Halloween is approaching, but don't get spooked out of your fitness routine. During the off-season months you can still find many great running events, duathlons, and a new weekly ride! Also in this issue, Rogue Running Founder and former UT running star, Steve Sisson gives some great advice on hill running. Plus, in the Mechanic's Corner, you'll find out how to replace your own cleats. Still not enough to quench your multi-sport thirst? Then check out our new blog. The blog offers a daily dose of J&A with the ability for you to post your comments and opinions.

Have a happy Halloween!

Jack & Adam's Bicycles and Velossimo Racing have teamed up with Felt Bicycles to launch the new Sunday shop ride. Each Sunday we'll meet in the parking lot at 8:15AM for this intermediate level casual road ride. We'll roll out at 8:30 and return to some free breakfast tacos and coffee.

For our first one (this Sunday, October 19th at 8:30AM) Felt Bicycles will be on hand with their demo fleet for anyone to test ride. Come by and see why Team Garmin / Chipotle and some of the best triathletes in the world have made Felt their bicycle of choice.

The Bizarro Duathlon is back after a short hiatus, so get ready for a crazy fun event! What makes the Bizarro so strange? First, it is a reverse duathlon, so participants will bike, run, bike. This is a great opportunity for the strong cyclists to strut their stuff! Second, you are invited (but not required) to race in costume. Those who do will be rewarded with cool prizes! Besides, it is so close to Halloween, you might as well be prepared, right?

Now available at J&A's - the Garmin Edge 705. Part trainer, part navigator the Edge 705 pushes you to do your best, then shows you the way back. This GPS-enabled cycle computer knows no limits. Get heart rate, cadence, turn-by-turn directions, power data (from ANT-enabled third-party power meters) - the works. Even share your data with other Edge 705 buddies after your ride. All wireless with a color display, this is no ordinary cycle computer. Check it out at the shop today!

How to Approach Running Hills

In Austin, no one can escape hills. They are everywhere & they are your friends. While this may not be true every single time you meet a hill, I have found that your attitude toward it plays a significant factor in how you run hills. You need to believe that hills are there to help you, not hurt you. Easier said than done? With the approach I outline below you'll find that hills can easily become a real strength.

On a basic approach to running uphill, it is best to consider the following acronym:
REST
R = Relax
E = Effort
S = Stride
T = Take the Top

R = Relax. Take a deep breath at the bottom of a hill & tell yourself to relax. It is not recommended to charge a hill, in fact those who do so lose valuable energy that they cannot regain on the flat & downhill sections. By relaxing, you ensure that you do not lose too much energy working to get to the top. Relaxing also allows you to get your breathing in a comfortable rhythm early on, before the difficulty of the hill really affects your breathing. If the hill is steep & long then you can certainly expect to have a hard time breathing comfortably & by getting in a rhythm early, you should be able to keep even the heaviest breathing in control.

E = Effort. When you are rolling into a hill it is important that you realize that you will not be able to maintain the pace you had on the flats, so many runners will struggle through & fight a hill, trying to maintain pace, trying to maintain position. I recommend that you approach the hill based on effort. You know that it will become much harder, effort-wise, to run uphill, so you should budget for it. Listen to your heartbeat, do not allow it to redline, or get above what you can handle for 10 minutes or more. If you do, you'll be risking having a severe letdown later in your race. You need to get a good understanding of what you can handle, as opposed to your running partner or competitors, who will have a different ability to manage the hill. Base your pace upon effort.

S = Stride. In this point I will differ from many coaches & writers who discuss running uphill. I believe it is important that a runner not shorten their stride length as they approach the foot of a hill. The reason for this is that many folks will begin to shuffle, when they raise their cadence. The hill will alter your stride length anyway, by arbitrarily shortening your stride you run the risk of using too much energy spinning into the hill. I recommend that you approach the hill as you do the flats, let your body find a natural rhythm & to adjust its stride length as it need to. This fits more in line with relaxing & basing your speed on effort because it allows you to come at the hill from your own perspective, not some pre-formulated "proper" method. You will need to push off more with your calves & achilles to get the momentum necessary to continue running a rhythm up the hill. If won't be easy, but you'll be in control.

T = Take the Top. Since you've maintained control on the hill, following the advice above, you should be in the position of approaching the top of the hill having used less effort than many of those around you. The normal reaction most runners have to getting to the top of the hill is to be exhausted & slow down to get recovered. Since you've controlled your effort, you should be in the enviable position of being able to maintain your effort over the top & locking into the pace you had on the flat before the hill. This will allow you to put significant distance between yourself & those who tried to surge on the hill.

Steve Sisson is the Founder & Head Coach of Rogue Training Systems and an Assistant Track & Field coach with the University of Texas' Womens team, concentrating on the distances. Coach Sisson was a 3-time all-American in track & cross country at the University of Texas at Austin.

Are the cleats on your bike shoes getting really worn out? Here is how you can replace them yourself:

1. When replacing Look, Shimano, Campy, or Spd cleats locate the center line of the pedal cleat. Next, using a silver or black Sharpe, mark the sole of each shoe indicating the center line. (SpeedPlay users: SpeedPlay cleats make this process a little easier, Speed play have a "cleat base" and a "top cleat". The "cleat base" is visible in the center of the existing mounted "top cleat". There is a horizontal line through the cleat base, mark this position on the base of your shoe with a Sharpe. Next make a mental note of the position of "top cleat" and proceed to remove the "top cleat" and "cleat base". Proceed to step 4.)

2. Trace the entire cleat profile using a Sharpe, making sure to note the vertical center line of the cleat and to better aid you in the rotational alignment of the new cleat.

3. Remove the existing cleats and inspect the threads on the sole of the shoe for rusting or dryness. Apply a liberal amount of grease into the threads and this will prevent future potential for rusting and seizing of the bolts.

4. Finally, apply the cleat to the sole of the cycling shoe by affixing the center line of the cleat into the traced area and evenly tighten the screws. (SpeedPlay: Apply the "cleat base" by aligning the center line to the marked sole, tighten the "cleat base" screws (The screw threads should be lubricated with grease.) End by applying the "top cleat" and placing in the previously set side to side position. The screws to apply the "top cleat" contain Lock-Tight, there is no need to lube the threads.)

Happy riding!

It was an extremely difficult decision for the final month of our Photo Contest. In the end we decided on Christian Pringle as the October winner. He works for a company that specializes primarily in aerial fire fighting and disaster relief and he wore a J&A jersey on his mission in Greece. "We fly missions world wide. So I took a few photos on my mission in Greece. We were flying for the federal government there."

VOTING for the Picture of the Year will start next month! Be on the lookout because your votes will help someone win two round trip Southwest airline tickets!