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Dec 2, 2008    |      0 comments

Vibram Five Fingers

My friend IMed me the other day of something called the Vibram Five Fingers. It took the toe-socks concept to another level. I hear though, that running barefoot is more natural, and better for your feet. I’m not gonna knock this product because I’ve never tried it. It looks like it would be perfect for bouldering and climbing situations, but for long distance runs, I’m not too sure about that. I guess it all depends on what kind of foot arch you have. Again, this isn’t a recommendation or not. I’m just exploring what’s out there in the fitness world.

This is what they have on their website:
barefooting (bare•foot•n) n. 1. The exhilarating joy of going barefoot without leaving yourself exposed; 2. any activity requiring unconventional footwear offering the protection of a thin, flexible Vibram skin; 3. an intelligent way to deepen your connection with your natural surroundings.

Dec 2, 2008    |      0 comments

Running Podcasts

I get a lot of my running information from various running websites, blogs, youtube, and other fellow runners. One avenue of information that I have been neglecting are the podcasts. I just started to listen to the top ones ranked by iTunes users, and so far it’s been very useful.

My first one I subscribed to is The Runners Roundtable. It’s a live show of runners from around the world share tips and tell their stories. It sounds like a conference call with 3-4 people, so you’ll get the usual blunders and mess ups, but that’s the beauty of these podcasts. It’s very genuine.

What sparked my interest is their latest topic on social media with runners. They expanded on Twitter, Facebook, and other niche social sites. They interviewed Phil from RuncastTV, a social video site by runners for runners. He talked about how the whole idea started from Last.fm. He noticed that after a Radiohead concert, many people uploaded videos and photos from that event, so he brought that same idea to the running community. I’ve checked out and signed up for RuncastTV (it’s free!), and although the interface is quite simple, there seems to be a growing community of runners. I’m member #228. It’s a great site to see the different sights and sounds from other runners from around the world!

Check it out –The Runners Roundtable

Dec 1, 2008    |      0 comments

XTERRA Trail Runs

One thing I haven’t really tried yet is trail running. I’m not sure if the Santa Monica Mountains count, but just by watching this video gives you a sense of some of the more challenging trail runs. You’ll have loose gravel, loose branches, challenging hills, crooked descents, and more unexpected encounters. What makes it all worth it I think are the beautiful landscapes you will run through.

Someday.

Nov 30, 2008    |      0 comments

Auction Yourself Off

Here’s one great fundraiser idea – to auction yourself off. No, silly, not in that way. To the right is a screenshot of Veronica Belmont’s (host of Qore on the Sony PlayStation network and Revision 3’s hit show, Tekzilla) auction to win a 30min personal chat with her, benefiting a non-profit organization called Child’s Play. The winning bidder was $777! Other online celebrities participating in auctions are Gary Vaynerchuk, host of WineLibrary TV, and Felicia Day of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along-Blog and creator of the guild. Participating charities include Child’s Play, Washington Women’s Employment & Education (WWEE), Wine for Wheels, Animal Haven, and Mr. Holland’s Opus.

Ok, this is just one idea, and I know not all of you are huge online celebrities. My friend Vanae of vanae.com auctioned off a dinner date for her Team In Training fundraiser and I believe the winning bidder was $750! She’s still an up and coming video blogger, and look what it got her. I think it’s all a matter of how you market it, and who you market it to. Of course, you’ll have to have safety in mind especially if you accept bids from total strangers online.

There’s plenty of things you can auction off besides a date, or an online chat. You can offer services like website consultation, marketing, web design, or even babysitting. Get creative. I’ve also seen successful online (or actual) garage sale fundraisers selling old CDs, DVDs, clothes, and other items.

Nov 30, 2008    |      0 comments

100PU – Initial Test

For all posts from now on related to my Hundred Pushups training, I will add a “100PU” to the title.

Today, I started the program with their Initial Test. The site says:

To perform the test, simply execute as many good-form push ups as you can. Don’t cut corners and please don’t cheat – the last thing you want to do is end up in the wrong level of the training program! The results may be humbling, but trust me, honesty is the best policy if you want to maximize your strength gains!

My initial test = 23 push ups, which puts me at rank 3 of 7 (higher the number, the better). I’m cool with that. This rank tells me what column in the chart to follow. I will then have to do a certain number of push ups three times a week, slowly increasing for the next 6 weeks to come. I gotta start somewhere right? I can compare this to my marathon training because at first I was a little shocked I couldn’t do 3 miles in the first practice, but in due time I was able to do 26.2. So I have to be patient, and trust that this training program will help me meet my goals. Baby steps, I know.

Nov 30, 2008    |      0 comments

Pride & Power

Remember the movie, Cool Runnings, about the Jamaican track runners who decided to do a bob sled team? I previously posted about motivation, and here’s a scene from the movie where they would look themselves in the mirror and get hyped up.

Sometimes it takes just that to jump start your runs, especially at the big event. Maybe not as extreme as that, but that little voice in your head can do wonders.

Nov 29, 2008    |      0 comments

Hundred Pushups

Since I’m still on a TNT break, I’m continually exploring what else is out there. A few months ago, I came across a program called Hundred Pushups, which is a 6 week training course to get someone to do 100 consecutive pushups. Upper body marathon, maybe? I’ll give it a shot the Monday after Thanksgiving. Why Thanksgiving? I’m not going to hold back in Thanksgiving. Delicious homemade meals with family? I can’t say no! From that point, it will be about 8 weeks until the next marathon season starts, so a 6 week program would be a perfect fit for my schedule!

We’ll see how it goes – I will record my training on this blog (see? it’s much more than a running blog), and see my progress from there to see if this really works.

Want to try it too? Visit Hundred Pushups.

Nov 26, 2008    |      0 comments

Motivational Signs

What motivates you during your run?

During a big race, you’ll get a lot of spectators with many creative signs to help you through. Some will make you tear, some will make you smile. This one will make you laugh:

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