There is a lot of trail running gear for you to chose from, but the first thing you need to consider when trail running for long distances is how you are going to carry your water.  When running in the city or around your community water is not as much of an issue because of its availability.  I know someone who has a map of the whole city with water locations.  I myself bring five dollars or so in case I get really thirsty and have to stop at a store.  It hasn’t happened yet.  I won’t let myself do it.  When you are on the trail there aren’t water fountains or stores, it’s just you and nature.  And guess what? Mother Nature isn’t going to take care of you anymore.  It’s time you grow up, got a job, and started carrying your own water…and take out the trash on your way out.

You have four responsible options:  carry water bottles, bottle waist pack, fuel belt, or a hydration pack.  I don’t like to have anything in my hands while I’m running so I don’t like running with water bottles.  I’ve got to have my hands free to waive when I pass you of course.  As for the bottle waist pack and fuel belt, I have honestly never tried using one of these.  Although they look very practical, I associate them with fanny packs and have not ventured to try them yet.  I know, I need put on my jean shorts, or jhorts, and get over it.  Either that, or I’ll continue to use a hydration pack.  I like how the weight is towards the top of your back and the shoulders.  Also, the waist and shoulder straps really keep the hydration pack tight to your body.  However, make sure you don’t get it too tight where it can rub against your skin.  Watch out for your neck, hydration packs like to give hickeys.  The other issue is that the drinking tube is tough to keep in place.  Even though there is a holder on most hydration packs it does not seem to stay in it very well when you starting moving your body down the trail.  Overall th0ugh, the best way to carry water is with a hydration pack.  You can carry more water and the position will affect your running less than any other water carrier.  Sweet!

It’s race day and you’ve done all of your training, you’ve got your running shoes, the only thing left to do is wake-up, eat some breakfast, and push yourself to attain awesomeness status.  So what kind of food should eat the morning before the race to allow you to become awesome without making you feel like you have to throw up?  I personally have a difficult time determining how much food is enough to eat the morning before races.  I always push myself to the “I feel like I have to throw up” level so I usually don’t want anything in my stomach on race day; however, I need energy, especially for longer races.  Sometimes the less I have in my stomach the easier it is for me to feel like I have to throw up.  I’ve seen runners eat a full breakfast before a race and I’ve also seen runners forcing themselves to throw up at the starting line of a race.  Don’t make yourself throw up.  Even if you are trail running.  You’re already skinny.  You must be, you’re a runner.  So here are some universal tips that every type of runner should consider when eating breakfast the morning of race day:

Your objective on race day is to top-up on your liver glycogen stores, maintain blood sugar levels, and hydrate properly.  Too easy.  In order to do this you should eat foods that give you carbohydrates with a small amount of protein.  Some suggested combinations are raisins with honey, cereal with a banana and low-fat milk, two slices of toast with some orange juice, or a bagel with peanut butter.  As a side note, growing up in the South, the first time I ever saw someone eat a bagel was my Sophomore year of High School before a cross-country meet.  The first time I ever ate a bagel myself was my Senior year of High School when I was working at a grocery store stocking cream cheese and decided to buy some bagels.  They were pretty good but I thought my father was going to kick me out of the house when he saw me walk through the door with a bag of bagels.  He usually eats fried peach pies for breakfast.  My mom bought him fried blueberry pies because they were “healthier.”  I’m serious.

If you have a weak stomach on race day then you should at the very least drink a sports drink or a sports meal replacement to get the nutrients you need.  You know your body needs some energy during the race.  If you have had a problem with having food in your stomach during a race then try eating 2-3 hours prior to the race to give your body time to digest the food.  Also try eating easy to digest foods like oatmeal to allow your body to receive some energy but remove the excess waste before you start running.  If you a running a race under 60 minutes then you don’t need to worry about eating at all, just make sure you drink water and stay hydrated.  If you still have a problem with food in your stomach during races then start finishing your races under 60 minutes no matter what the distance is.  Problem solved.

Race day can be a nervous morning.  Blame your shivering on the cold weather and toe the line with the confidence that you have the proper amounts of nutrients in your body without feeling like you have to throw up.  Only 5% of runners who feel like they are going to throw up actually do.  So push yourself and be in the top 5%!  Measured on the belly curve of course.

Good to see that you are awake this early on a Sunday morning.  Way to be a go getter!  You’re going to get so much accomplished this morning…then take a nap on the couch while watching college basketball this afternoon.  Well you have the luck of the Irish from all of your St. Patty’s Day celebrations yesterday, you can register for the Peachtree Road Race at 7 am!  There will be 40,000 entries accepted online and another 10,000 paper application from the Sunday edition of the Atlanta Journal Constitution will be accepted.  Just do it online so you don’t have to go out and buy a pencil.

The Peachtree Road Race is a fun event that has become a tradition for a lot of people.  All ages run this race so you could run it late into your years and start early.  You don’t have to be an avid runner or an occasional runner.  Some runners only to train specifically for the Peachtree Road Race every year.  This isn’t a race you want to try to get your PR in because of the large amounts of people.  Just get sub-seeded or below and avoid this.  The Preachtree Road Race is more of a fun, social event to participate in.  What better way to spend your 4th of July than in hot Georgia sun?  Insert pool party afterward and you’ve got yourself a celebration of independence!….Not that kind of celebration of independence.  Go America!

Trail Running, much like golf, is an individual sport.  The difference is that in golf most competitors say it is really about them vs. the golf course.  Although running races could be considered you vs. the race course or possibly you vs. other competitors, I think it is really about you vs. yourself.  You win either way!  Go You!

I’ve said before that running is 90% mental, well I lied.  When competing in a race running is 100% mental.  Once you get to that starting line you have a your personal maximum ability based on your training and natural strengths; however, only you can attain that level.  No matter what the course, weather, or other runners are doing, you have to focus on yourself and not worry about external factors.  You must keep yourself accountable.  You are the only one that can determine how you finish the race.  The fact is, no one is going to make you run faster.  No one is going to tell you that you could have pushed it a little harder.  Only you know what you are capable of and what you can accomplish.

Be proud of what you’ve done and how you are finishing your everyday personal races.  If you are losing money in the stock market, obtain more information to make better decisions; then go for a run to think about your next financial move.  If you are not moving forward in your career as quickly as you want, start working harder, find a way to get noticed, and start running at the end of your work days to reflect and decompress.  Maybe you’re unhappy with your body shape, that’s easy, just start running…anywhere at any distance.

Try to push yourself and take accountability for how well you deal with external factors.  This race is 100% mental.

A couple of weeks before my sophmore cross-country season my father, brother, and I went hiking for three nights on the Appalachian trail.  Being the over-confident 15 year old that I was, I wore tennis shoes instead of hiking boots on the trail.  I had been backpacking plenty of times before in tennis shoes but this time I seemed to develop some serious blisters (not to be confused with serious running).  One large blister in particular was on the bottom of my arch and kept growing larger and larger during the entire cross-country season.  I learned a lot about blisters and even visited a podiatrist.  Just because it requires less schooling than other doctors, a podiatrist is a doctor.  Some people just really love feet.  It’s better than being a proctologist because you love that part of the body.

Blisters are caused by friction, heat, dirt (which causes friction), and moisture on your feet.  You don’t want to create any friction, so make sure you break in that new pair of running shoes before going on a 20 mile run.  Although it is tough to tell by merely trying on a pair of shoes, try to make sure your shoe fits properly.  Many runners use small strips of duct tape (instead of band-aids) to cover hot spots on the areas they know are blister prone.  Duct tape stays in place well and the shiny back slides on your socks and feet, I recommend it.  Another technique to reduce friction is using petroleum jelly, but I’m sure you already knew petroleum jelly’s physical attributes.  You probably also already know that this technique tends to become very messy on long runs.  I’m sorry.  I too hate it when people tell me things I already know.  You also want to keep your feet dry.  Make sure you always have fresh (meaning not wet) pair of socks on.  If you’re high tech, you can also wear moisture-wicking socks made from synthetic blends.  Or if you are old school, simply apply foot powder before your run.  If you are really old school, then just throw some flour on your feet.

If you already have a blister, I’m sorry for you, they suck but there are things you can do for them.  If the blister doesn’t make walking painful, then put duct tape over it when running; otherwise leave it alone and let it heal by itself.  The body has its own, amazing healing powers.  Very magical.  If it does hurt then you need to drain it.  When there is excessive friction the body produces a fluid underneath the skin.  You know that fluid isn’t necessary, so release it.  First sterilize a needle and make four insertions at each corner of the base of the blister.  Then press down on your skin and allow for all of the fluid to drain out.  The reason for the four insertions is that you want to make sure you get all of the fluid out of every pocket of the blister.  Do not tear off the skin.  Natural skin the best protection against friction on your foot.  After you pop the blister, allow it to heal in the air as much as possible.  Fluid dries.  If your blister is leaking yellow fluid or has red lines around it then it may be infected.  Consult a doctor…a podiatrist type.

There are other techniques using moleskin and 2nd skin but those are for when your blister goes from bad to worse.  The best thing to do is catch the blister early.  You could go a whole cross-country season competing on the same blistered foot; but still do awesome.  Running’s 90% mental anyways.  Blister prevention will just help you on the other 10%.

As it gets warmer outside it is time to start focusing on your hydration levels.  I’m really into hydration.  The most important thing that you need to remember is that hydration isn’t just drinking plenty of water, it’s your body being able to retain those fluids, this is where salt comes in.  Get yourself  some high quality NaCl.

I didn’t always realize that salt was needed for hydration, I always assumed the opposite, that it dehydrates you.  I quickly learned I was wrong while attending the US Army Ranger School.  At Ranger School we were given salt packets to put into one of our canteens, the other canteen was to remain normal water.  Even though we were in the hot South GA sun in the middle of summer, physically exerting ourselves for 18 hours a day, and eating so quickly that we only got small amounts of salt from our food, I thought I was smarter than the Army.  I deduced that salt wasn’t good for me, it would dehydrate me.  So I didn’t add the sea salt to my canteen.  I went down hard for dehydration.  At one point I became disoriented and was slurring my speech.  For this I got about an hour of rest along with your temperature checked about 10 times rectally.  Pretty fun but I don’t recommend trying it.  So after that I began pounding the sea salt.  This technique worked!  From despair comes great innovation.  Thanks US Army!

When you sweat (and urinate), you loose sodium which you need replenish in order to intake more fluids to hydrate.  The more you sweat, the more sodium you loose.  It’s just math.  Mathematically, during long runs you sweat about 2.25-3.4 grams of salt per liter and about 1 liter per hour.  Every body is different so you need to closely monitor your personal hydration levels.  Some early signs of dehydration are nausea, muscle cramps, disorientation, slurred speech, confusion, and inappropriate behavior.  Try to blame your inappropriate behavior on your low sodium levels next time.  In order to avoid this happening you need to focus on the amount of salt you are taking in, especially before a long trail run.  You should take about one gram of sodium per hour when on running long races.  I like to get my salt intake from pretzels during a long trail run.  Also start acclimating yourself to the heat during your training to help your body know better how to react to the loss of salt.  The week before a trail race try to intake 10-25 grams of sodium per day.  This will give you a good base going into your trail race.  Lastly, you should avoid aspirin, ibuprofen, or other anti-inflammatories which decrease your sodium levels.  Medicine’s for suckers anyways, headaches are cool.

So stop wasting your salt by throwing it all over your friend’s “game.”  Save it for the trail race playa hata.

I was hanging out with my little Brother (Big Brother Big Sisters of America) this weekend at the park when he asked me why road bike tires were thinner than mountain bike tires.  Instead of telling him the obvious, simple answer; that the terrain the bike is made for riding on dictates the type of tire, I decided to explain the concept of aerodynamics to him.  I’m not sure if he totally got it.  Maybe the next time it comes up.

Then today I did a 12 mile run, traveling 6 miles out and 6 miles back.  I was feeling fine the whole run, but when I turned around I noticed a somewhat strong wind coming at me.  I never noticed it when it was to my back.  You never really notice the wind until you are going against it.  Why is it that when running fast we attribute our fast speed to ourselves and not the wind; then when we turn around, we  blame the wind for us running slower?  I guess the answer my friend is blowin’ in the wind.  The answer is blowin’ in the wind.

Wind resistance is created when an irregular object breaks the air around it, forcing the air to separate upon hitting the object.  A study was done by Kyle, CR and Caiozzo, VJ named, “The effect of athletic clothing aerodynamics upon running speed” in which they found that it is possible to improve a runner’s aerodynamics anywhere from .5% to 6%.  That could be a substantial amount of improvement.  I know what you are thinking, ‘How can I combat something that I can’t even see?!’  With commitment my friend.

First you need to cut your hair.  Hair gives the most resistance to wind than anything other part of your body.  If you are a male, shave it tight.  If you are a balding male holding on to half a head of hair, then shave it bald, it looks cooler.  If you are a female, then shave it.  Or put it in a ponytail or something.  I don’t know.  I do know that if you are really serious about running you will shave the rest of your body hair as well:  eyebrows, legs, armpits; anything with hair.  No.  You won’t look weird; you’ll look seriously awesome!

Next you need to wear tight fitting clothing.  Men need to be careful doing this.  Not all men are attractive when wearing form fitting clothes.  Consult a friend or relative before attempting to reduce your aerodynamics with clothing if you are a male.  The point is simple though, whether you are male or female, the less baggy clothes you have flopping around, the more wind will flow right past you; not slowing you down a bit.  Wear a “skinsuit” to reduce the most direct friction from the wind.  We don’t want no friction.

Although body hair and clothing are the two main items that give you most wind resistance there are other things you can do while running to combat the wind.  For instance, you can run with your head down, or not move your arms, keeping them within your body.  You can also run sideways.  It’s not as ridiculous as you think.  Kyle and Caiozzo’s study also said that a 2% improved aerodynamics shaved .01 second on 100m and 5.7 seconds for a marathon.  Now that’s substantial science!

No it’s not.  While I’m all for you giving yourself the best equipment and shoes to help you attain your goals, I just personally would rather make up that 5.7 seconds with guts while looking cool doing it.  Probably wearing a seriousrunning.com shirt for optimal coolness.  Then everyone will know you’re a serious runner!

Courtesy of Defiant Photography Atlanta

Be a part of history and run the trails at the Georgia Horse Park where the Olympic Mountain Biking competition was held in 1996.  The XTERRA Georgia Trail Race Series Runnin the Rocks 10k Race is a great trail race at the horse park put on by Dirty Spokes Productions, LLC.  I know what you are thinking about this race.  6.2 miles isn’t that serious.  Well, you’re wrong.  This is a very difficult course with a number of inclines and technical downhills that will challenge you and leave you breathless.  Breathing is for suckers anyways.

This race may have been a little more difficult for me than other runners because I started it a bit too fast.  Although I held my position from my quick start, passing two runners and not allowing any to pass me during the race, I thought I was going to throw up at about mile two.  I wasn’t sure how I was going to make it.  The runner in front of me had been slowing down so I figured what better time to pass him than when I was exhausted.  I decided to blaze past him on the uphill.  About two minutes later I heard him gagging and throwing up loudly!  It sounded like he was feeling just as bad as I was.  When running competitively don’t focus negatively on how poorly you are feeling personally, but think about how slow and tired the other runners in front of you are.  You’re always thinking of yourself anyways.  Maybe you should think of others sometime.  Then pass them!

Dirty Spokes Productions, LLC describes the race as, “…a great single and double track off road running experience! The race will start in the “Steeplechase Field” (required for spacing) but will soon lead into the woods. The terrain is rolling hills, single track, double track along with technical sections and creek crossings (about 2-3 feet wide ⁄ 2-3 inches deep). The course is beautiful and offers something for every runner truly wishing to ‘ditch the city’.”  I had a great time ‘ditching the city’ for this run on a beautiful Saturday morning.  I liked that there were logs and other obstacles to hurdle on the course giving you the feeling of really running on a recently blazed trail.  The trail floor was also very technical with a lot of exposed roots and rocks to dodge and maneuver which was a lot of fun.  The switchbacks were great, letting you truly feel like you were escaping the city.  I didn’t even know I was near downtown Conyers, GA!

The XTERRA Georgia Trail Race Series “Runnin the Rocks 10k Race” was a well run running event.  Race registration was quick, there were plenty of restrooms, plenty of food and Gatorade afterward, and again quick race results.  My favorite thing that Dirty Spokes Productions, LLC does that other races don’t seem to do is the overall quick post race operations.  When you are tired after a race you want to relax a little bit, talk to other runners, and refuel, but eventually get back home to take a shower and eat a much deserved lunch.  After the bulk of runners finished the race, the organizers quickly posted the “unofficial” race results.  Any psychologist will tell you, positive reienforcement needs to be quick to be effective.  Same goes for negative reienforcement so no matter how you did in the race you’ll be able to give yourself quick feedback!  Yeah for you!  Dirty Spokes Productions also start the awards ceremony at the right time.  Even though there were still a few participants walking the course, the race organizers went ahead and started the awards ceremony which I really liked.  It allows other participants, who may or may not be receiving anything, to attend the awards ceremony and cheer on their fellow running comrades.  It allows for a fitting celebration for fit individuals.  How fitting.

So next year be a part of history and run this Olympic course in the “Runnin of the Rocks 10k.”  Likewise, if you want to run a well organized and executed trail race then check out one of the other races in the XTERRA Georgia Trail Race Series. Do it.

“You have to wonder at times what you’re doing out there. Over the years, I’ve given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement.”
– Steve Prefontaine

I had a friend ask me about whether or not she should participate in a training group that meets at a park five days a week at 6 am.  She said it was to “force” and “motivate” her to get up and exercise.  I quickly reminded her that she was already a member of TWO gyms plus had access to one at her apartment complex!  Joining another fitness organization wasn’t going to give her that extra push to roll out of bed at 5:30 am.  It must come from within.  Motivation can’t be forced.  As an Army Officer leading 30 young men I learned that you get a much better effort from individuals if you are able to motivate them.  This was my main goal.  To inspire others to follow me; not force them.

The same goes for your running.  You need internal motivation to achieve your goals.  While joining a running group or going to a gym are both great ways to socialize and exercise with other like-minded and fit individuals, they are not going to force you to push yourself.  You can attend class but only you can make yourself listen and digest the material.  Running, exercising, and eating healthy have to become a lifestyle.  The fact is, you don’t have to come up with ways to hide your vegetables anymore.  Your Mom let’s you decide what you want to eat now!  It is up to you to decide which and how many veggies you want to eat.  I chose to eat very little but I’m fine with that.  It’s my decision.  Be comfortable in your lifestyle choices and don’t complain about the ones that you don’t make.  I know, we are all busy and have other commitments but let’s be honest, those are all just excuses to live the lifestyle that you choose.  If you want to make a change then you just have to resolve to do it.  Resolve to run.  Happy New Years!

It’s alright if you just have an internal spark but don’t have the fire in your belly yet; although it would probably be the size of a bonfire judging by the size of your belly.  Seriously, you need to get out and run.  If people making fat jokes about you does not douse your internal flame enough then try keeping a running log.  This is a great way to keep you accountable.  Keeping people accountable.  Where have I heard that lately?  Oh yeah, on CNBC.  A running log is great because running is quantifiable which makes it easy to compare and see the progress you’ve made…or not made if you haven’t been pushing yourself.  There are a lot of different tools on the Internet for training logs but I wouldn’t start up any program at this point; a pretty awesome one is coming to Seriousrunning.com.  All of the other programs out there are for jerks anyways.  Just use a pen and paper for now and we’ll make our logs available as soon as possible.  Wait.  What am I saying?  You don’t own a pen and paper.  Better yet; start tracking your program in excel, that way you can just insert your data into your very own training log on Seriousrunning.com.  See, we’re here to help you.  You’re welcome.

So make your March 6th resolution.  Resolve to run.  Warm weather and skimpy outfits are coming soon.  Don’t you want to be ready?  Just don’t drink too much water when you’re out there running; you don’t want to put out that internal flame.  Build yourself a bonefire…in your chest.  You won’t have a belly much longer!

I’ve been looking for a knee brace to periodically wear as a preventative measure because my knees are worn down from “jumping” (more like “falling out of a plane and hitting the ground”) from an aircraft in the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division.  I thought about getting the standard, black knee brace from Target or somewhere but I decided if this was going to be used as a preventative measure for years to come, I should try to get something a little more sophisticated.  I got Zeuba Vital knee support from Gaiam. I had never used any products from Gaiam before but read in the marketing pamphlets about their commitment to the environment and a free trade program that helps local artisans in lesser developed countries sell their goods.  That’s pretty cool.  I say “lesser developed” countries because I don’t consider Vietnam, Cambodia, or Indonesia 3rd World Countries.  So what are they then?  2nd World? What’s an example of a 2nd World Country?   Is the United States a 1st World Country?  Why do we only point out countries that are 3rd World?  So condescending.  Come on, One World, One Love.

Army Airborne jumpers are taught to put their feet and knees together, try to gauge which way the wind is taking them, and to “roll” with their impact.  Depending on weather conditions, about 4% of soldiers get hurt on every jump (this statistic is based merely on my experiences); breaking ankles, getting concussions, and snapping knees.  Even if you don’t get a serious injury, these landings take a toll on your body.  Add that with all of the times I had to “get down” or “take a knee.”  Try doing that for an hour or two on a concrete sidewalk.  Go ahead and stand up a minute and stretch if you need to.  It only gives the enemy a bigger target.  No big deal.  Why can’t bad guys in Iraq fight in the soft desert sand?  So selfish.  Only thinking about themselves.

I’m not complaining though, I just don’t want my knees to get in the way of me running for many years to come.  There are plenty of knee braces out there where, “You’re wondering who i am-machine or mannequin, With parts made in japan…Domo arigato, mr. roboto, domo…domo.”  Alright Kilroy, you don’t have to worry about being a robot with the Gaiam Zeuba Vital knee support.   The reason I like this knee brace is that it is comfortable while also providing the support I need.  It is lightweight, breathable, and allows for circulation in my legs.  It really didn’t take anything away from my normal running style, improved it if anything.  I barely knew the brace was on!

As soon as I started running I could feel the difference between my knee with the brace on and the non-braced knee.  I honestly didn’t know how much my knees actually hurt until comparing while running.  This is a great knee brace because of the innovative athletic, visco-elastic massage ring that stabilizes and activates muscles.  The ring is a gel-like substance which really kepts my knee from shifting while allowing a little room for flexiblility.  There is also an adjustable Turbo-Strap that “exerts pressure on thigh to improve coordination for running.”  If you need help with your coordination while running I don’t think this knee brace is your answer.  Consult a doctor or drink a V8.  I did like using the Turbo-Strap to keep the brace tight around my thigh.  I didn’t have any problems with it sliding down!  Amazing.  I sweat a lot and often become slippery…when wet.

So if you want to prevent injuries before they get too serious.  Then be Serious about your Running and check out this knee brace.