Review: Running on Ice with STABILicers

by Brandon  
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Shortly after I posted my review of running on ice and snow in Yaktrax, I was contacted by a company name 32North, asking if I’d be interested in trying their STABILicers Sport ice cleats. Being a runner in Alaska, I’m always on the lookout for whatever will make running in the winter as easy (and safe) as possible, so of course I said yes.

I feel bad that it’s taken me so long to get around to writing this review, but ever since my ITBS injury started at the end of December, I’ve been doing a pretty limited amount of running. It’s only been recently that I’ve been able to get out more for longer runs, and feel like I’ve gotten enough use out of the STABILicers to give an honest review of them.

While I was very happy with my Yaktrax, I had found recently they didn’t do as well on ice. We’ve been getting warmer weather during the day, which means melting snow. But at night the temps drop, and turns it all to glare ice. On a recent run in my Yaktrax, I had been slipping around quite a bit. Then, I decided to switch to the STABILicers and give them a try. At least on the ice, they did much better than the Yaktrax. They have a much different design, using something more like metal spikes, instead of metal coils like the Yaktrax. These seemed to do a much better job of digging into the ice and gave me much better traction overall. They’re also pretty low-profile, so they weren’t any more awkward to run in than the Yaktrax.

If you live in an area where you have to do much running on ice, then I would definitely recommend giving the STABILicers a try!

 

 

Good Form Running

by Brandon  

Tuesday night I attended a Good Form Running clinic at the local running store. Since getting injured, I’ve been doing a lot of reading, and paying a lot more attention to my running form than I had before. I’ve been particularly interested in ChiRunning, which specifically focuses on more natural movements that are meant to reduce injury. For as much as I’ve read about ChiRunning so far, it appears that Good Form Running has a lot of similarities.

4 Principles of Good Form Running

In particular, the 4 basic principles of Good Form Running are very similar to what I’ve read about ChiRunning, as well as other places writing about “proper running form”.

  1. Posture – you should be standing tall, toes pointed straight forward, running with your head up and keeping your eyes looking ahead of you.
  2. Foot Strike – many runners have a tendency to heal strike, which sends a shock up your leg, and actually acts as a brake when your foot comes down, forcing you to work that much harder to propel yourself forward. Instead, you should aim for a mid-foot strike, using the arch of your foot, as well as your knee, as natural shock absorbers.
  3. Cadence – you should aim to take more, smaller strides to reduce the amount of time your foot is in contact with the ground. This will cause you to run light, and avoid your feet pounding the ground. The ideal cadence (the number of times your feet contact the ground) is around 180 per minute. If you’re taller and have longer legs (as I do), this number may be a little lower, around 170-175.
  4. Lean – a slight forward lean will allow you to use gravity to your advantage, where you’re essentially constantly catching yourself from falling. Basically, you’re letting gravity do a lot of the work of propelling you forward. You should be leaning from the ankles, not bending at the waist. Imagine yourself standing, and starting to lean forward from your ankles. There will be a moment when your center of gravity shifts forward, and you have to put your foot out to catch yourself – that’s when you start running, and the position you should stay in. You should be constantly catching yourself from falling.

Of these 4 principles, if you only really paid attention to 1, it should be cadence. Keeping your cadence up will more-or-less force the others. If you’re taking that many steps, it’s pretty much going to force you to run nice and upright with a good posture, a forward lean, and your feet landing underneath you with a nice mid-foot strike.

Overall I really enjoyed the clinic. Since I’ve been reading up on a lot of this the past few weeks, it wasn’t really anything that I hadn’t already seen elsewhere, but it was good to have it reinforced in a more personal setting, rather than just reading it on the interwebs.

2011 Race Schedule

by Brandon  

Even though I’m still working on fully recovering from my ITBS injury and getting back into regular running, I’m looking ahead to the racing season and planning what I want to run this summer. I’ve got a number of big races planned, along with several smaller ones. I’m really looking forward to getting into trail running this summer, and I’ve got a couple trail races planned as well.

There are so many fun races that I’d love to do, but of course there’s only so much I can realistically fit in. These are all the ones that I would really like to do, but I may not even be able to fit all these in – I’ll sure try my best though! 🙂

  • 4/30 – Heart Run (5k) – I figured a quick 5k race would be the perfect way to start out the running season. Plus, it benefits the American Heart Association – double win!
  • 5/7 – Eagle River Challenge (10k trail race) – This will be my first trail race. I grew up in Eagle River, and have done lots of hiking around on these trails, so it will be tons of fun to run a race there. I guess I need to get a pair of good trail shoes…
  • 5/12 – Do Run-Run (4 miles) – Normally I probably wouldn’t have done this race, but it’s one of the ones put on by the Anchorage Running Club, and as a member I can run it for free.
  • 5/24 – Turnagain Arm Trail Run (8 miles) – Another trail race, woohoo!
  • 5/28 – Trent/Waldron Glacier 1/2 Marathon – I figured a half marathon 3 weeks before my 2nd marathon would be a good training run, and I can test out my marathon race pace.
  • 6/18 – Mayor’s Marathon – This will be my 2nd full marathon. I’ve heard lots of good things about this race!
  • 7/9 – Bear Paw 5K – This was my first race ever after I started running last year, so it’s got a special place in my heart.
  • 7/16 – Alaska Men’s Run (5 miles) – Race proceeds go to prostate and testicular cancer research and treatment.
  • 7/22-23 – Ragnar Relay NW Passage – Seen Hood to Coast? The Ragnar Relays are a series of relay races similar to Hood to Coast that are run all over the country. The one I’m running is 187 miles long from Blaine, WA to Whidbey Island near Seattle. I’ll be running with 11 other runners (including these awesome folks). Each of us runs 3 legs of various length and difficulty, but it works out so that each runner does around 15-20 miles over a 36 hour period. This is probably the race I’m the most excited about this year, it’s going to be a blast!
  • 8/21 – Moose’s Tooth Marathon – I ran my first half marathon at this race last year and had a blast. Sam from Operation Jack ran this race last year and said that it was the most scenic and, aside from Boston, his favorite overall marathon. Considering he ran 61 marathons last year, that’s saying something!
  • 8/27 – Lost Lake Run (16 mile trail race) – If you remember, this is the trail that my dad and I tried hiking last summer before we got turned around by too much snow. Since the race is run in the fall, snow shouldn’t be a problem. I would really like to do this race, my only hesitation is that it’s the weekend right after the Moose’s Tooth Marathon, and I’m not sure how well it will go trying to do both.
  • 9/18 – Alyeska Tram to Tram Run (5 mile trail race) – This is a fun trail that I’ve hiked many times in the past. It leads to a hand tram over a river gorge that’s always fun to cross.
  • 9/24 – Octoberfest 10k – Not much to say about this one, just a nice 10k near the end of the season.
  • 10/15 – Zombie 1/2, Marathon & 50k – I ran the Zombie 1/2 Marathon last year, and it was a lot of fun! I’m really leaning toward doing the 50k this year. The only possible issue there is that they make you run with a partner for the marathon and 50k, because they start early when it’s still dark, and there’s no support for the first half of the race. So I’ll have to find someone crazy enough to run a 50k in October in Alaska with me – otherwise, I’ll just do the half, which will still be fun!

What about you, what are your big plans for 2011?

Running at the Alaska Dome

by Brandon  

Last night was my first time running at the Alaska Dome. At the start of this year, I joined the Anchorage Running Club, who rents time there every Wednesday night January through March, which is then free for running club members. It was only $20 to join the club for the whole year, and a one-time pass to the Alaska Dome is $10, so it was pretty much a no-brainer to join, if only for that benefit alone (although there’s some other really great benefits, like getting into some of the club-sponsored races for free).

The Alaska Dome is actually a pretty impressive facility. It’s a big dome with a multi-sport setup inside. There’s a full size running track all the way around the outer edge, and the inner part is all covered with astroturf, and can be configured for soccer, football, baseball, etc. When I was there, it even looked like they were doing some sort of fitness/yoga class on one end.

This was a perfect environment for running this time of year. It’s indoors, so you’re not having to deal with the cold and snow. But it’s running on a track, which is 1000 times better than running on a treadmill. Being Alaska, getting inside and out of the elements is one of the major selling points on their website 🙂

As I said, this was my first time here, since I’ve mostly been laying low on running lately due to my ITBS injury. But this run was exactly what I needed, both physically and mentaly. Even though my knee was feeling awesome, I told myself before I started that I was going to alternate walking one lap, then running two. I also stopped every 2-3 laps to do some stretching. I stuck with that plan the whole time, but I was feeling so good, it took a lot of willpower to stop at 4 miles.

To be honest, I was a little nervous about going, knowing that I’d be doing a run/walk combo, and even when I was running, I knew it would be at a much slower pace that what I do normally. I guess it’s just me being self-concious, but I didn’t want to be the “slow one”. And since this was my first event with the running club, I really had no idea what to expect. I didn’t know if this was a group of serious hard-core runners, or more of a social bunch. Well, I was very pleasantly surprised. There were runners – and walkers – of all ages, sizes and speeds there. There were high schoolers, probably keeping in shape for cross country season. There were families walking with their kids. I saw one woman walking by herself while reading a book. There was even an old couple, probably in their 80’s, slowly running around the track together. It was a very diverse group, and nobody gave me the stink eye for walking or running slowly.

I think this run is exactly what my knee needed too. The day after, it feels better than it has in weeks. I guess getting out there, moving around, and getting my muscles working was just what the doctor ordered. This definitely has me looking up and feeling very optimistic about my recovery. And now you know where you can find me next Wednesday! 🙂

Happy Birthday…To Me!

by Brandon  

That’s right…today I turn 29 – just one more year to 30! My 28th year was by far my best year yet, and this one is already shaping up to be even better. This time last year, I had only recently started on my weight loss journey, weighing in at 262 pounds on my 28th birthday. This morning I weighed in right at 203, for a total loss 87 pounds so far!

On my 28th birthday, I wrote about giving myself the gift of good health, and so far I’d say it’s been a raging success! I’m healthier and happier (by far) than I’ve ever been before, and I’m doing things that I never would have thought possible just 1 year ago.

But you know what they say…talk is cheap, and a picture is worth a thousand words. So for a good visual comparison, here’s a photo of me just a few days before my birthday last year:

Now compare that with this photo taken the day before Christmas, 11 months later:

This year has been off to a somewhat slow start because my ITBS injury has kept me from running. In fact, my last “real” run was on December 26th for the Operation Jack satellite marathon. But I’ve been feeling really good the last few days, so I feel pretty confident that I’m nearly back to normal running. I’m still going to be cautiously optimistic, and take things slowly, because I definitely don’t want to drag this out any longer than necessary.

Even for how great my 28th year was, I’m determined to make my 29th even better, so that next year I can start my 30’s ready to rock! I’m ready to take on some exciting new challenges this year, and will do my best to keep pushing the boundaries of my comfort zone.