NIKE Has Brilliant Marketing Teams (video)

NIKE Has Brilliant Marketing Teams

NIKE felt the need to make running more interesting and fun for the younger crowds, so they went on a major marketing campaign, and in just 6 weeks saw great success.

A good start to the week

I don't know if I will run this week as much as I ran last week, but it is off to a good start. I ran tonight about 8km around RBS. The weather was beautiful and there were lots of people out taking advantage of it. Lots of walkers and runners enjoying the cool air.

After that i went for a walk with my wife for about 1.5km.

Will I run much this week? Will I match last week's mileage, or as we say in Israel "kilometrage"? Will I run every day? Will I run less? A more normal 3-4 times instead of 6-7? As of right now, I have no specific plans... we'll see where the week takes us.

Runner's Guide To Israel: President's Forest

Run #7, and the final run, of Running week, was a 14km run in President's Forest. I did this run with the Bet Shemesh Running Club as part of a group run on the summer Friday morning Trail Run series.

President's Forest

beautiful view from President's Forest trail

President's Forest is a trail through a KKL (JNF) forest, just utside of Bet Shemesh, planted in memory of Israel's first president, Chaim Weizmann. The forest is part of the Tzora Forest, and at it's highest point it reaches an altitude of 401 meters above sea level. There are spectacular views all over the forest, and at different points one can see views of the coastal plains, the Judean Plains and The Judean Hills.

Alongside part of the trail is Derech HaPsalim - Sculpture Road. There are statues created by artists, emphasizing the history and the landscape of the area, including pieces such as the one depicting Shimshon (Samson of "Samson and Delila").

There are also caves, tombs, cisterns, and winepresses throughout the forest.

same beautiful view from President's Forest trail
but with the runners of the BS Running Club

The trail is about 3km out and then about 8 km of a circuit trail, and then 3km back. The trail is a tough run with up and downs the whole way, and I must say it sure felt like they were mostly ups.

At about 7km we stopped to take in the view. At that point the view is absolutely stunning. I usually don't take my phone out on runs, but I did today, and took advantage and snapped a few photos of the amazing view.

another beautiful view from president's Forest

Run 6 Of The Running Week

Run 6 of Running Week started off at just before 6 PM under th still-hot-but-starting-to-cool sun. We met up and ran out to Tzomet Etzion, the intersection on Highway 375 right before the satellites. We ran there and back, totaling for me 9.5km

Run #6 of Running Week brought me to about 52km on the week.

I have been asked why I am doing this, running so much. Am I training for something?

The answer is no. I am not training for anything specific. Since the Tel Aviv Marathon in April I have hardly run, and not on any regular schedule. In the two months since, I have only gone to run a handful of times. I was starting to feel like I gained a lot of weight, I was feeling heavy and lethargic. I was feeling like i was starting to go to mush. It was time to start getting back to training. I actually only planned to run "a lot". I was thinking along the lines of 4 or 5 runs for the week.

Then I started running. And I felt great. Yeah, my legs were feeling tired from being a little out of shape. At a certain point I was starting to feel worn out. Yet overall I was starting to feel great again. My energy levels were up and overall I was feeling great. After the first 3 runs, I decided I was going to try to run every day this week.
And so far so good.

Run 5 of Running Week

I had thoughts to run a 12km run this morning, but things don't always go according to plan. Actually, they rarely go according to plan.

My running partner was tired this morning, so he was not in the mood to run with me. Add that to the knowledge that tonight I have a softball game so would not be able to run later, but also don't want to be too worn out to plan, I decided to run in the morning anyway, but cutting it to a short run. Another factor is that all week long the weather has been unusually pleasant and cool, especially until mid-morning, made me want to take advantage of another potentially cool morning.

So I went out myself, with plans for a 6km or so run. Heading out I decided to go out on Nahal Tzeelim, being a 6 km out and back course. I used to run Tzeelim fairly regularly, but have not done so in a long time.

The weather was warmer than I expected, and the way back up the hill was difficult, but I finished the run at 6.13km.

The running week is up to 5 runs totalling 42km, and it continues tomorrow...

Running Week Continues

I thought I would take today off from running, considering that I have run every day this week and my legs are feeling very tired. I decided not to take the day off, and arranged a late-night short run.

We met at 10:45 PM for a short, 6-7 km run. We ran out to the end of Road 10 and back, at an easy pace.

Tuesday night, 4 runs for the week so far, 36km logged.

And the running week continues...

3rd day of Running in a row

Tonight for a change of pace, we, me and my running buddy, decided we would run with the group at the group run through the Bet Shemesh Merkaz for an 11km run. Things did not work out as planned, and we had to come up with other plans for a slightly later start.

We decided to run in Bet Shemesh anyway, as it was an opportunity for different scenery, and we came up with an alternate route. We ran from RBS down to Bet Shemesh. We ran around behind the Kirya Haredit toward Migdal HaMayim. We crossed Migdal Hamayim along the upper road of houses, and then swung back around through the main Migdal HaMayim strip of shops and then back to RBS.

The weather was cool and pleasant, and the run was a very hilly 12km.

For me that is 3 days in a row of running, so far totaling for the week 29km. My legs are feeling tired, so I might take tomorrow off, or maybe I will just do a short run tomorrow evening.

The Start of A Great Running Week

As far as running is concerned, this week is so far so good.

After running 8.5 km last night, I was thinking about running perhaps 11-12km tonight. When my buddy called this morning wanting to take advantage of the unusually cool morning, i could not resist.

We went out for a run around RBS, with me finishing at 8.7km. We ran around RBS, turning down at Ramat Shiloh, by Ein Gedi street. We ran down to the end, then crossed Tzeelim. We ran along the path in the fields that is adjacent, almost parallel, to Yarqon street.

After a short break at the top, to catch our breaths and have a short chat, we split up each running home in opposite directions. It was already warmer than expected, but there was still a decently nice breeze. It was nice to take advantage of cool weather, run with a partner, and get off to the start of what will likely be a great running week.

First Run In 2 Weeks Was Great!

I have not gone out running in 2 weeks. I have not run consistently, on any sort of regular schedule, since the Tel Aviv Marathon at the beginning of April. And I am starting to feel the results. I am starting to feel heavy and sluggish, overweight and lethargic. It is tough running when you have no specific goals to train for.

I am trying to get back into it, and I want to start training hard again. the heat is going to make it very difficult, and most running will have to be either very early morning or late at night.

Tonight I went out for a 8.5km run around RBS. I did not want to take my GPS watch with me, as I wanted to enjoy the run and not worry about time, but having not run for 2 weeks I wanted to keep an eye on my pace. Right when I turned on th watch, I saw it was about to die, so there was no point in taking it along. So I ran with no watch, which is always the best.

I started out running across Kishon. When I run by myself I like to start off with running across Kishon and back, as it gives me a good 3km flat start. Then I ran around RBS, making it about 8.5km, at I have no idea what pace.

I was very satisfied with the run, and it was a beautiful night with a cool breeze. Lot of runners and walkers out. Hopefully I will find time tomorrow to go out again. I need to start building up my running again, getting my muscles fit, and dropping some weight.

Review Of Vibram FiveFinger Treksport for road running

So I went out for a run this morning. Even though I was not running a trail, I still wanted to try out my new Vibram FiveFinger Treksport shoes. I also wanted to compare them not just on trails but also running on the road and see how they match up to the FiveFinger Bikila, or other shoes.

I got them in this nice orange color, and they are pretty cool.



The differences between Bikila and Treksport, that I personally noticed:

• The material upper of the Treksport is a little bit more flexible and softer than the material of the Bikila.
• The velcro strap is designed a little differently. As a matter of fact, I have wondered why on the Bikila shoes the velcro strap is designed the opposite direction of normal velcro straps on shoes. I still don't have the answer to that, but on the Treksport they are facing the normal direction like most velcro straps on shoes face.
• The velcro strap on the Treksport is flexible and can be adjusted, to a point, whereas on the Bikila it is set and not adjustable. 
• The soles on the Treksport are a bit thicker, with heavier cleats along the edges and under the toes, for better protection. This means when running on the road that your foot feels the road less. According to Vibram it gives better traction, and maybe it does, but I like the feel of the road beneath that I get with the Bikila.

On one spot of my foot, on the inner sole, some skin wore off from the shoe. It happened the first time I ran with the Bikila as well. I might not have adjusted the shoe properly before I ran, causing friction from below. When it happened with the Bikila, I adjusted it a bit the next time I ran and was fine. I expect it to be the same with the Treksport.

Here are the images and descriptions of the soles of both the Treksport and the Bikila, from the Vibram website..

Treksport:

Treksport soles

Bikila:

Interestingly, the label that came attached to the Treksport shoes has an image of the sole with a description highlighting the features, and it is slightly different than the image above. I scanned it in to show you the difference:

As you can see, on the label it mentions the cleated rubber outside, which is not mentioned in the image on the site. They also point out the adjustable strap, and the Coconut Active Carbon upper material...

Basically, the Treksport are built very similar to the Bikila running shoes, and I look forward to using them to run trails. For running on the road I am going to stick with the Bikila as it gives me more of the feel of the road beneath me.

After I use the Treksport on the trails, I will write about how they held up and if they really provided better protection.

Initial Review Of The New Vibram FiveFinger Treksport

I am very excited. I just received my new pair of Vibram FiveFinger Treksport Barefoot Outdoors Running Shoes.

Vibram FiveFinger Treksport

I tried them on and they feel great. The Treksport is very similar to the FiveFinger Bikila Running Shoes, but just a little bit different.

The main difference, which I plan to test out on my next trail run, is that the Treksport is built with a bit more protection on the parts of the foot that are more prone to injury and pain from the rocks of the trails.

Besides for that, the Treksport shoes are a bit more comfortable than the Bikila. The design of the shoe seems to be a better, more comfortable fit. Granted, so far I have only worn them for a few minutes, but this is my initial impression. The velcro strip is different, and better. The material seems a bit softer. The fit is a bit better.

Wait for my review after running in them on the trails. These are only my initial impressions. I am impressed.

A week with less promise

What started off as a promising running week last week turned into a real dud. With nothing specific to train for, I seem to find every excuse in the book to not go out and run. One day it is too hot. The next day I am too tired. The next I am too busy. etc.

This week has started off with less promise, and we will see where it takes me.

I enjoy my Saturday night runs. It gets me out after cleaning up from Shabbos. It burns some calories after overeating on Shabbos. And it feels great. Last night, though, I did not run because of the Lag B'Omer bonfires. Both because of the need to take my kids out to the bonfires, and because of the lack of desire to inhale smoke while running.

This morning I went out for a nice 5km run. the air was pleasant and the roads were empty. I ran around RBS at a nice pace.

This week will be busy, between work, family, softball, a wedding and engagement party and 2 separate relatives from the US who are coming to visit, this week will be tough to  schedule runs in..

Meeting Run

I had a work related meeting in Bet Shemesh this morning. I decided to run there, instead of taking a bus or taxi.

The run was great. A nice 5km after last night's 7.5km. The meeting went pretty good, but after the meeting I decided not to run home. My muscles were tight and I needed to get back quicker for work.

It is great being able to run to a meeting. Oh, and no he did not mind - he rode his bike to the meeting, so we were both in t-shirt and shorts. But I was the only one in Vibram FiveFinger Bikilas.

Saturday Night Special

Tonight I met up with a few guys and we ran the first run of the week. We ran about 7.5km out to the end of Road 10 and back.

Saturday night is usually a recovery run, running at an easy pace. We did not run an easy pace, but ran a fairly quick pace. The weather was great and it felt great to burn some calories.

Tomorrow morning I expect to run to Bet Shemesh for a work meeting.

Runner's Guide To Israel: Tel Zofit

Now that marathon season is over, until September, in Israel, the Bet Shemesh Running Club spends the summer Fridays running various trails in the region of Bet Shemesh.

Running barefoot presents a great challenge when running trails. While my feet can handle it much more now than it used to be, I still have to be careful and run a bit slower, and check in advance what kind of trail it is, and how hard/soft the trail is.

Friday we met and ran out the trail to Tel Zofit. This is a trail that begins along the Highway 383, just across from Sedot Micha, just after the Sedot Haaretz wedding hall when coming from the Bet Shemesh direction. The trail begins on cracked asphalt, and eventually switches to full trail.

It is about 8.5km to the end, where you meet up at the bottom of the Tel Zofit mountain. Running through those fields is a beautiful terrain. There was a large but dead snake in the middle of the trail at one point. It was  beautiful run out, and part of it was fairly rocky but it was pretty good. I decided not to go up the mountain, but a few of us ran back instead.

Running back was more difficult. It was starting to get hot and sunny, and there were more uphill sections on the way back. As well, this was the longest run i have gone on since the Tel Aviv Marathon a month ago. This was ended at 17km (8.5 each way), and my previous long run was less than 11km.