Phil Zajicek and Chris Baldwin, pro cyclists, at Active at Altitude

May 29th, 2010

Altitude training has long been a part of a pro cyclists training program – no wonder that so many cyclists and triathletes come to Boulder, renowned as an altitude training mecca.  I had been wondering for a while if the rarefied air and higher altitude here in Estes Park would make it an attractive place for pro cyclists as well as recreational bikers that come up here.  During the last few weeks I have had a number of questions answered.

I was thrilled to have an opportunity to help Phil Zajicek of Team Fly V Australia – he was looking for a place to stay and train at altitude in preparation for the Tour of the Gila in New Mexico. Phil was here in Estes Park for 2 weeks prior to the New Mexicao race. He had a great result, finishing 3rd overall. Then Phil and a training partner, Chris Baldwin of United Healthcare Trust Pro Cycling Team had a 1 week block of training here before the Tour of California.  Phil came in 10th overall on the Tour of California, one of only 2 domestic riders not on the Pro Tour to finish in the top 10.  Chris did an excellent job of riding hard to help his team to be the top domestic team behind 3 of the top Pro Tour teams.

I interviewed Phil and Chris before they went to the Tour of California. One of the questions I asked was why choose to  come up to Estes Park when they are both living in Boulder – Phil responded that Estes Park and the surrounding rides around Estes offers “arguably the best cycling in the country”.  In particular, both riders commented on the relaxing atmosphere at Active at Altitude and how that allowed them to focus on their training, with good effect!

I was hugely impressed with the level of focus and commitment of these two riders during their training stint here at Active at Altitude. They worked incredibly hard and deserve everything they achieve with their racing.  We look forward to welcoming  them both back to Active at Altitude. You can see the YouTube interview with Phil and Chris below – hope you enjoy watching!

Phil Zajicek and Chris Baldwin Interview May 2010

Posted in Uncategorized | 16 Comments »

Vasque Transistor FS – shoe review

April 2nd, 2010

One of the challenges I have found with trail running, especially on technical trails, is finding a shoe that is light weight,  protective, yet also has a low profile so that I get to feel the terrain under my feet and can react quickly to changes in surface.  I was excited to have the opportunity recently to try a pair of Vasque Transistor trail shoes – the model I tested was the FS7534.  Never having run in Vasque shoes before, I was intrigued by the description of the construction and that Vasque had created the shoe after listening to feedback from trail runners.

Vasque have used what they call a FootSync Fit System that results in a low profile shoe that eliminates the need for a separate insole. Your foot sits about 5mm lower, and closer to the ground, than in a “conventional” shoe.  A lower and contoured midsole, and a contoured surface outsole, not only brings your foot closer to the ground, it is also designed to increase the amount of proprioceptive feedback that the wearer receives from the trail. As a result of the construction changes, the shoe weighs in at a light 11 ozs, depending on size.  Vasque claim that the light weight and innovative construction have not resulted in any sacrifice in comfort, with upgraded cushioning also built in.

Vasque Transistor FS

Vasque Transistor FS

When the shoes arrived the first thing that stands out is the color. Mine came in super lemon / peat, and they look attractive and racy from the box. Next thing I noticed is the light weight – I could feel as soon as I lifted one from the box that it was marginally lighter than my usual shoe of choice, La Sportive Crosslites.  Initial impression once I tried the shoes on was that you can really feel the “lower profile” construction of the shoe.  Your foot literally feels closer to the ground. The lacing system was a little stiff, probably just first use that will ease up with more runs logged on them. Sizing was fine; I slotted into my usual 10.5 US size and felt very comfortable from the start. The Transistors have a wider toe box than I am used to with the Crosslites – I wondered how this would be as I have had issues with other shoes where my feet have ended up moving laterally inside the shoe and left me with uncomfortable forefoot blisters. The rest of the shoe felt snug and supportive.

First run was on a mix of paved and dirt roads. Initial feel of the shoe was great. Very light and responsive straight from the box.  I was running at an easy pace with a client and had to hold back from pushing on and letting the shoes run free. I deliberately tested whether I would have a problem with movement of the forefoot in the toe box by including lots of lateral bursts to the side of the road – no problems! All my running is through the forefoot – my heel just about touches on landing. The shoes offer excellent forefoot support and cushioning and felt very comfortable even at my initial slow pace.  Grip is excellent as a result of the outsole using rounded edges and tapered lugs to hug the terrain underfoot.  Feet kept dry inside the shoe running through wet snow – the shoes also dried out quickly on the outside once left to dry.  Didn’t have any chance as yet to try out their abaility to keep dust and debris out – given Vasque’s background I wouldn’t imagine this is a problem. Good level of protection offered by the shoe, my feet survived several attempts at bouncing off rocks and kerbs without bruising.

Vasque Transistor FS

Vasque Transistor FS - lateral view

Since then I have worn the shoes on further runs on lower elevation trails and dirt roads.  The shoe is very responsive and eats up the miles without any compromise. I am longing to give them a run out on technical, rocky trails, once the snow melts. I have really enjoyed the opportunities I have had to “dance” in the shoes so far on unstable snow packs and kerbs.  For anyone looking for a lightweight, very responsive trail shoe that looks as good as it runs, this could be the shoe for you.  I’ll keep you updated with my impressions on those technical trails – roll on Spring! Vasque Transistor FS retails at $100.00 a pair.  Find your local retailer at the Vasque website – the shoes are in the shops now! http://www.vasque.com/

Posted in gear / shoes | 18 Comments »

Icespike review – the ultimate non-slip shoe system

March 29th, 2010

Living in Estes Park, CO, near RMNP, is a trail runner’s paradise.  Huge variety of trails over varying terrain with majestic views of the Rocky Mountains.  The only drawback is that once Winter sets in and the snows arrive, running on trails, or even roads at times, can get sketchy. I’d been using YakTrax since coming here – while they work reasonably well, I’d had issues with the rubber base coming off my shoes multiple times, and then the rubber snapping while out on trail. Only answer was to buy another pair! I’d heard of runners using hex screws in the soles of their shoes, but hadn’t been brave enough to give that a try.

Then I heard of a new product called Icespike and thought I would give them a go. They come as a set of 32 specially hardened and shaped screws that last longer than plain hex screws and a tool that makes it easy to insert and remove the screws.  I was excited to fit them to a pair of Mizuno Wave Ascends and try them out.  Fitting was very easy – the Icespike comes with a diagram for suggested layout.  As I am a forefoot striker, I decided to go for 6 screws on each forefoot, and 4 screws on each heel section.  The screws don’t damage the sole – when I made a mistake on location for one screw, removing left just a pinprick! Took about 10 minutes to kit the shoes out.

icespikes fitted to shoes

icespikes fitted to shoes

My first run with the Icepike was on a dirt road that had a mix of compacted snow and ice in places – I have fallen a few times on previous runs where confidence exceeded grip level on an icy turn, and ended up laughing flat on my back! I started out easily just testing how the Icespikes felt. My first impression is that you really don’t notice they’re on your shoes – what I did notice is that instead of that familiar “slipping” feeling under my feet, I now had pretty much all the traction I could use!  The return on this run is mainly downhill – I found my confidence in the traction the Icespikes provided increasing by leaps and bounds – not quite running flat out as on a dry clear dirt road, but pretty close.  I was impressed! It wasn’t until my next run that I had the opportunity to focus on whether my gait was being affected by the Icepsikes – as far as I could tell, nothing was changing – gait and foot-plant was just as usual.  Good news!

Since then I have had many opportunities to use the Icespikes on a variety of different surfaces.  Ice and snow on trails and dirt roads, ice and snow on paved roads, on concrete on trails and pavements -same high level of traction and still with the same comfort from my Mizuno’s! I wondered how the Icespikes would feel on bare concrete and paved roads – no problems! The only difference is a slight crunching noise as the screw heads bite the surface. Of course, running on these surfaces will shorten the life of the Icespikes – the manufacturers reckon they will last for 500 miles – from my own experience I think they’re pretty accurate.

Icespikes fitted to sole

Overall view – a great product. They have made a significant difference to my Winter running here in Colorado. Traction is superior to the alternative strap on products, and I have found Icepsikes to be far completely reliable.  Once Winter is over I plan to remove the Icespikes and return my Wave Ascends to normal use, with plenty of wear still left in the soles! If you run in ice or snow, Icespike comes highly recommended. They are cheaper than the alternatives, and come from a family run business. I think they’re on to a good thing!

See more details at http://icespike.net

icespike logo

icespike logo

Posted in gear / shoes | 13 Comments »

Listening to my body

March 11th, 2010

I would like to think that time has increased my wisdom and understanding of how things work – not always the case though!  Just recently, I reminded myself of how far I have come in terms of listening to my body. In the last week I was aware of a general tightening of my left leg – nothing specific stood out that said, this is your calf talking to you, it was just being aware of the whole leg not functioning as it normally does.  I had raced at Frost Giant in Estes Park, and been 45 secs to a minute slower than I had anticipated, but put that down to some breathing problems I was having – a reaction to pet sitting for friend’s miniature schnauzer with long hair! I tracked back the last few weeks to see if I could find anything that could have been the start of an issue that was now bearing the hallmarks of developing further. Only thing that I could come up with was I had fallen heavily on my left hip on some ice, chasing dogs..I was chasing Hannah who was chasing Timber..I wish someone had had a video camera there that day – it was just like a comedy sketch. Apart from some local bruising, my hip had seemed ok. Just took it easy for few days and then back to normal running routine.  Luckily, I had a previous experience to draw on to guide me.

Back in 2007, I had not been so good at listening to what my body was telling me. I had fallen twice, both times heavily, on a trail run back down from Thunder Lake.  I had not hydrated enough, concentration wandering and bam..hit the deck twice! Next run my left calf seized up, and that was followed by 3 months of struggling to run at all, trotting out only when coaching, and then suffering as a result.  I tried everything I knew, stretches, icing, elevation, compression…nothing touched it. Then I was talking to my friend Heather North, who just happens to be a PT, and described what was happening to me. She asked if she could take a look.  I said yes – a few days later she had me laid out on a massage table, had found the root cause of my issue, corrected the misalignment, and then had me in tears and screaming as she worked on my calves and Achilles.  I remember that pain well – Heather is not a big woman, but boy can she inflict pain when she needs to..and in this case she definitely needed to! My continuing to run when there was clearly something wrong had just led to a series of acute muscle and tendon damage that took 2 treatment visits and 1 follow up to make sure everything was ok.  I was able to start running again soon after the first treatment, and within a couple of weeks felt like I was a runner again! It was glorious… I vowed that I would never let myself get to that same position again.

Fast forward to 2010, and a wiser runner. I wondered if that fall a few weeks back had knocked my hips out of alignment again.  That feeling that something wasn’t right was spot on – I set an appointment with Heather at InMotion Rehabilitation in Boulder.  They are conveniently situated in the heart of Boulder above Boulder Running Company, with plenty of free parking just out back.  Heather asked me what had been happening, and then checked my alignment on the table – sure enough, my hips were out again, and this was definitely what had been causing my issues.

Within 10 minutes Heather had me straightened out, and then went to work on those muscles that had been overworked and tightened as a result of the misalignment.  Heather, and Mark Plaatjes, owner of InMotion, both believe in keeping their clients as active as possible during recovery. They see a number of runners, many of whom could have helped themselves more in terms of recovery if they had come in earlier to be seen – I have been one of those! 3 days after Heather had treated me, I had an awesome run that made it clear that my legs were ready to be working the way they usually do…it felt great and I am thankful to Heather, her expertise, and that she too is a runner. When we’re not running, well…life just isn’t the same!  I am sooo pleased that I listened, and acted.

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Posted in Injury prevention | 7 Comments »

The healing touch of massage

February 28th, 2010

During the last week I have been the lucky recipient of 2 massages, each very different from the other.  Massage is an experience  I had only ever had post marathon previously. Running for charities in the London and New York Marathons, they often had massage as part of the post race recovery area. After the NYC marathon in 1999, the therapist that worked on my legs post race asked me if I’d actually run the race! In a way it was good question – I had been running strongly until mile 15, looking at coming in around 3.15.  At mile 15 my body was hit with something I had never experienced before – cramp through my whole body.  I’d had quad cramps, hamstring cramps, calf cramps..never every muscle including my shoulders and arms! The last 11 miles were a mixture of walking and very slow running. Strangely, by the time I reached the recovery center, my legs, and body, felt great again. When the therapist was working on me my legs felt very relaxed.

So, back to the present. My generous and gorgeous wife, Jacqui, arranged for me to have a session with one of her therapists, Scott at her treatment center in Estes Park, On the River Massage.  Scott practices a form of massage called Thai Therapy Massage. I had heard a little about this form of massage, and went into the session with an open mind.  The session turned out to be completely unlike any massage session I had  experienced before.  Very little “massage” takes place in the way that a traditional massage goes – it is much more about stretching  and exploring the range of movement in your joints and muscles.  The session also contained a couple of surprises – I’ll leave it to you to discover those! This was an amazing experience. My hamstrings are usually pretty tight, a legacy of how much running I do.  The increase in the range of movement in my hamstrings from beginning to end of the session was incredible.  Towards the end of the session I was able to hang with my body and legs bent double while Scott took my body weight. The whole session took place on a large mat in the treatment room – I think we probably used every inch of the mat!

Usually after a massage, especially an hour long treatment, I feel incredibly relaxed and very “soggy” brained..usually good for nothing for a while after. This Thai Yoga Massage session was the first session I had ever experienced where I finished feeling relaxed, yet still sharp and focused mentally.  I was really tempted to go for a run and see how I felt – sadly time didn’t allow.  Scott did an amazing job and his work comes highly recommended.

Then I had a hot stones massage from my wife Jacqui.  If you’ve never had a hot stones massage, try one.  If you like massage, hot stones is a step up from that.  The stones are pre-warmed and very smooth, They glide over your skin while Jacqui puts just the right amount of pressure so that your body feels caressed and worked on at the same time.

On the River Massage have four treatment rooms at their downtown center. The space is beautifully decorated and has a very calming energy. My favorite room has a balcony that looks out onto the Riverwalk in Estes Park – once the ice has melted you can listen to the sounds of the river drifting by as you relax and enjoy your treatment.

Treatment room - On the River Massage, Estes Park Treatment room – On the River Massage, Estes Park
Massge treatment, On the River Massage, Estes Park

Massge treatment, On the River Massage, Estes Park

Balcony, On the River Massage, Estes Park

Balcony, On the River Massage, Estes Park

We also have a treatment room at Active at Altitude as well – great for guests who don’t want to travel down to Estes, and then don’t have to travel back again! The room is suitable for single massages, and is not really suitable for couples massage for example.  We can book massages with Jacqui, or one of her excellent therapists from On the River Massage.

Massage treatmet room, Active at Altitude, Estes Park

Massage treatment room, Active at Altitude, Estes Park

Posted in massage | 4 Comments »

Snowy birthday!

February 23rd, 2010

After the snows of the last few days, this morning dawned cloudy at first, then the glorious blue Colorado skies cleared and the sun came streaming back to warm our souls. After clearing the drive, I decided that the opportunity was too good to miss, and Jax and I went snowshoeing on the trail at the top of Pole Hill Road.   The trail is less than 1/2 mile a mile from our front door, so takes minutes to get there.  The 10 inches of fresh snow looked like icing over the rocks in places as we fitted our shoes into the snowshoes.  This trail doesn’t get used very much, which is a great thing in many ways as it is so peaceful.  There was no breeze, and the birds were singing happily and darting among the trees as we started the climb up to the first summit.

I love the workout that snowshoeing gives – just get into a groove and notice that difference in leg movements compared to running.  You can be very relaxed and still build up body heat quickly so that you’re glowing before long! Our lodge makes a perfect location for snowshoe lodging – we are minutes from this trail network and also 15 minutes drive from Rocky Mountain National Park. We would love to have you come and stay! On the Pole Hill trail you can escape to a different world in a short time, and allow yourself to connect with all that is beautiful around you.  My friend, Damon Leedale-Brown, the top world class squash coach,  called while we were on the first ascent – I know he and Deb and Oliver would have loved to be snowshoeing with us!

Here are some pics we took while out on the trails – enjoy!

Pole hil trail 1 Feb 22 2010

Jax looking warm Feb 22 2010

TC on top trail Feb 22 2010

Snow framed mountains Feb 22 2010

Snowy outline Feb 22 2010

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Posted in Snowshoeing | 2 Comments »

CNN feature and thoughts on barefoot running.

February 14th, 2010

Barefoot running – how sweet the sound! I have just returned from a run wearing my Vibram KSO’s – 12 minutes easy warm up and then 10 x 1 minute on / 1 minute off  on rolling terrain on highway 34 heading towards Rocky Mountain National Park.  Although concrete and tarmac aren’t my favorite surfaces,  they serve a useful purpose allowing me to generate faster leg turnover while the trails are still covered in snow and ice.  Even on this kind of surface the Vibrams feel superb; I love the light weight of the shoes that allows me to move my legs pretty quickly.  On one section I hit 5.15 pace without much effort, just allowing my legs to spin without pushing that hard.  Jacqui ran with me for the warm up and then I shuttled back to pick her up on the recoveries. To me the morning felt perfect – feeling that rush of cool air caressing my face as I picked up speed lets me know I am alive.

I was quoted as a contributor in a recent article on CNN about barefoot running – the feature followed swiftly on from a Harvard study by Daniel E Lieberman and others, that provides “an evidence-based-resource for those interested in the biomechanics of different foot strikes in endurance running and the applications to human endurance running prior to the modern running shoe.”  The CNN feature stated that I didn’t need a Harvard study to tell me what I had known for years.  So true; when I used to run track at the equivalent of high school back in the UK, I ran on cinders in spikes that had thin leather soles. The sole was so thin, I could literally feel the cinders spread under my feet with each foot strike, much like running in the KSO’s now; that feeling excites me even now, over 40 years later. Which brings me to a point that I haven’t seen raised in the discussions on the pros and cons of barefoot running.  Modern running shoes generally insulate us from a complex and highly developed sensory system that not only provides proprioceptive feedback, it also stimulates far more that that – it provides feedback to our spiritual self.

I believe that we are spiritual beings having a human existence.  Our bare feet are part of a sensory system that provide sensory input that enhance our spiritual experience of a situation. Remember the feeling when you get to the beach and can’t wait to kick your shoes off to run barefoot in the sand? The joy, the freedom, the feeling! I remember that – having every part of my feet massaged as I get to feel the roughness, the smoothness, the changes in gradient -  and my natural skeletal system kicks into action, allowing me to respond.  It is intense – not that running around on a beach in shoes isn’t fun; barefoot it’s a whole level above. When I was younger I had some hearing problems, and would often have periods where my hearing was “muffled”; what a joy it was to have the muffled feeling ease away, and be able to hear the rustle of the grass in a field as a vole hurried by, or the cries of birds in distant trees that carried across the countryside.  Running barefoot, or as close as I can get to barefoot, opens up that sensory channel for me that cushioned shoes just can’t hit – I touch the earth, and my spirits soar!

Are running shoes a good thing? For me personally, I prefer to run in light weight, neutral shoes where surfaces mean that I can’t run barefoot or in KSO’s.  I love my La Sportiva Crosslites, and my Mizuno Wave Riders with Icespikes in for trails. For track or road, I love my Adizeros or  Newtons.  In those circumstances, traditional running shoes have an extremely useful role to play.  As the weather warms and the trails clear this year, I will be running more and more of my training in KSO’s (excited to try the new Trek version too) or barefoot.  Is barefoot running for everyone – maybe not, but it’s worth a try.  There is plenty of information out there about how to transition from running in shoes to barefoot running – I started off by barefoot hiking; that seemed to help my feet prepare for the change and toughen up .  I do think that everyone should kick off their shoes and let their feet touch the earth at some time – Native Americans viewed “touching the earth” as important as by touching the soil we can touch the soul of this planet and be at peace within the universe. I know exactly what they mean.

Posted in Barefoot running | 11 Comments »