Zero-Drop

I've been hearing this term used more and more to describe a new trend in running sneakers. And, while I know what it means (there is "no drop" from the heel of the sneaker to the toe... a.k.a the heel is not extra cushioned), I wasn't sure if there was a difference between this classification and truly minimalist sneakers. Turns out, there is, but minimalist sneakers often times are "zero-drop" (but the converse is not necessarily true). First off, in order to be considered zero-drop, the heel to toe differential cannot exceed 4mm (most sneakers are between 12-15mm, while the performance trainers / moderate minimalist models range between 4-10mm). The reason why these shoes are suddenly becoming more popular is that many "running injury experts" blame poor running form on the built-up heel of traditional running sneakers. By allowing you to run on a near-level platform, zero-drop models allow you to run more naturally. However, these sneakers do encourage fore/mid-foot striking, which may initially cause some calf/foot soreness or Achilles pain if you're not used to it. So, the experts stress transitioning gradually.

This article contains more in depth information, as well as a listing of some zero-drop sneakers. Personally, I agree with some of the arguments for minimalist sneakers, but I don't agree that they are right for everyone. I wound up with awful shin splints in high school after practicing too much in flats/spikes, and have always been afraid that I'd wind up really injured. When I was looking for a new racing sneaker in the spring (I had heard good things about the Saucony Kinvara), I began reading about the Saucony Mirage, and thought that this might be a good transition. I ran a few easy/short runs in them... raced a few times in them... and I LOVE them (however, I also know people who don't). Anyways, I hope this post clarifies the terminology.

Shape-Ups Debunked

Yup... big surprise... they don't work... or at least according to this article. Sketchers claim that their Shape-Up sneakers help you to burn more calories, tone muscles, and reduce joint stress simply by wearing them. Like us, the American Council on Exercise was a bit skeptical of this and other sneakers with an "unstable sole design" (such as Masai Barefoot Technology and Reebok EasyTone). So, they put the sneakers to the test. Two studies were conduced with two different groups of "physically active" 19-27 year-old females. In one study, the women did 12 5min "workouts" where they walked on a treadmill set to different grades wearing each kind of exercise sneaker, as well as one "normal" pair of regular running sneakers. Oxygen consumption, heart rate, perceived exertion, and calorie burn were measured. A similar study was conduced except activity in 6 different back and lower-body muscle groups was measured. ACE found that the toning shoes did not produce any statistically significant improvement in any of these metrics, although the sneaker companies disagree (and point to a bunch of studies that they have conducted).

My favorite quote of the article has to be "just because the shoes may initially produce sore muscles doesn’t mean they work". Basically, the soreness comes from the weird rocking platform - the sneakers just work different muscles than traditional sneakers. However, some people find them more comfortable, and they have encouraged others to exercise, so all is not lost. 

Trail Stretching

When you're hitting the trails, you might need to pay more attention to stretching because the uneven terrain can result in significant wear and tear on your muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Pay special attention to your quadriceps, hip flexors, calves, and gluteus medius.

• Quadriceps: they power you up hills and help you fall in a controlled manner on the downhills. To stretch this muscle group, stand on one leg and bend the other knee and grab that ankle. Bring the heel up, and pull your foot close to your butt until you feel a stretch. Keep the bent knee aligned with/behind the straight leg, and avoid bending forward.
• Hip Flexors: they pull the leg forward when climbing up hills. To stretch this muscle group, stand straight and step back with one leg. Keep the back knee straight, bend the forward knee slightly, and slowly lunge forward. Or, do the "swinging leg stretch".
• Calves: hill climbing forces you on to the balls of your feet, which keeps your calves engaged. To stretch this muscle complex, stand about 3ft from a stationary object, placing your hands on it just below shoulder level. Step back with one foot, knee straight, heel on the ground. Bend your forward knee and push against the wall. Try to contract your the quads on your back leg to give a stronger stretch. To stretch some of the deeper muscles of the calf, bend the back leg, keeping your heel on the ground.
• Gluteus Medius: they help with side-to-side movement/stabilization. To stretch this muscle, sit with both legs straight in front of you (try to sit as straight as possible). Bend one knee (bring your thigh as close to your chest as possible), cross this foot over the thigh of your straight leg, and then place it on the ground. With the arm that's opposite the bent leg, reach around and hug your knee to your chest. Then twist your mid section and chest in the direction of the bent knee.

Hold each of these stretches for 60sec on each leg.

6/25-26 Race Reports

Sorry for the delay... especially since everyone who raced did AWESOME this weekend:

• Dave was 1st in his age group in what I thought was the Race Against Pulmonary Hypertension 5K... but I can't find his name in the results (although he might have raced under the "alias" of David Meyon). Either way, GREAT JOB! (results)
• Marty grabbed 1st Master's in the Kure Beach Double Sprint Tri on Sunday, out-sprinting all the sharks... WAHOOO! (results)
• In addition to placing 3rd overall, Tim G. also recorded his fast time on the Smile Train Tri course on Sunday... NICE and didn't you just finish a half ironman?!? (results)

CONGRATS everyone and enjoy the week!

Trail Gear

Is there any other trail running specific gear that you need? As best I can tell, not really. Most of the clothing seemed fairly run-of-the-mill to me, with an emphasis placed on layering because altitude can have a big effect on temperature. The only things that I saw that were "new" to me were toe socks and gaiters. Toe socks are more "form-fitting", which helps to keep your feet blister free, especially when your socks get drenched from stream fjording. Gaiters keep stuff from getting in your sneaker in the first place. Other than that, you might want to carry a small first aid kit with you for longer runs, as trail runners are more prone to suffering minor cuts, blisters, etc. Additionally, a head lamp may be necessary if your running near dawn or dusk (or obviously at night), as trails tend to be darker than roads due to the lack of ambient light.

... and I still refuse to wear a skort when I run! Plus, I thought the "fashion police" weren't out on trails :-)

Weekend Outlook

There are a variety of races on the schedule for the weekend. Close to home, there's the Race Against Pulmonary Hypertension 5K (RTP, 7:30AM). Saturday also features a rather grueling track meet called the Ultimate Runner (Winston-Salem, 4:30PM), and Sunday brings the Kure Beach Double Sprint Triathlon (Kure Beach, 7:00AM). Good luck to everyone racing, and let us know how it goes... the rest of us will be doing our best to avoid horse flies (I'm working on finding a "human safe" repellent).

For World Record Friday (and in preparation for the 1st Annual FASTcoaching Golf Tournament on Aug. 8th), the longest golf carry backwards is 283yds. This record was just recently set by Rocky Bowlby... he's apparently good at normal golf also.

And, for the final installment of the NER story... WE WON WE WON WE WON... WAHOOO! And, our prize was free entry into next year's race, so think ahead... it would be nice to put together more than one team (maybe a men's and a mixed).

The Story of NER - Leg 3

I made it... owww... I made it... owww... I ma... zzzzzzzzz.

Everyone was pretty tired by this point, and I think the smell of Icy Hot and Biofreeze pretty much masked everything else. The only people left on the roads were either runners or coming home from the bar, and I'm not sure who was driving worse! We pretty much drove the course to make it to the next van-to-van transition area.... some of the hills looked pretty brutal and it was starting to rain again. We got text messages from Van 1 letting us know how everyone was doing (everyone was still running fast) and how many teams they had passed. I think Van 2 pretty much passed out once we made it to the transition area. A bit later (probably like an hour or so), the rain woke us up. Other vans had started to arrive, Sumner got a text saying Erica was running (poor Erica) and they were expecting her soon. They asked us to try and get a hold of the race director and let her know that we would probably be finishing sooner than we had anticipated (we had no idea what our pace would be since we had needed to reshuffle our team, and a few had never run a 10K). This is where the fun began.

We did get through to a very panicked raced director (she had probably been up all night). Our team, and at least a few others were running too fast and the gate would not be opened. She told us to wait to 7:30 to start, which we didn't think would be a problem unless Gavin ran inhumanly fast. Then we realized that she thought Gavin's leg was the start of our van... more frantic phone calls and text messages... Gavin and another runner had just left. As I was dialing the race director's number, my phone rang... it was the race director telling me what I was about to tell her. We eventually resolved that we should wait for at least one other team to come through before we started our final leg. Gavin finished, fast, freezing cold, and hungry. We waved goodbye to van 1 (they looked exhausted, but excited to be done, and happy with what they had accomplished). A while later, another team crossed the line, and Sumner took off after them.

The final legs for van 2 were pretty uneventful. Everyone ran fast, James battled quite the head wind for most of his leg, and The Duke demonstrated how real runners stretch (unfortunately, the girls at the beach did not seem to notice that a race was going on). At last Dave got the baton, and took off for the finish line. We met Van 1 at the post office where the buses would be picking us up to head to the finish line. They were looking slightly refreshed owing to the large cups of coffee they were all holding (wow... it had been over a day since my last cup of coffee at Dunkin' Donuts), and it was good to see them all again and talk versus text them everything! We piled on to a bus, saw Dave at some point along the course, and then rolled up to the finish. The announcer from the day before was there, and we told him it seemed like ages ago since we saw him in RI (but we did finally make it to ME as promised). We requested that he play some "running related" song, and walked a bit down the hill to cheer Dave on.

A few minutes later, we spotted an orange singlet. We all started yelling and jumping up and down as much as we could manage, and the music suddenly switched to Eye of the Tiger. Dave powered up the hill (those 8 donuts sure paid off), and through the finish line. WE DID IT! Then, we made our way down to the rocky beach, and Dave and The Duke managed to get in the water, which was basically equivalent to taking an ice bath. We had some delicious lobster rolls, talked to the race director a bit (she gave me a high-five with a terrified look on her face after I sang "we did it we did it we did it wahooo"), cheered on the teams that finished second and third, and then headed back to the vans for our long drive home...

The Story of NER - Leg 2

2/3 of the way done, but boy I'm beginning to feel it!

About 2 minutes after we left, we got a frantic call from Van 1... they couldn't find the next transition area. Both vans got there ahead of Ben, but only just slightly, which meant Laura B. got almost no warm-up. I think Gavin almost lost his life over this, and very well might have had it not meant that someone would have to run his 2 remaining legs. However, Laura again ran quick, and we got a text from Lauren a little later that her leg had gone well too (she somehow managed a faster pace on her second leg, which featured a pretty grueling climb). A bit later we learned that Mike D. had practically sprinted his ridiculously hilly 8+ miles, and Erica had run a strong as well. Van 2 managed to get a little rest before their leg (very little owing to the fast pace of their teammates), which was good because I'm pretty sure that Sean fell asleep while eating a piece of pizza. Gavin handed off to Sumner, making a sub-6 pace look like a walk in the park. As Van 1 headed off to the next rendezvous having successfully completed their second legs, Sumner began her 4+ mile uphill climb to kick off round 2 for van 2.

Again, Sumner somehow made running up a hill look like a piece of funfetti cake, and handed off to Sean who completed the rest of the nearly 9 miles up the hill (we voted this the worst leg of the entire relay). To give you an idea of what Sean had to run, the van even had trouble making it up. While I bounced up and down at the transition area to wake up (ask Dave for an imitation of me in the van... just make sure I'm not around because I won't be able to breathe from laughing so hard at how deadly accurate he is), the few people that I saw hand off looked absolutely miserable, and one guy almost threw up. Then I saw Sean come powering over the hill, and I began my 9+ mile downhill leg. It's hard running downhill in the dark, and James and I took bets on how many times each of us would fall (we both lost because neither of us did). The van kept me company for a bit, which was good because I had to eat a Blackberry GU to stay awake because I realized that I was incapable of running in a straight line in the state I was in. I eventually made it to the transition and handed off to James, who all but sprinted his 4+ mile leg. Passing a few people at the end of his leg (which was good because one guy almost took a wrong turn), James handed off to The Duke, who continued the speedy running trend despite the fact that his leg was entirely uphill. Dave completed the second leg of the relay for Team #13, passing Thor just before handing off to Ben. That's right, Dave passed a Nordic god, or at least a runner that looked just like one!

The Story of NER - Leg 1

Nice to get one leg under your belt!

Our team started at 10:15 on Saturday. Ben lead off for us, passing the other two teams that we started with by the time he was out of RI, which was about a quarter mile done the road. Van 2 waved goodbye to Van 1 and headed to their first transition area, making a quick stop at Dunkin' Donuts along the way (I was in Van 2, so the remainder of the report is written from that van's perspective). Van 1 headed to drop off Laura B. and Lauren B. at the start of leg 2/4 (the tornadoes that came through MA the week before made 2 legs of the route un-runnable).

I'm sure it was raining by the start of the LBs' legs, but that didn't seem to phase the pair. Mike D. and Erica were next up in that van (legs 3 and 5 also ran together), and they flew through their runs as well. We had just arrived at the transition area when we got a text from Erica that they were on their way to give Gavin the baton (the van had to drive it to make up for the fact that the two legs were eliminated). Figuring she had about an hour, Sumner started warming up. An hour came and went... as did an hour and 15 minutes... and hour and 30 minutes... then we saw a police car drop off two runners who had been lost along the course (neither was Gavin, but we knew something was wrong and were getting nervous that our teammate was wandering the back roads of western MA).

Then, we saw Erica's mom. She brought us some delicious donuts from a local bakery, and Dave immediately inhaled two (I'm not quite sure how, the donuts were huge). We also found out that the van had taken a wrong turn on the way to give Gavin the baton, so he had just stared a few minutes ago. We had to leave the transition area by 2:25 according to the sheet, so Sumner did, flying up the hill and passing two teams. We met up with Van 1 at the next transition area shortly after Sean took off. He ran his leg quick, passed some more teams, and handed me the baton. I managed not to get lost and handed off to James, who ended up passing 8 or so teams in his 8-mile leg. The Duke was next up for us, and I'm pretty sure ran his 8K pace for his 5-mile leg. Dave wrapped up the last leg for Van #2... 5 donuts for 5 miles... but it seemed to work because he passed a whole bunch of people too! Dave handed the baton off the Ben at the top of the final hill of his leg, and we left to give the time sheet to Van #1 (they had left a little bit ahead of us because Ben had a "short" 3ish mile leg)...

Beer will make you the next Ryan Hall

Related to Meghan's "Beer > Wine for Aerobic Athletes" post (and while we're here, > for ANYONE), Amby Burfoot comments in his Runner's World column on a recent study that showed that marathoners who drank non-alcoholic beer before and after their races had lower markers of inflammation and fewer colds than their competitors who did not fuel or recover with a nice, thirst-quenching O'Doul's (has anyone actually ever had one of these?).

Burfoot ponders whether "regular" beer would have the same effect because it "contains up to twice the polyphenol content of [non-alcoholic] beer." Unfortunately, he never reaches a scientific conclusion, but he writes that you'll likely survive and "maybe even get stronger . . . if you occasionally sipped a sensational Belgian ale or any other beer of your choice."

Thus, the moral of the story is this: Come out to the Team RRO/FASTCoaching Inaugural Beer Run on July 9 (and the RRO-sponsored weekly Tuesday night Big Boss Runs) to get stronger by enjoying an "isotonic sports drink" (or two).

P.S. Thank you Fullsteam, a local Durham brewery, for taking note of this report and providing a refreshing recovery drink in the form of your Summer Basil and El Toro Cream Ale at 7:45 a.m. after the Running of the Bulls 8k on Saturday.

The Story of the New England Relay - Lucky Team #13

6 states... 220+ miles... over the mountains and through the woods (literally)... from Rhode Island to Maine, the 12 of us (we did finally fill the team) went... fast... like 6:55 pace fast... and we ROCKED... we had many staple-bound race booklets... our vans smelled of rich not showering for 24+ hours and running in the rain...

Since this post would be ridiculously long if I attempted to recap 24+ hours, this week will be devoted to the telling of the "whole" story of the New England Relay. Our journey started on Friday. We departed Raleigh and drove... and drove... and drove... picked up Mike D. in CT... ate some dinner... and drove... and got to the hotel around midnight. We got as much sleep as possible, woke up, and met up with our two other teammates - Sumner and Mike "The Duke" (we were under the impression that he was on Duke's triathlon team... he is not... doesn't even go to Duke... lives in MA). It was raining when we left the hotel around 8AM. Luckily, the rain had stopped by the time we got to the start of the race. Ben warmed up a bit, we attempted to decorate the vans, and we cheered for some of the other teams who had earlier start times (they were sending teams off every 15min or so). The announcer kept saying "See you in Maine" with each new start. I think this is when the enormity of our undertaking began to set in. We were all pretty nervous, and the finish seemed like a long way away...

6/18-19 Race Report

Team RRO / FAST Coaching rocked this weekend at the Running of the Bulls 8K! Tim Surface and Devin went 3-4 overall, and Jennifer Curtin was the 2nd female master's runner. Jennifer Hannen (top 10 females) and Rita went 1-3 in their age group, Keith was 2nd in his, and Dave and they guy who finished 3rd in his age group ran the same time. Everyone ran crazy fast times... CONGRATS! (results)

The second PFT Challenge event also took place this week. Oyler and Brad killed us on push-ups, but Mike, Andrea, Valerie, and I held our own on the sit-ups... and everyone ran well of course! (results)

AWESOME JOB this weekend everyone... next week is dedicated to the race report from the New England Relay.

Weekend Outlook

The Blueberry Festival is this weekend, but I think many are staying more local to run the Running of the Bulls 8K. This is the USATF NC 8K championships, so it should be a good race! I'm not sure if anyone has any other races planned... but GOOD LUCK and HAVE FUN!

And, in case you haven't heard... WE WON THE NEW ENGLAND RELAY! And and and... GAVIN WON THE MARATHON LEG! I'll leave y'all with this video that does an excellent job of recapping the race (check out about 1:30 in for a good laugh):


And, for World Record Friday (I think we nearly matched this record between our two vans) - the largest collection of energy products tops out at 1701 items! 

And, for one last blueberry recipe - Blueberry Buckle

• 2/3 cup steel-cut oats
• 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
• 1 Tbsp. slivered almonds
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 cup water
• Optional: Honey, stevia, or raw sugar (to taste)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a small glass baking dish. Mix well. Bake for 20 minutes. (Or you can microwave on high for 1-1/2 minutes.) Allow to cool slightly before serving. Makes 2 servings.

Blueberry Buttermilk Sorbet

Mmmmmm... the perfect ending to a tempo run:

Ingredients:
1 package (12oz) frozen blueberries
1/2 cup frozen white grape juice concentrate
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp lemon rind
1 cup buttermilk

Directions: 

In a small saucepan, combine the blueberries, frozen juice concentrate, sugar and lemon rind. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the blueberries are thawed and begin to pop. Remove the pan from the heat; set aside to cool. In a food processor or blender, combine the buttermilk and the blueberry mixture. Puree until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a metal or plastic container. Cover and freeze for 4 hours or overnight. Remove from the freezer and break up the mixture with a knife. Process briefly in a food processor or blender. Return to the container, cover and freeze for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Blueberry Ice Cream Muffin

Muffins and ice cream... what could be better?!?:

Ingredients:
2 cups self-rising flour
1 egg
2 tablespoons canola oil (or your preference)
2 cups vanilla ice cream, softened
1 cup blueberries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Combine flour, egg, oil and ice cream in bowl; beat until smooth. Stir in blueberries. Fill well-greased muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until brown. Recipe makes 6 to 8 muffins.

6/11-12 Race Reports

We ran awesome, we ran awesome, we ran awesome... WAHOOO! I think we can safely say that we covered more distance racing this weekend as a team then any other weekend previously, and we ROCKED:

• Starting with the "short" races, Rusty was 2nd in his age group in both the 1500m and 5000m at the Southeastern U.S. Master's Track and Field competition. (results)
• The Race for the Cure also saw some great performances, with Tim Surface finishing 1st overall, and Kimberly Fowler and Elaine Lawrie going 2-3 on the female side. (results)
• Laura Frey was the 6th female (3rd age group) at the Market Day Square 10K Road Race in Portsmouth, NH... way to set the pace for RRO / FASTcoaching total New England domination. (results)
• Brad ran a 7:45 for the Boogie 50-miler, making it his second fastest ever. He was also the 1st of the Magnum Track Club runners (I'm not sure if he was 1st overall too). I don't know how you run 50 miles continuously... and at night... at that pace... wow.
• Tim G. raced great at the Eagleman Triathlon (despite what he says)... I can't figure out where they posted the results of that race.
• I'm still waiting to hear what the official results of the New England Relay are... but we ran AWESOME! Our team averaged a 7:05 pace over the 220+ mile course from RI2ME. And, we were the first team to cross the finish line... by like an hour! We had a ton of fun, and met some awesome people. Thank you to everyone who jumped in at the last minute to make it possible. I'll post the "full story" of the New England Relay soon (aka I need time to write it).

FANTASTIC JOB everyone and enjoy the rest of the week! As a reminder, the second PFT Challenge is tomorrow (Wednesday) at 6PM. We will be meeting at Lassiter Mill Circle along the Crabtree Greenway (off Lassiter Falls Circle; across from St. David's School).

White Chocolate Blueberry Scones

This recipe made the list because it was voted the best blueberry scone recipe (why settle for #2 when you don't have to?!?):


Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups flour, sifted
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup blueberries
3/4 cup buttermilk, plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk
2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Directions:
Combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Cut butter into small pieces on floured surface. Add to dry mixture and mix with pastry cutter until crumbly. Add white chocolate and berries and toss with flour mixture. Add buttermilk and mix until ingredients hold together. Place dough mixture on floured surface and pat into a 9 X 9 square. Cut into thirds. Cut each third into three triangles and place on cookie sheet. Lightly dust each scone with powdered sugar. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes.Makes 9 scones.

No-Bake Banana-Blueberry Cheesecake

The Blueberry Festival is this Saturday!!! So, for this week, I'll be posting all sorts of delicious recipes involving blueberries. This particular recipe caught my attention because it featured the words "no-bake", and seemed like a good use for those post-race bananas:

Ingredients
2 baked pie shells
4 bananas
1 (8 oz.) softened cream cheese
1/4 c. sugar
2 env. Dream Whip (made up or 1 lg. Cool Whip and no sugar)
1 can blueberry pie filling


Directions
Slice bananas to cover bottom of pie shells. Mix cream cheese and sugar. Blend prepared Dream Whip into cheese mixture. Put mixture into pie shells. Top with pie filling. Chill and keep refrigerated.

Weekend Outlook

What's up for the weekend? Well, in NC, there's the Southeastern U.S. Master's Track and Field Competition (Fri.-Sat.) and the Race for the Cure (Sat., 7AM). Tim is also competing in the Eagleman Half Ironman in Maryland on Sunday. And finally, for the race that will span both days of this glorious weekend... 12 of us are running in the New England Relay (are running in the NER are running in the NER... WAHOOO!). I am wicked excited... we'll try and keep y'all posted on our progress (and yes, I did just use both wicked and y'all in the sameish sentence)!

And, for world record Friday, I bring you news of records not from my favorite site, but from a new one - Beermile.com. Yes, the Big Boss Brewery Run and the upcoming Team Pub Run (July 9th) had me thinking... the record for The Original Chunder Mile (4 beers x 4 quarters, no penalty for vomiting) is 5:45. Among some of the other "standard" ones listed - The Beer 2-Mile (8 beers x 8 quarters): 17:30; The Queen's Chunder Mile (4 pints x 4 quarters): 5:08.7; the fastest 400m split (beer included): 1:06.6; the fastest 800m split (beer included): 2:31. For some non-alcohol related records - The Soda Pop Mile (4 sodas x 4 quarters): 7:21 and The Ben and Jerry's 4x4 (4 pints x 4 quarters): 1:06:55. Some of those other records are insane, so I'll save them for next week!

Funfetti & Running

So, it has been well over one year since the original challenge was issued to post something every day. And, over the course of these 365+ days, I have never been able to find anything "fact-wise" to link two of my favorite things... funfetti and running. I have searched endlessly... even modified the criteria to include swimming, cycling, triathlons, fitness, exercise... and still nothing. Honestly, this surprises me. I mean the Internet is full of random information, and surely there are other people like me. Therefore, I feel that it's time to remedy this situation. For those of you who don't know what funfetti is... it is the BEST type of cake... EVER! It's also the BEST type of frosting... cookie... and although I've never tried the brownies, how could you possible go wrong by adding sprinkles to the mix?!? So, to begin with, I'll also point out some of the more "glaring" similarities between running and funfetti:

• 2 of the first 3 letters are the same
• Both have repeated letters
• Both have 5 consonants

Ok, now to get creative. One of the things that I love about funfetti cake is that it's like normal cake, except with an extra surprise of fun (aka sprinkles). Similarly, running is like normal locomotion, except with the added benefit of:

• Getting wherever you're going faster
• Reducing your carbon footprint, gas bill, etc.
• Building more bone mass
• Building cardiovascular fitness faster
• Getting to eat more funfetti cake after (really, I am going to eat the same amount no matter what, but the majority of "benefits of running vs. walking" hits are related to burning more calories... plus, the "old school" argument never made sense to me)

And now, to bring all of this randomness to some conclusion... I think relays are the most fun running event because they really stress the team aspect of a sport that is seemingly very individual. Therefore...

Relays are to Races as Funfetti is to Cake!

New England Relay

Twelve of us (fingers crossed) are running in the New England Relay this weekend. So, I figured I'd conclude the week with a countdown of sorts. The relay runs through all six New England states (Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine). When I Googled these states and anything running-related, I got a bunch of hits for various races and running clubs (no surprise there). I did attempt to sort through to find some "fun facts", but then I gave up and decided that I'd work with what I had... so here are some of the more "interesting" races in each state:

1. RI: Gansett Marathon (the "other" Boston Marathon)
2. CT: Manchester Road Race (one of the most well-known Turkey Trots)
3. MA: Falmouth Road Race (an end-of-the-summer 7-mile treat)
4. VT: The Sap Run (I really hope they give out "maple syrup energy gel" at the water stops)
5. NH: Mount Washington Road Race (why you would want to run an entirely uphill race is beyond me)
6. ME: Beach to Beacon 10K (organized by none other than the most famous runner from Maine - Joan Benoit Samuelson)

Beer > Wine for Aerobic Athletes

I know red wine is good for your heart, and that moderate alcohol consumption may have cardiovascular benefits. So I got to thinking, I wonder which is better for you... beer or wine? I mean, beer has carbs, runners need carbs...

Turns out, both are better than liquor, as beer and wine also contain small amounts of protein, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals with antioxidant properties. With respect to wine, the flavonoid content is higher in red wines compared to white wines, making the former relatively healthier. However, beer (especially the darker varieties), are also rich in flavonoids. Furthermore, the antioxidant concentration is equivalent to red wine (although it depends on the blend of barley and hops), and beer contains more protein, carbohydrates, and B vitamins. So, as long as you're over 21, enjoy a glass or two of delicious Big Boss beer after the run... just remember that all of these health benefits are based on the recommended (1 drink for females and 1-2 for males) amount!

6/4-5 Race Reports

Hot, humid weekend... but that didn't stop RRO / FAST Coaching from turning in some awesome performances on both coasts:

• Laura Berry was the 2nd female overall at the Run for the Quay 5K... WOW that was a FAST RACE (results)!
• Oyler ROCKED the Alcatraz Triathlon, placing in the top 25% of the entire field (results)!

CONGRATS guys! If anyone else raced, please let me know and I'll add to the results. Have a wonderful week.

Trail Shoes

So, how do trail shoes (Beginners Trail Guide Part 5, Trail Running Magazine) differ from normal running shoes? According to this site, the uppers are more durable (and some are waterproof, so "breathability" is definitely compromised), the lacing system more secure, they have less cushion and are closer to the ground, and the bottom of the sneaker features intricate "lug" patterns to better grip the ground. And, while not explicitly stated, increased weight comes with increased durability and gripping power.

While most of us can get away with wearing normal running sneakers, if you want to go all crazy and run a lot of technical single-track, then you might want to opt for trail sneakers. This article gives some advice for selecting the best shoe for your trail running dreams, and here are some more reviews of the latest and greatest:

• Runner's World - Spring 2011
• Running Times - Trail Racing Flats

Weekend Outlook

It's been a crazy few days with some non-weekend-day racing. The first PFT Challenge went well, with Rusty in 1st, Mike C. in 2nd, and Brad in 3rd. I also heard the first race of the Old School Aquathon series was a ton of fun, with Kari (10th overall, 4th female) edging out Tim (11th overall, 7th male) (results). As for the weekend, Oyler is competing in the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon on Sunday. This is a crazy event... 1.5-mile swim through icy water, a hilly 18-mile bike, and a grueling 8-mile run... and crazy fast... GOOD LUCK! Back on the east coast, the Run for the Quay 5K is on Saturday, and I think some of our teammates who didn't feel like swimming with the sharks were planning on it. I'm not sure if anyone has any other races planned, but HAVE FUN and let us know how it turns out!

In the spirit of all of this swimming/running, the fastest 100m hurdle time completed while wearing swim fins (female) is 18.523sec. Veronica Torr of New Zealand set this record back in 2010. I'm not sure if there is a male record... a 400m hurdle record... or why on earth you would wear swim fins to hurdle! In any event, in case you haven't heard, the "thing to do" in world record running is to get 99 of your closest friends together and run a 500K relay-style (aka 100 x 5K). And, these can't just be any friends, they have to be fast friends! Luckily, there are a lot of fast people that run at Raleigh Running Outfitters, so sign-up!  

Trail Hills

While "trail" hills may be steeper than "road" hills, and the footing generally more uneven, a hill is a hill. With respect to form:

• Uphills: take quick, short steps to keep your feet under your center of gravity (this give you more power). Stay light on your feet, and lean into the hill (without bending at the hips). You can swing your arms for added momentum, but make sure to keep your shoulders relaxed.
• Downhills: fight the urge to lean back, as this puts a lot of stress on your muscles, joints, etc. Instead, lean forward slightly (without bending your hips), shorten your stride, and increase your cadence. "Air plane" your arms for extra balance.

Ok, so one morning I decided to "practice" this on an easy run. I got to my first hill, and really concentrated on increasing my cadence and keeping my feet under me. Halfway up the hill, when my legs normally start to hurt, I felt fine... and, at the top of the hill when I'm normally cursing the construction at Lake Johnson, I was smiling. I felt ok, in fact so ok that I was nearly skipping. I was so amazed that this minor form tweak had produced such unexpectedly awesome results that I almost forgot to avoid the person running at me in the opposite direction. Later, on the way back down the hill, I felt myself leaning backwards. "Wait," I thought, "Trail Running Magazine specifically told me not to do this." So, I leaned slightly forward, increased my cadence again... and I flew down the hill just like an airplane (I even stuck out my arms just for fun at the end, which again earned me a weird look). I was so excited... learn something new every day I guess... wait, two new things... it's like double-end-of-the-bread day!

For the rest of the run, I began thinking about the biomechanics of all this (yup, I'm a dork, and the following is pretty much unedited because I wrote it as soon as I got back so I wouldn't forget). By leaning backwards on the downhill, I was landing with my leg basically straight out in front of me, which is simply awful for shock absorption. What was I thinking... my leg is not a pole vaulting pole... my joints aren't made of fiberglass and carbon fiber?!? Silly me, I should have been landing on a slightly bent knee, which is much better for absorbing shock and allowing you to spring forward into your next step. And the uphills... so I know that I'm not a good hill runner, and tend to watch people as I fall further and further behind that I think are. I have never been able to quite put my finger on the difference. I had heard people say to shorten your stride and lean into the hill, and I thought I pretty well had. Now, I realized what I was missing... the increased cadence! Duh... if you shorten your stride, but go the same pace, you're going to go slower. Wow, it took me this long to realize that?!? And, if nothing else, working on increasing my cadence served to distract me from the fact that I was running uphill because I was trying to count steps. So friends, try it!

... you would think with all of this discovering and theorizing that I had run a 20-miler or something instead of the 3ish that I did!

Trail Running 101

Before you even step foot on a trail, there are a few things you can do to become a better trail runner. In order to remain upright over uneven terrain, you need good balance. Good balance requires good proprioception (knowing where your body is in space), agility, and core strength. In order to improve these, try and incorporate some balance-conditioning exercises into your training (i.e., standing with both feet on a wobble board, stability ball, or Bosu and performing one-legged squats). Even something as simple as standing on one foot with your eyes closed works (this also helps to improve ankle strength).

Training for a trail race is very similar to training for a road race with respect to mixing up speed, tempo, and longer runs. However, hill and strength training come into play more, as trails are often less "clear cut" than roads. Mental preparation is also key, as constantly scanning the trails for obstacles and planning your route can be taxing (as can staring at the back of the same person just one switchback ahead of you for miles at a time). With respect to trail racing, events are usually smaller but more "personal". Because the aid stations may be placed further apart due to terrain, it may be a good idea to carry water / food with you. However, the aid stations are usually AWESOME when you do get to one... M&M's should definitely be offered at every race!  

These tips all come from Trail Running Magazine's Beginners Guide (Part 2-6)