HIKING PROMOTES & DEMANDS FITNESS

Vermont’s hills are alive, maybe not with the sound of music, but with enough trails to entice travelers of all ages and fitness levels. Visitors to the state often arrive with lofty expectations and footwear from flip-flops to alpine hiking boots. Residents all too often become careless and find themselves in trouble on ill-prepared adventures.

Perhaps the bottom line is that Vermont’s hills and mountains offer exceptional hiking experiences for everyone, but preparation is the key to a positive experience.

HIKING IN VERMONT, photo by Jeb Wallace-Brodeur 2014

Day hiking is potentially available to anyone who can walk and carry a light pack. Appropriate gear is advised for comfort and safety. Other hikers, sporting goods stores, a visit or call to the Green Mountain Club (www.greenmountainclub.org) or your trusty search engine can explain equipment needs.

If you want to take advantage of the trail systems (stick to them so you don’t get lost) and the vistas (choose your hike commensurate with your capability), it is wise to plan ahead.

The process, putting one foot in front of another to travel a path, enhances fitness by strengthening muscles, increasing bone density, challenging balance and improving cardiovascular fitness.

However, to better enjoy your excursions into the woods and upward, it is wise to prepare with some hiking-specific training.

Clearly, leg strength is significant. You should regularly and deliberately perform exercises that benefit the quadriceps in the front of the legs, the hamstrings in the back of the legs, the gluteals (well, you know what your glutes are and they are far too often, shall we say, under-appreciated?), the calf and shin muscles and the muscles of the feet and ankles.

Squats and lunges are excellent providing, of course, they are done with good form taking care that the legs are in alignment and the knees do not extend beyond the toes when squatting or lunging. Sometimes a wall sit is preferred as form is easily monitored. Simply sit against a wall in an imaginary chair position and hold for 30-60 seconds, or longer as you strengthen.

Step-ups are great for engaging the glutes and, while you’re at it, don’t forget to practice stepping down, again with good form and alignment. After all, “what goes up must go down” refers to trails as well.

Use of Bosu trainers, wobble boards, dyna discs and other balance equipment not only helps your body to practice handling unstable surfaces, but tests ankle strength and proprioception. For most populations, correctly performed plyometrics, or jumping exercises, increase bone density and prepare the body to hop down from rocks, jump over fallen trees or maneuver brooks.

As always, core strength is significant and necessary. There are many ways to improve upon the functionality of your core, remembering that it is the core (not just abs, but everything from shoulders to, and including, hips) that sustains movements and stability of everything you do. An oft-recommended core exercise to train and test is holding a plank or performing a variety of movements in the plank position. (Think of your body as a plank or board supported on hands or forearms, recognizable as the beginning of a push up.) Planks are best performed with abdominal muscles and hamstrings engaged and held for 30-60 seconds.

Carrying a pack puts extra stress on shoulders and back as well as taxing energy, breathing and overall cardio fitness. Because hikes usually involve several hours of steady movement, endurance is a prerequisite, along with fueling and hydrating adequately throughout the duration of the outing.

For the average hiker, conditioning prior to hiking season is a reasonable commitment of 30-60 minutes 3 times a week for 4-8 weeks. Conditioning for lower body, core( including shoulders and back) and flexibility, topped off with gradually lengthening and intensifying continuous aerobic work such as walking, should be enough. More strenuous hiking and climbing requires more specific training. Once the season begins, hiking regularly will further condition what you have begun. Stretching and caring for strained and tired muscles remains a necessity.

By intentionally addressing the components of enjoyable and effective hiking in advance, a good experience is more likely to follow.

Photo: Jeb Wallace-Brodeur, 2014.

This article appears in full May 25, 2014 “Active Vermont” Rutland Herald & Times Argus.

POST FROM FRANCE, Riding with Andrew McCullough

Being a road cyclist in Vermont isn’t easy. I say this with reluctance though because it seems counterintuitive. The fact is, there are no other places where I would rather ride my bike. From quiet country roads to more daunting mountain passes, Vermont offers a wide range of road riding for every interest level. Throw in fantastic summer and fall months, and top it off with our friendly and active communities, I would expect a perfect recipe for road riding culture. Despite these facts, it’s still difficult.

I grew up in Montpelier, and started riding my bike at a really early age; mostly mountain biking. Most of my friends didn’t ride though. Nobody wants to ride their bike alone all the time, so inevitably I began to ride less and less as I grew older. However, around 7^th grade, my dad got me my first road bike. It was a white steel Specialized Allez found in the basement of the shop. It was gorgeous! He had been riding road bikes for a long time, and this gave me the opportunity to ride with him. After getting over the initial shock of being stuck on two 23mm wide tires, I began to fall into step quickly. Because of his work schedule our rides were still limited to mostly weekends, and if I wanted to ride more I had to go on my own. This meant navigating the open roads by myself, and I quickly fell victim to the one route routine; route 2 west. It was what I knew, and what didn’t get me killed. So I stuck with that, too nervous to expand my riding to other roads. That became a bit stale after a while. Meanwhile, my friends were still doing other activities. So, inevitably, my riding remained inconsistent. Cycling had its moments though. A few years in a row I traveled up to Montreal with a small group from Onion River Sports, and participated in the Tour de l’Ile, a 50km grand fondo that brought out more than 20,000 cyclists. One summer during high school I spent two weeks touring around Nova Scotia by bike with a group of friends, tenting each night wherever we ended up at sunset. On more simple days my Dad and I would just ride out to Richmond and have a break at the bakery before returning back to Montpelier. It was these experiences that kept me hooked, always wanting more.

At the start of high school I turned my attention to running, and remained focused on track through college. It was only on rare occasions when I was looking for longer training hours and needed a day off from running that I would bring my road bike out. It wasn’t until I returned to Montpelier after college that my attention shifted back to cycling. I don’t know what started it exactly, but something clicked, and I was loving it. Although on the smaller side, there was a great group who I could rely on to train with at least a few days each week. We fed off of each other’s motivation, and found ourselves riding more and more each day. In no time at all, I was riding roads and loops that I had never once considered trying when I was younger. I was exploring parts of Vermont that I had never been to before. Within a month or two of starting, I was racing twice a week. Within a year, I was racing every weekend in races all over the country and Canada. Months raced past in a blur of excitement and captivation.

Despite falling into cycling so quickly that first year, there were some basic road blocks to racing and training that made things far from consistent. Having set some lofty goals for results, I was process driven and focused. That meant that my daily training didn’t necessarily jive with the few other people who I had been accustomed to riding with. When I wanted to go hard, they wanted to go easy; and when I needed to rest and go easy, they needed to go hard. With limited groups to ride with, this meant back to more time riding alone during the week. When Thursday or Friday rolled around and it was time to get to the race, I would rarely have a drive that was less than 4 hours. The few of us from town who were racing would carpool to races as much as possible, but a majority of the trips would be solo. When I began to target larger races, I was usually driving 7-8 hours if not flying. Once again, it was clear that being a road cyclist in Vermont is not easy.

I am extremely fortunate to be riding for a Division II amateur team in Brittany, France for 2014. I arrived at the beginning of February, and our season started February 15^th. Every part of this experience has been incredible. Every part of life here seems to include cycling. Every town or village has at least one finish line painted on the road somewhere near its center. Every hill has a mountain sprint line painted across the road at the top. There are races 3-4 days out of every week, at the least, and all are within a reasonable drive. Every one of these races is in the heart of French cycling, and the level of competition is always outstanding. Outside of racing, when you ride your bike down the road, everyone says hello to you. There is the occasional erratic driver, but for the most part people here respect and support cyclists. All of this amounts to one basic difference that seems to separate life as a cyclist in Vermont and life as a cyclist in Europe; support and organization. Here in France, clubs support riders beginning as early as 6 years old. The riders of past generations remain heavily involved in the sport after they retire, and this means new generations have experienced professionals to turn to for guidance. Local governments sponsor regional teams and youth development. The infrastructure of roadways protects and encourages bike use.

Team in Basque country 2014.

Riding my bike in Vermont is one of the most pleasurable things that I know. But throughout my experience with riding in the Green Mountains, there are certain obstacles that have the potential to stop somebody in their tracks. These are serious, but most are easily overcome if you get the right guidance and support. This might mean providing route recommendations and group riding rules to new riders who are nervous about interactions with cars and other road hazards. Or, it could extend to include advice for training and racing. It’s exciting to see the riding community in Montpelier and Vermont growing, and how much potential it has. The organization and growth of local clubs like Road Spokes, youth development such as Killington Mountain School or 1k2GO, and fantastic race promotion by locals like Gary Kessler and Jean Lacroix with Green Mountain Stage Race, Killington Stage Race, and Barre Grand Prix all mean that Vermont will finally begin to see the benefits of this organization and support. When that support becomes readily accessible, people will be doing more on the bike than they expected or planned in no time at all. If you are new to road riding and there is something that you think is holding you back, I can guarantee that 100 other people who have probably had the same anxiety at some point. Now, more than ever, it’s easier to turn to one of the many people who are part of cycling in central Vermont to help get you rolling in the right direction!

Meet ANDREW MCCULLOUGH, Cyclist

Andrew and I met through Onion River Sports. Over coffee, I learned a bit about Andrew’s background and future goals. Not surprisingly, as a member of our local cycling community, Andrew hopes at some point to be able to give back to others traveling similar roads. Fortunately for us, RoadSpokes, Andrew has joined us – albeit from a distance – and is sharing his experience, insights, training and camaraderie.

Yes, Andrew will be here to ride with us in person when there is a break in his training and racing schedule in France and he is home for a visit.

More importantly, however, Andrew is with us now – ready and willing to answer questions and offer support to members of RoadSpokes and visitors to this website. He knows our terrain, traffic and challenges. Been there; done that. He knows road cycling inside out and backwards. He is eager to connect with us individually and/or collectively.

What would you like to know? Do you want to learn more about racing in Europe or in our area? Do you want to learn how to plan to ride your first or best century? Do you want to strategize a time trial or wonder which shoes to buy? Do you want to know if cyclists cross-train with conditioning and if so what? Would you be curious about his weekly training schedule or would you like Andrew to suggest one for you and your specific goals? Ask.

Read his post to learn more about Andrew. Look for updates of his travels and answers to FAQs or your specific question(s). Leave a question for Andrew by COMMENT on this post or email me (linda@lindafreemanfitness.com) and I’ll connect you. Read on.

BIKE FIT

“You may remember your first childhood bike. Once those training wheels were gone, you were a new kid; you were INDEPENDENT. You could hop on your bike and go where you wanted.

Your first bike was a gift from your folks, a hand-me-down, or purchased at the then equivalent to Toys-R-Us. If you were lucky, you got to go pick out your own bike at a local sporting goods store. To you, color was most important. The selection process was most likely simple: you fell in love with one, an adult checked to see if you could reach the pedals and the handlebars and, if you were really lucky, you got to put a bell on your bike and maybe even a basket or some cool decals.

What’s wrong with this picture? Very little. Perhaps the most important thing about kids and their bikes is that they get outside and they play. Early riding is more about play and games and tricks than it is about logging miles.

Now that you are an adult, the scenario may be quite different. If you own a bike, you respect it, you take care of it and you might even baby it. You may ride for fitness, recreation, competition or simply to get to and from work. In any event, you are logging miles. When you consider the number of times your legs go around in circles on a given ride, you begin to suspect that how they go around could be very important. It is. For cycling safety, comfort, efficiency and effectiveness, bike fit is the yardstick as well as the foundation of your experience.

What is bike fit? I asked Ian Buchanan, Founder of Fit Werx in Waitsfield. “It is a way of making sure a body will work on the bike,” Buchanan said. It’s all about you, the rider, your biomechanics, your technique. When what is uniquely individual about you: your strength, flexibility and attitude, are married to the mechanics of the bike, you free your potential to soar.” (to read the complete story, see the Rutland Herald and Times Argus, Active Vermont, Sunday, May 4, 2014)

Recently I had the privilege of spending a morning with Ian Buchanan at Fit Werx in Waitsfield. (pictured above – photo by Jeb Wallace-Brodeur) Yes, Ian, an experienced and very well respected professional bike fitter, fit my current road bike to me. But, my hours spent with Ian were packed with unintended benefits.

For one thing, I had to deeply consider myself. I needed to think hard about who I am, where I come from and where I hope to go as a cyclist. (Perhaps first I had to consider myself a cyclist. Always a bit self-deprecating, I needed to take a big gulp to even say the words.) I needed to recognize my strengths (yes, there are a few) and my weaknesses (sigh). Above all I had to say “I’m worth this,” and believe it. (I’m still working on that one.)

I’m worth WHAT, you may say? Ok, there is a fee involved and, if one pursues a better bike fit and ultimately a bike more suited to one’s body, fitness and goals, there is an even larger investment. But the cost is not all in dollars and cents. Part of the cost is in definition. One must recognize that he or she IS already a cyclist, spends hours in the saddle, rides for many miles, and can identify cycling as his or her go-to passion. After that, the rest becomes a matter of organization.

Establishing goals, a bucket list, begins the process. Structuring a means of reaching those goals and then paying the cost of energy and dedication comprises the continuing journey. The payoff is in finding sheer joy in riding, companionship and a sense of accomplishment. Byproducts include a more fit and healthy body, strength, endurance, self-discipline and a sense of what can only be experienced as happiness.

A bike is a partner, an extension of the rider. It must fit perfectly. We’re talking mm here. The many pieces of a bike can be tweaked and maneuvered into the form that best matches the skills, flexibility and size of the rider. If I learned only one thing during my bike fit session, I learned that IT’S ALL ABOUT THE RIDERS. It’s personal, individual and as complicated as each rider. Complexities, however, can be resolved and reworked into an efficient whole.

My bike fit was surprising and motivating. I was surprised to learn that some of the discomforts that I had assumed were simply a part of riding (“just get over it”) were, in fact, indicators of inappropriate fit. As the bike fit procedure progressed I learned more and more about my own specific pedal stroke and cycling technique and left motivated to reach new levels of ability.

Is a bike fit for everyone? Yes. If you ride, you should ride a bike that is suitable for you. Whether you are mountain bike, cyclocross, hybrid, or roadbike-specific, your bike should fit YOU.

Bike fit is not a candidate for the DIY generation. For my road bike, I chose to visit Fit Werx and was not disappointed. Some bike shops in the area offer bike fit. My recommendation would be to seek a certified professional bike fitter. (Aaron Bilsing at Onion River Sports in Montpelier has recently certified as a bike fit specialist.) Of course, there is variation within the profession but it’s a good place to start. In any event, do it. Now at the beginning of the season is a great time. It may take a few weeks to adjust to a newly fitted bike, but it’s worth the effort. You will eventually see changes in performance and comfort, i.e. overall cycling experience.

RoadSpokes 2014 with Onion River Sports

April 16, 2014

RoadSpokes will begin, weather permitting, May 6^th and 7^th. For the season Formerly Cycling 101, RoadSpokes is the same concept with a different look.

This year RoadSpokes is a club. Visitors are welcome, but in order to receive additional benefits, riders have the option to join. See below for details.

Riders are encouraged to purchase a RoadSpokes jersey (beautifully designed by Carrie at ORS), to train for all or part of the Onion River Century Ride on Saturday, July 26^th, to form friendships and find compatible riding buddies for rides other than midweek and to observe responsible cycling practices at all times. Remember; when you ride you demonstrate what is best about the cycling community in Central Vermont. You represent RoadSpokes, Onion River Sports, and, in fact, all of us.

A well-maintained bike, sufficient emergency equipment, spare tube and tire repair items, fore and aft lights, RoadID, water bottle, and, of course a helmet are strongly recommended and/or mandated.

As you will read below, RoadSpokes 201 will meet from 5 p.m. at Montpelier High School on Tuesdays. Following discussion and training tips or plans for the evening’s ride, bikes will roll out at 5:30. As we work with daylight hours, traffic, and our improving conditioning throughout the weeks, these rides will vary a bit, but will mostly follow Route 2 to 100B to Moretown, perhaps over the Duxbury Gap or out Route 12 towards Elmore. Each ride will be designated in advance.

RoadSpokes 101 is a gentler ride, a training hour or so dedicated to the less experienced or the timid, the rider who wisely choses to add a modest ride to his or her weekly schedule, a cyclist who is rehabbing an injury, or for those who are not geared for a road bike – yet. The timing is the same: arrive 5-5:30 pm., MHS. Training begins at 5:30.

I will be present for both 201 and 101 as will a staff member from ORS. We stand by our “no drop” policy and will leave no one on the road. (The penalty for stopping at the Creemee Stand is that you must buy us a creemee too.) ORS will assist with maintenance issues that can be performed on the road, but we urge you to have your pre-season tune up and any subsequent necessary maintenance done by the staff in the shop at ORS.

All riders must sign a release before first ride.

Registration forms are to be made available in the shop (ORS on Langdon Street) by the end of April.

If you have any further questions, please contact me by emailing linda@lindafreemanfitness.com, or speak with any staff member at Onion River Sports, 229-9409. See you soon! Linda

Linda Freeman Fitness

NOTES FROM ORS 2014

Onion River Sports’ Road Cycling Club open to everyone who rides a bike. We strive to get more folks comfortable cycling on the road and help them improve bike handling skills, group riding skills, and fitness while offering the opportunity to meet other local folks who love to ride.

What you get: a 10% discount on cycling accessories and clothing at Onion River Sports and the best price we can manage on bikes, discount on a club jersey, free clinics, group rides, and weekly emails with training info from our ride leader, Linda Freeman. If it all works well, we’ll throw in a celebration at the end of the season, too!

What it costs: $15

Group RoadSpokes Club Rides

Onion River Sports offers 2 weekly group rides for RoadSpokes club members. These rides are your best source of information and a wonderful place to grow your cycling skills in a friendly, supportive environment. Rides are fully supported by an Onion River Sports mechanic and are led by Linda Freeman.

Weekly rides are offered for individuals whose skills run from beginner through those comfortable riding a paceline. A season’s group ride series includes instruction, goal setting, bike maintenance advice, and information about training for an event. Our rides use the Onion River Century Ride on Saturday, July 26, 2014 as a training goal.

RoadSpokes 101 – Wednesdays beginning May 7th, weather permitting, through July 23

Used as either an introduction to cycling on the road, or as a relaxed ride for anyone who chooses to meet, RoadSpokes 101 is appropriate for all levels and for all bikes. These rides are supported and include instruction on many things that make riding more fun, comfortable, and easier, including: how to care for your bike, what to wear, safety on the road, how to fix a flat tire, and tips to improve your fitness with targeted training.

RoadSpokes 201 – Tuesdays beginning May 6^th, weather permitting, through July 22

These rides are for individuals who are already comfortable on the road with road bikes recommended. (Don’t let the type of bike stop you, but riders on road bikes will be able to ride faster and target their training more effectively.) Rides will start at an appropriate pace and will increase in distance and intensity as we train for the Onion River Century Ride on July 27. We start from the same place and end at the same place, but riders spread out along the way to ride at their chosen pace, alone or in groups. Again, we honor our “no-drop” policy.

SEE LINDA’S POSTS ON THE NEW I LOVE SPINNING® WEBSITE

http://ilovespinning.com

Check it out – the new Spinning® website. You might want to return to this site now and then to read what is being said about you and your community and to compare notes with others across the nation and around the world.

Please comment. Your feedback is valued and is an opportunity for sharing in the greater Spinning® community.

Below are links to two posts you might enjoy. The first is about our local experience and the second is about the sense of community, using the 2014 Pedal to End Cancer as an example of what works best even in small places.

Later you will find posts about issues that concern us here in Vermont that connect us with those in studios everywhere.

Athletes in Spinning^® Class: A Level Playing Field

How Spinning® Classes Create and Perpetuate Community

VERMONT SPRING

Periodized training often dovetails neatly with the seasons. Those whose sport of choice involves warm weather, find themselves eager to move beyond the base building phase of late winter into accelerated training. There’s nothing like a spring thaw to motivate and build both strength and speed on the strong foundations out down in winter.

“If you plan to participate in an organized event, you need to be ramping up your training now. Over the winter you may have diligently spent hours establishing a base, but your base is just that, a foundation on which to build. It is time to do so. In keeping with the season, move to the next level, literally or figuratively “put a spring in your step.” As you have steadily logged miles at moderate intensity, your body has become stronger and more efficient. You find that you are able to travel farther in the same amount of time and that you are now eager to reach for more.” Linda Freeman, Active Vermont, Sunday April 13, 2014, Rutland Herald and Times Argus.

Though a Vermont spring brings its challenges: swollen rivers and brooks, mud and more mud, pot holes and debris, wind and chill, even random snow, the season ignites an anticipatory feeling, a guarantee that Vermont’s incredible, clean, dazzling summer is just around the corner. Spring teases. Spring is playful.

Early a.m. April 16, 2014 Vermont.

“Putting a spring in your step may mean spicing up your outdoor activity with some pick-ups, or brief bursts of energy. Short and sweet, pick-ups are also fun. Go ahead, play. Skip, hop, run, chase, tag and race. These mini bouts of effort, or intervals, teach your body to accelerate as well as recover. Consistent, moderate intensity exercise is vastly important in your overall plan, but segments of hard work spike capability, confidence and fitness. Not surprisingly, the byproduct of intervals is as much mental and emotional as physical. Energy is not depleted by exercise. As it increases, so does enthusiasm, motivation and a sense of optimism. As you pick up the pace, you find you will identify your progress and become eager to see how much more you can achieve. You learn to accept tests as part of the process. Small victories suggest possibilities that you approach with appropriately eager anticipation, with a spring in your step.” (Active Vermont ibid)

Wherever you live, whatever you do, pause to take stock. It is time to spring clean body and soul as well as house and home. It is time to organize and tune up sports equipment, gardening tools, and recreational gear. It is time to shed winter’s stored body fat.

Remember you cannot pick up where you left off last fall. You may be fresh and eager, but you must merge mindfully with your spring training. Accelerate yes, but only when you are warmed up, strong and fleet enough to do so. A pre-season injury is maximum disappointment. Bit by bit increase the intensity, add the pop and fizzle, and put a spring in your step that will become a force to reckon with as it develops over the season and gives you a summer of satisfying play, sport, competition and recreation.

COMMUNITY OF ATHLETES

Active individuals collectively form a community of athletes irrespective of sport, fitness, skill level, competitive ranking, gender, age, socio-economic background or address. If you move deliberately, train purposefully and do so regularly, you are an athlete. You may run a marathon or walk a 5k; ride 100 miles or participate in a weekly time trial; paddle rapids, race or meander about in coves; tour through the woods or bump down steeps.

Some are gym-based athletes lifting, running, stepping and dancing within four walls. Here in Vermont, most are outdoor athletes at some point during the year if not all year round participating in a variety of sports appropriate to the climate and conditions of each season. But all are athletes.

Pedal to End Cancer

A web definition of community is: “a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.”

That, friends, is exactly what brings together cyclists, runners, hikers; friends, neighbors, families and strangers – all within a shared, athletic community.

This week the new Spinning® website, ilovespinning.com, launched. I was privileged to be a part of this new beginning. (http://ilovespinning.com/athletes-spinning-class-level-playing-field/)

Writing the Spinning® blog post made me stop to consider the value of community. High school and college team sports often segue into individual sports. Individual sports trained in a vacuum run the risk of burn-out. There are, of course, times when one can speak eloquently of the value of solitude and silence. Perhaps solo and ensemble are necessary. Community promotes safety, motivation and progress. Conversation enlightens, shared effort sustains. There is an intimacy that occurs among athletes who lay down the miles together, a closeness that adds new meaning to the work as intensity transcends struggle to reach achievement.

Today I met with a beautiful person who is an equally beautiful runner. Without sentimentality, but with strong emotion, she spoke of her Boston Marathon experience 2013. Her story will appear in ActiveVT, Rutland Herald/Times Argus Sunday edition 4-20-2014, the day before the 2014 Boston Marathon. Over and over she spoke of her running community, as both local and universal. From her friends at work to her running club to the thousands upon thousands of marathoners who run, she is supported by her community. She is never alone.

This year she will return to Boston, not physically accompanied by her running partners, but as part of a larger-than-life group of like-minded individuals striving for the same goal. Her running community will be within her.

If you do not have a group with whom to engage, make one. Call a relative, email a friend, ask them to bring another along and voila you have a community. Like everything else, it takes initiative, but it’s worth it. Once a part of that amazing community, you will never run (walk, hike, ski, paddle, ride, etc) alone.

Understanding Running Shoes

Let an expert help you find the right shoes to support your walking and running. You will put hours and miles into your training, so be sure to respect the most important tools you require – your walking/running-specific footwear.

The following appeared in the Rutland Herald/Times Argus Outdoors Section on Sunday, March 30, 2014. To read the full story, visit www.timesargus.com and look for “getting down to the sole of the matter.”

“If the shoe fits wear it?” Wrong. According to Tim Carter, owner of Fleet Feet Sports in Essex ( www.fleetfeetburlington.com), to select running shoes means to consider the 3Fs: Function, Fit, and Feel. “Price,” Carter said “is irrelevant. The shoes have to fit. That’s relatively easy. But, they must work. That’s the key.”

Just because a shoe fits, it doesn’t mean it’s the right shoe for you. The fact that they are comfortable is initially even less important. It is function that takes precedence and “if you don’t get that one right, the others don’t matter,” Carter said.

Before selecting a pair of running shoes, your training partners for about 500 miles, it is imperative to have your feet assessed. Pronation is not a bad thing; over pronation is. The normal footstrike lands on the outside corner of the heel and rolls through the foot to push off the big toe as a lever. “Normal, neutral pronation is just the flexing of the foot when you strike,” Carter said. It is the body’s shock absorber.” It is pronating too quickly or going beyond the normal range that is disadvantageous and can cause trouble. Considering the repetitive motion of step after step, it is easy to see that even a slight problem can crescendo into big trouble.

“About 2% of people supinate,” Carter said. “They pronate too slowly and remain on the outside of the foot rolling off the pinkie.” Size and shape must be measured, but they must be measured to reflect the movement patterns of the foot.

Shoes are categorized as minimal, stability, motion controlled and trail runners. About 20% of the population can safely wear a traditional neutral shoe with no correction to the foot, a shoe that lets the foot work naturally. Minimalist shoes are basically a foot covering and might do for some. If a runner has perfect feet and takes the time (a long time) to gradually accustom his body to running in these “barefoot” shoes, they may be just fine. “ There is not a problem with the shoes,” Carter said, “just the people who wear them.”

There is a vast array of stability shoes that are designed and built to allow the runner to move through the foot strike in an anatomically and functionally appropriate manner. A motion controlled shoe, on the other hand, tells your foot what to do and guides you through the movement. Often heavy, these shoes accommodate those with problem feet or larger runners.

Shoes must meet function.

“Trail shoes are a separate entity,” Carter said, a breed of their own, with soles designed to handle the challenging terrain of trails as well as the slippery surfaces of a Vermont winter, “when it is yucky out.”

“Brand doesn’t matter,” Carter said. All brands make all functions. First you must identify your function needs. Be open to fit that may change by several sizes throughout the multiple shoes and versions of shoes available. Be prepared to try a size that you might not have thought possible. Your foot measures differently when it is weight bearing and when it is not. You should be measured at different points of your gait cycle. “There’s no difference between running and walking,” Carter said. In fact, he recommends running shoes for walking.

“Price is not an issue of function,” Carter said. “It is, however, of quality. Once you get to $110, there’s no difference.” When function is determined and you know your size, then it is time to consider how a shoe feels. Try on several and compare. Walk in them. Run in them. Then choose.

Oh my, today’s running shoes are colorful. You may or may not like this. Enter the 4^th F: fashion. At this point it’s your choice, your taste.

Buying running shoes is perhaps the most important step to connecting all your other steps into a safe and efficient running gait and successful experience. There are no shortcuts. It is the one significant expense you will have. Be informed and invest wisely. Your feet are what will be asked to sustain many miles of effort, dedication, sweat, fatigue and joys. Treat them well.

“Active Vermont” Linda Freeman

CHALLENGE YOURSELF

Challenge yourself. Go ahead. Do it. A challenge is, in part, a call to perform. Often proof is demanded. A challenge may be a “summons to engage in any contest, as of skill, strength, etc that by its nature or character serves as a call to battle, contest, special effort…” (dictionary.reference.com)

Challenge is subjective. A challenge to one person is not so to another. Furthermore, a challenge must be accepted in order to be proven. We must choose to put ourselves out there, to identify a goal, to reach for something that tests us.

Challenge involves commitment, fear, effort, doubt, discomfort, fatigue, hunger. Somewhere along the road to achievement, we may meet negativity, but we are just as likely to be spiked by enthusiasm. Small victories become meaningful pieces of a very large pie. Reaching expands.

Whatever our fitness level, athletic experience, age or professional demands, if we want to, we can articulate an achievable goal and then take the necessary steps to reach it.

My friend Jeb Wallace-Brodeur just completed all 48 Winter 4000-footers in New Hampshire. He met his final challenge skinning up Mt. Garfield and skiing down on what he characterized as a wild ride.

This is huge. It takes a seasoned athlete to be able to summit this goal, but Jeb is also a professional photographer and a family man. (Photo by Jeb Wallace-Brodeur)

Everyday people do amazing things every day. While I don’t advocate doing what Cheryl Strayed described in her popular book, “Wild,” (alone for over 1,000 miles on the Pacific Coast Trail with “no experience or training”) I do suggest that each of us has within us the skills and strengths needed to accomplish a challenge that calls uniquely to us. Training and preparation, equipment and education personalize the quest.

Clare Porter is a real person with a real life. Her activity of choice is hiking. Prioritizing her opportunities to do so, she determinedly hikes literally rain or snow throughout the year. She underpins her weekly ventures outdoors with strength training and yoga. She is not a professional athlete but she enjoys embarking on trips that would daunt a lesser person. Here she is on Picacho Peak, Arizona. “The trail we took (Hunter trail) is only 3 miles,” she said, “but rated difficult. The peak is only 3374’ but the 1500’ we climbed was straight up! Gloves were a necessity with all the cables.”

We all know friends and neighbors who do remarkable things: century ride, marathon, walking tour or a local 5k. The scope of the event is irrelevant. The challenge may be real or perceived; physical, mental or emotional. Or all of the above. But a challenge will never be met unless we choose it, unless we sign on, unless we begin and continue the journey. If we do so, we will surely cross the finish line.

Today is the First Day of Spring. (This is what Spring looks like in Vermont.) Today, not tomorrow or the next day, is the day to challenge yourself; to begin, to continue and to finish.