Salt Lake Running Company

New Blog Location

2010-03-05T18:33:00.006-07:00

Our blog has moved!

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1st Cooking video ever! Mixed green salad + dressing

2010-02-24T22:51:00.010-07:00

We are trying to add video clips of all kinds
of things to our newwebsite (launching March 1st).
So our first crack at was thisrecipe that relates to
this recent post on salads. Now, keep inmind that
this a very rough copy, but we need some feedback.

Tell us what you think!

Making the Jump. A beginners tale of preparation, panic and accomplishment

2010-02-22T12:16:00.007-07:00

No parachute! Sometimes that is how it feels to jump out the comfort of our predictable planes into the newness of the expansive sky. A change of course, a big adventure, a challenging commitment can disarm the most protected individuals. And so it goes with Chris Odekirk, one of SLRC's fine employees. Last year was his first dive into a whole new sport. Thankfully, he landed on his feet and really did live to tell about it.

Making the Jump. A Beginners tale of preparation, panic and accomplishment.

By Chris Odekirk

It was a balmy 120 degrees outside and I was getting ready to go for a run, when I received an email from my brother-in-law. I knew that he was big into triathlons, and the thought had crossed my mind, that I would like to do them as well. The only problem was that he was emailing me to convince me to do the new Ironman in St George. Not only was I not willing to commit to something of that scale, I was also half way through a deployment to the Middle East. Needless to say there were no places for me to swim or bike. The only thing that I did have going for me was that I had been a distance runner my whole life. After reading my brother-in-laws email, I decided that I was going to sign up for a triathlon that would take place several months after I returned home. My first race would be an Olympic distance at the Stansburry Triathlon…or so I thought. Six months had passed, and I was on my way home. Luckily, I was able to get my legs in decent cycling shape by finding some spin bikes on our post and I was able to log plenty of miles on the road (or treadmill, when the sandstorms would hit.) Now all I had to do was work on the swim.

As soon as I got home I went to the local pool, bought a membership and recruited a friend, who had been a competitive swimmer, to give me some swim lessons. Everything was coming together perfectly. I remember my first swim lesson like it was yesterday. My swim coaches first set of instructions was to swim an easy 200 yards to warm up. 200 yards? How hard could that be? I run 50 plus miles a week, I can swim 200 yards. With this unfounded confidence, I jumped in the water and set off to swim my “easy” 200 yard warm-up. I made it 50 yards (down and back in a 25 yard pool) before I started to flail in the water and grabbed the side of the pool. My friend laughed at me and said “You have a lot of work to do if you want to swim 1500 meters.” Later that night I emailed the race director and asked if I could change from the Olympic distance to the Sprint. My pride was shot and so was my goal of someday competing in an Ironman with my brother-in-law.

Thanks to the race director, I was able to switch distances and with a little help from my triathlon instructor at the University of Utah, I was feeling more confident in the water. Although I was feeling more confident, I had yet to swim the 750 meter distance without stopping. My coach assured me and told me that I would be just fine. I didn’t believe her.

Race day finally came, I had my wet suit, which I had yet to swim in (just one of many mistakes in my triathlon prep), and I was as ready as I was ever going to be. With all of the male competitors for the Sprint in the water, my nerves were on edge and the only thing I could think about was getting out of this water. The gun went off and it was “do or die” time, and hopefully there would be non of the latter. I was feeling great! For the first 100 meters, after that it all went downhill and a few minutes later I completely stopped swimming looked around for something to grab on to and was ready to call the whole thing off. I had been kicked, slapped and I am fairly certain that I swallowed half of the water in that lake. Nothing was going right, my form went out the window and my breathing pattern was all over the place. In that moment of doubt I saw a fellow competitor swim past me doing the breast stroke with a smile on his face. At that moment, nothing could have infuriated me more, and that was what I needed. I dropped my head back in the water, focused on my form and drug myself to the water exit. With a strong bike and run I actually did a lot better than I anticipated, but I still was not where I wanted to be. I knew that I wanted to compete on the Olympic level and someday the Ironman.

With my first triathlon under my belt I was ready to set a date for my first Olympic distance. I knew where I had gone wrong with my prep (or lack thereof) for the Sprint, and I was not going to let that happen with the Olympic. I focused on my swim, logged some serious rides on my bike and pounded myself into oblivion on the road and track. I had received some great advice from BJ and Guy, and Debbie helped me forge my legs for the run while I was in high school, so in my opinion I was ready to go.

Race day had finally arrived and I was ready this time, really ready. The gun went off and the good swimmers flew by me, but that was okay. I was going to swim my own race. I kept referring to something that I had heard from TJ Tollakson, “99 percent of life boils down to this one principal, DON’T PANIC!” With those wise words, and taking it one stroke at a time I was able to feel comfortable in the water and maintain a pace that I was fairly happy with. Aside from losing sight of the buoys on several occasions in the sun, I was happy with my performance. The bike went amazingly well, I was on schedule with my nutrition and hydration and I was just about to start my favorite event, the run. The heat had continued to climb throughout the day and by the time we got to the run; it was much hotter than I had anticipated. Thankfully, I was feeling fine and taking water as needed. Not wanting to get behind on my water intake, I forced myself to stop, yes stop, at all the water stops to take in water. I don’t care who you are, it is not easy to drink a cup of water while you are running. Even with those water stops, I posted a time in the 10K that I was very happy with. All-in-all, it was a great race. Thanks to proper preparation, advice and a lack of water in my lungs I was able to cross the finish line with a smile on my face.

Even though, I just briefly touched on the fact that I sought advice from experienced triathletes, I cannot stress the positive impact their advice had on my race enough. Simply asking someone what I should expect in the swim would have saved me a lot of strife during my first triathlon. Ask questions about anything and everything. If there is one thing that triathletes like more than the triathlon its self (and that includes their beloved bikes) it is talking about triathlon. Asking questions about what to expect, proper nutrition, hydration, equipment, etc will only help fill in any gaps you may have in your training regiment and not to mention the peace of mind that comes after picking an experienced triathletes brain for a few minutes.

Making the jump from Sprint to Olympic was not easy, it required a lot more time and a lot more focus, but it was totally worth it. Tune in next time to read about either my successful jump from the Olympic distance to the ½ Ironman or my obituary. Either way, it will be good reading.

Salad-the perfect carbohydrate

2010-02-08T10:30:00.007-07:00

AS PUBLISHED IN JAN/FEB 2010 ISSUE OF ROCKY MOUNTAIN RUNNING AND TRIATHLON MAGAZINE

Salad? A perfect carbohydrate? When I first considered that idea, I though it was crazy! But, as time has passed and more knowledge has come my way, I realize the validity of that statement. Now, lets first set the record straight. The assumption here is that, as an endurance athlete, you are making BIG efforts in refueling post workout with recovery drinks, shakes and carbohydrate dense foods like fruit, potatoes and the occasional whole grain. As long as you do a good job at eating at least half your bodyweight in grams of carb within 30 minutes post workout in liquid form and that amount again(for workouts longer than 75 minutes) in a solid meal within another 60-90 minutes, then you won't be starving later. Then you can progress to the idea that salad is a perfect carbohydrate later in the day.

Most of us think of a salad as a green lettuce type of creature. While this is mostly what I am referring to, in many places in the world, salad is actually any combination of raw cut up vegetables tossed in some type of dressing. So, there are times when I make a tomato and cucumber salad with a yogurt dressing or shredded carrot salad with nuts, Craisens and a lemon/orange olive oil dressing. But, it still is an essential part of an athletes diet to eat DARK GREEN salads with HOMEMADE dressings. A great salad will supply many needed undamaged and raw phytonutrients and enzymes as well as aid in alkalizing the body (See blog post on Ph). It will also not overwhelm the body with any high glycemic sugars that will disrupt your anabolic, health promoting hormone patterns. How perfect is that? So perfect that you should find a way to include 1 or 2 BIG salads a day! And when I say big, I mean carry it with a fork lift, spilling off your plate big. That is how much you need to build a better body.

Perry’s Popular Mixed Green Salad – Feeds 8-10.

20 oz. mixed baby greens,

2 cups diced cucumber,

2 cups sliced strawberries or grapes,

1 cup chopped or halved walnuts,

4 oz crumbled feta cheese.

Extra Virgin Olive oil,

Balsamic vinegar

Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper.

In a BIG salad bowl, combine first 5 ingredients. Sprinkle the top of the salad with the Olive oil and then the balsamic vinegar. Start with too little if you are nervous and then sprinkle more on if needed. The goal is to lightly coat the salad evenly without drenching it and making it soggy. Then add the salt and pepper.

This salad should take up about half of your plate and can be served with any lean meat, a steamed vegetable and if needed, some baked yam or sweet potato.

Running Barefoot--Who should?

2010-02-01T11:02:00.010-07:00

It is safe to say that right now the hot topic in the running world is Barefoot Running. This could be due to the Vibram 5 Fingers, or Newton shoe releases. Or maybe because the book BORN TO RUN, is a good read and talks a lot about the Tarahumara Indians running barefoot. Either way, the question remains, who is it for? Will it fix your injury? Should you run barefoot/minimalist everyday? Will you be better off long term with our without shoes?

Since this blog is sponsored by a running shoe store, I thought it best that we look outward to someone who is more 3^rd party. While Salt Lake Running Co does, in reality, do our very best to be absolutely honest and not push a bad product on someone, it just seems best to outsource this answer.

The objective opinion is going to come from Bobby McGee, a world class running coach for the last 25 years. No really, this guy is one of the sport’s best. Having coached world record holders, world champions, Olympians, professional triathletes and everyday normal Joe runners like ourselves, he knows his stuff and the BEST part is that he is sponsored by NO ONE! He has no allegiance to any product whatsoever with the exception of his greatest product…his athletes...US!

Here are some excerpts from a recent post by Bobby on the barefoot running scoop. To check out the full article, click here. www.bobbysez.blogspot.com Feel free to comment here and/or there on what you think or have experienced.

Can we all run barefoot?

If we all grew up rurally in regions where there was no concrete or asphalt, or broken glass & shards of various metals lying about, then maybe…

AND

If we all started life using running as a primary mode of transport (together with walking) for EVERYTHING we did & EVERYWHERE we needed to get to, then maybe

AND

If we all lived in climates where footwear was never a prerequisite demand of our environment, then maybe

AND

If we all grew up never having the posterior side of our legs shortened by footwear with heels, then maybe

AND

If we all weigh under 110 pounds if we are female & 130 pounds if we are male, then maybe

AND

If we all had the time, the structural integrity, the youth, the willingness, the mechanics, the soft tissue, the environment, the guidance, the patience, the support & the understanding, then maybe:

Who can run benefit from running barefoot some of the time?

I work with the individual running quirks of many world-class athletes & regular athletes. I address each one according to need. Some actually NEED less orthotic, less support, less cushioning. Many have feet that have atrophied & lost critical motion capabilities because of overly restrictive or ill-advised footwear or orthotics. Many can benefit from time spent walking or even some small amount of running barefoot on well cushioned surfaces like grass or synthetic grass surfaces – this will return neuromuscular feel & function; this will teach true elastic-loading & unloading. This will also strengthen critical muscles & tendons in the foot & lower leg. It is a very gradual process & prescribed not because the athlete desires to run barefoot full time, but to heal & enhance their running experience.

Do the fastest runners in the world run barefoot?

Only one man has ever won an Olympic marathon barefoot & his name is Abebe Bikile, an Ethiopian who ran 2:15 barefoot because he was such a late entry into the Ethiopian team, Adidas could not find him a pair of shoes that fit – he had trained barefoot however. It is interesting to note that his father was a shepherd, so clearly he grew up exactly fulfilling ALL of the above Ifs. He won the next Olympics in 2:12 in Puma shoes. Both the 1st sub 4min South African miler, DeVilliers Lamprecht & Zola Budd ran barefoot & they both told me that eventually their feet gave them so much trouble that they could no longer run (DeVilliers) & that they had to resort to wearing shoes for training & eventually racing as well (Zola).

The forefoot, midfoot, healstrike argument

The greatest runner of all, Haile Gebrselassie, realized after being badly beaten in the London Marathon with a time of 2:06, that he would have to forego his habit of running on his forefeet, he would have to lower his heel to the surface to compete against the world’s best. He now runs the marathon 3 minutes faster! He has run in Adidas shoes his entire career.Many of the world’s greatest runners are heel strikers (look at above picture of Haile) – having these athletes switch to barefoot running would no doubt destroy them –

As a whole, we need shoes to survive the hostility of running

Before footwear became as advanced as it did, distance running was reserved for only a small select group of men & school children participating in track…HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR THE ADVENT OF THE MODERN RUNNING SHOE, DISTANCE RUNNING AS WE KNOW IT TODAY, A SPORT OF HEALTH, FITNESS & HEROIC PARTICIPATION WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ACCESSIBLE TO THE MASSES. IT WOULD HAVE REMAINED A SPORT FOR A SMALL COMMUNITY BLESSED WITH THE PHYSIOLOGY & MECHANICS OF A BORDER COLLIE. THE LUNATIC FRINGE WHO NOW SO IRRESPONSIBLY & VEHEMENTLY VILIFY RUNNING SHOES WOULD HAVE US RETURN TO THOSE DAYS WHEN NONE BUT A FEW MECHANICALLY BLESSED INDIVIDUALS WOULD HAVE ACCESS TO A SPORT THAT SAVES & ENHANCES THE LIVES OF MILLIONS.

THANK.YOU. BOBBY!! We appreciate people like Bobby McGee sharing their opinion that is formed in their quest to not only keep us all running, but to help us run faster!

Here is a great closing quotation emailed to our staff by Travis. It is from the book Born to Run where YES! Even Christopher McDougal confesses that it is not complete heresy to run WITH shoes.

“Check out their feet," said Eric. Even though Scott [Jurek] was in the Brooks trail shoe he'd helped design and Caballo was in sandals, they both skimmed their feet over the ground just the way [Barefoot] Ted did in his bare feet, their foot strikes in perfect sync. It was like watching a team of Lipizzaner stallions circle the show ring." - Born to Run p. 190.

pHinding nutritional balance

2010-01-25T09:41:00.003-07:00

As published in the Jan 2010 first issue of Rocky Mountain Running and Triathlon.

Calories in versus calories out. That is usually the first thing that comes to mind when athletes go about changing their daily eating habits for the better. Sometimes one might even go a little farther in order to perform better and think about how much protein they should be eating, or healthier fats, or the glycemic index of carbohydrates. It is true that being aware of how protein, fats and carbs affect your health and performance is good place to start. But, believe it or not, there is even a deeper level of nutrition knowledge. This next level of choosing food wisely lies in one’s understanding of how food affects the pH of your body’s fluids.

pH is the measure of hydrogen ions concentrations in the body. What is the big deal about hydrogen ions? Well, too many hydrogen ions released during intense aerobic/anaerobic exercise are what cause the acidic burn in the muscle tissue, not lactic acid. The memory of that feeling brings a tear to the eye, doesn’t it? So if an acidic state of muscle tissue causes that kind of discomfort, then what about too many hydrogen ions in your body fluids like saliva, blood and urine? A big ouch on internal health, for sure! And where do many of these acidic ions come from? FOOD!

Understand that the body is trying to remain in an alkaline state of around 7.35-7.45 on the pH scale with muscle tissue being slightly lower. If you eat in such a way to throw that out of balance on a daily basis then you end up with an environment that breeds sickness, not health. You can relate this to adjusting soil in order to grow food in or adjusting water conditions to keep fish alive in. If your body’s fluids are not adjusted to the right pH, then the acidic environment is a great place to grow things you don’t want like yeast, fungus, bacteria and viruses. It is also a place where you perpetuate inflammatory condition like arthritis, create heartburn and replicate irregular cells (cancer.) Lastly, because the body seeks for an alkaline state in order to stay pH balanced, an acidic environment will rob the bones of calcium (and other minerals) and rob the muscles of nitrogen to try to correct the pH. This ends up being a MAJOR cause of osteoporosis and some muscle tissue loss. So, even if you supplement with calcium and magnesium, but eat acidic foods, all your efforts go to waste as your body steals those minerals from the bone to neutralize the extra acid in the body. Robin Hood would just not approve of and will not fight for that kind of transfer of bodily wealth!

Thanks to nature, you do have a quiver full of flaming arrows to fight off excessive Hydrogen ions. There are many foods that, when eaten, leave an alkaline ash. That means that they sponge up and remove the acids. I am sure you can guess what kinds of foods these might be. And you are right if you guessed produce. Yep, produce is the biggest provider of alkaline minerals. Does that mean you should only eat produce? If you are looking for optimal health and performance, then NO.WAY! The human body still has a need for a small amount of neutral and acidic foods. The trick is to eat about 75% of the volume of food you eat in alkaline foods and the other 25% acidic. So that 25%, remember this is by volume, is where your high quality, lean proteins fit in as well as good oils and small amounts of whole grain on occasion. Remember that is all about balance so being too extreme with acidic or alkaline food causes a problem.

So how does this look on a daily eating plan? Well, starting off the day with a protein shake (Whey protein is alkaline by the way) that has fruit and flax oil in it is great. If your blender is broken, then heat up water and mix your protein and oil in the water while eating your piece of fruit on the side. Or fruit alongside a quick scrambled egg dish cooked on medium heat with lots of veggies like onion, spinach, tomato, broccoli or whatever you have. Any scrambled egg dish can be prepared ahead of time and reheated in the microwave too. Lunch and dinner should center around servings of lean protein combined with lots of raw/lightly steamed vegetables. A big fat dark green salad with all kinds of chopped veggies and a homemade dressing is the best! You can add fruit and nuts to this salad for a gourmet treat. Aim for one of these alkaline feasts a day (see recipe article in this edition). Snacks can be in the form of protein shakes, raw veggies dipped in homemade dressing or fruit and nuts.

Alkaline liquids exist also. Some people make a habit out of waking up and drinking a glass of water with a little bit of lemon or lime squeezed in. That may sound counterintuitive since citrus fruit is considered acidic. Well, before digestion it is acidic, but by the time it hits the blood stream it leaves an alkaline ash. Crazy but true. Any “green drink” or freshly made vegetable juice will be great. And mixing the vitamin packets called EmergnC in water will also alkalize. It is really nice to use any of the above drink ideas in combination with a meal that you know is probably too acidic. At least, you can help neutralize the damage. Well, except for downing your typical can of soda. It takes 25 glasses of alkaline water to neutralize that!

But, what about post-workout drinks? I mean it seems pretty logical that you finish workouts in an acidic state. Actually any stress on the body, including emotional stress causes acidity. Unfortunately commercial replenishment drinks will be acidic, so some athletes choose to make another protein shake and add fresh squeezed juice, honey or some carbo pro in order to get enough post workout carbs. Or slamming some “green drink” alongside the commercial product can help.

I am sure that I didn’t surprise you that Nature’s foods are mostly alkaline. Knowing this should help any athlete in making deeper commitments to eating whole food with a strong emphasis on produce at each meal. Just remember too, that the act of training causes extra imbalances and a whole lot of destruction cellularly. If you want the best chance at recovery, a stronger immune system, low levels of inflammation and a body free of disease, then think alkaline!

These way cool charts are from www.coryholly.com. Lots of great articles in the article section!

Hills, the uphill battle.

2010-01-19T21:56:00.004-07:00

I think that most people are aware that here is Utah, we are not hurting for hills to run. Yet, the question still remains, "Should I run hills in training? If so, how much, what pace, how steep, how often?" It is clear that some of you who run have no choice but to run hills based on where you live or work. In a nutshell, hills are good. Actually, hills play a vital role in run training especially if you don't spend much time in the weight room. But, just like any other part of training, too much or incorrect application can backfire. But, it is time to clear up a couple things so that everyone can use those hills their advantage in their quest for fitness and faster times. Here are two important uses of hill.

Long Slow Hills

Purpose:

To build strength.

Speed:

Keep this kind of workout as close to conversation pace as possible. It is okay to keep it slow. The goal is to do about 30 minutes worth of going up during a 60-90 minute long run. The only time to consider running this hard is if you are substituting a hard flat tempo day with this hill workout.

Steepness:

You will, no doubt, come across different grades of steepness when you run that long. That is just fine, but the most productive hills are still shallow enough to run up. When it is too steep for too long, then the difficulty gets in the way of the run specific strength work. It is common knowledge that there are some hills that you can power walk faster than you can run, but stay disciplined! You are trying to train your run specific muscle groups so keep running and mix those tougher hills in with some that are more moderate in grade.

When and how often?

Doing this kind of workout once a week pretty much all year is a great idea. Doing this one too often will be too taxing though so more is not always better here. If your legs start feeling heavy all the time then that is an indicator of too much. On the other hand, the only times to let it go completely would be during recovery periods before your most important races/events or during that initial off season period where you are trying to really kick back and relax.

Considerations:

In the summer, when the trails are wide open and lead upward straight into the blue Utah sky, it is easy to find enough long hills for this workout. You might have to be more creative when most of those trails are inaccesible in winter, but don't give up because winter is a perfect time to run long hills. If you are an ultra distance trail runner, then you obviously will walk more of those uphills than stated above and just flat out be doing them more often and for longer.

Also,when on trails, take the opportunity to really run fast down the hill where possible. Make sure to read this blog article on downhill running

Short Fast Hills

Purpose:

To build speed, strength and power

Speed:

5-10 fast Sprints of 15-30 seconds long with a walk down as rest.

Steepness:

Very steep! Like the kind of steep that you really could power walk faster.

When and how often:

This is a great workout to do throughout the year. Some people will throw in 5 or so hill sprints at the end of a 60-90 run to stimulate the fast twitch fibers. Another place to put it is after doing some once a week short sprints on a track when you are already working on your fast twitch fibers (you could even use stadium stairs for this if they are a long enough set). If you do this, then shorten your speedwork session a bit. If you want to know more about a speed session, read this speedwork post. And there are those who like to use this workout just towards the end of race prep period to sharpen the saw so to speak. Either way, once a week IS PLENTY!!

Considerations:

Always take plenty of rest in between these sprints by walking down the hill. You should start the next one only when you feel recovered. If your legs are a bit tired, then do less. These are a bit tougher to do on a rough trail. You will want good footing for sure.

So there are some ideas on how to use hills to your advantage. Hills are great to build strength, speed and power. Happy climbing!

Trim to Fit Orthotics, Heaven Sent Pain Relievers or Glorified Sock Liners?

2010-01-11T09:33:00.005-07:00

By Seth Wold:

The blessings of being young.

After running throughout my high school and college years without orthotic support I was pretty confident that my musculoskeletal system was in great alignment. I had been fortunate enough to have very few injuries and my feet felt OK at the end of my workouts. Then I began working at the Salt Lake Running Company. I was trained by my fellow staff members on a variety of topics, including trim to fit orthotics, aka-inserts. I tried each one on, but I didn’t feel like I needed any of them to help my run, after all I had just won the first marathon I competed in.

The years catch up

After working at the running company, I was amazed how many of the customers absolutely loved their inserts and attributed their great health to the orthotics. I thought, "well I know the orthotics work for everyone who pronates, but I am a neutral runner. " Then my battle with IT Band syndrome heated up again. I was icing it, massaging it, stretching it (only after my muscles were warm) and strengthening it just as I had in high school and college. For a decade I thought that having an inflamed IT Band is just part of being a distance runner and that every once in a while it is bound to flare up and hurt horribly. But this time the IT Band just wasn’t healing quickly enough. I would have to stop and massage the IT Band on any run over 6 miles long and when I returned home I could hardly bend my knee without a pain shooting up my leg.

Simple Relief in "over the counter" orthotic inserts!

I got desperate. I tried a trim to fit Green Superfeet orthotic insert in my running shoes and a Powerstep Pinnacle orthotic insert in my work shoes. The Full Volume arch on the Powerstep felt best for my foot while walking/standing, while the Green Superfeet’s wide heel cup fit great on my foot while running. I decided to take the insert out on a 16 mile run, the longest run I had run in months of training. I didn’t hurt! I thought, "Well maybe I was just on top of it today, but after the run it is bound to kill." To my surprise, my knee post-run felt better than it did before the run. I continued with the icing, massage, and stretching routine, and my knee began to heal more quickly than it ever had in college. I learned that runners shouldn’t have terrible pain while running, huh imagine that. Suddenly I realized how much trim to fit orthotics/inserts benefit every runner, whether they pronate, supinate, or run with a neutral gate.

The economic no-brainer

Why "over the counter" trim to fit orthotics? The price of custom orthotics can range from $200-$1000+ while the trim to fit orthotic inserts range from $20-$45. Custom orthotics are great, but they wear out just like the trim to fit orthotics. Also the trim to fit orthotics carried at the Salt Lake Running Company are made with polypropylene semi-flexible plastic that gives proper support to the heel and ankle while allowing the foot and ankle to naturally absorb the shock caused by running.

Why doesn't every shoe have these kinds of orthotic inserts?

Why don’t my awesome running shoes already have an orthotic built in? The insole of the shoe, where the orthotic is placed, is a sock liner (Low density EVA cushion which is there to cover the seams and give a plush initial feel to the shoe during the try on process). If Saucony was to incorporate an orthotic insert into the midsole of the Progrid Ride, then only neutral people who like the Saucony Progrid Ride already and whose feet were shaped like the orthotic would like the shoe. Then Saucony would have to produce ten different versions of the Saucony Progrid Ride to fit their customer’s needs. This would be way too many shoes for us to carry, so they instead make great running shoes with removable sockliners so that each customer can choose the most comfortable, best fitting orthotics to place in their great running shoes.

Cushioned orthotic inserts

Are there any cushioned orthotics? Yes, the Montrail Enduro-Sole and Powerstep Pinnacle orthotics are both covered with a softer material which helps them feel softer underfoot. Althouth Superfeet, Downunders, and Powerstep Original feel more firm initially, they also offer great cushioning with high density EVA or similar materials. The best cushioning for running is actually built into each of our heels. The heel when properly fitted into an orthotic will be cupped causing the fat to remain under the heel bone during your runs. This offers the best cushioning and any of the trim to fit Orthotics at the Salt Lake Running Company will have this fit when properly matched up to each person.

Experiment of one

If you are, like I was, a skeptic on the benefits of "over the counter" orthotic inserts, I encourage you to give them a try for 30 days. You will then be able to say for yourself how the orthotics felt to you. If they work for you, then that will mean many years of far less injuries and happy running. So make sure to give them an initial try next time you're in for some new shoes. And don’t forget to enjoy Running.

AMEN SETH!!! I know lots of people who swear by the orthotic inserts, including me. Similar story. I ran for about 12 years with lower leg pain and constant low grade shin splints(that were sometimes not so low grade) before trying a pair of these. All my lower leg pain and shin splints went away quickly and has NEVER returned for the last 12-13 YEARS. Three cheers for orthotic inserts!

Deb out!

SLRC Christmas Party Surfing video

2009-12-28T10:09:00.002-07:00

Giving old shoes a new life

2009-12-21T11:24:00.006-07:00

Yeah you're probably hoping this post is about being able to run another 500 miles on your old,worn out, compressed shoes. Hmmm....sorry I can not tell a lie. But, I can say that your old shoes can be given a run at a new life with a person who doesn't have shoes to begin with. For many years we have asked for your old shoes which we then donated locally.

Well, in the last couple of years we have been shipping them to central Mexico to a town called Casas Grandes. This is a special place for Guy and I and the rest of the Perry family. In 1999, we adopted our newborn son, Jansen, from Mexico. Jansen's birth family is from this small town. Last summer, the summer of 2008, we took a trip as a family to this town. We knew going into it that this would not be a touristy town in any way. Yet, we were excited to connect with the people who lived there, take life at a much slower pace and help where we could.

We were lucky enough to be put in contact with the Ed and Gayle Whetten before we arrived to set up doing some volunteer time at a school for the handicap that they started and now run. During our 10 day stay, the reality of what poverty does to people was painfully unavoidable. It was heartbraking to watch good people not be able to get the help they need. Although, on the other hand, it was equally inspiring to watch people like Ed and Gayle put their whole souls into lifting these people out of desperate times. The Whetton's have not only spent years helping the handicap children go to school, but have also been running a medical clinic that gives much needed medical help to all kinds of people in need. Completely unbelievable and humbling to watch how the Whetten's spend their lives only in the service of others.

So, after that experience, which really did change all of the Perry's on one level or another. We committed to trying to do our part as we now feel even more emotionally connected to this

small town that gave us our son. The Whetton's said that any shoes we could send would be a blessing so we promptly started sending them to Casas Grandes. We had no idea how much good they would do. (Read one of Gayle's emails below)

Now that the everyone at SLRC has become a part of this shoe resurrection legacy, we hope that more of you will too. Next time you drop in, bring us your old shoes. Any old shoes will do, not just running shoes. We promise to make sure that they live out the remainder of their days on the soles of someone who will really wear them out!

THE SMILES THAT OLD SHOES BRING -- An email from Gayle Whetton

"our association was established in 1993 by a group of parents with handicapped children. The group has grown from five families meeting to have a little fun together to a school and medical clinic that has helped several thousand people over the years. Our school "La Gaviota" (it means seagull in Spanish) has an enrollment of over fifty children under the age of 18 and twenty seven young adults. The children attend in the mornings and the adults in the afternoon. We do not charge for our services and depend on donations and volunteers to make our program work. We have 5 paid employees (2 teachers, 2 teachers' aids and a secretary) and a physical therapist that is paid a minimal amount to supervise group therapy sessions with the mothers and children. The children that attend our school are integrated into the regular school system whenever possible but many are with us for their entire lives.

We have a medical clinic that provides dental, orthopedic, plastic surgery, dermatology, opthalmology and audiology services to persons that are financially or medically challenged as well as the families that belong to the association. The donated shoes have been an ongoing source of help for our people. First, everyone that attends the school (parents and children) have good shoes, then the shoes are sold to high school and college students mostly, for a very reasonable price. The money generated is used to pay electric and heating costs for the Center, gasoline for the vans, and has helped with two special projects this year.Our school hosted the regional Special Olympics this last summer that included feeding and housing the 10 participating schools. Money from the sale of the shoes helped cover some of the costs.

The second project was a plastic surgery clinic...our first in our newly registered operating room. Funds from the shoe sales helped buy the medical supplies necessary for the surgeries. One of the special patients was a little three-year old girl that had been badly burned. We also corrected 3 cleft lips and a deformed nose. We are attaching 2 photos of the little girl and a picture of one of the babies that had corrective surgery.

The distribution and sale of the shoes is an incredible resource for us. The parents are able to get involved cleaning and selling the shoes (it

makes them feel that they are contributing towards their child's education and services).

The funds help cover our operating expenses as well as special needs...such as supplies for the operating room. We cannot adequately express what a blessing it has been to wonder how we are going to pay for something and find a case (or 4) of

shoes waiting for us in El Paso.

You can also see more about us on our blog at:

laborofloveinmexico.blogspot.com It is a little out of date but it gives a good history of things that we are doing.

Top 5 Winter Running Tips by SLRC staff

2009-12-14T11:56:00.003-07:00

After Reading the following Top 5 Winter Running Tips from most of our employees. Can you pick out what the #1 most common tip is?

Mike’s tips

1) When it is windy, start your run against the wind and have it to your back when you return

2) Stay hydrated

3) Wear Smartwool socks

4) Wear reflective gear (lights, vest, etc) Be seen!!!!

5) Realize you are ahead of most when you train in the winter.

Amanda’s Tips

1. Don't worry about your feet getting wet. If you have good socks they won't and if they do you won't notice. If you do notice, you should go faster.

2. Dress warmly throughout the day. If you are cold just doing the day to day stuff, you won't want to go run outside in the cold.

3. If your shoes are wet from the previous day's run open them up, pull the liner out a little and stuff some newspaper in there.

4. Remember to drink lots of water throughout the day.

5. Get some nice running underwear. It makes a big difference to be warm on your bum.

Brandon’s Tips

1 Running partner to complain with

2 Smart Wool socks

3 Sport Hill infuzion gloves

4 Sport Hill wind protection underwear

5 Pipeline trail-the snow is packed down and the scenery is pretty darn nice

Scott’s Tips

1. Continue to drink and eat gels. Even though it's cold outside, you still sweat. Also your body has to work harder in the winter to stay warm, so your energy demands are actually higher during a run, especially during long runs. I like to fill my water bottle up with warm water to start out with. Drinking ice cold water or frozen water isn't easy.

2. Yaktrax rock. Use them on packed snow for good traction or during a snow storms. Not great on pure ice, or hard surfaces though. Running with them is much easier than not in many situations, and it's safer.

3. Be aware that if you are running outside for the first time, it will be a shock to the system. The lungs may burn and your face will probably get cold. You will get used to it though, so stick with it. The best thing to do is to continue running outside as the seasons change and you will adapt much easier.

4. It's ok to run on a treadmill. I don't like to be outside if it's below 0 and would rather run inside. Incline the treadmill 1-2% to make up for the effort in comparision to the road. It's also a good idea to not run outside on red burn days.

5. Find safe roads to run on. Running on State Street during the winter is probably not a good idea. Back roads tend to be the best, much less traffic to deal with. I also like to run on the left side of the road into oncoming traffic, it's easier for drivers to see you. NEVER assume a driver see's you at intersections or at driveways, be overly cautious.

6. One more just for kicks. Run with a cell phone if you are running alone. Spraining an ankle or getting some other injury (heaven forbid getting hit by a car) can be deadly and you get stuck in the cold.

Travis's Tips:

1. It is mental not elemental. Yes it is cold, but life does not stop so why should your running. Kids still go to school. People still have to work. Shopping still gets done. We still go to parties and travel. We should still run.

2. Expect to start a little bit cold. You will heat up very quickly, but once you are hot it is very difficult to not overheat. Start cold and allow your body to warm itself.

3. Combine layers when possible. Clothing that combines layers is much more comfortable than using individual layers. A light base layer with one heavier top works better for me than multiple layers. Same for bottoms. A heavier pant is more comfortable for me than wearing a pair of tights covered by a light pant.

4. Good gloves make a big difference. It is handy to have a couple of different weights available so you can keep your hands the right temp on different days and in different conditions. If your hands get too hot, the rest of you is hot. If your hands get too cold, the rest of you feels cold.

5. Wool socks!!!! Even if your super breathable shoes get wet a good wool sock will help keep your feet comfortable even in the snow or rain. Waterproof shoes only make your feet more susceptible to over-sweating because the waterproof barrier keeps the sweat in just as much as it keeps the elements out. It also takes waterproof shoes much longer to dry after your run. If you do need to wear a waterproof shoe, once again wool socks are key for keeping your feet comfortable.

Rhielle’s Tips

1. On red burn days run at elevation (go to mountaintrails.org for a list of groomed trails in PC or go to Mountain Dell Golf Course) or go to the olympic oval. Although all gyms and indoor running tracks have filtered air, the Olympic Oval has to keep the air climate controlled and is therefore the Gold Standard. Additionally, most indoor tracks are 200 meters, and the oval is 440, fewer turns = fewer injuries.

2. Running in snow is harder, similar to running in sand, so go slower and run for time not distance. The stuff you are running on is uneven and moves when you put weight on it so your muscles fire twice for every step, once to stabilize and once to propel. You work twice as hard in the snow.

3. To stay upright in the snow, instead of on your bum, run like you don't have shoes on. When you heel strike, you land on the snow with a very small amount of surface area giving the runner very little stability. When you land on top of your foot, you have much more surface area, making you more stable. You can also stay in car tracks where the snow has been moved away a bit. Running on flat surfaces, not hills, will also make it easier.

4. Dressing to stay warm: 1. Use the VIP layering system. 2. No cotton. 3. Wear an extra layer over the core. 4. Buy Smartwool socks and baselayers- they retain heat even when they get wet so you can sweat and sweat and stay warm the whole time.

5. To dry your shoes out after a wet run, take the liner out and stuff the shoe with newspaper. The paper will draw the moisture out of the shoe.

6. Wear reflective gear. Most people don't know that the yellow is not reflective so it doesn't do you any good at night. It is only good to help you stand out during dusk and dawn. The silver, silky stuff is the reflect so wearing something that is a combination of both is very important.

Jesus’s Tips

5.- Plan ahead, we all are busy specially in this time of the year so make sure you make some time available for your run.

4.- Dedicate your run to somebody, whether is your mom, your wife or your dog is a great motivation tool, i use it specially in this weather.

3.- Don't overdress, my biggest mistake when i started to run in the winter was to bundle up to much, keep in mind that you will increase your body temperature by about 20 degrees, so if the temperature is in the 30's dress for 50's.

2.- Wear reflective gear, this time of the year when it gets dark by 5 o'clock you should always wear reflective gear when is dark, you never know when a distracted driver could cross your path.

1.-Base layer up! this is a must, it makes a world of difference to have the right base layer when you need it. My favorite are Smartwool and Craft.

Chris’ Tips

1. Smart Wool socks

2. Along with cold weather comes less day light, so I use my Black Diamond Sprinter head lamp a lot.

3. Vest

4. Sport Hill mens cold weather underwear

5. a fairly tight/tapered running pant or tight

Seth’s Tips

1) Afternoon trail runs. (You will see tons of wildlife, no one is up there and it is warmer)

2) Sporthill pants (Great wind resistance and super flexible.)

3) Amphipod Reflective Vest if running on the roads at all any time. (Holds your ID, Phone, Gel and keeps you from being hit.)

4) Trail shoes, Brooks Cascadia. (The snow is giving you plenty of cushion, the traction is what you need.)

5) Warm light weight gloves, Saucony ultimate Run Glove is my current favorite.

How to run a sub 16 min 5k while pushing a baby jogger

2009-12-08T22:08:00.005-07:00

Yeah, it makes people all warm and fuzzy to see Daddy pushing Baby in the little baby jogger forBaby's first 5K. Aww, shucks! But, seriously people, it is a bit much when Daddy just happens to be Seth Wold and he says things like "I knew that a sub 16 minute 5k with Sage was pretty fast for me, especially with talking with Scott for the last Mile." Uhm...are you kidding me? Does anyone relate here.AT.ALL! (BJ you don't count...ever...because you are a genetic freak too) I mean don't most of us consider just showing up as half the battle of doing a race? So we really don't understand the numbers here. Especially when adding in said baby in baby jogger, then our brains just fry.

BUT, and we all know that word nullifies all other words before it, we do understand sharing our joys with our kids and families. And that is awesome. No matter the distance or the time, passing along our legacy is what keep good thing going. So, thanks for sharing in your new Daddy phase Seth. Even if your crazy fast, we will forgive you. Eventually.

It was super nice to wake up eat a little breakfast, Toast, scrambled eggs and orange juice, and then head to a race with the family. We arrived there 20 minutes early and picked up the race number. I quickly put it on and then wrapped Sage up securely in the BOB running stroller. One snow suit and four blankets later Sage was warm and barely visible. She wined a little as we were waiting on the start line. I rocked the stroller back and forth to help her calm down. Meagan, Sage’s mom has helped Sage become accustomed to the stroller. Thank goodness for my wife.

Then the race started. For those of you, who like me, have never started a race pushing a stroller, it is a little harder to get the stroller up to speed. Immediately the lead pack was ahead. No worry I kept telling myself most of the people that were ahead would slow down to their 5k race pace within the next couple minutes. I was right about that, I just didn’t know how fast some of the runners could go. Scott Dickey, one of the managers at Salt Lake Running Company had a commanding lead up front, so I had to make a move to try to catch him. I put in a surge after the first 400m or so. As I moved past the chase group there were more than a few comments coming from those fast guys. All were surprised to see my 4-month old daughter going for the leader. Scott, who is in great shape, has not raced a 5k all out in quite a while. He normally wouldn’t slow at all during the entire race, but a painful side ache slowed his pace around the second mile. This was just the opportunity Sage and I needed. We soon were running together. Scott told me he had a horrible side ache, and we were a minute or two up on the field, so we both decided to jog it in. It was a perfect Thanksgiving day race. Scott is a great middle distance runner could have easily pulled away from me at the end but we jogged it in together. He let Sage win because it was her first race. Nice Guy huh.

As we approached the finish line I was surprised that it was on a 90 degree turn. But Sage, Scott and I went across. The race director came up an asked if the last cone at the round about had been knocked over. We responded, “What cone”? As we were coming to the round about we had been chatting, and had chosen to go around the left side of the round about. On the right side there was a cone with an arrow showing us that we needed to turn. We cut off 30-45 seconds of the course. Oh Well. Luckily we were far enough ahead that the race director still gave us the first and second place prizes. I knew that a sub 16 minute 5k with Sage was pretty fast for me, especially with talking with Scott for the last Mile. Fun races like this one remind me what running is all about, having fun and improving health. I am glad that I am healthy enough to enjoy this activity with my friends and family. Sage seemed to find the race to be fun. So fun that She slept through the entire thing. That was a good thing, I had prepared myself to stop running if she has unhappy during the run. She comes first whenever we are running together with her in the stroller.

Hurts so good!

2009-12-04T16:15:00.007-07:00

So, Mike is hangin' in there for another week of Crossfit. I am not surprised to find out how much he likes to "play kid games" though since he often likes to mix up his endurance training with grown up man things like basketball and rugby. Yes, folks even runners and triathletes can spend some off season time just playing other sports for the sake of fun. Some of them do wonders for the speed and agility too.

As John Mellencamp has said, “C’mon baby, make it hurt so good.” Yep, that pretty much sums up my 2^nd full week at crossfit. I am not sure if it is the fact that I can’t fully extend my arms, OR the fact that when I do get them fully extended my traps feel like I just tackled a semi-truck. Either way, it hurts so good.

I feel like a kid again doing these workouts. The basic idea behind them is to do a half-hour warmup, whatever really comes to the trainer’s mind. For example, we would run 400’s while tossing medicine balls between us, followed by some intense and fast hopscotch. Yeah, that’s right, intense hopscotch. I am not sure if it warms my legs or my cheeks up more from smiling so much while doing it. Followed by some team drills, think one person jumps rope for 30 seconds while the other does air squats, then switch. There is also the ever so fun “goofy ladder run”. Think of awkward football players trying to have fast feet while running a rope ladder on the ground. I am not kidding when I said my cheeks hurt form smiling and laughing. All fun and games until we hear the actual workout for the day. Then it is time to get serious.

The 10-30 minute INTENSE workout starts after the fun time. Many of the exercises that we do only involve body weight or light loads. Let me give you an example, today it was max rounds in 20 minutes of a 200 meter sprint, followed by 15 thrusters (front squat to below parallel and shove the bar above your head upon standing), followed by 15 kipping (think thrusting your hips to the air and using momentum to get above the bar) pull ups. REPEAT, REPEAT, REPEAT until the time is up or if you boot, in that case, wipe your mouth and get back to it. Not kidding.

The great thing about these workouts is the camaraderie. Everyone in the gym (really a modified industrial garage) is doing it and you are all pushing each other. The only way to truly get the most out of these workouts is to go balls to the wall. That means NO PACING, something that is completely foreign to many long distance athletes. It is tough, builds pain tolerance, and is a killer workout that will result in big improvements.

I have decided to go 3 days on, 1 rest day, 3 days on, etc. I leave every workout exhausted and happy it was only an hour. I also go to bed every night pretty sore and wake up that way as well. I asked some veteran crossfitters today if that will ever change. They told me that it does get better, but the great thing is, your body is NEVER able to adapt because the workouts are so varied. There really is no getting bored here.

For those of you scared to take the plunge here are some of my recent observations: When I look around the room and think I am going to beat others that look like they went to high school with jesus, I get my butt kicked. You are never to old or out of shape to lift your own body weight, in that same vein, your body weight is A LOT more than you think. Proper form is full range of motion for most exercises (not 2 inch squats and half length presses). Proper lifting form produces results, fast (ask my wife as she has commented on my new found arms). Crossfit is kicking my butt and I like it, I like it a-lot!

More to come next week, hopefully by then my arms will be able to straighten.

He said....He said...Compression wear

2009-11-30T08:54:00.013-07:00

Other than the fact that is looks kind of dorky, is there really something to compression-wear? Well, after my own experimentation, I would say that it is worth the money in what it does for recovery. I figure that it is one more tool in the recovery tool chest to add to Trigger Point Therapy and a GREAT sports massage therapist. But, don't take my word for it, Seth and BJ have their own opinions on compression and which brands is their favorites. If you want to look at more info and research, then click on the brand links. Oh, and looking for a great gift idea?

Seth: Compression is another modality that can be used to speed recovery and minimize wear on muscles. For years runners have been using the other modalities; icing/icebaths, elevation, and rest, to speed recovery. These methods are all effective, but I am not patient enough to sit around and wait for my legs to recover. I was lucky enough to have BJ introduce me to compression. The Zensah calve sleeves helped me throughout the hard winter training months as I wore them under my pants to work.

BJ: Compression has been used for many years in the medical community as way to speed recovery, promote healing, and decrease the risk of clotting. Many of us are familiar with the R.I.C.E method of treatment when it comes to injury treatment. It is only recently that compression is gaining strength in the world of athletic performance.

Seth: Zoot was the first compression brand I tried. They worked great, so I was skeptical about the other compression brands. I decided that Skins had put out some pretty good products and that their technology was advanced enough to really work. I slid on the Skins Active use tights. They stayed on me for three days, excluding showers…etc. They are super comfortable. The Skin Fit technology, a precision fit based on your body mass index (BMI) algorithm, helped the sizing feel ideal.

BJ: Regardless of what sex you are, the compression garments made by Zoot are sized based on circumference measurements on the calves, quadriceps, and hips. Using this method makes it possible for the tights to provide the appropriate amount of compression along the muscle. We don’t want it too tight or too loose. I use the recovery tight mostly so I sleep in them so they need to fit comfortably so that I can sleep through the night.

Seth: With wearing the Skins tights so often I am often asked, “Don’t they get stinky?”. This is another important aspect of compression clothing that must be addressed. If a company only goes up to meeting the minimum manufacturing standards for making compression, then yes the compression clothing will trap bacteria in its fibers, and when those bacteria die they will cause the clothing to maintain a stench even after washing it in detergent. But Skins is made with Skin fresh, antibacterial and antimicrobial treatments discourage growth of bacteria and help prevent odor. So, no the Skins don’t stink.

BJ: The antimicrobial effect found in Zoot compression is provided by silver thread found throughout the clothing. This a natural bug zapper on a micro level and actually helps with thermoregulation as well keeping you comfortable all day and night.

Seth: Why wear Skins during your runs? Ongoing testing of elite athletes have proven that Skins BioAcceleration Technology creates marked improvements in reducing the build-up of lactic acid immediately after periods of sustained exercise (2 hours and 15 minutes up to 37% ), and allows for more rapid return to normal levels (up to 38% at 20 minutes).(1) You experience less fatigue, minimize soreness and recover faster. With less lactic acid buildup I am able to run further without cramping up.

BJ: Wearing the compression during a workout has been shown to reduce blood lactate levels by approximately 30% particularly in runs lasting around 1hour or longer. It has also been shown to lower your Rate of Perceived Exertion by about 1 point. This means I don’t feel like I am working as hard at a higher intensity.

Seth: Skins are able to decrease the lactic acid buildup by enhancing circulation from engineered gradient compression. They fit tighter at the ankles and gradually become looser as it comes closer to the heart. This improves the blood flow in the veins. Most veins have one-way flaps called venous valves that prevent blood from flowing back and pooling in the lower extremities due to the effects of gravity. The graduated compression increase the pressure to push blood back to the heart helping flush away the lactic acid, avoiding unnecessary buildup.

BJ: Like Skins Zoot uses a graduated compression formula where it is applying close to 30 mmHg in the ankles and move up to 20 mmHG in the thighs. Using the graduated compression makes the venous return more effective.

Seth: I love to wear the skins on my way traveling to and from events. I wear the compression tights immediately after completing an event and for several days after the event to decrease the amount of recovery time before I can feel great working out again. I love using the compression clothing because I can use it all day at work, and be ready for my workouts after work.

BJ. I was turned on to compression a few years ago and have found it to be an essential tool in my training and racing. I always regret not sleeping in my tights after a hard workout when I know I would have felt better had I done so. I also will travel wearing the tights and feel it is mandatory after long strenuous races. It only takes one night in compression after a hard day for you to become a convert. Compression comes in a variety of modalities what is important is you find one that fits and use it, you will be glad you did.

Going Gluten Free, Is it for you?

2009-11-25T19:47:00.008-07:00

AS PRINTED IN TRIHIVE MAGAZINE OCT-DEC 2009

Not many people like the thought of giving up something they love to eat. But, what if what you are eating is making you sick, slowing you down or stopping the fat loss process. Ultimately, food should do the opposite. It should nourish, revitalize, invigorate, heal and speed up the metabolism. So, to anyone trying to be healthy and perform well, it is obvious that some foods are destructive by nature like sugar, white flour, fried foods, saturated fats, preservatives and etc. If you’re already eating healthy whole foods and still are not getting the results you’re after, some not-so-obvious dietary changes may be worth considering. One of these changes is the idea of going gluten free. Gluten is the protein found in wheat and other grass-based grains like spelt, barley, rye and triticale. Gluten can also appear in “non grain” foods where it is being used as a food additive to flavor, thicken or stabilize.

You don’t have to be diagnosed with full blown celiac disease to ponder the elimination of gluten. Some of the population unknowingly has gluten sensitivity. This sensitivity creates some minor health problems that are not usually associated with what they are eating. The health issues to look for after eating a meal containing gluten are: digestive problems, bloating, intestinal issues, headaches, skin rashes, itching, sleepiness, and/or increased heart rate. Additionally, gluten often interferes with a person’s immune system, which can include these systemic problems: mucous production when not sick, seasonal allergies, foggy thinking, fatigue, aching joints and recurring infections. In a nutshell, a gluten-sensitive person just doesn’t feel energized after eating gluten-containing meals and is plagued with some of the minor health problems listed. If you are suspicious of gluten intolerance, then eliminate it from your diet for three weeks. At that point, it should become more apparent if you are feeling better. Sometimes, after avoiding gluten for a period of time, symptoms will flare noticeably when reintroducing gluten food back into your diet. That is another indicator of gluten intolerance.

So what is a person to eat for carbohydrates after striking gluten off the list? Well, the good news is that maltodextrin, the main source of carbs in your high quality during and post event sports drinks, is filtered enough to remove the gluten even if wheat was used as the source of carbohydrate. Also, many U.S. companies use corn as the source of maltodextrin anyway, and corn is gluten free. So the during and post workout liquid replenishments stay intact, but what about whole food meals? Instead of bread, pasta, bagels and etc, try potatoes, brown rice, hard squashes, fruit and vegetables to meet dietary carb needs. As long as you refuel properly, you will meet your energy needs for the rest of the day without the gluten products. Strive to keep your meals balanced with lean proteins, healthy fats and produce based carbs (with occasional brown rice). This approach will help minimize the difficult adjustment away from your favorite gluten rich comfort foods. It is a tough adjustment for some, but feeling and performing at optimal levels is well worth the sacrifice. And serving your favorite meat sauce over baked winter squash instead of pasta is a yummy place to start. Or in place of your favorite warm, chewy and buttery sourdough dinner roll, you could try…

Chili Pepper Potatoes

4 medium sweet potatoes or yams diced

¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tsp. pwdrd garlic

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp red chili pepper

1 tsp yellow curry pwder (optional)

Sea salt/ground pepper

Dice potatoes to desired bite size pieces or cut into wedges. Peels optional. Place rest of ingredients in a Ziploc gallon bag. Mash bag to mix. Add in potatoes and mix until well coated. Pour all contents onto baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for approximately 30 minutes or until done to desired tenderness.

Crossfit Kool-Aid

2009-11-20T13:12:00.004-07:00

So, one of the endurance athletes I have coached for almost 2 years, has decided to mix it up a bit in the weight room. Yep, Mike, is going to take Crossfit for a spin around the 'ol weight room block. Seriously, here is a guy who HEARTS the weight room, but hasn't given the functional fitness routine a go. Well, I warned him. It may look like it is for girls, but it's like the hardest tempo run going on steroids and forcing you to go lactate with 100 pounds on your back. I don't think he understood the accuracy of that statement until well...until yesterday.

So, if you are curious about this beast, then don't walk into the lair without reading the following words from Mike. He will update us over the next month as he gallantly drinks the ever so power concoction of Crossfit. Here is his pre-workout take and then his first real workout that came charging and snorting like a red eyed beast right into Mike's body.

Uhmm..Mike...next time, don't forget a shield!

Crossfit Kool-Aid

Let me start off by saying that I have been racing triathlons hard for the past 6 years. Numerous M-dot races, numerous 70.3 races, numerous, ahh well, you get the idea. After the debacle of torrential rain that was IM Lake Placid last year, I needed a break, a LONG break from the 3 sport sport. Needless to say, my break is still occurring. Not sedentary, but merely a break from the three headed monster! Enter, weight room!

Last winter I finally got back into the weight room seriously. First time since college Rugby in the late 90’s. The testosterone rush was addicting. I actually hit the pitch (rugby jargon for field of play) again and realized, that stuff really hurts when you can’t wash the pain away with numerous hours at the pub! I decided to hang the boots up and still have fun in the weight room. I did, to the tune of 14 lbs of pure muscle mass!

I had great hopes for this tri season, that is, until I started training! My mind was not fully recovered yet. I guess it takes some people longer than others! Did I mention that Lake Placid was rainy, yeah, to the tune of 4 inches during that hellish day!

Fast forward through the summer, lotsa running, no swimming, and barely any biking. Time for another off-season romp in the weight room. So, I started my first week of lifting 3 weeks ago and it just wasn’t doing it for me. That is when Deb and my good buddy from Ohio, Red, told me about crossfit. Deb had mentioned trying a few workouts, Red had told me to jump in and hold on for the ride.

The next few weeks I am going to chronicle the adventure that is Crossfit. I went to the first class on Saturday, Nov 14^th and heard their philosophy. Intense anaerobic workouts that last from 5 to 20 minutes and completely kick your butt. Yeah, right! A 5 minute lift kicking my 200 lb butt that thrives on the weight room? c’mon man!

Well, I decided I needed a new fitness fix, I have decided to drink the Crossfit kool-aid. I signed up for 1 month. I am going to totally dedicate and immerse myself in this crossfit program to see if it will make me a better 3 sport monster, or at least get me ripped like Arnold!

But, I had my first experience with some functional triathlon crossover and I haven't even officially started. On Saturday, my crossfit coach taught me a new squat technique, putting my big ol butt below my knees. WAIT!!!! Isn’t that supposed to be bad for your knees? You ask. Well, the way he explained it is as follows. “When are you ever going to squat to parallel or less.” Good point I thought, and dropped my butt down. He then asked me to sit on a low box and stand with NO momentum. I couldn’t. I was humbled, embarrassed, and a little peeved! He was pointing out the fact that one can be very strong in many aspects, but lack what crossfit terms, “functional fitness”. Maybe that is why I never really have that biking power I want?

To read more about this functional fitness and crossfit, check out this website http://www.crossfit.com/ . I have my next session on the 16^th at noon. I will blog again later this week to see if this “10 minute of hell” routine is all it is cracked up to be. Apparently this week I learn how to power clean, dead-lift, jerk, and other Olympic lifts the crossfit way. We will see if the kool-aid tastes as good as I remember!

Mike

Now, get ready for blood and carnage boys and girls.

A Whole New Flavor

So, I am almost done with my first week of crossfit. Gotta say, I have really never seen the point in squatting below parallel, using momentum to do a pull up, and other “functional” movements. That is as the crossfit world says. I used to giggle at the “girly men” at the gym that would kip (a form of crossfit hip thrust as you do a pull up) when they do a pull up. I would point at the muscle head that would squat till his trash touches the floor. Well, let me tell you something. It ain’t as easy as it looks.

First off, just trying to get my hip thrust to get a pull up done has caused a mass amount of confusion for my body. Squatting below parallel, well, lets just say that my hips are not quite that flexible. Now, on top of that, throw a 10 minute time limit, box jumps, push ups, and kettle ball swings and a coach yelling at you that there will be no gains unless you go balls to the wall! Lets just say that my guts were on the floor already in my crossfit journey.

So, the week started with a warm up of squats and jogging. We talked some correct form so I would not tag out of this game early, and then onto the workout. My first workout was ten 36 inch box jumps, followed by 10 20 lb kettleball swings, followed by 10 push ups in 10 minutes. The goal was to get as many as I could. And that I did. BUT, let me tell ya something, crossfit is a new game. Total lactate threshold work. I was expecting to blow my coaches hair back. And that I did, with the chunks spewing from my mouth after my last set. SERIOUSLY!

So, the week has progressed, today (Thursday) was my rest day, and I just (read that as 30 minutes ago) am now able to fully flex and extend my arm again. Yep, full on not able to even pick my own nose. G’times. At to think that all of the workouts so far have only dealt with body weight moves. Absolutely zero added weight, apparently this is telling me something. Still trying to figure out what that is!

After almost finishing my first week, gotta say. The kool-aid tastes pretty damn sweet. It has been tough to swallow, but once down, I am liking the taste. I have not puked from a workout since my college rugby days. And to tell you the truth, I like it, I like it a lot. The workouts are intense, full body, 30-50 minute workouts with the hardest part lasting anywhere from 10-25 minutes. I love the feeling of busting my gut with all I have and being able to see results immediately, even if it is simply boogers that I can’t pick;)

Alright, next week I will give more detail on the whole crossfit mind set and let you know if any of my muscles are adapting to the new moves. My guess is that workouts are going to be so varied they will not have the time to adapt. I believe there in lies the benefit of this new cult!

Until then, I’m pouring another glass, or 6, for the next week!

Park City Half Marathon by Jesus Castaneda

2009-11-16T11:43:00.005-07:00

Just want to say thanks to Jesus, one of our SLRC employees, for sending in this race report. I am sure it is no surprise that one of my favorite things about this post is his nutrition choices for dinner the night before and breakfast. Great stuff! No wonder you ran so much faster!

Seriously though, isn't it great to remember our race experiences? What worked, what didn't and why we do it? Time to think back at 2009 and start planning for 2010. Maybe more Half's for Jesus. How 'bout you?

So there I was at the starting line of the park city half marathon. It was a chilly Saturday morning and weeks of training were about to pay off. It was my second half marathon of the year and I was eager to better my time from my first one.

The course of the half marathon was nice and very challenging for me at times. With great views of the area that made me feel sheltered by the mountains as I run as fast as I could. The first half of the race was pretty much all uphill which meant that the second half was gonna be all pretty much downhill, so I took it a bit easy the first few miles just to make sure I was gonna have enough gas on the tank to have a strong finish.

At mile 9 I took my last gel and I was ready to start my strong finish so I started pushing a little bit harder in every stride. Up to that point I was pretty comfortable with my performance and I didn't have any major set backs (no upset stomach or bathroom breaks). I attribute that to a great dinner the night before, my father in-law grilled some salmon and served it with grilled sweet potatoes (it was delicious). For breakfast I had a bowl of quinoa with hemp milk and a sweet potato from dinner plus lots of water. It was great to see my wife Jenn with my kids at the finish line and even greater when I looked at my watch and realized that I had improved my previous half marathon time by almost 10 minutes. I love running, I love the good days and the bad days and I am most thankful for the people who make it possible for all of us to compete in such a great environment. My goal was to better my time and to set a good example for my kids. Their smiles and big hugs at the end was the best feeling after a great event. Thanks to everybody involved in the Park City Marathon and ½ Marathon. I am looking forward to making it a tradition for years to come.

Essential off season leg stability work

2009-11-09T11:27:00.007-07:00

I am sure many of you out there have gone through a knee, hip or ankle problem. Joint issues are very common among endurance athletes,but the good new is that you can dramatically reduce your chance of getting one of those kinds of injuries! Strengthening weak muscles, stretching tight ones and relieving muscle tension should become not just an off season, but year round mantra of any one who doesn't want to get injured.

STRENGTHEN

Most joint injuries are a result of muscle instability. That means that certain dominant muscle are much stronger as compared to weaker large muscles or weaker stabilizing muscles. If this happens then joints, like hips and knees get yanked on too much in one direction by the stronger muscle and not equalized because the weaker muscle groups are too weak to do their job and pull it back into alignment.

For knees and hips specifically, working your abductor and adductors are two of what I consider to be the essential injury prevention exercises. There are some others like different types of lunges, but start with these first. These can be added to your existing leg routine or done at home with stretch cords. I prefer that people do this on cable machines though like the videos below show.

How many? Well, if you have never done something like this before, then start with 2 sets of 10 reps on each leg for about 4 weeks and then add another set to make it three. Or if you are really time crunched, the use this exercise as your warmup for leg day and do one set of 15.

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT, AS YOU AS YOU CAN, YOU BEGIN TO LET GO WITH YOUR HAND AND LEARN TO BALANCE ON YOUR SUPPORTING FOOT. A BIG PART OF THE STABILIZING AND STRENGTHENING GAINS YOU MAKE ACTUALLY COME FROM THE STANDING FOOT AS WELL. YOU WILL NOTICE THAT YOUR STANDING LEG BECOMES TIRED AND BURNS BEFORE THE WORKING LEG.

STRETCH AND RELIEVE TENSION

There are numerous resources that have effective stretches. There are now multiple DVD's and Books on stretching and Yoga for athletes. These are great because they show you poses that you can do when you are tired and don't need any more strength or power work. Just relax and stretch. Flexibility Training is one of my favorite DVD's. It is a great 25 minutes stretch routine and has some good leg stretches as well. Do this once or twice a week will really help your body unwind.

For relieving muscle tension and knots, you either need to have a really good sports massage therapist you see once or twice a month AND/OR you use something like a Trigger Point Therapy kit. You can read that post here.

Oh and, this quick video demonstrated the yoga stretches that target specifically the adductor/abductor muscles we are concerned with today. ACTUALLY, you will have to just do what this video says and then drop your leg the other direction as well(across your body.) to get both sets of muscles.

So, just remember that injury prevention should be a staple part of your year round program. Happy strengthening, stretching and relieving of muscle tension!

Jena's Journey

2009-11-03T10:02:00.005-07:00

Thank you so much Jena for sending us your story. It seems as though that no matter who you are, your goals, your experience or your natural talent level, the dedication it takes to get where you want to go is unchanging. It is so inspirational to talk to all kinds of people and be motivated by their own sacrifices and passionate pursuits through this race we call life.

JENA'S JOURNEY

My name is Jena, I am 31 years old, I have a 7 year old daughter and a 3 almost 4 year old daughter. I got married 12 years ago in May. Before I got married I ran almost every day and I enjoyed running local 5ks. In Junior High and High School I ran Track and Field and Cross Country. A year after High School I got married, and my Husband and I started focusing on having a family. The first 7 years of our marriage we found it was not easy for us to have children and we experienced many failed pregnancies but eventually were able to have our two amazing daughters. During this time, I focused on my children and Husband and I forgot about me. I didn't realize I could balance both taking care of myself and taking care of my Husband

and Daughters. When my youngest turned 18 months old, I decided to make a change. I wanted to be the best Mother and Wife I could be and in order for that to happen, I realized I needed to take care of myself and lose a lot of weight and live a more healthy life style.

In August 2007 my Journey to a healthier happy me began. My oldest was 5 and she had just started school. Her school is 1 mile away from our home so I decided to walk her to school and home everyday, 4 miles a day. Then I started jogging to school while pushing my baby in a jogging stroller with my oldest riding her bike right next to me. I started getting stronger and stronger. I later found some friends to workout with a few times a week and that was very motivating. I decided that I wanted to run a half marathon so I began training by running almost everyday.

On March 28th 2009 I ran my first half marathon in Riverton, Utah and my time was 3:08. After 11 years of not running I was hooked and hitting the pavement again and I ran and completed a half marathon. My husband ran by my side and some good friends followed us around the race with our kids so that they could see us accomplish this goal. It was an amazing feeling to accomplish this. On June 13th 2009 I ran my second half marathon at Bear Lake and my time was 3:09.

As many of you know, Salt Lake Running Co. hosted the Nike+ Human Race on Saturday, October 24th 2009. My Husband and I participated in this awesome race and finished in 1:23:09. This was an amazing race because I saw a lot of people supporting one another. I witnessed friends who had finished who ran back to find friends who still needed to finish and helped motivate them and get them to the finish line. I personally had 2 friends come back and find my husband and I and it was a great feeling to have that kind of support. I came to the practice training runs that Salt Lake Running Co. provided for us the weeks previous to the race and loved the encouragement and support I received from everyone in the running group. The running community is such an awesome bunch of people and running with a group is a great way to stay motivated.

GETTING THE FAMILY INVOLVED!
My daughters are part of my workouts. They watch me lift weights at home and they go on most of my runs with me. I have made a point to tell them that I need to be a healthy happy mommy and so they support me and never complain. I know that my example will be something that they take with them throughout their lives. They enjoy eating the healthful food I make them and they also like to exercise and be active. My husband is also eating better and trying to be more active. He is helping me reach my goals by encouraging me, being very supportive, and he runs in every race that I enter, I love having him there. I am working with a friend who is a personal trainer and nutritionist and she is also helping me reach my goals, thanks Brynnly!

JENA'S TIPS

Since my weight loss Journey started in Aug. 2007, I am happy and excited to say that I am 50+ lbs lighter than I was then. I still have 70 lbs to lose to reach my goals and I know I can and will reach my goal. The message I would like to share with whoever reads this is simple. Your Mind is amazing and you can do anything if you say you can. I hear a lot of people out there making a lot of excuses. Excuses keep you on the couch and keep the pounds on! Surround yourself with a support group, let people know what you are doing, eat better and exercise more and start saying you can, make it happen.
It is not always easy, but I can tell you from experience that it is a lot harder to start from scratch.
Here are a few things that help me stay on track and will help you:

-Weight loss doesn't happen overnight, it is a long Journey , but you will benefit greatly by doing it right.
-Exercise often, get your heart rate going!
-Find a group or friend to workout with or run/walk with.
-Keep a Food Journal, you will be surprised at how many calories you consume in a day.
-Avoid eating out, if you eat out make wise choices and don't finish your plate.
-Weigh in once a week with someone, it helps to have someone other than yourself to answer to.
-Stay Positive, tell yourself you can, your mind is much stronger than you think.
-Set small goals that add up to a bigger goal.
-Reward yourself when you meet your goals, new running socks, some new music on iTunes...
-If you have a bad day get right back to your plan the next day.
-Teach your kids, explain what you are doing and why and they will be a huge motivation and support to you.
-Don't start next week, Start Today!

I just want to say thank you to the Salt Lake Running Co. for sharing my story. I hope that it will inspire many to get out there and make a change. You can do it!

-Jena Marston

Human Race 10K Video

2009-10-26T13:29:00.004-06:00

Thanks to our rising video producers, Dave and Memphis, who work at Salt Lake Running as a day job, we have this vid of this weekends Human Race 10K!

A great time was had by all. As a business, we would like to thank Nike for offering this worldwide 10K and even sending some REALLY nice technical tees free of charge to those who registered. That is a generous give back by Nike for sure! And it was cool to see so many wearing them in the race. Gave it a united human family feel. Aren't we all in this race together?

The staff (and some of their families) enjoyed the opportunity too to set up a Salt Lake City free race location. It was a ton of fun to give people a chance to run just for the joy of it. No awards, no published results, just a 10K course, an aid station(where the kids where in fact NOT chained to the table), a free NICE shirt and friends. Even the weather held out. What a great day!

We hope that this becomes an annual tradition. If you were there and loved it, then let NIKE know. There is feedback tab to the right of the cool interactive world map that shows some of cities participation at this website:

http://nikerunning.nike.com/nikeos/p/nikeplus/en_US/humanrace/?id=race_day

We hope you come back next year...and bring your friends!

BJ's Kona Report 2009-In the heat of the moment, the heart does not forget.

2009-10-19T20:32:00.006-06:00

Kona Report 2009, October 11, 2009

"You can learn a lot about life on the Big island of Hawaii." These are the words of notorious telecaster Al Trautwig. Never have these words rung more true for me than they did yesterday as I made my way to the finish line on Alii Drive. As I write my report on yesterday’s activi

ties I hope I will be able to capture the feelings and lessons I learned as I made my way over some of the most beautiful and harshest environment on all of Mother Earth.

The day was here the moment had arrived and I was feeling ready to perform on the world’s biggest stage. After checking things over on the bike I got my swim skin on that a few days before cut me pretty good on my ribs and knew it would only be worse after the swim today. I caught up to Chrystel gave her my love and with all the other athletes headed into the Pacific. The swim began like any before, a massive push where blows were traded and we swam like spawning salmon to the turnaround. I stayed calm and relaxed in the water and just kept a good steady stroke. I never felt like I was pushing too hard. I felt in control and was having a great race. When I got to the pier, everything was running according to plan. I had a quick transition and I was on my bike a few seconds over 1 hour. I saw Chrystel as I left gave her a quick smile and headed out.

My plan on the bike was to stay in control and then see if I could go harder after the turn at Hawi. But, even more important was making a push after the turn at Kawaihae on the way back to town. This entire week the wind has been blowing from north to south and as we made our way north it was doing just that. I thought to myself, “cool, then I will have a tail wind on the way back”. The wind changed and I had a headwind coming back into town. I realized that the wind here is not predictable other than you can expect it to be hard and above all else don't count on it staying the same. My bike leg was very frustrating from the go, I watched as packs of riders would go by and I would fall out of the draft zone only to be passed by another pack. I felt like everyone had more power than I did. The bike leg was the most painful ride I have had. I tried to pick up the pace but couldn’t. All my power was gone. I had nothing in me. I did not know what was wrong. By that point I was overwhelmed with a lot of negativity running through me and I was

doing my best to push it aside and concentrate on the marathon ahead. I kept thinking about what Chrystel told me, that all I could control was my attitude and I tried really hard to do so.

After finally getting off the bike, I proceeded through transition and got back to my natural environment. I ran well and in control, but I just could not get into my rhythm. Everything was off. I had moments of good pacing followed by moments of wanting to just walk to the finish. Thoughts of quitting even crossed my mind, but I could not let it go there. I went through highs and lows throughout the entire day. My thoughts had changed as my goals changed from my time goals to merely finishing and everything bad that was happening changed as I changed my perspective. I saw Chrystel on the run a few times and she was cheering me on to have a great run and telling me how good and strong I

looked. It helped me so much, but it wasn’t enough. Pretty soon my pace slowed as it did on the bike and there was nothing I could do about it. My body was not responding as I am used to it responding. It let me down and I did not know what to do about it. The pain was all consuming, I thought about my brother Doug at the Spud telling us “even my hair hurt” and I could relate to him at that time.

During my moments of deep pain, frustration, depression, and fear, in those dark times, I would change my thoughts to thoughts of gratitude and love. I was thankful for the volunteers’ who gave me words of encouragement and gave me food and fluid to keep me going. I was thankful for my loving wife who in spite of my imperfections has not quit on me and supported me as I pursue my passion. I was thankful for my wonderful son Will who always brings a smile to my face and is as easy going as they come. I was thankful to be there in the race that not many people get to do and to see truly great athletes perform majestically even when my situation was saying the conditions are too tough. I was thankful to my friends and family for their support. I focused on love as well. One of my fears was that my family and friends would be disappointed in me for not doing as well as I had prepared. I only needed to think of the love in my life and I knew they would not be and would be behind me even on my worst day.

The lessons I learn during my races are not different from the lessons in life. We have good and bad days and moments where we want to just walk or even quit. But during those times, if we take time to be grateful for what is good and focus on the love that is in all things, it will bring us out the pit of despair with renewed hope and spirit to soldier on because the finish line awaits. And no matter what kind of day you are having, it is sure to bring a smile to your face.

One of the most magical places on earth is the final stretch down ALII Drive. It is as if all of the problems and pain you were experiencing before are taken away and you find new life in yourself brought on by the cheering crowd and the finish line. If there is a heaven, I would imagine that it would be similar to finishing an Ironman where the highs and lows of life are gone and only the ultimate high awaits you as you cross the finish line. I say thank you to everyone for your love and support and I hope we can all find strength in each other to overcome any obstacle that comes our way.

Yesterday was a rough day. I never left the pain cave from the moment I got on the bike. I have no excuses, no injuries. I was not sick. Everything was just off. We all have good days and we all have bad days, and yesterday was the worse time to have one of those bad days, but it is what happened. I know I will keep playing the day in my head over and over again, trying to figure out what went wrong, what I could have done different to have a better day.

Now is the time to pick up the pieces and concentrate on the future and the great things to come. I am truly thankful for everyone in my life and all the support I have received. I feel I have let you down and feel such deep sadness.I am picking my head up and looking at 2010 as the year of redemption. I have a goal to come back to Kona and have a stellar race. I will. I know I can, and “All that I can, We will”.

Thank you,

Protein shakes for endurance athletes

2009-10-12T10:58:00.008-06:00

BJ POWERS UP HIS OWN SHAKE. NOTHING LIKE WORKING OUT IN ORDER TO EAT YOUR FOOD!

If there is one thing that you should change about your current eating/post workout recovery habits, it would be the addition of protein shakes. A protein shake accomplishes many objectives at the same time.

First and foremost, it gives your body excellent building/recovery materials. Most people need to eat more raw fruit, more high quality protein and more Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s.) Shakes are an easy and tasty way to accomplish this. Also, by adding smoothies to your daily eating habits, you avoid the probable chemical laden/empty food that you would have eaten instead.

For post workout purposes, recovery shakes are a vital piece in the recovery puzzle. When your body finishes working out, the muscles have a 15-45 minute “glycogen window.” This window is your only chance to quickly restore your muscle’s glycogen levels quickly and easily. The whey protein combined with the fresh/frozen raw fruit will produce a slurry mixture that will hit the bloodstream much more quickly and restore the muscle and liver glycogen much more effectively than solid food choices that have no protein, ie..bagels, bananas. Adding the oil to the shake is extremely important in the area of reducing inflammation, supporting hormone chemistry and also repair work.

Make sure that after a workout your shake has about .5 grams of carbs per pound of body weight. The optimal recovery drink ratio is 4 grams of carbs to 1 gram of protein, so add up what you’re putting in the blender. The protein is easy to measure, but you will have to think through the carbs you have added. After a workout, it is common to need to use not just fruit, but fresh juice and or carbo pro(pure maltodextrin) or honey in order to get enough in.

Food may still be eaten and should be eaten post workout. But, drink the recovery shake first and then eat a meal (more carbs + protein) about 30-60 minutes after that depending on how long you worked out for, how much you weigh and how hungry you are. As a general rule, when exercising an hour or more, make sure to have a meal after you have had your recovery shake. The whole food meal should have similar carb content as the shake for those longer/harder days. On the shorter and easier days, sometimes a good thick shake will hold you for a couple of hours.

If you have not done a workout, you can still have a protein shake for breakfast, lunch or snack (leave out the carbo pro/honey) as they are just great meal replacements. If you try to purchase a smoothie from a smoothie bar, make sure you request to add enough protein to equal at least 20 grams and go without the frozen yogurt varieties. If you want to use the smoothie as a snack/meal replacement, then go with 1 gram of carb(or less) per 1 gram of protein. So that is basically one scoop of protein per piece of whole fruit(or 1 cup berries) used.

______________________________________________________________________________________

ESSENTIAL RECIPE:

1-1.25 cups fresh or frozen fruit (20-25 grams carb)

1-2 scoops (~20-40 grams) whey protein isolate

1 cup liquid— distilled water, fresh juice

1-2 tablespoons flax seed oil

½-1 tsp vit C powder (calcium ascorbate) or EmergenC packet

*0-2 scoops Carbo pro (0-50grams) or raw honey

*Only post workout

OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS

Creatine

Glutamine

Green food,

Super seed

INFORMATION ON SMOOTHIE INGREDIENTS

Fresh or frozen fruit: Fruit contains the sugar fructose. Fructose is the only carbohydrate that will restore liver glycogen and is therefore an important ingredient. In season, local fresh fruit is always a good choice. At other times, frozen fruit is a great option. The cheapest source is Costco’s frozen fruit selection. These bags of fruit are also very good quality as they have been selling some organic blueberries in addition to strawberries and mixed berries. Another option is to peel, break into pieces, and freeze bananas in little ziplock bags. Freeze ¾- 1 whole banana per person per bag or double that if you are always fixing smoothies for two and have a blender that can handle the load. Experiment with fruit combinations to find ones you like. Fresh mangoes, pears and strawberries are great.

Whey protein isolate: A high quality protein that is easier to digest and lower in fat than other forms of protein. Whey protein is also cheaper, non heat damaged and uncontaminated form of protein as well. In order to rebuild muscle and repair cellular damage sustained during prolonged or intense exercise, one must eat sufficient amounts of protein not only after exercise, but throughout the day. There are many places that one can purchase whey protein. The prices vary according to the type of whey protein. Whey protein isolate is the highest quality and can run a little more money. Other whey proteins are blends of hydrosolates, isolates and filtered whey protein. These are still high quality protein sources, but realize that you get what you pay for. Locally, a brand that is economical and pretty good, although not completely isolates is Optimum Nutrition. 1 scoop (about 23 grams) works for many endurance athletes less than 150 lbs (use more if you weigh more.) On occasion, after extremely hard or very long events, one would use more protein.

Liquids: Distilled water is the first choice for a liquid. Sometimes adding soy milk will give the smoothie more of a creamy texture. Plain yogurt will do the trick also. After long workouts, fresh squeezed juice is a must. After a short day, you may not need juice. The preferred juice would be fresh squeezed grapefruits or oranges. Adds great zing, helps alkalize the blood and rev the metabolism. Please avoid using cows milk.

Flax Seed Oil: This oil supplies the Essential Fatty Acids. The dominant fatty acid in flax seed is Omega 3. Our food is filled with tons of omega 6 fatty acids, which are not completely bad, but most people end up with too much of it and not enough omega 3. The human body functions far better with large amounts of omega 3 fatty acids. The right fatty acids will be used by the body to build and maintain healthy cells, shorten recovery time, enhance growth, develop the brain, reduce inflammation, protect joints, provide materials to make hormones and increase your metabolic rate. One should buy flax seed oil sold in dark containers in the refrigerated sections of most any health food store. Use 1 TBS per 50 lbs of body weight per day as a general rule. Double that if you have an injury or inflammation.

Carbo pro: A powdered complex carbohydrate. After a long endurance activity of over 60 minutes, one needs more than the fruit and juice in the smoothie. In this case, adding some Carbo-Pro would be a great idea. This complex carbohydrate will help restore the muscle glycogen used during the aerobic activity. If your body weight is less than about 130, then 1 scoop may be enough. The heavier you are and/or farther you go, the more you will need (up to 3 scoops.) make sure to boost protein accordingly. This product can be purchased at the Salt Lake Running Co. You may also use raw local honey as an excellent carb source.

EmergenC, Green Food, Super Seed: These are all fabulous additions to any smoothie. Any one can use more of these nutrients. EmergenC greatly aids in recovery. Besides the vitamin C it always has, there are good amounts of potassium in it too. Green foods and Super Seed add grundles of good stuff to the smoothie. These items will turn your normal smoothie into a serious super food that will nourish and rebuild your body like nothing else can. These items can be found at any health food store.

Creatine and Glutamine: Many people who have heard of these associate them with bodybuilding. However, they play a great role for endurance athletes as well. These supplements greatly add recovery, increase muscle strength and bolster the immune system. These can be added in powdered form, measured using a teaspoon. Use 1tsp of glutamine twice a day. Refer to a creatine chart for proper dosage.

A WORD ON BLENDERS

The blender is the most used tool in a healthy person’s kitchen. Investing in a good one is worth the money. Check for a blender that has metal teeth on the bottom of the jar that won’t strip out when blending frozen fruit. Hamilton Beach makes a decent one. The blender of all blenders is the Vitamix Super 5000. It is the same kind of blender used in the commercial smoothie business. The home models have a 7 year warranty and will not only blend anything, but last forever. You can also purchase a second dry blade jar to grind fresh grain into flour, or chop herbs. You must order this direct from Vitamix. You can also try the Blendtec blenders. Not too bad either although I still prefer the Vita mix.

The Human Race Free 10K--Oct. 24th, 2009 Highland Dr. location

2009-10-05T10:43:00.018-06:00

Salt Lake Running Company will be hosting a FREE 10K at the Highland Dr. Location in support of the Human Race 10K! It will be on October 24th at 9AM. You don't have to have the Nike tools in order to participate either, just come and celebrate running with other people all over the world on the same day! We even have some training runs to help you get ready if this is your first 10K or if you just want company during your training. See all the info below that will tell what the Human Race is, training runs available and an invite from our Nike Human Race ambassador. We hope to see you there rain, sleet or snow, beginner or experienced.

Frequently asked questions about the 2009 Nike+ Human Race!
EVENT SPECIFIC QUESTIONS

What is the Nike+ Human Race?
Last year Nike hosted the world’s largest running event with nearly 780,000 participants. This year, the Nike+ Human Race is back on October 24. This 10K run will once again celebrate the

sport of running and give participants everywhere the chance to run together with others around the globe. Nike is hosting runs in more than 30 cities around the world, but with nikeplus.com, every city and every road can b

ecome a race day course. By combining the virtual running world with the physical, the Nike+ Human Race is open to anyone, anywhere.

Why did Nike decide to

organize this event?
The Nike+ Human Race is a celebration of runners and their sport. By using tools that we’ve created like nikeplus.com and the Nike+ SportBand, runners can participate anywhere: a country road, an urban sidewalk or in one of the more

than 30 cities hosting a run this year. Our goal is to connect runners with each other.

What is the main goal of the event?
The main goal for the Nike+ Human Race is to celebrate runners and their sport while

connecting them through a worldwide physical and virtual running event.

What makes the Nike+ Human Race different from any other 10k run?
The Nike+ Human Race reaches a large participant base with a global scope all on the same day. We’ve created

access points in cities all over the world while also bringing the event to every runner virtually through nikeplus.com.

Where will it be held?
The Nike+ Human Race will be held anywhere a registered Nike+ runner chooses to hit the pavement. More than 30 cities will have organized physical

races, but the Nike+ Human Race is truly open to everyone, everywhere. If you don’t live in a race city, just sign up at nikeplus.com to participate. Simply use the Nike + iPod nano sport kit, the iPod touch™, iPhone™, or Nike+

SportBand to track your miles on race day. Then you can sync your miles on nikeplus.com to have your results officially counted as part of the race. Race locations include cities around the world such as New York, London, Buenos Aires, Seoul, Tokyo and more.

Want to get registered for the Salt Lake event?
Just go to this link that is the Salt Lake Running Co Registration Page. It is really easy and free!

Do you want your 10K total to add to the world count and you have Nike+ equipment?

Then register at the Nike Plus website.

To help you prepare, we have scheduled training runs every Saturday. Each training run will start and end at our Highland Dr. location and will be supported with mileage markers, water and gatorade, as well as Salt Lake Running Co. employees to answer your questions and offer guidance.

Oct. 3, 8:00am- 2-4 miles

Oct. 10, 8:00am- 3-5 miles

Oct. 17, 8:00am- 4-6 miles

Oct. 24, 9:00am- Nike+ Human Race 10k (YES, THE TIME IS 9AM ON RACE DAY)

Nike Ambassador

My name is Sarah Kay Hoffman. I am an Official Nike Ambassador for the Human Race!

I would love if the people who are registered to run with you at your Location could join my Ambassador Team for this race. It's virtual. They only have to sync up to the Nike+ Site with their Nike+ Gear for it to count for my team.

This is all they do:

1. Join the Nike Human Racehttp://bit.ly/UZ1xd

2. Join my Pied Pipershttp://bit.ly/152Z2N

You can also check out our Blog:http://bit.ly/3A23ml

We are the Pied Pipers!

Thanks so much!
Sarah Kay Hoffman

Turkey Meatballs

2009-09-28T21:47:00.003-06:00

It seems as though one of the challenges of eating lean protein is having it around and ready to eat. It is a great idea to have some recipes up your sleeve that are yummy and make great leftovers. This one fits both criteria. These were actually made for me by Tracy Holly and I fell in love with them right away. The night she made them, she served them with a whole grain spaghetti and a garlic dijon ceasar salad. Very good and I was hooked.

Since then, I have made the meatballs on my own and served them over all kinds of other things like wild rice blend, spaghetti squash, banana squash, yams or butternut squash. I actually prefer these other foods over pasta. I find that I, as well as many others, have a tough time with a lot of gluten and many grains. Additionally, if you have worked out earlier in the day, pasta is just too dense of a carb to have at night if you are trying to manage your body composition.

One of the bonuses of this dish is that the kids like to help make the meatballs. And since that part does my head in, I appreciate the willing help!

Turkey Meatballs

2 pounds ground lean turkey-but not too lean(~94%)

2 teaspoon powdered garlic

2 cups finely chopped onion

2 TBs Italian herb mix or basil/oregano

1 cup grated fresh romano or parmesean cheese

Salt/pepper

2 jars of no sugar added/fresh ingredients only spaghetti sauce

In a bowl, mix all the above with your hands except for the spaghetti sauce. Roll into whatever sized meatballs fits the occasion. Big ones for dinner or smaller ones for appetizers. Place on a baking sheet withe edges (there will be juice that bakes out) and place in a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes or more. When meatballs are done, they may be added, along with all the juices on the baking sheet, to a warmed up spaghetti sauce on the stove or a crockpot. It is best to let them simmer a bit before serving.

Remember to serve with a big green salad! Most of the volume of your dinner should be the salad and the meatballs. The pasta or alternative starch should be a smaller portion than you would get in a restaurant.

Off Season Training Stage 1- R&R

2009-09-21T15:00:00.003-06:00

It has been quite a long year by September for most folks. You may or may not have done a lot of races or events, but usually most people have dedicatedly stuck to some sort of structured program since last Nov, Dec or Jan. Time for a break! Back away from the Garmin, put up your feet and don’t even think about working out hard…or long…or tomorrow…or often. Seriously, there has to be a time every year where you give your body, mind and spirit a vacation.

It would be nice if we could all lie on a Hawaiian beach for a month, but most of us have to find a way to put our bodies through a staycation of sorts. Yes, life goes on, work still happens and the kids are always hungry, but allowing your body to recover, repair and restore is not just important, but VITAL to a life long pursuit of sport.

What needs to happen in this phase of training? And yes IT IS TRAINING! You can’t make a tired and broken body go very fast. So putting fuel back in the mental and physical tank is the priority. And this process is a little different for everyone. But here are some things to consider:

• Let go of structured workouts and schedules

• Do only what you feel like and NEVER force a workout at this point

• Slow down—go for a hike instead of a run. Preferably alone, with friends or family you don’t normally “workout” with because you are “in training.” This applies to biking too.

• Stretch--do yoga or stretch for 30 minutes as a days workout and then take a hot shower

• Do only light core work if you INSIST on strength training.

• Add an extra rest day or two. Stretching is not a rest day. Doing nothing is.

• Don’t get into a pool to swim laps if it brings tears or the thought of “I would rather pour acid into my eyes”

• Never train hard enough to need Endurox or any other recovery product……Okay, maybe just once a week for those of you who just have to do SOMETHING.

• Do something around the house you don’t normally have time for because it just feels good to finally git’ er done without being worried about how it effects tomorrows workout.

How do you mentally recover? Mentally “let it go.” Just let your mind take the vacation too. Stop thinking about workouts, schedules, races, goals and whatever else clutters it up at this point. Turn it off and think about something more important like how the morning light trickles down through the trees during your hike or how fresh the early fall wind feels on your skin as you run and ride easy. Yoga is really good too at training your mind to feel the subtleties that most people want to ignore. And don’t ignore the unstructured silence you may encounter. It is said that in the silence you discover your own shallowness, but it is there you discover your own strengths too. And if you are uncomfortable admitting to such transcendental thoughts, then just don’t tell anyone! But think them…no.matter.what!

How long will it take? Usually at least 3 weeks, but sometimes up to 6 or 8 if you have put your body through a tremendously high volume or intensity over the last 10-12 months. This could be the result of training for multiple ironmans, half ironmans and marathons (which I don’t recommend.) OR maybe you are very competitive in the shorter events and have invested A LOT of time to train hard and race even harder. Whatever the case, if you have put your body and mind through the ringer, have regularly trained over 12 hours a week, trained very hard, raced hard more than 6 times, or done too many long events, then you may need more than 3 weeks. Even if you have just done your first marathon or first year of structured training, but it challenged you more than anything ever has, then take it one week at a time!

When is your body, mind and spirit ready to go again? Physically, you are ache free, loose, flexible, feeling light in the legs and rested overall. Mentally, you have your excitement back! You definitely can wrap your brain around your next adventure and are more than ready to get back into a routine of some kind. Spiritually, you feel renewed, more calm and directed.

This is one of the most fun points in the year when you do it right. When you have properly rested and recovered for long enough, this is when you find the love in what you do again. This is when you can breathe deep and feel no weight on your shoulders. This is also when you are ready to look ahead with eyes wide open ready to chase and catch the next, even higher state of becoming at true athlete. What is a “true athlete?” Well, that is something that is available to anyone at any level. It is worth you pondering about and a discussion we will have another time!

2 good legs--Lorie Hutchison

2009-09-14T11:41:00.002-06:00

Our guest blogger today is Lorie Hutchison. She has found a way to turn what she loves into a way to serve others. Her mission is to raise money for the Challenged Athlete Foundation(CAF) through running. Thanks Lorie for reminding us to be grateful and giving of the strengths, health and talents we have.

How do I condense 25 years of running down to a page?Especially when the only part of the last 25 years that I really care about has not happened yet, and is only days away from beginning.

I began running in college when I decided that triathletes looked so cool. They had hard bodies with numbers written in black ink on their arms and legs and lots of specialty equipment. I kept at it until I just could not stand jumping into a cold swimming pool one more time. I still remember sitting on the edge of the pool at the University of Utah hating the fact that the water was so cold and the only way to swim was to submerge myself in it. I sat there for about 5 min and finally decided that I should not force myself to do something that I hated that much. So I left. I went to the dressing room, put on my biking clothes and decided to become a biker. Biking was and is fun, however the cars and the pavement hurt, and then I just got scared. That is when I became a "runner." I love running because it is relatively inexpensive, I can do it anywhere and so far I have been able to avoid cars and most of the pavement.

I ran my first marathon in St. George in 1988 or 89. It was the hardest thing I had ever done. I swore I would never run another one. I was sick at the finish line and it took me most of the day to recover and I was sore for a week. But just like everyone else who has ever run more than one marathon the pain and nausea eventually passes and so does your memory of just how horrible it was. Now I run marathons as my training runs for my "big" races.

I went to the dark side and started running Ultra Marathons in 1999. There are very few things in life that bring me as much joy as running in the mountains on trails. I have been chased by moose, rattled at by snakes, stared down on a trail by a baby skunk, scared up many deer and elk, attacked by hawks and still waiting to see a cougar. I love being in the mountains. That is why I am still running ultras. My running resume is at www.2goodlegs.org if you are interested in dates, times and finishes.

What I really care about now is combining my love of challenging myself and my desire to open doors for people to do the same thing for themselves. I have teamed up with the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) to raise money for physically disabled people. I want to help those who want to be active, push themselves, or just get back to the activities they did before they lost a limb or use of their legs.

A few years ago, good friend contracted an infection that nearly took her life. She lived but she lost her right arm and both legs. She may have lost a lot of parts but she kept her character, sense of humor, and determination. She received a grant from CAF for a bike, which allowed her to return to an active life. I want everyone to be experience that. I want people with physical disabilities to be able to have the tools they need to pursue what helps to bring joy into their lives. Money should not be a barrier for someone to be able to run, hike, bike, fish, canoe... Go to www.2goodlegs.org and watch the short video. You can see the determination in the athletes’ eyes and hear it in their voices.

Beginning Sept. 17th I am going to run from the Idaho/Utah border to the Utah/Arizona border, one marathon at a day, for 17 days. My 17th marathon will begin with the St. George Marathon and my 18th day will be a 9 mile “recovery run” to the Arizona border! I invite you to come and run with me or visit me and my "Bionic Team" at one of the events along the way. The "join the run" link has an events calendar that identifies the route, events, locations, and times. During the run I will be wearing a SPOT tracker so you can track me at any time. Most importantly, please go to the website and donate! Prosthetics are very expensive. One running leg costs $36,000! Money should not be a barrier for people to do something that we do for free! Come run with me, donate, and meet amazing, determined athletes.

TJ Tollakson--It all comes down to the run

2009-09-08T10:34:00.013-06:00

Last month, we were lucky enough to have TJ Tollakson come and give some great information during the Jordanelle Triathlon packet pickup. TJ is a pro triathlete (here is his blog about SLC) who worked his way up from an engineer racing the age group scene up to Ironman 70.3 pro champion and a full Ironman force to be reckoned with. It was fun and interesting to hear his story. And I think that TJ’s background is a good example of how important it is to know your limitations and then commit to making that limitation a strength. He rose to the top ranks of age group elite using, oftentimes, the fastest bike split of the day. But, when considering taking the next step into the pro ranks, it became obvious that TJ would indeed have to focus on improving his run leg.

After being swept up into the USA Triathlon Olympic training center in 2005, TJ started learning from the best coaches and athletes in the world how to train effectively for the run (and everything else!) That trend continues today as he has moved into the world of the longer races and is always training with and learning from other world class professional triathletes and coaches.

It was great to hear what TJ had to say on not only run training, but several training topics. Here is the 30 minute podcast from that evening where he gave easily applicable ideas for all in attendance. His talk was followed by some fabulous Q and A. The presentation generated information on the following topics :

Run training tips-which workouts are important
Run workout examples
The difference between an open marathon and ironman marathon
Bike/run (BRICK) workouts for olympic distance, 70.3 ironman and full ironman tri’s
Practical beginner triathlete tips
Long race nutrition tips

Oh and one last thing. We want to give a big thanks to not only TJ and his equally talented, although more beautiful, girlfriend Ashley for coming, but to Ryan Dolan from TYR swim company for arranging TJ’s special trip.

PODCAST-- download or stream

Marathon tips by Seth Wold

2009-09-01T17:42:00.003-06:00

I would like to thank Seth for sharing some of what he does to prepare for and race a marathon. Some people may think that fast people do things totally different, but I know runners at every level who approach their marathons the way Seth is describing. The commonalities are consistent and adequit preparation, well thought out objective race goals, well planned preparation and focused on tasks do be done not how they feel during the race.

Marathon Preparation and Race Day Rituals of Seth Wold

I am a young new marathon runner who enjoys running enough to compete in all of Utah’s major marathon’s this year. In my past two years of marathoning, I have won the Ogden marathon twice, won the Utah valley marathon, and placed respectably in many other marathons including; Salt Lake, Deseret News, Bryce Canyon Half, Top of Utah Half, etc. In 2008 I went and competed in the US marathon championships, placing 28th overall. I married my highschool sweetheart who is also a runner. We were track captains together, and then both ran in college.

The mind set for marathoning. When preparing for a marathon it is important to create a realistic goal. This goal should be a measurable result which you can control. For example, I shouldn’t go into races with a goal of taking a certain place, because I can’t control who comes to the race or how well they will perform. But setting a time, heart rate, or effort goal helps me run strong no matter what the race day circumstances may be. As part of this goal, find a marathon training plan with daily workouts written out. (i.e. The Salt Lake Running Company Website is a good place to start;)

The next step in mental preparation for a marathon is just as important as the first. Reevaluate your goals weekly. You may find that an injury has slowed the progress towards running to your goal. This is OK. It is normal to hit speed bumps along the way. Just be proactive, and find ways to overcome, and prevent future injuries.

The most important part about marathon preparation for me is remembering why I am training for and running the marathon. I am in it for the fun. It feels good, and I gain a real sense of accomplishment from preparing for and completing such a large goal. It is hard to stay consistent with training for a marathon. But the feeling I get completing a race is so great that it is worth all the hard solo runs I muscled through in preparation.

Race day thoughts for me are pretty simple. I think positively about all the work that I have put in preparing. Sure, I could have trained harder, but I am happy with what I did. I have my gels (taken every half hour), salt sticks (taken every hour), and sport legs (taken every 2-3 hours) measured out in plastic bags pinned to my shorts. My shoes fit, with a pinky to thumb width in front of my longest toe to the end of the shoe. I am wearing tech clothes; singlet shorts, socks and gloves when needed. I have applied a liberal amount of Body Glide to avoid painful chafing late in the marathon. With all the physical needs taken care of I shift my focus to the mental aspect.

The gun goes off and I get out quickly to settle into my planned race pace. I feel out the field to see who I should run with. Once I decide to run a certain pace I try to relax my breathing, even out the cadence of my steps and slow my heartrate. I glance occasionally at my Garmin to check the pace, because I don’t want to stress too much if I am feeling good. I am always relieved to see the aid stations, and I grab waters in both hands so that I can stay hydrated. By focusing on doing all the little things, eating gels, drinking water, controlling my breathing and racing according to how I feel, I gain confidence and I am able to race the marathon a mile at a time, rather than mentally attacking the whole marathon at once.

No matter how the marathon finishes, I am genuinely happy with the results. Whether I obtained my goal or fell short I am happy that I had the courage to go for it. If some of my competition has a great race, then I am ecstatic for them. It is fun to watch others achieve their goals, and inspiring to watch others continue to try to catch an elusive goal.

Downhill running

2009-08-20T14:13:00.007-06:00

"Are you sure this is worth it?" That is the question I hear runners say in the days following a serious trail run that forced them to fly down the mountain at dangerously high speeds. Usually, the question is a results of the fact that they can no longer walk normally, or turn over in bed without discomfort, or (heaven forbid) go down down stairs. Yeah, those quads take a Humungous beating when you spend any decent length of time running downhill. But, the question still remains, "Is this going to help me?"

Why so sore?

Well, let's address the reason why you can get so unbelievably show stopping sore following a downhill run. There are three reasons for this.

The first is pretty obvious. You are hitting the ground a lot harder than normal and therefore causing more shock to travel through the muscle tissue. This shock wave will break blood cells in your feet and legs (footstrike and compression hemolysis,) as well as cause more microtearing of the muscle tissue than your are used to.
You are using stabilizing muscles and connective tissues that you don't normally use any other way. Therefore, the small stabilizers in your ankles, adductors, abductors and hips can really feel beat up since they have to work harder than normal.
You are putting yourself through the most destructive form of natural weight training. Eccentric contraction. That means that you are forcing a heavy load on your legs when it is in the proccess of elongating. So each time you land on your weight bearing foot, your quad is going through full extension and fighting your bodyweight and gravity at the same time. The happens on a flat road too when you run, but it is pretty obvious that you are putting a much heavier load on your landing leg when going downhill so again, more damage.

Is it good for you?

How could it not be? No really serious here, I know that at first it seems like there is no way this much soreness could help a person. But, like anything else, if you work into gradually and then do it consistently, you will benefit. I have run some of my fastest run times just off of running long and hard mountain trails and working the not only the uphill, but the down too. Such a great break from structured workouts.

Downhill running will help you change your rhythm to a faster stride rate. Most runners need constant reminders through speedwork on the track and/or downhill running to keep their cadence up. People who run fast have fast turnover rate at about 90-95 footstrikes(per right leg) per minute. So going down hill is a great way to program yourself to do this without having to give the harder interval effort on the track/road to get it done.
Downhill(and trail running in general) is excellent to help strengthen your stabilizer muscles. There are quite a few injuries that result from overtraining of large muscle groups combined with undertraining of the small stabilizers and connective tissues. Running on road does solve this problem. Running on trails and especially down hill sections on the trails goes a long ways towards targeting many more complementary muscle fibers.
You will develop strong and fabulous calves. Because your calves are undergoing the eccentric contraction(elongation) under heavy load they will become very strong ;over time and look great! There is no calve machine...in any weight room...ON.THE. PLANET. that will make your calves as strong as downhill running. That is because you just can't put enough weight on the machine while your calve is in eccentric movement to match the force of running downhill. The most well developed calves that a sports scientist will see will be attached to a mountain trail runner. And in Utah we have plenty of those mountains.
What goes down must have come up first. I am sure I don't need to explain that part of the principle accept to say that if you choose the right trails to do your downhill running on, then you have to give a good effort to get to the top. The best trails I know are the ones that have epic uphills(elevation gains of 1000-3000 feet) that force great strength work and, at times, threshold heart rates. A good hard climb makes the downhill speed training that much better. You will get a very well rounded workout this way.
It's mentally refreshing, always changing and beautiful. How much better can it get!

Words of caution

Like any new or neglected form of training, work your way into this. The most sore you will EVER be from a run workout will be from doing a huge down hill day when you are not used to it. So, do shorter versions and choose hills that are more runner friendly at first. After a couple of break in sessions, you will be able to run some very difficult and long down hill routes with out needing a wheelchair for the next week.
Keep some downhill running in your normal routine weekly. With the above statement and other tips in mind, it is a good idea to do some good downhill time each week even if it is on the roads.
Do the difficult mountain downhill trail runs no sooner that 2 weeks out from your key event. Even if you are used to running down, there is still plenty of muscular damage that lingers. Therefore, place the great mountain peak runs far enough away for you to recover. Usually, that is at least 2 weeks.

Late summer and, most especially, fall are some fabulous times to take advantage of the Utah mountains. You will get some great training benefits and have a blast doing it!

Marilyn Monroe had it figured out!

2009-08-02T22:13:00.014-06:00

ALRIGHT LADIES, DO YOU NEED ANY OTHER REASON THAN THE FOLLOWING PICTURES TO LIFT WEIGHTS?

Rumor has it that she woke up at 6am to go for a jog and lifted to keep her womanly curves looking good.

AHHH YES...A REFRESHING FLASH BACK TO THE PAST WHERE MARILYN MONROE'S REAL FIGURE COMPLETE WITH BROAD SHOULDERS AND SERIOUS HIPS WERE IT!

Electrolyte capsules-salvation in a gelcap

2009-07-28T17:54:00.006-06:00

There is always a lot of talk about hydration and electrolytes for longer races and many an athlete gets scared off by the term “hyponetremic.” But, when do you actually need to start using electrolyte supplements? Don’t some of the gels and drinks have electrolytes in them? How much do you need per hour? Do you get enough sodium from your diet to compensate? Well, grab a salt shaker and have a quick read. Okay, not really. Grab some water with a Nuun tablet thrown in and then take a seat.

Daily intake
First and foremost, let’s get the daily sodium thing straight. You don’t need more sodium added to what you are currently eating. Trust me, most Americans, athletes or not, need to cut back. But, you already knew that right! However, there are times in the day or two leading up to a long and hot race, that many a pro/elite athlete can be found adding salt to their meals more than normal. Just realize that these people aren’t doing this day in and day out. Only coming up to a race or during extreme training. For the rest of us, back away from the salt shaker… and canned goods…and frozen foods…and boxed meals…and restaurant food…and

Race day intake
If your event is under 2 hours long: most gels and/or drinks will have enough in them to do the job. The only exception is if the weather is hot (80F+) and humid(65%+) or much hotter than you are used to. In that case, it is wise to take a one hour dose as outlined below.

If your event is over 2 hours long: Now it is time to plan on taking in what you really need to perform and feel your best. This is a tough one because everyone’s needs are different. I have seen people say they are happy with 300mg of sodium an hour while others go with 500-600mg/hr. The most I have seen is 1000mg/hr for a hot and humid ironman.

Now is the time to plan out your nutrition intake for your race. You have got to sit down and take a look at what gel/drink you will be taking in for carb needs and find out how many electrolytes are already in them. Make sure you are getting all the electrolytes too. That means sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium.

The average dose is going to be based off the sodium number with most athletes taking in about 300-500 mg/hour. If you are a heavy sweater with salt stains on your clothes, are racing in a hot, humid environment, and/or still experience cramping then up that hourly dose. Personally, I took in about 500-600mg/hour during Hawaii 70.3 and felt great.

Products
Some people at electrolyte powders or drops to their drinks, but most people prefer to take capsules with them. Just remember to read the label for dosages and add that number to the sodium you will be consuming through other race day carbs. You can carry your gelcaps in a baggie that can be put in a racebelt or short pocket. Also, there is a cool little gadget for bikes and racebelts called saltstick that will hold your caps very well and are easy to get to. Another option is Nuun tablets that can be dropped into water or even put on your tongue to dissolve(well, at least that is what Desiree Ficker did when she took second at Ironman Hawaii.) The already come in a convenient dispenser.

We have all these products for you to try at SLRC so make sure to try out what you think you will need on your longer workouts. If you want to look at labels ahead of time, just click on the pictures and that will lead you to the product website. So now is the time to pick your poison and let the “good times” roll!

BJ's Ironman-A new PR at Ironman Couer D'Alene

2009-07-20T12:54:00.004-06:00

So here is BJ Christenson's Ironman Couer D'Alene race report. At Salt Lake Running Co we are very happy for our Draper Sales Floor manager in not only running a fantastic race, but grabbing another slot for Ironman Hawaii. Like other elite athletes, BJ has endured many dedicated hours over many years to run races like this one. Yes, he has earned his way to Kona before, but we look forward to BJ's next attempt this coming October to put together more pieces of his personal pursuit puzzle. And Ironman Couer D'Alene has definitely given him yet one more experience and hopefully a few more key pieces to slide gracefully into place.

I guess using the term PR in an Ironman or any triathlon for that matter is not exactly the correct term. Every course is different and some are prone to helping you get to the finish line faster. Ironman CDA, as most people call it, is not exactly a course designed for going super fast. Racing an Ironman however isn’t really about speed. First and foremost it is about getting to the finish line and celebrating that achievement with those who helped you get there. That being said, it is especially special when you get to that line with a good race in your hand and a Kona Slot in your pocket.

Lake Couer D'Alene is one of the most scenic and beautiful lakes in the Northwest. At 7 AM June 21, on the shores of the city beach the lake turned white with mankind’s impression of spawning salmon. Let’s face it with 500+ dollars on the line I would hope you did your homework. I felt ready for the swim but it was one of the more difficult swims I have done. I like to call the swim in an Ironman as the Warm-up, but the lake didn’t seem to like it because the more we swam forward the more it felt like the lake was trying to through us back out. I felt ready for the swim but it was one of the more difficult swims I have done. It was a very rough swim out there and very difficult to find a line and hold it. One thing is for certain, after swimming in that I don’t think they will cancel the swim in St. George next year no matter how hard it gets.

Leaving the swim is a mass of noise. With a rough swim like it was this year, it made for a little bit of disorientation. Once I was free and clear of my wetsuit, I headed to the changing tent and found it a little more crowded than usual. I quickly put my cycling gear on and I was out the door to my surprise before most of the people who beat me there. I grabbed my bike and hit the road. Just like the beauty of the lake, the bike ride in CDA is breathtaking, in more ways than one. I always make a mental note of the people who pass me on the bike and focus on limiting my losses before the run. The bike course is full of hills as you make your way around Hayden Lake and the surrounding area. I had to really stay focused to keep my mind on task. By mile 91, I was starting to wish the bike was over not that I was totally hating it I just didn’t have a lot of miles on my legs and my lack of cycling was starting to show. On the plus side the clouds had moved in and the temperature was staying cool yet comfortable.

In my past Ironman’s cramping has been a big concern. So one thing I tried this time that I like to call the winning combo is the combination of Salt Stick salt tabs with Sports Legs--another supplement I have found to be very beneficial. I had no cramping the entire day so I guess it worked.

Finally I was able to get off my bike and start focusing on the people who passed me. There are many ways of tracking your progress on the bike and on the run and a lot of people are obsessed with pace and speed but for me it is all about the heart rate. It is the one number I look at and in reality the only one that matters. As I left transition I found a comfortable pace and checked my HR as long as I am below 160 bpm I can sustain the pace. I took a look at my competitors at the first turn around and realized I would have to be patient and not get down on myself if I was going to catch them. Little by little they started to come back and I kept my pace consistent. By mile 15 I had almost caught everyone who passed me on the bike. The run was a 2 loop run so by the second loop it started to get more difficult to spot who is in front because we start mixing with other athletes on their first loop. I started to feel myself fade as I reached the final turnaround and started to think to myself why I thought this would be fun. I kept moving in and out of mental focus as I made my way to the finish. My wife Chrystel was on the course at various points always snapping me back into the world of reality and the task at hand. Finally I had reached the juncture in the run course where you start to envision how good it will feel to be done.

Making the turn down Sherman Ave you have one long stretch down hill until you cross the finish line. It is there that you get to hear the most famous words in Ironman escape the lips of Mike Reilly, "You are an Ironman!" I had a great day and was happy to have Chrystel there at the finish line. Completing an Ironman usually takes a team of people to help you get ready. Without the help and encouragement of my wife, I am certain it would not have been possible for me to have the day I did.

My thanks go out to the volunteers who volunteered that day and to the support of my friends and family. My goal going into CDA was to qualify for Kona and that I did. I also learned a little bit more about myself and what it takes to improve in Kona. Congratulations to everyone who made it to the finish line that day and in the words of John Collins, brag for the rest of your life.

Green Food-- Nature’s Powerhouse

2009-07-07T12:34:00.010-06:00

Some people call it lawn mower clippings, some jungle juice, or maybe wetdog. Whatever you name it, it is still good old green food. Is it really that bad? Like wet dog bad? Well.....maybe at first. I think I gaged the first time or two(or three) I tried it, but since my desire for optimal health was strong, I stuck with it and lo and behold I have come to find that yes! Green food really is natures powerhouse! And now, I crave a nice jungle shot to right every wrong and bring peace and harmony to my body.

So here is the real deal on green food. I get people asking me what kinds of foods and/or supplements they should be adding to their diet. While I did a short blog on multivitamins, I would be remiss if I did not now mention the multicategorical item of Green Food. Seriously, a good green food will be both a food and a supplement. It will fill the gap in the lack of whole food produce intake, provide protein,cholorophyll and vitamins, minerals and enzymes. When people are really struggling with immunity or training hard (or breathing on a daily basis) I recommend that they take this every day. It does an amazing job at helping people just flat out feel better and gives them a bit of an energy boost too. I know of people who say they feel more calm and relaxed after taking it. Sounds kind of out there, but green food does a nice job at restoring a healthy balance to the alkalinity of the blood and some of the chemical/hormonal pathways in the body.

So what is in Green food? Well there are different brands and shapes and sizes, but all in all, green food contains different combinations of dried grasses, algae, vegetables, legumes and sometimes fruit. The best products are heavy in the grasses and algaes(like spirulina) and usually have some added enzymes too. They are sold in powdered form and have to be mixed with a liquid or thrown into a smoothie. Now, you can get capsule versions of some products, but it is easier to take the full dose as a powder rather than alot of capsules. Also, the body seems to absorb the mixed powdered versions better and people feel the effects more strongly and immediately. Whatever product you decide to use, just remember that if you don't like the taste right off, you have to committ yourself to taking it for 3 weeks NO MATTER WHAT! Just mix it in only 4-6 ounces of water and slam in one gulp. I promise that after 3 weeks, you will be fine with it. But, you do have to hang in there and do it for the sake of your body. If you are going to mistreat your body with flour, sugar, damaged protein and preservatives, then give it a break and help it recover and restore by taking green food. If you aren't ready to make any other changes in your diet right now, then at least do this!

Oh and here is an excert from a great article on Green Food from CoryHolly.com that talks a bit more about the importance of green food and most especially Spirulina. Also, the above pictures of the green food containers are linked to those product specs and reviews on iherb.com

Functions
In case you haven’t noticed, a very large and impressive category of “green foods” has established itself within the domain of the natural foods industry. The GREEN MACHINE has permeated every sector, providing nourishment and life’s missing ingredients to athletes,young children, busy executives and convalescing seniors. So many of us are adding these concentrated, freeze-dried superfoods to our dietary menu, hoping for more energy,improved detoxification and a reliable source of antioxidants, enzymes, vitamins and minerals.

Let’s be honest. Few of us consume the quantity of organic green vegetables we know are necessary to augment a good diet. Green plants, like spinach, kale, spirulina and chlorella,sustain our bodies with chlorophyll - that magnesium rich, alkaline green pigment responsible for converting the energy of the sun into living matter. In fact chlorophyll should really be classified as an essential nutrient. Its positive affects on wound healing, organ restoration and athletic performance are truly phenomenal.

Many excellent varieties and choices of green foods exist - powdered mixtures which combine a plethora of exotic and health-promoting substances, such as plant extracts, enzymes, lecithin, friendly bacteria (probiotics), alfalfa, barley, wheat grass, bee pollen, seaweed - all in a base of algae, the focus of this article.

Spirulina is a blue-green algae. Its natural blue pigment is called phycocyanin, a compound known to protect the kidneys from the adverse effects of certain drugs. Spirulina has a filamentous structure with soft cell walls that are easily digested. Spirulina is about 60% protein, so in terms of protein density it stands alone in naturally occurring foods. To give you a practical perspective, 10 grams of spirulina provides 6 grams of protein, compared to the same weight of fresh whole egg (1.2g or 12%) goats milk (.4g or 4%) halibut (2.7g or 27%) soybeans (1.7g or 17%) or venison (3g or 30%). In terms of net protein utilization (NPU) however, spirulina takes a back seat to eggs (94%), milk (82%), fish (80%) chicken (67%)and soy (61%). Spirulina scores a modest 57%, but because it is so high in total protein content, it actually outscores every example mentioned in terms of total usable protein. spirulina sports a milligram of iron per gram, thousands of bioactive enzymes, omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, trace elements, a 2:1 potassium to sodium ratio, 2 mcg of B-12 analogues, superoxide dismutase (SOD), 10 mg of gamma linolenic acid (GLA), mixed carotenoids and 3 mg of beta-carotene, making it the world’s most concentrated source of this provitamin. Most people are carotenoid deficient and taking spirulina as a supplement could immediately remedy this concern.

Supplement Recommendations
I have consumed spirulina for more than twenty years in powder, capsule and tablet form. My favourite method involves adding 10 grams of Hawaiian spirulina pacifica to my post-workout protein shake, where it is mixed into a slurry in a blender with fresh raw bee pollen and whey protein isolate (among other things such as organic fruit, The Sport Oil, creatine, etc…). I also use a green mix which includes spirulina and chlorella. First time users should start out with 500-1000mg and build up gradually. It’s one of Nature’s most potent super foods, so ease into it just like exercise. Spirulina can be taken before exercise, between meals or combined with other foods. Get creative.

So it is time to give this a go!!

4 X 1 mile repeats-bread and butta baby

2009-06-29T22:51:00.003-06:00

One of the biggest mistakes most runners and triathletes make is that they don’t do much in the way of speedwork. I admit that it really is fun to go out with a friend for a 60-90min run and chat. And there is even a place in appropriate training for that. However, if you are trying to get faster and/or would like to stimulate your metabolism a little more, then here is a great workout to help mix things up without being too overwhelmed. And this kind of workout is very different from the shorter speed intervals that I have put out there before.

WHAT: 4 X 1 MILE REPEATS WITH 60-90 SECONDS REST--Well, that is pretty straight forward and simple to understand isn’t it?

WHERE: This can be done as 4 laps on a track or take out on the road if you have a very accurately measured coarse. At our house, we actually have a meter wheel (yes, we are THAT nerdy) and we have measured this kind of thing. Technically, a mile is 1609 meters, but in order to match the track version we just go with 1600 meters so we can compare times.

WHY: This workout is a great way to do some lactate threshold training. That means that you are teaching your body how to run faster before being overcome by lactic acid. Now, lactic acid is a byproduct of your body burning glycogen for fuel (and this is what you burn as you go FASTER than conversation pace,70% of Max Heart Rate, all the way up to running almost anaerobically which is as short and fast as 800 meters.) The lactic acid produced by the body actually gets constantly reabsorbed and also used as fuel. Cool huh? Well the problem comes when you go fast enough, you create more lactic acid than your body can use and reabsorb, so it starts building up and lowering the alkalinity of your muscle. Your muscle becomes acidic enough that it loses electrical impulses and becomes tough to fire and contract at full strength. Mile repeats help your body begin to adapt to higher lactate levels, become more efficient at reabsorbing lactate and eventually run a faster pace at that higher lactate threshold level before becoming overloaded and shutting down.

WHEN: This mile repeat workout can be done once a week with every 4th week or so either doing only 2 or just resting. Give yourself at least a day of rest before and after before attempting another type of hard day or long run.

HOW: Well, just remember that you have to do 4 of these and you want them AS EVEN AS POSSIBLE! So if you run the first mile in 8:05, then all the other miles should be within 5 seconds one way or another. If you have never done these before then pretend you actually have to do 5 or 6 and that will help you not go to fast on the first one or two. Even when you finish the 4th one, you should be able to run a 5th one IF YOU ABSOLUTELY HAD TO! However, if you are totally wiped out, then you did them too hard. You need to save that kind of effort for a race. And you need to be able to wrap your brain around doing this kind of workout each week. So start easy and build confidence by getting faster instead of blowing up.

WHAT YOU LEARN: You learn two big concepts by doing this kind of workout:

First you start learning how to be mentally focused and tough enough to do this kind of work. That will transfer over beautifully to a race since it will develop the many of the mental skills needed to run faster.

Second you learn what you can run a 5k or a 10k at! The average pace you run for each mile is pretty much what you should be able to string together for a 5k. So if you run an 8:00min/mile average, then that is the pace you should be able to race a 5K IF YOU ARE MENTALLY FOCUSED. It won’t come easy, but it can be done. Also, if you add about 15 seconds per mile (maybe a hair more or less,) then you have the potential of running a 10K at about 8:15 per mile.

So if you are ready to try something new, then give this a go!

Ice Baths--Recovery on the Rocks

2009-06-23T20:58:00.004-06:00

One of the best ways to be able to help your body handle a regular routine of intense and/or high mileage workouts is to plunge feet first into the recovery ritual of ice baths. What does such a bone chilling experience have to offer? The benefits lie mostly in the reduction of post workout inflammation and muscle soreness. Many endurance athletes come back from those harder days feeling much more refreshed the next day if they implement this cheap and easy post workout therapy. In fact this is one of the secrets that elite/pro athletes consider to be a necessary part of training and racing. So, how do you properly bath in ice and survive?

How do draw up an ice bath? Ice baths begin with filling the tub with cool water that you can still handle getting into. While it fills, go grab a bag of ice and your recovery drink! Then, throw on a long sleeve shirt, keep your shorts on and jump into the cool water. It will take a minute or two to get used to the cold water at which point you can dump the bag of ice into the water. You will need to sit in the tub for about 10-15 minutes depending on how cold it actually is. The colder the temperature, the less time you need. So, if you only want to spend 5 minutes in the tub, then drop the temp to the lowest safe temperature of 45 degrees F. Otherwise, keeping it at 50-60 will work just fine if you sit for the longer time. And really, sitting longer is not that big of a deal because once you get numb it is a lot more bearable. Just grab a magazine and read for a little bit.

What do you do if you don’t get home from your workout for a while? Don’t stress, the ice bath will still work. Also, if you finish your long run, trail run, hard bike ride or whatever near a cool body of water or river, then dunk your legs right then and there before going home. The sooner the better… for sure.

How often should you use ice baths? If you have time, then you would jump in after any hard or long day. It is okay to use cold therapy often and regularly. At the very least, take an ice bath after those few key hard and long workouts that you have maybe never done before and are really trashed after.

When should you take a hot shower after the ice bath? Following cold with hot is a very common therapy practice. Right after is okay, but waiting 30 minutes is better. Whenever you get in, you can spend a couple minutes doing some light stretching to help restore flexibility to the muscle tissue.

Deb's Favorite Breakfast.

2009-06-15T13:18:00.007-06:00

THIS ARTICLE IS IN THE CURRENT JUNE 2009 ISSUE OF TRIHIVE

Long gone are the days of cold cereal. It was a step I had to take given that I discovered in my early thirties that I was having insulin problems and came from a family of diabetics with a lot of health problems. As an endurance athlete, trying to limit grain intake can really complicate a breakfast where oatmeal reigned supreme. My initial concerns were: how do you meet your carb needs when they are high? Is protein at breakfast really necessary? Should I have fat if I am trying to lose fat? After much research and study, I came to the conclusion that breakfast really is extremely important and if you do it right, your body will do a better job at performing well, feeling well, and looking well.

My first 2 changes were adding a full protein serving to my breakfast as well as using fruit as my main source of carbohydrate. Protein is just a must to give your body the amino acids it needs to repair and to create an even insulin pattern. Whole fruit is a perfect choice for a low to moderate glycemic carbs that will stick with you longer than you think when combined with whey protein or eggs and some fat. Even on my early swim days when I am really hungry by breakfast, I totally look forward to my fruit and protein breakfast. As long as I have had my recovery drink immediately following my swim, then I am cool with using fruit as my solid food choice. I do protein shakes quite often in the morning if I haven’t worked out yet. The recipe I use is on mysaltlakerunningco.com. And yes, I do use 2-3 tablespoons of flax oil a day in those shakes. But on those days when I want a “real” breakfast, my favorite breakfast by far is a scrambled egg omelet with TONS of onions (a great antiviral and blood clarifier,) spinach, tomatoes and feta cheese. I then add good sized pear to that and I am ready to rock. No headaches, no 10am crashes or energy swings, just feeling good, feeling full and properly fueled. To top it off, this is how all 5 of my kids eat too. The rare organic Shredded Wheat with no added sugar is a treat for them. Lucky kids, ehh?

Deb’s Favorite Scrambled Veggie Omelet Breakfast
½ onion chopped
1 cup baby spinach
¼ cup chopped tomato
1 TB feta cheese
3-5 egg whites--depending on body weight.
1-2 egg yolks
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper

In a bowl, scramble eggs, salt, pepper and feta. Set aside. In a non-stick pan, cook onion until translucent and then add spinach and tomato. Cook for only 30 seconds or so. The spinach should still be unwilted. Make sure heat is now only on medium and then pour egg mixture over the top. Cook it slow enough so the eggs don’t ever brown. Stir every minute or two. It should take about 4-5 minutes to slowly cook the eggs. The spinach will wilt by the end. Dump onto a plate, add plenty of fruit and you are ready for a breakfast fit for a champion!

Hawaii 70.3--a comedy of errors

2009-06-08T15:37:00.004-06:00

A Half Ironman is a really long way no matter how you look at it. So why not spend that time wisely and pass the miles along the Kohala Coast of the Big Island? Well, Hawaii 70.3 is most certainly that salt and pepper, sugar and spice kind of course. Hard, but beautiful. A hot and hard run tempered first with a cool and calm swim. And the bike? Thank goodness that whatever goes up must come down! So after two and a half years of hardly no racing, I decided to give it a go. Not just a little, but a lot. My journey towards getting back into race shape started Oct 1st with the ultimate goal of grasping one of those rare Hawaiian Ironman World Championship slots given to only 1 or 2 in each age group. Going into it, I knew that the capability and training I had was enough. I was nervous, but excited to finally race hard. And when that day finally came on Saturday, May 30th, I pulled out all the preparation and laid out a race that went well in many ways. But, in a 1300 person race where there is a high percentage of other competitive athletes, mistakes cannot be made if you are trying to lay claim on the much sought after prize of a ticket to come back for the full Ironman.

THE 97% THAT WENT RIGHT!

So much of what goes right in a race is done well before you get there so most of this list comes from preparing properly. But that is the point! If you do your homework, there are not many surprises come test day.

· Strength—I spent two good 45-60 minute sessions in the weight room each week from Oct 1st until about mid-March. From then on I did maintence core work and let the strength work come mostly from sport specific workouts. I also sought after outside help as I had never had anyone teach me the right way to squat, deadlift and clean. So, thanks to Joel Hatch at BASICS, I learned more than I ever wanted to know and lifted, at times, more than I ever would have wanted to lift. Big thanks to Joel for pushing me to tears when I really needed it and letting me rest when I needed it more. Oh and for all the fun functional exercises too! Me luvs them kettlebells.

· Speed and Power—the anabolic focus of a majority of my workouts paid really big dividends on race day. I felt strong and much more capable of handle a tough course and a tough environment. It was a beautiful feeling to not be intimidated by the hills on the bike and then be able to have the strength and speed to actually run after coming off said hillfest.

· Endurance—I will never forget what Ironman 70.3 world champion Samantha McGlone said about volume for a Half Ironman. Do one longer 4-5 hour swim/bike/run workout a week and then stay shorter and faster on the rest. DONE! I did 4-5 of those longer workout to adapt my body to the full distance. It worked. I felt mentally, physically and emotionally capable of being in the game for that long since that is what I had practiced.

· Massage therapy—I have gone to Nate Graven, the best sports massage guy ever, twice a month for over 5 years now. I consider it required, especially when I decide to combine all the above training elements. Solid training requires an even more solid sports massage therapist. Nate has helped keep me injury free for a really long time as well as gotten my body ready to be worked at full capacity come race day. And believe me, my body tried really hard this year to fall apart, but Nate just wouldn’t let it happen!

· Taper—Resting during the weeks before the race almost killed me. My least favorite part of training for sure, but vital. I felt totally ready to go when the gun went off.

· Nutrition—Perfect! One of the big purposes of those longer workouts, was to dial in my nutritional requirements. I DOUBLED my carb intake to 100 grams of carbs an hour, made sure I had some protein and amino acids(endurox and gu packs,) figured out how much fluid I would really need and went heavy on electrolytes. I was at about 400-500 mg of sodium (and other minerals) an hour. Once I knew, I just made sure to DO IT on race day. I felt as energetic as I probably could have throughout the race, peed in T2(in a porta potty this time…don’t ask me to clarify that) and had NO CRAMPS. Rockin!

· Attitude—Eventhough there were mistakes, I was happy to be there and truly wanted to do the best I could. When the going got rough I would just tune EVERYTHING out and remind myself to race like a warrior. No complaining, just racing. And with that, I made my mind as quiet as possible and let my body do what I had trained it to do.

THE 3% THAT DIDN’T GO SO WELL

The only comfort I have from the following three items is that they are all easily fixable. But, they are things I want to kick myself over because “I know better.” They are a great example of what kind of dumb things a person can do when their race brain is not fully turned on. And even though I still placed in my age group anyway, I was irritated enough after the awards ceremony to want to throw my special Hawaiian wood bowl into THE OCEAN!

· Swim start—simply stated, I did not go out fast enough. With 1300 people going at the same time I put way too much thought into where I thought I was and what effort I was giving the first 500 meters rather than just swimming as hard as I can! I got caught in the log jam next to a couple hundred swimmers that were not as fast as I was. I could not go around them by this point, so I was stuck swimming much slower than I should have by about 2-3 minutes. So, next time, I will do what I normally do in a race. Swim very hard for 400-500 meters, don’t think, you will recover!

· Bike leg—my long rides paid off, but I lost focus after the turn around a Hawi. I didn’t realize either how hard I will still have to work coming back. So it is better, to assume nothing, work everything and trust that the bike legs can take it. I know that they can because I have pushed it before and survived. And staying focused comes more easily after a race or two under the belt as well as the right race attitude.

· T2—So one of the race volunteers told Guy that the race staff would take everyone’s bike so we didn’t have to rack them ourselves. Wrongo! I did have to rack my own bike! The problem was that T2 was different than T1 so I had NO. IDEA. where my bike was supposed to go. I had the distinct priviledge of being misdirected in transition and running the full length of T2 before being directed back to the entrance where LOW AND BEHOLD, my bike rack was located only 4 slots in from said entrance! Yep, ran right by it! Totally my fault too, not the volunteers. I should have looked at T2 the night before like I usually do. I would have figured out more of what was going on on my own and at the very least, seen where my bike number was. So what was I thinking about the night before the race? Apparently, not T2! It cost me a little less than 2 minutes.

So how far was I from a slot to Kona after 5 hours of racing? 3 minutes…Ugh! Fix the swim and T2? In like Flynn. Fix the bike, even better!

Overall, I loved the experience. Great race, great venue and great effort. So much to feel good about and I suppose I am glad I really didn’t throw the bowl into the ocean..sort of. And what did Guy have to say? “So, are we coming back next year?”

Race Fitness--Sharpening the Saw

2009-06-01T11:46:00.002-06:00

In the world of human performance, people have goals that they seek after with dedicated passion. Most commonly people are after a certain “time” or “place” goal and find a key race to try to make it happen. There are many bases that have to be covered before that race. In most cases, athletes set out to learn whatever they can so they are training in best way possible. Good workouts are designed to increase fitness as well as skill sets so that what you do race day is automatic. However, it seems that to be able to achieve 100%, one must consider the aspect of race fitness. Race fitness is the fine tuning that occurs and brings out the last 2-3% of possible race performance. We all know that at some point, you will only put together a race effort on race day. And that is wise, since too much racing leads to overtraining. So how do you sharpen the saw without braking the blade?

• 1-2 races are all you need before your “a” race.

• These races can occur between 2-8 weeks out.

• If you are prepping to race over an hour, then keep tune up races to an hour or less. So you don’t need to run a marathon to prep for a marathon that would do more harm than good and sprint tri’s work just fine for any triathlon distance.

• After the “practice race” make a list of what needs to be fixed. This could be pre race ritual, pacing errors, tactics, equipment problems, clothing, nutrition, outlook.

• Pay close attention the mental focus you had and look at where you may need to sharpen it.

• Always spend plenty of time focusing on what you did well. Chances are that you really did 97% of it right and you want to not only feel good about it, but keep doing that part right! 97 out of 100 cats are already in the bag, right!

So, just a little bit of tuning up goes a really long way. A 2-3% performance gain may not seem like a ton, but it may make a huge difference in whether or not you reach your goal. It also helps prepare you emotionally to handle the stress and mental sharpness required when the going gets rough and the body just wants to stop. Race fitness will also help you decide how much you really want what you think you want. If you come home from your “practice race” fired up, kicking yourself over the errors, and foaming at the mouth because you want to give it a better go next time, then it has served its purpose. You will show up to your “A” race much more with the nuances worked out and ready to give just that little bit more.

Next Monday will be the Hawaii 70.3 race report. A story of the 97% that went just as planned (some great practical tips that worked like charmers) and can bring you a very long way, but how 2-3% of small errors can push you one slot out of your goal.

It’s a good thing that there a lot of places to meditate by the ocean.

Running For Lean Times

2009-05-25T21:29:00.005-06:00

Guy forwarded this great article to me last week. I think there is something about it we can all relate to. No matter what level you are, there is a simplistic joy and pain to be found in the one sport that is man against himself. Running.

RUNNING FOR LEAN TIMES--It's no accident that jogging took off in the 1970s.

By CAMERON STRACHER

It's nearly summertime, but the living isn't easy -- not if you're suffering from a 401(k) meltdown. Life, in fact, is hard, and only getting harder. And when life gets tough, the tough get running.

While gym memberships are down and personal trainers are getting the boot, running is making a major comeback according to race directors and shoe retailers.It's easy to see why. Running is an inexpensive activity that requires little in the way of equipment -- a decent pair of shoes, shorts, socks and a T-shirt and you're ready. The playing field is any free land, sidewalk, park or road. (It's not surprising that America's first running craze was born of the economic malaise of the 1970s.) And most cities and towns have at least one running club, an informal group that meets for distance runs and interval workouts. In short, running is one of the cheapest forms of exercise a body can do.

But running is not just exercise. It's a great stress reliever and an inexpensive source of neurotransmitters like dopamine that wash the body with good feelings. In stressful times, running can literally make us happy. Thus, being a runner is both an emotional and biochemical commitment.

Of course, some people "jog" purely for fitness purposes and hate it. This might explain why the French were recently in an uproar after photos surfaced of President Nicolas Sarkozy in shorts and a T-shirt breaking a sweat in the Tuileries. Running is an American activity, the French press claimed, a fascistic act designed to manage and control the body. Not an intellectual pursuit at all. "It is about performance and individualism," one writer wrote, right-wing values antithetical to everything cherished by the country that gave us foie gras.Perhaps so. Yet once infected by the running bug, it's hard to find a cure.

During the winter in New York I would routinely encounter a man who ran the loop of Central Park shirtless, no matter the weather. I once saw him in the middle of a 22-inch snowstorm when I thought I'd be the only one crazy enough to venture outside. Yet the park was filled with runners.

Another time my training partner burst into tears in the middle of a run because his girlfriend had just dumped him. Rather than stopping, he picked up the pace, until the two of us were flying down the mall in Washington, D.C., in the middle of a blistering hot day, silent and relentless, burning away the sorrow.All runners have stories, many of them bizarre or off-color. In law school I ran with a world-class, 5,000 meter runner who disclosed he was stoned in the middle of a 13-mile run (apparently a common training technique for him). At the Olympic trials in Charlotte, N.C., in 1996, marathoner Bob Kempainen vomited a bright green stream of Gatorade on national television, then calmly accelerated (running a 4:44 mile) and sprinted to victory. World record-holder Grete Waitz did her business on the side of the road, then pulled up her shorts and went on to win the 1984 New York City Marathon.

Every runner has a tale about a port-a-potty just missed, a coffee that wouldn't stay down, a blister that burst and filled a sock with blood. We tell the stories with pride, metaphors for our own indomitability.None of us, of course, can beat back disease, debilitation or death. Yet imagine the runner, alone on the road, his footfalls on gravel in sync with his breathing. He is swift and fast and focused. His arms pump in steady cadence. His knees rise in regular rhythm. There is nothing on his mind but how his fingers feel as they brush his palm, his toes as they kiss the edge of his shoes, his calves as they whisper against each other with every stride. He is man, machine, spirit. Watch him fly.

Mr. Stracher is publisher of the New York Law School Law Review. He is writing a book about the 1970s and the running boom.

High Protein Banana Pancake recipe

2009-05-18T09:55:00.003-06:00

One of the challenges of breakfast time for adults and kids is trying to get protein if you are tired of smooties and/or eggs. This recipes does still have eggs in it, but at least it is a pancake. I really like these and so do some people who won't ordinarily eat cottage cheese. The kids can also help make them and I always double this batch in order to have some leftovers.

COTTAGE CHEESE AND BANANA PANCAKES

16 oz lowfat cottage cheese
2/3 cup whole wheat, oat, or spelt flour
1/2 cup old fashioned oats or muesli
2 whole eggs
4 egg whites
3 Tablespoons honey
½ tsp Vanilla
½ tsp cinnamon and nutmeg
2 bananas chopped

*A yummy option is throwing in some nuts and seeds as well.

Preheat griddle to 300-325 degrees or medium heat. Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Add a little more liquid if necessary,but the batter will be MUCH chunkier and thicker than normal pancake better so don't stress about that. Cook pancakes using a full half cup measure of batter for each pancake. Cook on first side for about 5 minutes then turn for another 3 minutes. The pancake should be golden brown if the grill is at the right temperature. If it is too dark, then turn down the heat(or turn up if they are taking too long.) Serve with REAL maple syrup, fruit topping or eat plain.

Each half cup of batter will provide ABOUT 20-23 grams of protein, 25 grams of carbohydrate and 4 grams fat. If eating these after a workout, then make sure to add honey or maple syrup as a topping and/or 1-2 servings fruit on the side depending on how many carbs you need. Make sure you have a full and satifsfied belly post workout when you are done eating.

REMINDER: SLRUNNINGCO is starting our FREE year long monthly series on "going long" in the endurance world. Our first seminar is this Thursday May, 21th at 7:30 pm at the Highland Dr. location. I will be giving the first presentation on the basics of training in order to keep your volume down and what is means to really be fit before you start the longer journey towards half/full marathons and/or half/full ironman. Part of the discussion will also be about when to decide to do certain events and how they may impact your life. Lots of great stuff for sure and in the future we will have other really great topics and presenters including BJ Christenson. Oh and this is open to triathletes and runners. Keep in mind that some months will be geared towards tri stuff, but that will be obvious by the title of the seminar. see the website for more info. http://www.saltlakerunningco.com/ And if you will excuse me, I need to finish my power point presentation for Thursday's seminar!

When the wind blows, fly a kite!

2009-05-11T10:40:00.005-06:00

So, for the 2nd year in a row, the usually wonderful race conditions of Saint George Triathlon were blown into a million windy pieces. And there we all were again waiting around with pre race nervous stomachs hoping the swim wouldn’t get canceled again. Sure enough, almost an hour past race time, the shivering and windblown athletes were informed that there was no swim(which was the best call at the time) and that the Olympic distance needed to be ready within about 10 minutes to run a 5k, bike the Olympic course, and then run another 5K. Okay not so bad, just splitting up the planned 10K.

But, right after their waves left for the run, the sprint triathletes, were then warned that they had only about 5-10 minutes to also do a 5k, Sprint bike and another 5K. Poor things, twice the run, than what they were ready for. And that is a pretty tall order for some of those people not expecting or ready to run that far.

Now, I don’t know how everyone felt about the situation. I am sure there were a variety of reactions ranging from disappointment, to frustration, to I don’t care I just want to do something and get this race going. For the most part, endurance athletes make the best of the environment especially since everyone at the event has got to deal with it too. But, what about me? What was I going to do? My “A” race, Hawaii 70.3, is only in 3 weeks and I really needed to do was only the original plan of a sprint tri. That was it, all I needed was a little over an hour of threshold training and definitely not spend anymore than 20 minutes running hard. I had way too much training left to do and couldn’t risk running any farther than a 5K and taking too long to get recovered. So, while I was cool with doing no swim leg, now they threw out a double dose of the 5K leg. ARGH! The best laid plans of mice and men!

So what’s a girl with a goal to go fast in 3 weeks for a half ironman to do? Well, I had already looked around me earlier in the morning and realized that it was hot, windy and the bike course was really hilly. Just. Like….Hawaii 70.3! So I thought to myself, “Hmm...I really wish I could just do my last long ride today rather than the middle of next week. I have been inside on my trainer for all my long rides so it would be nice to get adapted to being out. And that’s what was on the training plan to begin with for today, not a race. BUT, I am rested for this race and still hoping to get in a race effort before I go. Even if the conditions aren’t great and I don’t swim, then it will be a great lactate day with just the right amount of work to recover quickly from so I can do long stuff in a couple of days.” I was TRYING to be positive and then got blown over by the announcer’s proclamation of the new double the sprint 5K run plan. I think all the other sprint triathletes were shocked too. In fact, I was so shocked, that a switched flipped in my head immediately and the light went on. “What am I thinking? I am so getting on my bike and doing what I really need to do for the race I REALLY care about. Sign me up right now for a 65-70 mile ride on hot, hilly and windy roads!”

Yep, that is really what I did. Within 5 minutes (and I kid you not!) I grabbed my TYR race backpack, jumped on my bike and turned in my timing chip as I rolled out of transition. See you later guys and dolls, this lady is going for a ride! So ride I did for about 68 miles on terrain and in conditions that are similar to what I will face in less than 3 weeks in Hawaii. The fun part was that for the first hour, I got to ride on the course while the racers were racing. And for the first time ever, I got to watch a bike leg without being in it! Very fun and I got to see one of my athletes,Weston Woodward, riding his way to the fastest bike split of the day and 2nd overall. Even better was that I saw another elite athlete, coach and good friend of mine, Coach Keena, out there too on her bike cheering on her friends and athletes. So I guess I am not the only one crazy enough to drive all that way, see a better plan for their long range goals and decide to go fly kites on that windy day.

P.S.
A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO WHEN I POSTED HOW I FELT ABOUT RACING,

“No matter where you are at fitness wise, getting out and doing what you are ready for is what should make you happy. Other peoples' or society's expectations should be disregarded. They are not in your shoes and don’t know what brings you joy or makes you tick.”

I REALLY MEANT IT!

BORN TO RUN book Signing at Kings English

2009-05-07T11:19:00.003-06:00

I just found out from Jodi P. that there will be a book signing of this really interesting looking book titled BORN TO RUN. See below for information.

Time: Tuesday, May 12, 2009 7:00 p.m.

Location: The King's English Bookshop

Christopher McDougall presents Born to Run.

Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen(Hardcover (Cloth)) by McDougall, Christopher Format: Hardcover (Cloth)Price: $24.95Published: Knopf Publishing Group, 2009 Inventory Status: On Our Shelves Now

Full of incredible characters, amazing athletic achievements, cutting-edge science, and, most of all, pure inspiration, "Born to Run "is an epic adventure that began with one simple question: "Why does my foot hurt? "In search of an answer, Christopher McDougall sets off to find a tribe of the world's greatest distance runners and learn their secrets, and in the process shows us that everything we thought we knew about running is wrong. Isolated by the most savage terrain in North America, the reclusive Tarahumara Indians of Mexico's deadly Copper Canyons are custodians of a lost art. For centuries they have practiced techniques that allow them to run hundreds of miles without rest and chase down anything from a deer to an Olympic marathoner while enjoying every mile of it. Their superhuman talent is matched by uncanny health and serenity, leaving the Tarahumara immune to the diseases and strife that plague modern existence. With the help of Caballo Blanco, a mysterious loner who lives among the tribe, the author was able not only to uncover the secrets of the Tarahumara but also to find his own inner ultra-athlete, as he trained for the challenge of a lifetime: a fifty-mile race through the heart of Tarahumara country pitting the tribe against an odd band of Americans, including a star ultramarathoner, a beautiful young surfer, and a barefoot wonder. With a sharp wit and wild exuberance, McDougall takes us from the high-tech science labs at Harvard to the sun-baked valleys and freezing peaks across North America, where ever-growing numbers of ultrarunners are pushing their bodies to the limit, and, finally, to the climactic race in the Copper Canyons. "Born to Run" is that rare book that will not only engage your mind but inspire your body when you realize that the secret to happiness is right at your feet, and that you, indeed all of us, were born to run.

For more info, visit King's English website

EATING OUT WITHOUT PUDGING OUT

2009-05-04T11:57:00.004-06:00

THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN FOR AND APPEARED IN TRIHIVE MAGAZINE APRIL 2009

In general, triathletes(and runners) have the best of intentions to eat like champions. This is pretty easy to do when you’re preparing your own meals. It’s harder to do when you have to eat out. One winter night, my six-year-old son, Jansen, decided he REALLY wanted to go to Chuck-A-Rama for dinner. My husband and I were way too tired and hungry to argue with the kids so we found ourselves dishing up dinner on the nice warm plates associated with the all-you-can-eat buffet. Ironically, it was easier to eat healthy than I thought it would be. Follow me through the buffet one plate at a time.

Plate #1 - GET YOUR GREENS
When you eat at any restaurant, your first thought should be, “How am I going to get my raw vegetable that is packed with the nutrients I need to repair my trained body?” The most obvious answer is the salad bar or a salad made with dark greens like spinach and spring mix. Iceberg lettuce has very little nutritional value. Try to get as many other raw veggies as you can stand, beans, and nuts. Don’t ruin your salad with the dressing – go for a vinagairette or a lite creamy dressing.

Plate #2 - THE MEAT OF THE ISSUE
Your next priority should be to get a lean animal protein such as chicken, fish or turkey (not breaded, of course). This should be an easy task at most restaurants. Remember, however, that overcooked protein is damaged protein that your body can’t absorb very well.

Plate #3 - CARB WITH CARE
The carbohydrate serving at restaurants should be kept to about the size of your fist. If you are working out more than 90 minutes a day, you can double the serving. Remember that you should be eating the majority of your carbs during and after your workout, not six hours later. The smartest carb choices are potatoes, brown or wild rice, fruit and steamed high starch vegetables.

Plate (or cup) #4 - HYDRATE
Hydrate all day, every day, but especially when you’re eating out. Filtered water is the best choice. If you absolutely have to have something else to drink, then add it to the dessert category.

Plate #5 - WHAT ABOUT DESSERT?
Dinner out with family or friends only gets better with dessert. If you ate a big salad, lots of protein and the right amount of high quality carbs, you should be pretty full. Luckily, this gives you a perfect excuse to share a dessert. You can have your dessert and keep your waistline as long as you avoid overindulgence. I believe the only dates you should make an exception on are race days and your birthday. On those days you deserve and should have as much as you want.

Plate #6 - QUALITY IS WORTH PAYING FOR
Do everything you can to pick eating establishments that offer the freshest food possible and that cook with real ingredients. The higher the quality of food, the better you will feel about eating out, even if it does mean spending a little more.

What races should you do this year?

2009-04-27T11:30:00.004-06:00

Once the month of May comes, the race schedule gets pretty packed with all kinds of road races, triathlons, bike racing and off road events. Already, there has been the Moab Half-Marathon, Salt Lake Marathon, a handful of sprint triathlons and bike races. At this point in the year, the biggest mistake I see people make is doing too many races/events. Not only is this expensive, but it is also very draining mentally and physically, not to mention the stress on the family. Oftentimes, by the time late summer rolls around, I hear many complaints of being tired all the time, a lack of enthusiasm for the next race and/or the most dreaded of all, INJURY! Seriously though, if you want to take all the fun out of training and racing, then racing too often will do the trick. Here are some tips to think about as you decide what you are going to do this year whether it is running, triathlon or both.

If you have run a marathon or a half marathon longer than 2 hours, wait 3-4 weeks before doing any other event of any kind.

Putting 2 marathons within 8 weeks of each other is not advisable, more info here.

5K’s and 10K’s can be done twice in a month as long as there is good recovery in between.

After an Ironman, no events for at least 5-6 weeks and then only a short one that lasts less than 2.5 hours as long as the run portion is no longer than a 10K.

A Half Ironman requires about 3-4 weeks with no event.

It is okay to do an Olympic distance tri once a month even if you do a sprint during that month as well.

In general, try not ever line up event that occur 3 out of 4 weeks or 4 out of 6 weeks or 5 out of 7 weeks.

PLAN AHEAD Write the events you are interested in on a calendar in PENCIL. Pick 2 of them that are your most important races (“A” races) and sign up for those (as long as they don’t conflict with above.) Then pick 2 or 3 more “B” races that won’t interfere with your performance at your “A” races. After that, seriously plan on doing only those unless you know for sure that it is far enough removed, short enough, and/or low key enough to be added. However, most of these kinds of races are more easily and cheaply done at home

Remember that your racing schedule is your own and not your friend’s, so don’t feel pressured to do something you are not excited about or ready for.

Even if you are performing well, stick to your guns! Getting overexcited too soon will have you racing too hard and too often at races that are not your “A” race and therefore don’t matter.

It is okay to change plans midstream if the one you have isn’t working. For example, it is okay to switch to a half marathon from a marathon or to a sprint tri from an Olympic if that is what works better for you.

Remember that when comparing your schedule to an elite or professional, they are capable of handling a higher workload and quicker recovery times so it is not wise to model your schedule after theirs.

Some years you may feel like racing more than others and that is normal and advisable.

Above all else: Remember that you are doing these things for the fun and/or challenge of it. Too much ruins the experience. One excellent race experience is better than 5 mediocre ones. No matter where you are at fitness wise, getting out and doing what you are ready for is what should make you happy. Other peoples' or society's expectations should be disregarded. They are not in your shoes and don’t know what brings you joy or makes you tick. You are still a runner if you do only 5K’s and 10K’s and you are still a triathlete if you do sprint tri’s and not Ironmans. So, as always, pick race and events that will help you to RUN FOR YOUR LIFE AND KEEP ON TRIING !

Picking a Multi Vitamin

2009-04-21T11:29:00.011-06:00

Decisions, Decisions. Nothing can seem more daunting than picking a multi-vitamin. Every vitamin company has one. So what’s a person to do? Well, there are some really good options out there so let’s take a look at some of them so you can get an idea of what kind of daily Multi may meet your needs.

Let get one thing straight before we start. A ONE –A-DAY MULTI VITAMIN IS NOT ENOUGH! Seriously here, a single capsule only holds enough micronutrients to prevent serious diseases like scurvy. The RDA quota that is met by these One-A-Days is a daily allowance necessary for basic survival…not thriving, or training, or racing or looking and feeling younger. If you want to give your body all the micronutrients necessary for many years of vivacious living and training, then you have to back up that desire with the right daily nutrition routine. So here are some multivitamin options to consider. Review the info, links and price points and decide what might work for you.

Nature’s Way ALIVE! Multi
This 3 a day multi is a basic starter multi. I ask people to get the form without iron so that you can take more of them in a day if you need to on high training days. You would have to add iron and a full bone mineral matrix with at least calcium, magnesium, silica, and boron. Nature's way is a Utah based company.

Cory Holly’s Essential pack
A great daily pack of about 7 capsules. Specifically formulated for active people wanting optimal health and performance. The essentials pack is part of a daily system for athletes and can be purchased alone or with other products like Whey Protein, Sport oil, and C7, a carb/electrolyte drink. Formulated by Dr. Cory Holly of CHI institute.

Life Extension Foundation’s multi
Life extension is the first organization to really do independent non government funded or non pharmacuetical research on health, nutrition and hormones. This is a 9 a day multi based upon over 30 years of their research. You must become a member to get the best price and they have really good yearly sales when they go to update the multi. Need to add iron to this.

Master Control Formula
With 6 capsules per pack, you get 12 a day when you take one morning and night. Another comprehensive active person’s multi formulated by Dr. Mark Sisson a former elite triathlete. Need to add iron to this.

So there are some good ideas to look at and start with. Are there other good ones? Yes! Just compare the facts panels and prices to what is listed above to get an idea if you are paying a fair price. I do feel that all examples above are fairly priced for what you get.

Do you need to add anything to these? I have listed those without iron, however, you still need to add your Fish oils and calcium/magnesium. Also, everyone needs to add more vitamin C, hopefully to your protein shakes. And yes, there are many more adjunctive nutrients for brain, joint, hormonal and cellular health. But, start with a high quality multi vitamin at the very least and you will begin to build a foundation that you can add to later.

The parting message is…if you take your health seriously, you will need to take a broad spectrum multivitamin! Take it morning and night to feed your body constantly. You will recover faster, feel better and age slower if you do.

Your Story--Cindy Faust

2009-04-15T22:07:00.005-06:00

My name is Cindy Faust(with full white hat,) I’m 37 years old and mother of 3 adorable kids. I’ve always loved playing sports, being active and had hit the road on an occasional run. It had always been a dream of mine to run the St. George Marathon. After my third child, I was mildly depressed and extremely out of shape. I couldn’t even run 10 minutes without breathing heavy and being exhausted. I decided to “run” to the grocery store (1.5 miles away down hill…) little did I think it through, I’d have to run back up with groceries…but that started me off thinking I needed to get into shape again and I needed a goal. I decided to train for that marathon I’ve always wanted to run. I got online and printed out a schedule and had faithfully followed it to the end. It was a lot of treadmill miles since I had little kids. But during the training months I looked forward to the hour or so I had scheduled for myself. I was happier with my self because I felt better. I was a better mother to my kids because my mind wasn’t constantly in mope mode and I was just overall feeling better body and mind. I truly feel like running had saved me from a deep dark hole I was heading toward.

In 2006 I finished my first marathon in 4:57:00 it felt so good and was such an accomplishment I could only think of how this has helped make me a better person. I love running; it has been my “me” time that I look forward to everyday. The following year, I recruited some other moms and we trained for the 2007 St. George Marathon and I discovered the joy of running with a group of women and gained strength from each of them and also built some strong relationships. This past 2008 St. George Marathon I ran with my husband. This was his first and it was a whole new experience to have trained with him all those hours and early morning runs and the race day was one we will always cherish together. My goal now is to qualify for the Boston Marathon before I hit the big 40. I’ve picked up the pace and shed some pounds and have never felt better in my life! I see the ladies on the road that are in their 60’s and 70’s and think, “That is going to be me!!” I want to keep running so I can enjoy life and enjoy my kids.

Marathon, Half marathon,10K or 5K taper

2009-04-13T11:22:00.005-06:00

You have done the work, run the long runs, got your shoes and gels ready, and are ready to rock come race day. But, what do you do to get ready for the big day when you are 5-7 days out? Do you rest? Run a little? Stretch? Well, how your legs feel on race day will partially depend on how you have tapered the week of. Here is an example of what a rest week might look like for a Saturday marathon or half marathon race

Saturday: 60 minutes
Sunday: Off
Monday: 45 minute run with *8 X 200 meters fast followed by a 200 jog*
Tuesday: 30 minute run and stretch well and moderately do *Trigger Point or Massage*
Wednesday: 30 minute run with *6 X 200 meters fast followed by a 200 jog*
Thursday: Off
Friday: Jog for 30 minutes and stretch lightly
Saturday: Marathon or Half Marathon

**only do the activities marked in the astrix if you have already been doing them. Otherwise skip it.

Overall, here are some tips to keep in mind during this taper week.

Do active recovery
The best day to take off is two days away from race.
Do the 200 meter strides to keep blood volume up so you don’t arrive to the start feeling
lethargic.
Stretch
Get extra sleep
Relax emotionally
Get clothes, shoes, and food ready 2-3 days out so you have time to get something you thought you had but didn’t. Read marathon nutrition article
Pick up race number
Double check race start and bus shuttle times.
Drink extra water and eat wisely. Read Carbo Load article
Get excited! Relaxed, but excited!

Any event you do will be icing on the cake for all the work you have put in. For some people it is a chance to publically express their innermost goals, pursuits and passions. Sometimes, events are just celebrations of being alive and actively living. Either way, rest up, run smart and good luck!

Trigger Point Therapy Kit-help at home

2009-04-06T10:42:00.005-06:00

No matter what time of year it is, runners and triathletes all have the same problem to deal with. Muscles that get tight and cause problems! But, since there are some big events coming up in the next 6-8 weeks, it is time to start getting rid of some of these problem areas. Wouldn't it be great if we all could go to a sport massage therapist a couple of times a week? If we could, I would recommend it. But, since life happens and there are other bills to pay, then investing in something like the Trigger Point Therapy kit is a great idea.

You can do this self therapy at home and no matter which kit you buy, it is much cheaper than seeing that therapist all the time. Although, I do urge everyone to see one once or even twice a month when your training load is high even if you have this kit. The main purpose of trigger point therapy is to be able to work on problem areas yourself as often as needed. And they really do help a ton! The Trigger Point website has lots of great info,trigger point charts and video clips on there about how to use the massage kit. Here are some other tips about using them.

Buy a Trigger point kit
Stay tuned to your body and use what you bought at least once a week on at least trouble spots
Learn and use different techniques and angles in addition to what is in the booklet or website.
Learn specifically about trigger points and how to release them
Trigger points can take a litte while to release so be patient. Relax, stay on one spot for upto 5-10 minutes, breathe, and stay with it until you feel the knot release.
Roll mostly in the direction of the muscle fiber strands except when you have some stubborn areas and then you can experiment with a 90 degree or "cross fiber" rolling. This can help break up stubborn adhesions.
Regarding how fast to roll, roll on the slower side since we are not pizza dough.
Use tools at a relaxing time like after a hot shower, before bed or mid day break
I have found that relaxed stretching and self massage work followed by 5 minutes of laying down does wonders to calm the nerves and other muscles not being worked
Use everyother day or every couple of days if you are using the tools aggresively. There is a lot of muscle damage occuring if you have a lot of nice that have been rolled out. Just like a hard workout, your damaged tissues do need to recover and rebuild from aggresive self massage treatment.
Trigger point can be done more frequently if it is used solely to relax stubborn knots and there is no rolling motion.

So, now is the time to give this a go if you have been wondering what to do about those aching knees, shins, hips, shoulders and back. The store sells a couple different sizes of the kit so choose the one that is right for you. I will say, however, that I am really glad I got the one with the ball and two different size rollers. I have used all the pieces to keep up and RUNNING!

Hero's of the Week

2009-03-31T13:28:00.009-06:00

BY GUY

This year, like many others, we, the staff at SLRC, ventured down the Moab 1/2 marathon event over spring break. We have a great time working the expo, hanging out with people, running and mountain biking. This year was basically the same, with one exception.

During our venture home we found out that something happened to our cash box. Something serious. Like, it totally disappeared! Holding on to that thing was my responsibility and it was looking like, well, I had failed. Then a very comforting phone call came.

"My name is Dale and I live in Colorado. My wife and I were visiting Moab over the weekend and we came across something that we think belongs to you." As I listened I could not believe what I was hearing. "Yeah, we couldn't find a place to camp so we pulled over along the road to look at the map and figure out what to do, when Sally says, as she looked out the window, "There's money all over the ground." "

Anyway, to make a long story short, for 2 hours Dale and Sally gathered our missing cash from sagebrush and tumbleweeds and dumped it to their car. Because the wind had been blowing the money was literally all over the place. They worked hard and fast and I'm sure many people driving by wondered what was up and, lucky for us, nobody ever stopped to find out. Eventually, they even found our smashed flat cash box 1/4 mile down the road!

Not only did Dale and Sally find our money, they drove almost 500 miles (one way) to deliver it back to us. What a thrill is was to meet them and shake their hands and hear them tell their story. We made a great friendship and hope to see them again. In a time when the news hasn't much good to report we salute them for their honesty and diligence. And hope in the future we can pass along the favor. Thanks Dale and Sally, we are thankful and proud to know you.

Guy

From treadmill to road to treadmill to road to treadmill to ro...

2009-03-24T10:34:00.004-06:00

Spring is in the air! There are some wonderfully warm days mixed in with some spring rain and snow. It is so refreshing and liberating to be able to run outside in warm weather, yet visits to the treadmill are sometimes still a necessary evil. With training as changing and variable as the weather, there is a way to make your treadmill and road workouts feel similar so it is not such a shock on your body to make those changes or that you are surprised by how much harder the pace is outside.

This really is a tricky topic because so much depends on the treadmill that is actually being used. So many people assume that the miles per hour/pace readout on the treadmill is accurate. Do not assume this! Actually, assume it is wrong! The biggest thing you are worried about on a treadmill is that you are working at the same effort as you would be outside. Here are some things you can do to make the two efforts match more closely

Workout using a heart rate monitor. This piece of technology really helps to level the playing field. Basically, if you learn what pulse rate you normally run at outside, then make sure to do that same pulse inside no matter what the treadmill numbers say. Then you will know for sure that you are getting the same cardio workout.

Consider using the incline. Sometimes it is frustrating to go outside after running on a treadmill because your legs get more tired from doing more of their own pushing. You can remedy that by using the incline button. Each machine is different, but in general, an incline of 1-2% will feel more like the work you do outside.

Be patient. There is a difference between running outside and inside when it comes to environmental influences. It takes the body time to adapt to all the weather and terrain changes outside so the reality is that it takes some consistent running outside to feel more comfortable outside. Treadmills can be boring, but at least the weather and terrain is predictable and easy to adapt to.

Over the years, I have had to make the jump many times from treadmill to road and back again. I love the warmth, consistent pacing, restroom availability, and early dark morning or dark night convenience of a treadmill. I also love the freedom, sunshine, wind in the hair and trail terrain of running outside. I appreciate and accept what both forms of running have to offer and now I know what to expect out of each one. No longer do I let the nuances of one or the other ruin a perfectly good chance TO RUN!

And finally, here is a great story to remember if you are stuck on a treadmill more than you would like to be and wonder if you can really get road fit on a treadmill.

Dr. Christine Clark works 25 to 30 hours a week as a physician and has two young children. Oh yeah, she also lives in frigid Alaska. She didn’t let these obstacles prevent her from training for the 2000 U.S. Olympic marathon trials. She did nearly all her training on a treadmill, including 15-mile runs at a 5:50 per mile pace at a room temperature of 70F. At the February 26 trials it was 70F, and Clark averaged 5:50 per mile to win in a huge upset with a time of 2:33:31, earning her a spot in the Sydney Olympics.

Now that is rockin!

Moab Half Marathon Tips from Nicole and Stacy

2009-03-16T10:20:00.005-06:00

We’re Real Runners, or so we thought. Our expectations and results of the Moab Half Marathon last year weren’t exactly what we had imagined. After having finished the race suffering through the stomach flu, we swore we would never go back to Moab not even to see the Arch. Bibs for Moab 2009 would teach us that some things take more than one try to conquer and achieve. If we had another opportunity to run the half marathon in Moab, we’d take note of the 13.1 lessons learned.

.1 – Salt Lake Running Company is our favorite place to accessorize
13 – Training in SLC blizzard temperatures takes dedication
12 – Pack some toilet paper for the pre-race
11 – Adding five minutes to your PR is okay if you have the flu
10 – Don’t run 13.1 miles on a stress fracture
9 – Gu is good but only when taken as directed and not with Gatorade
8 – All you can eat pizza and pasta buffets are overrated
7 – Tube socks from the local True Value make the best legwarmers (SEE PIC BELOW)
6 – Don’t believe anyone who says the course is all down hill
5 – Pack your own oatmeal – the hotel’s complimentary breakfast won’t cut it
4 – Make sure you receive the bib for the half and not for the 5K before the bus
3 – Wearing matching shirts doesn’t mean you’re going to have the best run
2 – Will power can get you to the finish line, even when you’re in pain
1 – Believe you can achieve and you will

Nicole Santiago - There's nothing like feeling the sense of accomplishing a distance with only your legs and willpower to take you there. I've learned to love something I never liked before. Starting a race is exhilarating when I look around thinking how admirable it is to know the other runners trained just as hard both physically and emotionally to reach their goals and dreams. My shoes, aka my runners, travel with me around the world and encourage me to explore different routes. Hitting the pavement helps me run off my frustrations and find solutions. And last but not least, I run so I can enjoy my guilty pleasures: Cafe Rio salads and desserts.

Staci Basilius - I run because I love the way I feel after I've finished a long run, there's nothing that compares with that high...it's addicting. Running makes me appreciate my body, I'm always amazed by how I can push it and I know it will respond. And I especially love those weekday mornings when I've woken up at 5am to run 10 miles I stroll into work feeling invigorated and my co-workers have barely rolled out of bed. I'm lucky enough to have a great running partner, who pushes me when my mind isn't in it and who helps the time fly by with great conversation (except when we're running up hill, then the conversation has to wait).

Your Story--Bill and Traci Clark

2009-03-09T10:48:00.005-06:00

Traci and Bill, you guys are fabulous! The most amazing thing is not just that you gave a bad habit, but replaced it with something that was hard! Running is fun, but still challenging and sometimes downright painful nonetheless. So, great job on your change of lifestyle! And, we will all cross our fingers for you Traci.

This is my (our) story. My name is Traci Clark my husband is Bill Clark we took up running 3 years ago after I gained a few (20) pounds. We were both smokers for about 20 years, and decided one day we had spent enough money killing ourselves. I quit around my 40th Birthday and Bill was 42. We both ran a local 5K and thought we were pretty cool, Yeah we just finished a 5K! Then, Bill ran Salt Lake City Marathon 2007 and qualified for Boston. He ran SL Marathon 2008 and qualified again. He really inspires me! I ran the Salt Lake half for 2 years and finished around 2 ½ hours in 2007 and 2:02 in 2008.

I will be running the SL Marathon this year and my goal is to qualify. We are both are signed up for the Grand Slam this year. Whew! I’m a little scared but this will give me 5 chances to try and qualify for Boston so we can both go.

Bill is so sweet and says he will wait for me. He is truly the love of my life always pushing me when we run together, which is not very often. He’s too fast. That’s why I married him on Valentines Day. The last couple of years running have truly been the happiest years of my marriage. WE ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT! And are very addicted.