THE BROOKS BLOG

Name : Keely O’Neill

Job at Brooks : Territory Representative

Your favorite apparel item : Viva Capri

Why you love it : I love it because they are cozy enough to wear to bed, grocery shopping, and especially on my runs. Also, I like the flare a little below the knee, so they feel light enough and not constricting while running. Sidenote: I tripped on a reflector during the Disneyland Half Marathon and skinned my knee and hands up pretty badly, but the capris weren’t damaged at all! Pretty durable!

Favorite sport : Water polo

Favorite movies : Gangs of New York and Dumb and Dumber

Favorite book : Naked by David Sedaris

What are you currently training for : Seattle Rock ‘n’ Roll full marathon

Favorite shoe : Ghost 2 …excited for the Ghost 3 this summer!

Last weekend was our first time as an official partner at a Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon & 1/2 Marathon event. Without a doubt, New Orleans was a fantastic way to kick it off! Thanks to everyone who showed up - we hope you had as great a time as we did. To those who couldn’t make it, there are still plenty of Rock ‘n’ Roll races coming this year (check them out here).

And now for the photos:

Setting up the expo.

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Last minute pre-expo instructions.

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Open the doors and see all the people.

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This is Dave. He’s in charge.

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The famous Brooks VIP porta potties. Yes, that sign says “Pee like a Rockstar.”

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Brooks Run Happy® Mile 9 arch.

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Katie!

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Thanks to New Orleans for a great run. Next stop: Dallas, March 14.

Our event peeps flew out this morning for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Mardi Gras Marathon™ and 1/2 Marathon, our local Rock ‘n’ Roll event (Seattle) is within training distance, and we officially have marathons on the brain!

Thanks to Jesse Williams, our Team Sales Manager, for putting together these marathon training tips that will help no matter which stage of your training you’re in.

• Get a training partner. You’re going to be running a lot and longer than usual. It’s always nice to have someone else joining you. There are days when they’ll help push you out the door and other days when you’ll be their motivator.
• Get that long run going. It’s the single most important run of your week. It’s the run that teaches your body to fuel itself properly. It toughens your legs for those late miles. It’s also the most rewarding run of the week!
• Hydrate. Even if it’s not hot outside. Your body operates so smoothly when it’s properly hydrated. Muscles won’t cramp as often, injuries are lessened, and recovery is quicker.
• Practice race day scenarios. If you’re going to take water and sports drinks during the marathon, take them on your long runs for practice. Your body needs to practice digesting both before the big day. Same goes for sports gels or other fueling.
• Don’t change your ritual. If you always have “x” for dinner before your long runs and it’s worked, then have “x” before your marathon. Also, if that amoung of food has always worked, don’t change it. Why fix what’s been working? People often change things in the 11th hour and then the next day find that their body feels different than it did in training. This rule applies to most rituals—stretching, warm-up, sleeping, etc. Do what you have always done and what works.
• Gear it up. Running is so much easier with the right gear! Go to your local running specialty shop and get fit for the right shoe and apparel. It will make your running that much more enjoyable.

Treadmill running can be one of the most mentally taxing activities that a runner embarks upon, but it can be a valuable tool when used correctly in training. And, it will certainly be a whole lot safter on a rainy night than taking to the the streets.  Here are a few tips to consider when hitting the treadmill:

• Use a mirror. This is a great opportunity to really see what your form looks like and to make adjustments in your technique. You can do wonders to your running economy by eliminating inefficiencies in your form. A coach can tell you that your hands are held too high or that your head is lifted back until their face turns blue, but often it takes actually seeing it for yourself to really drive home what your coach has been telling you for months.
• Don’t succumb to the acceleration button. Because running on a treadmill can be very monotonous, the greatest danger is succumbing to the urge to speed up and run as fast as you can just to hit a daily mileage goal. Running too hard on a designed recovery day is one of the leading causes of injury and burnout among distance runners. For this reason, I advise all of my athletes not to worry about their mileage volume, but to instead measure their runs on duration in minutes.
• Practice Hydrating. If you’re training for a half or full marathon then a run on the treadmill is a great opportunity to practice taking in fluids and sports gels. Find out in advance which mile markers the race organizers will have aid stations. Plan to take in a small amount of fluid, including some sort of glycogen, from sports drink or gel at regular intervals. Use the treadmill to simulate this by keeping your fluids and gels in the cup holder and then practice taking them on the run at the same interval the aid stations occur in the actual race.  Pure sports drink is usually too concentrated for optimal absorption. I’ve found the best ratio to be 1 part sports drink to 2 parts water. Do the mixing before you get on the treadmill. If you insist on doing this on the treadmill you may want to set up a video camera to capture the spectacle as you’re flung off the back and into the aerobics class behind you—you might just end up the next Youtube sensation.
• Make your runs progressive. Begin your runs at a slower speed than your intended pace and gradually work up to pace over 15 to 20 minutes. Many running injuries are caused by starting runs too quickly so doing so will help keep you healthy long term.
• Use the incline. The incline can be a great way to mix in hill repeats to an otherwise monotonous run. Many runners train under a program that includes hill repeats on an incline of between 4-6%. These perfect hills are tough to find. Thankfully, the treadmill solves this problem.

Thanks to Matt Koenigs for the treadmill tips. Matt is a National Accounts Manager here at Brooks. He also coaches cross country and distance track at Everett Community College—2009 Women’s and Combined NWAACC XC Champions!

Wow! I just read through all the comments on Jim’s recent blog post …what an amazing conversation we’re having on running. I love to see all of this passion and energy around our sport and what we care the most about at Brooks: the run.

As a career long R&D guy, this is particularly exciting to me as it gives my team more opportunity to learn, grow, and explore new methods and technologies that will ultimately allow the runner to run farther, faster, more efficiently, and healthier.

Many of you have asked about research (or lack thereof) regarding the benefits of shod vs. unshod running. One way or the other, show me the proof, right?! Well, while no one has been able to prove whether running with or without shoes causes more injury, we at Brooks have been and will continue to develop and conduct prospective and retrospective studies around running injury prevention. We’re dedicated to reducing running injury risk and have aligned ourselves with some of the top researchers and universities from around the world to help us tackle this. These types of research projects take some time, but we’re making progress and we expect to make some big strides forward this year. Be sure to stay tuned for updates and keep us posted on your thoughts, comments and suggestions!

Keep Running,

Pete

Name : Nijah Twigg

What is your job at Brooks : Customer Specialist—part of a newly developed customer-support focused team.

Pets : Only child, spoiled rotten, center of our universe, Duncan. All-white beautiful mutt of a dog!

Favorite movie : Princess Bride and Count of Monte Cristo—equally enjoyed.

Explain your love of Zumba : I love this class because I am sore in all of my target muscles the day after, yet during I feel like I’m just dancing.

Your favorite Spring 2010 apparel item : Glycerin T

Why it’s awesome : Soft, luxurious, easy flatter fit, cool breathability and everyday wearability. Transitions from sleep to exercise to casual mall wear. Love it, love it, love it! Perfect with Viva Flare or my fave pair of jeans.

Name : Stephanie Dooley

Job at Brooks : Graphic Designer

Favorite Color : Magenta and Dark Purple

Favorite Shoe : Ravenna

Best vacation spot : A cruise ship traveling in the South Pacific (ahh, that sounds so nice right now!)

Inspiration for joining Team in Training : Luckily, I have never had anyone I know be diagnosed with Leukemia. However, while I was searching for something to call my own (away from work, my husband, and one-year-old son), I found something that would allow me to make new friends, get out of the house, exercise, and help a good cause all in the same stride. So far, it has been a very rewarding experience!

Why you love the Vapor-Dry 3D Hoodie : I love this piece because it can easily be layered or worn on its own. On mild temperature days I can wear it with a top underneath, but on super cold days I can add my vest and I am good to go. I also love the fold over mitts (especially because I am not much of a glove person).

What makes you Run Happy?: Knowing that every step is making me a healthier person.

Follow Stephanie’s Team in Training progress on her blog: http://dooleytnt.blogspot.com/

Check out the Vapor-Dry 3D Hoodie here:

Vapor-Dry 3D Hoodie

Here’s another creative idea for using all your empty Brooks boxes …make your own Bro-bot! This friendly guy has been with us in the customer service department for the last couple of months thanks to our CS reps Maria and Tara. Not only is he incredibly good looking, he’s also quite festive.

Customer Service would like to wish everyone a very merry holiday and a great recovery run this weekend!

Please note: Brooks Customer Service will be out of the office from Dec. 24 through 27. Send us an email or leave us a voice mail and we’ll get back to you asap on Monday, Dec. 28.

Happy Turkey Trot Weekend!

- Brooks Customer Service

Twitter was all, well, atwitter today with first photos of our awesome M*A*S*H-style expo booth at the Chicago Marathon expo. Brooks is offering free podiatrist consultations and gait analyses to runners and expo attendees who sign up at the booth (#733).

But that’s not all. Everyone who participates receives dog tags worth a chance to win prizes. Simply walk your dog tags over to the retail area of the booth to see if you’ve won! Prizes include 10 head-to-toe Brooks outfits, 50 pairs of shoes, 250+ cotton T-shirts, and 150 water bottles. The odds of winning something? Pretty, pretty good.

The B*R*A*S*H (Brooks Running Athlete Support Hospitality) is open till 8 p.m. tonight, and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. tomorrow. Get there early to snag an appointment!

Check out these awesome Twitpics posted by our pals at Fleet Feet Chicago (@FleetFeetChgo). Click on any image to see the full photo post at Twitpic. Nice shots, guys and gals!