Good Running Form...Not

Zero Drop called attention to this YouTube video the other day. They titled it "Gaits of Hell." Cute.  It's actually called "Don't Be That Awkward Runner"--which is generally good advice. I try to pay attention to my running form.  I go with minimalist shoes when possible, and occasionally run completely barefoot. No better way to learn proper technique than by running barefoot. Your bare feet are your best coaches. Check out this 2-minute video...



Remind you of any friends?  See yourself here?

Don't be that awkward runner. Go minimal and find good running form.

What the Hell Are Junk Miles?

Lately, people in my local running club have talked trash about junk miles. Don't run junk miles. Garbage miles are useless.  You're wasting your time if you run too much, too slow. Rest, don't run. Quality over quantity. Blah, blah, blah. I believe all running miles are good miles.  No such thing as junk miles. If you enjoy the run and remain uninjured, those miles are good miles. We often run too fast and race too much...that's what will get you injured.  If anything, those miles are junk.  Lots of easy aerobic runs are good for the soul and will boost your running capacity. You'll be a better runner with more miles. Here are some articles on the topic:

Rethinking Junk Miles (Running Times)

Junk Miles (Slow Twitch)

Here's the low-down...run what the hell you want to run and do whatever makes you happy.  All of those miles will be "quality" miles and not junk. If you find yourself criticizing other runners and their training plans, then you might take a look in the mirror...good chance you are unhappy with your own running.  Pulling others down won't make you feel better.  Support each other and embrace every single mile as a blessing.  No garbage miles allowed. Every mile is precious.

NOTE:  My running streak is now at day 3 of 100. Only 97 days to go! No junk miles in the streak...just good miles.

Run, Don't Shop

Today is "Buy Nothing Day."  Take a stand and go against the crowd. Go for a run and skip the advertising hype. Buy nothing today. Enjoy your run. Save your wallet. Live!

Occupy Wall Street.
Occupy Xmas.
Live.
Run.

Today is day 2 of my new running streak!

Thankful to Be a Runner

Happy Thanksgiving to all the runners out there!  It's great be a runner and today is a perfect day to give thanks for our health and vitality. How many people can wake up and go for a trail run every single day? We are special people. So we should pause and appreciate our fitness. I'm also thankful for my beautiful wife, silly degus, fat gerbils, and grumpy hamster. And yesterday my new REI running pants arrived from their clearance sale. Ran in them this morning and they are fantastic!  I have everything I need...and most everything I want. I'm spoiled. And thankful.

Today marks day #1 of my new 100-day running streak. I hope this will motivate me to run throughout the winter and be ready to race in the spring. Hopefully a few fellow buffalo runners will join me. Several have committed to it...others have mocked the challenge as unhealthy and a recipe for injuries. We shall see.  Day 1 down, 99 to go!

Running Streak to Start Next Week

One week from today, on Thanksgiving, I will start a new running streak. I plan to make it at least 100 days of running every day for a minimum of 1 continuous mile. This goal will bring me through winter and into the first real race of the spring season--the Land Between the Lakes Marathon (or 60K or 50 Miler).  I tried this last winter and died at day #95. You can read about it here. I almost made it to March and 100 consecutive days.  This year I'll make it to 100...and maybe beyond.

What will make this streak successful compared to last year? Good question.  I plan on staying away from treadmill speedwork.  I plan on skipping a max heart rate test. I plan on reminding myself of why last year's streak ended (strained calf due to treadmill shenanigans). Thanksgiving Day is a great time to start a running streak. We can be thankful for our health and vitality, honor that fitness with a run, and commit to a winter full of daily exercise. Care to join me? I'll have a "count-up" timer on my blog documenting days into the streak. I'll post daily runs on Dailymile (unique idea, eh?).  Accountability is key.  I'll also have a partner for this adventure...Jeff Riddle.  Maybe he'll even start blogging again!

For details about running streaks, rules, and records, see the US Running Streak Association.

Lost Toenail Leads to Ultrarunner Status

I've been running marathons and ultramarathons for over 10 years.  I've accumulated about 75 finishes.  My feet have been beaten up pretty good on a few of these races...and a few training runs...but I've never lost a toenail.  Quite a few blisters, several black toenails, a few cuts, stubbed toes, and an occasional "bone bruise"--but I've kept all of my toenails...until yesterday. I finally lost a toenail due to an ultramarathon!  This has moved me to ultra ultrarunner status. I am a real ultra runner!  The nail was given its terminal status at the Evergreen Lake 50K back in late September. Then 2 more ultras over the last month did it in...it's gone. I am the proud owner of 9 toenails...and one odd nailess toe. Looks like a really thin nailbed is still there and something may grow back. Time will tell.  For now, I will bask in the glow of true ultrarunner status. The simple things in life are the best!

Altra Instinct Shoe Review

My new Altra Instinct shoes arrived Thursday evening. I've been wanting a pair of Altra shoes for a while now. Their whole line of shoes are zero-drop and don't have all the crazy extra features that many shoes are hyped with--just shoes that let your foot act naturally, but still be protected.  I ran in them Friday (5 miles), Saturday (10 miles), and Sunday (5 miles). The runs were a combination of groomed trails and asphalt bike path. I need to test them on a treadmill and on a road run, but this will have to do for now. It's still early, but here are my first impressions:

• The shoes run small. I originally tried my normal size 13s and they were tight. I went with 14s and they are slightly big, but OK.
• The forefoot and toebox are nice and wide. Toes aren't squeezed.
• Zero drop (heel to toe) is great. Promotes natural forefoot landing.
• Thick midsole (~18mm with insole) is protective and provides firm cushioning, but it is very isolating--can't feel the ground. 
• They are a bit stiff--I prefer a more flexible shoe. Maybe that's the trade-off for extra protection and cushioning.
• The shoe is rather heavy (~11.3oz for my size 14 with insole). Definitely not a minimalist trainer. I need a more substantial shoe for my ultramarathons and this may be the right shoe for 30+ trail runs and races. 

I'll continue to use them through this fall and winter and will test them in a few ultramarathons starting in January. A more comprehensive shoe review will follow. My main "early season" race is a 50-miler in April.  If they get me through that race feeling good, I'll consider them a success. I don't see them being my daily trainer (I prefer more minimalist shoes for everyday runs), but they could be my new "go-to" shoe for marathons and ultras.

Orbana Healthy Energy Drink Review

A couple of weeks ago, I won a contest on "Running and Rambling" that gave me 5 packets of powdered sports drink for free.  The winners were supposed to use the drink and write a review.  I'm a blogger, so I like to write. Ask my opinion about running stuff, and you'll get an answer!  After two disappointing trail ultras, I was looking for a way to consume more calories during a race. Maybe this new drink would be my answer to bonking. I'm pretty sure the answer is more miles in training, but I'll try drinking first. Seems easier than actually running.

The product I won is called Orbana Healthy Energy.  It's a powdered "sports drink."  I never heard of it before this give-away.  It's made in England and just recently started to be distributed in the US.

Nutrition Facts/Contents: Orbana is a combination of maltodextrin, fructose, and dextrose to provide sustained energy without peaks and valleys.  The single serving packet is 1.76oz (50grams) and supplies 190 calories.  It also has some amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. It has no artificial colors, sweeteners, or preservatives. I guess that's why it's called "Orbana Healthy Energy" drink.  It doesn't have any of the"bad" stuff in there. That's a nice change from my normal neon-colored Gatorade--that ain't natural!

Cost: I got my 5 samples for free. I found the product on Amazon selling 5 packets for $13.46 ($2.69 each) and 16 packs for $41.85 ($2.62 each). Expensive for a regular sports drink.  Reasonable cost if it's significantly better than Gatorade (or other standard sports drinks). The reviews on Amazon are very good.

Color and Flavor: Sort of a pale yellow color. I appreciate that there are no artificial colors in the powder. As stated above, it doesn't have any artificial sweeteners or preservatives either.  The packet said "orange, lemon, pineapple."  I suppose that's what it tasted like...hard to tell, but it was a citrus flavor and pineapple was definitely in there. Yeah, lemony too. And a hint of orange. I used the powder at almost half strength (one 1.76oz packet in a 20oz water bottle). This isn't too far off the suggested "during activity" dilution. Before and after exercise, they recommend mixing one packet in 8-10 oz of water.  That would be fairly strong. I liked the fresh and clean taste with 18-20oz of water. It never upset my stomach.

Mixing: It takes a bit of extra mixing to get all of the powder dissolved. Not terrible, but there is more powder than I'm used to using (I often use powdered Gatorade). Since I'm a runner, I just fill a water bottle about 1/3 full, add the powder, and shake. Then fill bottle with water and shake again. It gets continuously "stirred" as I run. My main complaint with the powder is that it's fairly "voluminous"--there's a lot of powder to mix in a small amount of water!  It would be difficult to carry the powder pouches on the run.  If you have access to drop bags, your car, or a crew supplying you, then it wouldn't be an issue for a long run or race.

Energy: I tried one packet on a weekend just to see if it would work OK...or at least not cause problems. I had a 30 mile trail race coming up, so I figured it would be wise to test it out when it didn't make a difference--so I mixed it up (one powder packet to about 18oz of water), drank it, then mowed the lawn and did some other yard work.  It tasted fine and didn't bother my stomach.  Did I have "extra" energy?  Maybe.  I finished the lawn mowing and still felt good enough to trim some hedges, rake leaves, and bag up yard waste. Not the best test of athletic endurance...that came a week later at my McNotAgain 30-Mile Trail Race!

The 30-mile trail race is run on a 10-mile loop at McNaughton Park in Pekin, IL.  I started with a 20oz water bottle mixed with Orbana.  At the 5 mile mark, I'd be done with the drink and simply fill my bottle with pure water for the next 5 miles.  At the start/finish area, I'd refill with water and mix in the Orbana.  I used 3 packets for the three 10-mile loops.  It would have been nice to have more Orbana at the mid-point aid station so I would be drinking it for the full 30 miles.  I did feel the drink worked better than just water and better than my typical Gatorade.  It tasted fine, gave no energy highs/lows, and supplied a modest amount of electrolytes (Orbana has 135mg of sodium and potassium).  I take Succeed S-Caps during long races and training runs so my sports drink doesn't need to supply much in terms of electrolytes.  Still, the sodium and potassium is a good idea. I think the calories, and extra vitamins and amino acids, helped provide a bit more energy than I've had in recent runs and races.  Would be interesting to try Orbana for a full 30-50 miles and see how I felt. For what it's worth, I did feel better AFTER the race than I typically do...was it the new drink?  Weather (which was nice and cool)? My conditioning/training (not likely)?

My main complaint with this drink is that it's rather expensive and bulky to carry.  I can find solutions to the bulkiness (loop courses, drop bags, friends/crew, etc).  The cost is another issue...but if it really does make a positive difference...it would be worth the price. I'll buy a bigger supply and try it out on some fall and winter long runs (20+ milers).  If it seems to work well in training, I'll buy more and test it out in early spring trail ultras (30-50 milers).  I will be on the same McNaughton Park trail course in April running either 50 or 100 miles.  It would be awesome to have my drinking/eating dialed-in by that race.  And I'm willing to pay extra for a product that would get me through a long ultra marathon.  For now, I think it's a good product with high potential for endurance athletes. I'd suggest other runners giving it a try.

NOTE:  A version of this review should show up, along with other Orbana reviews, on the Running and Rambling blog in late November.  If you haven't read this blog, it's a good one. One of only 4 or 5 running-related blogs I consistently follow. Good writing, good product reviews, and great scenic pictures. And they picked me in a random give-away! A big thank you to Orbana for sponsoring the product give-away.