Brooks Cascadia 7 Review

Cascadia 7 statistics:

Weight: 11.93 oz (US Men’s 9)

Heel-Toe Drop: 10.0 mm (improved from Cascadia 6’s 11.3mm drop)

Heel Height: 28.0 mm

Forefoot Height: 18.0 mm

Before reviewing the Cascadia 7 I need to mention that I gave the Cascadia 6 a score of 21/25 in my previous review, and even though I reviewed the 6's after running 90 miles, it may have been premature considering several issues popped up later in the life of the shoe. More realistically the Cascadia 6 score was an 18/25. That said, my Cascadia 6’s ended up lasting for 1,600 miles before I had to retire them, and that includes over 600 of those miles on roads. The good news is that the Cascadia 7 addressed these issues that cropped up later with the 6’s and I am extremely excited about the updated 7. I will address these issues with the 6 and how the 7 has addressed the issues in this review.

OutSole

The Cascadia 7’s outsole lug design has been redesigned from the 6. The biggest change was the elimination of the round lugs in the core of the outsole of the 6 and returning back to a more triangular lug design in the core of the 7. This change was important because the round lugs in the 6 were not angular enough to grip crevices in rocks and seemed unable to cut through deep mud due to their large surface area. The round lugs also wore quicker and as they wore the traction decreased significantly.

Here is how this new outsole performed on the trails and roads and improved the shoe from the Cascadia 6.

Roads - The lugs handle the roads reasonably well for a trail shoe that is primarily designed for gripping rocks and mud. The lack of surface area in contact with the road on a luggy trail shoe does cause some slippage particularly on wet asphalt. The amazing thing about the Cascadia 7 is that the tread design is smooth enough on the road that you can actually run many miles on the road and have no problems. This shoe is no replacement for a nice road runner but it is as close as it gets. For a runner who has to navigate roads to get to the trails or run trails that have sections of road, this is definitely the shoe for you. I rated the outsole 3/5 for performance on the road

Trails - This is where the outsole and lug design of this shoe excels. The amazing thing about the Cascadia 7 is the fact that this outsole can handle muddy, rocky and root strewn trails nearly as well as specialist trail shoes designed primarily for nasty trails, and yet the Cascadia 7 can run roads making them a more diverse shoe without losing much performance compared to a specialty shoe. They grip mud extremely well. In the Pacific Northwest where I train, muddy trails are a constant, so it is key that the shoe doesn’t slip and the mud doesn’t stick to the sole. The Cascadia 7 nails this combination and can handle the soup and then releases the mud between strides. As for wet rocks they did as good a job as you can expect any versatile shoe. There always seems to be some slipping on wet rocks but the more triangular lug on the 7 seems to find better purchase in small imperfections in the rocks better than the Cascadia 6 so there is improvement there, but there is still slipping on wet slimy rocks. They handle dry rocks extremely well and the ballistic rock shield eliminates the shock from sharp roots and rocks and can handle long distances on rocky trails. Total score for outsole on the trails is 4.5/5.

Cushioning/pivot points/caterpillar crash pad

The Brooks Cascadia 7 incorporates the Brooks DNA cushioning system into the mid sole. This non-newtonian substance is supposed to give each runner a new tailored ride. They have kept the pivot points which are meant to prevent an ankle roll when stepping onto the side of your foot on a rock or root. There was little change in the cushioning from the 6 to the 7 because they really have the cushioning figured out.

Roads – Once again Brooks has found a way to cushion their shoe in a way that is virtually invisible. The shock of the road is adsorbed particularly for heel strikers due to the roll of the shoe and also from the collapse of the caterpillar crash pad in the heel area. Mid to forefoot strikers will find the shoe extremely comfortable on the roads even for long distances. As far as trail shoes are concerned this is the Cadillac of trail shoes on the road. I give the cushioning a 5/5on the roads.

Trails - Everything said previously about the cushioning on the roads applies to the trails but even improves more since the added softness from the trails makes the impact even less noticeable whether you are midfoot striking or heel striking from packed dirt to rocks and mud. The Cascadia 7 deforms around obstacles due in part to its pivot posts. The shoe definitely gets the full 5/5 for cushioning because of the pivots, the DNA, and Caterpillar Crash Pad that all work together to give you a custom, stable, and a shock free ride.

Upper

The upper has changed once again. The previous Cascadia 6 had an adjustable piece in the eye row, which I found to relieve pain in the bridge of the foot during toe-off, but over time I felt the elasticity allowed my foot to slide forward on steep downhill trails and my foot would begin to slide into the toe box. I was quite happy to see this feature go even though in my previous review I praised the elastic eye row as a smart innovation. To address this issue brooks has offset the entire lacing system to lock down the foot and take pressure off the bridge of the foot.

Roads/Trails - The new adjustments have definitely changed how the shoe fits. At first I thought the size 10 felt too wide, but as I worked on the laces it locked down across the bridge and finally tightened up in the toe box and seemed to feel closer to the previous size 10’s fit. The offset laces work really well and not only lock down the shoe in the arch area but release the pressure points across the bridge of the foot, improving the shoe from previous lace designs. The shoe goes from completely water logged from stepping in a stream or puddle to damp in about 20 steps so the shoe really expels water once it gets in there and even seems to draw water out of the wet sock and move it to the outside of the shoe. This is key for any long runs that have high probability for getting your feet wet. I had issues with the Cascadia 6 laces staying tied and thought the floating eye row may have allowed the laces to loosen up over time. The Cascadia 7’s seem to stay tied better than the 6’s but I feel there is still some room for improvement in the lace so that it doesn’t come untied or loose. The shoes upper receives a 4.5/5.

Overall I gave this shoe a total 22/25 scoring higher than my previous Cascadia 6 review and if you consider I feel the Cascadia 6 was actually lower, you can say the Cascadia 7 is clearly a major improvement. Most of this improvement comes from the lug design and the offset lace design. Once again I would recommend this shoe for a versatile runner who encounters the full spectrum of running surfaces from trail to track in any given day. There is still some wiggle room for improvement but Brooks has really developed a great shoe that any runner can take and excel in whether training or racing. This shoe is the Swiss army knife of trail shoes!

Here is a video of a run on Mount Work in Victoria, BC wearing the second pair of Cascadia 7's I have owned!

Long Distance Training

I have been training solo most of my five year running career. I have had the pleasure of training consistently with a great runner and friend on the island for about one year, but he has since moved. So once again I find myself doing all of my training alone. This is partly by choice, but partly because of the challenge of finding someone who can put in the distance at about my same speed. Most guys who can do the distance, do it a bit quicker than me. I don't want to drag them down, whereas most people who are a bit closer to my pace don't enjoy my choice of running distances or terrains. So I find myself running primarily alone which has great advantages but it is nice to train with someone at least once in a while.

My best friend of 20 years Tim has started running and training for marathons for a few years now. We met at a scout camp in 1992 and both got carsick on the drive home. We both had to hang our heads out opposite windows, and we were nearly inseparable for most of our teenage years. This is awesome because he runs at a very similar pace and at the same distances I do. The problem is that it has been tough to train together because we live 1000 miles (three states and one country) apart.

So I came up with some sort of solution that is currently in the beta testing phase. The idea is that as we both train for running long distances we will occasionally take along a camera and talk to it as though we were training together and the other person was present. We can than edit and post a video each week which will have random thoughts and conversations as well as training conditions and routes summed up from the week. Then after a few of these videos get passed along we can start conversing in response to previous training vlogs from each other and train together via long distance for long distances.

Here are my first two. The first video is a little rudimentary, and has no music, and contains some embarrassing information that may have not been wise to spread on Youtube, but I don't mind. It contains footage of Mount Doug, Mount Tolmie, and Cedar Hill Golf Course. The second only has the long run from this last week in The Gowlland Tod Range on the Timberman Trail because I erased the previous few runs when I formatted the card. I do like the second one a little better particularly because it covers the last run Tim and I ran together when he was visiting last summer and so it has footage both of us can relate to. Choose 720 HD for better quality. Enjoy!!

World in My Eyes: Trail Running Victoria BC at Sunset

This is a video I made at the end of summer of an 18 or 19 miler I ran at sunset. I like how you can see it getting later and later as the run progresses.

Fall trail running in Victoria, Vancouver Island

Here is a short video with some clips from a trail run a few days ago in October. It was a great run and the colors were brilliant. It might cause some motion sickness, I wish I had a camera stabilizer. It at least gives you an idea what a Fall run on the Island is like.

Week 3 Ultra Training Vlog - East Sooke Park Coastal Trail Review

Few aspects of trail running are more appealing then swiftly ascending the slopes of a major peak. With each searing breath and lactic acid-laden step you propel yourself heavenward. Peaks represent a very real goal that can be met with awe-inspiring views and a lofty sense of accomplishment. Running trails that lack major prominence may not seem as worthy of a pursuit, but these trails should not be underestimated and can be just as challenging, beautiful, and worthy trails to seek out and run. Perhaps few trails exhibit a merit worthy of comparison with some of the western cordilleran mighty summits then the coastal trails of the Pacific Northwest.

The East Sooke Park Coastal trail is a true jewel tucked away along the southwest corner ofVancouver Island. Upon exiting your car the trail seems quite tame. A wide gravel path leads between evenly spaced trees in a large grassy meadow. The trail seems to be teaming with hikers and you instantly worry you are going to be crowded. The trail flows into a nice sandy beach and becomes the final destination for many of the people you see parked at the trailhead.The coastal trail then turns abruptly west along the shady southern coast. Giant western red cedars, Douglas firs, and arbutus cast their cool shadows over the rocky path. Ten minutes into the run you approach a petroglyphic panel of unknown age. It appears to be a depiction of a salmon or other sea critter. Once again you lose more weekend warriors on the trail, whose main goal was the panel.

After the petroglyphs the trail begins to become much more challenging. It begins to rise and fall over angular jagged rock formations with intermittent sections of yellow grass-strewn headlands. Running along one of the many headlands in the fresh ocean breeze is beyond words.On the horizon the jagged outline of the Olympics rises out of the azure waters of the Pacific Ocean. Foamy waves break on the rocky shore below as the gusty breeze blows the salty scent of the sea over the grassy headland. It feels like you are running through a painting as the fall of your feet brush a seascape across a remarkable canvas of stone and grass. Beechy head is perhaps the most prominent of all the view points along the trail and a concrete monolith marks the summit of the whaleback.

The real work of the trail starts after Beechy Head. Few hikers venture beyond this section of trail and it becomes more wild and secluded. The trail takes on a different persona; one of twisted rock and root with abrupt elevation changes. The next major point you run towards is cabin point. This is an old trapper-style cabin like the thousands that once dotted the BC coast during the early part of the last century. The cabin is available for use and is perched on a lonely wind-swept point.

After the cabin, the trail darts north into a large canyon and turns back on itself towards the south, skirting a large rocky hill. The remaining portion of trail continues to ascend and descend rocky coastal slopes. You catch glimpses of large cliffs and watch the full weight of each wave crash at the base, creating a very dramatic effect.

The trail then comes to a lovely little cove and beach, near the Pike Road access. Many people shuttle cars so that they can hike the trail once and then drive back to the original trailhead.Most hikers take 5-6 hours to do the full trail. As for me I had to turn around and retrace my steps all the way back. I didn’t have time to run the full length of the trail but came close. My family was waiting back at the beginning beach and I was hoping to make it back to them in three hours.

The East Sooke Park coastal trail is a worthy and difficult trail. Every step must be adjusted for as each foot plant is on uneven rocky or rooty terrain. It becomes a struggle to climb and drop over each large headland only to have to repeat it over and over. Soon the quads ache and the calves beg for a stretch of flat easy running so they can recover. The views almost can’t be beat.This trail is highly recommended but if you are planning on doing the full out and back it could easily take 5 hours so be prepared for a long day on strenuous terrain.

Week 3 was not as great as I had hoped. I am trying to get a scientific publication in the works which is a time consuming project. I also had family visit which cost me a day of running and school work. I compensated by doubling Wednesdays mileage but many of those miles were on a road which beats me up a little worse then on the trails. Over all I was happy with the 32 miles I achieved but it definitely could have been stronger.

Ultra Training Week 2 August 1 - August 7 with a long run on Mount Work

This is a little late considering week three is a day from being over but here is my Vlog on training for an ultra for my second week (it is a little quiet in places and once again the sound is off in a few spots but that is what I have to work with as far as my camera mic goes and also my editing software).

Monday - 4 mile hike with my daughter in my pack

Tuesday - fast 6 miler hilly

Wednesday - fast 5 miler flat

Thursday - 6 miles hilly

Friday - rest day

Saturday - hilly 14 miler

Sunday - easy 5 miles

Total - 36 miles running 4 miles hiking

Week 1 training for an Ultramarathon

I finished the first week of my new training block for an ultramarathon. This first week was like the first week of any new block of training runs; some runs were great others were pitiful.

Monday found me running to the 47.5 meter (156 foot) tall Little Niagara Falls. A beautiful narrow cascade of water just off from the main road. Though it isn't as big or beautiful as it's more famous name sake, it still has a beauty and grandeur all its own. I then ran to and over the E&N train trestle that spans the Little Niagara creek gorge. Running on the 161 meter (529') high bridge with no rails and large gaps between the ties was really creepy. You would get vertigo and a bit dizzy. You can tell on the clip on this vlog that I am running very slowly and gingerly and even walking. I am not gonna lie it was unnerving. I would hate to get stuck half way on the bridge when the train came (think Stand by me). You would be in trouble. I then continued to some old mines on the Gold Mine trail and felt like I was running with ghosts. It was a great start to the week.

Tuesday saw me running an easy 7 miles on Mount Doug. You can read about it or see images on my last vlog post.

Wednesday was a flat five miler and was hot and not the best. I was a bit sleep and calorie deprived and very thirsty.

Thursday was a slow and painful 7 miles on Mount Doug with very leaden legs. I made it back in one piece but could feel the mileage from the previous runs piling up and definitely needed a rest.

Friday was a much needed rest day.

Saturday was my long run. I figured I would run two laps of my usual Mount Doug route but I ran so late that it got really dark on me. Just after passing the 8 mile mark I really rolled my ankle. One of those rolls that take you completely off guard. It hurt like crazy and for one split second I thought that was it, I was now going to be out for 6 weeks. Luckily my ankle recovered after some light running and I decided to quit while I was ahead.

All told I was aiming for 37 miles this week and ended with 33. I experienced the exhilaration of running under a waterfall, gingerly stepping on a 160 year old bridge suspended in space. I experienced some strong running with an easy and light pace, but I also experienced low lows. I had some slow labored heavy-footed runs where every step seemed a bit forced and clumsy. I ran in hot weather (relatively hot but not compared to many places currently east of here). I felt the jolt and disappointment of a really painful rolled ankle that brought my long run to a screeching halt. In short, I felt like someone training for a ultramarathon this week. What a great feeling!

0-100 miles: Training for a Trail Ultra Day 1

I am constantly kicking around ideas to stay motivated and run consistently. Recently my friend Tim was up from Utah visiting me on Vancouver Island. We were discussing motivation techniques to aid in consistency, and I thought an idea to help me get back on track with my running goals would be to create a video blog (vlog) of what it takes for a slightly below average trail runner, that is currently out of shape and running inconsistently, to train up for a longer distance 50 or 100 mile Ultra.

I will record a few thoughts during one or several runs each week about what I am going through as I try to whittle my pathetic body into a beginning ultra-runner. The blog and idea are more for me than anybody else but I thought I would share so perhaps someone in a similar boat might see my experiment with long distance and hopefully learn from my mistakes.

The end result should allow me to run more consistently for the next 6 months to a year and hopefully will lead to a Ultra event of some sort.

Today's run was a 6-7ish mile run up and down and around Mount Douglas in Victoria. This is my usual venue for training. Tomorrow I will do a flat 5 miles.

Below is my first Vlog. I have to mention my voice can be quite monotone and boring. I often have to teach labs for my schooling and after each course the students evaluate you and you can read what they said about you later. I have to say I have been lucky to get great reviews but one student gave me a critique that follows "you are extremely passionate about geology, BUT... your monotone voice which lacks any sort of inflection makes it sound like you are quite bored, and as a result makes me think you are not as excited about it as you should be." I laughed and had to agree. I definitely have a weird monotone voice, so if this vlog puts you to sleep I apologize. Additionally I say um, uh, and so WAY too much. I am not a great orator but the idea is just to show others my life as I train for ultra distances through my eyes. It is a little uncomfortable putting myself out there like this but I will roll the dice and see what comes of it.

Geoff Roes Running Times Movie Short

I found this movie on Krupicka's blog interviewing Geoff Roes for running times and I really enjoyed it. I really like how Roes is more interested in just running in the bush everyday and having an adventure rather than meeting some sort of time or mileage quota. I really can say, as I am sure many trail runners can, that it is this non-competitive connection with nature that really inspires me to run everyday. More important than mileage or distance or anything else for me is just the chance to get outside and run free and explore. It is definitely the journey for me that draws me to long distance trail running not so much the finish line. Props to Joel Wolpert for a job well done!

Ben Lomond Utah Trail Running Video 2

I finally had a chance to gather up all my media and piece together my video from an attempt to run to the summit of Ben Lomond with my best friend Tim on July 2nd. You can read about the run and watch Tim's video here. My video isn't edited as well as I would have liked (issues with matching music and transitions etc) but I think it does a good job of showing what a great run it was even though we weren't quite able to summit!

Trail Run up Bair Canyon Utah - following the "Bairgutsman" race route

Trail Followed for the run

During the end of June and the first week of July we traveled to Utah for a holiday. I had planned on running a couple of awesome runs with good friends. The extremely cold wet year eliminated the possibility of running the main route we had chosen so we had to get creative and find something new to run. To test how runnable the Northern Wasatch were and to see what options we had to replace our old run, I decided to take a test run up Bair Canyon which is the course for the Bairgutsman trail race, an 11-13 mile point to point trail race. I was running about 8 miles of the course and then running back so in total I was going to run 16 miles.

Starting at an elevation of 4800' the trail heads straight up Bair Canyon to the summit at 9,500' leaving the total elevation just shy of the 5,000' mark. I started the run at 5:30 a.m. hoping to beat the sun since I am use to running in the mild climate of the PNW. It was quite windy at the start but it was still fairly warm. I had some concerns about the high run-off that would make each of the four river crossings a bit dicey and I was also worried about the snow fields near the summit that were going to be treacherous to cross.

I started off at a nice clip and made it to the first river crossing very quickly. The river was high and frothy but it looked relatively safe. I jumped on in and felt the icy snow melt crash into my thighs. It ended up being quite simple to cross and I could tell I wouldn't have any issues crossing each of the subsequent crossings.

The trail had not seen many hikers past this first crossing this year and the trail began to be quite overgrown. Perhaps the most challenging aspect was the loads of stinging nettle that lined both sides of the trail due to the extremely wet conditions this year. I startled some campers who were sleeping on the side of the trail and weren't expecting to see anyone let alone at 6:00 a.m. I waved and crossed the river again and kept on cruising upwards.

I was also getting covered in hundreds of tiny silkworms that were dangling from the trees. Sometimes I would stop and pick hundreds of the little creatures off of me. Then I noticed a few other unwanted guests hitching a ride... Ticks! I picked several of those off my bare legs and then spent the remainder of the time in the trees and brush petrified of having to pick off ticks when I finished my run. I also began to notice cougar scat all over the trail and was a bit nervous, when a large sage grouse jumped out in front of me. Being already nervous of cougars this opportune explosion of feathers made me nearly have a heart attack. With a huge jolt of adrenaline I powered my way up through the remainder of the trees into the higher slopes of the range. The trail was extremely faint in places making it challenging to follow but my main concern was that on the return down I could easily get lost since the trail would be harder to see as I quickly bounded down the hill. There was also going to be a bunch of branches from mountain mahogany and scrub oak and nettle to sting and scratch my legs as I made my rapid and slightly out of control descent.

I reached snowline at about 7:00 am and found my first snow crossing to be treacherous as I had to slide down a nearly vertical 20' foot snow ledge on my backside. The next challenging snow field was a large side-sloped traverse that angled steeply into the canyon and would have been really bad to slip and slide down on. After crossing this side slope I realized all the switch backs were covered in snow and ice so I just cruised right up the ridge getting scratched and torn up along the full distance.

About two hours after starting out I made it to the summit ridge. The wind was really whipping up there. I decided to summit a small peak to the north of Francis Peak and have a sandwich. I took shelter from the wind behind a communication tower and had a great time on the summit. I changed my socks and started the descent. It went really quickly and running down the snow fields was a blast.

As I predicted the branches and nettle took their toll on my exposed skin and my legs were completely shredded and stung. It is all part of the journey. The descent went extremely quick and I got off the main trail during a slide-rock crossing but found it again and finished my descent with no major issues.

It was a great run and one I will always remember. I really love running in the clouds. Enjoy the footage I took of the run!

Epic run up Ben Lomond July 2nd!

I went down to Utah at the end of June with the intention of running from Smith and Morehouse to Bald Mountain in the Uintas with my best friend Tim. The problem was that even though we waited to do the event until the first week of July, the weather had been so cold and wet this past spring that the Uinta Mountains were completely snowed over.

We had to think fast and come up with an alternate idea. I decided to take a test run to 9,500' in the Wasatch Mountains and see how the conditions were. I ran to Francis Peak and found that it was no problem if I stayed on south and west slopes of the range (more to come on that run). The north slopes were still quite snowy but it seemed reasonable that we could handle any run in the Northern Wasatch.

So while in North Ogden I stopped off at Tim's house and decided to talk to him about our options. We set our sites on 9,712' tall Ben Lomond. The idea was to hit the North Ogden Divide and run the south ridge all the way to the summit. Here is where we ran into our next problem. Tim called me that night and informed me that the North Ogden Divide was closed due to rock slides. We couldn't really get anywhere near the trail head. We devised a new plan to attack it via the east and north slopes of the North Fork Park (I knew that we would be dealing with some serious snow).

We met at about 5:30 am and drove to the trail head. The sun was already beating down on us as we started the run. We didn't quite know where the actual trail started and ran around the campgrounds a bit to find the actual trail near some corrals, which allowed us to stretch the legs and get the cobwebs out. I was still a bit fatigued from hammering a 13 mile 3,000' run just two days earlier and I could tell the elevation and heat would slow me down but in the end I could care less the mountain air was fresh and crisp, the sky a sapphire blue, and we were doing what I love most about running - propelling ourselves skyward!

The first few miles were beautiful and the trail was in great condition. We were able to quickly move up the mountain in good time. We purposely held back and took our time because we knew that the upper reaches of the mountain weren't going to be a picnic. After several miles of smooth sailing we began to ascend into ever higher trails and then ran into our first snow bank. The snow was soft and made a steep bevel that covered the trail. The edges of our shoes bit into the snow and we navigated the bank with little difficulty. The next bank was a bit longer and more solid than the previous one. Tim, being a road marathoner, was wearing his Mizuno Wave Runner's which have about 600 miles on them. We joked that he was doing an off-road event in racing slicks. This was Tim's first real trail running attempt and as we ran the snow I could see that his shoes were not going to handle too much snow but I thought "it is July, how much snow could there be up there?"

As we made continual progress up the slope we found the snow becoming more and more common. Finally it began to no longer be just a hindrance but a hazard as we side-sloped large ice fields with seemingly endless drop-offs. The once amazing and runnable trail was masked by large snow fields. We would continually lose the trail and have to find it after zig-zagging the snowy slopes. With all the challenges the snow were posing we began to work out a system where I would kick steps into the icy pitches and Tim would follow in my footsteps with his racing slicks. We found a smooth rhythm and began to make some good progress again. After several slow miles of kicking steps and finding the trail we reached a large gully that was choked with snow and ice. We could see that it lead toward the saddle that marked the beginning of the final approach to the summit. All we could see though was white. There was little hope of being able to ascend the last 600 feet without a better form of traction. With disappointment I told Tim that with a pair of Kahtoola Microspikes we would be able to launch ourselves right up the slopes.

We decided to run around a large hip that protruded from the slopes of Ben Lomond. As we rounded the corner we were met with the awe-inspiring 9,764' crags of Willard Peak. All I could to do was drool as I imagined myself standing on its summit in a perfect "snow free" world. Alas it was not to be. It would have been unwise to continue with racing-slicks and besides our unprotected eyes were now looking at the blinding light coming off the snow fields for an hour or two and snow blindness is something neither of us wanted. We decided to call off our summit bid and we anxiously looked back over the miles of mushy snow that stood between us and fast downhill running.

We picked our way back but continually were having issues following our footsteps back and after some confusion we realized there was a subsequent pair of insane runners like ourselves that had attempted the same run. We eventually ran into them as they descended as well having suffered our same fate of getting snowed out. We joked and shared running stories and enjoyed the unspoken bond that links all crazy runners. We all parted ways and began to pick up the pace as the snow thinned out more and more with each step.

Finally we reached the sloping trails leading back to the trail head. After several hours of slipping and sliding and kicking steps in the snow we were able to finally run! We pointed ourselves down hill and really turned up the heat! We floated down the gentle curves of the wooded apron that surrounds Ben Lomond. Leaping streams and flying across slopes covered in lush green grass and wildflowers, we finally felt more like runners and less like mountaineers.

The heat of the day and humidity rising from the dense vegetation gave one a sense of running in a sauna. Before we knew it we were down from the mountain and just meters from the trail head. Our water had run out just as we reached the car. We had given it our best shot and though we were unable to summit something told me as we stood side by side gazing at the blinding jewel that marked the summit we would be back. Tim may be able to run it quite soon but I live 900 miles to the northwest and will have to wait for another year. Perhaps next year I will be able to give it another go and we may even be able to nail Willard while we are at it.

Perhaps the highlight of the trip was running with Tim. Our running journey's have followed completely different paths. I have been running for almost 5 years now and have found myself drawn to the trails of British Columbian, where Tim has been running for only a year and a half and has spent most of his time on the roads training for half and full marathons. That being said two best friends of nearly 20 years who have polar opposite running styles and backgrounds were able to reconnect and share our first of many running experiences together and enjoy the camaraderie and joy that comes from running. Something tells me this is just the first page of a whole new chapter of our friendship.

Tim is currently spending the week with me on the island and we are already creating new and amazing running experiences here. I will blog about these amazing runs in the weeks to come.

Here is a video made by Tim of our amazing run. I have not been able to gather all my multimedia from the trip yet but will post it soon. I love the video Tim made and I feel it does a beautiful job of catching the amazing time we had during our first run together ever. Enjoy!

Run up Ben Lomond July 2nd, 2011

I went down to Utah at the end of June with the intention of running from Smith and Morehouse to Bald Mountain in the Uintas with my best friend Tim. The problem is that even though I was waiting to do the event until the first week of July, the weather had been so cold and wet this spring that the Uinta Mountains were completely snowed over.

We had to think fast and come up with an alternate idea. I decided to take a test run to 9,500' in the Wasatch Mountains and see how the conditions were. I ran to Francis Peak and found that it was no problem if I stayed on south and west slopes of the range. The north slopes were still quite snowy. I had a great run and will block about it later.

Brooks Cascadia 6 review

To view the Cascadia 7 review click here.

After nearly 1000 miles on my last pair of Cascadia 4's I decided it was time to buy some new shoes. I looked at several shoes from various brands. The criteria I was looking for was a shoe that has the ability to carry me 2-4 miles on the roads to get to the trails I frequent, and then be able to perform well on wet, steep, rocky, rooty, and muddy terrain, and then turn around and run back home on the roads. The problem with this sort of request from a shoe is that trail shoes that are nubby with good traction tend to wear extremely fast on the roads whereas shoes built to handle more road running tend to be a typical road runner with a more hardy sole but are not meant for hardcore technical trails. This combination of factors is why I have been running in Cascadia's for the last 3 years since they have proven themselves worthy to handle significant road miles followed by extreme trail conditions and long trail runs. The new additions and tweaks to the Cascadia 6 looked great and I decided that was my shoe again. So how did the new shoes holdup to my test?

New Cascadia 6 at mile 0

Maiden Voyage of the Cascadia 6's

First here are the stats of what I have put the shoes through thus far:

Weight: 12.0 oz

Heel-Toe Drop: 11.3 mm

Heel Height: 34.1 mm

Forefoot Height: 22.8

Socks - Injinji

Size - 10

Total weeks I have owned the shoes - 2 weeks

Total miles ran in the new shoes - 86 miles

Roads - 12 miles

Gravel Flat Trails (wet, dry, and snowy/icy) - 12 miles

Steep Dirt/mud Trails (>20% grades) - 15 miles

Steep Rocky Trails (>20% grades) - 8 miles

Varied Single Track (muddy, dry, sandy, flat, rooty, inclined/declined and streams) - 39 miles

I believe that the variability and current mileage I have ran while wearing these shoes has qualified me to make a proper assessment of their performance since I have put them through about everything a typical trail runner might encounter.

OutSole

The shoes tread has been changed slightly from older models to include additional traction for going up hills and running down them. There is a series of thin linear treads in the arch area of the shoe. Additionally they added what they call a "Caterpillar Crash Pad" in the heel area to aid in heel-striking. They exposed the ballistic rock shield through the sole so you know it is there.

So how did these improvements perform on the various surfaces I tried them on, and how do they compare to previous tread designs?

Roads - The tread on the roads is not the best because there just isn't that much surface area in contact with the road. On wet asphalt there is some slippage as the large lugs search for purchase. Lets face it though, roads are a necessary evil to get one to the trails and to be honest I don't need the shoes to grip the road but instead be able to handle the road until I get to the trail and this is what they do. I have never fallen on the road while wearing any of the Cascadia's and these have been the same. The feel of the shoe on the road is surprisingly cushioned and I have raced up to about a half marathon on the roads with the Cascadia 4's and so I feel the soles are suitable for the roads. Most impressive is how well they wear. They can handle many miles on the road before you begin to notice wear. 2.5/5 for the soles performance on the road

Trails - This is where the sole and tread design of this shoe excels. My first run in them was three 500 foot steep muddy and rocky hill repeats on Mount Doug. When I stepped off the pavement onto the muddy trail I instantly felt the shoe bite through the mud. The lugs are spread wide enough to prevent mud from caking on the bottom, they also don' allow gravel to get wedged (a real pet peeve on gravel trails). They felt much more stable on steep uphill in the mud (I am comparing them to my worn Cascadia's) but they still feel better than I remember the old ones. Once again on the down hill they gripped the muddy slopes well with no slipping. Some of the trails were steep and muddy enough to slide down on your butt but there was no sliding in the shoes. They handled sand and gravel well also with no complaints. As for wet rocks they did as good a job as you can expect a shoe. There always seems to be some slipping on wet rocks but they really felt stable and I was confident enough to turn up the speed a bit faster than normal. They hug dry rock extremely well and the ballistic rock shield eliminates the shock from sharp roots and rocks. Total score for tread off the road is 4.5/5 (to get a perfect score from me they would have to find a way to improve wet rock traction but I haven't found a shoe yet that can handle the wet slimy rocks).

Cushioning/pivot points/caterpillar crash pad

The new Brooks Cascadia 6 has incorporated the new Brooks DNA into the mid sole. This non-newtonian substance is supposed to give each runner a new tailored ride. Additionally they have added a 4th pivot in the front medial side of the shoe. The pivots are meant to take the shock of stepping onto the side of your foot on a rock or root and prevent ankle rolls.

Roads - The cushioning on the roads is great. I couldn't notice the cushioning at all which I feel is a great compliment to the shoe's cushioning. If you notice cushioning then that means it is too soft or too hard. The shoe absorbed the shock from the hard asphalt and concrete really well. During forefoot striking they really were smooth. The heel strike in the new shoe is actually much improved. For those who over-stride you will notice that the "caterpillar crash pad" is not just a gimmick but that it does make a smoother transition from the heel to toe compared to the past model and is a great addition. I think that the DNA feels great, like I said earlier the shoe is hardly noticeable on the road and this must mean the DNA is doing its job. I give the cushioning a 5/5 on the roads.

Amendment: After running several longer 3 hour runs since writing this review I have noticed some hot spots on the balls of my feet and I feel this may be due to the cushioning. If this issue persists I will most likely drop the score for the cushioning. I will have to see if the shoe really is harder or if I am just breaking it in a bit or because I haven't been running many 3 hour runs lately my feet are just more tender as they adapt to the miles.

Trails - Everything said previously about the cushioning on the roads applies to the trails but even improves slightly more since the added softness from the trails makes the impact even less noticeable whether you are mid-foot striking or heel-striking on rocks to mud. Where the cushioning in the mid-sole makes the biggest difference is the pivot points on uneven terrain. I don't feel I appreciated this feature until I started to pay attention to what it does. The new point added to the medial toe actually saved me from a possible roll just the other day. I was cruising down a steep hill and stepped right onto a sharp rock right on my right ball of my foot. Under normal circumstances a rigid sole without the pivots would have been thrown to the right and a painful roll and fall would have surely happened. This was not the case. I felt the shoe deform around the obstacle and I was stable enough to keep in control and not get injured. It was perhaps the most noticeable example of this feature helping in preventing ankle rolls I can think of. The shoe definitely gets the full 5/5 for cushioning because of the pivots, the DNA, and Caterpillar Crash Pad that all work together to give you a custom, stable, and hardly noticeable ride.

Upper

The upper has several adjustments as well, including an adjustable piece in the eye row, suede overlays and hydrophobic foam improvements.

Roads/Trails - The upper has worked really well and perhaps the most noticeable feature/improvement was the adjustable eye piece that flexes and changes across the bridge of the foot. What makes this feature so great is felt the shoe held much snugger in the arch when I need arch support but it flexed and eased up on the bridge or top of my foot during toe-off so that I had a better fit on the arch without pain on the bridge of my foot from being too tight to achieve the same effect. Running in the snow this week and rain last week the shoe can go from completely water logged from stepping in a stream or puddle to dry in about 20 steps so that the shoe really expels water once it gets in there and even seems to draw water out of the wet sock and move to the outside of the shoe. This is key for any long runs that have high probability for getting your feet wet. The shoes upper receives a 4/5 The reason I gave it a 4 is that I have had some issues tightening and adjusting the laces towards my toes. The laces also come untied easily and I had to use triple knots with the occasional stop and retie. The laces could really be improved. I did have some fit issues in the toebox as well. My toes were sliding forward slightly on the steep downhill running and resulted in small blisters on the tips of my toes. This seemed to occur during the first 20 miles I wore the shoe and now as the stretch is removed from the shoe and it is molding better to my foot it feels much more secure in the toe box. The shoe is an ounce lighter from the last model and is a step in the right direction (more bang with less weight). I love the bold colors Cascadia uses. I don't want a color that blends in the road or trail making it seem like I am hiding the fact that I am a trail runner. I want something that punches you in the face when you see it and says "I run hard gnarly trails and I am proud of it!" The lava red is awesome!

Overall I gave this shoe a total 21/25 (2.5 of those points are deducted from the grip on the road so the score without that category would be a much higher 23.5/25) and I feel any shoe over 20 is a top notch shoe. If I was to use the same grading system on the Cascadia 4 it would get several points lower. I feel all the improvements, although seemingly minor, all add up to make an improved ride and each new addition is not just a gimmick but serves a purpose and makes a difference for each step which adds up after millions of steps. I would recommend this shoe for the runner who could be running on a track one day and running down a steep mountain the next, the versatility of this shoe is impressive. There was little to complain about this shoe and I feel most people would be well off training and racing in this shoe.

I am posting a recent video of a run while I was in Utah in June. The run is up Bair Canyon and is part of the Bairgutsman trail race. You can read more about the run here.

Running out of land!

Yesterday's run was a bit different; I decided to run along the coast instead of my usual trails that are always draped over mountainous terrain. It was a nice change of scenery and coasts offer unique challenges of their own. For example, the rocky shorelines get hammered by wave action leaving them quite fractured, weathered and slick, many have large breaks and gullies you have to jump and climb over (you can get a small sense from the video I am posting, but the quality doesn't really do it justice). There is also something really awesome about running the strand line separating land and sea, as the waves are crashing and the wind is blowing off the water, it is almost therapeutic after a challenging week full of stress.

I chose a spit of land projecting into the Strait of Georgia as my goal for this run, and decided to run until I was completely out of land. It was actually really awesome and I am really enjoying what I am doing with my running; by shaking things up and running to many different locations it is keeping things fun, new, and exciting. I went out armed with my bulky camera (since it was another clear day free of precip.) and snapped some shots along the way including some funny self timer ones. Mixing photography and running is also making each run more exciting, and I really enjoy it. I would love to take my big DSLR with me but it is too bulky (but the quality is unmatched). My current camera I am running with is no pocket camera, unfortunately the photo quality is out of date and isn't proportionate to the bulk of the camera.

This run like previous runs was not that great, but it was fun, so I really can't complain. As soon as I can get consistent I will start seeing the results I am after.

Self-timer shot on the rocky point after running to the lands end.

This photo shows what coastal running near Victoria, BC is like. Lots of slippery rocks!

A shot of the skyline just as I left the trails and started on the roads back for home.

In honor of Christmas I decided a photo I took of this Holly as I ran by was appropriate.

This is a short video showing me run to the end of the point. Not the best quality but I wanted to film it. I have to admit I ran it quite gingerly because of the jagged rocks, I was concerned if I ate it that me or the camera could get chewed up so I took it easy and you can also tell I was pretty knackered by this point of the run. I hope it gives a small glimpse of what it is like running the coast of V.I. (It is best viewed with the sound turned off because of the wind and the Cure video playing with the sound on. I know I could have just added a soundtrack in moviemaker but I would have had to convert the video format so this was good enough.)

I decided to post some acoustic Cure today. A Cure song has been long overdue on my blog and "Close to Me" has been one of my favorite songs since I was just a kid. I remember being about 10 years old and falling in love with the upbeat melody. One day after Halloween I had to stay home from school because I ate too much candy the night before and made myself sick. I can recall laying in bed with my recorder trying to play this song. I never could figure out how to get the notes right but it is nice to know the 10 year old version of myself had pretty good taste in music even back then. Enjoy!