Terra Momentus - Newtons New Off Road trainers

Bring them on, Newton Running newest 2010 addition is filling the missing gap. Now from Xterra's to Ironman's Newton running has you covered with functional correct running shoes. The Momentum is an off-road guidance trainer designed for runners committed to a more efficient natural running style. It provides intelligent control for all foot types on all types of terrain, from groomed bridle paths to technical mountain trails.
BRING EM ON...

RaysMTB

Now every state should have one of these. Talk about getting kids fit and ridding year round this place is amazing. Every ablility can ride young to old, short to tall. just get to it. Hans Ray really took his passion to the masses.
RaysMTB Indoor Park

Barefoot Running Goes Ballistic

Re-Blogged from Newton Running. Full article at The Running Front.

Running Newton Shoes and Vibram Five Fingers have many similarities, at least from a form perspective. The primary difference is the cushioning and energy return provided by Newtons, which is largely absent in Vibrams.

Both Newton Performance Racers and Vibrams have a 2 mm heel lift, or toe drop depending on how you look at it. This translates into a 1.3% down grade in the shoe, also referred to as ramp angle or drop. Newton Performance Trainers have a 2% gradient, which although very small, can be felt by aware runners. Regular running shoes have a much steeper angle, up to 15% depending on the shoe.

Barefoot running forces you to run efficiently and preventatively with respect to injury. Vibram’s allow people to experience barefoot running with an added layer of protection from harsh surfaces, while Newton’s go one step further, adding forefoot cushioning and a significant energy return component.

Newton shoes are much kinder to the body’s structure and musculature when transitioning from a traditional running shoe to barefoot, and allow you to perfect a natural (barefoot) form while providing protection and cushioning. Newton’s active membrane technology has been carefully designed to facilitate afferent feedback, which means the nerves in your forefoot feel the ground very quickly through the shoe. This is achieved through the outer lugs and internal semi-rigid chamber that is connected to the bio-mechanical top plate adjacent to your foot inside the shoe.

Traditional shoe cushioning mechanisms dampens afferent feedback, hampering proprioception and thus hindering your ability to self-regulate the impact of your foot strike. Studies show that runners strike much harder in shoes that dampen afferent feedback, one of the causes of injury. Barefoot runners and runners in shoes that allow you to sense the ground encourage you to run protectively, as if barefoot.

Six Simple Steps to Plan Your Triathlon Race Season

From TriFuel
It can be quite intimidating to sit down with the triathlon race calendar and figure out which races you can effectively add to your schedule, which triathlons you can be ready for without overtraining, and whether you're racing "too much" or "too little". So here are six simple steps to plan your triathlon race season, straight from the Rock Star Triathlete Academy.

Triathlon Race Season Step 1: Make a list and write down all the races you want to do. Now, choose the three races that are most important to you and dearest to your heart. These three races are going to be your "high priority events". Mark these with an A, a "High", a star, or whatever method you'd like to set them apart. Choose the races that you're "on the fence" about, and mark those with a B, or "mid" priority. Finally, pick the races that you just want to do for fun, and mark those with a C or "low" priority.

Triathlon Race Season Step 2: If your A race is a sprint or an olympic, make sure that you plan 1 week before that race and mark that week with a "taper". If your A race is a Half Ironman, make sure your plan 10-14 days before that race and mark those 10-14 days with a taper. If your A race is an Ironman, plan 2-3 weeks before that race and mark those weeks as a taper. Don't plan any other races during any period of your calendar marked
"taper".

Triathlon Race Season Step 3: Count backwards from the taper for 4 weeks from a Sprint, 6 weeks from an Olympic, and 8 weeks from a Half IM or IM triathlon. During those periods of weeks, plan one to two B-C events to help you mentally and physically prepare for your A event.

Triathlon Race Season Step 4: Count forwards 1 week after a Sprint or Olympic race, 2 weeks after a Half-Ironman race, and 3 weeks after an Ironman race, and mark these periods as "recovery". Don't plan any races during the recovery.

Triathlon Race Season Step 5: Take the 5-11 weeks with the B races to the taper week to the A race to the recovery week(s) - this entire period of time is to be considered one "block". Depending on how long your season is, and how long your races are, you may be able to fit 2-5 "blocks" into an entire triathlon season.

Triathlon Race Season Step 6: Put in 8-12 weeks of foundation "endurance" or "base" training leading up to that first block.

OK, ready for an example of a "3 block" triathlon race season?
February-April: 8 Weeks base training
April-mid-May: Block 1 - 4 weeks build with one B Sprint Triathlon and one A
Sprint triathlon + taper week + recovery week
mid-May-mid-July: Block 2 - 6 weeks build with one B Sprint Triathlon, one C
Olympic triathlon and one A Olympic triathlon + taper week + recovery week
mid-July-mid October: Block 3 - 8 weeks build with one B Olympic Triathlon,
two C Sprint triathlons and one A Half-Ironman triathlon + 2 taper weeks + 2
Recovery weeks

Planning & Preparation Are Key for Every Triathlete | Trifuel

Planning & Preparation Are Key for Every Triathlete | Trifuel
What a great article, most triathletes are Type A and don't think they need help with this, well think again. TriFuel has a great article on this.
Proper planning and preparation are key elements to triathlon training and racing. An athlete’s time management and organizational skills play a huge role in their success or failure on race day. A day has only 24 hours and as a triathlete you must learn to get the most out of each and every one of them.
One of the most common complaints that we hear from athletes is that they didn't have the time to get their workouts in. A lack of time does happen - but more likely than not the athlete failed in their preparation and planning of their workout.
This failure could be that they didn't bring their training gear when they left for work in the morning, or that they feel it is necessary to drive 60 minutes out of their way to do a bike ride.
Sometimes life gets in the way and that is fine. We can't plan for the unexpected but we can plan for what we know awaits us each day.
More..

Are You a Swimmer With a Runner's Kick? | Active.com

Runners get out of the rut and hit these drill, what you gain is fresh legs not crampy legs. Can you point your toes and straighten out your feet? When you kick on your back, do you tend to go very slow, stay in one place, or even go backwards?

Do you have a tough time with swimming drills because your kick is not propelling you forward fast enough? Do you wear fins in workouts just to keep up? Did you start out as a runner and pick up swimming later to become a triathlete?

If you answered "yes" to any of the above, you may have Runner's Kick. Have no fear, there are things you can do. Even the worst of kickers can develop a freestyle kick adequate enough to survive a triathlon swim.
MORE...

Biking on Ice, You Know You Want To!

Can't wait for it to freeze, it is getting close. Oh what fun you can have.

Newton Running Community

If you follow, use or are sponsored by Newton Running, you soon see why they are a special company. Once you put a pair of Newtons on you start to feel as though you are part of a family, races you attend someone sees you in Newtons and automatically you are friends, sharing stories as though you have known each other your entire life.
Daniel McDonald is taking part in Epic Camp New Zealand, a 16-day triathlon camp where participants swim, bike and run from Cape Regina at the top of the North Island and finish 2,200 km later at the tip of the South Island. What a way to see another country running in newton shoes.

Racing Weight: How to Get Lean for Peak Performance

Racing Weight: How to Get Lean for Peak Performance
Endurance athletes are weight-conscious and given the miles and hours spent training, there’s a lot at stake. Weighing in just five or ten pounds over the ideal weight can dramatically impact race results. Author Matt Fitzgerald shows athletes how to identify their optimal weight and body composition to realize their goals. This 5-step plan to get lean is the key to faster racing and better health. With tools to improve diet, manage appetite, and time important nutrients, Racing Weight will inspire and equip athletes to make the subtle changes they need to start their next race at their optimal weight.
Amazon

Men's and Women's Chipper Workout

The chipper format is a classic CrossFit structure. You have a large number of tasks that you complete in order. They are designed so that as you fatigue in one task, you switch up the demands and keep going. There is a cumulative effect of course, but the variety allows for incredible metabolic demand.

The variety also becomes a great equalizer. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, and when the workout has ten elements, both are likely to be featured.
Crossfit 2009 Games
Men's Chipper Workout
15 reps 155lb BB squat clean
30 Toes to bar
30 Box jumps 24" box
15 Muscle ups
30 PushPress /PushJerk 40lb DBs
30 Double Unders
15 reps 135lb Thruster
30 Pullups
30 Burpees
300' OH Walking lunge with 45lb plate

Women's Chipper Workout
15 barbell squat cleans (100 lb.)
30 toes to bar
30 box jumps (20” box)
10 muscle-ups
30 push presses/push jerks (25-lb. dumbbells)
30 double-unders
15 thrusters (95 lb.)
30 pull-ups
30 burpees
300’ overhead walking lunges (25-lb. plate)

Steve Prefontaine

During his brief 24-year life-span, Steve Prefontaine grew from hometown hero, to record-setting college phenomenon, to internationally acclaimed track star. In a similar span of years since his death in 1975, Pre has become the stuff of enduring legend.

His rare combination of talent, discipline, determination, and star-quality with a human touch made Pre the idol of those he called "his people" — the devoted fans who came to watch him run and entered into the performance with roars of encouragement, "Go Pre!"

At no place is the celebration of Steve Prefontaine and his story more personal than in Coos Bay, Oregon, where he was born in 1951 and discovered his gift for running fast and far as a student at Marshfield High School. Here, he developed his hunger to be the best in the field, and more, to do it with style—to create beauty when he ran, to show people something they had never seen before.

Steve Prefontaine is honored every year at the Prefontaine Memorial Run, a challenging 10K road race across one of his old training courses, with its finish line at the high school track where he first competed. This is where he tested his mettle and felt the possibility of greatness, and his hometown saw greatness, too. We warmly invite you to come to Coos Bay every September and run where Pre's legend began.

Forget Rocky Pre is inspirational to all endurance athletes.
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Height of Heel Matters in Prevention of Foot Pain

Study Confirms
New study details biomechanical changes in foot
associated with high-heel height

ROSEMONT, IL, Dec. 3, -- For years orthopaedic surgeons specializing in foot and ankle care have been warning women about the perils of wearing high heels. High heel wearers risk foot injury, muscle imbalance, bone deformities, knee and ankle joint problems, bunions, hammer toes and more. Now a new study featured in the November issue of Foot & Ankle International (FAI), the official scientific journal of the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) details the biomechanical changes that occur in feet during high heel wear and the correlation between the heel height and amount of pain, pressure and strain it puts on your feet.

The study measured plantar pressure and soft-tissue thickness simultaneously using a load cell, a device which detects foot pressure, and a linear-array ultrasound transducer. Twenty one healthy men and women participated in the study. Measurements were taken with each participant standing barefoot on wooden blocks of 2 cm, 3 cm, and 4 cm in height placed below the heel. The study results revealed a significant increase in pressure on the metatarsal heads (the ends of the metatarsal bones that connect to the toes) as the heel height was raised. This increased pressure contributes to pain, callous and bony deformities. The study authors suggest limiting heel height to no greater than 2 cm (.8 inches) as well as the use of padding at the ball of the foot can significantly reduce discomfort and risk of injury to the metatarsal heads.

Chung-Li Wang, MD, PhD, an AOFAS member and co-author of the study adds, “This study demonstrates the close association between heel height, plantar pressure and soft tissue compressibility. This is helpful in the prevention of pain and damage to your feet from inadequate heel height.” For those who like to wear high heel shoes, Dr. Wang offers the following advice, “Frequent removal of the shoe, unloading her/his foot, choosing a shoe with wide toe box, and adding a pad under the metatarsal head could be helpful in reducing discomfort.”

The AOFAS website www.aofas.org contains public education resources on the care and treatment of the foot and ankle, including a section titled: Smart Tips for Wearing High Heels. Tips include:

Wear a shorter heel. A 2-inch heel causes fewer problems than a 4-inch heel. A shorter heel will give an elongated appearance if it is a thin stiletto type rather than a thick or chunky heel.
Try to save the use of high heeled shoes for functions where you will not be on your feet for extended periods of time; treat them as a limited privilege accessory.
Take your designer shoes to a pedorthist to have them custom fit to your feet. They may be able to stretch the toe box to better accommodate your feet.
Try wearing a larger size than usual and insert heel cups into the backs for a better comfortable fit.
Wear open toe shoes instead of a similarly styled shoe that causes discomfort in your toes. Partially open toe shoes have become more acceptable in many work environments, allowing you to further customize your shoes to your feet.
Remember that however appealing high heel, high fashion shoes are, your feet need to carry you around for a lifetime. Treat them kindly!
Following the above tips as well as the study data which suggests limiting heel height to no greater than 2 cm (.8 inches) will go a long way in reducing foot discomfort.

The Art of Winter Training | Trifuel

TriFuel comes through again with this great article about winter training.
With the changing weather, shorter days and holidays, training through the winter months is more art than science. Many athletes see the winter as a time to get ahead and start building a base for next season. However, with the obstacle mentioned above, that can be very difficult, but it’s not impossible. Here are some strategies you can use to avoid winter burn out and come into the spring feeling stronger than ever.
First, don’t think of base building in terms of big training days. Doing a 4 hour ride and 1 hour run on Saturday is most likely out of the question. Even if you can do that on the trainer and treadmill, you will likely go insane after 3 sessions. Instead, build your hours throughout the week. Putting in 6 hours on the bike is possible if you are willing to get on the trainer 3 to 4 days a week. Doing this you can keep the sessions short and focused. This principle works for running as well. Linking together 5 days a week with 1 to 3 hours per day will give you a great base. Plus by doing several sessions you can work on everything from endurance to power to form. This brings me to my second point.
Too many athletes go into what I call Total Base Mode. Every workout is at the same intensity, zone 1-2, in a misguided attempt at building base. Think of your training as a spectrum from speed work to base work. Sure, you can focus on base, but you can’t completely exclude speed or LT work. Many athletes make this mistake and come spring their leg turnover is slow and their ability to do threshold work is minimal. If you do 1 to 2 speed sessions a week, each only an hour at most, that is sufficient to remind your body of what a hard effort feels like. These sessions are practically tailor made for the trainer or treadmill since they are short and highly focused. You can start with intervals, 2 to 5 minutes in length and work to 20 minute single efforts. These don’t need to be super hard, or super specific, just get your heart rate into zone 3 and 4.
Last, you can do big days if you are willing to do either other sports, or multiple bricks. I am a huge fan of cross country skiing, specifically, skate skiing. It is an incredibly difficult sport that works every part of your body. In addition it won’t beat you up since you’re gliding on snow. In addition, skate skiing will force you to work in every heart rate zone as going uphill or going faster requires a lot of work. I get most of my hard sessions done on the snow and it has always paid off. A ski session of 2 to 3 hours will drain you if you’ve worked moderately hard. Another option is snowshoeing. Putting on snowshoes and walking through deep snow is a great way to build strength in your legs and hips as well as increase your increase your aerobic capacity. The other way to get in a long session is to do run/bike/run/bike, etc. bricks. The key is to keep these in zones 2 with some zone 3 as well. Also, you want to make sure that between the bike and run you towel off completely. Don’t go running in the cold when you are still dripping with sweat from the trainer. Take the time to towel off and dress appropriately. Failure to do this is often met with sickness.
The challenge of winter is in keeping yourself motivated and consistent. Making a few adjustments in your training will allow you to make it to spring with your mind and body feeling strong.
Train Hard, Train Smart, Train Safe,
Coach A.J.

Winter Survival Lessons

From Wild Snow
Trying to get out the door for a trip up to Aspen and some WildSnow.com boot customization work, but thought I’d post a few Friday tidbits.
Unless you’re in a fairly large group (three or more) close to civilization or the parking lot, it’s a good idea to be prepared to survive a night out. If you’ve got enough clothing and a shovel, it’s possible to dig a snow cave and sit out the dark hours, but doing so is problematic because your clothing gets wet while you’re digging the cave. Nonetheless, a couple recently survived an unplanned night on Mount Rainier by using a snow cave. Outside of Aspen, another couple survived a stormy night out just yards from a hut. Due to a storm they couldn’t find the cozy shelter, and did an open bivvy in their sleeping bags which from news reports sounded marginal. And sadly, up on Mount Hood a group of three did not survive, and it’s assumed at least one person in the group ended up in an emergency bivouac somewhere on the mountain — a bivouac that obviously did not work out.
My theory has always been that having a good shovel and decent clothing could get me through nearly anything. But I do throw in a bivvy sack now and then, when I’m in a small group and our plan takes us deep into the backcountry away from an easy egress.
A snowcave may be the best of survival shelters. Some WildSnow.com tips for digging one when you’ve got minimal gear, and surviving after you dig:
1. Find a wind swale, cornice face or treewell face where you can start digging horizontally. This saves you from burrowing like a mole and doing the extra digging required if you need to go down then sideways. Also, branching a cave from a pit means you run the risk of the pit filling back up from wind drift, and trapping you in the cave or at least making exit difficult.
2. If you find a good semi-vertical face to start digging, test and see if you can cut uniform blocks with your shovel. If so, start with a fairly large opening, and enlarge into your sleeping chamber as soon as practical. When all is ready, wall the opening back up with the blocks, leaving a small door opening.
3. In either case, be sure to make your sleeping chamber higher than the door, so it’ll trap warm air from your body and breath.
4. Before starting work, strip off ALL non-essential clothing and store so it stays dry — especially any down gear. If you have hardshell layers, wear them over nearly nothing while you’re working. Once you’re digging inside the entrance tunnel and beyond, you’ll be amazed how warm you’ll get.
5. Once in the cave for the night, place dry clothing next to skin and damp clothing on the outside. Sit on your backpack. Keep your boots on but loosen as much as possible. If you feel your feet getting cold, take the liners out of the boots and store under your clothing, then place your feet under your partner’s torso clothing. DO NOT leave your liners in your boots, as you many be borderline hypothermic in the morning, and placing your cold feet in frozen boots could cause severe frostbite.
6. If you have a stove, you’ll definitely need a ceiling vent in your cave. Be super careful about this as carbon monoxide poisoning will at best impair your judgment. If you don’t have a stove and your cave is large with an open doorway you probably don’t need a vent, but consider a small one anyhow to keep the air a bit drier and fresher. You can always plug it with a spare piece of clothing or snowball.
7. Use good judgment if you’re lost or can’t return to civilization, and don’t push into the night, but rather set up your survival camp when you’ve still got energy and perhaps daylight.
8. Always always carry a bit of extra high-calorie fat/protein food. Sitting out a night in a snowcave with a bit of cheese or jerky to keep you company can be uncomfortable but totally safe. Doing so if you haven’t eaten for hours could still result in a hypothermia situation from which you might not return.
9. If you’re warm and have food, eating snow to stay hydrated works fine. But never never eat snow if you’re even close to being chilled.
Beyond the snowcave, if you’re short on time you can simply dig a trench, lay your skis over it, and cover the skis with snow blocks. To do this right, keep the trench as small as possible so you can plug the end with a backpack or snow blocks once you’re inside. If you totally wall yourself in, it’ll be as warm as a snowcave, but so small it will be difficult to move to stay warm. In my experience, the trench works better if you have a ground cover and sleeping bags, while the snowcave works better if you’re short on gear. Though again, the main problem with snowcave building is getting wet. If you’re short on clothing, be very wary of this. Getting wet can kill you.
I should also mention that if your skiing is done below or at timberline most of the time, one of the best ways to survive a night is to simply build a large fire and hang out next to it. To do so, you need to be carrying a functional fire starting kit and know what you’re doing. Practice helps (as it does in the case of snow caves). A while back we had a good post and comment thread about winter fire starting.
Lastly, in all three examples mentioned above the protagonists had no way of communicating with civilization, and thus triggered or came close to triggering large rescue efforts. I find this amazing and tragic, as so many communication options now exist. Seriously folks, at least carry a Spot Messenger, and if you’re hut tripping and carrying a sleeping bag, throw in a bivvy sack so you can spend a night out without your sleeping bag getting soaked.

2010 SBR Multisports Intensive 3-Day Swim Camp

Be quick and start your season fast.

January 22-24 ∙ Islamorada, Florida Keys
February 19-21 ∙ Islamorada, Florida Keys

The SBR Swim Camp for triathletes and long distance swimmers is designed to enhance your swim stroke and prepare you for the season ahead. We offer every swimmer a challenging, fun and educational experience. This three day camp includes 10+ hours of small group focus to make you stronger in the pool and increase your confidence level for open water swimming.
Our camp is designed to create a positive, supportive environment for both age group and elite swimmers. We will focus on showing you an efficient and powerful stroke and help you understand your movements in the water and their relationship to stroke efficiency. A coach will monitor your strengths and weaknesses and work with you to build an individual swim workout plan for 2010.

Each session will be held at the beautiful 50 meter outdoor pool at the Founders Park in Islamorada, Florida. Open water swim sessions will be held in the crystal clear waters of the Florida Keys. Islamorada is located 90 minutes from Miami Int’l Airport.