Wilderness Running Company

Time to reach into the semi-regular Friday grab bag.

1. Still more evidence that trail runners are simply better people. Turi, a Reno-based runner, won a pair of Fireblades in our Twitter raffle. He replied with a nice note, a couple of mentions on his blog, and this:

It’s a wallet featuring the WRC logo, made entirely of duct tape. It — duct tape — isn’t just for your feet, after all. I love it! Thanks Turi! (I’m pretty sure Turi makes this kind of thing regularly, as a hobby/small business, so if you’d like something similar of your own, drop him a line.)

2. Slimmer Doesn’t Always Mean Fitter. The thesis of the Times article — that “everyone has a point at which further weight loss actually makes their performance worse” — does not actually contradict anything Matt Fitzgerald writes in Racing Weight, despite the subtle suggestion in the article that it does. For many of us, it is probably pretty safe to answer the question: “what is your ideal racing weight?” with:  “lighter than I usually race.” Still, it’s a good idea to remember that weight management is a means not an end, more (loss) is not always better, and that listening, really listening, to your body is ultimately better than listening to the scale.

3. Ever wonder what is the most efficient method to carry water and stuff while running? You’re not alone. Pretty interesting read, although I’d agree with Bryon (comment one) that this research effort represents more of a starting point than the final word on the topic. I’d also suggest personal preference should (and will) probably remain the deciding factor for most runners in figuring out which way they want to carry their necessaries. And I desperately hope this isn’t the first step on a path that ends with computer-modeled trail running.

4. Best Reason to Visit Expedia. Before I die, I want to spend one month, just one, running (and riding) my way from Girona to San Sebastian.

5. Photo I love (via Run Junkie):

May your weekend be filled with endorphins and vistas of wild places!

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