Holabird Sports Deal of the Day – Saucony ViZi-PRO On Sale!
Great deals over at Holabird Sports today! Get ready for the winter weather with big savings on Saucony ViZi-PRO gear.
Today’s sale includes the Saucony Omni LX Tight for men and women, plus three excellent long sleeve tops featuring unmatched ViZi-PRO™ color intensity and roadside visibility:
- Saucony Omni LX Tight Two Lady – Was $65. Now $26.95
- Saucony Omni LX Tight Two Men – Was $65. Now $26.95
- Saucony ViZi-PRO™ Epic Drylete Sportop Men- Was $75. Now $29.95
- Saucony ViZi-PRO™ Inferno Long Sleeve Top Men – Was $38. Now $14.95
- Saucony ViZi-PRO™ Run Lux Long Sleeve Top Lady – Was $40. Now $14.95
Note: “Today’s Deal Price” not retroactive on prior purchases. Limit 3 per customer, per order, per day.
Bulldog Natural Skincare – Product Review & 15% Off Coupon Code
Slightly off topic, but just wanted to let the male readers of RunBulldogRun know about a great range of skincare products I recently stumbled upon. Actually, the female readers may want to purchase some of the product line for the special guy in their life, so I guess this post is applicable to everyone after all.
I first spotted the range of Bulldog Natural Skincare products on my recent trip to Wales. The eye-catching logo/packaging caught my eye, and I soon found myself checking out the products and reading the various quirky descriptions….
Unless you’re a geography teacher or a communist revolutionary, you’ll have to shave sometime.
How can you face your problem if your problem is your face? This isn’t the whole answer, but it’s a start.
However, with an already jammed-full-suitcase waiting to be lugged back to the USA, I opted not to buy any of the products, but instead made a mental note to “check online” on my return.
Fast forward a couple of weeks, and as I’m logging a morning run on Earndit.com – a great site that rewards you for exercising – I noticed that one of their new “Rewards Partners” was none other than Bulldog Natural Skincare!!
(By the way, you can check out some of Earndit’s other Reward Partners by clicking here.)
For just 300 Earndit points I was able to select a $20 Bulldog Skincare gift card, which arrived via email within a matter of minutes.
It didn’t take long to select three of their products – Original Face Wash, Original Moisturizer and Original Shave Gel – before clicking “Submit” to place my order. Just two days later, a small package arrived (contents shown above)…
Original Shave Gel
They say – Packed with 8 essential oils, aloe vera, jojoba and konjac mannan for an incredibly smooth shave.
Wet face with warm water. Massage into your stubble. Shave smooth.
Be loyal to your skin. Our products never contain parabens, sodium laureth sulfate, artificial colours, synthetic fragrances, or ingredients from animal sources.
I say – The shave gel was the first Bulldog product I used. I’m typically pretty fussy when it comes to shaving gels/foams/oils, but this one was as close to perfect as I’ve found. It applies easily, is fresh smelling and allows the razor to glide effortlessly over the skin. The best thing for me, however, was that the gel didn’t clog the razor like so many other shave products are prone to do.
Original Face Wash
They say – Packed with 8 essential oils and green tea to gently cleanse your face of dirt and debris.
Lather up on wet skin and rinse.
Be loyal to your skin. Our products never contain parabens, sodium laureth sulfate, artificial colours, synthetic fragrances, or ingredients from animal sources.
I say – Smells just like the other Bulldog products – fresh without being overpowering. Lathers up nicely, rinses off easily and above all doesn’t leave your skin feeling dry as a prune. Great stuff!
Original Moisturizer
They say – Packed with 8 essential oils, green tea, green algae, konjac mannan and vitamin E to help rehydrate the skin.
Use morning and night. Apply evenly to face and neck after cleansing.
Be loyal to your skin. Our products never contain parabens, sodium laureth sulfate, artificial colours, synthetic fragrances, or ingredients from animal sources.
I say – Great smell, applies easily and is not at all greasy. Lasts a long time and doesn’t block the pores like some guys’ moisturizers do.
Next up for me to try will be the Original After Shave Balm and perhaps the Anti-Ageing Moisturizer which I believe is only sold in the UK at the moment.
Finally, in the last couple of days I’ve managed to secure an exclusive 15% savings code with Bulldog Natural Skincare, so if you fancy trying any of their products just use the following code YN5F8JT36 at their online US Store.
[Note: 15% discount available through 12/31/11.]
New Balance Shoes/Accessories and Sport Science Shirts On Sale at The Clymb!
More great deals over at The Clymb! The latest offerings from the member-exclusive 72-hour sales web site include New Balance footwear & accessories (e.g. New Balance 690, 650, MT310, Women’s 855, 690, 470, assorted gloves and headband), and a great selection of Sport Science shirts in a range of colors, styles & designs.
Have to say, The Clymb is one of my favorite shopping web sites at the moment – bargains galore, but you have to be quick before the goods sell out. Happy shopping!
The Gibbet 50
The Gibbet 50 by Final Mile Events.
Course Description: Using all marked trails throughout First Landing State Park, runners will make two full 25 mile loops. Trails are primarily flat with varying terrain (sand, pine needles, wooden bridges, tree roots). Mostly runnable, there are a few sections that have technical short steep hills. Stunning water and trails views along the way. Terrain – 95% trail, 5% road.
Not sure where to start with this to be honest. I’d been *thinking* about this event for a while, but only signed up a couple of days before the race was due to take place. With the Cardiff Half Marathon and Marine Corps Marathon taking place later this month I knew recovery from a 50 mile race would be a bit hit or miss. However, in the end I decided a local, inaugural 50 Miler was too good an opportunity to pass up.
Priorities were to enjoy the event, the course and the ultra-camaraderie, but I also had a sneaky outside goal of breaking 7 hours. Probably a bit ambitious with my recent glute/groin issues, but what the heck, eh? I deliberately chose to not go public with the goal as I didn’t want this race to turn into a “pressure event” – turned out to be a good decision.
Pre-race I set my Garmin to beep every ten miles, alert me each hour (a reminder to take 3 Endurolyte capsules) and to just display average pace. I also set “Jonesy” (my virtual partner) at 8:24/mile pace – just fast enough to squeeze inside the 7 hour goal.
[And we're off.... Photo courtesy Ally Speirs]
I figured I’d probably go out too quick, and I was correct – 8:10 pace for the first 10 mile loop, but it felt.so.good. Perpetuem was my fuel of choice, but I’d also stashed an espresso gel (and the Endurolytes) into my hand held pouch for some emergency fuel if the need arose.
It was nice to have company for most of the first 25 mile loop. I ran about 18 miles with the female half of the 2 x 25 mile relay team. She was using the 25 Mile event as a long training run for Ironman Florida. We chatted about triathlon, running, nutrition and a variety of other topics, and the miles literally flew by. 2nd 10 mile split was 8:11 pace – again too quick, but once again it felt.so.good.
[Note: I did manage to cut my upper arm on a tree branch in the early miles, and also took an embarrassing tumble on one of the side trails - my first real trip on a tree root, and it all happened in slow motion just like the text books say. Luckily there was no damage (aside from sand all down the left side of my body), so I picked myself up and carried on running.
Not sure what happened at around the 18 mile mark. Without making any conscious effort, I picked up the pace and started to stretch things out. Deep down I knew it wasn't a wise move, but had a hard time dialing things back to my original goal. I didn't get a split for the half-way 25 mile mark, but finished in front of the relay lady, and also the 1st place runner in the 25 Mile event. Naturally I set off for the 2nd 25 mile lap a very confident runner...
My third 10 mile split came in at 7:40 pace - way too fast with 20 miles still to run. It was about this time that I realized the temperature had risen pretty quickly and I was sweating profusely. I brushed away a bug that was buzzing around my head and was horrified at the salt crystals that had formed on my neck. Despite taking a regular dose of Endurolytes I was a little scared that my electrolyte levels were off, and made sure to take in pretzels and chips at the next aid station. I never really felt thirsty, and the combination of my hand held w/ Perpetuem and water at the aid stations felt just about perfect.
I think it was the loneliness of the 4th 10 mile section that made me slow up. Yeah, I was getting tired, but I think I lost focus for a few miles and spent longer than normal at the aid stations making sure I took in plenty of salty snacks. I also had to make a stop in the woods for a short time, so this may have cost me a minute or two too! Anyway, 8:59 pace for the 10 miles. Hmmm....
With *just* 10 miles to go (5 of them on the tricky side trails of the park), I worked out I needed to roughly average 9 minute miles to break the sub-7:00 barrier. Sounds easy, but with 40 miles in the legs already, it was difficult to keep the cadence going. The next five miles were the toughest of the race. With "the win" almost guaranteed (I forgot to mention I was in 2nd place until about the 13 mile mark, after which I continued to put big time on my nearest challenger), the thought of backing off the pace and coasting home to the finish crossed my mind. Well, actually, the thought crossed my mind for just a split second before deciding to throw caution to the wind and just "go for it". However, I didn't/couldn't improve my pace on the Osprey & Cape Henry Trails, which left me 5 miles to cover in 45 minutes. Ugh.
I'd already ditched my hand held at this stage in the race (sick of carrying it), but knew there were 3 aid stations that I could grab water from if necessary. Come on, Steve; let's do it. Thankfully the Cape Henry Trail is marked every half mile, which I took full advantage of..... As each half mile passed, I found myself putting time in the bank, and with one mile to go was amazed that there were 12 minutes left to break the magic 7 hour mark.
[Managed to find a spring in my step for the final 100m... Photo courtesy Ally Speirs]
I cruised the last mile, thanked the final aid station volunteers for their help and support, and kicked it in for the finish. The clock displayed 6:56 something as I crossed the line, but to be honest was in my own little word and purely on auto-pilot. (8:49 pace for the final 10 btw…)
[Sub-7:00. Wow... Photo courtesy Crystal L. Santos Photography]
What a wonderful event, and what a very satisfying performance. Not really sure where I find the drive to keep pushing when the going gets tough, but hope it never goes away. Thanks to everyone for the continued support, wonderful comments and daily motivation – it really means so much. Thanks also to Final Mile Events for putting on a top notch event and to all the wonderful volunteers who gave up their Saturday to help out a bunch of crazy ultra runners.
By the way, the Gibbet 50 awards are probably the coolest I’ve seen at any race. Check out the light-up skull I won for being 1st place Male. Tremendous!!
[Accepting 1st Place Male award from Race Director Brenda Carawan... Photo courtesy Ally Speirs]
12-HR Adventure Trail Race
Prince William Forest Park was the venue for my fourth Ultra event of 2011 – the 12-HR Adventure Trail Race, directed by the excellent Athletic Equation guys. The course was slightly less challenging than the 24-HR ATR earlier this year, and featured a 6.5 figure eight loop made up mainly of single track and fire road. The terrain was a mix of rocks, roots, dirt with a few muddy spots thrown in for good measure. There were plenty of ups and downs to “keep the runners honest” throughout the race.
The race was due to start in darkness at 6:15am. Parking was quick and easy at the Telegraph Road picnic area – very cool to get a spot just 50m from the main aid station and start/finish clock. I spent the next 20 or 30 minutes getting my gear organized and reviewing race fuel needs with crew-Ally. After a short pre-race brief and a quick chat with some familiar faces from the 24-HR ATR, we were off.
Headlamps were definitely a good idea for the first loop, and we were also advised to take things easy and get to know the trails which would stand us in good stead for the rest of the day. I settled in to about 8th slot early on – keen to follow people who knew where they were going, and also wary of a fall or a trip on the many exposed roots and rocks on the course. After half a loop it was light enough that I could switch off the lamp.
The early pace was brisk, and I enjoyed chatting with eventual joint-female-winner Megan McGrath who, as a previous entrant, had good knowledge of the course. Somehow I managed to miss a turn on the way back to the main station and ended up looking at a grassy field with no orange streamers to indicate which way to go. I was in good company though, as eventual 3rd place guy Thaddeus Meyer also made the same “mistake” (he was ahead of me at the time), as did Megan and race winner, Olivier Leblond. We didn’t run much extra distance, and it was an easy error to fix.
I forgot to make a note of my lap time for the first loop, but know it was too quick, even though it felt ultra-comfortable. I breezed over the timing mat and through the main aid station, swapped out my Perpetuem for a bottle of HEED and hurriedly set off for loop number two. The next couple of loops are a bit of a blur, but I do remember chatting with Olivier for a fair amount of time. Turns out we’d both done our homework – he knew all about me and had found this blog detailing many of my race recaps and other posts. I knew he’d won the recent North Face 50km in DC, and also had a very impressive road marathon resume. Along with Thad, Olivier was my pre-race pick for the win. Gotta love the internet, right?
So, in true ultra-novice style, I finished loop two in 1 hour 52 minutes, knew the average 8:51/mile pace was a bit quick, but still managed to speed up to 8:30/mile pace in the third loop. How stupid?! I wasn’t overly concerned with the pace at this point, but was feeling a bit bloated from taking on a bit too much fuel in the first three hours. I decided to just carry water for a loop or two and ease off the pace to allow the fuel to flush through my system. It was also getting rather sticky out there with the temperature rising and the humidity level pretty high. Still very much early days though…
With a lap time of just over 56 minutes, loop four felt a lot more comfortable, and definitely more in line with my pre-race goal of one hour per loop. However, despite still feeling good, the old strategy of banking time early on in an ultra would come back to humble me later in the race. Loop five was more of a struggle. Olivier had already pressed strongly ahead, and somehow I succumbed to walking parts of the fire trail leading up to the halfway aid station. It was one of those weird “I’m not really tired, but think I’ll walk anyway” moments. The trail wasn’t unduly steep, so, other than a tight glute and semi-sore groin, I’m still not sure what happened.
Back at the main aid station I decided to stick with plain water and an Espresso Hammer Gel per loop. Not sure if it was the heat/humidity combo, but I couldn’t get excited for my staple Hammer supplies and the Perpetuem, Sustained Energy and HEED stayed in the cooler. I was careful to take in 3 Endurolyte capsules each loop though, and this definitely helped keep my electrolyte balance in check on a very swampy day.
Average pace per loop soon dropped to over 10 minutes/mile and to be honest the next five laps turned into a mental game of “playing it safe to achieve my 10 loops and complete 65 miles within the 12 hour time limit”, which was my main goal heading into the race. I’m a little disappointed that I opted to play it safe, and not push slightly harder to go for the 11 loops. Looking back, I think I knew Olivier had the win wrapped up (he was at least 20 minutes ahead of me at the 7 loop stage), and with a busy fall/winter race schedule lined up there was no real reason to kill it for the sake of an extra 6.5 miles.
My last lap was a fun one. As I headed out to cross the suspension bridge, Thad was coming back to end his 9th loop. It was cool to exchange a few words and wish each other well. He’s had a monster year of ultra running with at least a couple of 100 Milers in addition to the 24-HR ATR in May where he logged an impressive 103.25 miles. He told me he also has the Grindstone 100 coming up next month, so there was really no reason to bust out another loop on this hot/humid day.
I finished loop ten in 10 hours 48 minutes (at the time I thought I was much closer to 11 hours to be honest). I guess with 1 hour 12 minutes left on the clock there was a chance to run an extra loop, but the appeal of kicking off my shoes, sitting in a comfortable chair with a cold adult beverage was way too tempting. It was also very cool to watch other runners finish and to cheer them on. Olivier crushed the overall win with an impressive 71.5 miles in 11 hours 11 minutes. Despite what he tells me, he still looked really strong at the finish. Very cool!
So, to sum up the 2011 12-HR ATR:
- I went into the race with a ten loop goal. I comfortably achieved the goal with plenty of time to spare, and as with most ultra events that I’ve run, I’m still shocked at the distance I was able to cover – 65 miles is a LONG way on foot.
- I finished the race with only moderate muscle soreness and minor feet issues (just a weird blister on the end of my little toe) – definitely much better than the 24-HR event which really beat me up.
- I made several new friends but also met up with some familiar faces from the 24-HR ATR – great people who love to challenge themselves just as much as I do.
- I thoroughly enjoyed the event and can take away many lasting memories, which is one of the things Race Director, Alex stressed at the pre-race briefing.
- I challenged myself and learnt a lot, which will definitely stand me in good stead for future races.
- Very happy with the 2nd place overall – it’s been quite a year for solid Ultra performances!
Speaking of future races, I have a typically heavy schedule lined up for the next few months. Basically this means I’ll be taking it easy this week as I regroup and switch priorities to the Cardiff Half Marathon, Marine Corps Marathon and Cayman Islands Marathon which all take place before the end of the year. Good times. Happy Miles.
SKINS Apparel on Sale – More Compression Bargains at The Clymb
For all you training, rest and recovery compression lovers out there, a selection of men’s & women’s SKINS apparel is currently on sale over at The Clymb with savings of up to 50%. Sale ends 8/22/11.
SKINS products available in the exclusive 72-hour sale include short-sleeve/long-sleeve sport tops, full tights, half tights and the popular sport sox.
SKINS apparel has been engineered to provide the correct level of surface pressure to specific parts of the body, enhancing circulation and getting more vital oxygen to your active muscles – boosting power, speed and stamina.
The Clymb is a member-only site, but sign up is quick, easy and free. Happy shopping!
Background: The Clymb inspires human-powered adventure by delivering member-exclusive 72-hour sales on premium brands and experiences, hand-picked by our team of fellow enthusiasts and experts. Membership is free, allowing users to shape the community by inviting like-minded friends. The company is based in Portland, Ore., and was founded in 2009 by a seasoned team of outdoor and sport industry veterans.
