2011 Jan 3-9

It was the first week back in the New Year, I had some big shoes to fill (literally). The newest version of the MT100 series (the MT101) features a more spacious toe box that initially caused a bit of slippage and bruising of my pinky toes. As I broke them in over the course of the week, I found that if I tied them loose on descents, my toes would rest better on the front lip of the shoe rather than sliding back and forth which was causing the rubbing. I think the MT101 is immensely more durable than the previous MT100, and though the upper is not quite as soft and naturally comfortable, it’s definitely made to last. The fold line on the upper during toe off is much more anatomical with a runner’s toes, and makes the shoe feel natural at high speeds. I think more people are going to enjoy this shoe, and I’m going to get more mileage out of it than my 4 blown out pairs of MT100’s last year.


New Balance MT101


Sat Jan 1
4mi down from Los Liones NYE Party
18mi, 4000ft, 3:20 Chantry, Upper Winter Creek, Mt. Wilson, Upper Winter Creek, Mt. Wilson, Sturtevant Camp, Chantry with George

Sun Jan 2
13mi, 3000ft, 2:15 Freezing rain at Boney Mtn

Mon Jan 3
3mi Vibram Five Fingers, Santa Ana
12mi, 3100ft, 2:41 Trabuco Ridge/Los Pinos, muddy, steep

Tue Jan 4
5mi, 400ft, :43 VFF’s Newport
5mi, 600ft, :43 Crystal Cove, Muddy

Wed Jan 5
7mi, 1000ft, 1:18 Trabucco Cyn
7mi, 700ft, 1:14 Crystal Cove, Muddy

Thu Jan 6
10mi, 1000ft, 1:31 Newport Beach

Fri Jan 7
6mi, :43, Quick, Santa Ana
4mi, 300ft, :40, Crystal Cove, muddy

Sat Jan 8
28mi, 4100ft, 5:10
Plan was to run Chantry to Shortcut and back, but after crossing the river at South Fork, a fire marshal that was part of a road work crew warned us that a ranger might be coming, and we could get ticketed for being in the “Station Fire Burn Zone”. We were dumbfounded that it’s been almost 18 months, and the FS still won’t open a fire road. At any rate, we turned around, and I doubled back on a road to the Cogswell Resovoir, before jamming down Newcomb to Chantry in :58.

Sun Jan 9
21mi, 4600ft, 4:08
KD and JC started early at Eaton, and were treated to beautiful views up around 5000ft as we poked through the clouds en route to Mt. Wilson. Relaxed pace.

Total (last 7 days) 108 mi, 15,900ft, 9:18
This first week back at higher mileage was muddy and dark, but my runs on the weekend around Mt. Wilson were pretty rewarding. It was a good start to the year, and I'm starting to enjoy the perks of working near some challenging trails. Hopefully they will start to dry out this week.


Looking over LA from the Mount Wilson Toll Road. (There's some 9 Million people under those clouds)


Scenic doesn't quite describe it. Facing east on Mt. Wilson, Baldy (10,500) and Badden Powell (9,300), loom snowcapped in the background.




Grizzly Bear - While You Wait for the Others

I don't know if I'm spacing out too much, but is this not the greatest musical interpreation of struggling up and over a long climb?