Fleet Feet Bend Invades Hawaii!

In mid-March, a group of Fleet Feeters headed to tropical Hawaii for some sun, warmth, pig, fruity drinks, whale watching, snorkeling with turtles, beach time, and, of course, running and racing.

To get things started, on March 14, Sean ran to the sun on Maui. Actually, he ran Run to the Sun, a race starting at sea level and finishing 10,000 feet and 36 miles later on top of Mt. Haleakala. This year, however, brutal conditions (70 mph winds on-course, 120 mph winds at the summit) forced race organizers to stop the race 2 miles and 700 feet short. With crewing and cheerleading from Gina and Dave, Sean was able to barely hold on for the win. And his purple body at the finish proved to the race organizers that they had made the right call to shorten it.

Sean, en route to the Sun.

Up next was the St. Paddy's Day Run 'til You're Green 5k, also on Maui. Dave, Gina, and Sean all showed up in their green for this warm rain-drenched race. Gina ran to a p.r. of 25:26, good for 7th girl and 1st in her age group. Dave rocked to a p.r., too, in 20:48, good for 4th in the old man's age group. Sean finished in 17:12 for 3rd overall.

Dave and Gina, pre-St. Paddy's Day run.

Sean and Dave, hanging out in front of the bag piper dude.

While Dave flew back to the cold of central Oregon, Gina and Sean continued their vacation on the Big Island. On March 20, they found themselves at the starting line of the uber-low-key Friendship 5k. Gina ran strong and steady through the humidity, and despite a small detour near the finish, she won in 25:30. Sean took off fast and strong, determined to run sub-17. When he got to where he thought the turn around was, there was no cone or person there, nor any runner anywhere in site behind him. So he went a little further. Still no turn around or runners. Oops. So he re-traced back to where he started seeing runners again, got back on course, and rallied for 2nd place in 18:57 on his 3.5 mile 5k. (Sorry, no pictures from this one.)

Fleet Feet's Hawaiian grand finale was the Big Island International Marathon in Hilo on March 22. Through the early start, humidity, tough first 10 miles, rain, wind, and sun, Gina was able to p.r. in a smokin' 4:15:32, good for 2nd in her age group (which was worth a gift certificate for some tasty Hawaiian candy). Sean planned on starting easy and finishing strong...however, the opposite proved true. Still, he was happy to finish his Hawaiian running vacation with a 2:56:52, good for 3rd overall (he won a gift certificate for some tasty candy, too).

Gina finishes her p.r. marathon.

Sean, wishing the finish line was 4 miles closer.

Here comes No Boundaries...

Well, we are on the eve of our first beginners running program called "No Boundaries". This is a program for people who used to run and no longer do or do not have running as part of their daily life and need some guidance and companionship out there on the roads.
Tomorrow those folks will be running 1 mile out there on roads and around Drake Park. We have 60+ signed up so we have a real nice, fun class set for everyone. With some of the most experienced runners in Bend as coaches, our "newbies" will be in good hands. I'm sure it'll be a little chaotic as we dive into our first training program but we just can't wait. We've met a lot of the folks as they've come in for last minute advice and asked us to check out to see if their shoes are "run worthy". Its been a blast and I can't wait to wake up tomorrow morning!
We'll also be starting our 1/2 marathon program (we are the official training program for the Pacific Crest Marathon) on April 5th and we will have an informational meeting this coming Tuesday at 6 PM. If you want more info on the program, click here.
So come on in, meet some of the coaches, and get ready for Pacific Crest 1/2 Marathon with us.

Armstrong gets plate, 12 screws in collarbone

His broken collarbone surgically mended, Lance Armstrong is on the clock.

The seven-time Tour de France champion will be back on his bike in days even though the bone may take eight to 12 weeks to fully mend. Armstrong must resume training almost immediately if he’s to meet his goal of racing in the Giro d’Italia, which begins May 9.

The 37-year-old American cyclist also plans to ride in the Tour de France this July.

Surgeon Doug Elenz inserted a stainless steel plate and 12 screws to stabilize the broken collarbone on Wednesday, two days after Armstrong crashed in the first stage of the Vuelta of Castilla and Leon race in northern Spain.

“Lance is going to be a patient who is going to push the envelope,” Elenz said. “This first week we’re going to make Lance take it easy … ask Lance not to do a whole lot.”

Just hours after the surgery, Armstrong was posting to his Twitter feed, reassuring fans.

“howdy folks. Made it thru. Took longer than we thought. Playing with my kids right. Making me feel A LOT better,” he wrote.

THE MAN RIDES AGAIN, VIVA LA LANCE!!

5 WAYS TO FEND OFF GERMS

1. GET YOUR ZZZZs
The more you sleep, the more virus attacking cells you'll produce-according to one study, 50 percent more after eight hours than after six.
2. RUN SHORTER
Thirty to 75 minutes of moderate activity can boost your ability to fight bugs; long, hard runs do the opposite.
3. ...OR DRINK UP
Consuming carb-rich drinks before, during, and after a run longer than 90 minutes can restrain immune-inhibiting stress hormones.
4. RECOVER
Pushing your body without enough rest can weaken your immune response-and cause frequent colds. Mood is an early indicator of overtraining, so take a rest day if you're feeling cranky.
5. STAY LOCAL
If you're really worried about getting sick, consider racing locally. Long trips can subject you to immune-system enemies like stress, poor sleep, and increased germ exposure.

HAPPY TRAINING AND RACING!

BREAK BAD HABITS

4 MISTAKES AND HOW TO FIX THEM

1. RUNNING TOO MUCH, TOO SOON: Coming back from an injury? Now's the time to take things slowly to stay healthy. Follow the standard rule of upping your mileage only 10 percent each week.
2. REFUELING BADLY: After hard runs, grab a high carb/protien snack within 20-30 mins after, then a meal with carbs and protien to rebuild muscle within 1-1.5 hrs.
3. FORGOING SPF: Up to 20 minutes of sun exposure a day can be good for you-but you need sunscreens on runs longer than that.
4. FIXING IT ALL: There's plenty of advice on how to become a better runner, but try to focus on what's manageable. Remember: You likely started running to feel better-not to become stressed.

HAPPY AND HEALTHY RUNNING !

Consistency in Fit

One of the most important things that we talk about here in the shop in consistency. When we are putting someone in a pair of running or walking shoes we really strive to match their foot/leg mechanics with the mechanics of the shoe. I think this is the most important thing that we do being a specialty walking/running store. Anyone can grab a shoe at their local sporting store and get a feel of whether it is comfortable or not. But, is it truly working to make them more efficient and injury free.
When I look back to when I had no knowledge about biomechanics, I am amazed at the shoes that I was given to run in by other running stores. Being a bow legged, supinator, I really need a specific shoe that will work with my funky legs and feet. However, I was given every type of shoe possible. Motion control (a shoe for someone who pronates excessively), neutral, and everything in between. I have found that since I have found the type of shoe that I should be in, I'm running quicker, more comfortably, and I haven't had an injury since. So, that is why I take great pride in how thorough an evaluation we do here.
How do we do it? We do several measurements of the feet (weighted and un-weighted), we watch you walk barefoot, and evaluate you on the treadmill in a flexible shoe. By being able to slow down your gait on the video, we can really show you what you are doing. We can even compare your stride in different shoes at the same time so you can see the difference that the right shoe makes.
What does this mean? Do you always have to wear the exact same shoe? Certainly not. But you should be in the same general type of stability in all your shoes to make you the most efficient and comfortable walker or runner possible.
Come check it out. You'll be impressed. I promise.

Cover Model Kami

Local ultrarunning superstar, and all around nice person, Kami Semick has achieved another milestone in her ultrarunning prowess...she is the cover model for the March 2009 issue of UltraRunning Magazine. This is, no doubt, one of the most coveted honors for an ultramarathoner.

One main reason Kami is the current cover model is that she was voted Ultrarunning's Female Ultrarunner of 2008. In just 5 short years of ultrarunning, Kami has achieved a life-time worth of accomplishments. This past November was the highlight of her career, when she finished 2nd place in the World Championship 100k in Tuscani, Italy, and in doing so, helped the US women's team earn the team silver medal. That race is basically the Olympics of ultrarunning, and Kami earned the silver medal. Incredible.

Congratulations on an incredible 2008, Kami! And thanks for being so darn humble about it all.

Laura...THE Winter Warrior!

Congratulations to Laura Kantor, Fleet Feet's 1st Annual Winter Warrior Champion! Laura attended more workouts over the course of the winter than any of our other 105 warriors. She woke up early on Sunday mornings to run with us, she strength trained with us on Monday evenings, she ran with us in the dark on Wednesday evenings, and then she stayed around after the run for yoga. In doing all of her workouts, she amassed 250 points, easily outdistancing Chris Askew at 210 points and Darla Askew at 200 points.

Laura has definitely become a solid Fleet Feeter in the 11 months that we have been open. She started out coming to our weekly Wednesday evening runs from pretty much week one. It has been a true pleasure for all of us to follow her progress. I could tell from when I first met her that she is a very determined woman. Laura loves to set high goals and work hard to achieve those goals.

Warriors Laura, Darla, and Chris sporting their oh-so-stylish, and very coveted, Winter Warror Shirts!

Way to go, Laura...2008 / 2009 Winter Warrior!

Summit High Pasta Feed for Donations

As we all know, these times are tough for a lot of folks but if you look around there are always people, groups and so on that look past the tough times and find a way to try and make things better.

Summit High came together last Friday evening to put on a great pasta feed and donations went toward the Crook County sports programs that are in dire need of funding. In fact the original idea was that all spring sports for Crook County were going to be cancelled.

Why does that have to happen? We can come up with all the reasons in the world but when it comes down to it, we have to find a way for sports to happen! It's education for the kids and there is no reason why we should skip funding education!

Anyway, kudos to Summit High for doing the pasta feed; we all enjoyed supporting the event here at Fleet Feet.