Talk Ultra

Just when I think I know all of the ultrarunning media channels out there, I discover Talk Ultra. Hosted by Ian Corless, an accomplished endurance athlete, Talk Ultra is a regular podcast show featuring interviews with many of the top ultrarunners and running experts in the world. The show is very international in nature, which I like. But what I most like about Talk Ultra is that each show is very long--upwards of 2-3 hours--and includes several different interviews, giving me great variety and a deep-dive into a sport I so love. I also love the fact that Karl Meltzer, who has always been a runner I look up to (and who coached me in 2011 when I ran 22:35 at Leadville), is a regular guest on Talk Ultra via its "Meltzer Moment" segment. Ian Sharman also makes regular appearances. Finally, I think Ian Corless' accent is just simply cool.

Last night and this morning I listened to the latest Talk Ultra show, which features a fascinating interview with Dr. Phil Maffetone, who pioneered the Maffetone Method and talks with Ian about training, nutrition and running in general.

I am super excited to listen to the many other Talk Ultra episodes as my Leadville 100 training continues to ramp up. If you haven't yet listened to Talk Ultra, be sure to check it out. You can download the episodes via its website and iTunes.

Enjoy!

77-Mile Week; Saucony Pro Grid Omni 11 Review

Last week’s training was pretty solid—77 miles, over 10 hours of running and a 20-miler to cap off the week. Even better, I took Monday off! So the 77 miles came over six days. I ran every mile at MAF. Sunday’s 20-miler, which started and ended at the Bluffs in Highlands Ranch and included some dirt trails I’d never stepped foot on, was an excellent effort. Cruising along at MAF, I felt like I could run forever. I averaged a little over eight minutes a mile and got in 1,500 feet of climbing. I know that as the summer comes, the Bluffs, while a great place to get in the miles, won’t adequately prepare me for Leadville. But for right now, as I’m still in my base-building stage, the Bluffs is a great place to run.

 

It’s becoming clear to me that MAF is the ticket to better endurance—at least for me. When I’m at MAF, I’m strong and don’t seem to fatigue nearly as fast. One of the big benefits to MAF is that it improves your ability to burn fat while on the run. On Sunday, I didn’t take a gel until mile 16. I could have probably done the entire 20 without a gel, but the last 4 miles would have been a slog. Instead, I took the gel and finished strong. When I was training for Phoenix over the fall and winter, I found I had to take a gel around mile 13 of a long run (granted, I was going much faster). My goal is to eventually get through a long run of 20-25 miles without the need for any carbs. Even the leanest athletes still have plenty of fat to burn. So often in ultras, fat is our fuel. We need to learn to use it efficiently. In marathons, where you’re going much faster, it’s a different story.

 

So last week marked my seventh consecutive week of 70 or more miles. For March, I hit 323 miles, which is pretty decent. This week (Apr. 8-14), I’m going to take my foot off the accelerator and actually give my body a rest. I’ll probably run about 50 miles this week. Then next week (Apr. 15-21), the foot is back on the accelerator and I’ll gun for 80 miles and a long run of 20-24 miles. I haven’t decided what my approach will be the week going into the Cheyenne Mountain 50K (Apr. 22-28). Part of me wants to train right through Cheyenne, while another part of me wants to give it a race effort, which would require a short taper.

 

What’s most important to me is to stay healthy and peak at just the right time—mid August. I tend to get in shape fast and then go stale and get injured. I can’t let that happen this year, which is why I’m doing MAF right now. I'm going to stick with MAF through April and then gradually implement quality in May (which will require going beyond MAF), starting with fast hill repeats to build strength. Once my base-building is done, I'm going to treat myself to a fun day in Boulder sometime in May. This will involve tagging Green Mountain, South Boulder Peak, Bear Peak and potentially Sanitas.

***

I’m going to give a quick shoe review. The Saucony Pro Grid Omni 11 is hands-down one of the best road shoes I’ve ever worn. I think a big reason why I came down with metatarsalagia last fall (I’m still rehabbing from it) was that I was wearing shoes with too much heel lift, placing a huge amount of pressure on the balls of my feet. After a lot of research and scrutiny (Runner's World's shoe review was very helpful), I found that the Omni offers really good forefoot cushioning and only moderate heel lift (about 8mm). It has great support, which is a big plus for the high-mileage runner, and it's only about 11 ounces. On paper, this shoe looked perfect for me. And, happily, in practice it’s been everything I hoped and more. I’ve put 150 miles on my Omnis and I’m now a believer in them. Saucony, please don’t change this shoe one bit!

 

Saucony Pro Grid Omni 11

So, if you are a midfoot or forefoot striker and looking for a really supportive, cushioned shoe, check out the Omni! 

I’ve also purchased the new New Balance 1210 Leadvilles, a highly anticipated shoe that's apparently been built just for the Leadville 100 runner, and the Mizuno Wave Ascends. While so far I like both of these shoes, it’s too early to offer reviews. Stay tuned!

Skiing and Leadville

To start things off, I think I’ll focus some (wasted) energy on a certain online message board that claims to be about running. In reality, this message board, which I won't dignify by using its name, seems to attract a lot of (anonymous) haters who dislike ultrarunners. I rarely visit the message board, mostly because its vitriolic rhetoric is a waste of my time. Occasionally I take a peak at the carnage, like when Paul Ryan, shortly after joining the Romney ticket, was exposed for lying about his marathon time. Afterward, I usually feel like I need to take a shower.

Anyway, I don’t understand why people, cloaked in anonymity, enjoy being jerks while they hide behind their “computers.” Many of us have had a few bad moments online, but there are a huge number of people out there who use said message board to bash and ridicule others--a certain high-profile Spanish ultrarunner, who seems like an awfully nice kid and has lungs the size of beach balls, is the latest victim. Frankly, I find such behavior disgusting and really just the sad, pathetic result of mostly insecure people who are miserable with their own lives and seek to pick on others. It would be great if the online anonymous hating, like what we often see on said message board, just disappeared in the name of people being nice to each other. This message board is, as one friend recently said, a "toilet." I don't know about you, but I'd prefer not to hang out in a toilet.

The larger point I’m trying to make is that our world is filled with too much negative energy. From websites like said message board, cable news and talk radio shows to the local headlines and mean-spirited gossip (which many of us find ourselves engaging in now and then—I caught myself doing so on Sunday), negative chatter seems to be the new American way. Anne and I have been debating turning off our cable service, but then I would miss the Tour de France in July. I am very glad I have the opportunity to get away from the noise and spend time alone and outdoors, doing what I love, which is running. And, of late, we can add skiing to my list of loves.

On Saturday, we ventured up to the mountains to get in some skiing. This was my first time skiing in many years. I’d been avoiding the slopes all year because I’ve never been good at it and didn’t want to risk injury. Truthfully, the last time I skied was maybe 1996 (at either Seven Springs Resort in Pennsylvania or a remote mountain town in Bulgaria while an exchange student—seriously), when I was starting to get fat, out of shape and happy on cigarettes. I did snow board a few years ago, but that doesn’t count.

So on Saturday, I swallowed my pride and took a beginner ski class, quickly discovering that maybe years of trail running have helped me develop the balance, strength and overall athletic prowess to ski decently. Within a few hours, I broke off from the beginner group and hit a few slopes, gradually upping the ante with every descent. While I still have a long way to go in achieving speed and nimbleness, I couldn’t have been more pleased with how things went on Saturday. There are few things more fun that skiing down a 12,000- or 13,000-foot mountain, especially when it’s with your wife. The whole experience kind of lifted me, literally and figuratively speaking, out of the reality of everyday life. I can’t wait until the little guy, who is still learning the fundamentals, is able to hit the big slopes with his mom and dad. I have every intention of being the kind of dad who is still able to kick some butt when I’m 50, 55 and maybe even 60, versus a dad who’s broken down and can barely get out of the recliner.

The bottom line is this: I believe I have a chance at being a good skier and I credit ultrarunning. Saturday's experience in the mountains just reaffirmed my long-held belief that trail ultrarunning, especially when it involves huge rocky descents, narrow ridge lines and other dangers, requires some real athletic skills--skills you won't develop on the road. And I say that with nothing but love for the road. I enjoy road running, but at the end of the day trail running is the best.

So add me to the huge list of Coloradans who love skiing. I see it as a great way to truly enjoy the mountains in the winter and early spring, bond with your loved ones and get in some really solid cross training.

***

 

My base-building for the Leadville 100 continues to go well. I just wrapped up my sixth consecutive week of 70+ miles. My emphasis right now is on doing lots of runs but no single runs that will break me down (the longest I'll go right now is 14-17 miles). I'm now going to start stretching my long run, though. My aerobic efficiency has definitely improved, though I’m noticing some allergies, which can sometimes reduce my breathing capacity. I'm not taking in any calories on my runs--with MAF, the emphasis is on fat-burning. I’m planning to stick with the Maffetone Method through April, including the Cheyenne Mountain 50K at the end of the month, and then begin working in some quality in May. The key for me is to get a huge aerobic base, and big mileage, established and then gradually introduce quality. I don’t want to get in shape too soon and then go stale. I’m really pumped about getting to the trails and working in some big climbs.

 

At this point, I’m leaning toward adding the Leadville Trail Marathon in late June to my schedule. This would mark my fourth straight LT Marathon. For those who have never done this event, it’s seriously hard. You crest 13,185-foot Mosquito Pass at the halfway point and then turn around and run back to town, which is situated at 10,000 feet. The good news is that the last 3-4 miles are basically all downhill (on rocky trail). But you won’t find many marathons that are going to kick your butt harder than the one in Leadville at the end of June. It will make you cry for your momma.

It's good to bring your A game to the Leadville Marathon, especially Mosquito Pass:

Base-Building for Leadville and My New Running Partner

I just wrapped up my fifth consecutive week of 70+ miles--all at MAF (maximum aerobic function). For a few days there I had to run on feel since my still fairly new Garmin heart rate monitor broke on me. The good news is that Garmin provided me with a free replacement monitor. That's what I call standing by your product and looking after your customers. So, I'm now back to wearing my HR monitor and running at MAF.

I'd say I'm laying a really good base for the Leadville 100 right now. What I'm doing now is more or less a page from my old playbook. I used to base build on about 70 miles a week (mostly at MAF pace though at the time I didn't even know what MAF was), and then cut back for a few weeks (to about 50-60 miles/week) before really ramping up to triple digits and starting to work in some specific, purposeful quality. The good news is that I'm running 70 miles a week without really suffering any ill effects. Hell, even my foot is getting much better (which I attribute to a really awesome physical therapist who's pulled the fat out of the fire on more than one occasion). Sure, I have some days when I'm tired and flat, but overall what I'm doing now has me in the "safe" zone. For me, 70 miles a week is pretty turn-key and it's not that hard. Even better, it helps get me prepared for what's to come.

I genuinely believe I can be a fairly decent ultra-distance runner if two things happen: 1) I'm healthy/injury-free and 2) I make the life choices necessary to run big volume. We could also add "on-course training" to that list, as well. Over the past few years I've run decent volume (80-90 miles/week) in my Leadville ramp-ups but not the volume I used to run--because I chose not to. And I've seen my results go downhill. So, really, to me my problem is obvious: I haven't been running enough. If Leadville means as much to me as I say it does, then I simply need to make the requisite choices and run big volume--which I'm in the process of doing.

I see 2013 as kind of my last year of seeing what I can really do. What I can do may be really good, or it may not be that special. But I believe in my heart of hearts that if I'm healthy and putting in the miles (in the right places) I can achieve some awesome personal goals.

***

On Sunday I actually posted a Facebook update about my golden retriever, Nicholas, who's become my running partner. I take him out for runs a few times a week, though it's hard to run with him on the weekday mornings because it's been so damned dark outside. I prefer to take him out when it's light, when the many coyotes in our area have retreated to their shelters. But we manage to get in some runs, and on Sunday he went 7.6 miles with me--a new distance PR for him (I went on to complete a 16-miler in the snow and ice). In many ways, Nick has reenergized me. His passion for the simple art of running is inspiring and beautiful. He loves it. That's why we do this crazy sport--because we love it. It's not a job or a task; it's a passion. Sometimes we lose sight of that. For me, Nick's passion for running has been contagious. I look forward to working him up to big mountain runs.

Summer Plans and a Midlife Crisis?

First, even though it’s not running-related, I have to say that, ever since I’ve severely scaled back my Facebook usage, I’ve noticed that I feel happier about my personal life, more connected to those around me and more interested in real human interaction. I’m not sure what prompted my sudden rejection of Facebook (the ridiculous fact that the company doesn’t pay any taxes and, in fact, gets corporate welfare may have served as the impetus), but I really don’t miss it. My original intent was to totally deactivate my account, but then I realized it would make it harder to keep up with some folks whose exploits interest me. So I’ve kept my account but check Facebook maybe once a day and I rarely post updates anymore.

I’m sure it’s not this way with everyone, but I think Facebook can have a corrosive effect on people and human interaction. But whatever. I’m only talking about my own experience. As I approach my fortieth birthday, I’m entirely open to the fact that I’m entering a new stage of life—a good stage (a midlife crisis?). I’ve become more and more aware of time, namely the passage of time. Opportunities come and go with time. Everyday my son grows older. He’ll let me hug him today, but tomorrow he’ll be a rebellious teenager. Time: For the first time really ever, I’m acutely aware of its passage. Anyway, I’m partly disillusioned with some things in my life, but mostly I’m just grateful for love, family, faith, friendship, support and, of course, running! This all comes down to my new awareness of time.

***

With March now halfway over and the spring just around the corner, I’m excited about getting to the mountains for some big runs. I'm establishing a good base and am about to complete my fourth consecutive week of 70+ miles, all at MAF. I know I don’t have the time (a theme?) to head to the mountains every weekend to run gobs of miles. So, most of my big mountain runs this summer will take place on days off from work. I’ve saved some vacation days and will use them to get in some really high-quality runs up high. I'm also racing less this summer, which will free up some time and allow me to remain more mentally and physically focused on my A race.

There’s no doubt that I have to get in some serious vertical to be ready for Leadville. Even with triple-digit weeks I won’t be ready if I don’t get in some vertical. My goal will be to nail some weeks with 10,000-15,000 feet of vertical. That may not sounds like much to some folks who have easy access to mountain trails, but for me, living in Parker, 10K-15K is good. Runs I plan to do this summer:

• Hope Pass double-crossing (ideally twice)
• Every mile of the Leadville course
• Grays and Torreys peaks
• DECALIBRON (if time allows)
• Pikes Peak (will be my third lifetime summit) or maybe the famed 3-2-1 workout

For a busy guy, that’s an ambitious summer schedule. We’ll see.

Know Thyself

"To get ready for 100s, it's all about volume, volume, volume!"
--Tim Clement, a former training partner and multiple-times national champion at the 100K and 100-mile levels

I'm about to wrap up my third consecutive week of 70 or more miles. For me, when I start running 70 miles a week, I've flipped an important mental switch. Seventy miles in a single week means I'm starting to get serious about something. That something is the Leadville 100 on August 17. But this is only the beginning. The mileage is going to get higher--much higher.

My MAF training seems to be working beautifully. I've noticed that running at MAF is getting easier. My pace is gradually improving and my body seems to be in good working order. My foot, which has been wracked with metatarsalagia for four months, is slowly improving, thanks to physical therapy, stretching and a night splint. I'm cautiously optimistic about it.

In these past few weeks, I feel like I've gotten to know myself as a runner. So often we get into the thick of training and forget to really listen to our body, learn along the way and make the necessary adjustments. I've gone back to the basics, even reevaluating what kind of shoes I should wear. After a lot of research (more than I care to admit), I found that I need shoes with good forefoot cushioning and support since I'm mostly a midfoot and forefoot striker. I don't need tons of heel cushioning, which is to say I need to avoid shoes with a lot of heel-to-toe drop. I don't feel comfortable going with zero-drop shoes but I am comfortable with 7-9 millimeters of drop, versus the 10-12 millimeters of drop you'll find in most shoes these days. Too much drop inflames my metatarsals. So I'm now wearing shoes that give me what I need and where I need it. We'll see in the long-run if it all works for me--shoes can be tricky. In case you're interested, the shoes I've turned to are Saucony Omnis and Saucony Guides. Interestingly, those were my go-to shoes "back in the day." On the trail, I'm wearing New Balance 1210 Leadvilles (new to the market) and Mizuno Wave Ascends.

It's often said that we're all an experiment of one. I couldn't agree more. While there are tried-and-true training principles, those principles have to be applied according to our own unique selves, which is why all the best coaches will tell you they personalize their clients' training plans. For me, since I tend to get in shape fast and then go stale, only to get injured, MAF seems to be the ticket at this stage in my training. With a huge aerobic base and excellent fat-burning capacity (which are big factors in ultras), which I hope to have by May, I'll be ready to start working in some real intensity, which will entail hills, tempo runs and significant vertical. For me, there's no such thing as junk miles. I know there are many who scoff at "junk miles." When I look back on my running logs and trace how I trained for races that I did well in, there are some common threads I simply can't ignore:

• High volume, including many two-a-days
• Most miles at MAF
• Some good intensity later in my training
• Lots of long runs

I think for the past few years, specifically since we moved to Colorado in the spring of 2010, I've lacked a solid aerobic base and that's kept me from responding well to intensity. So right now the charge is to keep base-building and keep adding volume because it'll lead to the aerobic base I believe very strongly that I'll need. The fact that MAF training also improves your ability to burn fat on the run is also a big plus.

My next race, as of now, is the Cheyenne Mountain 50K in late April. Unlike last year, I'm really not out to make Cheyenne a key event and I don't want to be in super shape going into that race, because that'll mean my fitness is progressing too fast and I risk going stale by August. It's more for practice, a good long run, and fun.

Fun...isn't that why we do this crazy sport in the first place?

Park Barner: The Human Metronome

A few months ago, a legendary ultrarunner I’d never even heard of was inducted into the American Ultrarunning Association’s hall of fame. His name is Park Barner and he was known as the "human metronome." The more I read about him, the more I like him and the more I think he’s the embodiment of what this sport is all about. Here’s his bio on the AUA’s website:

Park Barner is the first Ultra Hall of Fame inductee who could legitimately be called a "legend in his own time." In the late 1970's he was the first American ultrarunner to become broadly known for his ultra exploits outside the ultrarunning community. In today's age of celebrity ultrarunners who make the rounds on national TV talk and entertainment shows, it is worth noting that Barner received an invitation to appear on The Tonight Show, hosted by the late Johnny Carson, 33 years ago (he turned it down because he preferred to save all of his vacation days for traveling to ultras). And this unique stature—remarkable so early in the sport's history—was certainly not achieved by self-promotion. Barner, from a small Central Pennsylvania town, was shy, disarmingly humble, a man of few words. He was not a talented athlete (his fastest mile was 5:19), and he had an unusual, multi-faceted athletic career. He almost never became an ultrarunner because he almost became a professional bowler. To celebrate his 39th birthday he bowled 39 straight games, averaging 199. Much later, in his 60's, after retirement from serious bowling and serious ultrarunning, he became a serious practitioner of the art of pitching horseshoes. At the age of 63 he pitched 1,000 ringers in 8 hours. One might detect in this introverted, obsessive personality the key ingredients of a successful ultrarunner—and one would be right. 

Barner began his ultramarathon career in the early 1970's, when there were barely a dozen ultras in the country (and not a single 100 mile trail race). At 6'2" and 175 pounds, his physique was uncommon among the sport's elite. He ran mostly 50 mile races because that was the longest distance he could find. In 1974 he finished second to Max White in the AAU National 50 Mile Championship. The JFK 50-miler, the oldest ultra in the country, just celebrated its 50th running in 2012. Barner ran the mixed trail/road course when it was only 10 years old and only one man had ever broken 7 hours on it. Barner won it in 6:29 (he would later run 6:23 there). In a span of eight years he broke 6 hours for 50 miles nineteen times, and ran between 6:00 and 6:15 another 12 times. In two of the few 100-mile races known to have been held in the U.S. prior to 1980 (both in New York City), Barner ran 13:41 (#3 on the U.S. all-time list at the time) and 13:57. 

By the mid-70's the 100km distance had emerged as the universal global benchmark event. The first certified 100km event in the U.S. was held at Lake Waramaug, CT in 1974. Park Barner won it (beating none other than Ted Corbitt) in 7:37:42, and that time became recognized internationally as the "American Record" for the distance. Over the course of the next 3 years Barner kept possession of that record, lowering it in three times until it came to rest at 7:11:44. 

In October 1978, at Glassboro, NJ he entered one of the first 24-hour races held in the U.S. He ran steadily throughout to win with a total of 152 miles, 1599 yards. It was an astounding, world-class performance, over 18 miles further than what was generally regarded as the "American Record," Ted Corbitt's 6-year old mark of 134 miles, 782 yards. Eight months later he entered an invitational 24-Hour Race in Huntington Beach, CA. He improved by almost 10 miles, covering 162 miles, 537 yards and besting Englishman Ron Bentley's World Record by almost a mile. His metronomic, even pacing was unprecedented for this distance range. No one in history had ever run for 24 hours the way he did it. His 50-mile splits were 7:14, 7:15, and 7:21. It took 12 years for an American (Rae Clark, last years' Hall of Fame inductee) to run farther in 24 hours, and still today, 33 years later, Barner's distance has been bettered only by 4 Americans. 

Park Barner continued to run ultras through the mid-1980's, then abruptly retired from the sport at the age of 40. In extending his racing range in his final racing years, his highlights included winning the Weston 6-Day race twice, with a best of 445 miles in 1982, and then three months later winning a 500 mile race across the state of Michigan (including a mandatory 8-hour curfew each night) in 6 days, 6 hours. 

But it wasn't just his record-breaking performances that made Barner a "living legend."  He had a unique depth of constitutional strength and resiliency. The stories of his "outside the box" exploits are nearly as impressive as those of his greatest races, and have contributed to his almost mythical status in the history of the sport. He was tolerant of all ranges of weather, but thrived in extreme cold. He commuted to and from his job by running along the Susquehanna River, never wearing more than a t-shirt and shorts, even in single-digit temperatures. His final American 100km record was run on a windy, bitterly cold day, with snow blowing sideways across the course and the temperature plummeting through the day. As the race progressed, most of his competitors added extra layers of clothing with each passing lap of the 10km course. But Barner did the opposite. He started with a jacket, hat, and gloves, but by the end of the race he was wearing nothing but racing shorts and a mesh singlet. To prepare for one of his 24-hour races, he did a training run from Harrisburg to Pittsburgh (203 miles), stopping only briefly in a diner for a piece of pie. In amongst his frequent ultra races he ran a marathon personal best of 2:37, then followed it the next day with a 2:39. His landmark 152+ mile 24-hour run in 1978 in New Jersey was a Friday-Saturday event. From there he took a bus to Baltimore and ran 8:16 to take 6th place (out of 13) in a 50-mile race on Sunday of the same weekend. In 1974 there was a 3-day, 300km stage race (100km each day) along the C&O Canal gravel/dirt towpath from Washington, DC to Cumberland, MD. Barner was the only finisher, with daily splits of 7:52, 8:12, and 7:48. Two years later, seeking a greater challenge, he asked the race director to include a straight-thru, continuously timed division. He ran the 300km nonstop (with nighttime temperatures below freezing) in 36:48. For the size of his physical frame, he was remarkably light on his feet, with impeccable form and an enviably graceful, loping stride. He was frequently referred to by his competitors as a "human metronome." 

We proudly welcome Park Barner into the American Ultra Hall of Fame.

Yeah, the guy was a complete badass. You can read an awesome story Sports Illustrated, no less, did about Barner in 1978.

There are a few things about Barner that stand out to me:

• Standing 6’2” and 175 pounds, he was big. I’m considered big for an ultrarunner (6’2”, 165 lbs.) and I’m a full 10 pounds lighter than Barner in his prime.
• He was an endurance junkie. After his days of running long distances, he took to ultra bowling and horse shoes. Endurance obviously is in his blood.
• His then-record-setting 24-hour performance in 1979, when he covered 162 miles at an event in Huntington Beach, Calif., still seems inhuman when you consider his 50-mile splits: 7:14, 7:15, and 7:21. He was obviously a master of pacing.
• He retired abruptly at the age of 40. Why?
• People who say today's ultrarunners are the best ever need to study the history of the sport. Guys like Park Barner, Bruce Fordyce, Bernd Heinrich and others would be just as good, if not better, today.
• If you read the above-linked SI story, you probably noted that Barner rarely ran faster than 8 minutes per mile, and yet in his prime he clocked a few marathons in the mid-2:30s and claims to have never run a mile faster than 5:19. Again, he seems to have mastered the art of pacing and, I’m guessing, was an aerobic beast, meaning he could run a long way without fatiguing.
• It's a crying shame road ultras have lost popularity among ultrarunners.

I would love to sit down with Park and just have a long conversation over a few beers. The man obviously did a lot of things right back in the day—despite not having fancy technologies like heart rate monitors, Hokas, GPS watches, and Coolmax clothing—and would undoubtedly be just as dominant today.