Target Acquisition

Actual conversation between me and my 8-year-old daughter during our most recent 5K training session ...

Daughter: So are we doing the 5K in Salinas this spring, or the one in Carmel?

Me: The one in Carmel. It's the same one [her brother] did for his first 5K.

Daughter: OK ... (long pause) ... so what was [her brother's] time when he did that race?

Me: I'm not exactly sure ... I think it was something around 36 or 37 minutes. I can check for sure when we get home. (Another pause) You're going to try to beat his time, aren't you?

Daughter (with sly smile): Maybe.

It's not my normal parenting style to compare one child to another, or to place the unnecessary pressure of expectation on a kid who's doing something primarily intended to be fun and healthy, so let's just keep the following observations between you, me and the Internet: This is a very determined little girl. And I don't think her brother's mark stands a chance this April.

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Feelmax Sock Review; Feelmax Osma Available in U.S.

When I published my review of the Feelmax Niesa in September, I described the company as a small family business whose first product offering was functional toe socks in 1999. From the outset, the company has been wholly committed to improving people’s general well-being by promoting natural foot function, and it was only a matter of time before they ventured into the waters of minimalist footwear.

Since that time, I’ve been extremely happy with both of my Feelmax shoe models: the Niesa, which I use for general purpose athletics and hiking, and the Osma, a pure running model that I’ve logged about 300 road miles in without any complaints whatsoever.

Coincidentally with my review, Feelmax was experiencing growing pains of sorts; the demand for their footwear was becoming overwhelming for a tiny company (whose total employees still number less than two dozen) to keep pace. The company’s website was only set up for direct sales in Euros, and in the United States, Feelmax had tremendous difficulty with product distribution to all the interested parties.

Into that void stepped a company called Gifts From Finland, who contacted me towards the end of the year to announce that they have all Feelmax shoes, including the Osma, in stock and available for purchase in US dollars. And since they carry all of Feelmax’s sock lines as well, they provided me with a couple of pairs to review in exchange for a few links. (I’m pretty easy that way.)


As the weather turned cold this winter and I was logging more and more miles in my Vibram Five Fingers - still my model of choice for trail running – I developed a renewed appreciation for toe socks. Like most trail runners, I originally thought that Injinji was the only game in town, but Feelmax offers a sport ankle sock that’s comparable to the more popular brand. It’s made of Coolmax, and has more of a dress-sock feel to it compared to Injinji’s cottony feel. It has seamless construction to prevent blisters, and wicks moisture pretty effectively. I’ve used them on a few multi-hour trail runs, and I honestly couldn’t tell any performance difference between the Feelmax socks and Injinjis. The Feelmax version retails for $11, which is slightly less than Injinji, so they’re a nice option for future consideration.

Where the Feelmax line of socks excels are in the dress/casual category, as evidenced by the charcoal model I tested. Apparently charcoal has inherent antibacterial properties (who knew?), and these socks are made primarily of charcoal yarn to help reduce bacterial odor, but they retain a very soft, comfortable feel against the skin. These are form-fitting and seamless like the sport socks, but come in crew length so you can wear them at work. It’s nice to have a comfortable toe sock option that can pass for traditional dresswear.

The rest of Feelmax’s sock catalog includes both adult and children’s sizes, with a variety of materials and styles such as basic cotton or striped knee-highs (no, I didn’t try those). Toe socks are especially popular for diabetic patients with decreased foot sensitivity, but they’re also kind of fun to wear for the cool feel and visual novelty. Regardless of your need – health, athletic, dress, or just goofing around - the entire collection is available at Gifts From Finland as well.

My hope is that someday Feelmax shoes and socks will be as prevalent as Sketchers and Hanes, but until then, it’s nice to see the number of online outlets increasing. Thanks to Gifts From Finland for the samples, and for making these products more easily available.


*products provided by Gifts From Finland
*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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Stonemasters: Lynn Hill

A healthy dose of mojo arrived at my house last week, in the form of Patagonia's Spring 2010 catalog, featuring rock climbing pioneers called the Stonemasters, who honed their skills on California's most daunting natural landmarks beginning in the 1970s. It also triggered a couple of short but similar exchanges between my wife and me, the first of which went something like this:

Me: Whoa.

Wife: What?

Me: It’s this catalog … they’ve got some amazing photos of rock climbers in Yosemite and Joshua Tree. There’s this one girl who’s kind of unbelievable.

Lynn Hill climbing in Joshua Tree National Park, 1978 (from Patagonia catalog)

The girl is Lynn Hill, widely known as one of the best climbers in the world. Think of Michael Jordan, Roger Federer, and pre-scandal Tiger Woods … and Hill is in that same category. (Also note that it's not a "best among females" distinction - it's best, period.) One of her legendary climbs was the first free ascent of The Nose on El Capitan – a climb which, coincidentally, triggered the next conversation with my wife later that evening:

Wife: Whoa.

Me: What?

Wife: Did this girl climb El Capitan with no ropes?

Me: Um … I’m not sure. I don’t think anyone’s ever done that.

Lynn Hill on the Nose of El Cap, 1993 (from Patagonia catalog)

It turns out that we were getting free climbing - where ropes and harnesses are present for falls, but not used for upward progress - confused with free soloing, where no support equipment of any kind is used. However, to give you a sense of how difficult Hill’s El Cap climb was, consider this: none of the best climbers in the world were able to retrace the route for more than 10 years after her first ascent.

I’ve always been a fan of rock climbing, in no small part because it absolutely terrifies me, and because even the simplest moves require strength and flexibility that is simply incomprehensible unless you’ve actually tried to drag your butt over or across a wall in a gym somewhere. (I try it every now and then … it never goes well). I suspect that another part of its appeal is that the sport has many similarities to ultrarunning, particularly in the mental discipline that is required, and the systematic approach to tackling physical obstacles that seem insurmountable to the casual observer.

And just like in ultrarunning, the great ones make it look easy – as the following video will demonstrate. It was produced by Patagonia, and features the aforementioned Lynn Hill doing some freestyle bouldering that appears deceptively effortless. I generally file these particular skills under “Things I’ll Never Ever EVER Be Able to Do” – but I’m continually inspired by the fact that there are people out there who can.

*
"Lynn Hill at Hueco Tanks", from Patagonia Video (click to play):


P.S. This should go without saying - but if you don't already receive Patagonia catalogs, get yourself on the mailing list. You can thank me later.

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Better Together

“It's always better when we're together -
We’re somewhere in between together –
Well, it's always better when we're together –
Yeah it's always better when we're together.”
- Jack Johnson, “Better Together” (video after post)

*
One day per week, I change into my running clothes as soon as I get home from work, and jump in the car with my 8-year-old daughter to go here:


A quarter-mile asphalt path that winds past a large garden, around a softball field, and alongside two playgrounds at her elementary school. Over the past month or so, it's been the primary training area for my daughter’s first-ever 5K attempt later this spring. She and I jog alongside each other, taking advantage of some rare one-on-one time together, gradually building up our distances with each passing week.


It’s also a great opportunity for me to get in a little bit of barefoot running, since our mornings are still prohibitively cold for my wimpy California-boy feet.


The track layout isn’t what you’d call traditional; it has a few sharp curves and turns, and a gentle uphill/downhill slope on one end of the schoolyard. Sometimes we have to avoid her classmates playing after-school soccer or softball in the grassy areas, or basketball or kickball on the asphalt. Other times, we have the place to ourselves aside from a few spectators ...


The geese make a lot of racket sometimes, but they never really bother us. And even when the playground is crowded with kids, my daughter and I are pretty good at keeping our focus on each other. We jog along together, enjoying our mutual company while discussing the truly important issues in life.


For example, the topic of last week’s discussion was, “What’s your favorite song from In Between Dreams?” We each had the same top 5 – including the intro song above - but in slightly different order. (For the record, this song is her favorite. It’s absolutely beyond debate in her mind – and I really see no reason to disagree.) You’d be amazed at how much this girl and I can talk about Jack Johnson songs.


After completing a handful of laps around the asphalt track, we do some sprints through the grass. It’s probably about 100 yards across, and I used to give her a 5-second head start before trying to catch up. Five seconds quickly became three, which recently became two. Pretty soon, I’ll be the one asking for a head start … and I’m not quite sure how I’ll feel about that.


Once the running is finished, we sit for a few moments to catch our breath and watch the sun set over the nearby hillside. Then we stroll across the schoolyard with my arm draped over her shoulders before climbing into the car to head back home, usually singing some songs along the way. It’s always the shortest workout of my week, but never fails to be the most satisfying.


**
Here’s a measure of how completely I love the In Between Dreams album: as beautiful as the following song is, it just barely cracked my top five list in the aforementioned discussion with my daughter. However, it’s certainly the most applicable one for this post.

Jack Johnson, “Better Together” (click to play):

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Brooks Green Silence Running Shoe Review

Since I probably won’t be able to avoid them later on, let’s just go ahead and get all of the wise cracks about the Green Silence out of the way first:

* Part of the name is “Green”, even though the color scheme is red and yellow.

* The other part of the name is “Silence”, even though the bright colors kind of scream at you like an ambulance siren.

* It’s an eco-friendly shoe that looks like it rolled off the assembly line at McDonalds.

* It rewards your social responsibility by making you look like a circus clown.

Brooks Green Silence

There are more out there, I’m sure … but I’ll leave any further smarty-pants comments alone, because I’m really a big fan of the Green Silence. Brooks has produced something truly ground-breaking and admirable: an outstanding performance shoe constructed with one of the smallest carbon footprints possible. Its design will appeal to a wide spectrum of runners, and its production sets new standards in environmental stewardship.

Some of the eco-friendly features here aren’t exactly new – for example, Brooks has been using biodegradable midsoles for a few years now – but others are truly innovative, and the finished product represents a huge leap forward for major shoe manufacturers who strive to reconcile mass production with environmental responsibility. Fully 75% of this shoe is made from post-consumer recycled materials, and the 25% that isn’t already recycled is almost entirely biodegradable. Best of all, it holds up to the high quality standards of all Brooks footwear, giving you the perfect opportunity to run hard while treading lightly.

High post-consumer content upper

A good deal of the Green Silence’s upper contains post-consumer material in the form of polyethylene terephthalate, better known as PET, better known as all those plastic drink bottles you’re not supposed to be using anymore. The shoelaces, “gillies” (eyelets), and tongue webbing are made of 100% recycled PET, while the ankle collar reinforcement is 80% recycled PET. This post-consumer material also makes up 30% of the sockliner and bright mesh uppers.

Mirror-image color schemes

Other details on the upper display Brooks’s commitment to eco-friendly construction. Those bright yellow and red hues – which, incidentally, display opposite color schemes on each shoe – are created with non-toxic inks and dyes, and all adhesives used on the shoe are water-based. The logos and other decorative accents are embroidered into the upper instead of being welded with glue. Overall, the Green Silence uses almost 40% less adhesive material than standard running shoes.

Mesh upper with embroidered logo

Another way to decrease reliance on adhesives is to have fewer interconnecting pieces, and that strategy is evident with the Green Silence, which Brooks claims has half as many components as a normal running shoe. For example, the shoe’s tongue isn’t a separate piece, but is a continuous extension of one side of the upper. I found the tongue a bit short for my liking, as the crossed laces tend to slip over the top of them if you are pulling at an angle – but with a small adjustment, that never became a comfort problem.

Finally, one more cool aspect of the upper is the heel counter, which is made from 50% recycled compact discs. If I had known what Brooks was up to with this, I could have unloaded a lot of my old Night Ranger and Twisted Sister CDs from the 1980s to a worthy cause instead of just throwing them in an unmarked dumpster a few years ago. Kind of a missed opportunity there.

The Green Silence’s midsole features the same BioMoGo material that Brooks uses in nearly all its performance shoes, which decomposes in landfills 50 times faster than traditional EVA material. (Click here for a cool little video that explains how BioMoGo works.) It also has a very low, flat platform, which will delight those who like to be closer to the ground or who use a midfoot strike pattern. Midsole heights are 18mm in the heel and 10mm in the forefoot, which gives a delta (heel to toe drop) of a mere 8mm, compared to most trainers that drop 12mm or more.

Such a flat platform, combined with very low overall weight, make the Green Silence a great choice for racing or fast training days. Each shoe weighs a mere 6.9oz, so you’re treading lightly in every sense of the word. This is definitely the lightest “traditional” or non-minimalist shoe I’ve worn, and I’ve found it ideal for tempo runs on the road or mile interval workouts at the track. I’ve also used them on fire roads and gentle trails, although the outsole (see below) technically puts it in the category of a dedicated road runner.


The outsole of the Green Silence is made of 30% recycled rubber, and features some familiar Brooks technologies such as HPR Green - a sand-based compound that provides excellent wet/dry traction - and a flexible Hyper-Pod configuration of midsole and outsole components engineered to keep the foot in a balanced, maximally efficient position from heel strike to toe-off. However, despite the HPR material (which is the same stuff used in Brooks’s wildly popular Cascadia trail runners), the outsole tread is fairly smooth and shallow, so I’d have some reservations about using these on technical trails.

There’s enough cushioning in the shoe to appeal to those who want a nice, smooth ride, and the upper feels very comfortable whether jogging leisurely or while hammering a 6-minute pace. After about 150 miles, the Green Silence seems just as durable as any other everyday trainer I’ve tried, and I could even see it used as a lightweight marathon shoe. It’s clear that Brooks hasn’t sacrificed any quality or performance aspects while redefining the limits of sustainable manufacturing.

So yeah, the shoes are a little bit funny looking … but maybe that’s not such a bad thing in this case. Maybe it’s a great idea for other companies to notice what Brooks has done with this model, and use it as a revised blueprint for balancing high sustainability with high performance. In that regard, the Green Silence is a shoe with bright colors and a noisy design that is justifiably screaming to get noticed.


The Green Silence retails for $100 from the Brooks website, or is available with free overnight shipping from Endless.com, as well as other online vendors.


*Product provided by Brooks
*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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Where's Vivo?

Normally I prefer to wait for one global sporting extravaganza to end before talking about the next one – but today I’m making a minor exception to that rule. Although the sun hasn’t entirely set on the Winter Olympics, I already have one eye cast ahead to 2010’s other quadrennial event that will inspire international passions: the FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Even stranger, my early attention to the soccer tournament was triggered by a company I’ve been promoting quite a bit lately, one who has just entered the running industry with a splash.

A short blurb on Vivo Barefoot’s Twitter feed recently announced “We’re in the latest World Cup ad from VISA. Did you see us?”, along with a link to the commercial that follows below. Turns out, it’s something of a Where's Waldo? proposition; while there are a lot of running scenes – including a few seconds of barefoot running, which is always worthy of a cheer – I can’t for the life of me make out a pair of Vivo Barefoot shoes anywhere in this piece.

Nevertheless, it’s a cool clip, and I’m always a sucker for an imaginative, clever advertisement (case in point: this is one of my favorites from the current Olympic Games). Combine that with my childhood love affair with the “beautiful game”, and that was reason enough for me to post the video below. But if you should happen to spot the Vivos somewhere in here, be sure to point them out to me in the comments below.

“Evolution of Football”, from VISA (click to play):



Finally, one other Vivo Barefoot-related announcement of note: my Evos are on their way. Give me about 100 miles on them, and I’ll have a review posted here very shortly thereafter.

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The Kids Aren't Alright

Before today's post, a reminder: You've got three more days (through February 28) to save $20 on all La Sportiva shoes from Wilderness Running Company. Type lasportiva in the coupon code box at checkout for your discount, and keep in mind that shipping is free as well. Click the link above to get shopping; I'll still be here when you get back.

**

“Chances thrown, nothing's free –
Longing for, used to be –
Still it's hard, hard to see –
Fragile lives, shattered dreams”
- The Offspring, “The Kids Aren’t Alright” (video after post)

*
It’s great to see that the war on childhood obesity has a new high-profile ally.

When Michelle Obama recently introduced her Let’s Move campaign, it was good cause to discuss the epidemic once again in this week’s Monterey Herald column, which follows below. Part of the article speaks to our experience with Monterey County’s youth running program, and part is general recommendations that might help such a program succeed.

I admit to being a bit skeptical about the success of a comprehensive national youth fitness initiative, if only because I’ve seen so many well-intentioned projects fail in the past. There are too many special interests to allow truly sweeping reform, and too much financial incentive for numerous companies to keep Americans greedy and lazy. I keep hoping there will come a tipping point of sorts, where we all take some personal responsibility in the epidemic, and collectively work towards turning the problem around – but I’m afraid that day is still a very long time off.

And since I’m mentioning Mrs Obama specifically, it would be inconsiderate of me to not show the 2-minute introductory video for her campaign, which I’ll do as a precursor to the column that follows (admin note: you may need to click into this post for the Obama video - for some reason it's not showing up in Google Reader):



**
Running Life 2/25/10 “Dear Mrs. Obama”

Dear Mrs. Obama,

Thank you for making the fight against youth obesity your primary concern as First Lady. As runners, parents, and community activists, we share your passion in this challenge.

We completely agree with the goals you have established: access to healthy, affordable food for all kids; increased physical activity in schools and in the community; healthier school meal programs; parents empowered with the information and tools to make good choices.

Since we have some experience in this area, we thought perhaps we could share some of our ideas and observations with you.

Make Physical Education and active recess mandatory from kindergarten to 12th grade: Include activities and lessons to emphasize how running or other aerobic exercise should become a lifetime habit. This is a low-cost initiative, needing no equipment and no new teachers: for example, Monterey County’s Just Run program is free, can be led by any teacher or parent, and has positively impacted more than 7,500 kids.

Health education should be an important part of school rather than an afterthought. Having “No child left inside” is just as important as “No child left behind.”

Make BMI measurements and fitness goals part of school programs: This might be a controversial step – but any executive will tell you that you can’t manage what you can’t measure. Kids should know their fitness levels – and these assessments are a great way to open a dialogue with parents as well.

Keep it Simple: Please avoid the typical bureaucratic solution of just throwing more money and researchers at the problem. We all know that poor nutrition + sedentary lifestyle = obesity. Most health agencies already have programs in place – the problem is that they have NOT been working. Find the few good programs out there (see Just Run above) to direct resources toward, and make them more accessible nationwide.

Use “Foot Soldiers”: Any battle needs lots of foot soldiers. In this case, use established community organizers and advocates, and recruit new ones as well. Newly proposed programs should have advocates in every school, workplace, and health organization. Encourage people to get involved at school or in the community.

Lose the anti-running bias: Maybe we’re paranoid, but we’ll put this one out there ... but we’re a bit offended that the Surgeon’s General’s “Vision for a Healthy and Fit Nation 2010” says children should have 60 minutes a day of vigorous exercise but doesn’t mention running. Included in the activity examples are softball, racquetball, kayaking (Really? In inner cities?), skating, mall walking, and washing the car, but somehow running didn’t make the list.

The President’s Active Lifestyle award is based on kids being active 5 days a week for 6 weeks. 100 activities are mentioned and running is (thankfully) one of them, but so are archery, billiards, croquet, darts, gardening, horseshoe pitching, ski-mobiling, skeet shooting, and even shuffleboard.

See, here’s the thing: running is the simplest, cheapest, most accessible and most effective means of exercise there is. Although we risk offending the kayaking or shuffleboard lobbies by saying so, we feel our sport deserves a much higher profile in fitness programs.

Make it permanent: Kids need more than 6 total weeks of exercise; it has to be daily, it has to be a life-long habit, and it has to be fun and rewarding in order to be successful. If your legacy is a generation of healthy, happy kids, that’s something to be enormously proud of.

Good luck with your initiative, and feel free to contact us if you need some free consulting!


**

This song occupies a special place in my heart, as well as my subconscious: during the bike stage of my very first triathlon, as I was absolutely flying down the wide, smooth roadway, the introductory sequence of this tune was stuck on repeat mode in my head. My legs were hammering the pedals in exact rhythm with the song, my adrenaline was surging like crazy, and I felt almost superhuman. It was one the most enjoyable feelings I’ve ever had in a race, and whenever I hear this song, I immediately recall the sheer exhilaration of that moment. It’s obviously a nice memory – but having said all that, I have to admit that I find the video for the song just a tad bit creepy.

The Offspring, “The Kids Aren’t Alright” (click to play):

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