When it comes to lightweight support, the Asics Gel DS Trainer has quite a pedigree and a pretty substantial cult following. The DS Trainer was the frontrunner in the evolution of lightweight trainers and their explosion in popularity during recent years. To this day, the DS Trainer remains a staple for many runners. Use the scroller below to follow the history of this iconic shoe.

Which DS Trainer was your favorite? Share your comments below.

Images courtesy of Asics America.

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You love running, and you love your kids, so why not share you passion for the sport with your little ones? Running with your children can help you build a strong bond and can teach them to develop healthy habits that will last them a lifetime. Here are a few tips for successfully running with kids of all ages.

Let Them Choose

While it’s important to teach children consistency and discipline, avoid trying to force them to run with you when they just don’t feel like it. Doing so can make running feel like a chore, which will quickly squash their enjoyment of the sport. You’ll have more success if you simply invite your kids to join you on your run, and have fun while you’re on the roads or trails.

Pace Perfect

If one of you has some serious running goals you’re working towards, it might be hard to match your pace to your child’s pace. Running strollers are a great way for infants and toddlers to accompany you on your run and young children can join you on a bike while you run. They’ll probably get a kick out of their important role if you call them your pacer. Or, hit the track to allow you and your child to run together, but at your own paces. Share a few warmup laps before you get going, and a stretching session post-run.

Pump It Up!

Your kids will likely match your enthusiasm when it comes to running (especially if they’re younger). Tap into their playful spirits by engaging their imaginations on the run. You could be superheroes chasing down the bad guys. Or Indiana Jones careening through the jungle. You get the idea. Stoke the fire a little bit and then play along with whatever your kiddos come up with. You’ll be surprised how much fun you have.

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Spring race season is still a few months away, but it’s never too soon to start preparing, right? If you’ll be traveling for any of your races, make sure you’re prepared to maximize your performance and enjoyment on race day by traveling smart. Whether you’re traveling to another country, another state, or just an hour or two from home, here’s our top ten tips for traveling to a race.

1. Dress for Travel

If you’ll be traveling a significant distance via plane or car, wear loose-fitting layers so that you can adjust your temperature. Constrictive clothing like tight jeans or dress shoes can quickly become bothersome when you’re spending hours in transit. You can also pack a pair of graduated compression socks to help prevent swelling and discomfort in your calves.

2. Pack Smart

Pack your shoes, race-day apparel and everything else that you’ll need in a separate bag that you keep with you at all times. This way even if something happens to your luggage in transit, you’ll have what you need on race day. It’s also a good idea to keep essential toiletries and a change of clothes in your carry-on, just in case something happens to your other belongings.

3. Get the Munchies

Your diet while traveling should mimic your typical diet as closely as possible. Bring plenty of healthful snacks (think trail mix, carrots, almond butter, etc) so that you’re never hungry. Also make sure to stay hydrated – even if it means extra pit stops, we promise it’s worth it. If you get dehydrated while traveling, you’ll probably still feel a little sluggish the following day, which could affect your race performance.

4. Stretch

Whether you’re on a plane or in a car, being stuck sitting in one position for hours upon hours can lead to tight muscles and increased tension. Make sure to get up and move your body at least once every hour. If you’re on a plane, walk around the cabin periodically. If you’re driving, make stops that will allow you to walk briskly and stretch out your muscles before you get back in the car.

5. Rest Easy

Jet lag can be a race day killer if you’re traveling a long distance to compete. If you’ll change time zones when you travel, try to adjust your body to the time zone of your destination before you arrive. It can take weeks for your body to get accustomed to a new sleeping schedule, so try to start gradually changing your sleeping pattern at least a week in advance of your departure date. When you arrive at your destination you won’t have to fight jet lag to get enough sleep, and you won’t be groggy at the starting line.

6. Buddy Up

Dealing with the logistics of the trip can be the most stressful aspect of traveling for a race. If you can, travel with a buddy or loved one who won’t be racing – and is willing to put up with all your pre-race fretting. This person can be in charge of details like catching flights on time and checking into hotels, helping you to stay relaxed and focused for your race.

7. Don’t Deviate from the Norm

Try to keep your daily routine as normal as possible when you’re traveling, so that your body and mind don’t have to adapt to anything new. Bring your own pillow, toiletries, and anything else that will help you feel at home, and remember that the days prior to a race are not the time for spontaneity.

8. Practice a Pre-Race Tradition

If you have a pre-race tradition (like listening to a certain song or eating a specific food), keep up that tradition. If you don’t have a pre-race tradition, start one. Having something routine to do before your race can help you stay grounded and maintain a sense of consistency regardless of where you are.

9. Check the Weather

Keep an eye on the forecast for your destination, and pack accordingly. Even if you’re only traveling a short distance, the weather can be drastically different from one location to the next, and you’ll want to have appropriate race gear and casual wear when you arrive.

10. Plan Ahead

Take care of anything that could potentially be a hassle before you leave home, so you don’t have to deal with it on your trip. Double check hotel and travel accommodations, find a local grocery store where you can buy snacks when you arrive, and make yourself a pre-travel checklist so you don’t forget anything essential.

How else do you prepare when traveling for a race?

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The USATF National Club Cross Country Championship will be taking place this weekend in Lexington, Kentucky. Some of the best club teams in the nation will race over the beautiful course in Masterson Station Park for the chance to call themselves the best cross country club in the nation. The schedule features five races, totaling more than 100 teams and 1,200 runners.

Expected to be in the hunt for an Open Men’s Team title will be the Asics Aggies Running Club. Head Coach Joe Rubio (co-owner of Running Warehouse) trains his club out of our home base of San Luis Obispo. All indications are that they are even stronger than last year when they placed 3rd in the overall team standings. Also looking to improve upon a great 3rd place finish from last year is Aggie runner Phillip Reid, who will be in the mix to take home the individual title.

Just announced is Alan Webb’s entry into the race. We expect the American record holder in the mile to bring out a lot of fans and generate a lot of buzz in the race. For those of you who want to do more than spectate, a community 6k race also will be held. If you are in the Lexington area this weekend, come out, get a run in, watch some great teams race, and support the sport of cross country.

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Ah, the sweet month of November has come to a close, and mustaches abound. But what, you might ask, is responsible for this proliferation of fine mustachery? Movember. The Movember movement began in 2003 in Melbourne, Australia with a handful of men and women who had a vision to raise awareness and funds for frequently ignored men’s health issues, like prostate and testicular cancer. Movember has grown into a global movement, with almost a million registrants raising over one hundred million dollars.

So how does it work? Participants register with Movember as a Mo Bro or Mo Sista and raise funds for Movember. If you’re a Mo Bro, then you kick off November with a nice, clean shave, and proceed to grow a mustache for the entire month of November. Men seek out sponsors who will support their ‘stache-growing endeavor in order to raise funds. While Mo Sistas do not sprout fuzzy upper lips, they support their Mo Bros and play a vital role in the raising of awareness and funds during the month of November.

The organization supports The Prostate Cancer Foundation, the LIVESTRONG Foundation and various campaigns to raise awareness of men’s health issues.

At the beginning of December, Mo Bros and Mo Sistas are encouraged to celebrate their glorious month of mustache growing and supporting with a party or event. One group of runners in NYC organized the Stache Dash NYC. The underground, philanthropic group holds “flash dashes” once a month. They are similar to flash mobs, but for runners.

The Stache Dash NYC is a 5k “fun run” that took place in the East Village on December first. Participants could sport their bitchin’ staches for the casual run, and then enjoy a beer with friends at the finish. The event raised hundreds of dollars for charity. We’d love to see more Stache Dashes across the country next year – now’s the perfect time to start planning one in your community. And remember, you only have 332 days until Movember will once again be upon us!

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Last week, we reviewed the many physical and mental benefits of longer runs for runners engaged in marathon training. As if running 15-20 miles in a row weren’t enough of a challenge, many busy runners find that just scheduling the blocks of time for their longer runs (and sticking to that schedule) is a monumental feat.

If you’re finding that your hectic life makes it tough to get 2 or 3 hour open blocks of time, you might want to consider adding doubles (“two-a-days”) into your training plan. Double days give you the benefit of breaking up mileage and being easier on your body, which should help keep your legs feeling fresh. This is a great way to avoid a mid season burnout with the goal race so far out and motivation low. Singles, in addition to requiring bigger chunks of time, are harder on your body. On the other hand, they give you a longer period of time to recover in between.

Some sources suggest that after about eight miles, each additional mile has an increasing aerobic benefit, meaning that a longer single run of say, 15 miles, could help you achieve greater aerobic conditioning than breaking up the run into two 10 and five mile blocks. But other coaches will tell you that the most important thing is just making sure you get in your target mileage each and every week, no matter how you end up putting it together.

There are a lot of opinions out there about the role of doubles and when you should be adding them into your training plan. If you’ve hit a wall in your training, or if you’re just not finding the time to get in all the long runs you need each week, it’s likely worth adding in a few double days gradually to see the results.

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1. Ignore the Weather

It’s snowing and frigid outside…embrace it! Gear up for winter weather and head out on your run despite the conditions. With the right winter jacket and a great pair of men’s tights or women’s tights, you’ll defeat the chill every time. If it’s especially brutal outside, warm yourself up with a cup of hot cider or tea when you get home.

2. Run before You Feast

Log a few miles before you sit down to eat, and you’ll feel better after the meal. And if you make sure to get out the door and run before you eat, you won’t have any excuse for missing mileage.

3. Set Your Next Race Goal Now

Register for an upcoming race near you, and set your goal for that race now. Write your goal down and put it somewhere you’ll see it every day, to help you stay motivated when weather conditions, family errands, and work obligations threaten your workouts.

4. Run with Family

Inspire your loved ones to greater levels of health by running as a family. A morning run will help everyone work up an appetite for dinner and start the day off feeling energized. If you have kids, they’d love it if you grab the headlamps and find a safe area to go on an evening run.

5. Hit the Gym

If you just can’t convince yourself to head out and run in the rain or snow, then maybe it’s time to mix it up with a strength workout indoors. Adding some light weights to your repertoire will up your calorie burn post-workout and can help you build lean muscle to power you through your runs later on.

6. Respect Your Diet – Within Reason

Your diet is about respecting your body, so it just makes sense to respect it during the holidays as well. Enjoy your favorite seasonal snacks in moderation and they won’t negatively affect your training.

7. Stay in the Hunt

While the winter months might make you feel like skipping workouts, your fitness will take a huge hit if you miss even two to three weeks of training. The holiday season doesn’t have to be the season of PRs for you, you just need to stay in the game by getting out the door a few times a week and logging some miles.

8. Watch Your Stress Levels

It’s easy to get bogged down by the stress of holiday planning and coordination, but stress can have seriously negative affects on your physical and mental health. Avoid the frantic fray by establishing a few de-stressing routines for yourself. Do a morning meditation, enjoy a few moments of stillness with a hot cup of tea or hit the trails to get away from the hustle of the city.

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No matter if you are a marathon first timer or seasoned veteran, a steady diet of long runs is essential as you build miles ahead of race day. These runs offer both physical and mental benefits to help you prepare.

Physical Benefits
Long runs are your main source of aerobic conditioning – training that improves your body’s ability to use oxygen effectively. Efficient oxygen use matters because energy needs for the marathon distance are met almost entirely aerobically, not anaerobically. Long runs of 75 to 120 minutes at a moderate pace (about 55 to 75 percent of your VO2 max) can set you up for optimal aerobic conditioning.

Mental Benefits
To run 26.2, you have to know your body and toughen your mind. The marathon requires extreme stamina, and a big part of that is not losing your cool when the going gets tough. Long training runs help you prepare for the mental drain that often sets in for many runners around the 10-15 mile mark. By getting many long runs under your belt before race day, you’ll have a chance to try a few different strategies to block out pain and break up the boredom.

Planning Your Long Runs
The majority of your training runs during the week should focus on aerobic conditioning. In a six-or-seven-day-per-week training plan, three to four days should be focused on aerobic conditioning. There aren’t too many tricks to these base runs – you just have to get out there and train consistently with moderately paced runs.

Here’s a sample week chart that could help you get a sense of where to slot in your long runs with other workouts:

This chart is just what one sample week might look like. For marathon training, you’d typically incorporate anaerobic capacity training only every other week. For a more detailed training plan, get in touch with a coach in your area, or do some homework on training plans available online.

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Fast forward to this weekend: you’re finally starting to come out of the post-turkey tryptophan fog, but you still have a fridge full of Thanksgiving leftovers. We’ve whipped up a few healthful recipes to put your feast foods to good use, and to help fuel you through training sessions.

Turkey Cranberry Wrap

Turkey and cranberry sauce are two quintessential Thanksgiving Day foods we can’t get enough of. Wrap ‘em up for a great hit of protein from the turkey and an antioxidant boost from the cranberries.

Ingredients:

• 2 whole wheat flour tortillas
• 1 ½ cups turkey meat, chopped into ½” cubes
• ¼ cup turkey gravy
• 1 stick celery, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons cream cheese (sub in a light version for a lower-cal option)
• ½ cup cranberry sauce (we used whole berry sauce)
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Combine turkey, gravy and celery in a medium bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.
2. Spread cream cheese evenly on tortillas.
3. Cover cream cheese with a layer of cranberry sauce.
4. Spread turkey mixture on top of cranberry sauce.
5. Roll up the tortilla and enjoy!

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

We love sweet potato fries just about any way you slice ‘em, but this baked version provides a healthy twist on the tasty fries. Try them as a snack or on the side of your favorite burger for some delicious carbs.

Ingredients:

• 1 whole sweet potato
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Olive oil cooking spray
• Balsamic vinegar or spicy mustard (optional)
• 3 cups water

Directions:

1. Wash sweet potato and cut into strips (approximately ½ “ x 4” strips).
2. Place sweet potato strips into a medium bowl and fill with water. Allow sweet potato to soak for 1 hour.
3. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.
4. Lightly grease a cookie sheet with olive oil cooking spray.
5. Arrange sweet potato wedges on cooking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.
6. Bake for about 10 minutes then remove and turn fries. Drizzle with olive oil.
7. Continue to bake until golden brown and fork-tender (about 10 more minutes).
8. Remove from oven and enjoy! Try dipping them in balsamic vinegar or spicy mustard for an extra kick.

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Women’s Race

If excitement is what you want to see in a cross-country race, the women’s race is one you will want to keep your eye on. Both the individual and team races are promising to be close all the way to the finish.

Individual Race

After a dominant performance in last weekend’s west regionals, Jordan Hasay (a local favorite here in SLO) seems to be back in top form.  Hasay has improved every race after a shaky start and we hope this trend can continue into the weekend.

Still, one slip can change the outcome of the individual race and there are a handful of seasoned veterans and rising stars that could take the title. Laura Hollander, a true freshman running for Cal Poly, has a very no-nonsense racing style. She takes the pace out hard and forces other runners to run her race. Because of this tactic, Hollander has become a freshman phenom and is expected to place high at nationals with an outside chance of taking it all.

However, Jordan Hasay knows how to race in all conditions and last weekend Hasay delivered Hollander’s first loss of the year at western regionals.  Another runner expected to be in the mix will be Betsy Saina of Iowa state. After placing 2nd behind Hollander at Wisconsin, you can bet she won’t let her out of her sights this time around. Read more…

Joe Running Sport Betsy Saina, collegiate racing, Colorado Buffalos, Florida State Seminoles, Iowa State, Jordan Hasay, Kennedy Kithuka, Laura Hollander, Lawi Lalang, NCAA Nationals, Oklahoma State Cowboys, Oregon Ducks, Stephen Sambu, Wisconsin Badgers