Please post your questions or comments at our Forum.

I want to say how proud I am of Jefferey.  When I was his age I did not have his insight into competitive running and trianing.  I am so happy to see him achieving!!  His road 5k was an amazing race and he ran it like a true professional.  Anyone who spouts to go out hard and hang-on is flat wrong (but it does make beating some more talented athletes that much easier).  His tactics and mentality are to applauded!  YOU GO JEFF!! 

Winter has come to this mystic moutaintown (not really all that mystical but sounded cool).  We were hammered with snow over the course of the the 24 to 36 hrs preceeding this post.  Winter here is somewhat different then my native NY.  Here they plow roads with road-grader vehicles (some dedicated plow trucks as well).  They also use far less salt on the roads here (typically winter temps hover in the 30's and certainly make it into the 50's so more melting from radient heat then NY).  People (generally) are not as adept at inclement weather driving so one must be careful while out and about!!  That certainly includes running and brings me to some important points about winter running:  

The 1st - VISIBILITY; You must be able to be seen and you must see who is coming at you.  Certainly we should be running facing traffic and with nighttime runs I wear a reflective vest that can be purchased at your local running store.  It is a worthwhile investment in your wellbeing (I promise).  Jeff has some dedicated nighttime running apparel that Brooks makes "Nightlife " is the name they coined for the line and it is nice.  It is highly reflective and quite comfortable.

The 2nd - Yaktrax; These are neat items that slip over your running shoes and have metal on the bottom.  They are a kin to studs or car tire chains (in my mind).  I find them very very useful for runs on roads that have not been plowed or that have not been salted (essentially, where you cannot see the pavement).  They are flexible enough and don't dig down too deep.  The provide extra traction and aid with going around corners which can lead to a wipeout (as we are all probably aware)!

The 3rd - Treadmill;  If you have access to one give it a whirl every now and again.  The steady pace and footing will be a welcome relief from the drudgery of slip sliding down your favorite city street or country road.  In general it is much saver than the similar run on a snowy winter night (see picture above); that is unless you decided that you want to listen to your ipod, read a magazine and pay close attention to the television program in front of you.  In that case.....the multi-tasking/multi-focusing could leave you on your behind and off the back of the "t-mill" as I call it. 

Regardless of how you train in the winter months please remember safety and always have fun!

Your friend

Please post your questions or comments at our Forum.

Trail Shoes!?

It isn’t always convenient (or fun) to run on the roads.  Roads are busy, busy, busy……chocked full of people racing here or there……listening to their ipod, texting, etc…  So I often find myself running elsewhere.  In Flagstaff that may be the Pipeline Trail or Shultz Creek Trail.  When I was at SUNY Geneseo it would have been the Greenway; in Syracuse either Green Lakes State Park or the Erie Canal Path.  In Harpursville (1 mile from my parents house) is Nathaniel Cole Park which has a great loop I can get to easily.  The point is that we are all exposed to “off  road” running but how many of us have a dedicated pair of off road shoes?  If we do (I do) then what is it that makes these shoes so much better……..

No matter where your trail run takes you, you will appreciate the aggressive tread pattern, toe guard, and (if we are talking  about my favorite trail shoe, the Brooks Cascadia 4 , soon to be 5) the patented ballistic rock shield.  The last of those items mentioned is a hard(er) plastic plate in the midfoot, which is used to disperse the impact of direct trauma from stepping on rocks.  These are basic components I think any one should expect from a trail shoe: toe protection, aggressive tread, and something in the midfoot to prevent foot bruising when trekking over off road terrain. 

It isn’t even necessary to be on a dedicated trail to enjoy such a shoe.  If you are like me and when running on roads like to stay   off the pavement and on the shoulder this can be as treacherous a trail as any.  Not only are we dealing with the rocks and dirt surface there are those motor car abusers…….er……”users” who like to launch things from their vehicle and that all ends up at our feet (bottles, cans, etc…).  Also, winter conditions beg for more aggressive tread and trail shoes double (for me) as my winter bad weather road running shoe. 

If you have been on the fence about trail shoes then go get a pair, do some exploring at your local park or even down at the Canal Path.  You will enjoy your experience.  Since you will be rotating a new pair of running shoes your regular shoes will  last awhile longer, which means you may even end up saving yourself a few bucks! 

Please check out the links below.  A Victor native and outstanding athlete, Vince Sherry writes for the local newspaper and had a great article on trail shoes, trail vs road shoes and High Country Running  6-28-2009_azdailysun.com_article 23.25 Kb . 

Thanks for stopping by!

Please post your questions or comments at our Forum.

Redirection and Reflection... 

While I have enjoyed some training I have also acquired a 5th metatarsal sharp pain that worsens w/ impact and is sharp in nature..........hmmm.......  We all have things to deal with.  While many of you have bigger fish to fry than this, here is my dilemma.
One wonderful thing about this sport is that there are multiple opportunities and I am not limited to one race on one day.  This is a little different than middle school, high school, even college. Still there are caveat’s to that; my senior year after winning the SUNYAC I took “it easy” at the next meet before winning NCAA Atlantic Regional’s.  In the end you need an understanding coach and knowledge of your limits (I couldn’t win 3 weeks in a row).  That theme seemed to resonate this fall but I will focus on the positives. 

My fall was accented by my finish at The Chris Thater 5k in Binghamton NY; a race put on by The Triple Cities Running Club.  This event is fantastic and I hope all the readers can experience the single best 5k in New York.  This year saw the inauguration of live music.  I was quite partial to the Bluegrass band. The story behind my amateur banjo playing and my Stelling Red Fox will be left for another installment. 

Please post your questions or comments at our Forum.

So last night Jeff and I did our second run at Buffalo Park here in Flagstaff at 7100 feet.  There is a 2 mile loop there on some nice gravel.  I did 4 and he did 6.  Coach Jack has his Team Altius (local club team) practice there sometimes and they were there last night.  It was a great opportunity to hangout with one of my best friends and enjoy some camroaderie. 

The point of this is that I wanted to take the opportunity to define what STRIDES are.  These are not master blasters, or wind sprints, or sprints, or blast masters, or anything else.  They are very specific and defined by Jack.  Strides = short running events at current mile race effort.  I say effort because you won't always be on a track to time them.  Mine were probably about 150m in duration though I built into mile race effort and backed off before completing each stride (maybe 75m @ mile race effort).  What is the purpose?  You work on your efficiency as a runner.  That is your ability to run at a solid pace (any pace) while minimizing energy expense.  Remember, a stride is a specific thing with a specific purpose. 
I did 4 of these strides, starting a new one when I was ready.  There was no set rest.

Next up is the Boston Athletic Association's B.A.A. Half Marathon on Sunday, October 11th (which will, from here on, be referred to as a "0.5 thon").  We grade everything against the marathon which, coincidentally, is a "1.0 thon".  That is this coming Sunday (in Boston of all places!).  We are greatful to have the opportunity to compete in such a coveted event against such great competition.  The coordinator, Mike Pieroni, has been wonderful to us!

-Anthony