Photos from the 2017 Oakland Marathon: Semereab Gebrekidan and Katherine Klymko win

SEMEREAB GEBREKIDAN

Semereab Gebrekidan (bib #260), a 32-year-old from Oakland won the 2017 Oakland Marathon with a time of 2:35:54.  Katherine Klymko won the female field with a finishing time or 03:09.02.   Semereab has won a number of other running events, including the Treviso marathon in Italy last year.

KELSEY GURGANUS

Katherine Klymko (#344) of Berkeley won the womens field.  She’s barely visible here, hidden behind the 2nd place finisher, Kelsey Gurganus (#276) of Indianapolis and the 5th place finisher, Jacqueline Sloves (#778) of Oakland.

 

Gabrielle Maudiere (#657) of Larkspur, pictured here with the 3:20 pace group,  finished 3rd among women.

EAST BAY ATHLETIC CLUB Oakland Running Festival - 2017

The East Bay Athletics Club men’s relay team (#9226) was first at mile 5, and finished 3rd overall with a time of 02:36:28.

SFRC RACING TEAM Oakland Running Festival - 2017

The SFRC racing team (#9224) won the mixed relay with a finishing time of 02:24:13, good for a 5:30 pace.

EXCEL Oakland Running Festival - 2017

The Excel men’s relay team (#9034) finished 1st for the men’s relay with a time of 02:26:51.

PIMP MY STRIDE

Mixed relay team Pimp my Stride (#9174) finished 3rd with a time of 02:54:24.

Ivan Medina at the 2017 Oakland Marathon

Perennial contender Ivan Medina (#417) of Hayward finished 2nd overall with a time of 02:39.03.

STRAWBERRY CANYON TC Oakland Running Festival - 2017

The Strawberry Canyon Track Club men’s relay team (#9219) finished 2nd with a final time of 02:31:44.

DENNIS LEFBOM Oakland Running Festival - 2017

And as always, Dennis Lefbom (#686) ran with his Hawaiian shirt.

 

 

How bumpy is my baby’s ride in my jogging stroller?

Stroller bumpiness, measured with an iPhone accelerometer

When our daughter was younger, I tried to quantify the "bumpiness" of her rides in strollers.  We had two strollers, an older Bugaboo Bee (can't find a link to the older version) and a Thule Chariot Cougar (single, not double).  We had the normal stroller attachment for the Chariot Cougar and the jogging attachment. 

Bugaboo bee
Thule Chariot Cougar with stroller wheels
Thule Chariot Cougar with jogging attachment

In addition to comparing the differences between strollers, I wanted to compare the "bumpiness" differences when walking and running.

Data collection was messy, as you'll see below, but hopefully the results are still interesting.

Measurements and Methods

I used an old iPhone 4S with an data logging app to measure its accelerometer output while the phone was placed in the bottom basket of the Bugaboo and in one of the front pockets of the Thule Chariot Cougar.

I used two different apps to record the data:

  • Axelerom: For measurements of the Bugaboo and the Thule Chariot Cougar with stroller wheels
  • xSensor: For measurements of the Thule Chariot Cougar with the jogging attachment

Both only recorded data when the phone screen was on, so I had to stop once and a while to make sure it was still recording.  The Axelerom readings were taken at 5Hz and the xSensor at about 19-20Hz.  The Axelerom readings were also somehow strangely rendered out of order in the data file.  I had to resort the data by timestamp.

Upon analyzing the data, I realized that 5Hz wasn't fast enough to do anything other than measure acceleration.  Even the xSensor measurements at 19Hz weren't that great.  This was a bit of a problem, because I couldn't reliably measure the "jerk", or the rate of change of the acceleration.  The jerk can have a large impact on the perceived quality of a ride.  A good analogy is the difference between slowing down in a car at an intersection and abruptly letting off on the brake when the car comes to a stop rather than gently easing off of the brake pedal.

Coincidentally, I learned during research that 5Hz is roughly the resonant frequency of important parts of the body, and possibly the least comfortable vibration frequency to experience.

The measurements were taken on the sidewalks and streets in Oakland, California, mostly along the same ones for each stroller.  I didn't take the exact same path or streets for each stroller though, so this is another potential source of variation.

The smoothest ride was with the Thule Chariot Cougar

Stroller bumpiness, measured with an iPhone accelerometer

The Thule Chariot Cougar looks like a SUV next to the Bugaboo Bee stroller.  It's got two 20" wheels with pneumatic tires and a suspension on the back.  The Bugaboo's wheels are suspended too, but are much, much smaller.

One can observe the difference in forces measured in the stroller on the graph: the pointier the curve, the smoother and less bumpy the ride.

The numbers

The Thule Chariot Cougar with the stroller wheels (in green in the chart above) provided the smoothest ride, with a minimum measured acceleration of 0.399 Gs and a maximum acceleration of 2.231 Gs.  The standard deviation was 0.108 Gs.

The Bugaboo Bee was the next smoothest, with a minimum measured acceleration of 0.087 Gs (nearly freefall, for a split-second at least!)  and a maximum measured acceleration of 2.452 Gs.  The standard deviation was 0.165 Gs.

As one may expect, the bumpiest ride was with the Thule Chariot Cougar with the jogging attachment, recorded while running.  I regret that I did not perform measurements while just walking with the jogging attachment installed to have that as a point of comparison.  The minimum measured acceleration was 0.089 Gs, the maximum measured acceleration was 2.382 Gs, and the standard deviation was 0.242 Gs.

What does this all mean?

It was really interesting to find that the maximum and minimum recorded accelerations for the Thule Chariot Cougar with jogging attachment, while jogging, was similar to that of the Bugaboo Bee.  And the Bugaboo Bee is a pretty smooth rolling stroller.  I found that to be pretty reassuring.  Though the ride while jogging was definitely bumpier, the maximum acceleration magnitude was smaller than that of the Bugaboo.

This was kind of just a fun exercise, but there are a couple of conclusions I came to:

  • The Thule Chariot Cougar is a very smooth-riding stroller.
  • Running with the Cougar's jogging attachment is sorta bumpy, but probably not way worse than the Bugaboo Bee.

 

 

 

Which heart rate monitor with GPS should I buy?

(This is a work in progress.  I’ll continue to update it as I can, as I proceed with my search.)

After going a few years without training with a heart rate monitor with GPS, I’ve decided that it’s time to look into getting a new one.

I still own a Garmin Forerunner 310XT that I hope to never use again because it’s been fairly terrible.  I used my Forerunner primarily for running, but did some cycling with it as well.  It was probably an 80%/20% split.  I originally chose the 310XT because of its long battery life, and of course, for its heart rate and GPS features.  I had previously run with an old Polar, maybe a S625X?  It worked pretty well, but I was intrigued by the idea of using GPS to track my workouts.

In theory, based on the features, the 310XT was a cool product, but in practice, it was burdened by awfully buggy firmware that made it unusable most of the time.  I’ve had such a profoundly bad experience with that watch, that I’d rather not buy another Garmin device again.

What am I looking for?

I’m looking for most or all of these features, not necessarily in any particular order:

  • Logging for post run/ride analysis
  • Easy data transfer from device to a PC or phone for analysis
  • Strava integration
  • Reliable performance
  • Non-creepy data storage.  I’d like to not have to rely on a company’s website to look at my information, and I’d like to choose whether that information is private or not.
  • Good heart rate measurement
  • Good GPS
  • A decent display for monitoring heart rate, total distance, current speed, and so on
  • Battery life: 8 hours would be great, so that I could use it on longer bike rides.
  • Waterproof, because I sweat a lot.  I don’t really swim, but riding and running in rain happens not too infrequently.

So, what’s out there now?

I bought the 310XT in early 2012, and the Polar many years before that.  Things have changed a lot, and there are new players in the game.

My phone

My iPhone has GPS built in, and if I want heart rate data, I can get a “dumber” device that measures my heart rate and have it sync with my phone.  I usually don’t run with my phone, though, and on longer bike rides, I’m concerned about battery life.  So I’d prefer to look for something different.

Fitbit

Fitbit has a wide range of devices available now.   On the higher-end is the Charge HR and the Surge.  The Charge HR is their “Active Fitness” device, and the Surge is their “Performance fitness” device.  The Charge HR will track steps and heart rate, but has no GPS.  The new Blaze just came out too.  It has a heart rate monitor, but does not have an embedded GPS.  One nice thing about the Fitbit devices is that they can measure heart rate without the chest strap – a sensor is part of the wrist band.

One can use any of their devices, or none at all with their app’s “MobileRun” Feature.

Garmin

I’m not going to buy a Garmin, but I still am interested in knowing what their product offering looks like.

Their vivofit line includes 3 models of interest.  The Vivosmart HR contains a heart rate monitor that measures from your wrist.  It does not contain a GPS.  The vivofit vivoactive does contain a GPS, but has no heart rate monitor.  The vivofit vivovactive HR has both, and would probably be the device I’d consider if I were considering Garmin at all.

Garmin also offers a fenix series.  Only the fenix 3 HR contains a heart rate monitor and a GPS receiver.  All of the other fenix models (fenix 2, fenix 3, fenix 3 sapphire) have various levels of GPS functionality, but do not have a wrist-based heart rate monitor.

Suunto

Suunto wasn’t ever high up on my list, but I wanted to see what they have to offer.  Browsing their website, I found three models that may fit my criteria.  The Traverse, the Ambit3 Vertical and the Ambit3 Peak.

Polar

Working on it..

TomTom

Working on it..

Basis

Working on it..

Oakland Marathon 2015

Jesse Cherry wins the 2015 Oakland Marathon

 Congrats, Jesse Cherry from Oakland for winning the 2015 Oakland Marathon!

Jesse Cherry wins the 2015 Oakland Marathon

Congratulations to Jesse Cherry for winning the 2015 Oakland Marathon!  Here he is at mile 4.  He looks fast even drinking water.  Jesse finished in 2:25:14.  The weather looked great for it – mildly overcast and pleasantly cool.

 

Ivan Medina finished 2nd with a time of 2:30:07 and 3rd place was Ryan Neely, who was only 5 seconds behind Ivan.  At the 2011 Oakland Marathon, Ivan finished 5th with a time of 2:44:33.

Ivan Medina at the 2015 Oakland Marathon

Here’s Ryan Neely:

Ryan Neely, 3rd place finisher at the 2015 Oakland Marathon

Devon Yanko won for the women, with a time of 2:56:02.  She set the womens’ course record in 2013.

Devon Yanko wins the 2015 Oakland Marathon

A list of Garmin Forerunner 310XT Problems, how to fix some of them, and why I can’t let myself buy another Garmin device

garmin forerunner 310xt time/date problems

I’ve been having a lot of problems with my Garmin Forerunner 310XT.  Generally, it is still useful for tracking my workouts and following courses, but it has been very frustrating to use.  Here are some of the things it does wrong:

The unit turns on by itself while connected to the computer.

Sometimes while it is charging, I’ll hear a loud buzzing near the computer and check the unit.  It’ll be on and trying to get a GPS signal.  Even when the computer is off, and the unit is still connected via USB, the 310XT will turn itself on.   By the time I use the 310XT, the battery is dead.  This has happened many times to me.

Getting a GPS signal takes a long time.

It usually takes the unit about 30 seconds to start up.  This seems really slow.  But after that, sometimes it will take perhaps 2 minutes just to find a GPS signal.  I can’t turn the unit on ahead of time to get around this as there generally is not GPS reception indoors.

Sometimes, the unit takes about 10 minutes to boot.

The 310XT gets stuck on its boot screen where it displays the Garmin logo.  This happens about 5-10% of the time.  I try to wait for a few minutes in hopes that the unit will boot but usually start my run with the unit still stuck on its boot screen.  After an additional 5 to 10 minutes or so, the unit finally boots and works normally.  Update: This happened again, two times in a row.  I estimate that it took about 15 minutes to boot up and work normally each time.. which made it pretty useless for my runs.

Transferring data rarely works.

Even when there is definitely new data available, the Garmin ANT Agent screen will display:

USB ANT(tm) stick: Active

Waiting for new data…

Unless I un-pair and re-pair my device, data won’t be transferred from the 310XT to my computer.  Even when I do this, sometimes I can’t transfer data.  The .FIT and .TCX files are downloaded to my PC, but they don’t go into Training Center.

I eventually tried resetting the 310XT to fix the problem.  I was able to transfer data well for about a month.  Then, the same problem started happening again – the 310XT would transfer data to my computer but I could not get the data into Garmin Training Center.  I tried re-pairing multiple times but had no success.

I think I’ve made some progress in figuring out why this doesn’t work.  It seems that one of the XML files, GarminDevice.XML is not correct.  I tried copying another version that exists on my PC over, and the data transfer started to work as soon as I restarted ANT Agent.  I’ll update this as I make more progress.

This is how you reset the 310XT (WATCH OUT! ALL DATA WILL BE ERASED):

1) Turn 310XT off.

2) Press and hold Enter and Mode buttons (keep holding until step 6)

3) Press and release Power button

4) Press and release Lap/Reset (watch will turn off)

5) Wait 3 seconds

6) Release Enter and Mode

Bizarre Time/Date problems

While I was having trouble transferring data, I decided to take a look at my Activities History on the watch.  According to my watch, all of my runs in the last 3 weeks happened “Yesterday”, each 2 minutes apart.  I turned the watch off, and turned it back on.  The date of the Activities changed to March 31st, 2007.  I suspected that the date was wrong because the GPS gets its time/date information from the GPS satellites, but the unit showed good satellite signal with 24 ft accuracy.  Also, the time the GPS unit displayed was correct.

garmin forerunner 310xt time/date problems

Screen fogs up

This isn’t as big of a problem, but apparently humid air can enter the unit and condense on the inside of the screen.  This usually goes away after a few minutes.

Screen goes blank while charging

I don’t remember if this happened before, but usually the screen displays a charging status indicator (64%, for example) when it is charging.  I came back to check on the 310XT’s charging status and the screen was completely blank.  I have no idea if it is actually charging or not, or if the unit has crashed.  To turn it on again, I had to do some combination of removing it from the charger, hitting the power button, then placing it back in the charger.

Doesn’t save activities

I ran a half marathon, and when I tried to transfer the data to my PC, I ran into all of the problems I’ve mentioned.  Somehow all of the connecting and disconnecting from the charger caused the 310XT to 1) delete my half marathon from record 2) reassign the date of all of my other activities to today.  This is intensely frustrating, as I wanted to see my splits and my heart rate from the race.  I noticed that in addition, my setup for the screens (to display heart rate, pace, total time, etc) had been reset to the default.  Argh.

I can’t send courses to the device, and Garmin Express doesn’t even work.

I can’t connect to my 310XT at all via Training Center, so I decided to bite the bullet and use Garmin Connect.  I downloaded Garmin Express, and spent 45 minutes trying to get the utility to pair with my 310XT.  It sometimes detects the 310XT, it sometimes doesn’t.  When it does, it tries to pair.  I enabled pairing on my 310xt and the 310XT displays “Transferring Data” and then Garmin Express tells me that pairing was unsuccessful.  I tried the Garmin Communicator Plugin, and it can’t find my device. (how many different ways did Garmin make to communicate with this device that still don’t work at all?!)

Would I buy one again?

Definitely not.  It has a lot of potential, and I like the idea of being able to track my activities and heart rate, but there are too many problems and glitches and headaches associated with using the 310XT.  It’s buggy and has a lot of quirks that make it feel like an unfinished beta product.

The funny thing about the bugginess of the 310XT is that it’s still for sale on Garmin’s website as of March 2014.  They haven’t updated its firmware since July, 2012.  I find it kind of shocking that they haven’t put effort into fixing the issues I’ve experienced, and I don’t have a lot of confidence that Garmin will ever fix them, since it’s been nearly 2 years since they’ve touched the firmware of the product.  This makes me a little uncomfortable when considering purchasing their other products as well.

Does anyone else have any of these problems?

Please leave a comment with your experiences.  I haven’t found anything similar online.

Photos and commentary: Oakland Marathon 2012

I haven’t put as many running (or cycling) miles in this year compared to last, but I was still excited to check out the runners at this year’s Oakland Marathon.  My girlfriend and I got up early to head over to College Avenue in Rockridge and see the runners between miles 5 and 6.

The weather forecasts were calling for rain, but as we parked our bikes the sun was starting to shine through the clouds over the Oakland hills.  The pavement was wet from last night but it was starting to dry.

We had a few minutes to spare and stood around watching volunteers direct traffic and the TranSports crew set up their water station.  A lot of drivers were confused by the road closures and some tried to get onto the course to get to where they were going.  Perhaps there should be more signage next year for drivers?

 

The marathon started with the police motorcycle

 

 

The results aren’t yet available off of active.com as of 1:16pm (“We are experiencing higher than normal volume and are therefore unable to process your request at this time.” ) today but this was the 1st place runner and eventual winner Chris Mocko from San Francisco at the mile 5 mark.  He finished with a time of 2:28:09, setting an event record.

 

1st place winner Chris was decked out in New Balance gear – as part of the New Balance Silicon Valley team.

 

Here’s the 2nd place runner, Oaklander Phillip Shaw at mile 5.  Most of the runners had serious looks on their faces.  I know it’s hard for me to smile when I’m devoting all of my energy to placing one foot in front of the other.  This guy broke a smile as we cheered him on.  He was dressed in Brooks gear.  He finished 2nd with a time of 2:37:13.  (I hope he wore some Glide or some Vaseline or something.   Or maybe it’s a non chafey-shirt?)

 

Tony Torres of Cedar Glen finished 4th last year and was in 3rd place at this point.  Nike representing here.  He went on to finish the race in 3rd place with a time of 2:38:05.

 

This pair was in 4th and 5th place at this point.  Steven Moreno (#773) eventually pulled away to capture 4th place with a time of 2:41:18.  Christopher Gurney finished 5th with a time of 2:43:29.  Both of the guys are also from Oakland.

 

The 6th place male runner at mile 5 for this year’s 2012 Oakland Full Marathon.  Andrew Willis, of San Jose, finished in 14th place at 3:02:48.

 

This guy was the first place relay member at mile 5.  Their team, “Wild Dogs”, went on to win the relay with a finishing time of 2:29:57.

 

The 2nd place relay team at mile 5.  Their team, “Three Men and a Kid”, finished 2nd with a time of 2:46:17.

 

A guy on a hand powered bike with the GoPro hero in front.

 

This is Anna Bretan, who won the 2011 Oakland Marathon in her first ever marathon.  It looks like she won again with a time of 2:57:33.  The Oakland Raiders (@RAIDERS) posted a picture of her crossing the finish line here, and as appropriately stated by twitter user @elcush, Anna gave birth 6 weeks ago.  Insane.  According to SFGate: “She ran 40-mile weeks right until she gave birth, and did an easy five-mile job on the same day her baby, Tatum, was born. Within a week, she was back to heavy training.”

 

1st place female finisher Anna Bretan and other runner in front of Miam Miam


This is a photo of the 2nd and 3rd place female runners at mile 5.  Runner #694, Penny MacPhail of San Anselmo, finished 3rd with a time of 3:12:18.  Claudette Augert (#139) of Edmonton, Alberta, finished 6th with a time of 3:20:47.

 

And the 4th place female runner at mile 5.  Monica Zhuang caught up a bit and finished the race in 2nd place with a time of 3:06:17.

 

Once the super-speedy runners had passed, the race pack thickened up.  Here is a group of slightly-less speedy-but-still-fast runners heading up the 3:10 pace group.

 

I dislike GEICO but I do like the Oakland Marathon Pacers!

 

Here’s the 3:20 pace group.

 

And here’s a guy running in his Hawaiian shirt.  I think he did the same last year.

 

The Oakland Marathon was definitely no Bay to Breakers, but there were some people who had interesting outfits.  This guy wins for the most color-coordinated.  Pink shirt, pink gloves, pink fanny pack, pink socks and pink shoes.  And check out all of those Gu/Clif Shot/Powergel packets.

 

This guy wins for best beard.  (This is Sam, co-owner of Brazen Racing.  Thanks, Pete!)

 

This was the first barefoot runner that we saw.  Good job, guy!

 

This woman was rocking her I hella heart Oakland shirt.

 

This woman was running with a birthday sash and hat and accompanying runner with a sign.  Happy 30th, Monica!

 

“I’m running 30 miles for my 30th birthday” – that is awesome.  I wonder if she tacked on the extra 4 before or after the race.

 

Runner in a tutu.

 

Relay runner with butterfly wings.

 

A course high-five.  What is especially cool is that this guy ran the marathon in a disposable lab coat.

 

This guy ran in a feathered hat and bolo tie.

 

This looks like a father and daughter team.

 

The 5:00 pace group.  Yay pacers!

 

The Praying Runner.  He handed out a rose at each of the 26 miles and was running to support women with breast cancer.

 

The sign at the College Avenue Presbyterian Church.  “WELCOME TO MILE 5.6 OF THE OAKLAND MARATHON”

 

 

 

 

 

 

north face endurance challenge – San Francisco (marin headlands, really) half marathon photos

I ran the North Face Endurance Challenge san francisco half marathon a few weeks ago, and brought my iPhone with me to take some photos.  The race was staged in the gorgeous Marin Headlands.

This was around mile 1 or less.  The sun was still low in the sky, it was still chilly, and I felt fresh.

 

Around mile 1.5?

 

 

Tennesee Valley trail

 

The turn up the coastal trail for the 2nd major climb

 

First glimpse of the Pacific Ocean

 

Pretty steep pitch.  Pretty even mix of runners and walkers up the hill.

 

 

A few people had stopped here to enjoy the view.  This wasn’t quite the summit.

 

It was somewhere up there..

 

Another view of the ocean

 

The descent down Fox trail was just as steep.  Definitely hard to run down in a controlled manner.  I didn’t.

 

The Marincello climb was the start of the 3rd and final major climb.

 I was predictably exhausted at the end of the race but I’m happy with how I paced myself.  I went out a little less conservatively than I had planned but I was probably being a little overconservative.  And the race-day excitement gives you a little boost of energy.

differences between a few nike running shoes

Nike free 3.0 photo by flickr user edtrigger

I found myself looking for running shoes and found myself a little overwhelmed by all of the choices out there.  My goal was to find a semi-minimalist shoe – basically a cross between a flat, minimal shoe with no heel-toe drop (difference in height between the heel and the toe) and a traditional running shoe that typically has a bunch of heel cushioning. I realize that the minimal shoes are already a cross between shoes and barefoot running, but my legs and calves aren’t quite ready for that yet.

I focused solely on Nike shoes.  Nike’s website, while pretty, sucks for obtaining any technical information.  Luckily, Running Warehouse has a lot of good information.   They have a neat shoe fit predictor (“shoefitr”) and good information about the amount of support running shoes provide as well as measurements of heel to toe drop.

Nike Free series:

I like the Nike Free series because they allow your foot to flex naturally, which allows you to build up strength in your foot muscles when training.  There are a ton of different variations out there and it’s hard to tell what the differences are.

  • Nike Free 3.0 – most barefoot-like with a super flexy sole
  • Nike Free 4.0 – a little more support, this is in between the 3.0 and the 5.0.
  • Nike Free 5.0 – flexy sole like the 3.0 but with about 4mm more cushioning throughout. This is ideal for runners new to the “Free” series.

Nike Free Run+ by flickr user Yoshihuang

Anything with “TR” in the model name is for cross training.  This isn’t always obvious.  There’s also a Nike Free Walk walking shoe. The Nike Free Xilla is a cross training shoe. I don’t know what the Nike Free Waffle AC is exactly other than it uses the Nike Free sole with an old school upper. I think it’d function as more of a cross training shoe.  There are other versions, such as the N7 and Livestrong which are pretty much the same shoes with different colorways.

Nike Flex series:

What’s the difference between the Nike Free and the Nike Flex series of shoes?  The stack height of the Flex looks higher, and also, there appears to be a larger heel to toe drop.   It appears that the Nike Flex shoes are more flexible than a traditional shoe, but not as “free” as a Nike Free.  So if you are considering a Nike Flex and a Nike Free and want a bit more support, then I would go with the Nike Flex.  If you are looking for something closer to minimal, go with the Nike Free.

Nike Lunar series (and others):

The Nike Lunar series contains more lightweight cushioning than most of their other shoes.  I did a lot of research on the Nike Lunar series (I purposely focused mostly on these to make my decision easier) and here’s what I’ve found for heel-toe drop.  Once again, Running Warehouse was a great resource.  Since creating the original table, I’ve added the heel-toe drop numbers for New Balance and Brooks shoes for comparison.

Ok, this is only sort of related, but what does the “MSL” in a Nike shoe name mean?

MSL stands for “Mesh/Synthetic Leather” upper.  I got that straight from Nike’s customer support.

Heel-Toe drop table:

Brand/ModelHeel HeightToe HeightHeel to Toe DropImage and notes - Clicking on name or image opens Amazon link.
Nike Lunar Racer27mm21mm6mm~~Image via Amazon~~~~I bought a pair of these.  Sort of.  They were actually the Nike Lunar Vengeance which has the same sole but a different upper.  They are ok - I think I bought half a size too small and my forefoot feels a little cramped.  They have a firmer feel (less flexible sole) than the Nike Free.
Altra Instinct16mm16mm0mm'~~I just bought a pair of these.  They are being phased out for the newer models so there may not be a lot of availability.  First impressions: these shoes are pretty damn ugly.  They look goofy on my feet.  But they feel pretty good.  The build quality and finish of the Altra Instinct doesn''t seem to be up to that of other running shoes that I wear but I like the fit.  The roomy toe box is wonderful for my wide feet, and I was happy with the level of cushioning.  I started forefoot running almost two years ago, but in the 10mm drop Nike Lunar Fly or the 6mm (I think?) drop Nike Free 5.0s.  Not wanting to have sore calves for a week, I cut my first run short after 2 miles or so to ease into these shoes.  So far, so good.  This model has since been replaced by the Instinct 1.5.'
Altra Instinct 3.017mm17mm0mm~~Image via Amazon. No offense to Altra, I like their shoes but wish they looked better.
Brooks PureConnect20mm15mm5mm.
Brooks PureConnect 420mm16mm4mm~~Image via Amazon
New Balance Minimus 10 MR1019mm15mm4mm~~Image via Amazon
New Balance Minimus MR0012mm12mm0mm~~Image via Amazon
New Balance Minimus MR00 v211mm11mm0mm~~Image via Amazon
New Balance Minimus Trail MT1015mm11mm4mm~~Image via Amazon
New Balance Minimus Trail MT10 v316mm12mm4mm~~Image via Amazon
New Balance Minimus Zero Trail MT0012mm12mm0mm~~Image via Amazon
New Balance NB 101 Trail26mm16mm10mm~~Image via Amazon
New Balance NB M140021mm11mm10mm.
New Balance NB M1400 v323mm13mm10mm~~Image via Amazon
Nike Air Max+ 201334mm20mm14mm~~(traditional running shoe for reference)~~~~Image via Amazon
Nike Air Max+ 201534mm22mm12mm~~Image via Amazon
Nike Air Pegasus33mm21mm10mm~~(traditional running shoe for reference)~~~~Image via Amazon
Nike Flex Run????7mm~~Image via Amazon
Nike Flyknit Lunar1+26mm16mm10mm~~Image via Amazon
Nike Flyknit+ Volt23mm14mm9mm~~Image via Amazon~~This looks to have a Free 5.0 style sole for flexibility.
Nike Free 3.0 v421mm14mm7mm~~Image via Amazon
Nike Free 3.0 v521mm17mm4mm~~Image via Amazon
Nike Free 4.0 flyknit24mm18mm6mm~~Image via Amazon
Nike Free 4.0 Flyknit20mm14mm6mm~~Image via Amazon
Nike Free 4.0 v222mm16mm6mm~~Image via Amazon
'Nike Free 5.0 ''14 '21mm14mm7mm
'Nike Free 5.0 ''15 '23mm15mm8mm~~Image via Amazon
Nike Free Run+25mm18mm7mm~~Image via Amazon
Nike Lunar Spider22mm16mm6mm~~Image via Amazon
Nike LunarEclipse (Nike Lunar Eclipse)30mm18mm12mm~~Image via Amazon
Nike LunarElite (Nike Lunar Elite)31mm20mm11mm~~Image via Amazon
Nike Lunarfly (Nike Lunar Fly)29mm19mm10mm~~Image via Amazon~~~~I bought a pair of these also.  These have been my main running shoe for a while.  The heel feels giant but it is still possible to run with a forefoot strike with these shoes.  I have to admit that the cushioning feels nice and the shoe is more comfortable to run in than my Nike Frees or my Nike Lunar Racer/Vengeance.
Nike Lunarglide (Nike Lunar Glide)30mm18mm12mm~~has more pronation support~~~~Image via Amazon
Nike Lunarswift (Nike Lunar Swift)26mm16mm10mm~~has more pronation support (which I did not want)~~Image via Amazon
'Nike Men''s Lunarspeed Lite+'28mm18mm10mm~~Image via Amazon
Nike Zoom Elite+ 627mm18mm9mm~~ (traditional running shoe for reference)~~~~Image via Amazon
Nike Zoom Elite+ 725mm18mm7mm~~ (traditional running shoe for reference)~~~~Image via Amazon
Nike Zoom Elite+ 827mm19mm8mm~~(traditional running shoe for reference)~~~~Image via Amazon
Nike Tanjun???
Nike Revolution 5 FlyEase24.5mm14.5mm10mm
Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 38??10mm
Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 2??8mm

 

don’t see what you’re looking for here? leave a comment at the bottom of the page and I’ll try to add it. thanks.


 


Oakland Marathon 2011

I got out early this morning to check out the 2011 Oakland Marathon.  I didn’t have it in me to try to try to run it again this year (especially with all of the cycling training) but it was really exciting to see the runners.  I got out to around the 4.5 mile mark on College ave in front of Crossroads Trading and across from Toast and near miam miam (expensive, but probably the best frozen yogurt I’ve had)

This is Tegenu Beru from San Jose.  He won the race wish a finishing time of 2:30:08.  Damn.

 

 

 

 

 

He had a small entourage of cyclists surrounding him and preceding that were some police motorcycles and an official pickup truck.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ivan Medina from Hayward finished 5th with a time of 2:44:33, but was in 2nd place at this point.

 

 

 

 

 

 

These guys were running together at this point in the race, but eventually Jesus Campos (#1003) pulled off to capture 2nd place with a time of 2:37:31.  Tony Torres (#1000) still finished strongly at 4th place with a time of 2:38:45.

 

Anna Bretan took 1st place for women and 11th place overall with a strong finishing time of 2:53:19.  According to the San Francisco Chronicle, this was her first marathon ever and the longest distance she’s run in her life.

 

 

 

 

Lori Buratto from Washington finished 2nd among women with a finishing time of 3:02:53.

 

 

 

They look happy!

 

 

 

Suet-Fei Li finished 3rd among women with a time of 3:03:25.

 

 

 

This guy was awesome.

 

 

 

By the way, she is ripped

 

 

 

Hawaiian shirt

 

 

 

 

 

 

This guy ran the marathon with a hemp shoulder bag.

 

 

 

Hard to see from the photo since I had switched out to a wide-angle lens, but this guy is “Endorphin Dude” and ran with a cape.  Pretty sweet.  Check out his website.