Got a Bad Obsession?

"It's a bad obsession, it's always messin' -
Always messin' my mind."
- Guns 'n' Roses, "Bad Obsession" (video after post)

*
It seems to happen at some point in the development of every runner: a tipping point of sorts when an activity that started simply as a healthy habit becomes something more. Our identity becomes intertwined with the lifestyle, and we try to absorb as much information as we can about the sport.

When that time comes, some of us might call ourselves obsessed.

Of course, there are different levels of obsession. My friend Mike and I are both pretty knowledgeable about most aspects of running, but we know some people who would put us to shame with their passion for everything related to this pastime we share. And that’s not something we necessarily strive to emulate.

I guess what we’re saying is that it’s possible to become too focused on running - and we used that thought as the premise for last week’s Monterey Herald column which follows below. It’s a goofy little self-assessment to determine if your individual running obsession is a good one or bad one.

*
Running Life 07/15/10 “Running Obsession”

So you call yourself a runner? Think you’re obsessed with your running life? Let’s find out.

We had some fun a few months ago when we created a test to rate your running partners – so we’re doing it again, but this time you’re rating yourself! Get yourself a piece of paper, and let’s see how dedicated a runner you really are.

MILES: Give yourself 1 point for each mile that you run in the average week. If you don’t keep track of your miles then give yourself 5 points for each day of the week that you run 30 minutes or more.

RUNNING SHOES: How many types of shoes do you have? If you own regular running shoes, add 5 points for each pair. Add 7 points for each pair of trail shoes. Add 10 for each pair of racing flats, 15 for each pair of running spikes or Vibram FiveFingers, and 20 if you’re brave enough to go barefoot!

PERIODICALS: Award 5 points if you subscribe to Runner’s World magazine, 10 points for Running Times, and 15 points for Marathon and Beyond. Score 20 points if you regularly get Running Research News.

BOOKS: Add 10 points for the number of times you have read each of these books: Once a Runner by John L. Parker Jr., Running & Being by Dr. George Sheehan, Born to Run by Christopher McDougall, Galloway's Book on Running by Jeff Galloway, and Running with the Buffaloes by Chris Lear.

(*Web bonus: if your favorite running book isn't mentioned here, feel free to let me know in the comments)

WORKOUTS: Give yourself 5 points for each type of workout you’ve done in the last 3 months. Fartlek. Hill repeats. Form drills including butt kicks, high knees, and karaoke. Tempo. Planned marathon pace. Yasso 800’s.

RUNNING HEROES: If your role model is Dean Karnazes give yourself 1 point. If you are motivated by Kara Goucher and Ryan Hall give yourself 5 points. If you admire Deena Kastor and Meb Keflezighi, score 10. Likewise with Bill Rogers or Frank Shorter (for you older folks) – still 10. If you are inspired by Terry Fox or Sarah Reinertsen, score 15. If Scott Jurek or Anton Krupicka are more your style give yourself 20. If no one impresses you but Quenton Cassidy, score 25. If you don’t recognize any of these names, minus 50.

TRAVEL TO RACES: Score 25 points for each trip you’ve made to a race in the last six months that required a passport. Score 20 for each race that required air travel. Give yourself 15 for races that required at least one night in a hotel. Add 5 for each race you did that you slept at home.

THURSDAY MORNINGS: If your first thought on Thursday morning is about reading The Running Life, give yourself 20 points.

Yes, that last category was self serving … but we’re just trying to fluff up your score a bit. And now it’s time for the results! Check your total score and place it in one of the following groups:

OVER 300: Dude … wow. You’re totally obsessed. Have you seen your spouse or kids lately?

200 to 299: You’ve always got running on the brain … and your friends probably consider you absent-minded.

100 to 199: This seems about average – we’ll call this “running balanced”.

60 to 99: So you have a running life … but not very much of one.

Under 60: You want to learn about this strange lifestyle, but haven’t quite jumped in yet; we’ll call you “run-curious.”

Now feel free to test your training partners, and compare your scores!

*
As for the song: Guns ‘n’ Roses will forever be known for their phenomenal debut album, but their follow-up discs demonstrated flashes – such as the song that follows - of just how talented and versatile they could truly be. They undoubtedly had the ability to be one of the greatest rock bands of all time, which is why it was so agonizing for fans like me to see them implode in a drug-and-alcohol fueled fury so quickly in the 1990s. Of course, with those guys, such an ending was probably inevitable - so maybe the real surprise is that they kept their acts together for long enough to crank out three full-length albums without any of them suffering a fatal overdose.

Guns 'n' Roses, "Bad Obsession" (click to play - and since it's GnR, it should be considered unsuitable for little ears):

Read more...

My Kind of Doctor

A couple of administrative notes prior to today's post ...

1) Before you settle into this one, take a detour to Gretchen's blog, because she just posted her race report from the Tahoe Rim Trail 100. Go read it, congratulate her on her awesome accomplishment, and tell her what a good pacer she had, so I might get invited back sometime.

2) Apologies in advance for the amount of type I’ve devoted to one small injury; bear with me for one more post, and I promise I’ll stop kvetching about my pinky toe. At least I'll try to.

*
When I first reported on my toe injury, I mentioned that I was too lazy and too cheap to hunt down a doctor in the middle of the Sierras who would take an x-ray, tell me it was broken, and that there was nothing I could do about it but to rest. There just didn’t seem like much point to it.

On the other hand, I didn’t mention that one of my friends at home is an orthopedic surgeon who also happens to be a runner, and who gets a kick out of throwing body parts under an x-ray machine just to see what they look like. So earlier this week, I stopped by his office, and this is what we saw:



In medical terms, they are nondisplaced fractures. On the picture, they're the skinny little white lines that the arrows point to. In practicality, they're the reason I’m still having a fair amount of pain.

My friend and I also had this exchange …

Me: Is there anything I can do for it?

Him: Not really. It will eventually heal on its own.

Me: How long does it usually take?

Him: About 3 to 4 weeks – but since you’re going to keep running on it, more like 6 to 8 weeks.

It’s probably worth emphasizing here just how completely cool this doctor is: there was no lecture about being more careful, no criticism about running mountain trails in Vibrams, and no questioning whether or not I’d keep running – it was just a “here’s the deal” explanation, and a standing offer to come on back the next time I manage to bust myself up.

Because we both figure it’s bound to happen again. Some things you just know.

Read more...

GoLite Manitou and Wildwood Shirt Reviews

Summer comes a bit late to the Monterey Peninsula, and even later to runners like me who do the majority of their workouts in the early morning. So it took a little longer than I expected to try a couple of warm-weather tech shirts, but I can happily say that GoLite’s stuff was worth the wait.

Speaking of weight (I know that’s a different word, but homophones count), one of the shirts I got to test was most remarkable for its weight – or rather, its lack thereof. The other shirt is just a great all-around trail runner, and since it’s the one I’ve got the most mileage out of, that’s the one I’m starting with.

If you’re a mountain running aficionado, the name Manitou conjures one thing: the town of Manitou Springs at the base of Pikes Peak, and the start line of the infamous Pikes Peak Marathon. Having fallen in love with Pikes Peak several years ago, GoLite’s Manitou shirt not only triggered a nice memory, but declared itself a hardcore trail accessory.

Thankfully, its performance lived up to the name. It has a semi-fitted silhouette that slightly contours to the body without feeling tight, and has strategically placed seams to avoid any underarm or trunk chafing. The shirt is listed under GoLite’s hiking category, and the seam placement is ideal for backpack wearers as well as runners. Long sleeve and ¼ zip versions are also available from the GoLite website.

The Manitou is constructed of GoLite’s fast-wicking Cocona Minerale fabric, which utilizes microporous particles from coconut fibers that provide moisture transfer and odor resistance. It feels very comfortable against your skin, even on several hour runs ...

Cooling my feet in the Stanislaus River about 30 minutes after breaking my toe. Oh, yeah ... I'm also wearing a GoLite shirt

... and especially in comparison to breaking your toe, which I did while wearing the Manitou. Despite this, I really like the shirt and have no reason to believe it’s cursed.

GoLite’s Manitou comes in five different colors, and weighs 5.0 oz (136g). I’d consider it a midweight short sleeve tech shirt, especially in comparison to the next shirt I tested.

GoLite Wildwood

Keeping the “let’s name our clothes after cool trail running locations” theme going, the GoLite Wildwood – a shout out to the famous Pacific Northwest trail - is a super-lightweight, super-comfortable shirt that’s ideal for hot temperatures when you don’t feel like going sleeveless. Since I really don’t like running in tank tops (too many reasons to explain here, but trust me), I love shirts like this when the weather heats up.

The Wildwood weighs a mere 3 oz (80g), and has the same breathable and moisture-wicking fabric construction as the Manitou. It has a fitted cut, meaning it is closer to the body than the Manitou, but not skin tight. Side seams are traditionally aligned, but they’re not noticeable on long runs – except for the interior tag at mid-torso level on one side, which can sometimes be a minor annoyance. As with the Manitou, the Wildwood is also available in five different colors.

My personal preference between these two is the Manitou, because 1) I like my shirts slightly loose, 2) midweight shirts are better for me on our relatively cool summer mornings, and 3) the huge GoLite logo on the Wildwood makes me feel like a billboard. However, the Wildwood would be preferred for consistently hot climates, and it also has a cool little stash pocket on its hemline that's lacking on the Manitou. Either of these tech shirts would make a great high-performance addition to your summer trail running wardrobe.

GoLite’s Manitou and Wildwood are both available from Amazon.com, which has nice discounts on some sizes and colors, and retail for $45 each from the company website – links are here:

GoLite Manitou (Amazon.com)
GoLite Manitou (company website)

GoLite Wildwood (Amazon.com)
GoLite Wildwood (company website)


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

Read more...

We Did It!

"We did it, we did it, we did it - hooray!"
- from Dora the Explorer

Gretchen and me, shortly after her 100-mile finish this morning

Well, more accurately, SHE did it - I was pretty much just along for the ride. But the ride was nearly incredible; Gretchen was a complete studette in posting her second Tahoe Rim Trail 100-mile finish, and I was honored to be able to witness it.

I may publish a brief post about my pacer experience later this week, but I really don't want to take too much attention away from the real star - so head over to Gretchen's blog and tell her congrats. I'm guessing she'll have a full race report in the near future, but for now, I can only hope she's catching up on some sleep.

Read more...

CLIF Giveaway Drawing Winners

Keeping this very brief because I'm publishing another short post tonight as well ...

Snowshoe Hare, Golden Trails Dave, and Russ138: send your address to me at info@runningandrambling.com - you've won the CLIF C and CRUNCH drawings. Congrats!

Thanks to everyone else who participated; stay tuned for another drawing in the near future.

Read more...

To the Mountains!

A quick admin note: if you missed the previous post, there's still time to enter the CLIF bar giveaway drawing before the winners are picked on Sunday evening. Thanks to everyone who has entered so far; the response has been fantastic.

*

“Walking along in this haze of confusion-
Sometimes I can laugh but sometimes it takes all of my strength-
Just to find enough reason to take the next step-
But I will, but I will, till I do.”
- Dave Matthews Band, “Eh Hee” (video after post)

I don’t know why my mind tends to gravitate towards Dave Matthews songs before an ultra … but I also know that it probably wouldn’t do much good for me to question it. Consequently, my road trips to races almost invariably feature a DMB concert disc to occupy my thoughts before the big event.

What’s different in this case is that the race isn’t even mine – although I’d argue that covering 50 miles of trails with 12,000’ of climbing still qualifies as an “ultra-ish” effort, even if it’s merely as a pacer. Nevertheless, the above song has been on a continuous mental loop for the past couple of days – and since it’s been a while since the last music post, that’s what you’re getting today.

Unfortunately, the official video is restricted and unembeddable, but the following clip is nearly as cool: it gives you a good feel for the song - including the verse in the above into, which is one of many lyrics that make me swear Dave Matthews must have been an ultrarunner in another life – as well as an interesting story of its origin.

Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds, “Eh Hee,” excerpted (click to play):




And if you’d like a full sampling of the song, you can follow this link to see Dave and Tim crank it out (parental and/or work warning: there's one F-bomb).

That’s all for this morning; the mountains are calling, and I must go. Eh Hee!

Read more...

New CLIF Bar Giveaway!

Since the primary point of this post is to giveaway some great-tasting swag, I’ll try to keep the preliminary info somewhat restrained – however, it should be clear by now that when I’m talking about CLIF, I sometimes tend to get a little carried away.

I mentioned that my headquarters visit in April featured a lot of new product sampling, some of which I had to keep secret at the time. And in my review of CLIF founder Gary Erickson’s book, I explained how one of CLIF’s aspirations is to sustain the brand name by providing a diversity of product offerings based on consumer demand. Today, both of those thoughts converge, as the giveaway prizes consist of two new product offerings I taste-tested, one of which I wasn’t allowed to discuss in the spring.

The first product is one I’ve previously described: the new CLIF C bar, which is a double layered fruit and nut bar made with all natural and 70% organic ingredients. It also embraces what’s known as the “simple food” philosophy of using a limited number of overall ingredients; every C bar features just 9 items, primarily a combination of fruit and nuts, with a dash of salt for taste.

(Even more interesting – to me, at least – is that an offshoot of this simple food philosophy is the primitive food movement, part of an overall minimalist “back to basics” mindset that also includes – you guessed it! - barefoot running. So if you like the C bar, you’re implicitly endorsing the barefoot movement as well – at least that’s the way I prefer to see it.)

CLIF C bars in four flavors: cherry pomegranate, raspberry, apple, and blueberry

C bars come in four different flavors, which vary by the type of fruit on the top layer. Each flavor has a nut crust on the bottom with a blend of almonds, macadamias and dates, and a sprinkling of toasted almonds. One bar contains a full serving of fruit, and has 130 calories. Winners of the giveaway will get to try each variety.

The second giveaway item is CLIF’s formerly-secret entry in the rapidly expanding granola bar market. CLIF CRUNCH (yes, it’s written in all caps … don’t ask me why) are all all-natural and 70% organic, and have a noticeably lighter texture than other bars I’ve tasted.

CLIF CRUNCH, 10-pack boxes in four flavors

All CRUNCH bars are made from organic oats, barley, rye, and rice crisps, and like the C bar are available in four flavors. There are whole chips baked into the chocolate chip and white chocolate macadamia flavors, although to this point my favorite flavor is the traditional honey oat (the fourth flavor is peanut butter). Each two-bar packet delivers a full serving of organic whole grains and 4 to 5 grams of protein, as well as a good source of fiber in 180 calories.

CRUNCH bars should now be available in natural food stores as well as some grocery stores, but if you win the giveaway, CLIF will make it easy for you and send some samples directly to your house.

So let’s follow the regular routine here: place a comment below, and I’ll pick three winners to receive a sample package. Since I’m out of town this weekend, the contest will be open until Sunday at 5PM, and I’ll announce winners shortly afterward. Good luck!

Read more...