Running man

Yes, I've gone all crazy and started running. I am now in my third week of eighteen, preparing for a the 10 km run in Reykjavik's marathon on August 18th. It is starting off fairly slow and now in my third week I'm running 5 minutes, followed by walking 2.5 minutes repeated 4 times. It is quite tough at times although so far I have been able to finish all the requirements set up by the program and in some cases exceed (at a high cost though - panting and screaming).
I set myself this goal some time ago, not long after I started biking. I was quite worried I would not be able to get it going as I'm still quite heavy but it seems my legs and knees are holding up under the pressure. I had to buy some shoes as my old running shoes got totaled on one bike ride some 6 months ago. I decided to get Nike shoes that were compatible with the Nike+iPod system. Blame it on the Apple fanatic that dwells within me. :) I quickly found the shoes, not because of good service but rather because of the lack of variety. It is shameful really. But anyway, they seemed to be a good fit which is all that matters. I also bought the Nike+ iPod Sport Kit which is a small receiver that goes on the iPod and a transmitter that goes under the sole in the shoe. The running info is then sent to the iPod which stores it for uploading at a later date. The info is uploaded to Nikeplus.com where you can have an overview of all the runs you've done. You can see a screenshot of my overview here.
During runs I can press a button on the iPod and a voice tells me the time done, distance covered and current speed. I absolutely love this. It gives me a little incentive and does help with keeping track of one's progress. I'm sure I'll enjoy the accumulated data come August. A real sense of accomplishment is what I'm hoping for.
I added to the sidebar on the site two items related to this. First there is a RSS feed of my runs and second a "badge" that shows the totals for my runs. The info is pulled directly from Nikeplus.com. Maybe someone out there I know enjoys watching my progress. I just wish I could have the same for the biking.
Oh, and anyone that wants to sign up with me to do the 10 km this August is welcome to. I'd actually enjoy forming a team called Big Baby Boys! By the way, that photo at the top of the post is not of me. It is Lance. A promo shot from Nike. Thought that was needed to mention.

Labels: exercise

as written by Tobbi G. at 1:52 AM GMT