I re-discovered a gem of a trail this week. While on business in the Scottsdale area I had a little time, so headed to the McDowell Mountain Park and took a recommendation from a fellow trail runner to hit the Pemberton Trail. I had been on the trail before as a mountain biker, but hadn't been back to run it. This was a blow your mind afternoon. I only had time for 8 miles, however, the trail in its entirety is 15+ miles. I look forward to heading back on the weekend. It is smooth, rolling and crests some amazing vistas. It was a great run.

I'm documenting my adventures in my five fingers, so had to take a pic on the trail. Not sure of my pose - something Karate Kid/Ninja perhaps? No matter, totally a great run.

Dinner that night was outstanding too. I have to disclaimer on this website that I am not a vegatarian. We eat a lot of vegetarian meals, but I do like me some protien from time-to-time (small town farming community upbringing I guess). Last night dinner was a Salmon Salad - a totally amazing dish I highly recommend to all. Here's the receipe:

2 POUNDS fresh salmon fillets, with the skin on

Good olive oil, for grilling

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 CUP small-diced celery (3 stalks)

1/2 CUP small diced red onion (1 small onion)

2 TBLSPNS minced fresh dill

2 TBLSPNS capers, drained

2 TBLSPNS raspberry vinegar

2 TBLSPNS good EV olive oil

1/2 TEASPOON kosher salt

1/2 TEASPOON freshly ground black pepper

Grill the salmon rubbed with olive oil and sprinkle w/ salt and pepper. Grill until they are rare. Be sure the salmon is still rare on the inside. Remove to a plate, wrap with cover and chill in the refrigerator until cold and very firm.

When the fillets are cold, remove any remaining skin that hasn't come off during grilling. Break the fillets into large flakes and put into a bowl, adding any juice that has colleccted at the bottom of the plate.

Add celery, red onions, dill, capers, raspberry vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste. Mix well and serve cold or at room temperature.

Ryan's NOTE: Throw this over fresh spinach leaves for an outstanding, high protien meal. Oils can be subsituted for your preference.

This is a recipe from The Barefoot Contessa. A favorite.

Peaks & Valleys

I have a home on South Mountain. Right out my back door I have access to endless trails like the one's below.

This is the largest municipal park in the country and one can easily spend time running one of many trails. One of my favorites is the "Gut Wrencher." We start at the base, climb over 1500 feet up Telegraph Pass and then run National Trail to The Pointe. It is constant climbing and isn't for the faint of heart. At almost 13 miles, this will test your will. On one side of this outstanding mountain you have views of Ahwatukee (my dwelling spot) or to the North one has sweeping views of downtown PHX and most other Valley cities. Strap on the Vibram Five Fingers and enjoy communing with nature!

View from National Trail overlooking Ahwatukee. I've hit ever inch of trails on this baby.

Partners in Crime!

Here's my solution to trying to run barefoot in the AZ Desert! I can't wait to get my hands on the Vibram KSOs for my camping/trail running trips to the High Country!!!

Picture taken after an 8-mile loop in South Mountain (Phoenix).

ZEN & Running

Running is an interesting thing to me.

I've been running for years. What kid doesn't run? We run home for dinner, run during play and run to hide from the world. Running is part of the human experience. It is a necessity for hunting in many cultures, part of sexual experience in others, and in many parts of the world it is essential to survival. I've run for my life on occasion!

I run for the love and amazement of the human body. It's been a long road. As a kid I ran track, but dropped it until my senior year in college. That's when I morphed from cyclist to triathlete. I could swim and I could bike, but running? I figured I would make sense of it - afterall, it can't be that hard.

I wasn't fast. I tried to be fast. I did everything I could. I worked with coaches, ran races and did the drills (hill repeats, track workouts, etc...). My times came down, but I still was not the fastest. I bought gadgets, tracked my metrics, worked my limiters and focused, focused, focused. The results came in. Still not the fastest, but getting there.

Simultaneous to all this I was living life. Life has its own races and now in my early 30s, I've learned a few things. Several months ago I was at a fork in the road - continue on the path I was on, or simplify and use what I have learned toward an entirely new path. I chose the latter.

One night many months ago I couldn't sleep. So in the middle of the night I got out of bed, put my racing flats on and just ran. I ran and ran and ran. Each step was freeing. I felt a connectedness to the universe and at peace in my soul. I loved the simplicity of the activity - one foot in front of the other. I was alive. I knew this was the next chapter in my running experiene: a simple and beautiful sport done for the love of running. Period. Don't get me wrong, I love to compete and I like to do well. But now I was to running for running's sake.

As I continued on my moon-lit journey I began to simplify. I took off my shirt, took off my shoes, stashed them behind a tree and kept running. My mind was racing as I felt the cold pavement below my feet, the mud left behind watered yards, and the texture of grass. I was alive and in the moment.

That was my first barefoot experience and since that time I learned there are a lot of other avid runners who are tired of the confinement of shoes and the "technology" that is supposed to enhance something that was divinely created. In that moment I became a barefoot runner.

Now, don't mistake me here. I live in Phoenix, AZ. Running on trails here means jagged rocks, scorpions (potentially), snakes (rare), lizards, and endless amounts of harsh vegatation. Shoes are kinda a good thing here. As a result of simplifying, I have ditched my spongey trail runners for racing flats. And to my amazement I've learned I don't need the cushioning! Not in the least. So, I am on the trails a lot. I love the mountains and enjoy being free and alone on its lone ridges. The views of the daily grind happening in the city below me are reminders of the life I refuse to live as I stand above it all. Above the smog, above the grit, above the rat race. I continue running...

Phoenix is sandy just as much as it is rocky and hostile. So with a little help from my friends at Vibram I've found a barefoot running shoe that enables me to hit the trails and enjoy the elements barefoot (almost). The Vibram Five Finger Sprints are the outward manifistation of my simplified life. I've discovered endless trails in these puppies and enjoy the slight protection from the harsh elements, but when I have the chance the VFFs come off!

This blog is an journey into my new realm of running. We will review products, share stories of the journey and talk shop. I hope this blog is enjoyable for all who come across it!