Friday, June 26, 2009

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.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

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!

Friday, June 5, 2009

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?

BrandModelShoe Mileage Comments
BrooksGlycerin 5263.64feel a bit flat, and thin under forefoot
BrooksRadius362.58some life left after 350
BrooksDefiance340.70feet hurt at 13 miles; getting a bit flat at 280 miles. Keeping them for short runs and the track
NikeVomero94.10went the distance for the marathon. Felt cushy.