Daily News, Wed, July 30

We may not agree on food choice, but we agree on this: Three reasons why I’ll teach my kids to run marathons.

An elite Japanese trail runner has gone missing (and assume deceased) while climbing the Matterhorn.

I was completely out of it and tried to make myself inconspicuous to my wife who had this crazy notion of sending me back out into the cold. Not knowing the correct phrase to make this day come to an end, I was somehow persuaded to carry on.

–from Tim Olson’s Hardrock race report. Read it!

Didya see Scotty’s review of the Adidas Adistar Boost? I’m with him…I can’t believe more people aren’t wearing Boost shoes.

Billy’s first 100 miler will be Angeles Crest 100. Here are his thoughts leading up to the big day.

…while Tim (from across the pond) is mentally preparing for his North Downs Way 100.

Just to make sure everyone is ready: Friday is International Beer Day.

And on that note…Shame on three of my favorite breweries for their unfriendly growler policies. Russian River, Bear Republic, and Jack Russell Brew all refuse to fill growlers from other breweries, despite CA law being changed (at great expense and effort) allowing them to do so. They say it has to do with cleanliness or labeling, when in reality I believe it’s a simple money grab to sell more empty growlers. No fault on them for trying to make a profit, but until they start respecting their patrons more, they won’t get my money.

Nickademus’ ultra zen moment #6: You are the author of this moment. I’m lovin these! If you missed my interview with Nickademus, check it out here.

By far my biggest weakness in running is my downhill. Here, Mr. Roes teaches us how to do it effectively.

I can’t tell if this guy is just whining, or if there are good points in there. Tough to read the roadie scene. What do you think?

And if you like what you read and hear, I’ve got the Donation Aid Station back up and running. Kick in a few bucks to help out the site and I’ll send you some URP swag. Thanks for the support!

…and on that note, for those who subscribe to the news, the “Thank You” message you got yesterday was an accident. It’s a page I created to thank those who’ve donated to the site and it was sent out with the digest by accident.

So running just a few miles a week at a slow pace has huge health benefits, but I’m still unclear if running a whole lotta miles is good for us.

Does this sound like your diet plan?

7 Responses to "Daily News, Wed, July 30"

Vern Lovic says:

July 30, 2014 at 6:49 am

Re: Tim’s story –

Funny you picked out that quote Eric, that was my favorite too – genius.

My other favorite was:

“The descent was pretty comical as I didn’t have much control of my quads at this point. Almost down, they just sort of gave out and I would fall, tuck and roll, it didn’t hurt because I was moving so slow, if anything it might have sped up the process.”

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Mark says:

July 30, 2014 at 6:58 am

We’re making a trip to Napa/Sonoma this fall, and, following your trip to the area, I expect a detailed story from you on the best breweries to visit in the area!

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Billy Yang says:

July 30, 2014 at 8:53 am

Thanks for the shout out buddy! And YES +1 to Timmy’s Hardrock report…so inspirational!

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Yetitrailrunners says:

July 30, 2014 at 9:26 am

Take it from someone who has kept the lights on for 15 years working in the craft beer industry. No one is getting rich selling glass growlers- in fact by the time you have them printed and shipped- its really not that much. Want to know why some craft breweries will only fill their own growlers? lets examine- Craft breweries take great pride in their beer and they want you to be able to taste it the way it was intended – All growlers are NOT created equal- some use cheap glass and even sloppier closures ( some growlers wont even withstand being filled the second time, try to get a cheap growler to close on your third use, aint going to happen )- this plays huge parts in how your beer will taste when you get it home- light and air can cause your beer to not taste as the brewer has intended. Also, breweries have to follow regulations from state to state and these different states including local municipalities have different laws regarding whats on the growler- all the way down to what font the warning label is ! Can you fault them for not wanting to be fined big $$$ or having their license suspended for not filling another growler. The above are great breweries with great reputations and I have seen said breweries participate in fund raising activities with other craft breweries and if it was all about money , Im sure Russian River would be a larger brewery and its distribution would be broader, so saying it is about money is false. Its about the beer and providing you with those ounces of perfection.

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1. eric schranz says:
  
  July 30, 2014 at 5:13 pm
  
  Thanks for the reply. I’m writing purely as a consumer (read: someone who pays the brewery’s bills), so let me reply to your two main comments with what seems like common sense.
  
  If the concern is the vessel in which it is consumed, they certainly should never sell kegs on either the commercial or personal level. People can drink the beer out of plastic, wood, cheap glass, expensive crystal, who knows.
  
  The regulations have been changed (both statutorily and legally) and CA breweries can fill other CA brewey growlers. Period. They need to put a label on the growler with the type of beer and the brewery name and that problem is solved. And I’m telling ya, we fought HARD to get that taken care of, only to have many of them ignore the new ruling.
  
  And again, I’m all for the breweries doing what they need to do to make money, and it’s absolutely their right to set their own policies. RR and Bear Republic aren’t micro brews anymore, and–though I haven’t seen their balance books–have a good feeling they’re quite strong financially.
  
  What it comes down to is creating a bad feeling amongst hard core beer drinkers. I was at each of those breweries on Sunday, and all three missed out on $15 to fill up my “other” growler with their delicious brew. And dammit, it is delicious brew.
  
  Thanks
  eric
  
  Reply
Matt Frazier says:

July 31, 2014 at 4:02 am

Thanks for the link, Eric! I actually almost wrote ‘Ultramarathons’ in the title of that post instead of ‘Marathons,’ but figured for most people the point would be just as well taken (and more accessible) with marathons.

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Gordy Higgins says:

August 1, 2014 at 11:41 am

A discussion about ultrarunning and beer. Nom, nom nom, mmmmmm (in my best Homer Simpson).

So, the above mentioned breweries are telling me that on my next trip to CA, my request to have them fill my Blackfoot/Lewis&Clark/DraughtWorks/BigSky/Kettlehouse/Bowser/TFBC/HarvestMoon/Quarry growler (all manufactured by the same place, btw) would be denied? In order to take beer beyond URP’s market, these breweries will force me to buy their glass rather than use my own? Foolish.

As a brewer, I understand the damaging influence light, heat, and air have on beer. More importantly, I understand that growlers aren’t designed, nor are they intended, for long-term beer storage. And, finally, I acknowledge that the regulatory framework for alcohol distribution and sale is as distinct as the political subdivisions that craft the law (I’m from Montana, so we can have a separate discussion about byzantine liquor laws). It seems there is more to this story. Maybe Brewery X doesn’t want fill the competitor Y’s growler lest the uninitiated craft beer drinker mistake X’s excellent brew for that cheap swill being hawked by that dullard Y down the street.

Most beer is good. Bad beer is obvious. Where I’m from, people who enjoy craft beer do so because it’s a thing that can be shared, gifted, and celebrated as a piece of the community; regardless of the label on the growler…

Now let’s go run.

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