Alameda Runners – Get After It!

First and foremost, congratulations on a successful Oakland Running Festival!

For new readers, feel free to leave comments (we’ll e-mail you any pictures or specifics) or contact us on Twitter.  My account can be found here, and Ted’s Twitter is available here.  (I’m a Twitter addict and will likely be in touch a lot sooner.)

If you encountered the 2:15 pacers out on the course, feel free to check if we snapped a picture!  You’re more than welcome to re-post any of the pictures, as it’s nice to have a picture or two without paying an insane amount.

ORF 2011 Race Reports

Chic Runner’s Oakland Marathon Full race report — LINK — @ChicRunner
Heather’s thoughts about finishing the half — LINK
Bike, Run, Eat, Sleep’s ORF 2011 report — LINK — @thorpej
Living in the O’s ORF musings — LINK — @OaklandBecks
Payam’s speedy marathon thoughts — LINK — @chunkybearcub
Pavement Runner played dress up! — LINK — @PavementRunner
A Trail Runner’s Blog full marathon recap — LINK
See Dane Run — LINK

Big crowd

Photos from today’s race can be found on Picasa.com/ted@alamedarunners.com
I carried my 2:15 pace sign for the half marathon again today.  Our group was a bit smaller this year but everyone was just as happy.  I had a lot of people coming up to me after the race to thank me for setting the pace.  They were not hanging out with us but they were following for the whole race.  The course layout had some minor changes but they were all good.  The biggest and best change was finishing on the street rather than an alley.  There was a bit of a cattle shoot after the finish line that had everyone getting cozy while trying to make it past the photographers.

It was nice to see the Brazen racing crew and regulars at today’s race.  Sam completed the marathon then went to work on about 10 minutes rest.  He is a machine.
In an effort to get this post up quickly, I am cutting it short.  It was great seeing all of my old friends and great meeting all of my new friends.

Today is the first official day of the Oakland running festival 2011.  This is the biggest half marathon of the year for me.  I carry my pace sign for 2:15 for the half.  The run is not difficult.  The event is just exciting because it is our home course for a big time event.  I ran into Sam from Brazen racing at the festival expo center today.  He is a participant for the full marathon.

The check-in for the races was very smooth today.  There were volunteers all over the place to direct runners in the proper direction.

The email check-in worked very well.  We were emailed our bib number and went to the table with our number and moved right along.  There were volunteers handing out the swag bags on the way into the expo area with no confusion or fuss.

The swag bag was a Sports Basement bag.  Most of us Bay area athletes love the Sports Basement.  Having a big store at Crissy Field helps them a bit.  The bag contained a lean selection of trials for athletes.  I don’t run races for gift bags.  A couple of things of note contained in the bag were the shave secret shaving oil and udderly smooth udder cream.  The shave secret is hard to find but I feel it is worth the effort.  I like to put the oil on my face before I use an electric shaver or before I shave using shaving cream.  I like the udder cream when I get my legs massaged at home.  There are a lot of chemical bombs for muscle relief that I like to use but they are not good for the people doing the massaging.  Another good thing about the udder cream is the price.  It does not break the bank.

The shirt for the marathon is fantastic.  It is one of the few race shirts that I grabbed and said “Wow.”  It is a really nice shirt that is worthy of wearing.  The people from Greenlight Apparel are very nice and have a story to tell.  They are going to get a follow up article in the near future.

 
I am ready to go.  I will see my fellow runners tomorrow morning.

The need to find runners to train with can help push us towards new PRs and added camaraderie in a usually independent sport.

A basic idea behind Alameda Runners is to help share information among casual athletes looking to learn and push themselves. As such, we have a special request from a SF East Bay runner looking ahead to the 2011 California International Marathon (CIM).

@Chris_in_cal is looking for training partners while he wants a sub-3:00 hour marathon — and needs a few running buddies to train with. If you think you can help out, or know someone who runs at a similar pace, feel free to Tweet him. (Or post here and we can make sure you get in touch with him.)

The second Oakland Running Festival event will take place this weekend, and Alameda Runners decided it was time to chat with race organizers, Corrigan Sports Enterprises (CSE). We ran the Oakland Half last year — and will lead the official (but still unofficial) 2:15 half marathon pace group — and had a couple of questions.

Last year’s event had around 6,400 participants, with event organizers expecting more than 7,000 runners this year, race organizers told Alameda Runners.

SF Bay Area runners really had no idea what to expect leading into the event last year, and there were good and bad things about the event. Athletes were brutally honest and CSE took the criticism as motivation to make changes.

“Runners really loved the crowd support, bands, the Crucible Fire Arch, the organization and the course. The one area they were concerned about was the expo and we have done our best to make the experience better for 2011.”

I enjoyed the Crucible Fire Arch and the taiko drummers, and can’t wait to see what’s lining the course this year. It was great to see Oakland and the East Bay turn out in great numbers last year, but this weekend’s poor weather forecast may only bring out the diehards.

There have been some slight course changes made that CSE wants runners to be familiar with.

“The full marathon has some changes in the Montclair and Fruitvale areas to alleviate some of the traffic concerns we heard after last year’s event. Runners this year will run along Trafalgar and Monterey before Lincoln instead of Mountain Blvd. Also, participants will make a left onto Nicol before turning onto Coolidge as opposed to making a right and going down Fruitvale. The other major change is that runners will traverse the path around Lake Merritt this year instead of going down Bellevue avenue.”

Outside of the actual race and what runners will experience, other changes have been made as well.

“We have streamlined the expo process where runners can print out their confirmation card before arriving at the expo. We will have more signage and made the post-race area longer to accommodate more people. Residents will see that we have put together a detour map to show how they can get to each one of the Freeways that surround Oakland.”

Waiting in line is never fun, so it’s great that they’ve made it easier for us to get the packet pickup faster and more efficient. In addition, I saw a few complaints on Twitter and in local media about the unexpected traffic issues in and around Oakland on race day… good to see it’s getting fixed.

The inaugural ORF expo was a bit sparse, and runners told CSE about it, and changes are being made for 2011. Organizers decided to expand into a larger hall and expect more than 40 vendors to show their wares — and we’ll be there to check out the good stuff.

To finish up the interview, CSE — which also hosts a successful half marathon and running weekend in Baltimore — is glad that the event is able to have such a positive impact on the City.

“Last year’s event brought high praise to the City of Oakland and changed a lot of misconceptions. We hope your readers understand that our goal is to put on a top-flight race each year that will rival some of the other races around the Bay Area. Last year’s event brought in nearly $2 million for the city and CSE paid for all the city services.”

If you’re looking for a race this weekend, on-site registration is still taking place, with a limited number of spots available for the full marathon, half marathon, 5K and kids fun run.

Spring is here.  A lot of people are looking at their waist lines and worrying about that winter layer hanging over the Speedos.  If this is your first attempt at working your weight off, there are a few rules to follow.

The rules will follow below.  First, think about how many people make a living off selling you exercise stuff that you will rarely use.  You don’t need much to get into shape.  For running, you really only need the following: shoes, clothes and a road to run on.  To the rules!

• Get out and do it
• Do not worry about pace
• Take your time
• If you are tired, take a walk break
• Get plenty of rest
• Running a few days a week is fine
• Stretching is good but do not stress about it

Do you notice a theme here?  I am all about getting out and working.  I am also all about taking it easy.  I rarely go more than two weeks without someone coming up to me with some type of injury because they are just starting out and they are going too hard.

Rome was not built in a day.  The foundation has to be built before the aqueducts can be erected.  Get out and play.  Do not worry about what other people are doing.  Do your thing.

After a while, you will build up strength and speed.  Go to dailymile.com to find other people who have similar abilities.  You will find fast people.  Learn from them but do not try to emulate them.

Salesman and television advertisements will try to sell you socks full of sand if they could get away with it.  You don’t need a lot of toys.  If you want to workout with other stuff, you can buy a cheap weight set for about $50.  There are plenty of exercises that you can do to build strength with a simple weight set.

I ran into Joe P. from the Clif Bar company at lunch today.  I asked him a few questions and sent him an e-mail with some questions.  He was kind enough to answer quickly and directly.  He recommends that I keep a food log.  I am going to start one because I have a lot of issues with speed and longer distances.  Most people do not need to keep a log.  If you are a bit OCD like most of my friends on facebook and Dailymile, start a food log now!

We are very lucky to have Joe and the Clif Bar company right here in the East Bay.  His answers may seem easy or complex at first glance.  Read the answers thoroughly and think about your situation and how this information applies to you.  It makes sense.  When you go to the Oakland running festival or any other big event, give Joe or Clif a shout out for having great customer service.  They appreciate the feedback.

In my own experience I have found that everyone is very different when it comes to food and how soon after eating that they can work out.
Four hours should have been ample time between a meal and working out. Digestion of eggs is pretty quick but you said that you had an omelet
which could have had numerous ingredients in it. It really is hard to tell what it is that gave you difficulty during your workout. I would
recommend that you keep a food log and see if a pattern develops negatively with certain foods.

What do I eat before a race?
What to eat before a workout depends on the workout and how much time you have before you train. Also each of us know how much time it typically takes our bodies
before we can work out with any problems. Eat a sensible meal 200-400 calories prior. More specifically a complex carbohydrate meal (metabolic type). See below

What should I eat when transitioning from one workout to another (also known as a brick workout)?
Between workouts I would recommend a drink product, gel or blocks (I use Clif Bar Products). A few words of caution before consuming – do not ingest more than 250-300 calories because the body cannot assimilate more than that during workouts. You must remember the higher the intensity the more the oxygen is being shunted to the working muscle groups. The digestive track tends to shut down during very intense workouts or when an excessive amount of food has been taken in. On that note- drink temperature is also a very important factor – room temp is better for the body to ingest because it does not have to warm the drink body temp before it can be assimilated.

How do we consume enough calories to complete a 4-10 hour training session?
You should remember not to overload the body and only consume 250-300 calories per hour. Regardless what the product is: drinks, bars, gels, blocks.

How do we train our bodies to burn fat during these long workouts?
To train the body to burn more fat during workouts you need to work at 70-75% because more oxygen needs to be present for a fat cell to be broken down and assimilated into energy. Most people like to go hard and fast and unknowingly train their bodies to use glycogen as the primary fuel source. The other reason that glycogen is used is because there is not enough oxygen present for the body to use fat cells for a fuel source because of the metabolic process. Glucose breaks down easily and is usually what the body uses first as a fuel source.

Do you have any general dietary tips for us amateur athletes?  Something like, eat more spinach and limit Big Macs to one per week.
No general rule of thumb for eating habits. The athlete should figure out their own metabolic type and eat for their specific body type. Refer to the book “The METABOLIC TYPING DIET” by William Wolcott & Trish Fahey. With that said- you are what you eat – eat organic healthy foods that are minimally processed. Read the book ” How to eat, move and be healthy” by Paul Chek. I recommend this as I am a CHEK certified coach: CP1 & HLC2

I have my books on order from alibris.com, another local vendor.  Alibris is a bit like the original Amazon.com before they became a powerhouse.
How to eat, move and be healthy
The metabolic typing diet

Nutrition is dear to my heart since the day I bonked hard and Emily from Clif thought it was worth a call to tell me what a terrible thing I did to myself.  She also told me to make sure I never do it again.

If I ever wind up on the back of an ambulance because I bonk, I only have myself to blame.  She is such a wonderful person.  Can you readers guess who our number one expert is going to be for this series of articles?

Everyone is different.  We all have different nutrition and physiological needs.  I posted a question about nutrition to a small sample of athletes on www.dailymile.com.  Their comments are posted below.  To make it easy on our vendors who are answering the questions, I will post the questions first then the comments.

How do we find out what to eat before a morning workout?
What do I eat before a race?
I can swim for 30 minutes at about 80% effort 60 minutes after oatmeal.  I have trouble transitioning to the bike or run after the swim.  Nothing seems to want to go down.  I can drink some (4oz) coffee between the swim and next effort and be fine (note: the water is about 50F) Do you have any ideas on what I should try next?
How do we prevent the dreaded post workout crash?
How do we consume enough calories to complete a 4-10 hour training session?
How do we train our bodies to burn fat during these long workouts?
Do you have any general dietary tips for us amateur athletes?  Something like, eat more spinach and limit Big Macs to one per week.

Athlete’s comments on asking questions to the professionals:

Great idea! I seem to be really bad at avoiding a post-workout crash. I’ll get through the workout and feel awesome afterwards… for about 15 minutes. Then I often go downhill- lightheaded, overly tired, very rarely I’ll be a tiny bit nauseous.

It’s always worse if I didn’t eat enough earlier in the day, but I’d like to know more what I should be eating before and also after workouts to help with recovery. Especially because often when this happens I haven’t even done anything too crazy!

I would love to know what to eat before a run. I usually eat something kind of high in protein afterward. It’s so hard to know what to believe when it comes to nutrition! Thanks!

I’d love to hear the information you get from the nutritionists – I struggle with knowing how much to eat before an early morning run, as well as what I should be adding to my diet to specifically help as I train (anything in particular that the average person might not eat much of, but that really helps runners?)

Good to see I’m not the only person that struggles with what to eat before a run.

I wound up with a CamelBak Groove water bottle for review a few weeks ago.  I am not a fan of CamelBak because I prefer using water bottles and spilling water all over the place and I don’t like having things in my mouth.  I usually have 2 or 3 water bottles on my desk at a time as I drink 2-6 bottles of water a day while at work.

The CamelBak is my most used water bottle.  I don’t know why I use it the most.  I just do.  It is probably because of the removable mouth piece that I can leave out all day and remove it for washing when I refill the bottle.

My young son Teddy’s thoughts on his bottle:

I bought a CamelBak water bottle at a good price. I liked it; the design was good and it’s good quality.  It is has a thick plastic, but it is light as well. The CamelBak bottle has a mouth piece that is disconnect able so you can clean.

It has a measuring tool on the bottle just like a good water bottle should.  The straw connected to the lid is a great part of the bottle is you don’t like to flip the bottle over; like the mouth piece it can also be disconnected. Overall, it is a great bottle and I recommend it…

It is always good to find running buddies to keep you company while out running.  My new best friend Shem from Alibris kept me company the other day while I was out on a recovery run.  We pushed each other’s pace for the whole run.  We did 4.4 miles at a 7:57 pace.  That is a pace we are both happy with.

While I was admiring my CamelBak bottle at work the other day, a coworker came into my office to complain about leg pain.  He explained his symptoms and told me his training routine.  I had him sit down and I put my finger on the exact spot of his pain.  He has the classic center of the calf pain from over exertion by doing too much too fast.

It is fun to go out and push yourself to your limits.  I do it all of the time.  Take it easy and build up your mileage and speed slowly.  Only go fast on distances that you have already done.  The older you get, the longer it takes to recover.  You can still workout while recovering; you just can’t push yourself too hard while you are recovering.  Don’t forget your rest days.

Welcome to the ‘Zone of Endless Motion’!

This is a short blog introducing you to ZEMgear, a minimalist shoe company specializing in helping customers move closer to barefoot. The Miami-based company was kind enough to send along a pair of ZEMgear Original Split Toe minimal footwear — my first attempt at testing something other than regular running shoes.

The ZEMgear shoes are a very minimal product that can be used for a wide variety of uses. I’m going to focus mostly on running and cross training — but the footwear can be used for other activities, including the following: gym, cross training, yoga, submission grappling, and other basic athletic activities.

The company currently has seven different minimalist products; each has a specific use, and are relatively low-priced when compared to other minimalist products.

I typically wear socks and sandals to get through airport security, but a pair ZEMgear footwear can be worn while passing through the metal detector. I’ll offer additional thoughts about casual comfort in regards to grocery shopping, driving, and lounging around.

The company’s blog is available here.