A World On A String

[Crusader Rabbit]

...had a good lap,felt strong on the climbs,only had one spot in the rocks that was dicey feeling, i think that was mostly because i had a ton of stuff with me, i was probably pushing 45 lbs curb weight today....

Forty five pounds! Is that a bicycle or an anchor? Damn, that's a lot of inertia wanting to take a straight line path down the hills. Doubt that you're hopping that thing around rocks.

... Strange that Cannabis is an annual...

Somebody did some gene swapping in British Colombia and came up with a plant that doesn't go into senescence at the end of flowering. They have a plant in a greenhouse that's been growing and flowering for almost ten years now. It's twenty eight feet tall. Do a web search on "forever buds".

 

[unclefishstick]

Forty five pounds! Is that a bicycle or an anchor? Damn, that's a lot of inertia wanting to take a straight line path down the hills. Doubt that you're hopping that thing around rocks.




Somebody did some gene swapping in British Colombia and came up with a plant that doesn't go into senescence at the end of flowering. They have a plant in a greenhouse that's been growing and flowering for almost ten years now. It's twenty eight feet tall. Do a web search on "forever buds".

prepare to be surprised then.i was bunny hopping it down through one rocky section,even a mini tail whip or two..
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[Jericho Mile]

what are those sweat bands you use? was it sweat hogs?
i actually have more of a social life since i started mountain biking,tuesday night ride and all that,plus theres only so many locals so you come to recognize everyone,im crappy with names but they are finally starting to sink in...i need to ride with other people more frequently so i get more comfortable with it for racing...
yeah,its really hard to explain endurance sports to people,they mainly have no basis to comprehend it,cant understand the raw hours of it all,have no real inkling of the pain...and if they did they would most likely think it even odder...had a good lap,felt strong on the climbs,only had one spot in the rocks that was dicey feeling,i think that was mostly because i had a ton of stuff with me,i was probably pushing 45 lbs curb weight today....still crushed a half dozen weekenders on the climbs...gonna ride the moony a couple more times then break out the single speed at 24 lbs...

I'm wearing Buff headbands. Swear by them. I've sported the full Buff and the 1/2 Buff...prefer the full Buff..as you can do more with it.

hear you on the name thing. I can't remember names to save my life.

my life revolves around training now days. if i'm not actually out on the trails...I'm stretching...preparing gear/body for the next effort.

* Succeeded in converting another friend to take up trail running. My wife just showed me pictures from this girl's FaceBook page...documenting a 18 mile run on top of Mt Laguna. This friend is an experienced marathoner/triathlete...she'll be an awesome ultra runner

also have another friend training for ultras...and this dude can really run. he's run with the indians down in Copper Canyon (Mex)...before it was hip to do that. talented runner...when he gets his milage up...he'll be tough to keep up with...an animal...a machine

well....I have to actually work today. Forget sometimes..but I have bills

** In a few more yrs...the plan is for the wife and me to head to Viet Nam and start working our way through SE Asia. Our American Dream has little to do with 'merica...more to do with...fuck this madness. chill out

 

[Crusader Rabbit]

prepare to be surprised then. i was bunny hopping it down through one rocky section,even a mini tail whip or two..

Does the spinning inertia of those big wheels help get the bike moving in the new direction when the wheels set back down on the ground?

 

[unclefishstick]

more the crazy amount of traction the tires offer but inertia certainly plays a roll...but like everything on bikes it gives with one hand and takes with the other..it was a beast to hurk that bike around and i was feeling it when i got done,had to eat twice,that bike burns huge amounts of calories...i still did 10 miles of singletrack in just under an hour...plus a 16.4 mile round trip on the roads to get there,1800 feet of total climbing...700 on the trails

 

[Jericho Mile]

Going again..

Going again..

I'll clock myself 8 miles down Secret Canyon..then flip the bitch..and head back out...solid 16. Weather is brilliant...be a beautiful day running along..in the pine creek wilderness. No mechanization allowed...not even for maintaining the trail..nothing but loppers and hand tools cut the pattern. Forest Service doesn't want much traffic on it...even though it is used by the coyotes (human kind) to bring in migrants....as far as public use..they don't want big group outings or any events being held on the trail (no races). Access was made available in just the last couple yrs..before that it wasn't marked or maintained.

I used to run it...when it was...overgrowing and the routing very confusing...now it's marked, cut, and wonderfully perfect for running....and the migrant traffic mostly moved further east (not that I've ever had problems with them)...still not a place to make a stupid mistake though. The terrain is tough/exposed...and I've usually been very isolated when running down there.

...get those footfalls in today...cruise 8-10 milers the rest of the week...probably take Friday off..then Saturday will be distance day..go full ability for the 32 miles. It's going to be an event

 

[Jericho Mile]

run until the watch beeps Lap 8

run until the watch beeps Lap 8

wondered where it would sound. what it did...what 8 miles down canyon from the north trailhead propose is probably the harder miles of the trail. It's hung up...mostly on the side slopes of hills..but will in fact draw way back in drainage tops and cross the creek a few times..way way down below



^ 8 miles hung me up here...making a steady descent into the creek bottom. In the picture it is possible to see the trail appearing further down in the distance..and on the other side of the creek.

anyway...smoked a bowl..snapped this picture and started the climb back up canyon.



^ few pictures of the terrain around me..on this run. Plenty of steep side drainages (I've never been up them nor think they are named. when we are not in drought..they are flowing pools and waterfalls)...lots of sun...the trail flinging itself all over the place. If you wanted...you could run these confluences down into Mexico...and then stay in those mountain ranges and come out around Ensenada. That would be a serious trip.

several canyons empty out..in the same place..so back in the day...these canyons were of importance to anyone living in the backcountry. Not only as water sources...but also as a topographical friendly pathway in and out of Mexico. Shady happenings have been a part of these canyons for many years...from rustling cattle and horses to bringing in migrants and narcotics. I could explore this area for years and still not find every hidden drainage...every little trail

 

[Jericho Mile]

more

more



^ Different sections of trail. There's a lot of rolling stuff...but then it will abruptly end...and pitch up hill or pitch down hill...either way..you need to make quick adjustments or eat shit. Some sections are twisted in tight switchbacks...which make going up or down..a lot of work...having to keep foot strikes tight and rapid and the knees lifting up high...other sections are buried in years of oak leaves covering rounded rocks and christ knows what else...and still...other sections lean into the hillside so that I have to run within that lean. There are sharp rocks and yucca plants to fall into...no shortage of either of those...plenty of shit to catch a foot on..plenty of slippery sections...all the fun and games

not sure why this trail kicks my ass so much. It's not the hardest trail I run...but I've put in 3 different 16 mile runs on this trail:

1. North to South complete trail

2. South to North complete trail

3. 8 mile out and back from the North end

my times are never good...and I always feel like it was longer than 16 miles....beats me up. and now...what?....saturday I'm going to run it North to South-South to North for the full 32. It's going to be some kind of shit show...no way it won't be...it's going to hurt big time. I'm seriously going to need to get into my cocoon early on..stay in an efficient energy flow...be soft on my feet..and let everything go. If I fail to do that...these ass beater hills will have their way on my day



^ Piece of "China Wall"....back in the late 1800's they had Chinese work gangs out here constructing a flume. The plan was to dam the valley above...creating a reservoir and the flume would take the water all the way down to San Diego. So..yeah this is a hurried and not a very good picture...but the trail actually goes into the cut for a few miles...following sections of the walls.

Talk about hard work. Those poor bastards....all for not..as the project never bloomed into reality. Can't even imagine what the wages were..but probably close to slavery. I've got a lot of respect for those Chinese....but I doubt anyone could tell you who they were. gone gone gone....but their wall is still there. cool shit

 

[unclefishstick]

theres got to be some fine mountain bike trails there...well i know there are since theres an article about them in dirt rag this month,and they mention many of the same places you have recently talked about....lost focus there for a second,just getting back from riding,it was frickin cold on the way home until the road started climbing again but i was shivering for the first few miles...i guess that will happen after 30 miles on 2 bananas...kitchen timer went off,im getting to be positively pavlovian about that sound...yup,getting mildly bonky,im rambling....time to eat...

 

[Jericho Mile]

theres got to be some fine mountain bike trails there...well i know there are since theres an article about them in dirt rag this month,and they mention many of the same places you have recently talked about....lost focus there for a second,just getting back from riding,it was frickin cold on the way home until the road started climbing again but i was shivering for the first few miles...i guess that will happen after 30 miles on 2 bananas...kitchen timer went off,im getting to be positively pavlovian about that sound...yup,getting mildly bonky,im rambling....time to eat...

Here's exactly what I ran on today:

2 pieces of toast with peanut butter on them

a couple handfuls of cold pasta

1 banana

1 mug of green tea with canned coconut milk added

1 nutri bullet large mug of veggie/fruit juice (wife made me)

1 can 16.4 oz of coconut water

^ before run

During run:

2 Medjool dates

3 20oz bottles of water with coconut electrolyte powder in them

2 salt capsules

According to my watch I burned through 1450 calories....I'd say that's ballpark


yeah man....you'd love the trails out here. Noble Canyon shows up on YouTube all the time...crowded about every weekend. Lots of medical rescues out of that canyon...people get fucked up big..seen it more than a few times. It's killed a couple bikers over the years. about killed me once or twice...mean bitch

yeah.........................................a good day

 

[unclefishstick]

i was on the fat bike too,that thing burns calories like crazy and i went the hard way up the trail tonight so im figuring around 1000 calories an hour if not more that bike burns...im gonna fly on the single speed later in the week,its going to feel like riding a feather since it weighs like 12 lbs less than the fat bike,and activates a different set of muscles...its been a great combo to train on,the fat bike will whip your ass into shape fast,and single speed is no gimme either...a week on the fat bike and im totally vein popped and slimmed down,ready to get angry at those climbs and start yelling at them,single speed is just like that...
gave a dude some buds tonight,another single speed rider,really strong,super fit,great chocolate lab,gonna give me some coaching on technical riding and help break down the last of my rock phobia,and just getting to watch another rider navigate the rock gardens will help since ive done everything on my own so far with only a few mountain biker articles to pick up the basics...just tonight i put some of that into action on a tight downhill switchback...i could never make it without locking up the rear wheel,thats bad,brakes work well enough these days you should almost never lock the wheel and skid,just bad technique,i consider a ride ruined if i lock the brakes up...anyway,nailed it tonight,all that reading paid off finally and i remembered to turn my head in the line of intended travel and i zipped around no problems....now im babbling because im high...

 

[Run4theCure]

Hi there my big inspiration. Just stoppin by to see what youre up to and to steal some xp ..Cant remember if i told you but i did not try the 50 k.just took the trial maraton and broke my pr with 14 min..I have lots of excuses but not a usefull one to why i did not try out the last couple of miles..I just think my mind wasent with me to be honest..I just finished the Born to run book.. good reading and im now more keen then ewer to try a ultra run..I stepped up my training..so fare this month i been running damn good..120 km so fare and im going to my 7 maraton race on saturday...after 10 races i have a 50-100 km run i will try..its 10 stages on 10 km..its a social run so we run together on 5 min pr km..i thinks its a good race to start with. Awesome feeling it is to make other peeps joing the "running" club..I my self and I, work alot with this..My target audience is pot heads ..I must be awesome to have a "raramuri" Friend , you cant get a better running partner then him and maybe he can hook you up with some of the real raramuri peeps...thats must be a dream come true. Anyways,nothing new here.well after reading that book i been training real barefoot run...no glowes but on astfalt road i still use my glowes.. KEEP RUNNING CHAMP

 

[Run4theCure]

Have u tried to make pinole "breads" ? And iskate? When i make Pinole breads i add some himalaya salt, a bit to much , cuz we need it ..Himalaya salt is very rich on minerals so its better then other salts..Iskate is always nice..i used to make it with chia seeds and just water ..now i add lemon and brown sugar or honey if i have

 

[Jericho Mile]

Have u tried to make pinole "breads" ? And iskate? When i make Pinole breads i add some himalaya salt, a bit to much , cuz we need it ..Himalaya salt is very rich on minerals so its better then other salts..Iskate is always nice..i used to make it with chia seeds and just water ..now i add lemon and brown sugar or honey if i have

honestly don't eat a lot of bread..other than corn tortillas. I eat corn tortillas every day. I do like the Himalayan salt as well...and ate spoonfuls of Chia seeds before going to bed last night..and this morning..when I got up. Also use lots of lemons in my diet...for minerals and as an alkalizer. No sugar or honey for me. still avoiding it.

I've been sleeping good...but it is broken up in to segments. depending on the day...I might go to bed at 10 PM...get up at 3 for a couple hrs...then go back to bed until 8 AM...or just stay awake. I don't need many hrs of sleep...but when I sleep...it needs to be a deep sleep

don't think to much about distances...just jump in and see what happens. that's all I'm doing. if I gear myself to go 50 miles..I'll go 50 miles...I don't even question that. i don't support the word "try"...or its message...I'd rather forget everything around me...slip into my world...and grind out an outcome. over thinking distances does one....no good. stay fueled....stay trained...and go

if you end up mangled off to the side of the trail....well..at least you have been given an answer. if you run like the wind...so then..you have been given an answer. distance is a world into itself

I'll be doing it again with this training run I have this weekend. No pressure...it's only a brutal run amongst brutal and experienced runners. I may be in way over my head...as I'm not curbing my training much..coming up to this run. can't seem to stop wanting to get out and run. finish up some things...and probably go out late this afternoon for a short stretch run

my hips are hurting...my hamstrings are pinging, cramping, and sending out needle pains....my IT bands are pulling on my knees and torquing my hips....I'm never going to escape these affects...no matter what I do...

basically lessen them by staying on them...nurse them where i can. pay to play

 

[Jericho Mile]

stepping off the ledge

stepping off the ledge

received an e-mail. Accepted the invitation to race the San Diego 100 Mile....June 6-7. The course runs through the Laguna and Cuyamaca mountain ranges...and can be an extremely hot race (in 2013 temps were near 100 degrees...60% of the field dropped). I'm in. wow...time to seriously face the music...be real

going to stay with my belief system: No pacers No crew

get past this "shitting my pants" stage...and keep putting in the work. all there is to do now. i knew i'd get in. didn't think it would be so early though. wow wow wow...it's a reality

 

[Run4theCure]

Good wind on the upcomming race.. Its not "bread" its corn i switch on a pan for 5 min then i add water,lemon,cinnamon, chia seeds and brown sugar . I baked them for 15 min in the oven , 350 fahrenheit. Its like some soft rubber crackers you can bring with u on the long runs..Its like an energy bar just better and homemade. What do you use a sweet in what u eat when u dont do honey or sugar ? fruits?

 

[Jericho Mile]

Good wind on the upcomming race.. Its not "bread" its corn i switch on a pan for 5 min then i add water,lemon,cinnamon, chia seeds and brown sugar . I baked them for 15 min in the oven , 350 fahrenheit. Its like some soft rubber crackers you can bring with u on the long runs..Its like an energy bar just better and homemade. What do you use a sweet in what u eat when u dont do honey or sugar ? fruits?

ok...yes that sounds good. I'll have to look into that. I love corn..but find it more and more difficult to find unadulterated...non GMO corn products. Even the tortillas I eat...even though they claim to be organic and non GMO...I can't believe it. Corn has become one of the most modified products on the market...and it being wind pollinated..I find it hard to believe they can still claim non GMO. Even buying corn seed these days...less and less variety available. I know this for a fact.

no additive sweeteners at all. I've been taking in my sugar through fruits. Sugar as an additive is unnecessary and not very healthy. If you can stay moderate with it...that's one thing...but I'm a sugar addict and can not control myself....so I've cut it out of my diet. I have intense cravings for it every day. Been about a month since I gave it up. Not my first time trying to quit...it's the only additive in my life..that I've been unable to stop using cold turkey. a daily struggle within myself.

* woke up..just after 4 AM this morning...because my left hip flexor and IT band were aching...throbbing with each heartbeat. Not a sharp pain....just one that is constant and annoyingly uncomfortable. So out of bed to begin my day. Get some real world work accomplished and then go take care of the Canna garden.

** Now that I'm registered to race the SD 100M...I can relax in that new reality...and continue on with my plans to accomplish all the official ultra race distances in SD county (San Diego Utra Slam...which earns the finishers jackets) for the 2015 race year. When registration opens up next month for the Cuyamaca 100K (62.5 miles...something like that) I'll be signing up.

My current race schedule:

11 April : Oriflamme 50K

25 April: Lost Boys 50M

09 May: Pacific Crest Trail 50M * part of the ultra slam series

06 June: San Diego 100M * part of the ultra slam series

Spring is just around the corner....it's getting closer to crunch time. A long journey ahead of me

EDIT: ok..did some research on pinole. Yes...I recall reading about it before. I'll have to shop around for some quality cornmeal. My family is member of a co-op that delivers foods to a private location...where we pick it up once a month or every other month. allows us to buy cheaply...in bulk...and usually they provide quality..organic foods. see what i come up with.

One problem I have with stuff like this is whether or not it dries my mouth out on the trails. Sometimes I can't swallow powdery or dry foods when deep into a run (past 15 miles)...because my mouth and throat are already parched from a dry climate and water..of course..is a precious commodity..so washing it down can be too taxing. Another issue is whether or not foods can be easily carried in my waist belt pack...without breaking apart or making a sticky mess...because as the miles slip by....the stuff I'm carrying gets mashed around and compressed.

Finding quality cornmeal may be a problem. My neighbor grows and mills his own corn crop...because it's so difficult now days to get away from the GMOs in the corn crop population. I...however...can't see taking up all the garden space with corn when : #1 it is a hit or miss crop in my gardening environment and #2 I'd have to grow a lot of it to make milling worth the effort. That being said...if my neighbor sold his cornmeal (it comes from a blue variety of corn)...I'd gladly buy it. as it is...he makes me some corn bread once in a while...but he insists on using sugar in his recipe....so....even that...I can no longer do

EDIT again: I was making up some bean tacos....so I read the ingredients of the tortillas I use: corn, water, and lime (not the fruit)...pretty much what is used in the cornmeals I was looking at. Of course..I can't run with tacos....and I can't use corn tortillas to make burritos (as they crumble)....so I'm thinking that I won't be able to do much with anything corn related on the trails. Before and after runs....yes...been eating that diet for years now.

 

[Jericho Mile]

Clouds rolling in

Clouds rolling in

Looks like the weather is switching up. Should have comfortable (temps in the 60's) running weather for Saturday's even grip of miles. That will make going the last 16 miles a bit easier on my water supply (I'll run with 3 20oz water bottles)....water being my main concern on this voyage. I won't go through 3 bottles in the opening 16 miles...but I'll need 3 for the last 16...as the miles and hours will have taken their toll. My plan is to make sure all 3 are emptied/drunk at the 1/2 way point turnaround and then completely top them off..for the...return trip. Hopefully...that works..and I don't run out until the end. The club is having a picnic after the runs....weeeeee look at meeeeeee being a social runner



^ experiment continues. these Queen Moxie flowers are on day 52. I quit feeding them on day 43. The Queen Moxie clone doesn't turn into a dark green leafed plant...until she goes into flower. I thought it might be that I was overfeeding her N during flower...but have decided that...no...it's just the way she plays out. I've seriously cut down on nutrients...still...she flowers out the same....goes a long ways on very little



^ couple examples of the Old Time Moonshines I'm flowering in their 1.7 gal veg squares. They are on day 36...just coming off a 3 day cycle of flushing (pH 6.0 RO water with 15mil of Clearex added per gal).....they'll dry out for a light cycle...then I'll resume feeding for 3 days...then back to flushing for 3....see where they are after that. That'll take them into their mid 40's...and I might just put them into finishing flush from there out...or if they need...I'll do another 3 day feed cycle and continue on. Probably 65 day expressions.

* these examples: the plant on the left was not topped and is about the average height of the plants I'm flowering in the 1.7 gal squares (there are 4 plants I'm flowering this way)....under 3' tall. The plant on the right has been topped and has always been the shortest plant of the population (the one I thought was a male)

I pulled these 2 out because the other 2 are tied in to the rafters..and I didn't want to bother them. They look just like these though...nothing different.

** I'm hoping to finish these off as house plants. that is to say: I'll pull them out of the flowering studio as they start the finishing flush..and finish blooming them in natural winter light spectrums..by moving them around my back deck (and inside by a sliding glass door..if the weather gets cold) during the day...and into a mostly dark room at night. That will gain me flowering space...and allow these girls something other than HPS spectrums.

Not hardly any stretch at all...no...if I'd not elevated their squares onto 5 gal buckets...they'd have been fucked out of the lights.

*** Smell wonderful....like a musky berry perfume. Blue Line aromas abound. Looking way forward to harvesting and making some hash

 

[Run4theCure]

Your´e mean machine champ... About the swallow /dryness thing when running and eating..maybe if u add some juicy fruits slice in the pinole "bread"/ rubber cracker, it might be more easy to swallow...Maybe some pineappel or lemon, berries? You can also drink Pinole but i think its more difficult then swallow the rubber cracker...Today i had a small run with my rottweiler just to stretch out a lil. Tommorow is maraton day

 

[Jericho Mile]

Your´e mean machine champ... About the swallow /dryness thing when running and eating..maybe if u add some juicy fruits slice in the pinole "bread"/ rubber cracker, it might be more easy to swallow...Maybe some pineappel or lemon, berries? You can also drink Pinole but i think its more difficult then swallow the rubber cracker...Today i had a small run with my rottweiler just to stretch out a lil. Tommorow is maraton day

Yes. I'll mess around with it. Just a frustrating thing when you want to uptake calories (like at an aid station) and find yourself unable to swallow them down. Dates and Bananas go down about as good as anything...and only take a swallow of water to completely wash down.

During my last race...at one of the aid stations...they had peanut butter sandwiches...and man..I really wanted to eat one down..but it just stayed dry in my mouth until..I spit it out in frustration. From there on out...I just ate bananas and a potato slice. Potatoes are great run foods.

* this morning..woke up at 3 AM...ate an apple with some water..and went back to bed. When I woke back up at 7:30..the wife made me some toast and green tea.

Well...I cheated and had some organic maple syrup in my tea (2 tablespoons)...my wife actually added it...as I wasn't feeling any energy at all. wow....it was like a switch was turned on...now I feel better and my energy has returned. so....I don't know how I'm going to manage this sugar thing...

** Wife and I are going down the hill for a couple hrs....eat a big breakfast somewhere...and go to the grocery store..then I'm going to eat all day and get myself ready for tomorrow. No running.

Have fun with your marathon. Run strong.