A World On A String

[unclefishstick]

dude....you're hardcore...i mean i know theres serious hardcore trail runners but im betting most of them aint in their late 40's...i tried,my cardio can deal with it,my wrecked joints cant,cycling is waaaaaaay easier on the body,you are sitting down after all....be careful,this would be a ripe time for a blown hammy or the like,gotta keep that hydration level good to keep the tendons flexible...

got the new whip today...

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[Jericho Mile]

I tell myself all the time...

I tell myself all the time...

be grateful for every day...every run...be grateful...live full...go for it. I'm not naturally gifted...so while those peeps can rest and relax...I can not. On days where I don't feel like training....or I'm hurting...I tell myself to go..because if I couldn't go...I'd be bumming..got to put in the work. There is no other path..train train train

* from Rocky III: "there is no tomorrow"

Killer ride Unc....You are dedicated to the cycling lifestyle...I respect that about you

 

[wildgrow]

Would you look at that - a space in Uncs house that isnt being taken up by a plant. Wouldn't have thunk, Unc.

Love the downhill running description. Like flippin a trick on a skateboard... Launch, arms out, bringing knees to chest. How much air before the feet have to go back to earth. Used to do the same after dayhiking a mountain. But, now, more like Unc. Ive had too many close calls with serious injuries, body cant keep up with the spirit.

I respect what youre doing, pushing your limits... physically, mentally... running the tightrope. To echo the word of caution above and beat a metaphor like a deceased equine - balance.

 

[unclefishstick]

i know that feeling,theres many days when i just really dont feel like riding but i always feel better after i do,except those days that just suck....but nothing like not having another choice to distract you....

lol,if i turned around in that same spot there a ming aralia and a bonsai azalia right behind where i took the pic...plants are all mostly outside getting super huge,just about to roof over part of the breezeway in clear panels....

 

[Jericho Mile]

Would you look at that - a space in Uncs house that isnt being taken up by a plant. Wouldn't have thunk, Unc.

Love the downhill running description. Like flippin a trick on a skateboard... Launch, arms out, bringing knees to chest. How much air before the feet have to go back to earth. Used to do the same after dayhiking a mountain. But, now, more like Unc. Ive had too many close calls with serious injuries, body cant keep up with the spirit.

I respect what youre doing, pushing your limits... physically, mentally... running the tightrope. To echo the word of caution above and beat a metaphor like a deceased equine - balance.

I have a garage full of boards. I don't skate like I used to...don't get in the waves that often anymore either. I'm where I am now...it's more than a hundred miles round trip down to sunset cliffs...and man..I just don't like being around a bunch of peeps. I lived on the beach...a long long time..but crowds moved me out...a dedicated beach rat at one time..now I'm on to something else

I'm pushing now days...decided I'm not dying young..have no major injuries...don't factor or dwell in age...every session is like a new day..far as...I'm concerned. But yeah...I'm sometimes...a very calculating person. I'm in tune with my body..the trails..and just want to keep going...see what happens.

...and Unc's house looks cleaner than mine

 

[Madjag]

 

[unclefishstick]

I have a garage full of boards. I don't skate like I used to...don't get in the waves that often anymore either. I'm where I am now...it's a hundred mile round trip down to sunset cliffs...and man..I just don't like being around a bunch of peeps. I lived on the beach...a long long time..but crowds moved me out...a dedicated beach rat at one time..now I'm on to something else

I'm pushing now days...decided I'm not dying young..have no major injuries...don't factor or dwell in age...every session is like a new day..far as...I'm concerned. But yeah...I'm sometimes...a very calculating person. I'm in tune with my body..the trails..and just want to keep going...see what happens.

...and Unc's house looks cleaner than mine

i go through a gallon of bleach a week...its more impressive when you consider the daily sorcerers apprentice routine that goes on with watering the gardens outside and refilling water barrels...i have a semi permanent bucket handle bruise on my hand...no working hose bibs outside you see...everything hand watered with a 2 gallon watering can....and yes,i am insane thank you very much...

 

[Slip Kid]

It took me 10 yrs to see a wave as a rough ocean instead of a left or a right...

 

[Jericho Mile]

I'll check the report once in while...check out a web cam of the pier in OB..or my wife will tell me about the swell...from her shop down there...but it seems...hard for me...to drive down anymore. Gotta get it very early anyways...or it gets crowded...by 10...it's blown out. I have no excuses...being a fucking kook...used to say "if you live east of the 5...you're fucked"...shit man..I'm way past that now

surfing is always dependent on conditions...but I can run mountains anytime..under about any conditions..and the trails are not near as crowded. Weekends are the only time I really encounter peeps..and even then..I can bypass them..by running off trail or at least running less popular trails. I actually enjoy peeps out there..for the most part...as long as..it's just the weekends

with FaceBook and YouTube exploiting spots...I see more mountain bikers...and more runners. I'll know there are races coming up...when I see more serious runners training on the routes...or see the chalk marks (direction indicators) on the trails. They put on a 100 mile, a 50 mile race, and..I think...a 50K (separate races...different courses) every year...seen runners life flighted out...gnarly shit..all cramped up...dehydrated..death's door sort of thing

Have I gone kook?...or has the world?

* There is a section of trail (in Noble canyon)...and I didn't even know this..that the mountain bikers call "stairway to hell"...short rock section...but you can see it on YouTube...dudes documenting themselves going down it.....hell...never knew it had a name...as it's just another section of trail to me. I see bikers with helmet cams all the time....social media...look look look....whatever happened to protecting a spot...localism?

** the wife is in the Alps running trails...sending me pix of lush green mountains

*** about to heat up here....supposed to be triple digits coming up...the runs are about to get harder

 

[Madjag]

Have I gone kook?...or has the world? - Jericho

Every time I see a squirrel suit warrior on YouTube flying through the sky at 70 mph, sometimes even through tiny windows in sandstone cliffs, or perhaps a base jumper diving off Half Dome, I think of how amazing that rush must be.....flying like a hawk, diving toward the earth, seeing the earth flash by. Problem is, humans don't have that innate ability....to calculate speeds and angles and use an artificial tool to do so.

Thus the splat!! warrior evolves.

Running is innate for humans, so is hiking and stalking, hiding and seeking. Once portable Jet Packs get perfected, and believe me they will in our lifetime, we'll be seeing peeps flying by noisily even in the most remote places...folks too lazy to get there on their own. What sense of nature will they remember from their intrusive flight?

I'm an advocate for change, however all these changes are external, not internal. They are not the result of a human making inner changes that allows new horizons, but rather the result of outer gizmos allowing a temporary view of another world....sort of like psychedelics and taking a trip away from our typical daily life.

You get a view, maybe your last, but you can't stay there.

 

[Jericho Mile]

Have I gone kook?...or has the world? - Jericho

Every time I see a squirrel suit warrior on YouTube flying through the sky at 70 mph, sometimes even through tiny windows in sandstone cliffs, or perhaps a base jumper diving off Half Dome, I think of how amazing that rush must be.....flying like a hawk, diving toward the earth, seeing the earth flash by. Problem is, humans don't have that innate ability....to calculate speeds and angles and use an artificial tool to do so.

Thus the splat!! warrior evolves.

Running is innate for humans, so is hiking and stalking, hiding and seeking. Once portable Jet Packs get perfected, and believe me they will in our lifetime, we'll be seeing peeps flying by noisily even in the most remote places...folks too lazy to get there on their own. What sense of nature will they remember from their intrusive flight?

I'm an advocate for change, however all these changes are external, not internal. They are not the result of a human making inner changes that allows new horizons, but rather the result of outer gizmos allowing a temporary view of another world....sort of like psychedelics and taking a trip away from our typical daily life.

You get a view, maybe your last, but you can't stay there.

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You gather how I'm feeling....


I want the world to stay big...I don't want to know everything...and I want to see it my way...on my feet..through my mind's eye...at a pace I learned...worked hard for..have earned...and is pure.

internal journeys abound...that world has not shrunk for me...at all. Not running from anything...running to something...that's the important feeling I get..and why I'm seeking

Is it spirituality? I don't even have a clue...just know...I must push on. I look at my pit bulls...the drive they have...and that inspires me. Blind faith...pushing just...to push

 

[Madjag]

Nice to have the feeling that what we have, we have earned through persistence and hard work.

Inheritance must be nice in some ways, getting a free ride or gift, but nothing quite like Shop Class as Soulcraft....or how knowing how our own inner work has brought us a tidbit of wisdom and awareness.

Good to have the feeling that no matter what we can also do that in other zones in our lives.

My good friend Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche, the crazy yogi who brought Tibetan Buddhism to the west and enjoyed sake by the gallon, said,

"Quite possibly there is no such thing as spirituality other than to stop deceiving ourselves".

When on the inner journey one is not running from or running to anything in particular, perhaps that is the perfect Zen of the Moment. Congrats.

 

[Jericho Mile]

#9#9#9#9#9#9#9#9#9.......rise

#9#9#9#9#9#9#9#9#9.......rise

Started on trail...then popped out onto a single lane chip seal road...where I ran 2.5 miles of continuous pitchy uphill..and back down it. Questionable about which hurts worse...depends on the day...but downhills don't buy me grace...rest...or relaxation...they can grind me down to just pain....downhill form on tightened muscle/tendons..not the easiest

a real good leg building hill...totally exposed to the afternoon sun...heat radiating back off the black surface...the kind of hill that doesn't end (I didn't go all the way to the top today...that's another 5 hard miles)....just keeps winding steadily up..many a false top

all together...my 9th consecutive day went for 10 miles.

* another way I relate form running to board sports..is in the turning of the hips. I try to not side step on the outsides of my hips/legs...as I see it as improper to form...and really...it's a cheat. Might be faster to begin with...but I'm consciously working on always turning my hips into any turn I make...even if it hurts or slows me down

by turning my hips...I'm changing not only my direction...but I'm doing it fully centered over my hips/power...rather than leaning out or side stepping my direction..getting unbalanced on wider spread legs. In board sports...strength comes from the core and goes into the board..the power is greater....the body/board turns with more power...if everything is flowing in the same direction. My shoes are my board...that's how I picture it

kind of like looking where you want to go...and turning everything over in that direction. If the hips turn...everything else turns with them...if you are strong enough...balanced enough...to let it happen. Committing to your direction..makes you stronger and faster. Might take a lot of work/confidence to get there...but it's about working the body with gravity...saves energy

The key to running : keeping the core power over flexible and open hips....being able to roll your hips/legs like a wheel. The balls in the hips...are there for a function in form. Being able to convert back to that mentality...is where the hours and hours of training comes in. Trail running tends to teach it quicker than...road running...because with road running...it's more the repetition of lifting the legs at the same height..same movement...whereas...trail running...one is forced to move around...jump over objects and terrain. Generally...I think roads are harder on the body...and I don't much care for the repetition. I do like roads for hill training (because I can concentrate on power...and not have to focus on not eating shit)....and for opening up the throttle

 

[Madjag]

P3,

Here is a treasure trove of stretches that will help you in your quest:

http://www.drbackman.com/new-muscle-stretches.htm

Go easier than you think you should when stretching and experience the benefit of tiny Zen....

I like contrarian thinking and here is a potent one for the world of the body:

Dr. Griner, inventor of the Bio-Pulser and a top bodyworkerin LA, says to only stretch to the furthest point you can reach comfortably and then come back, never hold at the stretch point. An interesting idea that counters yoga and many stretch systems. I agree after doing them all, singly and one-at-a-time, for many years. Holding a stretch elicits the "stretch reflex" which causes a muscle to actually tighten in defense of being stretched too long or hard. Muscles cannot be actually stretched, only their attachments, the tendons that attach the muscles to bone.

Deep tissue massage like Rolfing or Myofascial release, according to Dr. Griner, just releases endorphins that take away the pain, but do not relax the muscle spasm that is the source of the pain. Thus, deep spasm is still there, waiting to pop out again. His book, What's Really Wrong With You, is an outstanding different view and I can vouch for its effectiveness.

I have battled deep spasm from a 6 foot fall flat on my back onto concrete when I was younger. Griner's method of fingertip massage only going across muscles eliminates most muscular "stretch reflex" and works on the deep centers of muscles where spasm resides. His tool, the Bio-Pulser is supreme....my ex-wife had a Bio-Pulser that I used on my best friend who had a "knife between the shoulder blades" for most of his waking hours, for most of his last 20 years of hard working labor as a contractor. Two 10 minute treatments eliminated the spasm almost entirely....the first relief he had ever had in decades (he was a carpenter primarily). He bought two Bio-Pulsers as a result and gave me one as a gift. It's one of my favorite gifts ever simply because I have helped heal myself, my wife, my friends, and my family. Universal relief and care.

I get no commissions from any of the companies or peeps I recommend....just saying.....life is too short to worry about getting paid at every turn. Gifting and turning others onto the good shit, in every aspect, is priceless....

 

[Jericho Mile]

Run #10

Run #10

predicted record setting (hype?) heat wave starting to move in...90s today..but triple digits by weekend (120 down in the desert..won't be messing around with that).......the wave to last until the 4th of July..I hear...so

the 2nd 1/2 of my binge..is going to get ugly. If I am nothing else..I am a man of my word. I decided to spend my summer vacation running this way...committed myself to myself...it's got to go on. I'm feeling peaceful about it...as far as...I'm concerned...it's a done deal

* Does anyone know Jericho Mile......a late 70's made for TV movie? I've seen it only one time...and that was when it came out. It's a cult movie...though...I may be the only cult member. I am the Jericho Mile Cult

When I was a kid...I cried during the last few minutes of the movie. I looked it up on YouTube...and they actually show the last scene...I teared up...when I watched it...after haven't having seen it...in 30some years. The Sympathy for the Devil soundtrack...perfect..just as I remembered it. It motivates me to go

A cool film..and actually...I'm surprised it was made for TV...as it's the California Prison System of that era....with the language cleaned up..but still a brutal piece of work...think they used actual inmates as extras. I've still not gotten a copy..but it came back to me...after watching the last scene.

** I stretch a lot....mix it up. Yoga mat...foam roll..tennis balls in a sock..indo board....stretch all day long. Pull ups, push ups, and dips (PPD). Today I ran 8+ miles of trails...but concentrated on breathing only through my nose...running at a conservative pace..and stretching off rocks...pulling stalls...jumping from a stall..on one leg from rock to rock..switching legs after after 2 hops...skip running...I get kind of crazy out there. It may seem unorthodox..but only to someone..who runs straight ahead. That's not my style...I ride terrain. Riding terrain...takes on different movements..and christ...I've spent many an hour out training...got to mix it up

*** I do absolutely...no abdominal work..but I'm ripped/defined/clean of excess fat. Running on top of core form...there is no need to ever do a crunch...a bicycle..a sit up..a leg lift...a scissor...any of that stuff. Running (trail running more so) builds abdominal muscles that are not trained into memory.

Driving knees up high is paramount...try it for a mile...then try it for a mile..going up a rocky steep trail...you'll understand form and function...you will get a strong core. You will want to lean down...you will start to think about diet.

It was a revelation to me...and why I drive my knees as much as I can (that and to keep from hanging up)....and a main reason why I...set myself back going uphill and downhill...use that low end (ass/hamstrings) as the power plant. Only works though...if the core of the motor has been built. The block must be sound...otherwise form is impossible..or at best..gets cheated. When it's cheated...injury and falls are very realistic.

Edit: Probably said before...but I model my body off a stroked Chevy small block. I build for low end torque...steady mid range..and ideally...a screaming top end. Nothing fancy...simple...straight forward...animal level power plant. Reliable...when called upon to perform....easy to keep modifying. Like all builds...it never ends

 

[unclefishstick]

yup,i dont do anything but ride really but the same thing is true on a bike,to pedal in a circle you need to lift your knees with each revolution,most people only push down on the pedals,you need to learn to apply even pressure all the way around the circle...same thing though,its all about core strength,and keeping your upper body still so you can make those thousands of tiny adjustments that keep you tracking upright...you must become the machine! lol

 

[Jericho Mile]

yup,i dont do anything but ride really but the same thing is true on a bike,to pedal in a circle you need to lift your knees with each revolution,most people only push down on the pedals,you need to learn to apply even pressure all the way around the circle...same thing though,its all about core strength,and keeping your upper body still so you can make those thousands of tiny adjustments that keep you tracking upright...you must become the machine! lol

For sure...becoming one with the bike..I remember that...from my "living off" the mountain bike days. That up pull (I preferred rat traps to clips) is critical to rotation. Very similar to running...in fact..yes..my hips are like cranks

When I'm out there...I'm Led Zeppelin.....a rocking and rolling...frothing animal...looking for for action...down and dirty...jam jam jam

 

[unclefishstick]

the new bike is a beast,im going to start reconnoitering the local area for quick little camping trips i can take on the bike for systems testing and getting my camping stuff down tight,i know theres got to be dozens of good little shakedown rides in the 20-60 miles range...got to see if i can find a little camping spot close by town since i can really only leave the house for 12 hours but it might be fun to take off after evening watering and do some night riding...the frame has a bazillion braze ons so you can attach quite a bit of stuff to the frame,a lot of people will carry everything on the bike for short stuff.

 

[Jericho Mile]

Feeling It

Feeling It

Heading into the Day 13 run...the heat wave...indeed...for reals. Yesterday's run was triple digit...the day before...around there..got in 14+ miles in those 2 days...ugly little 7 milers

Ran a lot of off trail (firebreaks...where dozers and/or hand crews have peeled back the brush..along ridges) yesterday...up and down slippery faces..loose rocks ready to roll out from under feet..like running on soft ball size marbles..those vicious sort of washes...where falling into Yucca is major concern...right up there with..snapping an ankle

..and the heat. Maybe it was the vapor talking..but when I headed out into the brush fields...I could hear a suction noise in my head...like when a drain unplugs...that swirling suck...taking me down into its world

My feet are tired...my legs are tired..hips are taunt..days of grind...days of vapor..days of sun...to be fluid in the dry

* The heat is keeping the deer fly and rattlesnakes in....so it's a good time to run off trail. Off trail runs...you can't always see where your feet are going...you kind of..have to to just say.."fuck it" and let your feet go. How many rattlesnakes have I nearly landed on? More than a few....gets me hopping

Often running off trail...it's a lot steeper..so when coming up a section..the damn snakes can be right in your face. Another argument for keeping good form..refusing to lean forward into the hill...not to mention...slipping when leaning forward..can cost you teeth getting smashed out by rocks

 

[Jericho Mile]

Am I going to have to...

Am I going to have to...

...put on...my general manager hat?



^ Dcong F4...Congo (I'm calling her) expression...day 37...showing only...wisp flowers...and not stepping off the gas pedal. As she was attempting to overtake the positions of...a finishing Mox Mox and a stretching Hell Hound IX1S1...had to go in..

remove more leaves..cut out inside branches...yank her off the other plants...on top of...having to constantly...every day...supercrop and add more ties...to keep her in the light footprint or out of the bulbs...themselves.

* So...so and so> Here's me playing general manager: if she doesn't stop stretching...and go into flower making mode...by Friday of next week...I'm going to cull her. I don't have the space or time to deal with an expression that has 2 very major downsides (flower time and stretch)

This picture I show you dudes..today...was taken after having yet...another 1/2 bucket of leaves and inner limbs pruned off. If she isn't stretching at least an 1" per cycle...I'd be perplexed. No way should this plant be indoors....well maybe...if you can dedicate a room to her

I love her...but I'm a realist...I told her so this morning

** When I was in middle school...required reading was: A Day No Pigs Would Die