Alameda Runners – Get After It!

I think this would be easier to just share via the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition:

BART will be conducting a weeklong pilot March 18 through 22 to test ending the ban on bikes onboard during commute periods. If the pilot goes well, staff may ask the Board to vote on lifting the bike blackout permanently!

You can help make the pilot a success:

+ Board only if there is ample room for you and your bike. If a train is crowded, wait for the next train.
+ Keep aisles and doorways clear by leaning your bike against the wall. Stack bikes to conserve space.
+ Take care to keep your bike from bumping into others.
+ Yield seats to the elderly and disabled.
+ Be ready to exit before your stop arrives to keep trains on time.
+ Be especially courteous and respectful to other passengers.

During the pilot, bikes will not be allowed in the first three cars during commute periods. As usual, bikes are not allowed on the first car all other times. This allows bikeless passengers the option to ride in a car with no bikes, if that is their preference.

The SFBC and EBBC are looking for station volunteers during the pilot. Please volunteer here:
SFBC: https://www.sfbike.org/bikesonbartvol
EBBC: https://www.ebbc.org/bobvolunteer

There has been great press about the pilot. Please see editorials below.
Oakland Tribune: http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_22621571
SF Chronicle: http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/editorials/article/Bikes-on-BART-a-worthy-experiment-4321914.php

More information from:
BART: http://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2013/news20130214.aspx
SFBC: http://www.sfbike.org/bart
EBBC: https://www.ebbc.org/BikesOnBART

Let’s make this pilot a success!

Bike riders need to be held accountable to bring their bikes onboard BART as safely as possible — and I like that BART and the bike groups have open dialogue — so I want to support both parties.

Here is an old post from October of 2010.  The alamedarunners.com site crashed and took some effort to get it back up and running.  While I was deleting files, looking for the offending file that crashed the system, I found this article.  I liked the magazine.  Most of the article still holds true today.  I think Todd Hellings moved on but one of his early articles was great.

Vincit Magazine is a local Mixed Martial Arts magazine that is local to the San Francisco area, primarily in the East Bay.  It is a new bi-monthly magazine that is that is distributed mostly in the Bay area.  It does not seem like a magazine that would interest runners and triathletes, but I like it.  I will start out by saying that I don’t like MMA fighting but magazine is good for all athletes, especially those in of us in the bay area.  The people featured in the magazine are mostly local and if you are active in the local athletic community, there is a good chance you will run into them.

The magazine is a bit raw and very edgy that caters to a young audience.  It seems that most of the people involved in MMA are are young and a bit raw and edgy too.  I will add that every time I am around the MMA people, they are very nice to me.  I really like the articles and the format of the magazine.  Todd Hellings has a good section on supplements.  He is very blunt but he answers our questions honestly.  When I review supplements, it is mostly on taste and how well I can hold it down.  My reviews are mostly for older, endurance athletes where these are mostly for strength and bulk.  It makes me want to try some of the pre-workout supplements.

Jenna Castillo has a section for workout tips in every magazine.  She is a cute young lady in person but there is nothing cute about her workout routines.  I didn’t know she was a fighting machine until I saw her picture in the magazine.  I am checking out my garage now trying to figure out a safe way to make a TRX setup.  It is also a good idea to take some yoga classes to help you understand the language of the magazine.  It is ironic to think that all of these scary MMA fighters probably do yoga.  I guess physical fitness equates to breathing and strength in any sport.

I thought it was odd having a pretty girl photo shoot in the magazine but the young guys at work seemed to like it.  In fact, they seemed to have looked for the girls first when I broke out the second magazine.

Over all, I like Vincit magazine.  It is a bit short but I all of the articles are interesting and readable for people from any athletic background.  It puts things into perspective when you see high level athletes on TV.  Every one of those athletes put in a lot of time at the gym.  Most of them put in a lot of hard times just getting to a high level in the sport.

SALT LAKE CITY– January 30, 2013- From conception to execution, Utah-based entrepreneurs, Amiigo, developed a Bluetooth low-energy fitness device that will take an ordinary workout experience to the next level. Amiigo, a sweat-proof fitness bracelet and shoe-clip, identifies what exercise is being performed, and details your body’s physiological response. Amiigo soared past its initial funding goal on the crowd-funding site, Indiegogo, and is available for preorder now.

“Athletes are always working to enhance and elevate their workout experience. We wanted to develop an easy-to-use device that helps people personalize their workouts, share data, and even compete with friends,” says Dave Scott, co-founder of Amiigo. “Our fitness bracelet and shoe-clip does it all, and we’re confident you’ll work out better and harder with it. Push yourself and be great with Amiigo.”

Full release available after the jump: Read more… »

LAS VEGAS- January 9, 2013– SOUL Electronics, a global leader in pro and consumer audio manufacturing, teams up with Olympic gold medal winner, Usain Bolt, to develop customizable, in-ear headphones made for the runner by the world’s best runner. Dubbed the “World’s Fastest Man,” Bolt became the inspiration behind the limited edition Run-Free headphones by offering his input and advice into what would make the ideal audio solution for athletes, especially runners.

Full release and my initial thoughts available after the jump: Read more… »

LAS VEGAS – January 9, 2013 – Outdoor Technology, cutting-edge creators of action lifestyle accessories, will soon have you rocking out under your helmet with the release of CHIPS, a wireless drop-in audio system that works universally in all helmets with audio enabled liners. Extreme sport enthusiasts can now listen to their favorite tunes and make calls without taking their helmets off. The patent pending method of delivering wireless audio to helmets is the first of its kind and solves the riddle of how to deliver a tangle free solution to the action sports market. It’s so simple, rock out and speak freely wirelessly starting April 2013 in Chile, Australia and New Zealand and winter 2013 in all other markets for $129.95 MSRP.

Full release available after the jump:  Read more… »

Las Vegas – January 7, 2013 – 4iiii Innovations Inc. announces the release of Viiiiva, the first heart rate monitor (HRM) enabling ANT+ devices to ‘talk’ to an iPhone®/iPod touch® in real-time without awkward adapters. A lightweight, comfortable chest strap HRM, Viiiiva integrates Liiiink technology, an ANT+ to Bluetooth Smart™ bridge, allowing an athlete to monitor heart rate on an iPhone as well as a sport watch. Viiiiva also allows the athlete to adjust settings, review activity summaries and to receive performance feedback from their iPhone or iPod at anytime, anywhere.Viiiiva is available now for $79 at www.4iiii.com and at select retailers.

Full release available after the jump: Read more… »

Apparently, so many people make it a New Year resolution to get into shape during the winter, shoe retailers and heart rate monitors should expect to see a sales boost.

To aid interested folks seeking a chance to be healthy in 2013, manufacturers are offering product discounts, according to iTrustNews.com.

From the news release:

Digital heart rate monitors are now available to consumers to help men and women seek target heart rate during fitness routines. These monitors have been used for decades by Olympic athletes to improve conditioning. While these devices have decreased in price, the report published online details how price can vary depending on the retailer. Buying from a medical supply company often results in a higher price compared with a broad retailer according to the report.

The time period after Christmas is over and before the first day of February is traditionally a time for restocking for retailers. The new products that are released through the month of January are usually purchased in advance and shipped when released. While the discounts for the first quarter of the year are less than Black Friday, many retailers were found to offer beginning of the year discounts to online shoppers according to the new report.

I’m not surprised – many people talk about getting into shape in the New Year, but most seem to end up stopping within a few weeks.

I went out to take some pictures for the nice ladies at Picnic Dash productions this morning.  The race was held in Golden Gate Park which is always a great place for an event.  The flowers are always out in Golden Gate Park where the chilly, damp, winter air gives the place a wonderful smell.  Most of the other Picnic Dash races are held by the warming hut in Crissy Field, under the Golden Gate Bridge.  It does not matter which location you pick for a run, they all feel like family picnics.

Today’s race was a chilly affair with a good turnout of about 100 people.  Not all races are all day events with thousands of people.  There are plenty of events that are happy to have 100 people show up for the race.  I encourage everyone to try both types of events.  Today’s race was a family friendly event in the park, complete with cupcakes at the finish line.  I did not race but I mooched a cupcake anyway.  It is very difficult to put on a race of any type.  The race organizers usually do this as a labor of love.  When you see the race organizer, thank them for putting on the event.  In the one of the above pictures, the event organizer is delivering a cupcake with a birthday candle to a participant who is celebrating a birthday on race day.  That is so cool.

Did I mention that I was there to take pictures?  The pictures are in chronological order.
Album 1
Album 2
Album 3
Album 4

The bamboo bottle is a really nice bottle.  I don’t know who came up with the idea of using bamboo to insulate a glass bottle or why it took so long but it is a great idea.  I like to use it as a coffee cup or a protein shake glass.  The nice thing about glass is that is cleans so well there is no taste carry over.  The glass is heavy enough to use as a weapon if someone gives you a hard time.  Here are my thoughts.  The sippy straw is not shown out of contempt.
Good:

• The glass liner does not change the taste of my drink
• The glass liner cleans very well
• The lids form a tight seal without the use of an O-ring
• Three lids – one for drinking hot stuff, one for cold stuff and one for sealing
• It is made in the most environmentally responsible way possible with our current technology
• It looks good
• It has a sippy straw

Bad:

• It will make you feel dumb when you put it in the dishwasher with the bamboo insulator attached
• You can’t carry it in a bike carrier or a runners pouch
• The sealing lid does not seal very well without using an O-ring that you have to find yourself
• It is small
• The bottles are hard to find
• It has a sippy straw conspiracy
• There are 3 lids to keep track of.

I like the Bamboo bottle.  Sure it is heavy, bulky, hard to find, needs to be taken apart to clean and you have to find your own seals for the lids but it is nice.  The glass does not change the flavor and is the most environmentally friendly , insulated bottle on the market.

Back in the early days of triathlons, “PowerBar” was the name for sports nutrition just as Gatorade was the name for sports drinks.  With the popularity explosion of endurance sports in the 90’s, new players entered sports nutrition and raised the level of quality by leaps and bounds.  The new companies started out small with a customer first mentality while PowerBar acted like a big corporation treating customers like consumers.  For whatever reason, PowerBar decided to bring out some new products that people like and try a comeback.

When I received a package from PowerBar to try, I wondered how I was going to try the products.  I remembered the old nutrition paste product that I would stick to my bike for a triathlon.

I decided to go all in with PowerBar for a 20-mile run.  I took a picture of my three gel packs, energy blast pack and lone energy bar.  It is a bit more calories than I usually consume in a 3-4 hour run but it is always good to practice consuming calories for long distance days.

After running for about an hour, I started munching on the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip energy bar.  I had no problems digesting the bar and it tasted good.  It is always easier to eat something that tastes good.  I think the bar is designed for people who are not running and eating.  I had some problems with breathing while running and eating a product that breaks apart.

When I ran for about two hours, I tried a couple Strawberry Banana Energy Blast chews.  These things were extraordinarily good.  I’ve tried many chews that left me on the side of the road miserably ill.  These things tasted good, went down and stayed down.

I tried a Raspberry Cream gel a little while after the chew.  I usually choke down gels and hope they don’t make me sick.  The PowerBar gels are thin, tasty and go down really well.  I really liked the taste of the Raspberry cream.  I kept mooching the chews to help with the boredom of a long run.

Near the 3-hour mark, I had the vanilla flavored gel.  It tasted good and went down as easily as the raspberry cream.  About 20 minutes later, I had the double latte.  The latte flavor did not sit well with me but my run was almost over so I was not worried.  My total for the day was a 3:30 run while consuming all of the calories I carried with me.  I was tired at the end of the run but I felt nutritionally sound.

The PowerBar comeback is complete.  They came back in a big way with great products.  I have a lot of nutritional products to choose from.  The product that I grab first, are the ones I like the most.  After my PowerBar trial run, I always grabbed the PowerBar stuff first until it was gone.  The PowerBar turn around is an amazing surprise.