I haven't been doing much street running lately because I prefer to run trails. The trails at Renaissance Park here in Charlotte offer very challenging single track and I don't feel the least bit sore even after long runs. There is a very appealing sense of freedom I get when I'm running up and down dirt trails under a canopy of trees. Nevertheless, I do like to do some street runs here and there and decided to do the local Waxhaw Town and Country 5K which is this evening at 7pm.
One big motivator for me is my 8 year old son, Jack, who will be doing his first 1/2 mile fun run just before the 5K commences. He is very excited to do this run. The street training runs that I did with him this week instantly proved to me that he is serious about running. I have seen him get motivated about doing different things before but never like this! His enthusiasm is contagious and I can't wait to cheer him on tonight in his race. It makes this Dad proud!
Btw, I will be doing the 5K in my Vibram Five Fingers KSOs which will be the second 5K I have run in them. Back in November of last year, I ran the Matthews 5K in 22:52 wearing my Five Fingers for the first time. I am in much better shape than I was for that race and expect a much better result tonight. I will report back tomorrow with results and pictures!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Barefoot Running Shoes and the Barefoot Revolution!
Looks like the barefoot running movement is really picking up steam as more companies are jumping on the bandwagon with more minimalist shoes. I recently bought a pair of minimalist shoes for work called "Ramblers" from softstarshoes.com. Softstar makes a terrific line of minimalist shoes starting at infant through adult. I also like that they are handmade right here in the USA. The shoes resemble mocassins that allow your toes to move freely and are incredibly comfortable with durable flat soles.
As usual, my co-workers were quick to comment on them which was to be expected. This time they told me I bought a pair of leather slippers. They certainly are as comfortable as slippers but can pass as shoes at work and are much less conspicuous at work than my VFFs. I like how easy they are to slip on. In addition to wearing them at work, I wear them to the corner bus stop with my son every weekday morning. After I wave goodbye to the school bus, I love how they feel on my feet when I do a short sprint home. Try doing that in a pair of regular slippers - these shoes are very well made!
Softstar must have read my mind because I have been thinking that they should make model that is geared for running - and lo and behold - they have done just that! They now offer the RunAmoc line and offer two types of soles - one for trails and one for street running. I think I might sample a pair very soon as I am very satisfied with my first purchase from Softstar.
On the topic of new minimalist shoes, Vibram Five Fingers also has some new models coming out that I can't wait to sample. Okay, I know, I am getting really weird about minimalist shoes - but I can't help it! Check out the post below about what is coming up for VFFs.
barefootrunningshoes.org
As usual, my co-workers were quick to comment on them which was to be expected. This time they told me I bought a pair of leather slippers. They certainly are as comfortable as slippers but can pass as shoes at work and are much less conspicuous at work than my VFFs. I like how easy they are to slip on. In addition to wearing them at work, I wear them to the corner bus stop with my son every weekday morning. After I wave goodbye to the school bus, I love how they feel on my feet when I do a short sprint home. Try doing that in a pair of regular slippers - these shoes are very well made!
My Softstar Ramblers on my desk at work.
Softstar must have read my mind because I have been thinking that they should make model that is geared for running - and lo and behold - they have done just that! They now offer the RunAmoc line and offer two types of soles - one for trails and one for street running. I think I might sample a pair very soon as I am very satisfied with my first purchase from Softstar.
On the topic of new minimalist shoes, Vibram Five Fingers also has some new models coming out that I can't wait to sample. Okay, I know, I am getting really weird about minimalist shoes - but I can't help it! Check out the post below about what is coming up for VFFs.
barefootrunningshoes.org
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Sprint Tabata
If you read my posts you know I am a big fan of tabatas. My "triad of death" is a tough one where I have only gotten up to 22 intervals before throwing in the towel. Using a jump rope or the airdyne bike are also favorites and another one is alternating two intervals of rotating an 8 kg (18 pound) kettlebell attached to a 1.5 inch thick rope over my head coupled with two intervals of burpees for the total of 4 minutes. With all that said, I still believe the toughest tabata you can do is the most primal of them all - the sprint - Sprinting full guns for 20 seconds and resting for 10 seconds for a total of 4 minutes.
I did a 4 minute sprint tabata today as it has been awhile and boy did that burn me out - more than any tabata I could think of recently. What makes it tough is that by the time your momentum slows after the 20 seconds, 5 seconds will have elapsed from your rest interval giving you only 5 seconds to catch your breath and get ready blast into your next interval. When you tabata in place with jumping rope, for instance, you can stop on the dime after 20 seconds and have the full 10 seconds to recover - but near impossible to do that with the sprints. Forward momentum makes things tough!
Following the tabata we did the short 2.1 mile trail run. I felt great. My breathing was very relaxed on the trails after the tabata. I have been doing all my runs with the 10 pound hypervest recently so this was my first run sans vest and I felt great! I also took yesterday and Tuesday off from exercise so I felt very well rested when I ran today.
I used my Garmin 405 for the interval timing of the tabatas. I was able to set it up with no instructions and with the GPS it came up with some good stats on tabata and my short trail run. I may have mentioned in another post that the 405 is hardly accurate on the trails but as long as it is consistent in its inaccuracy I just make sure my time improves for the same distance. The weather today in Charlotte was absolutely perfect in the 60s with no humidity. You've got to love the Spring in the Carolinas!
I did a 4 minute sprint tabata today as it has been awhile and boy did that burn me out - more than any tabata I could think of recently. What makes it tough is that by the time your momentum slows after the 20 seconds, 5 seconds will have elapsed from your rest interval giving you only 5 seconds to catch your breath and get ready blast into your next interval. When you tabata in place with jumping rope, for instance, you can stop on the dime after 20 seconds and have the full 10 seconds to recover - but near impossible to do that with the sprints. Forward momentum makes things tough!
Following the tabata we did the short 2.1 mile trail run. I felt great. My breathing was very relaxed on the trails after the tabata. I have been doing all my runs with the 10 pound hypervest recently so this was my first run sans vest and I felt great! I also took yesterday and Tuesday off from exercise so I felt very well rested when I ran today.
I used my Garmin 405 for the interval timing of the tabatas. I was able to set it up with no instructions and with the GPS it came up with some good stats on tabata and my short trail run. I may have mentioned in another post that the 405 is hardly accurate on the trails but as long as it is consistent in its inaccuracy I just make sure my time improves for the same distance. The weather today in Charlotte was absolutely perfect in the 60s with no humidity. You've got to love the Spring in the Carolinas!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Another Cool Race Series - The Spartan Race
My friend Anthony seems to find all these big endurance challenges and send them to me as he knows I am a sucker for a crazy race with lots of obstacles. Looks like a growing trend to me. Perhaps the train of thought is why be in shape if you cannot test your overall level of fitness? Running is just one aspect. What about climbing, crawling, jumping, lifting, pulling and pushing in unpredictable environments?
So here is another race series called The Spartan Race - I love it! Looks like a variation on the Warrior Dash that I am doing down in Mountain City, GA the weekend of May 22nd. The nearest one to me will be in Atlanta, GA sometime in 2011. I wish one of these challenge series would come to Charlotte, NC. I am just glad these things appear to be growing in popularity so maybe one day there will be on in my hometown. In the meantime, the Marine Mud Race and local trail running series will suffice just fine.
So here is another race series called The Spartan Race - I love it! Looks like a variation on the Warrior Dash that I am doing down in Mountain City, GA the weekend of May 22nd. The nearest one to me will be in Atlanta, GA sometime in 2011. I wish one of these challenge series would come to Charlotte, NC. I am just glad these things appear to be growing in popularity so maybe one day there will be on in my hometown. In the meantime, the Marine Mud Race and local trail running series will suffice just fine.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Snake on the Trail!
During our training run at Renaissance Park today, my friend Terry and I ran into a rather long black snake. It was right smack in the middle of the trail. At first I thought it was fake. My thinking was that perhaps a mountain biker dropped it to frighten a friend - who knows??...but then I saw the little tongue and it started to slither.
Fortunately, I spotted the snake when it was well ahead of me. When I run the single-track trails I am always watching my next few steps while intermittently taking a quick scan of the trail 15-20 strides ahead of me and making mental notes of what will be in store for me. In the winter, the trails don't have much wildlife but now that Spring has sprung I often see rabbits, birds and squirrels and now I can add a snake to my list.
The snake stopped me dead in my path. Terry, who was 10-12 strides behind me, knew something was odd. I never stop unless a mountain biker is heading directly for us and there is no room to run. When he caught up he thought I wanted him to pass me and wondered if I injured myself. Then I pointed to the snake. He was impressed. We looked at it for a few seconds then it started slithering off to the left of the single track and we then proceeded with a wide right around the area where I found him. The encounter was toward the end of our run and I think I ran a bit faster after that. I am not a big fan of snakes. I was told that this type of snake is not poisonous but I don't really care. I do not want to be face to face with any snake.
I hope my next run will be more uneventful.
Fortunately, I spotted the snake when it was well ahead of me. When I run the single-track trails I am always watching my next few steps while intermittently taking a quick scan of the trail 15-20 strides ahead of me and making mental notes of what will be in store for me. In the winter, the trails don't have much wildlife but now that Spring has sprung I often see rabbits, birds and squirrels and now I can add a snake to my list.
The snake stopped me dead in my path. Terry, who was 10-12 strides behind me, knew something was odd. I never stop unless a mountain biker is heading directly for us and there is no room to run. When he caught up he thought I wanted him to pass me and wondered if I injured myself. Then I pointed to the snake. He was impressed. We looked at it for a few seconds then it started slithering off to the left of the single track and we then proceeded with a wide right around the area where I found him. The encounter was toward the end of our run and I think I ran a bit faster after that. I am not a big fan of snakes. I was told that this type of snake is not poisonous but I don't really care. I do not want to be face to face with any snake.
I hope my next run will be more uneventful.
The All Fruit No Sugar and No Water Added Smoothie
The problem I have with most smoothie shops is that their smoothies have lots of added sugar and god knows what other ingredients. Smoothie King does not mention if they use preservatives and artificial colors to their ingredients. They will show "sorbet" as an ingredient but do not break down exactly what is in their sorbet - it could be anything! Their ingredients will also list strawberries but I saw a box being delivered one morning to a local Smoothie King and the box clearly stated, "Strawberries - Sugar Added". I wish more companies would be upfront about this. They love to throw around the words "healthy" and "natural" and their products are anything but that. In addition, just about every smoothie you buy is made with lots of crushed ice so in essence you are buying a big cup of sugar water with fruit added. Could some items be loaded with High Fructose Corn Syrup - who knows? Rather than be at their mercy, I started making my own smoothies last year and the only ingredients come from fruit.
At Costco I buy the $8 bag of frozen strawberries. The ingredients on the bag says "Strawberries" and there is no sugary goo. When I reach in the bag it is a frozen strawberry i pull out - nothing more and nothing less. This bag usually lasts me about a month if I have 3 to 5 smoothies per week. They are not organic. I wish they were but you can't have everything. You can also buy organic fresh strawberries and freeze them for the same effect but that will make things more expensive.
Next, also at Costco, I buy the sliced pineapple spears. Also not organic. If I can buy organic I will but for some items it is difficult and I can't find any food prices better than Costco. The pineapple spears also cost about $9 and lasts me about two weeks. You can keep the pineapple spears in the fridge but if you are only going to have a smoothie or two a week, you can freeze them and they will last a long time. They make the smoothie come out even better when they are frozen so there is no disadvantage to freezing them.
My next ingredient is fresh squeezed orange juice. My local food store sells fresh squeezed oj. It is rather pricey and does not stay sweet for more than few days in my fridge but to me it is worth it. I lived in Florida for many years and love fresh squeezed non-pasteurized oj - juice straight from the orange. The processed cartons of orange juice don't even taste like orange juice. You can keep your Tropicana and Minute Maid - yuck! You can also make your own orange juice in a juicer if you prefer which is the healthiest alternative - but obviously more work.
I use the orange juice as my base liquid for the smoothie. I usually add enough to cover the blades at the bottom of my blender. Then I will slice up one pineapple spear and will spill in some of the pineapple juice from the bottom of the spears container for some more liquid and sweetness. I then start blending until it is a nice orange pineapple mixture. I also buy red seedless grapes from Costco which I clean thoroughly and then freeze. Every now and then I can find organic red seedless grapes for a good price and I will buy those. I will throw in 10-15 frozen grapes into the pineapple/orange mixture and then throw in the frozen strawberries one by one - until I get that icy smoothie texture. Depending on the size of your frozen strawberries it can take anywhere from 5-10 strawberries.
To top things off you can also squeeze some fresh lime into it too. The lime really gives it a great flavor but is just as tasty without the lime. The trick to this smoothie is that the frozen strawberries and grapes and optionally the pineapple (if you freeze it) will give you the nice smoothie texture. No ice is necessary. Ice only will dilute the flavor adding the need to add sweeteners. The grapes, oj, pineapple, and strawberries are sweet enough on their own and no added sweeteners are necessary - although I will tell you that some raw honey doesn't hurt if you have a real bad sweet tooth.
So to summarize:
Fresh Squeezed non-pasteurized orange juice
1+ Pineapple Spears (with a little pineapple juice)
10-15 frozen grapes
Frozen Strawberries (add one by one until desired smoothie texture)
Optional squeeze of lime
Just as an added note, this is more of a treat for me during the warmer months of the year and I usually only make these right after a good hard morning workout just before my shower and breakfast. A smoothie always tastes way better after a workout. I have learned from numerous sources that if you are going to have something high in carbohydrates, the best time to have it is within 30 to 60 minutes after a workout as your muscles are begging to have their glycogen levels replenished. After a good workout your muscles are on high alert to absorb carbohydrates. Simply put, it will help re-energize your muscles and it is less likely all those carbs will be converted to stored fat.
I hope you enjoy this smoothie idea after your next workout! Until next time!
At Costco I buy the $8 bag of frozen strawberries. The ingredients on the bag says "Strawberries" and there is no sugary goo. When I reach in the bag it is a frozen strawberry i pull out - nothing more and nothing less. This bag usually lasts me about a month if I have 3 to 5 smoothies per week. They are not organic. I wish they were but you can't have everything. You can also buy organic fresh strawberries and freeze them for the same effect but that will make things more expensive.
Next, also at Costco, I buy the sliced pineapple spears. Also not organic. If I can buy organic I will but for some items it is difficult and I can't find any food prices better than Costco. The pineapple spears also cost about $9 and lasts me about two weeks. You can keep the pineapple spears in the fridge but if you are only going to have a smoothie or two a week, you can freeze them and they will last a long time. They make the smoothie come out even better when they are frozen so there is no disadvantage to freezing them.
My next ingredient is fresh squeezed orange juice. My local food store sells fresh squeezed oj. It is rather pricey and does not stay sweet for more than few days in my fridge but to me it is worth it. I lived in Florida for many years and love fresh squeezed non-pasteurized oj - juice straight from the orange. The processed cartons of orange juice don't even taste like orange juice. You can keep your Tropicana and Minute Maid - yuck! You can also make your own orange juice in a juicer if you prefer which is the healthiest alternative - but obviously more work.
I use the orange juice as my base liquid for the smoothie. I usually add enough to cover the blades at the bottom of my blender. Then I will slice up one pineapple spear and will spill in some of the pineapple juice from the bottom of the spears container for some more liquid and sweetness. I then start blending until it is a nice orange pineapple mixture. I also buy red seedless grapes from Costco which I clean thoroughly and then freeze. Every now and then I can find organic red seedless grapes for a good price and I will buy those. I will throw in 10-15 frozen grapes into the pineapple/orange mixture and then throw in the frozen strawberries one by one - until I get that icy smoothie texture. Depending on the size of your frozen strawberries it can take anywhere from 5-10 strawberries.
To top things off you can also squeeze some fresh lime into it too. The lime really gives it a great flavor but is just as tasty without the lime. The trick to this smoothie is that the frozen strawberries and grapes and optionally the pineapple (if you freeze it) will give you the nice smoothie texture. No ice is necessary. Ice only will dilute the flavor adding the need to add sweeteners. The grapes, oj, pineapple, and strawberries are sweet enough on their own and no added sweeteners are necessary - although I will tell you that some raw honey doesn't hurt if you have a real bad sweet tooth.
So to summarize:
Fresh Squeezed non-pasteurized orange juice
1+ Pineapple Spears (with a little pineapple juice)
10-15 frozen grapes
Frozen Strawberries (add one by one until desired smoothie texture)
Optional squeeze of lime
Just as an added note, this is more of a treat for me during the warmer months of the year and I usually only make these right after a good hard morning workout just before my shower and breakfast. A smoothie always tastes way better after a workout. I have learned from numerous sources that if you are going to have something high in carbohydrates, the best time to have it is within 30 to 60 minutes after a workout as your muscles are begging to have their glycogen levels replenished. After a good workout your muscles are on high alert to absorb carbohydrates. Simply put, it will help re-energize your muscles and it is less likely all those carbs will be converted to stored fat.
I hope you enjoy this smoothie idea after your next workout! Until next time!
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
My Top 20 Workout Songs 1980s - 2000s
I prefer to exercise to music but do not like wearing headphones or earbuds. Call me old-fashioned but I prefer music coming out of speakers and filling a room. In my garage, I took old computer speakers with a subwoofer and plug my mp3 player in to wake me up for my morning workouts. I prefer hard rock music when I exercise. I exercise alone most of the time so maybe the anger in some of these tunes are like a coach or personal trainer barking at me to burn out a few more reps.
1) Ready To Go - Republica - Lyrically speaking, is there any better song to start a workout than Ready To Go? Don't even say Start Me Up.
2) Bring Me To Life - Evanescence - Again the title of song and the energy of the tune lend itself to exercise.
3) Alive - P.O.D - With the previous song bringing me to life it only makes sense that the next song is titled "Alive".
4) Boom - P.O.D - Now that I am alive and into the workout, songs with "Boom" in the title are in order.
5) Click Click Boom - Saliva - It seems like if you put "Boom" in the title you instantly have a good workout tune - at least from my point of view.
6) Song #2 - Blur - I just love this song. It is short, it rocks and you can scream WOO HOO!
7) Guerilla Radio - Rage Against The Machine - Another great hard driving song with some pissed off lyrics. Perfect for a workout.
8) Headstrong - Trapt - Another great title for a song while exercising. "Headstrong I'll take you on!" Good old testosterone driven lyrics.
9) Seven Nation Army - White Stripes - Any song with the lyrics "watch the sweat drip from every pore" should be on a exercise play list.
10) Breakout - Foo Fighters - Dave Grohl might be talking about zits here but this song rocks.
Lyrically these next three songs are kind of negative but they rock so they made the cut...
11) Knock Me Down - Red Hot Chili Peppers
12) Last Resort - Papa Roach
13) Bound For The Floor - Local H
Dipping in the 80s here for two of my all-time favorite rocks bands...
14) Welcome To The Jungle - Guns N Roses - Probably one of the greastest hard rock songs of all time.
15) Mean Street - Van Halen - Always loved the guitar lead in to this song.
16) Unchained - Van Halen - What can be better than a Van Halen twofer towards the end of a workout?
Back to the 90s to close out the list...
17) Give It Away - Red Hot Chili Peppers - I don't know why I don't get tired of this song.
18) Cherub Rock - Smashing Pumpkins
19) Unglued - Stone Temple Pilots
20) Them Bones - Alice In Chains - This song is the perfect ending thus completing my list. Usually if I make it to this song I do in fact feel like a pile of them bones - and sore muscles.
So there you have it. That's my top 20 list. Eleven from the 90s, six from the 2000s, and three from the 80s. If I take the time I am sure I can expand it to a top 50. What do you think? Think it sucks? Disagree with some songs? I welcome all comments and recommendations!
1) Ready To Go - Republica - Lyrically speaking, is there any better song to start a workout than Ready To Go? Don't even say Start Me Up.
2) Bring Me To Life - Evanescence - Again the title of song and the energy of the tune lend itself to exercise.
3) Alive - P.O.D - With the previous song bringing me to life it only makes sense that the next song is titled "Alive".
4) Boom - P.O.D - Now that I am alive and into the workout, songs with "Boom" in the title are in order.
5) Click Click Boom - Saliva - It seems like if you put "Boom" in the title you instantly have a good workout tune - at least from my point of view.
6) Song #2 - Blur - I just love this song. It is short, it rocks and you can scream WOO HOO!
7) Guerilla Radio - Rage Against The Machine - Another great hard driving song with some pissed off lyrics. Perfect for a workout.
8) Headstrong - Trapt - Another great title for a song while exercising. "Headstrong I'll take you on!" Good old testosterone driven lyrics.
9) Seven Nation Army - White Stripes - Any song with the lyrics "watch the sweat drip from every pore" should be on a exercise play list.
10) Breakout - Foo Fighters - Dave Grohl might be talking about zits here but this song rocks.
Lyrically these next three songs are kind of negative but they rock so they made the cut...
11) Knock Me Down - Red Hot Chili Peppers
12) Last Resort - Papa Roach
13) Bound For The Floor - Local H
Dipping in the 80s here for two of my all-time favorite rocks bands...
14) Welcome To The Jungle - Guns N Roses - Probably one of the greastest hard rock songs of all time.
15) Mean Street - Van Halen - Always loved the guitar lead in to this song.
16) Unchained - Van Halen - What can be better than a Van Halen twofer towards the end of a workout?
Back to the 90s to close out the list...
17) Give It Away - Red Hot Chili Peppers - I don't know why I don't get tired of this song.
18) Cherub Rock - Smashing Pumpkins
19) Unglued - Stone Temple Pilots
20) Them Bones - Alice In Chains - This song is the perfect ending thus completing my list. Usually if I make it to this song I do in fact feel like a pile of them bones - and sore muscles.
So there you have it. That's my top 20 list. Eleven from the 90s, six from the 2000s, and three from the 80s. If I take the time I am sure I can expand it to a top 50. What do you think? Think it sucks? Disagree with some songs? I welcome all comments and recommendations!
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