Monday, July 7, 2025

2025 Tour de France Stage 3 Thoughts - Uneventful Till it Isn't

Stage 3 - Valenciennes to Dunkerque - 178.3k - Flat

With the race starting in ran, seemed to go quickly, and seemingly lots of mechanicals early to deal the start and with headwinds to come this stage started relatively slow as compared to the previous days and as we often see.  This does give the riders a break but also can lead to more nervousness and everyone knew the slow start could not last forever.  As one of the commentators said at 69 miles - it was a boredom fest.  That may be so for the spectator on TV but for the riders who usually get a rest day/transfer day early but do not get a rest till 10 days this is a day to recoup for what is to come as this is going to get as this is only day 3.

Have to say it is interesting that none of the small teams went out there to get their sponsors on the TV as is usually the case.  they usually do so as they stand no real chance at the finish so TV time is the best they can do.  But everyone must have been tired or thought they had a chance as even the obligatory rolling advertisement of a small break did not transpire

Was sad to see Jasper go down in the intermediate sprint which was at about 36 miles or so to go.  Not much he could do as the Bryan Coquard who was in front of him banged into the rider next to him on his right then bounced back to the left with his feet coming out of the pedals and took out Philipsen. Looked bad as soon as they showed him since they quickly sent on the team members on - never a good sign - then was quickly announced he was out.  Bummer as whether you are a Philipsen fan he is one of the best sprinters and thus makes sprint stages more interesting.

Once past the crash after the sprint the race relaxed again as they next looked to the Cat 4 2.3k climb that tops out with 31k to go.  UAE let Tim Wellens go off and take the points on the climb and thus get the Polkadot Jersey.  This also meant that as the climb created no gaps - Wellens came back to the peloton, the sprint was going to be a full pack sprint of people who are well rested.  Thankfully once they reached the safe zone after 5K many will relax but still makes for a sketchy sprint as they can still lose time if dropped and that does happen as they go so fast.

And Sketchy it was with some crashes on the way in, I think some were happy to not be in them but be able to cruise in and not lose time, and a pretty gnarly one with one guy flailing along the barriers in the last bend.  MVDP tried to get Groves up as Philipsen was out but just no room to move up for him and be in it.  Was a photo finish between Milan and Merlier with Merlier getting the Winn by the narrowest of margins.  Is funny watching how Milan sprints as can't say he is smooth as he bobs up and down so fast but, hey, he gets power to the pedals.

I can't say I have ever been in a fields sprint of that speed and that number of riders but back in the day I was in a few large packs that were moving right along and they were scary and when I watch these guys flying along so close it is actually amazing less people don't go down.  It is a combination of great bike handling - well not for Coquard - as many times that is what stops even more carnage and also just fortune.  I remember racing on the velodrome and that was even more scary at times but you just did what you had to do.  These guys as a whole are so far better -even the guys at the back - than many of us can imagine.

As a whole was a not so interesting but will be tomorrow as they go at it for 174.2k of hilly terrain.  Sadly when races go like this what happened near the end just seem inevitable.  The Philpsen crash was sad for the tour a a whole but when these intermediate sprints are essential to go for if you are in it for the Green Points Jersey crashes will happen then as well. Tomorrow will be good I think as some will want to maybe gain some time with an ITT the day after on Stage 5 and others will just want to not lose more time as there are gaps from Poggy and Vingegaard even this early in the race.

Philipsen Crash:

Race Highlights:
  • Winner - Tim Merlier
  • Yellow Jersey - Mathieu Van Der Poel
  • Green Jersey - Jonathan Milan
  • Polkadot Jersey - Tim Wellens
  • While Jersey - Kevin Vauquelin

GC w/Time Gaps
1) MVDP
2) Pogacar - +00' 04"
3) Vingegaard - +00' 06"
5) Jorgensen - +00' 10"
12) Powless - +00' 49"
21) Evenepoel - +00' 49"
23) Roglic - +00' 49"



Next up Stage 4 - Amiens Metropole to Rouen - 174.2k - Hilly


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Sunday, July 6, 2025

2025 Tour de France Stage 2 Thoughts - No Working Into this Tour

Stage 2 - Lauren-Planque to Boulogne-Sur-Mer - 209.1k

In days past often the first stages were taken more casually with only the last number of kilometers being fast as they went for sprints.  No longer is this true and if you come into the Tour not in great shape you may leave in great shape but a long way behind.  No longer to you work yourself into shape.

It was a wet start to Stage 2 but as is usual a break worked to go off from the gun.  Had number of crashes but unless someone drops out overnight no withdrawals due to crashes that I know of.  These early stages are just so nervous as everyone still is in the race and people are working out there place in the peloton - well all but for the big guns like Pogacar and Vingegaard.

They raced for the top of the Cat 3 climb that ends at about 29.8K to go as once over there were expected winds so the teams of the big guns got to the front to make it hard on a short roughly 1.1K climb.  Tim Wellens was first over and Poggy 2nd and they worked for a split and did get rid of some riders and even the front group was stretched out. Keep in mind the goal here is not always to lose them on that particular climb but to work to deaden leges for the 2 climbs to come before the jaunt to the finish.  Philipsen did make it over at the top but these types of climbs are what he is used to racing in Belgium most always seems to do well on them.

The front regrouped with a few off the back but a large group up front as the pace is kept up to make sure most don't get a great deal of rest before the next Cat 3 1k climb that starts at just under 10k from the finish. Don't forget the roads between are not flat so still hard and everyone wanting to be near the front.  Then over the front on the next to last climb we had all the top guys, but for Roglic, with Poggy first then Vingegaard  and Remco and MVDP all there with a few others to take a group off the front to descend to go for it on the last climb.

The last climb was a Cat 4 0.8k climb about 5k from the end, keep in mind the finish has is a small climb.  On the way to the final climb MVDP puts in a push in and there was a small regrouping of a few riders who caught on during the descent with Philipsen trailing just off the front group.  As I said no testing or getting in shape on these early stages since if you are not ready you are out the back. SO the gourd went over the top pretty much together but pushing it and then getting ready for the final to the finish.

Over the top Vingegaard went for it with Remco and Poggy on his wheel but it for sure strung it out the group behind.  Once he gave up the front others took over to go for it with less than 5K to go - three got a small break with Matteo Jorgenson in the front three but the rest working their way back on with 2.5K to go and Philipsen not in the picture for this finish.  Fun to watch everyone waiting to show their hand with one slightly off the front with a 1.5k to go but with 1K to go they all sort of get back together with the kick up to the finish.  Great to see Alalphilippe up there, he got 5th on the stage, but MVDP was right there just waiting for the final push.  Amazing to watch MVDP ratchet it up sitting and then he went with Poggy on his wheel and Vinegaard on his wheel and Poggy could not get by with Vingegaard 3rd - what power.

Once again Alpecin did everything right - sure when you have the power of MVDP you have an advantage but if you are not in the right place it can often be for nought.  I think after the 3rd climb out it looked like MVDP was looking for the win as he did not let the front be far from him.  Then in the final he waited till he was far enough out to make it a power sprint but not so far as to let Poggy and others run him down.  Poggy came up on him at the line but was still back as MVDP timed it perfectly - denying Poggy his 100th win, hey it is inevitable to come baring a crash that takes him out - it is bike racing.  The group was strung out but the way they time the group is all about gaps so if no gaps you can be a handful of seconds back and still get the same time as we saw today.  The danger is that once the race officials call a gap you are then given the actual time of that next group but look like the first 26 riders all got the same time - MVDP, Poggy and Vingegaard got time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds. Unfortuanly for Philipsen he was the first rider it looks like that got gapped so he ended up with a 31 second gap.

If you came into this race looking to get into shape you may do so but it is going to painful and you are going to be seeing the back of the peloton till you round into shape and by then may be a long ay being GC wise.  For some that is not all bad as it can allow them later to get in breaks and for wins as they hold no danger of moving up significantly in GC.  Actually, this is often the plan of riders once they lose the front as why work super hard to still be a handful of minutes behind when you can rest some and work to find a day that fits your strengths and you feel ready and go for a stage win - happens every year.

With the fighting at the front already the is shaping up to be a battle - and maybe a battle of who cracks first.

Race Highlights:
  • Winner - Mathieu Van Der Poel
  • Yellow Jersey - Mathieu Van Der Poel
  • Green Jersey - Jasper Philipsen
  • Polkadot Jersey - Tadej Pogacar
  • While Jersey - Romain Gregoire

Next up Stage 3 - Valenciennes to Dunkerque - 178.3k - Flat with one 2.3 K Cat 4 climb topping out about 34k from finish.






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2025 Tour de France Stage 1 Thoughts - Nothing is Certain

Thought I would give it a try at giving a TdF stage overview with my thoughts on the stage - so here goes Stage 1. (Updated as had heard the near miss was Philipsen in the feed but later found out it was Kaden Groves)

Stage 1 - Lille Metropole to Lille Metropole - Flat - 184.9km

When you go into the first stages of the TdF there is always some trepidation as people are fresh and everyone is nervous - this gets even more so when it is going to be windy and such was the day.  As usual the day’s first day went up the road early but never got much of a lead as this was supposed to be a day for the sprinters - but “Nothing is Certain.”

As is usual in racing these days the pace is quick and was fun to see the US Jersey up at the front on Quinn Simmons - he would end up off the back 5:18 but if showed at the front early.  These paces take a toll and when you add winds all it takes is to miss the gap in front of you and you are cooked and we say this with a number of riders some getting back on others not.

The first crash of note was at 52.2Km where two rides when down on a bend in the road with the most notable being Fillippo Ganna of Ineos.  Who after slowly getting up and getting checked out got going again but would withdraw from the race with about 80K to go as started showing symptoms of a concussion so was pulled.  A great disappointment for him as he had a chance on at least the Stage 5 ITT and took a big engine out of the Tour.  I do wonder if his position had anything to do with Ineos not really seeming to having much a plan for races lately with no real GC favorite.  When a team has a favorite the rest of the team surround them and is usually much closer to the front and with an engine like Ganna’s he is up there but without often riders slip back to save energy - but it is risky back there  - Nothing is Certain.

There was one other crash that while not involving top riders was maybe the most seen was when the two leaders in the break were going for the Mountain Points - in these early stages the points are not high and usually the break takes the points and in this case with so few points having 2 of them would guarantee you the Polkadot Jersey for the day - if you finish.  Thus was the case on the second climb which was pretty much a photo finish as Benjamin Thomas won the sprint but with throwing he bike and on cobbles there was a cash at the line, don’t see that often, and while I am sure the other rider was totally surprised at least not real damage and Thomas stayed in till the finish to get the Polkadot Jersey - Nothing is Certain

Here is the crash at the line:

The cross winds were a worry and they played into the race later on near the end as the field split at the front with riders like Roglic and Evenepoel, among others, missing the break and starting the Tour with a 39 second deficit on GC to Pogacar and Vingegaard. While not a GC favorite was surprised to see that Van Wert with is team leader ahead miss the gap the winds caused.  They knew this could happen and it still did but for big names like Roglic and Evenepoel to miss was not expected.  What was obvious was that the one team with the plan to win the sprint was Alpecin as they had guys up front with the big engine of Mathieu Van Der Peel stringing it out and helping to create the gap.  Once the gap happened MVDP kept the pace up  to keep the sprinters who missed the break from getting back on.  Alpecin knows how to race the one day classics and they raced like that today.  

(Edited as found out info on near crash was not Philipsen) As the race passedr the 5K banner there was another crash that could have take out one of Alpecin's sprinters Kaden Groves but did not.  The clip below shows the crash and also shows how it takes not only great bike handling and some fortune to not go down.  The significance of this is that Groves was key to Philipsen's win in the lead out.  Then as we got near the end we saw that that Alpecin had a plan and with MVDP pulling hard - hard to get a better lead out guy than a past World Champion with a huge engine.  When they dropped of Philipsen he had Grimay on his wheel but as he had no team mates to get him there he was gassed and as he did a great job to get second he was no match for Philipsen who had an armchair ride to the finish. 

Groves Near miss - at 2:07 of the video

Philipsen Win - Last 5k of race

So while Nothing is Certain in bike racing have to say the Alpecin train did look certain.  Might have only been stage one but the other thing that was certain was Pogacar and Vingegaard showed they are in this for the win as both stayed near the front and did not miss the moves - with Vingegard even wining the last mountain point and being at the front a few times early.  I would say - and this is only by looks - Pogacar just seemed so relaxed in staying where he needed to be and not showing at the front but always near it.  With gaps already for the GC contenders this will be interesting as Roglic and Evenapoel need to pick up time - pretty sure Evenepoel is looking for the Stage 5  33k ITT to try and get back some but Pogacar and Vingegaard are no slouches in the ITT.

Lots of fun ahead - but - “Nothing is Certain”
  • Winner - Jasper Philipsen
  • Yellow Jersey - Jasper Philipsen
  • Green Jersey - Jasper Philipsen
  • Polkadot Jersey - Benjamin Thomas
  • While Jersey - Biniam Girmay




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Thursday, July 3, 2025

2025 Gravel Grinder National Championship Race Report

Well it has been a few days since I rode the 2025 Gravel Grinder National Championships 100 miler.  The race was held in Greencastle Indiana - about 4.25 hours from home.  I guess in other years they had up to 400+ people but due to timing and such this year there were, on race day, 93 entrants.  Not sure how many actually showed up as results only showed 36 finishers.  I know of at least three that called it a day at the 50 mile point rather than going back out for another lap so maybe others did as well.  Was a great course even if it did get a little warm on the second lap - for sure over 85F and when got to car it was 90F - but the good side was it was not as hot as it had been.  

Will have the race video link below as well but here is a recording of my race - Race Raw Unedited Video

Was hoping to have a good ride here even though I knew being this was only my second gravel ride and not having my usual number of long rides I was not as ready as in past races.  That said the couple weeks leading up to the race I was not sleeping all that well. Then when I got to the hotel it was one of those older style motels with the door leading to the outside and while older was pretty clean but for me just enough noise that I did not get any sleep - I mean none.  So went to the line feeling very tired and sleepy but still hopeful it might pass - it did not.  Don’t want this to sound like excuses - I guess they are - but just as something I need to work on.  While I know the night before a race sleep is not "as" important but by that if you only get 3 hours and the time leading up to the race is good you will be good.  But to go to the line with little sleep for the weeks before hat night's sleep is imortant - well let’s just say don’t do this.

The forecast had been for storms but most help off with a few showers to keep some of the dust down and  not leave things muddy.  It also made the morning a little muggy but when there was a breeze it was nice.  That said this was good as starting at 7:30AM the temps stayed reasonable before we had to start the 2nd lap.  The course went out of town about 1.5 miles or so then turned to start some gravel for 2 miles to get to the covered bridge and the start of the 2  approximately 47 mile laps.  The course showed on RideWithGPS as 55% gravel and the rest roads and while it may have been right it seemed a little more gravel than that.  This race is not far north from where the Dust Bowl is held but it is hillier out where this race was as Dust Bowl was about 3530Ft in 100 miles while this race was about 5300ft and some steeper hills than at the Dust Bowl.  In talking to some they thought this course was easier as less turns as the Dust Bowl has a lot of turns - saw someone say it had 169 - so lots of slowing and accelerating.  I think for me and with the gearing on my Orbea the turns are better than the hills.  As a marker Geoffrey Chandler who won my AG (65-69) rode about 5:23 at Dust Bowl and I was abbot 13 minutes behind but here was around 5:22 and I was 1:17 behind.  So likely sort of comes down to what you are good at.   

My plan was to try and hang with the front as long as I could but be smart and not blow up as knew would be hard to want to do the next lap if trashed.  Front got strung out even though start was neutral till first turn onto the gravel so when I got there had to make a big push to get onto the back of the group but still not at the front so working hard.  When got to the bridge got jammed up as some were over geared and almost had to put a foot down.  Once through the bridge it was chase time again and just was putting out more effort than I wanted to.  I know being tired affected how I was thinking as know I should have held on longer.  In looking at some of the climbing segments they would have lost me but would have been farther forward so maybe catch on flats with a group.  Once we hit the first significant climb I was already feeling it so settled in.  

Thankfully we slowly got a group together but as seems to happen people do not often work efficiently and take longer pulls than needed rather than short efficient pulls.  Then I tend to do the same to not lose time as we slowly caught others and got to a group of maybe 6 at most but was nice to have others around.  They did run the 50+ mile race (1 lap) with the 100 miler (2 Laps) so in our group we had maybe an even split of people from both races.  The basic way it seems to go for the lap was we hit the hills and I sort of went off the front then they caught up on the downhill.  I was not trying to roll off the front on the climbs but as my Orbea’s smallest gear is a 34/32 I have to get the revolutions up - especially on gravel - so as not to bog down and have to get off.  Most everyone else had smaller gears so working to spin my bigger gear may not be ideal it works when it does.

We got to the Bridge again at mile 50 and I stopped to refill my water bottles and it was here that our group shrunk drastically.  Only 2 of us went on and we lost maybe 3 that were in the 100 and 3 that were in the 50.  The one other guy doing the 100 did not stop so I lost time to him and even more as the aid station was right below the bridge so had to walk up the incline to get on in the bridge.  Once through I could see the other 100 mile guy ahead and also someone else out there so the chase was on.  Did not want to rush it as knew this was going to be a slog of a lap with it starting to get hotter.  There was one climb that on the first lap I barely got up as was pretty gravely and almost lost traction but made it up.  Thus, was sort of dreading the second time up being more tired and being hotter.  Funny part was I saw I was slower it was not by much and made it up with no issue so no worries.  Finally caught another rider and was with him for a bit then lost him when had to stop for a moment but caught him again on a climb and then was looking to catch the other guy I had ridden the first lap with.  Did catch him at about 20 miles into the second lap only to have him catch me maybe 15 miles later and then he dropped me on the last significant climb and we stayed close but I just could not muster the desire to chase hard.

I finished the race in 6:36:26 for 21st OA (20th male) and 2nd in 65-69 AG, well there were only two of us.  Had been three entered so not sure if the third person did not show up or DNF’d.  Will say Geoffrey who won our age group ended up 4th overall so nailed it.  Was interesting to see that  once you get to the 60’s the number of riders in an age group goes down.  It does depend on the race though as in looking back at last years Dust Bowl where I was 6th in the 60-69 AG there were about 38 people.  Again, this was not the race I wanted as should have been faster but just did not feel it today.  Yea I was tired, very tired, but was just one of those days where there was a level I could go at and faster just was not happening and that was today.  As I like to stress, every race has a positive even if it goes bad and that is it tells you something about yourself that you can build off of.  In this case, it let me see that I can finish even when things do not go as planned.  As easy as it would have been to skip the last lap I knew I could not as, at least for me, once I do such it is easier the next time.  When I ran marathons I only dropped out of two races - one with an injury and one because I was going for a time and was way off and knew I had another race I could do a week or so later.  The injury one was a good choice as pushing through an injury may be tough and make one seem bad ass it may not be wise as may affect your future racing.  The one I dropped due to not being on pace did pay off as ran a good race a few weeks later.  I try and avoid dropping out simply because I am tired and not winning.   

Will I do this race next year - well sort of depends as I want to do the Coast 2 Coast in Michigan that is a 200 mile race that was the same day this year so sort of depends on schedule but Coast 2 Coast is the priority.  This is for sure a good place to ride as good gravel and hills - bummer it is so far so as to make it hard to ride much here but may try to do so in the future.  Next up was supposed to be the All Roads Challenge in my area but it was canceled so next up will be back in Indiana in the same area for the Dust Bowl 100 the end of July.  The plan for the week after this race is a rest week to get sleep and rest as need to be well rested for Dust Bowl and then Gravel Worlds the 22nd-23rd of August.  Not too sore at all after this race except my back had an issue after sitting at my desk for a 2 plus hour meeting - yea I ride 100 miles of gravel in the heat and get tired - sit at my desk and hurt my back - go figure.

How about fueling for Gravel Grinder Nats.  I went in wanting to try to get 60g per hour so loaded up as follows to have around 300 as was aiming for 5 hours but if slower then not as fast so same amount would be ok - here is fueling plan and what transpired:

Pre-Ride Fueling:
About 1.75 hours before
  • Cup of coffee with Cream and Collagen
  • 1 Packet of Kodiak Maple Oatmeal W/Cream
  • About 30 minutes before:
  • UCAN Mocha Gel w/Caffeine 
  • 1ea Vespa UC
Totals:
  • Cals 374
  • Protein 23g
  • Carbs 74g
  • Fat 2.5 
Race Fueling
Fueling Carried
  • 2ea - 880 mil bottles of water and 70g Goodlife Carbs  in each and also 1 Goodlife Electrolytes each (5g carbs) - Ttl 1760ml Water and 150g Carbs
  • 1ea - 150ml flask with 60g Goodlife carbs made into a gel
  • 1ea 150ml flask with 66g SiS gels
  • 2ea Sfuel Zone 5  pouch at 60g carbs each - Ttl 120g
  • 2L bladder of plain water
  • 3 Vespa UC’s  - one every 3 hours
  • 2 500ml soft flasks with water and 1 Goodlife Electrolytes each - 1ltr water and 10g carbs

Totals Carried
  • Ttl Water - 4.76Ltr 
  • Ttl Carbs - 298g
So when done I just took note of what was left from what I took on,  All I took on during the race was to top up my bottles so added about 1.2ltrs of water so a total of 6ltrs.  At end I had 1 bottle left and nothing in the bladder and only took a small swig  out of the soft flasks.  So took in 4.12 Ltrs of water

As far as carbs I ended up taking in 236g of carbs so for 6.5 hours that was 35.5g/hr.  

Likely a little light on electrolytes as only had the two packets in my initial bottles so need to work on that and make sure to take S!Caps if need be as had them but just forgot.  I think the carbs I took in were fine based on my effort but if faster need to work to take them in more easily.  I did find the Sfuels was a little harsh, strong tasting, if took in too fast.  The SiS gels still work the best ingestion wise but would like them to be higher in carbs and am going to try, have not yet, the unflavored Neversecond gels as they are at 30g each and supposed to be flavorless, which for me is best.  Pretty sure the carbs were not an issue based on effort but likely too light on electrolytes and being tired/sleepy just added to that.  Pretty sure more carbs will not cover up not enough sleep but not enough electrolytes will exacerbate it.

So as I like to do the following are my “Take-Away’s” and “Plans Based on Take-Aways”:

Take-Away’s
  • I really need to work on sleep as while the sleep the night before needs to be better it is not as important as the sleep the week leading up to the race.
  • I need to work at being farther forward as got gapped and worked too hard too early to bridge and with as much time as it takes me to warmup using unneeded efforts is not good
  • Work to better take in fuel as well as making sure to take in S!Caps if not getting in enough electrolytes fuel wise
  • Really need to push through those down moments as they usually pass and I know that normally the second half is usually hard but better mentally.
Plans
  • Take the next week easy to work on getting more sleep so no early rides
  • Initially had a race i2 weeks after this one but as it was canceled will take it easy the second week but try and get a long ride in on the day the race was to take place
  • Need to be careful to get in some rides but make sure easy days are easy
  • I think the fueling set up for this race was good but may trade out the SFuels for the Neversecond gels as no flavor will be better
  • Make sure the week of Dust Bowl I get plenty of sleep

Video - this is unedited so the full ride: https://youtu.be/Z_ujbK9r4YE?si=EZxDfwAg3Jgjn8TV 

Well that was long but as I have said before these reports are in some ways more for me as it makes me look at the race.  While not all races go as planned you can learn something from all of them and in truth learn more for ones that go not as planned.




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Saturday, May 3, 2025

Leviathan Cycle Shoes Review - Part 1

For years I have been trying to get a pair of cycling shoes that did not feel like my toes have been put in a  vice.  I guess in the past one just accepted this was the way as that was the way shoes were made.  When I started riding back in the early 80’s shoes were basically meant to be uncomfortable as the idea they would stretch as they were she form of leather.  The idea was if you got shoes that were comfortable when they stretched they would then not fit correctly.  Keep in mind the basic design was that of an Italian business shoe - think pointy toes.  On top of that, just to set up how things for me started, most shoes had wood soles of some time and you had to nail on the cleats.  I started when there were cleats that had a plate you nailed on then the cleats had some adjustment.  That said with my first shoes I had to ride them with no cleats in my pedals its toeclips to get a mark as a guide then hd to nail the cleat on - FUN! 

This idea that shoes were to be uncomfortable got a little better as synthetics came around but still the toe are was cramped.  Maybe the good, in some ways, was that running shoes also had cramped toe boxes in general so the cramped toes in bike shoes was not an anomaly.  In general for most of my bike shoe experience they were just going to be uncomfortable and I had to live with that - and did.    

As far as my feet - and know this is true of others - I have quite “low volume” feet.  If you have not heard this term before - “low volume” - it has to do not necessarily with width but that the area of the foot, usually in the arch/instep area, is not as usual.  The realist of this is many shoes, cycling and running, the laces come together over the instep.  Often leads to needing to get shoe smaller than optimal and thus cramping the toes even more.  On running shoes this is just as much an issue.  Add to this in the last 8 yers or so I have done some work with “toe spacers” to get my toes to splay more naturally.  In doing this it began to limit the running shoes I could use and was just as bad with cycling shoes.  I started in Altras which have lager toe box but over time they got wider/more volume and was not happy with them so moved to Topos. I have been running in Topos for maybe 7 years or so and even with them I have only a fe that the volume is best along with the right length.  As my toes spread more the worse my cycling shoes fit.  The best I was able to find were the Rapha Classic Shoes and for gravel the Explore Shoes.  Not great and do feel some pressure on my big toe but the volume was good and can get by even for rides as long as 200 miles.  I should add there is one company that seems to have the wider toe box - Bont - but as was not able to try them and they do seem to need to be fitted as they have moldable fit - can’t return if you mold them - but also heard they were wider.  Too often companies conflate the need or a wider toe box with needing the shoe to also be wider.  I have heard Lake has some shoes with more toe room and differing widths and volumes but there were so many choices, most not cheap, I just did not go that way.  
Levathans Next to Rapha Shoes

So now to the start of talking about the Strong Feet Athletics ( https://www.strongfeetathletics.com/store/p/leviathan  ) and their new Leviathan cycling shoes.  I initially heard about these shoes in a podcast Colby Pearce with the Tyler Brenner the creator of the shoe at Strong Feet Athletics   I encourage you to listen to Colby’s podcast on the shoes and there is also one on Russ Roca's Path Less Pedaled video that covers the shoes at  the 5:30 mark - link should take you there.   

You can read the links to the shoes and with the video links you will get a good review of the specifics of the shoes.  Some of those along with the wider toe box is the shoe is they are flat and not with a rise like on a running shoe with stack and on basically all cycling shoes.  This flat position is a more natural position and likely may take some getting used to - more on this once I get to ride them - as most shoes put your foot in a position that is not natural but begins to feel the norm.  Also, and this is something I wonder why most shoes do not do -at least in the lower price range where weight is not as important, they use both 2 bolt (SPD) and 3 bolt (SPD-SL) patterns so can be used with whatever pedals you have.  One note, and I have not noticed this and the guy in Path Less Pedaled did not notice this, well did not mention it, is that if you use the SPD cleat you may need a the SHIMANO SPD-Cleat Stabilizing Adapter  to not let them rock - again I have not tried them so you may not need this so can try first.  I could use these in some gravel races but on others I could not as not the best for walking off road.

The one area that both Colby and Russ Roca covered is to do with volume.  These are for sure not "Low Volume" but are not exceedingly "High Volume" either but in talking with Tyler that can be helped by a number of means such as a spacer under sole as I often have to do any way on shoes.  The other is the shoes are not meant to be tourniquets so take come getting used to as Russ Roca of Path Less Pedaled stated.  Again I need to work on this and will do so over the next  month or so.  I will say as my Rapha Explore Shoes just are not all that comfortable for gravel I did get a pair of Pear Izumi Expedition PRO Shoes and while the toe box is far from the Leviathans it is much better than my Raphas.  My hope is, and I talked to Tyler about this as well, the Levithans will go over well enough for a gravel shoe to be added to the line.    

Comparison of Insoles: Leviathan Vs Rapha
The pictures in this post show the shoes as they came and a comparison next to my current Rapha shoes and an insole comparison.  I just got the cleats so will use them on my trainer to start to get used to them and get them dialed in.  They do come with a "Shoe Cover" that I am not sure of and as is white they will get dirty fast.  In taking to  Tyler it was not quite what they wanted but they did not want to hold up the shoes over them so I think in time they will change.  The goal was to provide something to wear in the cold as due to the side toe box regular shoe covers will not fit.

So, are these shoes for you - well if you are in love with the shoes you have - likely not.  Or, you do not want to fork over $600 for the new Specialized shoes I hear have more room in the toes and a good fit - well what I hear - then these may be for you.  I will add that for many racers the weight may be an issue but for me that is the last of my concern as when I ride a long race the comfort of my feet is paramount.  Also, if you have worked at getting your feet into the most natural fit running shoes and want a similar experience in riding shoes then these are for sure ones to try.Next is to install my new Speedplay cleats and start using the shoes on my trainer to get used to them and move on from there.  I will do Part 2 of this review once I have put some miles on these shoes.  Again, I would say to listen to the two YouTube videos linked to above - here they are again:



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Thursday, March 27, 2025

2025 Pistol Ultra 50K Race Report

Photo by Nick Morgan
The Plan:
You know how you make plans and they just do not work out - well that was basically the first 3 months of the year.  Last year when I signed up for the Tsali Trail 50K in January and Pistol 50K in March the plan was to get some good trail miles in early and then work on getting my legs ready for the asphalt of the Pistol 50K.  Well sickness - flu and then a stomach bug - derailed doing Tsalis so had to sit that out.  Was a bummer as had done the most trail miles in a while but then sickness came and missed a 1/2 marathon trail run and then just had to pass on Tsali.  Still figured I had time to get ready for the Pistol but as much as I tried to avoid getting sick after some descent miles in Feb got sick while traveling for work and missed some more time.  Even though I was able to get in a couple 21 mile runs and a 100 mile bike ride it was not good enough to get my legs ready for the pounding of a 50K.  Thus I lowered my goal from the low 4hrs, even under if a good day, to 4:30-4:40’s as seemed reasonable for my running shape.

The Race:
On race day for The Pistol 50k I was a little tired from lack of sleep as sort of let the race make me think too much instead of just looking as it what it was - training for my August Gravel Worlds Double - more on that later.  Never-the-less I did obsess on the up coming race - sort of how my brain works - so lost some good sleep.  Had a good day at the check in running the Vespa booth and talking to people and tried to rest as much as I could so don’t think that affected me.  In the morning of the race had the usual jitters but felt OK and weather was looking good as was about 43-45F and looking to go to 60’s which is good as did no need to start with extra clothing.  Did a short 2 mile warmup - needed a little more but just did not happen.  But got to the line ready to go even if a little apprehensive knowing my feet and legs were going to feel this.  I knew this as my two 21 milers I did while going well left my right foot sore and legs a little beat up and I had not done enough to deal with this.

105 people started the 50K but as there was also a 100K, 51 people started, and 100 mile, 57 people started, that would be running at the same time you got to see others out on the course so for sure not the lonely experience some trail ultras can be.  The course was 3 laps of the same loop.  As an aside there was a 50 mile race that started at 8PM that had 35 people start with some people actually doing the double of the 50K and then the 50 Miles - now that makes my feet hurt.  At the start I went out at a comfortable pace that was around 7:45/mile or so and that put me in about 4th or 5th for a bit.  While being with one person for about the first couple miles pretty much ran my own pace and for about 16 miles held an 8:01/mile average.  But that is about where I started to feel the pounding and started slowing some.  I still got to about 21 miles averaging 8:17/mile pace with basically 1 lap to go.  Got to 23 miles at 8;25/mile and then things slowed as the only hills, which were short but you felt them, were at about 25 miles and then slowed much more and as legs were pretty sore could not pick up the pace on the down hills so lost more time I would usually have picked up on when on a paved course.  From there it was basically run a mile or so then walk a little or stop at an aid station to refill and rest the legs some.  As average dropped my miles were getting slower but did pick it up a little in last two miles and finished in 9th OA in 4:39:31.73 and 1st in 65-69 AG.  Missed first place in the Grand Masters (50+) by about a minute.  In looking at the results I was only 8 minutes or so out of 5th and 5+ out of 6th.  I should add that while it did not count I did get a Marathon time of 3:49:53 so would be a BQ by 15 minutes.  I add this in that I have wanted to qualify for Boston every 5 years since I I ran in 2016 so in essence got that today for 65 years old.
Photo by Nick Morgan

As far as pacing I do not think I went out too fast as the basically 8:00 pace felt fine.  While I started feeling it when I got past 16 miles it was more the pounding that got to me.  I should add, and this was not my initial plan, at about 5 miles I started alternating over the next 12 miles 7:50/mile with 8:12 - 8:30 miles to just mix it up.  Whether that is a good pacing strategy it did take my mind off of things and seemed to work well as was not pushing hard on the faster ones but sort of let my mind think I got a rest mile after a faster one.  After the second lap I had planned to do this again to finish up but my legs said NO and when got to the hills at about 5 - 6 miles to go they said “heck” no:).  At least the mile pickups helped with making this a good workout.

If I am honest I am rarely happy with my races as I am pretty critical of my self and for this knew that the 8 minutes I was out of 5th was easy to find on the course.  That said as I shared above with how my training went I really need to be happy with my time. Let alone to realize that many my age (will be 66 in 5 months) don’t run at all let alone 50K so good to just be out there moving.  But, also need to see the positive in that with more specific training for the race I can, I think, pretty easily pick up 10+ minutes - if not more.  I am set to run Tsali next year and while after finishing the Pistol my first inclination was to pass on next year a few days later I need to go back and get it done.  


Oh yea one more thing - Thanks to Gordon Turner and Brian Gajus, as well as all those that helped them, for putting on a great race and if you want a good Ultra to do for your first one plan on doing The Pistol in March of 2026

The Recovery:
As far as recovery after the race my legs were toast and as usual my right foot was sore.  Not sure the full reason for the foot soreness but know I need to get back into my Dynamic Triathlete stretching routine and also go back and do my Gait Happens foot strengthening exercises as sort of got lazy after getting sick and did not do them.  I did also get my usual blisters on my toes - usually on the end of them even though my shoes are the correct size.  I think, as with the usual blister/ callous on the side of my big toes, it is about my gait and need to work on that as they are limiting factors.  I tend to think the leg issues stem from my feet so just need to put in more effort to strengthen them.  As I write this a 3 days later while I still have some ankle swelling most the soreness is gone but will just ride some the week after and take a week off running so my feet all all healed up.
Photo by Misty Dawn

I really need to get on this preventive work as while I know I will move into a more riding centric period as have some gravel races in June, July and August I also need to be ready for the 50K run part of the Gravel World Double August 22-23.  I did try a 1 hour ride the day after The Pistol (https://www.strava.com/activities/13967719212) and feel pretty good once got going except really felt it when stood up on the pedals.  Thus I need to work to minimize these issues on the run in August as working to run 4:30 instead of just doing 5:00, my goal pace, will cost more in the 150+ mile gravel bike race the next day.  

The Fueling:
As far as nutrition I think it went fine as did not feel like bonking or anything - not a tone of energy but as I said the first half felt great so think not just the miles but the effort to run when legs go is more so felt that.  I did start with drinking 3oz cups of coke a little earlier than planned as took one at about mile 18 aid station then about every two miles had one as well as my other things that are below in the fueling recap.  I have been trying to work up to more carbs per hour - nowhere near what most do - as over the years of seeing what I could do mostly on endogenous fat and water/electrolytes my body seemed to not want to burn carbs as it should so working on that.  I did use the Mocha and Vanilla Latte UCAN’s with 75mg caffeine as temp was not too hot.  I tend not use as much caffeine when warm and while UCAN does not seem to bother me when warm have heard others can have issues.  If I missed anything is probably did not get enough electrolytes as forgot to take my S!Caps and should have taken then since when I got to the mile 27 or so aid station I took some electrolyte tabs there it was a little late.  Thankfully I did add some extra electrolytes to my SFuels drink so did get those in but that was about it.

Fueling for Pre-Run and Race

Pre-Ride
   - MBP Coffee
   - 30 minutes prior - 1 Vespa CV 25 
   - 30 minutes prior - Pre-load with 1 UCAN Orange
   - 1 hr prior - 1 AltRed
   - Right before start - 1 Vespa Junior 

Total:
    -  Cals - 735
    -  Carbs - 34g
    -  Protein - 19g
    -  Fat - 59g

Race:
    - Total of 3.5  16 oz water bottles
    - In water bottles total 
       - 2 scoops SFuels Zone 2
       - 2 Tubes Myoxcience Plain Electrolytes
       - 2 Tubes Tru Niagin
    - Starting at 1 hour or so - 1 UCAN Mocha w/Caffeine 
        - At 2.25 Hours - 1 UCAN Latte w/Caffeine
        - At 3.5 hours - 1 UCAN Mocha w/Caffeine
    - Total 2 Vespa UC’s at 2 hours and 3.5 hours 
    - Intra Chew Gummies - 3/4 packet (5ea - 2.7g carbs each) starting at 3 hours 
    - Probably 6  3oz cups of coke starting at 18 miles at aid stations

Total:
    - Cals - 689
    - Carbs - 171g  (38g/hr)
    - Protein - 8g
    - Fat - 8g

The Lessons Learned:
Photo by Nick Morgan
One is that when it comes to longer runs you really do need miles on the feet.  I know this but often to avoid injury do more long stuff on my bike so save the soreness during training but pay for it later.  Due to this I need to re-think how I mix riding and running as I like both and want to good in both so just need to figure it out.  I really do not have any runs schedule till august so the bulk of my efforts will be to get ready for some hard gravel races that I want to do well in.  I will likely try and get in some long runs and use them to get my legs ready instead of lots of shorter runs.  I will need to watch the pace but I think doing some longer runs less times may help but we shall see.  Might even try one high milage running week to just add some stress to the system to gain some adaptations I need.  The key for the Gravel Worlds Double is to finish the 50K with as little soreness as possible as the 150+ miles of gravel the next day is a Looooooooong day out!!

Also, I am, as mentioned, going to be working on making sure I get in the extra work of mobility and stretching and foot strengthening.  These will be key to a good Double in Lincoln

That’s about it for now and time to rest some and then get back at it.

While I am sure will add more here is my race, and Century Ride, plan as of now so see you out there if you are at any of these events:
  - Red Bud Century, London KY - April 26th
  - Horsey Hundred Century (100 Saturday and 75 Sunday), Georgetown KY - May 24 - 25
  - Gravel Grinder National Championships  (100 Miles), Greencastle IN - June 28th
  - Forkland All Road Challenge (60ish), Gravel Switch, KY - July 12th
  - The Dust Bowl 100 , Eminence IN - July 26th (Sold Out)
  - Gravel Worlds Double (50K run Friday/150+ Mile Gravel Race Saturday), Lincoln, NE - August 22-23
  - Ragnar Bourbon Chase Relay, Clermont KY to Lexington KY - October 3-4


If you have questions about Vespa or OFM you can comment/contact me or check out https://vespapower.com/ and https://ofm.io/ .

For a discount on Vespa you can use this link - https://vespapower.com/?ref=TonyK and use this code for 15% off - tkonvalin15 


While you can find lots of stretching and mobility excersizes online it takes time and effort to put them all together.  Well I have found Dynamic Triathlete, Dynamic Runner and Dynamic Cyclist do a great job of making them all easy to access.  Click on any of the three links and use this code to get 10% off - BLUGRASS10

If your feet are an issue - and they are for most even if you feel the issue elsewhere the Gait Happens Fit Feet Program is well worth the price and if you use the link you get 10% off.  They also have other tools for strengthening your feet and if you go to the page with the link you shoudl get 10% off of those items as well.

Photos by Nick Morgan and Misty Dawn




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Thursday, March 20, 2025

Is Age Just a Number??

I want to write more on this so moved this post over from my old blog that I wrote in 2017.  Being almost 8 year since I wrote this I will expand on this soon.  I have done a lot of other races and for sure riding more since this time so have more to expand on as well as with my Fat Adaption journey.

Wrote in August of 2017:

You hear it all the time, often accompanied by an inspiring video or story of someone in their later years doing some, often, athletic feat with the proclamation that “Age is Just a Number.”  After we agree that what was viewed, or written, was indeed inspiring we need to ask if age is really just a number.

Well if you are speaking of tipping the stereotype cart that tends to go with age then age is for a sure
just a number as many put restrictions on assumptions based on stereotypes.  While there are many today that seem to defy the norm when it comes to aging the vast majority buy into the “your too old to do that” mantra and often should not.  However that said, those of us who are getting older can attests, if we are honest, age in deed is a number and has its affects.   Maybe not as the world depicts but there are changes that mean we cannot do as we once did.

A little about me for those that do not know me:  I have been running, with a stint racing bicycles competitively for about 10 years, since I first ran in High School in 1973 after not making the tennis team.  After high school I ran for the University of Arizona for 3 years as a walk on, or is that run on, but as we had a very strong team even though I ran 5k’s in around 15:00 I was still probably the slowest guy there.  I had some good workouts but probably left my best times and efforts in those training sessions.  During that time I also ran some marathons with my best being 2:30:52 when I was 19 in 78’ and pretty much stayed at the 2:30 range for a number of years.  I share these times because as we age and look back often our times from days gone by it can be an issue if we do not keep things in context.

Let me add here if you are one that started running later in life you will have avoided this possible road-block and that is a good thing.  You will also not deal with some of the trials of seeing yourself slow down as being new to sport later in life you will still progress but age even for you will come into play at some point.  For me I do not see this as negative but as a challenge to meet and deal with.
Running, as much as I enjoyed and did well at cycling, is just one of the things I enjoy and want to do as long as possible and to do that I need to make sure I heed many of the things I will mention in the rest of this post.  If one does not live in reality, reality will often jump up and bite you to get you to notice it.  I also want to add that I have to admit to people they need to do as I say not as I often do because I still struggle with many of the topics covered and often fail to follow through with what I know needs to be done.

What I want to do in the rest of this post is to look briefly at a number of areas where I, being 58, have seen the affects of age on myself, and others: Training, Mobility, Racing, Shoes and Diet

Training
First lets look at training as that is often where issues crop up as one has to adjust intensity, quantity and expectations among other factors when it comes to how we prepare for whatever ones goals are.  If you are new to running some of the trials of adjusting to age are not as apparent as you start with a somewhat clean slate but still have to be aware of your physical limitations presented by age.  Having run for many years I have had to realize I needed to lower miles and slow down on slow days – including having more slow days – so as to recover.  If I in training for a particular race need higher miles I look at weeks in chunks so that I up my mileage and then back off in a wise manner.  I often look at my mileage and see 40-50 miles and it just seems low when I think back to my days of 100+ but in truth back then I ran 7 days a week and now run 4-5 so in some ways the mileage is closer when looking at daily mileage but I just have more rest days.

Speaking of rest days, they become even more critical because as you age you do take longer to recuperate after a long and/or hard run.  Runs that are to be restful need to be slowed down and I have found using my heart-rate as my guide for slower runs is the best decision I have made.  While not really new, as it is based on the principles of Arthur Lydiard, I use the MAF (Maximum Aerobic Function) formula of 180-age with some additions, and subtractions for some, as a baseline.  This helps make sure that my easy runs are just that, easy, and also my easy weeks are easy.  I work to train in cycles so that I will have months of MAF runs alone with other months using MAF for the easy days only.  I have found that this has helped greatly to allow me to be fresher and have less injuries.  Now injuries are not negated as one can still run too many miles even when running slowly, and I have done this, so running slower does not negate a need to know your body and see your
limitations, yes we do have those.

Bottom line here is there are many ways to train but I have found that making MAF the central philosophy of my training has worked the best and was integral to working to be fat adapted, more on this under diet.  The main point with training as you get older is to make sure when you rest you rest and that mileage, or time on your feet, is watched closely and monitored with how you feel and how your body reacts.  When you are younger often you can get by if you over do it but as you get older that is not as possible.

Mobility
This should actually be included in training but recently I have noted more issues that stem from a reduction in mobility.  For me the mobility issues are in my ankles and hips but for you it may be other areas.  As we age our mobility decreases and while being active may slow the reduction of mobility it does happen unless we are proactive.  There any number of mobility exercises you can find on YouTube so just search and find what works.

I like to run trails, when I can, and often I hear people say they need more mobility in their ankles so as not to twist them on trails.  For me, while I do work on my ankles, I have found the best mobility exercise for my ankles is to run trails.  As we age we need to be honest that extra exercises need to be done even if you have to sacrifice some time running since maintaining mobility may in the long run allow you to run more and maybe even farther.

Racing
This is a hard one for me because even though racing can be stressful due to me being very competitive I still enjoy it.  Also, as you age if you are competitive you may find age group racing
being an increased draw that can lead you to race too often.   With so many 5k’s available to run often that is the choice of many and one of the nice things about a 5k is that you can indeed run one most weekends.  That said just because you can do something does not make it wise to do so.   For me I race about once a month and use that race as a speed day so that I am not overdoing speed work.  When it comes to Ultra’s, which I have started running, I have run 3 ultras in 60 days and that is the maximum I can do but even when I did the 3 runs the first one was a workout time-trial to ready for my first 50 miler so I only really “raced” two of them.  As with training you have to be aware of your body and this applies to racing as well.  My advice is that as you get older be careful and make sure the racing you do fits into a larger picture.  If you do races as a way to meet with other runners then make sure you run easy for some races so that even running every weekend is then not an issues since some races actually end up being simply training runs, albeit ones you pay to do.

Shoes
First I want to say that I realize some people may have particular issues that require extra support or some other feature that comes in many shoes.  However, often these added “improvements” in shoes instead of helping your feet prop up issues and in the end weaken ones feet and make them reliant on your shoes instead of the shoes simply being there to allow your feet do what they were designed to do.  As I stated often all the new features added to many shoes can work to possibly weaken ones feet to a point of increasing the chance of injury.  When looking at shoes make sure you differentiate between buying due to hype and actually needing what is hyped.

An alternative is to work to strengthen ones feet by exercises, just check out YouTube, and even moving to more minimal shoes.  To do this while not moving to minimal shoes solely you might begin by using minimal shoes on a minimal basis but even that can work to strengthen your feet.  Now the warning on using minimal shoes, as you get older many things you do can have negative affects if done too much too quickly and moving to a more minimal shoe is one of those things.  Thus if you want to look at using minimal shoes later in life use wisdom and move forward slowly.

To be upfront I am a Carson Footwear ambassador but I share the following to illustrate what I have been saying.  Over the last 6 months I have begun running in Carson’s which while not as minimal as some “minimal” shoes they are still a minimalistic design.  I have gotten to where I could go up to 19 miles in the shoes but in doing that I may have gotten there too fast.  Not so much due to the Zero Drop as I have been in no-drop shoes for a few years but in moving to more minimal support I may have gone there too quickly and in doing so have had some issues that has moved me to be more aware during this transition time.  I am still working to make minimal shoes my go to shoes but need to allow more time and as mentioned previously have added mobility exercises to help in this move.  As an example I still run long trail and road runs in my Carson’s but then also do some other runs in other shoes so that my feet get a rest as they transition.  If I was younger I think the transition would have been OK but at the age I am I should have gone at it more slowly.

I would suggest at a minimum, even if you have no desire to run in minimal shoes, that you work to strengthen your feet as in the long run, pun intended, it will benefit you.  As your feet strengthen so will your legs and the rest of your body.  This is critical especially as you age and can only be a good thing.   Just as having a strong core is critical to other areas so having strong feet as your base affects all else in the system.  Also, as I said I am a Carson Footwear Ambassador, if you want to try a pair of Carson shoes you can get 10% of using this code: Run2017tonyk.

Diet
This is one that I had not really looked at till recently.  Over the years since I took up riding then went back to running I slowly gained some weight.  Now part of that gain was when I moved to racing bikes as I built more muscle.  The rest of the weight that came on as I went back to running and at times not running much came slowly and in doing so was not noticeable till I realized I was up in the 230lb range from the 175lb I was at when I was racing bikes at 30 or so.  The weight came on slowly and in some ways not all that noticeable.  That is till I started running more seriously again and noticed the weight and the extra tire I was carrying around the waist.  Initially with more running and working on our farm I did lose some weight and got down to the 200 range but could not get under 200.  I ate well and worked to reduce garbage food but sort of stagnated at 200.

Upon investigating what to do and also looking to see what might best help my running I looked more into the MAF approach I spoke of earlier and in doing so came across talk of Low-Carb High-Fat (LCHF) and fat adaptation.  While I had heard of being fat adapted and high fat diets from back in the 80’s the information was not as easy to find as it is now.  My recent investigations led to trying Phil Maffetone’s Two Week Test which while used for discovering any carbohydrate intolerances is also a gateway to work on reducing carbs.  After looking into things more I decided to give a LCHF diet, diet is probably not the best word, a go and see how it went.

What I found for me is I fairly quickly went down to 175 while still running in the 30-50 mile per week range and also noticed becoming more fat adapted so that on runs of 2-3 hours I could actually do them without extra food.  Now what is Low Carb for me?  For many Low Carb is limiting carbs to 50grams/day or under however for me after a number of trials and seeing what worked best with my health, work and life I found that I did best at 100-150 grams per day.

One other very important thing I have found was that reducing carbohydrates not only helped with weight it also helped in reducing inflammation and recovery was much quicker.  Was I still sore the next day after a long run or a hard workout, yes.  But nowhere near the extent I was before changing my eating habits and the amount of time to getting back to normal was greatly shortened.

The point here is that how and what one eats is important in all of life but as we age it can become even more important.  If you want the best place to start with diet, diet here referring to how you eat, aim to hold to JERF – Just Eat Real Food – if you have not already.  From there I can tell you it is well worth your time to try a LCHF diet.  You may find you need to tweak things but you will never find out till you try and please give it time.  Take it from me many any years of consuming carbs does not make it easy to change but it is worth it, well it was for me.

Conclusion
I did not write this post to be a bummer by saying age is a real thing.  I wrote this post to make sure we take a realistic look at aging and running.  It is when one takes a realistic approach that one will make strides, pun again intended,  in not only improving in your running but working to stay healthy so you can run for years to come.

If you are starting running late in life or you never ran seriously in your youth you may have PR’s to look forward to.  If you have been doing this for years after you readjust your perspective you to can look forward to PR’s relative to your age.  If running faster is not your goal, no problem,  then having a healthy view of aging and being aware that your body does indeed change over time will allow you to run much longer.

With the correct mindset and goals you can indeed defeat the aging serotypes while at the same being realistic to know you are not what you once were.