Friday, June 28, 2013

Marketing Ploy



First it was the low fat craze, then 100 calorie packs, then more protein, then whole grain, and now energy is the new trick to market junk as health food. Most of these foods are not health foods or even healthy. Some of the bars are glorified candy bars.

The most recent product I have seen is cranenergy by Ocean Spray.  This is a product now with extra caffeine in juice.  I don’t get it.  Am I missing something?  Do we really need caffeinated juice?

What do you think?

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Walking Party

I have been taking walks during the day at my job for over 2 years now.  I always went by myself, as there was not anyone else who wanted to go out during the day.  Now I have found a reliable walking buddy. We have been heading out for close to 3 weeks now each and every day.

Just recently another colleague has joined us.  Now there are three of us who go out and enjoy the fresh air and exercise at the same time.  We all work in different departments and the conversation ranges from company related topics to health and diet.

I am hoping to expand this throughout the office.  it’s a great way to meet new coworkers and network throughout the company.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Halfway to my Year Goal

Tonight after I finished my 4 mile run, I broke 500 miles for the year.  My goal for 2013 was to run 1000 miles, so I am halfway with a little more than half the year left.  I am close to my number of days running goal as well. I am at 120.  This one may be trickier to reach.  I need to run the last 5 days of the month of June to make it to 125 before the first half of the year is up.

Now that we are ready to close out the first half of the year, how are your goals for 2013 shaping up?

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Quiet Morning Run



Saturday mornings here in Israel are very peaceful.  Being Shabbat, hardly anyone works and all the stores are closed in our city.  The only thing open is the community center and pool. I got out about 6:45.  The sun was up but not too hot.  The weather was cool.

There were hardly any cars on the road. Maybe 2 or three total that I saw.  The amazing thing about 30 minutes in when I upon the “loop” in the city, it was packed with people out for a walk.  These were all people who were looking for a workout and not just a stroll. 

I finished my 6 miles and made it back home to take the kids to the park for some fun.

Monday, June 24, 2013

Favorite Hot Weather Tip

Now that summer has  “officially” has started, I wanted to provide you with my favorite tip to keep cool when your out running.  I fill my water bottle about ¼ of the way the day before with water and then place it in the freezer.  Next, before my run the next day, I take it out and fill the rest with cold water.

This works great.  My water stays cold for at least 40-45 minutes, which is helpful. Also a side benefit, when the bottle “sweats” I am able to rub my hand across the back of my neck and face to help cool.

What is your favorite trick to stay cool in the hot weather?

Friday, June 21, 2013

Half Mile Here, Half Mile There

I have started to extend my runs in the beginning and have the option to extend them at the end as well.  I have figured out a half mile route that I run at the beginning and then start my usual route.  It is great.  I can easily add a half mile or mile to each of my runs with minimal effort. 

Do you have tricks to extend your run?

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Running Smart


Last night, I went out running and it was hot out.  We have been lucky, the past few weeks, the nights have been cool.  Usually the heat does not bother me, so I went out for my run. I wanted to run 7 miles and started to go my 7 mile route.

Then the sun started bearing down on me. It was hot.  I finished my water and looked for a water fountain.  The only one I could find was very warm.  I decided to play it safe and cut the run short. I ran 5 miles rather than 7 mile, but I am able to run another day.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Neighbors Making Healthy Changes

The other night, I was outside waiting for a ride and I passed one of my neighbors coming back from what looked like a walk.  The next time, I saw his wife from our balcony heading out for a walk with her IPOD. It was great to see these folks start to make some positive changes in their life.

They are both big people. They are at least 50=60 pounds overweight.  They eat very unhealthy, as our kids have played with their kids before and they have been invited in for snacks.  They eat lots of chips, pretzels, candy and other junk food. For meals, they eat at lot of fatty greasy foods like fried chicken.

It made me wonder, what was their trigger to start making this change?  This was the first time, I have seen either one of them exercise in the few years we have been living in the apartment building.  Did they get a poor diagnosis from the doctor?  Are they trying to finally start to be healthy?  I would like to ask them, but I do not know the correct protocol in this situation.

They see me running all the time; I will wait and see if they start to ask my some questions.  How have you handled this situation before?

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Five Fingers


Yesterday, I spoke about how runnable our city.  Our city is mapped out like a hand.  There is the palm, which has the mall, city hall, and pool.  Then each neighborhood is like a finger. They extend out anywhere from 1-3 miles around. 
I like this set up. I can run from my house and circle the mall, which is about 3 or 4 miles, depending on how I complete the circle.  This way, I can a few miles at a time without getting stuck.

Last night, I went out and went around a neighborhood in the city, I hardly ever visit. It was great I turned my 3 miles run into 5.3 miles without even feeling it.  The nice thing is psychological this works. I run the same 1.5 miles up and I run the same 1.5 miles at the end.  In between its different, but when I arrive at the ast 1.5 miles, my mind thinks we only were only doing 3 miles that night.

What tricks do you have to extend your distance?


Monday, June 17, 2013

A Runners City


I was speaking to a neighbor yesterday at the park.  She said, they have some friends who are thinking of moving to our city, but the husband is a runner and doesn’t think our city would be great for running compare to where they live now.  She spoke to the right person.  Our city is the best for running.

There are many pedestrian only paths and some bridges and tunnels to cross streets without actually crossing them.  There is not one stop light in the city.  All the intersections are traffic circles.  Thine sidewalks are wide enough for people to pass each other without feeling crowded.  There are many people who are out all throughout the day, whether walking, running or just waiting for a bus.

I told her to tell him, I run 4-6 miles a day 5 times a week and the longest I have ran was 10 miles. I also, said I have a path that will complete a 13 mile loop without crossing the same street twice. She said she would relay the message to him. Running is a terrible reason to not move to the city.

How runnable is your city?

Friday, June 14, 2013

June Swoon

After running 23 days in the previous two months and topping the 100 mile mark last month, I have slowed down a little in June.  Currently, I am up to 42 miles over 10 running days.  This is actually a good pace for the month. I should easily break 20 days and 80 miles. 

Since the days have become longer, I am getting a later start for my runs.  Its great one hand that I can go running in the daylight and on the other hand, its getting late that I still want to have an evening, so I cut the run short.  

How is your June?

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Running an Errand

Tonight, I tried something new. I ran an errand, literally. I needed to be at my volunteer job, which was across town.  I had three ways to get there. I could walk, run, or take 2 buses.  I figured if I walked, I would be just as sweaty if I ran and if took a bus, because of the schedules, I would get there around the same time. So I ran.

I loaded up a backpack with a change of clothes, some toiletries, an extra water bottle, and food and I set off. I wanted to do at least 3 miles. Since the distance to my volunteer job is 2.5 miles, I quickly did a .5 mile loop and then got on my way. 

Running with a backpack is harder than it seems.  I tightened the straps to keep it from flapping, but it was heavier than I am used to running with. All in all it seemed like a good idea, and I may continue to run errands.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Pizza Box


The other night, my wife ordered a pizza and our youngest son was mesmerized by it.  He had never seen a pizza box before.  He kept asking her to open and close the box.  He couldn’t believe how big a pizza pie was.  We have given him pizza before, but this was the first time he had ever seen the box.

We realized that we have never ordered a pizza when he has been awake.  I only wish we had his face on camera.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

A Cool Crisp Morning


Today, my work schedule changed. I was lucky to get out and go for a run around 6am rather than 6pm.  In the summertime, these days are a treat.  The sun is just coming up and the air is cool and crisp.  It’s quiet out as the kids are not on their way to school yet and slowly people are making their way to the bus stops or their cars for the commute to the city.  

The only downside is I am more on a time crunch.  Even if I am feeling good, I am not able to extend the run.  Still, it was nice to get out there and do four miles before work rather than after. Now I can come home relax and spend quality time with my wife.

Monday, June 10, 2013

Changing Your Diet

For a few of my runs last week, I wound up having difficutlity going the distance I planned to.  I was not sure what was going on. I thought I getting sick, I thought maybe I was over doing it.  I finnally put two and two together, it was my diet. 

I recently started trying to eat more iron into my diet by having a spinach salad for lunch, rather than noodles and beans.  I realized, I was not eating enough carbs. during the day to sustain my runs at night. 

Starting this past weekend, I took Friday night off and then made chocolate chip pancakes on Saturday.  Feeling well rested, I went out to try to do 5 miles. I was feeling great. I made my turn to do 7 miles and then I kept going to try to make it to 9 miles. I made up a hill that used to give me issues without any problem. I thought about going for a half marathon, but I did not want to push it. 

It was getting late, so I cut the run short and did 8 miles rather than 9.  I learned a valuable lesson though, what you eat is just as important as what you do not eat.

Friday, June 07, 2013

Snakes on the Trail


There was a news story out in our city last week that 2 meter long poisonous snakes were scene in the city.  They were spotted not too far from one of the paths I go running on.  Luckily, I have not run into any snakes yet on any of my runs.  Most of the animals I see are wild cats running around. Some nights I do see bats.

I know in certain parts of the US and world, you need to be aware of bears and mountain lions.  Have you ever encountered a wild animal on your run?  If so what did you do?

Thursday, June 06, 2013

Running Without A Watch Helpful Tip


How many of you are in such a rush in the morning to get out the door to get to work or take the kids to school, that you forget to make lunch.  Now you are stuck buying something from one of the restaurants near your place of work. 

My tip is to make your lunch the night before.  Before I clean up from dinner, I chop up all my vegetables and fruit. I put them in containers or baggies.  Then I place everything in the fridge.  The next morning, I load it up into my lunch bag with some ice packs.  I spend a total of 2 minutes preparing the lunch in the morning.

Wednesday, June 05, 2013

Walking Buddy


One of my friends at work mentioned he wanted to start going for a walk each day for about 20-30 minutes.  This is great for me as I have new job duties at work and I spend more time at my desk rather than moving around the office. 

We go around the block and see some beautiful views of the hills and mountains near our office.  We enjoy the fresh air.  Best of all, we are getting some exercise. 

Tuesday, June 04, 2013

May Stats

What a month.  This was the third month that I have reached the 100 miles mark.  I ran 100.3 miles over 23 days.  The month started off great. I ran the first 7 days and 17 out of the first 21 days. Towards the end, I took a few days off. I took 2 off when I was feeling a little sore after a hard run. 

My goals for June are 100 miles over 23 days.  My only obstacle is the heat, which I will need to overcome.  I am also hoping for at least 2 longs of at least 7 miles during the month.
How did your May turn out?

Monday, June 03, 2013

Adventure Races and Other "Fun" Runs

I do not understand the hype with these adventure style races.  You are running a short course, doing activities that can cause harm.  To make matters worse, your body is not trained for this type of exercise and can cause injuries.  

What is it with the color runs. A run where you have paint or something thrown all over you while you run. I don’t get it.
 
Has anyone ran in any of these races and what did you think of it?