A few odds and ends for your enjoyment while I busily put the finishing touches on a Rollerblade review ...
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In case you missed it, be sure to check out my Merrell Barefoot Dash Glove review and enter for your chance to win a free pair courtesy of Merrell. The winner will be announced Saturday night.
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Another cool sale alert: each spring Soft Star has a clearance on excess inventory of hand-made shoes they've accumulated over the course of the previous year. This year's sale officially started a few weeks ago, but the immediate traffic to their new website was so high that the server crashed - which for obvious reasons isn't the best way to kick off a sale.
At that time, Soft Star decided to shut down the sale page and re-launch this week - Thursday, March 8th at noon Pacific time, to be exact. To make up for the inconvenience, they've increased their already hefty discounts across the board; for the first week of the sale, everything is discounted at least 30%. (And they've reportedly been testing and retesting the website to prevent something similar this time around; we can only hope.)
The sale continues for four weeks, and longer it goes, the steeper the discounts get, with price adjustments every week - up to 70% off in the final days. The problem, of course, is that if you wait too long, the item you want might not be there any more. So go check out the sale on Thursday afternoon, and I'll post reminders every now and then as the sale prices improve.
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Finally, there's this: yesterday the Natural Running Center released a fantastic video on natural running biomechanics, featuring Dr Mark Cucuzzella, whom I've written about previously. He's probably the most magnificent barefoot runner I've ever seen, and his instructional video is probably as good an overview of barefoot/natural running form as anything I've seen.
It's chock full of takeaways, but one that stood out for me was observing how Dr Cucuzzella lands practically flat footed instead of prominently on his forefoot. This happens to be the exact same way I hit the ground (trust me, though - I don't look nearly as graceful), and from time to time I get a snarky comment or e-mail from a reader wondering how come I wear down the heels of my shoes so easily if I'm a true minimalist runner. I think I'll start referring those skeptics to this video, which clearly shows that there is indeed a consistent (albeit diminished) impact through the heel, even for the most proficient barefooters.
No matter how much experience you have with natural running, you'll almost certainly find something here to make you think differently about your form, which is bound to lead to noticeable improvement. I dare you to watch this and tell me you disagree.
"Principles of Natural Running" by Natural Running Center (click to play):
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Ladies, I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that there’s probably at least one man in your life who doesn’t always get around to doing things when he says he will.
Maybe he tells you he’ll replace a light bulb, or fix the closet door, or get the laundry folded, and he sounds very sincere … until you look around a few days later and realize it’s still dark in the hallway, the closet is still broken, and the clothes are still sitting in the dryer. (Since you’re probably wondering, these are completely made-up scenarios. As far as you know.) And while you know you still love the guy, it sure would be nice if he could follow on things through a little bit sooner.
On that note, I’m happy to announce that I’m finally getting around to the female-specific giveaway I promised after my Merrell Barefoot Road Glove review in early January. Hopefully it’s not too late for us to still be happy together.
Merrell Barefoot Dash Glove
The prize this time around is Merrell’s brand new Dash Glove shoe, which is the female equivalent of this spring’s Road Glove for men. It’s also part of a concerted effort on Merrell’s part to get more women on board the minimalist bandwagon; in addition to a complete line of shoes, the company has also produced a dedicated women’s running page, a female-specific training guide, and a nifty little promotional video that’s embedded at the end of this post.
Before that, though, let’s roll through the review – and I need to start by saying that unlike other women’s models I’ve reviewed, this one wasn’t tested by my wife. Because advance samples were hard to come by, the shoes that arrived at our house ended up being a size small for her, so I did what any resourceful manager would do: I deputized another employee with some increased responsibility to step up to the task.
Pretty. Strong.
That deputy would be my 10-year-old daughter, who is only one shoe size smaller than my wife, and who runs with me on a weekly basis around our neighborhood roads and trails. We limit our runs to 3 or 4 miles at a time, so she’s probably got about 50 cumulative miles on her pair – not as many as I prefer, but not bad for free child labor.
Pace Glove on left, Dash Glove on right
Just as the men’s Road Glove is Merrell’s asphalt counterpart to the last year’s Trail Glove, the women’s Dash Glove is the road equivalent of last year’s Pace Glove that was designed for off-road use. (I know, all these gloves get confusing sometimes.) In comparison to the Pace Glove, the upper and outsole of the Dash Glove are different, but the last and midsole platform are essentially the same. The Dash Glove is slightly heavier, weighing in at 5.8 oz compared with 4.7 for the Pace Glove.
The uppers are your standard-fare mesh and synthetic leather combination, closed enough to keep your toes warm in winter - my daughter often wears these without socks – and breathable enough to dry quickly when they get wet. However, with a DWR coating to repel mist or light rain, they shouldn’t get too soaked with ordinary use.
Women's Dash Glove on left, men's Road Glove on right
Keeping with the design of Merrell’s entire Barefoot line, the Dash Glove is intended to be worn sockless, and the interior uses the same microfiber footbed and soft, thin fabric interior to keep your foot comfortable in a wide variety of conditions.
In the midsole area, the Dash Glove has a total standing height of approximately 11mm, with compression molded EVA for a small measure of cushioning, and a completely flat platform with zero heel to toe drop. There’s no forefoot plate as last year’s Pace Glove featured …
… and it should go without saying that the entire shoe is completely flexible, allowing your foot to move any which way it pleases.
One area where the Dash Glove is unique among previous Merrell “gloves” is the outsole. It’s carved from the same Vibram TC1 Rubber that the other Barefoot models use, but the tread pattern is much shallower than the trail outsole. Maximum lug depth is 2mm, but they aren’t nearly as grippy as the men’s Road Glove released this spring.
I described the Road Glove as an ideal hybrid road/trail shoe, but with the Dash Glove I’m more cautious about recommending it for off-road use. Since the shoe is designed specifically for roads, that’s not necessarily a crime, but it would have been nice to see the same outsole on both the men’s and women’s offerings.
The Dash Glove retails for $110 from the Merrell website, but one reader will get a pair for free, compliments of Merrell. I’m doing a weighted entry system for this one; you get one entry for leaving a comment below this post, one additional entry for linking to this post from your blog, and a third by linking from Facebook or Twitter. In your comment below, let me know how many entries you’ve earned, and include the links for me to verify if necessary.
I also mentioned that there’s a video for you to watch after this post – and to incentivize you to watch it, I’ll give an additional entry to anyone who identifies the location of the video shoot. I know the answer, but I’m not going to confirm or deny any guesses in the comments – meaning that just because somebody names it before you doesn’t mean it’s necessarily correct. So you may as well take a guess.
Got all that? OK then. I’ll announce the winner this Saturday night, March 10. Good luck to everybody, and special thanks to Merrell for sponsoring this review and giveaway!
"Pretty Strong" by Merrell (click to play):
*Product provided by Merrell **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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"If you're tired of the same old story - oh, turn some pages -
I'll be here when you are ready to roll with the changes."
- REO Speedwagon, "Roll With the Changes" (video after post)
When I was in college, I was something of an athletic Renaissance man. In addition to my “official” sport of rowing, I dabbled in pretty much all manner of exercise you can imagine: swimming, running, surfing, weightlifting, racquetball, basketball, soccer, beach volleyball, mountain biking, martial arts, and so on.
But among all these things, the activity that thrilled me the most was roller hockey.
One of the highlights of every week was the late-night pickup roller hockey games on the top level of one of the campus parking structures, where 10 to 20 people would show up, divide into teams, and spend the next two hours completely thrashing each other. Throw in a Slurpee on the drive home (often after midnight; it was college, we could do that sort of thing), and it all made for one of my coolest UCLA experiences.
Old-school Rollerblade Lightnings
The skates I used were a pair of circa-1990 Rollerblade Lightnings, with the brake removed to improve maneuverability. Being the competitive guy that I am, it didn’t take long for me to recognize that being a good hockey player required equal parts skating ability and fundamental stick handling skills.
Therefore, I took my skating very seriously, and spent countless hours in one empty parking lot or another (one of my favorites was in the shadow of the Santa Monica Pier) practicing my moves and testing my ability on wheels. A lot of it felt like figure skating – switching from forward to backward to forward again, rolling backwards and curving around to sprint forward, swerving and balancing on one leg to avoid getting knocked over in a pileup – and even though those sessions wore me out, it was some of the most rewarding exercise I’ve ever done.
As typically happens, as I got older, life got in the way of things a bit; I worked through grad school, got married, started a career and a family, and my free time to exercise diminished significantly. This was also the time I became more focused on running and triathlon, and I had briefly moved to an area (hint: it wasn’t in California) that wasn’t quite as skate-friendly in terms of roads or parking lots being well-groomed or maintained for smooth rolling. I skated every now and then to avoid going completely rusty, but those times became fewer and farther in between.
And then a funny thing happened: my kids gradually got me back into skating. It started with bicycle training, when I realized that rolling along behind them was a nearly foolproof way to ensure that I could prevent any major wipeouts on their maiden voyages without training wheels around the schoolyard. The same Rollerblade Lightnings I used to slam into people in vacant lots became the vehicle by which each of my kids learned to ride.
Photo from my daughter's scrapbook ... the same daughter who's graduating from elementary school this spring. In a related story, I'm getting rather old.
However, the more time I spent in my old boots, the more I realized that they weren’t nearly as comfortable as they used to be. Even worse, when I went into my local skate store, I was dismayed to have the following exchange with the shop owner:
Shop guy: Can I help you find anything?
Me: I’m looking to get a new pair of inline skates – do you guys carry any?
Shop guy: Um … no one really uses skates anymore. That’s pretty much old school.
In other words, I was going to have a hard time finding a new pair of skates.
A short time later, my youngest daughter found a pair of five-dollar garage sale children’s skates, and started begging me to learn how to use them. We made regular trips to the schoolyard, but I quickly realized that the skates were nowhere near functional enough to use properly. Eventually we found a great deal on a pair of Rollerblade Spitfires – a children’s model with adjustable sizing – and suddenly my daughter had a way nicer ride that me.
Rolling in the schoolyard
The situation was getting desperate, so I did what any sensible blogger would do: I reached out to Rollerblade. I explained my situation to them, and they were more than happy to help me out. I’m now testing two different pairs of adult skates, the first of which will be reviewed here next week.
The distinction in styles I’m testing is significant, and reflects the variety of applications that inline skating still has for a well-rounded fitness program. And now that I’ve been doing it more frequently, I can attest that there’s great cross-training benefit for ultrarunners.
Cruising along the Pacific coast
Think of it this way: trail running requires much more lateral movement than standard road running; whether it’s the motion required to leap back and forth across mud puddles, to hop from one rock to another while crossing a shallow stream, or just to slog up and down a 30% incline. Stabilizing your foot on irregular rocks, roots, or a sloped trail requires strength and coordination from the muscles that provide lateral stability: the adductors on the inside of your thigh and abductors on the outside of your hips. Running steep hills, you need strong posterior muscles (hamstrings, gluteals, and low back extensors) to propel yourself upward, and strong thigh muscles (quadriceps) to control your descent.
Coincidentally, inline skating happens to strengthen all of those muscle groups, and provides an outstanding calorie-burning workout in the process. It’s non-impact, just like cycling or an elliptical machine – but unlike those other activities, you can get a huge strength benefit out of a relatively short 45-minute to 1-hour workout while still getting outside to avoid the drudgery of a gym.
Prettier than any gym you'll ever see
I’m not convinced that inline skating is a fad of the past, but I will admit that it’s somewhat dependent on where you live. Here in Monterey County I have quick access to a coastal recreation trail, almost all of which is paved. The biggest drawback is after windy days when sand gets blown onto the path – but on those days, I have the option of driving to the private roads of Pebble Beach, where the asphalt is pristine and the roads are wide, rolling, and incomparably beautiful. I’m also fortunate to have a schoolyard very close to my house, where my daughter and I go to practice our moves just as I did under the Santa Monica Pier more than 20 years ago. (Man, this post is making me feel old.)
Enjoy the view ... but beware of sand
When I’m rolling with my daughter, it’s “urban” skating: up and down ramps, on and off curbs, jumping over small obstacles. When I’m on the rec trail, I’m focused on maintaining steady form and covering as much ground as possible. Accordingly, the types of Rollerblades I use are different: there’s a fitness-specific model I use for distance skating, and a more all-purpose skate that’s intended for urban use. I’ll be reviewing the fitness model here later this week, with the urban model to follow shortly.
Obviously I owe a lot of gratitude to Rollerblade for stepping up to sponsor this particular cross-training activity, and part of the deal was that I’d act as a spokesperson of sorts for runners who are interested in taking up inline skating to complement their fitness regimen. So if you have any questions about getting started, what types of skates would be best for you, or anything else that’s related, feel free to let me know in the comments below or by e-mailing me your questions; if I don’t know the answer myself, I’ll be sure to find out for you.
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Reaching deeeeep into the wayback machine for this one: musically, I came of age as a rock fan right at the tail end of REO's best work, so a lot of their gems like the following were discovered after the fact - causing me to openly wonder why on Earth such an awesome band could possibly come unraveled at the dawn of the 1980s. But with closer scrutiny of the hair (both head and chest variety) and the dress and the general vibe of this video ... yeah, I guess their time was up once the 70s ended. They still have a fond place in my rock memories, though.
And have I mentioned that I'm feeling a little bit old lately?
REO Speedwagon, "Roll With the Changes" (click to play):
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Keeping this very brief this evening so I can plunge right into a longer post on tap for tomorrow night. We’ll start with the winners of this week’s CLIF Builder’s Bar contest: TimS, Josh (Of All), and Joanne (Run for Endurance): e-mail me your contact info – you’re the winners!
Thanks very much to everyone else who entered, and special thanks as always to CLIF Bar for sponsoring the giveaway. I’ve got a few more contests on deck in the near future, so stay tuned for details – beginning with a pretty cool one on Tuesday night.
On to our Random Shot of Beauty:
Carmel Valley as seen from a ridgeline in Garland Park at daybreak.
We’ve had some unseasonably cold mornings here in Monterey County this week, which always makes it a bit harder to crawl out of bed in the dark to keep my mileage up. Fortunately, if I remind myself that views like this are waiting for me once the sun comes up, I usually find just enough courage to get started.
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Although it might seem strange thing to say about a line of footwear that’s just a handful of years old, one of my initial judgments about Vibram’s latest trail model is that it has quite an impressive heritage. Both its name and design symbolize achievement – and fortunately for the FiveFingers Spyridon LS, the finished product doesn’t disappoint on either count.
Vibram FiveFingers Spyridon LS
First, the name: the FiveFingers Spyridon is named after Spyridon Louis, victor of the first Olympic marathon in 1896. Vibram has gone this route before, naming its Bikila road shoe after the man who won the Olympic marathon barefoot, and the Spyridon is an equally fitting moniker for its new trail running model. In case you’re wondering, that first Olympic marathon wasn’t contested on pavement, but on dirt trading paths and dusty farm roads winding from Marathon to Athens - so the Spyridon implies that it’s made for running on dirt, and built for high performance.
And that’s the second element of heritage that the Spyridon embraces: it takes a lot of the design aspects of Vibram’s previous running models, and combines them with new innovations that are quite impressive considering the minimalist framework under which they’re constructed. You’ll see echoes of previous FiveFingers models here, but the Spyridon truly stands alone in the FiveFingers lineup – and with that, we’ll get to the review.
Bikila on left, Spyridon on right
It’s tempting to think of the Spyridon LS as the KSO Trek 2.0; after all, that model debuted in 2010 as Vibram’s dedicated trail runner, and it featured innovations such as a thin leather upper and a slightly knobby outsole for increased durability off-road. While the Spyridon boasts more upgrades to bolster its toughness, it’s actually a closer descendant of the Bikila’s design elements in terms of overall fit and comfort. Sounds like a great combination, doesn’t it?
The most noticeable upgrade is the outsole, which features the most aggressive tread that Vibram has ever offered on FiveFingers. As you would expect, the lugs are directional to improve push-off in the forefoot and braking in the heel, and they help maintain stability quite well even in thick, sloppy mud. Traction is also very stable on gravel and loose dirt, even on steep slopes.
Layered just behind the outsole – and visible through a small window on the instep portion - is a heavy duty molded polyester mesh layer that functions as a flexible rock plate, providing additional puncture resistance and dispersing sharp impact across a broader surface area. At 3.5mm thick, the outsole is one-half mm thinner than the outsoles of both the Bikila and KSO Trek.
What’s remarkable about these two innovations is that they provide a significant improvement in traction and impact protection without compromising any of the minimalist specs that Vibram is famous for. At 3.5mm thick, the Spyridon LS outsole is a half-mm thinner than the outsoles of both the Bikila and KSO Trek, and the overall weight of 6.8 oz is almost equal to the 6.7-oz Trek (but one ounce heavier than the Bikila). Best of all, the rock barrier doesn’t limit the shoe’s flexibility, and only marginally compromises its ground feel.
Above the outsole, the Spyridon has a non-removable 3mm EVA footbed, making a total standing height of less than 7mm. Fit of the shoe is comfortable all around the foot, with seamless interior construction, a soft interior lining, and just enough padding around the ankle collar – all taken straight from the Bikila blueprint. I frequently wear these sockless, but my preference is to use socks if the weather is cold or if I plan to be running for more than 90 minutes or so.
Fit is further dialed in with an elastic lacing system (first introduced on the Bikila LS) for customized tension across the midfoot. In my opinion, this is one of the best innovations Vibram has made in the past year, and I’m happy to see the “LS” tagged onto the name “Spyridon” with this shoe – one of those heritage points I mentioned at the top.
Like the Bikila, the Spyridon LS upper utilizes Coconut Active Carbon for breathability and odor control, but the fabric is slightly thicker than either the Bikila or the thin leather KSO Trek – making it a little better for warmth, but not as good for ventilation. Vibram’s fabric uppers have historically been more prone to punctures than the super-durable kangaroo leather, but in my testing I haven’t had any problems – although I should add a disclaimer that I haven’t done a whole lot of rugged bushwhacking in to give the uppers an extreme test.
What I have done is log about 150 miles on fire roads and single track, on groomed and technical trails, in dry or sloppy conditions, and I’ve had a hard time finding trails that the Spyridon LS can’t handle. It combines the best of Vibram's design and construction elements to date, and is a worthy successor to the ever-increasing Vibram heritage of minimalist running shoes.
*Product provided by Vibram
**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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In some ways, today’s review and giveaway originated nearly a couple of years ago – so if you can do me a favor and imagine the screen reverbing for a few seconds, I’ll get right to my back story.
On my first visit to CLIF Bar headquarters, one of the many cool things the company reps allowed us to do was raid the in-house stash of CLIF products that are available to employees free of charge on an everyday basis (I know, right?). While stuffing my box like a maniac, my eye fell on a couple of Builder’s Bars I hadn’t seen before: Lemon and Vanilla Almond flavors. I packed a few of them home with me, and when my wife and I tried them, we were in love. (With the bars, I mean. But with each other too – I'd better clarify that. Basically there was a lot of love going around.)
CLIF geek heaven
Part of what we liked about them was that the flavors were pretty unique in the world of “10 variations of chocolate” that most brands pushed upon the market. I’ve documented how my wife in particular uses Builder’s Bars as breakfast quite often, and her favorite flavor was lemon, because she likes starting the day with a fruity taste as opposed to a chocolate one. I was partial to vanilla almond for basically the same reason – in general, I like my bar flavors more natural and less chocolatey. That’s not to say we don’t like chocolate – it’s just that when we get a craving for chocolate, we typically just, you know … eat some chocolate. Call us snobs, I guess.
(OK, end of back story – imagine the screen reverbing back to the present now.)
So both of us were understandably concerned when my wife called to me from the computer room several weeks ago, “Hey – the website won’t let me buy any more lemon Builder’s Bars. Is something going on with them?” Of course, I didn’t know – I’m close with CLIF, but not that close – so I fired off an e-mail to my rep. Her reply contained the news my wife and I both feared: the lemon flavor is being phased out.
Her e-mail continued: “However, we’re introducing three new flavors very soon, so hopefully you and your wife will find a new favorite.” Which brings us to today’s giveaway.
New CLIF Builder's Bar flavors, Spring 2012
This spring CLIF introduced three new varieties of Builder’s Bars: Chocolate Chip, Crunchy Peanut Butter, and S’mores. The flavors themselves aren’t necessarily anything groundbreaking for the company, as chocolate chip and crunchy peanut butter are also original CLIF Bar flavors, and S’mores is already my kids’ favorite MOJO Bar flavor. Like all Builder’s Bars, each flavor provides 20 grams of protein and 23 vitamins and minerals to fuel you like a meal on the go or to assist in muscle recovery after intense workouts.
And for the most part, they taste exactly as you would anticipate: S’mores combines chocolate with a strong graham cracker flavor, Crunchy Peanut Butter is chock full of peanuts, and chocolate chip tastes remarkably like chomping down on a cookie. There isn’t a dud in the bunch, and if you have a soft spot for any of these flavors in particular, you’ll love the new Builder’s varieties. (In a related story, we’re locking the S’mores flavor away from our kids.)
Here’s the thing, though: even though the new flavors are wonderful, in our opinion they’re not in the same ballpark as our old favorite Lemon. It’s not a fair comparison, really – instead of apples to oranges, let's call it lemons to cookies – but unfortunately the fact that the new flavors are great doesn’t diminish our disappointment that the old ones are gone. Furthermore, if you look at the Builder’s lineup with the lemon flavor removed, here’s what you’re left with:
Chocolate
Chocolate Chip
Chocolate Mint
Chocolate Peanut Butter
Cookies and Cream
Crunchy Peanut Butter
S’mores
Vanilla Almond
In other words, something dangerously approaching “10 varieties of chocolate”, with the exception of Vanilla Almond – which, the way things seem headed, will probably be the next one to be axed.
But that’s enough griping for now, because this post is intended to end on an upbeat note: yes, we’re doing a giveaway! Maybe you’re not like my wife and me, and there’s no amount of chocolate flavors that’s too excessive. Maybe you’ll fall in love with one of these new flavors and it will be the best thing that ever happened to you. Or maybe you could care less what I think, just as long as you get to put your name in the hat at the end.
So here we go: leave a comment below this post to enter, and this weekend I’ll choose three winners at random to receive a sampler pack of the three new Builder’s Bars from CLIF. Despite my issues, I'm pretty sure you’ll love them. As always, thanks very much to CLIF for sponsoring this contest, and good luck to everybody!
*Products provided by CLIF Bar
**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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A couple of quick announcements before some pleasant weekend viewing before another announcement that took me completely by surprise … I know, it sounds confusing, but stick with me – it will makes sense by the time we’re done.
First, the announcements:
1. You’ve still got a few more days to get Patagonia Fall 2011 gear at 50% off from the company website. I’ve advertised this already, so I don’t need to say anything else on this one except that the sale ends on Feb 27th, so get going.
2. Yesterday I was contacted by a Vibram rep in hopes of promoting the company’s new fitness resource portal. Honestly, Vibram was kind of late to the game of providing comprehensive barefoot running instruction, as VIVOBAREFOOT and Merrell have long since been providing that service. However, Vibram’s portal is unique in that it provides information not just on running, but all varieties of barefoot fitness activities – and for what it’s worth, FiveFingers seem to be taking over the Crossfit / general fitness communities in the same manner that they’ve swept through the running community lately. And if that’s not enough to get you to click over, the site also features a pretty hardcore trainer who looks something like a female Tarzan.
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As for your weekend viewing: this time of year is part of a remarkably short window of opportunity to see one of the most unique and wondrous natural phenomena that Yosemite National Park has to offer: the illusion of fire tumbling down Horsetail Fall off of El Capitan. Of course, seeing it requires being in the park in the middle of the cold, snowy winter, which, um … isn’t really my thing. That’s why I’m happy that people make videos like the one that follows.
It’s part of the fantastic “Yosemite Nature Notes” series, and also makes reference to a discontinued man-made occurrence in the park that created a fall of fire – in this case, actual burning embers cascading down the granite cliff. It’s somewhat bizarre to think that the Fire Fall was one of the most popular attractions in the park, but a nice reassurance to think that smarter policies finally prevailed.
"Yosemite Nature Notes: Horsetail Fall" (click to play):
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Finally, this weekend’s Random Shot of Beauty is one that was absolutely unexpected:
A gymnasium that was the site of today’s Lyceum Spelling Bee, where my 5th-grade daughter prevailed over the champions from every elementary school in Monterey County. Newer readers might need a reminder that I’m somethingofafreak when it comes to spellingbees, so to say I was excited about this development is a bit of an understatement.
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