One Step 4 (RED)

Mission accomplished!

Tweet
  Running and working out (well, mostly running) continues to be a part of my daily life. Even though my days as a competitive athlete are behind me, there is still something that working up a sweat and clearing my mind does for my quality of life. That will probably always be the case -- at least I hope it is.

  No one makes me run. And it's not like it was before, when I had to stay in shape for my professional livelihood (or in college, for my personal livelihood during the always-unpredictable Ceal Barry practices).

  I run when I want to. When I feel good, I run. When I need a day to rest, I take a break. Simple as that.

Not every run looked like this.

  Every once in a while, however, it feels good to have a tangible reason to pound the pavement (personal sanity aside).

  In early October, through Nike+, I pledged to run at least 150 miles by December 7th.

  Bank of America, (RED), and the Nike+ running community joined forces to bring us 'one step closer to ending AIDS'. For every mile run and pledged, B of A would donate 40¢ (or one day of medication that can help an HIV-positive expectant mother from passing the virus on to her babies).

  I was already a member of the Nike+ community, so all I needed to do was push the pledge button, and log the miles.

  150 miles; it wasn't an enormous number, but it would take a commitment to get it done.

One mile = one day of medication.

  I was going to do whatever I had to do to meet my goal: whether it'd be sneaking in three-to-four miles on my hour-long lunch breaks, running in less-than-ideal conditions (rain, wind, cold, dark, all of the above), logging several runs on the dreaded treadmill (read: dreadmill), or finishing a long day with short run in on tired, jello-y legs.

  I said I'd get to 150, so you better believe that I was going to get there. I liked having something holding me accountable -- it made it easier to get out the door.

  That brings me to my point: I ran a lot more during these past two months than I would have had I not committed to this campaign. During the cold days, I would have said, 'It's too cold to run,' and stayed in. When I was tired, that would have been a good enough excuse not to get out the door. And so on.

  If the commitment/motivation is there (in anything), we will find a way to get it done. The Nike+ community was committed to the cause, and we accomplished this with our legs:

  One million dollars towards ending the spread of HIV/AIDS: not bad for a bunch of runners.

  Get out, get involved -- you never know what will get you out the door!

Hood to Coast: Perspectives from Van 2

The whole squad at the finish. 

Tweet  
  From the mountains to the beach. Mt. Hood to Seaside. Hood to Coast 2014.

  They call it the Mother of All Relays for good reason: 197 miles. 12 runners. 2 vans. Little, to no sleep.

  Sounds potentially awful, doesn't it?

  In actuality, it was one of the most memorable team experiences I've ever had.

  The 33rd rendition of Hood to Coast was one I was finally able to participate in.

  As a driver.

  The Brownstars -- a team from Nike asked if I could drive one of their two vans for the race. I, of course, said yes.

We took a detour to get out of traffic to Clatskanie -- 

that turned out to be a time-saving move.

  People thought I was crazy for volunteering, but I've always been a sucker for a team -- especially ones committed to accomplishing uncommon things.

  Even when it's with teammates I'd never met.

  A lot happened in the span of those 24 hours, but it went surprisingly fast (officially, we finished in just under 24 hours).

  Maybe it was because my teammates were awesome runners --  some clocking in paces of 5:40 and 6:00 miles.

  They knew their bodies, knew how and when they needed to be fueled, and how hard they could push themselves. And they cheered their teammates til the end.

  So what, you ask, could be so great about staying up all night, while you wait for people you barely know, run from Mt. Hood to Seaside?

Van 1 at the start -- Mt. Hood.

  For one, being part of a team working as a group towards a huge goal is awesome.

  In those situations, every person needs to do his/her job to allow the team to succeed. Those are the things I've always loved -- and one reason why basketball was always so fun to me -- you needed every teammate on their game to make great things happen.

  And those are the experiences that make us, as individuals, better.

  Secondly, you're accomplishing things you would never dream of doing alone. Each individual running three different times, for a total of roughly 17 miles, in the span of 20 hours -- on no sleep -- who does that? Not something your average Joe is willing to do.

Van 2 -- making a pit stop.

  But surround them by like-minded, motivated teammates, and they'll put themselves on the line, and push through tired legs and injury to run their fastest pace ever -- even on their third run of the day.

  It was being surrounded by people, who, when we were stuck in miles of traffic, offered to hop out of the van and run twice the distance their scheduled leg called for.

  Those same people, readying towels and water for teammates as they came in from midday (read: hot) runs.

  It was seeing another teammate run the toughest leg of the relay -- through brutally hilly, dusty (gravel) roads, in the dark of night (or 5am) -- even when they were coming off a stress fracture and hadn't trained.

  Those were my teammates, and that's what made it special.

The 197 mile course.

For those wondering about specifics, here's how Hood to Coast worked: Van 1, with six runners, started at Timberline Lodge (Mt. Hood). Each team member ran one leg of varying lengths (ranging from 4 to 7 miles).

  At the end of leg six, near Sandy, Oregon, Van 2 entered the fray. The six runners in Van 2 then took to the roads to log their legs, while Van 2 had several hours to make their way to the next van exchange.

  Since we were still near Portland, many vans chose to go someplace (someone's home, a hotel, etc) where runners could clean up, and if they were lucky, take a little nap.

Van exchange 2 -- at the Hawthorne Bridge along the Willamette river.

  The second van exchange was under the Hawthorne Bridge on Portland's Eastside, where Van 1 reclaimed the reins, and Van 2 was free to clean up and get some rest.

  There were five van exchanges over the course of the 197 miles, and at the end of the 36th leg, everyone was united at the beach in Seaside.

  My teammates talked about how lonely it was while running their first leg. It was dark, quiet (no headphones allowed), and since we started fairly late in the day, there weren't many other teams around. As the race progressed, and we caught up to slower teams, it got more and more crowded along the route, and loneliness was no longer a concern.

Awaiting one runner to come in and pass
the baton (slap bracelet) off to another runner.

  The one downside that was widespread: traffic. As I mentioned before, we had a couple runners who had to log significantly longer runs than they initially were scheduled for.

  As vans piled up at exchange points (for miles), the runners would pass the van up as we sat idling.

  In order to keep the team on pace, the 'on-deck' runners jumped out of the van, finished the leg with their teammate, then took over the baton as they both crossed into the exchange. Then, in turn, the runner who just finished their leg would turn back and run towards the van until meeting it.

  After van exchange four, my van made the decision to bail out of who-knows-how-many-miles of sitting traffic, and go north to Clatskanie, west to Astoria, and then meet back up with Van 1 in time for van exchange five.

  It was an amazing experience -- even just as a driver. You're reminded how team plus sport allows for amazing things to happen. That has always driven me and inspired me, and it was awesome to be a part of something like that once again.

  Next year, if I'm able, I'll be running.

Brownstars

Seaside, Oregon.

The always sunny Oregon Coast.

The finish line.

Run Club with Nike Portland

Nike Portland Run Club.

Tweet
  May and June in the Northwest can be frustrating. Summer is near, but the weather may not always reflect what the calendar says.

  Of course, there are teasers on occasion. But usually the warm, sunny days are scattered between week long bouts of gray, drizzly days.

  In the two weeks that I've been home, I've caught myself feeling like it's mid-July or August on several occasions, but obviously that isn't the case.

  What the summer-like weather has allowed me to do is get a jump on a few summer activities. 

  One of those activities is the Run Club at Nike Portland. It's something I've been wanting to do for a while now, but haven't gotten a chance to participate in.

  I've written before about my fondness/obsession with running.

  More often than not though, running is a solo act for me. Running gives me a chance to clear my head, plan out my day, think through whatever might be running through my mind, and just get outside into the fresh air. No matter how the day is going for me, after 35-45 minutes of pounding the pavement (or the sand, when I'm lucky), the day always gets that much better. 

Tom McCall Waterfront Park.

  But there are definite benefits to a run club.

Run Club Plusses

  For one, it makes running social.

  Portland is an active city, and Oregon in general, is a state that runs. So there are a lot of runners, each with their own interesting story throughout the Rose City. Who knows who you might meet at run club!

  It's been said that the toughest step is a runner's first step out the door. Sometimes that is absolutely true. There are days when you just don't want to get out there. Where you're tired, or don't feel like running. If you do make it out the door, the run usually gets better after those first tough steps or those unmotivated thoughts. But the key is getting out the door.

  Having a run club to go to, makes those first steps easier. It's scheduled. You're going to meet people. Even though they'd run even without you there, you're being held accountable to a certain extent.

  Run club also gives you a change from your usual routes/routines. Every route gets tiresome and boring at some point. Why not find a few new ones?

I got to take the Flyknit Lunar 1 out for a spin!

  One benefit is unique to the Nike Run Club, and came as a surprise to me: you're able to test out new shoes and products during the run club. 

   For three weeks at a time, Nike Portland has new shoe models and products available to try out. If you're thinking about a new pair of shoes, or a new gadget, your local Nike store might let you test it out. If it's a new product for you, you can test it to see if it's to your liking before you plunk down the money.

  I tested the Flyknit Lunar 1. And just one test run was all it took for me to decide they'd be my next runner. 

  Finally, Run Club is free, and I'm betting you'll gain more than you lose from participating. Though I did have to pay for parking. 

  Specifics of the Nike Portland Run Club:

  Portland run club meets twice a week, on Mondays and Wednesdays at 6:30, at Nike Portland (on SW 5th & Morrison). They have four different routes they cycle through (Waterfront left, Waterfront right, Terwilliger and the Waterfront Esplanade). Since Portland's downtown sits on the Willamette River waterfront, most of the runs have some pretty scenery.

  Depending on how you're feeling that day, you can choose between a 3, 5 or 7-mile run. All the runs are led by numerous pacers, so no runner will be left behind!

  The warm, sunny Wednesday I went to Run Club there were about 10 other runners. I was told that as the summer weather becomes more and more consistent (usually July thru September), there can be as many as 30-35 runners.

  The out-and-back went quickly for me that day. It was nice chatting up new people, hearing about what they do, what they were training for, what event they had just run, and anything else that might have come up over the course of a 5-mile run. 

  After we made our way back to SW 5th and Morrison, there was water, coconut water, recovery gels and protein bars if we wanted. I've never tried coconut water, so again this gave me the perfect opportunity to test out something new. Can't say I'm a fan, however, so I'll just stick to water.

It's looking a lot like summer in Portland.

A Few Run Club Minuses

  A few things I didn't like: getting out of the city center. It was constant stop and go at crosswalks and lights the first five-plus minutes. Though, once we got to the waterfront, it was fabulous.

  And for me, since I don't work downtown, it's a little difficult to get into the city during the busiest time of the day. But it makes perfect sense for people who already are working downtown, or live close by. 

  There are different run clubs all over the country. They don't always have to be associated with a worldwide corporation like Nike. Sometimes they can just be a group of friends who plan to meet a couple times a week.

  Finding various run clubs in your area can be as easy as googling it, or maybe even check Facebook for a group.

  If running is your thing, or you want it to be your thing, check one out! You won't regret it. I know I'll be going back to the Nike Portland Run Club as often as I can!

Stronger Every Run

Tweet

  Nike's Stronger Every Run campaign -- benefiting the Challenged Athletes Foundation in support of athletes and families affected by last April's Boston Marathon tragedy. 

There's an App for That

Nike Training Club app

Tweet  
  Eating healthy, sticking with our workouts, finding new, refreshing recipes -- living a healthy lifestyle really can be overwhelming! It can consume a lot of time. And if we don't have that time in abundance, it's far-too-easy to slip into the status quo, the do-what-we've-always-done routine.

  As always, I just want to help! I've found a few tools that hopefully will help keep us on the healthy-living track.

  Many of us have made the jump, and now enjoy the benefits of using a smartphone. Whether it's an iPhone, an Android, or whatever else there is to choose from, there are a few more things that our smartphones could be doing to make our lives easier.

Fooducate app

  I'm sure everyone knows about the calorie counter, recipe finder, or fitness tip apps. But what about when you're in the grocery store, and you find yourself staring at a list of ingredients that requires a PhD in chemistry to understand? Or maybe you have a food allergy, and you're unsure if a product is okay for you to have? Or, it's late in the day, and you really want to get a workout in, but you can't get out of the house, or you find yourself fresh out of ideas?

  Fortunately for you, there really are apps for all that! And they're free! (And most are available for iPhone/iPad and Android.)

Food Apps

• Fooducate - Scan the bar code of any product in the grocery store, and this app will grade the product nutritionally, point out red flags (high fructose corn syrup, high salt, GMOs, etc), provide alternative suggestions, and more.
• True Food - Trying to avoid GMOs? This app will help you do just that! Though it looks to be a bit outdated, most the information remains relevant. 
• Shop No GMO - This app is a shopping guide to help you identify and avoid GMOs. Good idea, but the app freezes a lot. Hopefully they're working on a fix. 
• What's On My Food? - Lists and identifies the foods that have the most chemicals on them, which of those chemicals may be most-harmful, and how you can avoid them. Again, a little out-dated.
• Epicurious - Lets you search almost 30,000 healthy recipes from various resources. 
• Harvest to Hand - This app helps you find locally harvested food, farmers markets, specialty shops, etc.

True Food app.

Fitness Apps

• Nike Training Club (NTC) - Basically like having a personal trainer in your phone. You choose from dozens of set workouts that you can do almost anywhere. Has instructional videos. Push play, and go! (iPhone/iPad only)
• Nike BOOM - Similar to the NTC app, but geared more towards men, in my opinion. Can be sport-specific, and has modes for warm up, workout, and interval training. 
• MapMyRun GPS Running - Allows you to search for new running routes, maps/tracks your runs. Also available for cycling (MapMyRide).
• Livestrong.com MyPlate Calorie Tracker - Tracks your daily calories and exercise.
• Nike+ Running - Similar to MapMyRun. Tracks and maps your workouts. 

  These are just a handful of apps I either use myself, just downloaded and intend to use, or have read about. I'm sure there are many more than I haven't yet stumbled onto. And chances are, if there's something specific to you, or something you want to know more about, there's an app for that as well!

  Have you found an app that you use, and want to share? Let me know!

  LINKS:

8 Free Mobile Apps for Delicious and Healthy Eating
Top 50 Health Apps 

Nike FuelBand Review

Goal attained!

Tweet
  I'm an admitted Nike addict. And a tech-junkie to boot. So when rumblings of a Nike gadget hit the Internet, I wanted to be first in line to get a Nike FuelBand.

  It took longer than I wanted, but I managed to get my FuelBand about three weeks ago. And while I knew I wanted to put together a review, I also wanted to give it a sufficient 'go' before I jumped to any conclusions. Three weeks is plenty of time to form an objective opinion, don't you think?

  First, a quick rundown of Nike's history in the tech biz, and the FuelBand's predecessors. (If you're here solely for the FuelBand, scroll down a few paragraphs!)

Nike+ iPod
  Nike started their journey into the tech biz when they joined forces with Apple several years back to develop Nike+ iPod.

  At the time, I was a beginning runner, but quickly became a Nike+ participant. It consisted of an oval shaped sensor you put in the sole of your running (or walking) shoe, along with a small receiver that you plugged into your iPod Nano (at the time, Nike+ iPod  was only compatible with the Nano. But now it is available for every iPod model).

Nike+ iPod

  You simply calibrated your stride, and the sensor would accurately keep track of your pace, calories burned, and time elapsed, and displayed it for you to see on your Nano. When your workout was over, you could upload your workouts to Nike+  by syncing your Nano to your computer.

  Easy as that.

  It was a simple way to track results, and turn your workouts into a game. If you needed a little extra incentive to get out there and run, or run a little faster, Nike+ iPod was there to provide some motivation.

  It wasn't super high-tech by today's standards (this was released in 2006, after all), but Nike was still working out the kinks, and working towards a larger goal.

Nike+ Sportwatch GPS 
  In 2011, Nike got into the GPS watch business with their Nike+ Sportwatch GPS. Powered by TomTom, the Nike Sportwatch tracks your location, time, pace, distance, and calories burned.

  Just like with the Nike+ iPod, you sync the Sportwatch to your computer (via USB port, or wirelessly) to upload all your information to Nike Plus.

Nike+ Sportwatch GPS

  But with GPS in the game, you can review your routes online, and easily track your progress.

  On Nikeplus.com you're able to view mapped-out routes, detailed pace data (mile time splits), and changes in elevation of all the workouts you have done while wearing the Sportwatch. The accuracy of your pace is also improved since you no longer are relying on a calibrated sensor.

  Now, as an avid runner, I love the Sportwatch. I believe it has made me run faster, farther, and more often. And the watch isn't bad looking either. Many times, GPS watches are big and bulky, and you never want to wear them. But the Nike+ GPS Sportwatch has a nice design -- not to mention fun colors! 

Nike FuelBand

The first FuelBand -- or life monitoring bracelets from Star Wars?

  Since February of 2012, the FuelBand has been a hot commodity on Nike shelves.

  During the first few months of being on the market, getting your hands on a FuelBand was a tough task. After that initial launch craze, the FuelBand is now easier to come by.

  So what exactly is the Nike FuelBand? Let's start with the obvious: it's cool. Who doesn't want to wear a digital wristband, that lights up with 20 LED lights and a matrix display?

  To be honest, when I first saw the FuelBand, I immediately thought of Star Wars and the Ewok Adventure movies from my childhood. In my eyes, those life monitor bracelets were the first FuelBands.

  The FuelBand is meant to be worn throughout the day. No matter if you're working out or not. The digital bracelet tracks your physical activity and movement on a daily basis.

  It tracks: Fuel points earned, calories burned, steps taken, and also serves as a watch.

My all-time high -- as of Summer 2012.

  Now, what are Fuel points? Unlike calories, which are dependent on many factors, Fuel points are a unique unit to measure activity that is equal for every person.

  For example, if a 135-pound person, and a 190-pound person, both walk for 20 minutes, the 190-pound person will burn more calories, based on their size alone; but they will earn the same amount of Fuel points.

  That's what makes the FuelBand unique. Nike has created a way for everyone, no matter size, age, or gender, to be able to compete and compare their daily activity.

  Fuel points have no correlation to calories burned. This allows for fair competition between friends, colleagues, family members, and teammates. Who can earn the most Fuel points per day?

  The FuelBand measures how much you move. Period.

Or how much your arm moves.
  My only complaint about the FuelBand, is that it only registers movement when the arm you're wearing it on moves. Obviously, when you walk or run, your arms naturally move in unison with your legs.

  But say you're on a stair-machine, riding a bike, or doing yoga -- the FuelBand will not register any movement, even though you are clearly moving.

Mid-day Fuel check.

  The FuelBand comes in Small, Medium, or Large sizes. And also has removable spacers to give the band a better fit to your wrist.

  In a perfect world (or maybe the next release), there would be a way to also wear it on your ankle (when doing lower body cardio), or be able to tell the FuelBand you're doing a core body workout.

  I know many of us partake in yoga, pilates, spin, bike rides, workouts on the stair-stepper -- activities where your arm isn't vigorously moving. So this is something that needs to be addressed for future usage.

  My second complaint is that there seems to be no value for intensity. Running and walking for an hour gets you roughly the same amount of Fuel points.

  And similarly, I wore my FuelBand for an hour and 15 minute long shooting (basketball) workout, and got more points than I did when I played pickup basketball for the same amount of time. Standing in one spot and shooting is drastically less intense than playing full court basketball. The FuelBand should reflect that.

  Like the iPod sensor and the Sportwatch, the FuelBand, easily syncs to your computer. It uses the same account on Nikeplus.com, and you're able to track your daily progress in one place. That is where you're also able personalize your FuelBand and set your daily Fuel goal.

  At the end of each day, plug the FuelBand into your computer and watch your results pop up in front of you (or wirelessly, via an app). Syncing to a computer also recharges the FuelBand (it usually lasts three or four days without recharging, and only needs about 20-30 minutes to fully recharge).

The Payoff
  The FuelBand doesn't lie. If you've sat at your desk, or in front of the TV for too long, the FuelBand will tell you that it's time to move. It won't literally tell you. On several occasions, I've been enjoying an easy morning, only to check my FuelBand and see a measly 200 Fuel points. That means it's time to go!

  Also, on one or two occasions, I've found myself doing jumping jacks at 11 o'clock at night because I'm a few hundred points short of my Fuel goal. The FuelBand will get you moving, that's for sure.

  It's fun because it makes being active, and moving, a game. We all love competing, so whether it's competing against your previous best, or against your best friend, the FuelBand will get you moving!

  In our society, where we seem to need a little extra push to get active, I think the FuelBand is an excellent motivator, and actually, a reality check as well!

  If you don't need motivation to move, maybe the FuelBand isn't for you. But if you're active, and want to track your results, or seek some extra competition (or you're inactive, and trying to move those legs a little more), then I think the FuelBand is a great investment ($149).

  (Two side notes: 1) If you're deciding between the GPS Sportwatch, and a FuelBand, and you're a runner, go with the Sportwatch, hands down. Having the GPS capabilities is an incredible tool for runners. And the Nike Plus software is an added bonus! 2) It is not recommended to swim or shower with your FuelBand on. It is water resistant, not water proof.)

LINKS:

NikeFuel Zine: Creative Ways to Earn NikeFuel

NikeFuel Missions