Running on the trail...

This post by my significant other made me start thinking about my experience on the trail. In particular I can attest to her comment "People...notice courteous bikers." I appreciate it when a biker announces their presence as they are passing. This helps avoid the awkward chills running down my spine as I hear the hum of tires pass by. Along with announcing presence in passing is beginning to make "friends" with people on the trail. There are many times that I pass people on the trail that I don't know, but we exchange some sort of recognition of one another. It kind of makes a person feel at home when they are out on the trail and pass someone they have recognized for a while. Not only at home, but it makes a person want to run a little faster because you don't want to let them down, especially by walking.

On a different subject, I don't notice as many bugs as G does, but I can attest to the unwanted addition to protein for the day. One other thing I have experienced with the bugs is getting one in the eye. Usually, it is just a small gnat, but if it hits just right it can be a show-stopper for a minute or two.

Grown in your backyard, but not by you…

I found this interesting article about locavore’s and thought it would be quite inviting, only to find they are talking about a special type of locavore that has ample amounts of money. This type pays for someone to grow and care for an organic garden on their property. Personally, I think eating local to reduce carbon footprint is an awesome idea, but if a person is paying for someone to drive to their house and care for plants, it is no different than them driving to pick up the produce at a farmers market. Depending on how far the “farmer” drives the overall carbon footprint could be much greater. One aspect might be the extra weight the farmer would be putting in their vehicle, like gardening tools, to be able to properly care for the garden. Unfortunately, as the article points out, this is not really about carbon footprint, but more about the fad or in thing to do. In my opinion, a person should commit to going to a farmers market or raise it themselves, instead of hiring someone to raise a garden for them and indirectly impacting their carbon footprint.

PowerBar v. Hammer Gel

This weekend on my run, I decided to experiment with different kinds of goo packets to use while I am running.* I ran approximately 16 miles this weekend and decided to consume a gel packet about every 40 minutes. First, I took an orange flavored Hammer Gel and, as I had expected from trying one before, the taste was really subdued. In contrast, when consuming the packets of Power Gel later in my run I noticed a quite strong sugar and flavoring taste. On flavor, my vote goes to Hammer.

My next experience is with their websites. At first glance PowerBar has a snazzy website with all kinds of Adobe Flash player presentations. Conversely, the Hammer Nutrition website seems to say just the facts. Obviously, it is easy to tell that PowerBar has more money to spend and therefore a bigger company, but the website seemed almost too flashy. For instance, I would rather get product answers quickly, like approximate usage for your body weight, than only being told to experiment because everyone is different. On website, it is a tie.

Final thoughts: I see a real ingredient like banana puree in Hammer Gel, but only flavoring in Power gel and I would rather eat banana with flavoring than just flavoring. One thing I did not find was how either of these companies are going green, such as possibly the production of packets that stay together in one piece after use instead of the usual tear apart and then two pieces to keep track of. It would seem that two pieces would more likely to produce litter than if it would stay in one piece. Personally, I am planning to use Hammer Gel in the future.

*As a disclaimer, I don't have extensive experience with both products, rather, this is my experience over the weekend and my perceptions from their websites.