Seattle Rock and Roll

Oh, the media machine is in full swing and for good reason. check out the article in the Seattle Times: Seattle's Rock 'n' Roll Marathon: 3 runners, different motivations, same resolve

Our own Andy Sullivan will be there for the half. Can't wait to hear the details.

When I read about the course, I was really disinterested. But the stories of the individual runners are amazing. I like Ralf's "In one sentence, it was an opportunity to overcome self."

Dude, nail on the head.

Hydration - water and sports drinks

Up to now, I have been a water guy. I like water. I like the taste. Water doesn't build up on my teeth. My gut handles it fine. It's good on the wallet.

But after cramping in the Yakima Marathon the last 3 miles, I decided it was time to find the best combination of water, sports drinks and aids so that I could perform at my best. First, I read a few articles on the topic. Lots of them out there (see below). Second, I an experiment this month.

For one 18 mile run, I drank only water and ate a cliff bar. At mile 15, I began experiencing the same cramping as the marathon.

The next weekend, I ran the same 18 mile loop, but this time I drank water and I ate cliffshot gels according to the instructions. I did not experience any cramping for the entire run.

My next experiment is to run the same route on a sports drink aid entirely. Can I forego the food supplement and still perform well (no cramping)?

Sure, there are a lot of x's in this equation like fitness, what I ate and drank the night before, weather, etc, but I'm trying to keep what I can control in check or constant and just change my hydration approach on the day of the experiment. I'll keep you posted.

Some articles on hydration:

Hydration 101

New Rules of Hydration

Proper Hydration

Get out outside and run!

Ben's Shoe Mileage Totals

While studying for an exam for Six Sigma certification, someone told me: "In God we trust, all others bring data." So I'm bring the data. Granted this is only 4 shoes for one runner, but it's all I have at this point. I've always been curious how many miles I can squeak out of a shoe before it's retired to mowing lawns and picking up after the dog.

I'm very curious to see if a more expensive shoe the Nike Vomero will out last any of the Brooks shoes cost less that $100. My hunch is that shoes over $100 and shoes under $100 will last with the same amount of miles plus or minus 25 miles. What data do you have to share?

Brand	Model	Shoe Mileage	Comments
Brooks	Glycerin 5	263.64	feel a bit flat, and thin under forefoot
Brooks	Radius	362.58	some life left after 350
Brooks	Defiance	340.70	feet hurt at 13 miles; getting a bit flat at 280 miles. Keeping them for short runs and the track
Nike	Vomero	94.10	went the distance for the marathon. Felt cushy.