Sunday, January 25, 2009

Recovery, Just as Important as Training


Recovery begins as soon as the workout ends. How well you recover today greatly determines how well you perform tomorrow. To put the finishing touches on your workouts, and to get the full value out of every minute of your training, use Hammer Nutrition's Recoverite immediately after.

RECOVERITE: The delicious all-in-one recovery drink, with each serving (two scoops) providing 30 grams of complex carbohydrates, 10 grams of whey protien isolate, and three grams of glutamine, contains the 3:1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein that is perfect for hard training athletes.

Stop by and we will help you get started in the correct direction to peak performance.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Monday Strength Training

I just want to stop and take time to thank all of the loyal and the first timers that join us for our great classes we have here at Fleet Feet.
Monday night we had another great turnout and a great workout being put through the ringer by our great instructor Cynthia Ratzman of Accelerated Fitness. Everybody seems to enjoy these tough but very sociable workouts.
If you are a reader of the Fleet Feet blog and have not joined us for a strength training workout, please do so, it will be tough but very enjoyable.

Regards,
CSB

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Winter?

I hope I'm not jinxing myself here, but...What the heck happened to winter in Bend? With the snow gone from town, the sun shining brightly and warm, and the light arriving just a bit earlier in the a.m. and staying just a bit later in the p.m., what's not to like for the central Oregon runner?

Yesterday afternoon I left Fleet Feet at 3 p.m. for a run. I had on shorts, a short sleeve shirt, arm warmers, and sunglasses. I immediately went back in the store to drop the arm warmers. Definitely not necessary. So there I was, running in shorts and short sleeves...on January 14th in Bend! How sweet is that!?

As I cruised through town, I noticed many other runners, walkers, and even some cyclists, all out enjoying the sweetness. After a few miles, I found myself at Pilot Butte. So up, up, up I went and I saw lots of people. A whole lot of people. I looked down at the parking lot from above and saw that is was almost full. Midday, mid-week, in January. How awesome is that!? People were walking, running, pushing baby strollers, walking the dog, and biking up the butte. It looked like a typical late-spring day. Very nice, indeed.

Keep enjoying this beautiful, warm weather. Mr. Winter will most definitely make a return trip to Bend soon enough.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

BadAss

Saturday, Jan. 3rd was the third installment of what we here in Central Oregon affectionately refer to as the BadAss. BadAss? Yep...see, it's the Badlands fatass. The Badlands is a cool recreation area managed by the BLM about 25 miles east of Bend. It's high desert running at its finest. Well, maybe not finest, but it is really cool.

In Nov., 2006, Bronco and I brainstormed about holding a fatass in Central Oregon. Although we both love Smith Rock State Park and all of its cool trails and climbing, it's kinda tough to make a route that's not too confusing. So we decided on the Badlands. There's a great 9-mile loop that includes a good climb us a cinder butte (aka, Petar Peak), nice downhill running, then a long, runnable, grinder of a climb up Smith Canyon. The loop distance makes it nice to offer many distance options, as well as going by the parking area every 9 miles for aid. The distance options include the Numb Ass 9 mi., Half Ass 13 mi., Tight Ass 22 mi., and the Bad Ass 50k.

This year started off a bit chilly. While getting stuff set up, I heard someone say their car's thermometer showed 6 degrees. While chilly, I didn't believe it was that cold. Shortly after, I heard a few others say the same. Okay, I guess it really was 6. However, the mostly clear, sunny weather, and no wind, helped the temperature rise to probably the high-30s/low-40s by the finish. We were also treated to beautiful views of the Central Oregon Cascades.

Tight asses Paul and Henry on top of Petar Peak.

Bronco and I were excited to greet 50ish people and 15 dogs. It's awesome that our little ass-of-a-run has drawn such a great crew. Most people carpooled out with friends and opted to be Numb Asses and Half Asses - both solid choices for this time of year when all of our asses are at their fullest. About ten Tight Asses enjoyed chasing two of Bend's fastest, Andy and Max. Finally, another 1/2 dozen Bad Asses showed their badness by running the full 50k with 3,600' vertical. Yep, they are definitely bad.

As has become a BadAss tradition, Dan and Kathy once again graciously hosted their popular hot cocoa and soup kitchen. Many other runners also brought goodies to share on the community aid station table. And of course, a Central Oregon ultra wouldn't be complete without finish line PBR.

Thank you to everyone who came out and participated. Bronco and I really appreciate it.

BadAss Results:
Sean Meissner, 35 4:23 - C.R.
Jeff Browning, 37 4:34
Chris Askew, 37 4:50
Darla Askew, 36 4:51 - C.R.
Chip Collins, 45 5:07
Kevin Johnston, 39 6:00