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In the fast changing world of Online Reputation Management getting a number one search ranking on Google's nothing to ignore, regardless of how long it lasts or how long it took to get there.  


Right now, as of this writing, my YouTube video on our Online Reputation Management services is ranked #1 in a search for "Online Reputation Management" on Google out of about 1.6 million results.   For more information, visit our site:  http://www.sbson.com. 

If you watch KTVU, you may remember the woman who anchored the Saturday evening news, Sara Sidner. Well, she's now on CNN and doing a fantastic job covering a dangerous story: The India Terrorist attacks. Click here to read more.

Do you remember the blog post I wrote about the plan that a San Francisco company called NextArts was forming to create a simulcast of the Obama inauguration event?  The venue NextArts secured was San Francisco City Hall Plaza and they claimed to have Senator Diane Feinstein as the honorary chair of the event.  


In that blog post, I reported that it's head, and planner, who as it turns out is named "Tony Imperial", had upset a number of people on the Obama listserv called "SF for Obama".  This is what one person wrote:

These people are rude ASSHOLES!  I called early am and then noticed that they open at 11am so I decided I'd call then.  Well, I just got a call from a guy called Tony saying my number showed up and he was calling me back.  I told him about the email and that it wasn't clear what they were hiring f or and he says "Didn't you read that you are supposed to email us your resume?" And so I answered "Yes but how am I supposed to know if this even is for me unless I know what you are hiring for?" and he says "THAT'S what you called me for???" and he HANGS UP ON ME!

Well the tips came in fast and furious, and I even got a note from Tony explaining that this blog "was hurting them" which wasn't the intent, but my objective was to show people that you have to be careful what you write on a listserv, especially when you're trying to drum-up business.  


Well, just a beat after I extended an invitation for Tony to be on my upcoming December 1st online radio show, an invitation he turned down because he's traveling, I get this email from someone who did not want to be named:

Currently, Tony Imperial of NextArts has at least one and possibly two Temporary Restraining Orders against him in the City of San Francisco for threatening people in conjunction with his 'fundraising efforts."  He has a history of run ins with with the law and with San Francisco City Hall.  He usually is very hostile if he does not get his way with donors.  He has never, to anyone's knowledge, provided a full account of how much money or goods, he has really raised....He has a violent temper...

Yikes!   I don't normally repost emails of such nature, but this person was both upset, scared, and insistent.  The writer went on to report other actions I'm not going to repost here.  The point is, Tony was really upsetting to this person in a way that I've not heard about in the years I've ran this blog.  


Now in the interest of full disclosure should Tony feel that he needs to strike back -- seldom a good thing in this case -- I have a DUI, but then so does Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach Jon Gruden (gotten when he was the Head Coach of the Oakland Raiders), and a certain state Supreme Court Justice who will not be named and of course Paris Hilton.  


But this?  Wow.  It directly impacts his fundraising efforts, and it's a good thing he's trying to do and a great idea, but given the massive negative feedback I'm getting about Tony, he should go around San Francisco and say "I'm sorry" to all the people he's pissed off or treated terribly and it's a long list.  Sad, but if Tony can just do that, he will sail into success.  I'm serious about that -- everyone has a second and third act.  


Is Diane's name still associated with that event?  Hmm....

Look out, wallets - the Zombie Runner store in Palo Alto, CA, is officially open! I stopped by the grand opening on Saturday to check out the wares, have a cup of Don Lundell's amazing coffee, and let Sophie wreak havoc on the new store.

It makes so much sense to have a trail running store. Want to see which headlight gives off the right beam? Want to try out the latest Inov-8, La Sportiva, New Balance, etc., before buying them? Want to taste the latest flavors of gel and mix before committing to a case? So much of this stuff is hands on! Plus hear you can get the sage advice of the trail running staff.

In classic Zombie form, Don and Gillian (and team!) have made their store into a great hang out. As a former theater, the space is large and inviting. There's a nice sitting area with the latest trail running magazines, a full wall of DVD's to peruse, and more. We even got a full demonstration of the new DryMax socks. The real hidden secret to the store, however, is that Don Lundell makes the best coffee/cappucino you will ever taste. He has his own posse of local, micro-batch roasters that bring him hand-selected beans (also available online) which Don whips into a masterful brew topped with a perfect rosetta. My prediction is that this secret won't be secret for long, and the long line for the coffee soon becomes an area to convert new trail runners. ;-)

We could only spend 20 minutes in the store before Sophie had a meltdown, but I still managed to drop a few bucks on stocking stuffers, supplies, and some new winter gear. I will certainly be back regularly!

- SD

San Fran mayor talks Prop 8, gubernatorial hopes

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The Bay Area median has not been so low since October 2001, when it stood at $370,000. However, the median's tumble reflects more the swing to lower-priced homes in lower-priced areas where foreclosures are commonplace, rather than an across-the-board depreciation.

read more | digg story

The Mayors of San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose got together Thursday afternoon to declare their intention to morph their collective communities into the “Electric Vehicle Capital of the US.”

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SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 20 (Reuters) - San Francisco Bay Area cities promised to build the electric car capital of the United States, announcing a plan on Thursday to work with start-up Better Place to put. Has anyone thought about the amount of batteries that would need to be disposed of? Tax payers will be left footing the bill.

read more | digg story

Many Americans have lost confidence in our government and the actions of Treasury Secretary Henry Paulsen are a key reason why. Paulsen does not understand the system of relationships between financial institutions, companies, and their employees who are losing jobs. So he does not know where to apply the bailout money. The person I recommend to replace him and to serve President Obama, is Roger W. Ferguson. Dr. Ferguson was Vice Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. During 9-11 it was he who steered the World's financial system out o collapse by working with the G-7. Ferguson was at one point mentioned to be the President of Harvard University. Currently, he is CEO of TIAA / Cref and on President-Elect Obama's Transition Team.

Last Saturday, I had the pleasure of joining 450 trail runners for the Stinson Beach 12k/20k/30k/50k in Stinson Beach, CA. This hilly course put on by Pacific Coast Trail Runs tours through some of the most beautiful and challenging trails in the Bay Area, sharing terrain with races like The Dipsea, Miwok 100k, and the Headlands 50k. The weather was a California Dream (75 degrees and cloud-free), and we would all finish with new sun-baked smile lines tattooed into our faces. In short, an epic afternoon of escape.

“Escape” was exactly what I was looking for this weekend. A temporary reprieve from the global economic crisis that has swept up my life with dizzying speed and flung it across the sky like a Class 5 tornado. Every five minutes I have another reminder of how impactful it is. Friends are losing jobs. Foreclosures abound. Parents are watching retirement savings disappear by the day. A NearbyNow dashboard is painting a retail industry meltdown like none this country has witnessed, and doing so with disturbing clarity. The only thing worse is “the model”. That damn Excel spreadsheet that tells me how bad it COULD be if the perfect storm continues to build. That model has cost me hours of sleep and has me cursing the education and curiosity that made it possible. Let me be the ostrich and bury my head for safety!

Get me away from here. Get me away from this spreadsheet, the 24-hour media, and the phone that never stops ringing to deliver tales of anguish and despair. Let me shed these rags and run. Let me be swaddled safely in the arms of Mother Nature, if only for a few hours.

As always, it begins with the ritual. Watching the sun rise as I drive up Highway 1, bags packed and ready, eager to see my “trail running family” who will think of nothing but the exhilaration that lies between now and noon. I’m only two steps out of the car before I’m deep in hugs and handshakes, catching up with friends old and new. We have no time to discuss spreadsheets or Wall Street, because we have more pressing matters like mountains to climb, creeks to cross, and pictures to take. To get through this adventure, we’re going to have to live in the moment. I hope my smiles are enough to convey how grateful I am just to be here and share it.

The weather couldn’t have been better, and we had some fast runners out to make the most of it. I was pleased to find Will Gotthardt at the starting line and ready to give his recovered quad injury a full field test. If there’s any course to do that, this is the one, with the crazy ups, downs, and uneven steps of the Dipsea and Steep Ravine trails. Course record holder Troy Howard was also here (just a month or so off of his 2nd place finish at the Los Angeles Crest 100m), as was super-Master Cliff Lentz, perennial top finisher Sean Lang, the ever-smiling Karen Hoffman, Dawn Infurna-Bean, and Jady Palko. Jady’s Mom, Barbara Ash, was also going for the 50k…how cool is that to run a 50k with your Mom? All 450 runners lined up together for the 8:30am start, and Wendell, Sarah, and Aaron Doman sent us off!


We immediately pitched up the Dipsea Trail, and I paced with Troy Howard as the 12k/20k runners took off like a herd of gazelles. We were both astonished at the warm temperature and sunny skies, sharing thoughts of how spoiled we are to have this for a casual Saturday run. A classic California Fall weekend!


As we entered the trees, Troy took off while I got a few pictures. The deep green forest dared us to suck in the rich oxygen and charge the hills with all our might. It didn’t take long to reach the Pantoll aid station (mile 4), where runners split off in all directions to complete their various loops. The volunteers did a great job with the hundreds of runners coming up the trail, but there was some confusion as spectators and new volunteers alike accidentally sent runners in the wrong direction. A few of us paused to make sure we had it right, then spoke with the people hollering out the wrong directions to get everyone on the same path. Two minutes well spent, I figured. I soon joined the other 30k/50k runners on the loop out to Muir Beach and could see them spread like ants across the hillside.



The ocean peeked over the mountain ridge, sending up butterfly kisses of cool, salty gusts. What a playground! I chased Ray Sanchez and Daniel Fabun down the snake trail to Hwy 1, and saw the front-runners on their way back. Sean Lang led the pack for the 50k, with Troy Howard, Cliff Lentz, Will Gotthardt, and Kendall Wu in hot pursuit. I think I was around 9th place or so, about four minutes behind. I slammed some flat Coke and refilled my two water bottles, and headed back out.



For about 15 minutes, there were runners everywhere on the out-and-back section along Hwy 1 giving high fives and cheering each other on. Then suddenly, I was alone with my steps heading back up the hill. Alone and together, separate and at once…this is such a cool sport! I caught up to a refueling Kendall Wu and Brett Rivers, and we tackled the long climb back to Pantoll.



A quick refill and a handful of Jelly Bellys later, we were dodging hikers on our way back down to the beach on the Matt Davies trail. I had never seen so many people on this trail, but everyone was very courteous so it was no trouble to make it down. I leaned forward into the hill, having faith my feet would find the right footing among the roots, rocks, and uneven steps. Somehow they always find the right way.

We entered the turnaround (mile 18), where hundreds of 12k/20k runners were spread out on the beach and sand enjoying the day. My stomach was acting funny and I was craving some real food, so I had some pumpkin pie and Sprite. The volunteers said I was in second place, about 10 minutes behind Troy, but that couldn’t be right. But for one fleeting moment, it felt good to imagine it was true. ;-)


I walked a section of the first hill to let my stomach settle, but it never quite did. By the time I hit the canopy, I “unlunched” on the grass. Fortunately (or unfortunately) I’ve gotten pretty good at determining the right course of action post-vomit based on how I feel in the first 60 seconds afterwards. If I feel instantly better, then it probably was too much food, something not settling right, or too much liquid volume. If I don’t feel instantly better, it tends to be dehydration, sun exposure, or a hangover (ha, ha). This time I wasn’t feeling much better, so I power-walked and tried to get my hydration back on track.

I was soon caught be Kendall Wu and Brett Peters, both of whom are training for the North Face 50 on Dec 6th. Brett was a first-time ultra runner, but his fitness level suggests he wasn’t new to endurance racing. They were both smiling away, taking turns to lead up Steep Ravine and keeping a strong pace. I did my best to keep them in sight as we approached Pantoll (mile 22) again.


Kendall led us down the yellow loop, which turned out to be much more runnable than the elevation chart suggested. He led the way with me right behind, and Brett fell back a few paces. We all power-walked the last climb, which seemed to be the toughest of the day. Our reward? Do it one more time!

Brett passed me on the second loop as I finally began to regain my senses. He was really looking good and was clearly getting his second (third?) wind. I refilled at Pantoll (mile 27) one last time, had another wedge of pumpkin pie (which stayed down nicely this time), and went chasing after Brett. When I got the clearing on the Matt Davies Trail, I could see both Kendall and Brett were well ahead of me and probably going faster. So I put on some tunes (Bob Marley Remix), smiled into the sun, and cruised in for 7th place (5:31).


Will and Sean were at the finish and caught me up. Troy Howard and Cliff Lentz had smoked the course in 4:33 and change, nearly 30 minutes better than the existing course record. Cliff won (4:31:39) with Troy right behind (4:33:42). Sean came in third (5:05), Will was forth (5:16), and Kendall Wu (5:18:55) and Brett Rivers (5:24:29) finished just ahead of me. Ilia Jimenez-Colyer won the Womens division in 5:40:53, with Rachel Rodriguez right behind her in 5:44:35 (more results here). Alexander Sebastian rocked the 30k to a new course record (2:41:35), with Holly Tate winning the Womens division (3:00:35). Ted Simpkins scored a course record in the 20k (1:38:15), with Caitlin Smith missing the Womens course record by 50 seconds on her way to a win (1:58:00). Blair Ford (1:03:02) and Jennifer Joynt (1:15:50) picked up wins in the 12k. Everyone basked in the sun, eating soup and soft serve ice cream, before heading home (or to the Sand Dollar Bar for a free beer…just show your number!). Another epic day thanks to Pacific Trail Runs and their volunteers.

I opened the sunroof and drove down Hwy 1, exhausted and renewed at the same time. My body and soul were full of mountain views, ocean expanse, friendly ferns, smiling runners and hikers, and sand- and dirt-caked sweat. Thank you, Mother Nature. I have no room left for spreadsheets this weekend.

- SD

This is my video based on an email I received from Nicole Saidi, CNN.com's Senior Assistant Producer, requesting a video on my thoughts on how iReport was used on The Situation Room's Mike Hukabee segment.  

Read this in Men's Health, December, 2008 -

"You may finally have a legitimate reason to hug a tree. A hike in the woods can boost your immunity, say Japanese researchers. They found that men who walked through a forest for a total of 6 hours over 2 days eperienced a 46% spoke in their blood levels of natural killer cells, which are part of your body's SWAT team against invading viruses. Apparently, all trees release airborne chemicals called phytoncides that not only proptest their foliage from microbes, but also help to stimulate our own immunity systems."

There is also scientific studies showing that "forest bathing" (ie, taking a walk in the forest) boosts immune systems through the reduction of stress.

So if you're looking for another excuse to do a long run, just remember it's boosting your immune system! Good stuff.

- SD

[photo courtesy of Marc Soller]

Mancing Dasar (bottom) dan mancing pinggiran Pantai

I can't say that this is the wisest group of thieves out there - attacking someone who can run fast and has almost no possesions on them? From The Herald in Port Elizabeth, South Africa:

A COMPETITOR in the Algoa Bus Bay to Bay Challenge was stabbed and robbed in full view of horrified runners and spectators in Port Elizabeth‘s notorious Victoria Drive at the weekend.

Theresa Matthysen, 41, from Despatch, was stabbed three times in the back and robbed of her shoes and watch by two men while running the last leg of the 50km relay event on Saturday.

The attack on a stretch of a Walmer road in which numerous motorists have been stoned, has shocked race organisers, who now plan to change the route of the event next year.

“There was about 8km left of the race near the Walmer Township when I saw two guys coming towards me,” said Matthysen from St George‘s Hospital yesterday. “I tried to avoid them, but the one guy just grabbed me by the neck and I felt a funny feeling on my back.

“They dragged me off to the side of the road and grabbed my takkies, and the one struggled to get my watch off, so I helped him.”

Matthysen, who had just been passed the baton, said she was about 0,7km into the last leg of the relay race when the attack took place.

“It happened so fast. I thought they just punched me on my back. I only realised I was stabbed when two guys who saw it happening came to help me,” she said.

Yikes! Read more here and here...

SD

San Francisco Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi addresses his constituents on the value of Proposition H to the residents of the city on Oct. 9, 2008.The writing is on the wall: melting polar ice caps, droughts, floods, and extreme storms. We are on a collision course with nature, unless we act quickly and decisively to change the course of history....

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San Francisco Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi addresses his constituents on the value of Proposition H to the residents of the city on Oct. 9, 2008.The writing is on the wall: melting polar ice caps, droughts, floods, and extreme storms. We are on a collision course with nature, unless we act quickly and decisively to change the course of history....

read more | digg story

California's vote last week to ban same-sex marriage will hit the state's economy by making it harder for cutting-edge industries like biotechnology to recruit top talent, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom said on Wednesday.

read more | digg story

This is a very emotional issue - lots of good info here

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Gay and lesbians plaintiffs from California’s landmark marriage case said they are disappointed yet determined following last week’s passage of Proposition 8.

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SAN FRANCISCO -- The California Supreme Court has asked state Attorney General Jerry Brown to reply by Monday to lawsuits challenging the voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage - a sign that the justices are taking the cases seriously and will not dispose of them quickly.

read more | digg story

The basic point of the article is that Chevon did not violate human rights. The basic right of protest was preserved; the problem was that Bowoto and his assembly made threats of violence.

read more | digg story

Adrienne Bailon is a Disney Cheetah Girl who claimed nude photos of her were stolen, then put on the Internet. Well, it's all a hoax set up by her friend who's a Hollywood publicist.  Watch my video to learn why.

 

If the American Auto Industry is allowed to collapse, the US will lose 7.8 million jobs, an economic impact of $349 billion and, increase an already high unemployment rate by another six percent. We can't let that happen. In this video I explain why. 

THE US Womens Team had a strong showing at the IAF 100k World Championship last Saturday in Tarquinial, Italy, on their way to a team silver medal. Kami Semick finished second overall in 7 hours 33 minutes 58 seconds, while Meghan Arbogast finished sixth in 7 hours 52 minutes and 21 seconds, and Devon Crosby-Helms finished tenth in 8:01:52.

In the men's race, first-time Team USA member Michael Wardian led American men, finishing ninth in 7:06:35. Adam Lint finished in 50th-place in 8:06:35.

RESULTS

100 km:

MEN
1) Giorgio Calcaterra ITA 6:37:41
2) Jaroslaw Janicki POL 6:40:04,
3) Miguel Angel Jiménez ESP 6:53:44
4) Anssi Raittila FIN 6:56:49
5) Christophe Buquet FRA 6:57:59
6) Marco D´Innocenti ITA 6:58:43
7) Andrea Rigo ITA 6:59:02
8) Francesco Caroni ITA 6:59:54

Teams
1) ITA 20:35:26
2) FRA 21:44:40
3) ESP 21:49:07

WOMEN

1) Tatjana Zhirkova RUS 7:23:33
2) Kami Semick USA 7:33:58
3) Monica Carlin ITA 7:35:38
4) Irina Vishnevskaja RUS 7:38:40
5) Hiroko Sho JPN 7:46:35
6) Meghan Arbogast USA 7:52:21
7) Magali Reymonenq FRA 7:55:25
8) Mai Fujisawa JPN 7:55:48,

Teams
1) RUS 22:58:49
2) USA 23:28:11
3) JPN 23:42:11

Congrats to all!

- SD

This is an e-mail from 'MancingOnline'
Message:
Teman-teman sekalian,
Sabtu dan Minggu (tgl 15 dan 16 Nopember) ini tampaknya gelombang dan ombak di hampir seluruh pantai selatan pulau jawa mulai kondusif untuk mancing... Mulai dari Ujung Kulon sampai pantai Selatan Bali dan Lombok, gelombang dan ombak tertinggi diprediksi akan kurang dari satu meter.
Seperti di tahun-tahun sebelumnya, begitu gelombang dan ombak mulai reda, maka inilah saat yang paling tepat untuk berburu big fish di Selatan Pulau Jawa, Bali dan Lombok. Klik : http://www.mancingonline.com/content/view/77/111/ untuk update terakhir dari prediksi kondisi gelombang dan ombak di Indonesia.
Salam dari kami,
Redaksi MancingOnline

I visited Tony West of Obama for America and the law firm Morrison and Forrester on Monday of this week to talk about the campaign and why it worked so well and West's future. West is well known in the San Francisco Bay Area as an excellent plaintiff's lawyer. But West is also known as a friend of President-Elect Barack Obama. West met Obama in 2004 and offered to help him should he elect to run for President. When Obama did, he called West and thus began West's role as Chair of the fundraising committee for Northern California. It also started a round of basketball between the two that's gone well enough for Obama to give West a pair of his shoes to wear for games. Since Obama's election win, West's name has been floated for Mayor of Oakland, a position in some capacity for Obama, and Alameda County District Attorney. West himself says his future may include remaining with Morrison and Forrester as a lawyer. West's wife Mia was just recently named Vice President of The Ford Foundation, the first African American do hold such a title.

Mancing Jigging

Jigging adalah teknik mancing dengan menggunakan jig. Jig adalah umpan buatan yang biasanya terbuat dari logam (biasanya timah) dan ‘dimainkan’ sehingga menyerupai ikan kecil yang kesakitan/ketakutan dan membuat ikan predator tergoda untuk menyerang. Selain itu ada juga teori yang mengatakan ikan akan tergoda untuk menyerang jig karena merasa teritorialnya diganggu.
Teknik jigging yang paling umum dilakukan adalah vertical jigging, dimana jig diturunkan sampai dasar lalu ‘dimainkan’ sambil ditarik ke permukaan. Ada juga yang disebut horizontal jigging, disini jig digunakan dengan cara menyerupai teknik casting, yaitu dilempar dan digulung.
Ada bermacam-macam cara ‘memainkan’ jig ini. ‘Yo-Yoing’ adalah salah satu teknik jigging yang sudah dikenal sejak lama. Para nelayan di Eropa sudah sejak lama mempergunakan cara yo-yoing ini dengan menggunakan jig dari timah yang menyerupai bentuk ikan yang diberi kail dan hanya mempergunakan gulungan kenur saja (hand-line) untuk memancing ikan Cod. Caranya dengan menurunkan jig sampai ke dasar, lalu menarik jig ke atas dan menurunkannya lagi ke bawah seperti main Yo-Yo, karena itu disebut dengan ‘Yo-Yoing’.

Donald Lacy is a name that came into Oakland and the nation's view after the 1997 murder of Lacy's daughter who was an innocent bystander just leaving McClymond's High School in Oakland. As part of his on-going effort to combat the problems that caused that event, Lacy started The Lovelife Foundation, which is "promoting life and saving lives through community revitalization, leadership and development." (http://lovelifefoundation.org) . I saw Lacy at the San Francisco Democratic Party event on Election Night and got his views on the Election and President-Elect Obama's victory.

Sean Sullivan's a new name and face in Oakland politics. Observers may remember Sean's run for Oakland's District Three Council Seat, where he lost to the incumbent Nancy Nadel. But Sean pressed on. He's worked at Covenant House and serves on the board of several non-profits in Oakland and the Bay Area. You can learn more at his website: http://www.seansullivan.org At the Westin on Election Night, Sean stopped to talk about the election and now President-Elect Obama and the then-progress of the No On Prop 8 campaign.

This video will be misunderstood by some just for its title. I ask you to listen to what I say. I'm am against California Proposition 8. I've made videos to show the World how stupid and hateful the people who back the initiative can be. But what does bother me is the discovery that of all groups, African Americans voted more for it than against it. Why? I think one reason is that the message those who were against Prop 8 put out was off-putting to many who are Black. While I agree that gay marriage is a civil rights issue, one can't then make the cognitive leap and say that Blacks and Gays share the same path and past. The reason is simple: if I walk down the street you already have made up your mind how you're going to adress me because of my skin color. That's not true if the person's Gay -- you can't tell by looking. The bottom line is civil rights for all -- but the message that's sent by "No on 8" seems to say that if a person's straight White and male, they're normal. No one Black wants to hear that.

Ok. Finally here are my thoughts on the election of Senator Barack Obama as President of The United States. For me it's the culmination of two years of work online as part of something called "Obama Rapid Response", where we work to counter negative information about Barack Obama. I dont know of a campaign that's had such a widespread grassroots online effort of this kind before. It worked. Barack Obama as President of the United States has effectively changed racism as we know it in America. It's made it far more the thing of people who's brain just is'nt' wired correctly. And we have seen people -- White -- elect a person who happened to be Black because he proved he was the best person for the job. Barack Obama: President of The United States.

So I've hit 300 miles in my first pair of Inov-8 X-Talon 212's, the new lightweight trail running shoe, and I'm a big fan! They are my new go-to shoe for training runs. I thought I would blog a bit about them in case you're looking for superlight trail shoes.

Of course, you do have to take my feedback into perspective since I've been an Inov-8 fan for years (and run for their team). But I also have Montrails, New Balance, Teva, Brooks, North Face, Avia, etc., and tend to try out a lot of shoes as I log the miles in different climates and terrain. In general I look for soft, lightweight shoes for short course and training runs, but run a sturdier shoe for the rocky terrain, loose rocks, or anything 50 miles or beyond.

The X-Talon 212's are easily the lightest trail running shoe I have ever tried (for those who don't know, the numbering of Inov-8 shoes is their weight in grams, so 212 is 212 grams). They are slim, low to the ground, and wrap your feet like racing flats. I have a narrow foot, so the Inov-8 line fits me pretty well (if you don't have a narrow foot, I usually suggest the RocLite 295's). What was surprising to me is that the soles are actually quite soft and flexible. I'm not sure why I thought they would be the "hard as pavement" feel of a road racing flat, but it's not the case. The feel of the sole is similar to the popular RocLite 295's, just a lower profile and stiffer upper construction to hold your foot in place. The flexibility allows your foot to feel a lot of the trail with every step, but you can still pound the downhills. The trademark sticky Inov-8 lugs are there, so you can go nuts in the dirt and grass.

Does it have enough to go 50k? Given the right runner and trail, I think it does. I know they are designed for mountain/fell running, but the soft feel gives it more distance power than say, the MudRoc 290. If the 50k race is fireroads, nice single track, and you're the kind of runner that like that barefoot feeling, there is ample padding for a fast and comfortable run. I've done a marathon in the x212's on the single track around my house and they felt great. But if the trail was more technical, jumping from rock to rock, I would probably want a stiffer sole to offer more support. You will probably see me in the RocLite 315's and RocLite 320's for those.

If you've tried the x212's, let me know what you think! The sizing seems right on - I am a size 11, and the 11 fits perfectly. Available at ZombieRunner.

- SD

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