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When you workout, you should be free of any pain so you can concentrate on form and building muscle. My two problem areas have been giving me trouble in running and when I hit my legs tomorrow (gym closed early today and I forgot), the pain is going to take away from my workout.

Sometimes you need to work through pain and others you should take it easy. My solution to my current problems is both. I’ll continue to workout but I’m going to stay away from any running. Running is only going to compound my problem because of the pounding. What I can do is use the exercise bike and stair stepper to alleviate the weight and give my legs time to heal.

I’m also in desperate need of some new running shoes which will provide a big boost.

Post from: EveryJoe

Feeling Comfortable When You Workout

This race has grown drastically since its inaugural when 683 people signed up.

“This triathlon began as part of New York City’s 2012 Olympic bid effort and has grown beyond our wildest imaginations,” said John Korff, the race’s organizer. “The sport of triathlon continues to be America’s fastest-growing spectator sport and every year, we regret that we have to turn people away.”

Image: Newscom

Greg Bennett (37) took his 4th consecutive win with a time of 1:45:50. All three top finishers (Bennett, Andy Potts and Matty Reid) came from Boulder, CO. Bennett is formerly from North Sydney Australia but now resides in Bouder.

Rebeccah Wassner (33) of NYC was the top female finisher with a time of 1:58:25 with Becky Lavelle and Margaret Shapiro finishing second and third respectively among the women.

Image: Newscom

Also featured as part of the event was the second annual IAMS 5-Mile Doggy Dash. Dogs and their human partners vied to win the coveted red fire hydrant. Nathan Kucera and Beowulf of New Haven, CT came in first.

Post from: EveryJoe

3,000 Race in Nautica NYC Triathlon

If you are interested in learning more about ChiRunning, visit ChiRunning.com.

Image: ChiRunning

Danny Dreyer offers these simple tips for beginning marathon runners:

1) Give it a year: Danny Dreyer recommends beginning runners take at least 1 full year to adequately and safely prepare for a marathon. Too many runners go out too hard and end up getting injured because they do too much too soon.

2) Take it easy: ChiRunning is all about building a foundation on which you can create a really fabulous running program. Take it a day at a time and don’t try to ‘make’ up for a workout, especially at the beginning of a training program: plan ahead of time so you can do the workout you planned to do on the day you planned to do it!

3) Listen to your body: Some days it’s easier than others, of course. But if you’ve had a bad day at work, even though you might just want to sit on the couch, your body is probably begging you to get out there and run. If you’re on the verge of getting sick, sometimes it might be better to lay low, but each person needs to listen to their body’s needs, more than running partners, egos, or schedules.

4) Head outside! The great outdoors is a wonderful place to soak up the energy, so if you can do your runs outside, we highly recommend it, even if it’s not perfectly sunny. Your body will appreciate it… treadmills and tracks are good occassionally, but trees and flowers are much greater resources of ‘chi’ (Chinese word for ‘life force energy’)

This week, we are giving your the opportunity to win Danny’s ChiRunning book and DVD. To enter the contest, leave a comment here on this post. Your comment will automatically enter you into the giveaway, which ends on Monday, June 8, 2009 at 11:59pm ET. One random winner will be selected from all the entries to receive the book and DVD.

Post from: EveryJoe

Giveaway: ChiRunning Book and DVD

Image: Vibramfivefingers.com

I keep seeing these running shoes made to mimic running in bare feet but with protection. The Vibram Five Fingers remind me of my sister’s rainbow toe-socks from the 80’s. Virbam claims that they will stimulate “the muscles in your feet and lower legs will not only make you stronger and healthier, it improves your balance, agility and proprioception.“

It’s a very interesting concept and if I ran more, I would probably buy a pair. I don’t think you would catch me wearing them out in public at a restaurant or shopping though. They have 4 different pairs, each geared a little differently than the others and at most I only see a maximum of 2mm of rubber between your foot and the ground. Just doesn’t seem to be much protection against the occasional pebbles that you encounter while running.

The Vibram Five Fingers will run you $80 and can be found at VibramFiveFingers.com

(Image Source: Vibranfivefingers.com)

Post from: EveryJoe

Bare foot Running: Any Experts Out There?

In games though, your characters are the most insanely fit people on whatever planet you happen to be on. They can run up and down mountains, swim oceans, and climb to the heavens.

Master Chief is a good example.  That guy never stops.  If he were an E9 in the Navy I was in, he would be drinking coffee and waiting for his retirement checks to start rolling in.

I know that these are just games and not real life, but COD4 limited the ability to sprint for hours and that added to the overall realistic feel. I am not hung up on realism, but I find myself trying to achieve these superhuman feats.  If I can do it then folks on Ninja Challenge better watch out!

Just to further my point that there is a disconnect between games and the real world, here is a video.  These guys are WOW dorks, but they still have an amazing experiment.

Post from: EveryJoe

Which Way to the Gym?