Preview Trailer: Run To The East

Yesterday I was sent the link to this beautiful trailer for a documentary film entitled Run To The East. The movie documents three Native American high school students living in New Mexico who are using their running abilities as a means of improving their lives by earning a scholarship to college. The film will also explore the impact of running, which has been ingrained in Native American culture for centuries, on the lives of these young men and women, as they struggle to grow up in a challenging environment.

This looks like quite a film, with a great story to tell, and definitely something that will appeal to the runners out there.



Run to the East Trailer from Run to the East on Vimeo.

Belgian Runner Completes 365 Marathons in 365 Days!

Belgian runner Stefaan Engels has put himself into the record books by completing 365 marathons in 365 days, display not only unbelievable stamina but mental toughness as well. According to this story from the Toronto Sun, Engels actually completed 401 marathons in as many days, but 18 of them were on a hand bike, while the rest were on foot. The 365 in 365 mark is his record stretch on foot.

The 49-year old Engels says that he said out to accomplish the feat as a personal challenge for himself, just to see if it could be done. A year later, he now has a heck of a lot of milage under his belt. The quest actually began on January 1st of last year, when he ran his first 26.2 mile route. He went on like that for 17 more days before a foot injury forced him to take a break. Instead of stopping however, he reverted to the hand bike and used it to continue his workouts until his foot was healed and ready to hit the road once again.

After 36 days of covering the marathon distance, Engels told friends and family that he was starting over from scratch, as he wanted to complete the challenge on foot. Many thought he was crazy for going back to the start, but his perseverance and drive paid off, as he finished his 365th marathon in a row a few days back, burning through 20 pairs of running shoes in the process.

With the challenge now finished, Engels says he'll take some time off while he works on a book. He says he won't run again until March, and I'd have to say he's earned a much deserved break. Oh, and for those interested in challenging the new mark for consecutive marathons, consider this. The previous record holder was Japanese runner Akinori Kusuda, who finished 52 in a row back in 2009. Consider that record smashed.

80-Year Old Keeps On Running!

U.K. newspaper The Guardian ran a profile of runner Ajit Singh a few weeks back that should prove inspirational for runners of all ages and dispel the old myth that you may be too old to work out. The 80-year old Singh has been running since he was a child, going five miles to and from school each day. He stuck with the practice as he got older however, and even began competing in long distance runs after he turned 40. He would continue to compete for another 35 years!

Singh's running resume is pretty impressive. He's run the London Marathon 20 times and averaged roughly 2000 miles a year over the 35 years he was competing. That puts him at more than 70,000 miles for his lifetime, which is enough to circumnavigate the planet. Three times! At the age of 80, he still runs three times a week, covering about 5km each time.

The runner, who grew up in Punjab, India but now calls the U.K. home, is also part of a running group called the Sikhs in the City that was started about 10 years ago. The group is full of older runners, their founder is now 99, and when they recently competed in a relay race in Edinburgh, where their combined ages was 340 years.

Singh has this advice for those starting to run:

"Mental motivation is vital. You need to eat a simple diet in moderation, and you need to train regularly. Consistency is crucial. If you decide to start running, you need to stick at it. If you're patient, it will be extremely rewarding."

 Seems like great advice to me. This guy is kind of my hero. I hope when I reach his age I'm still running and covering as much territory. It is a great way to stay healthy and fit, although getting over the initial hurdle of getting started can be a bit daunting. Stick with it though, and you'll not only learn to love it, you'll find good health for many years.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go buy a new pair of running shoes. Again!

Thanks to Jorge Brake for sharing this cool story.

Atacama Extreme: Ray Will Challenge The Desert Alone

As I mentioned earlier in the week, the Atacama Extreme expedition is scheduled to get underway tomorrow and was to have feature Ray Zahab and partner Kevin Vallely running the length of the Atacama Desert in Chile, north to south. But a last minute change in plans now has Ray taking on the desert solo.

According to this story from ExWeb, Kevin was forced to pull out of the run after his father became sick just days before the team was to set off for Chile. ExWeb quotes an e-mail from Ray that says “I will now be running alone! Unfortunately Kev's dad has taken ill, and as an awesome son would, Kev is staying with his Dad. The absolute right decision. Family comes first.”

This now puts more stress on Ray, at least on a psychological level. Without a doubt, he is up to running the desert from a physical stand point, as he is an amazing endurance athlete. But spending days on end by yourself, running an average of 70km (43 miles) per day, through the driest place on Earth, will take its toll on a guy.

All of this adds another dimension to what was already a very big challenge. Expect updates to begin as soon as tomorrow, as the run officially gets underway. It should be quite the adventure to follow.

impossible2Possible Team Prepares To Run Atacama Desert

Adventure endurance athletes Ray Zahab and Kevin Vallely are in the final stages of preparing for their next expedition, and will soon be setting out for one of the most extreme environments on the planet. The duo have already traveled on foot to the South Pole and set a speed record for crossing Lake Baikal in winter, but now have turned their attention away from frozen climes to take on a completely different challenge. Beginning next week, the impossible2Possible ambassadors will begin an 1100km (683 mile) run along the length of Chile's Atacama Desert.

The plan is for Ray and Kevin to arrive in Chile on Thursday, January 20th and begin the expedition the following day. They'll start in the northern region of desert and head south, taking a light and fast approach to the run, which will follow some of the same footpaths that ancient Inca messengers used centuries ago. They hope to average about 70km (43 miles) per day across the length of the journey, which is expected to wrap up in the first week of February.

Described as the driest place on the planet, the Atacama Desert sits in the rain shadow of the Andes Mountains and the Chilean Coastal Range. Those two mountain ranges act as walls, preventing storms from passing through and delivering moisture to the region. As a result, there are portions of the desert that have not seen any measurable amount of rain in recorded history.

As is usual with any i2P expedition, this will also be an educational experience. More than 16,000 students, in classrooms around the globe, have signed up to follow along and to learn  more about the environment that Ray and Kevin will be running through. The impossible2Possible mission has always been to educate and inspire through adventure, and they have been doing an excellent job in that department for several years now, sending teams to far flung places like Tunisia and the Amazon as well. This Atacama Extreme expedition seems poised to continue that legacy.

Good luck to both Kevin and Ray as they set out next week. Looks like it's going to be another grand adventure!

The Antarctic Ice Marathon and 100km Ultra Race

In my Antarctic update that I posted earlier today I briefly mentioned that the 2010 Antarctic Ice Marathon took place today way down south on the frozen continent. Reportedly there were 40 competitors from 19 different countries taking part in the event, which saw them running a full 26.2 miles near the Union Glacier base. In preparation for the run, large trucks smoothed out a course, and competitors ran two laps on that course, which was mostly made up of hard packed snow.

The official website for the race has posted the results with Bernardo Fonseca of Brazil claiming the overall win with a time of 4 hours, 20 minutes, 31 seconds. Marc de Keyser of Belgium was second in the men's category, four minutes back, and Steve Hibbs of the U.S. was third, 26 minutes off the pace. In the Women's group the win went to Clare Apps of the UK, with a time of 4 hours, 47 minutes and 37 seconds. Catherine Due of Denmark was second at 5:34:38 and American Sarah Oliphant was third, crossing the finish line with a time of 6:32:48.

The fun isn't over just yet however, as tomorrow will be the 100km (62.1 mile) Ultra-marathon, which has a smaller field of competitors who are willing to endure the Antarctic cold for hours on end, just to run an ultra on that continent. As the race website says, this opens up the opportunity for a "Seven Continents Club" of ultra-runners who have completed an epic race on every continent.

Seems like a great event for cold weather competitors. Not sure I'd like to go all the way down south just to run a marathon, let alone an ultra, but seems like as good an excuse as any to visit Antarctica. But really, I don't need an excuse. I just want to go. :)

The Greatest Adventure Hoaxes Of All Time

The Outside Blog has a great entry today that takes a look at the Top 5 Adventure Hoaxes of All Time. The entry was written by Erin Beresini, who says she was inspired by Christian Stangl's fake summit of K2 from earlier this year. While Christian did come clean on his own, the perpetrators of these fakes weren't so forthcoming.

The list includes the great Mountain McKinley hoax of 1906, during which Frederick Cook claimed he, and fellow climber Ed Barrill summitted the mountain for the first time. Also making the list was Rosie Ruiz's Boston Marathon win and Jennifer Figge's false claims of swimming across the Atlantic Ocean. Rounding out the list are Cesare Maestri's claims of climbing Cerro Torre in Patagonia and Donal Crowhurst's attempt to win a round the world sailing race back in in 1968 that ended in his own death.

To get the true gist of the stories, you'll have to read the full post, but my short summary above gives you the big picture. Is Outside missing any other big ones? What would you add to the list?

Hood To Coast Movie Comes 1-11-11

Way back in August I wrote about the Hood To Coast Relay, which is a race that begins 6000 feet up Mt. Hood in Oregon and runs 197-miles to the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Each year, 12,000 participants take part in the event, which is billed as "the World's Largest Relay Race."

At the time that I posted on the run, I noted that a film was in the works as well. That film is now nearing completion and is set to make it's debut on 1-11-11 (January 11, 2011). You can find more about the film at HoodToCoastMovie.com and checkout the great trailer for it below. Looks great!



Hood To Coast Movie Trailer from HoodToCoastMovie on Vimeo.

Sahara Race Gets Underway On Sunday

It's a big weekend for endurance sports it seems, as not only do we have the start of the Furnace Creek 508 tomorrow and the AR World Championships on Sunday, but Racing The Planet's Sahara Race gets underway as well. The week long ultramarathon will begin on Sunday in Egypt, where approximately 160 ultra-runners, from 36 different countries, will hit the trail.

The Sahara Race is the third race in the 4 Deserts challenge this year, with the first two taking part in the Gobi and Atacama Deserts. Racers will cover more than 155 miles in just seven days, while battling the extreme heat and dry conditions of the legendary Sahara, before crossing the finish line in the shadow of the Great Pyramids at Giza on Saturday, October 9th.

One of the highlights in this year's race is the location. The teams will be racing through the Valley of the Whales, a World Heritage Site that was once a vast, shallow ocean that is now the home to what is blieved to be the remains of hundreds of fossilized whales, with legs, that perished there 40 million years ago.

The race is spread out over six stages, most of which are roughly 25 miles in length. The fifth stage will be the most demanding, as it stretches out to 56 miles in length, with competitors running well into the night. Because this is a stage race, the cumulative times for the runners will be tabulated, with the runner with the least time claiming the overall victory.

For fans of endurance racing, this weekend will be loaded. Between cycling, long distance running, and adventure racing, there should be something to fill what ever need you have.

Pole to Pole: Ultra-athlete Running From North to South Pole

Australian ultrarunner Pat Farmer revealed an expedition of absolutely epic proportions yesterday when he announced that he'll be running from the North Pole to the South Pole in 2011. The journey will get underway in March at the North Pole and will end 11-months later when he reaches the South Pole, 13,000 miles away.

According to this article, Farmer will begin at 90ºN and head south into Canada, then proceed down the West Coast of the U.S. and into Mexico, before continuing through Central and South America. Eventually, he'll end up in Ushuaia, Argentina, where he'll be airlifted to Patriot Hills on the Antarctic continent, where he'll then complete the last leg of the journey, ending at 90ºS. When he's finished, the Aussie will have run through 14 countries and three continents. He estimates he'll wear through 40 pairs of shoes and 300 pairs of socks in the process.

As if the goal of running from one pole to another wasn't grand enough, Farmer has even loftier designs for his run. He hopes to raise $100 million for the Red Cross along the way to aid efforts for clean water and sanitation programs around the world. He also intends to address the United Nations after he has completed his mission as well.

You can read more about the journey and follow along with Pat on his website, which as of this writing is down for maintenance and updates. I'm sure it'll have all kinds of info once it is up and running properly however.

Trans-Kalahari Adventure Run Update: 2/3 Done!

The Trans-Kalahari Adventure Run began back on August 14th, with Jukka Viljanen, Kirsi Montonen, and Greg Maud all hitting the trail to raise funds for Cheetah Conservation Botswana. The plan is to run 1000km (620 miles) across the Kalahari Desert, which they estimated would take about 20 days to complete. Now, two weeks into their adventure, it seems that they are on pace to finish as expected.

In the latest updates to their blog, the team says that they should complete the first two-thirds of their journey today. They also remark that the past few days have been spent in a very sandy section of the route, and with the winds picking up, it has made for a challenging slog. Most of the route has been along dirt jeep roads and a game trails thus far, so these conditions were expected, although that doesn't make them any easier to deal with.

They've also been encountering their fair share of wildlife as well, although thus far no big cats. In today's update the note that they have been seeing a lot of lion tracks on the route, but they have remained elusive to date. The team holds out hope that they'll spot a few along the way, but it remains to be seen if that is a good idea or not. If they're anything like my big house cat, they'll pounce on just about anything that is moving.

Despite the absence of lions thus far however, they've still had to keep their eyes peeled for other nasty critters. A few days back they ran into no less than eight puff adders in a 3km stretch of road, which kept them on their toes to say the least. The venomous snake is one of the most aggressive in Africa and it kills more people there than any other. Being in a remote area of Botswana, and getting bitten, would not be a good thing to say the least.

With their current pace, it appears that the team should be on track to wrap up their run sometime late next week. I would anticipate them finishing on Friday or Saturday, depending on conditions. It appears that they are enjoying their African excursion thus far and the challenge of crossing the Kalahari on foot.

The Hood to Coast Run is Tomorrow

Billing itself as the "Mother of all Relays" the 29th annual Hood to Coast Relay is scheduled to take place tomorrow, with 12,000 runners gathering to take part in the event. The run begins at the Timberline Lodge, located at 6000 feet, on Mt. Hood in the state of Oregon and ends in the town of Seaside on the Pacific Coast, covering 197 miles in the process.

The Outside Blog, who tipped me off to this story, says that for the past 12 years this event has filled it's quota of 12,000 runners on the first day that registration opens, so clearly it is a fun and popular race. The teams will set off from the start line in waves, beginning at 6:30 AM and the last team won't get underway until 6:45 PM. The course is divided into 36 legs, which range in distance from 3.6 to 7.4 miles, and each member of a team is expected to run at least three of the legs. Teams consist of 8 to 12 runners, who will cover the entire course over the two days of the weekend.

Looks like a lot of fun! Check out the trailer for the Hood to Coast movie below.




Hood To Coast Movie Trailer #2 of for Race Website from HoodToCoastMovie on Vimeo.

The Gear Junkie Talks Barefoot Running

In the past few months I've mentioned on more than one occasion that I had jumped into the minimalist/barefoot running craze thanks to my friends over at TravelCountry.com hooking me up with a pair of Bikila shoes from Vibram. Over the past two months, I've been slowly converting over to this style of running, and finding it very refreshing and liberating. I'm currently doing anything under 4 miles in length in my FiveFinger shoes, and anything longer than that I'm still in my traditional running shoes for now.

Today, the Gear Junkie wrote about the barefoot running craze, sharing his thoughts on what he calls one of "the more unexpected recreational trends of our time." As he puts it, shoe companies have spent millions of dollars developing durable, comfortable, and distinct running shoes, and now many of them are reversing the trend and going with the minimalist style. Vibram isn't the only company that is doing this, as Innov-8, Newton, IceBug and more.

GJ admits that he's a convert and I have to agree with his reasoning. He says that for him, the change in stride that you make when you transition to barefoot running results in "a quicker stride cadence, less heel striking, less ankle movement, and a faster pace." While I'm not positive on the faster pace just yet, I will agree with the rest of his statement, and when he goes on to say that he just plain feels lighter on his feet in these minimalist shoes. That is definitely something that I can relate to in the short time that I've been wearing them. I've also said it before, but will reiterate it anyway, my shoes make me feel more connected to the Earth while I'm running. I know that sounds weird, but it's true, and when I run in the rain wearing them, it is a very relaxing experience.

I know that whenever I've mentioned minimalist shoes/running in the past I've received a number of questions and e-mails. While I'm not quite the convert that the Gear Junkie is just yet, I'm happy to answer anything you'd like to know. Drop me a note if you have a question.

Trans-Kalahari Adventure Run Begins Tomorrow!

Way back in June I told you about the plans of three friends to run across the Kalahari Desert. They planned to cover 1000km (620 miles) through some of the most remote, and challenging, wilderness in all of Africa in hopes of raising funds and awareness for Cheetah Conservation Botswana. This endurance expedition has been dubbed the Trans-Kalahari Adventure Run, and it set to get underway tomorrow.

The three runners include Jukka Viljanen, Kirsi Montonen, and Greg Maud, who intend to run approximately 50km (31 miles) per day on back roads, jeep paths, and game trails. The route will take them through some very rugged areas where wild animals still wander free and rule the landscape. For that reason, they'll have a support staff and vehicles close at hand as they go.

The team should already be in Botswana, and they intend to post blog updates every day, keeping us up to date on their progress. If everything goes as planned, they'll complete the journey in roughly 20 days. To get a closer look at the intended route, click here.

I want to wish Jukka, Kirsi and Greg good luck on their adventure. Running more than a marathon every day for three weeks would be tough enough under ideal conditions. Doing it in the Kalahari will certainly test their stamina and will power.

Travel Country Blog Reviews New Vibram FiveFingers Treksports

From my recent forays into barefoot/minimalist running, I know that there is a lot of interest out there amongst readers on the Vibram FiveFinger "shoes" and the barefoot running craze in general. I've had my pair of Bikila's for a couple of months now, and already Vibram is shipping new designs, most notably the new Treksports, which are designed for use on trails. The Travel Country Blog recently got their hands on a pair of these new shoes, and have posted their review.

In the review we learn that the new Treksports combine some of the best elements of previous FiveFingers shoes, namely the KSO’s, KSO Treks, and same Bikilas that I've been running in. The results, we're told, are a more versatile shoe that can be used for trail running, trekking, water sports, and more. And in even better news, the Treksports also combine 4mm of EVA foam in the midsole with another 4mm Vibram Performance Rubber Outsole to make this the most well padded FiveFinger shoe ever. Good news for those who are still a bit tentative about jumping into the minimalist running arena.

I'll let you read the rest of the review, but I can tell you that it is a positive one. These new shoes seem to be evolving the design in a new and logical way, that is offering a more comfortable and protective shoe for those who are looking to dump the standard running shoes, and style, that we've all become accustomed to.

As for my own progress in running with the FiveFingers, I can say that I am continuing to enjoy it more and more each time. My milage has continued to increase at a slow, but steady, pace. I'm up to 3-3.5 miles on the days that I run "barefoot", and for the most part it feels really good. I have, however, developed a bit of sore ankle, but I'm unsure if it is related to these shoes or some other activity. Most days I'm still running 5-6+ miles in regular running shoes, and I'm mixing in road and mountain biking a couple of times a week as well, so I've been staying plenty busy. It is tough to say where I caused the minor injury, but it seems to be exasperated someone by barefoot running. For now, I'm taking it fairly easy on the ankle when I can, but as a testament to how much I enjoy this style of running, I haven't stopped and I'm always looking forward to the next day that I run in my FiveFingers.

Gear Junkie Checks Out Vibram's 2011 FiveFinger Line-Up

Over the past few weeks I've made a couple of posts regarding my foray into the world of barefoot running, and so far I have nothing but success to report. I find that it is becoming far more natural the more I go out with my Vibram FiveFingers Bikila on. My mileage has slowly begun to increase, the last run I did was two miles in length (following a 15 mile bike ride), and I'm already itching to go further.

The couple of times that I've posted on barefoot running has spawned some comments and e-mails with readers asking questions about the non-shoes that I wear. Vibram has done a great job of designing very lightweight shoes that are comfortable to wear, and yes, even kind of fun. They look a little strange, but it definitely gets the attention of others when you're out for a jog. They also must be doing something right, as the local REI store told me they can't keep them in stock, and my Backwoods store said that they were the best selling item that they had right now.

If you're considering a pair for yourself, you may want to take a look at the Gear Junkie's sneak peek into what Vibram has planned for their 2011 version of the shoes. He has some images posted of the redesigned Bikila LS, which now uses a speed lacing system to tighten up as opposed to the velcro straps on my pair. There is also a new pair designed for "fitness" what ever that means, called the Komodo, and another pair for "fashion" for those that just want to kick around town in you FiveFingers. (Which begs the question. Are these the next Crocs? Let's hope not!) The Gear Junkie even says that there are kids versions in the works too, but offers little other information at this time.

It's hard to tell yet if the barefoot running craze is here to stay or if it just a fad. I can say that I'm very much enjoying it so far, and can't wait until I can do further distances in my shoes. I got my pair from TravelCountry.com, who features them on their front page and has good prices on the entire line of FiveFingers.

Barefoot Running Update: So Far, So Good!

A few weeks back mentioned that I had joined the barefoot running craze by trying out a pair of FiveFinger Bikilas from Vibram. At the time, I had only made one run with them, but I was already anxious to try them out further, and I heard from a number of you that you were interested in barefoot running as well, and that you wanted to hear an occasional update on my progress.
So, after two weeks and a number of other runs, I can honestly say that I'm really enjoying the experience so far. In fact, it is going better than I had expected, although I have to admit that it is difficult to keep my milage down while I get use to running with the FiveFingers. My typical workouts are 5-6 miles in length, with longer runs coming on the weekend when I have more time, and I was advised to take it slow with the barefoot approach, building up distance over some time.

For now, I've been continuing to run in the 1-1.5 mile range while I slowly adjust. In order to run with these types of "shoes" you need to adjust your running style a bit, shifting your pacing so that you take shorter strides and landing more on the front of your foot than the heel. Until that becomes fully natural, I'm making sure I don't run too far, too quickly.

One of the few issues I have had with running barefoot is that, for now anyways, I'm thinking too much about my stride when I run. That has caused those runs to not feel quite as natural. But usually, about halfway through the run, I stop worrying about it and fall into rhythm just fine. I'm sure this will become less of an issue over time as well.

Surprisingly enough, aside from having a couple of tight hamstrings after the first run, I've also had no injuries from barefoot running. In fact, when I get home from a run, my feet and legs don't feel any worse for wear than when I'm wearing my regular running shoes. That has encouraged me to up my milage just a bit, and I think I'll be covering 1.5-2 miles per run this week.

I did have a particularly sublime experience barefoot running this past week however, and it was one of those points where you really start to see why people enjoy this so much. In my previous post, I noted that even after one run, I felt more connected to the road, and that has continued to be the case since then. It's one of those things that is difficult to put into words and best experienced for yourself, but this past week I went for a run in the rain, and it was an amazing experience to say the least. Splashing through puddles while the warm summer rain fell all around me was fantastic, and definitely something I recommend you try should you pick up your own pair of FiveFingers.

Speaking of which, I've had two friends also join me in trying barefoot experience, and while they're still getting up to speed as well, they are reporting good things so far too. I'll continue to post periodic updates as I progress, but if you have any questions, be sure to drop me a note. I'm happy to answer them and share my thoughts. :)

75-Year Old Running For A Cause At The Badwater Ultra

Next Monday marks the start of the 2010 Badwater Ultramarathon, and iconic race amongst the endurance crowd. The 135 mile route runs from the heart of Death Valley, one of the hottest places on the planet, up to the Portals on Mt. Whitney, gaining 8580 feet in the process.

This is one of the toughest footraces on the planet, and the athletes will run for hours on end to cover the distances. It is a grueling test of endurance to be sure, and even the best ultra runners, at the top of their game, struggle through the event. But a 75-year old British man will attempt to make the run, while raising funds for Cerebral Palsy Care in his home town of Kent. 

Jack Denness, lovingly nicknamed Death Valley Jack, is no stranger to the Badwater. He has run the race on 11 other occasions, but at 75 he would become the oldest athlete to ever compete in the event. He is expecting to take roughly 50 hours to finish the course, while dealing with temperatures that could hit as high as 130ºF (54ºC) along the way. 

As I mentioned, Jack is raising money for the CPC in Kent, and his sponsor, Seven Seas Cod Liver Oil, has committed itself to donating money to that cause based on the number of fans that Jack gets on his Facebook page. If we can get Jack to 5000 fans, the company will donate £3000 to the cause. As of this writing, he is sitting at 1859 people, so we've still got some work to do. You can also donate directly to the cause on his Just Giving page, found here. 

The Badwater won't be Jack's only endurance event of the year. He's also committed to running in Racing The Planet's Sahara Race, taking place in October as well. That's a week long, six stage event that is quite the challenge in it's own right.

I hope when I'm 75 I can still walk to the mailbox and back without getting out of breath. Good luck to Jack at the Badwater next week!

Gear Box: Tech4o Accelerator Watch

One of my favorite training tools for running is the Nike+. (See review here) It is a nice piece of kit that interfaces nicely with your iPod and helps to keep track of your distance, time, and calories burned. The system uses a sensor in, or on, your shoe and a receiver on your iPod to collect the data. Now, Tech4o brings similar technology to their Accelerator watch, delivering a great training tool for runners who like to keep tabs on their distances and progress.

The watch has a built in accelerometer and puts it to good use measuring your pace, whether walking or running. Much like the Nike+, to get the most out of your Accelerator watch you'll want to calibrate it before using it. That means you'll want to make a trial run over a known distance, allowing the watch to measure your strides and automatically customize itself for your running (or walking) style. Once calibrated, the watch is quite accurate, and does an excellent job of keeping track of your distance, even if you vary your pace and stride.

The built in accelerometer offers similar performance to the Nike+ without the need of the external sensor. But it did take me several calibration runs to get it tuned just right. Once it was calibrated however, it was pinpoint accurate from that time on. Tech4o says that the watch is 95% accurate, but from my testing I'd say it might be even more accurate than that.

The Accelerator has a nice, quick start mode, that guides you through the initial set-up process, including customizing it to your own body time, with such variables as height, weight, and age. This mode makes it very easy to set the date and time from the moment you take it out of the box, but the user interface does take a bit of getting use to when you start using it on a day-to-day basis. While it isn't exactly rocket science to use the Accelerator, the UI is less than intuitive until you train yourself to the system.

In addition to these great fitness features, the watch has all the usual watch features, such as a chronograph, countdown timer, duel timezone, alarms, and so on. This makes the Accelerator not only the perfect workout companion, but a great travel companion too. It's even useful on the trail for keeping track of your distance hiked too.

I've been using this watch for the past couple of weeks, and already find that it has become part of my workout gear. It is lightweight, comfortable to wear, and looks good too. It also happens to be kind of fun to glance down at  your wrist and see your progress for your daily run as well. For now, the Nike+ is staying at home. (MSRP: $69.99 - A bargain for a good workout watch!)

Barefoot Running: I've Joined The Pack!

I've mentioned here before that I am an avid runner. I run nearly every day of the week, and when I force myself to take a "rest day", I generally feel like an underachieving slug. But my personal mental instabilities aside, I find going for a run helps to reduce stress, keeps me fit, and is good training for other activities.

Over the past year or so, I've been reading a lot about barefoot running, and the benefits that it delivers. I've seen converts to the style raving about how much they enjoy it, and that it is a more natural approach to the sport. I generally looked at these endorsements with a healthy dose of skepticism, wondering how someone could actually run for any distance like that. Heck, I can barely walk to the mailbox and back on bare feet. I've even checked out the odd looking shoes with toes that Vibram makes, but they did nothing to lessen that hesitancy.

A few days back though, I received a pair of Vibram Bikala FiveFinger shoes courtesy of the fine folks over at TravelCountry.com, and after taking them out of the box and trying them on, I was eager to give this barefoot running thing a go.

It had been explained to me that in order to run barefoot, or in the Vibram FiveFingers, you need to adjust your running style. Modern running shoes are designed to allow us to take longer strides and to land on our heels when we run, but a more natural gait is to take shorter strides and to land on the front of your foot. This allows the body to use its own natural cushioning to protect your feet and legs from the impact of running, and this is the way the human body has been designed to work. I knew for that to happen, I would have to adjust mine on stride, something I was advised to do over time, and to not rush the process.

Last night, I slid into my new non-shoes and prepared to hit the road for my first run. Just getting into the FiveFingers is a bit of a challenge at first, as the toe slots are a bit awkward to negotiate. I imagine this will get easier the more I use them, but for now, I seem to have a penchant for trying to cram two toes into one slot. Once they're on however, the Bikila's are quite comfortable and actually kind of fun to wear. But being fun to wear doesn't mean they are fun to run it.

Heeding the advice that was given to me, I planned a short run for my maiden voyage in this new running style, but it honestly didn't take me long to start to let my preconceived notions start to drop away. After a bit of a slow start, I was soon picking up the pace, and feeling quite good. I had to concentrate a bit too much on my stride, which kind of unnatural at the moment, but other than, I found that I was moving at a good pace, and best of all, not feeling the kind of pain that I thought I might. In fact, it was just the opposite, I was feeling quite good.

In the end, I only ran about 1.25 miles, which is way under my normal mileage which average around five per day. But, that 1.25 miles went well for my first go, and it was over way to quickly. I had to resist the urge to go further just to put the barefoot running style more to the test, as I knew that it was best that I just take it slow and save the longer runs for another day. Near the end though, I did start to get a slight cramp in my right calf, which I suspect is a result of not quite having the natural stride down just yet.

One thing I did notice while running is that you do indeed seem to feel more connected, for lack of a better word, with the ground. Yes, you feel the loose gravel and other items along your route a bit more, but there is also a nice feeling of touching the path, feeling it beneath your feet. It is odd to convey the feeling, but it certainly was a positive change from running in typical shoes.

Today I'm going to revert back to those other shoes however, as I'm scheduled to run 8 miles tonight. But I'll be mixing in regular runs with this barefoot approach, and hopefully slowly building up my time and distances. I'll post updates on my progress here, as I continue down this path. I can tell you that this may not be the style for everyone, but it definitely has me intrigued and excited at the moment.