Alameda Runners – Get After It!

The “Shout Out” isn’t necessarily something new here on Alameda Runners, but wanted to offer a quick insight into what the “Shout Out” tag is all about.  Both of us (Ted and myself) are just two guys out there running … we’re not elite-level athletes, doctors, or anyone of importance in the running world.  Instead, we want to link to outside blogs and resources that offer training tips, workout advice, and all of that good stuff.

Today’s “Shout Out” is to a neat article posted on the Athletes HoneyMilk Web site that discusses IT band friction syndrome, which plagues runners and other athletes.  As mentioned in the article — and from runners I’ve chatted with in the past — ITB seems to cause rather shocking pain in the knee and higher levels of soreness on the thigh.

A good way to help reduce future ITB issues is to use the two-legged squat to help strengthen your legs:  “The key performance measure to evaluate proper glute function is the two-legged squat. If the glutes are weak then some or all of the following will occur during a two-legged squat: the knees move closer together, the knees slide far over the toes, the heels rise, and the low back flexes.”

If you’re new to squats, it may be a good idea to have a personal trainer (or someone who knows how to squat) watch you a few times.

The entire blog published on the Athletes HoneyMilk site goes into further detail regarding ITB, two-legged squats, etc.

The use of a recovery drink isn’t mandatory after workouts, but many of us use various protein- and whey-based drinks to help aid muscle recovery.  To help everyone learn about a wider variety of products, here’s another interview with a company some of you live by – and others possibly never heard of.

I recently interviewed a company many of you likely heard of, though you may not have tried

“We believe it’s critical to provide real food in order to refuel, rebuild and recover and generally feel good,” Athletes Honey recently told Alameda Runners.  “It’s especially important after working out to put the proper foods into your body.

A serving size of 11 ounces provides 240 calories (30 calories from fat), 3.5g total fat, 2g saturated fat, 14mg cholesterol, 120mg sodium, 26g total carbohydrate, 26g sugar, and 26g protein.

Athletes HoneyMilk is one of numerous recovery products available to athletes, but the company thinks they have an advantage over the competition:

“Two of the main reasons:  ingredients and taste.  Look at the ingredients in Athletes HoneyMilk and contrast it with the ingredients in any other recovery drink,” the company recently told Alameda Runners. “Not only do we have way fewer but our primary ingredients are real milk and real honey. We pride ourselves on being a natural, great-tasting recovery drink – Athletes HoneyMilk is REAL food.”

The rest of the article is available after the jump! Read more… »

Following Ted’s successful first attempt at a 10K run with the East Bay Running Club, we headed to the Coyote Hills for further leg explosions.  He headed out for a bike ride, while I decided to run up a few hills.

There I was running along a trail enjoying the tunes playing on my MP3 player and sporting my CONCEDE jersey ontop of my excellent ENSO jersey, when I see a …

… yeah, that’s right… SHEEP!

I noticed this sign on my second loop, which I oddly missed on my first loop.

If you’re in the area, be sure to watch out for the sheep (and the tiny presents they leave all over the pathway and trails).

Explored around 7.5 miles in a very leisurely 1:29 (with hills, random stopping for photo ops, and to observe the random wildlife along the way).  Just wanted to remind my legs what it’s like to climb up some hills for a change — Alameda is just a tad bit flat.

Today we went out and did a run with the East Bay Running Club. It is a club that is run by Jon Strishak, and he  does a very nice job. You can find their site here. Feel free to drop in on any event posted. The Saturday long runs cost $5.00 for drop-in runners or free for members.

Jon does not make a profit off the drop in fees. It just helps him cover his costs. It does take a lot of effort to run a club so I appreciate his hard work and dedication.

Today’s run was a 10K around Lake Elizabeth in Fremont, California that happened to be timed with bibs. It is always fun running with a bib and someone timing you. There were about 15 of us out there running today. All vying for the top prizes with a photo finish at the end for the top prize. We had a lot of fun. Rule #1 of the pre-race instructions was to introduce yourself to three other runners. We started late because we were busy introducing to everyone. Friendly organized runs are so nice.

They had a post run breakfast at one of the local restaurants that I skipped out on. I like to be social but it is a bit tough to eat a meal and then cycle. If I was by myself I would have eaten anyway but I had someone with me who wanted to run. Eating and cycling is OK but eating and running is bad. Check out the East Bay Running Club web site.

I have my own training schedule but I am going to run with them whenever our paths cross. I have no problem doing a run then driving off to do a bike ride.

If you’re a cyclist in Alameda seeking a group of riders to explore the East Bay with, I’d recommend looking into Team Alameda.

The cycling club has organized rides every Saturday and Sunday, though members do get together during the week for additional rides.  (If you’re a newer rider, please be advised you won’t be dropped, especially if you  ride with the correct group on Saturday morning.)

Some of the riders sign up for organized rides and cycling races, but it’s not a requirement.  Occasional long rides leave the East Bay, and most of the riders carpool with one another.

A Team Alameda FAQ page for newer cyclists can be found here.  You can reach the membership page here ($25 per year membership for cyclists).  Family members in the same household are able to become TA members for free.

Team members also get discounts at several local bike stores and restaurants in Alameda.

I was a member of Team Alameda a couple of years ago, but didn’t renew my membership as my miles in the saddle diminished.  I enjoyed every Team Alameda ride I went on, as it’s nice to have someone to chat with while riding, learn new routes to ride, and have other riders to help in case you have a serious or minor mechanical problem.

In case you missed the news recently, the Benicia Town Race will not be held this June as previously scheduled.  The event was approved by the city council, but event organizers wouldn’t have been able to adhere to mandatory changes.

“It would take a Herculean effort,” race promoter Peter Van Slyke told the Vallejo Times-Herald.  “I don’t want to shortchange the event, or our sponsors.”

Here are some of the changes (courtesy of Vallejo Times-Herald):

This year, organizers had agreed to hire track monitors and professional setup crews to provide a more professional look and help with controlled crossings.

Changes were also made to address merchants’ concerns. Organizers agreed to switch the race date from Saturday to Sunday and hold the event at least two weeks before Fourth of July weekend.

I’m always disappointed when I hear local cycling events are canceled for reasons that could have been avoided.

Benecia could host another bike race in 2011 if Van Slyke and other organizers are still interested.  I think it’s really going to be up to the Benecia cycling community step up and jump through the hoops to put this thing on.

The City of Alameda had a bike criterium race a couple of years ago on part of Park Street — I was told it didn’t take place again because some business owners saw it as a bit of a nuisance.  To be fair, the race was held early on a cold, rainy, windy Alameda winter morning (before anyone was out of the house).  I’m going to have a future blog post about this in the next week or two, so stay tuned.

Finis, a company specializing in swimming and athletic products, continues to strengthen its ties to the community by launching a new blog to discuss swimming-related issues.

Expect blogs, tips, workout recommendations, photos and videos, and additional information to make its way to the Finis site.  The blog is expected to have information for everyone from beginning swimmers up to experienced triathletes looking to refine their technique.

“We realize that FINIS is in a unique situation because every day our employees talk to dozens of coaches and swimmers about their latest epiphanies, workouts, and experiences,” said Finis CEO and President John Mix.  “We want to share this knowledge with the larger swimming community. By creating the FINIS Blog we can organize and publish this information with easy access to anyone.”

The new blog can be found here.

From my inbox earlier in the week:

FINIS plans to provide a constant stream of information that will be helpful to everyone from competitive swimmers, triathletes and fitness swimmers to those just learning how to swim. Competitive swimmers will benefit from the latest insights from the best coaches in the world. Triathletes will be given tri-specific training tips and competition day strategies. Fitness swimmers will benefit from visual explanations of helpful swimming concepts and easy to understand tips on technique.

I’ve reviewed the Finis SwiMP3v2 MP3 player for MyCE – and I’m currently working on a couple of other Finis reviews that will be posted here.

Ever since I first learned of the East Bay Bicycle Coalition (EBBC) after moving to the area a few years back, the non-profit bike group was led by Robert Rayburn.  The friendly, knowledgeable former executive took over in 2002 and has led the club with passion as he tackled bike-related issues.

I’ve had the pleasure of discussing various bike issues with Robert on several occasions — he’s outspoken, passionate, and willing to put the real work in.  I couldn’t imagine what it’s like being on the front line of bicycle issues in two counties.

His departure is a true loss for the EBBC.

He was always willing to chat with anyone who stopped by his office next to the Fruitvale Bike Station in Oakland.

“The EBBC and cyclists throughout Alameda and Contra Costa Counties have benefited greatly from Robert’s hard work over many years,” said Tom Ayres, current EBBC Chair of the Board.  “We will miss his knowledge, insight, and enthusiasm.  We are fortunate that the Bicycle Coalition has a dedicated staff, board and volunteers to carry on our bicycle advocacy work.”

Best of luck Robert!

Received this e-mail earlier in the evening:

This is just to confirm that you are entered in the race and that the race has reached its limit of 300 runners. We have never sold out this early, and we thank you for your support.  We have a number of runners who are wait-listed for the race and we can only let them in should one of you be unable to participate.

Also wanted to point this out for anyone running or the event (or anyone wanting to run with some company):

On Saturday  May 1, there will be a practice run on the course starting at 8:30 am.  It is open to all runners and is free.  You must bring and carry your own water for this run, there will not be any on-course support and there is no water available at the Start/Finish area.  There are bathrooms.

Both Ted and I will be running this event, along with our Twitter friends, @runsesarun and @billb.  The Tilden brochure is available here (PDF).

I tried the Clif Shot Mango Orange recovery drink the other day. It was the first water-based recovery drink that I did not have to choke down. It did not taste great but it is definitely drinkable. I found that mixing the drinks exactly as directed make them taste better.

Remember, it is better to mix the drinks a little strong. It is also faster to swallow 8 ounces than 12 ounces.

To be honest with you, I use most of the top electrolyte drinks and recovery drinks interchangeably with little noticeable difference between them. Some flavors are preferred over others but they all seem to work for me. Clif sets themselves apart through their community service. Mike gets stuff to review. He may or may not tell me what he paid for and what is a review item. I don’t usually follow what is a review item because I am the main test subject. Read more… »