Athletes enjoy running or working out when they go on vacation – and there are some great tourist destinations that double as vacation hot spots and a runner’s paradise. I recently caught up with representatives from the Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau and discussed why Hawaii is an ideal location for athletes looking to just get away.
There are plenty of reasons, according to the HVCB, why athletes should be interested in flying to Hawaii from the mainland.
“Year-round sunshine and good weather, accommodations for every budget, a wide variety of activities and attractions, rich culture and history, world-class cuisine, exceptional spa/wellness facilities, and warm Aloha spirit help make the Hawaiian Islands an ideal vacation for runners and athletes.”
For anyone looking to travel to Hawaii, there are a couple of ideal times to make travel arrangements: “Travelers can usually find the best deals to Hawaii during the off-peak season, which tends to be spring (March-May) and fall (September-November).”
A quick search yielded a one round trip ticket from Oakland to Kona in April for around $410, including fees and taxes, but browsing around could lead to even better deals.
Full interview is available after the jump: Read more… »
Camera maker Drift Innovations added to its strong product lineup by releasing the Drift HD Ghost, a new action camera with several excellent product features.
This announcement is unique because the Drift HD Ghost is the first action camera that has a two-way LED remote and on/off indicator light. Also, if you order the camera, Drift is proud to point out, you are ready to go immediately out of the box – no more accessories, add-ons, or additional purchases are needed.
The Drift HD Ghost has the following features: three-hour recording time (per charge), built-in Wi-Fi, 2-inch LCD screen, continuous loop recording feature, audio enhancement and custom lens, and waterproof casing good for up to 9-ft. in water depth.
Additional information after the jump: Read more… »
There has been an increase in educating the public – and the San Francisco Bay Area leads much of the nation – in recycling and green living.
It’s an aspect of life that isn’t extremely difficult, and you do not need to go overboard with it to be successful.
In the latest “Island Recycling,” October – December 2012 – Volume 10 – Number 4, the Alameda County Industries notes what is appropriate to put in the green can. Here is a brief summary:
Food products: Fruits and vegetables including peels, pits and rinds; bread, pasta and other grains; dairy products and egg shells; coffee grounds and tea leaves; meat and bones
Food-Soiled Paper: Paper plates and cups; paper napkins and towels; paper coffee filters and tea bags; paper bags and newspaper; paper takeout containers; pizza boxes; waxed paper and waxed boxes; and wooden chopsticks
Yard Trimmings: Flowers and leaves; weeds and grass clippings; and small branches
The ACI isn’t asking each citizen to try composting, and adding the correct refuse in the green recycling can leads to more room in your trash and non-compostable cans.
The ACI website has a detailed list of items for the green can – and you can contact them to receive the ‘Residential Recycling Guide’, by calling the following number: (510)-483-1400. The information can be e-mailed or mailed to you, and they require you to provide your address, along with name and phone number on the account.
The City of Alameda and ACI have a $14 million agreement related to solid waste, green waste, food waste, and recycling. The City’s Public Works Department should be complemented for its continued efforts to convince citizens to be more cognizant of our responsibilities to the world we all live in.
I’ve seen a few questions posted on other Alameda-based sites, so I will follow up with the ACI or the City of Alameda to learn more about recycling.
Running long distances requires us to carry enough supplies to last the distances we are running. I usually carry a water bottle in a fanny pack and stuff as many supplies as I can into the small pouch. This works fine for runs less than 15 miles. When I go longer than 15 miles, my nutrition requirements change and I need to carry more supplies and more variety.
The Hydrapak E-Lite vest has six front pockets to carry stuff. The six pockets gave me enough room carry a Samsung Galaxy S3 phone, an iPod, one Payday bar, two energy gels, one pack of energy chews, and one energy bar with room for more. Of course, it also carries about a liter of water in the back pocket.
Take note of the hose location
The Hydrapak fits really well. It is pretty cool how they use support material in the front straps as the main stability brace. The side straps clip in and are easily adjustable by pulling on the thumb loops to tighten or lift the plastic retainer to loosen. I like to clip both retaining clips together with the adjustable straps loose to put the pack on then tighten everything up after it is on.
When I start out the weight is evenly distributed between the front and back with a little more weight on the back. A full pack of water rides higher on the back then drops down as the water is consumed. You can drink almost all of the water in the pack with just a few ounces remaining. The water does get warm on hot days. I recommend a lot of ice in the pack. Do not put the pack in the freezer as the hose connection piece will freeze preventing the hose from being installed until it melts.
I am trying to make a point about gym selection. Any gym that you use is a good gym. Everyone has to try out different things to see what works for them. I love going to Mariner Square Athletic Club but a gym membership is not about love. It is about going to the gym. One of our young readers recently joined a gym. She did her research carefully and joined a gym close to work.
When I changed jobs, I did the same thing. I encourage you to try things and join a gym that you will attend. If you join and do not go, find another gym and ask yourself why you joined and did not go. I did not go because of logistics. It may look like I am slamming Bally’s but I am not. I am pointing out things that were in my decision process. I am a member of Bally’s and highly recommend the gym to anyone who works in the Fremont/Newark area.
I just cancelled my membership at Mariners Square Athletic Club in Alameda today. It was very sad to for me to give up my gym. Unfortunately for me, I rank logistics above quality when it comes to going to the gym. Mariners Square adds 30-45 minutes to my morning commute. Bally’s subtracts 10 minutes from my morning commute. Mariners Square is more of a full service Athletic club that costs about $75 per month. Bally’s is a meathead, no service club that costs about $25 per month. For my life style, the price difference does not matter. It is all about convenience. Logistics can be the difference between using the gym and having a gym membership that is not used.
Here are the differences between my two gyms. Keep in mind that I am only talking about Bally’s at the Fremont location. I hear the other locations are better.
Mariners square
Clean
Check-in people know the names of regulars
Pool
Steam room
Multiple hot tubs
Clean sauna
Clean showers
Clean floors
Clean equipment
Towel service
Hangars in a locker for use
Weights are organized
Dumbbells are organized
Members can cycle through the equipment
Personal trainers are available for questions
Personal trainers know your name
Personal trainers help with your workout routines
Did I mention it is clean?
Stationary bikes have foot straps
Good free weight area
People share equipment and weights
People do not like to share lap lanes
Janitors are always cleaning things
Bally’s
Dirty – I bring alcohol to sanitize the floor where I will stand
Great selection of machines
Great selection of free weight equipment
The selection of equipment encourages me to try new things
Machines are in great condition
The weight room is a mess
The weights (plates and dumbbells) are never organized
People leave weights on the machines and bars, probably because putting them away is frustrating in a dis-organized room.
Few to no janitors
Sauna
Stationary bikes do not have foot straps for fear of theft
Personal trainers are not approachable, probably because they are busy and jaded.
Personal trainers can forget about appointments
People camp on the equipment, spending more time resting than working.
There is enough equipment to make up for people camping on the equipment
Did I mention the place is dirty?
The dumbbells are all over the place and never in order
Seeing the differences in the two gyms, it seems like I would stay at Mariners square. If the two gyms were right next to each other, I would pay $150 per month to go to Mariners square and would not go to Bally’s if it were free. They are not next to each other and you can’t beat location. Bally’s is a pretty good gym. It just looks bad compared to Mariners Square. The guy who maintains the equipment is spectacular. All of the equipment is in great shape. It is not the maintenance guys fault the exercise bike straps get stolen.
My reason for selecting a gym is location. You may like the amenities. It is your choice. Look around and pick a gym that you will attend. I will miss Mariners Square but I will adapt to Bally’s. I am sure that I will be praising the personal trainers in 6 months, after they get to know me.
I went out to take pictures for the Survival Dash race by the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco today. It was a small 10k race put on by Leila and her crew. I love the small races because you get to be with the people who are racing and hosting the race. We had people from all over the place joining us for today’s race. It was fun hearing people talk about their goals for the race. Some people planned on running the whole time, without stopping. Other people wanted to win. A common goal was to break a 10 minute per mile pace.
When you have a race with less than 100 people, there are no fancy amenities. You have Ted taking pictures and posting them on Picasa. You have Leila running the show and designating a volunteer to shout the ready, set, go command. A lot of the snacks are made by the volunteers. Who can say no to homemade brownies? They also had beer, leis and grass skirts.
The pictures can be found here. They are in two folders and posted in the order taken with edited pictures appearing at random.
Sports nutrition product Accelerade, from PacificHealth, is a very fine product that is excellent when used according to the directions. Most of us are not going to follow the directions. We are just going to go try the product and base our opinion on one trial. I went the extra mile and followed the directions.
4:1 stands for the carbohydrate to protein ratio. Carbs burn fast, giving you energy, and bind with the protein for faster recovery. The protein helps the muscles rebuild and recover.
Generally speaking, cardio workouts should be followed with a 4:1 recovery drink while power or strength workouts should be followed with a 2:1 recovery drink.
This is the closest thing I have done to a clinical review. I did before, during and after tests while maintaining a similar diet. My base run is a 5.2 mile loop around the Coyote Hills regional park in Fremont, CA. I always feel hot running in Fremont. The temperature ranged from 80 to 95 degrees for my runs. (Alameda temperatures range from 65 to 80 degrees.)
Day 1: A morning weight lifting session in the free weight room. I did approximately 200 reps of various squats to really tear my legs up. I mixed a generic recovery drink with 24 ounces of chocolate milk.
I drank half before the weights and half after I finished. Then I went to work, drank 2 cups of coffee and went out for a lunch time run. I did the base run at a pace of 8-9 minutes per mile with a heart rate of 140-150 bpm.
I was pretty miserable from the first step. I felt sick to my stomach and I was thirsty. I passed 3 water fountains and wanted to cry when I passed the third one. When I finished the run, I did not want to drink any water or eat. I was tired and sluggish for the rest of the afternoon.
This commercial is what we have been telling our readers for a few years. Go do it. Find your greatness, do not worry about what other people are doing. Go do your own thing.
I don’t really have a favorite company. I have stuff from a lot of athletic companies and wear what is comfortable. After I saw this ad, I broke out my Nike gear and wore it proudly for my daily run. It was really hot in Fremont today. When it was time to slow down for the last two miles, all I could think about was – shuffle, shuffle, shuffle; “find your greatness”.
I was moved when I saw that kid out running for the commercial. He was working hard. Good job Nike.
I will be out taking pictures at the Survival Dash 10K run along and around Crissy Field on Saturday, August 18th. For my distance running friends, this is a nice short run for a change.
The run is put on to help support the Semper Fi Fund to provide financial support for injured members of the Armed Forces. I hope our government does not forget about the service members who get injured in one way or another but I am sure every little bit of extra helps.
Join us for a small race with great volunteers and the proceeds go to a great cause. Hopefully the sun will come out and I can get some good pictures.
Update from from the Survival Dash race director:
I’ve made a 15% discount code, “alamedarunners,” that you’re welcome to add to the site. It expires on 8/15 at 5pm.
Concerning the Semper Fi Fund, they work on covering costs that the military doesn’t (adaptive housing/transportation for those in wheelchairs, specialized and adaptive equipment at home like software programs and visual aids). The coolest part, in my opinion, is Team Semper Fi. They encourage teamwork and rapid rehabilitation by providing coaches, specialized sporting equipment, team uniforms, and travel expenses for recovering service members and their families.
Swimming is one of the most popular sports of the summer Olympics, and the athletes and technology behind swimming get a large amount of attention.
For regular people, swimming may be nothing more than a dip in the pool for relief from summer heat. Some athletes have coaches and work on swim form and time for swim meets, triathlons, and other athletic sports.
For Olympic swimmers, however, it’s a mix of hard work in the pool and cutting-edge technology that gives them the opportunity to smash world records every time they enter the pool.
To help out even further, researchers from the Tokyo Institute of Technology have developed a humanoid robot able to closely mimic a swimmer’s movement in the water. Ideally, the humanoid can help researchers learn how swimmers can glide through the water with a minimal amount of drag.
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There has been an increase in educating the public – and the San Francisco Bay Area leads much of the nation – in recycling and green living.
