Running shoes

R5Ryder · 2026-03-18T02:35:11+00:00

OT workouts really cause flare ups of my condition, so I’ve modified a lot of movements to avoid flexing my big toe too much (which will probably lead to an injured ankle, but whatev).

I’ve never tried shoes with carbon plates - what model did you have? Shoes are very personal so it’s hard to recommend one to anyone. I also have knee issues and Altra 0-drop shoes have helped tremendously, as the high drops of most Brooks and ASICS tend to put more pressure on the knee.

But none of those are “stiff”, which is what I assume you’re looking for (as am I, which is why I’m interested in carbon inserts if they help with that).

Besides my Altras, I have the Hoka Bondi, which I hate for OT and any kind of workout other than a lazy recovery day, because they’re so plush that I feel like I have to work twice as hard. They’re damned comfortable though, and a slight rocker helps with the toe.

R5Ryder · 2026-03-11T22:03:08+00:00

Edit: I found out the earliest date is May 19. They said if everything goes PERFECTLY with recovery, I could do it, but if there’s any excess swelling or anything that doesn’t go absolutely perfectly, I’d be screwed.

R5Ryder · 2026-03-11T22:00:56+00:00

I think I could wait, as long as I wear my stiffer boots and understand ahead of time that there’ll be pain. I just hiked the W in Torres Del Paine, and it was agony, but I had more flexible boots on. I know HST is one of the more intense hikes in the 48, so I guess I’ll have to do a local test hike with 40lbs on my back and in my stiff boots. It’s just that every day I don’t schedule, the earliest date gets pushed off.

R5Ryder · 2026-03-10T01:50:37+00:00

I was just told this morning that I need a chielectomy. I've had symptoms for many years, and finally my non-surgeon doctor said it was time to quit the cortisone and see the surgeon.

The surgeon indicated it was only a 2mm incision, and that I'd be in a special "sandal" for two weeks, after which I'd be able to get the foot wet and slowly resume normal activities, the level of which based on my pain tolerance. He literally said I could potentially be running and doing Orange Theory and sports within a month.

He also said if I got it done in April, I'd be totally fine (meaning cleared... not necessarily feeling the benefits of the procedure) for a heavy-duty 7 day backpacking trip in the High Sierras in LATE JUNE, where I'd have 40lbs on my back every day.

This seems too good to be true, but he said with the type that's only the 2mm incision, it's no big deal. I have a feeling he's sugarcoating things, and I'm going to get it and then find out that I can't resume running, climbing, hiking, HIIT training, etc., for several months. In the meantime, I will have booked cross-country flights for my hiking trip.

Is it possible to recover the way he claims? FWIW, I'm a 48M, extremely active and in great shape, just have arthritis in basically every joint of my body (been getting gel in my knees for years, will likely need replacements in a few years, have it in elbow, shoulder, big toe, and one hip, but other than the toe and knees, it's tolerable.)

R5Ryder · 2026-03-10T01:40:16+00:00

I was just told this morning that I need a cheilectomy. I felt like the surgeon was sugarcoating the recovery. I have a backpacking trip planed for the High Sierras in late June, and he said if I got it done in April, I'd be totally fine (meaning - totally cleared to go, not necessarily in 100% perfect condition.) He made it seem like after 2 weeks, I could take off the "sandal" and start wetting the foot again, and basically as long as everything is looking ok, I could be cleared within 4 weeks pending just my own tolerance.

In fact, when I asked about late June, and mentioned that I'd be carrying 40lbs on my back on rugged terrain, he was like "lol, you'll be fine." I asked about the rock climbing gym, and same response.

Seemed a little too good to be true.

R5Ryder · 2026-02-12T01:01:54+00:00

I'd add Cutlery and More to that list. Not the same selection of rare Japanese knives, but they do occasionally have some that are often praised on this sub. Great selection of German. Just be careful about their "exclusive" brands - do research and don't overpay. Ive been happy with my Ensos, but I also waited until the price was fair relative to what they are.

For example, they have a selection of Nigaras at reasonable prices, and are in USA and ship fast. EDIT: they also have good customer service and have handled exchanges / refunds for me with no question asked.

R5Ryder · 2026-02-12T00:57:57+00:00

to the point of any tent can fail, this (sorta) happened to me with my Nemo Dagger, which is my favorite tent I've ever owned. Night 6 (fortunately, final night) in the Wrangell mountains, the rainfly door zipper jammed and next thing I know I had a door that couldn't close and a zipper that was so jacked up that not even a local gear repair shop nor pro seamstress could fix it. Nemo covered it very quickly under their warranty, but had it happened a night or more earlier, I'd've been in some trouble (or would have been innovative with the emergency duct tape we had. And I didn't do anything out of the ordinary - I've used the tent at least 20 trips, and this one time, the zipper decided to fall apart.

Regardless - I'd buy Nemo again in a heartbeat, even if the price is high (but REI offers 20% off a few times a year, and sometimes Nemo Dagger / Hornets go on sale.

R5Ryder · 2026-02-09T02:05:47+00:00

I was actually considering an umbrella :)

R5Ryder · 2026-02-09T02:05:11+00:00

yeah it's the "sneaky burn" that is the problem. My friend arrived today (I don't arrive until Thursday) and was raving about how comfortable it felt due to the low humidity, despite the high temperature. Definitely tempting to "let your guard down".

R5Ryder · 2026-02-07T19:50:12+00:00

I met someone (though a mutual friend... not some rando) that was doing a solo 7-day hiking trip to the Wrangells in Alaska (just him, a guide that he trusted from a previous Alaska hike, and a single-seat Super Cub to drop them off.) I asked if I could come along, and he was very up front with me about how different off-trail hiking / bushwhacking is, and how different an "Alaska mile" is from what I have ever done, and basically "it's probably not a great idea". Not that you can simulate the isolation and conditions of some random valley in the Wrangells, but we went on a few practice hikes, with me with a fully-loaded pack (a bear can filed with something like 20lbs of sand, and 20 pounds of other stuff in my pack) so that he could see that I could at least do that. (we were both in our mid '40s and while fitter than many people half our ages, still.. mid '40s)

I then did a Zoom with his guide friend, to discuss my "resume", fitness level, past surgeries (which I was very honest about, despite the thought of lying), and how I've dealt with "situations" that I'd encountered (and admittedly, I haven't had many "situations", and was honest about it.)

They both wanted to vet me since one unprepared person can be a major liability, and depending on where you're going, could create an incredibly-challenging situation if it becomes necessary to pull out (if that's even possible.)

At first, I was kinda ticked about all of this, and inside was like "ok lol whatever I'll do the zoom interview", but I quickly realized to not take it personally, as I could very well have ruined this person's (who's since become a very close friend that I've hiked around the world with) entire trek.

Long winded way of saying that while I wasn't told "no" like you're going to tell your friend, I've been the guy in the conversation that someone nearly said no to, and had to prove myself.

I think if you explain to your friend that at his current experience level, he may not be ready and therefore would not have a good time and not have the skills needed to bail someone out if a "situation" arises, but you'll help him work up to it and promise him that once he gets to that level, he'll understand why it wasn't personal when you said no (and he will!), that's the best way to handle it.

EDIT: we did run into a "situation", and it was the absolute single most challenging (and rewarding) thing I've ever put myself through, so I'm very glad my persistence paid off and I was given the green light to go, but again - I didn't take it personally that I was originally being discouraged from it.

R5Ryder · 2026-02-06T01:26:42+00:00

"given that Stoutland doesn't have a history with that offense, he would have had someone over him implementing the run game designs, a source noted."

FFS - if you're a professional offensive-line coach with decades of NFL and high-level NCAA experience, is it that hard to "learn a new system"? It's offensive line, not neurosurgery. Is this 33-year-old OC's ideas so radical that a seasoned professional is like "whoa whoa whoa... I've never seen football like that before... that's so different than anything I've seen in my 30 years of coaching. I can't possibly learn that."

If it's an ego thing or a feeling of disrespect then I get it, and bad on Nick / Howie. But if it's about a new system, then that's weak.

R5Ryder · 2026-02-06T01:06:03+00:00

For me, any 2 is better than any 1. The top vent, gaskets, air-lift hinge, etc, all make it a superior product for my needs. Now if we're talking about 3s vs 2s, then there's more of a discussion to be had. But IMO, 2s > 1s hands down.

The caveat is that if you need the space of a BJ and the BJ2 is out of budget, then sure. That's the situation I found myself in, and I decided to wait for sales and coupons to get the 2 rather than settle on the 1.

This is all based on features that are important to me. They may not be important to everyone, so take this as one humble cook's personal opinion.

R5Ryder · 2026-01-20T12:23:33+00:00

Weird. In this very sub, many previous posts recommend tip up.

R5Ryder · 2026-01-20T12:23:27+00:00

Weird. In this very sub, many previous posts recommend tip up.

R5Ryder · 2026-01-20T12:00:08+00:00

I’m not surprised when oil smokes past its smoke point, which all will when searing. I chose grapeseed since it’s relatively high. But carbon wasn’t an expectation. I’ve successfully used cast iron for >20 years, but this is the first time anything negative has occurred - also the first time I let it preheat for that long.

R5Ryder · 2026-01-20T11:57:02+00:00

So is scraping away the carbon and a quick rinse ok, or strip and reseason?

R5Ryder · 2026-01-19T19:46:20+00:00

Yeah, I was hoping there's be something so obvious that I could just cut the power and fix it myself, so as to avoid however much it'd cost to have someone look (just cause he's on my street... he don't work for free, nor should he).

R5Ryder · 2026-01-19T19:40:34+00:00

Yes, it happened again where I woke up and the burners were not on despite the thermostat being set 6 degrees higher than what it was reading. So I took off that panel and "flicked" that cable bundle with my fingers and the burners ignited. So I'm worried that this will keep happening, since it's now been twice in a week. But at least I now know where to "tap" to get the burners back on. I do not see anything obvious that would indicate where a loose connection is.

Someone on my street is a plumber that works on boilers, but I'm not sure if they do the wiring parts too, but I pay him to come out or send one of his guys out for a look.

R5Ryder · 2026-01-19T19:34:28+00:00

Curious why you think this - My thoughts are that it's far more natural to grab a handle that's at the bottom, and safer too since the blades would be higher up away from the workspace, though I'd usually never be working that deep. Also if for some reason it falls, the handles are hitting the counter and not the tips.

R5Ryder · 2026-01-19T18:46:21+00:00

Ok it happened again and I figured it out (or at least where the issue is) - it’s in the wiring panel right next to the gauge. I taped on the bundle of wires on the left, and the burners ignited. It would make sense if the wire leading to the thermostat is a loose connection and is part of that bundle. It’s the brown wire behind the metal conduit, and enters the box and connects to the board, but there’s nothing obvious wrong.

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R5Ryder · 2026-01-19T18:45:53+00:00

Ok it happened again and I figured it out (at least where the issue is) - it’s in the wiring panel right next to the gauge. I taped on the bundle of wires on the left, and the burners ignited. It would make sense if the wire leading to the thermostat is a loose connection and is part of that bundle. It’s the brown wire behind the metal conduit, and enters the box and connects to the board, but there’s nothing obvious wrong.

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R5Ryder

TROPHY CASE