Alameda Runners – Get After It!

I saw something on the Active.com Facebook account related to an upcoming race I thought I should mention here on Alameda Runners.  Alameda will host the See Jane Run Half Marathon & 5K in Alameda next month, and it’s a great course that is flat and fast.  I’m working on an interview with the event organizers, so you can expect that sometime in the next few days.

Ted recently ordered two cases of Cytomax Performance Enhanced Drink from BulkNutrition.com, and I was kind enough to drink a bottle after a five-mile run.

This is my kind of recovery drink (when I’m not in a mood for a whey protein shake).  I like Gatorade, but regular Gatorade is too sugary and makes my stomach queasy if I drink too much of it after a hard work out.

I tried out the Citrus flavor that tastes sweet but actually isn’t too sweet.

An 8 oz. serving of the drink has 50 calories, 55mg sodium, 30mg potassium, 12g carbs, and just 3g of sugar.  The entire bottle has 130 calories, 140mg sodium, 75mg potassium, 33g carbs, and 7g of sugar.

The CytoSport website has a list of the scientific benefits of the new Cytomax, but I honestly don’t know enough about that to explain it to you.

From BulkNutrition it was about $1 per bottle, so it’s not a ridiculous amount to pay for a tasty treat.  I don’t honestly want to purchase cases of this stuff (especially online), but it’s definitely something I’ll drink again.

Mike’s Note:  I have a bottle of Gatorade Recover drink I picked up from Safeway, and will have a review published sometime in the next couple of days.

Ted’s Note:  I have been trying different recovery drinks for a few months now.  It is a real treat to have something that tastes good for a change.  A 20 ounce bottle is 2.5 servings with 7.5 grams of sugar.  After a hard workout, I am tossing down the whole bottle and not worry about the calories.  I am smiling at the thought of not having to choke something down tomorrow.  My coworkers will have to find something else to bet on, now that I won’t get sick from my recovery drink.

The inaugural Oakland Running Festival in late March was a success as thousands of runners took to the streets of Oakland in late March.  The company behind the event, Corrigan Sports Enterprises, recently answered a few questions for Alameda Runners (thanks to John, and everyone else who provided questions).

Check out our Oakland Half race recap and our additional  thoughts on the race.

Considering it was the first marathon/half marathon in Oakland in quite some time, it took place with very few hitches.  However, there was a bit of confusion as the half marathon and full marathon courses merged together towards the end of the race around Lake Merritt — an issue race organizers heard about from numerous participants.

“I highly doubt it will change as we use the same format as our Baltimore event and a good majority of the runners enjoy the merge.  They have told us that the merge gives them another boost of energy for the final stretch.  Logistically, having all the races finish in the same spot makes the end exciting and unites the fans in one place.”

Instead of altering the finish location, CSE is instead looking to change the flow of runners.

“We have looked at the surveys and we are already working on ways to fix the cramping along Lake Merritt at 14th Street.”

There were a few smaller issues, but nothing worth noting.  The future looks bright for the Oakland Marathon, and CSE understands what’s necessary to bring in higher profile athletes (and more media exposure):

“Our goal is to make the Oakland Running Festival one of the top races in the country and unfortunately we didn’t have the sponsorship dollars in year one to put up enough prize money to attract some of the top talent from across the globe.  As the race grows and sponsorship is added, so will the purse for the marathon.”

Mike’s Random Aside:  You hear that sponsors?  You wanted to wait to see what would happen after the first event… now it’s time to step up and help bring elite athletes to the event.

The future certainly looks bright for the Oakland Running Festival, with event organizers expecting more participants, additional sponsors, and increased interest next year.

“Based on the survey results and feedback from the city, people are excited about the event and already looking forward to next year.  We expect the event to grow to nearly 10,000 runners and a bigger selection of vendors to want to sell their wares at our expo.  We have already booked the bigger convention hall to accommodate more vendors and more runners.”

The CSE had this to say to end the interview:

“We are thankful to all the runners who participated in the event this year as well as the fans who lined the course.  Without them, this wouldn’t have been a huge success and have us thinking about bigger and better things for next year.  For (all of you) who didn’t run in 2010, registration opens on June 1, so be sure to sign up early as we sold out last year.”

Mike’s Final Note:  The Oakland Half is what motivated me to run… I saw Ted finish numerous events, but didn’t have a real interest in racing.  If CSE and the City of Oakland didn’t step up to host the event, it’s doubtful this site would have launched.

AlamedaRunners previously interviewed Rocktape (and a KT Tape interview is in the works), so we wanted to continue our effort to provide information about even more kinesiology tape products.

Today I am going to interview SpiderTech, a kinesiology product company that has custom pre-cut pieces and regular products — and a professional cycling team currently in the Tour of California.

The first question many people wonder about these kinesiology products is whether or not they work – and if it’s worth putting down the cash.

“I have designed the applications based on functional anatomy of the primary area for which the applications are intended for,” said Dr. Kevin Jardine, practicing chiropractor and founder of the company.  “This is to include all of the primary muscles as well as the synergistic muscles involved making the pre-cut applications more functional.  The pre-cuts, cut out of one large piece also allow the applications to be applied without tape overlapping tape.  The Tape is meant to be applied to skin.  The Pre-cut applications also ensure that the applications are applied in a consistent way each time ensuring the athlete is receiving same results.”

Trying to figure out how to apply this tape is something that is challenging for most people (Ted and I are still working on it ourselves) — a fact realized by Dr. Jardine.

“Although we have simplified the use of kinesiology taping, it isn’t easy.  It is still a therapy and one that requires technique in the proper handling of the material.  We not only focus on offering the highest level of free instruction on our website and our online courses, we are leading the way in the most evidence led approach to ensuring the ‘best practices’ with the use of kinesiology taping.”

Full interview available after the jump. Read more… »

Ted’s review of various heart rate monitors.  I am a fan of heart rate monitors.  I use one for just about every workout.  It is important for me to maintain a slow pace on my long, slow days.  Wearing a heart rate monitor helps me to maintain a slow pace as I have a habit of letting the pace creep up until I am in a flat out sprint.  I recommend getting one and using it while training.  They are very handy tools and it is pretty easy to learn how to read your pace or level of effort by watching your heart rate.

1. Garmin 405 ($299) – The Garmin 405 HRM/GPS is awesome.  It does everything you could ever want from an HRM except lower your heart rate.  You can tell it what you want your pace to be in minutes per mile and it has a screen that tells you your pace and how far off the pace you are.  It is odd looking when you hit the pace because it only tells you the pace and how far off you are which is great if you are on pace.  The bad part of the pace screen is that you must change the screen to get to the heart rate screen.  Changing screens is always an adventure.  My favorite screen is the one that tells me my heart rate, distance covered and overall time.  When I find my screen, I lock the bezel to keep the screen from changing by accident.  When the screen changes unexpectedly, I am pretty miserable trying to get my screen back.
2. Timex Ironman race trainer ($300) – Timex has been putting stuff on peoples wrists for a long time… and it shows.  The Timex was the only HRM that I could figure out without reading the instructions.  It does not have a GPS or it would be the clear favorite.  It does ask about your personal information so it can tell you how many calories were burned during your workout.  It is not an exact science, but if it tells you 2500 calories were burned during the workout, you know it is time to eat.  A lot!  I like the big numbers on the display and the swap number function.  The chest strap is light and comfortable.  The down side of the Timex is adult children tend to “borrow” the wrist piece to wear as a watch.
3. Polar F55 ($250) – Is just a bit better than the Timex feature wise but it in not as comfortable or as easy to figure out.  Every now and then I want to know what time it is when I am out for a long workout.  If you bring the HRM close to the chest strap, the time will show for about 5 seconds.  It also has a nice big screen that is easy for us old guys to see.  A big plus for the F55 is that it is forgiving.  It gives you a chance when you push a button to do the right thing.  The screens just make sense.  I don’t know how to work the F55 but it always seems to do what I want it to do.
4. Polar Accurex Plus ($75) – The HRM that I wear the most.  It has very few features and I only use 5 or 6 of them:  heart rate, timer, start, stop, reset and time of day.  There is just something about easy operation that I like.  I don’t want to spend as much time practicing to use a heart rate monitor as I do training to do a marathon.
5. Polar B1 ($50) – Single button, confusing and simple HRM.  There can be such a thing as too simple.  Fortunately you can only get so confused by one button so once you get the thing started you are good to go.  It is pretty hard to get something to go wrong after you get it started.  It does read your heart rate and duration of work out.  One time I was wearing the thing for a two hour run when it stopped reading my heart rate at 90 minutes (1:30) and started timing.  I was trying to maintain a steady heart rate of 132 when that happened.  I was confused for a couple of minutes.

Number one most hated HRM prize goes to the Garmin 405!  For every reason that I have to love the 405, I have 5 to hate it.  If the thing did not have such a nice GPS, I would have thrown it off the Golden Gate Bridge a long time ago!  The bezel is complicated.  The functions are complicated.  The battery life is poor which is to be expected but when the battery life gets down to about 20%, a low battery warning covers the screen!  The bezel has a mind of its own.  If you bump it, the screen will change and you have to wait and hope it changes back.  The instructions are terrible.  I can go on and on but I will stop to protect my blood pressure and good health.

I stand by my ratings.  The GPS/HRM combo puts the 405 way above the competition.  Items two and three are interchangeable and you won’t go wrong with either selection.  The Accurex wins the bang for the buck award.  The B1 gets a do not buy recommendation from me.

Hello to all of our new friends from the Tilden Tough Ten.  Ted and I ran the event along with almost 300 others this morning… race recap and pictures will be posted tonight.

I had one hell of a day – learned a few valuable lessons – and think it’s nap time!

Photo page is up.  For all of you new runners,  The photo page is usually posted a few hours before it is announced.

Mike went to the Berkeley Performance Bicycle store, and was able to pick up some goodies.  He did a fine job.  He came home with Clif mini bars.  The big bars are a bit much for me.  When I go on really long runs or bike rides, the gels alone, don’t cut it.  The big Clif bars are too much for me and hinder me from taking in enough gel.  I really like the minis.

When I am doing a long, slow workout, I like to consume nutrients every 30-60 minutes after the first hour.  It is a nice change to slip an extra bar in at 30 minutes then another gel at 30 minutes later.

He also brought home a flavor mix of GU energy gel.  It comes complete with every flavor of GU including the higher-performance Roctane gels.  If you have not tried the Roctane, I recommend it.  We usually take every flavor at random and return the chocolate and espresso.  We wait for a long 20 mile run to eat the chocolate or espresso because at mile 20, anything tastes good.  I am a fan of the mixed packs of products.  When you randomly pack your fanny pack with gels, you never know what you are going to get.  It is always fun to get something different.

Mike’s Note:  I also prefer Roctane over the normal GU gels, even though when he says “we” in the 20-mile run discussion, he really means “me.”

It may seem odd to mention both GU and Clif in the same shout out but they are both great companies with great people.  Their products work very well together as variation is a big thing for proper nutrition during long training days.  The two companies are located about 3 miles away from each other in Berkeley so we get to meet a lot of the people at the local events.  I have never had a bad experience with anyone from either company.  Both companies offer more support to events than they have to.  I think they do it because they love what they do and they care about us athletes who use their products.

Mike’s Note #2:  Unless you’re sponsored by a specific company, don’t feel like you need to show complete loyalty to a single company.  Experiment. I really like Clif and its environmental views, but I’m not afraid to say I prefer the GU Roctane gels over the Clif gel.  (That isn’t to say the Clif gels are bad, but the Roctane brand just has a great boost in it.)

Since I am still in an explaining mood, here are some more thoughts on information provided in the magazine that I mentioned in a previous article.  The two biggest things that all magazines say in a lot of different ways is to just do it and get rid of the high fructose corn syrup.  I am not saying that high fructose corn syrup is bad (I am saying that) but switching to sugar tastes better and you use less.  On to my thoughts.

• Whey Protein – When we exercise, our bodies burn fuel that is stored from food, fat and muscle.  Proteins feed the muscles.  Feeding strained muscles helps to build strength and aid in recovery.  The older you get, the more you care about recovery.
• Nuts and trail mix – It is amazing what your body burns during a long workout.  Trail mix is loaded with salt, sugars, chocolate and lots of other stuff that makes it taste great during a long day on the road.
• Equipment advertisements – When it comes time to purchase exercise equipment, you can never have enough information.  The stuff is expensive and it is hard to get something that is just right.  Most companies wind up adding as many things as financially feasible in an attempt to suit our variable desires.  It is common to like things that you did not want in the first place.  Sometimes, our attitudes can make it very difficult for manufacturers.
• Tips – We all need tips for our daily lives.  I tend to forget to slow down on my long runs.  I seem to have a hard time accepting the fact that long, slow run means to run slowly.  As I get older, I realize most of my injuries are from excess, wasted harder efforts.
• Organics – I have been gravitating towards organic food for a few years now.  I notice that it has a better taste.  In some cases, I just notice the taste.
• Injury prevention and treatment – It is amazing how many little things can go wrong when you exercise a lot.  Marathon training causes all sorts of injuries from road rash (falls) to a plain old rash under your arms.  Who thought up the idea to use diaper rash cream on a body rash?  I like to swim in the bay.  Drinking coffee is better than water after a long swim because it helps combat hypothermia.  The water zealots will come after me for that comment but they have never had to deal with limbs that refuse to work after a long, cold swim.
• Fitness – We tend to think one sport will give us complete fitness.  One sport is great for getting into shape and possibly staying there.  If you want to move on to bigger things, you will need to cross train.  If you look at my calendar, it is full of cross training.  Of course, my main event for any given year is probably going to be a triathlon.

So there you have it.  More explanations on things that are simple, after you know them.

I don’t pick up sports magazines anymore for a variety of reasons.  Now that Michael has started running, he signed up for a subscription to Runners World.

I picked up a copy and was quite surprised by the amount of information in one magazine for athletes of all levels.  I am going to comment on a few of the things I noticed in the magazine.

• GNC – Good vitamin store.  Whey protein – Muscle and recovery supplement.
• Nuts – I love my nuts for long work outs.
• View points – We all see things from a different perspective.
• Success stories – Help for motivation.
• Q&A – See what other people are asking.
• Equipment ads – One way to find what is available.
• General tips – Like my running and happiness post.
• Performance tips – Help you improve your performance.
• Organics – I have been gravitating to organic food for a few years.
• Injury prevention – See what have other people tried for similar injuries.
• Injury prevention – See exercises to prevent injuries.
• Overall fitness – What is your overall fitness?
• Overall fitness exercises – It is more than just running.
• Shoes – It is nice to get information about different shoes.  Your feet will take a pounding.
• Garmin 110 advertisement – I love my Garmin 405 but it is complicated.
• Calendar of events with reviews – Some events are just awesome.

I am not plugging any one magazine.  Runners World was the magazine I picked up.  I am fairly certain that any exercise magazine will be full of information too.  Runners World has been around for a long time and there must be a reason why.

If you are new to running, it is nice to see what others are doing.  It can be hard to listen to one or two sources when things don’t seem natural.  A magazine is one more source to help you decide if you want to try something or not.

I woke up early last Saturday morning with sore feet and tired legs from a hard week of work outs.  I thought to myself “Ughh, I want to stay in bed.”  I got up anyway for a 7-10 mile run followed by a 30-mile bike ride in Fremont.

When I went out for a run on Monday, people were telling me to wait for the rain to stop.  It was 60 degrees and raining.  I don’t think I will melt.  When it is time to go, I just go.  Sometimes, when I feel really sore or have a little injury, I will slow down, cut my routine short or do a different workout.  I always find a way to get out and do it.  It does not matter what “it” is, just do it.

People always come up to me with their plans and excuses for not following their plans.  You don’t get into shape or meet your goals by just planning.  Start slowly, there is no need to be in a hurry.  Do the best you can.  Pick something you can do and do it.  I have a lot of gadgets at home that I don’t use.  I tried them and they just did not work out.

After you get home from work, go to YouTube and type in the keyword “exercise”.  Pick an easy exercise at first.  Something that takes about 5 minutes to do.  It will be at hard first but it gets easier after time.  Do not give up before you start.  Find a reason to do something.  Then find a reason to progress.  You may not be carrying a sign at a marathon but you may be running a 10K one day.

Start now.  Just get out and do it!