gear review

In this episode, we sit down again with Bruce Nguyen. We spoke to Bruce last November in episode 18 after his amazing Moab 240 finish. We asked him to come back to discuss his gear. Specifically, all the gear it takes to run and crew a successful 200+ mile multiday race. 

Bruce just returned from crewing his buddy Michael Li on his amazing JamOnTam200 Fatass, where Michael completed a record 21 repeats with over 56K feet of vert from the historic 1929 Lytton Square Clock in Mill Valley, CA to the top of Mount Tamalpais. This was also a shake-out for the new Ultra Taj Mahal (or UTM for short) which is Bruce’s new off-grid travel trailer that he plans to use as a mobile aid station at both Cocodona 250 and Tahoe 200. The UTM is equipped with a full-sized bed, shower, restroom, salon, and electric stove for some down-home cooking. It’s a major upgrade from sleeping on a cot in his family’s minivan. 

But don’t get too comfortable just yet. Mt Tam threw them a curveball of high winds, rain, and hail while summiting the second night. The UTM was only a few miles away and they had chosen to travel light. They had no rain gear and were forced to huddle in the ladies’ restroom at the summit for an hour doing jumping jacks as they waited for the storm to pass. Lesson learned…be prepared for that 2% chance of rain.

Bruce is a busy family man and more of a weekend warrior. Through COVID he has relied on fat races and adventure runs to keep him challenged and trained. But don’t peg him just yet, his race planning is legit. Moab 240 2020 required detailed logistical planning. He spent many hours educating himself on the off-grid lifestyle and what he would need to keep his soda cold and his Elevated Legs Recovery Boots charged. 

Prepare for the worst. Mountain races have a good 20 miles between aid stations, and anything can happen. Bruce carries two emergency bivy sacks. You can sleep on them, crawl inside, or wear them as a poncho. Make sure your pacer has their own! Bruce also carries a Garmin InReach and his smartphone equipped with Gaia GPS app to keep him safely on the right trail. He also has been known to use walkie-talkies to give his crew a heads up of his arrival and start chatting about food options. 

Don’t forget to pack your drop bags with your DUPLICATE cold and wet weather gear. Yes, You Need DUPLICATES. Walkie-talkie your crew and they can run, grab your drop bag and have it ready at the UTM. Find out if your race moves/bounces drop bags forward. Keep several pairs of dry socks in your pack for river crossings. Oh, there is so much more… 

Remember Bruce’s motto: Have a plan but live in the moment and you will find Zen.

Elevated Legs: Elevated Legs Recovery Boots

Gaia GPS: https://www.gaiagps.com/

CalTopo: Home - CalTopo

Cocodona 250: cocodona.com

Tahoe 200: - Tahoe 200 Endurance Run Ultra
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Your hosts: Greg Larkin / Mike Turner / Jessica Harris

Artwork/logo by Krista Cavender: https://www.kcavenderdesign.com/ | IG: https://www.instagram.com/kristacavender/

Intro/outro music: Joseph McDade - Elevation: https://josephmcdade.com/music/elevation

Mike kicked off our Mile 99 crew favorite gear review. We peeked into a lesson from Turner’s Theory of Net Energy Balance. It led him to favoring a Gore brand windstopper vest. It has a low back and pockets originally used for cyclists. He mentioned his glasses hook up from Cody Johnson in Salt Lake City who fit prescription lenses in racing glasses. They auto-tint and he wore them for 34 hours at a race. Dakine 8L waistpack is a recent purchase that Mike wants to use for snacks so it is likely to become a favorite quickly. 

Jessica really loves the Lululemon Speed Up shorts 2.5 ($59). They are light, lined and durable. She has had the Flipbelt classic($29) for over 5 years. They fit her large phone and have a hook for keys. Jessica was disappointed with the Ultimate Direction Women’s Ultra Vesta 4.0 ($110). The fabric doesn't wash well and is not sturdy. The bladder and soft flask combination is not realistic for a race pack. 

Greg is all about getting efficient. He likes his Victory Sport Design Bear III gear bag ($120). He uses it for racing and training. He also favors a big plastic tote that he keeps all his extra gear in. It is always ready to go and it is easy to load up for adventures. His Victory bag also fits into it making this setup so efficient. Greg initially started out liking Injinji toe socks because they helped prevent blisters during long races and training runs. Durability was an issue after a while, and he had to replace them pretty frequently. He now uses the XOSKIN brand toe socks ($24). They’ve been working well and are very durable.

Tune in to hear more about our likes and dislikes!
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Your hosts: Greg Larkin / Mike Turner / Jessica Harris

Artwork/logo by Krista Cavender: https://www.kcavenderdesign.com/ | IG: https://www.instagram.com/kristacavender/

In this episode of the First 99 Gear Review, I sit down again with our very own Greg Larkin for Part 2 of his Winter Off-Season Cross Training Plan. During Part 1 we dug into Greg’s indoor workouts including rowing on the Concept2 and Zwift virtual bike racing on his smart trainer. In Part 2 we head to the White Wonderland for some full body winter cross training activities.

As mentioned in the last episode Greg was born in Upstate NY and moved to New Hampshire as a kid. Snow sports go back many generations in the Larkin Family tree with both his grandfathers being avid snowshoers with Forlorn Hope style snowshoes.  

Greg was always a bike race at heart, but he learned at a young age the value of off-season cross training. It started one Christmas when his parents bought the entire family cross country (XC) snow skis. Greg and his family lived in rural New Hampshire. He and his dad would go out for long XC ski day trips in the nearby town forest. This is when he first learned of the BONK.  Cycling is very leg-centric but XC skiing is a full body workout (legs, core, back, and arms). 

New Hampshire terrain is much different than here in CA. Up in the White Mountains the peaks are much lower in elevation, 4k to 6k feet with plenty of rolling hills in the 1K to 2K feet elevation range. You do not have to worry about altitude acclimation; it’s the extreme temperatures of 10 degrees below zero that will take you out. 

Greg’s early skis were much different than what he rides today. His first set of classical XC skis were 210cm long, waxless, with fish scales, and 3-pin bindings. The fish scales allow you to move the ski forwards but not backwards. Clothing was also challenging as Gore Tex and waterproof outer shells had not been invented yet. People wore lots of wool, Lycra body suits, multiple layers, wind briefs, long-johns, even fleece booties to cover their ski boots. Now we have many more options but layering is still the key. 

Tune in the episode to hear all of that and more!

Lost Ski Areas: http://www.nelsap.org/nh/nh.html

Wikipedia Ski Bindings: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ski_binding

Cross Country Skiing Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross-country_skiing#Skate_skiing

Auburn Ski Club: https://www.asctrainingcenter.org/

Tahoe Donner: https://www.tahoedonner.com/amenities/amenities/cross-country/

Royal Gorge: https://www.royalgorge.com/home

Tahoe Cross Country: https://www.tahoexc.org/

Tahoe Cross Country Ski Swap: https://www.tahoexc.org/ski-swap

CSUS Ski Swap: https://sacstateskiswap.weebly.com/

Alpenglow Sports: https://www.alpenglowsports.com/

Pacos Truckee: https://www.pacostruckee.com/
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Your hosts: Greg Larkin / Mike Turner / Jessica Harris

Artwork/logo by Krista Cavender: https://www.kcavenderdesign.com/ | IG: https://www.instagram.com/kristacavender/

Intro/outro music: Joseph McDade - Elevation: https://josephmcdade.co

In this episode of the First 99 Gear Review, co-host Mike Turner sits down with our very own Greg Larkin to chat about winter cross training activities. It’s the New Year, and the time to start planning our race and training schedules. But many of us have found over the years it’s essential to take time off and let the body heal. Balancing staying fit, letting the body heal, and staying sane is the key to years of healthy adventures. 

In this two-part series we discuss off-season activities and related gear. During part 1 we dig into indoor activities and during part 2 we focus on outdoor winter activities.

Greg’s dad started racing bikes in NH in his 40s and Greg, as a teenager, jumped right in. As a kid he also took up cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. He raced bikes for over 15 years, incorporating skiing in the winter when the roads were too icy to ride. 

His dad exposed him to his first indoor bike trainer called “rollers”. These required superb balance as both wheels were moving in sync and there was nothing holding up the bike. In the mid 80s, Greg acquired a RacerMate. This was a major upgrade and attached to the bike and generated resistance from a fan unit that rotated against the rear wheel while riding on a stand.

After college in the late 80s, Greg moved to Boston and met a buddy who rowed crew for Tufts University. The crew team used an ergometer (erg for short) Concept2 rowing machine when not on the water to train. 

Typical Greg, it was not long before he signed up for the CRASH-B World Indoor Rowing Championships held in Boston. He ended up buying a Concept2 Model C that day and still pushes his limits on it. He’s never rowed on water, but the rowing machine provides a solid workout once some basic techniques have been learned.

Then came that fateful summer day when the Dartmouth University Ski Team blew by him on a trail run, charging up some monster peak in the NH White Mountains. He was bit by the trail running bug. Greg moved to Auburn CA in 2014 and fell in love with the Endurance Capital of the World. 

Greg is currently cross training with the Concept2 Model C hooked up through the ErgData app on his iPhone and tethered to Strava. For indoor cycling, he is using a Saris M2 smart trainer for virtual group rides via the Zwift app. Greg currently rows and rides 2 to 3 times a week in his “off-season”. 

Tune into this episode of the First 99 Gear Review to get all the details on what to get, where to get it, and how little it will actually set you back. Please let us know your indoor setup is like, what is working, and what is not.

RacerMate: https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2011/03/going-old-school-using-bike-trainer.html

Saris Smart Trainer: https://www.saris.com/catalog/smart-trainers

Zwift: https://www.zwift.com/

Smart Trainers: https://www.competitivecyclist.com/Store/catalog/search.jsp?q=smart%20trainer&p=group_id%3AccCat100375&s=a

Tacx Smart Trainer: https://tacx.com/smart-bike-trainers/

Concept2: https://www.concept2.com/news/what-erg

Concept2 Training Guides: https://www.concept2.com/indoor-rowers/training/plans-and-resources

CRASH B: https://usrowing.org/sports/2020/10/30/2021-usrowing-indoor-national-championships.aspx

In this episode of the First 99 Gear Review, co-hosts Mike Turner and Greg Larkin talked to gear reviewer and ultrarunner Brian Goldman about the Coros and Garmin running watches, their features and modes and of course, strengths and weaknesses!

Garmin is the established player in the space with excellent brand recognition, and while Coros is relatively new on the scene, they offer incredible battery life that can be extremely useful for long ultra distance running races and other activities.

Tune in for all of the details so you can make an informed decision about your next watch purchase!

Garmin watches: https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/into-sports/running/cIntoSports-cRunning-p1.html

Coros watches: https://www.coros.com/

Brian’s blog: http://www.runningwithoutinjuries.blogspot.com/

Brian's Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/realrunnerreviews/
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Your hosts: Greg Larkin / Mike Turner / Jessica Harris
Intro/outro music: Joseph McDade - Elevation: https://josephmcdade.com/music/elevation

In this episode of the First 99 Gear Review, our co-host Mike Turner delves into the Topo Athletic Trailventure trail running/light hiker shoe. He explores the reasons he decided on this shoe initially and then the experiences he had with it running and hiking all over the harsh trails of the Northern California river canyons and volcanic rock formations of the high mountains.

Tune in to hear the whole story!

Topo Athletic Trailventure shoe models: https://www.topoathletic.com/search?keywords=trailventure
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Your hosts: Greg Larkin / Mike Turner / Jessica Harris
Intro/outro music: Joseph McDade - Elevation: https://josephmcdade.com/music/elevation

In this episode of the First 99 Gear Review, our co-host Mike Turner delves into two popular GPS trackers that are perfect for expeditions into remote areas with no cellular service. Tune in to hear Mike's thoughts on what features he likes for different types of outings, comparison of plans and other features.

SPOT Tracker products: https://www.findmespot.com/en-us/products-services

SPOT service plans: https://www.findmespot.com/en-us/products-services/service-plans#spot-gen4-plans

Garmin inReach products: https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/c16841-p1.html

Garmin inReach service plans: https://discover.garmin.com/en-US/inreach/personal/#subscriptions
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Your hosts: Greg Larkin / Mike Turner / Jessica Harris
Intro/outro music: Joseph McDade - Elevation: https://josephmcdade.com/music/elevation