18 April 2011

Rules to run by

Great article on Runner's World, "A few rules to run by".  There is some great information here for all runners.  There were times I was audibly laughing out loud at some of these.  So here are some of my highlights, in no specific order:

Red lights (page 2)
For Pete's Sake, Stand Still at Red LightsSharks die when they stop moving. Runners do not. Keep this in mind next time you encounter a don't walk sign at a busy intersection. There's no need to jog in place or dance from foot to foot like you have to pee. Just chill. Wait a few moments. Note: If a nonrunner waiting with you at the crosswalk is dancing from foot to foot, he or she may indeed have to pee. Give this person wide berth.
Running rules of thumb (page 2) 
Running Rules of Thumb
1. If you see a porta potty with no line, use it. Even if you don't need to.2. If you have to ask yourself, Does this driver see me? The answer is no.3. If you have to ask yourself, Are these shorts too short? The answer is yes.4. 1 glazed doughnut = 2 miles5. You rarely regret the runs you do; you almost always regret the runs you skip.6. Not everyone who looks fast really is, and not everyone who looks slow really is.7. Nobody has ever watched Chariots of Fire from beginning to end. Not even the people who made it.8. You can never have too many safety pins on your gym bag.9. Running any given route in the rain makes you feel 50 percent more hard-core than covering the same route on a sunny day.10. If you care even a little about being called a jogger versus a runner, you're a runner.
Thank a volunteer (page 3)
Never Miss a Chance To Thank a VolunteerEven if you're running the race of your life, you can still manage a bit of eye contact and a nod as you grab a cup of water from an outstretched hand. Even if it feels like your quads are quite literally on fire, you can manage to sputter a short "thanks" to the course marshal standing in the intersection. It will make the volunteer feel good. And you, too.

Visual history of shoes infographic

Great blog post with a Visual history of shoes infographic.

Looking at the infographic brings back some memories.  You?

1946, the bunny slippers.  I don't know about the rest of you but I happen to have a pair of Mickey Mouse slippers.  Never did the bunny ones, but as the graphic says, Ralphie sported the whole suit!

How about 1989 with the Reebok pump.  Did you have a pair of pumps?  I know I did, to top it off, I'm one of those that had the bright black/red/yellow pairs :) ... oh yeah.

For those people in the IT field, you know how there are names for software that are normally given in beta or at some point?  (Mac OS X has gone through a handful of cats)  So do you think that back in 2006, Vibram named the first pair of FiveFingers "Lucy" :)

2011 Special Olympics Beaver Stadium 5k Run

My first official 5k was yesterday, 2011 Special Olympics Beaver Stadium 5k run.  I have got to say, I HAD A BLAST!  It was cold and windy but we had about 1600 runners (up from about 500+ last year).


Here are my unofficial stats:

The official times haven't been posted on the site yet so I'll have to check back and see what the damage was.


It was an interesting start to the race.  I don't remember what it's called right now but all runners were packed on the road together when we started.  Starting out was pretty slow.  Found myself weaving through people trying to find an open space.  This went on till about mile 1, which I still don't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing yet.  I found myself running faster than I wanted to at times so I could get to an open spot in the crowd.




The course overall was a nice one to run, only two hills for the whole thing.


Here are some first race observations:
  1. Pack more clothes incase you were optimistic about the weather forecast
  2. Even the runners that don't have headphones on are not looking as they cut you off
  3. Most runners with headphones had them turned down enough to hear what was going on around them
  4. Try to watch yourself as you run for open space in the crowd so you don't "over do it"
  5. Run "your" race, not the teenager that finished in 15 minutes
  6. Running hills before the race helped, at least I think so
  7. Your adrenaline can get the better of you, good and bad :)
  8. Hydrate, fuel and sleep, guess those go without saying
  9. No timer chip, it was built into the bib!
  10. Komodo Sports were awesome!
I'm sure there were other observations but those are the ones that come to mind right now.

The course took you from one end of the Penn State campus to the other and back again.  The finish line was the 50 yard line of Beaver Stadium.  


Funny thing about running and photos, you don't always get your good side :)  So a little while ago the web site Daily Mile asked for your worst race face photo.  I'm sure I'll have some nice ones to talk about for this one.  The photographer was sitting on the ground 50 yards from the finish.  I'm sure I have a distressed look on my face.  Here's a distant shot of what I can look forward to.


A little post race stretch ...


A little rest time with the goal post ...


My mom joined us in the cold ...


My picture with the State College Little Lion mascot ... (My senior year I was the mascot for State College, good times)


Me and Franco Harris ... (He was the official starter for the race)


Overall it was a great day.  Cold and windy, but a great day.

Up next, Dog Jog 5k April 30!
04 April 2011

Disney Marathon

Here's a link to the Disney Marathon.  This would be really cool to run.  I know others that have done this and it would be something to remember.  What more do you need than a post race pic with some of your favorite characters?

Fitness food faceoff

Nice comparison of fitness food with real food.

Running companion

Here's a pic of our dog Linde:


She runs every morning with one of us, or most mornings.  She's a golden retriever but from a field breed so she won't get any bigger than she is now.  This was taken on one of our trips to the barn to feed our horses.

White and crusty after a run?

So a while ago I noticed that my forehead was a little white after playing racquetball on a Saturday morning.  I didn't think much about it at the time.  Some time passed and it happened again.  So I started doing some reading and wondering if it was something to worry about or not.  

I'm not worried about it, but now I'm aware of it.  Here's an article at Runner's World that talks about salt intake.

Updates Via E-Mail

Popular