Is there any more beautiful place to kick than this?

(Continued from previous post)

Immediately after the gun went off, so did Matt Greensides and Chris Cox.  This wasn’t your average everyday “Tour-like” start.  Both those guys were off like they were shot out of a cannon.  Right behind them were Jeff Oakie, Sarah Cox, Ruth Greensides and Steve Lowenkamp.  The rest of us just started kicking at a more normal pace as we kicked out into the cold pre-dawn air.  The first several miles wound through and past the picturesque little town of Wallsburg.  The population of Wallsburg had to have more than doubled due to all the Marathoners waiting at the start.  It was a fun start to the kick, because there were some slight downhills with some rolling hills thrown in.  At one point we made a quick descent down one of these hills only to make a very sharp 90 degree turn to the right.  It was even more harrowing due to the lack of volunteer participation, and the sand in the corner of the turn.  I just held on, gritted my teeth,  and got through the turn.  I could see the leaders up ahead of me.  I think it was around this point that I passed Ruth, only to have her pass me back a few miles later, as she snuck up on me from behind.  She passed me on a slight uphill then motored down the other side.  I thought that I would catch her on the downhill, but never got the chance.  I kept thinking that I weigh 205 and should be able to catch her (she is a tiny little person), but that was as close as I was going to get to her the rest of the race.  I was making mental notes “Nuggets of Racing Wisdom”, to myself as the race went on about racing on the Footbikes, and I’ll share those later in the post.  But this was one of those moments that another “Race Nugget” was born.

We then reached the Canyon road that we would stay on for the rest of the race.  After making the turn, we were faced with our first real hill climb.  I could see the four other racers in front of me, Sarah, Jeff, Steve, and Ruth.  They looked so close, but yet so far.  I tried to make some time on the climb, and was succesful to a degreee, only to have them glide out of site on the back half of the mountain.  After that climb, the road curved to the left, and I literally never saw the first three again.  There were some nice rollers in the next few miles, and on one of them I heard a sort of “War Whoop”, like “Eeeeeeeeeeeeyaaaaaaaaaah!”.  It was Andrew Bishop passing me on the downhill to my left.  This guy did a great job.  Earlier Sarah told me that Andrew had been on a few trial kicks, and just got his Footbike a couple of weeks before the race.  The Marathon distance would be his longest distance by far.  Well, there he went, right on by me like I was standing still.  I kept him in my sights for a few miles, until one of those canyon turns right after a hill came up, and I never saw him again either.  (Another nugget coming about that.)

I got to the Half Marathon starting point, and a couple of miles later began passing some of the Half Marathoners that were walking up a substantial hill.  Most all of these folks were fairly overweight, and were out there to challenge themselves on the course.  I shouted out “way to go’s” and “you’re awesomes”  to them as I passed.  I really have a huge amount of respect for them by being out there and doing something that is so difficult.

After I made the top of the hill, the course became a lesson in descending.  I laid out on my tri-bars and flew down the course.  My fastest speed was 46 mph.  As I gained speed and maintained it through that part of the course, I had to stay in the left side of the barrels that marked the course for the runners.  Staying left put me in the only car lane that was being used for auto traffic.  But better to be there than plowing into thousands of runners and causing Footbiking mayhem.  Quickly I was out of the Canyon, and into the flatter parts of the course.  I was kicking really well, legs felt good, and the miles clicked by somewhat effortlessly.  Soon I was in Downtown Provo, and I saw up ahead the blue inflatable finish line.  I sprinted through the last few blocks, and they literally seemed to go by in seconds.  I guess I was caught up in some sort of euphoric time warp or something, because I was at the finish in no time.  I heard them announce my name as I crossed, and saw the other finishers with their machines waiting for me.  What a great feeling!

After the race, we all shared our stories of what transpired, all excited to have finished the race and posted good times.  I was wanting to come in at 1:45, and wound up in 1:36 and change.  Immediately I knew that I would be back next year to compete and improve on my time.  Now how about those “Nuggets of Racing Wisdom”!

NUGGETS OF RACING WISDOM

1. Use a High Leg Kick. – Most of the racers if not all that were ahead of me, used a high knee kick kicking motion.  Instead of the lower leg swinging in front of the bars and then using a pendulum like motion towards the rear, they were flexing at the hip, bringing the knee up behind the handlebars towards their chest and using the lower leg like a piston, to drive the bike forward.

2.  Work on the Descents.  Again, the descending technique for the racers that passed me or that I never saw, was that they had one foot on the deck, and the other tucked behind that stable knee, and their upper body out over the front wheel.  The tucked leg had the lower part of that leg extended straight behind them.  They would then change legs, as the deck leg got tired, and assumed the “tuck and lay over” position again.  I on the other hand, had both legs planted firmly on the deck with my upper body stretched out over my tri-bars.

3.  Get a bigger back wheel.  After talking with those at the finish line that finished ahead of me, all but two of them had a 20′ back wheel.  From what I understand, the bigger back wheel makes the bike faster, especially on the downhills, and helps maintain speed longer, utilizing the glide better.  To be able to retrofit the Footie though, you need an adapter on the back fork to allow the 20′ wheel to fit the frame. 

4.  Work the hills.  Don’t give in to the uphill.  Challenge it, realizing that you have the back half of  the hill to rest a bit.  Increase the cadence of your kick to get up the hill, then use your new found descending technique to bomb past others!

Me, with the spoils of victory...my medal.

All in all the Utah Valley Marathon was an A+ event.  I would highly recommend that all you Footbikers put this event on your calendar for the coming years.  Imagine if we double the number of Kickers for next year to 26, or even more.  I know we can do it, with a little planning.  It was fantastic to meet so many of you that I have known only through the Internet.  Congratulations to all of you that were there and accomplished this great feat!  On to next year!

Let me introduce you to my driver...Helen Keller.

It’s been a couple of days since I kicked in the historic Utah Valley Marathon.  Historic, because there were 13 Footbikers who raced, a record for the number of kickers to enter a race in the United States.  Historic for me because it was my first timed event that I entered on a Footbike.  It had been many years since I had entered in a bike race, most of my rides had been Tours since the ripe old age of 27.  As many of you know since becoming afflicted with CFBV (Chronic Footbiking Virus), that I have kicked the 56 mile Tour de Palm Springs, the 40 mile Tour of Borrego, and kicked 65 miles for the Kickabout.  But none of those was a timed event, so on to the UVM.

The event really began the night before at the Marathon Expo.  Kick It Marketing had a booth set up at the expo.  I met Chris and Sarah Cox, Matt and Ruth Greensides, and caught up with Jeff Oakie again.  We chatted for a few minutes about the race and kicking in general then I went off to listen to a couple of speakers about Ultra Marathon running.  Later that night in the hotel, I got a horrible sleep.  I don’t know if it was pre-race nerves or what, but I didn’t sleep well.  Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how you look at it,  enough for me, I got to sleep around 2:15 only to wake up a couple hours later.  (This was much better for me, because I had a ride up to the start.  The other racers had to be on buses by 3:30 a.m. to catch a ride to the starting line.  Then they had to wait in the cold until the start just before 6 a.m.).  My ride picked me up right at 5, and we were off.

My nephew was running the Half Marathon, so he recruited his brother-in-law to take us up to each of our individual starting lines.  Well, I guess the brother-in-law couldn’t make it, so he sent his girlfriend to chaffeur us up the canyon.    On our way up, in completed darkness, the girfriend remarked that she, “Has terrible night vision.  I really shouldn’t be allowed to drive at night, cause I’m sorta blind.”, this as she was weaving all over the canyon like a drunken, blind sailor.  All this as I sat squished, in the back of her micro-sized Saturn.  (Didn’t they go out of business?).  Needless to say, both my nephew and I were on figurative pins and needles all the way to our starting areas.  Now I don’t want to sound ungreatful, she was a real sweetheart for taking us up the canyon so early in the morning, but riding up the Canyon with Helen Keller, didn’t do anything to help my pre-race jitters.

I was thankfully dropped off with about 15 minutes before the race started.  As I got out of the car, the first thing to hit me was the cold.  Now to hearty individuals, (like everyone else), it was okay, but to “Desertman”, me, I thought Helen had dropped me off at the Arctic Circle Marathon.  Sarah Cox came over as I was getting my Footie ready, and through my shivering teeth I asked her some questions on what she was wearing during the race.  She gave me great advice, so I wound up wearing two layers of shirts, arm sleeves, a light pullover, and my compression sleeves for my calves.  All this plus my gloves underneath my bike gloves.  Most everyone else had on their festive summer gear ready to bomb down the canyon.

I got to the line, started my watch and noticed that my front brakes were rubbing the rim.  Aaaaraaaragaraafafagh!  Come on, Whitlock, get it together man!  Chris Cox, came over and hand fixed the problem, just moments before the gun.  (Just a side note, Chris and Sarah were awesome hosts and ambassadors for our sport, thanks to both of you for making my Marathon experience great.)  I gently walked up to the starting line and met Steve Loewenkamp, great guy from Colorado,  right before the countdown to the start.  The gun went off, and so were we.

(To be cont’d)

History will be made here

On my way up to the Utah Valley Marathon.  It turns out that history is going to be made.  There are 13 Footbikers registered for the race, and that makes the greatest number of Footbikers ever to be assembled at one time to race in the United States.  Now to some of you, our European brothers and sisters, it may not sound like much, but for us here in the States…it’s a HUGE deal. 

Weather conditions look good.   Should be sunny, and in the 60′s during the race.  Probably in the high 40′s at the start, but there is no rain in the forecast.  I have heard various reports from those who have kicked it in the past, that it is a fast course, sometimes maybe too fast. 

I’ll pick up my race packet this afternoon, meet some of the other racers, and then off to bed.  Getting picked up at 5 a.m. by my nephew, who’s running the half marathon, and shuttled to the start which is at 6.  Stay tuned for race commentary and results as they happen.  Now it’s time to go and show them what we are all capable of on these fantastic machines.

Self portrait at Angels Stadium as I was on Kickabout

It’s been two weeks since the First Annual Worldwide Kickabout took place.  And in these last couple of weeks I have been trying to filter out all the information and insights that I learned from doing this event.  I’m going to attempt to bring you some personal insights as well as some global ones from what I heard from many of you.

First some stats.  A sampling of participants from around the world included people from Australia, Slovakia, Finland, The Netherlands, Austria, France, and the United States.  I was hoping that there would have been at least another half dozen countries participate, and was hoping for the China contingent to come in strong, but that will have to wait for next year.  I am totally stoked that there were probably over a hundred people kicking on that day, and as videos and comments came to our Facebook page, it was great to hear and see those posts and to be a part of so many people’s global kicking experience.  The one thing that I really would like to find is the mileage from all the people that kicked.  I am estimating that there were over 3000 miles kicked, or almost the equivalent of kicking across the United States.  Special recognition goes out to the Finns.  Shirts were made, and Markku Levanen took his son Joonas, out on the course.  (Joonas wound up kicking 13 km.  What a great example to the rest of us with kids.  Next year, my kids are going out too!)  Looking at his video of his day, it was beautiful, his opening scene was him scratching “Kickabout” into the frost on his car windshield.  He was kicking with tights on and earwarmers.  Up in Finland there are some hardcore kickers!  Congratulations.

When the day started, I was wondering who would start it all off, hoping that either the Aussies or the Chinese would “kick” it all off.  (Sorry for the pun, couldn’t help myself).  Bruce Cook reported in that he started at sunrise with a group of eight hearty Aussies in Brisbane.  What an awesome way to start the day.  He later wrote that he kicked a total of five hours with three different groups of kickers.  There seems to be a strong kicking community in Australia, and it would be great to go down there for a kicking tour.  Thanks to the Australians for starting us all off.

Other quick reports and impressions.  Heli Kuru in Finland wrote that she kicked 25 km and went through a totally new and different neighborhood on her kick.  In the true spirit of Kickabout, she, and I quote, “Boldly went where she had not gone before.”  Congrats Heli, on maybe finding a new venue for your training. Juraj Krajcirovic.   I have come to know him a little bit better through the Kickabout.  He kicked in Slovakia next to the Danube River.  And when we contacted each other after the event, he was up for the next adventure.  (stay tuned for the next kicking assignment).  I have found that he has a love for the sport  and that he’s a bit of a mileage chomper like me, loving to kick long distances.

Closer to home, Jeff Oakie had a near collision with ea senior citizen as he blitzed through a red light, later blowing a tire.  He finished the next day.  Sarah Cox and all her Utah kicking minions got together for a group kick.  I think many people around the world were envious that there nine of them kicking together.  Now for some of you in the Netherlands that may not be a big deal, but here in the States, that’s a HUGE deal!  They had three newbies kicking in their group, and Sarah was “kind” enough to break them in on hills!  Hopefully they will continue kicking.  Utah seems to be a hotbed of American kickers.  Among other Americans that I heard from were the legendary Bob Schutz, master of the American kicking video, the unstoppable Joe Jung.   I love Joe’s passion for the sport and his mechanical mastery, Joe being the creator of the indoor Kick Trainer.  There was Coloradoan Steve Lowe, newcomer Aaron Lin down in Louisiana, Melissa Walsh, in Portland who we thought left and just kept going because we didn’t hear from her in a while, Virginia Tegel, Bob Dymond, Lendyl of the Oregon Coast, and my friend Peter Hummers down in the beautiful Outer Banks of North Carolina.  I am sure that I am only scratching the surface of kickers that were out that day, and apologize for those that I missed.

No doubt that the First Annual Worldwide Kickabout was a huge success.  Thanks to all of you around the globe that got out, kicked , saw some new parts of your world, and shared them with all of us.  I look forward to setting the date for next year’s event.  If you have comments about the event or any other stories or experiences that you would like to share, you can comment here or on the NoGearsNeeded Facebook page.

He's got it ALL wrong!

Guess what’s around the corner?  The Worldwide Kickabout and the warmer weather!  For all of us, hydration when we exercise is of utmost importance.  I found this interesting interview on the Triathlon Mind Training Podcast.  I listened to it while out on a 45 mile training kick, and it was so good that I changed the frequency, quantity, and contents of what drank while on the road.

Remember that there are two main ways that we loose water when we workout.  The first is through sweating.  It’s probably one of the major indicators to us as far as how our bodies are reacting to our training.  The second major way is one that is often overlooked, but is just as , if not more important, and that is through respiration.  Our breathing rate is important.  The more breaths we take, the more water is transferred back in to the atmosphere.

Knowing these two factors is important to know.  On a high humidity day, or on a hilly course, more water AND electrolytes are wasted when you kick.  There is a level that is generally used to know that you are dehydrated, and that is when you have the urge to take a drink.  When you thirst, you are already at a critical point in your hydration levels.  The level that your performance starts to decline, and your core body temperature begins to get too high for proper physiological function, is when you loose the amount of water that is approximately 2% of your body weight.  This 2% water loss, is the same benchmark that your brain utilizes to make you drink.  In short, you thirst at the 2% water loss mark.  But if you thirst at 2%, and your performance decreases at that same level, that means you should be drinking BEFORE  you get thirsty.

Another question is about electrolyte replacement.  I like to put some salt into my Camelback when I kick.  I have experimented with adding a 20 ounce Vitamin Water in to my 2 liter Camelback as well.  The Vitamin Water has some calories, vitamins, minerals, and adds a little taste to the water mixture for a refreshing change.  On occasion I have substituted a 20 ounce Coke to the Camelback and diluted it with water.  More calories, caffeine and quite honestly, I like the taste Coke.

I always try to plan kicking on a course that I know has convenience stores nearby, so I can replenish my water, buy a Vitamin Water and get one or two of those free salt packets to add to my hydration pack.  This combination has worked well for me on my recent long distance kicks, and will be what I rely on during the Kickabout.

So as you go out in the next couple of days and the weather is getting hotter, don’t forget the importance of staying hydrated to help you perform at your best.  As the Most Interesting Man in the World shouldn’t say…”Stay thirsty, my friends.”  He should say, “Stay hydrated, my friends.”

My new favorites!

You know what a fan I am of the Vibram Five Fingers.  (see previous post, I Love Kicking in my Five Fingers.)  But I have read and heard from several Footbiking veterans that they have loved kicking in the new Merrill Trail Glove shoes.  So today I drove 75 miles to our nearest REI store and bought a pair of the Trail Gloves.

Now there are a few parallels between the Five Fingers, my previous favorites, and the Trail Gloves, my new favorites.  They both have the Vibram sole, which is light but rugged.  It is thin enough to feel the ground very nicely under each foot stroke.  Both are extremely light, the Five Fingers weigh in at 11.4 ounces per pair, while the Merrill’s are an ounce heavier for the pair.  Both the KSO Five Fingers, and the Trail Glove have a nice mesh upper.  Now for a major difference between the two that I have noticed.

I have kicked in the KSO and the Sprint Five Fingers.  And I found that I had some toe pain, soreness in the joints of my second toe.  The pain was less in the Sprints, probably due to the less beefy vibram sole around, and that surrounds each toe end.  I am also attributing the soreness to the curvature of my second toe.  Like many people, I don’t have “normal” toes!  My second toe on each foot curves towards the middle toe.  So when I put on my Five Fingers, I have to angle my toes in to the toe slots in the VFF’s then straighten out my foot so I get the correct placement of toes in to their corresponding holders.  And I think over time, my poor curvy little friends would get strained.  I have heard that many others have had a problem even getting their gnarled toes in to the VFF’s.

In comes the Trail Glove.  Without having the individual toe compartments for each little piggy, the Trail Glove fits like a regular shoe.  It has an even Vibram sole throughout the shoe, meaning the sole is the same thickness at the toe, midfoot an heel.  It is everything that I love about my Five Fingers without having to mangle my already magled toes in to their own private little chamber.

I went and kicked easily this evening, and had NO toe pain.  I felt great foot planting and kicking, and like I said earlier, I could feel the ground really well, which is another thing that I have enjoyed with the Five Fingers.

The Trail Gloves retail for $110, whereas the VFF’s are in the $75-$110 range.  After kicking in both shoes, I wholeheartedly endorse the Trail Gloves by Merrill as a great overall shoe to kick in.  Because of the many parallels between them and the Five Fingers think of the Trail Gloves as if they were called the Vibram One Huge Finger!

How does time translate?

One of the greatest benefits to me when I kick, is that it helps me cross-train for my running.  As many of you know I enjoy running in the Ragnar Relay events.  Last year I ran in the Wasatch Back 188 mile relay.  The race was held right around the time that I began kicking, only having the Footbike for about two months before it occurred.  I decided only two weeks before the Wasatch began to actually run in the race, and it showed, as my first leg was 7 miles basically straight uphill. (See previous post “Footbike helps Athlete train for Long Distance Running Event“).

Just a few days ago, I finished my second Ragnar event, here in Southern California, a 200  mile jaunt from Huntington Beach to Coronado Island in San Diego.  It was a wonderful race.  I actually had the best run of my life on my second leg, a 7.1 mile hilly run through the night.  I still get all geeked  just writing about it!  I attribute the difference in the way that I ran and performed in large part to the work that I have done on the Footbike.  Having said that, as I was out for a gentle kick the other day, I was wondering about how kicking actually relates to running?

Ragnar Relays logo

We know that the exertion level for kicking to cycling is about 1:2, meaning one mile of kicking is roughly equivalent to two miles of cycling.  As I looked at my mile splits, that seems to hold fairly true for me.  So if that is true, then what about running?   When I compared my running splits to my kicking splits, I noticed that the ration again is a 1:2 ratio, this time one mile of running is equivalent to two miles of kicking.  (i.e. The time it took me to run 6.5 miles was about the same time it took me to kick 13 miles.)

So if that is true, if you are training for a 5K run, then go out for a 6 mile kick.  A 10K run, go kick 12 miles.  Half Marathon, you get to kick 26, and so on.  As I extrapolated even farther, the 56 miles that Jeff Oakie and I kicked for the Tour de Palm Springs was great Marathon training!  (Still toying with the idea about running a Marathon by the end of the year.)  And don’t forget any training program you can do for a run (intervals, speed play, long slow distance), you can you can on the Footbike, just double the parameters, either time or distance, whatever the workout calls for.

I know that kicking has helped strengthen my body and helped me as well in achieving greater endurance and faster times in my running.  And for events like the Ragnar, it has been indispensable as a training and fitness tool. I would love to get your feedback on your experience on analyzing your times during your Kicking and Biking and Running.

This is exactly what your energy goo will look like.

Energy Goo.  It seems like energy products are being sold at every turn.  Goos, bars, gels, nuggets, gum, and of course the ever present energy “drinks”, are all over the place.  I like to experiment with making my own stuff.  I made my own Gatorade a few months back, and it really wasn’t half bad…and for a fraction of the cost I might add.  So one day I was listening to a running podcast on my iPod when low and behold the topic was…Homeade Energy Gel!  So for you Footbike Do-it-Yourselfers, here is the recipe.

First off, credit given where credit is due.  This recipe comes from Marc Krejci at aRUNsupreme.  He had a video podcast, which I just picked up the audio feed for, and I got the recipe from him.  Here goes;  the recipe has only three main ingredients; Brown Rice syrup 50%, Honey 30%, and Blackstrap Molasses 20%.  Add some sea salt, and whatever flavoring you like.  I bought a couple of extracts, chocolate and orange.  I added these a few drops to each “serving” when I took out the goo.

When I made this I put it all in a bowl, mixed it together (quite sticky as you can imagine), and put it in a food container, putting that in the fridge.  I went to transfer some of the goo into a ziploc bag, and put the bag in a pocket of my Camelback.  Twenty miles later, I felt the need for a little energy boost, and I went for the goo.  That stuff was a mess!  Somehow it had seeped out of the “zipped”  Ziploc, and glommed itself to some of the dollar bills I had stowed in the same compartment.  Undaunted, I unzipped the bag, and went after the remaining goo.  But how to get at it without smearing the stuff all over my face?  I bit a small hole in the bottom corner of the bag and sucked all the contents out, and I have to tell you, that the stuff wasn’t half bad.  I did get an energy boost that took care of me for the final ten miles.

So, the final words on this homespun energy goo…it’s worth the effort to make your won, just careful of the mess.

(If you have a recipe that you have tried and like, please post it under the comments section.  Thanks.)

“We’re picking Saturday, May 7th as the day for as many of you as you
can, go out get on your Footbike, and just kick. No pre set course,
distance or difficulty. Just go out and kick wherever your Footbike
will take you. What a great way to know that people all over the
world would be kicking that day. Go for as long as you can, as long
as your schedule will allow you to go, or as long as your legs hold
out. Take some pictures or videos, come back and post your
experiences of that day. What did you learn about yourself along your
journey? What interesting conversations did have? How far did you
go? And because this is a Worldwide event, it will be great for you
Footbikers in Europe to do with us. How about you Aussies kicking in
as well? Right there we could have people in three different
continents participating. Wait until we get all seven continents in
the mix! (Let’s see who the first person will be to Footbike
Antarctica.)”

This was found on a Finnish chatboard.  So way to go Finns!  We’re excited to see that entire national organizations are getting behind and endorsing the Kickabout!  Kick on May 7th and Kick in to History!  (By the way, the good folks down under have also jumped on board and will be kicking that day as well!)

Oh yeah baby! That's what I'm talkin' about.

Six weeks from today an event that is unprecedented the world over takes place.  The First Annual WorldWide Kickabout will be held.   We have already heard back from people on three different continents that will be out there kicking on May 7th.  Footbikers and Kickbikers from all over the world will get on their vehicles and kick, not knowing where to go or for how long.  Some of you may go for just a few miles, some for a few hours, and maybe (just maybe) some of you will go for the weekend.  The point of the Kickabout is to get out, kick, enjoy the scenery and the adventure of the sport.

The concept came to me when reading Ultra Marathon Man by Dean Karnazes.  Again, loosely based on the Aboriginal tradition of their young men going out into the bush on “Walkabout”, to discover their spiritual path, the Kickabout is all about going out on an adventure that you have never been on before.  Take some money, a credit card, phone, camera, voice recorder, whatever you want so you can go and have fun.  You may learn something about yourself that you didn’t know before.  You may make new friends, you will definitely have new conversations, and you should see some new terrain-places you’ve never kicked before.  The Kickabout is about discovery and adventure!

But as the title of this post says; only six weeks to go!  Are you ready to go and kick?  How far would you like to go?  Are you going with anyone else?  We would love to hear all about your experiences.  Make sure to document them.  As you share them on our website, we come closer together as we share this common, inexplicable passion for the sport we love.