Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Using Your Resources

I thought I'd take a little while to talk about some of the resources I've found really helpful over the past half a year or so. Aside from the priceless advice from my friends and from some of you, as well as the few books I've perused (mostly Jeff Galloway), these sites and their subsequent publications/apps have been hugely useful.

Runner's World

Screen shot of the Runner's World website.

I subscribed to this magazine a few months back through a family member's fund-raising campaign and it was probably one of my smarter decisions. Yes, the magazine is probably most useful to people who have been running for some time. There's lots of talk about race pace versus casual jogging pace, taper workouts, ultra marathons, compression tights, nutrition gels, and lots of other business that beginning runners don't need to know. But that's kind of the cool part.

I am so nowhere near the point where I need to worry about my pace for a daily workout versus my pace for a 5K versus my pace for the half Pig, because I only have three paces -- not-running pace, "let's try to run and not die" pace, and "look, there's the finish line" pace. But I'm moving forward. I have so much room to grow in this world of running and I truly hope that someday, this wealth of knowledge I'm collecting about things that are currently outside of my reach will be useful. I may need to worry about these things in the future. In fact, it's from either this magazine or one of Jeff Galloway's books that I realized I should probably start thinking about those gel pack thingies if I'm going to do the half-Pig.

Anyway, my point is, this is a good magazine. It's an even better website, chock full of HOARDS of information, entertaining and helpful blogs. Need new shoes? Check out the shoe section. Sore muscles? There's a section for that. Need info about food? Yep, that's there too.

The magazine alone has played a big part in keeping me sane during the winter weather. Somehow, just reading about running helps. It keeps me wanting more.


Active.com

Screen shot of the Active.com website.

I'm not too familiar with this site yet, but I've done a little browsing. There are lots of forums too, which usually isn't my thing. But when I found one for 200+ lb runners, I got interested. That's where I discovered the Finally Airborne blog. Very inspirational. They also have several mostly not annoying e-mail newsletters you can sign up for.

Women's Health

Screen shot of the Women's Health website.

I subscribed to Women's Health Magazine back in the summer, I think, at the recommendation of my friend, Sarah. It's pretty great. It includes lots of info about nutrition and general women's issues, but also includes strength-building workouts, some of which I plan on trying before winter is over. I haven't tested the usability of the website. For the guys, try Men's Health.

MapMyRun.com

Screenshot of MapMyRun.com.

This website and its companion app (iMapMyRun) are amazing. Many thanks to John for sharing the love this summer. The app uses GPS to do what you have to do manually on the website, but both are great. Use a map of the area you run in to trace your running path. The path doesn't have to be on roads or sidewalks or any sort of plotted land. You can trace your path through the woods and across a lake and the site would still track your miles and provide you with an elevation chart. The app keeps track of handy things like your current pace, your whole-run pace, your distance, and your time, and then it talks to you while you're running. I believe the site has other useful information on it, but I haven't gotten around to checking it out yet (except for the 30-in-30 challenge, which I'm failing miserably).

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So, like I said before, these sites/magazines/apps are keeping me sane through the winter and are really educating me on the world of running. They've helped me stay excited are responsible for my running habits surviving the winter. I recommend giving them a spin!

Time for your input! Are you reading anything now about running, working out, and/or generally staying healthy? Have you in the past? Will you please share with all of us? THANKS!

1 comment:

  1. You probably won't need the gel for the half Pig ... I know it sounds ridiculous, but at the most you will probably only need one. I would suggest waiting until you get higher up in mileage to figure out whether or not you need them, rather than training with them and convincing your body you need one after 6 miles. That way you can determine "no, I really am tired after 6 miles" or "after some Gatorade at mile 6, I'm pretty good til mile 11 and then might need one." But by all means, train with them so you're not shocked what they do to your system the day of the race. A word to the wise: the GU is awful. I've never had one I liked, and that's all that is offered during the Pig, but also note they do NOT offer GU on the half route, only the full. I looooooove Clif Shot Blox, they're like gummies, and I think they're awesome. The Jelly Belly Sports Beans are also really good. As for what either does to increase your energy .... meh, I'm not totally convinced it's not all in my head.

    And I've been running for 3 years and I have 3 speeds too: this sucks and I'm tired and I want to be done, my normal pace, and sprint for the finish line / running with the dogs and they're pissing me off. Might try some speed work this year. We'll see, sounds like more work :P

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