January 2011
20 posts
9 tags
Where Can You Find a Great Bowl of Oatmeal?
Recently, I wrote about the surprising number of additives in oatmeal from McDonalds and Starbucks. Last week, I had a chance to try the oatmeal at Caribou Coffee.
I chose Caribou’s 7-grain handcrafted oatmeal, which they make with steamed milk (your choice of soy, skim, or 2%), a 7-grain oatmeal blend (oats, barley, millet, spelt, rye, triticale and wheat), and fortified with a scoop of...
17 tags
10 Things to Think About When Choosing a New Gym
I’m in the process of switching to a new gym. Here are some of the things I think about when picking a new place to work out.
1. Location - My old gym was 5 miles away. That doesn’t seem very far, but it wasn’t very convenient. As a result, I didn’t go there very often. The new gym I’m considering is 1.4 miles away and I drive by it all the time. Much more...
8 tags
Mistakes in the Running Section of The 4-Hour Body
If you have been reading The 4-Hour Body, you may have noticed a few errors in the chapter on running.
These are the ones that I found:
There is an error at the bottom of page 370. A 7:28.8 pace would result in a 3:16 marathon, not a 3:30 marathon. The text says that a 3:32 marathon is an 8:30 pace. It’s actually about an 8:05 pace.
On page 384, in the footnote, it says that running...
8 tags
Running in Winter? Watch Where You Put Your Feet!
It’s been snowing a lot lately here in Upstate New York and I’ve been carefully running around snow piles, trying not to fall on my butt or get hit by a car. It’s a little tricky.
One of the things you have to do to run safely in the winter is to “read” the surface in front of you and pick the best places to plant your feet. I mentally score the road like this:
...
18 tags
Are Two Carbs Better Than One?
Recent research has shown that the body can absorb more carbohydrates per hour if they are in a 2:1 ratio of glucose to fructose. The body can only absorb about 60 g of glucose and 30 g of fructose per hour, but when they are mixed in a 2:1 ratio of glucose to fructose, it can absorb 90 g per hour.
This is because glucose and fructose are digested using different mechanisms in...
13 tags
Gearing Up for Winter Running
If you are registered for Boston or are planning to run another spring marathon, you may have to gear up for winter.
Last year, I trained hard right through the winter season, in preparation for the 2010 Boston Marathon. It was the first year that I trained seriously through the winter. I found out what worked and what didn’t.
The key is to wear insulating polyester or wool fabrics that...
17 tags
Cavemen Did Eat Carbs - What Does This Mean for...
Recent research has shown that Neanderthals ate grains and beans. Followers of the Paleo Diet have been under the assumption that Paleolithic humans didn’t consume these foods. They eat mostly meat, fish, nuts, vegetables, and fruit, while avoiding grains and beans.
Will the Paleo Diet change as a result of this new scientific evidence? Do you follow the Paleo Diet? What results have...
7 tags
Would You Run a Marathon Indoors?
A recent article in the Wall Street Journal describes the growing popularity of marathons run on indoor tracks, requiring 150 laps or more to complete the 26.2 mile race.
My son runs indoor track, so I’ve been to a lot of indoor races recently. I get dizzy just watching them. I can’t imagine running a marathon indoors. Part of the experience of running a marathon is enjoying the...
9 tags
Can ChiRunning Improve Your Running Form?
I recently watched a ChiRunning DVD produced by Danny Dreyer. My conclusion was that ChiRunning can help the vast majority of runners to improve their running form, increase their running efficiency, prevent injuries, and run faster.
While I don’t necessarily buy into the idea that ChiRunning uses gravity to drive forward propulsion, I think that ChiRunning’s focus on maintaining...
7 tags
"Stay at the Start" of the Boston Marathon
One of the biggest challenges of running the Boston Marathon is finding a hotel room in Boston and getting to the start of the race in Hopkinton. The hotels near Boston Common, where the buses to Hopkinton depart from, are expensive and fill up fast.
You may have to be at the bus by 6:00 AM, which means you will probably have to wake up by 5:00 AM, for a race start at 10:00 AM or 10:30 AM,...
9 tags
Men - Running in Cold Weather? You Might Need an...
If you are a guy who runs in cold weather, you have probably been concerned about experiencing frostbite in some of your more sensitive areas. Even if you wear two or three layers of running gear, on a cold, windy day, you can get pretty cold during a long run.
There are a few of potential solutions to this problem. You can wear a pair of wind briefs to block the wind and keep you warmer. You...
13 tags
7 Things to Look For in an Energy Gel
When you are choosing an Energy Gel, it’s important to consider several factors before you buy:
Electrolytes - Does it contain contain enough sodium and potassium to help you replace your sweat losses (or are you getting your electrolytes from another source). PowerBar Gels have more electrolytes than the others. CLIF SHOT’s new formula has increased the electrolytes in its gels by...
15 tags
How to Screw Up a Bowl of Oatmeal
I was interested to see that McDonald’s introduced their new Fruit & Maple Oatmeal recently. I like a good bowl of oatmeal in the morning.
I like my oatmeal to have some texture to it. I prefer steel cut oats cooked overnight in a crockpot, but I’ll also eat old-fashioned oatmeal cooked on the stovetop or in the microwave. I try to avoid the 1-minute or instant oatmeal.
The...
10 tags
How Much Would You Pay to Work Out?
I’m in Chicago this week on business. When I’m in the Windy City, I usually stay at the Palmer House. It’s close to Lake Michigan and I like to run to Navy Pier and back.
Today, it’s snowing in Chicago and I didn’t bring any outdoor running gear. Unfortunately, the Fitness Center in the Palmer House (pictured above) isn’t free (unless you have Diamond status...
12 tags
Relax Your Breathing and Run Faster
Many of the runners that I see on the roads are breathing very hard, really huffing and puffing. Some appear to by trying to gulp down huge amounts of air with each breath. Some are breathing only through their noses. Others are struggling with side stitches.
To run faster and more efficiently, you need to provide your body with all the oxygen that it needs, without tiring yourself out. There...
13 tags
Can the Pose Method Improve Your Running?
The Pose Method, developed by Dr. Nicholas Romanov, claims to improve running performance and help reduce injuries. It provides a series of drills that help you to:
Keep your center of mass above where your foot lands
Keep your shoulders, hips, and ankles aligned
Avoid landing on your heel
Use gravity to your advantage by leaning forward slightly
Keep your legs bent at all times
Stop...
13 tags
6 Weeks to a Six-Pack?
Is it possible to get six-pack abs in six weeks? Probably not, unless you are already within 5-10 pounds of achieving a body composition of 8-12% bodyfat (the point at which six-pack abs start to show).
But you can improve your diet, lose weight, improve your fitness, and show off a better set of abs by following the New Abs Diet program.
There’s an old saying that “Six-pack abs...
14 tags
23 Weight Loss Hacks from The 4-Hour Body
Tim Ferriss’ new book, The 4-Hour Body, is filled with techniques that he claims will help you lose weight. Some of them are well-known, others are more unusual.
Here’s a list of some of them:
Use your cell phone camera to create a food diary of everything you eat
Take a “before” photo of yourself and post it where you can see it
Commit to five sessions of a new habit...
12 tags
Running a Spring Marathon? Keep Your Sweats On!
Recent studies have shown that training in hot conditions (over the summer for a fall marathon, for example) can improve your performance when you run in cool conditions.
What about those of us who are training in cool conditions for winter or spring marathons, which will be run under warmer conditions? There’s an old saying about the Boston Marathon, “Keep your sweats on until...
15 tags
Keep Your Foot Off The Brake When You Run
In October, I ran most of the Mohawk Hudson River Marathon next to a runner who was scuffing his feet every time they landed. Each time he did this, he was using up energy and slowing himself down. Assuming he continued to do this for 3 1/2 hours, he scuffed his feet almost 38,000 times during the marathon.
One of the most common mistakes in running is overstriding, extending your foot...