Alameda Runners – Get After It!

Hope everyone had an enjoyable morning running with a wonderful view of the beach.

Runalameda and Powerfitness both placed third (Runalameda was third overall while Powerfitness was third in the women’s division).  Well done!

As thousands of people prepare for the Oakland Marathon and Half Marathon later this month, I’ve heard several different conversations and inquires about course recon… by running, bike or car.

I’m running my first long-distance run and figured it’d be neat to see what I’m getting myself into.  It seems to be a thought shared among many runners – and anyone who is running the half marathon may be interested to view this virtual preview of the course (via Google Maps).

Courtesy of @JennB on Twitter, who originally tweeted the link.  Kudos to Race My Race for having a cool Web site.

Aside from offering a street view of the course, it’s just neat technology that continues to mature.

GU, CLIF, Accelerade, and other companies we’re all familiar with have a simple goal: give athletes the nutrients they need during endurance sports.  GU now has its Roctane line of products, which has been specifically designed for the more serious athletes out there.

“Athletes told us there was a need.  We had a triple top secret-in house formulation known to insider elite athletes as ‘hard rock,'” GU recently told Alameda Runners.  “It was around for 5-6 years prior to the launch of Roctane.   What is in this stuff!?   Holy X#*?! This stuff works.    Seriously competitive athletes are looking for an edge in every aspect of their training and racing…. Sell through #s at retail indicate they are finding that Roctane delivers at its promise.”

To learn a bit more about GU’s Roctane products, GU was kind of enough to send along a couple of review products for us to enjoy.  I’m a strong CLIF supporter while Ted enjoys GU products, though we both routinely eat and drink products from other companies.  In the weeks to come, we’ll see how GU Roctane stacks up against the competition when we go out on adventures in San Francisco, Sausalito and the East Bay

Instead of just writing a single long post about each product, we’re going to post mini-reviews of each flavor whenever we give it a try.  We don’t eat these energy gels and electrolyte products every time we go run, so the reviews will be spread out across numerous upcoming blog posts in the future.

We’re also expecting to receive several other goodies to review, so check back and see what we come up with!

I was chatting with someone outside See Jane Run in Oakland a few Saturdays ago, and she mentioned that she wanted to exercise but couldn’t find the time.  She thought quitting work to take care of the kids would be easy, but found that it can be more time consuming and difficult than her previous job.

Never fear, Olympian Jeff Galloway is here to talk you through a couple of different excuses.  I’m going to post one every few days — or if we can’t think of anything else to ramble about — so here we go!  (I’m not sure where the following Galloway quote was published, but will let you know when I track it down.)

I don’t have my exercise clothes with me: Load an old bag or backpack with a pair of running shoes, a top for both winter and summer, shorts and warm-up pants, towel, deodorant and anything else you would need for exercise and clean up.  Put the bag next to the front door, or in the truck of your car.  Then, the next time you are waiting to pick up your child from soccer, etc., you can do a quick change in the restroom and make some loops around the field, school, etc.

Most people I know who drive to the gym usually have a bag packed and prepared in the car ahead of time — perhaps because they want to be prepared, or don’t want to forget — or because they’ve mentally trained themselves to be prepared to head to the gym.

Even though I live around the corner from the gym, I still usually have a change of clothes ready in the car just in case I’m on my way home from somewhere.

The city of Alameda is wonderful for so many reasons I’d likely need a few different blog posts to discuss the reasons I’m happy to live here.  A leading reason is the number of bike lanes on public roads and running trails on the main island and Bay Farm.

I end up walking, running or riding on these trails almost every day, and most of the trails are kept in great condition.  (A different blog post will be dedicated to the great job the city has done maintaining these trails.)

This blog post is a reminder that these trails are for everyone, not a single group of people!  Cyclists, joggers, walkers, families, kids, and everyone looking to enjoy a view of the bay is welcome on these trails.

As such, I feel it’s up to the people who are on bikes to make sure the trail is safe for everyone.  Be courteous to those around you.  DO NOT fly down the trails at 20 m.p.h. while buzzing people when you’re on your bike.

It’s rude, dangerous, and takes away from the wonderful trails.  Don’t be afraid to call out and let people know you’re coming by.  Slow down and call out before passing.  It takes a couple of extra seconds, but can avoid a dangerous collision that could ruin everyone’s day.

I’ve had people refuse to move over for me when they turn around and see me on a bike.  One person actually said, “You bikers are dangerous and shouldn’t be here!”  I was perplexed.

I just thought he was an old grumpy man walking his dog – but I’ve recently spent more time running on the trails, and have noticed how rude some people are.  I spoke with one person who was riding a bike and asked him why he came so close to all of the people he passed.

The kind gentleman said he wasn’t aware how close he was to us, and said he would try to make sure it doesn’t happen again.  Just chatting with him for a couple of minutes helped him understand that he needs to give people on the trail a couple extra feet when passing to ensure everyone remains safe.

Michael

It may seem crazy to spend a minimum of $19.99 for a piece of cloth and plastic with your name, emergency contact and other information on it — but this small exercise accessory could one day save your life.  Well, that’s at least the gist of RoadID‘s marketing angle for its products that includes the Wrist ID Sport, Shoe ID and Ankle ID.

It never really sunk in that I go out on all of my training rides and long runs without my driver’s license and cell phone.  It just isn’t something I actively think about while out enjoying life.  I’ve crashed on several occasions while out in the saddle, but have been able to return home safely each time.

I ordered a wrist band for myself and shoe ID for my dad.  Now we are both going to be able to train with identification.  My dad has been interested in one but the $19.99 price tag is a bit too much for some consumers, including my dad – so I decided to purchase one for the old man.  I’m going to wear the Wrist ID Sport, while he will use the Shoe ID product from RoadID.

I’m sure both of us will chime in on basic thoughts of the couple of products we receive in the next week or two.

If you’re interested in learning more about RoadID, I recommend visiting the company’s official web site.  A frequently asked questions section is available by clicking here.

Congrats to Fluid, which recently started its own professional cycling team.

Here’s a tidbit from an announcement I received in my e-mail:

The mission of Team FLUID is to develop club level cyclists into skilled racers through an environment of encouragement, coaching, and ethical participation in sport.”

Team Fluid Las Vegas is the brain-child of Nathan Chaszeyka and Melinda Sloan who own a performance coaching company named Endurance Addiction. The team is supported by many great sponsors, and we encourage you to visit their Facebook page by CLICKING HERE, and becoming a fan!

The team is started racing two weeks ago and is already exceeding performance expectations!