6 Reasons to use a Treadmill

Treadmills have been around for a long time. There is nothing polarizing about them. The "I hate treadmills" camp is strong, but I have a hard time finding anyone in the "I love treadmills" camp. There is also a strong opinion that running on treadmills is easier than running outside on pavement. I am not here to argue this point one way or the other. I for one am on the opposite side of this and think running on a treadmill can certainly be harder than running on pavement outside (given the conditions outside are similar). It is fine if you disagree and I will not say you are wrong or right. What may be harder for may certainly may be easier for you.

There are some major advantages to treadmill running:

1. Uphill Training - Unless you live in the mountains you probably do not have access to a hill that theoretically never ends. A treadmill gives you this. If you do have access to long hills you will have to run down after getting up. This may not always be ideal if you are going for just an uphill workout. I am an ultra runner and love mountainous races. I live in an area with 0 hills. The treadmill is essential to prepare me for the long 1000+ feet climbs of most of the races I run.

The Importance of Quick Aid Station Stops

Check out this clip dealing with the Ultramarathon culture and the importance of getting in and out of Aid Stations fast. MMT Race Director Stan Duobinis even talks about how it is one of the aid station captains main jobs to get runners out fast. The race director and aid station captains goal is to have no runner be pulled from the race because of the cutoff time.  A race like MMT has 16 aid stations, so the time can add up fast. It is normally my goal to be in and out in less than 2 minutes, unless I need medical or equipment attention.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqKc3FOeJ78

C25K - The Couch To 5 Kilometer Plan

Running is a huge part of my life and thus impacts all those around me to a degree. I wish all of you would pick up a pair of shoes and head out the door for a joyous run. It is a true stress reliever and builds confidence like nothing else I know of. For those of you who want to start running I recommend the 9 week couch to 5K (C25K) running program. The official site is located at http://c25k.com. The actual plan is located on the cool running site.

This program is designed to take you off your couch and put you on the road. You will start off with alternating between walking and jogging. Do you worry about pace. Most of the workouts are based on time. The ones based on distance can be easily measured with the odometer on your car. Nothing to precise here, do not worry about running exactly 1 mile, just get close. Give it a try and in 9 weeks you will be running 5k, or 3.1 miles. YOU CAN DO THIS. I know you can.

One last note: If you get a few weeks in are going to stick with it go and invest in a pair of running shoes. Go to a running store and get fitted for the correct shoe. They will measure your feet and watch you run and recommend a shoe. I know it is more expensive this way, but your health is priceless and the correct shoes will make it so much more enjoyable.

DISCLAIMER: Running is addictive. Try this at the risk of -

• Waking up early on the weekends to run


• Wondering why I missed my run this morning


• Getting wet while getting in your miles on the road


• Making your whole family healthier from you lifestyle choices

Brooks Adrenaline ASR4 - UPDATE

The Brooks Adrenaline ASR4 are a great trail running shoe. They are a natural for me since I wear the Brooks Adrenaline GTS  line of road shoes. I feel the ASR4 are build using the same technology / design as the road version.

The main difference between the two shoes are:

• The ASR4 have a larger toe box - this is a much needed feature for running down steep hills


• The ASR4 have a more durable "water resistant" upper - they do not keep any water out, this is a bad feature as they do not dry out as fast as the road version and your feet remain wet longer while running, but they are more durable


• The ASR4 have a much more aggressive tread pattern


• The ASR4 have a beefier toe guard


• The ASR4 are somewhat stiffer than the road version, but not too stiff as you can used them on the road with no regrets

The main similarities between the two shoes are:

• Brooks MOGO cushioning


• Similar pronation control characteristics


• Stability shoe

Olympus Sylus 850 Sub-Compact Digital Camera

I am thinking of purchasing the Olympus Stylus 850 camera. It is small enough to fit in a pocket and is waterproof to 15 feet. I think this could be the ideal camera for the avid outdoorsman / woman. It does not get the best review for picture quality and only has a 3X optical zoom, but at 8 MP I think the digital zoom could be used some as an option. Any opinions on this camera?

Blue Ridge Mountain Sports Rocks

Blue Ridge Mountain Sports is great. I bought a pair of Montrail Hardrock shoes there last week. I ran in the shoes over the weekend, the signal knob run. They did not work out and my feet were hurting 5 miles in. Then I place a second set of insoles in them with the arches cut out and ran 3 miles in them again. My feet fell asleep. These shoes are not for me.

I called up BRMS and asked if I could return them. I felt kind of bad returning used shoes, but he said clean them up and bring them in for us to look at. The next day I returned them for a full refund. What makes this even more remarkable is the fact that I bought them on clearance at 50% off. This store rocks. I will be a lifelong supporter of them. I just bought a pair of La Sportiva Fireblades on sale form there website. Support Blue Ridge Mountains Sports!

Ultra Training Guide

I have started an Ultra Training Guide. You can get to it by hitting the link at the top right of this page or clicking here. This guide will serve as a resource to anyone who is or wants to train for an ultra marathon. It is a work in progress so hang it there. I will be adding to it as I have time.

I want to point out one important resource that I used. The blog titled "I Run Far" by Bryon Powell. Bryon is a very experienced ultrarunner who has countless valuable posts. Two of these posts rise above the rest when it comes to Ultra Training: How to select your first ultra and Training for your first ultra. I highly recommend reading these posts as I used them as a guide for my training program for Holiday Lake. You can see how I trained for Holiday Lake at BuckeyOutdoors.com, the online training blog that I use. If you have any questions you can ask me, or check out Bryon's blog and post comments to him. He was very responsive to me and willing to help.

Farmville Super Meth, No I Mean Super 8

The Super 8 Hotel in Farmville, VA is horrible. DO NOT STAY HERE. Kathy, Sydney, and I arrived Friday night before the race and checked in. The first thing that should have raised a red flag was the "Meth Watch Participant" sticker on the front door. I guess they have a meth problem in Farmville. The room was dirty and there were stains on the chair. The bed was very uncomfortable and the pillows were flat. We tried to go to bed early but were kept awake all night by the guy or girl upstairs watching a loud tv and jumping around, and the people running up and down the stairs. I finally fell asleep around 2AM, only to wake up for the race at 4:30. This was one of the many times in my life I wish I had a gun with me. Kathy commented that she did not feel very safe here.

Kathy dropped me off at the race and had to go back to this hole in the wall. When checkout time came she had to make multiple trips to the car with Sydney in tow. A rude man asked her if she was done in there. The clerk tried to kiss Sydney. I would have went off at this. The meth residue may have gotten on her! That is the last time I stay at a super 8. I would rather stay in my car.

If you see either of these as you go to check in to your hotel get in your car and drive away as fast as possible.

Trail Running Tips

Here is a new feature to Justus On The Run. I am now going to include videos on this site. The first is a news cast on Trail Running Advice. Hope you enjoy!