This Is Why I Run – Jennifer Kyle
- September 01, 2017
- Audio, Running, Uncategorized
I’m so excited to be back on the Jaybird blog again! You may have read my previous post talking about food & running here. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Jennifer Kyle – or JBird, as my family calls me. I live in Marin County, California, and I love to run and train for various races. I mostly do half and full marathons, though I’m getting excited to test my legs out on some shorter distances this year.
When I first started running, I spent a lot of time on the treadmill. This had a lot to do with safety for early morning runs – I didn’t want to run on dark roads. And I still believe that training on the treadmill can be a very effective tool. But I quickly learned that I had to reserve my long runs on the weekends for outside, so I could feel confident on race day.
All that said, I felt a bit sheepish after having lived in Marin for over a year – I didn’t quite know where to go to run 20 miles. So before we get into my favorite long distance runs in the Bay Area, I wanted to share my tips for finding your own routes in your area or even when traveling:
- Local running or biking store: Find your people! The folks who work at these stores usually do these sports themselves, and they can be a fantastic help when you are looking for a route. A track that is open to the public at 7am, a hilly route with water fountains, or the best route for views.
- Apps: MapMyRun, Strava, and even your phone’s maps app can be your friend. You can look for a route there, or even build your own by distance. One of my favorite things to do when in a new city is pick a landmark and run to it. Because photos ops – duh.
- Hotel concierges: Most concierges will have a recommendation of at least one or two loops or routes near the hotel. Don’t be afraid to put a copy of their map in your pocket. No shame.
- Internet search: Some of my favorite searches are “running bloggers ‘x’ city” or “running routes ‘x’ city.” This is also helpful when talking to a local running store or hotel concierge, because it gives them a place to start. For example, “What do you think of the Cherry Creek Trail?” Travel websites also have forums where you can search for keywords like “safety”, “10 miles”, etc.
Ok – now the really important part. The best long distance runs in the Bay Area! This area offers some of the most beautiful views and runs in the world. It is also known for its hills, so make sure you bring your climbing legs with you. If you get the chance, running here is a must! These are just a few of my favorites in the area. There are infinite possibilities and I’d love to hear your favorites in the comments below.
- Marin Headlands: This route is about 8.5 miles of some of the most spectacular views in the Bay Area. I especially like this run because it is easy to get to but feels like you’re so far removed from the city.
- Sausalito to AT&T Park: This was my favorite route when I trained for my first half marathon. You can start in Sausalito by taking the ferry there, or driving your car to the Vista Point viewing area on the North side of the Golden Gate Bridge. From there, you run over the bridge and down into the city through the financial district and along the Embarcadero. When you’ve reached AT&T stadium, you can turn around and do it all over again. This can get you 14-16 miles, depending on where you turn around. You also have the option of taking the ferry back to Sausalito from the Embarcadero Ferry building.
- Dipsea: This is a famous route in Mill Valley, CA. It is 7.4 miles from Mill Valley to Stinson Beach. A Dipsea Double would be doing the course out and back – clever name, I know. You can actually run the Dipsea Race if you are in the area the second Saturday in June. Known for its gnarly elevation gain, narrow trail and steep stairs – this route is quite a doozy.
- Mt. Tam: I’d be remiss to talk running in the Bay Area and not mention Tam – or Mount Tamalpais. If you park in the Pan Toll parking lot, you can do 15 miles of out and back trails with beautiful views of Stinson Beach & Point Reyes. Your legs will be jello when you are finished, but your heart will be full.
- Paradise Loop: I am ending on this route because it was the location of my first ever 20 miler, which is such a special day in any marathon training cycle – whether it be your first or 50th. I was so nervous, but this route took great care of me. The whole thing is actually 26 miles, but you can make it any distance you choose by doing an out and back, or utilizing the ferry boats in Tiburon. As unglamorous as this sounds, my favorite way to use this route is by parking near the Corte Madera shopping mall. I can run 10 miles to Tiburon, and there is a big hill about 12 miles in that you have to conquer. I felt that it really helped me to feel prepared for Heartbreak Hill in Boston!
Check out my playlist of the week:
We also want to hear your stories. Share your motivation for running in a short story and hashtag #whyirunjaybird on Instagram for a chance to win weekly prizes including earbuds and a chance to be featured on our social channels. We’re inspired by every type of runner, so don’t hesitate to share your passion with us. To the parent that wakes up early before sending their kids off to school, the beginner seeking to finish their first 5k, and the marathoner looking to set a new PR, your passion inspires more people than you’ll ever know. Share your stories with us and #runwild. Find more info about the This Is Why I Run series here.
Keep in touch with Jennifer!
This Is Why I Run – Ben Altenes
- August 18, 2017
- Uncategorized
Ben Altenes is a father, photographer, veteran, and trailrunner based in Salt Lake City, UT. Ben has images on permanent exhibit in the U.S. Pentagon and Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington DC. His images are also on display at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO, the U.S. Embassy in Djibouti, Africa and also in the U.S. Embassy’s permanent art collection in Kabul, Afghanistan.
There will always be tones in my head. A song stuck in my head, a childhood memory and even thoughts of war. Music has been the one thing that has always traveled with me too. From family road trips across Europe as a kid, on plane flights around the world, and foremost on the trails I run throughout the Wasatch front in Utah! Jaybird has helped me take those tones and tunes wherever I am. Running for me has been an essential part of my mental health and exercise routine. Even more so it has been trail running that has allowed me to escape the f*cking machine of the city and stressors that my hustling lifestyle brings.
“Not being with the men and women I trusted with my life and not fighting alongside of them anymore made me feel lost.”
I am a father, photographer, and veteran of the wars in Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq. After my service with the U.S. Army, which ended in 2003, I returned back to the war zones in the Middle East for another 10 years to perform Diplomatic security for a Government Agency. Throughout all of those years exposed to a level of trauma in war zones, I developed an amount of post-traumatic stress that eventually got the best of me when I made the conscious decision to not return to the Middle East. Not being with the men and women I trusted with my life and not fighting alongside of them anymore made me feel lost. I was struggling with employment, and struggling with my relationship to my spouse and children. At the time, I wasn’t running trails as much as I use to. I had lost my family and was forced to seek help through the Department of Veterans Affairs as a result.
“I knew running and being out on the trail amongst nature was better therapy for me than coming to the VA facility.”
The VA only helped to a degree, but one thing I learned while talking with my VA counselors was that running and being out on the trail amongst nature was better therapy for me than coming to the VA facility. I returned to the trails immediately after this realization. I began running in new locations that I hadn’t ran in the prior years, and it was the best drug for me times 10 over. Trail running has allowed me to escape and to also reflect on my life. The trail has brought back some amazing vivid memories both good and bad. It also made me fight through the stressors and cry out my emotions on the trail; leaving those tears to the trails and to nature was the best medicine ever. No one was there to give me their opinion on my matters, or tell me what I should or shouldn’t be doing with my life.
“Leaving those tears to the trails and to nature was the best medicine ever.”
Trail running has changed my life! The fitness and health aspect of this sport has made me healthier and stronger. It has allowed me to pursue my photography passion by being confident in reaching certain destinations by simply running/hiking into the backcountry. Capturing images and creating a visual journal has been a fun adventure for me. I started capturing images to simply create a visual journal. It later turned into a serious hobby and onto an incredible opportunity to grow my portfolio. Jaybird has been one of my biggest supporters and motivators to keep capturing images, and I am blessed that they sponsor me as a content creator and athlete!
All of my current favorite local trails bring their own level of exercise. Jamming up the West sides of Grandeur Peak or Mount Olympus are my go to for leg day. It’s mostly vertical and there isn’t a fast point until you head down the mountain. Longer and faster trails like Salt Lake City’s Bonneville Shoreline trail is a personal favorite as it has moderate terrain and elevation ups and downs as it wraps around the city. Other personal favorite running spots take me to some sweet scenic views. Lake Blanche, Desolation Lake, Pfeifferhorn, and Angel’s Landing in Zion National Park just to name a few are all very rewarding.
“Music and the ability to listen to it comfortably and effectively while running is so important to me! My playlist or soundtrack I run to can take me into a higher runner’s high.”
The trails may not know about my stressors or the amount of anxiety I bring to them – they let me be me. I bring music to the trails often, and it helps me set a tempo or seriously just lets me dance along the way while my Jaybird Freedoms are playing my list of tunes. Music and the ability to listen to it comfortably and effectively while running is so important to me! My playlist or soundtrack I run to can take me to into a higher runner’s high. I can hear my heartbeat through the headphones and that lets me know I am alive and well and that I can accomplish this journey of life. I use Jaybird Freedoms because listening to music on the trail helps my cadence and motivation to run stronger and farther. I listen to all genres of music. It’s all about the mood or how I want to dance up or down that trail – and the wireless sound quality and comfort are incredible. Before going wireless, the cord would constantly catch on trees and brush, and it would yank my phone out of my pocket or almost tear my ear off. With Jaybirds I don’t have to worry about it.
“Taking my running and fitness to the outdoors and trails has essentially saved my life.”
Taking my running and fitness to the outdoors and trails has essentially saved my life or at least has saved me from depression. It has allowed me to get my free dose of Vitamin D, breath in some fresh air, capture some awesome pictures, and get some real-life fitness in at the same time. There is something emotionally and physiologically cathartic about sweating out the bad chemicals and replacing them with healthy self-produced chemicals.
We also want to hear your stories. Share your motivation for running in a short story and hashtag #whyirunjaybird on Instagram for a chance to win weekly prizes including earbuds and a chance to be featured on our social channels. We’re inspired by every type of runner, so don’t hesitate to share your passion with us. To the parent that wakes up early before sending their kids off to school, the beginner seeking to finish their first 5k, and the marathoner looking to set a new PR, your passion inspires more people than you’ll ever know. Share your stories with us and #runwild. Find more info about the This Is Why I Run series here.
Update Your Jaybird MySound App For A Whole New Experience
- July 31, 2017
- Uncategorized
Listening to music is a personal experience. It sounds different to all of us, and different types of music affect all of us in different ways. But one thing’s for sure, music can pump us up when nothing else can. And if there’s one thing we’ve learned from seeing people interact with our MySound app, it’s that when we find something we really like, we instantly want to share it with everyone around us.
Unique to Jaybird, the MySound app allows users to alter the actual sound of their music on their headphones. By adjusting the lows, mids, and highs with the app, users can create custom sound profiles that play their music in a way that sounds best to them. Thousands of Jaybird users have created custom sound profiles and shared them with other athletes through the app. We love giving you your music, your way, and MySound has been amazing in connecting athletes across the world who share a passion for pushing themselves backed by the power of their music.
Running Music
We’ve been testing ways to make the app even better and interactive for a while now, so we’re psyched to tell you about the app’s latest update with a feature we’re adding called Running Music. We’ve now integrated Spotify, so that you can not only share your custom sound profile but you can create, share, and rate playlists through the app! If you’re looking for new music to pump up your run, look no further.
What’s New
The Jaybird MySound app has been renamed the Jaybird app.
We’ve integrated Spotify playlists into the app to give users the ability to explore, listen to, create, share, and rate playlists within the Jaybird community.
Users can browse playlists from several genres created by Jaybird staff, athletes, and fans.
The playlists are broken down into a few sections: Jaybird, Staff Picks, Popular, Newest, and Trending. This allows users to easily find new jams to pump up their next run.
Don’t own a pair of Jaybird headphones? No problem! In an effort to expand the Jaybird community, we made this feature available to anyone. All you need is a free Spotify account to participate.
Now for the fun part, we’re hosting a series of giveaways over the next couple months, and we’ll be giving away a pair of X3 earbuds every 2 weeks until October 1st to the playlist that has the most Likes. So get your friends and family to download the Jaybird app and start stacking up your likes!
*An individual playlist cannot win more than once.
Now all you have to do is update, listen, create, share and #runwild!
The Code – A Farewell To Winter
- April 18, 2017
- Snow, Uncategorized
By: Nick Russell
Contentment. Photo: Seth Lightcap
Never leave powder for powder. It should be as simple as that, right? Saying it out loud, it makes perfect sense. Why would I leave home during a monumental storm cycle that is about to hit? That was my mindset entering this opportunity to shred in Canada.
Tahoe locals said they haven’t seen it like this in years, maybe ever. The stoke is high. As the snowfall slowly started to increase in intensity, I was invited last minute on a trip to a new mountain range I had never been to with a great crew of friends. This was clearly an amazing opportunity. It also seemed as if conditions in the Sierra would be unsettled in the backcountry for the foreseeable future. I didn’t buy a season pass this winter, so the majority of my riding is done via splitboard. As the avalanche danger rose to extreme for all elevations, I agreed to the trip and booked a flight departing in three days north of the border. Perhaps it’s the internal desire to seek fresh experiences, the allure of riding in a new place is always present. It’s always difficult for me to turn down an invitation.
Jeremy Jones on my Petran board from Turkey.
Several days pass and snow accumulations have met and surpassed the forecasted amounts. Snowpocalypse, Januburried, Snowmageddon. Several names for this colossal storm have been circulating throughout town. We lost power for more than two days and the driveway was completely snowed in, not letting anyone in or or out. There is a looming hesitation about leaving. Unable to contain excitement or hold back from getting in the snow, I pick up a powsurfer from the garage and wiggle my way down the driveway. Luckily for me, Jeremy Jones lives up the street and his backyard connects to a perfect pitch tree run. We are met by snowboard pioneer Jim Zellers for a memorable session riding funky boards with no bindings.
For those that don’t know, “FOMO” is a real thing. The fear of missing out is most prevalent for those of us whose lives revolve around changes in the weather. Scoring ideal conditions requires patience and being in the right place at the right time. Leading up to my departure date, the anxiety of bailing just as the storm of the century cleared out was reaching its tipping point.
Most of the resorts have been closed all week due to obvious setbacks in their daily operations. As the storm slowly began pushing east towards Utah, glimpses of blue skies became visible on the horizon. My good friend and roommate Danny Davis was kind enough to line up a lift ticket for me at Squaw Valley to ride for a couple hours before my flight at 3pm. Waiting in line for a delayed opening, everyone stared in awe and anticipation as ski patrol made waist deep turns on their way down the slopes. I hadn’t even strapped in yet, but something told me I wasn’t going to be getting on that plane in the afternoon.
Into the inversion. Photo: Seth Lightcap
It was a day of purity. Waist deep snow, friends, and manageable lift lines. Lately is has been the crowds, and quickly tracked out snow, which deter me from resorts. This day was an anomaly. Thirty minutes before my flight was set to depart from Reno, I called to cancel. I am snowed in.
The following days provided multiple consecutive best days ever. In less than a week, the avalanche danger went from Extreme to Low on all aspects at all elevations. The temperatures were staying cold and preserving the snow in a state of perfection. We were able to rip lines down to the lake, many of which haven’t been rideable in years. Moving further off the beaten skintrack as the week progressed, I was able to view and ride peaks which I had only seen on Google Earth, until now. As a relative newcomer to the Sierra Nevada, each day out in the field might as well be in another part of the world. I am content with my decision to stay.
Helping Danny Davis with some pre X-Games training. Photo: Seth Lightcap
The majority of my days in the mountains are spent walking. This provides hours upon hours for the mind to race outside of immediate surroundings. For the most part, I live in a bubble. My daily stresses are minimal, my biggest concerns are the winds and freezing levels. Splitboarding allows me to step out of my track and into the reality of the injustices and hardships being imposed on our earth and fellow humans living here with us. While I am not on the front lines in a large city, my support lies with everyone on the side of love.
It’s necessary to listen to those gut instincts. The ones that remain rooted throughout the decision making process. Our hearts always know which path to take. It is a road that is driven by intuition and passion. There will be pot holes and road closures along the way. While some detours will be forewarned with notice, others will come out of the night to try and flip you over. We must all remain strong and keep fighting. Read the news, sign petitions, protest if you can and spread awareness to friends and family around the world that we will not stand for evil.
Exiting the cathedral with a long run down to the valley floor. Photo: Seth Lightcap
Information and petitions to help protect our planet:
http://www.sierraclub.org/
