I actually wrote a review on a commerce site. Don’t think I’ve done that before but know I read a lot. Anyway, decided to share it here too since they made it pretty easy to copy the content.

Originally submitted at Road Runner Sports

Men's NIKE® ZOOM STRUCTURE TRIAX+ 13 :: Your favorite Nike® stability shoe is reborn in the men's Nike® Zoom Structure Triax+ 13 to give you more support, greater forefoot flexibility, a smoother, cushier ride, and more heel support thanks to a new heel strap overlay. All at …

Mens Nike Zoom Structure Triax+ 13 Running Shoe

Can’t kick the habit

By Jeff from Castro Valley, CA on 11/11/2010

 

5out of 5

Sizing: Feels true to size

Width: Feels true to width

Arch Type: Average Arch

Pros: Good Traction, Cushions Impact, Comfortable, Durable, Good Arch Support

Best Uses: Trail Running, Walking, Mixed Terrain, All Weather Conditions, With Orthotics/Inserts, Wet Weather, Road Running

Describe Yourself: Avid Athlete

Was this a gift?: No

I’ve been running with this model shoe for many years now. I buy them in pairs and when I can pick up the last year’s model at a discount. They are quite affordable and just as good as any others I’ve used. The last pair (Structure Triax+ 12) did make the upper part of my big toe sore for a bit but think it was just me adjusting to extra miles, new shoes and running on the road more. After putting in 400 miles on one pair and over 300 on the other I decided to get a couple of new pairs. I don’t have enough miles on them to know how they’ll do but can only imagine I won’t be disappointed.

I plan on continuing to use this model shoe until they don’t make them anymore.

(legalese)

Well, I’ve kicked off my start of the East Bay Regional Park District’s (EBRPD) Trails Challenge 2010 with a short and quick five mile run in Fremont.  The trail was actually 4.5 miles but I decided to get in at least five miles.  There is a longer route that takes you clear to the Bay and ends up being 12.3 miles.  And there also is a shorter course of 2 miles.  I selected this course because I first stopped nearby at Ardenwood Historic Farm to pick up our Trail Challenge t-shirts.  Last year’s shirts are definitely the best of the three years that I’ve participated but, hey, what do you want for free?

Alameda Creek Regional Trail - Fremont, CA

The trail I started with is the Alameda Creek Regional Trail.  They have you start at a staging area located at the end of Beard Road in Fremont, not too far off the 880 Freeway.  As I really didn’t have the time to do the 12 mile run, I pushed the five mile run at a faster pace to make it more of a speed workout.  I ended up getting the overall pace down to 7:13 min/mile.  It wasn’t too difficult as this trial is paved and flat except where you duck under freeways, roadways and train tracks.  I’d have to imagine that this trail gets pretty busy on the weekends.  I ran the trail on a Thursday in the early afternoon.  There were several bikers and just a handful of hikers.  I may have to visit again to do the longer route that takes one down to the Bay by Coyote Hills Regional Park.  Also, there was just a small stream of water in the creek bed but where I passed under the 880 Freeway you could see that the water can get very high as there was debris that had gotten caught up quite high on the support posts.

The EBRPD Trails Challenge 2010 consists of 10 featured parks located in Fremont, Lafayette, Antioch, Livermore, Walnut Creek, Castro Valley and Richmond.  For each of these parks there are three trails of varying lengths and levels of difficulty.  The trail I ran was considered “Moderate”.  This obviously was due to the distance and not the terrain.  The other cool thing the fine folks at EBRPD have done this year is to have mapped out the trails on Google Maps.

I’d definitely recommend signing up for this challenge and get out there and find some new favorite places to escape and exercise.  The trails and guidebooks from previous year challenges also are still available online, so, check those out too if you haven’t already.

Four more trails to go, or 22 miles.  See ya out there!

God bless this product!  Okay, this is a post where I won’t be shy.  I’m not a light person anymore and am getting older.  What does this mean?  It means I’m just shy of 195 pounds and will soon be 49 years old.  I’m also 6’ 2”, so, I’m not fat but I do have excess fat and it jiggles.

Even being relatively fit, age means the body is not as toned as when I was 18 and 153 pounds.  I’m sure there are folks that know what I mean.  I mean that if I don’t take direct precautions my nipples will get rubbed raw, sometimes to the point of bleeding.  Rather embarrassing to talk about but a hell of a lot worse to experience.  I’m being frank so that folks know exactly what I’m talking about and I can reach those that have the same issue.

I’ve tried different things in the past but all didn’t work or were messy.  These included mole skin, band-aids, Vaseline, bag balm and New Skin.  The most effective last resort had been pulling my shirt up over my head.  A great sight!  Well, from my vantage point but maybe not from someone whose head wasn’t attached to my shoulders.

One day there was a discussion on one of the running LinkedIn groups.  Someone was asking what folks do for “chafing”.  One response was that they use “Body Glide”.  Then another person mentioned the same product.  I’d never heard of this product before.  Maybe because I hadn’t been tied into the newer running products as I’m a bit old school and cheap.  Well, not anymore (the cheap part excepted)!  After my last product attempt failed I thought to take a look at this recommended product.  It definitely isn’t the least expensive thing out there but, as I’ve come to find, it does seem to be the best, and worth every penny.  Actually, it does seem to last a long time, so, the price really is not that bad.

Since picking up Body Glide I use it all the time.  I have yet to have a full blown issue.  In fact, only two or three times did I wonder if it was going to hang in there but it did.  It’s really quite miraculous, I use it religiously for every run, and I will never use anything else.

When shopping around the least expensive place I found this product was Road Runner Sports.  I recently purchased another to make certain I don’t run out and Road Runner Sports remains the least expensive place that I could find.  The added benefit of finding Body Glide was buying it from Road Runner Sports and finding out just how great they are as now I use them for all my running equipment needs.  Between just having good prices they also have specials running all the time and Free Shipping on All Orders.  I love them so much I signed up as an affiliate and recommend them to the other runners (walkers…) I know.  That’s why you see links in this post and in my sidebar.

So, if you have chafing, rubbing or get hot spots anywhere on your upper body, mid body or feet, then you definitely should give Body Glide a try.  You won’t regret it.

I’ve really been trying to get in at least 20 miles of running each week.  I’ve been pretty good at it and am motivated to keep things going.  Last week I was put to the test as I didn’t get my 3 to 4 runs in and come Saturday, the last day of my run week, I only had completed 5.5 miles.  Ahhhhh!

What did I do?  Well, I decided it was time to cowboy up, so, I got onto Buckeye Outdoors and plotted a new run.  I knew that running to the Rowell Ranch Rodeo grounds and back was 10 miles, so, figured I’d just extend it out another 2.5 miles or so.  Well, extending the outbound leg by 3 miles took me to the end of the line where Dublin Canyon Road intersects with Foothill Boulevard in Pleasanton.  Hmm, 16 miles… am I up for this?  I don’t think I’ve run 16 miles since I was training for a marathon about 16 years ago.  I knew I could do 13 as I pushed through a very hilly 13 with my good friend Anthony when he was visiting from Houston.  What the heck, tally ho!

Well, it had rained a great deal all week, so, I was quite happy when I saw a lot of beautiful, blue sky as I set out.  Things went pretty well for about four miles, at which point my body revolted with my lower intestines upping the ante.  After another mile or so I knew I’d need a stop somewhere before my 16 miles was completed and probably a lot sooner.  It dawned on me that there were a couple of hotels at the middle mark, so, I carried on and did my best to distract myself by focusing on the other pains.  Okay, I was otherwise feeling fine but did do my best to not focus on the potential impending doom.  Might I just say that the Marriot Hotel in Pleasanton has lovely accommodations?  Well, they do, and I’ll certainly keep them in mind anytime I’m in the area and need a pit stop.

The run was much more enjoyable, even after turning around and climbing back up Dublin grade.  However, when I passed back by the rodeo grounds it did start to rain.  This was at about 11 miles into the run.  Fortunately, it was a fairly light rain, but steady.  Think it all but stopped about one and a half miles later.  Didn’t really matter to me as by that time my thighs were feeling depleted.  The last couple of miles were making me wonder why I had done this.  The last mile is pretty much all up hill and not something I was looking forward to.  Needless to say, my pace at this point wasn’t my usual but I did persist and was truly happy to reach home.

Yay!  I got my 20 miles in and was astonished that my pace was 8:40 per mile.  And I got to try my new purchase, The Stick.  I don’t know if it was this little tool or not, think it was, but I was able to roll out my muscles and I didn’t get any debilitating muscle aches in the days that followed.  You know, those stiff muscles that make you go locked knee when you walk?  It actually was quite the opposite as the next day I did a fairly quick 5 miles followed the day after that with 7.75 miles.  Thought I’d need a break.  Not to say I shouldn’t have taken one.

Run on!

Yesterday I was looking at my Plus3Network donations and saw that I could hit $50 if I did a 10 mile run.  I had planned on only doing 7.5 miles but this motivated me to do the little bit extra.  So, not only was I motivated to push myself a bit more but, on my behalf, a firm rewarded a non-profit organization with a donation based upon my effort.  I only had to spend a minute or two to log the run.  If you haven’t checked out this site yet you should.  You can get credit for most activities as you can see from the list below.

Activities Leading to $50 Worth of Donations on Plus3Networks

As I was getting ready to head out for my run I checked the thermometer.  A balmy 50 degrees.  Not real warm for me, so, I dawned my thin beanie to keep my ears warm and pulled on the arm sleeves that I had initially picked up for biking.  I still haven’t picked up any thin gloves and was quite aware of this when I headed out.  Just before hitting the roadI heard the distinctive pitter-patter of rain drops.  Fortunately, it appeared to be a stray rain cloud and passed by the time I headed out.  A couple of bottles of water fastened to my Amphipod, my iPod playlist dialed in, my Garmin Edge 405 locked on some satellites and I pushed the [Start] button and headed out.

My 10 mile run is basically an out-and-back run that is mainly on roads.  I start by picking up the Bay Area Ridge Trail for about .25 mile to the main road into our development.  Three-quarters of a mile later and I’m heading out to the Rowell Ranch Rodeo grounds on the primary artery through Castro Valley.  When I hit the main gate I’ll be exactly five miles out and ready to turn back and head home.  There was quite a stiff breeze pushing into me on the outbound leg.  Every one-in-awhile there would be something blocking it just long enough to see the water vapor from my exhales.  When I was about half a mile from the rodeo grounds the sky opened up.  Not a downpour but heavy, large raindrops.  I pushed the iPod to my back to keep the rain off of it, ducked my head and pushed on.  A short time after turning around and heading back the rain let up, or I caught back up with the edge of the rain cloud.  All-in-all I didn’t get too wet and my electronics fared well.

Dog Skeleton Next to Fire Hydrant

I’m thinking I should start keeping a log of road kills.  Is that disturbing?  Today’s tally was one poor little robin that was truly flat.  I really should have taken a pause to get a photo as it was interesting how I could easily make out what it was even though it was flatter than a pancake.  The other road kill was a skunk.  Okay, the skunk had been picked up off the parkway but the stink remained.  I had seen the unfortunate soul earlier in the day when I took Harrison to school, so, I knew it wasn’t an errant release of perfume.  On other runs I’ve seen pretty much the range of critters in the area from cats to raccoons to dogs.  I’ve seen opossum while driving but don’t think I’ve seen any while running.  Outside of skunks, the smelliest thing, which I didn’t initially see but certainly smelt, was a deer; quite nasty.  I think the most interesting, unfortunate victim was what appeared to be a dog.  What was interesting was that it hadn’t been picked up and, as such, had fully decomposed down to the bones.  The skeleton was laid out rather perfectly.  I know puppy death isn’t funny but the fact that this dog’s skeleton was juxtaposed next to a fire hydrant made it quite difficult not to laugh.

BuckeyeOutdoors.com 1,000 Mile Challenge

The other thing I took on today was signing on for a 2010, 1,000 mile challenge on BuckeyeOutdoors.com.  If I am good about getting in my 20 miles of running per week I can pull this off.  As of right now I’m about 20th out of 134 folks who have signed up.  You can get a quick look at my weekly mileage and notes over in the sidebar of this site.

So, other than my body being a bit tired from the running my knees are good and my hip doesn’t seem to get sore much anymore.  The worse thing is that my lower back has started bothering me again and doesn’t seem to be letting up.  I’ve actually got my desk in the standing position as I write this hoping that this might help.  So far it isn’t and I’ll likely shift to sitting pretty soon… after I grab some Advil.

For the past year or so I’ve been a lot better about staying hydrated when I run.  I didn’t use to as I figured it wasn’t a big deal as I’d only be out running for an hour or so.  Then I started upping the mileage, doing regular 10 mile runs.  I quickly learned proper hydration will keep me going stronger, which should result in fewer fatigue-based injuries as I maintain a better running form and am less apt to stumble….  I also realized that I always carry liquids with me when I bike, so why shouldn’t I when I run?

The thought of having to lug water or other liquids during a run was really what put me in the mindset of figuring I could just re-hydrate when I got home or at a drinking fountain if I happened by one (not something I usually find along a trail).  I had looked around a bit before but didn’t want a bottle with a hand strap that I would carry and the thought of a hydration backpack wasn’t a fond one.  Then, one day when I was in a running store looking for some new shoes, I looked around a bit more and also asked a store employee for his thoughts.  He showed me the Amphipod RunLite 4 system.  I bought it, LOVE it, use it all the time and wouldn’t think of trying anything else.

The cool thing with this system is that you can tailor it for yourself and your running style.  It comes with a small pouch that I carry my iPhone in along with a copy of my Driver’s License, 10 bucks, a doggy poop bag and, on rare occasions, power gels or similar energy foods.  While writing this post I was looking a little closer and found that there is another small sleeve under the velcro closure tab, perfect for a key.  That’s the beauty of writing a post, you often learn a little bit more.

The bottles that come with the RunLite 4 are 8oz each.  They are easy to fill, have no BPA, can be situated in different positions and are easy to access while running.  The only thing I’ve encountered a couple of times is the bottle falling off if I’m not careful to ensure I hear/feel it click back into place.  Having four separate bottles is great as you can distribute the weight and, for those shorter runs, leave a couple at home.  I often just run with two bottles and position the pouch toward the front so that my iPhone headset cable tracks better.  The other benefit is you can mix and match your beverages, maybe carrying three waters and one power drink.  You could potentially even store dry items in the bottles as they have a wide cap.

So, keep the energy up while running and stay hydrated.  Hydration is important for proper body functioning and will make the joy of running that much more wonderful.  The Amphipod website is http://www.amphipod.com.

[amazon-product]B002PA4V8A[/amazon-product]

Alright, I know I keep stumbling across sites that allow you to manage your training logs.  There are quite a few out there and more arriving all the time.  Today, I learned of yet another site (thanks Paul), +3 Network, that works quite well at logging your training.  The twist with this site is that your activities are converted into charitable donations.  That’s right!

The way it works is you select a Cause and a Sponsor pairing when you sign up.  Then, when you go for a run, or a bike ride, or a hike… your mileage is converted to a monetary value that the Sponsor then donates to the matching Cause.  I signed up for the Leukemia Team-in-Training Cause and uploaded tracks from my Garmin Edge 305.  This was easy.  I was then able to process 19 of the 108 activities that uploaded, noting what type of activity I performed and also give it a name, description and tag it.  I wasn’t able to add more than 19 after my initial sync, and a subsequent sync appeared to be loading the remaining activities but those I could add when the sync finished were the same set I already had added.  Could be that the limit is the last 20 or so runs.  Seems reasonable to me.

The feature set on this site is not very extensive but what they do have has been well implemented.  The user profile could be extended a bit to allow specifying your FaceBook, Twitter, blog, LinkedIn or other socially networks.  The activity listing also is a bit lacking in navigating from page-to-page.  One thing you will note, is that the word “beta” appears in the header, so, one can only assume that more is yet to come.  There also is a forum where you can leave suggestions, amongst other topic comments.  The best feature is that one can spend a few minutes recording an activity that will result in a donation going to a worthy cause.  The result of my logging the 19 activities was the donation of $17.39 to the Leukemia Team-in-Training cause.

+3 Network Activity Listing Page

+3 Network Activity Detail Page

Happy running (biking, swimming, walking…)!

Didn’t I say I was going to take Sunday off?  Well, I woke up and didn’t feel bad.  I actually felt quite good.  Looking out the window it appeared to be a great day to run as it was totally foggy.  Saturday night I had looked over the Trails Challenge trail list to see what trail I would make number five.  The first I looked at was a run from Ardenwood Historic Farms in Fremont over to Coyote Hills Regional Park.  After mapping the route on BuckeyeOutdoors I found that the route was really 8.3 miles as opposed to the 6.4 miles.  As far as I could tell, the route on the list didn’t take you all the way back to the start.  Most of the route also is on pavement and I prefer to run on trails when I can as it is not as harsh on my old joints and I like getting away from suburbia.  These two parks, however, are really nice.  Ardenwood is a pretty authentic historic farm and often has activities going on.  If you’ve never been there I would highly recommend it.  Coyote Hills Regional Park I remember most as being the place, about 20 years ago, where I would go to fly RC gliders.  It has a lot of paths and, I think, a good place for a family bike ride, though, some of the trails are on rolling hillsides.

In looking at the list some more I found a 4.2 mile trail route in the Brushy Peak Regional Preserve that would fit the bill.  The trail, which heads up to just below Brushy Peak in Livermore, was listed as Moderate.  Sounds like that’s probably accurate.  I’ve flown over this peak a lot as it is a landmark when contacting Livermore Tower for landing clearance if you are heading in from the East.  It’s also a fantastic landmark when heading back from the Sierra Foothills, or other areas of the Central Valley, as you can see it from well over 65 miles out.  Rarely do I need to use the aircraft’s navigation aids when I’m flying back from places like Columbia or Calaveras because I can make out the distinct shape of Brushy Peak.  According to the park map, the peak is only 1,702 feet ASL but it really stands out and makes it easy to get back to Livermore airport.

According to my Garmin Edge 305, the staging area where the trail starts is about 600 feet ASL.  The top of the route reaches just about 1,400 feet ASL, about 300 feet below the peak.  The Garmin had the total ascent for the route at 1,000 feet.  The climbing wasn’t too bad since I’m used to always running hills but what truly killed me was heading back down after cresting between Brushy Peak and the lower peak to the south.  It looked like it would just keep gradually descending but, come to find out, with about a mile left the route had you take a sharp right turn onto another trail that had me climbing VERY steeply 200 feet up in .2 miles.  It was all I could do not to stop but I just pushed through it, knowing I would soon be back to the start.

The Brushy Peak trail, like that at Roberts Regional Recreation Area, was very well marked and I had no problem following the instructions.  The view of the Livermore Valley from near the top of the trail was truly spectacular.  I also enjoyed hearing the windmills grinding away as I passed down the hill below them.  In the saddle between the two peaks are a lot of sandstone formations and oak trees.  It’s noted in the Trail Challenge guide that what looks like brush on the top of the peak, and hence the naming of the hill, is actually oak trees.  I can confirm this.  It truly lovely and I will definitely need to revisit the park with my family and a camera.

Finishing the Brushy Peak trail got me to the required five trails on the list of 20, so, I filled out the Trail Log and sent off for my 75th anniversary completion pin.  I look forward to getting it and just wished I had completed the challenge last year.  Remember, if I can knock out all five trails in three days then anyone should be able to do this in the many months that the Challenge runs.

For those who love the out of doors and haven’t taken advantage of the wonderful resources that our public agencies have to offer, you really need to check out the many East Bay Regional Park District facilities.  They are, without a doubt, some of the best parks I’ve ever visited and are well maintained and very accessible.  In its two-county jurisdiction, the Park District operates 65 parks, covering over 98,000 acres with more than 1,150 miles of trails.  That’s more than I was even aware of.  I’d also suggest pushing further from home and checking out the parks that you might not think to visit because they aren’t in one of your local communities.  Some, like Black Diamond Mines, also have wonderful tours and a lot of history.  Some also are closed to the general public and only accessible via tours, like the Vasco Caves Regional Preserve, a tour I would highly recommend.

So, get out there and enjoy the East Bay Regional Park District parks.  If you start now you probably could complete the 2009 Trail Challenge by the end of November.  Even if you can’t, it is definitely worth a try just to become familiar with all that is available.

Hope to see you on the trails!

2009 Trail Challenge – Day 1
2009 Trail Challenge – Day 2