Just about all of the news this week last year was about making your body better. There was a race report, a review of some gloves, and a whole bunch of articles about lifting weights and getting in shape.

• I continued the animated lifting series with instructions on how to do swiss ball dumbbell bench presses. I also had another dietary workout tip where I suggest that you always eat before and after working out. It is great advice.
• I reported upon the 2006 running of the Irish Road Rover, locally known as Ború’s race due to where it starts and finishes. I also mentioned my thoughts on early season pub races, of which the Road Rover is one.
• I reviewed a pair of under armour gloves that I have used quite a bit over the past year or so. My review still stands, although now that I have actually tested the gloves in colder weather they are a bit lacking. They do have a wide range where they work well, though, and on those colder days do serve as a good layer beneath some mittens.
• I began a weekly series on what I thought about the 20 new rules of lifting found in the book by the same name. I posted two rules per week, beginning this week with the list of rules and the first rule: use your muscles as they were designed.