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!

Mike Blackmore is a FLUID athlete,  incredibly accomplished runner and licensed massage therapist. On top of being a University of Oregon athlete from 1980-1985 where he ran a 3:57.46 mile and a 13:37.76 5000m, he continues to stay healthy and compete at the national level. For example, last year Mike was crowned U.S. National Cross Country Champion in the 45-49 age group. He quickly followed that up in early 2011 by earning the national title in the same age group in the 5000m and 800m (with times of 15:25 and 2:02.12, respectively). Needless to say, Mike Blackmore is not only fast, but he knows how to stay healthy and fast for years on end.

Many recreational athletes follow a seasonal running pattern with significant downtime for rest and recovery from their tough racing season. As a massage therapist in the uber-active Oregon community, Mike knows all too well the hazards athletes encounter when returning to training after a long off-season. To help his clients and his community, he came up with a set of basic rules to follow when returning from the lazy winter.

Here's what Mike has to say:

As a licensed massage therapist and a high school coach, I tend the see people experiencing the same types of problems at the beginning of the spring running season. Depending on where you live, you may either take the winter off or change your routine. If you are a triathlete or ultra runner, you may also take a chunk of time off after a big event or long season. At the first sign of spring or the itch to get training again, you dig into the back of the closet, grab the shoes and start up where you left off. Ten days later, everything hurts and the massage therapist gets that phone call.

Two things may be happening. The first is how far and how fast those first bunch of training runs were. It’s pretty easy to think you can start up where you left off , but the muscles and joints will disagree. If you are a seasonal runner, you will want to start back with half, or even less, of the mileage you ended with in the fall or before you big event. Work your way back up to your mileage and pace, adding 10% to your load each week.

The other mistake I see is people wearing last fall’s running shoes when they start back up in the spring. If your shoes are worn out, they will let you know. When my clients and athletes complain about lower leg pain (“shin splints”) or IT band problems, I ask them how old their shoes are. About half the time, they are wearing shoes that no longer offer the support they did when they were new. The pain usually disappears 4-5 days after the shoes are replaced. Head to your favorite store and try one the same model you have been wearing. If you notice a difference in support, it’s probably time for a new pair.

Ease back into mileage when returning to your running and check your shoes to make sure they will get you where you want to go without causing you unnecessary pain. I’ll see you at the track!

Mike Blackmore LMT

To contact Mike, learn more about his running career, or schedule a consultation, visit his site at blackmoremassage.com and email him at mike@blackmoremassage.com

There's a certain group of diehards who live in the desert. They like to ride bicycles and they're pretty darn good at it. They're also very good at finding dedicated, aspiring individuals who are just entering the sport, and training them to be the best they can be. The folks I'm referring to make up Team Fluid Las Vegas, a developmental cycling team based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. Their mission is "to develop club level cyclists into skilled racers through an environment of encouragement, coaching, and ethical participation in sport." That mission is exactly why we're so proud to be their title sponsor. Too often do we hear stories of compromised integrity in the world of sports, whether it be for money, glory or both. So Fluid has made it a point to be involved with organizations who lead the way in ethical sporting and competition. However, being a Fluid athlete or team doesn't just mean you're a good person. It also means you're good at what you do, that you're an inspiring athlete. And according to their race results, Team Fluid Las Vegas has had no trouble keeping up that classification. They travel often, so if you see their kits out on the road, take notice that those folks in blue and orange are pedaling their hearts out to be the fastest riders with the most class the sport of cycling has to offer.

Thank you for all you do, Team Fluid Las Vegas!

And cheers of health and fitness to everyone!
-Team Fluid

P.S.-Click this link to find out more about Team Fluid Las Vegas via their Facebook page, and let them know you're a fan!

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!

 Hey Fluid Fans!

Welcome to the second installment of Fluid's Coach's Corner. This week we brought in Josh Spiker, a Fluid sponsored athlete, running coach and professional runner. In this "Corner" he gives all you aspiring runners a glimpse into one his training weeks. This training snapshot is a great example of what the professionals do in regards to recovery and intensity.

Josh is an avid Fluid user and owned and managed Inside Track Running & Triathlon Company for 3 years before selling it back in February. While owning and managing the store, Josh ran a 2:24:56 marathon at Carlsbad in January of 2009 and in May decided to give Chicago a dedicated 5-month training block and see how fast he could go. After averaging 40 - 60 miles a week for 4 years Josh is now averaging between 80 and 105.

We wanted to provide you a glimpse into the training of an elite runner and hope you may take something beneficial away from it. We do not recommend you try any of the actual workouts as this week is based on a few months of progression (and 20 years of running) that has allowed Josh to complete a week like this. One important lesson to take away from this training week is that the long runs are significantly slower than goal marathon pace (5:10 pace.) His long runs are typically 50 - 75 seconds slower than marathon race pace and that's for a 5:10 race pace. Another important note is he only has 2 days where he runs at goal marathon pace or faster meaning there are plenty of easy days.

Monday

                AM: 10 mile recovery run with Brian Ball in Mammoth primarily on trails. Yesterday ran a 20-miler (at 9000 feet elevation) and needed a really easy run.

Tuesday

                AM: 7 1/2 miles easy plus 8 x 20 second strides. On the roads back in Ventura (drove back yesterday).

                PM: 5 mile Recovery Run on grass and trails at Arroyo Verde Park.

Wednesday

                AM: 8 mile fatigue run on the roads finishing at track: 2 miles easy (6:35), 2 miles medium (5:54). 2 miles hard (5:09), 2 miles easy (6:40). 5 minutes rest to change into racing flats at the track. 3 x 1600 meters in 4:44, 4:43, 4:42 on with 2 minutes recovery. 2 miles easy for cooldown. (13 miles total). FLUID directly after workout. Wore 2XU compression tights all day after workout.

                PM: 3 miles easy on dirt.

Thursday

                AM: 16 miles easy (6:25) on trails at Sycamore Canyon. Jen kept me company on bike and gave me Gatorade Endurance. FLUID directly after workout.

Friday

                AM: 7 1/2 miles easy on roads + 8 x 20 second strides.

                PM: 5 miles easy on grass and trails at Arroyo Verde Park.

Saturday

                AM: 3 miles easy warm-up. 4 Strides. 8 mile tempo on Rincon Highway (roads) at 5:07 pace. 3 miles easy cooldown. FLUID directly after workout. Wore 2XU compression tights all day after workout.

Sunday

                AM: 24 miles at Sycamore Canyon on trails at 6:00 pace average with last 5 miles sub 5:40. FLUID directly after workout. Wore 2XU compression tights all day after workout.

Total Weekly Mileage: 106

To learn more about Josh, what he has to say and how to contact him, visit www.joshspiker.com.

 
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/.

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.

 

Welcome to a brand new offering by Fluid and friends!

Coach's Corner is a new line of blog posts designed to further help Fluid users maintain peak performance and overall well-being.
We're very fortunate to have help from some incredibly qualified individuals for these informational bits. The posts will be covering a range of topics from endurance training techniques to the importance of emotional well-being.

Our first contributor is Dr. Dan Rudd. Dr. Dan is a triathlete, husband, father, grandfather, psychotherapist and founder of Dr. Dan’s Training for Emotional Fitness.  He has competed in the sport of triathlon for 25 years and loves training and racing with his 2 sons and friends.

"Similar to physical fitness, we can improve our level of emotional fitness through training.  In physical training, there are periods of stress where the muscles and organs of the body are exerted, and periods of recovery.  Of course Fluid helps with this recovery. Without recovery, the physical body will eventually become injured and start to break down.  The same is true with emotional health and fitness:  it is essential to have periods of rest and recovery. 

"Just as we are hard-wired to be physically active, we are also hard-wired for happiness.  Recent research in affective neuroscience shows how our thoughts can change the function and structure of our brain.  This is very exciting in terms of happiness and performance.  The purpose of this column is to share this information with you and answer any questions about how to maximize your enjoyment and performance in your sports activities.  

"Let me start with my motto in life:  'The winner is the person who has the most fun!'  When it comes to the brain and emotions, what we focus on get bigger.  If you focus on the enjoyment of your training and being thankful that you are able to train, your mood will be positive.  Start by noticing what you say when you talk to yourself, because those thoughts are programming the software in your brain.  I look forward to hearing from you and answering any questions you have about health, happiness and training.  Just Ask Dr. Dan!"

To learn more about Dr. Dan and his work, visit http://drdanrudd.com/emotional_fitness_training/motivational_speaker/seminars_and_events.aspx 

Stay tuned for more from Coach's Corner and as always, we love to hear your feedback! Please don't hesitate to leave a comment or contact us.