Erik Neves (@erikneves) Introduces Us to Huaraches

Jun 132011
 

Erik is a barefoot runner from Brazil who recently contacted us on Twitter (@erikneves).  He said that he had completed an Ironman in Brazil two weeks ago and just finished an Ultramarathon this past weekend.  Not only that but he completed the Ultramarathon by doing one half of it barefoot and the other half wearing huaraches.  Which got me wondering . . . What the heck is a Huarache?

A Huarache is some kind of Mexican running sandal.  I searched several websites and there were a lot of links to different types of Huaraches, but I chose this website because I have a feeling that this is what our friend @erikneves was running in –  http://www.invisibleshoe.com/. If you visit this website you will see that these sandals are super thin and supposedly are supposed to give you the experience of barefoot running while still protecting your feet. 

I don’t know about you, but I tried running a marathon over a month ago and on a trip to San Juan Capistrano, I was walking around with sandals on and all my friends told me that it looked like my feet had cancer because they were covered in blood blisters from running in a marathon.  I could not imagine running in those huaraches, let alone running half of an ultramarathon in them and the other have completely barefoot.

That’s crazy!  But, now we know what a huarache is . . .  and so do you.

You’re a Bugger!!! Orgasmic Chef’s are Mean.

Jun 072011
 

@OrgasmicChef called us buggers!  The nerve!!!  Wait, what the heck is a “bugger?” 

Since starting this website, we have learned so much.  We have learned about the “Farmer’s Blow,” “Going Gluten Free,” “The Post Race Blues and the “Chamois” (all of which you can find here, http://runningbrothers.com/category/new-vocabulary/. 

Now, I have heard Australian’s or New Zealander’s say “bugger” before, but I never really knew what it meant.  So, after calling us “buggers,” which I considered an offensive term, @OrgasmicChef sent us this video explaining the word.

After watching the video, I still have no idea what it means.  I think we were called jerks . . . What do you think?

My Butt Hurts . . . What the Heck is Chamois?

Jun 052011
 

As we knew would happen from time to time, my brother and I learned a new word this past week.  It all started several weeks ago when my brother and I went on one of our longest rides ever and encountered our biggest problem . . . sore butts.  We handled the ride just fine but found ourselves unbelievably uncomfortable.  We knew that we had to ask for help from our heroes to solve this problem, and so . . . we turned to Twitter.

We asked how we could solve our chaffage problem that was occurring downstairs and two of our heroes, @kelownagurl and @indianabackdoc came to the rescue to tell us about the Chamois and Chamois cream.  We thanked them for their help and then we discussed how we would use the chamois and chamois cream to solve our “problem.”  It was only then that we realized that neither of us knew what a chamois was.  So, we asked our heroes and they told us.

A chamois is the thick pad inside the bike shorts which helps to reduce chafing from the bicycle saddle.  For long rides, sometimes the chamois is not enough and many people recommended a variety of different things, but the one that resonated with us was Chamois Cream, which if I understand it correctly is a numbing agent that uses novacaine to force the rear end area to lose feeling when riding. 

My brother and I certainly don’t like to have sore butts for any reason and so, with that in mind we plan on wearing our bicycle shorts . . . which contain a/the chamois and will be looking to invest in some chamois cream.

The Post Race Blues

Mar 152011
 

When I completed The Rose Bowl Half-Marathon, I was stoked. I had such a good time and was proud that I was able to complete the entire course without ever having even come close to running that kind of distance before. After the race; however, it was a different story. My knees were killing me and I could barely walk let alone train for anything.

That is when the Post Race Blues grabbed a hold of me. I became extremely depressed and questioned everything I was doing from my business to my friends and family. It was a time of self-reflection, but boy it hit me hard. My brother mentioned the post race blues in one of his articles which got me wondering if other athletes experienced the same things. Turns out many of them do.

One google search provided a plethora of articles about the Post Race Blues which is highly common. Many people attributed it to the accomplishment of a goal and then having to decide what the next goal should be, but for me this wasn’t the case. Because I had no idea that I would be running a half marathon until just a few hours before the event.

Many people attribute the post race blues to the reactions in your body that accompany the amount of physical exertion that takes place in a run that long, especially when someone is not appropriately trained and this sounds right to me. The post race blues was a difficult time for me, but it only lasted a few days and once my legs began to heal and I was able to get back to my training all was right with the world again.

“Go Gluten Free”?

Jan 182011
 

In my interview with Mitch Roberts, he made a suggestion to me and our readers, he said “Go Gluten Free.”  When he suggested this I thought I had gone Gluten-free my whole life, because I thought it was referring to the muscle on my rear-end.  Turns out, Mitch was talking about something else entirely.

Gluten-free is a diet, completely free of Gluten.  Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, malts and triticale.  Mitch said that he did not realize how much Gluten affected him and that by going Gluten free for a time period, he felt much healthier as a result.   He recommended that everyone should try it for at least a week to see how you feel afterwards.  Perhaps later along in the training process I may try to go “Gluten Free” for a week or two. 

Mitch, thanks for the advice and enlightening us all about “Going Gluten Free.”

Farmers Blow

Jan 152011
 

Throughout this process of running, and blogging, I knew that I was going to come across new things that I had never encountered before.  In my interview with Mitch Roberts, I came across a new term that was previously unfamiliar to me . . . The Farmers Blow.

In all honesty, I have used this technique before, but did not know that it had a specific name.

If you are unfamiliar, here is a picture . . .

David Beckham Farmers Blow

Yes, Farmers Blow . . . disgusting.  The term refers to plugging up one nostril and blowing out mucus through the other.   Sorry if you planned on eating before reading this, but I had to share my newfound knowledge with you.