Coffee with Crowie | The Running Front

Coffee with Crowie | The Running Front

Armstrong's Bikes Raise $1.2 million!

Lance Armstrong is what brought cycling back to America. He leaves and goes away from the sport for 2 years and the response was felt by all, bike companies to cable TV. The guy is amazing he auctions his 7 Tour bikes and raises a whopping $1.2 million to benefit the Lance Armstrong Foundation’s cancer research, awareness, and advocacy programs.

The auction represented the culmination of STAGES, a global art exhibition designed to raise both funds and awareness for cancer research, treatment, and prevention. Over 20 renowned artists devoted their expertise and created unique artwork to be showcased and ultimately auctioned off to benefit Armstrong’s cancer‐fighting foundation, LiveStrong.

As part of STAGES, Trek, the Lance Armstrong Foundation, Nike and some of the most recognized and influential contemporary artists teamed up to create a unique collection of bicycles that "blur the lines separating art, culture, and technology." Armstrong raced the eye‐catching Trek Madone, TTX and Speed Concept bikes throughout his 2009 return to professional cycling.

Workout for the off season

Want to get stronger in a real way, not the muscles that make you look funny and are completely useless unless you want to pose. This workout is based on 3 minutes routine with a 2 minutes off. It will be tough but will build explosive power.
Welcome to The Freak

The Freak Workout 25 seconds per station total 3 minutes 2 minutes rest. (7 stations without a wall or partner)
* If you have a partner do all 8
** if you have a wall do 8
1. Spiderman pushups
2. Plyometrics pushups
3. Hand Switch (on a ball push ups)
4. Recline pull ups
5. Rope Body weight pull ups
6. Jumping Pull ups
7. ** Medicine ball through into a pushups **
8. Medicine ball Jump ups
9. * (Partner) Medicine ball through between partner *

Barrier Short Sleeve Baselayer, Winter Is Here!

Most of us do not live in CA, so the temperature around the country starts to drop, yes we get the occasional one or two days where shorts are permitted but a good base payer is needed. Now a lot of companies do a great job at making a suite of garments for every layer but Pearl Izumi does an exceptional job. They get you covered and not in a "wow need to take some layers off" it seems to be perfect balance. Check the weather, know your gear suit up and get out, no matter what the weather is like.

The Barrier Short Sleeve Baselayer combines an innovative next-to-skin windproof front panel and our P.R.O. Transfer Fabric with Minerale™ to create a protective layering system which performs in the most demanding weather conditions.
•P.R.O. Barrier fabric front panel provides optimal wind protection
•P.R.O. Transfer fabric with Minerale™ provides optimal moisture transfer, dry time and odor absorbance
•UPF 30+ Sun Protection
•Crew neck
•Anatomic ‘close-to-body’ fit

100% Polyester (52% Minerale™ Polyester/ 48% Textured Polyester)
Barrier Panel: 100% Polyester

Fall & Winter, Keep Warm, Craft Zero

Running on a treadmill is mind-numbing. Hey some like to watch TV, others like to watch the great outdoors. Well, Craft is helping make that possiable with Zero a legend among functional underwear and the most trusted baselayer for moisture transport during extreme endurance training or racing. Zero creates an excellent microclimate for extreme endurance in fair and cold weather. Air-channeled polyester expels excess heat away from the body while filament yarns move the moisture. Covered from head to toe. Now get out and Run

Training a swimmer with technology

Great Ideas should be shared, so here goes. If you are training a swimmer one of the hardest things to do is have them change something at the end of each lap. Well technology is about to change all that, H2O Audio has three great products that allows a coach to interact with swimmer while they are, you guessed it SWIMMING. What is this you ask, well once you get the waistband, armband and earphones you are halfway there. If your athlete has an iPhone and you have one as well, then you are in business. Place the call to the athlete and talk them through a workout. If you have a old iphone and a new iphone since your athlete might not want to risk putting their iPhone in the water for an hour, well then a old or new iPhone not activated and your phone works just as well. Sign up for Skype and create two accounts, once that is done and the pool that you are training in has WiFi then all your troubles are solved.
Now you have really taken training to the next level. Sea level

Bike Suit, You are Covered!

Not sure what to say other than you are covered and have NO excuses to go out riding. Now of course there are the skinny tires and slippery roads, other than that NO excuses.
You Get;
Adjustable Hood
Air Flow Tunnels
Ventilation Zippers
Reflective Striping
YKK Water Repellent Zippers
Chain Protect Zippers
Integrated Overshoes

You might stay dry from the outside but sweating is another issue to tackle.

Conveyor Belt Visualization, Swimming

Great Article from Dr. Smooth on how to get through the water faster and without dead spots in your stroke. What you have to do is simple, try and keep one arm stroke on the conveyor at all times – so as one stroke finishes at the back you begin catching the water at the front. As you do this try and stay relaxed and find a new rhythm, there will be a temptation to swim harder but this isn’t necessary. In fact, as you remove the deadspot and become more efficient, you can reduce the effort in your stroke a little to swim at the same speed – great!

Simple yes, read more...

Shirts for your Sponsors

Cafe Press is the place to get shirts, Sigg bottles, mugs, whatever it seems. The prices are reasonable and shipping is free unless you want it within a couple days.
ere at CafePress, it's all about you and your passions. In a nutshell, we're the world's best destination for expressing yourself through merchandise. From your favorite T-shirt and hoodie, to the tote bag over your shoulder and bumper sticker on your car, we're here to let you express your interests. And what makes our products so unique, and so expressive, is that we don't create the designs on them. Our community of designers do - all through millions of shops we help them run.

Shop the world's largest collection of user-designed products.
With a community of 6.5 million users, and over 11 million unique visits each month, CafePress is where folks from all walks of life gather online to create, sell and buy "print on-demand" products. Each design speaks to what people are most passionate about. It may be a political cause, a to-die-for film, an obsessive hobby, a funny (or flirty) thought, whatever...

And if you can't find what you want, simply create your own design. Just upload an image (or use our easy design tools for many products), and we'll print it for you -- whether you want 1 or 1,000. Also check out CafePress Groups. It's the easy way to gear up the gang for family reunions, ballgames, bachelorette parties, or any event you're heading off too.

Set up a shop (it's free), then share away.
CafePress is for people who love sharing their passions with others. You'll find individual designers with shops of all sizes, as well as corporate stores like Snoopy, E! Online, Stand Up To Cancer and more. With no upfront costs or inventory risk (we also take care of those thorny details of doing business online, so you can concentrate on sharing what's important to you), CafePress designers use their shops to connect with a world of members and other online shoppers. All while taking advantage of the latest developments in on-demand printing.

CGI Racing 4 Triathlons and the New Unite Half

Get ready for the Rutgers half marathon. THE FIRST 100 RUNNERS TO SIGN UP GET IN FOR $17.66!!! Yup 17.66, 10 am EST.
The CGI Racing team in the past couple years has nailed Racing Events. They put on spectator friendly events, are not afraid to change it up and notification about events is dead on. Now the triathlon Series is one of the best put on, New Jersey (sprint and olympic), Black Bear (kicks off the season), Northeast and the women's tri Philadelphia. If you have not experienced the event either as a racer or spectator it is very much like the ITU events.
So get ready for 2010, CGI is.

Box Jumps Doing It Right!

Box Jumps will work the whole body make you faster, even impress your friends. By using very basic, versatile equipment and by working large, functional muscles, the box jump is an excellent way to jump to the next level of physical fitness and athletic ability.
From, eHow

Step 1
Set up your box. This is where the simplicity of the box jump comes in to play since you can use a variety of boxes at different heights to do the exercise. Use an aerobics step, a workout box or even a park bench to do a box jump. Set the box up so you have at least a few feet to move on either side.

Step 2
Warm up. The box jump requires a good amount of explosive power and muscle contraction in your lower body. Warming up these muscles is very important to get them flexible and ready to absorb the shock of the jump and the descent. Do about ten minutes of low level cardiovascular exercise followed by some stretching.

Step 3
Start with a warmup set. Stand in front of your box with your hands at your sides. With your feet roughly shoulder width apart, jump up onto the box, hold your position on top of the box for a count of one second and then jump back down. Begin your exercise session with sets of eight to twelve repetitions.

Step 4
Make the exercise dynamic. You will probably find that the exercise gets easier pretty quickly as you practice it. Add weight to the box jump by holding a dumbbell in either hand. If you want to add another level of complexity to the exercise, do lateral jumps where you stand to the side of the box and jump up and to the right or left.

Cross Country Tips

Cross Country season is upon us and it is one of the best season to run. Running is one of the most overlook sports and needs to be given the respect that it deserves. Kids jump into running because it seems easy and they don't have to buy equipment, parents buy there kids sneaker, shorts and a light weight shirt and feel they have completed "their" requirements.

First off running is a cheaper sport than most but "running" shoes are what is going to keep you healthy, injury free and happy. Find a good running store that can access your running style, even give you pointers to change your style (Newton Running) has a whole section on Running Better. "To discover your best running form all you need to do is run barefoot. You'll immediately discover that when barefoot you're not landing on your heels, you're striking on your forefoot.

Striking on your forefoot is the most natural way to run, it is also the fastest and most efficient way to run. Newton Running shoes were developed to make your feet think they're barefoot and increase your performance."

Next would be the short, make sure they are lightweight and comfortable. Shorts should wick moisture away, be quick drying and complement your running style not basketball game.

Last would be the a good lightweight shirt, same principle as shorts, you might even need a long sleeve as well. To baggy and it could rub to tight and dig into the skin. Try them on make sure they feel good, keep you warm and wick the moisture away.

Last not really needed but a good hat. Blocks the sun, wicks moisture and fits.

Sand vs Road Running

You never know what is going to be thrown at you, the morning of a triathlon, changes happen all the time and it is how you adapt that helps you overcome. Switching from a road run to a sand run, most would run for the hills, not if you have been training in Newton running shoes.

"The genius behind the Newton running shoes is the patented Action/Reaction Technology™. When using the ultra-efficient Land-Lever-Lift midfoot or forefoot running gait, the technology absorbs and then returns your own energy back to you. It's not fancy technospeak, and it's no gimmick. It's a revolutionary way of building a running shoe based on Sir Isaac Newton's third law of motion – "For every ACTION, there is an equal and opposite REACTION." Loosely translated, it means you get a boost of forward energy with every single stride you take."

Learning to run in Newton's can help one achieve better performance, less injuries and the ability to take on different terrain. Now depending on the conditions of the sand hard packed, soft, watery the training is the KEY. If you choose to go without shoe and risk injury, training correctly so your body is used to the correct running style is key. Landing in sand on your heels will hurt plain and simple. Using Newtons Land-Lever-Lift and you can take the shoes off and run as fast if not faster than with shoes. Stanford university's coach Vin Lananna, has his athletes train barefoot in the grass.

Plain and simple the proper body position and training will help you overcome most obstacles.

Simple steps to beat Race Dehydration

This article was originally posted on Runner Dude’s blog, where you can check out more tips for runners from marathoners to beginners.

Here are a few things to keep in mind to make sure you’re well hydrated before, during, and after the marathon.

1. Find out what sports drink will be provided during the race.
2. Never use the featured sports drink in a marathon, if you did not use it in your training. Don’t Do It!
3. Don’t over hydrate.
4. Drink 16oz of water 2 hrs before race time.
5. During the race, drink 6-12oz every 15-20 minutes.
6. Rehydrate after the race.

Triathletes Unite

Triathletes, Runners, anyone who shares the road with cars or trucks, we have a right to the road as they do. My suggestion to help the problem is if there is a car/truck that buzzes you get the license plate number and/or the name of the company on the side of the truck. As bloggers we can make a difference. How is that company going to like having their name dragged through the mud. Think-Tri can't be the first to have thought of this but hopefully can add and make a difference. Greg Bennett was recently run over, well a car drove past him and turn right in front. This has to stop or be controlled. All of us have had this happen and wondered what we can do to make a change. Well blogging about it and should make a difference. Post videos on YouTube. I am sure after some companies get their names on the web (bad press) there will be a slow change happening.
Thanks for listening.