A Day for Thanks.

I may have recovered from a "food-coma" caused by my holiday indulgence in all the goodness of gravy, pie, family, goodwill and community that is Thanksgiving day, however I am still filled to complete satisfaction with happiness and thanks for the response of the community and the successful outcome of the 2010 Bend Turkey Trot.

Since it is the time of the season here are my top 10 reasons to be thankful this Thanksgiving day:

1. I am thankful that the sun shown down on Thanksgiving morning to make 20 degrees feel like 30 degrees and for Strictly Organic Coffee for bringing our core body temperature back to normal, bring feeling to our hands and for warming us from the tummy out.

2. I am thankful for all our No-Bo Program Participants who have worked so hard and accomplished so much and for our coaches who do such a great job of supporting our participants and providing enthusiasm, inspiration and guidance to us all.

3. I am thankful for all 637 participants who doubled up their gloves, pulled those beanies down tight and yaktraxed it up to share their Thanksgiving morning with us over the race course.

4. I am thankful to have stayed upright for 5k despite several ice-inspired, mid-air moments. (I may have sported turkey wings on race day but I have no delusion of being flight capable.)

5. I am thankful for the timing services provided by our friends at Eclectic Edge Racing and very very thank that all finish line volunteers and staff members avoided a close encounter with the dangerous mix of electricity and melting ice.

6. I am thankful for the 350 calories burned during a 5k. (Which I immediately made up for in stuffing.)

7. I am thankful for the care and work of Race Director Sue Philip, the entire crew from Girls on the Run and for all our volunteers for working so hard to create, promote and provide such a fun event for the community and well-deserved support for Girls on the Run of Deschutes County.

8. I am thankful that the sharp turn-around point was dry under the bridge instead of on a sheet of ice.

9. I am thankful that together we raised $8,000.00 toward the drive to bring the wonderful Girls on the Run Program of Deschutes County back for the 2011 season and to support positive, confident and healthy lifestyles for young girls in our community.

10. I am thankful for the Smith Rock Race Group that donated their time and work to put the Bend Turkey Trot together and make it such a fun and successful event.




Don't forget to check out the race results here and all the race day photos on facebook here or on kodak gallery here.

Looking forward to seeing everyone out for The Jingle Bell Run on December 4th.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS ALL! :) -mk

The Good and the slightly disappointing

You know, I get questions all the time about what is the best shoe? What's the best clothing? What GU's taste the best? Well, a lot of this is sheer opinion but I'll give you my two cents. I have the pleasure of ordering the absolute best running clothing and shoes in the world and it is sometimes hard to differentiate what truly is the best. However, I can tell you from personal experience what works the best for me.
This week I'll attack a couple subjects:
1. Running Shirts. I know, you have a closet full of race T-shirts so you never need to buy a new one, right? I hear you.... to a point. Now, I agree, it is nice that long ago are the days of receiving cotton T-shirts from races that were really only "performance wear" if you were painting your house, cleaning your gutter, or well, you get the idea.
However, while the shirts from races are now "technical", I certainly wouldn't call them top of the line. The first shirt winter shirt that I grab out of the drawer is my Craft zeroextreme shirt. They fit right against the skin (think Superhero!) and somehow they seem to be the absolute perfect weight on their own for anything from about 30-55 degrees. I like that I don't have to wear multiple layers in anything but the nastiest weather and the tight fit prevents any rubbing or chafing. They aren't cheap ($70) but in my opinion, they are truly best in class.
Here is a picture of Michelle and Heather wearing the new winter design.

Socks: I believe that we carry the best sock lines on the market. However, in winter, my main concern is getting a sock that can truly wick moisture away from the skin as fast as possible. Stepping in snowy "puddles" is no joke when it is below freezing out and you need something that will keep your foot as dry as possible. I don't think that there is much question that Drymax socks keep feet drier than any on the market. Check out these cool videos on how Drymax works. Click here. And, right now, we are running a special on Drymax socks. Buy 2 and get 1 free! Come give them a try, you'll be glad you did.
Okay, I don't have a "bad" but I do have a disappointment. As you know, we at Fleet Feet are huge fans of Hammer Nutrition. One of the items that we were most excited about were Perpetuem solids. This was going to be a densely caloric product made up in an energy "bite" that could be consumed while during an endurance event like marathons, Ironman, etc. The advantage would be to be able to have an easy to eat item while on the run instead of constantly eating GUs or energy blocks.
I went out for a 2.5 hour run this weekend with training buddy Dave Bowman and we cracked open a new baggy of them. Excited, we each popped one in our mouth. Man, it had to be just about the most chalky and hard to chew item that I have ever tried. Bummer! We were all so excited to get those in the shop. As always, I like that Hammer is pushing the envelope with new products. However, in my opinion, this one is a bust unless you have about three liters of water to take with them. Anyway, those are my reviews for this month. Hope you enjoyed them.
Rod B.

Healthy Knees Clinic Tomorrow.

Since 42% of all overuse injuries involve and affect the knee joint, if you are a runner then you may be one of the majority who are experiencing "runner's knee." Runner's knee is the most common running related injury and involves the mis-tracking of the patella within the femoral groove.

There are several ways to avoid and/or recover from overuse and running related knee injuries including strengthening the quadriceps to improve patellar tracking, stretching the hamstrings and calves to reduce over pronation, running on soft but stable surfaces, and gradually adding hills to your training and increasing mileage by only 10% a week.

Another key to knee health is wearing proper footwear to support and cushion your specific and individual gait patterns and biomechanics. Please stop by the shop any day from 10:00 to 6:00 to have an expert gait analysis and shoe fitting with any of our fully trained and qualified representatives.

Another important key to your knee health is being informed and aware of what is happening in a healthy and an injured knee... tomorrow night we have the perfect opportunity for you to learn everything you need to know.

Knee health is very important to keeping you moving, and an extremely important and relevant topic with so many injuries popping up in this area. Feet Feet Bend is hosting Scott Forester for a presentation titled "Healthy Knees for Runners: A mindful Approach." Scott was actually lead to his current occupation in reaction to a knee injury and has a great deal of personal and professional experience and interest on this topic.

Scott is a Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant at La Pine Physical Therapy and has been a certified personal trainer since 2000. He is also a running form and movement coach, as well as a volunteer coach for the Fleet Feet Bend No Boundaries Running Programs.

This free seminar will be held Thursday, November 11th at 6:00 pm and will cover;

• Alignment of the spine, hips, knees, ankles and feet to reduce stress on your joints.
• Explanation and demonstration of structure and function of the running knee.
• Instruction on effective and efficient integration of the knee into the running gait.
• The healing process and how to avoid future injuries to the runner's knee.

Please bring comfortable, loose clothing so that you can participate in exercises and experience the topic. All those in attendance will receive a packet with all the information covered during the seminar and will have the opportunity to have personal direction and experience during Scott Forester's lesson.

Scott Forester can be reached at 541-536-4822 or scottrun400@yahoo.com with any questions or for coaching and personal training.

Thank you Ladies.

We would like to send a special thank you out to all the ladies that made it out to the Diva Night Beach Party last night. We had an absolute blast over some tasty margaritas and cute little cupcakes last night and hope that all you ladies did too!

We would also like to give a special shout out to our partners for the evening

Sara Murrell

Living Lotus Massage

mlivinglotusmassage@yahoo.com

Mark & Carrie DeJohn

Active Therapeutics

541.948.0993

www.ActiveBend.com

Ida's Cupcake Cafe

541-383-2345

www.idascupcakecafe.com

Mother's Juice Cafe

541-318-0989

www.mothersjuicecafe.com

Johanna Olson

COCC Physiology Lab

541-383-7768 x7768

jolson1@cocc.edu