Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Boston Week # 8

Half way....that's a good way to put it. Half way through this snowy winter or half way through my training. Well I managed 83 miles for the week. I did a 23 miler on Monday and 17 miler on Thursday. Training is going well. My sciatica is acting up a bit but that is to be expected with the amount of miles that I am putting in each week. I am being proactive and doing my exercises. Well enjoy the week and pray for no more snow. I have updated all the training sheets.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Saucony Men's ProGrid Ride Running Shoe

Here are the shoes that I am currently training in. I have began to work these into my training. I used these leading up to NYC and Philly and I like the way they feel. They are a good shoe. They can be found deeply discounted online.

Yaktrax Product Review


I have been asked by the makers of Yaktrax to do an official review of their product. The product I am reviwing is Yaktrax Pro. Here is a link to the product. Check it out.





In my opinion Yaktrax are great. I have run in the snow in just sneakers and I had trouble getting traction but Yaktrax solved this. They grip the road as you run and give you traction. Yaktrax allowed me to run normally but I did still use caution due to the winter conditions. I was glad I was able to use them and look forward to using them again. I recommend these to anyone who want to run in the snow or even walk they give you a nice grip.

23

23 miles in one run? Are you crazy? Yes to both questions and that was my total running miles for yesterday. I had off and I decided to a long run on a Monday since I had the time and I needed to get a long run in. So people ask how and where do you run 23 miles in one shot. Well this winter has been crappy running weather and all the places where I normally do my long runs are mostly snow covered. In addition the two guys I train with are off their normal training schedules so I left to do my long runs by myself.
How to run 23 miles. Well if the weather was nice I would venture out my house with some cash and run a far out and back but because of the roads and the weather I modified my plan. It is actually quiet simple to get a large amount of miles in and test your mentality at the same time. On my run on Sunday I calculated a 5-6 mile loop. So come Monday I decided i do this loop 4 times and that would give me 20 miles. I started out did one loop come back grab some water (i keep in the snow along with Gatorade and cliff blocks) then head back out again. Repeat this four times and there is your 20 mile. How I got to 23 is that I added on some miles at the end of my last loop. So when people ask how I run 23 miles there is my answer. I think it tests your mind more then your body especially when you see the same people clearing a driveway of snow 8 times. Happy Running.

Boston Week 7

60 miles for the week. Not a bad total. My longest run of the week was 11 miles. I did not run long this past weekend so thats why the weekly total was not higher. This has been a tough winter for training. It will probably be an extremely hot summer for running we shall see. As for this time versus last year I am on pace with the same amount of miles for my training especially for Boston.

Enjoy the week.

Kevin Smith vs Southwest

So not sure who's aware of this but Kevin Smith the director of clerks was thrown off a Southwest Flight for being too fat. Southwest has had a policy in place for over 25 years that people who are too big for one seat need to purchase two seats. This is not only for comfort but also for safety. In this instance Kevin was flying stand by and the flight was full so he only got one seat and he was too large for the seat so they asked him to please get off the plane. He immediately threw a fit and made a huge deal. I understand where he was annoyed but safety comes first when flying.
Fast forward to last night. I was watching Nightline on ABC and they do a story about this. I am not going to tell the whole story but you can watch the video and read the story here. After you read or watch the video you will see where I draw my opinions from. I am someone who believes in fitness and leading a healthy life and for people who are overweight I understand your situation but they must realize that because of their situation they may be subjected to some restrictions because of safety issues. People who are overweight cannot complain about being thrown off a plane for safety reasons and then scream that they were harassed because of their weight. They do not get a separate set of standard because of their weight. These people need to realize that all choices have consequences. I just want people to realize that organizations like The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance take things to a whole new level when they makes statements "that fat people are hear to stay." Well shall see what happens next. I doubt this is last your will hear about the organization or this incident but in my opinion I think that overweight people may need to start living a healthier life.
Please feel free to express your opinions but those who know me know how I feel about fitness and how people need to exercise.
Enjoy your week.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Snow Days

Well once again the Yaktrax came through. I was able to run twice with them this week so far. I ran yesterday and today. The snow yesterday was much heavier then what we had on sat and it was definitely harder to run since the winds are stronger. The Yaktrax did the job. I did have some trouble on this once huge hill since it was not plowed and the snow was like 8 inches deep so it made it hard to run but once a truck drove by I ran in the tire tracks and I got traction. As for today I also used my Yaktrax but it was not as snowy in some areas so I had to run on road that were clear and this is hard to do with the Yaktrax since you have metal under your shoes and you are running on a hard surface it does make your legs a bit sore. My legs are sore from the two runs I did this week since I had to work harder in the snow. My pace was not the fastest but considering the conditions I was glad I was able to run. I have read stories about people in the New England states training for Boston with crazy amounts of snow. Well I think that I will be able to say that I trained in the snowiest winter of all times 70.3 inches and I am sure there will be more to come. Well if you got snow enjoy it and be safe shoveling. I somehow have to do a long run this weekend. I may end up doing a 5 mile loop a couple times we shall see.


Tuesday, February 09, 2010

Fresh Air Fund

Here is a link that someone sent me. People are always looking for a way to spread their message. I am helping people out by doing just such. Check out the link for the fresh air fund.

Winter Olympics

Winter Olympics. Check out this link. It has all the info you need for the coverage of the 2010 winter games. GO USA.

Saturday, February 06, 2010

Boston Week #6

Another week down. Was able to get 66 miles in for the week. No real long run this week due to the snow. I was able to get a 13 and 11 mile run in. I have updated the training log. Enjoy the snow and be safe.

MilesTime



66.527:54:33





% change
Week 145.52
Week 251.544%
Week 365.111%
Week 470.62-6%
Week 574.2724%
Week 666.52-17%



Yaktrax Rock



Yaktrax are great. Well we are in the middle of a blizzard and I was able to get 6 miles in. I could have run more but I did not feel like doing a long run. I have run in the snow but these things worked great. They grip the road as you run and give you traction. I actually saw someone else running and they were shuffling their feet but with these Yaktrax I was able to run normally but still use caution due to the winter conditions. I was glad I was able to use them and look forward to using them again. I recommend these to anyone who want to run in the snow or even walk they give you a nice grip.

I will have the weekly roundup later today.

GO NOVA!!!!!!!!!!

Active trainer

Thanks again active for fixing my issue. They did a great job and it was a quick response.

Friday, February 05, 2010

Active Trainer...broken again

Well here we go again. All my data is lost. Lets see if they can fix it again.

Thursday, February 04, 2010

Snow Run? Maybe.........


We are suppose to get a nice amount of snow so I hope I get to try these bad boys out.

Monday, February 01, 2010

January 2010 wrap up

Total for the month : 281 miles running.





Compared to last year I ran about 9 more mile this year then last year. My long runs were a 15,17 and 20 miler with some long runs of 11-12 miles thrown in. I have updated the Boston Marathon Training log also make sure you check it out. No races set for Feb. I will be running a half marathon in march and then April is the Superbowl of all races "The Boston Marathon". enjoy your week.

GO NOVA !!!!

Boston Week #5

Well first 20 miler of the training season in the books. 20 miles in the cold and snow and it was rough. I have run in the cold before but Saturday was bad. I ended up running with 2 pair of tights, 2 pair of gloves, 3 shirts, 2 jackets, head cover, hat, and neck warmer, shoes, socks and shorts.



I did the 20 miler from my house so I could run two loops and be able to refuel halfway through. The first loop was not bad it was when the snow started that things became very cold. I ended up running the 20 miles in about 2.5 hours. I looked at last years training log and this is where I was for last years first 20 miler. I was sore on Sunday but that was to be expected. I know from last year that first 20 miler is always the hardest and does beat you up. I ended up with 74 miles for the week. I will post a summary about Jan 2010 in my next post.

Philly Marathon Course Change?



Last week Penn Dot announced construction on the Gustine Lake interchange. This is where route1 and Kelly drive and west river drive all meet I-76. This is a busy interchange but it is also part of the Philadelphia Marathon. If you look at the image about the bridge that connects traffic from I-76 to ridge will be demolished and I light will be put in its place. This bridge during the marathon is what carries runners into Manayunk. So I wonder how much this will affect the course during and after the construction. It will be interesting to see what occurs. I have yet to see any type of response from the marathon itself or even runners who run this race each year. I assume more talk will arise as the race gets closer and people realize there is an issue here but when talk arises remember where you heard it first.

Product Review

For most of you who read this blog I am not one to write product reviews but in this case I felt like this product was worthy of a blog posting. Some days in the winter when I run I find it begin getting dark as I am finishing up my run so it can be hard to seen. So I purchased a Nathan's Reflective running vest and I will tell you it work. I used it this past Friday and even though it was not dark when I finished it was getting closer to dusk and cars were able to see me. This vest is very reflective and allows you to be seen from a far distance away.