Posted on Jan 31, 2016 under Race |
Runners who complete the Spartan Race trifecta will run all 3 distances in one calendar year. I went the unconventional (e.g. easier) route by completing the trifecta across 3 separate years! Training for one Spartan Race a year is tough, I don’t know how people train all year long for these races. It is too physically and mentally draining! I remember telling myself that I would never compete in another Spartan Race after the Beast in Temecula during the ridiculous heat wave in 2014. But I had another entry last year and decided to just do the Sprint, which still wasn’t that easy. And since I had completed those 2 distances already, I really had no choice but to compete in the final Super distance and get that last medal wedge. I mean, what was I going to do with 2/3 of a medal?
I was very pleased with the results for the Spartan Super: ~9 miles, 2:13:23, age group place: 61st, gender: 319, overall: 337. My initial goal was to complete the race in about 2 hours so I was definitely within that range which I’m happy about. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on Jan 31, 2016 under health |
Alcohol has never been and never will be a health drink. Companies that produce alcohol sell it for what it is and expect customers to be responsible enough to know the risks associated with more than moderate drinking. Alcoholic beverages were never meant to be consumed in large quantities, although some customers take this route. For those more health conscience drinkers who simply enjoy a delicious drink once in awhile, there are companies out there producing a hybrid alcoholic beverages that try to reduce the health consequences of alcohol consumption.
Low carb alcoholic mixers
A good mixed drink is a luxury. Even people who don’t regularly drink often like to have a few mixers on hand to enjoy. Diet conscious people will appreciate the benefits of low carb mixers. Brands like VLiNG offer a unique line of already mixed low carb alcohol beverages that adhere to the standards of both taste and diet conscious people.
Low calorie and low alcohol content drinks
Some people want to enjoy the great taste of alcoholic beverages without getting a lot of the alcohol content. Lower alcoholic content per drink means that you can enjoy more of these beverages. Many companies are trying to bring out brands that give you the opportunity to put taste before alcoholic content. It makes for a safer – albeit not safe – alternative to drinking as much as you might want just for the sake of the feeling you get.
As more people discover these drinks, more companies make efforts to accomodate drinkers who want to be responsible in their alcohol consumption. While drinking will never be a completely safe option for the majority of people, for those who can enjoy a good beverage once in awhile, it’s a wonderful thing that companies are trying to go with alternatives that foster and encourage more responsible drinking. Low carb mixers are great for low carb dieters, of course, who might not ever drink much but who want to keep the high carb content of most alcohol out of their beverages. In the end, people get the kind of drinking experience they want, with the great taste of mixers, and the health consequences are reduced, although never eclipsed.
These beverages are sometimes sold only in specialty stores but for the most part they are found even in grocery stores. Checking out low carb and low calorie alcohol products might be a great step toward a healthier drinking experience.
Posted on Jan 22, 2016 under Race |
3 years ago I decided to run one of these track and field events (the last time I competed in these types of events was in high school 9 years before!). This event was hosted by a local high school, primarily geared toward high school athletes that want to get some practice racing before the track season officially starts in the Spring. But the races are open to the public, so I decided to participate and see what type of speed I still had in me. I must have forgotten what I wrote in my initial race report because it sounds like I had a terrible time! But since that last race, I have been playing indoor soccer almost every week (which involves a lot of sprinting) and recently, been doing high intensity workouts from the Insanity program. I felt like I would run fairly fast this time around, but was still nervous about having to compete against younger, faster high school runners. I really didn’t know how to tackle the races since I haven’t been training for it. I didn’t want to start too fast and tire out for the rest of the race. But I also didn’t want to start too slow and not have enough distance left after picking up the pace. Here are the official results: 800 meters: 2:20:79, 8/16 overall, 1 mile: 5:20:99, 11/18 overall. I was actually pleasantly surprised at how well I ran, I was definitely tired during and after each event but ran very smart. Read the rest of this entry »