Four Stores, Four Training Programs

Photo courtesy of Paula Harkin, Portland Running Club tracking in the snow

Fit Right Northwest launched their new training program this year, which means that all four of Portland's technical running stores now have their own annual program, each with their own unique market.

The Fit Right Northwest's Get Fit Live Fit run and walk programs are the most expensive, but one of the most technically complete. Three sessions are offered in 2008, each ending with a goal to walk or run an event in the Portland / Vancouver area. The cost is $89.99 for a twelve-week session. The first session ran from January through March, and the Hood to Coast and Portland to Coast programs start on June 11th.

Fit Right Northwest have had weekly group runs for some time now, and their Portland location has always been popular on the weekends due to the easy access up Thurman to Leif Erickson and the Wildwood Trail. In fact, they have been hosting weekly runs for the Portland Marathon Clinic, which seems to be a good partnership. Fit Right Northwest has also brought in partnerships from their neighbors of their Northwest Portland and Vancouver locations - the directors of Physical Therapy from Therapeutic Associates, Inc., and the fitness experts at Northwest Personal Training. These organizations add to with Fit Right Northwest's individualized training programs, which are in part maintained by their new web presence, getfitlivefit.org. The program includes a detailed training manual with educational tips on several different topics, and all the online tools you can imagine. The program includes a technical t-shirt, socks, and 10% off at Fit Right NW Running & Walking Stores.

"The Saturday group is pretty big right now," Dave Sobolik said. "We have 25 to 60 runners weekly, and when the Portland Marathon Clinic joins in, we're looking at 150 plus on Saturdays, so it will be busy!"

Meanwhile, Foot Traffic continues their program, now dubbed Foot Traffic University, aimed at preparing runners and walkers to complete the Foot Traffic Flat Half marathon on the Fourth of July. The program started in February, and for those who want to continue on to train for the Portland Marathon, an additional phase is offered to train members starting July 19th at no additional cost. Fit Right NW has allied with the Portland Marathon Clinic and Portland Running Company has always had an alliance with Portland Fit, so this is Foot Traffic's way of getting in on the Portland Marathon training action. They were able to partner with the Oregon Road Runners Club for a year or two, and then brought on Team Red Lizard as their sponsored running club, so extending their training program into the marathon might be the best area in which to expand.

Pace groups are advertised as ranging from 7 minute miles to 20 minute miles, meeting three Saturdays a month. The program includes a tech t-shirt, informational seminars on Saturday mornings, weekly schedules, and unlimited email contact with experienced coaches. Also, optional conditioning programs are available at either Alameda Fitness Center in NE Portland, or Providence Mercantile Health and Fitness Center in Lake Oswego. The cost is $75, which does not include an entry for the Foot Traffic Flat Half Marathon, but it does provide a $15 race fee discount. The optional conditioning program is $115. Also, each new member referral gives you $5 towards anything at a Foot Traffic store.

"It's been great," Sean Rivers said. "We are at about 200 members this year, and we've still managed to keep the program pretty personal. We'll cap it at 300 in the years to come to maintain that quality coaching experience, but we definitely like seeing the program grow and see people refer friends to it. The marathon should be a nice addition this year, and I think at least half of our members are planning on continuing on to that distance."

Of course, I couldn't mention running store-sponsored training groups without mentioning the Portland Running Club. Portland Running Company is a big sponsor of Portland Fit (and Vancouver Fit), who have in return always sponsored Run With Paula Events, especially the Helvetia Half Marathon. So, when Portland Running Company and Run With Paula Events created the Portland Running Club years ago, what developed was a smaller, more social group with a range of personal goals.

The cost is $35, and includes a tech t-shirt, 15% off merchandise at Portland Running Company stores, Runwithpaula Dollars good at any Runwithpaula Event, group runs, and clinic-based seminars."We have an awesome club this year," Paula Harkin said. "We meet every Tuesday for a track workout - we've had snow, ice, and rain, but have an awesome, dedicated group. We have two of our employees that are leading a group run on Wildwood every Saturday. Both are ultra marathoners, Kristin Lynn and Joe Grant. Joe won an ultra in Mexico in March, beating Scott Jervik's course record! We have Sunday group runs with the Ironhead Triathlon Club at Grand Avenue, and every Monday and Wednesday evening at Scholls we have a great group with varied paces."

Pacesetter Athletic has their training program, as well, but this one provides training and coaching for the community's youth. Dave Clingan and Andy Shotts first started the club as a cross country team in the fall of 2003. They had five runners that spanned several age groups. Robert Curry and Katrina Harvey joined them the following spring, and the club grew to a track team with 30 athletes. Now, PSA Youth Running Club has a membership of nearly 100 middle school runners that competes in the USATF Junior Olympic track and cross country programs.

What's special about this program is that it is provided at no cost to the participants. Pacesetter Athletic supports the team's uniform needs, the coaches are all volunteers, facilities are free, and the friends and families of the team help raise money during the season to help support meet entry fees and travel costs for some of the athletes that have qualified for the Junior Olympic national meet.

"PSA is expanding its mission this year in hosting the Portland Track Festival on May 31st at Mt. Hood Community College," Craig Rice said. "The meet will bring together the best youth talent in the northwest and beyond, along with select high school, open and masters events to create a great spectator event for Portland area track fans. The meet will include invitational boys' mile and girls' 1500m events that has drawn athletes from seven different states, and will be the fastest mile outside of the Junior Olympic finals."

Our link of the week is the Portland Track Festival

USATF and MUT

As recent as December of 2000, the Long Distance Running Division of USA Track and Field established the Mountain, Ultra, Trail Sports Council. At first, the USATF Ultra Subcommittee had been established to represent the interests of ultra-marathon runners, but the separate but similar disciplines of mountain running and trail running still lacked recognition. So in 1998, a Joint Subcommittee was founded, which was then elevated to a Running Council. Current Chair Nancy Hobbs has been credited with creating the colorful MUT moniker.

Oregon has a long history with mountain, ultra and trail running. Many Oregon Road Runner Club members will remember the Timberline Run, which developed insane record times around the Timberline and Pacific Crest trails. ORRC has also had a hand in the Oregon Trail Series, which boasts some world-class competition.

One of those races in the Oregon Trail Series, the Where's Waldo 100K, has captured the bid for both 2008 and 2009 USA 100K Trail Championships. The 2008 date is August 16. Where's Waldo is not a beginner-level ultra, but a challenging 100K that runs up and down several mountains, a loop course starting at Willamette Pass. Runners must have completed a 50K or longer race within the last two years in order to be eligible. Many prizes and awards are available, including a prize purse of $4200 in cash.

Another new MUT championship in Oregon is the Northwest Mountain Running Championships, hosted by X-Dog Events. This is a new event, and has been two years in the making, so the chances are it will not disappoint. USATF Sanctioned and a part of the USATF-Oregon Mountain Running Series, the Northwest Mountain Running Championships will be held at Mt Hood on September 21, 2008.

The start and finish will be at Timberline Lodge, and the course will cover six to eight miles of mountain running terrain, including trails, skid roads, and mountain. There is no qualifying necessary. There will be $6,000 in cash to give away, including about $4,000 in prizes. Some of the cash can be earned through a couple primes on the course, and there will be cash for top teams, as well as the Middle of the Pack finisher. Live entertainment is in the works, and travel stipends are available. Entrants can apply for $200 in travel assistance - you don't have to be fast, just creative.

If you want to be involved with the USATF MUT Sport Council, you can contact any member. The Oregon MUT Chair is Bob Latham.

Corrective Running Shoes

The link of the week is: scienceofsport.blogspot.com. Jonathan Dugas and Ross Tucker, a couple guys with Ph.D.'s in Exercise Science and Sports Medicine Research, do a great job looking as the science of training and sport. One recent post that got a lot of feedback investigated whether running shoes actually cause injuries. It started with a post on proper running technique, and became an ongoing series of posts that examine the relationship between running injuries and "corrective" shoes. The result of one study is that more expensive running shoes have the same percentage of injuries as cheaper shoes, which may lead to the conclusion that innovative gadgets and doo-dads in shoes are at most ineffective.

Personally, I will go further to say that "corrective" running shoes often do more harm than good. As an experienced runner, I'm going to pretty much stick to shoes that I know work for me - simple, "neutral" shoes, and I'm going to be very conservative in trying something different. Of course, I don't suffer from many running-induced injuries specifically because I am an experienced runner, so I'm not going to fall for promises or claims of new shoe technology that alleviate stress or pain of which I don't suffer.

[For example, here's Aetrex, a self-described "industry leader in pedorthic footwear," which has "raised the bar in footwear, having developed technology and fashion-forward footwear that provide customized comfort to individual needs that help eliminate foot pain. This is a significant development considering 70% of Americans will have painful foot problems at some time in their lives." Strange. So, the only way to avoid foot pain is to get custom-made shoes? And since everyone's a bit different, that means everyone needs a custom-fit shoe? A running shoe should have some cushion, some support, and fit well, but that's about it. People's feet differ slightly in shape and size, but as there are many different brands, some will naturally fit better than others. But, if you can't find a single standard athletic shoe that fits your foot that doesn't cause pain, then the problem isn't the shoe.]

I did, however, accidentally buy a pair of correctve shoes once, and that sucked. I should have known better, but I mistook the new style of Pumas for a previous neutral design (they looked virtually the same), and they felt OK when I tried them on, so I bought them. A couple weeks later, right about when the pain started, I was updating the website for the very same running store that sold me these shoes, and found out that these shoes were for over-pronators. Well, I threw these out immediately, and replaced them with a new pair of Nikes that I knew were good and neutral, and the pain immediately subsided. (The guy who sold me the Pumas knew that I was an experienced runner, as well as a fellow employee of the store, so I'm sure he figured I knew what I was doing.) It was a silly mistake, but if an experienced runner can buy the wrong shoe, think of what must happen with inexperienced runners. I don't blame Puma, as they're one of the pioneers of the running shoe, and Nikes aren't necessarily superior - their shoes just happen to fit my feet well. But those particular Pumas, as well as all non-neutrual shoes, should have came with a warning label.

My previous post on shoes dealt with the concept that many if not most running injuries, apart from those caused by simple biomechanical problems that can be corrected, occur because we keep running (or walking) in shoes after they're worn out. We used to by Shoe Goo to fix soles, but no one does that any more because we now realize that once the outsoles are worn thin, the insoles are going to be wasted. Yet, there are so many companies still selling insoles and orthodics that you're supposed to place inside your old, broken-down shoe. Why not simply buy new shoes when they wear out? You can examine the soles of your shoes to see how they wear, (or test the compression of your shoes' insoles to see how your foot wears down your shoe) to see if you need to correct your running form or biomechanics, but new shoes will be the primary solution to foot pain. However, since half of the running store's shoes are going to be designed for people who pronate, supinate, or otherwise have bad running form, they're going to want to subscribe these special shoes for all those who qualify (otherwise, they would never sell all those shoes.) Thus, those with bad running form or less-than-perfect biomechanics get talked into the belief that they need a special type of shoe or insert in order to participate in running, and their real problem never gets addressed.

Then, of course, there are the Pose and Chi methods, which specifically address the problem of imperfect biomechanics, and many runners have become believers, ditching their corrective shoes for neutral ones. The problem with the Pose and Chi methods is is that they aren't really training methods at all - they're just common sense. So, you don't need a running coach that is certified in Pose or Chi or whatever brand of training technique - you just need a coach or friend that has a bit of experience in running biomechanics. If you want to be serious about swimming, it is widely accepted that you need a coach to show you how to swim effeciently. I'm a very strong swimmer, but I'm not fast at all, because my form sucks. Still, I don't mind, because swimming with my head out of the water isn't going to lead to injuries - it is actually good strength training, and I only swim for pleasure, not for competitive or regimented exercise. But if you want to run seriously, and your form sucks, you're most likely going to run into problems.

I remember a high school PE class where a friend of mine announced that he was quitting running because of shin splints that wouldn't go away. He was a naturally strong athlete with a fairly powerful build, so I suspected that his form could use a bit of work - perhaps his calves were over-compensating for his weaker shins. Well, once I saw his running shoes, I burst out laughing, as they were a pair of old, heavy, flat-soled, leather high-tops - they looked more like hiking boots than basketball shoes. Wouldn't you think that our PE teacher, who claimed to be a scientifically-minded fitness enthusiast, would have mentioned that he should be running in running shoes? He would have been better off running in bare feet. So yes, you do need a bit of technology in your shoes. But, there's sometimes a fine line between adequate technology and too much.

Something fairly alarming in a recent article Oregon Distance Runner notes that "while abnormal running mechanics are often cited as the cause of injuries, few suggest altering a person's running pattern in order to reduce the risk of injury because locomotion is predominantly thought to be automatic, and thus difficult to change." Hence, doctors and therapists often prescribe orthopedic insoles, lifts, or specialized shoes for the majority of problems when genetic traits that they are supposedly treating, such as flat feet, bow-leggedness, or a slight difference in the length of one leg to the other, rarely hinder proper running motion or cause injuries in and of themselves.

Green Marketing

This is the time to be green, and it is interesting to see how Portland's sustainability market is affecting the business of sports and fitness. See the March 2008 issue of the Oregon Distance Runner for several articles on how the green marketing sensation collides with the runner mentality.

The Air Jordan XX3 has been unveiled, Nike's 23rd edition of their largest product, and much fanfare will ensue to mark the occasion, partly because Michael Jordan's jersey number is 23. But this also marks the first time a major athletic shoe was designed to be environmentally sustainable. The green innovations include using side-panel stitching and interdepartmental stitching to reduce the use of glue, using water-based cements to reduce the amount of toxic solvents in the glue it does use, and using more biodegradable and recycled rubber, plastic and polyester.

Nike claims they have been measuring their environmental impact since 1998, and started a product line in 2005 dedicated to sustainable shoes and apparel called Nike Considered. There are many green-focused apparel companies that have a foot-hold in Portland, such as Icebreaker and Nau, and at least two shoe companies - Keen and Ahnu, that design products that are environmentally aware. But even Nike's competition acknowledges that manufacturing a green performance shoe is much more complex than a green sandal.

The primary goal for most sustainability manufacturing is to save energy, increase effeciency and cut costs. Apart from that, there's the blue sky value of knowing that the company's philosophy is keeping the world a little bit greener. That blue sky may be up for grabs to the highest bidder. Nike's goal is to have their entire line meet their Considered standards by 2011, but there may be a fine line to tread between promising sustainability and promising performance. Nike's market is obviously worldwide, but if they ignore the green market boom here in their back yard in Portland, Oregon, another athletic shoe company with a huge presence here in the Northwest may swoop in, such as adidas, Mizuno, Puma, Brooks or Montrail. On the other hand, if Nike jumps in and takes this exploding green market by storm, they may leave their competition looking second-best.

If Nike does take the sustainability market by storm, it would have to be soon, and it would most likely involve their soon-to-be-released, top secret Pegasus project. Basketball is one thing, but a green Running shoe, especially a mainstay such as the Pegasus, could be the one move that permanently endears Nike to the evironmentally-conscious crowd.

Always on the cutting edge of marketing trends, the University of Oregon School of Journalism has developed a great site in partnership with Texas' EnviroMedia Social Marketing. Their project, http://www.greenwashingindex.com/, reviews, discusses and measures the integrity of today's green ads.

Other green advances in the running / multisport / fitness arena include sustainability certification for events via the Council for Responsible Sport, and the educational recycling program through TerraCycle sponsored by Clif Bar called the Energy Wrapper Brigade.

Sex in Event Marketing

Does sex sell? It all depends on your market. If you're selling to the general public, then that's usually a yes. If you sell running skirts, and you're creative, you can use the inherent sexiness of the skirt to promote your product in a fun way. How about a Skirt Chaser 5K? I can hear Chris Kattan dressed as Antonio de Banderas pleading "No, no! Too sexy, too sexy!"

Exactly. It's refreshing to have a national campaign that's not afraid to be creative and have fun. And, the running skirt actually works, so they're not selling a bad product. Women like to run in athletic skirts because it combines the fit and support of tight, stretchy fabric with the look and feel of a skirt. It makes sense, because most running shorts have liners, and then the fabric of the shorts eventually causes chaffing. They're more functional than shorts, and they cover more than high-performance briefs or bikinis.

However apart from a handfull of ultra runners, guys usually won't wear skirts or skorts. But instead of having a women's-only race that would alienate men, Skirt Sports developed the Skirt Chaser 5K, which includes both men and women, while still celebrating the skirt. The women start first, then the guys take off, hence the skirt chasing.

Remember, where there's sexy marketing, there's usually alcohol. Yes, you can have a Red Bull Vodka, and / or craft-brewed beer and pizza. Add in a small fashion show, and you have the makings of a great event. With seven races nation-wide this year, let's hope one comes to Portland soon.

[photo details: the 2005 Helvetia Half Marathon Crew strikes a pose after another successful event.]

The Superbowl 42

Why review the Superbowl in a Blog on running, race directing and athletics? Because it is a marketing phenomenon. (Plus, football players are athletes, after all - we're not talking baseball here.) But besides who won the game and why, there's the advertising, which is even more important. Superbowl commercials illustrate how sports and business interact, and present a cutting edge playing field in the art of promotion.

This year's field of ad spots are worth mentioning. The best local spot was the Samauri trunk monkey. The Under Armour commercial was a bit disappointing - it is a good product, but it didn't really hit the mark. Three other commercials that were amusing, yet not spectacular were Planter's peanuts "monobrow", Sobe Life Water's dancing lizards, and Garmin's Napoleon. My personal favorites are as follows:

10 The "Jinx" Coke ad with Bill Frist and James Carville. It was clever, yet pleasant.

9 Doritos' "mousetrap" ad. A bit existentialist perhaps, but it is Doritos, so why not?

8 Coke with Macy's parade balloons, Stewie and Underdog, battling for the Coke balloon. Shot very well. Charlie Brown in the end was a nice touch.

7 E*trade with talking, puking baby. I'm not particularly a fan of talking babies, but this one was done well.

6 Pepsi with Justin Timberlake and friends. Justin Timberlake crashes into many things, with great cameos along the way.

5 cars.com's Circle of Death. This got the reaction that most of the Bud Light commercials were looking for.

4 Pepsi Max with Chris Kattan. Pepsi with caffeine, shot with an interesting soundtrack. It was a long set up for one punch line, but Chris Kattan of Saturday Night Live fame made it all worthwhile.

3 Audi's "Godfather" commercial, with the R8. Beautiful and brilliant.

2 Bud Light: Will Ferrell as Jackie Moon. This is spectacular, and was originally my top pick. Will Ferrell does a Bud Light ad in the character of Jackie Moon to promote his upcoming movie Semi Pro. Cross-pollination at its best.

1 Godaddy.com & their "Exposure" ad . I thought this was a smart idea - to show an ad during the Superbowl that invites spectators to go to their website to see the ad that Fox would not show. Then, of course, I saw the commercial at the Godaddy.com site, and it was brilliant.

First of all, the Janet Jackson performance at the Superbowl several years ago was terrible. She sang with Justin Timberlake while her brother, Michael Jackson, had legal trouble regarding sleep-overs with underage fans. The weird thing about the performance was that Justin Timberlake sang and danced just like his hero, Michael Jackson. And the song's lyrics were sexually suggestive, so it almost looked like Janet was flirting with her brother - or someone imitating her brother. I was at a party with a group of runners, and we were barely paying attention, but I remember looking up and thinking that the entire performance was just a bit too gay, especially with the half nude dancing guys in the background.

OK, so then Janet Jackson exposed her breast, which was half conveniently covered by a ring, and we all breathed a sigh of relief that the awful performace was over. Later, we heard that the exposure was accidental, due to a wardrobe malfunction, as if anyone cared, and that churches across the land were writing in to complain. And who gets penalized for Janet Jackson's performance, which coincided with the release of her new album? Howard Stern gets penalized, if that makes any sense.

In 2005, Godaddy.com airs a commercial with a woman testifying to Congress, and has a "wardrobe malfunction" of her own. Brilliant. This lifted Godaddy's stocks, so they aired a series of similar commercials in 2006. For the 2007 Superbowl, Fox bans their original commercial, which stars racecar driver Danica Patrick.

So, does the banned "Exposed" ad involve any nudity or partial nudity? No. It does, however, cleverly make fun of infamous celebrities while satirizing the paparazzi. Very funny, very smart, and I think being banned from Superbowl 42 was a great strategy. If you want to check out a few for yourself, go to http://www.superbowl-ads.com/

Top 25 Races in Oregon for 2007

The votes are in.
The Top 25 Races in Oregon for 2007 are:

1 Eugene Marathon
2 Hood To Coast
3 ORRC PCT 50 / 50
4 Helvetia Half
5 Kevin’s Cup
6 Portland Marathon
7 Prefontaine Memorial Run
8 Shamrock Run
9 Crater Lake Rim Runs
10 Pear Blossom Run
11 Butte To Butte
12 Pints To Pasta
13 Starlight Run
14 ORRC Turkey Trot
15 Steens Mt Rim Run
16 Starlight Run
17 Circle The Bay 30K
18 Mt Hood Scramble
19 Clackamas River Runoff
20 Run Like Hell
21 Civil War Relay
22 Dirty Half Marathon
23 Cascade Half Marathon
24 Mosier Twin Tunnels Run
25 Cinco de Mayo

Top 10 Races in Portland for 2007

The votes are in.
The Top 10 Races in Portland for 2007 are:

1. Portland Marathon
2. Pints To Pasta
3. Hood To Coast
4. ORRC Turkey Trot
5. Shamrock Run
6. Starlight Run
7. Run Like Hell
8. Cascade Run Off
9. Komen Race For the Cure
10. Mt Tabor Challenge