The North Face - Spring 2018 Review

If you are into outdoor sports, you probably recognize the name The North Face.  I have been using their gear for over 20 years.  Founded in 1966 in San Francisco’s North Beach area, two hiking enthusiasts decided to follow their passions and founded a small mountaineering retail store.  The little shop became known as The North Face, a retailer of high-performance climbing and backpacking equipment.  The North Face gets its name from the coldest, most unforgiving side of a mountain.  It moved across the bay to Berkley in 1968 and began designing and manufacturing its own brands gear.  The rest is history.  After over 40 years, The North Face has grown to deliver an extensive line of performance apparel, equipment, and footwear.  Their motto is “Never Stop Exploring.”

Ultra Endurance II Trail Shoe

I tested the Ultra Endurance shoe in the Fall of 2016 (click here for my review).  I was really impressed with the shoe.  It was cushioned, but responsive.  It also was jam-packed with features from FlashDry fabric in the heel collar to a super grippy Vibram® Megagrip outsole.  I was excited to test out the second version of the shoe.  Let’s first look at the things that I liked so much that remained the same. 

The outsole is still made with the Vibram® Megagrip material.  This material is amazing.  It will grip to rocks, fallen trees, wet and dry surfaces alike.  It has never let me down, even in some really muddy sections of the trails.

The heel drop is still 8mm which feels great and provides a natural gait.  The heel collar still has FlashDry material to wick moisture away and help keep your feet dry.  A feature that is helpful in hot summer running.   The ESS Snake Plate™ protects your feet from sharp rocks and really did a great job in my testing.  I was running on some volcanic rock that was rather sharp and my feet felt great.

Other items that remained the same include the gusseted tongue which helps to keep the debris out of your shoes, a Molded-TPU toe cap that protects your toes from those dreaded tree stumps.  I hate when I stub my toe and a shoe doesn’t have enough protection.  Not an issue here though.  The OrthoLite® footbed is comfortable and is the same as the previous version.

I took the Ultra Endurance II out for several trail runs and was really excited.  It is my favorite shoe from The North Face to date.  The fit and comfort were great and there was plenty of grip in different conditions.  I went on a bunch of shorter runs and a longer, technical run that would usually beat up my feet.  The Ultra Endurance II kept my feet feeling happy and I never had to worry about my footing, which can be the difference between a good and great shoe.

The shoes did gain a little weight, which would be my biggest complaint.  It went from 11 ounces per shoe in the original Ultra Endurance to 11.5 ounces per shoe in the Ultra Endurance II.  The Ultra Endurance II retails for $120 on The North Face website, which is a decent price for a shoe this nice. 

Pros:

Durable Materials

Breathable and moisture wicking materials

Plenty of traction on all surfaces

Cushion to make your feet happy mile-after-mile

Good price at $120 (on the TNF website)

Cons:

A little on the hefty side (gaining 0.5 ounces from the previous version).

 

Beyond The Wall Tank

The Beyond The Wall Tank is a durable and breathable tank that was originally designed for climbers.  It is made from a light weight blend of technical polyester and TENCEL lycell fabrics that help to regulate body temperature when working out indoors.  The fabric feels very soft and a little thicker than some of the other running tops I‘ve tried from TNF. 

 

The BTW Tank is a standard fit, meaning that it is a little looser than an athletic fit, but not baggy.  It is durable and breathable, but was shaped to provide extra fabric to act as a barrier between your skin and climbing harness.  The extra fabric would be good at the gym when doing lunges where the bar would be resting on your shoulders (behind your head).

For a running top, the breathability and fit worked well.  It is fairly cold right now though.  I would be curious how this top would work in the 90+ degree heat that I see here in Sacramento.  It was a comfortable tank that I definitely could see myself wearing during cross training or treadmill training.  I will have to see how the shirt holds up in hotter weather.  I really did appreciate that the material was very comfortable and it really did keep me dry throughout my whole run.  The Beyond The Wall Tank retails for $50 on The North Face website.  While this may seem a little pricey for a tank top, the quality is great, as I would expect from The North Face. 

Pros:

Durable Materials

Breathable and moisture wicking fabric

Feels great and moves with your body

Helps Regulate body temperature

Perfect for climbers who need a little more protection when using a harness.

Cons:

$50 is a little steep for a tank (but well worth it)

Not sure how the shirt will hold up in hot weather

Better Than Naked Short Sleeve Shirt

The Better Than Naked Short -Sleeve shirt is an extremely light weight shirt.  Like the name would suggest, it is so light that you almost forget it’s there.  Made with FlashDry material, the BTN shirt is great at wicking moisture away from your skin and dries extremely fast.  One of my favorite features is that it doesn’t stick to your skin when it does get wet, which is not typical in most running tops.  The stich free construction reduces chafing.  The North Face uses body-mapped ventilation to specifically place ventilation where it is needed the most to keep you cooler and there is reflective material all around the shirt to keep you safe in the dark.  The Better Than Naked shirt is an athletic fit shirt, meaning that it is not baggy, but also is not super tight. 

I was really comfortable in this shirt, even when doing long trail runs or tempo workouts.  I stayed relatively cool and dry.  The shirt fits well and after looking at reviews, both on TNF’s website as well as other websites, I couldn’t find a bad review.  If you give it a try, I think you will love it too.  The Better Than Naked Short Sleeve Shirt retails for $50 on The North Face website, but you may be able to find last year’s shirt for cheaper if you look around.  It is worth the $50 though.  This is one of my favorite running tops and I keep gravitating toward it.

Pros:

360-degree reflective material

Breathable and moisture wicking fabric

Feels great and moves with your body

Helps Regulate body temperature

Body-mapped ventilation

Flight Series Better Than Naked Long Haul Shorts

The Better Than Naked Long Haul Short is something I tested in the past and is one of my favorite shorts to run in.  The BTN Long Haul shorts have an inner compression short instead of the brief and it is great.  I haven’t used any anti chafe products when wearing these shorts and have never had an issue.  The version that I tested were a few years old and the newer version feels better and the materials have been updated. 

The shorts are made with FlashFry material, which is breathable and moisture wicking.  The BTN Long Haul shorts have 360- reflectivity and have a 7” inseam.  The really cool thing about this short is that the zippered pocket is a little bigger than many other shorts, which still fits smaller smartphones.  It also has a wide waistband with a draw cord. 

The cool think is that all around the waistband are pockets sewn in.  They are great for storing gels, electrolyte pills, an ID, or your car keys.  This is one of the most innovative features I have ever seen in a pair of running shorts.  Other companies are starting to add these pockets to their shorts too.  Even loaded with gear, the shorts feel great and move well with your body.  The inner compression liner also has pockets where you could store an ID, a house key, or some cash without it being visible.

I absolutely love these shorts.  They not only feel amazing to run in, but they will keep you stocked with gear for a training run or a race.  You can now leave your running belt at home.  I can’t tell you how awesome these shorts are.  Add the lightweight FlashDry material for reduced chafing and you have yourself a winner.  The BTN Long Haul shorts retails for $65 on The North Face website, which is absolutely worth the money.  These shorts are worth the price and I still have not found anything that I didn’t like about them, and I was looking really hard.

Pros:

360-degree reflectivity

Breathable and moisture wicking fabric

Feels great and moves with your body

Zippered back pocket and pockets all around the waistband

Attached compression shorts

Feel awesome!!!

The North Face’s Social Media Links:

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The North Face makes exceptional gear and while it may be a little more than some of the running gear out there, the quality and feel makes them well worth the price, especially if you can find them on sale.  The North Face offers a lifetime warranty against any manufacturing defects in materials and workmanship.  They will repair or replace the product at no cost to you.  All you pay is for is the shipping to The North Face.  You can pick up all of your gear from The North Face website or find a retail location near you (click here for locations).  Take a chance on some gear from The North Face and you won’t be disappointed.  Be sure to let me know what you think.

Note:  I received this product in exchange for a review.  The review is my personal opinion of the product and I was not required to give a particular opinion of it.  I am not a doctor, so please use all of the products that I review at your own risk.

Race Report – Way Too Cool 2018

Pre-Race Report

I finished the California International Marathon in the beginning of December and decided that I was not going to run a road race in 2018.  My love for trails and running ultras has taken over and I started to work on my race plan for 2018.

Ever since last year (2017) when I did a 12-hour race, I knew that I would try for a 100 mile race.  The Rio Del Lago 100 Mile Endurance Run is not too far from me so I knew that would be the race.  I just had to figure out what other races I would do in preparation for RDL100.  I tried to get into the Miwok 100k, but did not get picked through the lottery.  

I then signed up for the lottery for the Way Too Cool 50k, which is one of my bucket-list races.  I actually got in.  I decided that I was going to do the American River 50 Mile Endurance Run as well since the Way Too Cool and American River 50 courses combine to make the Rio Del Lago course.  I saw it as doing recon for the big race.  My goal isn’t to kill myself on these first two races, but enjoy them and really study the course while I am out there.  

I was building off of my marathon training by taking a few weeks really easy and then ramping up my mileage.  I did not add mileage too quickly, or so I thought at the time, and almost all of my runs were at 65-70% of my max heart rate.  Basically I was building my aerobic endurance.  Everything was going really well.  I was doing back-to-back weekend runs and following Hal Koerner’s plan from his book “Hal Koerner’s Field Guide to Ultrarunning.”  It is a great book and I strongly recommend it.

I averaged 253 miles in January in 24 runs (which was my biggest mileage month ever).  My legs felt great and I had really built up my aerobic endurance. I was doing a 22 mile slow run and started to get some ankle pain after about 14 miles.  Nothing terrible, but it was noticeable.   I didn’t feel a pop, didn’t land weird, it just started hurting.  The pain got worse when I got home and let it rest for a while, but there was no inflammation.  I did the normal ice/rest as well as some warm therapy.  I took about 5 days off of running, substituting cycling and swimming for some run days.  I even took Ibuprofen, which I hate doing.  I ran 88 miles in February, which 60 of those were pre-injury.  That means that the three weeks leading up to the race, I only put in 28 miles total.  Looking back on my monthly mileage, my injury is probably due to overuse.  I am figuring it’s some form of tendonitis or an impingement at the joint.  

Way too Cool 50k was exactly one month after I hurt my ankle.  I tried to train smarter since the injury.  In weeks leading up to the race, I had had some very good, pain free runs.  I had a few runs where my ankle hurt as well (even stopping a run 1.5 miles in and walking back to the start).  Honestly, I was worried about it with the race quickly approaching.  I decided to take the 3 days before the race off to let it recover a little more.  

Race Morning/Pre Race

I woke up at about 4:30 and got dressed.  I grabbed some overnight oats that had been in the fridge and headed out to the car.  I wanted to get up to the race by 6:00AM so I could get a good parking spot.  There is a parking lot right near the port-o-potties and not too far from the event tents.  If you get there too late, you end up parking along the road (where the first mile of the race takes place) or at a store down the road (if you get there after 7:15 am.  I got my primo parking spot and hit the bathrooms.  If you are going to WTC in the future, I would strongly recommend getting there early.  

I was continually second-guessing myself on whether I should change from my CW-X Thermal Tights to my North Face Shorts.  It was about 36 degrees out and the high for the day was going to be about 44.  I ended up sticking with the tights and am glad I did, but more on that in a little.

I was waiting for my friend Abdulah to show up when I turn around and see Max King (left picture below).  He is a killer ultra runner who holds several course records and is a super nice guy.  I also ran across Jamil Curry (right picture below) who is the founder of Run Steep Get High and Aravaipa Running.  Jamil is not only a great ultra runner, but does vlogs and other videos.  I have been watching his content lately, so it was really cool to see him there.  Jamil was taping some of the race (following some of the Salomon athletes).  I was able to get pictures with both guys.  It totally made my day.

Abdulah showed up and after a quick trip to the blue palace (not together), I was ready for the race to start.  The race starts out for about a mile on a paved road with cars parked along either side.  After a mile, you head out on Olmstead Loop.  When we got to the trail, there was a bad bottleneck, but it only lasted about a minute before everyone was on their way.  The first section of the course is 8 miles and was mostly runnable single track with the exception of a few small hills.  I was able to get a nice warmup mile in on the paved section and had a decent pace going with absolutely no pain.  Here is a video of the first creek crossing at Knickerbocker Creek.

The first 8 miles were great.  The sun was out for parts of this section and just a few sprinkles.  The rain was expected to roll in about 3 hours after the race start.   The trails were a little muddy, but not too bad except for a few sections.  At mile 5.5 miles there was no ankle pain and I felt really good, especially since I had not logged many miles for the past 3 weeks.

At the end of the 8 mile Olmstead Loop, you come back to the start area where you hit the first aid station.  I chose to stop by my car (thanks to my primo parking spot 10 feet from the course) to swap out my long sleeve Smartwool NTS Mid 250 Pattern Crew Shirt for my Smartwool PhD Short Sleeve Shirt.  The shirt was getting kind of warm and I knew that I would probably be wearing my waterproof jacket so I wanted a cooler shirt.

I grabbed some coke, boiled potato, a few pieces of PB&J, and refilled one bottle with Gu Roktane.  Then I headed out on the next section of the course that took you from Cool down the Western States Trail toward No Hands Bridge.  Before you get to the bridge, you cross highway 49 and head along the Quarry Road Trail which is relatively flat until you reach the aid station at mile 13. I felt good at this point.  I grabbed more PB&J and coke.  Then I filled up my bottles with more Gu Roktane and headed out.  No ankle pain still, but because I was landing more on my heel to put less pressure on my ankle, my Plantar Fasciitis on my left foot was starting to act up.

At around mile 16 the smaller hills started.  Nothing too major, but it did slow me down a little.  There was a little over 1,000 feet of vertical in the next few miles.  I just took it easy and power hiked this section.  My Plantar Fasciitis was getting worse, but my ankle was still pain free.  I am able to run through the PF pain, but the ankle pain that I had in the weeks leading up to the race eliminated any running immediately, so I was happy with how everything was playing out.  Most importantly, I was staying positive and just enjoying the journey.  It was great to run a race where finishing was my main goal (usually I have a time goal that I try to hit).  To help with the Plantar Fasciitis pain, I would just stand in the creek crossings for about 15 seconds to cool off my feet and try and keep the inflammation down.  Here is a progress check at mile 18.

From mile 18, I just kept chugging along and having a great time.  I decided before the race that I was going to enjoy the mud and not try and avoid every puddle along the way. Normally, I try and avoid puddles, but this was so much fun.  Even on the climbs, I just put my head down and put one foot in front of the other.  There were a few hills here and there, but nothing bad until Goat Hill, which was at about mile 25.5.  It’s a short, but steep hill that’s over a 20% grade. 

To be honest, this is where my reduced training mileage was apparent.  I was slow to climb the steep hills.  The good thing is that I didn’t stop completely, just kept slowly working up the hill.  At the top, there was a volunteer cheering you on, letting you know that you made it to the top and the aid station wasn’t too far away.

With less than 5 miles to go, I grabbed some soup, coke, and sandwiches before heading out.  I ran the last 5 miles a little slower than I would have liked, but considering my Plantar Fasciitis was really bad by this point, I was thrilled to not have to worry about the cut-off times.  I even passed the great Ann Trason (14 time winner of the Western States 100) who was walking her dog on the trail.  She told me the finish line was just up ahead. 

As I approached the finish line, I stopped in a big mud patch, reached down and gave myself some mud stripes.  I earned this finish and learned many valuable lessons (more on that later). 

The finish line party included a signature frog cupcake, a pint glass and beer from Tap It Brewing Company from San Luis Obispo, and homemade soup.  It was rather cold by this point and the soup was amazing. 

There were a few vendors who were there including Salomon and Victory Bags.  I grabbed my stuff and headed to my car to change and get home.  My poor wife was stuck at home with our three young kids, so I saved the frog cupcake for her.  She definitely deserves it.

Gear

Shoes: Hoka One One Speedgoat 2

Gaiters: Outdoor Research Stamina Gaiters

Socks: Drymax Max Pro Trail ¼ Socks

Tights: CW-X Insulator Stabilyx Tights

Shirt (first 8 miles): Smartwool NTS Mid 250 Pattern Crew Shirt

Shirt (last 22 miles): Smartwool PhD Short Sleeve Shirt

Hydration Pack: Salomon S/Lab Sense Ultra 8 Set

Jacket: Arc’teryx Norvan Jacket

Hat: Altra Tech Hat

Video: GoPro Hero6 Black with Shineda Telescopic Selfie Stick

Electrolyte/Fuel: Glukos Gummies and Tailwind Nutrition

Anti-Chafe: Squirrel’s Nut Butter

Other Items in my pack: Ginger Runner BUFF, Baby Wipes, Extra GoPro Battery

Lessons Learned

I try to take a few things from every race or long run that I do.  Because this was a scouting mission for RDL100, I wanted to prepare for doing this section of the course at night, which would most likely be when I make it to the Way Too Cool course.

I had another great race of making sure my nutrition and fuel were on point.  My favorite part of running ultra runs is that you get to eat awesome food and hang out with great people who you have never met.  This was my first time having warm soup.  Total game changer right there!!!

Running in the mud is really fun if you have some good shoes and socks.  My Drymax socks kept my feet feeling good because they pull the water away from your feet so quickly.  The Hoka Speedgoat 2 have tons of cushion, are responsive, and the lugs dig into the mud for some great traction.  There were a few hills where people were running in place because they couldn’t get any traction.  I was hiking up the hill and would push them until they could get some traction.  I LOVE THESE SHOES!

I am a mid-packer, plain and simple.  I have no issues with this at all.  I am not super-fast (I know that fast is all relative) but my training has helped me gain the ability to just grind away, one foot on front of the other, for hour after hour.  I know where I should be in a race and have no problem when people pass me.  I check my ego at the door and run my race.  That is a huge change from road running, at least for me.

I have to trust my training.  After almost 3 weeks of minimal training due to my ankle injury, I still had the endurance to far surpass what I thought I would be able to do on race day.  I just wanted to make the 8:30:00 cutoff and my 7:19:00 was only about 25 minutes slower than my PR.  Most of that was due to my Plantar Fasciitis pain and having to slow down for that.  I am very happy with how everything went down at the race.

What’s Next

So with a little over a month until the American River 50 Mile Endurance Run, I will take a recovery week of swimming, cycling, and some easy running.  My ankle is almost completely healed as of today, but my Plantar Fasciitis has become worse.  I will work on every other day runs with more cross training (swimming and cycling) between now and the AR50.  My goal is to enjoy AR50 and I know that my Plantar Fasciitis will be a factor, but I also know that I can run through that pain.  I plan to take a month off after AR50 to let my Plantar Fasciitis recover.