RaceMob

RaceMob is giving away a free race entry into the Marin 415.  Enter today to be part of this great event, and get a chance to win the awesome Run the Bay Challenge Medal.

Erika Morgan!

Congratulations Erika - you've won a free entry to Bay to Breakers!

Bay to Breakers is returning to San Francisco on Sunday, May 18th. This is the oldest consecutively run annual footrace in the world. Participants will receive an awesome 2014 medal and Under Armour gear!

RaceMob give you the chance to win tickets to this fun event! There are multiple ways to enter - enter an email, like our page, follow us, tweet us, and definitely join us for this fun event!

Since today is Earth Day - we wanted to turn to our resident environmentalist for a few tips on how we can all save the earth.  Christina earned her masters from Stanford in environmental engineering - and is an environmental consultant.  So what tips does she have for saving the world?

 Buy Organic Clothing - Some eco-friendly brands such as Gaiam, Lululemon, UnderArmour Green, and her personal favorite - Raw Threads - use organic materials and recycled plastics in their clothing.  Buying organic clothing can reduces the overall amount of fertilizer and pesticides that get washed downstream and can end up in our water supply.  These materials can also become endocrine disruptors - which means that can affect entire ecosystems.

Wash Full Loads - We create large piles of laundry when we add running into our lives.  Make sure you aren’t just re-washing your favorite running shirt.  Washing a full load will help reduce the amount of water, detergent, electricity, and gas that you use - and your utility bill will thank you.

Run or Bike to Work - For those of us that live close enough to work, try using your training runs as a commute. It's a great way to center your mind and reduce fuel use. Most companies have showers available for employees - just plan ahead and store a week's worth of clothes in the office so you are ready to go.

Buy Local Produce - It’s nearly summer and Farmer's Markets will soon be everywhere. Filled with local produce and meats, it's a great way to reduce transportation costs (fuel to transport foods, electricity to keep foods chilled). Plus, many Farmer's Markets are filled with organic options - a great way to avoid the harmful effects of pesticides and fertilizers.

Race at Events with Environmental Initiatives - Check if your race is participating in initiatives such as those sponsored by The Council For Responsible Sport.  Is your race eliminating unnecessary waste?  Offsetting their Carbon Footprint? Using bicycles to pace their participants?  Donating their extra food?  Giving carpool or mass transit incentives? Picking up after themselves?  Also - if you see something that could improve, don’t be afraid to tell the race director or email them.  They would love to know that their runners care.

Take Mass Transit or Carpool to Races - Are you heading out to a race in the city?  Find a way in using the MUNI, BART, or Caltrain.  Or heading further away?  Find a carpool buddy (maybe even a RaceMobber!) and carpool together.  You’ll make great friends while reducing your emissions.

Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon is returning to San Francisco for the second year on April 6th. It will be a Rock ‘n’ Roll event like we know and love, but with a few twists. They’ve also re-designed the course for a brand new experience! It will be an event like none other. In preparation for this event, RaceMob met with Lisa Beckham from The Competitor Group to get the inside scoop!

RaceMob: When and where did the Rock ‘n’ Roll series start and what was the inspiration?

Lisa: The Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series started 16 years ago in San Diego. The Series revolutionized the running world by featuring live bands and hundreds of cheerleaders along each mile of the course, creating a block-party atmosphere for participants and spectators. The Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series was created to achieve the simple idea of making running fun for everyone – from the front of the pack world-class athletes to those who are new to the sport.

RaceMob: Which is the largest Rock ‘n’ Roll race and where does San Francisco stand?

Lisa: Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon & Half Marathon is our largest race with 30,000+ participants who take over the Las Vegas Strip at night. This race is truly a spectacle with screaming fans lining the course, erupting volcanoes and laser-light shows towering above runners. The Las Vegas Strip only closes twice a year—for our race and on New Year’s Eve—giving participants exclusive access to Sin City’s most notable attraction.

Transamerica Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon San Francisco is in its second year and welcomes a bit less than half the participants of Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas. With San Francisco being such an incredible destination city, coupled with the passionate Bay Area running community, we are thrilled to be a part of the race landscape here and see a great and long-standing future for the event.

RaceMob: Other than the course and scenery, what is different about the San Francisco race from the rest in the series?

Lisa: There is a hill…or three…or five…which we try to avoid as much as possible during course design. In San Francisco, however, there is no avoiding them, only embracing them. Our local participants know and understand, and we do our best to consistently remind and motivate our out-of-town runners to prepare! Participants will truly “earn” the impressive San Francisco views at our race.

Transamerica Rock ‘n’ Roll San Francisco is also “unique” as we had to develop creative ways to keep up the Rock ‘n’ Roll energy throughout the course in areas where we can’t be too loud due to noise restrictions. Traditionally, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series features bands at every mile, but since San Francisco is the second most densely populated major city in the US, it is difficult to stage bands on some parts of the course. Respecting the host community is just as important as taking care of our participants. Believe it or not, some people do not like to be woken up to live music on their street corner at 6:30 am…go figure! We’ll have great alternative entertainment early on the course, but energy will be at an all time high for the home stretch up Polk/Larkin as we’ll have 13 different bands across the final 4 miles.

RaceMob: Name one fun fact about the San Francisco race. (Something that is unusual, unexpected, or just amazingly awesome.)

Lisa: Civic Center Plaza has not hosted a finish line for a road race since 1984. With the amount of races that take place in San Francisco, it is safe to say we are thrilled about this centrally located venue for the finish line festival. Not to mention, The Neighbourhood is going to put on an incredible show to help runners celebrate the day’s accomplishments at our finish line festival headliner concert. It’s a FREE concert by a band with multiple songs running on your favorite radio station! Even if you are not participating, come out to cheer on runners, grab a morning beer and enjoy some sweet tunes.

RaceMob: What is your favorite aspect of this race?

Lisa: Aside from the two elements mentioned above, the views at this race are second-to-none. For our out-of-town runners, this point-to-point course gives a comprehensive tour from one edge of San Francisco to the other with ample “selfie” opportunities. Even for San Francisco locals, we are one of two races that take participants on the roadbed of the Golden Gate Bridge, which makes you feel more “rock star” like than running on the pedestrian path. The run up Polk/Larkin is unique to our race as well, and with the number of bands, business and spectators in that area, it will be a memorable home stretch.

RaceMob: This is only the second time this event has been held in San Francisco. Why was the course changed?

Lisa: We partnered with The US Half Marathon “The Other Half” in the fall before our inaugural race, which did not give us enough time to work with the City to incorporate some changes on our wish list. We worked closely with the City shortly after our 2013 race and after many meetings and course drives we were thrilled to announce the new route this January. We will learn plenty about this new course in a few weeks and as always, will listen closely to participant feedback as we seek to innovate year over year.

RaceMob: Roughly what percentage of the people attending this race travel from other parts of the nation to San Francisco?

Lisa: 40% of our participants are coming from outside the SF/OAK/SJ area. 49 states and 27 countries will be represented at the start line as well, which is a true testament to the magnificence of San Francisco as a destination city.

Here's your chance to get a free entry to Run or Dye!  Come out and join us at this colorful event!

RaceMob recently spoke with Jay Davis from Hit and Run 5k to get the inside scoop on this new obstacle race coming to San Jose on March 15th.

RaceMob: What was the inspiration behind the Hit and Run 5k?

Jay Davis: Whenever we would watch TV shows like Takeshi's Castle, MXC or Wipeout, people would always say that they wished they could experience that for themselves and so we decided to make that a reality. The 5K also helps spread people out across the course and gives some structure for an obstacle course.

RaceMob: What distinguishes you from the other obstacle course races?

Jay: Our brand is about creating larger than life custom obstacles that you can't experience anywhere else, and all of our obstacles are big and bright with clean water and foam. Mud races are awesome, but we are trying to be something anyone can experience and enjoy.

RaceMob: Name one fun fact about this race - something that is unusual, unexpected, or just amazingly awesome.

Jay: Our largest inflatable obstacle weighs over 4,000 lbs and takes more than 15 people to roll up. 

RaceMob: What is your favorite obstacle on the course? What is the crowd’s favorite obstacle?

Jay: My favorite obstacle is definitely the Duck or Dive with the pools and rotating big red balls. Most of the participants agree, although a lot of people love Bouncy Bridge, which has the big blue balls that they can jump across. 

RaceMob: Hit and Run 5k appears to be expanding fast! What are your goals for both this year and next?

Jay: We are growing at an amazing pace and our goals for this year are to expand across the country to bring the race to more and more people. We also are excited about our plans to expand overseas and add more obstacles for next year. It's going to be an awesome year.

We're raffling off a free entry to the Hit and Run 5k in San Jose on March 15th! Get ready to dodge, jump, slide, fly and laugh your way through this course! 

While out running, we realized that it has been awhile since we reviewed good running posture. Over the next few weeks, we’ll take a look at a few helpful tips, beginning with head alignment. 

Head alignment is very important. It is the cornerstone to your entire body posture while running. Lucky for us, it is also easy to focus on and correct, if needed. 

The concept is fairly simple: keep your head up and look forward. Tilting your head side to side or looking down will throw off the straightness of your spine. If you look down, your back is more likely to hunch over (more to come on torso posture later). Aim to look ahead – think horizon. If you need to watch your step (uneven ground, etc.), look out in order to glance down. 

I like to think of this as similar to driving a car. To make sure that you don’t run over an object in the road, you aren’t looking down only five feet in front of the car. Instead, you are looking ahead so that you can see an object way before it reaches your tires. This is easy to do with your head parallel to the ground. As the object nears, you don’t dip your head, but you quickly glance your eyes down to make sure you successfully avoid the object. 

RaceMob recently met with JT Service and Scott McConville from 408k to get the inside scoop on this race.

RaceMob: What inspired you to create the 408k?

Scott McConville: Founder, JT Service, is a born and raised San Jose native and has been connected to the San Jose running world his entire life.  He wanted to create an event in his hometown and saw a gap in the springtime for San Jose running events.  The actual idea of a play on the 408 area code was because he was looking for a way to tap into the local pride he felt that made up the local culture of San Jose.  Knowing its vast diversity, he saw a perfect opportunity to bring together the entire community.  Four years ago, JT and I sat on my porch drinking some beers.  He explained to me his vision... I told him "I want in, I'm going to help you make this come to life," and the rest, as they say, is history.

RaceMob: What gave you the idea to expand this race to the Run the Bay Challenge this past year?

Scott: The success of the Inaugural San Jose 408k (2012 - nearly 3,500 runners) inspired us to expand to other cities.  We realized that each area code has its own distinct characteristics that embody the culture there.  Our company has roots all over the greater Bay Area, so the expansion into the 415 and the 510 was an easy decision for us.  The Bay Area is filled with motivated people who like to challenge themselves; so linking the 3 races to create the Run The Bay Challenge was the next step.  

  RaceMob: Why did you choose the Pat Tillman Foundation as the charity for this race?

Scott: When we started the event, we wanted to make sure that we partnered with as many local companies and organizations as possible.  The Pat Tillman Foundation is an incredible organization that does so much for Military Scholars across the country.  We chose to have them be the benefactor of the SJ 408k because of the local ties (Pat Tillman was born and raised in San Jose), and because of everything the organization stands for, including its commitment to the community it serves.

RaceMob: You’ve mentioned that the race t-shirt was designed by a local artist. Why did you choose this artist and how did you find out about him?

JT Service: I've personally had a target on Orly's back (Orly Locquiao - Founder of Cukui Clothing & Humble Beginnings Tattoo booth in San Jose) for two years.  His murals are inspiring, I love that he put his store in Japan Town in San Jose, and he's even [Colin] Kaepernick's tattoo artist.  We're always looking for ways to highlight San Jose's local flavor and we've done that here by partnering with a son of San Jose.  Look out for more of this in our future events.

RaceMob: Did the Mariachi Mile exist in the first 408k? How did you get this idea?

Scott: Funny enough, the idea was born in Year 1, about 4 days before the event!  As we were working tirelessly through the day and into the night, JT (our Founder is always pushing the envelope with his ideas - no matter the hour!), had an "Aha!" moment.  And if you know JT, once he comes up with an idea... it's not going away.  He turned to Doug, a member of our 408krew, and said "Doug... I need a Mariachi on course!  This race needs a Mariachi Band."  So the day before the race, Doug finds a Mariachi to play that morning, JT coins it the "Mariachi Mile" and has them play Mariachi music & walk the final 1/2 mile of the race through the finish line wearing 408k Bib Numbers.  Now this year, we are expecting 5-6 Mariachi Bands and they're all fired up to play!

  RaceMob: What is your favorite aspect of this race?

Scott: Well, obviously we're always pumped for the Mariachi Mile.  But this year, we're excited to have the whole course lined with local musical flavor, making up what we now call the "Sounds of San Jose."  Mile 1 will be sponsored by local college radio station 103.3 KSCU.  Mile 2 will be sponsored by pop favorite 94.5 KBAY.  Mile 3 will be sponsored by 95.3 KRTY, San Jose HOT Country.  Mile 4 will be sponsored by Hip Hop / R&B station KMEL 106.3.  And Mile 5, Mariachi Mile, will be sponsored by 93.3 La Raza!

  RaceMob: Name one fun fact about this race that hardly anyone knows: something unexpected, unheard of, or just amazingly awesome! 

Scott: Most of our Race Staff are all runners who have run races... so we know first hand when events choose to cut corners.  For this reason, on Race Weekend, we bring in 30 408k Staff Members and 400 volunteers.  We want to do as much as we can to make the experience is as enjoyable as possible for the runners.  They deserve a top-notch experience!  

  We’re pumped for this race, and I bet you are too! Visit http://www.racemob.com/races/6151-the-san-jose-408k-race-to-the-row

Many of us resolved to lose weight this year. But perhaps things aren’t going quite as well as we hoped. We’re exercising more and eating healthier, but we still haven’t quite reached that goal. It’s time to take a look at boosting our metabolism to reach that goal.

Age and genetics doesn’t necessarily prescribe a doom and gloom scenario for us. We’ve all heard common tips like eat your breakfast, but here are a few other tips to help boost that metabolism and hopefully reach that goal!

-       Train using high intensity intervals. There has been a flurry of workout plans/videos/classes designed to effectively use your time and decrease the amount of time spent at the gym. But this isn’t just a fad – there has been proof that this works! Studies have shown that decreasing the amount of time during your workout, but alternating sprint or high intensity intervals with a typical pace really boosts your metabolism.

-       Include strength training exercises. Yes, muscles weigh more than fat, but you need to gain some of the good to lose some of the bad. Lean muscle requires more energy to maintain so even a moderate amount of strength training exercises (even just twice a week) can help you burn more fat in the end.

-       Don’t go on an extreme diet. Eating too little actually slows your metabolism, partly due to losing muscle along with the fat and partly due your body’s fight or flight mode when it doesn’t know when it’s next meal may come. To avoid this, calculate your resting/basal metabolic rate (RMR or BMR) and make sure you consume at least this many calories each day. Your RMR will change as you lose weight so make sure to check it periodically.

-       Eat organic. While organic food and its definition can be debated, organic produce has been produced either without any pesticides or only with approved organic pesticides. This eliminates many (if not all) of the harmful pesticides that can act as toxins to your thyroid, blocking your ability to metabolize food effectively.

-       Get a healthy night’s sleep. We all lead busy lives so this can be a difficult task. However, your precious shut eye will be more than just “beauty sleep”. The proper amount of sleep allows our body to behave normally, keeping appropriate hormones in check for appetite and energy use.

We're raffling off a free entry to the Double Road Race in San Jose on February 22nd! This is an unique event that you won't want to miss - a 10k followed by a halftime and then a 5k. Enter for your chance to win.

We've got a two entries to the Super Guadalupe River Run - happening on Super Bowl Sunday!  Work off that guacamole and help raise money for a great cause!  Join us on Sunday :D. Enter for your chance to win a 5K or a 10K entry.

RaceMob's heading to the Chinese New Year Run in Chinatown on 02/09/2014 to help support the Chinatown YMCA.  Come join us for an exciting race through the streets of San Francisco.  Choose a 5K or 10K route, and dress in your best horse costumes!  Enter to win a free entry!

RaceMob's headed to the Hot Chocolate Run on January 12th, and we want you to be there!  Enter Below for a chance to win a free entry into the Hot Chocolate Run!

RaceMob Links showcase the best articles from around the web. We scrounge up the juiciest tidbits so that you don’t have to!

Hills are tough and challenging. They break your rhythm, make it harder to run a fast time and put an immense strain on your body. But hills are good for you and they’re good for your running. Know how hill training can improve your running in this article.

http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/general/everything-you-need-to-know-about-hill-training/159.html

When people think about how to run, they tend to focus on the feet. However, proper running form starts with the head and works its way down to the feet. Perhaps an easy way to describe how to run is to “RUN TALL”; which means you should stretch yourself to your full height, with your back fairly upright. In this article is a little more info on how to run tall.

http://www.superskinnyme.com/how-to-run.html

This article shares a marathon plan that is ideal for runners who want to break 4:45 in the marathon.

http://www.runnersworld.com/race-training/runners-world-break-445-marathon-plan-16-weeks

The Paleo diet is the healthiest way you can eat because it is the ONLY nutritional approach that works with your genetics to help you stay lean, strong and energetic! Know more about the Paleo Diet in this article.