alamedarunners.com

Alameda Runners and Alameda Tech are both fun sites to write for, but I’ve had previous tech stories shared on major news sites. As such, I like to mix it up and want to share a new publication where you can find my sometimes witty comments on technology.

I recently started to write articles for The Inq, a well-established tech news website.

I’ll hopefully cover a variety of different topics, but my first two articles have been related to online file sharing. My first article focused on new BitTorrent research being done that could help uploaders receive a speed boost, and about a recent agreement between ISPs and copyright groups that is bad for file sharers.

I’ll always want to continue writing for Alameda Runners and Alameda Tech — but it’s fun to branch out and try something new again.

Bike commuting is a popular mode of transportation for many of us in the Bay Area, though trying to use public transportation with your bike can be difficult. BART (the SF Bay Area train/subway system) is in a constant struggle to accommodate bikes while also keeping passengers safe.

Learn more about bikes on BART by visiting the BART website.

To help learn more about its passengers, BART hopes bike passengers will take a survey to help plan future improvements.

The survey can be found here.

Here is what BART had to say regarding the survey:

We want to hear from both riders who use their bikes as part of their BART trip and those who don’t bike but share the train with bicyclists. Please take a few minutes to complete the BART Bicycle Survey so we can better understand your thoughts and opinions about bikes and BART.

The survey is 35 questions and should only take a couple of minutes of your time. Remember, it’s important to do your part, especially if you’re a BART bike commuter — if they want to make changes, we have to give them feedback.

(Thanks to BikeLink for informing me about the BART survey.)

Many active people are looking forward to a summer of fun in the sun, but I’ve seen a lot of tweets and Internet chatter about what to do this fall.  For those in Northern California, a chance to hit the roads and trails of South Lake Tahoe could be appropriate just one more time, before ski and snowboard season begins.

Here is what Alameda Runners was able to learn about the Tahoe Marathon:

Run, walk, swim, paddle, peddle or golf during one of the many Lake Tahoe Marathon events, Sept. 23-25. All of the runs are point-to-point and scenic from start to finish. Both the half and full marathons are along the west shore of Lake Tahoe and feature challenging hills around Emerald Bay. The 10K, which begins at Inspiration Point above Emerald Bay, is 99% downhill and covers the most spectacular portion of the route. Complementing the traditional runs is an Extreme Golf competition and a kayak-bike-marathon triathlon.

South Lake Tahoe is one of my favorite destinations — and it’s an athlete’s playground year-round — with running, cycling, and excellent skiing available.

I greatly enjoyed riding the 72-mile journey around the Lake, which includes some challenging (and rewarding!) climbs available to participants.  (A full list of bike rides hosted by BikeTheWest.com can be found on their website.)

A new report from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission indicates the City of Alameda has roads that need to be repaired after scoring a “fair” rating in 2010.

Our island was given a fair rating when it scored 66 out of 100 — the same rating given to the overall Bay Area — on the 2010 pavement condition index (PCI) charts, which indicated we have roads in need of repair.

The city normally does a decent job of fixing major road issues in Alameda, but there are plenty of roads and bike lanes that can provide a rather bumpy ride for us. At a time when local, regional, state, and national governments face budget issues and political scandals, some roads aren’t going to be changed any time soon.

As someone that has ridden a decent amount around the Bay Area, I still find Alameda’s roads suitable for leisurely rides — and hard training rides around the island. Instead of worrying about roads, I tend to be more concerned about the large number of reckless drivers not paying attention to pedestrians and cyclists.

Editors note:  Some roads are worse than others and some of the jogging trails are in rough shape.  I have no complaints because we have all of the trails with flowers and plants along the way.

Mike’s Followup:  Agreed about some of the jogging trails being in rough shape.  You should always pay attention when running or riding, but the trails help enforce this mentality.

You may have noticed a guest blog written by Yoon recently posted on Alameda Runners, and I wanted to share some more information. Trails Edge is a new blog I recently started writing for, and I wanted to highlight my first three posts for the site.

My first article for the Trails Edge blog featured some of my favorite fitness energy supplements, and can be found here.

If you’re looking for hydration pack advice, I recently wrote a quick story about different choices for trail runners and regular hikers. You can find the story here.

For people still debating whether or not they need a heart rate monitor, I also put together a basic story about the topic. (We already know that readers here seem to love gadgets and technology, so we’re sure you all have high-tech gizmos already.)

I’m writing for Trails Edge every week and look forward to contributing new and exciting stories that I will also share here. More importantly, Alameda Runners now has a new resource for enthusiasts, as I look forward to publishing more guest blogs.

This is a guest post from Yoon (my editor @ TrailsEdge ) about a new book focusing on ultramarathons that has received good reviews.

As a non-marathon runner, Relentless Forward Progress opened my eyes to a whole new level of strategy, planning, and race preparation. From the start, I knew I didn’t meet the qualifications to run an ultra because I’ve never even come close to attempting a regular marathon, but dove into this book as recommended by a friend. I may have just added an item to the bucket list. Running marathons demand respect. Running ultra marathons makes you a superhero, and if there’s anything I’ve wanted in my life since I was a kid, it is to be a super human.

As mentioned by Byron Powell, the author and Editor of iRunFar.com, the book is about as evergreen as a book gets; the content will never go out of date. Relentless Forward Progress is a confident authority that covers every aspect of ultra’s from prepare your quadricepts for down-hill running, to solving race day logistics like support crews and drop bags, and selecting the right runner’s pack to avoid chaffing.

If you’re able to glaze over fine details (schedules, plans, etc.), it’s a fairly quick read. I had it done in about 6 hours and was inspired to hit the trail for a short run (let’s just say the book’s impact on my running habits is long term). It’s an encyclopedia on ultra’s that if read in its entirety, will have you chock full of information that can be applied immediately, even on short runs.
The advice comes from many seasoned experts who have run hundreds and maybe even thousands of ultra’s and have different opinions on how to train. For instance, some of the commentators swear that speed work is important, while others say it’ll slow you down. That’s the beauty of this book; it’s the foundations of an ultra, but the fine tuning has to be done by you.

You’ll realize that ultra’s are on a whole ‘nother level from marathons. Because anyone can run a marathon, given enough time and resources; but an ultra requires that you plan out every minute of every detail; otherwise, you might not finish before the sun goes down.

We haven’t explored guest posts too much on Alameda Runners, but the feature is a definite possibility in the future. Since it’s obviously impossible for us to review, test, interview, and interact with all companies involved in endurance sports, we hope these guest posts help share even more knowledge with all of you.

I’m taking a trip to Colorado early next month to get a rare chance to play in the snow, after major snow withdrawal from living in California for so long. As someone currently living just a few feet above sea level, the thought of visiting a location that is above 8,000 ft. in elevation sounds like an adventure.

It’s been a while since I’ve been to the mountains, and a few people have warned me about possible acute mountain sickness (AMS). I’m not overly concerned, but wanted to share a few tips and recommendations how to avoid feeling down during vacation.

If you want to learn more about AMS, here is some reading material at Altitude.org and the NIH.

To help reduce the likelihood of suffering from the effects of high altitude, the Breckenridge Medical Clinic has a few recommendations:

• Increase fluid intake
• Decrease salt intake
• Avoid alcohol and minimize caffeine
• Eat frequent small meals
• Moderate physical activity and get rest
• Medications and oxygen can help you feel much better

The excellent people at Breckenridge helped share their experiences, with one especially helpful PR person noting she stuck with a slower pace “to compensate for heavier breathing.”

Of note: “Since most people traveling to Breckenridge do arrive through Denver, the BMC’s advice on spending a day or two down there is quite good and I’ve definitely advised family members to do so.”

I’m going to spend almost two nights in Boulder before heading up to Breckenridge, and have been told by locals that should be plenty of time to adjust to the higher altitude.

In addition to the altitude, residents from climates like the Bay Area need to be fully prepared for the weather.

Here is basic winter weather information about Breckenridge:

Breckenridge enjoys a high-alpine climate with an average annual snowfall of 300 inches. The average winter high temperature is 28 degrees Fahrenheit and Breckenridge enjoys on average 300 days of sunshine per year. It is estimated that the valley basin has only 30 frost-free days a year.

Since the weather temperature remains mild throughout the year around here in the SF bay area, it can be hard to remember what it’s like to experience multiple seasons. I’ve checked the Breckenridge weather forecast every day, and have noticed dramatic changes in the weather.

Unpredictable weather means additional time packing and preparing for the trip to ensure I don’t lose any fingers or toes to frost bite.

The front page of today’s San Francisco Chronicle denounces the use of heart rate monitors in an article that makes no commitment for anything.  I don’t understand why someone would bother to write an article with a commanding headline and not commit to anything.

“One thing most people can safely ignore – and probably should, at least at first – are those heart rate monitors on the cardio machines”.

I can safely ignore the whole gym too.

I think heart rate monitors are great things to have on the exercise machines at the gym.  I love heart rate monitors so I can see my level of effort.  For novices, the machines use your age and weight for an estimated heart rate zone.  The machine tells you when you are going too fast or too slow.  The best thing about the heart rate monitors on exercise machines is they give you an estimate of how many calories are burned during the work out.  When you are new to exercising, it is nice to know how hard it is to burn the 140 calories consumed in one soda.  On the other hand, when you have been exercising for years, heart rate monitors help you to know how many calories you need to consume to replace what you burned.

There are some generalizations (the main complaint seems that it is not an exact science) with figuring out your maximum heart rate that the author has issues with.  The general rule of thumb for max heart rate is 220 minus age.  That would give me a max heart rate of 170.  I went to the track, did a 2 mile warm up followed by a ¼ mile sprint and found my max heart to be 167.  I did a really hilly half marathon and found my max heart rate to be 174.  Does it matter if my max heart rate is 167 or 174?  Not to me… and it is my heart so I have the final say in the matter.

I do a lot of pacing for other people on long runs.  After a while, I can judge their effort level from my heart rate.  For long endurance events, it is nice to have an estimated heart rate plan to stick with.  It is easy to go out too fast and suffer at the end.

While running, it is nice to wear a heart rate monitor for the long, slow runs.  It is surprising easy to let your heart rate ease up without noticing the exertion level changing until you run out of gas or get injured.  The long, slow runs really burn the fat.  My rule of thumb is, you are burning fat after 90 minutes of jogging or bike riding.

Heart rate monitors are a matter of personal preference.  I love mine and wear it for every run and most bike rides.  I have never had my heart rate monitor mislead me.  It tells me a number.  What I do with that number is up to me.

Crossing the finish line

Since I have a minor injury that stops me from running completely, I decided to volunteer for the Summer Breeze half marathon in San Leandro.  My job was to go around and take pictures.  I would pick the biggest Brazen race of the year to be the photographer.  I am typing this as some of the pictures resize.  I am resizing them in groups of 400.  I took over 4,000 pictures.

Walking around as the photographer puts things a new perspective.  I slowly progressed in my half marathon life.  I am not at the point where a summer half marathon is a short training day.  I forgot what it was like at the beginning where it is a great accomplishment to finish a 13.1 mile run.  I could see the top 2 or 3 finishers were happy.  The next 100 finisher were mostly finishing like it was no big deal.  The rest were the new guys who were ecstatic to be crossing the line.  It was a lot of fun being around the people who were doing there first event and were so happy to just be out doing it.  I had people come up asking to have their picture taken because they did their first 10K together.

The Brazen events are always fun.  They are usually hilly and hard.  This one is sneaky hard.  It is always windy at the San Leandro waterfront.  Sam does not start you out heading into the wind.  He starts you with the wind in your back.  You have a nice PR going for the first half, then you turn around and you hit a wall of wind.  I would not be surprised if people were a minute per mile slower on the way back.

This time, I had my fun as a volunteer.  It was a very good day being out with all of the excitement.  I did not look at the age group times yet.  I am afraid that they may be slower then my fast times.

This blog entry is all about Alameda! Alameda Runners continues to grow (thanks to both old and newer readers), and we’re beginning to receive feedback from more people in the East Bay. Today I want to share some of the Alameda newspapers and blogs that provide current events focused on Alameda and the East Bay.

(Even if you’re not familiar with the SF East Bay, it could be neat to hear about some of the issues in such a unique, fascinating community.)

SFGate (San Francisco Chronicle online) Alameda Blog: Provides a lot of Alameda-related news regarding news and current events on the island.

The Island: An excellent Alameda-themed news site spearheaded by Michele Ellson, and she does a great job with The Island.

Alameda Journal: Very good newspaper. It isn’t locally owned or operated, but the newspaper’s format is good and the articles are well written. There also is the Alameda Journal Blog that is worth the read.

Alameda Sun: The locally owned and operated newspaper in Alameda, which makes me an instant fan. I honestly prefer the Alameda Journal’s newspaper layout better, but enjoy the Alameda Sun content more.

If you know of any other Alameda blogs and Web sites, feel free to let me know. I’d love to read more news.