05.04.10
Posted in Uncategorized at 9:42 pm by Administrator
One figure we runners and walkers need to know is the number of calories our bodies burn while out on-foot. One reason it is important to many of us is the weight-loss factor. If I know that today’s run or walk burned more calories than I would intake by drinking a beer or eating a cookie, I shall feel no guilt about consuming a beer or cookie after the exercise.
However, for endurance athletes (including marathoners) the rate of calorie loss is important for another reason. It helps us know what carbs we need to store before and intake during a run, allowing us to better plan our race days.
The answer has always been a bit of a mystery to me, since there are so many calorie calculators on the web and even devices like treadmills tell me how many calories they think I burned. But, amazingly, these different sources of answers frequently disagree with each other. Furthermore, many of those calculators present their answers in an unhelpful way – for example, they will tell me (for my body weight) how many calories I would burn in 30 minutes of exercise running at 8 miles per hour. Unfortunately, I do not run in 30 minute segments and I do not think of running speeds as miles per hour.
But I do know my body weight and I do know the mile pace I run on every outing and I do know how far I go. The calorie-related figure I really need to know is how many calories I burn per mile. I decided to pin down that figure for different body weights for the paces we typically run or walk.
I have put together the table we need and included it in a new free article on our website at www.funonfoot.com/resources.html I recommend you read the full article since there are a few provisos around the final figures given, plus supporting information.
Use these easily memorized figures in planning your next endurance run.
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04.11.10
Posted in Uncategorized at 11:42 pm by Administrator
I have never got to love treadmills. I find them deadly dull and usually located in a hot, stuffy environment. The outdoors is so much better. However, I do often find myself on a treadmill – when the weather is really rotten outside or when I am stuck overnight in a hotel where there is no outdoor running option (happens all the time on those highway overnight stopovers). At those times I am grateful to know that a treadmill is at hand.
I know that not all runners share my negativism about treadmills. I have friends who laud the treadmill as a great training environment. Read the rest of this entry »
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03.08.10
Posted in Uncategorized at 8:48 pm by Administrator
As winter winds down I wanted to pass on what I have learned this snowy winter about training on the snowy trails. I have spent the winter in Aspen, Colorado, a place with plenty of snow and many winter distractions, but I have nevertheless endeavored to keep in some sort of running shape. Read the rest of this entry »
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11.24.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 3:10 pm by Administrator
I think I can lay claim to being the only runner in NYC Reservoir Dogs colors participating in the Route 66 Marathon in Tulsa, OK last Sunday. Nola and I flew there from Colorado for the event. Nola had planned to run the Half Marathon but an injury forced her to withdraw.
The Marathon, with a field of 1222 finishers (plus relay teams and around 5000 Half Marathoners starting simultaneously), was a very enjoyable one. The weather was perfect. There were many enthusiastic spectators and plenty of entertainment along the course. Read the rest of this entry »
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11.17.09
Posted in New York, Uncategorized at 10:10 pm by Administrator
I have had this book for quite a while but held off on writing a review until putting it to the test. I ran my first marathon this month – the New York City Marathon, at age 61. My personal target was 4:30 and I succeeded in just beating that. I used many sources of inspiration and information, some printed and the others verbal or web-based. This book, which intrigued me, was one such source.
It is a short book (about 100 pages). It is a little out of date. Nevertheless, I found it very relevant, easy to use, and often of help. If someone wanted to run their first marathon and was limited to reading no more than one 100-page book, this book is undoubtedly the answer. Read the rest of this entry »
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10.01.09
Posted in New York, Uncategorized at 6:52 pm by Administrator
On Sunday I ran the ING NYC Marathon Tune-up, an 18-mile NYRR race in Central Park. It poured rain the entire time getting to the 7:00 am start, running the race, and getting home afterwards. It was, without question, a very miserable experience.
With a temperature in the 50’s or above, I don’t mind running through the rain, making no attempt to keep dry. I see runners running in plastic jackets and garbage bags but cannot subscribe to that since I feel they will suffer from lack of airflow and will get wet anyway.
However, you really want to stay dry until the race start and also have dry clothes at the finish for the trip home. I duly traveled there with waterproof protection (umbrella included) and a change of clothes in my day-pack. But I missed one detail – I had to put my partly wet outer jacket and very wet umbrella in the pack to check it before the race start. Result: At the end of the race everything in my pack was soaked. Lesson learnt: On a rainy day always include some plastic bags and ties, allowing you to group and separate items of different dryness in your checked bag. (And as I interpret the rules for the NYC Marathon, they must be clear plastic bags.)
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09.25.09
Posted in Boston, New York, Uncategorized at 6:00 pm by Administrator
Kathrine is famous as the first woman to officially run the Boston Marathon (under circumstances of some controversy, back in 1967). After that historic event, she continued a powerful running career, which included winning the 1974 New York City Marathon. Kathrine is furthermore credited as one of the main influencers of the development of competitive distance running for women internationally, including the establishment of the women’s marathon as an Olympic event.
This book is Kathrine’s story. While that story is a fascinating one for anyone involved in running, it is more than that – it is a source of inspiration for anyone fighting against the odds in similar situations.
However, it is not just the story that makes this book special. It is written in such a casual, enjoyable style that I, for one, could not put it down. Marathon Woman is a must read for anyone who calls himself or herself a runner.
Warwick Ford, Author of Fun on Foot in New York
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08.17.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 5:51 pm by Administrator
Nola and I trekked west to San Diego to run in Sunday’s Half Marathon (August 16). It was an excellent event, with over 7000 runners, and well organized. The course is really spectacular. It starts at the Cabrillo Monument a little after sunrise and proceeds around the shore of San Diego Bay, into the heart of downtown San Diego, and then climbs the hills to finish in beautiful Balboa Park. For details of the main parts of this route, see our San Diego chapter in Fun on Foot in America’s Cities.
The course is mostly flat, with a downhill stretch near the start, and a very nasty uphill climb extending over a mile just before the finish. The latter feature makes the run quite challenging.
The weather, however, was just perfect, as San Diego’s weather almost always is. The temperature was in the low 70s and there was cloud cover hiding the sun for the first three-quarters of the route. On hearing from our friends how difficult the New York City Half (run the same day) turned out, with 90+ temperatures, we were very thankful that we had chosen to go west for that day’s race.
Both Nola and I were successful in our runs in San Diego, with both of us scoring PRs. What a fantastic event! We shall definitely keep it in mind for future years.
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06.22.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 4:23 pm by Administrator
I have been running half-marathons last year and this and surviving quite well. So what is next? Runners will tell you to consider moving up to the next level – the marathon. But in my case, what about my age, which happens to be 60? One train of thought says that maybe I am too old to even contemplate such things. But another train says that if I don’t do it soon, the chance to do a marathon in my lifetime may slip away forever. The second train won. Read the rest of this entry »
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06.21.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 4:30 pm by Administrator
After years of procrasinating, my blog is at last live. There are so many things I have to pass on to, learn from, and discuss with the runners and walkers I meet daily, both physically and online. Read the rest of this entry »
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