Racing Bib
Exta Safety Pins
Racing/Timing Chip
Running Shoes
Socks
Running Shorts/Tights/Capris/Skirt/Pants  < your choice
Lucky Running Top (+sports bra for the ladies)
Garmin (fully charged)
iPod/headphones (fully charged)
Body Glide
Sunscreen
Gu, Gels, Bars (fuel of choice)
ID
Cash

OPTIONAL
*cell phone
*coverups
*lucky racing hat
*sunglasses

And of course a MAP and plan of action… know where to park, who you’re meeting… what corral you’re in, account for traffic and cluster effs near the parking lot so you have enough time to get to your corral and take a few deep breaths and stretch. I’ll be trying to remember all this for my race on Sunday. Above all else, remember to keep an eye out for those event photographers – and SMILE no one wants to see how miserable you look at mile 8 or 18 even!

Core to the Sundance festivities last month, was the first ever K-Swiss Ping Pong Challenge, where four filmmakers squared off at the net, as well as on screen.  K-Swiss used the opportunity to enlist an excellent videographer in Travis Graalman that offered a bit of Ping Pong history. Apparently the sport was born the Victorian era, when dinner was followed by clearing the table for a game with books stacked up to be used as a net. These four filmmakers showed their competitive spirit, taking the challenge of this “casual” sport very seriously — going out for the win, which went Skateland’s Anthony Burns, who, if not for his prowess behind the camera, could have been a ringer. Peep the video and watch out  for the next Ping Pong Challenge in Austin, TX for SXSW in March.

Color me baffled. A friend of mine who is a speed demon and soon-to-be Boston Qualifier, Kerrie, shared one of her favorite track workouts with me to prep for 5K races. I figured it would be helpful to share in case anyone in my situation (distance runner newly training for speed) wanted to check it out.

THE WORKOUT
This is a compound set, or pyramid, of 3 miles and should help get a feel for a shorter run as well as give some confidence going into shorter distances. Make sure you use the Garmin and turn off the autolap feature. If you aren’t familiar with a track 400 meters = 1 lap on the inside lane. Have fun!

2 x 400/800/2400/800/400 Meter Compound Sets

*Run 400 meters at mile pace, 800 meters at 5K pace, 2400 at goal marathon pace (GMP – can use 1/2 marathon pace).

Begin increasing pace again with 800 meters at 5K pace, + 400 at mile pace. Take no recovery between the components of the set. Recover between each compound set with 3 minutes of passive rest.

That’s it!

Skimming the directions, my eyes hit the 2400 part of the set and my legs twitched a little. I’ll try to do this once every few weeks if anything to at least get the soul hurting exercise. As it stands right now, I’m nowhere near fast but have recently beat my fastest mile time by :48 seconds. I can only imagine if I make myself do this once a week… now there’s a thought!

José James just might be the male Sade. Like her, this soulful crooner uses his smokely seductive voice to effortlessly fold himself into the listener’s consciousness. But while this young, New York-based singer starts with jazzy soul as his root force—his haunting vocals recall everyone from Billie Holiday and Chet Baker to Bill Withers—he’s smart enough to know that his smoothness will stand out best when placed against edgier textures. For example, James’ recently released second album, Blackmagic, features its share of tinkling supper-club pianos, scat runs, brushed snares and stand-up bass, but there’s also production from the likes of groove iconoclast Flying Lotus (James also shines on a majestic remix by dubstep maverick Joy Orbison). On songs like “Made For Love,” lines like “love to touch your body” could come straight from an R. Kelly jam, but the asymmetrical boom bap surrounding James’ vocals takes the groove out of slow jam archetype into avant-garde bliss.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Most of all, however, the stark yet expressive backing sounds on Blackmagic showcases James’ sly skills: even when placed against samples or synthetic beats, his voice demonstrates the glory of human musical virtuosity. James’ mode is permanently set on simmer, never letting the ache resolve: the vibe is sexy but never overt, expertly deployed without breaking a sweat—the end result proves so unforced, it seems magic has to be involved, despite the pointed lack of smoke and mirrors. All in all, James seems to belong to another era, yet one that’s never existed in either past or future—in a word, he’s timeless.

Out now on Brownswood Recordings – get your copy at your local now or online here
Jose James album cover and riad style photo by Hassan Hajjaj

Image courtesy Paul Both

The L.A. Marathon is now officially less than two months away. Although my training seems to be on track, I’m still nervous every single waking moment. I find comfort in my friends, especially those that I pull a lot of inspiration from (runners who will fly through a marathon and not break a sweat or complain once). One person I’ve especially admired and look to during my internal running turmoil is my friend, Paul Both, an ultra-runner who is currently on similar journey of his own – running across the continental United States… averaging 25 miles a day with nothing but his feet and a support vehicle just in case.

I’ve known Paul since before I ran my first marathon and although running across the US is something that other people have done for various reasons (usually some charitable organization of sorts) Paul’s reason is slightly different and beautifully honest: himself. On his mission statement he says that one of the reasons he is running thisis for all the miles logged thus far in his running career on the treadmill he actually wants “to get somewhere.” That’s a great reason.

At the end of the day, I think a lot of us are trying to find ourselves or run to find the safe place that we’re trying to escape to inside of ourselves. Paul paints a very literal picture by running from point to point (his hometown of Huntington Beach to the Statue of Liberty in New York.) Although the Statue of Liberty does not hold the same symbolic significance to me as it does to Paul, whenever I see him tweet or update his Facebook status I think of my agenda with the L.A. Marathon. I think about how I will run from Dodger Stadium to the Pacific Ocean (which always feels like home to me) and how I hope to find something there that a lot of marathoners want to see at the finish line, a stronger person than I had previously thought myself to be.

If you’ve already broken all your New Year’s Resolutions, why not start the year over by celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year (this year will be the year of the Tiger) with a good ol’ race? The Chinatown Firecracker 5k/10k is one of best local courses in Southern California – I kid you not… Imagine running over the hills of Elysian Park, parts of Downtown LA and a grand finish running the off the ramp of the 110 freeway – yup you get to run ON the freeway. I ran this race for the first time last year by myself and had the *best* time.

The Chinatown Firecracker Run is a small local race with a 5k and a 10k course and bike ride. The New Year festivities occur the entire weekend (Feb. 27-Feb.28) – you even get a free carbo load dinner with the price of race admission (which is not too common). Before the race gets started Chinese New Year is celebrated by lighting 100 firecrackers. What better way to get your heart pumping than some loud explosives!

Along the course locals and volunteers cheer, hand out water, and at the very end little old ladies hand you bananas and orange slices. The real feeling of community involvement make is one of the reasons this particular race holds a special place in my heart.

I plan on running the 10k and having dim sum afterward. Then running another 13-15 miles for LA Marathon training. Sounds crazy, but this is mileage that needs to be done if I expect to make it through race day.

More information here.

Theme song for the race: “Wild Nothing – Chinatown”

Having a strong core (lower back, hips and abdominals) is essential to help keep proper running form… as well as help prevent injury… and most importantly be a helpful aid for looking damn good before bikini season is upon us. Here are two highly effective core workouts for beginners:

The Plank
* Get face down on the floor resting on your forearms and knees.
* Push off the floor, raising up off your knees onto your toes and resting mainly on your elbows.
* Engage your abdominals to keep yourself up and prevent your booty from sticking up. (Envision a string pulling itself taut from your bellybutton through your core to hold the position.)
* Keep your back flat (like a plank).
* Hold for a minute (30 seconds at least).
* Repeat 2-3 times.

You can also do a variation of the plank by starting off on your knees if holding the position on your toes proves to be too difficult. Here’s a good video explaining the how-to:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Next comes a difficult, but cool looking calisthenics workout: the mountain climber.  Mountain climbers work on your core, heart rate, quads, glutes, you name it…

The Mountain Climber
* Start in pushup position.
* Bring the right knee in towards the chest, resting the foot on the floor.
* Jump up and switch feet in the air (left foot in, right foot back).
* Keep switching feet as fast as you can for one minute.

This will make you feel out of shape, try not to be so hard on yourself. Here’s a good instructional video on how to do these.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Challenge. Try doing these the next time you run along the beach or are out in public. It’s a good way to get over any social anxieties you might have. Seriously!

We’ve been fans of eccentric U.K. pop chanteuse Marina Diamandis for a minute now, but this new remix of her track “I Am Not A Robot” definitely shows her off in a fresh light. For maximum bloggiste irony, hip remixer du jour Penguin Prison puts ‘80s android beats underneath Marina’s ethereal vocal, contrasting her insistent chorus of “Guess what? I’m not a robot” with the sounds of future past.  Penguin Prison’s grooves here resemble deep house forged in a glacial synthetic ice factory: they hint at soul, but it’s not hard to see your reflection in their plasticine sheen (this is meant as a compliment, by the way…). Setting off Marina’s virtuosic vocal flights against this backdrop proves utterly perfect. While she’s endured many a Kate Bush comparison, Penguin Prison’s remix emphasizes that aspect of her in such a great way: this version of “I Am Not A Robot” may indeed be Marina’s own “Running Up That Hill.” Long may she climb….

When you find yourself really in the thick of it with ramping up for a big race (especially if it’s a distance race) it’s pretty easy to lose sight of things outside of running your heart out to help with training and recovery. That being said, here are a few cool and helpful tips I’ve gotten from various sources along the way in preparation for my many races past (and the many more coming up) that I thought you might find useful:

1) Carboload with beer – Don’t be shocked. Yes, beer, an alcoholic beverage. While you are out having your pasta meal the night before the race have a couple (don’t get wasted though). Did you know that Frank Shorter had about two liters of beer the night before he won the 1972 Olympic Marathon? Yup, true story. You can check out this dedicated beer running blog as well.

2) Ice bath – after a long (13-15 mile) run soak in a tub filled with ice water (like bags of ice in the tub) for at least 20 minutes. Try not to scream (too loud). The last thing you want after a tiring run is to feel like your freezing your legs off but the ice helps close the capillary veins in your legs and prevents swelling. You’ll feel great after (the during part is *not* a party).

3) Slow down – if you are just starting out on long distance endurance training, the best first step that you can take with racking up mileage is slowing down. A lot of training plans will only have you run at race pace one or twice during the rest while the rest of the runs are anaerobic, to get your body to catch up with the cardio fitness you’ve already built up with the faster pace. There is even a method by Jeff Galloway that proposes a run/walk method to make sure that you have breaks between your running segment.

4) Run less – Cross train. I have to confess, I am guilty of lack of cross training, I’ve been forcing myself to get into strength training which is not fun and trying to switch up a day or 2 of working out during the week with a non-running workout. It’s a work in progress but I know that it will come with a big pay off.

5) Be flexible with goals – I can’t stress this enough. I have been guilty of telling myself that this week I have to hit 50 miles or 45 miles or I need to run 4 miles under 9 minutes at least, but if you find that you didn’t get a chance to rest or eat enough before your run or you have less time to run because of your work schedule, still make sure that you are getting it done – anything is better than nothing. When I have really hard and fast rules especially with mileage I find that I usually end up not running at all. But now that I am a little more flexible on mileage goals (sometimes) I will do the 3 mile run (as measly as it feels) whereas before I would scrap the run, scrap the week and then start over the next week.

Take a different spin on things and it might just rock your running world.

Here’s a song to help you along:

MSTRKRFT – Breakaway (Blende Remix)

So what’s the big deal, you ask? The reason that so many people support the barefoot running movement is the belief that running barefoot forces you to do a “natural” or “neutral” gait (forefoot strike versus heel strike). I had a gait analysis done a few months ago (where you run on a treadmill and someone video tapes and then analyzes how your foot strikes on the ground and your foot turn over) and the the guy who ran the booth at the expo told me that I had the “most  pronounced” forefoot strike he had ever seen.

Any neutral forefoot striking runner like myself would likely be just as cold shouldered about barefoot running (maybe). Think of it this way, running is a sport that has *always* been the same. There is no technology to it, so we are always reinventing the wheel on what’s new with running. Why barefoot run when you can instead keep your feet clean and practice better running posture and train yourself to do the correct foot strike. That’s just my own opinion though.

Here are some additional resources for the barefoot curious:

New York Times

Time

US News

Click here to view the embedded video.

Pro skater, Greg Lutzka, explains, “The economy is definitely hurting our industry because people aren’t buying as many boards and aren’t spending as much money. It’s hurting our board sales because, as a pro, our boards sell for $60 when a kid can go buy a local shop deck for $35.”

The bottom line is that smaller skate brands and smaller markets will be most hit. The result of that will be less innovation and indie startups than in the last 10 years or so, at a time when skate is just coming into its own. That’s not even taking into consideration the rising star skaters that might not be able to compete. It’s not a surprising story, but the well-timed sentiment on skateboarding as a cottage industry that has seen much success and could be in for a tough run is welcolmed.

More: ESPN Skateboarding

Image courtesy Infadels

When Infadels debuted in 2006, the U.K. quintet were kind of caught between two poles—the danceable post-punk of, say, Bloc Party and the nu-rave of mega-buzzed about bands like the Klaxons. As a result, Infadels didn’t get the hype of those bands, but they may have staying power beyond expectations—especially if a track like the new single “Ghosts” is any indication. Infadels have always been a killer live band, bringing raw indie attitude to truly funky, credible dancefloor grooves, and “Ghosts” arguably best merges the band’s intense live experience with their studio powers; at the same time, “Ghosts” may also be their most clubtastic track ever—and for that, we may have to give some credit to the song’s producer, budding superstar Alex Metric, who’s dazzled of late on remixes for Phoenix and his own bangers. Most of all, “Ghosts” balances innovation and hooks galore perfectly—singer Bnaan nails the soaring chorus with anthemic insouciance amidst the band’s jabbing synths and charging rhythms. In all, “Ghosts” proves so insanely infectious, you’ll have trouble shaking it from your brain; it’s a combo that makes one think Infadels just might be the 2000s heir to the legacy of the likes of Primal Scream, who have always set the standard for combining rebellious electronics, guitars and swagger. This bodes well for Infadels’ upcoming album The Future of the Gravity Boy: if it’s as catchy and cool as “Ghosts,” then it should prove the spirit of 2010…

When I signed up for the LA Marathon (day of opening) I knew going in that I absolutely needed to have some formal training under my belt. Marathon one left me benched for almost two months and I never thought that I would find myself where I am today… about 50 days away from marathon number two… and still not feeling quite ready.

I signed up with a package to train with the official training group for the LA Marathon, the Road Runners (headed up by Rod Dixon – Olympic medalist and former NY Marathon winner.) The concept behind the Road Runners is simple, you surround yourself with a group of people who run at your pace and allow the group to keep you in rhythm and motivated to stay on pace.   (There’s more to it like a full training plan, nutrition and general training advice and a SLEW of pacers.)

Day one with the Road Runners was like my first day at school. I was so nervous and had no idea who would “buddy up” with me in my training group (we run 2 x 2).  Despite the nervous feeling, it was amazing to meet so many runners at varying levels of experience. Everyone there had a common goal, and it wasn’t just to finish, it was to finish strong.

Unfortunately for me and as is the case for a lot of people in my situation (super active racers) I missed a good chunk of my RR training due to my half marathon schedule. This weekend is actually my triumphant return to Road Runners training (don’t judge me I’ve been training on my own)… with hill training! We’ll see how it goes.

If you’re interested in learning more about the Road Runners training program you can visit their site here.

Video games have come a long way, and even the iPhone app games rival anything you’d see in an arcade back in the day. So it was a matter of time before skating became a game sector of its own, and our local, Greg Lutzka is the main character of this new one called S.K.A.T.E. which is the skate version of H.O.R.S.E. You challenge the virtual Lutzka to a head-to-head game of S.K.A.T.E. where he links together a series of tricks which you have to match or suffer the fate of getting another letter. Spell S.K.A.T.E. and you are out.

The game also features a pretty dope soundtrack Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, Ivy League and Soapbox Paradox care of Skullcandy. It’s only $1, so if you’re a skate freak with an iPhone there is no excuse to not grab it.

More: LA Examiner

Now that the LA Marathon training is in full swing, the runs have gotten increasingly longer and general overall feeling of bodily well being has… well changed. One of the things I usually struggle with when it comes for training for a full marathon is consistently doing my long runs on the weekend. My own personal fix for getting those weekend runs in is having some “side training” to rewards myself with – racing half marathons.

The half marathon (13.1 miles) is by far my favorite distance, not to push 26.2 aside (I can’t *not* want to run a marathon every once in a while). So, now with the training runs getting longer and a more challenging to do, I am still beyond excited for my upcoming race on Feb 7: Surf City USA in Huntington Beach. Part of the California Dreaming Series of races this is one of my favorite half marathons to date. This is my second year running this race and my one year anniversary of conquering the half marathon distance. I remember when I ran it for the very first time. The course was so *awesome* – great scenery, ocean breeze and phenomenal supporters cheering you along the way. It was a fast and flat race. The course also provided local bands and entertainment along every 5 miles or so playing their best rendition or homage to the Beach Boys. My favorite part of the race had to be between the 8-11th mile when you were out of the residential neighborhoods and out along PCH. The view of the ocean was majestic. It also made the arduous task of pushing out the last few miles as hard as possible bearable.

This year I’m hoping to feel accomplished but in a different way, I imagine powering across the finish line and if I’m tears (I was last year) it’s from how much *less* pain I’m in than I thought I might be. Wishful thinking. I’d settle for a PR.

Surf City is already sold out, but if you’d like to doing a cool training half marathon run next February in prep for the LA Marathon you check out races on Racevine.com – it’s a Yelp type of site for race reviews and a cool way to look up details and experiences from other racers.

More: Long Beach Bike Fest

Click here to view the embedded video.

Say you’re tired of the same neighborhood you’ve been stomping for the past few weeks and are on the market for a new running route… Aside from some cool analytics features for pace, time splits, max/min speed and elevation change – you can also find cycling and running routes via other Garmin Connect users right off the site! If you live in a pretty populated city (Los Angeles for instance) you should be in for a treat.

Here are some easy to follow steps to get you started on finding some cool and local running routes:

From the Garmin Connect page click on the “Explore” tab. You will be taken to a search page where you can look up by keyword and location different activities from other Garmin Connect users. Filtering options include: activity, event type, distance and elevation.

It’s a very cool way to know what to expect when running a route (depending on notes + output). For example: I found a user who ran the trail at Elysian Park – one I’ve been meaning to check out. After clicking on the route I found out that there was a decent elevation gain – and am now able to figure out alternate routes if the distance is not what I’m looking to do (this person ran a 5 mile route).

From the looks of it, you cannot “friend” or “connect” with other Garmin Connect users (ironic). It would be cool to be able to connect with other Garmin users who are running the same routes (especially because you already know their pace). I doubt that Garmin would put much time or money into building out an online community from the possibilities their site presents. It is a really stellar opportunity for a developer to create a mashup app based on a geo-location game. Wishful thinking? Maybe?

Here are some other route finders for non-Garmin users:
SportsTrack
Walk Jog Run
Map My Run
Daily Mile

Take this with you on your new running route: