Watches

I know that I have already touched down on gear and all that fun stuff; but I feel the need to speak one last time about a particular type of gear. Watches come in so many different styles nowadays. There are the fancy ones (not really too great for an active running lifestyle, unless you're James Bond of course), there are the basic athletic watches with the date, time, timer, and alarm, and then there are the TomTom style GPS watches. This is what I'm going to talk about more in depth today. GPS watches are pretty useful all around. They have the time, date, timer, alarm, how far you've run, your current and average pace, your calorie burning, and much more. The new watch that falls under this category is the new Nike+ SportWatch GPS. It is $169 and pretty awesome if I don't say so myself.

(Here's a piture for fun)

This watch does all of the above, plus it can plug into your computer to track your mileage. (as seen here)

It can also be synced with your Nike+ iPod setup for maximum awesomeness. (seen here) Pretty awesome, I know. Have fun running!

The Milk Mile

This one is pretty nasty; so heads up. Okay, so Thompson Valley High School (another school in a nearby city) has an event twice a year at their track called the “Milk Mile”. Already sounds gross, doesn’t it? Every person has to drink a half gallon of whole chocolate milk and run a mile. Sounds easy. No, it isn’t! The rules are as follows: No cheating (Pouring milk out, running 3 laps, etc…), you must keep your carton at the starting line, and you must drink all of your milk before the final lap. Easy rules to follow. So today at 6:45 pm a few friends from the Cross Country team at FCHS and I start the race. A few people start off without drinking any milk, some drink some milk, and then there’s me, I drank it all before I started. I finished the carton as the guys who were finishing their first lap were coming in. I ran and made it about ten steps before I threw up, then another 20 steps, and so on. My first lap was just under 6 minutes (including the milk drinking time). I had already thrown up about a ¼ gallon of chocolate milk at this point. My final time was 9 minutes 7 seconds. I got second on my team by 13 seconds. The top girl ran a 10:18. The top guy ran a 6:17; yes, that’s crazy! 2nd through 6th place ran in the high 7 minutes to high 8 minutes. I got 7th overall, not too bad. This is going to sound ridiculous, but I had a lot of fun with the guys, and the pretty good fan turn out, who were there. I suggest it to any high schoolers (who don’t mind throwing up chocolate milk) in the Ft. Collins, Loveland, Windsor areas to go to this, it’s a fun experience.

Photos

They say a picture is worth a thousand words; so I figured this was all that was needed. Enjoy!

Cross Training. These are just a few ways to stay in great running shape while you are injured and out from running. My personal favorite is cycling, you aren’t staying in one place for two hours but you’re moving around scenery that you enjoy.

Horsetooth. Horsetooth rock is an excellent local Fort Collins spot for runs at any time of day. At the end of the run there is a short climb to the top of Horsetooth rock. Have fun up there!

Trail Runs. These are just some trail running pictures of what I deem great quality runs that I would love to someday go on and complete. If anyone has any pictures of your trail runs that you think are good, email them to me at BErvin1341@gmail.com.

Upcoming Races

You may be wondering when some upcoming races are and where they are. Here is a link to a reliable source with all of the upcoming races in Colorado this coming year (Most races are annual so years to come as well): http://www.runningintheusa.com/race/List.aspx?State=CO. For those of you who are not Coloradans, here’s a link for you to find races every day in your state: http://www.runningintheusa.com/Default.aspx. Now all you distance runners across the country can find a date that works best with your schedule and training plan. My favorite type of race is a simple 5K. This is so the training that I am already used to from school can be carried over to my off-season and used for road races and 5K’s around the area. My two favorite 5K’s in the Fort Collins area are the Nick Seaman 5K at Fossil Ridge’s course (no profits go to FRHS) and the Rat race in Ault. Have fun planning and competing in your local races!

Gear

For every distance runner there is going to be gear to use during or surrounding the run. The most common gear is obviously running shoes, shorts, shirts, and socks. I’ll touch base on these briefly. The gear that not every distance runner needs but will definitely come in handy are watches, beanies, sleeves, gloves, water belts, and energy drinks and food. A good pair of running shoes specialized to the runner is always necessary; your best bet is to go into a store like Runner’s Roost and have an employee size your foot and determine what type of shoe is best for you. Don’t always get the “pretty” looking shoe. Running shorts come in all types, for men, I suggest mid-thigh, light-weight shorts, you can find these at Dick’s Sporting Goods or any other running store. You are going to want a thin, breathable T-shirt or none at all, to run in; you can find this with your new shorts. Socks are a little different; you don’t want to get high socks because they tend to absorb more sweat. I suggest ankle socks that come right above the ankle or the shorter ones with the heel pad so you don’t blister. Although a watch isn’t necessary for running, it is a good thing to have. You can find a good watch with multiple settings at Wal-Mart for as low as $7 or an even nicer one on the Nike website. For winter runs it’s never fun to run with lots of layers on or with none at all. This is why I wear a beanie, gloves, and arm sleeves. They are all thin but they’ll keep you warm. Your legs will stay warm if you’re running. Lastly, energy drinks and foods will always help out. I drink a Gatorade post-workout protein shake and eat a Power Bar after my runs to replenish my energy. These are some helpful hinters to the gear for distance running. Some links for reviews and gear: http://www.runningwarehouse.com/catpage-MRANIKE.html http://www.popsci.com/gadgets/article/2011-06/gear-help-long-distance-runners-get-shape http://www.livestrong.com/running-shoe-reviews/ http://running.about.com/od/shoesapparelandgear/tp/marathontraininggear.htm

State Title #68

On Saturday, May 19, Fort Collins high school boys won the Colorado State Championship Track Meet. This is state title number 68 for the Lambkins and the second state title for the boys distance runners this school year. State title number 67 was awarded to the boys Cross Country team earlier this school year. One of the top performances leading to the track and field state title coming from distance was 18 points coming from Jeff Abbey and Griffin Hay in the 2 mile. Griffin Hay placed first with a time of 9:30.61 scoring 10 points for FCHS ad Jeff Abbey placing second with a time of 9:33.30 scoring 8 points for FCHS. These two runners are both seniors leaving a big legacy for the juniors, sophomores, and freshman of Fort Collins. It will be our goal as a boys cross country team and track team next year to create a legacy that is just as great as this year's. It will be our goal as the incoming seniors to win the state title for ourselves and our school. Go Lambkins!