Archives for Random category

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 »

A Run That’s Right Out of a TV Show

Posted on Apr 27, 2009 under Random | 3 Comments

 

UCSD Campus Loop: 4.01 Miles: 32:08 (8:02 min/mile)

The other night I was watching According to Jim on TV and his sister-in-law bet him that he could not beat her in the marathon, let alone finish. So what his plan was to start off ridiculously slow and trail off and hide somewhere while everyone else was running the race. He would then re-emerge back into the race and finish just ahead of his sister-in-law. Well, he dozed off during his pedicure (lol) and thought he wasn’t going to make it, so he started running to the finish. As he approached the finish line, he noticed the tape hadn’t been broken through; he was leading the race! The “real” first place runner was right behind him, obviously a lot more tired, so they battled it out and Jim won!

I recently experienced a situation very similar to that, but unintentionally, of course. I was running the campus loop (route that the shuttle takes) and noticed that there were people standing around the trail where local cross country races take place. So I assumed they were having a race on the trail, but I noticed chalk arrows on the cement on the route I was running. Then I noticed a couple of other runners ahead of me and people standing at the corners wearing some type of volunteer t-shirts. I accidentally jumped into a race and were passing people ahead of me and having the volunteers cheer for me!! Read the rest of this entry »

1 Mile “Race” Report & My Rant

Posted on Apr 13, 2009 under Random | 8 Comments

Workout: 2 lap warm-up, 1 mile “Race”, 2 lap cool-down
Time: 6:02 Weather/Condition: Windy on the last 100 meters of the track

Best Week Ever!

mile-on-the-track

I’m going to make a live post today, rather than going to my journal. The only reason for doing so is because I actually had a race-like run the other day and I really wanted to say something about the current events that are going on. Feel free to read the first part and ignore the rest, which is my little rant. :)

So this past week was the first time I ran 3 days in a row, which is quite an accomplishment for me, considering how I used to run so many miles 6-7 times a week back in high school. The first run wasn’t that special, I didn’t even time it because I wasn’t try to break any records or anything, just put in some miles and break a sweat and get used to waking up in the morning. During the 2nd day though, I ran the fastest time (only three laps around the block which is the only place I can run considering the time constraints) since I started doing this route. WalkJogRun says it’s a little under 3 miles, but I have a feeling it’s not, looking back at the times. The final time was about 9 seconds faster than my previous best. Why did I run so fast on this particular day?

Read the rest of this entry »

Easy Run to the Park

Posted on Nov 06, 2008 under Random | No Comment

Friday, January 25, 2002
Workout: Run to the Park, do 3 laps and finish back at the Tower (about 2 miles)
Time: Easy Weather: warm

 

We were standing at the Tower, ready to begin running on the trail, but then some people said that they didn’t feel like running. At the same time, we were randomly talking about a noose that we saw at the park the week before. One of the runners said that she wanted to see it and just started running toward the park, so we followed suit and started running toward the park after her. We were about to head off in the opposite direction towards the trail, but we then decided to go after the other runner to the Park. I guess nobody really wanted to run that day, so this was a good enough alternative. We caught her when we reached the park and then showed her the noose. Since we were already at the park, everybody else decided to run some laps around it, which is about 1000 meters each lap. To finish up the run, we just ran from the park back to the Tower at the beginning of the trail. Read the rest of this entry »

Trail That Leads to the Mountains

Posted on Aug 22, 2008 under Random | No Comment

I found this old blog post about how Google Maps has contour lines when you are in terrain mode. Looking at this view gives you an idea of all the hills that you would encounter during a run. So I decided to take a look at the route we used to take when running on the trail and see if there were any significant hills that we had to run during that route..

A screenshot of the running trail in terrain mode in Google Maps.
Read the rest of this entry »

Choose the Right Pair of Running Shoes

Posted on Mar 15, 2008 under Random | 11 Comments

Running Shoes

I saw this article on Yahoo about how to choose the right pair of shoes for your sport and it reminded me of all the different running shoes I have had over the years. I can’t remember what years I had what shoes, but I have had almost every brand you can name: Nike, Adidas, Asics, New Balance, Brooks? In the beginning of the article it says that a pair of shoes will not make you better at any given sport, but it will prevent any unnecessary injuries that bad shoes will do to you. I have had quite a running few injuries in my day, including shin splints, as well as knee and hip injuries. But I never drew to the conclusion that one particular pair of shoes caused that particular injury. And that’s because I don’t think it’s true. I do believe that certain brands offer different features when it comes to running shoes. Some brands are more focused on weight so they lack a little in support and the other way around. Other shoes are made for specific types of feet shapes and sizes.

I remember back in Junior year when I got some really cheap racing flats. My feet would be burning so much that in a three mile race, my feet would be on fire by the first mile! I made the mistake of continuing to race in them, thinking, ‘oh it was a one time thing, it should be fine in the next race.’ It never was. And then one day one of my teammates offered an extra pair of flats that he had and they were also cheap too. But it felt so good running in those, it was the greatest feeling ever (in a race). He was nice enough to let me keep racing in them. The ironic thing was my other teammate raced in those same flats that burned my feet and he had no problems with it.

Every runner is different, and this story shows it. While one shoe may be terrible for one runner, it will be okay for another. This is why you test out shoes before you buy them, maybe run around in them if possible (some stores actually let you do that).

If you are looking for a casual, but stylish alternative to running shoes, you may consider looking into oxford shoes.

What is The Trail Running Blog?

Posted on Mar 07, 2008 under Random | 2 Comments

I guess this should have been my first post, but I created the About The Trail Running Blog page, so thought it would have been a sufficient explanation, but I will try to elaborate a little bit more.

I have wanted to start this running blog for quite some time now, but due to other events in my life, I never came around to doing it. I also didn’t know enough about blogging to truly make this work the way I wanted it to. So I patiently waited, for the right moment to start this.

Back in high school, I was told by my coach to start and keep a running log/journal of my runs, just to have to look back on in the future. Although it has not done much but bring back fond (and depressing) memories of past running experiences I had. Now that I have been able to set up this blog and upkeep it on a daily basis, I will share my stories, hoping to relate to others who have (had) the same passion for running that I used to have or still do, and hope to revive that passion that I once had.

Almost 5 years after running in my last track season, I have tried to get back to running on a daily basis. I have attempted this before, numerous times, to no avail. Either I was too busy with work, or too tired from it, I was never able to consistently run. I have run 3 times in the last 4 days, which is quite a feat for me. I hope I can run 4-5 times a week, for now, which is weak sauce since I ran 7 times a week in high school, 3-10 miles a day, as opposed to 1-2.5 these days.

But the fact that I can still run that long without having to stop for air or water, I think it just shows that I still have the running mentality in me. I am also getting inspiration from my Husky, Molly by having a companion with me while I run. Although she pulls like no other, and is afraid of the dark and sewer drains, she is still happy to get out of the house every now and then. Little does she know she is actually keeping me inspired to run every day.

I will try and post old running log entries as well as new ones from current runs that I find blog-worthy, not to mention any other running facts or knowledge that I can muster out of this old runner’s brain..

The Trail Running Blog, Only Theme I Could Find

Posted on Mar 07, 2008 under Random | 1 Comment

This is the first post in the Trail Running Blog, hopefully not the last. I had to do a lot of setting up before I could even make this post. After the idea, I had to find a theme that fit well with what I would be talking about. So I looked up ‘running wordpress themes’ and you know what results I got? WordPress themes that worked! Oh Google and their semantics. Anyways, I kept looking and finally found this one theme, which I guess looks okay. But if you find any other running blogs out there, I bet they have this blog theme too. I will try my best to change some of the design/navigation areas to make it look a little different. But for now, this is all I got.

I will try and figure out how to begin this blog later.

Blog Widget by LinkWithin