Alameda Runners – Get After It!

The Sof Sole Anti-Friction sock is a very good sock.  As soon as you put them on, you know you are wearing quality.  The socks are extremely comfortable just to wear around the house.  I found that he sock sizes run a little bit big so keep that in mind when purchasing the socks.

To learn more about Sof Sole, visit the company’s official site.

I wore the Anti-Friction socks on a mid-distance hilly trail run and they worked very well, with no slip or foot irritation.  They stayed right where I put them for the entire run.

Comfort and staying put is the name of the game in a running sock.  They  get a big pass for me.  The Anti-Friction socks are good for wearing around and running.  I love a sock that does not bunch up around the toes or heals.

The Sof Sole Coolmax Trainer sock does not look like a sock that I would buy.  It just looks thick and bunchy around the toes.  I put the socks on and was pleasantly surprised by how comfortable they were.

I wore them around as day socks and took a light jog in them and they worked very well.  They are a definite step down from the Anti-Friction as running socks but they work well enough.  The Trainers also gave me hot spots on my feet while cycling.  That is no surprise since they are not cycling socks.  They will work great in the gym.

Double thumbs up for the Sof Sole Anti-Friction at $5.00 a pair.  It is a very good pair of socks for the money.
Thumbs up for the Coolmax Trainer at $3.33 per pair.

Note: I did not pay for these socks.  I will definitely buy the Anti-Friction socks if they are available the next time I buy running socks.  The Trainers are a very good sock but I can’t say I will buy them as I rarely buy that type of sock.

The Mission Peak Striders meet at the Coyote Hills Regional Park the first Saturday of each month.  If you notice “Ted’s Schedule“ I published, it puts me in the Coyote Hills park for Saturday distance training which offered me the perfect opportunity to meet up with the Striders.

The Striders are a group of very friendly people of all abilities who organize trail runs in the Fremont area.  I picked a tough day to meet up with them as a large group was off running a distance relay and the park was closed the morning we were supposed to meet.  We managed to get together and go out for a jog.  The group that did show up all made me feel very welcome.  I have a short photo page because it was a small group and I did not feel up to chasing people down to get their pictures.

After my run with the Striders, I went out for a bike ride through the park with the intention of doing some hill repeats.  I was so worn out, I skipped the last 10 miles of hill repeats.  While I was suffering on the bike, I was thinking to myself how I am not worthy of a shiny new bike.  I will get stronger as the training season progresses.  I hope I do not get injured.

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I wrote about Team Type 1 a few days ago, so feel free to check it out.

I’m not going to list and review every clothing product I wear during races — but I do want to give recognition to a few companies.  Last weekend I ran two races,  and want to discuss some of the great gear I wore:

Honorable Mention

Clif Bar is the first ever company to receive an honorable mention!  The company sent a tech running hat for me to wear — which I’ve worn during several races, as it’s the only one I have — and it has been great.  I strongly urge companies to bring hats and goodies like this to events, as they make great products to sell and give away.

Several people asked me during the expo and the Oakland Half Marathon about where I got the hat – they were disappointed to hear I didn’t buy it at the Clif booth.

Concede

The Concede rash guards aren’t currently available yet, but the custom shirts are ideal for running, lifting weights, or training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.  The large is much more form fitting than a large Under Armour rash guard, and does a much better job of preventing chafing.   My custom Concede rash guard has my name printed on the back of the shirt and both sleeves — and your custom order can have the same!

Concede’s rash guard will be available here in the next couple of weeks.

GU

Even though I rocked a Clif hat during the races, I actually used GU products (I carried it with me, and the Brazen Racing Wildcat race was sponsored by GU.)  The GU Roctane Blueberry Pomegranate is especially tasty, and it helped me power through 13.1 miles last weekend.

Garmin

Garmin is a company well known by athletes who flock to the company’s GPS products for cyclists, runners, hikers, and boaters.  The Garmin Forerunner 405 remains a trusty training tool leading up to running events across the Bay Area — and helps me maintain pace, accurately track heart race, and log my distance.  It’s especially helpful during events, as its ability to constantly tell me my HR and pace lead to better finishes.

Fuel Belt

Running trail events can be very taxing on the athlete, but we often forget how important it is to have clothing and products that can also withstand punishment.  The Fuel Belt Crush Bottle Carrier is from the company’s “Active Gear” lineup and is ideal for distance runs.  It fits comfortably, can be adjusted easily, and doesn’t bounce around too much.  The waist carrier is available for $29.95.

If one 22oz. bottle isn’t enough, the Fuel Belt Excursion supports two 22oz. bottles.

RoadID

Wearing a RoadID obviously isn’t necessary for an organized event, but I’m simply in the habit of wearing my RoadID every time I go running or cycling.  The information stamped on my RoadID hasn’t been necessary — and I hope the numbers never have to be called in an emergency — but the peace of mind is well worth the $19.99 price tag of the Road ID Wrist ID Sport.

We interviewed GU and Fuel Belt (interview available here) in the past, with upcoming interviews in the pipeline.  If you have a company you think we should get in touch with, please feel free to leave a comment!

I have my events planned for this year.  I will be peaking in August for a Shasta Summit century followed by the Folsom International Triathlon two weeks later.  Then I will transition into marathon training for the California International Marathon.  I will rest up for a few weeks then The real work begins.  Training for a half Ironman next year.

This year I am building up my base for the half Ironman.  Next year I will be working speed for the Vineman in July.  It usually sells out fast so I want to be ready to do the Napa Valley Vintage Triathlon in May.  I prefer to do the Vineman because it is in July.

I like to take a break from cycling usually from October to February.  If there is a big triathlon in May, I will have to go ride my bike when it is cold out.  I like to maintain a base where I can train for a half Ironman in two months.  To maintain that type of base, I swim and run year round.  I also like to do a lot of cross training.  I can maintain a lot of strength and stamina by training twice a week in each discipline as long as I build strength through cross training.

I do a lot of different things throughout the year to maintain stamina and build strength.  I like to use bands for low impact training that holds each repetition for a 5-10 count.  I do every type of ab workout that I can think of.  Ab work is boring and painful. The more variations you can come up with, the more you are likely to do.  If you get lazy with the abs, you will pay for it on the really long (3 hours and up) efforts.

Be patient with your base training.  There is a good chance that it will take two years to build up a sufficient base to do a half Ironman.  If you are patient, the less chance you will have of getting injured.  Staying injury free is the best way to achieve your goals.  As you are building up your base, you will have to sacrifice one day a week for your long events.

I train for a 3 hour international distance triathlon and I spend 6-8 hours training on Saturdays during the summer.

I am in no hurry to transition from run to bike and bike to run.  It is all about building the endurance on a strong body.  I have my 2010 training schedule posted here.

As I transition to half Ironman training, I will add more details of my training.