“Easy reading is damn hard writing.”
~Nathaniel Hawthorne

I’m pretty sure I have “Writing a Fitness Book” on my bucket list; that entry may have snuck in just below “Run the Great Wall of China Marathon” and above “Run an Ultramarathon with Dean Karnazes”. (I have done the latter, finances pending on the former). I’ve had a few ideas for fitness-related books over the last couple of years and thought I’d hit a dead end – until I got an email from Ulysses Press last week.

If you bother to read this blog, then you know I love creating workouts and training with friends. I have a fantastic group of training partners who always provide plenty of new routines and ideas as we go along to keep the fitness fun. As Jason likes to say (waving hands like he did in this ABC15 News Video) “If you make a workout fun, you stick to it”.

Of course, there was a time about 10 years ago when I’d NEVER think of a workout being fun – that all changed when I started working at ESPN and became fast friends (immediately?) with Mike DeAngelo. He and I went on to form the ESPN Tri Team and we both took our turns as owners of TrisportMedia Race Production in Connecticut. MikeyD showed me all about making a workout fun, starting from the basic circuits he created for Kristen (@vivistewmom) and changed ‘em up every month or so. He literally changed my life with those workouts and got me to where I am today.

Back in 2001 I couldn’t do a single pull-up, period. I used to watch in amazement at the fit guys at the guy doing sets; I’d secretly count their reps in amazement from the other side of the gym — I guess I’m the Pull-up Stalker. Every so often I’d reach up and grab the pull-up bar and attempt to do one rep and would make it look like I was stretching when I failed. Call me vain, but I really wanted to knock out a set of 10 in front of everyone at the gym. I really never envisioned myself able to.

One day, MikeyD gave me a call from his vacation in Florida. He and I were doing a triathlon in a few weeks and I wondered if he’d been running while on holiday. His answer changed my view on working out again:

“I’ve been running to the park up the street and doing sets of push-ups and pull-ups then running back every chance I get – it’s been fun!”

Run + Exercise = Fun – that works for me! As you may have seen in the video (link above) that’s exactly what Jason and I are doing; and by mixing in pull-ups to my daily runs my reps have gone from a big, fat ZERO to 50, even 100 (one crazy workout with 100 burp-ups)

Now, thanks to all the support of my friends and the AWESOME book by Steve Spiers (@britishbulldog / @100pushups) “7 Weeks to 100 Push Ups” I am getting the opportunity to publish “7 Weeks to 50 Pull Ups“.

I’ve been bugging Steve for advice, MikeyD for his help with the muscle groups and proper training and Jason for all his help with the workouts (and hosting fiftypullups.com). I’ve also enlisted some friends to give me real-world feedback of the program as I build it – Rick (@knightres), JoeD (@howboutjoe) and Jason (@jason_warner).

I just sent back the contract today and have a long way to go… but I couldn’t be more psyched about getting there!

Vibram Five Finger Bikila

I’ve been running (and biking, trekking, climbing, swimming, etc.) in Vibram Five Fingers KSO’s for about a year and was really looking forward to testing out a new pair of the VFF Treks… until I saw pictures of the upcoming Bikilas in early ’10. Here we are 7 months later and I finally have a pair in my hands.

Let me say this about Vibram Five Fingers – they are in HUGE demand right now. It is nearly impossible to find them at a REI store (every size aside from 44′s are always sold out) and they are even out of stock online. When I saw a tweet from Justin @birthdayshoes that City Sports in NYC had a pair of Women’s 42 (yeah, that’s my size) I threw my credit card in and ordered.

I opened and put ‘em on last night and walked around a bit and have been wearing them all morning at work; pretty comfy. A few big differences than the size W42 KSO’s I wear almost every day:

• The Bikilas are a lot more snug on top of the foot – the mesh of the KSO has more give. The Bikilas are really comfy and feel like a compression sock on top of my foot.
• They are a LOT harder for me to get on due to the tighter upper. Not a biggie, these were never a shoe I would consider putting on in T2 of a tri or even if I was running late in the morning. Literally takes me 30 seconds to get ‘em on.
• The sole “pads” rock. They feel grippy in all the right places
• They are so much higher on my achilles; while it doesn’t seem to bother me walking around I wonder if it will affect my running

Update: ~5 miles of running in the vibram Five Fingers Bikila
Make no doubt about it, the Bikilas are a lot tighter in the upper than my KSO’s of the same size. As you can see in the picture below, they are so tight they cause the skin on the top of my feet to bunch up. I would characterize them as a “second skin” and long with the footpads they remind me of bionic feet – what human feet would be like with a bit of technology.

A little snug around the ankle

Here’s the strange part about the tightness – they fit my toe length perfectly. I wear a Women’s 42 in KSO’s and they fit the length well and are quite a bit more loose in the upper.

Running in the Bikilas is an absolute pleasure – the toes are grippy and the footpads seem to be in all the right places. Honestly, they feel fast.

I tried a little baby powder on the top of my foot and it barely helped putting them on, I may try some Body Glide next time I wear ‘em for a run. I can’t see wearing these all-day at work like my KSO’s (that are pretty worn-out) because they are just a little too constricting. When running, the sweat seems to loosen the death grip they have on top of my feet. If it wasn’t for the fact that the length is perfect, I’d send them back for a Men’s 41 (1/8″ larger than Women’s 42).

There’s one more little problem that some other Bikila owners have had with the first shipment(s):

Sole starting to come unglued

According to a post I saw online it appears that some of the early shipments had the problem shown above where the sole started to come unglued. Mine were like this right out of the box, but only the right shoe. Right at the moment I’m not sure if I should glue them or send ‘em back and go with a bigger size. While they feel good when I run, they are just tight enough to annoy me.

Overall, the Bikilas are great running minimalist shoes – EVERYTHING I was looking for. I’m a little bummed that the size chart said the KSO and Bikila are the same and the Bikilas are much tighter in the upper.

OK, I’m really geeked about the arrival of the Mach Bikes (http://machbikes.com) frames for 3 really big reasons (and one even bigger one after the pictures):

1. They frames are awesome
2. The people @MachBikes are awesome
3. I get to test-ride their models at races this year

Now, I’m just your average age-group triathlete (Yes, I’ve completed an Ironman in a relatively respectable time) but I’m a middle-of-the-pack racer. Guys like me don’t often get the opportunity to get treated like a pro triathlete – until I totally lucked-out in meeting the guys at Mach Bikes! For 2010 I will be testing out these amazing bikes at triathlons, tours and wherever I can get in as well as blogging, tweeting and reviewing ‘em. I’ve also secured a fantastic deal to sell these frames to my friends, families & followers!

So, I haven’t gotten my hands on my 54cm beauty yet (Yes, I will be riding a pink one — I’m secure enough in my manhood!) but I will be getting it set up & fitted soon and start my reviews!

Friends, Family & Followers discount: Any pre-orders before July 5, 2010 will be eligible for up to $800 OFF! Email Brett@MachBikes.com for more info!

Apparently, this is the Renaissance of “barefoot” running shoes; every week or so I see an article about new natural/minimal/barefoot footwear. Yes, I end up buying most of ‘em – at least the ones I can afford. ($144 BIOM? Really?)
Price clearly plays a factor, so I was pretty interested when @ZEMgear started following me (@TRIPHX) and @jason_warner on twitter. We checked ZEMgear.com site and ordered a couple pair after skimming an article on their blog about Barefoot Running. I didn’t happen to notice anything on the site that said the ZEM Booties weren’t really made for running, but at $29 why not give ‘em a shot?

Shipping & Handling was a little slow, they took 9 days to arrive. (Note: I received a message from @ZEMgear that they were in the process of moving warehouses when I ordered, thus the delay) They came in a simple ziplock bag, no excess packaging.
Our first impression was that they looked pretty neat and slipped on easily; and pretty quickly the three issues I have with the ZEM Ninja Low Booties were apparent:
1. They don’t seem to breathe all that well (I live in AZ, breathing is important in ANY footwear!)
2. They seemed to be dragging on the bottom around the sole – especially the heel (more on this below)
3. Why the big toe? I understand @vibram5fingers having toe pockets, but the “foot mitten” looked really strange and wasn’t all that comfy.

ZEMgear Ninja Booties

Overall, they seemed to “fit” (I wear a size 9.5 and purchased the Medium rated for sizes 8.5 – 9.5 US) and were somewhat comfortable wearing them around the office on rug. When I walked across a harder surface, it became apparent that the way the material is attached to the heel dragged. Also, the sole itself (rubbery material) felt too narrow underfoot. Unfortunately, I sent the booties back before taking a picture; but the seam of the upper was actually LOWER than the sole and that was the first part that touched the ground. While that may be OK on sand or in the water, it was annoying walking or jogging around.
I jogged a few hundred yards on pavement, grass and carpet and realized pretty quickly these weren’t minimalist running booties, just a more comfy pair of “aqua socks” — not that it’s a bad thing; these shoes were designed for that!
According to a message I got on twitter, they are coming out with a running design soon. If they fix the fit & breathability I think I can deal with the “foot mitten” design.

I mentioned “Sprintervals” as a joke, and Steve/@Britishbulldog (see 100 Pushups to right) joked that I should get the trademark. Apparently, someone beat me to it: Sprintervals.
Anyway; mines waaaay more simple to do, and Jason Warner & I even figured out a way to make it fun. When’s the last time you participated in a sportcersize (see what I did there?) where you could have 1, 2, 3, 4 or more participants and STILL be fun?
We’ve tried multiple variations, here are the basics:

• Ball (soccer, football, tennis, rugby, or medecine)
• Grass – 50 – 100 yards is good, more is better!
• People 1-5

With 1 person, the goal is to throw or kick the ball as far as possible and sprint to catch it before it stops. Not too thrilling, but if you punt a football the bounces will keep you on your toes. I suggest using a medecine ball for this exercise to really smoke your whole body. Use a different throw each time (between the legs, overhead throw-in like soccer, even backwards like a keg toss) and sprint after it before it stops rolling. I do this 100 yards down and back as fast as I can. If I’m too tired to throw I run back with arms extended over my head holding up the ball.

With 2-4 people this fo0tball/rugby ball version is a blast:

• line up on a soccer field on the end line next to goal (or cones)
• 1 person kicks, 2-3 people chase the ball
• the first person to touch the ball gets possession
• person with possession gets (2) kicks to get the ball all the way back into the goal

With an oblong ball, the bounces are so unpredictable anything can happen. It’s actually more fun than it sounds – try it!

If you have 4-5 people, you can play the “Mad Sprint” version. It’s pretty simple:

• everyone lines up on the baseline
• 1 person kicks the ball (football, soccer ball, etc)
• SPRINT
• the first person to touch it gets a point, then immediately kicks it again
• keep going until people drop

These are a great way to get your sprints/speedwork in while disguising it as “fun”. Give any of these variations a shot – or make up your own and post it in the comments – exercise shouldn’t be boring!

More barefoot running/training mumbo jumbo…
I love my Newtons, I love my KSO’s… so I figured: “why not check out some other shoes?” I needed new trail running shoes and have been wearing my KSO’s every day to work and was looking for a “less freaky-looking” minimalist shoe. Whatever shoes I picked up needed to fit the following criteria:
- less than $100
- handle trail conditions
- minimalist or support forefoot running form
- comfy enough for daily wear at the office and during lunchtime training
I followed a link from one of the dozens of barefoot blogs I check out weekly (kinda an obsession, I know) and stumbled upon Soft Star Shoes‘ site and settled on the RunAmoc LITE. I figured they’d fit the bill, and I could use ‘em in the new 5 mile trail loop in my community.

Soft Star RunAmoc LITE

I’ve been involved in hundreds of races as a volunteer, racer and event director. Most have been great for one reason or another, a couple of times I’ve been less than pleased with parts of an event – never until now have I thought I got ripped off.
Last Saturday, I participated in the “Mad Mud Run” in Scottsdale, AZ that was billed as: “the West’s premier run & fun event!”. The site talks about a 4 mile run with obstacles, a “soak zone” and a mud pit. I talked 3 of my friends into doing it (who were each hesitant about the $65 entry fee) along with me and we looked forward to a pretty wild time. What we got was a BYOF Event.

BYOF stands for “Bring Your Own Fun” (and is a line from a Ludichrist song from the late ’80′s “This Party Sucks”) and describes an event where YOU are the only fun. Here’s our group’s summation:

• The only ones “Mad” were the participants
• The only “Mud” was one 20′ pit at the very end of the course
• The “Run” was shorter then advertised distance (4 miles)

The race started off well enough; you lined up near the mud pit and went off down a flat, sandy horse trail. There were a handful of people squirting you with water guns (not a hose or anything, but we figured there’d be plenty more water on the course). With everyone hootin’ and hollerin’ we tore off down the trail and were looking forward to our first obstacle – we figured it would be something dirty…

Obstacle #1 was a balance beam. Not over water, mud or actually anything. It was just on a flat spot in the trail. No squirt guns, no fanfare, just a balance beam. Oh well, there’s bound to be more exciting things in store!

Obstacle #2 was a little bit more exciting, 5 sawhorse barricades that you stepped over and a 6′ wall to pull yourself over. Maybe it was 5′. We started to get excited because the obstacles were getting a little harder and more fun. Still no water, mud or anything crazy. Just obstacles sitting on the trail. I was surprised the attendant didn’t even have a squirt gun.

The trail looped around (the whole course is within a mile of the start/finish, you just keep snaking around a rutted horse trail) a bit more and you hit what we came to realize was the halfway mark (and totally not 2 miles). We got a cup of water and crawled on the dry dirt under Obstacle #3: a tarp suspended a couple feet over the ground by a PVC tube frame. No water. No mud. Nothing even remotely exciting. Once again, not even a squirt gun. You crawled on the dry dirt on your hands and knees. Yeehah!

After another 10 minutes on the same trail we encountered Obstacle #4; a 5′ wall with a cargo net. This time the attendant had a whistle, so at least there was a tweet of fanfare. No water, mud, or anything fun. At this point we all started looking at each other and wondered if we’d been duped. Each obstacle we hoped for the next one to be even remotely exciting… and each time we were more disappointed.

We ran a little bit farther and as we felt our sense of excitement almost completely fading away, we saw the finish line. Joseph turned to me and asked: “Are we doing 2 loops? That can’t be the end already. No way that was 4 miles, I doubt it was even 3.” (Yep, that was it.)

The finish line mud pit started with (2) big plastic drain pipes (no water or anything slippery inside, so it rubbed the skin off people’s knees) followed by (2) stacks of hay bales. (Nothing says fun like jumping over hay bales – clearly a last minute addition because they had some at the ranch) the mud pit was almost as good as expected; but still a lack of hoses, squirting or even a sprinkler. We *did* have fun in the mud pit, but it didn’t make up for the totally lame rest of the event. After splashing and wrestling around in the pit, we all ran across the finish line… where were were covered in mud… with no water. Not a single water bottle, hose or anything at the finish (I heard there was a water jug 50′ away that I never saw). Let me reiterate: not a single visible water bottle for participants with mouths, eyes and ears full of mud.

Here’s what I knew at the finish: I paid $65 for this event and all I had to show for it was a white cotton T-shirt and a mouth full of mud. Then it got downright comical; the finisher medal was a cheap dog tag (singular)… with a typo. I quote: “Tired and Beat but lots of fun we all got dirty at the Mad Mud FINISHER” They seriously ran out of characters and forgot 30% of THEIR OWN NAME – they forgot (or just didn’t care enough) the “Run”.

I’ve never walked back to my car after an event and thought “Geez, I feel like I got ripped off”. One of my teammates couldn’t believe the organizers charged more than a great event like Tribal Sprint Tri for an event where they clearly mailed it in.

Let me put this in perspective; Kristen & I charged $20 per person for our 5 mile Adventure Run and gave every participant a wicking tech tee and water bottle. The winners got real medals and handmade awards. There was so much water available on the course that we came home with 30+ gallons of bottled water. Even with all the positive feedback we took advice to make our future events better.

Beware the “Mad Mud Run”, there are so many other events in the area that are cheaper, more fun and not BYOF.

Coming soon; carbon-framed awesomeness from Mach Bikes. Who are they? A high-end professional frame company here in Scottsdale, AZ. Amazing frames for amazing athletes (and even guys like me). email me at brett@machbikes.com for more information!

Since I wear Vibram FiveFingers KSO’s every day, I’m becoming a bit of an expert in them. By “Expert” I mean I don’t know all that much, yet people always ask me questions. Here’s the list of FAQ’s:
- “What are those?” (Um, shoes?)
- “Do they hurt?” (Not if you walk/run correctly)
- Where did you get them?” (Online, REI)
- “Are they expensive?” ($85, pretty much the same as normal shoes)
- “Can you run in them?” (Yes, if you do it properly)
The conversation then turns preachy on my part… I usually start demonstrating how you should land on your midfoot and roll to your forefoot and all that jazz… Yeah, I do that every time.
Here’s the BIG question that nobody asks me: “Will they fit my strange feet? This toe is longer than that one, this one has been broken…” yadda yadda.
I take this last question to heart, because I have a type of brachymetatarsia called Morton’s Toe. Actually, 1 out of 10 of you have this condition too – when your second toe is longer than your first (great) toe. Vibram Five Fingers are made for the masses and their perfectly shaped toes all descending in size, not outliers like me.

What if you have ugly feet like these?

Stretching the "fingers"

Applying a little heat to stretch "finger"

Fixed 5 Finger (Bottom)

Fixed Five Fingers & Ugly Foot

Brett’s VFF Power Tips:
- Use baby powder liberally. It will help prevent hot spots, blisters and cut down on footstank.
- Wash ‘em weekly (at least). I throw them in the washing machine or the dishwasher and air dry (I don’t suggest using the dryer, that can’t be good for ‘em.