Author Archives: Scott D.
PICK AND CHOOSE…
Make up your mind, will ya’!
Democracy is a wonderful thing.
Who doesn’t love that whole “Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness” deal?
We get the right to bear arms and arm bears (or something like that).
And we get to vote.
To decide the President of the United States.
To decide the winner of American Idol.
…And now to decide on the style and color of our race medals and shirts.
I’m sure this is exactly what the founding fathers had in mind when they told England to “Suck it” back in 1776.
“YEAH, BUT IT’S A DRY HEAT.”
Hey Trippers!
Even the ice cream man is not immune.
I arrived in Atlanta last night for a week of quality family time and also to run the Peachtree Road Race (a great “near-annual” tradition for me).
Of course running in Atlanta during the middle of summer is not for the “faint of heart.” In fact, if you’re not careful you damn well could faint.
It’s hot in Atlanta during the summer… how hot, you may ask? Enough that people give it the snickery nickname “Hotlanta.” Temps here are expected to be in the 90s this week. Now those of you in Arizona or New Mexico probably think that a 90-degree day is a cool wave compared to where you’re living. But the Southeast has that nasty ace up its sleeve so it can hit you with a double whammy.
It’s the “H-word” (and it should be considered a curse word)… humidity.
10 UNDER 10…
Hey Trippers!
Celebrate 10 injury free miles.
A quick post this Saturday, as I need to go pack for my trip to tomorrow morning (for those of you who know me, I am lousy at packing… truly awful).
On the upside, it’s a happy post. Last Saturday I did my first road run back since injuring my hamstring… a challenging 10K. I think I must have left one of my lungs at home that day.
After an okay week working out at the gym, I decided to up my mileage for today to 10 miles in order to get ready for the Peachtree Road Race coming up on Friday.
TRAINING TUNES: “JUMP”
SONG: “Jump”
GROUP: Van Halen
ALBUM: “1984” (Released 1984)
BACKGROUND:
1984
Let’s “jump” back to the ’80s once again, to the time of big hair and big guitars. MTV was in its music video heyday (“The Jersey Shore” was thankfully still decades away) and we all listened to rock music blasting from our boomboxes, on cassette tapes via our Walkmen or on that new crazy format called CDs.
The airwaves were alive with the songs from Def Leppard, The Scorpions, AC/DC, Bon Jovi, Queen, U2, Journey… and one of the greatest rock bands ever- Van Halen.
Eddie Van Halen wielded the guitar like a master and was supported by Alex Van Halen on drums, Michael Anthony on bass and showman David Lee Roth provided the vocals.
RUNNING IS MY PIZZA!
Hey Trippers!
Pizza Pizza!
On Tuesday I made a comparison between soccer’s World Cup and running races.
Both are things I love with a passion. And while each of them are awesome, they both leave room for improvement.*
In fact, few things in life are utterly perfect… except birthday cake-flavored M&M’s. Have you tried those things? Holy Jumping Schnikes!
So I dusted off the soapbox, jumped up and mentioned a few race experience items that could be handled better along with possible solutions. Whether they are reasonable solutions or not remains to be seen.
I also asked others to jump up and acknowledge areas where they think races come up short (in the name of improvement) or just to blow off a little steam. We all need to do that from time to time.
GEAR CHECK: eFUEL & eGEL
Hi Trippers!
Got eGel?
Fulfilling my role as your running guinea pig/beta tester, I continue perusing the ole interweb and race expos looking for the latest/greatest and “diamond in the rough” gear and products.
While wandering the aisles of the OC Marathon expo, I spied the booth of Crank Sports displaying their line of energy drinks and energy gels. I walked over and chatted with the head of the company for a few minutes and liked what he had to say, as well as his enthusiasm. If Crank Sports’ products were anywhere as energetic as he was, I was going to be in good shape. He gave me a few samples of both their eFuel drink mix and eGels to try out over the next few weeks.
“WHAT GRINDS MY GEARS…”
Be warned: today is a day to jump up on your soapbox and vent about stuff we hate in the things we love.
You preach it Peter!
For the last week I’ve been consumed by all things soccer (aka “football for any non-Americans out there). I’ve been a fan of the sport ever since I could yell “Goal” (or whatever the catchphrase was way back when). And every four years I glue myself to the TV to watch the World Cup and witness the very best soccer has to offer.
And the very worst.
For all of the fantastic goals, tremendous saves and incredible feats of athleticism, there is one thing I see time and again and absolutely loathe about the current state of soccer: diving.
For those of you not in the know, the sport of soccer has been plagued by players faking being fouled, dropping to the ground and rolling around like they are mortally wounded… all for the sake of drawing a “faux” penalty and getting a free kick or perhaps even a penalty shot (the closest thing soccer has to a “gimme” goal).
Yuck.
GEAR CHECK: THE HI-TECH BANDANA… THE “HANDANA”
Give yourself a not-so-sweaty hand.
I’ve made it a point that every time I go to a race expo I pick up one new item to give a try. I’m always looking for diamonds in the rough.
When I was at the San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Expo earlier this month, I was kind of rushed (we got their only about 40 minutes before they closed), so I didn’t get to spend my normal amount of time checking things out.
I was heading for the exit a little bummed that I was leaving empty-handed. Then one booth caught my eye and I stopped to see what was what.
Looking at what appeared to be oddly shaped lycra straps, my first inclination was this was yet another company trying to sell funky smartphone holders.
Nope.
As the nice lady at the booth explained, this was the “Handana,” a new take on the traditional wristband or sports headband.
10K: OK or KO?
Let’s run some Ks.
I’ve been nervous prior to runs and races before:
- My first 10-mile training run
- My first half marathon
- My first 20-mile training run
- My first full marathon
Yesterday, however, was the most apprehensive I’ve been before a run in a long long time.
And it was just a 10K recovery run.
TRAINING TUNES: “LOVE RUNS OUT”
SONG: “Love Runs Out”
GROUP: One Republic
ALBUM: “Native” (Repackaged)- (Released 2014)
BACKGROUND:
Getting “Native”
I’ve got a challenge for you. Go pick up One Republic’s “Native” CD and find the track “Love Runs Out.” Actually, that’s not really a fair challenge.
First off, good luck finding a music store (not a lot of them around, are there). But if the Best Buy near you manages to stock their music section or like me you live in a town where you can find a cool “used” music store like Amoeba, you may actually be able to put your mitts on a physical CD (when was the last time you bought one of them).
Trick is while the song is on the album, it’s not on the CD… huh?
More on that conundrum in a bit.
FAST FACT: MISERY LOVES COMPANY
Do you like to run “small races” or prefer the company of umpteen thousands of complete strangers?
Here’s the latest “Fast Fact” to make you go “Hmmmmm.”
Run on!
Source: FindMyMarathon.com
THE “W” WORD (PART 2)
Today’s post is brought to you by the letter “W.”
Yesterday I broached a bit of a controversial subject as I started discussing the “W” word. “W” as in walking.
To some runners, walking during a race is no big deal and even a good thing. Others, however, might consider it a sign of running inadequacy.
You can check out “The ‘W’ Word, Part 1” here.
I ended yesterday’s post with a “Check in tomorrow,” as I teased that walking can actually make you a faster runner.
Say what?
You heard me right. Walking can indeed help you improve your race times. And this is no internet hocus-pocus where they promise results if you do exactly the opposite of what makes sense.
How can you get faster by going slower?
The answer is simple… employ a run/walk ratio.
THE “W” WORD (PART 1)
Walk or don’t walk?
When did walking become such a bad thing?
I recently read a post from an acquaintance boasting about how they finally completed an entire half marathon without walking a single step.
I was about to send them a congratulatory note on their race… then I continued reading their post.
They went on to say that they ran the entire race much slower than they’d wanted and even had difficulty finishing. Their time was one of their worst ever (and this person is all about their finisher’s time), yet they acted like the race was an unmitigated success… simply because they didn’t walk.
If their driving force is to get as fast a time as possible, why is that point ignored in the wake of “successfully” not walking?
Ummm, congrats? I guess.
WINNER: “ALWAYS BRING YOUR ID”
Hi Trippers!
Thanks to everyone who entered the RoadID “Always Bring Your ID” contest.
It’s important to be safe when you run, but unfortunately accidents can and do happen… so always keep your eyes and ears open whenever you hit the road.
But without further ado, the winner of the $35 eCard to RoadID is:
Marisa Pearson
CONTEST UPDATE: “ALWAYS BRING YOUR ID”
Hi Trippers,
Safe and sporty.
Hope you’re enjoying the last “official” weekend of Spring (yup, according to the calendar Summer starts on June 21st).
And here’s a reminder that there’s only two days left in our RoadID “Always Bring your ID” contest.
But it’s not too late to enter, and one lucky reader will win a $35 eCard good for use on any RoadID products.*
Click here to check out the RoadID Website.
Here’s what you do…
- Go to the Tripping The Kenyans Facebook page (and give us a “like” while you’re there). You can also leave a comment on the TTK blog or whatever page this post appears.
- Leave us a comment saying what type of RoadID you’d be most likely to wear:
- Wrist ID
- Ankle ID
- Shoe ID
- Dog Tag (The Fixx ID)
- Pet Collar (The Scout ID)
That’s it.
One lucky winner will be chosen at random. (Contest ends promptly on June 16th at 9am PST)
Run on!
Tripping The Kenyans 