If you’re like me……….

you need not only motivation to actually get out and shop, but HELP on what to buy!! So, here’s my very, VERY last minute guide to shopping for the runner in the family!!

1. For three years running now (pun intended), the Nike Plus Sportband has been the gift of the Christmas season!! What is it? Nike developed this sensor to put in or on your shoe (if you don’t wear Nikes) to work originally with iPod products to track pace, distance, time and calories burned. Well, if you’re not the Apple connoisseur, the Sportband functions like a watch receiving information for the Nike Plus sensor. It looks cool and is very simple to use!! This year, there are four different colors. It’s $59 and is the perfect “extra something” for the runner in the family!

2. The Stick!! Mine sits in my chair with me at home!! I use it A LOT! What is it? It’s a stick with handles and that you can use to massage out larger muscle groups, specifically quads, calves, and hamstrings for runners. Listen, runners, especially marathoners, need to get regularly scheduled massages. Since most of us can’t afford to get a massage from a professional every week, The Stick can help those times in between massages.

3. Shoes! OK, we normally don’t recommend buying shoes for someone not in the store, but if you absolutely want to get your runner shoes for Christmas, this is what you do. These new phones you see attached to everyone’s ears have cameras on them!! Take a picture of your runner’s shoe and take a look at the size on the inside. Bring the pic to your closest Trak Shak location. If you haven’t made the leap to a camera phone yet, take a look at the inside of the tongue and look for a series of numbers that make no sense to you. That’s probably the style number. We’ll be able to tell you what style it is, and you’ll have something to wrap and put under the tree!

4. Stocking stuffers! Socks, BodyGlide, and GU are items a runner cannot ever have enough of!!

5. A Trak Shak Gift Card! Actually, I misspoke earlier! For 15 years running, a Trak Shak Gift Card has been the most popular gift item! I know it’s not exactly the big gift to wrap and put under the tree, but your runner will love it!! Sometimes there are gadgets in the store, i.e. a Timex Global Trainer or a new pair of Oakley sunglasses, your runner would be afraid to ask you to purchase! They need to rack up on Gift Card so they can come in after Christmas and get their latest gadget!!

So there you have it! If you’re like me……you still have some shopping left! I hope this will make it easier for you!! Merry Christmas!!!

EUREKA!!

So, it’s been three weeks since my last post! I must apologize! I’ll blame it on laziness, the holidays, and my fantasy football team making the playoffs! Running in the holidays is just plain tough, especially if you travel. The week of Thanksgiving I ran Sunday, Monday, & Friday! That is pitiful! The following Monday, I was out on a faster than normal “jog” with Strand. He made me sprint across Highway 31 as traffic was approaching rapidly. It was about the second stride, my right calf cramped. I ran the rest of the 6 mile run with a limp. This calf cramping thing is a very familiar pain that has plagued my running for the past 4 years. It pops up on me from time to time, specifically after inconsistent weeks and unplanned increases in mileage. It kept me from running the Nashville Half last year! There went another $100!!!!

I went for a 5 miler on Tuesday morning, just to test out the calf. It cramped up on me around mile 2, but I continued on slowly and with a the same limp. I got so frustrated during the run thinking about having to take a couple weeks off and possibly missing Mercedes! I then calmed myself and started thinking back to the old college days of running through injuries. “Was I just a lot tougher back then? Is it because I’m 35 pounds heavier?” all went through my mind. Then, EUREKA!!! The training room!! That’s it!! The training room had all these cool gadgets like heating pads, stem machines, and my personal favorite, the ice tub! Oh the days of the ice tub! After every run, we’d fill the tub up with water and a bunch of ice to get the water temperature down to 40 degrees and hop in!! The first 2 minutes was BRUTAL!! The training room was also staffed with great athletic trainers who would listen to us moan and groan about our aches and pains and help us fix them. All things I took for granted!! My plan, use what I learned from the visits to the training room and help myself run through this nagging pain.

All that being said and before I go any further, I DO NOT RECOMMEND RUNNING THROUGH INJURIES!! My recommendation is to listen to your body. If you develop pain caused by running, it is an indication from your body that something is wrong. If it’s severe pain, your body is most likely telling you to take some time off.

Now, back to the plan! In order to run through and help heal a nagging pain, you have to do all those things you really, REALLY don’t want to do! My pain is a strained Soleus. How do you heal strained muscles? Stretching, icing, heat, massage, and strength. In fact, those things I just mentioned will help with quite a few running pains and injuries! Since we don’t have a training room, here’s what you can do. 1. Buy a stick or a foam roller. You can use both to help massage calves, thighs, IT bands, feet, and hamstrings. 2. Buy some of those little ice bags designed to use in coolers and some Dixie cups. You can cover the ice bags with a zip lock (to protect your skin) and use an ace bandage to wrap and hold them on the “area of interest”. You can fill the Dixie cups with water, freeze them, peel the paper away about half way down and use them for ice massage. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING ABOUT ICE, it works best if you can ice as soon as you finish running!! . 3. STRETCH!! That’s all I’ve got for number 3. 4. Get a heating pad. If you can use the heating pad before you head out for a run, it helps loosen up the muscle basically like doing a warm up. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING ABOUT HEAT! Only heat before activity. If the injured muscle or tendon is inflamed after running, using heat will only make the inflammation worse. 5. Strengthening is the toughest! It’s hard to know what to do! The good thing, you don’t need a Bowflex in the basement! For lower leg pains and injuries, my favorite strength exercises are to stand on one foot while brushing your teeth, wrap an ankle weight around your forefoot and draw ABC’s with you toes, and towel crunches. (Call Jeff at 870-5644 for explanations of these exercises and suggestions of more!)

My routine has been the same for a couple weeks now. I use the Stick before and after every run to help loosen and warm up the muscle. I try to ice as soon as I finish, but that’s hard sometimes. So, at night while I’m setting my fantasy football team line up, I’ll use the Stick to massage and then ice. I don’t do the strength stuff as much as I should, but when I do, I’ll at least stand on one foot while I brush my teeth. It’s just fun! Try it! The good thing, I haven’t missed a day!! I did have to stop to walk a little one day, but that’s it! Keep your fingers crossed!!

“I ran in my house!”

I “dripped” into the store this morning after a 5 mile jog. If you were in Birmingham this morning, you totally understand my use of the word “dripped”! Tracy P says to me, “Did you enjoy your run this morning?” I respond, “I did!!! I love running in the rain! Did you enjoy your run this morning?” Tracy says, in his perfect Southern drawl with big grin on his face, “I ran in my house!” There was a moment of silence as my mind began to wonder! Here’s the deal, I’ve known Tracy P for a long time, I’ve been to his house on occasion, and I KNOW there’s no treadmill or running in place apparatus to be seen!  “What the heck do you mean, you ran in your house?!” With the same “you know what” eating grin, and the same perfect Southern drawl, “I mean, I ran in my house. From here to there, around the counter, in the “keechen”!” The only response I could come up with was, “WOW!”, and will you please get this activity on camera next time?!

Now, I told that story, not to reveal the latest craze in training, but to talk about one of my favorite running conditions. I LOVE RUNNING IN THE RAIN!!! I think it started in high school as a sort of “badge of honor” thing. Everyone would always be amazed when I was out in a down pour running miles. It only got worse, or better depending upon your perspective, in college when there was no such thing as a day off. Add a psycho roommate who would wake me in the middle of the night to go run in a typhoon, and VOILA!! Also, a wise coach once said to me, “What if it rains on race day?”. Now that I’ve been in the running specialty biz for 15 years, I am always surprised by the number of people who come into the store asking advice about what to wear if rain is in the forecast on race day! “What did you wear while training?” would be the obvious question, but there’s a lot of us who just take the day off. Well, here’s a rain running enthusiast’s advice and suggestions on what to wear from toe to head.

Shoes: Buy two pairs! Why? Christmas is around the corner and we’ve got to buy some new toys for our 1 year old! Just kidding! When you do venture out in the rain, you’ll have a dry pair the next day. This also is a helpful tip for you heavy sweaters in the summer! If two pairs of shoes just isn’t in the budget, take the insoles out, and either stuff the shoes with newspaper to absorb the moisture or lay them in front of a fan, the fridge, or a vent to dry out. Personally, I prefer a light weight shoe on wet days. Make your second pair of shoes a performance trainer! If race day is a wet marathon, have someone meet you half way with the dry pair of shoes. Thirty seconds to change shoes in the middle of a rainy marathon is well worth it!!

Socks: Stealing an old golf phrase, Thin to Win! This one is pretty simple! Thick sock + Rain = Wet, Heavy Feet! Thin not only refers to the overall weight of the sock, but the thickness of the fibers. That means, NO COTTON!! Poly, Nylon, Acrylic, and Lycra fibers are all thinner than cotton and will hold less moisture.

Apparel: Dressing for a summer shower is easy! Wear as little as possible. In the fall and winter, it gets a little tricky! Obviously, rain only makes a cold day colder, and everybody is different. That is why training and experimenting with clothes is important. The same rule with socks applies to clothes. COTTON IS ROTTEN!  Again, non cotton fibers are thinner and hold less moisture, which helps keep you warm. The biggest decision to make is jacket or vest. I prefer a vest. I’m hot natured and just get too warm in a jacket. Either will protect you from the moisture and the wind. Remember this: Start Cold, Finish Comfortable. Start Warm, Finish Miserable!

Accessories: I normally start with gloves, but if the temp is above 40, I normally shed them. I always wear a cap. The bill keeps the rain out of my eyes, and oh yeah, I’m bald! Finally, but maybe most importantly, don’t forget the lube!! Wet things have a tendency to become sticky and abrasive, which causes chaffing! Use plenty of Skin Sake or BodyGlide on your feet, legs, underarms, and chest!

Song of the Day: “There There” by Radiohead! Perfect timing on the playlist this morning! It came on as I was climbing the last hill to the store over Oxmoor Road. Say what you will about the freaky, elf looking lead singer, but I love their music, and this song is definitely one of their best!

WHAT!? You’ll have to talk a little louder!

The first 2 weeks of my Mercedes Half training has gone well! I met my goal of running every other day on an average of 35 to 45 minutes and did my first hill workout! My only set back has been the ability to recover from the hill workout as quickly as I’d like, but we can talk about that later. Today, I ran from the house in a light mist, which just so happens to be my favorite weather condition! If you live in Vestavia, you can feel my pain! There is no flat, get into a rhythm! It’s either UP or DOWN! Regardless, it was a good run. The point I’m trying to get to, I was listening to music on the run, and it gives me the opportunity to not only talk about wearing headphones while you run, but also introduce the latest segment of my blog, The Song of the Run!

Obviously, the ability to listen to music while you run has come a LONG WAY! When I first started, there was no way in Hades you’d see me bopping down the street with those “ear muffs with an antenna”! Even with the introduction of the “state of the art” Walkman, I couldn’t pull it off! In fact, I never listened to music while exercising until I started riding a bike about 8 years ago, and riding wasn’t even the reason! Oakley introduced the Thumps, a MP3 player built into sunglasses, and I had to try them out! Since then, if I’m running by myself, I’m listening to music. Also, as part of my job description (the Geek), I have to test out all the new gadgets like Nike Plus, Adidas MiCoach, and Yurbuds!

Here’s the inside “running retailer” scoop on listening to music while you run. There are those who need to get on the road, clear their thoughts, and enjoy the silence. Then, there are those who need the motivation of their “Power Song” or like to use the time while they run to hear new music downloaded the night before. Whatever the preference, you’re running! That being said, here is the negative! Have you ever laced up, put your ear buds in, cranked up your favorite tune, hit the road, and suddenly felt the presence of a 120 pound Labrador on your heels? I have, and it almost gave me what Red Foxx would have called “The Big One!” You can’t hear anything other than the music! I have two concerns. First, you’ve got to keep the volume down! I’ve never experienced this, but I’ve heard, cars hurt! We all have our challenges with motor vehicles while road running. Let’s not add “being unaware” to the mix! Second, and this one come’s with a request, volunteer to work the next finish line at your local race! The finish chute instructions are pretty simple, when the participants can hear. Stay in order, tear off the tag at the bottom of your bib number and hand it to the guy at the end of the chute. Even in chip timed races! The folks at the end of the chute will cut off your chip and pick up your finisher’s medal and t-shirt. It adds a whole different dynamic when one cannot hear! Thus, one of the main reasons, other than personal safety, you see the headphone bans in most races these days! I guess what I’m trying to say is be considerate, and be careful!

All in all, I love music!! I will not be seen without wearing headphones while mowing the lawn and doing yard work! I would describe my music tastes as different and critical! I’m not afraid to tell you what bands or types of music I dislike! So, you may not like or have even heard most of the “Songs of the Run” I mention. I don’t really have a criteria for Song of the Run. It’s just going to be whatever! Today I chose “The Velvet Glove” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers! The term describes someone who appears to be gentle, but is determined and inflexible underneath. Whatever the meaning, I just love the song!

Be safe!

If you don’t have a headache after, you ain’t doin’ it right!

The title isn’t a reference to a late night out! When I came to UAB and started training, hill workouts were pretty much a weekly occurrence. They all had cute little names like, Highland Hill, Crest Hill, and High Knee Hills, but there was nothing cute about them! After my first year in college, I would tell all the Freshmen, on the way to their first hill workout, “If you don’t have a headache after, you ain’t doin’ it right!” My favorite of the bunch was the previously mentioned, Highland Hill. You’ve run the Vulcan 10K right? So, you know when you come up 32nd Street and cross over Clairmont/8th Avenue onto Highland Avenue? It’s pretty much a hill all the way to Botega. Yeah, that’s not the Highland Hill I’m talking about! There’s this “PEACH” of a street that parallels Highland Avenue called Highland Drive. It climbs 125 feet of elevation in only a quarter mile, with the steepest part being a 20% grade at the very top!! My coach at the time, Mr. Scott Strand, found it and thought it would be a great idea for us to go run as hard as we could up it 4 to 8 times! I think he has some issues! However horrible hills sound, I think they were some of the most beneficial workouts of my college career!

As part of my Mercedes Half Marathon training regimen, I’ve decided to add some workouts, one of which being a hill workout. The hill, Woodcrest Place in front of Iberia Bank and Embassy Suites in Homewood. It’s not quite as steep as Highland Hill, but a little longer. Today marked, not only my first workout for the 2011 Mercedes Half, but my first hill workout in 12 years!! Needless to say, I had a headache after! I ran a 10 minute warm up (I would recommend longer but was pressed for time), 4 hill repeats where I started up the hill at a comfortable pace and gradually increased the effort, and a 10 minute warm down. What is the point of such self inflicted pain you may ask? The number one thing I’ve lost over the past years of inconsistent training is STRENGTH, and there’s no way better of replacing it than a few good hill workouts!

How it works: First, make sure you’ve got a pretty good base of consistent mileage. In other words, if you just started running this week, don’t go out a do a hill workout tomorrow! Second, find you a good hill! It needs to me at least 200 yards long and not too steep. Third, always warm up! Unlike my short, time pressed 10 minute warm up this morning, you should jog for at LEAST 15 minutes before. Fourth, start up the hill at a comfortable pace focusing on your form. You want to make sure your knees are lifting well and your arms are working HARD! You should feel like your arms are “driving” not just simply swinging beside you. Fifth, do at least 3 reps up the hill and try to make your last one the fastest! Lastly, jog for at least 15 minutes to warm down afterwards.

Here are some things to think about. If you get excited and sprint up the hill on the first repeat, you’ll be sorry! It’s just like a race! If you go out too hard, you’ll finish terribly! Try to relax on the first part of the hill, really focusing on nothing but your form and gradually increase the intensity with each repeat. The good thing about hill workouts, you don’t need a track, a gym or a watch! It’s not about time or distance. It’s about the effort! If you feel bad and give up at the top of the hill, you’re not getting anything out of it! Try to push yourself when the going gets tough, and you’ll find yourself finishing strong at the finish of all your races! 

Sleeve or Snot Rocket?

Consider it like being asked, “Paper or Plastic?”

So, per Alabama weather, there was no Fall! It was warm, and then this past weekend, it was COLD! Not only do some folks who like the cold START running, but as does my nose! If you’ve run for a while, you know what I’m talkin’ about! You lace up your shoes, head out the door, the cold wind hits your face, and about a mile in, WATERFALL! What do you do? Of course, the less noticeable thing is to use your sleeve, collar of your shirt, or the new soft material running companies have added to the thumb of your gloves. OR, you could stuff your pockets with tissue, wipe your nose and drop the tissue along the way like Hansel and Gretel leaving a trail in front of Trinity Hospital. PS – if you happen to see this person, will you inform them, dropping tissue is littering! I digress!

Max, my one year old son, has had a very runny nose since Thursday. After struggling with sleep, drinking out of a sippy cup, and taking a bottle, the only thing I could think of was, “Man, I wish I could teach you how to blow a snot rocket!” Don’t worry, when he’s old enough, I’ll work with Mom to teach him how to use tissue, but when Mom’s not looking, and we’re in the back yard, OH he’s going to learn the art of the snot rocket. I remember when I learned! My Dad, like me, will do what he wants to do in ANY weather condition. In his case, it’s fishing! He would wake me up at the crack, tell me to put on the “way to big” for me overalls, and take us to Guntersville Lake. We’d put the boat in the water and hop in. I’ve been in all sorts of cold, but there’s nothing like riding in a bass boat at 40 miles per hour, in the dead of Winter! Let’s just say, it speeds up the mucus flow! We’d reach our destination, Dad would hop up to the front of the boat, reach to his nose with his right had, and shoot a perfect missile into the water! I was amazed!  I’ll admit, my first attempts were pretty pathetic! I think I was afraid of dislocating an eyeball or blowing an ear drum, but as I gained confidence, it became second nature. Now, I don’t even realize I’m doing it about every 5 minutes on a run.

Pros: One, you don’t ruin sleeves or glove. Two, you don’t rub your dang nose raw while training during the winter.

Cons: Well, it’s kind of gross!

I would go through a whole lesson, but there are way too many factors. I will, however, talk about some etiquette. While running in a group or passing a group, judge the wind. Most of the time, you only have to worry about those behind you, but if the wind is swirling, be sure to check your blind spots. While in a race, check your spectators! In front of a group of Birmingham Track Club members handing you a doughnut and a beer, OK. In front of a group of Girl Scouts watching their first road race, not OK. While running by yourself, beware of morning newspapers! I’m sure coupon shoppers don’t want a surprise while taking the plastic cover off their Sunday morning paper! While walking out of a restaurant on a date, NOT OK!

I know it seems an interesting subject, but to me, just another part of being a runner!  

Nothing like a week off!

My 2011 Mercedes Half Marathon officially started today!! After a week off, I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel! I took the week off because I have been running pretty consistently for about 6 months, and my legs were feeling a little tired. My left hamstring and calf were getting really tight and not responding to massage and stretching. That’s a true sign of fatigue.

The plan this week is to run about 30 to 35 minutes every other day and try to stay on as much soft surface as possible. My soft surface course starts at the Homewood store. I stay on the grass to the side of the sidewalk down Hollywood Blvd and Cahaba Road til I hit Jemison. I ran to Shades Creek Parkway and turned around. It took me 32 minutes, and my legs felt great!!!

The lesson of the day! How to find soft surfaces to run on in Birmingham. You’ve got to be a little creative! I don’t have the time to drive to Oak Mountain or Veteran’s Park, so I try to run on the grass beside sidewalks as much as possible. Other options include running laps around a soccer field, loops at George Ward Park, and if you’re brave enough or an early riser, hitting the golf course. I learned this tactic from Scott , who probably has a list of soft surface courses in every part of town. It can get a little tricky! Not only do you have to watch out for sprinkler heads, holes, or those little prickly, gum balls dropped from trees, but be extra careful of the massive piles of dog poo along the way! The grass really helps lessen the impact on your legs, thus reducing fatigue and risk of injury!

Time for a change!

I originally created The Trak Shak blog as a way to relay info about product, races, and training to our customers, but then realized I wasn't writing a blog, I was writing reviews!! BORING!! You can visit any running related website and get reviews! So, it's time for a change and here's my latest idea! "Because. I'm a runner!"

Think about how many times you've answered a question with the response, "Because. I'm a runner!" Here are a couple you may have heard: "Why do you have to go home at 8 on a Saturday night?", and consequently, "Why are you waking up at 5 AM on a Sunday morning?" Those were easy, but what about these examples? "Why do you wear those SHORT shorts?" "Why are you putting band-aids on your nipples?" "Why don't you have toenails?" and the list goes on and on!!

Well, I'm a runner and these are my thoughts!

"Why are his thoughts interesting?" you may be asking yourself. First, I started running competitively in the 7th grade and continued through about a year after college. That's not a lot for some competitive runners, but it's enough to gain some knowledge along the way. Second, I started selling shoes when I was 16 at The Athlete's Foot in Boaz, and I wasn't your typical teenager in a retail shoe store. I was a GEEK! There's no other way to describe it! I love shoes! I know shoes! I've worn lots of shoes and now shoes are my career! Third, I graduated from massage therapy school in 1999, and while I haven't practiced, I've retained a really good understanding of anatomy and injury prevention. Fourth, I've now been working in running specialty at The Trak Shak for the better part of 15 years!! Blisters, black toenails, chaffing, shin pain, hip pain, knee pain, bad races, good races, I have SEEN and helped FIX it ALL! Fifth, I love to write and will pretty much reveal any random or useful thought!

Here's what to expect! I'm on about my 100th comeback attempt of running consistently! It's actually been my most successful in a while. I started back in May after another shin issue and have put together a pretty good base. After this week off, I plan to train for the Mercedes Half Marathon in February and log or "blog" my progress along the way. My goal is to hopefully relay some good information about running and training, AND have some fun along the way! Expect everything from course information, injury prevention tips, the song of the day (for all you music listeners out there), and, of course, shoe, apparel, and running accessory ideas and tips!

I hope you enjoy! If you have any ideas, please email me at jeff@trakshak.com.