Miles to go …

In order to be prepared for the upcoming TheRelay 2010, I’m planning to start running in the night. This is my first venture into night running and there are several tips to follow (reflective gear, run against traffic, no dark colors, no headphones, etc). One of the most important one is to wear a headlamp that can show the trail sufficiently ahead and keep you aware of any breaks in the sidewalk, a fallen branch, debris or may be even a loose pet.

As with any product, there are several headlamps available in the market and it’s confusing for a first time buyer. There is Moxie, Petzl, Princeton Tec, Petzl, Black Diamond, Fenix and many others. Fortunately REI.com has a good variety of them and the beauty is that you can visit your local store and try them on. And as always, the staff is very knowledgeable about the product line and don’t suck you into higher end products which may be an overkill for your adventure. And of course, you can compare the products on Amazon.com, read blog reviews, see product reviews from actual customers, read about them at epinions.com, tweet about it and get suggestions.

Some of the criteria to keep in mind while making your pick for a headlamp:

1. Lightweight – It should be lightweight as it’ll be strapped to your head all the time you are running. Any extra weight to your head will be a bothering soon.
2. Good grip – The lamp should fit nicely on your head and not bounce up & down otherwise it’ll be a pain very soon. Personally, I’d hate to run with holding headlamp in my hands instead.
3. Brightness – 35-50 lumens is bright enough for night running as it gives you 9-19 seconds of visibility depending upon your pace from (7 – 10 min/mile). See a more detailed table below.
4. Cost – The headlamps vary from $10 – $500. As with other products, invest wisely depending upon whether this is a one-time gig or you plan to continue this longer term. There are reasonable ones available close to $50.

And then there are several other factors like what kind and how many batteries are required (adds up to total weight), how long before it runs out, Halogen / LED, does it support multiple intensities, waterproof, and rechargeable unit.

Here is a comparison of the short listed headlamps on the features mentioned above:

After reading forums (here, here, here), product reviews (1, 2), 6 5* reviews @ Amazon, talking to friends, tweeting (1, 2, 3, 4) and getting a strong recommendation from the local REI store, I have decided to purchase Petzl Tikka Plus 2.

Black Diamond Sprinter got good reviews on runnersworld.com but there is no point paying additional $40 for the rechargeable unit. I’d rather buy a recharger separately and use it elsewhere as well. Fenix HP10 is similar to Fenix 7, slightly more expensive and no noticeable difference. It’s not worth paying extra money for the lumens that are not required.

Read more about IP waterproof ratings. Basically, IPX-4 provide protection against splashing water and IPX-8 provide protection against continuous immersion beyond 1m.

Here is a table that provides the visibility (in seconds) for a 35m or 50m range headlamp:

Now Amazon has tight restrictions on the usage of pre-paid credit cards and so the payment cannot be split between two of them. All merchants allow such arrangement at least in their physical shop but I guess this is one disadvantage of online shopping.

What headlamp do you use for night running ?

Technorati: running night headlamp petzl fenix therelay gear

Here is a summary of my running logs in 2009:

And a bar chart that shows mileage for each day:

And finally a summary for each quarter:

Quarter	Summary
Jan 1 – Mar 31, 2009
Apr 1 – Jun 30, 2009
Jul 1 – Sep 30, 2009
Oct 1 – Dec 31, 2009

The last quarter was just terrible in terms of number of running days and pace but was a good recovery period as well. However I can certainly feel it in terms of the overall reduced pace. The biggest reasons for missed out running in 2009 were falling sick or traveling with no gym facility in the hotel.

Two goals for 2010:

• Reduce the number of missed days of running – With no upcoming travel plans, this might be a good time to catch up on this goal.
• Increase the overall mileage – This will require more than a few long distance runs and so will try to get them early on.

The charts shown above can be easily generated using using a Rails application or a Wicket application on GlassFish.

Technorati: glassfish running logs 2009

During my overnight stay in Rome 2 days back, the hotel’s wifi network was down and the fitness center was closed for renovation. An old grumpy guy at the front desk, who was humming songs and had absolutely no concept of greeting / smile, checked me in. The "world class buffet" was pretty mediocre with limited selections and was advertised on the incorrect floor. Really ancient, not antique, just old & worn out, faucets in the shower made me wonder.

But anyway, the good thing was that the stairs to the 7th floor were outside the hotel so I got a good workout by climbing them 5 times.

And of course, I created my running course around the hotel. Please click on the interactive map below:

Running 15 of these loops gave me somewhat hill repeats because of the elevation involved.

Technorati: running rome

12 runners run 200 miles in 36 segments (each in varying length of 3 to 8.9 miles) through 36 cities (Calistoga to Santa Cruz) on a moonlight weekend Ultimate combination of cooperation, teamwork, endurance, and strategy to meet the goal.

TheRelay is a 200 mile, 12-member team run from Calistoga to Santa Cruz. The race is organized under full moonlight and is scheduled for May 1-2, 2010. The registration is already open and closes Mar 1, 2010.

The race is divided into 3 leg groups as explained here with each group consisting of 12 different legs. For competitive teams (desiring to be recognized as 1st, 2nd or 3rd winners), each runner must run every 12th leg. For non-competitive teams, it is not required but recommended for logistical purposes.

The start times are 7am – 5pm at Calistoga Beverage Company and calculated using the runners’ pace. The finish time is 10am – 8pm at the Santa Cruz Beach. Your team is penalized (even disqualified) and featured in "Sandbaggers Hall of Shame" if you finish more than 2 hours ahead of predicted time. So accurate timing of each member of your race team is essential. Read The Rules for more details.

Each team must provide 2 vehicles that are used to transport the runners. Van 1 carry (Active) runners 1-6 and required at the start point. Van 2 (Passive) carry runners 7-12 and is required at the first exchange point at the end of leg 6. The complete logistics of how runners exchange batons, how to take shower / eat / rest / play between your legs and other similar details are described in the Survival Strategies. The vans also must carry all supplies as there are aid stations during the course.

Each team must (if any runner lives within 50 miles of the course) provide two volunteers that sign up for a 5 hours shift on the course.

Here is the complete course map:

More details on the course (including elevation) are available here.

Each team must mail one non-refundable check of $960 ($80/runner) by Mar 1 and must raise $600 ($50/runner) for Organs ‘R’ Us.

Here are some more questions:

• For a non-competitive team, can the team captain pick & choose the legs for each runner based upon their skill ?
  • Could it be a logistics mess ?
  • What if some variance is introduced between Runner 1-6 and 7-12 ?
• Can the number of individual runners be less than 12 ? For example, one individual represents more than one runner.
• What is the difference between Open, Submasters and Masters division ?

I may be forming a team to participate in this "California’s Longest Party" and 2 runners have already approached me. Are you interested ?

Do you have it in you to complete this adventure ?

Miles to go …

Technorati: therelay running endurance

Biking is a great way to cross-train for runners, it helps endurance and builds strength. And it also gives much needed break to your legs and knees

Here is the route I covered this morning biking approx 18.5 miles in San Jose/Cupertino/Saratoga neighborhood:

Click on the map for more details.

And here is the elevation map:

And this had to end with a 3 mile run, on a treadmill though.

With a total of 329 miles covered this quarter, there is 60 more miles to go in the next couple of weeks to meet 400 miles goal.

How do you cross-train for running ?

Technorati: biking running crosstrain