Interview With Huw Williams Before His 2017 Marathon Des Sables Run

In a few days Huw Williams will be running the Marathon Des Sables (MDS) in Morocco; April 9th– 14th, 2017.  It is a six day 251KM (156 Mile) ultramarathon run through the Sahara Desert.  Over the last few months I have had conversations, via Facebook, with Huw as he is running to raise funds for Scope via Just Giving.  I figured it would be good to ask him some questions and also let others know of what he is doing so they can contribute as well.

Tell us a little about yourself:
I am from Pwllheli on the Llyn Peninsular in North Wales UK.  I am married to my very understanding wife Carys and have 2 great kids Gwion and Cadi and a nut job of a Dog called izzy. We live on a farm and I work as a business development manager as well as being the race director for the Pen Llyn Ultra; a 75 mile Ultramarathon in Pwllheli July 29th, 2017.

How long have you been running, how did you get started, what led you to choose running over other sports or endeavors?
I’ve been running distance now since my first Marathon in 2014. I am a keen sailor so the shift to run a majority of my spare weekends happened I would say 9 months ago when I signed up for the Marathon Des Sables last year.  This led to committing myself to running races on the weekends rather than sailing.  What I enjoy about running is you are telling yourself what to do, you are 100% accountable.  I love the freedom and also the friendship with the running community no matter what peoples capabilities are

How long have you been running ultras?
Although I have been running over the marathon distance for a couple of years my first official one was the Eryri Ultra in 2016 (58Miles through the Snowdonia region of north wales)

What is the longest you have run so far?
The longest I have ran in miles at one go is 58miles which took 18hours

I first met you on FB in the Maffetone Group – what led you there?
Yes, and great group!  Being a running geek I had heard last year a few guys talking about the MAF Method and being fat adapted.  In January I was running back to back marathon distances at the weekend and I was fatiguing early on and getting a swollen belly.  I made the decision that I needed to commit to my nutrition as much, if not more, than my fitness.  So I searched on Facebook and found it then started the 2 Week diet.

How has the MAF training been going?
It’s been very liberating!  The 2 Week diet worked so well and I was on a tiny amount of carbs afterwards.  The nutrition side of it really suits me as pasta, bread and potatoes make me swell and I didn’t really eat a lot of them before.  Training at a lower heart rate was all about control in the start, however as I am into Ultra Running and Marathons the pace suits me and the recovery is instant.  Running fasted works and listening to my body and understanding that I’m thinking I am hungry rather than being hungry

Are you doing  anything specific with regards to diet?
Yes breakfasts are either a bullet coffee (Black, coconut oil and butter) or Bacon, avocado and egg.  Lunches are nuts, chicken and salad and evening meals are mainly veg and meat, oh and cheese!

What led you to decide to run Marathon Des Sables (MDS) as a way to raise money for SCOPE?
Now then!

The Welsh Football coach said “Don’t be afraid to dream” so I contacted Scope to run this year and they said unfortunately all the places had gone but to put my name down for 2018, I said that I would be more than happy as a replacement should anyone become injured or pull out and a few weeks later they called to say a place had become available.  If I wouldn’t have asked about being a replacement in the first instance then I might have still been offered a place but who knows - it goes to show you have to keep chipping away at things even if its just and email, extra mile or half an hour less in bed!

Before my dad retired he was head of the North Wales social services and I have always felt humbled having an able mind and body so Scope was the first choice charity to raise funds for.  We are so lucky to have working vessels that we move and live in and so many people disable themselves through television and lifestyle choices

What sort of training have you been doing to get ready of MDS?
I’ve been averaging 100k a week made up mostly off road with 2 back to backs at the weekend and a few midnight runs for the long day practice.  I have also done weights for core strength as well as yoga and now walking with a sauna suit, hot baths and layers of clothing to get ready for the heat!

Are you ready for the race that is coming up in a few days, any fears?
Yes very ready. The taper time makes you excited and exhausted at the same time! A bit like Christmas!

Fears? Yes loads but I’m pivoting my thoughts away from them as they have no benefit to me when I’m out there.  As the jungle tribes men of Borneo said “Fear is a disease” and I have no intention of catching it!

How are you fueling for MDS?
I’m going away from MAF a bit for this as with freeze dried food I am taking they have Carbs and the REGO recovery has sugars.  I’m also taking back up gels but have nuts, cheese, pepperoni and biltong to snack on.

That should give you a little more information about Huw and I encourage you to follow his trek through the Sahara Desert.  You can follow it at the Official MDS site or you can also follow entires from the UK & Ireland at their own site.

Also, I would ask that you consider contributing the cause he is running for and you can do that on Huw's Scope Just Giving page.

Update April 5th, 2017 :  To follow Huw during the race you can go to the Live MDS Site

To give you an idea about the race here are a couple videos:

MDS 2017 Teaser Video


MDS 2016 Video


The Discovery Channels Toughest Race on Earth with James Cracknell

Weekly RunDown #30

Frank Shorter

Why couldn't Pheidippides have died at 20 miles?

Frank Shorter

Inov-8 lists The Five Best All Terrain Running Races in the World - not sure how the New York Marathon gets in but hey it is on terrain.  See some of the videos of these races below

Here is a race for you if 100 miles is not enough: Ultra Great Britain August 19-23, 2017 - 200 miles following the Trans-Pennine Trail from Southport to Hornsea

So Mike Wardian runs a 2:29 Indoor Marathon the week before The Barkely Marathons.  But that is just the start, check out his upcoming schedule.  Barkley (3/31 - 4/3), BAA 5K (4/15), BAA Marathon (4/17) & then the Big Sur Marathon (4/30) - I am tired and sore writing out that schedule.

Here is more info on the Indoor Marathon at the Armory New York run over 211 laps of a 200 meter track, now that is a lot of laps.

iRunFar.com's This Week in Running: March 27, 2017

RunnersTribe.com Interview with Ian Sharman: The Current Grand Slam of Ultrarunning Record Holder

An attempt to cram more carbs in without causing gut distress thus creating a drink with the hopes of it helping someone break 2 hours in the marathon.

Some training principles for those that are getting older

Some wisdom from Mark Cucuzzella, who by the way is 50, as he get s ready to run his 23rd (17th consecutive) Boston Marathon:  Trying for 30 Years Under 3:00.  Good luck Mark and hope you get the record at 34 years with a marathon under 3:00, the record is 33.

Are you traveling and want to find races try these sites:

• Running in the USA - All Distances
• Race Raves - All Distances
• Run Ultra
• Ahotu Marathons - for 1/2 Marathons and Longer

Got an FKT (Fastenst Known Time)  in mind then checkout Ultimate Directions as they providing FKT Grants for 2017.  You can also read about it here: Ultimate Direction Announces Fastest Known Time Grant Project

LetsRun.com article on the 2017 Men's World Cross Country Championships and the Women's race where Kenya takes it with a perfect score getting places 1-6.  See below for video of Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda, remember the race was in Uganda, has a 12 second lead with 2K to go but in the last 1/2 mile goes from 1st to 30th.  But the story is he stayed upright and by finishing Uganda got 3rd in the team competition by 3 points.

Races this Weekend
The Barkley Marathons - March 31-April 3, 2017 - (Twitter - @BarkelyMarathon)
Umstead 100  - April 1st, 2017
The Georgia Death Race - April 1st, 2017
Sportisimo Prague Half Marathon - April 1st, 2017
Carlsbad 5000 - April 2nd, 2017
Berlin 1/2 Marathon - April 2nd, 2017

Race Results from Races Listed Last Week
World Masters Indoor Championships
2017 World Cross Country Championships

In honor of the Frank Shorter quote - The 1972 Olympic Marathon


Also with the Barkley Marathons this week needed to post this one of Gary Robbins


And while I am sure many of you have seen this but if not and with Barkley Marathons this weekend here is a short documentary on it.


Joshua Cheptegei Finish at the 2017 Cross Country Worlds


This weeks Mountain Outhouse


The Georgia Death Race


The Beautiful Mile


2017 Jungle Ultra Peru



Transvulcania 2016 - La Palma

Weekly RunDown #29

Emil Zatopek

“I was not talented enough to run and smile at the same time”

Emil Zatopek

Maybe it's my British roots, I was born there and my mother is English, or just a desire to suffer but fell running has always had an attraction.  Here is A Rough Guide to Fell Running and if you want more info these are great reads: Steve Chilton's  It's a Hill Get Over It and Richard Askwith's Feet in the Clouds

The 24hr World Championships is in Belfast this July 1st

iRunFar.com's This Week in Running: March 20, 2017

LetsRun.com's The Week That Was in Running - March 13-19, 2017

Article on this past weekends Chuckanut 50K at TrailRunner.com

Nice story of a successful masters runner who realized something had to change after 23 years of running.  This is the story of Thomas Cunningham - Maffetoning to Boston.  For all of you trying MAF and hating the initial slow down, sometimes drastic, you are not alone.

With the World Cross Country Championships this week in Uganda one of the keys to the success of Kenyan runners is that Cross Country is at the Heart of Kenyan Running

UTMB looks to be a very competitive race - See 2017 Entrants

Article on The Barkley Marathons: Good Luck, Morons: Lazarus Lake & His Impossible Race .   Thanks to Ultrarunnerpodcast.com for linking to this.

Nice article on Aid Stations

Dr. Phil Maffetone write on The New Hunger

Need to find a race on your next road trip check out Running in the USA

Huw Williams is running in the upcoming Marathon Des Sables to raise money for SCOPE.  Why don't chip in a little to help out and you can do so here: Huw's Big Run in the Sand


Races this Weekend (March 25-26, 2017)

• World Masters Indoor Championships, Daegu South Korea (March 19-25)
• IAAF World Cross Country Championships, Kampala, Uganda (March 26

Results for races listed for last week

• Chuckanut 50k - March 18, 2017
• LA Marathon - March 19, 2017
• United Airlines NYC Half Marathon - March 19, 2017

Highlights of the 2017 Way Too Coo 50k ( March 4th, 2017) - Winning time was 3:16:42, that's moving folks - Full Results Here



Run Forever: The Film of Nicky Spinks & the Double Bob Graham



This weeks Mountain Outpost


While most of you may have seen this by now I had to post it: New from The Ginger Runner - A Decade On



Extreme Mountain running Racing Up 3000 Vertical Meters (9842FT)



Short and Sweet or is that Sweat:)


2017 Old Ghost Ultra in NZ

OGR Ultra 2017 Competitor Cut from WestCoastFilm on Vimeo.

Weekly RunDown #28

Ed Whitlock (1931-2017)

Sad to hear of the passing of 86 year old Ed Whitlock (1931-2017) of prostate cancer; Running Legend Ed Whitlock, from Runner's World & from Canada

Nice interview with a couple people who chose to do the Land Between the Lakes Trail Marathon for their first marathon: LBL First Time Marathoners.  By the way it was a cold and muddy run this year but that makes it all the more memorable, way to go Jessica and Chance.  Hey this is BlueGrass Runner so I am going to being giving props to those in the area whenever I can:)

Speaking of locals, last week I posted a video of the 2016 Spartathlon Trailer and just found out that local running store owner Will Rivera, well local if you are in the E-Town area of KY, is in the race for this year.  If you do not know much about the race watch the video and check out the Spartathlon website.  Also, Will is looking to run the Hurt 100 in 2018/2019 and you can see a video on that race below.

Good podcast at Primal Endurance regarding a number of things but specifically Modified Maximum Aerobic Function heart rate (MMAF).  The usual MAF is 180-age where the MMAF can add as much as 20 to the MAF number:  #90-Peter Defty Talks Optimized Fat Metabolism

iRunFar.coms This Week in Running; March 13, 2017

LetsRun.com The Week That Was in Running

Dr. Phil Maffetone's new article, Research Paradox, deals with the big picture as it relates to high intensity training (HIT).  It is not, necessarily, a matter of not doing HIT but realizing the risks vs. rewards and weighting them carefully.

Often when we work to have an Optimized Fat Metabolism and being fat adapted for long runs we get "Carb Phobia" but there is still a place for "Strategic" Carbohydrates.

Here is my first ever race report on my run at Land Between the Lakes 50 Miler (LBL50) this past weekend (3/11/17)

After running my first 50 Miler this past week at the LBL50 this is so true:  Training and the Art of Self Belief.  I can say I had some doubts going into the race but deep down knew I could somehow gut it out if need be.

Good article on running shoes: Why Modern Running Shoes are Terrible.  You may not agree that new shoes are bad but I ave seen so many things in shoes over the years and have to wonder how many of my foot problems stem from trying to fix what does not need to be fixed and instead just need to let my feet be feet.  If you have shoes that work for you great if not maybe this info can give you some ideas about what to look for.

Good to see that Desiree Linden is not just going to sit back and hope for a good time but is going for the win at Boston

Here is a feature I am adding this week:  Races this weekend (March 18-19, 2017)

• Chuckanut 50k - March 18, 2017
• LA Marathon - March 19, 2017
• United Airlines NYC Half Marathon - March 19, 2017

And if you thought Ed Whitlock was just a marathoner how about this 7:18 World Record for an 85 year-old in the mile last summer



Steve Ovett's 1980 World Record in the 1500M.  Here are some more of his races: Steve Ovett's Top 5 Races



The latest Mountain Outhouse - always fun.



The Hurt 100, makes my ankles hurt and swell just watching this race
HURT 100 FILM (official trailer) from Pursuit Films on Vimeo.


Ultra Trail World Tour 2016 Awards - It is in French W/Subtitles but some great video interspersed throughout

2017 Land Between the Lakes 50 Mile Race Recap (March 11th, 2017)

Well this is a first: a race report.  I see lots of these on the web and in magazines but while I have run plenty of races and may have commented on them I do not think I have ever written an actual race report.  So this is a first and maybe since I actually ran than raced, there is a difference- at least to me, then maybe this is more of a run report.

Weather
The couple weeks leading up to the race the weather was looking to be all over the place as it usually is in Kentucky.  There is a saying, and I am paraphrasing, if you do not like the weather wait an hour – or is that a few minutes.  Well that was the case as one moment it was calling for rain then snow then snow and rain then clear but in general always in the low 30’s or so with maybe highs up at 40.  Come the day before the race the news was that it looked like no rain or snow till late in the day but it would be coldish, in the low to mid 30’s to start then maybe hitting 40 around mid day.  So what did we awake to dark and early Saturday morning – snow and not the dry fluffy stuff but it was a little damp but it could have been worse as it was not a mix of  snow and rain so that was a relief.   So we all stood around for the 6:30 start on March 11th, 2017 and as with many trail races it just sort of started and we worked our way down the main road to the trail about 1.9 miles away with snow falling and the anticipation of what the trail would be like ahead.

Trail Condition
Having not run the course before I was not exactly sure what was ahead but did know that it was a pretty good trail with roots and leaves but not excessively rocky.  The day before the race with snow looking unlikely, were we in for a surprise, there had been rain during the week so the course was to have “some” puddles and “some” mud.  Then came race day and the snow, wet snow at that, starting early in the morning and continued for an hour or so into the race leaving a muddy-sloppy mess.  In many places it was like running on a slip-and-side with many having stories of falling numerous times.  I was fortunate enough not fall but came very close a few times but all the sliding played havoc with my right ankle as it was fairly swollen the next morning and still is slightly days later.  Thankfully during the day of running with the rain and snow stopped some sections of the course did dry out so there were times of reprieve from the slop.  I am not sure if people will truly realize how fast Matt Hoyes’ time of 6:28:06, 6th fastest over the years, really was considering the conditions.

The Course
The course is made up of a 2 mile road run to an approximately 11.3 mile loop, consisting of single-track, and when done with 4 laps you run 3 road miles to the finish and the final accumulated miles according to the course map is 50.65.  This year due to cloud over most everyone’s GPS showed up as short but in talking to others that have run this before the course is indeed the 50.65 miles.  There are aid stations every 2-3 miles with the main drop bag area at about halfway through the main loop.  The first half of the loop consists of mainly rolling trails with the second half containing 4 climbs of about a quarter mile each.  The total climb according to the race map is 4200FT total with my GPS getting about 4500FT.   It is easy to see how this can be a fast course on a dry year but still being runnable even on less than ideal years as this one.

The Race, well Run
As this was my first 50 miler the plan was to run conservatively from the start while still hoping for a
sub 9 hour time.  As part of my training has been to burn fat for fuel one of the key aspects is, in longer races and runs, to start at a speed that kicks off fat burning before starting to work a little harder.  To warm up correctly and work to burn fat I started in the first quarter to third of the pack which had 600 runners registered for all 4 races (23k, Marathon, 60K and 50 Miles) that took off together.  The good part was I kept my HR low but the bad was that with a stop for a nature break at the start of the trail I got behind a lot of people on the mostly single track course and then spent the next 11 plus miles working to pass a lot of people.  I need to think about the start more as I may have been able to use less energy starting a little faster so as not to be so far back and have to expend short burst of speed to get around people on not so level embankments on the sides of the trail.  The danger with a faster start may have been that I would start burning carbs way to early and thus not have fueling, more on that to come, as I wanted to do.

Once past the first lap it was a matter of just working to stay in a heart rate zone that did not put me over the edge.  In looking at my Strava data my average HR was at 138 and in looking at the actual data I did a fairly good job of not going too high and that included running all the hills.  It may be just me but I feel way more efficient when running hills unless they are very steep thus I kept a good pace on most the hills.  Over the next three laps I slowly caught those that started out much faster and for once in a long race can say no one ever passed me for good during the entire race.  Well that is except for Matt Hoyes who lapped me on my third lap, his fourth.

As I expected the third lap was mentally the hardest as I had just finished about a marathon and had another one to go and as 31 miles was the farthest I have ever run I was also close that realm of the unknown.  I was also finding it slow going in the aid station where I had my drop bag as over the course of three stops I probably lost 20+ minutes there.  I also find that stopping at an aid station was not as restful as it could be as it was hard to get started up again.

Once I got to the fourth lap I was able to pick it up some for the first part on the rolling hills but as I was feeling a little tightness in the hamstrings I dialed that back a little.  Once hitting the main aid station for the last time I worked to not slow too much on the last hills and be able to get to the last road section with the ability to get under 9 hours.  As the GPS had been off I was thinking for some time that I would not be able to get under 9 hours but when I got to the final 3 miles and feeling good I was able to pick it up a fair amount so as to get a final time of 8:44:52.   So the run was done and while there was some soreness and later an ankle issue all in all I felt good and energy was good.  Did I want to run more, no, but could probably have done so if I needed to do so.

The final results were that I got 10th overall and 1st in the 50-59 age group.  For my first 50 I was pleased and can see where I can improve, such as at aid stations and knowing my limits better may have been able to pick it up more in certain areas.

Fueling
This was an area that for me was a concern.  I had tried some fueling trials in training runs but how this worked for 50 miles was an unknown.  I have been working on Optimized Fat Metabolism (OFM) so needed to make sure my fueling worked to benefit from my training where in general I eat little, to nothing, as compared to racing.  So here is my fueling:

• Before the race I had a Modified Bullet Proof Coffee – See recipe here
• About 1 hour before I had two scoops of UCAN to preload some carbs.  Actually put in 3 scoops but did not mix well so probably left a scoop at the bottom
• About 20 minutes before the race I took one Vespa CV-25
• I carried a hand help water bottle with Tailwind’s Green Tea flavor but did not drink from it but for a sip till after 2 hours
• At 2 hours I took another Vespa CV-25
• At about 2:20 I took a 33Shake Chia Gel – first food in race - then took one per lap after that
• After 2 hours I started to sip on a 20oz water bottle per lap of Tailwind.  Near the end I was replenishing it with some water at the intermittent aid stations and refilled with Tailwind at the approx. 19, 30.2 and 41.5 mile aid stations
• I took another Vespa CV-25 at 4.5 hours and 6.5 hours and then took one at 8 hours just because I had  one and wanted to push the last 1.5 hours but probably did not need it.
• As far as other food I did try an Almond butter at 19 miles but as it was cold it was harder to eat so did not have any more
• One of the key advantages of OFM is not needing to us your standard carb laden gels endlessly during the race.  Instead I ended up using 3 GU Roctane Sea Salt Chocolate gels at specific times.  One before the hills after aid station 30.2, one before the hills after 41.5 then one last one about a mile from hitting the last 3 miles on the road to the finish.
• During the race I also took 3 S!Caps salt capsule during the run.

So that was my fueling.  Probably sounds more complicated than it really was.  Also, realize this is what worked for me and I did a number of trial runs to see how the extras worked on my system as again I train with very little in the way of fueling.  One thing I noticed was that while I did have a few low energy sections, not sure how much was due to lack of energy and how much was mental, I never really just felt spent.  Even at the end I was not famished as I have been before.   Take it from me OFM works.  I want to thank Peter Defty at Vespa as I messaged back and forth with him the month leading up to the race to work out some fueling strategies and it helped greatly.

Conclusion
The final outcome was good for where I was considering my training and experience at running that long.  My training up to the race included a 50K about month before where I ran right at 5 hours but that is a long way from 50 miles as while 20 may not seem like much more, it is when you already have 50K in your legs.  So I think I was in good 50K shape and I guess decent 50 Mile shape based on my results.  Will I run this race next year, not sure yet, will I run it again, absolutely.  I also would advise this race to anyone wanting a good trail race to start with as you have 4 choices of distances and while loop course have their disadvantage in that you can be tempted to drop out each lap and as the race allows you to drop down a distance and that may increase the temptation for some it is also an advantage for fueling and also for those wanting to try something new they are not sure of.  This is great race even if the weather is unpredictable because that is all part of trail racing and especially trail ultras.

Added 3/16/17:  Should not have missed this but wanted to also add that the aid stations were very well run and want to thank all those that came out to help in the less than ideal conditions.

Land Between Lakes Ultra
Race Results

Weekly RunDown #27

“In every race there is a crucial moment when the body wants to quit. Then it needs imagination and mental tenacity to survive the crisis. Otherwise the penalty is defeat.”

Derek Ibbotson

Sort of funny, on a good week I will get maybe 200-230 hits in a week on a post but write about shoes and I get 500+ in a day.  I guess we all have a Tenuous Relationship With Our Running Shoes

So what do you think; could someone run sub 2 Hours for the marathon on a treadmill - Ryan Hall thinks so.  I tend to agree but it will take someone who trains on one as I find treadmills often harder to run on but I run on them very seldom.

Speaking of a Sub-2 hour marathon Nike's Sub-2 Hour Marathon project led to a 1/2 marathon trial with 2 out of the three Sub-2 Prospects running under an hour.

Nike also unveils a new shoe, actually 3 shoes one for each of the guys looking to break 2 hours.  This all said the IAAF is now going to look into shoes that may add too much spring.  Nike says their shoes meet the rules but the IAAF wants to make sure I guess.  With all the pushing of boundaries with PEDs I guess why not check this area as well.

Here is iRunFar.com's This Week in Running: March 6, 2017

She has some leg speed: 65 Year Old Woman runs sub 6:00 Mile

Want to try a 6 day self-supported race in the US - how about the Grand to Grand Ultra in Utah and Arizona:  6 Stages, 7 days & 170 miles.  The race is September 24-30, 2017.  See video below from the 2016 trailer #2

Speaking of multi-day races here is Ian Corless' take on an Equipment Guide w/Hints and Tips for such races.

Nice article on 5 runners you may not have heard of:  Five Under-Appreciated, Legendary Runners for Millennials

With GI distress being the #1 cause of DNF's in Ultras it is good to know the impact of an Ultra on the gut

Nice interview with Ultra runner Rob Krar: Living the Dream over at Runner's Tribe



Check out Billy Yang's new movie Life In A Day.  Here is a review of the movie by iRunFar



Ah, to be 16-20 again - Salomon Running Academy - video from 2016 academy



So how is Gary Robbins training for The Barkley Marathons



Here is a trailer from the Grand to Grand 2016 promo for the race



And if that is not enough how about 246K (153 Miles) all at once in the Spartathlon

Running Shoes: My Tenuous Relationship

SL 72

It is interesting in my 44+ years of running one thing has been fairly constant  - it has been hard to
find shoes, shoes that fit and are comfortable that is.   From my first pair of real running shoes, the Adidas SL-72 to my favorite racing flats, the Tiger Jayhawks, I have always struggled to find shoes and if per-chance I did they would in no time be replaced by a model that was lighter, faster & all around “better” but more than likely did not fit.

 If you have been at this as long as I you will have seen about
everything you can think of in shoes from air, to gel to built in wedges – you name it.  What is constant, at least from my perspective, is that in all these attempts to make a better shoe all I find is that my feet either do not fit in them as they should or the added feature works to correct one thing and creates issues elsewhere.

Tiger Jayhawk

My biggest issue over the years has been with regards to volume.  By volume I am not talking about how loud they are, and I have had some colorful shoes, but the physical volume in the shoe itself.  You know you have a volume issue when you lace your shoes up and the laces pull the shoes so close you cannot tighten then much more, if at all.   Initially I just figured I had narrow feet but my problems were not solved by those companies that either made narrower shoes or made narrow sizes as they seemed to squeeze my toes or pinch my feet where the upper met the sole.   It was not until  about 15 or so years ago while I was looking for hiking boots to hike the John Muir trial that I learned about volume, and oh yea it is just as also hard to find hiking boots, and that my issue was not width but volume.

Knowing the issue with my feet has not solved my issues in finding running shoes, well shoes in general.  I also realize, having sold shoes and seeing how most shoes seem to fit the large majority of people, that my low volume feet are not the norm but in the minority.   I fully understand why most companies when designing or upgrading shoes tend to make them more voluminous as they are seeking to fit the most people.  However this does not make finding and keeping shoes any easier since even if I modify my shoes by adding padding to the underside of the tongue or just living with them it seems the next model that comes out usually fit worse – such was the case with the Altra Torin 2.0 and Lone Peak 2.5s as the new models would do fit as the older ones did.   Also, once in a while I find a shoe that seems to fit only to find that after a few runs they stretch just enough so as to no longer fit as with trying the new Topo Terraventure.  Again, I do not blame the shoe companies, as I understand they are in business to make money and by the good reviews the new versions of the above shoes are getting they must be meeting a need, just not mine.

So enters Carson Footwear a minimal shoe company that is American made in Milwaukie Oregon. Everett Carson, contacted me.  In talking about volume and how the shoes laced up Everett even offered, if need be, to move the lace eyelets out some if required.  So not only did the owner contact me, never had that happen in 44+ years of running and even working in the running shoe business in a store or two, but he also offered a solution.  Based on that email correspondence I ordered a pair and upon receiving them I was pleasantly surprised by how they fit.   As for the minimal aspects of them I realized I would not be running far in these right away as I would need to learn to run in a more minimal shoe. Since on the first 3-4 miler my feet and legs knew that things were different.
 They are not a minimal shoe in the vein of Vibram 5 Fingers or other such shoes as inherent in their design is more cushioning while remaining minimal in nature and feel.  In wanting to learn more about the shoes I contacted the company and to my surprise not only did I get a response quickly from Rachel, one of their employees, but also the owner,

During the process of trying them, running up to 8 miles, I submitted an application to be a Carson Footwear Ambassador for 2017.  My main reasons for wanting to represent Carson Footwear were their being an American made shoe, having great customer care  & being what I see as a great shoe once my body gets used to using them.  Well I got a reply that I would be accepted as an ambassador if I wanted to be one for 2017.  As I knew I would still need to race my ultras and longer races in other shoes till my feet and body were ready for to do so in the Carson’s I asked if that would be OK and they quickly responded that it was OK.  They said they wanted to make sure I got used to their shoes in a manner that did not injure me but would instead work to strengthen my feet and legs.  Thus, with that response, I accepted and am now a 2017 Carson Footwear Ambassador.

So what about minimal shoes?  Is it a fad that flamed out after Born to Run when many overzealous to go minimal transitioned too quickly and got injured or is it an integral part of having healthy feet.  I will opt for the latter.  Even before I looked at Carson Footwear I had been moving towards strengthening my feet via running in Xero Sandals every now and then as well as using more minimal shoes and sandals for every day use so as to further strengthen my feet.  I have been running in Altra’s for about 1.5 years so have gotten use to zero drop in my shoes as well.   Over many years of running I have had a number of problems with my feet all of which I was told could be corrected by this shoe, some form of orthotic or insole.  What I ended up finding was that each attempt to correct my feet while maybe temporarily minimizing my foot issues instead transitioned issues up my leg to my knees or hips and creating other problems.  No one offered up that maybe I just needed to do less for my feet and instead work to strengthen then.  As I look back I think I can trace many of my foot issues to the ever-increasing attempt by shoe companies to control feet by various features in them.  While I was much faster and lighter when younger if you have ever seen a pair of Tiger Jayhawks you would see a shoe with little cushion and even less support but I never had issues running even marathons in them.

So that it is, a fairly short over view of my relationship with my shoes.  I am sure if you have been running for any time you may have had similar trials or maybe you are blessed with “normal” feet that just seem to fit about any shoe.  Even if you are blessed with “normal” feet I still think you might want to investigate a minimal shoe such as Carson’s so as to work to strengthen your feet.  You may never make the full transition but your feet will thank you for working to get them in shape just as you get the rest of your body in shape.

Take care of your feet they are key to all that happens above them.

If you would like to try a pair of Carson Footwear shoes you can use this code to get 10% off the shoes or anything else you want to buy:  Run2017tonyk

Weekly RunDown #26

“There are no shortcuts. Be patient and look long-term. It's a foolish idea that if you do a little more, faster, then you'll get better than the rest. It ignores the fact that you must train at your optimal level, not your maximum level. Consistency is the secret to improvement and success. You have to keep training when others lose interest.”

Robert de Castella

Derek Ibbotson

Unless you are a Track & Field geek as I am you may not of heard of him but former mile world record holder Derek Ibbotson died last Thursday (Feb 23, 2017) at 84.

USA Track & Field - Weekend Roundup, Feb 27, 2017

iRunFar.com's This Week In Running February 27, 2017

The latest article from 33Shake on Nutrition of Marathon Training, unless you know the people at 33Shake it is probably not what you are expecting.  Other good links in the article to follow.

Having run with a few Kenyans in my 44+ years of running one thing I always noticed was on easy days they went easy, often even easy for me, and not just a relative easy.  In this article the author talks about how on easy days you need to go easy to go fast when you need to:  Secret to Running a Faster Marathon?  Slow Down

Great interview with Barry Magee, bronze medalist in the 1960 Olympics from New Zealand, regarding Arthur Lydiard who coached him.  Interesting in being asked about core principles (at about 54;33) of successful training he says "you don't expect perhaps success for 3 years" even went on to say may take 10 years for some.  Sure that would not fly well today but is a great truth - success takes time - lasting success that is.

Some advise for those of us older runners:  Wise Tips From Masters Runners on Staying Fit and Injury-Free

Phil Maffetone talks about diets: Why One-Size-Fits-All Diets Don't Work

UltraRunnerPodcast.com Interview with Jim Walmsley - you might want to sign up for the UltraRunner Newsletter to get daily News

While I am not sure the author fully understands Keto this is a good article on Burning Fat as Fuel - Part 1 - I will link to Part II when it comes out.

Also, check out the Spike-Free Living Free Blog for some good articles on training and nutrition.  If you are looking for a bar to eat on the run give SFuels a try as part of your nutrition on the run especially if you are working on Optimized Fat Metabolism (OFM) as they are a low carb bar



Here is a look at the Leadville 100 which is coming up August 19th, 2017.  Will Rivera the owner of Running Soles in Elizabethtown KY is entered for this years running and is running with Team New Balance - looking forward to following him in the race.



Trying to get a Golden Ticket to Western States was no easy task this year at the Black Canyon 100K



Transgrancanaria 2017 was this past weekend, results, looks like a cool race


2017 Last One Standing - Castle Ward in the UK -  Complete a 4.2 mile loop in an hour and then repeat till only one is left.  In 2017 after 100 Miles/24 hours 18 people left.  2 people made it 35 laps but on lap 36 they did not finish so there was no winner.



99 Year old Upsets 92 Year Old in 60 Meter race



Peter Snell mini-documentary


Orobie Ultra-Trail 2017 - Italy