Pintrest Motivation: How to use Pintrest to Motivate you to Run

These days, you can look to websites like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, eHow, DIY, and others to gain a little perspective, knowledge, and guidance on how to build things, where to find things, how to network, and how to do something cool.

Pinterest is one of those sites.  It is social media wrapped up in pictures and videos "pinned" to various "Boards" that users create.  You can create as many boards as you want, and if you browse the site for just a few seconds you can see that people are pinning all sorts of random things they come across online.

I like Pinterest Pins of Built in Patio Kitchens. I also like Pinterest Pins of Running Quotes that are pasted across pictures of Runners, Swimmers, and Cyclists in training and races.  It is one thing to read a quote, but reading that same quote when it is associated with something visual like a picture of Steve Prefontaine crushing his competitors, takes it to another level.

Make your own that motivates you. It doesn't really matter what it is, as long as it impacts you in a way the prompts you to do your thing.  Run.

Have a look at my Pinterest Board and see what I mean: Pinterest Motivation

Running More: How to ramp up the mileage

These past four weeks have been relatively active as I have gotten back in to running, and cycling. Still haven't made it to the pool, but I am really more interested in getting stronger on the run, and certainly on the bike.

Most of my runs have been during my lunch hour at work. That means treadmill running for as many quality minutes as I can squeeze in. I've been ramping up the time on the treadmill instead of focusing on mileage because the treadmill sucks and I mileage just isn't the same as on the road.

This makes ramping up the running duration and intensity fairly easy. Since I am only dealing with minutes, I can do 35 minutes on my easy days and 45-50 minutes on the harder days. Those harder days include intervals, hills, and anything else I can think of to make things interesting.

Best of all, I get a good workout and can stretch, shower, and walk back down the hall in about an hour. It is a nice way keep active during my busy schedule at home and work.

How to Meet Runners on Twitter

Twitter is a great tool for communicating with people who share your enjoyment of running, triathlon, or any other sport.  The trick is knowing how to connect with those people in your area.

There are a couple of tactics that you can use, but one of the best ways to search Twitter for Athletes in your area is with Twitter Advanced Search.

You can define the location, search for specific text in the tweets, as well as look for hashtags that are unique to your search.

Here are a few highlights on the Advance Twitter Search Options:

• You can search All Words, Any Words, Exact Phrases, or even searches to include "none of your selected words or phrases"
• Location: Defaults to 15 miles, but you can change this after your first search
• Hashtag Searches: Boolean search any terms you want

Here is a sample of my search:
Location: Houston, TX
Hastags: #triathlon OR 5k OR 10k

Check out Twitter Advanced Search

Tweets about "#triathlon OR #OR OR #5k OR #OR OR #10k near:"houston, tx" within:15mi"

Perfect run pacing? Good or Bad?

I read an article today on Runnersworld.com. It basically illustrated the running habits of some of the fastest runners in the world and how those habits are quite contrarian to the mainstream thinking of pacing yourself through your training runs.

It was an interesting look at the mentality behind these insane efforts that these runners will put themselves through. Much of it is for money, since winning or placing in the money for much of these runners will change their quality of life immediately.

It is definitely worth the time to read, and maybe even try at your next group training session. Go all out and explode, if not, you might be settling for a slower PR.

Link to the actual Runners World article:
http://www.runnersworld.com/race-training/disadvantages-perfect-pacing

101 Things to do for a healthy 2012

Last year was a blur, and even more so when it comes to my triathlon training, or simply running for that matter. Lack luster does not come near my activity as an athlete and because of it, my activity on this blog suffered as well.

In an attempt to revive where I left off in January 2012, I put my list of 101 things to do in 2013 together in much of the same way. Give it a look and try a few of them out.

Your body will thank you.

101 Fit and Healthy Things to do in 2012
01) Run a 5k
02) Run a 10k
03) Run a 1/2 Marathon
04) Run a Marathon
05) Run a Sprint Triathlon
06) Run an Olympic Distance Triathlon
07) Run a 1/2 Ironman
08) Participate in a group training run
09) Swim at least 1 mile non-stop
10) Join a local running club
11) Join a local triathlon club
12) Ride your bike 100 miles in one day
13) Take a yoga class
14) Take a spin class
15) See a nutritionist
16) Consult a training coach
17) Get your body fat tested
18) Get a stress test done
19) Get a physical
20) Subscribe to a running or health magazine
21) Swim an open water swim
22) Ride your bike to work
23) Workout at lunch, eat lunch at your desk
24) Run a trail race in the woods
25) Encourage a "non runner" to run a 5k
26) Tell your coworkers that you're a runner
27) Tell a stranger that you're a runner
28) Buy a race photo from your next event
29) Get fit by a professional on your bike
30) Buy and/or use a heart rate monitor
31) Map your favorite run to share with others
32) Invite a neighbor to go for a walk or run
33) Keep a training diary
34) Run a race for time
35) Run a race for fun
36) Keep current training goal by your bed
37) Stretch after every workout
38) Read an inspirational workout quote once a week
39) Come up with your own inspirational workout quote
40) Go to the Dr. at the first sign of a chest cold
41) Drink more water
42) Detox for at least a week
43) Stop drinking coffee for a week and switch with tea
44) Eat breakfast every day for at least a week
45) Achieve a healthy level of body fat percentage
46) Find a running partner in another state to email regularly
47) Run with a dog
48) Run with your significant other
49) Read a book on running
50) Clear your sinus with a Netti Pot
51) Run in the morning before work
52) Go for a night run (with lights and reflective gear!)
53) Ride a bike to a lunch destination with friends
54) Ride your bike for charity
55) Participate in a charity race/fun run
56) Run a race or ride in a state other than where you live
57) Make your own home made smoothies for a week
58) Buy your next pair of running shoes from a specialty store
59) Learn to patch a flat on your bike the right way
60) Help a fellow rider fix a flat tire on his/her bike
61) Wear sunscreen year round
62) Set a personal record on your favorite training run
63) Set a personal record at your favorite race
64) Pay for a friends race registration to get them started
65) Bake your own energy bars
66) Eat 2-3 servings of fish for at least one week per month
67) Learn what portion control means for you
68) Get 30 minutes a day of activity when not working out
69) Control your sodium intake. Know what you need.
70) Increase your antioxidant rich foods
1) Floss your teeth to fight off bacteria
72) Strength train at least 10 minutes per day
73) Wipe down your exercise equipment at the gym after use
74) Set realistic weight loss (or gain) goals
75) Donate your old running shoes to charity
76) Know when to change your old running shoes out for new ones
77) Take an ice bath after your long runs
78) Shave your legs before any distance triathlon
79) Share a swim lane with a weaker swimmer than you
80) Share a swim lane with a stronger swimmer than you
81) Swim, Bike, and Run in morning at the gym
82) Swim 1 mile before a 1 hour spin class
83) Run 3 miles after a 1 hour spin class
84) Cut your toe nails before long runs
85) Run at conversational pace with friends and talk
86) Run without a stop watch at least once a week
87) Run without an HR monitor at least once a week
88) Run with your favorite music
89) Run without music and listen to yourself breath
90) Practice breathing from both sides during the swim
91) Tape up your workout schedule in your office
92) Volunteer at a local fun run/race
93) Look both ways before crossing the street
94) Cross train
95) Count your calories not your carbs
96) Get more sleep
97) Regulate your alcohol intake
98) Quit smoking if you are a smoker!
99) Motivate yourself to stay healthy!
100) Believe in yourself to stay healty!
101) Blog about your healthy lifestyle!

December Run Challenge - Run 100 Miles in a Month

I have been out of running, real running, for months.  So, to jump start some Winter training, I decided to join up with Dailmile.com and run in one of the Challenges.  Fast forward to today, and I'm 6.2 miles into my 100 mile goal for the month.

Here is the link to the Run 100 Miles in December Challenge on Dailymile.com
December Run Challenge

This month of running will be Heart Rate based running instead of pace.  I've been out of it for a while so my goal (besides running 100 miles this month) is to build endurance.  I have a lot of slow miles ahead of me.

Running with a Double Stoller

Just wrapped up a nice hill run while pushing my double stroller full of kids and gear. Pushing a stroller up hill takes the incline to a whole different level!