spot on the road. Everyone sort of had their perfect line and pace and it was just the rhythmic sound of hundreds of shoes pounding the pavement.  I never thought I would hear that noise again. Be able to contribute to that cacophony of meditative bliss. For runners it a beautiful pitch and I revealed in it for the moment it lasted. 

Curry. It's not just a spice it the name of the road that presents the only real vertical challenge around Tempe Town Lake and another stretch of road I have been up and down hundreds of times if not more. I found that my pace dropped here to a low 8 and some very lean rabbits were jumping past me. I pumped my arms, tucked my chin and vowed to reel in at one person with a consistent pace. I knew with my eyes closed where the real top of this incline was and I used that to my advantage going up and heading down the back.

At the bottom of Curry I passed the 2 mile marker and my pace dropped dramatically. I pulled mid-6 for most of mile, not an easy feat for me but thankful for the extra time bank. I was starting to feel the effect in my lungs, my legs were still strong and I had no aches. However at this point I noticed my mouth was dry and I began spitting what I could not swallow.

The forth mile is flat and then the last .2 miles is a fast incline into Sun Devil stadium.  With a mile to go I was being passed by runners I had not seen so they must have come from the back. They had made a fatal mistake in their surge. The stadium is massive and appears much closer than it is so they started sprinting early hoping to make up time.  These people needed to wait at least another half mile before putting in the surge they were showing now. Here my experience prevailed over my ego and without a change in my race strategy I pulled ahead of all of them. How strange that I was using my mind for positive positioning instead of killing myself to compete with others.

It is estimated that between 25,000 and 30,000 people ran this race. As I stated earlier, I was in a coral right up front and had no idea how many people were behind me. So it was a mild shock to turn the final corner  and see thousands of people still in their corals waiting to start a race I am moments away from finishing. It started my sprint at this point and of course the extra effort produced a gag reflux. Being used to this I held my pace but I just kept thinking, "Don't puke here, not here."  And I didn't.

The final climb into the stadium produced a bottle neck and runners started to slow to navigate some turns. Once out onto the football field and the finish line I was able to see the race clock read 30:21. I pushed hard and thought to myself as I crossed line at 30:57, "Well I can say I finished in thirty minutes. Good time."

I slowed to a walk and unconsciously pressed the stop button on my watch. What is this! Of course. The finish line clock starts when the first coral leaves. I was in the third coral. Each coral was sent off at :30 second intervals. I actually ran the course in UNDER 30 MINUTES. In fact the official results show 29:52. My God. Amazing. I ran my perfect race time.

I doubted myself for weeks. I didn't know if I could hold that pace. I didn't know if I was worthy of the positioning. But I kept visualizing it. I kept making the time my reality. No matter how much I doubted my ability I trusted what I was doing was working and I would see results. I feared the clock until the gun went off and then I didn't even look at my time until the finish line. I didn't even look at my heart rate, just pace. I ran hard but not over my ability. This day was a realization that I can still race in some capacity. Praise God.

I am not going to just exist. I am going to live.
Today I lived.

Sometimes you just have to pig out

It has been a long week of stress, weird sleeping patterns, a race this weekend. This morning I felt fine and around mid morning I started getting a headache, my eyes hurt, the back of my neck hurt. Sort of that body ache feeling before a cold hits. 

I thought maybe it was from being hunched over a desk and wearing ez-readers to scan fine print on faxes. On the other hand i have been around a lot of sick people lately.  I figured if I'm sick, I won't be enjoying food for the next several days so load up. If I am just run down, the massive infusion of calories will turn me around. So I decided to walk over to the Mexican joint next door and pig out.

In either regard, it's a situation that alibi's my normal eating.and I walked away stuffed but not feeling guilty. I left food on my plate. Okay plates. And chips in the bowl. I am praying its what I need to turn this around.

I got a real race this weekend

I realized that today I am going to pick up my race packet /swag bag for the Pat Tillman run this weekend. I am doing an honest to God race. One that I am seriously going to race the clock on. Like, pulling the safety tabs off the hand grenade and throwing myself through this course. A red lining heart rate, dry spit rope hanging off my lip, jaw tightening attack of the course.

The course is a symbolic distance of 4.2 miles and finishes on the 42 yard line of ASU's SunDevil Stadium. The course is essentially a clockwise route around Tempe Town lake along path's I have run, without exaggeration, over a thousand miles on.  I  have trained for this race by running out of my office and turning left at the light. I am that close.  

Looking at last years results, my AG had 400 runners.  If I hit the time I think I am capable of with a great race I could finish in the top 40 of last years 400 people. Even with moderate training paces I am running in the top 100.

Mistress supports my strategy in this race because it is so short. I will be over the finish line before my liver even realizes my kidney might be in trouble. Don't worry, I am not going off the deep end and signing up for races left and right. In fact, I don't think I'm signed up for anything else this year. Yet.  However I am planning for some epic, and I mean mind blowing training sessions in May. 

I am not going to just exist. i am going to live. 

HISTORY OF PAT'S RUN

Pat Tillman played football for Arizona State University. His number was 42. He was drafted into the NFL and played his last season with the Arizona Cardinals. After September 11,  2001, he turned down a $3.6 million NFL contract and enlisted in the US Army with a fast track to Ranger school, which he completed. While deployed to Afghanistan he was tragically killed by friendly fire. The race is a fundraiser for a foundation in his name.