Yet another year the French Riviera was on the schedule over the Easter breaks. It is a twelve-monthly routine amongst our cluster of friends to go down south to the magnificent Mediterranean coastline of south-eastern France.

Like every year we had loads of fun chatting, eating, laughing and, well, exercising a bit. It is great to have such a wholesome and positive collection around and do what we love. Already waiting for next years Trailerparkcamp!

„A couple of years ago you would have never, ever talked liked this!“ My good friend Fabian is entertained as we jog down the drops of our local trail and observe a hasty morning sun struggling its way past dense fog.

We were gossiping about the hottest shoes the two of us are currently testing. The conversation turned to my up-to-date Hoka One One. For this early morning jog I took out the all-new Challenger ATR 2. The second instalment of the prominent Challenger series got a fancy little tune up.

As our route led us through towns, past vineyard alleys and through some nice set of trails the Challenger ATR 2 seemed to be the best partner for this “Door to Trail” kinda outing.

Commonly I get the perilous query about Hoka One One and their maximalist effort and style to running shoe crafting. Again, I replied in a pretty positive way as the Challenger ATR 2 acted spotless and provided just what Hoka One One is good at – Constructing a well cushioned but still agile and fast shoe.

As I used to be an enormous fan and handler of minimal running flats, my buddy Fabian is always amused when I’m talking about the profits of the Hoka One One style which seems to be pretty much the opposite of what I used for running on a daily basis.

With its nominal 4mm lugs the Challenger ATR 2 is a brilliant a trail and road running crossbreed for daily training procedures.

Nitty-gritties of a protecting neutral shoe – Offset: 5 mm, Forefoot: 24 mm, Heel: 29 mm and a weightiness of 270.00 grams.

It looks like not too much has altered to the first model of the ATR. The up-to-the-minute type got some elegant fine-tunes on the upper.

The outsole is a pleasant mix of traction and comfort on the road. Although muck and damp trail surfaces can generate some glitches, the grip on dry trails is classy.

Even throughout quicker gatherings the Challenger ATR 2 assist very well. The trademark Metarocker midsole boosts a inordinate and dynamic midfoot and forefoot strike.

A Hoka One One key feature – The compact, buoyant but receptive midsole permits a dynamic stride without loosing dynamism to the grounds.

Constructed for harsh offroad topography, but still flexible enough for road running.

Hard to oversee – the king-size EVA Midsole which offers lightweight cushioning.

The people at Hoka One One call it “Podular Outsole Design“. On a off-road shoe like the Challenger ATR 2 it bids well needed stability while travelling past jagged terrain.

If you have previously experienced the Clifton, this model is the trail type of this Hoka One One top seller.

With this model Hoka One One produced a brilliant every day workhorse. I like the fitting and the general versatile performance of this well manufactured and quality shoe.

All pictures (c) runssel

Pic: Markus Herkert for larasch.de

It all grew out of a hasty telephone dialog round Friday night. We were supposed to travel down south to jog the Kaiserstuhllauf, a classic competition in the mountain running schedule and part of the prominent Trophée des Vosges. Nobody was motivated to devote the Sunday to a tiring trip along the autobahn. So we cancelled the trip to Ihringen.

Replacement for the 18k Sunday ramble was supposed to be a local long jog. The hint came up to incorporate a local half-marathon into our extended weekend excursion. Decision was made fast and it happened that Knut and I met just a couple of minutes down the road in the 11,800 citizen settlement of Weinsberg on a frosty Sunday sunrise. The 34th version of the Weibertreulauf was on with several distances from the 5 to the 21k. To get lots and some quicker miles in, we selected the half marathon contest. It sounded like a great idea.

So our training strategy for Sunday was easy. On paper anyway. Warm up the engine throughout a 10 kilometer jog. Get changed. Run a controlled half marathon. Get changed. Cool down with a leisure jog round the 5k path. Eat heaps of home-made cake. Snooze. Appreciate a pair of thick legs after a mere of 36 kilometers of running.

Previously I ran the 10k race of the Weibertreulauf. It is not a flat race. The track was supposed to be hilly. Lots of forest tracks and petite wineyard streets led us around town up to the local plateau. A tiny loop up there and back down through the sunlit vineyards. Not a fast course. A fine-looking course, though. A great setup for a run like this.

I was unhappy with light stitches early on but grinded through. A fair serving of diminutive sharp upgrades took out some well needed vitality of my body. To stay tranquil and in check was something I told myself some times. This was meant to be an advanced long run. Still, I was worn-out when I came back to the finish line. Stoked to see my training pal Phil winning the overall battle and associated SwimRunner Knut bashing on to a fifth place, we got changed fast to carry on with our strategy.

We went out to run the 5 kilometer course. This was probably the roughest share of the day. Knut and I were drowsy and lacking some enthusiasm. Lacking food after the finish (irresponsible!) of the race this “relaxed” 5k was harsh. Still. Long Run accomplished. Session completed with some homemade cake. Enjoyable day out. Next stop Côte d’Azur with the gang.

All images (c) runssel

Brad Duffy, an Australian physiologist and professional skier, had a self-sacrificing trigger. He wanted to ski all day and party all night – day after day. Ambitious. To realise his vision he was eyeing for enhanced blood flow that should supply more oxygen to his muscles, helping them to work harder and recover quicker. He made some investigations and two years later he launched his brand called SKINS in 1998. Soon after Duffy launched his clothing range Pro athletes began using the produces to improve power, speed, strengths and recovery.

Compression was the fairy-tale expression that SKINS transported to the market. Now a household vocabulary with proven benefits in a wide range of sports, it used to be a debated conversation topic amongst athletes, coaches and manufacturers. As SKINS CEO Jaimie Fuller pointed out that his corporation essentially “…created a category!” I was more then keen to get my hands, well, my scraggy legs hooked on one of their up-to-date making, the A200 Men’s Thermal Compression Long Tights.

Uniting the well-known compression technology with thermal assets – SKINS A200 Thermal Compression Long Tights

Cleverly placed seams act as ‘anchor points’ offering attentive support and stability.

SKINS names the used material “A200 thermal”. The innovative fabrics sense exceptionally comfortable on the skin although it makes sure that there will be no overheating. A problematic I came across with other winter running tights. This is a vital part of such a trouser, which SKINS deciphered pretty well.

Stylish and functional long tights!

Different to most of the other models, the SKINS A200 tight does not have a hip strap. For myself I had no delinquent situation as the comfy density of the tights offers a comfortable and stress-free fitting.

Notwithstanding the full leg compression, the tights offer a stretchy movement while running. The fabric is a mixture of Polyamind and Elastane, which combines high pulling and abrasion resistance with breathability.

Not only running! I had great pleasure using the tights while XC skiing and on hiking excursions throughout the cold period of the year.

Indispensable standard feature – a in-tight pocket for money and keys!

The brushed interior helps to release heat back to your body providing you a thermal advantage in cooler temperatures.

All pictures (c) runssel

They shootin’! Aw made you look
You a slave to a page in my rhyme book
Gettin’ Big/”big” money, playboy your time’s up
Where them gangstas at? Where them dimes at?

Nas – Made You Look

Running a 1:11:27 Half Marathon is pretty impressive. Doing that together with your 11 Month old daughter is something that is really unique and also the stroller half marathon Guinness world record. 31 year old canadian Calum Neff just stormed to the overall victory at Saturday’s Katy Half Marathon in Katy, Texas. Pushing his youngest daughter all the way to the finish. Some performance! I caught up with the Canadian living in Houston for a quick chat about his race and running with his daughter.

That was some pretty remarkable running you revealed at last weekends Katy Half-Marathon in Texas. Pushing your 11-month-old daughter to a 1:11:27 Half is genuinely fast. Was she scared?

Thank you, I think I was the scared one! I was so cautious of not hitting a cone or tripping up! Holly was loving it, her little arms were waving around and clapping, she basically only says “dada” and a few other words so the rest was babble. When I push my eldest her long hair blows up over the stroller- put the two together in the double and its the greatest view ever. Holly is so happy, peaceful, and continent- her grandparents call her the Holly-lama, never met a kid like her that wakes up with a smile everyday, a perfect running partner.

 

Leading up to the competition how did you merge stroller runs in your training routine? Was there any distinctive preparation?

I have spent the last 5 months completely focused on Houston Marathon training which happened three weeks ago (January 17th). It didn’t go exactly how I wanted with my hamstring tight and cramping on me. I was only 20″ off last years personal best of 2:22:59 and overall felt amazing even after coming through half in 1:09. So I know I’m in great shape right now. During Christmas I had the girls out in the double stroller to see the neighbourhood Christmas lights, we would bring along a Bluetooth speaker for carols which was a lot of fun. Tapering and recovering from Houston allowed me to get the stroller out a lot more, especially to test out the new Thule Glide stroller which was great compared to the double which we got from a garage sale! I’ll usually run to the track with the stroller and let the 3 year old run around while I do a workout, we did a few quarter repeats with the stroller and I usually take a bayou trail home if its dry. On longer days I’ll pick out a new park to go play at and we’ve even brought fishing poles along on one run! Even in Houston you can find nature and adventure which is part of what this whole record was about, get outside with your kids!

Now that you set the unofficial half-marathon WR with a stroller will there be an attempt on Michael Wardian’s Marathon stroller WR (a wicked 2:42:21 ran in 2007) anytime soon?

I’m just getting the Guinness evidence submitted this week which is substantial so I expect this to be official soon. Yes I think I have a good shot at sub 2:30 so I just need to figure out the right place to do it (I would LOVE it if Houston let me race with the stroller but I believe its against policy (I’ll have to take the race director out for some beers). Wardian ran 2:42 at the Frederick Marathon. Interesting note, he later had a stroller-dual with Zac Freudenburg in 2009 at the Route 66 marathon where Zac ran 2:32:10 but must have not had enough evidence or a rule was missed for Guinness. Either way I would like to go under 2:32. I just found out about Kris Houghton running 1:12:11 in 2013 so I’m happy I was well under the “official” record.

 

What is the trickiest part of running that fast pushing a stroller? Do you have any tips?

Finding the right stroller has to be one of the most important- there is nothing worse than a stroller that doesn’t track straight and drifts left or right, speed wobbles are also no fun. The Thule Glide has amazing performance with lots of nice features. I think a lot of people think they have to be straight behind the stroller with two hands at all times, feel free to move left or right- if the stroller tracks straight you don’t even need to touch it sometimes so your form doesn’t have to completely change if at all. Keeping the kids happy requires many tricks, we don’t bring a tablet but the music is fun, snacks and drinks are great especially when they share! Thankfully very light wind on Saturday, nothing worse than running with a stroller in the wind so I can’t help there.

Which stroller model did you use and why? Did you make any special adjustments and what shoes did you use?

As mentioned we used the Thule Glide. I was looking for a stroller with a fixed front wheel (even the ones that have option of locked and swivel I find drift too much), large wheels, light weight, and the adjustable handle is great too. The harness system is very easy and safe which was my main concern. Guinness rules state the stroller must be stock commercially available with no modification so this was straight out of the box except for adding camera mounts. I run on the Altra Endurance Team and my go to shoe for racing is the very light One2.5, the zero drop (heel and toe height is the same) has helped keep me injury free the last few years and with a foot shaped toe box my feet are stronger than ever and do not show the wear of a distance runner at all.

What is on the racing itinerary for the rest of the season? Will there be another shot on your marathon PB after your 2:23 in Houston early in the year?

I love to race so my calendar is always full with everything from one mile to ultra distance on any surface and terrain. I’ll be doing lots of the Trail Racing Over Texas events this year, some really unique trail runs around the state including one in the US Sky Running series. I’ll be in LA this weekend to watch the US Olympic Trials and run the LA Marathon on Sunday, more for fun but if I’m feeling good I will get after it. I want to take a shot at the Canadian 50k record and national championship, and the next goal race for me is the Wings for Life World Run where I will race at the Niagara Falls, Canada event in May going after 70+ kilometres before being eliminated in the unique race format.

Which team is going to win the Stanley Cup? 

Ah man, I’ve been out of my Canadian roots too long but I will always say the Toronto Maple Leafs!

In December i spend some weeks training on the island of La Palma. For slowtwitch i wrote the following article. Espero que te guste!

It is difficult to deny that there are many similarities between Hawaii’s Big Island and La Palma, Gran Canaria, Spain despite 14,000 kilometers of sea between them. Both of these islands were created by volcanic activity thousands of years ago. Both feature an amazing range of climate zones and stunning natural backdrops, and the two landmasses are world renowned for their astronomical observatories, but there are also some differences.

Hawaii’s Big Island is a household name for triathletes and sport enthusiasts everywhere. La Palma, the fifth largest of the seven main Canary Islands, is not well known within the endurance sport scene, although triathletes, runners and cyclists venture to the nearby islands of Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Teneriffe. But La Palma is a jewel in its own right when it comes to training.

Throughout the Christmas and New Year holidays, we spent a couple of weeks training around La Palma and were amazed by the raw beauty and plentiful training opportunities. Some other training destinations feature tourist attractions and lots of extras, this place is just the basics. Not many huge hotels or training resorts can be found here. Peaceful little hotels, old-style guesthouses and a range of rental houses are on offer. Mass tourism has not yet taken over this traditional spot, evidenced by the tranquil island vibe that can be felt just about everywhere on the La Isla Bonita.

Few airlines serve the airport of Santa Cruz de la Palma directly (not to be confused with Santa Cruz de Tenerife!), so most people fly in via Tenerife, Gran Canaria, El Hierro or mainland Spain hubs Madrid and Barcelona. There are a few direct flights offered from Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

Much like Hawaii’s Big Island, this little Spanish volcanic island holds much for triathletes to explore and experience.

Swim

It is difficult to find many good training pools the island, but it is even harder not to plunge in the striking Atlantic sea which offers several great spots for open water drills. Local athletes commonly train beside the Santa Cruz marina as it features numerous buoys. La Palma is not an island well-known for its beaches because of the many harsh volcanic cliffs around the coastline. Still, beaches can be found and we had proper session in the Atlantic Ocean every day.

There is a charming 50-meter open air pool above the city of Santa Cruz. The pool is located in the sports complex “Ciudad Deportiva Miraflores”. Properly it is one of the most stunning pools you ever swam. Despite the prominent location of the complex and the beautiful vistas, the pool was never crowded.

Bike

Triathletes should be aware that La Palma is not an ideal place for smooth base miles. But the biking is still exceptional – the main roads as well as the smaller streets are in great condition and the little alleys are magical. But there are very few flat places to ride so you will need some base fitness to fully appreciate and enjoy cycling on La Palma. There are several popular bike routes, none of the streets are crowded and traffic is very easy going. Infinitesimal roads wind across the terrain, and the ascent to the island’s highest point, the Roque de los Muchachos (2,423 m), is an outing you will never forget.

While the island is good for road cycling, there is also an immense variety of off-road paths to explore. It is difficult to choose which bike I would take to the island.

Run

La Palma is well liked by hikers and trail-runners for its massive network of exciting and varied paths. The trail running scene is rapidly developing here, and the hard-hitting “Transvulcania” ultra marathon crosses the island each year. The 73.3 kilometer competition is part of the global Skyrunning series, and takes runners from all over the world through 4,415 meters of elevation gain.

The rich nature paired with well-marked hiking trails is heaven for run training, but just as with the cycling options, runners should expect plenty of elevation changes. However because the local roads are not busy, flat runs are an option on some sections. Alternatively, the “Ciudad Deportiva Miraflores” not only features the pool that was mentioned earlier, but it also provides a perfect synthetic track that never seems to be crowded.

La Palma is a pretty singular place. It is not a typical training ground, but this is precisely what makes this spot so extraordinary and inimitable. This island brings you back to the essentials of the sport.

This volcano rock has the shape of the island. We found it during one of many training runs alongside the “Ruta del los Volcano”. The trail is a part of the GR 131 long distance footpath that covers sections of the island.

Humble wooden cabins like this can be rented all over the island. These simple huts are a smart base for a training camp on the Isla de la Palma.

La Isla Bonita’s highest mountaintops reach over 2,400 m above sea level, and the base of the landmass is situated almost 4,000 m below sea level. The northern part of La Palma is dominated by the “Caldera de Taburiente”, with a width of 9 km and a depth of 1,500 m. Trails range all over the Caldera – a picture-perfect spot for running sessions.

A hotspot for open water swim training – the Santa Cruz shoreline.

Swimming in the open waters is easy with weather like this.

No, this picture is not taken on Hawaii’s Manua Kea. Due to its location and the elevation of its mountains, La Palma’s main peak, the Roque de los Muchachos, is home to a number of international observatories.

Roads like this, combined with minimal traffic, make cycling pure joy.

While riding across the mountain, it is common to enter one side in complete cloud cover and find the other side flooded in sun.

A track with a view. The 400m oval in the “Ciudad de Miraflores” complex is a stunner.

It is hard to not get side-tracked during intervals.

The outstanding 50 meter pool next to the track.

Tenerife’s highest point, the Teide mountain, can be seen on the horizon.

All images © RUNssel

“If you’re shiverin’ get off the pot
Let the original rapper rock the spot”
KRS-One – Slap Them Up

Don’t ask. My Cross Country chronicle on regional soil continues to be a stinker.

I really love this discipline but I just cannot get it right. This time the regional champs hit me pretty ruthless once more. I DNF’ed.

Despite hitting all the training sessions I cannot execute above threshold level somehow. The season is still young but my body needs to function appropriately.

Credits: H.Utz

Credits: H.Utz

Credits: H.Utz

“You can’t bust a cherry or crush a grape
and if you ain’t got this tape you’re in bad shape”
D.M.C. – Hit It Run

It is an annually procedure. The last Saturday in January is Dirty Race time. As every year I was looking forward to some nasty early season competing. Examining the running form and trying to survive on the mountain bike with petite bike exercising is what it is all about for me. Like every year I was pumped to see friends and battle a race I really love. Duathlon is a great multisport arrangement. Combining the two disciplines with the “Cross Factor” is something I really enjoy.

The battle in Murr was a sellout. Like last year and the year before. People know what they get and the competition is always good. Following a long phase of training during the early months of the year this race is a appropriate system check for many.

Mountainbike training wasn’t on top of my schedule in the last couple of weeks. Throughout the festive period our weekly Tuesday night ride group died out a little. A couple of days prior to the race I assembled my MTB. It was still tucked away from the La Palma excursion a couple of weeks ago. Being an OK off-road cyclist I could take help of some technical talents nearly every year. The weather has been pretty bad the last editions I showed up. Unfortunately not this year. No snow, no rain – this does not really enlarge the “Dirt Factor” of this race. It also meant I couldn’t hide my bike form alongside the puddles and the techy fragments.

The first 5k run started off reckless. I remained relaxed in the big group and tried to secure the legs a bit for the upcoming bike segment. Long story short, I hurt straight from the start. I did not catch the rhythm and I was not able to get my pulse up. On the cycle I never found a rhythm either. I pushed a bit but the body did not reply the way I desired. More people passed me and I began to agree that this is not my day. On the final 4k ring I tried to stay optimistic. As I ran the out-and-back part I saw some of my friends and training partners now on the way back to the finish line. Some of them in great positions. Some of the energy I had left was used to cheer these dudes on.

Every time I raced in Murr I had a decent result. Not so this year. Merciless. Not to ruthless as it is also a great occasion to see so many friends that I haven’t met since the summer season. It is an event I always want to come back. Perhaps with a bit more preparation on the bike. We will see.