One foot in front of the other.
THIS GUY!
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As many of you know, this coming Friday (June 10) at 5 PM EST my marathon live show to raise money for Athletes for a Cure will start! I’ve worked with several brands to arrange for giveaways and raffle items for the show and without any further delay…here they are! (Rules and such to be posted tomorrow, June 7, so check back!)
SwimSpray – I’ll be giving away a boat load of this amazing new product! Invented by a swimmer who was tired of smelling like a pool, SwimSpray eliminates chlorine odor and irritation from hair and skin. Use with your own favorite shampoo, soap, or body wash. Simple. Effective. Natural.
Hydrapak Gelbot – The Gel-Bot delivers two performance essentials, fuel and hydration, in one easy to use sport bottle. This patent-pending design lets you fuel or hydrate with just one hand. Perfect for racing or total gel addicts. All the Gel-Bot components can be taken apart and easily cleaned.
SOLE Signature DK Response footbeds – The Sole Signature Series Dk Response is world-famous ultra runner Dean Karnazes’ signature edition footbed, with added features. Every SOLE Custom Footbed features their orthopedic base layer that molds to your unique foot without losing its supportive shape. SOLE Custom Footbeds are accepted by the American Podiatric Medical Association. Sole donates a portioon of every sale to Karno Kids whose mission is to support, encourage, and motivate youth to get outside and become physically active, and to restore and preserve the environment.
Ryders Eyewear Seeker Sunglasses – All Essential styles within the Adrenaline collection feature Duraflex frames with low-profile, high-strength pinned hinges and polycarbonate lenses. These lenses are shatterproof, optically-correct, scratch-resistant and provide 100% UV protection. All styles have high-performance features such as anti-slip, hydrophilic nose pads and/or temple tips that get more tacky as you sweat so your eyewear always stays in place.
Road ID eCard – It’s a gift card for whatever Road Id strikes your fancy! Need I say more?
Kate’s Real Food Bars – (2, 6-packs!) Kate’s Bars are real food snack bars, hand made in the shadow of the Tetons. Kate’s Bars are created for people who live, play or just want to be outdoors. The flavors and textures of Kate’s Bars are designed to reflect the natural surroundings they were inspired by.
Brunton Restore power storage and solar panel – The most efficient, integrated compact power pack available. Internal battery keeps extra energy at hand, and twin solar panels keep the battery at peak capacity in less time. Ideal for charging personal devices like iPods® and smart phones. Advanced polycrystaline solar technology gathers maximum energy per inch for maximum efficiency. Power storage capacity: 2,200 mAh Output: mini-USB
Primus EtaSolo Stove – Compact, lightweight and low fuel consumption. Eta Solo is based on the award winning Eta technology of our Primus burner and heat exchanger. Its high efficiency rate assures fast boiling times and lower fuel consumption. The Eta Solo is stable in windy conditions, lightweight, and extremely compact. Quick and easy to set up thanks to its robust quick-click locking mechanism.
Polar RS300X – (Raffling off TWO of these!) A smart, intuitive training computer for runners and cross-training athletes, the Polar RS300X wrist heart rate monitor helps you to train at the right intensity with personal training zones. It’s compatible with Polar’s S1 foot pod and G1 GPS sensor (both separately available), enabling you to combine heart rate with speed and distance and truly make sense of your training.
Newton Running Shoes and Gear – We’ll be raffling off TWO gift packages from the one and only Newton Running(one for the ladies, one for the men)! This will include one pair of Newton Running shoes of your choice, a copy of Newton co-founder Danny Abshire’s book (Natural Running: The Simple Path to Stronger, Healthier Running) and some other schwag!
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Leave a comment HERE to be entered to win a FREE bottle of Vidazorb!
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Many of you know by now that the week before the 2010 New York City Marathon Chris McDougall, author of the best seller Born to Run asked me to do him a favor. Chris had this seemingly crazy idea of me singing a part of his book at an event, a cabaret really, centered around Born to Run. He came up with the idea since at most book related events, the author reads a passage from the book and it can be a lot longer the intended. So, he told me which passage he had in mind and I got to work setting the text to De miei bollenti spiriti from Verdi’s La Traviata.
The event would be taking place on the Friday before the marathon at the New York Society for Ethical Culture and I was only about 3 weeks removed from a pretty wicked cold. I arrived well into the program which included Barefoot Ted and Dr. Daniel Lieberman among others, and had a quick logistical meeting with Chris backstage.
The last speaker of the evening was Chris himself and as he wound up his speech and introduced me, I couldn’t have been more excited…or nervous! Here is what happened next:
11.16.2010– Danny Abshire, the co-founder and chief technical officer of Newton Running, has authored a new book titled Natural Running: The Simple Path to Stronger, Healthier Running. It is now available for online order just in time for the holiday gift-giving season.
“This is the single most important resource for people who want to enjoy running as nature intended while protecting themselves from unnatural surfaces,” says Abshire. “The book will teach you to run the barefoot way—with shoes—and become a more efficient, stronger and healthier runner.”
Danny Abshire is a passionate, lifelong runner who has spent 10 years designing and refining Newton Running shoes. As a longtime running form coach and injury expert, he has worked closely with thousands of athletes, from beginners to Olympic elites, helping them improve their running form and technique.
“Danny has worked with some of the best runners and triathletes in the history of endurance sports,” says Craig Alexander, two-time Ironman World Champion. “Just speaking to him will make you a better runner.”
In Natural Running, Abshire explains the posture, arm carriage, cadence, and land-lever-lift foot positioning that mimic the barefoot running style. Runners transition from heel striking to a midfoot or forefoot strike, which studies show is how the body evolved to run. So that runners can relearn this more natural running gait, Abshire offers an 8-week transition plan, complete with a tool kit of strength and form drills that build and maintain the musculature required for natural running.
Natural Running: The Simple Path to Stronger, Healthier Running (By Danny Abshire with Brian Metzler)
London 2012 Olympics runs into Ramadan
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“Running Dark” mark the first of Jamie Freveletti‘s books that I have had the pleasure of reading. The problem with that is that as soon as I finished it (and even while reading) I found myself desperately wanting to know about the “Columbia incident” from Freveletti’s debut novel, “Running from the Devil” (which I am now reading)!
In Running Dark, we begin by accompanying the heroine of the book, Emma Caldridge, as she runs the legendary Comrades ultramarathon in South Africa. From that point we are taken on an adventure involving Somali pirates (though the author notes that the manuscript for this was written before pirates came to so much international focus), United States Congressmen, warlords, back alley power brokers and a mysterious drug that gives people the ability to push themselves to their physical limit.
The momentum in “Running Dark” never stalled and never felt forced. Freveletti sets a good pace for the story while still taking the time to define the characters. Even though several of the players in this novel are holdovers from Running from the Devil, I felt like, even though I had not read the first novel, they were still explained to me in great detail.
I have to admit that because I knew the author is a runner and because the opening pages put us right in the middle of Comrades, I thought there would be much more actual running in the book. However, what followed was a read that was right up my alley. This is a novel slammed full of adventure and intrigue and left me wanting more. I can say that I think everyone would enjoy this book (unless, of course, the scope of your adventurous reading ends with Jane Austen).
Many thanks to TK for the book(s)!
http://cmp.ly/1/v2j28l
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SEMINOLE, Fla. (MMD Newswire) February 10, 2010 — From Broken Neck to Broken Records: A Masters Cyclist’s Guide to Winning by authors Rose Marie Ray and Sandy Scott follows a masters cyclist’s journey after breaking his C1 vertebra which is a rare and nearly always fatal break. The book focuses on determination and a “can do” attitude towards athletics, illustrating the authors’ belief that anyone can be a winner if they want it badly enough and work hard enough to achieve their goals.
From Broken Neck to Broken Records provides an in-depth look at Scott, an outstanding cyclist, and the mental and physical strength it took to go from a near death experience to winning 11 gold medals, and breaking records in time trials and road race competitions. These accomplishments were achieved 13 months after being told by a spinal surgeon that he would never ride a bike again.
In From Broken Neck to Broken Records, the authors tell the story of how Scott overcame his life-threatening injury through hard work and perseverance. Ray and Scott also explain how Sandy went from spending five months in a hard neck brace to moving on with his life, by getting back on his bike.
From Broken Neck to Broken Records also includes a “How to Win” section, meant to inspire and instruct athletes. This is a guide for masters cyclists over 35 years of age and other athletes of all ages. It includes motivational coaching and helpful information on how to win races and break records. Written to be both practical and easy-to-read, this guide explores everything from buying your bike, setting and achieving goals, training, bike maintenance, racing, and ultimately winning gold medals.
From Broken Neck to Broken Records: A Masters Cyclist’s Guide to Winning is available for sale online at Amazon.com and other channels.
Black Diamond Sprinter Headlamp
Racers Against Childhood Cancer (RACC)
Carved by God, Cursed by the Devil by Ted Archer
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United Stated Streak Running Association
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Black Diamond Sprinter Headlamp
Carved by God, Created by the Devil
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Josh Cox 2nd Place at the California International Marathon!
Carved by God, Cursed by the Devil by Ted Archer
If you’ve got any extra cash layin’ around, please help me take care of some race fees!!
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Big shout and many thanks to Mark for cluing me into the fact that Christopher McDougall, the author of Born to Run, will be here in NYC for the NYC Marathon expo this week!! I know the notice is a bit short, but if you’re here as a runner or just as a spectator like myself, here is his schedule!
Thursday October 29th: New York City Marathon Expo, 12-5, in the Moeben
Sleeves booth
Friday October 30th: New York City Marathon Expo, 12-5, in the Moeben
Sleeves booth
also, City Sports again from 5-7
Saturday October 31th: New York City Marathon Expo, 12-5, in the Moeben
Sleeves booth
also, City Sports again from 5-7
If you have not heard it yet, do check out my interview with Chris HERE!
Hitting “The Wall” (Hat tip: Laminator)
Running: Physiologically Speaking Marathon Deaths – Why Men?
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Protest Over the Lakefront Marathon
2009 Ironman World Championship Results (YAY CROWIE!!)
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If you have ever listened to any of my shows or read several of my posts, you are probably well aware that I draw from more than my fair share of drive from “inspiration”. For the sake of this write-up, I will use the word “heart”.
I find that, for me, once I am able to get basic techniques worked out and find the way that they work in my body (I believe technique is largely subjective, after all), I can place my “head” on cruise control and begin to run with my “heart”. This is when I am the happiest, when I swim/bike/run the easiest and when I perform my best.
This past summer I spent some time feeling out my lactate threshold and cadence on the bike. I also ailed down exactly where, in the swim, my body found it’s groove and could go forever. Running is a bit trickier, but even there I am more and more able to nail down my “cruise” point. Depending on the hilliness of the first part of my runs, it takes me anywhere from 2~4 miles until I hit my sweet spot. When doing a tempo run, I usually use the first two miles as a warm up and then I throw myself immediately into what feels like riding the edge of my sweet spot the whole time. When I do a run with several fartleks thrown in, I get to my sweet spot and then try to see how far I can ride that feeling while pushing the pace.
Admittedly, I am not a fan of getting into the numbers of training during a workout. I am much more apt to go back later and check the number on my computer and see what I can differently. However, I think to improve myself, I need to get into the numbers a bit more so that I can begin to “feel” the numbers more and not have the need to look at my heart rate monitor or pace.
Upon recommendation of Joe Garland, I have gotten myself a copy of Joe Friel’s Total Heart Rate Training: Customize and Maximize Your Workout Using a Heart Rate Monitor. Joe, Garland that is, is an extremely talented runner who has worked very hard and been very diligent in his pursuit of running. His study of running has led me to want to become more “head” centered on my own running for a while. I tend to approach thing much less intuitively and with what I believe to be a much more “heart” driven approach to training and racing. Thus far, it seems to be what works best in getting me out the door. But now that I’m out the door, it’s time to become better, faster and more efficient.
So, this leads me to my question for you, dear reader! How do you train and/or race? Where does your head stop and your heart begin?
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On Episode 61 of Brandon’s Marathon Podcast, I will be interviewing Liz Robbins, author of A Race Like No Other: 26.2 Miles Through the Streets of New York. I am so excited for you to hear from the author of such a fantastic book that give such an insightful look into the New York City Marathon.
So, to celebrate a great book about a great race, I am going to give away copy of the just released paperback! Since we are a month away from the 2009 NYC Marathon, what better way to find out about not only the race itself, but the people and stories of some of the racers!
Leave a comment on this post (One comment per person, please). Just click the comment button!
The contest will close at 7:00 PM EST on Monday, October 5th, 2009.
The comment will be chosen at random (not by me, but by a piece of software), and will be announced live on the show. An email will also be sent to the winner.
Happy commenting and GOOD LUCK!!
NYRR Half-Marathon Grand Prix Presented by Continental Airlines: Queens
Missing Swimmer’s Body Found In Lake Monona
Free Shipping On Sir and Lady Isaac Guidance Trainers!
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This coming Saturday, I will be interviewing the author of the fantastic book, A Race Like No Other: 26.2 Miles Through the Streets of New York, Liz Robbins.
This book chronicles the lead up to the 2007 New York City Marathon as well as the race itself however the majority of this book is told around the race itself. It is told through the lives and stories of those who have touched and been touched by the race.
It is out in paperback as of yesterday and is a great, fun read, that will have you cheering and tearing up. If you have any questions for the author, please email me with them!
The debate rages on and on. Yet still, medical “experts” and shoe companies cannot produce anything that shows that over-stuffed running shoes do anything for you. And now the New York Times takes another look at the issue. One person quoted in the article, one Simon Bartold, an international research consultant for Asics, is quoted in the article as saying the barefooters, “are propagating a campaign of misinformation.” Really, Mr. Bartold? There is 2.5 millions years of research on the minimalist side, where’s yours? Click the link below to read:
P.S. Cue hater comments
Newton Sir & Lady Isaac Review
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Christopher McDougall, author of Born to Run, appeared on Comedy Central in a great interview with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show. While it is a great interview (for being so brief), I am more than a little biased and much prefer my interview with Chris HERE.
Check out the video of Chris’ Daily Show appearance below!
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Christopher McDougall | ||||
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Heart Transplant Patient to Run Kona!!
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As endurance athletes, we all have little tricks that keep us moving. This morning, I found a new one for myself. Yesterday I read the passage in Dean Karnazes‘ book, Ultramarathon Man where, in the middle of “The Relay”, (a 199 mile race from Calistoga, California to the beach at Santa Cruz, California usually run by relay teams where each member runs three legs of 5.5 miles (Dean did it alone)) he is worried about the last 65 miles of the race he had left to go. His wife said not to worry about the next 65 miles, but just worry about getting to the next light pole, or the next 65 feet.
As I got up this morning at 4:45 AM, I was greeted, not with a dimly lit sky showing the first beams of the sunrise, but rather with a sky that I imagine looked just the same in the middle of the night. The overcast skies brought along with them a light mist, some wispy fog and about 90% humidity. Nevertheless, out the door I went, ready for an arduous run through air as thick as molasses.
Fortunately, it was not quite as hot as it has been for the last few days in the pre-dawn hours. The temperature was a mild seventy degrees and the mist felt good on my skin. Now, I have noticed recently that it takes me somewhere between two and four miles before I warm up and realy feel good on my runs. Coincidentally, that is also the approximate distance on which I am on a slight uphill.
As I got into the run, the thick air did indeed start to stick in my lungs a little bit, as expected. So, I focused on remaining relaxed with my breathing and inhaling down to my groin. This helped a bit, but I need some more encouragement, and since I was the only one around, it had to come from me. So, I saw a light pole bout one hundred yards ahead. I said (yes, out loud), “Hey light pole! You’re mine!”, and then I went and got that light pole. When I got there, I looked at the incline in front of me and said to the tree at the end, “Hey tree! You’re mine!”
I kept this up for most of my seven miles and it felt so great! I have recently started running, sans Ipod, and I have found that due to this I have the time to become much more introspective about what I’m doing. Contrary to what I initially thought would happen, this has resulted in my runs feeling more easy and they seem to go by much faster. Of course, it helped this morning that I was pushing my pace a bit.
What do you do when you need encouragement and you’re the only one there?
If I recall correctly, the first time I heard anything about forefoot/midfoot running was in an article in Men’s Health in 2006 in an article entitled, “The Men Who Live Forever”, by Christopher McDougall. Thus, it was quite something, when three years later Christopher McDougall became the first interview on my podcast for his book, Born to Run. The paragraphs in the article that caught my eye were:
One of Hartmann’s star clients, marathon world-record holder Paula Radcliffe, has been training in the Nike Free, a new, minimalist slipper designed to mimic the range of motion of a naked foot. Alan Webb, America’s best miler, also works out in the Free. Webb had been hobbled by foot injuries early in his career, but after he started barefoot exercises, his injuries disappeared, and his shoe size shrank, from a 12 to a 9. “My foot muscles became so strong, they pulled my arches up,” says Webb. “Wearing too much shoe prevents you from tapping into the natural gait you have when landing on the ground.”
Perhaps this was what I had witnessed while trying to keep up with Alejandro. Watching him run, I was surprised to find that instead of the long, galloping stride I’d expected, he never stretched out his legs at all. He kept his knees bent and his forefeet padding down directly under his body, as if he were riding an invisible unicycle.
“Exactly!” says Ken Mierke, an exercise physiologist and the creator of the barefoot-modeled Evolution Running technique. “That’s why they don’t get hurt.” Mierke believes there is a perfect, Tarahumara-like footstrike that can guarantee you will run longer and faster, and drastically reduce your chances of injury. The key is to stay off your heel and to use your leg as a pistonlike shock absorber.
“You wouldn’t jump off a ladder and land on your heels, right?” Mierke asks. “Same with running. If you land on your heel, your leg is straight, and the impact is smashing into one joint after the other. If you land on your forefoot, however, with the leg bent, it absorbs shock using elastic tissues instead of bone.”
A while later, I stumbled across an article in the New York Times from 2005 entitled, “Kick Off Your Shoes and Run Awhile”, funnily enough, also by Christopher McDougall. By that time, I was a few month into Brandon’s Marathon (both the site and podcast) and was sharing my trials and tribulations with an online audience. With both of McDougall’s articles fueling my curiosity, I took to the treadmill.
At first, I was landing much too far forward, literally on my toes. I was also attempting this new form of running in shoes that had all but taken away my ability to strike the ground with my forefoot due to the heel-toe drop (again, the difference in height between the heel and the toe). Even my first ungainly attempts at forefoot running, with my toes taking a beating and my feet WAY too far out in front of me, I could already feel what I was looking for, or rather didn’t feel. This was in September of 2008. You can hear me talk about all these discoveries in Brandon’s Marathon Podcast, Episode 16.
I was hooked.
I discovered, the hard way, that to change to a forefoot/midfoot technique takes time. Newton says this very clearly on their website. I had very sore calves and even a touch of achilles tendinitis. So, I slowed down and began to take my time, doing a little bit of forefoot running mixed in with my runs…which kept getting longer.
As soon as I heard about forefoot running for the second time, I began to Google it (as is the custom it seems). and THAT is when I found Newton Running.
Watch Brandon’s Maraton Podcast Live!!
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Brain Surgery Frees Runner, but Raises Barriers
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Running with the Pack Episode 49 (with me!!)
2009 Patriot Triathlon Official Results
Rio de Jinero Marathon (GO RAPHAEL!!!)
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Xterra Wetsuits (50% off until the end of June!!!!)
Patriot Triathlon (Go Shrekilocks!!!)
Dreamfar Triathlon Team (Thanks guys!!)
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NYRR Half Marathon Grand Prix: Brooklyn Results
The Resurrected runner Library
The Adventures of Cowboy Hazel
Robert Downey, Jr. in Newton’s on the set of Iron Man 2
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Runner’s World: Running at Altitude
NYRRHalf-Marathon Grand-Prix: Brooklyn
Deadwood Mickelson Trail Marathon (Go Phil!!)
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NYRR Half-Marathon Grand Prix: Brooklyn
Cleveland Marathon (Go Dave, Go!!)
Geist Half-Marathon (Go Joe, Go!!)
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I mentioned Christopher McDougall’s book Born To Run on this weeks sh
ow. As I write this, I am on chapter 15 and LOVING this book!!! I hope t
o do a full review on next weeks’ episode of Brandon’s Marathon Podcast if I finish it by then (time, ya’ know?). But, until then, go ahead and grab a copy for yourself, you will NOT be sorry!!
Thanks so much for visiting my site! My name is Brandon Wood and I am the social media manager and a customer service rep for Newton Running. This site and podcast follow my adventures on the way to competing in and training for all kinds of endurance events, especially triathlon and running. Click the "About Me" tab for more info!
Who: This contest is open to anyone and everyone in the U.S. and Canada (also APO)! Tell your friends!
What: Stuffitts! I have spoken about these simple yet awesome shoe savers in the past. Click here to read more about them. I cannot say enough how great they are!
When: Starting NOW! This is an ongoing contest that will be every month, or until every person on the planet has nice, fresh smelling shoes!
Why: Because Stuffitts are awesome! The folks at Stuffitts are being SUPER generous and I also want to give you guys something that I think is a great addition to any athletes arsenal!
How: On the last podcast episode post of each month (example: Episode 99 on June 28 HERE) entrants should leave a comment (however long you'd like). On the following week's show (the first show of each month) I will draw, by random number generator, one winner! That's it!
Good luck!
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