Yahweh

"Take this soul, stranded in some skin and bones -
Take this soul and make it sing."
-U2, "Yahweh" (video below):

It's no secret that U2 is one of the most outwardly Christian bands around - so on the most uplifting holiday of the Christian year, it seems appropriate to spotlight one of the most uplifting and beautiful songs in U2's repertoire.

"Yahweh" is, in essence, a simple prayer: a humble plea to take this broken world we occupy, and make it right. Coincidentally, that also happens to be the message of Christmas.

Here's wishing a wonderful one to all of us.

-U2, "Yahweh" (click to play):

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Frosting and Rambling (Part II)

Some admin notes to follow-up on recent giveaways: Stronger, send me your address; you've got some La Sportiva hobnails coming your way. Pinkcorker and Michael, I'm still waiting on your addresses for the GU giveaway. Write me at info@runningandrambling.com.

**
Last week featured cookie decorating night at the Running and Rambling house:

When we did this a couple of years ago, my creative instincts got a little bit carried away, and I posted a photo of one finished product that, to my wife’s dismay, has become one of my kids’ lasting memories of frosting cookies: a peed-on snowman.

So my take-home lesson from that evening was that apparently urine-related humor crosses the line of good taste when it comes to celebrating Christmas. Or something like that. And the ground rules for this year’s decorating session were clear from the outset: everything had to be in good taste.

The good news is that despite the restrictive edict, we still managed to have fun and come up with some clever stuff. We’ll start, of course, with my wife’s batch:

Completely classy all the way around. Note the attention to detail: the scarf on the snowman, the fringe on the angel’s gown, the alternating-color diagonal sprinkles on the candy cane. When it comes to decorating cookies, my wife doesn’t mess around.


On the other hand … messing around isn’t necessarily bad, as my 6-year-old’s collection demonstrates. She subscribes to the “the more toppings, the better” philosophy of decorating – and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.


A small collection from my older kids, including an iPod-wearing snowman from my 11-year-old son. I liked his idea so much that I sort of ripped it off for one of my own, as you’ll see later on.


A gathering of shortbread angels made by all of us. I was pretty proud of the Tinkerbell fairy I made, except that when we were delivering a plate of cookies to friends, Tink’s wing broke off, so part of our Christmas offering became an amputee fairy. Not exactly what comes to mind when you think about Christmas.


Since our two older kids are Nintendo DS fiends, there was a distinct Mario Party theme to some of the cookies. On the bottom, that’s Luigi (my son’s), Mario (mine), and Yoshi (my 8-year-old daughter’s). Mario was part of a larger character lineup for me …


… including Charlie Brown and an angelic iPod advertisement. The angel kind of triggered my wife’s “good taste” radar for a few seconds, because before the earbuds and cords are put on, it bears a strong resemblance to the Angel of Death. Fortunately, after presenting my completed creation, the iPod angel made sense. Unfortunately, my Charlie Brown seems to have a shrunken head.

Predictably, I couldn’t let a whole evening go by without at least one item related to running – so the easiest thing to make was this:

My favorite trail running socks, of course. After all, what’s Christmas without a little bit of commercialism?

We give away about 95% of these cookies, so the bad news for me is that I don’t even get to eat most of these yummy creations. We save our favorites to give to Santa, so there’s a possibility that I can sneak in some cookie-eating before he gets here on Christmas Eve ... but I don’t know that I want to screw around with taking stuff away from Santa. I’ve learned that when it comes to these holiday cookies, it’s best to just avoid trouble altogether.

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Jinga All the Way

One thing that never ceases to impress me about having this website is how easily it shrinks the world. Readers find me (and in many cases, e-mail me) from all corners of the globe, and I’ve had the pleasure of learning about people, places, and businesses that I would have gone through life completely oblivious to in another era. The world has become not only flat, but more easily familiar than at any point in history.

Considering this, I probably shouldn’t have been as bewildered as I was to receive an envelope with “Royal Air” postmarks on it this week. Nevertheless, I wasn’t exactly expecting anything, so curiosity got the best of me.

After opening the envelope, curiosity turned to delight: it was a Christmas card from Jinga, a Brazilian company whose shoes I reviewed last month as part of my barefoot series.

In that post, I described how part of Jinga’s mission is to support one of Rio de Janeiro’s many favelas, projects that provide educational and social support to a portion of the city’s staggering population of impoverished children. The company’s Christmas cards are works of art made by children from the favela.


My card was made and signed by an 11-year-old girl named Fabiana. It was nice coincidence, as I happen to have an 11-year-old of my own.


The cards have folds and a flap that can be shaped into an ornament, so that’s exactly what I did. And now, alongside all the wonderful family memories on our tree, a young Brazilian girl has provided a welcome dose of holiday cheer:


Obrigado, Fabiana. Feliz Natal. And God’s peace and blessings to all of us.

**

Update: shortly after writing this post, I went to Jinga's Facebook page and found a link to the following video showing the favela kids making the ornaments. My girl Fabiana is shown at the :59 and 1:22 marks. Enjoy!

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The Year That Was; La Sportiva Hobnail Giveaway

Today's post is a mishmash of sorts: three giveaway winners, another giveaway opportunity, and a recent Monterey Herald article.

First, thanks to everyone who entered my GU giveaway - the response was pleasantly overwhelming. Also, thanks to my friend Richard, who pointed out that Berkeley isn't just the home of CLIF and GU; the PowerBar company originated there in the late 1980s as well. So what in the heck was going on in Berkeley 25 years ago? That town is to sports nutrition like Seattle is to grunge music. Someone really needs to break this down for us; I'm certain that Malcolm Gladwell could get at least a couple of good chapters out of such an anomaly.

As for the winners: Michael, trailmomma, and Pinkcorker, email me (info@runningandrambling.com) your addresses: you've won the GU holiday gift boxes. (Also - mweston, I'm still waiting on your e-mail from the CLIF giveaway.) And thanks again to everyone else for participating.

*

Today's giveaway is the second part of a two-step process similar to what I've done a couple of times already: go read a review on FeedTheHabit.com, then return here for a follow-up post. This time, the review involves footwear, and the giveaway will only be open to a select group of readers.

Here's the deal: go read my review of La Sportiva's Wildcat GTX, a hardcore trail running shoe built to take on the harshest winter conditions. As part of the review, I also discussed La Sportiva's hobnail kit, a set of removable metal studs that you can screw onto the outsoles of your shoes for super traction on ice and snow. Obviously, this coastal California boy doesn't have a lot of use for hobnails, so that's the prize in today's giveaway: if you'd like my hobnail kit (a $45 value), leave a comment below this post.

La Sportiva hobnail kit

When I mentioned that this giveaway is only open to a select group of readers, here's what I meant: these have to go to a cold-weather runner - so in your comment, tell me the town you live in. If it's not someplace icy or snowy, I'm disqualifying you. I'll pick a winner on Tuesday night and mail the kit out after Christmas. Good luck!

**

Finally, the substantive portion of today's post: it's my Monterey Herald article from last week, which served as a year in review for the local running scene. Much of the content may not make sense to anyone outside of Monterey County (and for those who don't know, the Mike who is mentioned is one of my fellow columnists), but there was just enough "geographically neutral" stuff that I figured I'd post it here just for kicks.


Running Life 12/17/09 "The Year That Was"

December is just as popular for year-end reviews as it is for menorahs and Christmas trees – yet somehow, running news typically goes underreported. We’re correcting that trend today, with a 2009 retrospective specifically for the running community:

January: Hundreds of runners participate in Rio Grill’s Resolution Run, and over a delicious post-race pancake breakfast, discuss the annual question: “How long do you think the race was this year?” Several hours later, thousands of slackers groggily roll out of bed and postpone their New Year’s Resolutions until 2010.

February: Pacific Grove’s Together With Love run triggers a collective awkwardness to rival a junior-high prom, as runners choose “partners” for the competition. Conversations like “I really like him, but I don’t want to give him the wrong idea,” or “Do you think she knows I even exist?” become frighteningly commonplace.

March: The Big Sur International Marathon’s JUST RUN Youth Program increases to over 6,000 participants for the school year. Appropriately, all of them get to wear bib number 1 in local races.

April: A huge month for running! At the Boston Marathon, Kara Goucher turns in the best American performance in 25 years, missing victory by a mere 9 seconds, then politely stands shivering in her singlet through an attempted interview from an incompetent camera crew and a TV reporter who calls her “Sara”. Mike finishes 1 minute slower than his son at Boston, and suddenly feels old, but proud.

Meanwhile, back in Monterey County, the Big Sur marathon enjoys its most successful year ever, and will later be ranked one of the top 3 marathons in America. Afterward, a Herald columnist makes fun of the race’s periwinkle race shirts. Columnist gets in big trouble.

May: Christopher McDougall’s landmark book Born to Run is released, inspiring thousands of runners to ditch their shoes and run barefoot like the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico. In a related story, stock prices for Band-Aids and blister relief kits reach an all-time high.

June: Donald runs in the Western States 100-mile Endurance Run, finally confirming what many people long suspected: “Has he lost his mind?”

July: The Spreckels 4th of July 10K is as traditional as barbecues, parades, and fireworks. Veteran runners suspect the course is short, but nobody says anything so they can all enjoy their PRs.

August: The first-ever Carmel Valley Fiesta Run delights hundreds of trail runners in Garland Ranch, as well as dozens of yellow jackets who enjoyed a much heartier than usual breakfast feast. A few runners complain, skittish park officials panic, and the race is in jeopardy for 2010. We’re hoping this one stays on the calendar.

September: On-line entries open for next year’s Boston to Big Sur challenge; two marathons, two coasts, 6 days apart; 300 people sign up the first week. Mike’s son Bryan gets married, making Mike feel even older, but even prouder.

October: Birth and rebirth: the first ever Just Run for Peace takes place in Salinas, and the Big Sur River Run returns after a one-year hiatus due to wildfires. It’s good to see both races on the schedule.

November: Southern California-raised, UCLA-educated Meb Keflezighi becomes the first American in 27 years to win the New York Marathon – prompting a handful of idiot sportswriters nationwide to publicly ask “Wait … Is Meb really an American?” We wish we were making this up.

December: Tiger Woods hits a fire hydrant with his SUV at 2AM – and absolutely nothing else newsworthy happens anywhere in the world.

We hope that you had more good miles than bad ones in 2009. Thanks for sharing the year with us!

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GU Holiday Product Giveaway

Before today’s post and giveaway, let’s wrap up the previous drawing: Oz Runner and mweston, e-mail me (info@runningandrambling.com) your address – you’ve won the CLIF sampler boxes! And for the rest of you, there's another chance to win some holiday goodies today.

**
It’s hard to believe that GU has been around for almost 20 years.

When the Berkeley-based company’s original energy gels debuted at race expos in 1991, they were somewhat revolutionary: portable packets that provided the nutrients of an energy bar, with a texture that was almost as easily digested as fluids. They were a one-of-a-kind item, and once runners got past the initial “ick” factor of squeezing a mysterious gooey substance into their mouths, GU became a very hot commodity for all endurance athletes.

(Incidentally, isn't it an odd coincidence that GU and CLIF products are both based in Berkeley? I wonder if the rivalry is a friendly one like when two bands come out of the same city – Metallica and Green Day from the Bay Area, for example - or if they see each other as mortal enemies like Duke and UNC basketball fans. I need to get behind the scenes in Berkeley sometime – this is the kind of story I’d love to investigate.)

The products were successful for a simple reason: they work extremely well. GU’s energy gels proved to be highly effective at keeping athletes fueled during prolonged exercise, and it wasn’t very long before other companies moved to get a piece of the market. Today, most of us can probably name several different gel products out there, but the original company is still chugging along as the category’s prime mover.

Over the years, GU has improved and refined its original recipe based on ongoing nutritional research with various ingredients in its formula. They’ve also added a lot of new flavors and a few entirely new products, some of which are the primary focus of today’s post, and which will be awarded to a few people in a drawing afterward.


First up are the special holiday flavors of the original GU. This year, the company has added vanilla gingerbread to accompany its popular chocolate mint flavor that debuted a few years ago. The flavor is remarkably close to what you would guess gingerbread would taste like if it were ground into an energy gel. If you like gingerbread – I do, for sure – you’ll definitely love this flavor. The chocolate mint is the same as last year – which is to say, it’s still awesome. Think Thin Mint cookies in gel form, and you get the idea. The chocolate mint packets have caffeine, and the gingerbread are caffeine free. Another cool thing about the holiday flavors is that GU donates 10% of the proceeds from these items to the Challenged Athletes Foundation, so you’re helping a good cause when you load up on these seasonal favorites.

Last year, GU introduced its Roctane Ultra Endurance gel, which is specifically formulated for multi-hour training sessions or races (ultras, iron-distance triathlons, century rides, etc). The formula includes something called OKG (Ornithine Alpha-Ketoglutarate, for you science geeks), an amino acid complex that lessens damage to muscle tissue during races or hard training and speeds recovery afterward. It essentially slows the catabolic process (the body breaking down muscle tissue during extreme physical exertion) and therefore lessens muscle trauma. GU recently added a pineapple flavor to its Roctane lineup - but unlike the vanilla orange and blueberry pomegranate flavors, this one doesn’t include caffeine. The taste is fairly pleasant – a little bit tart, but without a real strong aftertaste.

Another new product this year is GU Chomps, which are chewy energy bites similar to CLIF Bloks or PowerBar Energy Gel blasts. Chomps contain all the benefits of regular GU gel in a chewable form. Each 90-calorie packet also contains 100% DV for Vitamins C and E, and two flavors (strawberry and cranberry apple) each have 20mg of caffeine. The other two Chomp flavors, blueberry pomegranate and orange, are caffeine free.

I really don’t need to promote GU too aggressively – they’re one of the most well-known commodities out there for endurance athletes. They work wonders during long-duration activity and most of their stuff generally tastes great. If you’d like to try some of the new items, drop a comment below this post by 5PM PST Sunday 12/20. I’ll pick three winners, each of whom will receive a 6-pack box of chocolate mint gels, a 6-pack of vanilla gingerbread gels, one pineapple Roctane, and one strawberry Chomps sample just in time for your ramped-up New Year’s workout routine. Good luck!

*Products supplied by GU Energy Labs
**See other product reviews on sidebar at right. If you have a product you’d like reviewed, contact me at info@runningandrambling.com.

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Comparison Review: Petzl MYO RXP and Black Diamond Icon

Before today’s post, a couple of reminders about recent posts: the sweet Black Diamond Icon sale at Wilderness Running Company – free rechargeable battery pack with discounted purchase of the lamp – expires on Friday 12/18. Also, you’ve got until 7PM Thursday 12/17 to comment on this post for a CLIF goodie box drawing. Get a move on, people.

As for today’s review, it’s another Petzl-versus-Black Diamond comparison like the one I did for the Tikka XP2 and Spot headlamps – and it’s another incentive to check out FeedTheHabit.com. This time, the comparison is between two external battery pack headlamps, the Black Diamond Icon and the Petzl MYO RXP. I’ve already posted an Icon review here, and a MYO RXP review on Feed The Habit. So let’s follow the same procedure as last time:

1) Go read my Petzl MYO RXP headlamp review on FeedTheHabit.com, then…
2) Return here to read the comparison between the MYO RXP and the Icon.

See you when you get back.

**

Hello again! As was the case with the smaller headlamps, both Petzl and Black Diamond perform very well overall, and have areas of relative strength. Here’s how they measure up:

Weight (with batteries):
Icon: 187g/6.6oz
RXP: 175g/6.2oz
Advantage: RXP. Additionally, its external battery pack is more streamlined, and the whole unit just feels a bit less bulky than the Icon. I wouldn’t say the Icon is uncomfortable, just that the RXP has a better overall feel.

Bulb Type:
Icon: separate LEDs for spot and flood modes
RXP: single high-power LED
Advantage: RXP, but only if the Icon's “you have to power off when switching from spot to flood mode” issue annoys you like it does me. Petzl’s single bulb allows you to switch from flood to spot modes by flipping a diffuser lid up or down. The Black Diamond setup isn’t really a performance issue, just a pet peeve.

Brightness:
Icon: 100 lumens
RXP: 140 lumens
Advantage: RXP. Petzl clearly enjoys a huge advantage in overall candle power, and even has a boost mode that can briefly shine at 160 lumens. Overall brightness is one of the RXP’s strengths, as well as …

Brightness levels:
Icon: 6 (3 in spot mode, 3 in flood mode)
RXP: 10, plus boost mode
Advantage: RXP again, which can go both brighter and dimmer than the Icon – which really only has 3 functional degrees of brightness, despite what the specs say - or burn at several different levels in between. Throw in the fact that brightness levels are customizable, and this category isn’t much of a contest.

(And again, it seems like Petzl is kicking Black Diamond’s butt to this point. As you’d suspect, things get a bit more complicated as we continue …


Maximum beam distance (spot mode, high setting):
Icon: 100m
RXP: 77m
Advantage: Icon. I’ve joked with training partners that my Icon can double as a star pointer, because its spot beam penetrates so sharply and prominently over such a long distance. Black Diamond’s entry has lower candle power, but shoots its beam farther. However, since I typically use the flood setting for trail running, this is more of a cool trick than practical application for me.


Battery type and lifespan:
Icon: 3AA, 80 hour lifespan on high setting. Compatible with rechargeable batteries as well as the NRG rechargeable battery pack sold separately.
RXP: 3AA, 50 hour lifespan. Compatible with rechargeable batteries.
Advantage: Icon, and it’s a much bigger advantage than the numbers reflect at first glance; this is where the Icon starts making up a lot of ground in a hurry.

Remember how much brighter the Petzl burns? Well, all that candle power is a complete battery killer. The 2 highest settings are unregulated and only burn for about an hour at full strength. The highest regulated settings burn for 10 hours before shifting to a much dimmer reserve mode for the remainder of the battery life. So while the Icon can’t approach the top end brightness of the RXP, it can maintain a higher level for a much longer period of time.

While it’s great that both lamps use rechargeable batteries, Black Diamond scores a bonus point here for the NRG rechargeable battery pack, which can be recharged without removing the pack from the casing. It’s a separate cost, but the total cost of lamp plus battery pack is still less than the RXP. Speaking of which …


Price:
Icon: $65
RXP: $99
Advantage: Icon. Just as the Black Diamond’s Spot is the most affordable option for basic road and trail use, the Icon gives you the most bang for your buck in this category. Even if you shell out 30 bucks for the rechargeable pack, you’re still coming out ahead.

(This is even more reason to promote Wilderness Running Company’s extreme discount offer this week: Buy an Icon for $54 - $60 list price minus 10% with my R&R10 coupon code - and they throw in the NRG pack at no charge. Believe me, you’ll probably never see a better deal on this lamp.)

As usual, the final decision on which one is best will vary based on your preference. The Icon gives you very strong performance for a price that’s impossible to beat. If you'd like something more lightweight and versatile, with significantly more brightness and a wide range of customized settings for variable conditions, the RXP is an ideal choice.


*Petzl MYO RXP provided by Petzl America
**See other product reviews on sidebar at right. If you have a product you’d like reviewed, contact me at info@runningandrambling.com.

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CLIF Quench Drink Review; Roks and Bloks and Bars Giveaway

California probably has more endurance athletes and entrepreneurs per capita than anyplace else in America - and among both of these prolific groups, the story of CLIF Bar is legendary.


Most of the story is told right on every CLIF Bar package: founder Gary Erickson was an outdoor bum living in a garage, and decided during a 175-mile bike ride one day that all the energy bars he was using were disgusting. He spent two years experimenting in his mother’s kitchen before selling a finished product out of his Emeryville bakery in 1992. Shortly thereafter, he developed nationwide distribution of the bars he named after his father, who was his lifelong adventure companion.

The product line expanded (including the insanely popular Luna bars targeted at women) and diversified, and CLIF became one of America’s fastest-growing private companies in the late 1990s. In 2000, Erickson famously turned down a $120 million offer to buy the company, and he continues to run the business with his wife as his co-owner.

From the outset, CLIF – it’s another one of those companies who write their brand name (as well as products) in all caps, for reasons that remain mysterious to me - has had equivalent missions of not just providing sustenance for people, but also sustaining their community and the global environment along the way. They’re a forerunner in eco-friendly initiatives, and their employees volunteer major hours to various community improvement projects. Every CLIF product is made from organic and all-natural ingredients, which their website will tell you are better for the planet, the body, and the soul.

They’re also one of the most diversified energy food companies on the market, and that’s where today’s post really begins; it’s an overview of a few new products CLIF introduced this year, along with a giveaway for a couple of sampler boxes of your own.


First up is Clif Quench drink, whose very existence sort of confused me at first. I’m accustomed to drinking CLIF SHOT drink during ultras - it’s the product of choice for several popular races - and couldn’t understand why they’d tinker with a formula that I (as well as most other runners I know) really enjoy.

Fortunately, CLIF Quench doesn’t replace the SHOT drink, but features lower sodium and carbohydrate concentrations to provide another option for athletes to select based on their activity levels. I’ve already seen them in my local grocery store alongside drinks like Snapple and SoBe, so CLIF is clearly going for some of that market as well. Quench drink doesn’t contain any of the artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners (particularly high-fructose corn syrup), or preservatives that some of those more popular drinks use, and has a healthy ratio of electrolytes to calories for more effective hydration.

CLIF Quench comes in four flavors, although all of them are clear-colored, which might make for a fun shot glass game of “guess the flavor!” at your running club’s holiday party. It’s not currently available in powder form, which is kind of a bummer, because that’s my preferred method of use. Lime-Ade is my favorite, but the flavors are all nicely mild, neither too sweet nor salty. It’s not going to replace my Diet Pepsi as a “leisure-time” drink, but I’ve enjoyed using it on 1-2 hour trail runs.


The other new product is my favorite of the samples I received: CLIF SHOT ROKS, which are chewy little protein balls in a protective candy coating. There are about 9-10 gumball-sized pieces in each packet, combining for 20g of protein. The shell is slightly crunchy, and is supposed to be temperature-resistant in both extremes: they won’t freeze in the cold, and they won’t melt if they’ve been tucked in your pocket on a hot day. They’re designed as a portable protein source during activity, or as a snack to speed muscle recovery after a hard workout. To my knowledge, there really isn’t another product on the market quite like it. (*Updated: they're similar to Power Bar ProteinPlus Bites, but the textures are different, and only the CLIF products claim temperature resistance.)

CLIF ROKS come in three flavors; I’ve tasted the chocolate and peanut butter flavors and they’re both pretty yummy. The third flavor is chocolate chip cookie dough, which sounds delicious as well. Each pack typically retails for $3, so they’re more expensive than regular energy bars, but similar to a lot of high-protein bars on the market – and trust me, ROKS taste way better than most high-protein bars.

I also received samples of CLIF SHOT BLOKS, which are a known commodity among endurance athletes. If you’ve liked the previous versions of these chewy energy cubes, there’s nothing to worry about; the only changes to this product line were to add one flavor (mountain berry) and repackage the blocks in a linear fashion. CLIF calls the new wrapper a FastPak, which can be opened with one hand – I actually tested this, and was able to do it - and the overall amount of packaging is reduced, keeping with CLIF’s eco-mindedness.

The last item in the sample shipment are seasonal flavors of the original CLIF bar. I’ve previously tried the iced gingerbread and spiced pumpkin pie flavors that were available last winter, and they both tasted awesome. This year, CLIF has added cranberry orange nut bread to its holiday catalog, and all three flavors are available through the winter wherever you normally buy regular CLIF bars. They’d be great stocking stuffers for the runner or triathlete on your list.

So have I whetted your appetite yet? If so, I’m able to share the love with a couple of lucky readers. Leave a comment below this post by 6PM PST on Thursday 12/17, and I’ll select two winners to receive a sample pack of CLIF ROKS, BLOKS, and winter CLIF bar flavors. Good luck!

*Products provided by Clif Bar & Company
**See other product reviews on sidebar at right. If you have a product you’d like reviewed, contact me at info@runningandrambling.com.

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