Hiking on Popocatépetl: The dumb way

 I also enjoy hiking, remember, this blog was supposed to be about "the places I go", big ideas with minimal follow through. Well, that has to change.
So, I've been in Mexico for the majority of the past year with a giant excursion in Canada (there will be posts about that eventually, maybe on a different blog), and a few stints back into the US. My life has been a mix of boring/not-so-boring, promise.

Well, I finally had the opportunity to go with a friend here in Mexico, Javier, (a fellow I met while I was picking fruit in Canada) to make an attempt at hiking to the top of Popocatépetl, the 2nd tallest Mt in Mexico. It is an active Volcano, last erupted in 1994 and it's peak is 17,802ft over sea level. For me the idea of hiking up to a monster like this is very appealing. Turns out, it's illegal to hike on it, exactly where the point of no entry is, I really don't know. Why? Because Javier doesn't pay attention to details or plan accordingly. So, hopefully el Gobvierno de Mexico isn't reading this! 😉 But don't worry, spoiler, we didn't get too far past the tree line anyway, so I'll say technically we did nothing wrong or too dangerous.

So, to start out this misadventure, Javier didn't explain time frames well. He also packed no food or water for himself, I expected to have to supply us with some things, but seriously the guy brought NOTHING! I can't say the precise reason(s) why he thinks I was going to supply all things for him, seriously even water, but that's what happened. Coupled with the fact that he suggested a friend in the town of Tetela de Volcan take us to a trailhead, which meant we had to pay him; which Javier didn't tell me until we were already there and I couldn't get extra cash for that. The deal was supposed to be, we leave my car at Poncho's house and he drops us off and picks us up the next day at 4pm (that's what Javier told me).

traffic along the way to the "trailhead", riding in Pancho's bucket o' bolts

 Ok, so after we ran to an ATM for Javier to get some cash to pay Poncho for his services...it was raining, and again Javier didn't suggest "bring a rain cover for your backpack", and he didn't have one for himself either (no surprise), so we waited for about 30mins and decided that we didn't have enough time to hike to the "galactic cabin" near the top of the Mt, and it would be difficult hiking through the rain up a steep grade on narrow cow paths. So, we walked about 5mins to a small hut and proceeded to build a fire. Building that fire took us probably 3hrs until it reached a point that we didn't need to continue blowing on it continuously. We had a machete and did a lot of chopping to get wood chips and slivers that were dry enough to burn. With a little music from Javier's phone and the task of getting a fire going the time passed quickly and we ate our dinner and had a beer. (lesson learned, pack whiskey instead, beer takes up too much space and weight).

Random view from the Mt looking to the East I think

 

Now, he told me, it's about 15k total distance up and down the Mt, I have since decided that Javier is full of shit and doesn't know what the heck he is talking about. He also got misdirected along the way up the Mt. about 10-12 times as I recall, which I find incredible because he said he was there 8 days prior having led 2 other friends up there.

I like Javier, he is a good fellow, but seriously one of the least organized people I have ever met and I don't care if he ever reads this, I'm not letting him be the lead on a hike ever again. Point of fact, again this is an active Volcano and there is no actual trail for leisure hikes up and down this Mt. There are some roads and cow paths, but really none of this is in place for tourists. So, large parts of this hike were simply a nuisance and we were dodging piles of cow dung often.

But take it back a step to actually starting the hike the next morning, I woke up around 7/7:30am and told Javier, "wake up, let's start our day", I asked him if we had time for me to heat water over the fire to make coffee with my Aeropress, he said "if you want, sure, no problem". We finally started the hike by about 9am having spent some time to leave unneeded items in the hut since we were now just doing a day hike. So, Javier asks me to bring my bluetooth speaker up the Mt, I agree and then of course we didn't use it at all, awesome, the guy that doesn't bring water asks me to carry a speaker that we don't use while moving up to 4100m over sea level?!

Why didn't we use it? Because he didn't make sure his phone was charged before we were dropped off and he burned it up that night while we were camping, so the following day as we realize that we probably won't make it back by 4pm, he can't even get Pancho's # to call from my phone. Brilliant, the trailhead is about 6-7miles from Pancho's house and Javier then tells me at this point that we are all the way near the top of the Mt, that sometimes Pancho doesn't come because he works as a mechanic... solo en Mexico. People making deals they can't follow through on. I love Mexico, but this kind of BS I do not enjoy.

So, jumping back on the timeline again, we start hiking through dense/wet forest at 9am, we take a break in a clearing at about 11:05am to eat some Mangoes that we brought along, Javier warns me that we should turn back in 1hr because maybe it will rain. This makes little sense because by this math, even if we had started at 5am and arrived at the "Galactic Cabin" by 12pm, we still would have had no time according to Javier to attempt to go to the summit and Crater. The whole point of going up there was to make it to the penultimate point and this clown waits to tell me when we are already hiking for 2hrs that we don't have enough time from where we started. I calculate that we can push to get to the "Galactic Cabin" at least and get a view from there. Think, if we turned back then, we would have been sitting by the roadside waiting for 2-3hrs doing nothing. Again, there is no sense in what Javier says or does.

We moved out of the tall trees and walked along a road for about 1k, then cut into an area that had a broken barbed wire fence where cows roam freely, then onto another path that might have been a trail long ago but is now badly washed out from Cattle being herded up and down through here. The altitude was a challenge with the sun breaking through the clouds over 11,000ft already. We finally got a glimpse of the top of the Volcano! 

The first moment I could see the top of the Volcano, a week prior there was no snow on it

We arrived at the "Galactic Cabin", which was truly just a shack with a wooden table inside it and a few rusty pots and pans, Javier told me "they have all things for cooking up there", yea, if I wanted to get dysentery or some other equator-based mountain disease, sure. Good thing we didn't need to use that stuff, the place was filled with random food garbage and discarded plastic bottles from the cattle herders. So, it was now 1pm and the Summit was probably still 2miles up a steeper and steeper climb, I knew we wouldn't surely make it without dropping our bags and carrying only water in hand. There just wasn't time and again, Javier didn't map this out for us at all because he is basically stoned all the time. We enjoyed the view and hiked just another 400m or so further onto the volcanic sands, clouds were rolling in and out. We had a beer and enjoyed the silence and views up and down the Mt. We decided to run back down as much as we could without breaking our legs. The way down took us only 2hrs and we arrived at 3:45pm, the hike up was maybe 4.5hrs. And wouldn't you know it, Pancho wasn't there waiting! Javier said he told him "Come at 3 and wait for 1hr", apparently the guy agreed to this, but he wasn't there.

Past the tree line on Volcanic sands, 3 Amigos

 

We started walking, hitched a ride in the back of one pickup truck for about 2k, walked another 2-3k and after eating leftover tortillas, tomato and avocado, we were lucky enough to hitch another ride back to town. We still had to walk for about 45mins after that to get back to my car.

 All in all I'm glad we went, glad we were up over 4000m, but with even the slightest bit of intelligence and correct planning and we would have been able to reach the summit. Oh well, thems the breaks. 

looking West, very cloudy day up there

 Running down the Mt with approx. 20lbs on my back didn't help my quads and IT bands for the following days, but we survived. If I ever come back to the area, I'm going with a legit GPS tracker or maybe start from a place that leads to an easier approach; much better preparation, and a harness for Rocco to carry his own food!

 Live and learn. Enjoy the photos, I'll add some short videos if I can figure out why they won't upload here.

"None shall pass!"

Next to the "Galactic Cabin", not worth a photo, the Volcano in the clouds was more impressive

some briefs moment without full cloud cover

Plantar Fasciitis

"Plantar what?"
Plantar [Fa-shitis]. Yes, Plantar Fasciatis is your new favorite personal plague. This is a common condition many people areafflicted by at some point in their adult lives. Many non-athletic people will suffer from this as a result of many years of desk sitting. I'll explain soon, but first; what is the Plantar Fascia?
The Plantar Fascia is a large ligament that connects the calcaneal tuberocity to the metatarsal heads between each toe. In the image of my right foot below, I have flexed my toes back to show the thickest part of the Plantar Fascia. I found some grisly images of Plantar Fascias on the web that look like they came out of a medical school lab session. Like me, you are probably not in Medical School, so my foot will suffice for this example.

Circled with arrows pointing to it: My Plantar Fascia

So, I've been experiencing the fun mixed bag of an acute pain directly under my heel, through the middle of the plantar fascia itself, and a weird "pokey-tingling" sensation near the metatarsal heads.  I have had bouts with this problem over the past 10 years. You are reading this, so you probably have it too, welcome to the club!

Let's talk symptoms: 1-Feels like the middle of your arch is going to rip in half? 2-First step up out of bed in the morning feels like you've stepped on a bamboo shoot trap in the jungle? Sometimes it eases up after the first moments of terror, but many days it linger and aches with no end, "am I right here, Dude?"

Ok, so free advice (and feel free to gimme a $1 for this since good advice is never free), go buy a little gadget called "Foot Rubz", it's about $8-10 and you can use to massage under your PF and it will break up scar tissue and promote circulation to the area in a way that a tennis ball, frozen water bottle, or golf ball are simply just not going to be able to do. No one is paying me to tell you about this product, I'm too lazy to link up with them on this. Aside from that, you can simply get on youtube and find plantar fascia stretches and foot and lower leg muscle strengthening exercises. I'm just reminding you, "the internet knows everything". Orthotics aren't going to make it go away, pills won't do a damn thing, don't be soft! 

You have to work on that thing if you want it to stop hurting. Start thinking of your ability to walk or run without pain in the PF as part of the bigger picture, it will open your eyes to the general state of non-care that you have allowed yourself to slip into. Like your house, your need to maintain all parts of it, and your body needs the same or things breakdown and then life isn't so nice. Our bodies are our home, and if you need to walk or run, you need your Plantar Fascia to be flexible and operating well.

Your welcome, that'll be $1 :)

for the price of a shitty cup of coffee you can say "Thanks for the advice"

Lost motivation

Living as a runner... Some people truly live to run. Every hour of the day carries the consideration of when will I eat? When will I be ready to get out the door and run? I was never a full professional, although I tried to find a way to live that life. For many years, I worked in running shops, thought about running probably every 15minutes until I was actually outside and pressing a button on my watch to start the run. But time isn't kind to the body, you just don't know how you will feel after thousands and thousands of miles over many years.
In recent conversations with random people, I’ve said, “I competed for more than 20 years." Currently, it is a past tense statement. I have faded into obscurity, and that's alright. My last race was Dec of 2018. I ran a 15k in Central Park, NYC. As I'm writing this, I can't even recall the precise name of the race; I don't care enough to look on the NYRR website to see what it was called. I was happy to go and be with some friends, but I wasn't fit at all. I started too fast and paid in vicious fashion for it. I don't remember what my time was, I think just over 6:00per mile pace, but really it doesn't matter anymore.
I used to have a raging fire inside me for training and racing, but injuries have plagued me for more than 10 years and I simply got worn out by it. The rising cost of race fees, the monotony of going to some of the same local races for many years in a row, the stress of trying to earn my living and coordinate with anyone at all to have some company on a run in the concrete Jungle of Hudson County, NJ.
I met my wife along the way through it all, and priorities changed. We are in Mexico right now, and I have no regrets about not running for many months. A series of factors (mainly picking fruit in Canada for the summer, a story with many chapters for an entirely different blog I need to create)
have kept me from going, and maybe you runners/readers are wondering "But, you can just go out and jog a little." When I feel like it, I run, and that's all I can say for now. I'm healthy and haven't gained a pile of weight, I could probably tell you, "I run 50 mpw" and you would believe it.
A certain fact is that energy both physical and mental is in finite supply every day of your life. I'm focused on learning Spanish and teaching English, and being a good husband, and spending time with my new family, etc. Life is good, and I'll run again...maybe today, or tomorrow. Yes, I lost motivation to continue as a Berzerker Runner, but maybe I'll get it back...just being honest.

The 121st Boston Marathon

2:53:35. fading from mile 7...
This year's Boston Marathon was one that I truly was under-prepared for. Arguably, that statement would have been false if I hadn't fallen ill with a sinus infection and a stomach flu right before the race. It was completely in question as to whether or not I would toe the line on Monday the 17th. On the Friday prior, I was thinking about going to a hospital. By Saturday evening my intestines seemed to be regularizing, Sunday it was better but still not fully normal. Let's just leave it at that. Sunday morning I felt so weak from all of what I was going through I couldn't run a full mile and just jogged around the hotel parking lot of maybe all of 8 minutes covering possibly .75miles. That was my first attempt at a run since a short, slow, dizzying 3mile jog in a nature preserve six days earlier.
But as on Sunday evening I felt "almost normal", so I figured, this is as good as it gets and I have to try.
Another large motivator was my team. Knowing the guys we had going into the race, I figured I would be an important player in our best chance in the team competition. But Most importantly my housemate/teammate, Brendan Conway. This was his first Boston and we had traveled together to the race. In my first Boston Marathon I didn't go solo. I wasn't about to bail on him. It can be overwhelming figuring out all that crazy city marathon stuff early in the morning, and everything is better with a teammate!

Ready to go, ready or not! Brendan Conway on the left, Yours' truly on the right.

At the least, I would start the race and go as far as I could. Caution be damned! So, we left our hotel, moved the car to a train station, hopped on the T that brought us to Chinatown and walked down to the bag drop on Boylston St and then back over the the street between the Public Garden and the Common. After a little while, we were on our way to Hopkinton! Right now, I can't recall a whole lot of what we talked about along the ride, but yea I was worried. I tried my best to put on a happy face. We both knew I was a big question mark, would I finish? would I end up in a hospital?
As the time came to leave the Athlete's village, we walked/jogged toward the starting corrals and found a couple of our teammates Woody Kongsamut and Brian Weitz also waiting to jump into a toilet one last time. Woody broke off early, then the remaining three of us moved the rest of the way up toward the starting corrals. We were each in separate corrals and so I wished them luck and ran off to the last toilets to be found before the start, did what I could in there and hoped for no incidents along the way. I did see a few familiar faces that have a tradition of gathering in that small park right before the start. More good luck exchanged (By the way Patrick Walsh, if you're reading, the guy from Seattle was Jarrett Kunze and I found him moments after we parted, small world indeed).
Entering the first corral, I shimmied my way forward a bit and found the aforementioned Jarrett Kunze, another GSTC stud. I asked Jarrett, "What's the target?" He says, "2:39/40." I tell him, "I'll try to hang." I knew when I said it, that this was a bad decision for me, but this wasn't going to be a banner race for me either way. So as I am a fool, and I did a foolish thing. The race started and we were jammed up by a lot of wild action all around us, and surprisingly, we hit a slow 6:20 first mile, both of us knowing this too slow, so we picked it up into the downhill, by the 5k mark, we were back on target for a 2:39.
It was warm and I felt hot and not happy, over the next 5k I could sense this pace was not truly mine to keep, I warned him I was going to probably slip back, my 7th mile was 10 seconds off the 6th and I thought "hold this pace and you're making honest work of it", my body simply didn't agree. I held that pace for the 7th and 8th mile and then it was a bad time that got worse along the way. All in all, I've had worse days, but it sucks knowing you are doomed with 19 miles to go. (I'm smirking as I type that). Sadly for Jarrett's part, I passed him around the 18th mile as he was walking up one of the infamous Newton Hills, for him the wheels came off in vicious fashion.
So, yea, I fought the good fight, and it just wasn't my day. I didn't stop for anything, but I was passed by a lot of people and that is a humbling pain that sometimes you must suffer in this sport. Like the truckers say "Sometimes you're the windshield, and sometimes You're the bug!"
There was a lot of dumping of water over my head along the way, smearing cold water under my arms and on my thighs, whatever I could do along the way to stay cool. As usual, the crowds were incredibly supportive and supplemented the aid stations with wet paper towels, orange slices, bottles of cold water, ice cubes, ice pops. Incredible, absolutely incredible. I love the Boston Marathon, love it! Take a look at splits and images below. I finished 2nd man on our team by 1 second, so that is amusing. This was one of my worse results among the seven times I've raced here, bearing zero shame in it. Again, I didn't think I could even start, I thought I would cramp up or pass out sooner or later, but it was like Hanukah or something, with enough in the tank for 1 mile I managed to run 26.2. Interesting thought-my first go in Boston was ten years prior to this year's. It doesn't feel like it's been that long...but ten years is more than a blink. I'll be back for #8 next year and my 5th in a row! Hope is alive, 2:29 is still possible. Perhaps I'll be slaying another Unicorn in September...let's have a talk with Pat McCloskey about that.

It was hot out there for a guy who was dehydrated for 3-4 straight days. 

good start but it was all a bluff

slower slower, death march city

Ladies and Gentlemen, We have lift off! That's turning on Hereford, almost 26 miles deep and I can fly!

Giving it all that was left, a proper marathon kick, as you do.

Count em! That's 7, and I ran each one of them MYSELF!

A bit closer, 07', 10', 12', 14', 15', 16', 17'  I ran each race, I deserve 7 medals because I ran 7 marathons in Boston. See how that works? Nuff said. ;)

Congratulations to all my running friends who competed, it is a difficult task no matter what happens on race day. Thanks to the many friends and strangers that cheered for me along the way, it put a smile on my face when I felt like I should quit running altogether in certain moments.
Now if my lungs clear up from this Upper Respiratory Infection, maybe I'll have some other spring/summer races to talk about. Stay tuned!

Daniels' Running Formula

If you've read a post or two on my training, you know I've talked about Daniels' Formula before. I spit "Vdot" and "I pace, M pace, T pace" around when I'm blogging here. Some of you know about him and why the Formula has made an enormous difference in running athletics. For those who do not know; if you are a runner with any goals at all, you MUST own this book!

At the Garden State Track Club annual Gala event, we were fortunate enough to have an ACTUAL Dr., Jack Daniels, attend to speak about his experiences as a modern Pentathlete and the breadth of his studies through 45yrs with many incredible athletes. So, last night, I met the man himself! He signed a new copy of his book for me! It was truly an incredible experience hearing his perspectives on training methods as he experienced them while serving in the Army in Korea and as a Pentathlon Olympics Hopeful. He went on to medal at two separate Summer Olympic Games.
He is a truly remarkable man!

The man that truly opened my eyes to proper training methods

Today I'm reinvigorated about training. Sitting to write to you about this. I'll probably ignore the first 1/2 of the Super Bowl to lay pen to paper on a official plan for my Boston Marathon training; as I've been flying by the seat of my pants for the past month on that. I'm going to make wise choices and live to fight another day, and another and another. Seeya out there!

He signed it! He signed it!

Interview with Adirondacks Marathon Champion, Matt Cheney

Hey everyone at long last I got around to talking with/about another runner here on the blog! 

I got a hold of recent Adirondacks Marathon winner, Matt Cheney. I find him to be a fascinating runner! Here's a Q and A we did! Enjoy the read!

The winner, Matt Cheney! His prize, a hand carved wooden bear!

Anis: Matt, as mentioned, we hear you won a marathon; but first, where did you grow up? Who is Matt Cheney?

Matt: I grew up in Beaver Falls, NY located a few minutes west of the beautiful Adirondack Park and about an hour south of the Canadian border. I come from the most supportive and loving family imaginable. I ran cross country and track in high school for Beaver River. I then went to college at Cedarville University where I received my degree in Geology and continued running. I currently live in Princeton, NJ with my amazing wife, Rachel. She is getting her Master's degree from Princeton Theological Seminary. I work at Princeton Running Company.

Matt and Rachel post race with Matt's time still on the clock, a blazing 2:32:06 on a tough rolling course!

Anis: Who or what led you into competitive running?

Matt: I began running when I was 7 years old. My Dad and I trained and raced together in local road races. It was during these times I found I had some natural ability and fell in love with the sport. My Dad encouraged me to run a specific race in 6th grade to see how I stacked up against some other kids my age from surrounding towns. The seed of running to win was planted after I crossed the finish line in 1st place that day.

Anis: I know you ran in college, through those years did you think you would go into marathons later?

Matt: There were a lot of trials for me in college, running-wise. I had difficulty with food, body image, injury, and disease within my family. Through it all, I trusted God and His plan for my life. I knew I had the work ethic to be a good runner. I suppose I just didn't know how to tie running into every other area of my life in a healthy, sustainable way. I did know that I longed to be out in nature for extended periods of time so the increased distances came naturally for me. 26.2 miles is a great distance to race. You learn important traits about yourself through a powerful medium such as a marathon.

 Anis: Is your training similar or different to your collegiate training methods? How so?

Matt: Thanks to my coach, wedding officiant, and long-time friend, Will, my training methods have become what some would consider, unconventional. It fits my personality absolutely perfectly. I have been vegan for well over a year now, which I see as part of my training. Also, we incorporate many taxing, long-distance sessions over the course of a build-up for a race. This is quite different from college where we would do the same workouts week after week and have many recovery days each week. Short answer: It is extremely different.

Just running up a Mountain, no big deal. Matt trains like a real man!

Anis: If you could be any animal with super powers, what animal and what super Power?

Matt: Falcon with Atmokinesis (control of the weather)

Anis: That would be incredible! Tell me, why is running important to you?

Matt:  Running gives me purpose, peace, autonomy, time to play, a chance to see the world around me, a sense of God's presence. Running cuts through everything else going on in my life. When I am moving quickly over the earth, it simplifies life and eliminates what is not important.

 Anis: In regard to runners and coaches , who do you look up to?

Mattt: I look up to my current coach, Will. He has taught me to never lock an idea or method into my mind. It is important to always evolve and treat your body like an experiment to see what works and what you can learn. Each body is unique and responds to training methods in different ways. Find what works for you. In regard to athletes, Brendan Brazier, Scott Jurek, and Kilian Jornet. Brazier's book Thrive transformed both my life and my running. I still use many vegan recipes from his book to this day. Jurek has a powerful life story that really speaks to me, he's a legend in trail running, and he's also plant-based. I enjoy Kilian's love and fervor for the world around him. He is like a little kid on the playground when running up a mountain. It is a joy to watch.

Anis: Where you live these days, what is your favorite loop or trail system?

Matt: Sourland Mountain Preserve. Rocks, hills, and geese. What's not to love?

Anis: The readers should know you enjoy a good laugh, what is your favorite Comedic film?

Matt: The Princess Bride

Anis: Inconeivable! I know you are a faithful man, can you tell us if this guides your running and life equally?

Matt: My faith in God certainly guides my running. I believe I have been given this running ability for a reason. This life is not about me. I long to use my running to share the Gospel and help individuals in need around the globe. At this point, I don't know how that will occur, but I trust God's plan and timing. It is important to see the world through God's eyes in difficult times like these. I was very moved by Kilian Jornet's plan to help the Nepalese after the devastating landslides and flash floods a few years ago. I believe running should be about giving back.

 Anis: Do you have a life goal for running?

Matt: I have many life goals for running including races, course records, and FKTs. I look forward to racing the Boston Marathon, Western States 100, and Olympic Trials among others. However, my main goal in running has already been mentioned. I want to help people in need around the globe in whatever capacity I can.

Anis: Do you think Pheidippides took walk breaks on his run to Athens from the plain of Marathon?

Matt- Pheidippides actually ran from Athens to Sparta (250 km), which is a much more impressive feat of endurance. The Spartathlon commemorates this epic journey every year. And I'm sure he, as well as every runner each year, takes walk breaks!

Anis: What is the Marathon you most want to compete in while you are on the way up the ranks?

Matt: The Boston Marathon!

Anis: I heard you are starting a coaching business, can you please tell us about that?

Matt: It is called TerraMotus Endurance Coaching. You can find me at www.terramotusendurancecoaching.com. I really want to help individuals realize their potential. We are all capable of much more than what we ask of ourselves. I want people to see that in some small way through running. I have a number of different plans to choose from. If you ever wish to talk about running or ask questions about an upcoming race, adventure, etc. feel free to email me at terramotuscoaching@gmail.com.

So there ya' have it folks! That's Matt Cheney, what a guy!!! He's a unique runner, glad to say I know the guy. Reach out to Matt if you need a coach, if I were you I would do it!

Summer's Top 5 reasons for more running

1-Warmup time is shorter
2-People are getting fitter and wearing less, the eye candy improves!
3-Jumping into some water after a hot run feel like being born again (the non-religious way)
4-A cold beer has deeper meaning after a hot run, riding the Runner's High and catching a buzz from your favorite summer brew...pure heaven. This week's selection: Left Hand Milk Stout Nitro!
5-You get to run with the sunset at 8pm just as the temps are as good as it's going to get.

Yeah, it's hot out there, but bring an insulated bottle for after or carry during if you need it. You'll survive. Have fun, be safe, see ya' out there!

Some guys I run with. Somehow I ended up being the only man to start this run with a shirt, it ended up wrapped around my hand for the last 2-3miles.

The good stuff, when I'm done running, we shall become one!