Running with an iPod: yay or nay?

On the radio this morning, they were talking about the iPod and how in 2009 it was named the "Decade's Top Music Moment" and it got me thinking: How has that affected the running community?

When I was training for my first marathon, all of my long distance runs were without music. I was going to be running the event without headphones, so it made sense to prepare for race day. However, on my shorter mid-week runs, the ear buds were busy bumping The White Stripes and 30 Seconds to Mars. Since then, I have trained and ran events with a predetermined play list going through my iPod shuffle.


Time to show your age:
Who remembers running with a Walkman? Was it yellow?


Time to show your age, AGAIN:
Who remembers running with a discman? That "anti skip" button never really worked and you were left trying to hold that thing as still and flat as possible as you bounced up and down the street.

Placing safety aside, and yes, I understand that is a huge factor to take out of the equation. Has the iPod (and sister products) benefited the running community? Has it provided motivation for those less likely to run, to strap on their mp3 player and log some miles to Kid Cudi?

How has the iPod affected your running? For the better? For the worse?

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Dear 1:55

Dear 1:55

I honestly didn't think I would be writing this letter so soon. It was just a few months ago in San Jose that I met your older sister 1:59. She was incredible, but sadly, the time to move on came rather quickly and unexpected.

It came out of nowhere and I'm going to be 100% honest with you... I've been flirting with you for some time on my training runs and I keep finding myself drawn towards you.

I have a race this weekend. The Walnut Creek Half Marathon and I'm anxiously waiting for the opportunity to meet you. I'm going to do my best to make your acquaintance this Saturday. My race plan is to maintain 8.5 min miles, which would draw me towards your much younger sister 1:51, but with some pretty significant elevation changes I'm factoring in four 9+ minute miles.

I'm not going to lie to you. If I have the opportunity to trim those 9+ minute miles, or find myself flying at low 8 minute miles, I may have to introduce myself to 1:53. It's the reality of the situation and I wouldn't be true to myself if I didn't say I was intrigued by that challenge.

But 1:55, I am looking forward to looking at my garmin and seeing your beautiful face. If you wait for me at the finish line, I'll do my best to get to you as quickly as possible.

See you soon?

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A photographic run

With my this weekend's run, I decided to have some fun and photograph my journey. Sure that meant taking a 1-2 minute break mid-run to dig out my phone, snap a photo, tweet it, then resume running, but my I was willing to make that sacrifice for the sake of twitter-dom.

And I haven't run over 13.1 miles since February, so striving for 16 was going to be a journey on it's own.

I used a hash for those that wanted to follow along, #Sunday16, but I also want to share with my non-twitter readers or those that may have missed it. Here we go. Text below the photo's is what I Tweeted out with the photo.

"If I sit by his running shoes, then he has to take me, right?"

Couldn't resist the pup's face, so I took her for 3 miles, dropped her off, heading for remaining 13

I always see this hill, parallel to my normal route. Today I'll go up it.

Mailbox! How long will we still be using these? Timeless? Something to think about over the next few miles.

Where I married my wife a little over 6 years ago. Heather Farms Rose Garden, Walnut Creek.

Still Thanksgiving on my run. 11.38 miles, home stretch. Gobble Gobble.

Up the hill. Pay attention WC Half Marathoners, this is your future. It goes higher after the bend.

Sometimes you have to listen to the signs and your body. 15.5 miles and done.

There is my photo journey. I fell short, which gives a little humor to my #Sunday16 hashtag, but it was too late to change it to #Sunday15.5 — which looks funny, so forget it. Thank you to everyone that responded along the way. I definitely recommend giving this a try on your next run. Most cell phones have cameras, so it's an easy point and shoot. I found myself looking around a lot more as I ran.

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Time for a change

Over Labor Day weekend, I got to some serious thinking. 2011 has been a year of many changes:

• I'm going to become a father in the next couple of months.
• I turned 30 in May, and
• The entire year may go by WITHOUT me running a full marathon (on schedule to run 5 half marathons this year).

Seems like the perfect time to make a change before the year is over AND before my daughter arrives. I've flirted in the past with trying to accomplish P90X. Its a 90-day Xtreme workout program that doesn't mess around. That's the point. It's not a typical 20-minute workout three times a week type program, it's a kick your ass everyday for 90 straight days type of program. I've started and stopped in the past, never really diving into it too much.

I wouldn't consider myself skinny. But on the same note, I wouldn't consider myself over-weight. Sure, I could stand to loose 10-20 pounds, but I'm not out of shape, nor am I significantly in-shape. I run. I run a lot. But that doesn't mean I'm fit. I rarely cross train and my weights are great at collecting dust below my computer desk.

Time for a change.
I get inspiration and motivation from friends on Facebook and Twitter and I think: "Man, if I got a little more "fit," I might be able to become a better runner." Duh! Well, it's that time. I'm diving straight into P90X and kicking up my weekly mileage at the same time. It started on Monday.... so 90 days from now (December), I should be a lean-mean-running-fit machine.


I want my daughter to have a healthy, positive role model and who better to do that than her father. I want her to be proud of me. I want her to say "My Daddy is tough, and fast, and in-shape." Take that snot-nosed kid in the play-ground!

We'll see how it goes. I'm going to start training towards the 26.2 distance and keep my eye out for a December full (Not RNRLV, most likely local in the Bay Area). That combined with P90X should point me in the right direction towards becoming more "fit."

Change is good.

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