New Shoes

I have been running in Brooks Cascadias for nearly five years. I've burned through about 6 pairs. That's a lot for me. With only one exception, they have been incredible for trail running, snow running, ice running, road running and plain not running.

My good friend Pete does not run in Brooks. He has run in just about everything, pausing on Montrail for awhile. I love running with Pete, primarily because he never pushes anything on me. I hope that by now, he could say the same of me.

Several weeks ago, after running together at O'Brien, Pete let me try on his bright red Inov8s; I think they were the X talons: a minimalist trail running shoe. This means that it has very little heel cushion and very little midsole support.

They felt like nothing I've ever put on. So...... after finding a discount online store, and then adding my UMTR discount, I've temporarily taken a leave of absence from Brooks:

Zeke Makes the Big TIme

Our children take fiddle lessons from the renowned Brian Wicklund. The little kids listen to Brian's CD during playtime. Little did we realize the pervasive nature of blue grass music until this:



Watch it on youtube as well - help this video go viral!

My Plug for "A Mile of Dreams"

Recently, Marty and I met a great couple, Jim and Chris.
It turns out that Jim has written a book; about running.

Jim recently told me that Run N Fun is carrying it now. The book is other places as well.

Amidst all the books on running out there, try reading this one from someone in our backyard.

Here's a synopsis:

Jim Trevis, a former 800-meter runner, has written a novel called A Mile of Dreams. It’s central theme is Joe Mitchell’s desire to join the track team his senior year, fall in love and win the conference mile race. On deeper reading, the novel is also about strained family relationships as rural culture transitions from isolated, one-family farms to modern, commercial agriculture. The novel accurately portrays the toil that a dairy farm requires, consuming nearly every waking hour of the family. This constant grind gnaws away at the family physically and emotionally, jeopardizing the very relationships that family farms are supposed to embody. Despite the fact Joe’s absence threatens their livelihood, Joe’s father allows him to run track. That decision drives the novel into unexpected twists and turns. Having to reach their own grand pledge to help Joe achieve his dreams, his parents also come of age—once again finding that relationships— parents to son, husband to wife—are far more important than farm mortgages. The happiness and fate of all the book’s main characters hinge on whether Joe gets his chance to run the mile of his dreams. Signed copies of the book are available through Trevisbooks.com. Or it can be ordered through Xlibris.com (publisher), Amazon.com or Barnesandnoble.com.

A Good Movie

Marty and I have found that we prefer independent movies over box office movies, in general.
This last week, over the course of several evenings, we were hauntingly delighted as we worked our way through a Russian movie "The Island." We labored through the main character's endless and numerous trudges to get coal but found that "just around every corner" was another deeply insightful portrayal of mercy, forgiveness, insanity, compassion and hope.

This is a very moving and gripping story and I would recommend it highly to anyone who has despaired of their sin or has struggled to understand those who have.

Running for Something Bigger than Myself

If you are looking for a way to run for a purpose beyond just mileage or views or peaceful Saturday mornings, try this. I'm always amazed at what other people are doing for others.