The Official Fluid Blog

Okay, not totally naked. What we meant was, FLUID promotes naked feet! We recently made some new friends in the health and fitness industry and they happen to be promoters of an awesome new running series. They (Scott and Lauren Jones) call their invention The Naked Foot 5k.

Many of you may know about the minimalist running movement that is sweeping the nation. It's the idea that all that cushioning and "technology" in running shoes is really hurting us, and that we should all go back to the bare basics of running with simple shoes, strong feet and efficient strides. Well, The Naked Foot 5k Series has nothing to do with all that. Instead, "this run is all about having fun and feeling free. Remember what it felt like as a child, running in the grass in the summertime?  Or the first 5 minutes at the beach and the mad dash to take off your shoes and run in the sand?  This is what the Naked Foot 5k is all about."

So with this dream, Scott and Lauren have taken to the road. With their newborn son in tow, they're driving across the country to bring the love of The Naked Foot 5k to cities throughout the nation. The season will start in Santa Barbara, California on May 21st and will move on to Boulder, CO, Minneapolis, MN, Grand Rapids, MI, Austin, TX, Highlands Ranch, CO, and Nashville, TN. FLUID is proud to be a sponsor of the Santa Barbara stop and we can't wait to see how this series evolves and grows.

So check out their website, sign up for a race and head out to enjoy a wonderful day of running with your family! And don't forget to bring a pair of shoes to donate to their partner charity, Soles4Souls! In the meantime stay healthy, run free and Live FLUID!

This past weekend folks in Oxnard, California, spent their Sunday running from a giant Santa! The Santa To The Sea Half Marathon, Relay and 5k once again proved Oxnard to be a great place to be in the month of December. Beautiful weather was the perfect accent to an awesome event. Runners came from far and wide to run from the huge Santa Claus on Ventura Boulevard, through Oxnard's strawberry fields en route to the Pacific Ocean and an awesome finish expo (with plenty of Fluid on hand of course!). 

Fluid was honored to support this event. Mike Barber and the whole Santa To The Sea crew put on another amazing race this year, raising support for not one but two local charities! All runners were asked to bring a new toy to the race to help brighten the holidays for underprivileged kids in Ventura County. And on top of that, proceeds from every entry go to the Santa To The Sea Scholarship Fund set up by Mr. Barber and his crew. Because of this fund which began in 2009, the race has been able to provide scholarships for six students to Oxnard College for the 2010 fall semester!

Fluid is also incredibly proud to partner with Tri Running! Owners Josh Spiker and Brian Smallwood are great guys (and awesome athletes!) who are working tirelessly to bring you the best service through their new triathlon and running store. Based now in Camarillo, California, and these guys were out in force at Santa To The Sea, supporting a great cause, making friends and serving up always needed Fluid! If you're in the Camarillo area after the first of the year, check out this brand new store and say hi to Josh and Brian for us.

If you missed Santa To The Sea this year, don't let it happen again! Check out the links above to learn more about the event, the causes and all the great people involved. Then add it to the calendar for next year!

 
Earlier in the year, Fluid was approached by a representative from Project RideRED. This organization works with top companies in the cycling world to develop products that allow cyclists to show that they care about finding a cure for HIV/AIDS. Most importantly though, they're active in solving the problem, from funding innovative programs that promote AIDS education, to helping those currently living with AIDS, to actively supporting AIDS vaccine development.

Fluid jumped at the opportunity to help and is now honored to be the official recovery drink of Project RideRED. To show our support, we headed out to the 4th annual World AIDS Day Ride this past Sunday. The ride started and ended at Bike Effect in Santa Monica, California, and all riders wore red to show their support of those living with AIDS and their dedication to finding a cure. Members of the Fluid crew rode the course with the group before happily serving up Fluid to everyone at the finish.

The day was filled with good people, beautiful views, and plenty of reflection, not to mention the best recovery drink on the planet! All of us at Fluid look forward to the future of this project and to working with Project RideRED to find a cure. To learn more about Project RideRED and find out how to get involved, take a look at http://www.projectridered.org/.

As the competitive season wraps up for many athletes across the country, things are as busy as ever for the Fluid crew. That's why when we heard about the chance to spend Sunday at beautiful Meridian Vineyards in Paso Robles, California, we jumped at it. And while wine tasting wasn't on the agenda for us this time, ice cold Fluid definitely was!

The race is called the Wine Vine Run, a hilly half marathon and 5k through Meridian's sprawling vineyards. The race began in the early morning light, meandering past ponds full of waterfowl and colorful rows of leafy vines before ending at the tasting room lawn. And while Meridian wine, Firestone beer and free massages were all around, Fluid shed the light of recovery on more than a few tired souls!

Labeled as a premier California destination race, runners came from all over the country and some as far away as Denmark! The race was the perfect healthy addition to an extended stay in the heart of California's Central Coast wine country. And to top it off, all proceeds benefited the local Paso Robles Athletic Department. If you want to check out this race for next year and learn more about the Paso Robles wine region, please go to winevinerun.com for more information.

As most of you may know, another Friday passed us by a few days ago. And for the Fluid Team, Fridays mean one thing: time to hit the road! So we packed up the Fluid Mobiles and headed out from our San Luis Obispo pad in both directions. On our relentless mission to provide wholesome, healthy recovery to the world, we headed up to the Morgan Hill Marathon/Half and down to the Santa Barbara International Marathon/Half. Both events boasted huge turnouts and beautiful courses, as many runners eeked out their last miles of racing before the end of the season. 

The Morgan Hill Marathon & Half ran through the scenic hills east of the Santa Cruz Coastline, while the Santa Barbara International Marathon & Half cruised down the rustic streets and beaches of the “American Riviera.” And for all finishers, Team Fluid made sure that both Fluid and good times were plentiful in both locations! If you were out there with us, you know what we’re talking about! But if you missed the races and you’re interested in great roads to run (or ride) in these areas, we encourage you to check out these courses. And while you’re at it, go ahead and sign up for next year! Go to sbimarathon.com and mhmarathon.com for more information and to learn how to support the multiple charities that are represented by each of these awesome promoters.

This weekend the Fluid office team was out in force at the Laguna Lake Mud Mash in San Luis Obispo, California. This 5k/10k running race was held just a few minutes from our office and there's no way we could have passed it up. The course included running in the lake, sloshing through mud bogs, slithering through reeds, climbing over rope walls and hay bails, jumping in mud pits and battling vikings. Oh, and a guy playing a bagpipe on top of a mountain. Everything about this event was gnarly, epic and fun for everyone. Many families and groups even competed as teams!

Our buddies at All Out Events did a great job with this one in its inaugural running. We have a feeling it'll be a Halloween staple for years to come. And to top it all off, a portion of the proceeds go to San Luis Obispo County's Special Olympics program. As for us, we finished the race as fast as we could and got back to the work we love best: providing Fluid and nutritional education to the masses! A perfect way to spend Halloween if you ask us! So if you're in the area next Halloween, definitely check it out. Or go to www.all-outevents.com to see what else the All Out crew puts on, from a major outdoor rock climbing competition to sprint and 24 hour adventure races.

 

Fall is here and the season never ends!


For more info check out http://www.levisgranfondo.com/.




But if you're a bit further south this weekend, we've got another great event for you.



So head out Saturday for packet pickup and expo, then race on Sunday. And after conquering the mountains, refresh and repair yourself with ice cold Fluid on tap!
Check out http://www.renegaderaceseries.com/ for all the info.



See you outside and active this weekend!

Team Fluid

The Black Butte Triathlon in Chico CA, will have ice cold Fluid at the Finish Line. We are excited to support this inaugural event which will surely grow into a classic! Fun fact: the race has an "80's" competition, where the best dressed "80's" racer will win their weight in Lucero Olive Oil. Fluid Founder Dave Brown will also be racing and out to win the "80's" competition! See you in Chico!



The Cinderella Classic is a fantastic bike tour of the east bay area! With 2 fantastic routes to ride, you can be sure that you will have a wonderful morning of cycling! This event has sold out for many years in a row for a reason, and Fluid is proud to be a vendor at their health expo! See you at the ride!



Wildflower Long Course Bike Elevation, Yes it's That Hard!

Our Final event is very exciting! Fluid will be providing neutral support on the hills of the Wildflower Triathlon course this weekend! Look for the Fluid mobile out on the bike course for water, mechanical issues, and Food! We are honored to be their supporting the Silicon Valley Triathlon Club, and the Los Angeles Chapter of Team 'n Training! Go Team! We hope you can spend a great weekend with us at Lake San Antonio, and we look forward to seeing you out on the road!

Cheers!

Rich, Dave, and all of Team Fluid

Fluid is proud to announce that we earned the "Best of Competitor"  award for the 2ND YEAR IN A ROW!!! A huge thank you to all our fans out there who have made this possible. We look forward to serving you for many years to come!

Best regards,

Rich, Dave, & All of Team Fluid