Monday, October 29, 2012

KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN

         This will be sort of short but hopefully it hits home with you too. I just moved into my new home 3 months ago away from the city and away from the "young" crowd. Which is not out of the ordinary for me b/c I have been called an "Old Sole" multiple times. Any-who, since my parents divorce finalized this year I have kind of shut out most in my life including God. Luckily, the house has been keeping my mind off of the personal problems so it has not been that bad. Here is where I hope you can relate. Have you ever felt like God put someone in your life for a reason. Most are going to revert back to their significant other, but for m.- Its a 70yr old lady who is the owner of a 100 acre farm on my street (My street name is named after her and her husbands).
         I met her b/c my dog got loose and ferociously  ran at her. I thought "OH Sh*t" but sure enough she just laughed as my 70lbs lab charged at her. Sox ended up loving her. So as we are talking I am immediately realizing this lady knows alot more about life than I do and trying to take it all in.  As I am leaving, she randomly asked me if I am religious. I said, "I went to a Catholic school from 5yrs old to Senior year of college", some how she realized I still didnt answer the question. So, she told me to come to their church(not Catholic) on Sunday (this church is 5 houses down from my house- everything is walking distance where i live).
        That was it, just an invite to go to church. I went home, and thought about it and realized this was a sign from God. (I didnt want to be the guy in the saying "a man is drowning in the water- another man comes w/ a boat and says get in- the drowning man says No, God will save me- then 2 other men come at different times to help only to here the same answer. Once the man drowns, he asks God- why didnt you save me and God says "I tried saving you 3 times!") . Ya, i dont want to be that drowning man. So I went to church and was welcomed by all since they of course knew I was the new guy. This is definitely a step in the right direction I believe and I owe to my Farm neighbor who happend to invite me over for Thanksgiving b/c once again i think she sensed something and saw that I would be celebrating the holiday w/o family. The point of all this gibberish :) is that there are people or there will be someone in our/your lives that have changed us for the better. Send them a thank you note or tell them in person for helping you out or saving you. Happy Monday!

 Mr and Mrs. Smith's Farm (aka My Dog's Playground)

Friday, October 26, 2012

COFFEE FOR RUNNERS?!?

It was not until my senior year of college that I tried coffee and got addicted to it. Of course I was mad b/c it could have come in handy the 3 years prior with school and our Cross Country Races & Early practices. However, Im glad I discovered a taste when I did b/c now, during triathlon training I believe it helps me before a workout. Of course I asked the tweeps last Friday "Do you drink coffee before a workout (gym,swim,run,bike)?" and below is what they said:

"Its a must! At least one cup regardless before running, racing, training.. all of it!" - @anjiwithaJ

"When I run out of pre-workout powder I wolud resort to coffee. 2 cups 30 minutes before" -@M_A_Y_Forever

"Drinking coffee right now! Workout in 2 hours, and one after! Love it!" - @RyanCaswell

"I only drink coffee about once a week(it's not my thing), and never before a workout" - @runbangrun

"I drink coffee after a workout, never before. Race day I have 1/2 cup as soon as I wake up to get things moving but no more" - @triathlonmami

"Im going on a 10miler right now and I've had 2 cups already!" - @runfarprosper

"Yes! Brewing some espresso right now! Would have thought crazy before, but have to have before races too!" - @parkcityrob

"I almost always drink one coffee w/ cream before a morning run/bike/swim to clear the fog" -@smroberts97

"I am in for a good 2-3 cups. Lots of benefits of caffiene and racing" - @KimBramblett

"I've never had a cup of coffee. Crazy?!?" - @K17SPORT - and yes, thats crazy!



For me, I drink coffee before my weekend workouts which are normally long and less intensity. During the week, I have it afterwards. But out of the 3, it affects me the least with Swimming and the most with biking (once you break the seal on a bike ride your in trouble)
Anywho, thought this would help any of those who questioned whether or not a cup of coffee was bad for you before a workout. Personally, i think its good and it looks like others would agree :) .Happy Friday!

Friday, October 19, 2012

RUNNING SHOES -DID YOU KNOW??

Once again. Twitter answered! My question last Friday was :
What shoe is your favorite? (The one u go to evrytime when its time for a new shoe)-I said how I love the Asics DS Trainers. Other peoples favorites are below.


Nike Pegasus
Brooks Adrenaline (by far the favorite)
Brooks Glycerin
New Balance MT10s
New Balance MT110s
Asics DS Trainer
Asics 2160
Newton Gravitys
Hoka One Ones
Scott Mks

Being a college cross country runner and working at a running shoe store during college, this topic is one of my favorites. Things to know about shoes:

The grey area on the inside sole of a shoe is the stability portion. No grey area means the shoe is a neutral shoe. People who need neutral shoes are the ones that dont pronate. Pronate is basically when your knee is not in a straight line with your achilles at the center of impact. A little grey area is for people who pronate but suits the lighter or midfoot runners. A shoe with the inner sole filled mostly with grey is for people who pronate pretty bad (almost beau-legged) or has a bigger frame. The Brooks Adrenaline is a great example of this type of shoe. Below are pictures of a neutral shoe and a mild stability shoe (see the grey part)



Asics and Brooks has gel in their sole to absorb impact. Saucony has all foam making it the softest , really good for knee issues, but also last the shortest (normally 350-400miles only)


Those are just a couple of tips for you when you go shoe shopping next time.


Shout out to the tweeps who shared their thoughts on twitter:

@gosharpshooter
@runbangrun
@LShane262
@triguybrian
@RyanCaswell
@phtellier2
@twofastwheels
@RunnerGirlJaime
@mis_spoke
@RunnerDave20194
@billdowis

Enjoy your Workout!


Greg

Friday, October 12, 2012

NUTRITION ON THE RUN

So on Twitter last Friday I asked everyone - What is your favorite Gel to have during a long Run, Bike, or even a swim?? I then let people know which one I prefer.
 I hope this helps you if you are on the fence or still dont know which gel is best for you. Side note- there is a pic below of what a Gel looks like for those who dont know what it is -but it basically is a quick 90-100 calorie "meal" on the go that a body might need to prevent the "wall" from happening during a workout.

Cliff Gels 
Razz Tazz
Mocha
Vanilla
Chocolate

Gu Roctane Gels
Pineapple
Blueberry Pomegranate
Blackberry Jet
Orange
Peanut Butter

Hammer Gels
Montana Huckleberry
Apple Cinnamon

E-Gel
Mountain Blast

Infinit Gel
Napalm

PowerBar Gels
Green Apple

A couple people liked Clif Shot Bloks which are definitely a good substitute with gels, but my personal preference is to have those on the bike and during a swim workout. Not during a run.

I hope this helps. If you have a twitter account- the answers above were from people on twitter who will FOLLOW YOU BACK so FOLLOW THEM! :)

They are:
@marathonmel78
@krissymmurphy
@runbangrun
@K17SPORT
@runreadrant
@roxannestiles
@AaHSteph
@tflats99
@KathleenCasto
@phtellier2
@abtriboy

Carpe Diem!