Alameda Runners – Get After It!

Finis XtreaMP3

An MP3 player that works under water! Finis is not an MP3 player manufacturer. They are a swim equipment manufacturer. That being said, you need to read the instructions to figure out how to work the MP3 player. It is not too hard to operate the MP3 player but it is not intuitive.

I turned on the player, strapped it onto my arm, stuffed the ear buds in and jumped into the pool. I suppose I should have had some faith that it would work. I expected a total failure and I was happily surprised that it worked. It has quality sound under water.

I started swimming laps and immediately noticed a pull on the wires for the ear pieces. I tucked the wires up under the strap for my goggles and that helped for a while. Clips that support the ear piece wires to the goggle strap would be nice.

After a couple of laps, I had to stop and adjust the arm band as it got too tight for an arm that is working. This happened two more times during the swim. A bit of elastic on the arm band could go a long way towards improving the comfort. I am sure that I could figure out a way to attach the player to my goggles but I won’t go through the effort for a loaner.

It is hard to find music to match a swim pace. I swim at about 36 strokes per minute, the music I had was running at about 120 beats per minute. The pace was a bit awkward but it was really nice having music while I swam. After about ¾ of a mile one of the ear buds pulled loose and did not work any more because there was water in my ear. I took the player off and really missed having the music. Something like this MP3 player will be great for long, timed swims and I am not counting laps. The music really helps keep me distracted. I haven’t tried it in the bay yet but I am not too sure about open water swimming with an MP3 player in my ears. I like to be able to hear boats in the water.

This is a demo unit. I wonder if I will buy one when I see it in my local swim shop.

This is a two year old review that wound up in the archives.  I don’t know what happened to the review or demo unit and I have never seen the swim MP3 player in a swim shop.  I might add that I have a lot of swim stuff so I don’t venture into the swim shops very often.

I am a reluctant cyclist who likes to ride up a big hill every now and then and survive the middle leg of a triathlon.  For me, a bike saddle is nothing more than a fancy term for a bike seat.  Sella Italia heard about my feelings when we did an interview with them recently so they sent us a couple saddles to review.

I wound up with the Flite as my test saddle.  I put it on my titanium frame with semi-stiff Aksium wheels and never looked back.

I understand there are various renditions for the Gel Flite saddle.  I have the latest and greatest with titanium rails.  There was something about the geometry of the saddle that confused me during the installation.  I wound up putting the seat a little bit forward and tilted down slightly.  I rode like this for over 100 miles when I decided to try riding without cycle shorts.  My old saddle often felt like the seat was loose because of some weird wobbly feel.  The Flite never gave me that sensation.  I rode with spandex shorts and I was comfortable for an entire 50 or 60 mile ride.  With that test out of the way, I decided to put aero bars on my bike and try it like that.  I kept the seat on a slight angle and slightly forward.  My bike is setup for a single purpose, to survive the Vineman triathlon.  The way the saddle is configured, I am up on the nose when I am in the aero position and in the middle when I am on the handle bars while climbing and descending.

The feel is pretty good when I am down in the aero position.  After an hour or so of aero, I am ready for a hill so I can get into the middle of the seat.  Riding in the middle of the saddle offers a unique feel.  It is not a soft ride, it is comfortable.  Soft gets squishy while comfortable feels like it is formed to my body and it absorbs a lot of the shock from the road.  I could tweak the setup some more but I am not going to mess with something that works until after my triathlon next week.

What I like about the Sella Italia Flite

• It is comfortable
• It fits my butt when I sit on it
• The flex from the carbon fiber base or the gel give it a molded feel when riding
• It is the only visible bling on my bike
• The long rails give the nose a firm feel
• No two seats are exactly the same
• The shock absorbing action from the middle of the saddle
• I can’t really say what I don’t like about the saddle as it is the only high end saddle that I have ridden but I can say I like it.

Life is full of choices.  Most people who visit this site are people who choose to go do things.  Sometimes, we need to slow down and think about the consequences of our actions.  Here are two recent examples of my choices.  One good and one bad.  Neither of them are too terribly bad because I am here to talk about it.

Good Decision:
Now that winter is in full force, a lot of runners have to decide if they should run or rest because of illness.  I prefer to rest when I am sick.  I always read about the serious runners who never miss a run no matter what.  They get out and run with a fever of 102 f.  I am not a fan of running when I am really sick.  I mention this because I was not feeling well yesterday and slept for over 12 hours last night.  I got up this morning feeling a bit off but good enough to go for a run.  I got out for a 6-7 mile run with the run club and felt great afterward.

Bad Decision:
I also went out to run a marathon when I was not feeling well.  I knew I was sick, the day before the run.  I trained hard for the marathon and finally showed up for a big race healthy.  I was not healthy but I was not injured either.  At mile 22, I ran out of gas.  When the paramedic tried to check my blood sugar by pricking my finger, he could not get any blood.  I asked him how many times that has happened to him.  He told me it was the first time.  He then proceeded to tell me that my body was shutting down from the extremities in, that was why I could not run or walk any more.  Perhaps, I should have stayed in bed on this day.

I tend to err on the side of “Just do it”.  I knew that I should have stayed in bed on marathon day.  I chose to run and had a predictable race result.  Having your body start its shutdown process is not a good idea.  At least there was a lot of support on the marathon course.

In both cases, I knew what I should do.  My body tells my subconscious what is right or wrong.  Unfortunately, my conscious does not always listen.  Pay attention to your subconscious and rest when you need it.  I want you to come back and read my blog again.  I also like it when you complain about me not writing enough.

The new year is here.  I hope everyone is working on their base training for the next running season.

Upcoming races:
Coyote Hills (Fremont) – 1/28/12.  This is the biggest race of the year for alamedarunners.com.  We will be out in force for our local run.  Come join us, we will be out there rain or shine.  Sign up early because this one sells out.

Oakland Running Festival – 3/25/12.  I will be there leading the 2:15 group again for the half marathon.  Unfortunately, my photographer moved to Pennsylvania so we will not have a nice photo page this year.  I have my training plan here.  If you have any questions about the training plan, send me a message through the contact us link above.

I will be doing other events throughout the year.  These are my big two for the winter.  I will be out taking pictures at some Brazen events and riding my bike all over Northern California in preparation for the triathlon season.

I have been hitting the weights pretty hard in an attempt to build up my strength.  I am always sore from my sessions in the weight room.  It is amazing how quickly you can add weight to your sets in the weight room.  I am getting stronger and the time off from running is letting my legs heal.  It is nice to go out for a run and not be in pain.  I have been sticking with the off season training plan  and adding some P90X sessions in at night to keep things interesting.

Here is a brief on the biggest surprises of the year for me.  Most of the time, new companies squeeze into a niche by doing the same thing as the big guys while specializing in one area.  Sometimes things can be a lot different.  Who would have thought, a company could come out with wool athletic gear?  I forgot where I got the photo of the woman wearing the Icebreaker shirt but the poster credited it to Treehugger.com

Icebreaker wear is my winner of the year for performance clothing.  I wear the run ace running shirt just about anytime an opportunity presents itself.  I love the way it feels.  The material and design make the shirt very nice to wear.  It is so nice to wear the shirt was promoted (demoted?) to an everyday shirt.  The running shorts are nice but they have an oddly shaped pocket that is not convenient for my work access badge so I do no wear them for my lunch time runs.  I inadvertently wound up with the shorts for a yoga session one day and they were immediately converted to yoga shorts.  Running shorts and gym shorts are pretty much designed for forward motion and do not work very well with the stretching activities.  The wool stretches with my activities and does not stick to my legs.  Icebreaker is a bit hard to find and a bit expensive but they make some nice stuff.  I think you can get it at Fleet feet, out in the valley and REI.  If you find it in a store, try it on.

Greenlight Apparel came into view in 2011 by being the official clothing at both the Oakland Marathon and the California International Marathon.  They announced their consumer product line to us at the Oakland Marathon expo back in March.  Their products are comfortable, affordable and produced responsibly.  Because of Greenlight Apparels responsible manufacturing process, I will buy from green light if all things are close.

Injinji toesocks were a pleasant surprise for me this year.  I did not expect the socks to be so comfortable.  It did feel a bit odd having my toes separated by the cloth but I liked it.  It was great running up and down big hills without worrying about getting blisters.  The nice fit around the foot keeps the sock from moving around when you run.  No motion and no bunching mean no blisters.  My favorite socks did wear out rather quickly but that was expected with the way they fit.

Jockey wins the durability contest.  I was surprised to realize how much Jockey wear I own.  They make good stuff without a lot of fanfare and it lasts a long time.  They also know how to make stuff fit.

Hello folks — I am still alive and well, in case you noticed I’ve been gone and Ted has done the majority of writing on Alameda Runners these days. I’m slowly getting back into the swing of things here and on AlamedaTech, but wanted to give you a brief update as to what is going on.

Remember our friends over at Greenlight Apparel in Fremont? (If not, they make the quality California International Marathon and Oakland Running Festival apparel.)

I’m working on another interview with the company, and will again focus on Greenlight Apparel’s products and humanitarian efforts geared towards illegal child labor.

Until I get something published, here is some reading material for you: Previous interview posted on Alameda Runners, and the official Greenlight Apparel blog.

Now that the main running season is over, it is time to take cross training seriously again.  When I say cross training, I mean cross training with weights.  Most of us run or bike for cross training.  Now, is the time for strength training.  I like to lift weights but I have to sacrifice something to get out and do it.

Training is a personal thing with one rule.  That rule is to get out and do it.  I am in off season training mode right now.  My training for the week and reason for the training are listed below.  I am not advocating my work out plan.  I am pointing out a plan and a reason for the plan.

Monday – Weight training at the Coast guard base.  My reason for using this gym is because I am out of coffee at home and they have good breakfast at the base chow hall for about $2.00.  All of today’s training will be done with light weights.

• Squats – 3 sets of 10-20 reps
• Calf raises – 3 sets of 10-20 reps
• Leg extensions – 3 sets of 10-20 reps
• Leg lifts – 3 sets of 10-20 reps
• Bench press – 3 sets of 10-20 reps
• Shoulder press – 3 sets of 10-20 reps
• Swim ½ to 1 mile after work then sit in the hot tub for a little while.

Tuesday– 4 mile lunch time run, if I feel good.  Yoga after work because I need to work on flexibility and core strength.  The Yoga place is right next door to my work and the schedule is convenient.

Wednesday – Weight training at the Coast guard base.  My reason for using this gym is because they have good breakfast at the base chow hall for about $2.00 and Wednesday is the day they have waffles.  I like to bring my own syrup.  All of today’s training will be done with light weights.

• Squats – 3 sets of 10-20 reps
• Calf raises – 3 sets of 10-20 reps
• Leg extensions – 3 sets of 10-20 reps
• Leg lifts – 3 sets of 10-20 reps
• Bench press – 3 sets of 10-20 reps
• Shoulder press – 3 sets of 10-20 reps
• Swim ½ to 1 mile after work then sit in the hot tub for a little while.

Thursday – 4 mile lunch time run, if I feel good.  Yoga after work because I need to work on flexibility and core strength.  The Yoga place is right next door to my work and the schedule is convenient.

Friday – Swim ½ to 1 mile after work then sit in the hot tub for a little while.

Saturday – Bike ride, if the weather is nice.

Sunday – off

This is my plan for the week.  It is a plan that works around my schedule and breakfast desires.  My primary goal is to build leg strength and maintain fitness.  I will do a couple of early half marathons that I must maintain my fitness for but I really working on triathlon training for next year.  I am  far down the list on the Vineman Half Ironman but they also have an Alcatraz Triathlon that month so I need to be ready for a July triathlon.  I will be training like this until the holiday season ends in mid-January when I come up with a more regimented plan.

Last year Brazen Racing held the inaugural Coyote Hills Half Marathon.  This was one of my favorite races of the year.  That is saying something considering I did more than 15 events during the year, including CIM, Alcatraz, Vineman and the Oakland Half Marathon.  I may have liked it so much because of the community involvement.  I do so many Brazen races, we are like family.  I ran around Coyote Hills so much; it was like my home course.  Did I mention the fact that I ran with Ron from Punk Rock Racing?  It is always fun to be around Ron.

The parking lots filled early and people were being shuttled in from the surrounding corporate centers.  At least you don’t have to pay to park in the corporate centers.  There were enough shuttle buses to keep the wait short.  When the shuttle buses are running, the line at the sweat check table can get long so mark your bag early so you won’t have to wait when it is time to start the race.

Coyote Hills is a typical trail race where the start line is on the flattest piece of terrain around.  This race quickly goes to single track that can really mess up the speedy people who start in the middle of the pack.  If you can run 7:00 miles or faster, start in the front.  I don’t mind the single track holding me up because I run most trail races as social races.  I used to get mad when I wanted to run along at an 8:00 pace and wound up behind people running an 11:00 pace.  I have learned to lighten up, enjoy the view and perhaps, socialize a bit before passing.  You never know when you will meet a new friend.

Coyote Hills is a two lap course.  I am not very fond of running laps but I will make an exception in this case.  January 28, 2012 is coming fast.  If we get lucky the Punk Rock Runner will be on hand to keep us entertained again.

A quick update for today’s post.  My marathon is tomorrow.  I am supposed to go for a very easy 2 mile jog but I am going to skip it to give my sore legs a day to rest.  This will be my third attempt at CIM.  I did it two other times but I did not finish well.  Hopefully, I did everything right and finish running.  I was planning on running with some friends from the running club who are planning on finishing in 3:40.  I decided to slow down and run with the first pace group after 4:15.  Maybe changing things up will give me a better shot at success.  I am very excited to go back and tackle a challenge that has defeated me twice.

Now that I am finished with my marathon training, I started swimming for triathlon training.  When I was taking it easy and only training for a marathon, Finis sent me a swimsense, swim monitor to review.  I had to send it back after I reviewed it.  I liked it but I was not swimming a lot to give it a really good review.  I started swimming a few weeks ago, when I started to taper for the marathon.  I really missed the swimsense.  It is not exact but it is usually off by 25 yards over the course of a mile.  When I am out for a swim, I don’t notice the difference between 37 and 38 laps.  I was considering buying one from Amazon for about $200.  This morning, I found they sent the Swimsense back!  Christmas came early.  I don’t have “consider” anymore.  I have “mine” back.  Thanks Finis.

Wish me well for the marathon.

Let me start out by saying, I don’t understand tapering.  I taper because I am told it is good for me.  I also want to show up at the start line healthy.  I figure a healthy start will give me a better chance of having a healthy finish.

Tapering for the big event is a difficult thing.  You work so hard to get into great shape only to rest for the last few weeks leading up to the big event.  I was cycling my training up and down for 3 months to get ready for the marathon, now I am supposed to rest the few weeks going into the marathon.  My running buddies can do a marathon every 6-8 weeks with no problems.  They don’t need to taper, why should I?  I feel great; I should be able to go out for some speed work, a couple of days before the marathon.  I am tapering, I will just let my legs “carry me” for 4 miles.

Now that I am tapering for a marathon, I realize why I write a plan before I start training and stick to it.  I may vary on the day to day implementation of the plan but overall, I am pretty close.  The reason I create and follow the plan is simple.  When I am planning an event, marathon or triathlon, I am in planning mode.  To plan an event, I work on my current fitness level, what worked and what others recommend.  I take my work schedule and current ambition level into account when creating the plan.  Now that I have the plan, I move into work mode and just follow the plan.  Following the plan takes emotions out of the picture.  There are days, when I just want to roll over and go back to sleep because it is too cold to go out and run.  No excuses, stick to the schedule.  There are days when I feel great and just want to go out and tear up the trails.  Slow down, stick to the schedule.  When it is time to taper, I just want to out and do tempo runs because that is how my legs “carry me”.  Slow down, stick to the schedule.

I also take my brain into account.  I am tapering for a marathon that will happen next week.  I have an ambition for a triathlon in 9 or 10 months.  While I am doing my taper training, my mind is wandering toward big bike rides.  I realize 2 things from my cross training dreams.  I want to do a big triathlon next year.  In order to complete a big triathlon, I will have to finish the marathon healthy.

You may ask yourself how a triathlon that will happen in 10 months will impact a marathon taper.  It is because I need to finish the marathon in good shape in order to start the triathlon training.  To finish the marathon, I will need to show up healthy and slow down during the run to increase my odds of finishing healthy.  Tapering is individual.  Do your best.  Take it easy and have fun.