Fit-Ink

Venus de Miles Lands in Chicago

2012-02-14T12:45:00.001-06:00

Put pedal to the mettle on July 29. Credit: koocbor on flickr

Tell me about a bike ride, namely anything that doesn't involve Chicago's city streets or the Lakefront Path, and I'll want to ride it. Tell me about a bike ride that I don't have to drive to Wisconsin for and I'll really want to ride it. Tell me about a bike ride that's not too far from home, has a Colorado connection, and happens on a weekend where I'm usually looking for something to do, and I'm hands down riding it.

The name of such a ride? Venus de Miles. VdM is a Boulder-based women's cycling event--I knew I recognized it from the get-go from poring over calendar pages of Rocky Mountain Sports--and it's expanding to the Chicago area to bring female riders their first-ever all-women's road bike ride on Sunday, July 29. Teresa Robbins, VdM's founder and race director, says that Illinois was a natural choice for expansion. "When we were scouting areas to host another ride we fell in love with Lake Forest and the possibilities the route has to offer," she says.

I would believe it. Lake Forest is just enough removed from the craziness of Chicago city traffic. Vision Quest Coaching is known to ride in the area. If he's in town and it's not frigid outside, professional cyclist Christian VandeVelde could be spotted on those roads--he lives one town over, Libertyville. Anyone riding the North Shore route to Wisconsin would pass through Lake Forest. And it could potentially draw cyclists from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin, without too much inconvenience.

But don't let my reasoning, with reference to speedsters like VandeVelde, deter you from participating. Venus de Miles is not supposed to be intimidating, or a race. It's a celebration of sisterhood, it's an opportunity to support Greenhouse Scholars, and it's fun. In fact, you're encouraged to get off your bike to walk it up a hill, or to stop and listen to music, or to just take a break (after all, the event's in July and that particular weekend was a sweatfest in 2011).

The event will start out of the Lake Forest College campus and offers course options of 30 or 60 miles. To participate, registration starts at $79 if you sign up by April 1 and climbs from there. But there's more to the event than just riding. Your fee not only includes a T-shirt--and one that claims to look good unlike several race impostors--but you'll also get a post-ride gourmet lunch, entrance into the cocktail lounge, and the option to partake in the services available at the pop-up spa (be gone knots, achy shoulders and saddle sores!). And you'll be helping to raise money for the Greenhouse Scholars, an organization that helps high-performing, under-resourced students reach their full potential. After putting pedal to the mettle, cyclists can enjoy a post-ride expo complete with women's specific vendors, prizes, wine and beer. Talk about a reason to veer from my typical ride and run routine--and I'm not talking a BRick workout.

And here's a little something to sweeten the deal. If you register at illinois.venusdemiles.com between today and February 19, and enter the code Vdmvalentine at checkout, you can save $20 on registration. That's a deal I can't refuse. Or better yet, make the ride registration a Valentine's Day gift. Maybe it's just me, but I'd prefer a bike ride, even if it's months away, over a flower bouquet that'll die because I forget to water it.

So...who wants to ride with me? I promise, I won't speed away!

Photo grabbed from koocbor at flickr.

A New Rule for a Yoga Studio?

2012-02-13T13:49:00.000-06:00

L is for locker and losing clothing, kind of.

After attending a yoga class this morning, I think I have a suggestion for another rule to add to the list of guidelines posted around the studio to make it a pleasurable environment for all. Adjust your clothing BEFORE taking to your mat and entering the studio space--even if it means slipping in late.

I've seen some strange things in my two-plus years of regular yoga practice. Passing wind, oh-so-embarrassing for the tooter. Low-cut tank tops that reveal a little too much cleavage. Shorts that look like underwear. Shirtless guys who should maybe reconsider flashing their man boobs. People who don't heed the request to leave gear in the locker room and shoes at the front. Cell phones on the studio floor and texting during class (seriously, didn't you go to yoga to either get a workout or escape life's stresses?).

I didn't think my yoga pet peeves could get much worse...until this morning. Talk about strange happenings--and I doubt it was accentuated by standing in downward facing dog. A fellow yogi not only entered class after we had already progressed from child's pose to table top to a series of cat cows, but she stripped off more clothing than just a sweatshirt before starting her practice. So it might not be the fully monty by any stretch of the imagination, but you can't help but wonder what the heck is going on when you watch a change-and-adjust maneuver that reminded me way too much of the deck changes swimmers did at the end of swim meets. Tank top straps stretched under the underarms, some wiggling and pulling, a pink flash resembling a sports bra landed on the floor, chest readjusted to get the girls into place.

Really? I'm not uncomfortable around these types of actions in a locker room--you kind of can't be when you've had to walk past 80-year-old women taking showers on your way to the YMCA pool deck. I wasn't trying to look, but this sight was directly in my line of vision while upside down and looking straight back. Stealthy she may have been, to pull out the pink hiding underneath the black was one crazy feat, but this gym diva found it disturbing, even inappropriate, during class. Um, locker room? Is it so wrong to stand there stretching out my tights calves and ask, "What in the world?"

Photo grabbed from midiman at flickr.

Top 10 Workout Songs for February

2012-02-10T14:41:00.001-06:00

Weather got you down? Tired of slogging away on the treadmill to the same old tunes? Opting out of bundling up for the outdoor runs (that would be me)? Maybe it's your workout playlist that needs a few trade outs to get you motivated. But if you're like me, remember I'm the one who keeps songs on her running playlist for years, you might not know where to start.

Run Hundred comes to the rescue again this month, releasing its list of top 10 workout songs for February. With the Grammy Awards arriving this weekend, and several artists performing at the music show, it seemed all too perfect to download a round now, watch the Grammys and download another round on Monday for a fully loaded playlist. That and I need to get reacquainted with some of the artists up for awards (like Adele).

Here's the full list, according to votes placed at Run Hundred, the web's most popular workout music site.

Flo Rida - Good Feeling (Jaywalker Remix) - 127 BPM
Jay Sean & Nicki Minaj - 2012 (It Ain't The End) - 126 BPM
Cobra Starship & Sabi - You Make Me Feel... (Felix Leiter Remix) - 127 BPM
Beatfreakz - Somebody's Watching Me - 129 BPM
Katy Perry - The One That Got Away (R3hab Club Remix) - 128 BPM
Train - Drive By - 123 BPM
Adele - Set Fire To The Rain - 109 BPM
Maroon 5, Christina Aguilera & Mac Miller - Moves Like Jagger (Remix) - 128 BPM
Outasight - Tonight Is The Night - 120 BPM
Selena Gomez & The Scene - Love You Like a Love Song (DJ Escape & Tony Coluccio Club Remix) - 130 BPM

Chris Lawhorn, who operates RunHundred.com, says that this month's list contains some surprises. "2012" was released months ago, but he thinks that the new year helped give it a second wind. Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera received a hip-hop makeover in their collaboration with Mac Miller. Adele's song is far from traditional workout jam (that's exactly what I said to my husband!), but people are sweating to the ballad anyway. And it's Outasight's first time making a list.

Even if these songs don't float your boat, as was my case last month when I didn't recognize a hit by artist and title alone, you can find more--and hear March's contenders--by searching through Run Hundred's database of workout songs.

What's currently playing on your workout playlist?

Photo grabbed from Andrew Stawarz at flickr.

Suspension Attention

2012-02-07T17:37:00.002-06:00

One of the 300+ TRX moves. Credit: campdarby at flickr

I've been obsessed with TRX for a looong time. Probably since right around the time Fit-Ink started when the suspension training system debuted on The Biggest Loser, and I watched week after week as Bob Harper introduced new routines to the competitors. Not that I fall in love with every piece of fitness equipment seen on the hit TV show--though it might come close. Except now I've used a lot of the equipment--the Spinning bikes, the ViPR tubes, the ropes--before I see it on the show.

But TRX Suspension Training is still one of my favorites. It's challenging in ways I didn't think possible. It's applicable training to several different sports as demonstrated by these workout suggestions. It's still topping the charts as a good workout by training professionals. It's easy to store and doesn't require too much space for set-up--and you can do it just about anywhere. It's not your usual functional fitness and it's tough to get bored. Oh yeah, and it makes me sore and sweaty--and fast. When that happens, I know I'm getting a good workout and that I'm growing stronger in the process.

The funny thing is that I didn't realize until now just how helpful it could be for ski conditioning. I've harped on it a million times: I don't live near the mountains and I'm not about to drop everything and drive up to Wisconsin to ski on glorified hills. My only hope to stay fit for ski season is by doing any and every workout imaginable that can work its magic off the slopes. Except why didn't I think to try TRX sooner? Good question that only has an excuse-filled answer. After reading what I wrote about TRX at buzz.snow.com, I think I better take my own advice. My core, balance and flexibility--for starters--will thank me. I know it.

Photo grabbed from campdarby at flickr.

Hours Away from Closing

2012-02-06T13:00:00.017-06:00

Everyone wants to run the Bank of America Chicago Marathon this year. Everyone wants to register early (well, you kind of have to). Everyone wants to say they crossed the finish line at least once at this Windy City 26.2 miler.

Me included. I swore I wouldn't--I have an Ironman to race not even a month before the October 7 marathon--yet I found myself near hypnotized filling out the information on the registration screen last Thursday. Option one: register Tuesday night at launch event and be entered into raffle to win a hospitality pack. This would have been the smart time to register. Option two: register Wednesday at noon when the official registration opened to the public. Still, I said no. Option three: read a warning that the race will close soon and then register. There's no logical answer to why I chose option three aside from some stray thought telling me not to sit out. Unless I could call it the Abdi effect, meeting 2012 U.S. Olympic Team member Abdi Abdirahman, rubbing off a day and half late. I guess that's how your brain acts when you've run the same fall event 12 years in a row?

In registering, I only made myself part of the problem. Yes, it's a problem when a 45,000-runner field is on the verge of closing a mere six (yep, that's not a typo) days after opening. That's the update I was greeted to today: hurry and register because the 35th Chicago Marathon will close sometime today.

Maybe the secret's out on the flat and fast course? Not that it was any great big secret, but surely runners would be drawn to a race that sounds relatively easy based on the course alone. And stacked up next to Big Sur, New York City and Boston--three races that entered my mind as being hillier conquests--it probably is. Ah what some of these 45,000 runners don't know. Get a windy day in the Windy City and that run is a lot less fun--and you can't wait to change directions, in hopes that the wind will be at your back (though we like to get the swirling variety so that wind always seems inescapable).

Maybe it's Chicago's lack of a lottery or qualification standard? My #runChi friend Tim pointed this one out, and I have to say that he's probably right. You have to chance the odds to run New York City--or join the New York Road Runners, run nine of their races and volunteer at one, and then wait until the following year to get into the marathon. You have to run darn fast to qualify for Boston--and if future registration goes anything like it did for the 2012 race that time still may not get you in if faster runners beat you to it.

Maybe it's the weather? October in Chicago is fickle. One week, you're bundling up in tights and a fleece for a 5K; the next, you're back to wearing shorts and a tank. It's been a while since it snowed on marathon day, but it has happened, and the last time it was even close to cold enough for snow on race day was 2009. I'd take the cold over the heat, I run faster, but recent races--2007, 2008, 2010 and 2011--have given us the exact opposite. But if you train all summer, when we do have some blistering hot days, you're prepared for it. Yeah, I probably should remember that thought for my own training. I can count the number of days I bared the heat on one hand--granted I was coming back from injury, but even a walk would have been helpful.

I'll stop there, because if I keep speculating, chances are the race will close while I'm still typing. If you're not registered to run the 2012 Chicago Marathon--and you want to--stop reading and sign up here. If you're already registered, why did you choose to run through the streets of the Windy City on October 7, 2012?

Note: I should probably be a little more specific...even after the announcement goes out that the 2012 Chicago Marathon registration is officially closed, you'll still be able to check with the race's charity partners for entries. Though it might make you feel more obligated to run (that's a good thing, right?) and set you back in the fundraising department, it's a great way to add more meaning to your 26.2 miles and help out a worthy cause in the process. Stay tuned for more on that...I'll be highlighting some teams in the future.

The Biggest Loser's Excuse-Ridden Annoyances

2012-02-02T02:41:00.002-06:00

Is it just me or is this season's cast of The Biggest Loser more annoying than inspirational? I've never heard so many whines, excuses, behind-the-back talk or mean comments in all the seasons I've tuned into the hit weight loss show. For a show that's supposed to celebrate weight loss and taking that leap toward a healthy lifestyle once and for all, it seems lost amid a bunch of BS, for lack of a better word and all too appropriate, and petty arguing during week 5's episode.

Usually by week 5, I've identified at least one favorite, that one person who I want to take it all the way to the finale. Tara, one of the Curlee sisters, Antone. But this season, I have yet to find that person. Instead I find myself plugging my ears, or pushing the mute button, in hopes that I can drown out the contestant complaints. Here's what's irking me the wrong way:

Maybe Conda would shut up if she knew Adrian's story. The poor guy lost a child--it brought tears to both him and Dolvett--and weighed even more before arriving on the ranch, the first time.
And maybe if she talked less she would have lost more weight. Even she admitted it, though she blamed her two-pound lost on being distracted by what she instigated with Adrian.
Kim is just as bad being so doubtful on Adrian's at-home workouts. If he truly was walking as many miles as he said, they really could take him all day. My roommates nearly sent out a search party for me when I ran from Evanston to downtown Chicago and opted to walk home instead of hopping on the El (it was the first nice day after a brutal winter and I was enjoying every minute outdoors).
Let's backtrack to week 4 for a second. I know that it's the season of No Excuses, but Gail had too many of them. Give it up already and get off the ranch.
The Black Team backlashes against Daphne. Talk about not having any mercy for people who have to adjust to the new environment on the ranch.
They proved why they belong on The Biggest Loser for their unhealthy habits. Their comments about the weight that Adrian and Daphne didn't lose proves that they don't understand everything about weight loss. Put someone in an environment they're not accustomed to, raise their stress levels by talking smack, and they're going to be thrown off their game.
I almost liked Mark...until he accused Adrian of playing the game. Seriously, you try living in a new spot and adjusting to a new routine and see how well you lose weight. Not that I'm a good example, but I raid my refrigerator when I return from out of town (it should be empty but it never is) and lose whatever healthy habits I picked up while hiking, skiing or cycling, gaining back those love handles.

Does anyone else out there find this season, the season of No Excuses, and its cast of characters to be extremely annoying?

Chicago Marathon: By the Numbers

2012-02-01T10:18:00.003-06:00

From the archives: 2005 Chicago Marathon finish line

You’ve seen the email reminders. You’ve spotted the social media talk from Facebook to Twitter's #cm12 to #chimarathon to whatever else gets the word out about the 2012 Bank of America Chicago Marathon. But if it hasn’t been emblazoned into your brain yet, or you need one more nudge to mark it on your calendar, commit to a race and get off the couch to train, here it is. Registration for this Chicago classic, to be held Sunday, October 7, opens today at 12 p.m.

Not sure if you’re ready to pull the trigger and race through the starting gates when registration opens? Run your eyes across these figures for more details about this Windy City marathon that either spur you to sign up or make you run for the rafters. I’m going with the former—you’d think that after 12 years of running, I wouldn’t need the nudge for No. 13, but I do. Dangling a hospitality ticket in front of me at Tuesday’s special launch event wasn’t enough to do it, but maybe this is.

45,000: The number of racers the event is capped at before it closes to general registration (you can usually still get in should you opt to race and fundraise on a charity team).
150: The cost in U.S. dollars for the 2012 race, if you’re located in the U.S. It’s $175 for international runners.
12: The time of day, noon, on February 1, that registration opens, unless you were so lucky to attend last night’s registration launch event.
35: This year will mark the 35th running of the Chicago Marathon.
29: The number of "official" neighborhoods traversed over the 26.2-mile course.
31: The days it took for the 2011 race to fill to capacity.
10,000: Runners who ran on behalf of a charity at the 2011 race.
248: Days until October 7 when all these runners take to the streets of the Windy City.
1.7 million: The approximate number of spectators the marathon draws.
64: Degrees Fahrenheit at the start of last year’s race. One draw to running Chicago is supposed to be cooler temperatures—October, Midwest, it should be pants and jackets weather—except it doesn’t always happen.
3,078: Runners who qualified for the Boston Marathon on the Chicago course last year, living up to its flat and fast label (according to results published at marathonguide.com).

With that said, who's planning to cross the Chicago Marathon off the race list, or the bucket list or the goal list in 2012? Three, two, one, go register!

Photo courtesy of Susan Bongiovanni.

Fit-Pic: Abdi Abdirahman Runs Chicago

2012-01-31T23:24:00.002-06:00

At the risk of embarrassing myself, here goes nothing. That's me above with 3-time Olympian, 4-time qualifier, Abdi Abdirahman. I'm bundled up, overdressing for the spring-like temperatures outside. I'm lucky that I put on some run-looking attire as I jetted out the door after an afternoon chained to my desk. And unlike the other 300 or so in attendance (or my estimate since the event was limited to that number), I didn't run because my leg still felt tight from Sunday's stair climb and I needed to gear up, or try, for tomorrow's scheduled run. But you don't really care about my story...hearing about Abdi is way cooler.

Fresh off the Houston course where he qualified for his fourth Olympics, his first in the marathon distance (don't quote me on that just yet though I know his other three Olympic berths were in the 10,000m if nothing else), Abdi landed in Chicago to help launch the registration opening for the 35th annual Bank of America Chicago Marathon. He ran. He got a run for his money from the Sandburg cross-country team (I'm convinced they either chased him or sprinted so he'd have to run really fast). He signed autographs and posed for pictures (not sure how there wasn't a line stretching through the event space but I barely had to wait). He talked to the crowd about his running experiences, making me feel very sloth-like in the process. You see, he doesn't eat fast food. He only stares at weights in the weight room. And his high mileage weeks run somewhere in the 120-mile range. It's no wonder he's an Olympian...and one whom I can't wait to follow when the London Games happen this summer.

Tri-ing to Save Race Money in Chicago

2012-01-31T16:15:00.000-06:00

The weather might have us fooled that summer is just around the corner. The mercury is pushing 60 degrees in Chicago, and we've left our winter coats and layers behind to sport short-sleeves, shorts and capris on the run, maybe took the bike off the trainer for the rare opportunity that it's warm enough--and not too icy--to ride outside mid-winter, and maybe even thought about being one of those Lake Monsters that take a dip in Lake Michigan regardless of time of year or water temperature. OK, that last one might be a bit of a stretch, but who says we can't dream that we'll soon be swapping pool laps for open water?

But there are still a few hours left of January. Before the month comes to a close, there's one thing many a triathlete (or a wannabe) might want to consider: registering for the Life Time Chicago Triathlon. You see, race registration opened on January 1--talk about a way to kick off a New Year's resolution to complete a triathlon by already confirming a race to the schedule--and a price increase is right around the corner. And when you're a regular racer--one like me who's trying to save any buck she can get--you know how much the wallet can start to hurt as the race registrations add up.

At the Chicago Triathlon, the race registration fees will increase by $15 when the clock turns over to midnight, Feb. 1. The sprint race is currently $115 and will increase to $130, while the international distance will increase from $150 to $165. If you have to pay for a one-day USA Triathlon license, there's your cost right there.

The sprint and international distance races are set for Sunday, August 26. Plenty of time to learn how to swim, bike, run or perfect the disciplines. For more details on the 2012 event, visit chicagotriathlon.com. Who's thinking about racing?

Weekend of Workouts?

2012-01-29T21:55:00.001-06:00

Outdoor yoga, where more is merrier. Source: lululemon

Did the New Year's resolutions to exercise and be more fit in 2012 just kick in? Did people suddenly decide to get their sweat on this weekend after hibernating for most of January? What's with this weekend's workouts?

At the start of the new year the gym regulars are always warned to watch out for the crowds creeping in on our territory. You know, those first two to three weeks of January where the skeletons come out of the closet, sweat it out on the treadmill or in a group fitness class, then disappear for the next 11 or so months. But unless it's because I changed my schedule to try to accommodate the crowds (swimming an hour before closing, running when I want to watch TV, which is never immediately after work), I haven't encountered as much of this New Year Traffic as I have in the past. Practically none compared to the year where I had to arrive at least 10 minutes early to score a Spinning bike on a Monday night--for three weeks straight I missed out--or fight over ellipticals, treadmills and bikes on the main floor. Until this weekend...

Exhibit A
Saturday, 3 p.m., Core Power Yoga. I begged to squeeze my mat in between two guys already situated in their zen-like spaces in the studio--and I wasn't alone in having to do this, more followed. Class was at least five minutes from starting (I know, I could arrive earlier yet that never seems to go as planned), yet you couldn't just roll your mat down in any spare space as is often the case, especially on a weekend afternoon. You had to scout out a spot where you could potentially place your mat, stand in that spot while surveying for back-ups, and hope that your neighbors would notice you and move their mats and weights before you had to ask.

Exhibit B
Sunday, 9:30 a.m., Flywheel Chicago. Liz last-minute invited me to join her for a morning workout at this spin spot, and I replied hours later that I'd be up for it if I could sign up before I left the house for the Step Up for Kids. Long story short, my computer was about as awake as I was at 6:45 (moving very slowly) and I didn't see Liz's email until I was driving home from the stair climb. With not enough time to drop the car at home, grab a couple of essentials like more bike friendly shorts and a water bottle and return to Flywheel--plus I was literally driving right by Flywheel on my way home--I thought I'd wing it and try to walk in to class without reserving a bike ahead of time. Well, apparently that would have worked any other weekend but this one. Though there were a few class no-shows, the spare bikes had already been claimed, one by another walk-in. As the front desk staff apologized profusely, though I reassured them that I, still tired from the stair climb, was relieved to be shut out, they explained that I wouldn't have had this problem had I walked in last Sunday and that classes were filling faster this weekend. Hmm, their secret must be out.

Exhibit C
Sunday, 3 p.m., Core Power Yoga. Decided to try another round of yoga to stretch out those tight calves and hopefully find more space on my mat than I did the day before. Wrong-O. If I thought Saturday's class was crowded, Sunday's was no better. Usually when one weekend 3 p.m. class is full, the other isn't. At least today I could roll out my mat behind a support pole without too much maneuvering by others.

Exhibit D
Sunday, 4:15 p.m., Fitness Formula Club. Sunday afternoon usually isn't too crowded at this gym. The pool, yes, but not the cardio machines. Yet today the floor looked more full: more treadmill runners, more elliptical-ers, filled lanes in the pool.

Between all the fitness friendly events happening in Chicago over the weekend--the lululemon warehouse sale, an indoor triathlon, the F^3 Lake Half Marathon, the Step Up for Kids--and the cold, lackluster weather, I would have expected the same amount or fewer people than previous weekends. Talk about eating my words.

So if this really is true, and it wasn't just coincidence that I counted more people at workouts, I have one question. How did you sweat this weekend?

Photo grabbed from lululemon athletica at flickr.

Fit-Pic: Nothing Like Powder Days

2012-01-28T17:09:00.003-06:00

Wish I could be here...

Park City, Utah (Jan. 22)

Video provided by Park City Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau

Or here: Arapahoe Basin, Colorado (Jan. 22)

Photo: Kimberly Trembearth/Arapahoe Basin

Or here: Beaver Creek, Colorado (Jan. 27)

Photo: C. Downard, Beaver Creek

Can I be magically transported to one of these spots, or any other place that has tons of snow, now? Who's out there taking advantage of the new snowfall?

Photos and video provided by Park City Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau, Kimberly Trembearth/Arapahoe Basin, C. Downard/Beaver Creek.

Top 10 Workout Songs for January

2012-01-27T16:50:00.005-06:00

Need new songs to update or add to your workout playlist? I know I am. Give or take a few songs I've swapped out because my iPod ran out of space, I've had the same core playlist for years and it's the shuffle option that saves me from hearing the same selection every time. I can't help it, I'm a creature of habit. But even the best lists need a little refreshing; it's just tough when you're blindly deciding which songs will be the most motivational for a run or a workout. I've made the mistake of adding a song, only to find that I skip over it every single time it hits my ears when I'm running. What I needed was Run Hundred, the internet's most heavily trafficked site for workout music, to help guide me.

The site polled its readers to find out their favorite, current workout songs to compile a top 10 list to keep people motivated during the time of the year when it's hardest to get up and exercise. And what's even better is that they've broken down the tunes to their beats per minute. You know, in case you need faster beats to add a spring to your step--something this runner has yet to experiment with. As for the list, Chris Lawhorn, who operates RunHundred.com, says that the top 10 contains a mixture of songs you'd expect and some surprises.

Here's the full list:

Want more songs or hear next month's contenders (Run Hundred shares results monthly)? Check out Run Hundred's database of workout songs where you can browse by genre, tempo and era to find music that best fits with your workout routine. And stay tuned for what's to come in February.

What songs have you recently added to your workout playlist?

Photo grabbed from Andrew Stawarz at flickr.

These Stairs Are Going To Hurt: Step Up for Kids

2012-01-26T08:04:00.004-06:00

It seemed like a good idea when I told my teammates that I’d join them at the Step Up for Kids, a stair climb race where participants climb 38 or 80 floors of the Aon Center. My tentative plans to ski fell through, husband had to work, and this stairclimb was one that I wrote about more times (four, I think) than I had actually participated (a big fat zero). Add in the fact that it benefits Children’s Memorial Hospital—a spot near and dear to husband’s heart—and the more than 148,000 kids that will visit the hospital for treatment, and I was sold. Not only because I never turn down a workout, especially one with as rewarding a view (promised by ABC 7 reporter John Garcia, who I’ll be climbing with) but also because it was my way of supporting my husband’s daily toils.

There’s one problem: I forgot how strenuous stair climbing can be…especially when you NEVER climb stairs. I live on the 13th floor—the only stairs I’m climbing are when the elevators break down.

As I was so kindly reminded, stairs offer one heck of a calf workout (and glutes and quads, too). That’s good for anyone who wants killer legs when they’re sporting heels and skirts, but most of my running injuries, er ailments, stem from tight calves. The last thing I need is to put them into overdrive and curtail my running season after it barely has started.

And I’m rusty. I did the math and realized that my last stair climb race was the 2008 Hustle Up the Hancock (a 94-floor climb to the top of the John Hancock Center). While I’d like to hope that anything would be better than that lung burner—“altitude training” from four day skiing in Colorado does not work when you’re climbing stairs—I have a feeling that I’m in for just as much of a killer workout. The heart racing, the blood rushing, the limp-leg feeling, the panting, the sweating, the I’m-about-to-pass-out-unless-I-reach-the-finish-line-now suffering. Maybe, just maybe, the 14-floor deficit will be on my side?

Probably not--thanks to my complete lack of training unless you count the four floors I climbed when the elevator broke at the yoga studio. But the intensity I'll get in the 15 minutes it'll hopefully take me to reach the top (provided I'm not too ambitious) is enough to count toward my Sunday run. Even better: It's indoors so I don't have to weather the elements that I dread this time of year. And I think I can safely say that I've earned the nap I'm already planning after the post-party. Bring. It. On.

Top 5 calorie burners in Park City

2012-01-24T11:05:00.006-06:00

Tradition brings me to Park City, Utah, every holiday season. While it's great to have a guaranteed ski trip in the books, this season's trip proved that it's not always ideal to ski in December. And much to my husband's dismay, that you don't always have to ski when you're there. Sure the 2011-2012 season start might be a fluke, but it got me thinking about other activities to do in this mining town when the skiing's just not cutting it. Or even when the skiing is awesome, yet you don't want to take to the snow that's outside your window (like when the Sundance Film Festival encroaches on Park City every late January).

A recent snowfall proved that winter has once and for all arrived in this mountain--think four feet of snow in four days--just in time for the celebs attending Sundance, but also with plenty of time to salvage the ski season. Or save winter, depending on how you look at it. Ready to hit the snow and burn calories in the process? Here are five ways you can do it in Park City:

1. Ski. This would be the obvious activity to pursue when you’re in Park City, with three resorts—Park City Mountain Resort, The Canyons and Deer Valley—at your fingertips. And if their terrain isn’t enough to feed your fancy (not sure how that’s possible with more than four feet of snow falling across Utah from Jan. 18-22, but you never know), you can hit up four more mountains in Big (Brighton and Solitude) and Little (Alta and Snowbird) Cottonwood canyons or Snowbasin near Ogden. Rumor has it that there’s more happening in town than on the mountain when it’s Sundance time, but there might be a fair number of locals claiming the powder flu to keep you company.

2. Snowshoe. Sometimes you just need a break from the downhill action. One way to do that: strap on a pair of snowshoes and head out for a hike on one of the trails of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest. Your quads will love the workout and you’ll find yourself stronger on skis as a result.

3. Nordic ski. Not all alpine skiers are successful Nordic skiers (me included), but that doesn’t mean you can’t try. Cross-country skiing is touted as one of the best cardiovascular workouts available—even when you fall and lose your balance because you’re not used to the skinny skis. And you don’t have to travel far: White Pine Touring operates a more than 20 km cross-country ski center in the heart of Park City.

4. Snowtubing. Sometimes relaxing after skiing all day doesn’t entail sitting still and kicking your boots off. Sometimes it’s more about fun with friends that doesn’t involve après at the bar, like tubing at Gorgoza Park. You’ll fly down your choice of runs, from short and sweet to long and lumpy, screaming the entire way.

View from the top of the bobsled run at Utah Olympic Park

5. Visit the Utah Olympic Park. Have you ever had dreams of being an Olympian? You can give it a go at the Utah Olympic Park, which was home to the bobsled, luge and skeleton competitions when the Games came to Salt Lake in 2002. Sign up for a program at the park and you could learn how at Driving School--or fly down the bobsled track on the Comet. Thrills and chills at their finest, plus some elevated stress levels that might make you too nervous to eat, before not after.

Thought you'd have to chain yourself to hit the treadmill when there's more than a foot of fresh snow outside? Think again. These activities rival the calorie burn, but they're far more fun. Do you have a favorite?

I Spy...a Lululemon Sale

2012-01-23T11:14:00.001-06:00

You know something has to be big when a Twitter account is created for it. That's exactly what Lululemon expected of its warehouse sale when the company created the Twitter handle @lululemonWHUS. And big is only half of it.

Lululemon's no stranger to hosting massive sales, but this is the first time that such an event is hitting the U.S. But not just anywhere, the lululemon athletica Warehouse Sale opens in Chicago on January 27 at 9 a.m. and runs until 9 p.m. on January 29. Granted it requires a trek out to Rosemont to take advantage of the slashed prices and piles of products--and either paying for parking or the El to reach the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center--but it sounds like it's worth it. As long as the discounts are more than 25 percent off--I passed up a pair of pants at Core Power Yoga because $73.50 was still too much for me to spend. And as long as it's somewhat controlled chaos. With the Facebook attendee list pushing 5,000 and counting, that's a lot of people to push through, no matter how good their pants make your butt look. But it sounds like lululemon has addressed all my fears, provided I can tolerate being patient in line. That's manageable considering the payoff of new workout gear. Hooky-worthy, too!

What's your plan of attack at the warehouse sale?

Photo grabbed from lululemon athletica at flickr.

The Daily Feed: Sites We're Surfing 1/22

2012-01-22T14:25:00.001-06:00

Ah, Sunday. Not to be followed by fun day. You see, I'm avoiding changing into my cycling gear and entering the pain cave to sweat and pant my way through the bike workout I should have done yesterday when I opted to snowshoe instead. I'm ignoring the growing pile of laundry (I go through a lot of workout clothing in mere days!) and the to-do list I wanted to tackle. Nah, I'll save that for Monday. Instead I'm doing the usual: puttering around online. Here's what I'm reading:

Kids aren't the only ones saying the "darnedest" things. Videos following the theme of "S*&t insert-group-here say" have gone viral, but I got a chuckle--and a chance to blush with embarrassment--when I read this list that applies to triathletes. How many have you heard yourself, or your friends, utter on more than one occasion?
Have you ever found yourself absolutely hating a yoga class? It's not the instructor or the music that's always to blame: your expectations could be stuck in the wrong style.
You don't have to be a mama to benefit from the Fit-Bottomed Mamas 20-minute workout. Its 12 moves will challenge even the fiercest competitor.
New year, new workout gear? Check out these DailyCandy picks to upgrade your collection.
This Chicago event could be the toughest 15-minute workout I'll do all winter. The view from the top is totally worth it, it's the getting there that scares my calves. Anyone want to join me?
Muscle mass might be on the down and out as we age, but exercise, triathlon especially, could be responsible for lean muscle preservation--even when you're 74. Here's to hoping my body can hold out that long.

Any other share-worthy sites that I should check out?

Learn Bike Fit from a Pro

2012-01-21T12:25:00.001-06:00

Steinmetz has helped Rinny and Crowie with their bike fit.

What do Craig Alexander, Mirinda Carfrae and Julie Dibens have in common? Aside from being world-class triathletes with 70.3 wins under their belts, they're all connected to Mat Steinmetz. Mat who? Steinmetz might sound like a nobody when you line his name up with the likes of these A-list triathletes, but he's certainly not one to be forgotten...once you look him up like I had to (yeah, I'm clueless sometimes when it comes to who's working with who unless I revert to Google). The reason being: Steinmetz works with three-time Ironman World Champion Alexander as a training advisor, coaches Dibens, and has helped Carfrae with her bike fit through his work as a Retul bike fitter. And he's an accomplished triathlete in his own right. According to his bio, he was the 2008 USAT Age Group Long Course National Champion in the men's 25-29 age group.

As he puts it in a conversation with Siri Lindley at Triathlete.com, "I work with Julie Dibens and I do a lot of consulting for Craig Alexander. I work for Retul, so I see all these athletes all the time, and I’ve even helped Rinny out with her bike fit. I consult and have a lot of athletes bounce ideas off of me, even though I don’t have any sort of official relationship with those athletes."

Now's your chance to get one of those consultations...or come close. Whether you want to gather information to best your competition next season or hear some professional athletes' success stories from the advising angle instead of the athletic one, you'll want to meet Steinmetz when he speaks at Trek of Highland Park on Wednesday, Jan. 28. The event starts at 6 p.m.

He'll speak about his coaching and training experiences with Alexander and other elite athletesas well as the importance of bike fit. And as someone who was first fit incorrectly on a bike, the bike fit really does play a large role in the athlete's success. Even when you are an average joe like me.

Steinmetz is one of Retul's time trial-focused bike fitters and has worked with cycling teams like Radio Shack, Garmin and Team Sky, plus Garmin/Cervelo cyclist Tom Danielson. But it's not guesswork that has created success among many of Steinmetz's athletes--he uses scientific research and some of the most advanced tools in the business to help the pros race at their highest level. Surely some of that can rub off on other triathletes, right? I'd like to think so.

Need more cajoling to attend Wednesday's event? Read more about it at Pace of Chicago. If you already know you want to attend, please RSVP by clicking here.

Fit-Pic: Winter's Happy Place

2012-01-20T12:09:00.005-06:00

I'd be lying if I said it wasn't snowing buckets outside my window right now. In fact, the weather has only grown worse as the day has worn on. Now snow might be a welcome sight for some places, namely ski country, but around these parts it just wreaks havoc. You can't drive, you don't want to leave the house, and you can't work out outside--at least not easily.

Ah, but you can work out in the elements--and have fun doing it. I might have to take a good, long look at this picture to remind myself of that. But the minute I spy snow and skiing--whether it's of Arapahoe Basin, such as the above shot from Jan. 19, or any other spot in Colorado, Utah or the like--I think of my "happy place." Adam Sandler's version may have had a land full of greenery, a gleeful grandma, a little person riding a tricycle, and a two-handed Chubbs playing the piano, but mine is just as much about the simple pleasures. Give me snow, my skis and steeps and I'll be grinning, even when it's overcast and frigid (well, to a degree). Who's with me?

Props to anyone who can guess where at Arapahoe Basin this picture was snapped. My bets are on Montezuma Bowl though that's based solely on how I remember Zuma's chairlift.

Photo courtesy of Arapahoe Basin.

Hooked on the Winter Teva Mountain Games

2012-01-18T06:00:00.108-06:00

Skin a ridge ski mountaineering Credit: Liam Doran, Vail Resorts

Thrill seeker? Adventure hunter? Endurance junkie? Self-described ADD athlete who can't slog through the same fitness regimen without mixing it up? Not that I'm trying to categorize anyone, including myself, but some of the events featured at the first-ever Winter Teva Mountain Games stretch far beyond my Ironman-trained mind. It's one thing to swim, bike and run all in a day's work, but it's an entirely different monster to pursue the Games' snowy sports.

Ski mountaineering? Snow biking--and not the kind you can rent at Vail's Adventure Ridge? Climbing on an apparatus that looks far more complex than an indoor climbing wall? Ultimate Mountain Challenge that I'm construing as the Games' answer to Ironman? My legs and lungs hurt reading the descriptions alone. I might consider myself good on skis, but take them off and plop me in the snow, and I'm a disaster. Let's just say that the boot run, which could be considered one of the easier, more fun events to participate in minus the Tough Mudder-like obstacles, could render me helpless, and hurt--I'm just that clumsy.

Yet there's something about these endurance events that make me want to overlook the clumsiness, the burning sensation that's bound to appear in several if not all of the challenges I've eyed, and the fear of finishing last, and focus on the intensity and thrill that I can only assume coincides with this inaugural event. It might be a little tough to take on the six events I shared at buzz.snow.com with my non-altitude trained legs, but I'm willing to try anyway (anyone can participate). As long as I can find a flight. I guess I better start looking...and then training.

Photo courtesy of Winter Teva Mountain Games, taken by Liam Doran, Vail Resorts.

Make Me Some Magic Legs: CW-X Stabilyx Tights

2012-01-17T18:02:00.002-06:00

When running gear gets too technical, I tend to bow out. Sure I'll lust over it, but the chances of it finding its way into my closet is slim. First, and probably foremost thanks to my budget biding, the price tag scares me off. Can you blame me for passing up $90 spandex when I can find something similar for half the price? Then I question how effective said product really is. Do I truly need all those bells and whistles especially when I can dig through my drawers at home, double up on a layer or two--yes, I'm the one who completely overdressed for a 25-degree day run and was soaking wet upon my return, not from falling in the snow--and gain the same benefit? Give me a good pair of shoes and a sports bra and I’m set. I'll piece together the rest: $1 stretchy gloves, a fleece headband I've had since I was 12, the $5 fleece-lined jacket I bought so as not to ruin my favorite, more pricey number. Except after trying the CW-X Stabilyx tights, and their gift of magic legs as I like to call them, I’m eating my words in the gear department. If you can put a price on super powers, here's a case where you can't object to the price and you'd be remiss to pass up the targeted support component.

Magic legs? Stability that starts in the core and works all the way down my calves to keep my muscles in go mode without weakening beneath my flimsy ankles and injury-prone tibias? You can’t compromise that. In November, I ran five miles at a speed I couldn’t match three months prior (when my darn injury finally let me hit the roads again). Last week, I ran intervals until my legs should have fallen off. Yet they didn’t and I’m no worse for the wear. Nope. It's like the ankle brace I'm tempted to wear when my shins ache as I pad around the house masks itself in the tights and holds everything in place when I run. Even while sitting at my desk in my tights--like when yesterday's run ran afoul and landed on the treadmill instead of the trail--I feel locked and loaded. Must be that "harnessing of the midsection" that my mind is embracing. My muscles are digging the compression even though the performance benefits might be minimal—it’s all about psychological wellbeing here, no "glowing review" to appease the peanut gallery from this wear-tester. And when the weather turns cold, I need those magic legs and the running-on-air sensation for as long as I can get--even when I feel like a stuffed sausage. Nah, I'll take the sausage casing look if it makes me faster.

Note: a version of this appeared in a compilation at ffcheer.posterous.com.

Fit-Pic: In Tebow We Trust

2012-01-13T23:19:00.076-06:00

Credit: Vail Resorts

Truth be told, there's a shortage of snow at some of our favorite ski resorts across the country. Unless you're hitting Big Sky, Jackson Hole, Grand Targhee and Sun Valley, to name a few, you're stuck justifying a reason for hitting the slopes when there's not much to ski. And that's especially true when there's NFL playoff to be had and your favorite team is facing off for a playoff berth.

Ah, but Breckenridge created a reason to ski regardless of the less than stellar conditions and the recent foot of snow--besides the obvious that regardless of the terrain conditions you're still getting in an awesome workout that hands down beats any day in the gym. In the process, Breck may be calling to a divine power for even more snow, just not Ullr, the Norse god of winter they've been celebrating all week. That lucky charm is Tim Tebow. If you've followed even an inkling of the current NFL season, you know what he's done playing quarterback for the Denver Broncos (getting them into the playoffs after a slow start to the season).

As a celebration for that postseason play, Breckenridge converted into Broncoridge (yep, they even flew a flag along the ridge to display the temporary name change) and turned Tebow. In the terrain park, they took Tim Tebow's infamous crouch and prayer (sorry, that's the best way I can think to describe it) and performed it mid-air, dubbing it "The SkiBow." I'm far from talented enough to perform that snow trick, but here's one that I can handle: The World's Largest Group "Tebow" on the snow. Even mascot Ripperoo participated, as pictured above.

Sure it's a bit of a stretch to be dragging NFL action into fitness-focused Fit-Ink, but I'd like to think it works if it gets you to think about skiing for even a minute. And who knows? Maybe a little Tebow trust will bring more snow.

Photo courtesy of Vail Resorts.

Fit-Pic: Hello Winter!

2012-01-12T17:45:00.000-06:00

We've had everything from below freezing temperatures to balmy spring-like days this winter. People running in shorts along the Lakefront in December. Crowds walking and riding bikes last Friday when the temperatures soared near 60. Me actually running in January--and not on the treadmill. Trust me, this never happens. But if look out the window today, snow is falling from the sky, not just leaving a dusting like it did at New Year's but layering the ground enough to freak out drivers, delay flights and leave the bikes on the racks.

I'm glad I'm not the owner of this bike. What a mess to dig out! But that's winter, right?

Compression Obsession

2012-01-10T19:44:00.001-06:00

Sporting my CW-X Stabilyx Tights

When you write about sports and fitness, namely running and triathlon most days, you come to hear a lot (and I mean a lot) about compression gear. In turn, you also get curious…about their effectiveness, how they work and why everyone, especially those darn Ironmaners, are wearing them.

I’ll admit I cracked down for compression sleeves a few years ago and fell so in love with them that I’d wear them in the most unusual of places—um, like under my jeans while at a bar (in my defense, the bar is next door to my house, I had finished a half Ironman hours before and some visiting friends ushered me off my couch) and paired with flip flops and shorts while shopping at the grocery store. If you want to start up a conversation with a Trader Joe’s employee, let me tell you that’ll do it.

But I feared the full-on compression tights. Runners and triathletes might swear by them—or buy them because it seemed like the right thing to do—yet there was something about looking like a stuffed sausage when the compression panels pulled and tugged my muscles into place that turned me off. I’ll never let that happen again. Instead I fell in love with my CW-X Stabilyx Tights, only fitting since I already cherished one of the sports bras the brand made (can I say it’s literally the only one I wear for marathons?). I’m going to chalk it up to the simple fact that the tights dispelled all of my preconceived notions--and then some.

The Myth: Compression tights are hard to pull on and just as hard to pull off.
The Truth: The package warned that these tights wouldn’t be easy to pull up your legs and I expected a fighting match when I wiggled into mine on Thanksgiving morning thanks to a lack of running but flood of food in the last 30 days. I was mistaken. Not hard. Not gut sucking. Not glued to my legs post-run.

The Myth: They make you look like a stuffed sausage.
The Truth: Buy the wrong size and the above statement could hold more truth than you’d like to admit, yet I felt more, not less, streamlined when I wore them. I could be jumping to conclusions that the paneling arranged strategically down the legs helped, but I’d like to think that it sucked me in at all the right spots.

The Myth: The compression is just a gimmick.
The Truth: Yes, OK, this statement has more truth than myth to it. Recent studies might dispel previous notions that compression clothing could boost performance—if you’re reading the PubMed ones and not research shared by the companies that sell compression gear. Much of that original research was performed on sedentary and aging adults who wore medical compression gear (cue to recollection of my grandma’s compression socks that she abhorred). But I’m running with the argument that it’s all psychological. It’s like eating the same bowl of oatmeal before a big race because the first and second time you did, you ran fast. And my first run out? I ran fast, even too fast at the start judging by my Garmin readout at mile one of the Turkey Trot. But did I care? Nah. My leg muscles loved it.

The Myth: You can exercise longer and recover faster.
The Truth: Science doesn’t provide a clear-cut answer to this one, as Joe Friel puts it. If you read the recent research, the results aren’t obvious and whittle down to personal preferences. A 2011 study found that “there was no significant difference in 10km times, heart rate or blood lactate levels regardless of the type of stocking worn.” A 2010 study that examined the effects of compression stockings during exercise and recovery found that “post-exercise lactate removal was significantly faster with compression stockings.” Another 2010 study found that “there were no differences in performance or other measures except for muscle soreness which was less after using the compression stockings.

The Myth: You can wear compression gear out in public—with nothing over it.
The Truth: I think Stacy and Clinton from “What Not to Wear” would shudder at the workout gear I wear out on a regular basis, but they wouldn’t be the only ones shaking their heads at compression tights. A triathlete spied two fellow Iron-athletes sporting compression tights, serving as leggings, and flip flops the day after the race. (I wish I could remember who posted it, so I could properly credit he or she, but the comments were priceless). If you’re going to go with compression, think in terms of SPANX—would you really wear those tummy suckers without adding a shirt or pants to cover them up? The comments just aren’t worth it, spoken by a true fool, me, who wore my sleeves to the grocery store, paired with shorts and flip flops. A. I spelled triathlete geek. B. I know I got stares at the store because one of the Trader Joe’s employees now knows me as racer girl.

Targeted support? Uniform pressure to make the muscles work together and not against each other? I could be reading the marketing material that's supposed to entice me to buy these tights, yet I'm hooked anyway. If I feel like I have magic legs when I run--and this coming after a season of sitting still from an injury that stemmed from tight calves in the first place--I'll take it. And if the clock shows a faster split as a result, even better. But maybe that's just my mind telling me to run faster. Guess the true test would be to wear compression tights when I'm skiing and really putting my legs through a workout. After chasing my husband down the mountain all day, and losing every time, I could use some relief for my quads and calves--or a "performance enhancer" to beat him. Just once.

What are your thoughts on compression gear? Have you noticed any differences when you wear it versus when you don't?

Running Gear of the Year: 11 Items to Have from 2011

2012-01-05T10:10:00.003-06:00

Nike's Vapor Flash glows in the dark!

I'm the type of person who forgets to write the new year on her checks and paperwork until February. So being that it's only the first week of January, I'm still in 2011 mode, recapping the past year before moving forward into 2012. One such stop: reading old magazines. I unearthed my December copy of Runner's World and realized I never unfolded the pages to look at the gear gifts by Sarah Bowen Shea (p. 100). And then I wanted to pick out my personal favorites from the last 12 months, the running items that found their way into my closet or wish list, even if they were released long before 2011 and my woman-behind-the-times status only recently caught on. Give me some credit, I had to do it before the latest and greatest for 2012 starts to hit the shelves.

Gear can be so subjective, one man's treasure is another man's trash, but here are the items I either craved or carried in 2011:

Garmin 310XT. It's old news that this Garmin GPS watch is water-resistant enough to endure a triathlon swim, but it's other bells and whistles left my 305 in the dust. The watch vibrates at every mile of a race (so what if it's sometimes short from the satellites) or training run to tell me my pace per mile, the data uploads quickly online (my 305 data seems stuck on the device, never transferring to the computer program), the swim can produce accurate data when you put it on the right setting, which I did...once. And it's less bulky than its predecessor.
Nike+ Sportwatch GPS powered by TomTom. I may have ended up with a doozy of a device--my Sportwatch is currently in transit to Portland to be replaced after customer service was just as perplexed as I was with the data it was recording--but I love it anyway, especially when it does work. It's so easy to operate and starts up by pushing two buttons to highlight my preferred display. And I'd wear it for more than running simply because I love the sleek design. But better yet, I can't lose it as easily as I can my Sport Kit device that plugs into the end of my Nano--that's been MIA for months and I don't even know where to start looking for it.
Nike Vapor Flash Running Jacket. Glows in the dark? Lightweight? Complete with a hood and pockets and it's reversible? Where do I sign up? If I could afford the $350 price tag, I would have added this to my brood months ago, mostly to be seen while commuting on my bike. Hey, I'd rather be blinding than blind-sided. Or as Fleet Feet Cleveland said, "Our joke here at Fleet Feet is that if you are hit by a car wearing this…it was on purpose!"
Moji One. When you're ailing an injury or an ache, this Moji comes to the rescue. Not only does it work better than a bag of peas--if you even have peas in your freezer--but it won't immobilize you while you RICE. You can wrap this Moji tight around your ailing body part--ankles, shins and feet included--and feel that cold compress up close and personal. I'd like to think that helped my swollen, stress fractured shin look better when I was still healing but allowed to run short distances.
Nathan Quick Draw Bottle. Water on-demand, with a spot for my keys when I forget to wear the gear with the key pocket. I might have my hydration timed by the water fountains along the Lakefront, but get me running in Wisconsin and I can't be without this bottle.
Saucony Kinvaras. If I needed to walk anywhere this summer, I was tredding in either these or the Nike+ Frees. They were my first Sauconys that didn't feel uncomfortable underfoot--and apparently they're eye-catching since they sparked a conversation at the grocery store check-out. There's a reason these won multiple gear awards from the likes of Runner's World and Outside.
Brooks Versatile Shorts. I don't wear shorts when I run. Period. That is, until I met this pair in October and we've been best friends ever since. They haven't chafed yet, they're a likeable length and they're a new reminder of an old pair of Target running shorts that I literally wore everywhere until I tore the side, catching it on the car seat. If I had been running instead of skiing on those post-Christmas warm days that fell upon the Windy City, these would have logged some serious miles on the Lakefront.
Mizuno Inspire Graphic Tee. Maybe it's the color. Maybe it's the Japanese characters emblazoned across the front. Maybe it's the super soft material that's cozy on the skin. Whatever the case, I have to stop myself from wearing this T-shirt two days in a row--and that's not even while running.
CW-X Stabilyx Tights. You might look like a stuffed sausage but it's worth it for compression on the run. Acquired just days before Thanksgiving--and what turned out to be my last race of the season--I yanked these suckers on for my Turkey Trot so I didn't sweat through the fleece lined pants I thought I'd have to wear to stay warm. But I liked them so much, and how they made me feel pain-free and cramp-free while running an 8K too fast for my untrained legs, that I didn't want to take them off. I'd like to think that the compression magically made me look like the svelte runner I'm normally not, but I'll pretend that they do.
Craft Zero Extreme Long Sleeve. The ribbing on this mock t-neck baselayer features a special technology to really wick the sweat off the body, per the description Fleet Feet Sports Chicago owner Dave Zimmer detailed at the store's November fashion show. Personally, I was attracted to the longer length, the non-choking neckline and the warmth it would provide on the runs I tend to avoid come cold temperatures.
MiCoach from adidas. You mean I don't have to beg someone to run beside me when I'm dragging? I don't have to hire a coach to push me to the next level? I don't have to look like a running sherpa wrapped in wires between this gadget, my Garmin, my SportBand and my iPod? Yep, that's why adidas's MiCoach, the personal, interactive, wearable coach is just too good. Maybe that means I'll finally run fast again in 2012? I hope so.

What was some of your favorite gear from 2011? What gear was your go-to last year?

Note: the Garmin 310XT and the MiCoach were not new releases in 2011.

Photo provided by Lauren M at Fleet Feet Sports Chicago.

Got Epic? Go Ski Big Sky--For Free!

2012-01-04T22:16:00.001-06:00

Vintage Big Sky (circa Dec. 2002) with its Lone Peak

Remember how last year around this time you were practically swimming in snow there was so much of it at many of the country's resorts that you just couldn't wait to go skiing again and again? I still remember the snow piles taller than the cars that lined the canyon road to Alta. Remember the forecast for a repeat of La Niña for this season's weather patterns? Funny how things work out. Fast forward to the 2011-2012 season and chances are you're doing a snow dance every spare moment in hopes that the fluffy white stuff starts falling--and fast--from the sky before you skip out on that ski day to hike or bike instead.

It's easy to say that the snow is far from plentiful in some parts of the U.S., mainly favorites like California, Colorado and Utah. It's always snowing somewhere, as Warren Miller would say at the end of every one of his movies. Except this year that snow is missing a large chunk of the country. So while California, Colorado and Utah are waiting for their dumps to arrive, Jackson Hole, Grand Targhee, Big Sky and Sun Valley, to name a few more northerly locales, are living it up with some of the best late December/early January skiing they've seen in years. Maybe best is stretching it, but in comparison, it's pretty darn good. Just ask the Salt Lake local we rode the lift with last Thursday--he was taking off for Jackson the following day in search of powder.

Instead of keeping all the snow to itself, Big Sky Resort, just outside of Bozeman, Mont., decided to share its terrain with those searching for powder. The resort is calling the powder hounds of California and Colorado, those who hold Epic Passes, to ski free during the month of January. Yes, you read correctly: gratis, free, for no dough. Big Sky currently boasts the most skiable terrain in the Rockies with 3,381 acres open, 155 named runs, and they're spreading the love.

“Big Sky has about twice the open acreage that Vail and Breckenridge do right now, plus we’ve had some great powder,” said Chad Jones, Big Sky Resort Public Relations Manager, in a story on the Big Sky website. “And with other Epic Pass resorts like Heavenly at under 200 acres, we decided to share the wealth. We’re a skier’s and rider’s mountain, and no one should miss out on good snow just because they live in Colorado or California.”

But with all this skiable terrain comes the promise of something better--even beyond the powder that you're craving. Big Sky doesn't get nearly as crowded as many of those other resorts, which means more turns, more fresh lines and less waiting. The terrain challenges and Lone Peak beckons. The cold never seems as chilly as the thermometer says--I walked to the half-mile to the hot tub wearing flip flops and shorts when it was barely above zero. And with school back in session, you're practically guaranteeing yourself an intimate mountain experience.

The one catch? To ski and ride free, skiers and boarders have to book lodging with Big Sky Central Reservations and ask for the Epic Package--then they can ski free from check-in to check-out. The resort is also extending the Bring a Buddy Coupon to passholders if they have friends on the reservation who don't have the Epic Pass; they will be able to ski for $74 a day, a $10 savings off the ticket window price.

Anyone up for skiing Lone Peak? Me. Or powder? Me. Or in between the trees? Me (as long as they're spaced out). Click here to read more and start planning. And if you want a stowaway in your suitcase, be sure to let me know and I'll leave a moment's notice. I still haven't unpacked from my last excursion.