Screaming Winter Deals; Garmin 405 Giveaway; Salomon Fast II Jacket Review

I mentioned that this week would include shout-outs to folks who have supported me over the past year – and out of all of them, the biggest props have to go to Wilderness Running Company. And if you make it through today’s brief gear review, there might be a big reward from WRC in it for you as well. (Or you could just scroll to the instructions below. But that doesn’t seem quite as fair.)

Now that Christmas has come and gone, it’s time to get what you REALLY wanted – and if you happened to want some cold-weather running gear, be sure to check out WRC’s Screaming Deals page, where there are dozens of items for sale at 40-60% off. As always, if you use coupon code R&R10 you’ll get an extra 10% off, which makes this about the sweetest sale you’ll see all winter.

Among WRC’s discounted items is the Salomon Fast II jacket, a very tough but comfortable shell for moderate winter conditions. It features Salomon’s ActiLITE polyester that wicks moisture from the body as well as ClimaWIND fabric for wind resistance, coated with Teflon microfibers to provide water repellency. The upper back and underarm areas are made of a ventilated stretch fabric for improved range of motion and thermoregulation when you’re putting the hammer down.


Additional features are a soft mesh moisture-wicking collar, elastic cuffs with thumb loops on the sleeves, an adjustable waist cord, and a single chest zip for light storage. The entire jacket is fairly lightweight (250g, or 8.8 oz) and packs down into the chest pocket for easy transportation. I’ve worn this jacket with short sleeves underneath for temps in the mid-30s, and with long sleeves for temps down to 30.

The Salomon Fast II jacket normally retails for $76, but is currently on sale for $38 from WRC in limited sizes for both men and women. If they don’t have your size, browse through the rest of the winter sale page and see what bargains you can grab.

**

Now for the potential big reward: Wilderness Running Company will be giving away a free Garmin 405 on January 15th, and all you have to do to enter is put your name in the hat. OK, it’s not exactly a hat - there’s a blog post that you have to comment on, but you have to read a bit further for the link. (We’re getting there, I promise.)

If you’ve ever wandered around the WRC site, you’ve probably found little pearls of wisdom or insight from Stacy (the owner) tucked away here and there as part of his gear reviews or travel guides. I always find them to be great observations from the perspective of a small business owner sharing both his passion for trail running and his (sometimes quite frustrating) experiences in the outdoor gear industry.

Fortunately – for me, at least – Stacy has decided to post these observations along with other content on a Wilderness Running Company blog, which is the reason for the Garmin 405 giveaway. So here’s the deal: go to this post and leave a comment to enter the giveaway drawing. While you’re there, tell Stacy I sent you, to make me look good. Then subscribe to his blog to find out if you win a Garmin in January, and continue reading it through 2010.

And don’t forget to go shopping!

*Salomon jacket provided by Wilderness Running Company
** See other product reviews on sidebar at right. If you have a product you’d like reviewed, contact me at info@runningandrambling.com.

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New Balance MT100 Shoe Review

Earlier this fall, I declared that as much as I love running barefoot, or using minimalist footwear like Vibram’s FiveFingers, when it comes time to train for ultras again, I would probably go back to using standard trail shoes. I mentioned that some companies have embraced the minimalist concept, combining super-lightweight designs with basic protective features to allow maximal freedom of movement, natural biomechanics and ground feel, and improved overall comfort.

The primary shoes I had in mind were the New Balance MT100.


Even before its release, the MT100 was causing quite a stir in the ultra community, primarily because of its two high-profile design contributors: Anton Krupicka and Kyle Skaggs (be sure to watch the cool video on that link for your daily dose of mojo), both of whom have already become legends of the sport at a very young age. 26-year-old Krupicka holds numerous course records and is a two-time winner of the Leadville 100, while 24-year-old Skaggs did what many ultrarunners considered unthinkable: breaking the 24-hour mark at the Hardrock 100, widely considered the most challenging 100-miler in the world.

Krupicka in particular is famous for his minimalist approach to running. One of his mantras is a “return to simplicity”, and he’s generally seen running without a watch, hydration pack, shirt, or even shoes - many of his 200 training miles per week are done in bare feet, even on high mountain trails. Both he and Skaggs have been known to carve large chunks of material away from their training shoes to eliminate any excess weight or bulk that would hinder natural movement. Obviously, New Balance couldn’t have found two more ideal people to create a minimalist shoe that could hold up to the demands of rugged long-distance trail running.


For the most part, they succeeded. The MT100 weighs in at a superlight 7.8oz, with a very low profile and fantastic ground feel, as well as a handful of features to bolster its overall durability. The only component I found somewhat lacking was comfort in a couple of specific areas, as I’ll explain shortly. But first, a rundown of the shoe itself.

The MT100 isn’t offically an update of New Balance’s popular 790 lightweight trail runners - coincidentally, the same model that Skaggs wore for his Hardrock record - but given that this shoe was introduced at roughly the same time that the 790 was discontinued, many runners view it as the next generation 790. Like that shoe, the MT100 features New Balance’s RL-3 racing last which is designed to be narrow through the heel and wide through the forefoot – in other words, ideal for runners accustomed to going barefoot.

From that starting point, Krupicka and Skaggs spent countless hours and hundreds of miles in New Balance’s sports testing lab, using all sorts of biomechanic devices like force plates and motion capture sensors (the little lights they strap all over pro athletes to make computer-generated facsimiles for video games). The design team looked at contact and transition points of the midsole and outsole, and identified high-wear areas that needed extra reinforcement. They also gathered feedback from the two runners on stripping the shoe down to its bare essentials while preserving a bit of comfort for the long haul.

The most notable adaptations are on the shoe’s upper, which is little more than a thin synthetic mesh with strategically placed EVA to maintain shape. The tongue is relatively short, and is simply a thin piece of fabric, which could cause potential top of foot discomfort if you lace them up too tightly - but I never had a problem with this. New Balance’s “sausage link laces” (officially known as SureLace) are quite effective at keeping the upper snug without too much pressure. A puncture-resistant wrap in front of the toe box provides a bit of protection from sneaky roots or rocks that might take you by surprise.

In addition to slicing weight, the overall effect of this fabric-cutting on the upper is that the shoe is extremely well ventilated; in fact, this is probably the most well-ventilated shoe I’ve tested aside from the Newton Gravity, which has mesh holes so large you can almost stick your finger through them. Fortunately, the mesh of the MT100 is closed enough to prevent most debris from getting in – although I still notice some fine sand particles getting through to my toes like when I wear my FiveFinger KSOs. As with the Vibrams, this amount of dust isn’t nearly enough to bother me.

Mesh heel with EVA collar

Behind the shoe, the mesh is supported by a lightweight EVA material that extends into the shoe collar. Since there’s no fabric on this EVA collar to absorb sweat, the inner surface was made especially smooth to decrease friction and prevent blisters. However, this is the area where I’ve had the most discomfort, as the collar feels too rigid against my Achilles tendon. I broke the shoes in with several 4-6 mile runs where this wasn’t an issue, but once I started stretching my distances out to 10 or 15 miles, I developed a very sharp “biting” pain behind my ankle. Even with about 100 total miles on the shoes, this ankle bite is aggravating. Clearly, my tendons must not be as tough as Krupicka’s or Skaggs’s.

The other comfort issue I noticed was the overall size of the uppers, particularly in the length. On steep downhills, my toes contacted the front of the toe box, eventually causing some pressure points after multiple miles. This is probably a sizing issue as opposed to a structural one; normally I go up a half-size with my trail shoes compared to road trainers, which gives me ample room in the box for steep descents. If I were testing a second pair of MT100s, I’d probably go up a full size instead of just a half.

Beneath the upper, the MT100 gives you just enough padding to make the ride comfortable, but not so much to eliminate the feel of the ground underfoot. The midfoot is built very low to the ground, with heights of 18mm in the heel and 8mm in the forefoot. New Balance uses ACTEVA® midsole cushioning which resists compression and is 12% lighter than standard foam, thus helping to keep the overall weight of the shoe low.

The MT100 utilizes New Balance’s Rock Stop technology, a thin rigid plastic layer between the outsole and the midsole that disperses the force of sharp rocks or other penetrating objects across the entire plate to diminish the overall impact pressure at any particular location. For barefoot runners, the most telling feature of this shoe’s design is that Rock Stop support is provided in the midfoot area, but not the heel – thus promoting a midfoot or forefoot running stride in the same manner you do without shoes.


Barefoot running mechanics are also evident in the tread pattern of the outsole - specifically, the heel area is relatively minimal and smooth, with reversed lugs for braking. This makes sense for midfoot runners, as the only time they land on their heels is when trying to maintain some control while going downhill. Likewise, the midfoot area of the outsole is given the most reinforcement, with higher profile knobs for multi-directional grip. Keeping with the lightweight theme, even the outsole is involved, as you can see scooped-out areas underneath the arch in an effort to eliminate as much unnecessary material as possible.

Overall, aside from a couple of comfort issues that might hopefully be addressed in future versions, there’s a lot to celebrate about the MT100. It’s clearly a forerunner in the emerging category of minimalist trail shoes, and New Balance’s collaboration with two of the best ultrarunners in the world demonstrates its commitment to maintain high performance standards while striving to be as lightweight as possible. They’ve embraced the biomechanical benefits of barefoot running and provided a very solid option for minimalist (i.e. Vibram FiveFingers users like me) runners who want a bit more toughness and durability when taking on ultra distances or extremely difficult terrain. All this, and it's completely affordable as well (see pricing below). If more companies follow New Balance’s lead in these regards, that would be very good news indeed.

The New Balance MT100 retails for $75 from the company website, with several discount prices available via Google search. The best price I found is $50 from FinishLine.com (search "New Balance 100").

*Product provided by New Balance
**See other product reviews on sidebar at right. If you have a product you’d like reviewed, contact me at info@runningandrambling.com.

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Vivo Barefoot Evo Running Shoe Preview; Lesotho Review

(Admin note: a subtle shifting of gears at R&R headquarters as December winds down. Most noticeable is that the rate of giveaways will taper off quite a bit compared to before the holidays – although I’ll make a concerted effort to include some kind of freebies with product reviews more frequently in the future. As for this week, I’m reviewing a shoe that I was eagerly anticipating throughout the fall – the New Balance MT100 – and turning the spotlight on a few other companies who’ve been good to me during 2009. The first such post is today, featuring Vivo Barefoot.)

*
Of all the people you’d expect to be experienced barefoot runners, the owner of a global shoe empire probably isn’t one of them.

Galahad Clark; photo from London Evening Standard

Fortunately, we’ve already established that Vivo Barefoot isn’t your everyday shoe company – and founder Galahad Clark isn’t your everyday shoe mogul. So it shouldn’t really have shocked anyone when he showed up to run this fall’s New York City Marathon in bare feet, or that he’s become the highest profile advocate of barefoot running among anyone in the world not named Christopher McDougall.

(On a side note - I should probably be a bit more reserved about my admiration for Galahad Clark; I’ve heaped so much praise on him in recent months that he’s starting to rival my other man-crush, Malcolm Gladwell. And I really need to stop saying these things out loud.)

Clark’s recent efforts are representative of a larger development as well: in the few years of its existence, Vivo Barefoot has firmly established itself as the premier shoe company for barefooters (yes, that’s something of an oxymoron … but you get the point). So when word got out in 2009 that the company was developing a running shoe to complement its line of casual and dress models, a whole lot of people took notice. This fall, the company released pictures of the Evo performance shoe, and the buzz became almost palpable.

Speaking of buzz ... is anyone else reminded of beehives right now?

Vivo Barefoot now has a skeleton webpage set up to introduce the Evo, as well as a registration form to receive more information about the shoe as it becomes available in spring 2010. I’m hoping to have a review posted here shortly after the shoes are released as well. Needless to say, I’m looking forward to it.

**

In the meantime, I’m continuing to enjoy Vivo Barefoot’s casual footwear – especially the most recent addition to my wardrobe, called the Lesotho. It’s the most formal-looking of the three pairs I’ve reviewed (Dharma and Oak being the others), but retains the comfort and ground feel of the more casual models.


The upper has the same sockliner described in my Oak review, but with a traditional lacing system that can be used to increase snugness as desired. I found that if I tightened the laces like normal shoes, the flexibility of the sockliner is limited - so I prefer to keep them quite loose in order to maintain the slip on/off capability.


The Lesotho’s outsole is the same one featured on the Oak: a deeply grooved honeycomb pattern that provides improved traction in wet conditions. When the sole is wet, its grip is still somewhat slick on hard, polished surfaces – but while the shoe’s overall traction isn’t as good as a sneaker, it’s certainly a lot better than most dress shoes I’ve worn.


All of the other usual Vivo Barefoot features are on display in the Lesotho as well: super ground feel, outstanding comfort, and quality construction, all from a company who is a leader in eco-friendliness and social responsibility. There are a lot of things to feel good about – and a few days left to feel good for a little bit less money.

The Vivo Barefoot Lesotho retails for $160 from Endless.com with free overnight shipping. After my last Vivo Barefoot review, the company offered a coupon code (RunVivo20) for 20% off any Vivo Barefoot model. The offer is good through December 31st, so there are a few days left for you to take advantage of it. If you’re interested, click here to get started.


*Product provided by Vivo Barefoot
*See other product reviews on sidebar at right. If you have a product you’d like reviewed, contact me at info@runningandrambling.com.

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Yahweh

"Take this soul, stranded in some skin and bones -
Take this soul and make it sing."
-U2, "Yahweh" (video below):

It's no secret that U2 is one of the most outwardly Christian bands around - so on the most uplifting holiday of the Christian year, it seems appropriate to spotlight one of the most uplifting and beautiful songs in U2's repertoire.

"Yahweh" is, in essence, a simple prayer: a humble plea to take this broken world we occupy, and make it right. Coincidentally, that also happens to be the message of Christmas.

Here's wishing a wonderful one to all of us.

-U2, "Yahweh" (click to play):

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Frosting and Rambling (Part II)

Some admin notes to follow-up on recent giveaways: Stronger, send me your address; you've got some La Sportiva hobnails coming your way. Pinkcorker and Michael, I'm still waiting on your addresses for the GU giveaway. Write me at info@runningandrambling.com.

**
Last week featured cookie decorating night at the Running and Rambling house:

When we did this a couple of years ago, my creative instincts got a little bit carried away, and I posted a photo of one finished product that, to my wife’s dismay, has become one of my kids’ lasting memories of frosting cookies: a peed-on snowman.

So my take-home lesson from that evening was that apparently urine-related humor crosses the line of good taste when it comes to celebrating Christmas. Or something like that. And the ground rules for this year’s decorating session were clear from the outset: everything had to be in good taste.

The good news is that despite the restrictive edict, we still managed to have fun and come up with some clever stuff. We’ll start, of course, with my wife’s batch:

Completely classy all the way around. Note the attention to detail: the scarf on the snowman, the fringe on the angel’s gown, the alternating-color diagonal sprinkles on the candy cane. When it comes to decorating cookies, my wife doesn’t mess around.


On the other hand … messing around isn’t necessarily bad, as my 6-year-old’s collection demonstrates. She subscribes to the “the more toppings, the better” philosophy of decorating – and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.


A small collection from my older kids, including an iPod-wearing snowman from my 11-year-old son. I liked his idea so much that I sort of ripped it off for one of my own, as you’ll see later on.


A gathering of shortbread angels made by all of us. I was pretty proud of the Tinkerbell fairy I made, except that when we were delivering a plate of cookies to friends, Tink’s wing broke off, so part of our Christmas offering became an amputee fairy. Not exactly what comes to mind when you think about Christmas.


Since our two older kids are Nintendo DS fiends, there was a distinct Mario Party theme to some of the cookies. On the bottom, that’s Luigi (my son’s), Mario (mine), and Yoshi (my 8-year-old daughter’s). Mario was part of a larger character lineup for me …


… including Charlie Brown and an angelic iPod advertisement. The angel kind of triggered my wife’s “good taste” radar for a few seconds, because before the earbuds and cords are put on, it bears a strong resemblance to the Angel of Death. Fortunately, after presenting my completed creation, the iPod angel made sense. Unfortunately, my Charlie Brown seems to have a shrunken head.

Predictably, I couldn’t let a whole evening go by without at least one item related to running – so the easiest thing to make was this:

My favorite trail running socks, of course. After all, what’s Christmas without a little bit of commercialism?

We give away about 95% of these cookies, so the bad news for me is that I don’t even get to eat most of these yummy creations. We save our favorites to give to Santa, so there’s a possibility that I can sneak in some cookie-eating before he gets here on Christmas Eve ... but I don’t know that I want to screw around with taking stuff away from Santa. I’ve learned that when it comes to these holiday cookies, it’s best to just avoid trouble altogether.

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Jinga All the Way

One thing that never ceases to impress me about having this website is how easily it shrinks the world. Readers find me (and in many cases, e-mail me) from all corners of the globe, and I’ve had the pleasure of learning about people, places, and businesses that I would have gone through life completely oblivious to in another era. The world has become not only flat, but more easily familiar than at any point in history.

Considering this, I probably shouldn’t have been as bewildered as I was to receive an envelope with “Royal Air” postmarks on it this week. Nevertheless, I wasn’t exactly expecting anything, so curiosity got the best of me.

After opening the envelope, curiosity turned to delight: it was a Christmas card from Jinga, a Brazilian company whose shoes I reviewed last month as part of my barefoot series.

In that post, I described how part of Jinga’s mission is to support one of Rio de Janeiro’s many favelas, projects that provide educational and social support to a portion of the city’s staggering population of impoverished children. The company’s Christmas cards are works of art made by children from the favela.


My card was made and signed by an 11-year-old girl named Fabiana. It was nice coincidence, as I happen to have an 11-year-old of my own.


The cards have folds and a flap that can be shaped into an ornament, so that’s exactly what I did. And now, alongside all the wonderful family memories on our tree, a young Brazilian girl has provided a welcome dose of holiday cheer:


Obrigado, Fabiana. Feliz Natal. And God’s peace and blessings to all of us.

**

Update: shortly after writing this post, I went to Jinga's Facebook page and found a link to the following video showing the favela kids making the ornaments. My girl Fabiana is shown at the :59 and 1:22 marks. Enjoy!

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The Year That Was; La Sportiva Hobnail Giveaway

Today's post is a mishmash of sorts: three giveaway winners, another giveaway opportunity, and a recent Monterey Herald article.

First, thanks to everyone who entered my GU giveaway - the response was pleasantly overwhelming. Also, thanks to my friend Richard, who pointed out that Berkeley isn't just the home of CLIF and GU; the PowerBar company originated there in the late 1980s as well. So what in the heck was going on in Berkeley 25 years ago? That town is to sports nutrition like Seattle is to grunge music. Someone really needs to break this down for us; I'm certain that Malcolm Gladwell could get at least a couple of good chapters out of such an anomaly.

As for the winners: Michael, trailmomma, and Pinkcorker, email me (info@runningandrambling.com) your addresses: you've won the GU holiday gift boxes. (Also - mweston, I'm still waiting on your e-mail from the CLIF giveaway.) And thanks again to everyone else for participating.

*

Today's giveaway is the second part of a two-step process similar to what I've done a couple of times already: go read a review on FeedTheHabit.com, then return here for a follow-up post. This time, the review involves footwear, and the giveaway will only be open to a select group of readers.

Here's the deal: go read my review of La Sportiva's Wildcat GTX, a hardcore trail running shoe built to take on the harshest winter conditions. As part of the review, I also discussed La Sportiva's hobnail kit, a set of removable metal studs that you can screw onto the outsoles of your shoes for super traction on ice and snow. Obviously, this coastal California boy doesn't have a lot of use for hobnails, so that's the prize in today's giveaway: if you'd like my hobnail kit (a $45 value), leave a comment below this post.

La Sportiva hobnail kit

When I mentioned that this giveaway is only open to a select group of readers, here's what I meant: these have to go to a cold-weather runner - so in your comment, tell me the town you live in. If it's not someplace icy or snowy, I'm disqualifying you. I'll pick a winner on Tuesday night and mail the kit out after Christmas. Good luck!

**

Finally, the substantive portion of today's post: it's my Monterey Herald article from last week, which served as a year in review for the local running scene. Much of the content may not make sense to anyone outside of Monterey County (and for those who don't know, the Mike who is mentioned is one of my fellow columnists), but there was just enough "geographically neutral" stuff that I figured I'd post it here just for kicks.


Running Life 12/17/09 "The Year That Was"

December is just as popular for year-end reviews as it is for menorahs and Christmas trees – yet somehow, running news typically goes underreported. We’re correcting that trend today, with a 2009 retrospective specifically for the running community:

January: Hundreds of runners participate in Rio Grill’s Resolution Run, and over a delicious post-race pancake breakfast, discuss the annual question: “How long do you think the race was this year?” Several hours later, thousands of slackers groggily roll out of bed and postpone their New Year’s Resolutions until 2010.

February: Pacific Grove’s Together With Love run triggers a collective awkwardness to rival a junior-high prom, as runners choose “partners” for the competition. Conversations like “I really like him, but I don’t want to give him the wrong idea,” or “Do you think she knows I even exist?” become frighteningly commonplace.

March: The Big Sur International Marathon’s JUST RUN Youth Program increases to over 6,000 participants for the school year. Appropriately, all of them get to wear bib number 1 in local races.

April: A huge month for running! At the Boston Marathon, Kara Goucher turns in the best American performance in 25 years, missing victory by a mere 9 seconds, then politely stands shivering in her singlet through an attempted interview from an incompetent camera crew and a TV reporter who calls her “Sara”. Mike finishes 1 minute slower than his son at Boston, and suddenly feels old, but proud.

Meanwhile, back in Monterey County, the Big Sur marathon enjoys its most successful year ever, and will later be ranked one of the top 3 marathons in America. Afterward, a Herald columnist makes fun of the race’s periwinkle race shirts. Columnist gets in big trouble.

May: Christopher McDougall’s landmark book Born to Run is released, inspiring thousands of runners to ditch their shoes and run barefoot like the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico. In a related story, stock prices for Band-Aids and blister relief kits reach an all-time high.

June: Donald runs in the Western States 100-mile Endurance Run, finally confirming what many people long suspected: “Has he lost his mind?”

July: The Spreckels 4th of July 10K is as traditional as barbecues, parades, and fireworks. Veteran runners suspect the course is short, but nobody says anything so they can all enjoy their PRs.

August: The first-ever Carmel Valley Fiesta Run delights hundreds of trail runners in Garland Ranch, as well as dozens of yellow jackets who enjoyed a much heartier than usual breakfast feast. A few runners complain, skittish park officials panic, and the race is in jeopardy for 2010. We’re hoping this one stays on the calendar.

September: On-line entries open for next year’s Boston to Big Sur challenge; two marathons, two coasts, 6 days apart; 300 people sign up the first week. Mike’s son Bryan gets married, making Mike feel even older, but even prouder.

October: Birth and rebirth: the first ever Just Run for Peace takes place in Salinas, and the Big Sur River Run returns after a one-year hiatus due to wildfires. It’s good to see both races on the schedule.

November: Southern California-raised, UCLA-educated Meb Keflezighi becomes the first American in 27 years to win the New York Marathon – prompting a handful of idiot sportswriters nationwide to publicly ask “Wait … Is Meb really an American?” We wish we were making this up.

December: Tiger Woods hits a fire hydrant with his SUV at 2AM – and absolutely nothing else newsworthy happens anywhere in the world.

We hope that you had more good miles than bad ones in 2009. Thanks for sharing the year with us!

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