Gear review - St. Jude mechanical aortic heart valve

What? A aftermarket heart valve review? Seriously?

That's right kids, I'm actually qualified to review such things. Just about 3.5 years ago (March 2009), I had my fleshy, defective aortic valve replaced at the tender young age of 35. In it's place, I got a nice shiny new mechanical valve from the good people at St. Jude Medical.

This is what resides in my chest.

My leaky valve was well on it's way to putting me 6 feet under. My Dr. said maybe a year before I experienced congestive heart failure and death. So, as terrible as the surgery was (and it was no joy ride), I'm very glad to still be around and enjoying life, friends and family awhile longer. In fact, it may sound trite, but this was maybe one of the best things to ever happen to me. Not only did it extend my life, but I found a renewed joy in experiencing it. I never ran races, hiked big mountains or climbed rocks before. Now I know life is short and you have to get out there and live it while you can.

Who wants to see an x-ray of this madness? I thought so.

The ring in the middle is the new valve. The "butterflies" are metal wires
holding my sternum together.
The long  strings are the wire pace maker leads. Good times!

Since the surgery my heart has shrunk, in a good way. The leaky valve had put me on the high end of a normal sized heart, as it was being overworked. Now I'm nicely in the middle range of normal. My only real complaint is the noise. It's like having a clock ticking away in your chest sometimes. You get used to it, but sometimes if I'm having a hard time falling asleep I'll hear it and I'll have to flop around to find a spot where my heart will settle deep into my chest and muffle the ticking. Usually this is flat on my back. But it's fun at parties. I've had several people tune in on it and say "I can hear you ticking!".

Also, as a result, I have to take warfarin, an anticoagulant, to be sure there's no nasty blood clots and/or strokes in my future. This hasn't been a problem for me however. I've gotten a couple good cuts and bumps and haven't noticed any increased bleeding or bruising. It took several months to really get it dialed in, but it's been steady for a good while now. The trick is to be consistent in your diet. If you decide you're going to start (or stop) eating a bunch of vegetables, then you'll want to keep a close monitor on it. I rarely have to have a blood test more than once a month and I don't even really feel them anymore.
In contrast, while I was in the hospital, they were doing blood draws every 6 hours... for 8 days!

So there you have it. The first of the big obstacles I've overcome. Hopefully some of you stumbled across this post searching for info on a mechanical valve that you, or maybe a loved one, needs for an upcoming surgery. If so, poke around a bit and see that open heart surgery isn't an end, but a beginning to many great things to come. You only get one shot at this thing called life (unless you're a Buddhist, I guess), so get out there and enjoy it!

Thus ends the Big Obstacles motivational post for the month. ;)

New adventure - rock climbing.

Always looking for new ways to enjoy the outdoors and stay fit, I tried my hand at rock climbing for the first time ever today.

Now that my son, Kellan, is old enough to do some serious adventures, we took a beginners class from ApexEx up in Boulder, CO together. Our guide, Craig, was super cool, knowledgeable and patient with our n00bness.

After fitting up our harnesses and super uncomfortable (by design) climbing shoes, he showed us how to tie the figure 8 knot.


Photo courtesy of chockstone.org

Using such unforgetable terms as "choke the alien head and poke it in the back of the head". Which I will now always think of whenever I tie this knot.

I was amazed at how quickly we were climbing, belaying and lowering each other. It was just the 3 of us for an hour and Craig was going to advance to doing a multi-pitch climb, when he got a message on his phone that some late shows were on their way. Soon after a couple of 20 something young ladies showed up, but they had some previous climbing experience, so soon we were all up to speed.

Unfortunately the multi-pitch climb was abandoned, but we then began to send up 2 climbers at a time on the 3 ropes craig had anchored. Unfortunately, Kellan didn't get an opportunity to lower anyone. Being 90 pounds soaking wet with bricks in his pockets, Craig was going to show us how to use a ground anchor so he could lower my 180 pound frame, but with the new comers we didn't get to it. Instead, we got a chance to do some repelling instead and that was very cool as well.

Another cool thing we learned, which is common in some team shooting drills as well, was the command and confirm terms. A 3-2-1 structure, based on syllables. The idea being that, even if you can't hear the exact words said by your partner, due to wind or distance or whatever, you could pick out the syllable count.
3: On Belay! Said by the person belaying the climber signaling that he's ready. 2: Climbing! Said by the climber, signaling he's ready to ascend. And 1: Climb! Said by the belayer, confirming a go ahead to ascend.

We had a great time and look forward to learning more and climbing more together. If you're in CO, and interested in rock climbing, check out ApexEx. They hav some great prices and our guide, Craig, was top notch!

Tips and tricks for obstacle racing

Allow me to share with you a few things I've learned running on the obstacle race circuit. Also be sure to check out my race checklist for more tips on what to bring. This post will focus more on the race experience itself.

• Train regularly. This doesn't have to be "race training" with tons of miles running endless laps around your local track. Just work out 4-5 days a week. Don't expect to start training a week before a race and do well. Make being fit an everyday part of your life. Cross-fit type training is great. Throw in some high intensity cardio, jump rope, boxing, running etc. and you'll be good to go.
• Practice explosive movements. Jumping, high and fast. Plyometrics. Learn to be quick and strong.
• Upper body strength. This is more important on tougher races like Spartan, but isn't going to hurt you anywhere. Think pull-ups, rope climbs, monkey bars.
• Get some good gear. Sure you can run in a pair of old tennis shoes and cut off jean shorts, but getting quality gear goes a long way.
• Run the first heat. This is huge if you want to be competitive, and absolutely necessary in some races to be eligible for trophies. Many people are intimidated by the first heat (I was), but it's the way to go.
• Commit to the obstacle. Your best bet to pass people, especially the hard core runners, is to complete the obstacles quickly and cleanly, but...
• Know when to take your time! I've botched some "easy" balance obstacles by rushing too much. This is especially important for races that invoke penalties for failing.
• Steady pace wins the race. Most of those guys who charge full blast right out the gate will be walking at the first hill. Race smart, know your pace and keep it steady. You'll be passing those guys soon.
• Prepare. Don't drink 6 beers the night before the race. I try not to drink alcohol for at least a week prior to a race and I start to pre-hydrate and carboload 2-3 days before the run. Clear your head and focus on the task ahead.
• Run down the damn hills! I can't believe how many people I see walking on downhill sections. Yeah, you're tired, but it's not that much more difficult to run downhill.
• Push yourself. There's nothing more frustrating than missing a placement by 10 seconds. If only you'd "insert tried harder detail here", you'd have placed 3rd! That said, don't kill yourself out there either.
• Breath from your gut. You distance runners know this, but I learned it the hard way. In fast paced races with obstacles, it's common to breathe shallow and get a stitch in your side. If you feel it coming on, take some breaths from your diaphragm.
• Don't alter your routine. If you don't normally do something, don't do that before a race. I don't normally drink energy drinks. Before the Muddy Buddy I decided to drink one. I felt "off" the whole race with serious nervous butterflies in my stomach. Not fun. On the other hand, if you drink coffee every morning, do so on race day as well. Otherwise you may feel very tired. I know I do.
• Embrace the suck. I often ask myself, at around the first mile mark, "WTF am I doing out here?". Embrace it, push through and get your mind right. Inevitably you'll get that rhythm or 2nd wind soon after the suck phase. Don't stop, never quit, it's worth it at the end.
• Wait for a Groupon, Google offers, Living Social, Black Friday, etc. deal. Signing up a full year in advance for Spartan, at $40, was more expensive than their Groupon deal 6 months later. Unless you have to run a certain race and a certain heat, bide your time. They want to fill up spots, so deals are out there if you look and are patient. 
• Have fun! Hey, I know this post sounds rough and all "Go, go go!", but that's because that's how I motivate myelf. Don't forget to have some fun out there. Meet some people. Run with a friend. Stick around and swap stories with other racers in the fairgrounds. If you see me, buy me a beer. ;)

I hope this had been somewhat informative. Hopefully it has helped you in some small way to get a better finish at your next race. If you've some tips and/or tricks or your own, drop me a comment!

Obstacle race checklist - What to bring?

I've been getting a lot of questions on this, so I thought I'd sum up what has and hasn't worked for me.
The items have culminated from running the several Spartan Races, Tough Mudder, Rugged Maniac, Warrior Dash, Devil Dash and many other OCR type races. This should serve well in just about any obstacle race, mud run, etc.

So what should you bring to your next obstacle race?

Printable checklist HERE!

Full size PDF at the link above.

1. Lightweight, non cotton shorts (or pants). I prefer the something with pockets myself, but pretty much any running shorts (or compression pants if it's cold) will do.
2. Trail running shoes. I ran my first 2 races in trainers and it was OK, but something with some knobby bottoms helps a lot, there's a ton of options out there. Some people rock the Vibram 5 Fingers type shoes, but they are not for me.
3. Running shirt. Make it a synthetic or tech tee type. Cotton shirts will bog you down. There are a lot of abandoned, mud caked cotton shirts out on the courses. Alternatively, consider running without a shirt, or for you ladies in a sports bra.
4. Your picture ID. I saw some people get turned away at the Spartan trying to get on to the military base without IDs.
5. Full change of clothes. Socks, underwear, shorts, shirt or whatever you normally wear.
6. Clean shoes, sandals or flip-flops. Some races have flip-flops if you donate your shoes, but most don't. Bring something to wear after you get out of those nasty running shoes.
7. Trash bags. I bring 2, since inevitably someone else forgets one. Good for stashing you muddy duds, post race.
8. Towel. Self explanatory, right?
9. 2 gallons of water. The showers at these events can be inadequate, freezing cold, or out of order. Unless you run the 1st heat, expect long lines. I prefer to head back to the car and wash up with the bottled water, towel off, change clothes and head back to the fairgrounds. Pro tip: Let the water sit in the sun on your dashboard.
10. Sunscreen. I've seen my share of lobsters wander off the course.
11. Marker. Some races, require you to write various numbers on your body. Also handy for signing the race wall. Pro tip: use the marker before the sunscreen.
12. Electrolytes or drinking water. To help replenish post race.
13. 1st Aid. A couple ibuprofen (or the like) right after will help with soreness and/or inflammation. Also, we had a racer with a deep barb wire gash and the 1st aid station didn't have band-aids! Be prepared to aid yourself.
14. Cash. For parking, food, beer, swag or whatever. Don't count on credit card machines or ATMs.
15. Misc. protective gear. I wear a slip on knee support sleeve for my bad knee and started wearing one for my other knee just for padding. I've seen elbow pads on folks too, but I don't think I'd go that far. I also started wearing over the calf socks at the more intense races. I tried gloves once and they were more hinderance than help, but some folks like them.
16. Drinking water. Sometimes I like to have water on the course with me. I find the small 8oz. water bottles work well, as you can slip them in your pocket to climb obstacles. For longer races, I'll carry a small water bladder. Most races have a few water stations, but some don't, or there will be long lines.
17. Blanket and/or large towel. This is especially helpful if you plan to wash up and change at your car. At best the parking lot will be be dirty, at worst it will be lava hot asphalt. A cheap army surplus wool blanket works well to stand on as it won't soak up the water you're rinsing off with. Use the large towel to cover your nakedness while changing clothes.

So how do I put this all together?  I put the drinking water and anything else I want to keep cool (fruit, protein drink, whatever you're into) in a small cooler in the trunk of the car. I put the water water jugs on the dash in the sun, so they will be warm when I need to wash off after the race. Be careful though, the direct sun in Vegas made the water scalding hot! Use your best judgement.

Keep your ID and on course drinking water handy (you did fill out your race waiver right? No? Don't worry they have tons of them at check in), jam everything else in a brightly colored gym bag and take it to the bag check. A bright bag comes in handy here because amongst the 11ty million black gym bags checked in, it's easier to spot yours after the race. I also zip tie my checked bags closed for good measure. 

If parking is close, I usually just stash it in all in the car and use a lock box to put my keys in that I attach to my car frame/bumper. I like to lock up my phone, wallet, watch, jewelry, what have you, in my glove box, but I've also checked all this stuff with my gym bag without issue. Racers are generally good people.

On more than one occasion I've gone with ID and waiver to check-in, then back to the car to stash my ID and whatever. The buses run fast early in the day, but expect long lines in afternoon at the bigger events. If parking is within walking distance, then all the better.

New Page - Race Reviews

It's up there at the top. Or you can click here to check it out.

I'll post more as we progress along. Trying to put them in order of difficulty, in my opinion, but don't hold me to that. Let me know if you think I left out something and I'll get it in there.

Muddy Buddy podium finish!

Vial of mud is a nice touch.

That's right kids, your humble buddies of Team Live Badass took 3rd in men's open at the Boulder Muddy Buddy run last Sunday.

Not bad for old dudes.

The victory was bitter sweet though. My race partner, Dave, managed to acutely sprain his ankle a mere 22 hours before the race. For the Muddy Buddy, you have to race as a 2 person team, no singles allowed. Fortunately our friend, fellow racer and training partner, Billy was there when it happened and I managed to convince him to take Dave's place.

We frantically tried to get Bill up to speed and I contacted the race staff via email to get the buddy change pushed through. The deadline for changes is one week prior to race day, but I pled my case all this via one single email from me. It was Saturday night and I didn't figure I'd get a response before go time at 0645 the next morning.

So we devised a devious plan, where Dave would go with us, hobble through registration, and Billy would have to race under Dave's name. The high school girls running registration weren't paying too much attention and we got through easily.

So up to the line it was and Billy and I got off to a good start. This race is a lot more about running and less about the obstacles. It may surprise you, coming from a guy who writes a blog on racing, but I'm not the greatest runner. I can run OK, and for a decent distance, but even though I'm 6'2" tall, I'm not all that fast. Billy on the other hand, has a long stride and I played catch up most of the 4.5 miles the course followed.

Obstacles were few, mostly rope ladders, and often too close together for my liking, leaving long stretches of running. There are a couple interesting balance obstacles where you have to lean on or hug your partner to get through. Also, being at Boulder Reservoir, the course utilized the water quite a bit, including a pretty good stretch of about 75 yards to cut across the lake.

A few groups got way out ahead of us, but we stayed out front pretty well. Often leap frogging the same teams a few times. We attacked the obstacles well and would pass a team, then my slow running would get us passed by them on the straights.

We knew we finished well, but didn't think we did as good as we did. It always surprises me how good we do on these things and afterwards I think about how I could have pushed just a little harder. The current goal is to get my running form up to Billy speed for the Devil Dash in September.

We were surprised when we saw the posted results.

As always, a great time with good friends. Looking forward to the next one and maybe taking that first place finish for once.

Gear Review - Under Armour 6" Tactical training shorts

I picked up a pair of UA's HeatGear Tactical 6" shorts in basic black for racing. The are as light as it gets and wick away the moisture of obstacle racing very well. The idea being I want as little drag as possible, so nothing cotton can travel with me.

I cringed a bit at the price tag (they retail for about $40 in my area and I was pressed for time), but figured I'd give them a shot. I was a little hesitant at my first race with them, as I'd never worn this type of shorts with their built in "panties". I'd also never run an obstacle race before, so the fear of me baring myself to the world in full glorious nudity gnawed at my mind a bit.

But I cinched them up tight and went for it in true minimalist style with shorts, no shirt, short socks and shoes. They stayed on perfectly and nakedness was never an issue. They dry out quickly on the run portions and never feel bogged down with water or mud and clean up well. At the Spartan I snagged them on some barbed wire, and figured they'd come apart in the wash, but after 3 races and a handful of training days, the material has held even under things like the long slide at Run For Your Lives. I figure maybe the "tactical" name comes from the rip stop type material they are made of.

To sum up. Great shorts for obstacle training. Light, durable, comfortable and well worth the money.

Need a sprint race workout?

Here's a little something I've been toying around with for while. Should be helpful if you plan to compete in any race that requires sprinting, such as Run For Your Lives!

If you've never done RFYL, it has zombies who chase you and you are forced to sprint, even when you really don't want to. To help prepare yourself try this little workout. I'm basing it on a quarter mile track, but anywhere will work.

Warm-up:
1/4 mile light jog followed 3-5 minutes jumping jacks or jump rope. Rest/stretch 1 minute.

Get to work:
1/4 mile jog at race pace and immediately sprint the track's straightaway section, finish the 2nd 1/4 mile at race pace.
Drop and give me 10-20 burpees!
Up and around the 1/4 mile again, try to maintain race pace if you can.
Sprint the straight and finish the 2nd 1/4 at race pace.
Now into 20-40 lunges. This will simulate the hills you will probably have to walk up while catching your breath. If you have hills in your area, or around your track, hike up and back down one instead if you want, or mix up the 2.
Sprint the straight and finish the 1/4 mile at race pace.
Drop and give me 10-20 push-ups.
Sprint the straight and finish the 1/4 mile at race pace.
Wash, rinse and repeat as necessary.

For the full 5k experience, twice through the above will be 3 miles. If you're track (or wherever) has goal posts, or a jungle gym near by, toss in some pull-ups instead of push-up, or do both. Get creative and let me know your thoughts or modifications that work for you.

Gear Review: Snow Peak LiteMax titanium camp stove

In an effort to lighten my load for some longer backpacking hikes, I came across the LitMax Ti camp stove from Snow Peak. A company with all sorts of lightweight titanium offerings.

First thing, right out of the box, that impressed me was not only how incredibly light it is at a mere 1.9 ounces, but how incredibly small it is. It folds up in a well thought out minimalist design.

Literally fits in the palm of your hand.

It's super easy to use, and when combined with Snow Peak's 110 Giga Power fuel bottle, you've got a cooking system that weighs under 6 ounces total. Fantastic!

Even with the small footprint, the stove and bottle handle and heat up a large pot of water in minutes. The stove is set to put out 11,200 BTUs at max output, but I never got close to full output. After 3 days of cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner, I'd say the 110 bottle is a little under half full.

Even off center pots full of water are no match for this little stove.

Needless to say, I'm impressed. It's a very well made, well thought out piece of equipment and a great introduction to a company full of lightweight backpacking and camping items, including the venerable Titanium Spork. Looking forward to getting my hands on some more of their products in the near future, as we have a long steep trek coming up next month.

Comes in a nice little bag that you can stuff most anywhere.

Where ounces equal pounds, and pounds equal pain. If you are looking for a super lightweight, yet powerful camp stove to cut some of the weight in your pack, the LiteMax is probably just what you need.

Manitou Incline

Yesterday, my good friend Dave, took me down south to the small town of Manitou to tackle the venerable Manitou Incline. The incline consists of a 1 mile hike that goes up 2000' in elevation, with the steepest grade being reported at a nasty 68%. From the road in, the incline shows it's impressive length and grade. This trail is no joke and has taken the life of at least one man.

That's a steep trail.

We drive through the small town and I'm impressed by the number of people who are there to climb this technically illegal hike. Although this is the only illegal trail where I've seen a 'No Trespassing' sign with a donation box for trail upkeep.

Entrance to the "illegal" trail.

One thing that strikes me when we get on to the railroad ties and head up, is it looks shorter than from a distance. But this is due to a false summit right after the steepest portion. Fortunately after this false summit, the going is easier. There's several places you can peel off to the side and get some shade to rest and a few spots you can cut over to the Barr Lake trail and head back down if you feel like you're gonna die.

A few steps in. This is gonna be tough.

As usual Dave powers up and at one point was probably 50 yards ahead of me. During the steepest part, I was doing what I call "The Everest Shuffle", where I'd take about 10-15 steps, stop and rest a second, 10-12, rest, etc.

Dave and Parker The Insane Wonder Dog pulling ahead.

We passed several people of all ages on the way up and only one guy passed us. He was wearing a Heartbreak Ridge Marathon t-shirt and looked like a hard charger for sure. Some people were running back down, one guy with no shoes on. Looked like a terrible idea to me, as one slip and you could take a long tumble down some serious stairs.

Hugging the shade in the insane August heat.

I made the top at 43:23 with Dave and Parker about a full minute ahead of me.

Top of the world ma!

We hung out for a few minutes reveling in our awesomeness, then cut over to the Barr Lake trail for the hike down. After a few minutes of walking down, we figured we better run it. The trail is 4 miles long with a lot of switchbacks. Very fun to run.

Coming down.

Fun run down, but tough on the knees.

What a great bit of exercise and get stamina training for you racers. Fantastic lower body work and I'm sore from my ass to my ankles today. We feel ready to kick ass at the Muddy Buddy next Sunday.