Run to Win

Shortly after running 50 miles, I wrote a short little article analyzing what I ate the morning of and during the race. I examined the exact number of calories that I consumed compared to my estimated caloric usage.

Today, I’m going to share a few of the meals that I consumed in the week leading up to the race that allowed me to successfully navigate the 50 mile course.

Early in the week, we took a trip to the Valley of Fire. Beautiful place! Walking around there all day was hungry work, but thankfully we packed some sandwiches that we made in our room before heading out.

It’s important to relax now and then, which is surprisingly difficult to do in the daylight ambience of The Venetian in the middle of the night. Thankfully, I had an Italian beer to help me wash down an excellent pasta dish.

Walking around Vegas can be very tiring, though. There are a lot of people, nothing is near anything else, and if you follow the signs to get where you want to be then you’ll take pretty much the longest route possible that passes as many slot machines as they can bring you near. We were pretty tired by the time we found this Creperie in fake Paris.

Our original plans were to do a hash run on New Years Day, but instead we met some friends at the Egg Works. As it was lunch time, I decided to try one of their Burgers. I don’t think that Erin thought that I’d be able to fit it in my mouth.

She was wrong.

Sometimes, though, a burger just isn’t going to do it. Especially when you’ve been walking around in Vegas. Thankfully, there was a goldfish handy…

(Full Size Images: Flickr)

I don’t really have an opinion one way or the other on running skirts. I don’t plan on wearing them, I don’t mind other people wearing them, and I doubt highly that my wife will ever wear one since she thinks that they look ridiculous.

Plenty of the women in the group that I coached over the Summer wore them pretty regularly, and they certainly have a following.

That said, I could definitely see going for the martini water stop »

(Hat Tip to Isabelle for emailing me the video!)

For all of you treadmill runners that just can’t stand the monotony and stuffiness of running inside, there is now a new solution for you! No longer do you have to brave the lack of elements in order to avoid pounding the asphalt. Instead, you can get right outside with your treadmill and hit the roads!

I’m not sure whether to laugh or cry that somebody would even think about creating something like this. I don’t know if it is real or if it’s just a prototype hoax, but it is good for a laugh, either way.

I do have one thought, though. How well would that thing handle in the snow or on ice?

This week last year ranged from humorous to serious as I discussed topics ranging from cartoons to hospitals.

• In the training tips department, I wrote about training options while on the road. There are a lot of different ways to stay in shape even if you travel regularly, and this article pointed at some different ways to stay fit in your hotel room, the hotel fitness center or a local gym, or by heading outside.
• I make no bones about my abhorrence to caffeine, but I can still joke about it. I found a great webcomic strip that helps you to learn how to quit drinking caffeine. It gave me a good chuckle.
• In local news, cyclists received the protection of some new laws here in Maine by allowing motor vehicles to cross a solid yellow line when passing a cyclist, requiring at least 3 feet of clearance before passing, and by not allowing teenagers to use their cell phones while driving. I haven’t really noticed much of a difference on the streets over the past year, however. In other local news, Team competition returned to the Eliot 5k. Eliot used to be the largest 5k in Maine, and annually draws an extremely competitive local field. This year’s race (which is a week from today) should be no different.
• Also in the news, John L Parker, Jr had a heart attack and spent the next few months recovering. His health has since improved and he is doing quite well as of the last that I heard some months ago.
• This week 2 years ago, I created a video demonstration of how to tie your shoes with a runner’s knot so that they do not come untied. I also listed a few exercise related How-To articles and also reviewed Chariots of Fire, which must be the most well known running movie ever made. Dean Karnazes began the Endurance 50 and ran his first of 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days. I began to mix up my pushups with medicine balls to give myself a little extra challenge, and I also offered a race tip about running first thing the morning before a race to properly loosen up your body.
• This week 3 years ago, I climbed Mount Washington and I wrote about proper gym etiquette.

Photo by
Refracted Moments™I am not shy about sharing my belief that caffeine is worse for you than alcohol and tobacco. Rather than repeat myself, I would rather give you a laugh by pointing you over to a Basic Instructions comic strip about “How to Quit Drinking Caffeine“. It’s a four panel strip by Scott Meyer from the Seattle Weekly.

I especially found the second panel funny, where the addiction level is pointed out. Take a look at the the strip, and let me know what you think. Am I the only person that finds this humorous?

You can find it at:
http://www.basicinstructions.net/2007/08/how-to-quit-drinking-caffeine.html