Alameda Runners – Get After It!

Trust Oprah. When she ran the Marine Corps Marathon in 1994, she finished with an impressive time of 4:29:15!

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… »

Recovery is important for athletes looking to heal fast and continue training and racing – but ensuring we give our bodies the right nutrition post-race can be extremely difficult.

Ultimately, trying to figure out how much protein is needed comes down to a math and biology lesson, so I hope you’re prepared!

Very active people need 0.75g of protein per pound of body weight
Moderately active people need 0.6g of protein per pound of body weight
Mildly active people need 0.5g of protein per pound of body weight

So, a person who is moderately active and weighs 170 lbs. should consume around 102g of protein every day – though that number can fluctuate depending on overall activity level.

Ideally, you’ll want to consume something with protein within 10-15 minutes after your workout. I try to drink a little bit of water, and then worry about consuming some carbs and drinking a protein drink.

We’ve had good experience with the products from Athletes HoneyMilk (now Core Power), while Ted also experimented with Accelerade 4:1 and found success.

Expect a short review of the Muscle Milk Cookies ‘N Crème flavor, which I’ll have published sometime in the near future.

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.

Calling all Alameda Runners … are you prepared for the Midway Run and Walk 5K next Saturday?

Benefiting the Midway Shelter for Abused Women and Children – an Alameda-based non-profit group with a great cause – the event organizers have a small 5K run and walk race planned for Bay Farm next weekend.

A 5K run, 1-mile walk and a free kids fun run will help bring local runners together for a great cause. Donations also are being accepted.

If you’re interested, you can pick up a registration form from the soon-to-be Total Woman Gym at South Shore, or head to Alamedarace.com to register online.

Launching from the Harbor Bay Ferry terminal, it should be a small, fun event that costs just $20 for adults to register for.