global warming

"Global warming is a myth!!"


That was the refrain last winter from a bunch of people who swear that global warming is some sort of leftist theory. Funny that I don't hear this refrain this winter. I mean, a 56 degree day on 31 January? Those haters can keep hating it; us runners will keep loving it!


Today I did Cardio X (P90X) in the morning and went to class. Came home and did Pure Cardio (Insanity), Legs & Back and Ab Ripper X (P90X). I still don't feel great and my ear is still bugging me, but I was still able to make it through my workouts with a decent effort.


When Liz got home from work we went for a 2.75 mile run around the longer City College loop. I really hope it doesn't rain tomorrow so that I can pump out a 10+ mile run in the early afternoon. I'm looking forward to getting back to longer runs.


Tonight I made some homemade pizza with goat cheese, roasted red pepper, arugula, kalamata olives, pesto sauce, on a whole wheat dough. It was really good (I got the recipe from this past month's Runner's World, which isn't online yet). Keep running!!

sidelined

As you know, I was battling a cold this past week. Just when I thought things were on the up-and-up, I came down with an ear infection yesterday. Spent the entire day yesterday and today with a throbbing ear and an accompanying headache. I can't wait to feel well again!


Yesterday Liz and I ran the 2.1 mile City College loop, but I didn't do my P90X or Insanity workouts. I decided that I was going to push all my workouts back a day and skip my rest day on Wednesday. That means today I did my "Sunday" workout (Yoga X for P90X and Cardio Recovery for Insanity) and I will do my scheduled Monday workout tomorrow and my scheduled Tuesday workout on Wednesday. It works out well because I don't end up missing any workouts. I only switch my rest day.


Today I also ran the 2.1 mile City College loop. I'm meant to be bumping up my mileage this week, but my ear just wouldn't let me get in a longer run today. I'm going to try to do 6-ish miles tomorrow in between classes or early morning and then do a few miles with Liz when she gets home from work.


Keep running!

intense saturday

This morning my wife and I spent some time cleaning up the apartment, so I ended up doing my workouts back-to-back-to-back-to-back this afternoon. 


I started with Insanity's Cardio Power & Resistance workout. Within 10 minutes I was drenched in sweat and it got even more intense as the workout progressed. I pushed it really hard and was absolutely SPENT by the end of the workout. It was awesome.


I then immediately went on to P90X's Back and Biceps workout. P90X isn't as intense cardio-wise, so I still able to push it since it was weight training.


Ab Ripper X was next. I did 20 of all of the exercises, plus 40 Mason twists at the end. 


Just when I thought I was done I decided to lace up my shoes and go for a run. It was only a short 2.1 miler around the City College loop, but it felt good. I'm looking forward to amping up my mileage next week (30-40 miles).


How was everyone else's weekend workout?


Keep running!

plyo friday

Short and sweet tonight because I'm tired:


Caught the train to Princeton early this morning to get some work done for the DSS project.


Got home at 2:30p and busted out the P90X Plyo workout as well as the Insanity Plyo Cardio Circuit workout. I then went for a short 2.1 mile run around the City College loop.


Now that I'm feeling better I am looking forward to ramping up my mileage during the week to start building my base for my 50k in late February. I'm looking to go between 30-40 miles a week leading up to the race. I hope to get a few 15-20 milers into the mix, but we'll see how that fits into my schedule.


Keep running!

insanity + p90x = ?

Today I started the "doubles" portion of my P90X schedule. It usually includes two workouts a day (usually cardio combined with weight training and abs). Other days it's either Plyo or Kenpo. Either way, it's intense!


I also started Insanity! It's perfect timing because today until the end of P90X is 60 days and the Insanity program is 60 days as well! I'll be finishing both on 28 March.


Here was the breakdown of today's activities: 
Woke up and did Cardio X (P90X). Took a shower and went to class.
Came back from class and did the Fit Text (Insanity) and Chest, Shoulders, & Tris and Ab Ripper X (P90X). Took a shower and went to another class.
Came back and ran 2.1 miles in the rain around the City College loop.


What a great day of workouts! Tomorrow I only have 1 workout for P90X and 1 for Insanity, so it will be a lighter day.


Keep running!

sick day: take three

Well, I hope I'm finally on the upswing. I didn't feel as bad today, but I have had a raging headache all day, which isn't ideal.

I did Yoga X and ran the City College loop today. I hope I feel better soon so I can bump up my mileage. I also start P90X doubles tomorrow, so I really hope I start feeling better.

Keep running!

sick day: redux

Again, I feel like crap today. 


I had class in the morning, came home and ran the City College loop (2.1 miles), then left for my afternoon class. I just got home and absolutely cannot do P90X tonight (it's Yoga X day). Since tomorrow is "Rest/Stretch X" day on my P90X schedule, I'm doing to double up and do Yoga X tomorrow. I need the rest, especially with doubles sessions of P90X starting on Thursday.


I really hope I feel better tomorrow. Feeling sick absolutely sucks.


Keep well and keep running!

sick day

Short and sweet tonight since I feel like crap.

Ran the City College loop (2.1 miles) this morning and did Core Synergistics. Went and did laundry then did Kenpo X.

Wasn't the best effort in my workouts today, but at least I got them done. I can't wait until I'm feeling better again.

the day after

So today was a tough day. Not only was I sore from the half marathon yesterday, but I'm also sick. Not a great combo.

So after laying around takin medicine all day, I finally got out for a short 2.3 miler around City College. Now I'm back and am trying to warm up. Probably wasn't the best idea to run while I'm sick, but I have a resolution to keep!

I am, however, taking the day off my P90X. To make up for it I'm going to double up tomorrow with Kenpo (today's workout) and Core Synergistics (tomorrow's workout).

Hope everyone had a great Sunday. Keep running!!

manhattan half marathon race report

The disappointing view this morning.

As we were warned last night, snow hit NYC early this morning. We woke up to about 2 inches already on the ground. The NYRR made the decision to have the race, but to have it "unscored," which means no prize money and no club scoring (that has to do with the different running clubs, like my own Harlem Road Runner's Club, competing for points each year based on the amount of runners in each event and how they finish). They still had a bag drop and water stations throughout the run, which was appreciated.


We got down to West 63rd about 20 minutes before the race and dropped off our bag...then we were off on a snowy adventure of 2.25 laps around Central Park (starting on West 63 and finishing in front of Bethesda Fountain on the 72nd St. transverse). 


The first lap wasn't too bad. The snow was still packed pretty hard, so we didn't have to deal with slush and possible ice. We were both dressed really warm, so the coldness wasn't too much of an issue. The biggest issue was the snow constantly falling in our face and eyes.


The second lap got a little slushy towards the southwest side of the park. But by that time we were at mile 11, so we both were in good spirits since we only had 2 miles left.


We ran together the entire time and we actually RAN the entire time (except for one short bathroom break). I was really impressed with Liz. I thought for sure she would want to walk up the series of hills at the northwest of the park on the second loop, but she kept pushing it. I couldn't be more proud!


So, our first half marathon is in the books. Besides the Chicago Marathon this fall, I think I'm done with road races. Trail races are so much more fun. It was also a bummer that we didn't get a medal for this half marathon. Not to be vain or needy, but I thought it was etiquette to get a medal for anything over 10k. Oh well, at least we finished in some very unique weather conditions. Enjoy the photos and keep running!

At the start of the race!

About 3 miles into the race coming up to the Met.

About 11 miles in coming down the West Side.

Us at the finish!

half marathon eve

Not great...

Well tomorrow is the big day: Liz and I will conquer the Manhattan Half Marathon...if it doesn't get cancelled that is! Unfortunately the weather tomorrow looks grim. There is already a winter advisory in NYC, they've cancelled alternate side parking this weekend for their anticipated snow removal, and the NYRR has said that they will make the call tomorrow before 6.00a. 


I really hope they don't cancel it because I don't think they reschedule (at least they didn't reschedule the Bronx Half Marathon this past fall, which was cancelled because of the hurricane). That would be the worst!


Today Liz and I did our last training run as we did the 2 mile City College loop. It was a bit cold, but we know that is what we are going to be facing tomorrow, so it was good practice.


I did Core Synergistics for P90X today and I have found my new favorite workout! I love it: a good mix of weight training, ab work, and leg work. I think I'd do it everyday if I could!


I'll (hopefully) be back tomorrow with a race report.


Keep running!

two days away

Like the Helvetica!

Only two days until the Manhattan Half! I only did a short run today (2.1 mile City College loop) which I'll probably do again tomorrow just to stay loose. I also biked 11 miles today commuting to Columbia, going to NYRR's offices, and then back home.


Liz took the day off since she worked another overnight shift last night. The good news is that her weeks of overnight shifts are over and she has the day off tomorrow!

Look for this number mid-pack!

I'm just about to do Yoga X and then head to bed. Tomorrow is my first time doing Core Synergistics. Not sure what to expect, but I'm sure it will be a tough workout.


Picked up our race packets today. The shirts are pretty nice. I wish I'd be able to run all of the races in the Borough Half Marathon Series, but the rest of them aren't until later in the summer and fall. Oh well. At least I get to run this one!


Keep running!

three days away

I'm heading down to the offices of New York Road Runners tomorrow afternoon to pick up our race packets! I always get super excited before races and this one isn't different (although I generally get WAY more excited when I'm about to do a trail race). But I am very excited since I've never done a half marathon before, I'm doing it with Liz, and it's in Central Park. Should be a good time!


Today's weather was great so I was able to get back on the bike. I cycled for a little over 11 miles and then Liz and I ran 2.67 miles this afternoon. 


Today was a "rest" day for P90X as it was only Stretch X. Tomorrow starts my "rest" week with only Yoga, Kenpo, Core Synergistics, and Stretching. I'm already looking forward to the following week when I start the double workout schedule.


I hope the race shirts have a cool design like they did last year. I also like colored shirts as opposed to the normal white shirts most races use. Kind of a weird thing to think about, but I keep all my race shirts and love wearing them. It's definitely a little source of pride (the good kind) to have a stack of race t-shirts in my dresser.


Keep running!

new balance minimus zero

MR00 (Road)

MT00 (Trail)

When I'm not running in my Vibram FiveFingers, I like to run in my New Balance Minimus MT20s. Liz got them for me for our second anniversary in September and I love them. I returned the favor and got her a pair of the WT20s for Christmas. She's really happy with them as well.


The only problem is that they are great shoes...for trail running. Living in the city I mainly pound the pavement day after day in Central Park or Harlem. I need to find a shoe that has minimalist qualities, but a little more padding for those long runs on the unforgiving pavement. I've tried on the Nike Free, but I didn't like the feel. I know some people swear by them, but I don't think they are for me. Different strokes for different folks.


Enter the New Balance Minimus Zero. I haven't seen these in stores yet, but I can't wait until I do (especially if they hit the shelves around my birthday in March!).


Birthday Shoes has an extensive review (with lots of photos) of both the trail and road versions (in both men's and women's). 


I'm definitely going to get the road version ASAP and get the trail version once my MT20s get too worn down. I didn't like the initial Minimus road shoes because they had too much padding. I think NB learned from their first versions and made massive improvements in this update. 


What shoes do you normall wear on the trail and road?


Keep running!

four days away

What could it be?

Only four days from the Manhattan Half Marathon and I'm feeling good: my runs all feel good and even though I've been running everyday in 2012, I feel as if I'm getting stronger even with out the rest days. I also feel really good that Liz did so well during our long run yesterday. She'll definitely do well this Saturday.


Today was rainy and semi-cold in NYC so I didn't get to ride my bike to campus today for the first day of classes. Oh well. I'm looking forward to getting back on the bike tomorrow!


This afternoon I ran the 2.10 mile City College loop and did Kenpo X. I also threw an Ab Ripper X session in there because I felt like it. Tomorrow is my "rest" day with P90X anyway as the only thing I have scheduled in Stretch X.


Next week (my P90X weeks start on Thursday) is an "off" week of P90X as I'm transitioning from the first phase to the second phase. It's all about Core Synergistics, Yoga, and Kenpo X. Then I start doing doubles (Cardio in the morning, strength training in the afternoon) plus upping my mileage to get ready for the Febapple Frozen 50k. Should be a great time! 


On another note: does anyone know what Nike has up their sleeves? They are making an announcement this Thursday about a revolutionary product. At first I thought it would be the second version of their SportWatch GPS, but I don't think that is it after watching this video. Guess we'll find out soon!


Keep running!

long run

Our Long Run

I realized today that all my premonitions were correct: I out-kicked my coverage by marrying Liz. She is amazing. She worked from 10p-8a last night and came home to take a nap/sleep. When she woke up around 2.30p I thought for sure that she wouldn't want to run, especially because she is working an overnight shift again tonight from 10p-9a. The best I was hoping for was maybe a 2.5 miler around the neighborhood.


But no. She pushed through it. We didn't go a 4m or 6m...we went for a 10 miler through Harlem, down the Hudson, and around Central Park. She was amazing!


So we did our 10 miler then came home and I made Lemon Pepper Tuna steaks with green beans and then Liz took a nap before she headed off to work. Did I mention she's amazing!


Tonight for P90X I did Legs and Back and Ab Ripper X. Legs was tough tonight after running 10m, but Ab Ripper X is getting easier, which is very encouraging since I'm only 1 week away from taking my 30-day photos (my "beginning" photos make me want to vomit!).


I've added a page that lists my past races as well as my upcoming races. Just click or tap the "race history" tab above this post and it will take you there. It's more of a way for me to keep track of my past races and future races than anything else, but it may or may not be interesting to you. You decide!


Keep running!

olympic marathon trials results

Desiree, Shalane, & Kara

Abdi, Meb (blue hat), & Ryan

The results of the Olympic Marathon Trials have been posted (Men, Women). The trials determine who the 3 men and 3 women will be to represent the USA in the 2012 London Olympics. 


As I suspected, Shalane and Kara finished in the top tier (1 and 3) while Desiree came in 2nd. Deena came in 6th, which may end up getting her an alternate spot in case the top 3 can't stay healthy. I was disappointed to see that Jenn Shelton didn't run in the time trials even though she qualified. It would have been awesome to have her in the Olympics.


For the men there was also no surprises: Meb and Ryan finished 1st and 2nd while Abdi took 3rd. Josh Cox came in a disappointing 14th place, which all but guarantees that he won't be in London this summer unless there is an outbreak of injuries.


Congrats to the 2012 USA Olympic Marathoners! Looking forward to cheering you on this summer!


Keep running!

weekend update

Liz & I at Bethesda Fountain. 

Jess & I at FAO 

Well, this weekend didn't go as planned for our half marathon training. Liz wasn't feeling well yesterday so we didn't end up doing our 10 mile long run. I ended up going out for a short 2 miler around City College (as well as a 9 mile bike ride). We are going to have to do our 10 miler tomorrow, which isn't ideal since the half marathon is this upcoming Saturday, but I guess we're going to have to make it work.

This morning Liz and I went out for a short 2 miler around City College in the 16 degree weather that Sunday has brought us. Now we are heading out to brunch with my sister as it's her last day in NYC. I'll be doing Yoga X later tonight after I drop her off at LaGuardia.

I did the shoulders & arms workout yesterday as well as ab ripper X. I think shoulders & arms is my favorite weight training workout. I definitely feel sore in my biceps and triceps today. Always a good sign when you feel sore the day after a workout!

Hope all you Tebow/Broncos fans had a good night last night! Keep running!

snowy birthday

So today we are celebrating Jess's birthday! She's here for the weekend, so we are about to go meet Liz right when she gets off work and then head to Brooklyn. Tomorrow we're going to spend the day in Central Park, the Chelsea Pier, and then go out for dinner. Should be a great time!


Didn't have much time this morning since Jess and Ashley didn't end up getting home until 2.15a! So I had a late start this morning, but I was able to get in a little cycling around Harlem (running errands), plyometrics workout for P90X (and I went bonkers on it!), and a 2.1 miler around the City College loop while it was lightly snowing. First snowy-ish run of the year!


Tomorrow Liz and I have our 10 mile long run! Only 8 days until the Manhattan Half Marathon! 


Hope everyone has an awesome Friday. Don't forget to keep running!


This one's for Jess!

satisfied impatience

"There's no crying in baseball ultrarunning!"

So I'm in kind of a weird position with P90X, running, cycling, and working out in general: I'm satisfied with the effort I've been putting in thus far and am satisfied with the results, but seeing those results makes me impatient for the final results! I want to fast forward 9 weeks and see what I look like, like those before/after morph shots they do on the final episode of the Biggest Loser.


But I know that isn't going to happen. It's going to take another 9 weeks of hard work, to which I'm oddly looking forward. I guess my impatience is a by-product of the "iPhone-ization" of the world: we want everything NOW! Good things take time and hard work. Or, in the immortal words of Tom Hank's character in A League of Their Own, "Of course it's hard; if it was easy then everyone would do it."


Anyway, enough rambling. Today I did chest and back, ab ripper x, and also did core synergistics earlier in the day because I didn't get a chance to cycle (thanks a lot, rain!). I'm not supposed to do core synergistics until week 4, but I was getting antsy for another workout today.


Liz and I ran 2.7 miles around the City College loop. I'm proud of her for getting out for a run today. The cold and rainy streets of Harlem weren't exactly inviting...but we did it!


My sister Jessica is spending the weekend with one of her friends and Jessica's birthday is tomorrow! That means two things: 1) I'm going to have to squeeze running, cycling, and plyometrics into the morning so that I can show them around NYC for the rest of the day and 2) my "2 drink cheat day" is going to have to be tomorrow and not Saturday. We'll see how that goes.


Keep running!


Also, if anyone wants to buy me this documentary, that would be awesome.

olympic marathon trials

Jenn enjoying a beer.

On the subway today I was listening to the Ultrarunner Podcast. The episode to which I was listening featured an interview with Jenn Shelton. Jenn is probably best known for her role in Born to Run (which is an absolutely fantastic book and is responsible for getting me into ultramarathons), but she is also the record holder at the Rocky Raccoon 100 with an unbelievable time of 14:57 (that's under 9:00/mile for 100 miles!! She was 3rd overall and finished 3.5 hours before the 2nd place female!!). She also has great taste in beer and participates in the Beer Mile, which sounds awesome.


Anyway, enough about Jenn...don't want to make Liz jealous. The point is that I found out she is running this weekend at the Olympic Trials for the Marathon. I checked out the field for the trials and it's obviously amazing. I'm pulling for Jenn and Josh Cox to make it since they are the two ultrarunners I know who will be at the trials (Josh is the US record holder for the 50k).


I think Ryan Hall and Meb are shoe-ins for the men. For the women I think Shalane and Kara are shoe-ins, and I'm hoping Lauren Fleshman can make it as well. I'm not sure how Deena is doing this year, but I would like to see her get in as well so that she could redeem her DNF from Beijing in '08.


Looking forward to finding out this Saturday. Keep running!

rest day

Today is what I consider to be my rest day. For P90X I do the stretch workout, which is more relaxing than anything else. I also took a break from biking to give my quads a rest (and my butt). Liz took a rest day from running because her achilles is pretty tight from all the running, so I went out for a short 2.5 miler around City College. 


All in all a pretty relaxing day.


Today marks the end of week 2 of doing P90X. When I started I was at 196lbs. and am now down to 185lbs. That's 11lbs. lost in two weeks. More than that, I'm starting to see some results of the workouts in my shoulders, pecs, triceps, biceps, and especially my stomach, which is getting tighter (thank the good Lord).


Tomorrow will start week 3, which is the last week of this particular workout cycle. I then have sort of an off week during week 4 as I won't be doing any strength training. Then weeks 5-7 I'll be doing doubles, which is usually one cardio-type workout and one strength training workout a day. That will be tough, but I'm sure it will be worth it. I'm a believer at this point!


How's everyone else doing with their workouts this year? Hope it's going well! Keep running!

temptation resisted!

The taps at the Ginger Man

Before I get to my temptation, I'll summarize the day really quickly: 7.5 miles cycling (I stopped keeping track of my 1.2 mile ride home because it's more of a cool-down than a proper ride); 4 mile run with Liz; Kenpo workout for P90X. All felt great and I found Kenpo to be more fun this time around since I kind of knew what was coming.


After Liz and I ran, we went down to Midtown to meet my sister Jessica who is in town for the week for work. We went to one of my favorite bars in the city: The Ginger Man. They are known for their enormous beer selection. I took a quick look at the draft list and had to put it away...then I picked it up again. The Corsendonk Christmas was calling my name. It promised me a wonderful Belgium flavor mixed with nutmeg and cinnamony deliciousness. 


But I didn't cave in. I sat there with my club soda with lime and held strong. It was hard, but I did it (that's what she said!). Probably not a huge milestone worth blogging about, but I did it anyway.


Nice weather again tomorrow, so I'm looking forward to some more good workouts. Keep running!

eventful monday

This is my crack.

Normally Mondays are sluggish. Everyone hates going back to work or back to class after the weekend. Well, not to rub it in or anything, I have another week before classes start, so Mondays are just one more day to do multiple workouts before the semester begins!


Today I cycled 10 miles through Harlem, did the Central Park loop with a little added, and then went to Trader Joe's to do some shopping. One thing about living in the city: unless you are taking a cab ($$$) or you are crazy enough to drive, you can't buy too much at a grocery store at once. Usually I go for two re-usable-bags-full because I take the subway. Today I had to get even less as I had to fit it all in my backpack in order to ride home. One thing I will never leave Trader Joe's without is their Sparkling Water. I'm absolutely addicted to it, especially the Orange. It's zero calories and has all natural flavor. Delicious!


Anyway, Liz and I ran 4 miles tonight. We are working up to our 10 mile long run this weekend, which will be one week before the race. Liz is killing it! I don't know how she leaves for work everyday at 6.30a, works on her feet all day, and then gets back in the dark at 5.30p and still has the determination to head out into the dark, cold streets of Harlem and put in 4 miles. She's amazing.


I also did P90X tonight. It was a tough night after cycling 10 miles and running 4 miles because it was the Legs & Back workout. My legs are spent! I was proud of myself during Ab Ripper X though. I did 20 reps of each exercise, except the final exercise where I did 40 reps. It's encouraging to hit these little milestones.


Can't wait to get at it again tomorrow! Keep running!

resolution revised

Last night Liz and I went to Harlem's own Dinosaur BBQ to celebrate our 7 mile run in Central Park. As I finished my first Club Soda with Lime and watched my wife partake in a delicious IPA, I started to think my resolution of not having any beer until I'm down to 165lbs was stupid. I work out multiple times everyday, shouldn't I enjoy a well deserved reward?


So, I decided that I can have two beers on the weekend as long as I continue to (a) do P90X everyday and (b) run everyday. I didn't want to simply "break" my resolution and start having a drink whenever I wanted, so I decided to slightly revise my resolution. It works for me.


Today was a light day for me (Sunday is our rest day for half-marathon training, so Liz took the day off): I ran 2 miles (which is my minimum distance for my resolution to run everyday) and did P90X Yoga. I did much better on Yoga this time around, which was encouraging. Once my stomach gets more toned I will be able to do more of the moves easier. I'm looking forward to that. 


The weather looks good early in the week (mid 40s to 50s) except for Thursday (rain), so I'm looking forward to another great week of workouts!


Keep running! 

global warming?

Central Park today photographed by Liz

Liz and I went for an absolutely beautiful 7 mile run in Central Park today. It was 57 degrees and sunny; perfect running weather! We started on the Upper West Side at 96th Street, did the Central Park loop (6.3 miles) and then ran down to 72 Street to finish the run. It was great! The Manhattan Half Marathon is two weeks from today and I feel good about our training. We have one more long run next Saturday (10 miles) and then we taper down a bit.


Yesterday we went for a 3.11 mile run around Harlem (our normal City College loop, plus an extra bit) and I biked 7.5 miles. I took a break from the bike today because the 7 miler got me a bit tired and my butt is hurting from the bike seat. Definitely have to look into getting a pair of bike shorts...or get a sweet banana seat. Either one will work!


I did head to the Columbia gym yesterday morning to swim and found out that the pool is only open from 12p-2p and then later in the afternoon for the entire semester. Not ideal. I'll have to figure out a way to fit a swim into my schedule.


Yesterday I did Plyometrics and it KILLED my quads after biking, but it oddly felt good. Today I did the Shoulders and Arms workout along with Ab Ripper X. I feel like I'm just getting into the groove with P90X. Slowly some results are starting to show, which encourages me to keep at it.


Hope everyone has a great weekend! Keep running!

new bike!

So today I got my new (to me!) bike. I found it on Craigslist and was super excited. Some dude bought it for $1100 back in '08, did one triathlon on it, and left it in storage until he moved this past January. He just wanted to get rid of it, so I got it for $250! I can't believe it! I took it for a 9 mile ride through Harlem and the Central Park loop and loved it! I'm looking forward to another great ride tomorrow.


Liz and I ran a cold 4 miles through Harlem to the Hudson tonight. We have a 3 miler coming up tomorrow and then a 7 miler in the Park on Saturday. Liz is doing great! I'm so proud of her.


Today was the first repeat for P90X as I did Chest & Back and Ab Ripper X. I felt better, especially because I remembered what was coming. I'm definitely coming along on the ab workouts. I'm not quite to 25 reps for each exercise, but hopefully I will be by next week.


I'm also going to start swimming (to both lose weight and prepare for triathlon season). I'm planning on hitting up the Columbia pool tomorrow. I'll let you know how that goes.


Keep running!

here i go again on my own...

Sweet 80's hair by White Snake.

"...going down the only road I've ever known..." That was the song going through my head tonight as I went for a short 2.10 mile run around Harlem. Liz got home late from work and didn't feel up for going for a run tonight. It was 20 degrees out and she did have a long day, so I don't blame her. Plus she said she will definitely run the full milage for our training plan for the rest of the week (4 miles, 3 miles, and 7 miles over the next three days).


As for P90X, today was an easy day. I decided to do the Stretch X workout instead of taking a rest day. Tomorrow I'll be back to the beginning of the weekly program with Chest & Back and Ab Ripper X. So far I've lost 7 lb. (down to 189 lb.  from 196 lb.), which isn't bad for the first week. Hopefully I can top that next week!


Keep running!

nike+ sportwatch gps review

Default Clock Mode

This past April I was lucky enough to be one of the first people to get a Nike+ SportWatch GPS. They had underestimated the demand for such a product, so the watches were tough to get for the first couple of months on the market. Now they are readily available online or at your local running store.


Before getting the Nike+ SportWatch GPS I was using either RunKeeper or the Nike+ GPS App for my iPhone. These provided good statistics of my runs (mile by mile pace, elevation, GPS maps, average pace, etc.), but because they were running from my iPhone, the battery life was very short (you could probably do a 50k using the iPhone apps, but you better be running fast!). Another negative part of having to use my iPhone was that I couldn't use the GPS apps when it was raining since any water damage ruins the iPhone and voids the Apple warranty. One more negative, at least for me, is that I don't listen to music while I run so that was less motivation to strap an iPhone on my arm in order to head out for a run (another negative: having to buy an iPhone armband).


So, needless to say, when the Nike+ SportWatch GPS was announced, I was very excited. When it was announced that it was only going to be $199, I was even more excited. The only other watch I had considered was the Garmin Forerunner series which runs $399 for an entry model. I must admit, however, that the Garmin Forerunner 610 with the touch screen looks pretty sweet. Looks aside, however, I think the Nike+ SportWatch GPS beats it out on a number of levels (keep reading to find out!)

short, cold run

At least I'm not running in this (again)!

It was absolutely freezing in NYC today and the wind didn't make it any better. Needless to say, Liz and I were pretty bundled up when we went out for our short run today. We did 2.01 miles around City College in Harlem. I like that route because you get a good view of Harlem at the top of St. Nicholas Park...although the steep climb up there isn't that fun.


Apparently tomorrow is going to be a cold one as well. I guess I shouldn't complain since we've had such mild weather so far this winter...but I'll complain if I want because it's my blog!


For P90X today I did Kenpo. It made me realize something about myself: I punch and kick like a girl. And that's not being misogynist as if I'm saying "Women are weak and can't punch and kick well." What I'm saying is that if you got a 4 year old girl and asked her to punch and kick, it would look exactly like I did in my living room today. And to add insult to injury, we don't have window shades in our living room so our neighbors across the street had a front row to my femininity. Brilliant.


Tomorrow I'm going to post a review of the Nike+ SportWatch GPS as well as continue to update our workouts.


Keep running! 

favorite running links

Jenn Shelton pacing Anton Krupicka

Since I have a bit of down time this morning, I thought I'd post some of my favorite running links. I'll also add these to the sidebar of this blog so that you can access them easily later.
If you have any other links that you think I would enjoy, feel free to pass them along!
General
Runner's World - an obvious stop for all runners. Their forums are also very active and helpful for training tips, gear suggestions, race info, etc. I usually tend towards the ultrarunning, trail running, and barefoot/minimalist forums. 
Trail Running - a great stop for those who, like me, prefer to do it in the woods. It's also a good stop if you like to run in the woods.

cold and windy run

Today Liz took a little bit to get motivated to run, but the good news is that she not only decided to run, but was also happy about getting out to run once we were about a mile in! We ran 3.81 miles down to Trader Joe's because we had to do some shopping. It was a pretty cold and windy run, but we both felt good. It was the best pace we've had yet!


I did the Legs & Back workout as well as Ab Ripper X. Since I run so much I've never worked out my legs, so today was something new. I'm also getting more reps in during Ab Ripper X, which is encouraging!


When I have some time this week I'm going to spruce up this blog a bit. Right now I'm just getting back into writing everyday and am disciplining myself to update the blog daily so that Liz and I stay on track with our half-marathon training and I stay on track with P90X. So...it's a bit boring right now. Hopefully it won't stay that way.


Keep running! 

happy new year!

Most Awkward Couple Ever

New Year's Eve we were supposed to do our first "long" run for our half marathon training, but we decided to make it a rest day since Liz's calves were very tight from adjusting to the minimalist shoes. So we ended up doing 5.11 miles in Central Park this morning. It was an absolutely gorgeous day in NYC: not a cloud in the sky and temperatures in the mid 50s. Perfect running weather!

As for P90X, I did Shoulders & Arms with Ab Ripper X on Saturday and I did Yoga X today. I didn't realize how intense Yoga X would be! I'm looking forward to being able to do more of the moves consistently when I lose some weight and gain some flexibility.

Tomorrow Liz is off work so we are going to hit Central Park again for 4 miles. Looking forward to it!

Keep running!