From Ridicule to Respect: A Shift in Perspective

On my way home last night, I drove by a lady running on the street. She was donning a running outfit with a reflective vest, going against traffic. Perhaps it was the slight smile on her face, or the fact that she seemed like she’s a regular runner with her night running gear – I turned to look at her for a few seconds and realized that I would’ve called her crazy if I saw her a few years ago. It was at that moment when I noticed something that’s never been obvious to me –  I would never have respected her if I weren’t a runner. (more…)

Epilogue of an Injury – Expectations vs Reality

Today’s run was one of those eye openers. It’s been 18 days since my previous workout, from which my only gain was a painful and swollen Achilles tendon. While I had taken a much longer break in running previously, it was not until today’s workout when I finally got a broader view of my latest injury.

As I’ve been informed in the past – one’s fitness starts to decline around the 10th day of inactivity. (more…)

Review: Road ID Firefly Supernova

From Road ID

Do you spend a significant amount of time running in the dark on the streets? If so, there is every reason to use appropriate running gear to maximize your safety. A few weeks ago, I added to my night-time running gear the Road ID Firefly Supernova, a security blinking light that provides the extra visibility every runner needs. With my other recent purchase, the Brooks Nightlife Infinity 1/2 Zip, the Road ID Firefly Supernova proved to be one of the best investments I’ve made for night running.

(more…)

Flowchart: Should You Go for a Run Today?

We all have those days, when we just can’t decide whether or not we go for a run. Although deep down inside we already know the answer usually, there are seemingly countless reasons and excuses that try to stop us from lacing up. A rule of thumb I usually follow is: you’ll rarely regret going for a run – but you’ll always regret skipping. If you still can’t make up your mind, perhaps the following flowchart can help you deal with your inner fickle self.

Comparison of Online Training Logs

You should start right away If you haven’t been keeping a training log. A detailed training log allows you to track progress, review mistakes, and develop strategies. As you may already know, experience is invaluable to runners – and there’s no better way to gather and share an accurate account of experience without a neat training log. Most importantly, if you’re spending hours on end logging those hard miles, you may want to keep a record of it for the simple sake of bookkeeping. If nothing else, going back and reading an old entry can be quite entertaining from time to time. (more…)