Eating A Treadmill For Lunch

Aside from the excellent people and even more excellent authors, the thing that influenced me the most in choosing my awesome new job was the fact that there is an Equinox gym in the lobby of the office building. Knowing that my new position would not take me too far from a treadmill gave me a sense of comfort and warmth that one should always look for when choosing where to work.

As it approached lunch hour on my first day (this past Monday), I ignored the hunger pangs of my belly and headed right to the Equinox to sign up for an extreme membership (or, at the very least, an ordinary membership). After repeatedly turning down the 'sales manager's' incessant sales pitch as to why it was in my interest to sign up for the yearly membership that would grant me access to every Equinox in the nation (with my work never requiring me to travel and with my apartment building's gym, there was no chance I would ever go to any Equinox but this one), only the Equinoxes in New York City (same reason) and a two-year membership (shorter is always better), I signed my name on the dotted line of my one-year membership at ONLY this Equinox, bid the sales manager adieu and headed to the locker rooms to get changed and get runnin'!

A few weeks ago when Uncle was staying with us for the weekend, he had told me how he likes going to Equinox because of the sense of camaraderie with the other people there who share in his obsession with working out. Since, on any given day, there are usually at most 3 other people in my building's gym with me, I had never felt this kind of camaraderie which Uncle spoke of. Upon hitting the 'Start' button on the Life Fitness treadmill in the Equinox on Monday, I instant knew what Uncle was talking about. Surrounded by at least 15 other treadmill users, I did feel a kind of bond amongst us despite no words ever being exchanged. I was also quite surprised at just how many people choose to exercise instead of eating lunch and I have been quite pleased with Equinox experience thusfar.

Among some of the things I have noticed over the (running) course of the past three days, I have found that:

1) During the lunch hour, you never see any really out-of-shape people at the gym. I have only seen one or two Treadmill Walkers and have realized that only the really devoted fitness fanatics exercise during lunch.

2) There are many more men in the locker room than I thought who have absolutely no problem walking the 100 feet or so to the showers completely nude.

3) The blow dryer is a fantastic tool to use to stymie the sweat from continuing to cascade down your body after your workout when you are getting back into your work attire.

Anyways, hopefully my job as well as my experiences at Equinox will continue to be as dopeness as they have been during these three excellent dog days of Summer. I just hope that, as the winter months approach, I see less and less nude men during my lunch breaks!

I Can Feel It Coming In The Air Tonight

In the classic song In The Air Tonight (which I have countless awesome techno remixes of), Phil Collins, in his smooth pre-pubescent voice, wrote, "I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh lord, Ive been waiting for this moment, all my life, oh lord..." While I have little idea as to what 'it' refers to, I do know that, as I write this post on Tuesday night, Mr. Collins' sentiments can certainly be felt around this island city of Manhattan. For, as I made my way home from my awesome new employment situation, I could feel a palpable excitement in the air. A sense of anticipation second only to the way one feels while waiting in line at a McDonald's. For, in less than 12 hours, the world will be introduced to.....the new and improved Nike+ SportsBand!!!

A little less than a year ago, I wrote an informative post about how awesome the Nike+ SportsBand was. As unluck would have it, very soon after publishing my post, Nike announced that they had discontinued the SportsBand due to faulty manufacturing. Trying to save a buck or two, Nike had commissioned some company in Taiwan to make their revolutionary SportsBand only to realize, after they had begun selling them to the general public, that they were made without any water-sealant adhesive thus causing them to break upon one drip of sweating hitting their face. I, along with countless others, were continually replacing/returning one broken SportsBand for a new/soon-to-be-broken SportsBand and it finally got to the point where Nike simply discontinued the line until a new company could be commissioned.

I had always preferred the SportsBand to the original Nike+ chip since the SportsBand did not require a stupid Apple iPod and thus did not take up your iPod's screen (which caused some problems in terms of playing audiobooks or fast forwarding within individual songs). That being said, I still would rather the Nike+ chip to nothing.

Anyways, at long last, Nike has re-released their awesome product of a year ago. Let's hope this year's reincarnation is built properly. Let's hope this year's reincarnation doesn't break as easily. And, most importantly, let's hope that I can get the song In The Air Tonight out of my mind sometime very soon!!

Pacing An Unpacely Pace

Lining up for any major marathon is an experience in-and-of itself. Especially if you are a ‘middle of the pack’ kinda guy like myself. No matter what direction you look, you are surrounded by a sea of people. With so many colors of tshirts, hair, hats and headbands, it is nearly impossible to distinguish one person from the next no more than 30 feet behind or in front of yourself. But there is one thing that has a tendency to stick out like a sore thumb (or, given the occasion, a sore foot). Flying about four feet higher than the tallest person and spaced every 20-40 feet, are those glowing orange signs signaling a pacing person. These are the guys whose job it is to signal what their finishing time will be and allow runners who have a certain finishing
time goal in mind to line-up with them in the starting corrals. They are volunteers who have run in marathons before and have the discipline and knowledge to know what their pace is while running and have the ability to maintain it (for the most part) over the (running) course of a 26.2 mile running course.

While I find these pace setters to be generally useful, it is always somewhat surprising to see those volunteers who promise run participants that they will be running anywhere from a 13 minute/mile pace to an 11 minute/mile pace. For those of you who have run on treadmills before that is the equivalent of running at 4.6mph-5.5mph. Now, while I am by no means a fast runner, even I can appreciate that that is a relatively slow pace. And, since I have been on treadmills before at those paces, I can tell you firsthand that it does not seem so much different when running at 4.6mph or at 5.5mph. I guess my point is that it just seems odd to me that there are people who are practiced marathoners who want to, and have the ability to, maintain such a slow pace (and bear in mind that these people are not very old in terms of their age, so father time cannot be blamed for their slowing pace) for such a long amount of time. I also feel that, even if it ended up that I had averaged between 4.6mph and 5.5mph for a whole marathon, I would never have made the conscious decision to begin the race assuming that would be my ultimate pace.

I am sure there are many out there that will strongly disagree with my assertions, but, hey, there's nothing wrong with differing views and some good ol' fashion debatin' (albeit, mine are correct). And so, dear readers, with the fall marathon season fast approaching, good luck on your training. Good luck in whichever marathon you are participating in. And, here to hopin' I don't see you at beginning a marathon intent on averaging 4.6mph-5.5mph!

Training To Train For A Marathon

A marathon is a grueling test of endurance, athleticism and perseverance. To run 26.2 miles is no small feet (misspelled pun intended). It is far from a normal occurrence and consequently, requires a marathoner, whether a first-timer or not, to train his or her body to go the distance. But here's the thing: not only is a marathon a test of one's running ability but it's also a test of one's mental fortitude. That's what gets many marathon runners. That's what stops them at mile 22 when their body feels like it is on fire, if they can feel it at all. To end the pain and simply give up is all-too alluring and, unless you have mentally trained yourself for that pain, you're most likely going to give in to the allure and quit after having traveled so far and needing to travel not so must further. Most people think that a marathon training regimen is only meant to help build up the strength and endurance necessary to run 26.2 miles. But that thinking is wrong. It misses a key factor necessary to complete any marathon. It misses the mental aspect entirely. For, while active endurance is certainly a key factor that will aid you in getting from the start line to the finish line, without the corresponding mental endurance, 26.2 miles will seem like 126.2 miles. As anyone who has finished a marathon will tell you, patience, a strong will and mental toughness are just as important as the ability to run far distances is in tackling a marathon.

With T,H,E K,I,D and myself set to take on 26.2 miles of Chicago's finest streets in less than 3 months and with 37,000 people on our heels in the New York Marathon in less than 4 months, marathon training has begun around the country. For me, the hardest part of marathon training is not actually doing the long runs on the weekends. No matter how long it would take me - and, if past performance if any indication, running upwards of 15 miles would take up quite a chunk of my morning - I don't doubt that I would be able to complete the double-digit runs required of me were I to follow one of the many marathon training programs available to all runners. It's the discipline and patience that doing these runs would require that gets me every year. I promise myself I'll do an 18-miler in the morning and, as I complete the 7th mile of that run, I'll decide to just end there and enjoy the remaining hours of my weekend. This mental breakdown occurs every weekend until there are none left before the day of the marathon I am training for. And there are many like me who don't take the mental part of marathon training particularly seriously. We take this hubris with us as we pass the starting line and, like whichever of Shakespeare's character whose hubris ultimately led to his downfall, so to it is in our case. Despite having finished each marathon I have begun, I have never been able to run an entire marathon and, on average, have walked probably about two of the last five miles in each. When the pain comes-a calling, my will to continue running is replaced by a strong desire to walk. And, unfortunately, I have conceded to those desires every time. Maybe, if I had strictly followed a marathon training schedule, those walks would not have happened. Maybe not.

While I have acknowledged this second aspect to marathon training every year for the past 5 years and dismissed it out-of-hand, I have promised myself that this year will be different. And while I may have missed New York Road Runners' first marathon tune-up run yesterday, I hope that that will be the last one I miss until I hit the streets of Chicago. Then again, I have had the exact same hopes every year around this time as well. And you know how those turned out!

Extra, Extra, Run All About It!! The Week in Running: 7/05-7/12

Dear readers, let's take a look back at the week in running:

* As reported on Autoblog.com on July 6th, this year's Goodwood Festival Of Speed, an annual festival featuring historic motor racing vehicles competing in a hill climb race on the grounds of Goodwood House, West Sussex, England and organized by sports scientists at the Porsche Human Performance Centre, was a record setting festival indeed. While vehicular competitions are usually the focal point of the Festival, this year, many watched in awe as 12 runners, aided by special Adidas running shoes, set a new world record for the longest distance covered over 48 hours on a treadmill. With each runner running a 45-mile shift at an average speed of 11.3 mph, the group completing a jaw-dropping 539.86 miles last weekend. While Porsche is known mostly for their small, sleek and sexy 911 coupe, they firmly believe that, in the words of Andy Goss, Managing Director of Porsche Cars GB, "the most important component of the car is the driver, and the Human Performance laboratory advises drivers on optimising their own endurance levels whether on the road or race circuit".


* As reported on ABCNews.net.au (Australia) on July 8th, a horse trainer was injured on a treadmill at Melbourne's Flemington Racecourse after he slipped and fell. However, it was not he who was actually engaged in any running. Rather, his injury occurred while he was leading a horse off of its equestrian treadmill and, after he slipped on the machine, the horse proceeded to topple over and fall on the trainer's chest. I have written about equestrian treadmills in the past and, not once, has the story ever ended with anything but something having gone wrong. When will people understand that treadmills simply weren't built for horses!

* As reported on CommunityNewswire.com on July 10th, possibly in an effort to help create a healthier traffic flow in the streets of London, Three2go has set up a 5K race reserved only for London cab drivers dubbed the Cabbies On The Run. On September 12th, Three2go is holding three races, the East London Trail Marathon, a 5K and a 1K, in the Lee Valley and Hackney Marshes inspired by the annual countdown to the 2012 Olympic Games and will have a designated wave in the 5K just for taxi drivers. Cab drivers who sign up for the race will be weighed in and given a nine-week training program to prepare for the 5k run. I wonder how many of those cab drivers who participate in the Cabbies On The Run will take a taxi home upon completion of the race!

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Next Weekend's Marathons

Saturday, July 18th
University Of Okoboji Marathon (Okoboji, IA)

Sunday, July 19th
Friendly Massey Marathon (Massey, ON)

Increasing The Unemployment...Pace!

If the unemployment rate continues to increase, Boston is going to run into (no pun intended) many problems next April. Beyond the typical and predictable problems all states run into (pun intended this time) as they face an ever-growing citizenry of the unemployed, Beantown is at risk of losing the aura and mystique that surrounds its annual Boston Marathon. As the only marathon in this country that requires its participants to have finished a previous marathon in an admittedly swift pace, most runners view the Boston Marathon as a race they can only dream about running. And it is this very elitism that is being threatened by the unfortunate increasing rate at which people are finding themselves unemployed.

You may be asking yourselves, 'Mr. Petes, what do you mean? How can an increasing unemployment rate affect the Boston Marathon?'

Well, dear readers, the answer lies in Reed Albergotti's article, Fast Times For Jobless Runners, published in the Wall Street Journal yesterday. Detailing how, despite the growing unemployment and the ever worsening economy, as a group, runners seem to be thriving, Albergotti notes that "the changing economic landscape could forever alter the way Americans view recreational and competitive athletics, as more people discover the joys of training and competing". More than just discovering the joys of training, it seems that many runners are actually flourishing and are increasing their performance and speeds. With more free time to train and exercise like they hadn't been able to do while employed, "laid-off marathon runners are actually helping push up the level of competition within their age groups". In fact, according to Athlinks.com, a Web site that tracks millions of race results, 4.6% of all marathon finishers have run times that would make them eligible for the once elite Boston Marathon, a 39% increase over 2008. In addition, marathon participation is up 5.1% over 2008 and gym membership is up 18% from last year.

While there is no direct evidence that proves the correlation between the unemployment rate and the number of people qualifying for the Boston Marathon, there is certainly enough to demonstrate the effect of unemployment on the number of people who have turned to, or continue to, exercise as a way to relieve the stress of the world around them. Despite having written a past post about the increasing participation rates in this year's marathons, I'll admit that even I was taken aback by the enormous percentage increases from last year with respect to Boston qualifying, gym memberships and even marathon participation.

And so, to all those that will receive a pink slip in the next few months, cheer up! While your job may no longer be there for you, the many roads, trails and parks in this country are always waiting for you...and for your running shoes!!

Might As Well Face It, I'm Addicted To Running

I remember the day fondly. January 17, 2007. My girlfriend CVS and I were at my parents' house in Long Island still in the initial stages of the courting process. I had just pulled out a small black Nike plastic bag from my knapsack which held an item I had purchased the day previous and wanted to take a look at. I pulled a little square box from the bag and read the words 'Nike+ running sensor' at the top of the box.

"What is that?" asked my girlfriend CVS who I had begun digging very much lately.

"It's some chip you attach to your shoes and your stupid Apple iPod which then keeps track of your runs. It is supposed to be able to tell you how far you ran, how long it took you and the calories burned. Apparently, it then saves all this information on the interweb."

"That's so neat!" exclaimed my girlfriend CVS.

"Agreed," said I, "Now, before I see if this thing actually works, let's go make out!"

Our make out session concluded, I headed downstairs to hook up my Nike+ sensors and then went off to see for myself just what this little chip could do.

And after my first stride, I was hooked.

When my first run had been uploaded and I had viewed the incredibly accurate data the chip had collected, I found myself wanting to run again just to increase my numbers.

Almost two-and-a-half years later, with upwards of 8,000 miles under my belt in that time, my desire to continue increasing my Nike+ numbers has not decreased a bit. And, while my girlfriend CVS has become my dopeness wife CVSW, my glowing reviews of the Nike+ system remain glowing.

So why this obsession with my running numbers?

According to the article The Nike Experiment: How the Shoe Giant Unleashed the Power of Personal Metrics, published in Wired Magazine on June 22, 2009 which described the effect the Nike+ running system has had on users, my running addiction is the product of a well-known theory among sociologists called the Hawthorne Effect. In its simplest terms, the Hawthorne Effect is a form of reactivity whereby subjects improve an aspect of their behavior being experimentally measured simply in response to the fact that they are being studied, not in response to any particular experimental manipulation. And this is exactly what was happening to me the moment I used the Nike+ sensor. As soon as I saw the statistics of my first run, I began actively observing myself and my performance and began wanting to increase that performance as much as possible. And, by combining a dead-simple way to amass data with tools to view and share it, Nike+ has used the theory of Living by Numbers (the ability to gather and analyze data about yourself, setting up a feedback loop that you can use to upgrade your lives, from better health to better habits to better performance) to exploit the Hawthorne Effect to its fullest.

I guess that just about says it all. I'm happy that I can cite the cause for my running addiction the next time T,H,E K,I,D or The Gull berates me for my obsessive ways.

Anyways, all this writing about Nike+ has me itching for a run. And it most definitely is an itch I want to scratch!