If you’re looking to run for an extended period of time (in this case, six or 12 hours), this is the blog entry for you! Our friends at Brazen Racing are hosting the Dirty Dozen Endurance Run at Point Pinole Regional Shoreline.
Runners can tackle the event solo, or have teams of two or three runners. The event circles a 5K mile loop that is mainly dirt fire trails that is best described as a “gentle” course. (Course info is available here).
If you’ve been thinking about participating in a similar event but don’t know if you can do it, I’d like to point you to this race tip from Brazen:
Few are expected to run without any break the whole time. Walk breaks are advised. Runners will also pass through the start/finish area with each loop and will have the chance to stock up on fuel, change shoes or clothing, visit friends, etc.
Trying to become more eco-friendly is a popular trend among athletes, and a major problem is the use of plastic water and soda bottles. A common method to reduce the amount of plastic purchased is to purchase an aluminum or stainless steel water bottle. I chatted with Klean Kanteen to learn about its products and innovations for reusable bottles.
I’ve recently had a greater interest in plastic alternatives, and wanted to reach out to companies like Klean Kanteen to learn more.
A common complaint I have about aluminum and steel bottles is the learned lesson that many of them can be extremely difficult to clean. Convenience is an important perk that must be met by products aimed at being more Earth-friendly than the competition.
“Klean Kanteen Classic bottles have wider openings than most aluminum bottles, (and) they are wide enough to fit ice cubes and put in the dishwasher for easy cleaning,” Klean Kanteen recently told Alameda Runners. “We also make the WIDE bottles, which has a huge mouth at 2.125 inches. Take a look at this Klean Kanteen anatomy page for more details on the design of our bottles.”
Aluminum may be safer for the environment, but it has been discovered that it may not be the best for our bodies. There is a threat of bisphenol A (BPA), and the Klean Kanteen BPA info page can help inform you. When asked about why stainless steel is ideal over aluminum (related to safety), Klean Kanteen was more than happy to explain.
“Great question, not all metal bottles are created equal. While aluminum is lightweight, it can leach harmful substances and chemicals when it gets hot or comes in contact with anything acidic. Studies have also linked aluminum exposure to Alzheimer’s disease.”
To read the full interview, please visit after the jump. Read more… »
Alameda Runners prides itself on tracking down upstart companies with products and services you may not have heard of. Performance clothing is crucial to many athletes, even though there are only a small handful of companies that cater to us.
That’s why today we’re proud to introduce you to a new clothing company, Enso, which offers compression clothing. Both Ted and I currently wear a couple of Enso products, with a review currently in the works.
“Enso was initially started to bring a clean cut, strong brand to MMA to compete with the gaudy/gothic/skull and death brands like Affliction, Tapout, and the 1,000 other brands that all look alike,” Enso founder and CEO Tim Roche told Alameda Runners. “As much as we love MMA, we didn’t want to confine our brand to one market and chose to represent all athletes that compete individually.”
The company currently offers compression and athletic performance t-shirts, according to Roche, who also said board shorts, fighting sorts, yoga pants, and other products are in the pipeline.
Opening up a clothing line — especially for the finicky athletic and MMA communities — can be an extremely difficult business to crack into.
“It’s very risky, but we’ve carved out several niche markets where we believe we can get our foot in the door with a little more ease than most brands. Basic compression clothing is dominated by Under Armour. Finally companies are providing designed compression and finding new innovative ways to print on compression material to avoid the traditional cracking/flaking of designs/logos. Enso will be at the forefront of both of these.”
Read the rest of the interview with Enso after the jump. Read more… »
Warmer weather has finally thawed out most of the U.S., and more people are heading out on bike rides. As someone who has ridden a few years on the road, I’ve noticed some of the dangerous things newer riders do to enhance the danger.
Image courtesy of Fotoreporter Sirotti
To help out, here is a recent article that discusses a couple of basics group riders should be familiar with. I’d like to add a couple of things to the BikeRadar article. These tips are for people who may be content with just sitting in the group.
Call out road hazards — This is a very important one, especially for newer riders. You have to learn what signals the riders in the group use, so you’ll be able to relay the message. If traveling on a busy street, the use of signs and basic communication can help prevent unnecessary hazards in the group.
Intersections — Intersections can be extremely dangerous for large groups of riders. While approaching, someone near the front of the group should yell “slowing” or “stopping” before stopping at the intersection. Once it’s clear to go (presumably after a green light), the first riders in the group call out “clear” to let everyone know it’s safe.Riding towards the front of the group will allow you a better chance of avoiding danger — but it’s unlikely an experienced group will allow newer riders at the front. It’s likely natural selection will occur, and the faster, more experienced riders will be at the front.
Pass on the left — Only pass on another rider’s left hand side! Riders who are familiar with one another may pass on the right, but it’s rarely okay to try and do this in a large group. Passing on the left is especially important if you don’t call out to the person ahead of you that you’re going to roll by.
Don’t be Rude — If you end up on someone’s wheel and plan to stay there, say hello or announce yourself. It’s rude to just draft off someone without saying hello (or taking a turn at the front). I usually just turn myself inside out to try and crack the person who didn’t say hello — but rude cyclists may give you a Cytomax bath, so just avoid the situation entirely.(There is an exception if you’re clearly suffering and don’t have the energy to come to the front and say hello.)
Many of you have read stories about park agencies across the U.S. facing the constant threat of budget cuts and staff reductions. I’ve read and seen the same disappointing stories, but there is still one project that keeps me excited. Each story I read about the 550-mile Bay Area Ridge Trail keeps me enthusiastic that such a beautiful trail is being developed.
Once completed, the Bay Area Ridge Trail will be able to support hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrians. Just 10 to 15 miles of trail are being opened each year, so my generation (people in their 20’s) will likely be middle aged by the time the trail is done.
Most of the completed trail is on public land looked after by government agencies — but a lot of the proposed trail now sits on private property. It’ll be especially difficult to convince farmers and wine growers to sell or open their land for a park.
California has beautiful trails across the state. Ted and I are most familiar with the trails in San Francisco, the East Bay, and the American River trail in Folsom. Despite the upkeep costs of these park facilities, it’s great to see new trails being constructed — helping the environment and preventing construction.
Although the project is still years from completion, some mountain bikers are already disappointed with Bay Area Ridge Trail restrictions. For example, the SF East Bay has about 70 miles of ridge trail open, but one-third of it prohibits mountain bikes.
I understand some of the complaints regarding mountain bikes on the trails, and the East Bay Regional Park is doing it more for safety reasons. In a recent interview, it was noted bikes are prohibited on most narrow trails, especially if the narrow trail is open to equestrians.
To help explore the country despite peripheral vision loss, James Frigo decided to embark on a 4,063-mile bike ride across 13 U.S. States. Along the way, James has his father James Sr. as the tandem are expected to ride for 40 to 45 days, but should be able to squeeze in time for sightseeing.
They’ve been on the journey for one week, and yesterday’s update said the duo were scheduled to ride from the Grand Canyon to Bitter Springs, Arizona. About $7,000 of a hopeful collection sum of $125,000 has been collected for the Foundation Fighting Blindness non-profit organization.
Just nine of 400 companies approached showed support, as one company loaned the pair an RV. Another sponsor bought two road bikes and necessary accessories and equipment for them.
These across country journeys are difficult and challenging, but riding or running for a cause helps many participants. Another inspiration endurance challenge is currently underway by Ashley Kumlien, who is running more than 3,000 miles across the United States for MS research. Her blog is available here.
I’ve had friends complete events such as the AIDS Ride, and everyone only reported great things about the event. If you have the chance to help support someone like the Frigos or Ashley, then perhaps it’s something you’d consider in the future.
Bikes designed for triathlons and time trials are drastically different than the road bikes most of us are used to riding. Alameda Runners previously published an article describing the basics of tri/TT bike geometry, and tri-specific geometry was discussed.
A different article focuses on the basics of tri/TT bike aerobars (PDF), which offer riders a more aerodynamic position able to limit wind drag. The brief article discusses the brief basics of road bars and aerobars, and why road bars aren’t as well designed for aerodynamics as aerobars.
Triathlete Tech Editor Aaaron Hersh also points out the locations of the base bar, brake grips, brake lever, and other basics. Hersh also discusses clip-on aerobars that give road riders the ability to use aerobars without significant changes to the bike.
Integrated aerobars, which are put on bikes designed specifically for triathlon and time trials bikes, come with the shifters already at the end of the aerobar extension.
If you’re in the market for a bike to ride during triathlons or timed efforts, it’s extremely important to be properly fitted for the bike. Along with comfort and injury prevention, riding a bike frame that is the proper size coupled with aerobars set at the right angle could help performance on race day.
Ted has aero bars on one of his old bikes. He says it is great for resting your upper body before you go out on a long run after the bike ride.
Getting active and deciding to sign up for a local race can be much more intimidating than it needs to be. I find people are surprised when I tell them I signed up for a half marathon, got out the door to start training, and the rest is history.
My start in distance running likely won’t be as effective for most people: Ted is an avid runner, swimmer and triathlete, and a few of my friends are extremely dedicated runners and cyclists. My mom has finished half marathons, and I also have a couple of other family members that run.
It wasn’t a total shock when everyone heard I wanted to run – I was seen as just another member of the family.
For those of you trying to help a friend or family member get more active, there are a few great online resources. Active.com, Runner’s World, and other well established running sites often provide great guides for runners of all levels. Jen Murphy, a writer for The Wall Street Journal Online, provides a great guide for women looking to get started. Murphy talks about mental challenges, lists first-time running stories from other ladies, and offers a basic training plan:
If you’re starting off at square one–you’ve never run or you’ve been inactive for quite some time–give yourself eight to 12 weeks to build a base. Begin by going on a brisk walk so your body gets used to physical activity. Then progress to a walk/run. Try walking three minutes and running 30 seconds to one minute for a total of 25 minutes. Eventually shift to a run/walk with three minutes running and 30 seconds to one minute of walking. Gradually run more and walk less until you’re running a full 30 minutes.
I’ve seen some interesting training guides since I started running, but this should be effective while also preventing injury. If in doubt, this could be worthwhile advice to remember: Starting slow will help you stick to your training plan.
You should also encourage any new runners to start slowly and work towards goals… it will help keep motivation and morale high, and help prevent injuries.
As all of you regular readers know: I like to tear my body up by over doing it. I know I should take it easy and spend more time on the couch but I am happy with the way things are. One of my injuries is called plantar fasciitis near the ball of the foot. This started about two years ago.
The pain has put a real damper on my running and bike riding. A combination of orthopedic inserts for my shoes, rest, yoga and ice have me running again. It is not pain free but the pain is bearable.
Ice is where ActiveWrap comes in. I tried to stick my foot in a big bowl of ice water but my foot revolted. My foot also did not go along with being placed in or on a bag of ice. I tried the ActiveWrap foot and ankle wrap with two ice packs. It is nice. Having a pack of ice strapped to your foot is no picnic but it is convenient to have the ice localized to the painful area.
The ice packs are in removable pouches that are held to the wrap with Velcro. That means you can put them on anywhere or in the wrap which puts the ice exactly where you want it. I get the ice exactly where the pain is located on my foot. I usually do this after training. While I am icing my foot, I can feel the pain come up in my ITB that is related to the plantar fasciitis by interconnected tissue. I don’t know how it works but that is what I have been told. I tell you this because I ice my knee after I get done icing my foot. I take the wrap off my foot, adjust the ice pack, then apply it to my knee. It is not a perfect fit like the knee pack but it works.
I also have a torn up shoulder from various activities, primarily swimming. I wear the shoulder wrap after a long swim or a hard round in the weight room. The shoulder wrap is not as versatile as the foot wrap but it works fine. It is a little tough to put on alone, but you’ll figure it out. The shoulder wrap uses pocket that are sewn into the wrap so there is no adjustment to cover the top of the shoulder. The wrap works well enough and it also doubles as a knee wrap.
Mike’s Note: We interviewed the ActiveWrap crew prior to the Oakland Running Festival, with the interview available here.I’m also working on a couple of reviews related to ActiveWrap, but it will take a week or so before you’re able to read my ramblings.
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