Join the 20 Minute Challenge on Wednesday, July 16th at any Running Room Location for 20 minutes of fun and fitness. The event starts at 6pm, I’ll be running from the Toronto Beaches location, see you there.
Archive for the ‘Running’ Category
20 Minute Challenge
Friday, June 20th, 2008I acheived my 10Km goal!
Monday, May 26th, 2008A few days ago I set the goal of running 10Km by the end of May. Sunday after my morning Learn to Run class a group of us went off to get some extra running in. This in addition to my extra runs I’ve been doing outside my clinic has pushed me over the 10Km mark.
I’ll be setting another goal in the next few days for June so I can continue improve and get ready for races starting in July-August.
My Nike + iPod Calibration Run
Saturday, May 24th, 2008Yesterday I ran with my Nike + iPod right out of the box, so I’m not sure how accurate the distance for yesterdays run really is. According to the route I traced out on Google Maps it’s pretty close.
Today is supposed to be my rest day but I decided to go out and calibrate my Nike + so I can get an accurate reading when I run Sunday morning with my Learn to Run group at the Running Room.
I did my calibration at Pantry Park, it’s a nice quiet 400m track. When you calibrate your run stats won’t be saved in your run history but they will get your sensor reading more accurately. Mine was off reading approx at 50m under my actual distance.
My runs today were:
- 400m - Calibration Walk (to warm up for my 400m calibration run). After finishing this 400m I noticed that I had set the calibration to run instead of walk, so I reset it to defaults.
- 400m - Calibration Run (the sensor reported .35km instead of the .40km). My future readings will be more accurate, and not undercut my distance.
- 400m - Calibration Walk (Had to do this again because of the wrong setting initially, but it gave me a rest before my test run.
- 400m - Test run. “Run Complete” only a few steps past the actual finish line, not bad for my first calibration.
- 400m - Test walk and cool down. This was almost dead on but again just past the actual finish line.
So after all of this my total distance was 2km, not bad for an off day.
I will run 10km by the end of May.
Friday, May 23rd, 2008I logged my first run into Nike Plus today. During my lunch break I went out to Future shop and picked up a nice 8GB iPod Nano, then rushed over to the Running Room to get the Nike + iPod kit so I can start tracking my runs. I’ve already made a resolution to run 10 km by the end of May.
You can cheer me on by clicking the link on my Goal page.
The Eleven Natural Enemies of Every Runner
Thursday, May 22nd, 2008I came across this blog post on the very funny (but true) list of a runners natural enemies. Check it out.
My personal favorite is number 9:
“9. Hot Girls
You’re at the end of a tough long run. You’re pretty much at the point of putting one foot in front of the other and hoping that it translates into forward motion, when off in the distance you see Helen of Troy in running shorts. Immediately you drop to tempo pace, your formerly ragged breathing becomes controlled and effortless. The rictus grin you’d been sporting moments earlier is now a look of bemused detachment. This running thing is just what I do for a lark between solving world hunger and summiting Kilimanjaro. As soon as she’s passed you collapse to the ground in a twitching heap, having effectively ruined your run. But it was worth it because she totally checked you out. Probably.”
Nike+ Run Tracker
Wednesday, May 21st, 2008After been playing around on the Nike+ website I have decided to get a Nike + IPod to track my running. I’ve added a widget to my blogs that will update each time I upload a new run. This should be a great motivation to keep me running so my stats don’t get to embarrassing.
To get started I’ll need to buy an IPod Nano and a Nike+ kit. I’ve found some Nano’s listed on Apples website for just over $100 (refurbished but come with a 1 year warranty) and the Nike+ kit will run me around $30.
Learn to Run Clinic
Tuesday, May 20th, 2008Today I signed up for the Running Rooms Learn to Run Clinic. I’ve always wanted to be able to run for long distances but have always given up soon after starting. Who knew that you weren’t supposed to just run like mad until you were exhausted? After reading a number of beginner running articles online I found out that I had no clue what i was doing and needed some professional help.
The group meets Wednesday nights at 6:45pm and Sunday mornings at 8:30am. I’m going to run another day or two in addition to that so I can get the most out of the clinic.
I’m so excited to get started that I’ve already started looking at races to compete in around the time the clinic ends (July 23rd). So far I’ve found two, the Nissan Toronto Ten-Miler & 5K on July 13th which has a 5K option that I hope I’ll be ready for, and the big Toronto Marathon which is on October 19th. The Toronto Marathon is over 20 weeks away, so I’ll have more time to train and try for a longer distance. These races may be a bit much for someone just starting out but I know with enough determination I’ll be able to cross the finish line.