Archives for May, 2009

Benefits of Running in the Rain

Posted on May 30, 2009 under Random | 11 Comments

 

Running in the Rain

Running in the Rain

I just got back from a run this morning and I’m hoping this will be my first post right after a run. I’ve always been a fan of running in the rain and feel that there are many positive benefits for many reasons. Now don’t get me wrong, it is never safe to be running in the rain when it is pouring outside. Even though today was just drizzling, my New Balance 768’s weren’t gripping to the road as well as I would have wanted them to. In fact, there were sharp turns on the road where I felt like I was going to slip a little. So you definitely need running shoes that will be able to grip the slippery roads. And you need to know when it is raining too hard to run because running with soaked clothes and shoes is just like running with added weights. But other than that, I think that the benefits of running in the run outweigh the disadvantages.

Read the rest of this entry »

Timex Ironman Road Trainer Heart Rate Monitor Watch Review

Posted on May 30, 2009 under Reviews | 7 Comments

I was sent a heart rate monitor watch to review from Timex, called the Ironman Road Trainer. It was pretty exciting to get since I didn’t know when it was going to arrive, if at all and when did get something in the mail, I actually thought it was another package that I ordered. The only reason why I realized that it wasn’t something I ordered was because it was sent via overnight shipping, and I never order anything overnight shipping. So I got the watch while at work and really wanted to start using it right away, but decided to wait to enjoy it from the comfort of my own home. When I finally started using it, it actually didn’t take that long to set up and worked right away.

Timex Ironman Road Trainer Heart Rate Monitor Watch

Timex Ironman Road Trainer Heart Rate Monitor Watch

Read the rest of this entry »

Race Report: UCSD Grove Run 5K

Posted on May 27, 2009 under Race | 8 Comments
Race Report: UCSD Grove Run 5K

Race Report: UCSD Grove Run 5K

Course: 5K with hills during mile 2 & 3
Time: 20:19
Splits: Mile 1: 6:06 HR: 179; Mile 2: 7:13 HR: 192; Mile 3: 6:17 HR:193
Total Calories Burned: 446

The last time I competed in an official race was during the Track & Field season of my senior year in high school…2003! That is a very long hiatus from racing if you ask me. After that last race, I ran on and off the first and second year of college, but not very often and definitely not training for any competitive races. Working out at the gym helped keep me from gaining that infamous freshman 15.

I finally started running again a couple of months ago and to keep myself from being bored running the same distance every day and alone, I decided to also compete in a race, so that I was actually training for something. So I heard about a race at UCSD, called the UCSD Grove Run 5K, which is “Socal’s First Sustainable Race”. They were trying to run the greenest race ever: by not having race bibs (just writing your race # on your hand), having appropriate recycling receptacles, and even organic fruit picked straight from local farms. They also had something called the “Greenest Athlete Award” where you get a certain number of points for doing things to help reduce your carbon footprint. For example, if you biked to the race, you would get some points. Or if you carpooled or brought your own water bottle or donated any type of running gear too. That was a pretty cool idea, too bad I did almost nothing that was green. Read the rest of this entry »

Lake Miramar Run: Take 2

Posted on May 16, 2009 under Training | 5 Comments

Since I knew that I was going to run Lake Miramar today, I planned to have an easy run on Friday. But I wasn’t anticipating running as slow as I did. It might have also been that I decided to run an extra lap too. Either way, that just meant that I had no excuses for not running fast today. And after running the Lake Miramar loop today and seeing my time (36:00), it definitely looks like that easy run helped.

As I arrived at the lake, I noticed that there were significantly more cars today. I didn’t have the prime parking space like I did last time I ran at Lake Miramar. I noticed that there were two tents by the start of the loop. Apparently there was an event that was happening this morning called, “Ray of Sunshine Miramar Lake Walk”. The walk was going to start at 8, so I had more than enough time to finish before it started. Read the rest of this entry »

Lake Miramar Loop 5 Mile Run

Posted on May 09, 2009 under Training | 6 Comments

I’m a little late with this post, but better late than never. I have to say, people who do post the same day they run or workout must be very diligent bloggers. I probably should post right away though because it’s like a dream to me: I’ll forget all details of a run by the next day. Hopefully I can at least post a few days after a run. So last week, I ran this 5 mile loop around the nearby lake. Most of my runs have been just doing laps around these one mile loops by my place. It was very convenient because I would walk out the door and just cross the street to the loop. But the lake was a nice change of scenery though. The drive there wasn’t too bad, only like 5 minutes. I’ve joined the San Diego Running Meetup Group to see if there are any meetups that I’d be interested in doing. However, most of the runs are either early in the morning or early evening right after work but it’s just too out of the way to do. They actually have meetups on that same lake, but I get out of work too late to do it.

My New Balance Running Shoes

Read the rest of this entry »

New Balance 768 Running Shoe Review

Posted on May 03, 2009 under Reviews | 13 Comments

When I started running again about a year ago, I needed a pair of running shoes, but didn’t want to buy new shoes just for casual running. So I just asked an old runner friend if I could have one of his old pairs, which any runner knows is not a good idea. I was fortunate enough to get a pair of running shoes that was still in decent condition and didn’t give me any injuries (it probably helped that I only ran a couple times a week).  I should have learned from that past to choose the right pair of running shoes. But I finally got a new pair this last week and took it for a run right out of the box the same day I got them in the mail. I think I’ve ran in every major brand of running shoes available, but got a pair of New Balance running shoes from New Balance Harrisburg. Here is my take on the shoes..

New Balance 768 Running Shoes

New Balance 768 Running Shoes

Read the rest of this entry »

Blog Widget by LinkWithin