Alameda Runners – Get After It!

First and foremost, congratulations on a successful Oakland Running Festival!

For new readers, feel free to leave comments (we’ll e-mail you any pictures or specifics) or contact us on Twitter.  My account can be found here, and Ted’s Twitter is available here.  (I’m a Twitter addict and will likely be in touch a lot sooner.)

If you encountered the 2:15 pacers out on the course, feel free to check if we snapped a picture!  You’re more than welcome to re-post any of the pictures, as it’s nice to have a picture or two without paying an insane amount.

ORF 2011 Race Reports

Chic Runner’s Oakland Marathon Full race report — LINK — @ChicRunner
Heather’s thoughts about finishing the half — LINK
Bike, Run, Eat, Sleep’s ORF 2011 report — LINK — @thorpej
Living in the O’s ORF musings — LINK — @OaklandBecks
Payam’s speedy marathon thoughts — LINK — @chunkybearcub
Pavement Runner played dress up! — LINK — @PavementRunner
A Trail Runner’s Blog full marathon recap — LINK
See Dane Run — LINK

Today is the first official day of the Oakland running festival 2011.  This is the biggest half marathon of the year for me.  I carry my pace sign for 2:15 for the half.  The run is not difficult.  The event is just exciting because it is our home course for a big time event.  I ran into Sam from Brazen racing at the festival expo center today.  He is a participant for the full marathon.

The check-in for the races was very smooth today.  There were volunteers all over the place to direct runners in the proper direction.

The email check-in worked very well.  We were emailed our bib number and went to the table with our number and moved right along.  There were volunteers handing out the swag bags on the way into the expo area with no confusion or fuss.

The swag bag was a Sports Basement bag.  Most of us Bay area athletes love the Sports Basement.  Having a big store at Crissy Field helps them a bit.  The bag contained a lean selection of trials for athletes.  I don’t run races for gift bags.  A couple of things of note contained in the bag were the shave secret shaving oil and udderly smooth udder cream.  The shave secret is hard to find but I feel it is worth the effort.  I like to put the oil on my face before I use an electric shaver or before I shave using shaving cream.  I like the udder cream when I get my legs massaged at home.  There are a lot of chemical bombs for muscle relief that I like to use but they are not good for the people doing the massaging.  Another good thing about the udder cream is the price.  It does not break the bank.

The shirt for the marathon is fantastic.  It is one of the few race shirts that I grabbed and said “Wow.”  It is a really nice shirt that is worthy of wearing.  The people from Greenlight Apparel are very nice and have a story to tell.  They are going to get a follow up article in the near future.

 
I am ready to go.  I will see my fellow runners tomorrow morning.

The need to find runners to train with can help push us towards new PRs and added camaraderie in a usually independent sport.

A basic idea behind Alameda Runners is to help share information among casual athletes looking to learn and push themselves. As such, we have a special request from a SF East Bay runner looking ahead to the 2011 California International Marathon (CIM).

@Chris_in_cal is looking for training partners while he wants a sub-3:00 hour marathon — and needs a few running buddies to train with. If you think you can help out, or know someone who runs at a similar pace, feel free to Tweet him. (Or post here and we can make sure you get in touch with him.)

I wound up with a CamelBak Groove water bottle for review a few weeks ago.  I am not a fan of CamelBak because I prefer using water bottles and spilling water all over the place and I don’t like having things in my mouth.  I usually have 2 or 3 water bottles on my desk at a time as I drink 2-6 bottles of water a day while at work.

The CamelBak is my most used water bottle.  I don’t know why I use it the most.  I just do.  It is probably because of the removable mouth piece that I can leave out all day and remove it for washing when I refill the bottle.

My young son Teddy’s thoughts on his bottle:

I bought a CamelBak water bottle at a good price. I liked it; the design was good and it’s good quality.  It is has a thick plastic, but it is light as well. The CamelBak bottle has a mouth piece that is disconnect able so you can clean.

It has a measuring tool on the bottle just like a good water bottle should.  The straw connected to the lid is a great part of the bottle is you don’t like to flip the bottle over; like the mouth piece it can also be disconnected. Overall, it is a great bottle and I recommend it…

It is always good to find running buddies to keep you company while out running.  My new best friend Shem from Alibris kept me company the other day while I was out on a recovery run.  We pushed each other’s pace for the whole run.  We did 4.4 miles at a 7:57 pace.  That is a pace we are both happy with.

While I was admiring my CamelBak bottle at work the other day, a coworker came into my office to complain about leg pain.  He explained his symptoms and told me his training routine.  I had him sit down and I put my finger on the exact spot of his pain.  He has the classic center of the calf pain from over exertion by doing too much too fast.

It is fun to go out and push yourself to your limits.  I do it all of the time.  Take it easy and build up your mileage and speed slowly.  Only go fast on distances that you have already done.  The older you get, the longer it takes to recover.  You can still workout while recovering; you just can’t push yourself too hard while you are recovering.  Don’t forget your rest days.

Instructions for running a half marathon in two hours and fifteen minutes.

Alamedated, that’s me, will be running a pace group to complete the 2011 Oakland half marathon in 2:15.  To complete the run in 2:15 we will have to run an approximate 2:10 pace.  Here is a picture of me and my sign.  It is not fancy but it will work.  Last year we finished at 2:15:37.  I was told we ran a 10:03 minute per mile pace.  I had people lined up to pace other groups but the event organizers did not get back to me when I requested permission to set up pace groups for more times.  That is okay.  I will be back with my 2:15 sign again this year.  Maybe I will make a snazzier sign.  I had a lot of fun last year and I hope to see you back again this year.

I will be there 30-45 minutes early.

I will be standing around mid pack.

We will be running at approximately 10:00 per mile to make up for lost time in the crowds.

We will start out by standing with space around us. The space will close up and people will pack in ahead of us.

It will take time to get to the start line. Do not worry, we will make it up.

If you get pushed away by the crowd, just keep the sign in sight and slowly catch up. It will get easy after the first couple of miles when the crowds start to disperse.

We will be behind schedule until mile 10 or 11.  Do not worry, we will make it.  It does not matter if we are 2 minutes late as long as we finish.

I will walk approximately 15 seconds at every water station.

Do not worry about missing a station, there are plenty.

If it is hot or I notice fatigued runners, I will instruct people to drink and slow down to accommodate fluid intake at the aid stations.

I do not have a speedometer so the mile times may vary but I will try to maintain a constant pace.

If you feel fatigued, slow down to an easy shuffle. Keep the sign in sight as long as possible.

If you are new to half marathons and want to speed up, stay with the group until mile 8 then slowly speed up.

Along with my sign, I will be carrying a camera. I will take some pictures along the way. I may hand the sign off to someone then dash ahead to take pictures.

I will post all pictures that are not blurry.

Good luck and have fun. I will post more instructions as I think of them.

alamedarunners.com
Mile    Time
0    0:00:00
1    0:10:15
2    0:20:30
3    0:30:45
4    0:41:00
5    0:51:15
6    1:01:30
7    1:11:45
8    1:22:00
9    1:32:15
10    1:42:30
11    1:52:45
12    2:03:00
13    2:13:15

Every now and then I go on a tangent that does not seem to be running related.  Today, I am ranting about getting involved and voicing your opinion.  You may not think it matters that your elected representatives know who you are.  Think about who controls the funding for our parks, bike trails and other public places.

Talk to your elected officials.  They listen to what you have to say.  You may not agree with the answer, but you are heard.  I am tired of being “protected” by the TSA.  I sent both my senators and congressman an email voicing my displeasure.  Senator Dianne Feinstein likes a controlling TSA.  I may not agree with her but that is fine.  She listened to my complaint and responded.  Senator Boxer may or may not agree with me but enough people complained she is doing something about it.  Keep in mind, the senators do not read the emails.  They have aides for that.  But they certainly keep an eye on the numbers.  Pay attention to what is going on around you.  Your elected officials want to know where you stand on issues.  It is nice to know where they stand too.

Here is the response I received from Senator Boxer.

Dear Mr. Hoffman:

Thank you for contacting me to express your concerns regarding the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) new procedures for screening passengers at airports in the United States. I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue.

As you know, in 2010 the TSA introduced whole-body imaging systems and enhanced pat-down procedures, either of which may be used to check for concealed weapons or explosives underneath an individual passenger’s clothes.

Many Americans have expressed concerns about these new intrusive security measures. I am pleased that TSA Administrator John Pistole recently announced a test program that would capture less revealing images to check for threats underneath a passenger’s clothing.

In addition, on November 19, 2010, I wrote a letter to Mr. Pistole, asking him to develop a “trusted traveler” program – already available for airline pilots – for fully vetted, law-abiding U.S. airline passengers.

I strongly believe that we can implement common-sense policies to protect our national security without infringing on individual privacy rights. Be assured that I will keep working to ensure that all American air passengers can travel safely and comfortably.

Again, thank you for writing to me about this issue. Please feel free to contact me again on this or any other issue of concern to you.

Barbara Boxer

United States Senator

I get so wrapped up in what I am doing that I forget about the people who are just starting out.  I am not a professional athlete or trainer.  I do excel at trying hard and getting injured from over doing it.  I usually fix the injury and move on to find a new body part to injure.  I always manage to have fun and find alternate routines to keep me training while injured.

The most common cause of injury for beginners is from doing too much, too soon.  People following my training plan or any other training plan usually try to go faster every day.  Fitness and endurance are long term goals.  You have to stay within your abilities.  It is easy to look at someone who has been exercising for a long time and think running is easy.

Running is easy; it just takes time and practice to run for extended durations.  I am in my base building phase right now and I still add some extra miles because it is a nice day or I feel good.  I know better but I do it anyway.

The most common injuries for runners building up their miles occur from the knees down.  The knee problem I suffer the most is an ITB injury.  The best way to find out what knee ailment you have is to do a search on the internet.  All of the search engines work well and come up with similar answers.  Strength, or lack thereof, is a common theme for older runners taking up the sport.

After I get done tearing up my knees, I start working on my calves and shins.  The common cause is lack of strength, flexibility and building up too fast.  Calf injuries are not to be trifled with but they are relatively easy to correct by strength training and stretching.

The feet are extremities that are not really affected from poor strength training but they are affected by a lack of stretching and doing too much too soon.

Next I will post about feet.  The feet are the most common annoying issues that people endure but they are usually easier to fix.

I am always asked about my diet and how I manage to look so trim.  People are always amazed when I tell them I do not diet.  I eat healthy foods and try to consume as much as I burn.  I do try to count calories on long workout days so I have some idea of how much extra I need to eat to maintain weight.  Here are my main thoughts on maintaining a healthy weight in some semblance of order.

1. Drink a lot of water.Water is very good.  It helps you digest food and feel full.
2. Stop drinking soda. Soda is loaded with junk calories that do nothing for you.
3. Do not eat food that you do not like because it is healthy.
4. Eat responsibly, you know what is good for you.  Do not over indulge in junk food.
5. Try to eat food that was available 200 years ago.  I try to eat organic food whenever possible but it is expensive and my budget does take a hit from the organic food.  The meat is really expensive but I think the added hormones are are bad for you.
6. Margarine was not around 200 years ago so use butter with moderation.
7. I switch types of milk randomly between skim and whole milk sticking mostly to 1% and 2% milkfat.

I tend to gravitate towards a high carb, high protein diet with little junk food thrown in.  I almost always eat pasta or pizza on Friday before my long workout on Saturday.  Again, I like to stay natural and not add anything powdered or processed to my food.  I do add natural Parmesan cheese to my pasta.  I also like to eat a healthy lunch.  Usually a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with fruit and pretzels.  I like Skippy peanut butter and organic jelly.

My key points are drink lots of water, no soda and moderate all other types of food.

After a streak of handing out bad products, I seem to have hit a winner with Athletes Honey Milk.  For those of you looking to buy some, I buy it online.  If you are interested in ordering some, send me a message and I will send you a coupon code.

We need to start getting active again and getting more stuff to review.  After my harsh review of the Timex GPS, I don’t think they will be too eager to send us anything else to review.  It would be wrong to give a good review that I do not believe just to get some free stuff.  When Timex sent us the Triathlon HRM there only stipulations were that we disclosed it was sent to us free of charge and that we give it an honest review.  I have to give Timex some love for their corporate policies.

Speaking of corporate love, I have to give a shout out to Clif for being an awesome company.  They are environmentally responsible, try to make products as naturally as possible and they have great customer support.  If you have questions about how to use their products, send them an e-mail.  They are very responsive with excellent instructions.  I am not a fan of Clif gels for long run days but for long bike/run days, I tear their stuff up.

I am doing the Vineman Half Ironman this year in July.  In honor of that event I started www.alamedatri.com.  The site is brand new but it is up and running.  We will be starting a master swim program in January to get ready for triathlon season.

If you have a marathon in December, it is time to taper.  If you don’t have any hard events until after January, it is party season.  Lighten up, let your body rest and have fun.

Here at Alameda Runners, we have no sponsors.  We get a lot of stuff to review and hand out and we always review it honestly.  If someone is added to the our links, it is because they are deemed worthy of noting.  If you see a product in the links, there is a safe bet that the product can be found at home and work and we love it.  We review stuff and hand out to people to help you find what is right for you.  It is not easy to find new products or to find things that work but we try.

Athletes Honey Milk just made it to the list because I have come to love their product.  I did not want to try it because of the name.  Once I tried it, I liked it.  I also mix protein powder with milk or water on various days.  I sometimes mix protein powder with the honey milk.  I like to change things up.  I am now a member of Team Honey Milk which means I get a free T-shirt and a coupon code which is posted here.  If you like honey milk, we can still get more coupon codes, send us an email through the contact us link above.

Clif will probably be the next company to make the list.  Their products don’t really suit my running needs but they work great for my cycling needs.  Clif has some new products that seem to be better for my long distance runs but I forgot what they are.  We have some more on the way and a review will follow shortly after we try them.