Alameda Runners – Get After It!

With all of the training we have been doing at new venues lately, it is getting hard to keep track of the distance run without a GPS heart rate monitor (HRM).  I am now in the market for another GPS HRM.  Here are my thoughts and decision making process on which HRM to purchase for myself.

I have a love/hate relationship with the Garmin 405.  The controls are so frustrating, I am sure that it would be on the bottom of the San Francisco b=Bay if it did not cost so much.
Polar Accurex II for every day use.  It is nice and simple with 3 buttons.
Polar F55 snazzy heart rate monitor that I use for long days because of the calorie counter feature.
Timex Ironman Race Trainer –  I don’t know where it is located.  I wonder why?
Full HRM reviews can be found here.

I bought the Polar Accurex II long before Alameda Runners came into existence.  The other three I received as review items for Alameda Runners.  I need to find the Timex before I decide who going to get my hard earned money.

I will probably make my purchase from either REI or Performance Bike.  They are both good stores and they are a block away from each other in Berkeley where I can go make the deal during lunch.  The reason I go to either of these stores with confidence is, I know that I am going to pay list price for the latest and greatest GPS HRM.

The players in my selection come from Polar, Timex and Garmin.  This should come as no surprise because they are all tops in their field invading the territory of the others.  It would be nice if they would combine their efforts for an excellent product that I probably would not be able to afford.

My front runner is the Garmin 410.  I hate the Garmin 405 as much as I love it but when I get it to do what I want, it works well until I touch the bezel.  Hopefully the have the bezel issues fixed for this version.  I hear the software works well but I use Linux and have one computer with MSWindows XP 64.  My operating systems are not covered by the software.

Next is the Timex Ironman GPS.  Timex knows watches.  Their screen setup is always good.  I already know I would need a new computer for the software.  I am not sure about being a beta tester for a $300 watch.  This is their first pass at GPS technology, so imagine finding bugs in the middle of a run.

Last on my list is the Polar RS800CX.  This one looks like the best of the bunch but it has too many drawbacks.  It comes in at $500.  It has separate parts for the GPS, HRM strap and watch band.  It looks complicated and comes with a disk.  Disks are bad for people who use open software.  It is probably the best unit overall with an remote GPS that can be strapped on the leg (good and bad) for use while swimming.  I don’t like the idea of the leg strap with batteries.  Batteries add weight and die fast.

Time will tell which product I select.  Knowing the emotional anguish that I go through when my GPS or HRM do not work after a 3 hour event.  I will research this selection thoroughly before I choose.

Sunday is the big day for all of the women running the Nike marathon in San Francisco.  Good Luck.

For those of you not familiar with the Nike Marathon in SF, it is one of the big guys.  There will more than 20,000 participants this year.  The amateurs are just as fast as the elite professional runners and it can really confuse things at the end.  All of locals know what a special treat it is to be running or being a spectator at a big event in San Francisco.  Appreciate every step and every runner as it will be a great day.  Finishing any marathon is a great accomplishment.  You go girls!

Events like this one help bring out female runners that are willing to train and participate in an organized race in a very comfortable atmosphere.  Whatever gets people up and active is okay for us, especially first-time and new runners.

Swimmers itch has been in the news a lot lately in the Alameda area because there have been confirmed cases of the nuisance.  It is a flat worm parasite transmitted by an exotic marine snail that is referred to as an invasive species that was probably imported through a ship’s ballast.  Fortunately the parasites die as soon as they enter the human body.  The parasites are transmitted around the bay area by birds that eat snails and than fly around.  Sea gulls are the most common birds that eat in the shallow tide pools where the snails are prevalent but the CDC study did not find the parasites in the birds they collected in the estuary around the Oakland airport.

Here are some facts for the swimmers out there who are planning on swimming off Crown Beach in Alameda.  The cecariae parasites usually emerge at temperatures greater than 22 C or 72 F.  The Alameda water temperature is usually between 8 C and 20 C (46-68) year round.  The tide pools are the most common areas where the temperature goes above 22 degrees.  There is also a lot of standing water that gets pretty warm during low tide on sunny days.

The swimmers itch is unique to the San Francisco Bay in Alameda as it rarely occurs in salt water or cold water.  The original article that brought all of this to the news is from the CDC Emerging Infectious Diseases division.

FAQs can be found here on the CDC web site.

I really like swimming in the bay but I rarely swim in Alameda.  I don’t like the way the water feels, it is not deep enough nor does it move quickly enough.  There is also something about the solitude of swimming in the bay right in the middle of a tourist area.  The Alameda side of the bay is probably safe for swimmers who jump right in and swim out and back then rinse off as soon as they finish their swim.

If you do get swimmers itch, take a picture and contact the CDC.  They need all of the information they can get to help prevent this Emerging problem from spreading.

Election season is upon us, and it is our duty to get out and vote.  It does not matter who you vote for or why you select the candidate.  Just get out and do it.  Alameda is going to select a new mayor this year.  Alameda has had good leadership for a long time.  All is not perfect but Alameda is a beautiful place with a pretty balanced budget.  I will give you thoughts on the candidates for mayor this year.  You do not have to agree  I just hope you think about it and go vote.  The same goes for all of the readers who are eligible to vote.  Now I begin.

Frank Mataresse – He has my vote.  He drives an electric car around Alameda.  He is technically savvy and is not afraid to try things.

Doug DeHaan – I like anyone who is Doug DeHaan’s opponent.  He campaigns on negative ads and likes to point fingers.  Leaders do not pass blame.

Marie Gilmore – I like Marie, she does a good job on city council and has a good record as a person.  A city council with people like her are what make Alameda great.

Tony Daysog – He seems like a professional politician to me.  His political career gets a yawn compared to Mataresse, Gilmore and Kahn.

Kenneth Kahn – You just have to love Kenny the clown.  He is technically savvy and a clown.

These are just my thoughts.  Go to their web sites or a town hall meetings and make up your mind.  If you really like a candidate, go help them out.  All candidates for local office need help.

What do the Alameda runners do while we are not exercising, planning to exercise or writing about exercising?  We do things like go see taiko drums performed by Maze Daiko at the Rhythmix Cultural Works in Alameda.

The RCW is a nice little place that opened about 3 years ago in an old factory.  The show floor holds about 175 seats with standing room for an additional 30 or 40 people.  It is really nice to see a show in a small local venue.  Before the show we sat around and chatted with other people from the area in a friendly atmosphere that you do not get in the bigger places.  I like going to events where people are social and nice to each other.  Brazen racing events are similar to this.

If you are looking for cultural things to do as cross training, taiko definitely fits the bill.  The girls in the show were in excellent shape.  They were swinging those big drum sticks around for two hours in one night.  They also get into drumming position in a stance that is similar to a yoga warrior pose.

The taiko group was really well organized.  They had the floor marked for all of the different drum scenarios.  When it was time to move the stage setup, a few members would play while the others did the setup.  They did not look at each other and had it timed so the instruments were placed in synchronization no matter how different the travel was.

The show started off with a group of 6 ladies playing powerful drums.  They all seemed happy to be playing in front of their home crowd.  I love the way taiko can change from power to grace.  We went from the 6 drums to two ladies singing while one of them played a single stringed instrument.  In a small venue, you could feel the energy from the players and the bass coming off the drums.  The girls had style, sass and rhythm.  It seem like they could play anything you put in front of them.  I have always been indifferent about xylophones but they were awesome mixed with the taiko drums.

The show we saw had Yoko Fujimoto as a guest singer.  She has a beautiful voice that comes through in any language.  It is really unique to the system going from the power of big drums to Yoko singing “a cappella” (solo without instruments)

If you are planning a trip to the SF bay area, I recommend a visit to see Maze Daiko.  For those of you who are not planning to visit the SF bay area or the United States, I recommend a local taiko show.  If you have seen taiko drumming at someplace like Disney, imagine Disney as a high school basket ball team while Maze Daiko is in the professional league.

Nutrition is extremely important for athletes.  If you fail to eat proper food while training, you’re more likely to bonk during a race.  As noted in the July edition of Triathlete, counting calories is deal for people looking to lose weight and get closer to an ideal racing weight.

If you’re going to try and count calories, be aware that it can be an extremely time consuming, complicated process.

“Counting calories is challenging for two reasons,” the Triathlete article reads.  “First, it’s a pain the butt, requiring more time and effort than most people feel it is worth.  Second, the do-it-yourself methods of calorie counting are not very accurate.”

The moral of the story:  Pay attention to what you eat, and you don’t need to count calories exactly.  The simple fact you’re paying attention to calories should help you keep better track of what you’re eating.

Ted’s views regarding eating and dieting can be found here.

More from Ted: Counting calories is tough.  The only time I really count calories is when I am out for long durations.  I like to know how much I need to replace after the workout.  A friend of mine could only find Gatorade G2 at convenience stores during a West Coast bike ride.  He kept bonking at the end of the day.  After about 3 days of this, he learned that a 24 ounce container of Gatorade has 60 calories.

I am always asked about my energy levels and how I manage to sustain so much energy.  Where to start?  I will start with a list in no particular order.

1. Get plenty of sleep
2. Eat well
3. Eat enough
4. Do not eat before bed
5. Get plenty of exercise
6. Carry your energy with pride

1. Sleep is an interesting thing.  We all know we need to get plenty of sleep but we rarely get enough sleep.

• Give your body a reason to sleep.  A body that is tired is a body that is ready to sleep.
• Do not eat before bed.
• No caffeine before bed.  A lot of people can tolerate caffeine at night but skip it anyway.
• Clear your mind for a good nights rest.  Take notes at work so you do not have to think about things for the next day.  I write things down in a clear area of my desk.  That way work stays at work.

2. Eat quality foods.  It is not as easy as it sounds to eat good food.  I often eat food that is not healthy but it is whole food.  If I cheat, I like to eat something that they were eating 100 years ago.  Something like sausage, a pretzel or even cake.  I try my best to avoid food with extra stuff.  I think iced tea should contain tea and water.  I will add sugar or lemon if the mood strikes me.  There is nothing wrong with quality foods.  Try to eat a balanced natural diet.  I don’t get all of the vitamins and minerals that I need so I take daily multivitamins to help keep things up.  I don’t think there is anything natural in a multivitamin but I do the best I can with what I have.

3. Eating before bed is bad because it messes up your metabolism and your body will burn the food while you sleep instead of stored energy from fat.  Every now and then you can sneak in some vanilla pudding, vanilla ice cream, apple pie or something similar before bed — but don’t make a habit of it.
A well worked body keeps you invigorated throughout the day.  If you can exercise in the morning, the energy that you build up for the workout will stay with you all morning.  A lunch time workout does the same thing for the afternoons.  Sometimes, if I workout too hard at lunch, I crave coffee late in the afternoons.  A body that gets good work during the day sleeps well at night.

4. Carry your energy with pride.  After a while, people will notice your energy and start to rely on it.  When your energy starts to fade, the whole group’s energy will go with it.  Stand up straight, let the world know that you are here and go.

I could go on for a while but our format has been to keep it short.

I went to the shoe store with a list of running shoes designed for neutral runners.  It is a good thing I have a neutral gait because I have ITB issues that cause me to replace my shoes often.  I typically replace my shoes every 300-500 miles, which equates to  two new pairs of shoes every five or six months.  The internet is nice because you can do a search for the type of shoes you wear and quickly find a list of shoes.

Two of the shoes on my list to try were the Nike Zoom Vomero+ 5 and Asics Gel Cumulus 11.  I tried on the Nike shoes first.  When I put them on, they fit like nice goat skin gloves.  They were comfortable to walk around in before I tied them.  This was the shoe for me.  They were so comfortable, I had to smile.  I then took the left shoe off and put the old left shoe on to see how it felt against the new shoe on the right.  I noticed the outside of the right heel is really soft.  This additional cushioning is probably good for someone who does not have ITB issues.  I have ITB issues and this shoe would not last for more than 100 miles for me and it might cause my ITB pain to flare up.

After I tried the Nike’s out, I did the same thing with the Asics.  The Asics have a much stiffer outer sole.  That is good for me.  I then tried the Asics on one foot and the Nike’s on the other foot.  The Asics were the clear winner.

Overall thoughts for neutral running shoes:

Nike Zoom Vomero+ 5

• Excellent fit
• Excellent comfort
• Good looks
• Moderate price $100.00
• Soft heel – not good for me

Asics Gel Cumulus 11

• Good fit
• Good comfort
• Average looks
• Low price $65.00
• Firm heel – excellent for me.

The Tour de France starts on Saturday morning with an opening day prologue, but the focus will be on who wears the yellow jersey in Paris.  For a basic breakdown on the favorites of the race, the AP compiled a list of the top 2010 Tour de France contenders.

Here is a link to the article.

I look forward to Contador climbing with a questionable team, while Andy and Frank Shleck ride with the support of an extremely strong Saxo Bank team.  Most people expect a shootout between Contador and the Shleck brothers, but there are still several other riders that could contend for the title.

Lance Armstrong will be one of three possible captains of Team RadioShack, and should be in the top 10 in Paris.  Will Cadel Evans find his way to the top step of the podium with the BMC cycling team?

My podium:  Contador in first, Andy Schleck in second, and Ivan Basso in third.  Armstrong will be in the top five, but I don’t think he’ll add another TdF victory to his impressive resume.  (I’d rather see the Schleck brothers both on the podium, but am doubtful either one can outclimb Contador.)

This definitely isn’t related to running or exercise, but I wanted to post this since the blog you’re reading does have ‘Alameda’ in the title.

Image courtesy of The Island

If you’re a fan of kabobs, then look no further than the newly opened Kabob Central restaurant that is open for business but will have an official grand opening next week.  The restaurant is built in a former vacant storefront in Alameda, and invites the community to the grand opening on Tuesday (11:00 a.m.)

The new restaurant is located at 2306 Central Avenue (across the street from the Alameda Theatre).

I’m not the biggest fan of kabobs, but props to Kabob Central for opening up a business in a building that used to be abandoned.  A single comment on The Island blog doesn’t seem very supportive of the restaurant, but we’ll see what happens.