Greyton Classic Trail Run–21km 17 Jun 2012

I had the privilege of attending the Greyton Classic MTB & Trail Run this  past Saturday – my first “real” trail run over a decent distance. If you haven’t been to the town of Greyton – I highly recommend it – a real jewel of a small, quaint town.
The race itself is in a spectacular setting, offering a variation of farm road, dual and single track racing. It’s also quite unique in that mountain bikers and runners take part on the same track – which in itself offers some rather interesting scenarios. Even though the bikers were set on their way 15  minutes before the runners, I still caught some bikers by half way already (and my pace wasn’t anything to write home about). This never presented any problems though – the bikers were courteous in letting us past on the up hills, and provided friendly warnings as they wizzed past on the downs.
The weather turned out to be perfect, with the low cloud cover providing a cool morning, and the sun warming up just enough to enjoy the refreshments at the finish.
If you haven’t done this race before, I’d say this is probably the equivalent of a 30km road race – those mountain hills really take it out of you!
The first half is also definitely more scenic than the second half – which made the last few km’s a bit more of a mental struggle than it would have been had the beautiful scenery been maintained throughout the race.
In conclusion, the race is definitely worth the drive out to Greyton. If you have a family, the event is ideal – kids as young as six  were taking part in the 10km MTB event.
The only criticism I can offer is that the runner’s number collection area could have been more clearly marked.
I’ll definitely be back next year!

Some pics of the event: (I have some video as well, but unfortunately my crappy camera doesn’t focus well with adhoc scenarios) – full album link at the bottom of the page.

2012 Greyton Classic VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

“He waters the mountains from His upper chambers; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of His works. He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, and vegetation for the labor of man, so that he may bring forth food from the earth, and wine which makes man's heart glad, so that he may make his face glisten with oil, and food which sustains man's heart ...” Psa 104:13-15.

Middlevlei New Balance Trail Run 13km 26 May 2012

So I had originally intended for my first trail run in my new inov8 shoes to be the Salomon Bastille Day Trail Run, but I couldn’t get a booking early enough for golf this weekend, and there happened to be a trail run out in Stellenbosch, so I entered – eager to test-drive the new shoes off-road.
As first trail run experiences go, I could probably not have done much better.
Gentle (though quite steep for a road-runner) hills and pretty awesome weather.
Before I waffle on about the details – pictures say it better than I can:


The race follows a circular loop around the MiddleVlei Wine Estate just outside Stellenbosch. You’re given the choice of a single revolution of about 6.5km, or twice around 13km. The race description said “Gentle Climbs And Descents”, but to this first-time-trail-runner it was more like kill-your-lungs-and-legs-slippery-hills terain. I’m not ashamed to say I walked all the “gentle climbs”.
The weather was perfect – the sun was out on the first loop, and just when I was getting a little too warm, the rain came down and cooled me off – the gentle drizzle kind.
The race was in aid of TSiBA Education, and apparently there are monthly trail runs on local wine farms from the organizers.
Looking forward to the next one .
Happy Running.

@Inov8SA F-Lite 230: First Impressions

I decided to give this trail running thing a go, and needed a pair of shoes I could take out on the trail. I’ve also been reading about the benefits of minimalist running, so I set out on the web to find the best shoe to suit my needs, and eventually settled on the F-lite 230 shoe from Inov-8. Note that I needed a multi-purpose shoe that would perform equally well on the road, as well as trails. If, however, you’re going to spend more time on trails, definitely look at the Roclite 285, or X-Talon 212 for better muddy grip.

A little background on my physiology and running history first to provide a bit of context:  5’11, 65kg & size 8.5 shoe. I recently took up running again after an extended break to improve my health (need stop getting sick so often, and be fit enough to keep up with the kids ).

On to the shoes:
If you’re in South Africa and in the market for inov8s – check out Cape Multi – got them about R200 cheaper than the larger retailers. The service was also very good to boot.

The first thing you notice about the shoes when unboxing them (besides the shocking blue colour), is how light they are. They reminded me of an old pair of reeboks I have, with which I did my PB 10km.
When they say it’s a minimalist shoe – they weren’t kidding! There’s no cushioning to speak of – just light-weight mesh on top of a rubber sole. I specifically went for the FL230’s, because these aren’t really true “bare-foot” shoes – there’s still about a 4-6mm drop from heel to toe – making it a nice transition shoe for anyone wanting to get into minimalist running. If you want to get a zero drop show, the NB MT00 looks like quite a good bet.

Probably the most important thing about this shoe compared to a normal running show, is that it has no support. The sole is extremely flexible, and there is no extra material to support the heel and arch of your foot – hence these are the 2 areas that will be effected most on your first run with these. What it also means, tho, is that you need to watch your footing: A normal running show will provide a stable base for which to plant your foot. These shoes do not – they conform to the ground your stepping on, which is good for promoting a more natural running gate, but not so good for protecting your feet and potential sprains.

For the tread, inov8 have used a sticky rubber, which makes it good for trail running – but the profile is fairly flat – which makes it equally good on the road. I’ve read a lot of people using it for cross-fit for exactly this reason. The same feature, however, also means that this shoe does not fair well at all in the mud.
WARNING! As per all other reviews of these kinds of shoes – you need to take it slow \ transition your training if you’re not used to minimalist shoes – if you don’t ease into these shoes, they’re likely to bitch-slap your calve muscles for days after any significant distance.This, however,  also means you’re building up strength that you wouldn’t do with an ordinary running shoe.
They fit is pretty snug – I have thin feet, and have read some reviews by other thin feet reviewers that this shoe probably isn’t for people with wide feet – but I haven’t seen any wide feet reviewers say that these were uncomfortable – which can only mean that this shoe conforms quite nicely to your feet – whatever shape they may be.
I’ve also seen many recommendations that this shoe is only for shorter distances, but there’s plenty of people on the web who have used these for ultras (road & trail)
So in summary – in case you needed to skip all the waffle above:

Pros:
- light weight
- builds lower limb strength, which implies less injury
- multi-purpose (trails and road)
- cool design
- mesh design provides good water drainage and quick-dry
- promotes more natural running gate

Cons:
- very flexible/no support: extra care needed on foot placement
- no mercy on the legs for beginners
- not good in mud

I’ll probably end up using these for shorter distance (trail & road) to build up strength in my lower limbs. For the long distances (anything over 25kms) I’ll probably stick to the more support orientated running shoes in my collection – for now.

.. here are other links worth checking out:
- Trail Running Soul
- Inov8 vs New Balance
- Inov-8 f-lite 230 Shoe Review

Old Mutual International Pairs–Worcester 12 May 2012

Participated this past Saturday in the Old Mutual International Pairs Competition – Better Ball Stableford Format. Didn’t do all that great, but the day was beautiful, and I didn’t lose a single ball – a minor miracle at Worcester! The course is still in wonderful condition – probably in the top 3 courses I have played imo.
Check out some pics:

… and the drive there from Cape Town isn’t bad either:

Safari Half Marathon 1 May 2012

So I had the chance to run my 3rd Half Marathon for the year: The Safari Half Marathon. Even though I’ve done quite a few races in the Western Cape, this had evaded me, so it was my first time out in the Wellington farmlands. What a beautiful race!
The weather was awesome – for a while I had flashes of a rain-drenched Two Oceans when I saw the weather forecast days before the race. Thankfully the rain stayed away.
I must say, that besides having beautiful scenery, this is probably one of the best organized races I’ve attended (and I’ve attended quite a few - 50+ at last count). The SPAR water table about 4km from the end was an awesome pick-me-up , and the general support from the Wellington community on route was outstanding - probably some of the best coming from the local farm kids shouting “HOU BENE HOU – HOU BENE HOU!”
Definitely recommended as a family event – with a small market selling all sorts at the finish.
The course itself has quite a few ups and downs:

… and here are some pics

2012 Safari Half Marathon VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

I’ll definitely be back again next year – hopefully in better shape .

SportsTracker Review

I’ve recently started using the Sport-Tracker application for WP7, and registered on the site.
So far I’ve logged a few activities (running / golf / cycling), and I must say that it’s a rather fun way to log your exercise activities.
The Details:
- Windows Phone Sports-Tracker app downloaded from here.
- Sports Tracker website here
Preliminary Advisory: I’m a software developer by trade (blog), and dabble in windows phone development in my spare time, so I’m probably a little more critical that your average user.
Update 16 Jan 2012: I’ve been using Sports Tracker for a while now, so I’ve added a few other observations….
On to the details…
Firstly, the app – website and phone – are really simple to use. The design and use of fonts are really user friendly. The flash website takes a little long to load, but imo worth the wait for the user experience once it’s loaded. The developers of the product are a spin-off from nokia, so already there’s an association of quality there, and you won’t be disappointed. The support, while I haven’t personally used it yet, seems very accessible, with all the social network access points, email, forums and contact details one could hope for. They also have a “most-wanted” feature list on their website, which to me demonstrates that they’re really serious about keeping their users happy.

The Windows Phone App:

Firstly, and most importantly – it’s free. The home screen is fairly self-explanatory:
 
A brief summary of your work-outs are available, as well as access to more detailed work-out info in a diary format. The “start new workout” button is front and centre – you can literally start the app for the first time, press the button, and presto, you’re logging an activity.
While on the move, you can pause, resume, record a lap, view the gps map data etc – all very easily accessible.
Make sure your location services are active for tracking GPS data, and your data services are active for viewing the map info.
I switch my data services off (it’s expensive here in sa!) – the GPS tracks fine without it.
The workout screen is simple enough – the more important information is displayed in a larger font, and it’s metro design allows for quick-glimpse information access, which you need while out on the road.
 
The plus and minus buttons on the map view could use a re-touch though, since it kind of disappears behind the map (although that’s probably what they were going for). In my WP7 map apps, I’ve added an opaque background to the buttons, which still gives visibility to the map behind, but makes the buttons clearly visibly. Also satellite view on the phone would have been handy (it’s only a few lines of code to add) – especially for activities that don’t take place on the road system – like golf. I also prefer the standardised windows phone round metro buttons to the traditional square buttons being used here.
.. imo much better.
Some minor functional gripes:
- When an activity is saved, I never get a confirmation what exactly took place – since saving also synchronises with my web account. I usually have my data turned off, so a notification that told me workout was saved, but not sync’ed would be nice – or even just a notification that save and sync was successful.
- One stat is turned out to be pretty pointless – maximum speed. I would have thought that they would factor in and eliminate extreme readings, but apparently not. My easy run has me clocked at doing 80.4 km/h!
- Sometimes I add a description to a workout, save – only to find that it hasn’t been added when I return later. Second attempt always seems to work though.
The windows phone app was only just released, so I’m sure they’ll be ironing out the wrinkles in due course.
16 Jan Update:
- The sync’ing between the device and web isn’t anything to write home about. Work-outs I’ve created\updated don’t sync to the device – and workouts I’ve deleted online don’t get removed from the device.
- There is no way to delete a workout from the device.
- If you accidently press the back button when you’ve completed a workout, you’re presented with a dialog asking whether you’re sure you want to abandon the workout without saving – only problem is there is no Cancel button! Ouch – how did that pass testing!? OK – so you can use the hardware back button to exit out of the dialog – but I don’t think this is standard UI practice.
Finally, you can share your workouts from your phone via a number of channels, including the sports-tracker website and social media integration such as twitter and facebook.

The Website:

Admittedly, I haven’t delved too much into the functionality of the website, but from what I’ve seen, it’s awesome. All the information that is on the phone app is accessible here (including the missing satellite map views). Here’s a screenshot of a workout:

You can mouse-over the graph and it will give you the data for the exact point on the map on the left.
There’s also a comparison with previous workouts of the same activity, as well as the ability to export that data to a gpx format file.
This last feature turned out quite handy for me, as the GPS data for one of my runs was not recorded due to loss of signal. I hopped on my bike, recorded the same route, exported that data, and imported the gps information into a new workout.
It would have been handy to import the data into my existing workout though.
There’s also a heart rate stat – which I’m assuming is used in conjunction with the heart-rate product I’ve seen advertised on the website.
It doesn’t end there – you can add pictures – link friends – view comments from friends etc.
Finally – they’ve also made web widgets available for those of you like myself who have blog – viewable in the right column of this site. You can embed a summary widget, as well as a single workout.
So in summary – if you’re anything from mildly active, and have one of the supported smart devices (Android, Nokia, Windows Phone, Apple) go and get the app and start logging

Atlantic Beach 26 December 2011

Another pleasant booking experience through lastminutegolf resulted in a visit to atlantic beach golf club. The affiliated fee for playing was a little steep, imo, but there aren’t many courses that have the setting and wildlife that atlantic does, so if you’re into that sort of thing, then it’s well worth the visit, especially if you haven’t played here before.
There are quite a few springbuck scattered throughout the course – we had the pleasure of their escort for the first 3 holes, as well as a visit on the practice green:



View from the first tee: Generous fairway, but landing beyond the fairways will cost you some balls.

Also try and stay out of the bunkers. Much of them have steep faces, which can be pretty hairy to get out of:

Quite a few of the holes have unsighted tee shots. Your only guide is a black and white pole to use as a marker:

The markers are pretty accurate, and I find that the drives are actually better off on these holes – probably something to do with a smaller, more exact target.
The bush a few meters in from the fairway is not very forgiving (as in not at all) – so keep it straight, or you’ll end up doing a lot of this:

The par 3’s are fairly easy, mostly because you don’t have to worry too much about the bush, and from the white markers, most of them are an easy wedge in (120m range).

We were fortunate enough to be playing on a day with very little wind. More often than not, the wind blows quite excessively here, so if you’re playing punch shots to keep it low under the wind, keep in mind that the fairways are very firm, so club down at least one.
There are also a few waste bunkers to contend with:

The course is quite “linksy” – so expect the have a few uneven lies on the fairway:

The springbuck on the course are pretty tame, so remember to bring your camera if you’d like a few rare close-up shots:


The only criticism I have of the course is that a few of the fairways on the back nine resemble more an unkempt sandy lawn, rather than pristine country-club fairway, but given the little rain and beach-front location, its understandable. Given the cost though, and the condition of much improved beachfront course - Milnerton Golf Club – I don’t think that I’d be visiting again too often. It’s definitely worth the visit if you haven’t been here before though.