Getting Started with Nike+

Enjoy seeing my results... well learn to get started with this great video and think about picking up some Nike+ ready items.



Its easy!

Trying to lose some weight?

I know that I am. Runner's World has ten things to help you out with your goal. Here are four that I find particularly helpful and I will let you know how I am doing down the road.

1. To lose 10 pounds of body fat a year, you need to eat 100 calories less per day. Cutting too many calories from your daily intake will sap your energy level and increase your hunger, making you more susceptible to splurging on high-calorie foods.

2. Don't skip breakfast. Eat within two hours of waking.

3. In fact, eat more breakfast than you think you should. Trade in some of your dinner calories for more calories at breakfast.

4. Don't allow yourself to get hungry. Eat at least every four hours, and split a meal in half to make sure you properly fuel up pre- and postrun. For example, eat part of your breakfast before your morning run (a banana) and the rest of your breakfast afterward (a bagel with peanut butter).

Breakfast is a big deal. It gets your metabolism going at the beginning of the day and you keep it going by eating healthy snacks throughout the day. Follow these four and I am sure you will begin seeing results. The bottom line though is it takes work but you can do it!

Wisconsin Half-Marathon

That is the medal I received for finishing the Wisconsin Half-Marathon yesterday. The slogan of the race was "Embrace the Cheese". Fits right in with Wisconsin... I should know because I went to Carthage College right there in Kenosha.

It was an excited race with nearly 2000 participants along the lakefront in Kenosha. The course began near the museum and pushed through the path along Lake Michigan and turned around at the main entrance of Carthage. It found its way back to the old downtown area to the finish line. (Marathoners continued past the old downtown towards Pleasant Prairie and back).

While I was not that diligent on my training for the race I still managed to do a combination of run/walk to finish in three hours and three seconds according to the official time keepers.

Here is what my Nike+ had to say:



As you can see it needs to be calibrated a little bit. But you can also notice how I fared at the beginning maintaining a nice pace and then how I was up and down the rest of the way through. It was just that kind of day.

Honestly, I am surprised I was able to finish. I was lucky enough to be able to run with a friend for 12 miles of the race.

Some of the lessons that I learned from the race. That is definitely need to be more diligent on training for something along these lines. It takes practice and patience to be able to do it well. The other thing is that I will be doing another one of these. It was a great feeling to cross the finish line.

Great Running Song

One thing that I will eventually try doing is finishing a mile by the time a song ends. I think this one fits the bill clocking at 7:29. At this point that would be a feat for me because it would mean running eight mph the entire time. I will get there... just not yet.

Oasis - "Champagne Supernova"

Morning run

I got to the gym a little bit later than I wanted today... but I made it and I made it over three kilometers (walk 4, run 6, walk 4, run 6, walk 2). I ran at different speeds once again as well. After two days of it I am thinking that I like changing speeds as it helps vary the rhythm and all that.



That doesn't look too bad does it?

February Goal

I accomplished my January goal and now it is time to move onto the February goal. 79 kilometers in 28 days. Very doable!

Longest yet

Tonight I made it to the gym and had to walk four minutes, run eight, walk four and run eight ending with another four minutes of walking. I changed speeds on the treadmill between six mph and 6.8 mph.



Afterwards Lance Armstrong came on and told me this was the longest workout yet. What a great feeling!!

Great Running Song

The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - "Face Down"