Angeles Crest 100 canceled!

I am getting a distinct sense of deja vu! Twice this year my 'A' race for the year has been cancelled! First Twin Peaks 100k in January and now AC100. I am, to be perfectly honest full of mixed emotions; disappointment; obviously, frustration at potentially three months training and basically a summer away from my family; even my eldest has asked will I stop running after my race? Thankful; for the firefighters, literally risking their lives; two died yesterday, and to be honest a little relieved; how hot and punishing a race was it going to be really, a point only reinforced after blowing up on yesterday’s run in where the temperature was 110f and while I still had water I found myself dry heaving for the last 5 miles…isn’t this supposed to be fun?

Right now what’s next is unsure, some internet research some talking at home, some figuring stuff out, at the outset this was not meant to be my 100 mile debut year maybe that’s how it will finish?

The Station Fire stated Thursday, in four days it has consumed over 105,000 acres of Angeles National Forest, an acre is roughly the size of a soccer pitch or 168 square miles. It has a fire-line that is estimated to be somewhere around 20 miles long, much of it in inaccessible canyons which have not burnt for over four decades and are full of dry fuel. 3600 firefighters are on the line, over 20 aircraft are water dropping during daylight hours, 84 homes have been burnt and as I write this 5 people are trapped; they refused to heed the mandatory evacuation order Friday. Mt Wilson is under siege from three sides, it contains multiple TV and radio antenna for nearly all the stations that cover Los Angeles as well as for the CIA, FBI and Secret Service, additionally it is the site of the Mt Wilson Observatory. The smoke and water vapor is creating a mushroom cloud that is over 30,000’ high, it is so large it is generating its own weather pattern. The fire is currently 5% contained, best estimates are that it will take another week, it could reach 500,000 acres by then.

Fire is part of nature’s regeneration but like the smallest of flame it can cause a lot of pain.

Friday Grab-bag!

I am woefully behind; here’s a Grab-bag of stuff!

* Haven’t run since last Sunday!
* But I ordered some cool new running togs during the week!
* Haven’t biked either!
* But I did go into a bike shop and had a good nose around; SRAM Red and Dura Ace 7900….yummy!
* I am resting my knee; it’s still not 100%
* Started new job on Monday – yay! Have a 110 round trip commute – boo!
* Start work at 7:15am – yay! Supposed to finish at 3:45pm – yay! Hasn’t happened yet- boo!
* I have one more long run on AC100 course this weekend then taper baby – phew, just in time; 3 weeks of tapering!
* There are two fires burning around the course; keep your fingers crossed
* Good luck to Ray and Erin both are racing at Ironman Canada this weekend, and anyone else of course!
* If you listen to my random podcasting there’s a twofer coming this weekend…hopefully!
* I do plan to catch up on the 341 unread items in my Google Reader and comment, honest!
* Today’s my Birthday!
* Still in the same age group; which is good but no extra time for a BQ; which is bad – yeah I am thinking about it!
* And planning out next year’s stuff already; I’ve got some crazy adventures on my radar!
* Thank you everyone who wrote on my Facebook wall or Tweeted me; you guys rock!
* Going to see new Tarantino movie tonight then dinner with my beautiful wife!
* Ok that’s more than enough exclamation marks. I’ve more work to do….HaGW/E!!!

Review; Drymax Trail & Trail Lite socks

Never one to try and fix something that’s not broken and in much in the same vein as the XT Wings vs. Oboz Ignitions review I was a little reluctant to try another pair of socks, my turn-to’s for the last couple of years have been from Darn Tough out of Vermont, you can read my initial review here. However I was curious to try the trail offerings from Drymax of which I had been sent, from the good folks at Wilderness Running Company, the Trail and Trail Lite, especially after reading Donald’s and Rick’s reviews.

Typically for my reviews I copy and paste some info from the company website, usually I find anything that ranges from a few bullet points to half a page, not so with Drymax, these folks are serious about socks. Their website contains a wealth of info about the technology, much of it proprietary, which means you’ll not find it anywhere else, including videos, in depth explanations about what ‘wicking’ actually is, the requirement of padding, correct sizing, antimicrobial factors, blister causes and the list goes on. So my suggestion is to check it out yourself, it’s not overly technical and easy to understand.

And so to the socks. Both socks rely on the same technology the only real difference is that the Trail Lite has less padding making it more suitable in warmer climates or of course for during the summer. The sole of the Trail sock is well padded. Drymax makes a big effort to emphasis they use ‘dense’ padding rather than ‘thick’ padding and the Trail sock is rated as a Medium Dense+, as stated the Trail Lite has less padding and is therefore cooler. On both pairs there is some nice padding around the ankle creating a snug fit which reduces the entry of dust into the sock.

I’ve worn both pairs of socks on long runs and I would agree with the premise of the Trail vs. the Trail Lite, the Trail is warmer and will be great for the winter. So for the summer the Trail Lite’s are perfect. I am fortunate to not suffer from overly sweaty feet even so the wicking is excellent and I think this adds to the cooling effect of the sock. Even in Southern California wet feet can happen; there are some minor streams that need walking through even in Summer. The Dual Layer Moisture Elimination System removes sweat, sweat vapors, and water from the skin through the inner Drymax layer to the outer absorbent layer. The double welt top is made of Drymax fibers to repel water, so when you splash through water, the top of the socks stay dry.

The dense padding is noticeable and does provide some degree of cushioning which is my preference and also allows for a snug fit with my shoes. The sock’s fit is improved with a inseam band that hugs you foot and the seamless toe which minimize any possibility for blistering from friction.

The socks are available in five different sizes to ensure the best fit and come in sensible trail colors.

So in conclusion once again I’ve been reminded to have an open mind, originally reluctant to try them the more I wear them the more I like these socks and they do do everything that is on the box! One other incentive is that that are a good $2-3 cheaper per pair than the Darn Toughs (which you can also get here from WRC if you want to 'run' your own comparison). Add to that the discount that can be had from WSC of 10% and you can snag a pair for under $10, just click here for the Trail socks and here for the Trail Lites, use ‘Quad10’ to apply the discount when you check out.