The Roadhouse 367

March 3, 2012 in Blues, Music, Podcasts | No comments

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The 367th Roadhouse is without an official frame. There’s such a variety that I’ve left it to you to decide how the music all fits together. Eddie C. Campbell, Janiva Magness, Big James & The Chicago Playboys, Heritage Blues Orchestra, and Nathan James & The Rhythm Scratchers lead this edition in fine style. Or – a fine variety of styles. But, as always, the varitey adds up to one full hour of the finest blues you’ve never heard.

  • Saturdays Are PR Days

    March 3, 2012 in PRs, Running, Sports | No comments

    PRs for distance (7.97 mi) and duration (1:10:01) in this one.

  • The Long Short Month

    March 2, 2012 in PRs, Running, Sports | No comments

    I made a 6.81 mile run on Tuesday to close out the month of February. As noted, I expected to make three more runs in the week. but the long Saturday followed by an unplanned Sunday run took some of the life out of my legs. I thought it best to rest on Wednesday rather than risk an injury that would keep me off the pavement for a few weeks.

    I ended the month of February with 89.9 miles in the books, all of it running. As the mileage came up throughout the month, I harbored a quiet hope that I might reach the 100-mile mark. And, had February been a normal month of 31 days, I might have made that milestone. Instead, I almost doubled the mileage of January, jumping up from 47.6. At the time, that was the PR for monthly mileage. Even with a short month, February definitely set a new standard.

    Read the rest of this entry »

  • Cardinals 2012

    March 2, 2012 in Baseball, Sports | No comments

    Will the defending World Champions repeat without the help of one of the greatest hitters to ever play baseball?

    Just a reminder – many, many teams have won the World Series without The Machine.

    I think the Cardinals are strong all the way through the lineup. If Berkman plays to 75% of the level of last year, Beltran plays to his potential, and Holliday steps it up just a small notch, the Cardinals will definitely be contenders. The pitching staff is as strong as nearly any in the National League and, in my opinion, is the strongest in the Central.

    In truth, it feels like the start of another fun season is mere weeks away.

  • 100 Beginner Running Tips | Complete Running Network

    February 26, 2012 in Running | No comments

    Welcome to the Complete Running Network 100 Beginner Running Tips. This first top 100 post is the CRN teams first group writing project — everyone chipped in to come up with the list.

    100 Beginner Running Tips | Complete Running Network.

  • Unexpected Afternoon 5.68

    February 26, 2012 in Running, Sports | 1 comment

    I ran this afternoon, completely on the spur of the moment. The original plan was as it has been for weeks – run long on Saturday then rest on Sunday. But, driving down Scott Blvd. after Sunday family breakfast at Midtown Cafe, I started thinking about how I’d like to run in that area. I measured out a route on MapMyWalk. When I realized I could cover a large loop of 5.6+ miles, and that the temperature outside was 54° F, I set out for a 50-minute run.

    And, it went pretty well for being completely spontaneous. Scott Blvd. has a long hill that peaks at Muscatine, the point at which I turned. My heart rate was in zone 5 coming up the hill. Then, it’s a short downhill and pretty flat for the rest of the run. I stayed in zone 3 or 4 for the remaining miles and maintained roughly an 8:45 pace. Overall, I ended up at 8:48, with a max heart rate of 166.

    With the 7.8-miler yesterday, I do have some tired legs. I felt a little discomfort in the right hamstring throughout the run, but it was more about tightness than pain.

    Tomorrow will be a day off. Then, the schedule for the rest of the week will be:

    This will leave me just short of 100 miles for the month (approximately 96.7), as Feb. ends on Wednesday. But, it gives me hope that I’ll cover 100 miles pretty easily in March. In January, I covered 47.6 for a monthly distance PR. I’m pretty happy with the progress since then.

  • The Roadhouse 366

    February 26, 2012 in Blues, Music, Podcasts | No comments

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    This edition of The Roadhouse perpetuates the feeling that blues is truly good-time music. Albert Cummings, James Harman, The Sugar Prophets, Doug MacLeod, and Dion move us through the hour. One song leads to the next and before you know it, you’ve experienced another hour of the finest blues you’ve never heard – the 366th Roadhouse.

  • Running With Technology

    February 6, 2012 in Mobile, Running, Running Gear, Running Tech | No comments

    I took up running seriously about a year-and-a-half ago. Though I’ve been running regularly during that time, it’s only been in the past few months that I’ve really begun to feel like a runner. I’ve made some real strides, so to speak, in distance, duration and, importantly, my mental approach to running. I’ve also begun to rely much more heavily on technology. I use tech to track and recognize my progress, and to challenge myself. Gadgets for running have become much more than musical accompaniment.

    If there’s a downside to carrying a lot of tech, it’s that, well, I’m carrying a lot of tech. For every run, I’m wearing or carrying:

    I also rely on tech to dissect the data provided by all the hardware. I’ve been a longtime Runkeeper Elite member. I’ve recently begun using FitBit to track nutrition and weight. I’ve also installed the GainFitness app on the phone to craft and track core fitness workouts. I use the iSmoothRun app to track the pertinent details of each run: heart rate, distance, cadence, steps, time, and mapping. I’m now also using the Pedometer Ultimate app to track steps during the day. Finally, I record sleep with RK Sleep. FitBit, GainFitness, iSmoothRun, Pedometer Ultimate, and RK Sleep are all connected to the Runkeeper account to feed the advanced fitness reports. As if that’s not enough, I also have a Garmin Connect account receiving auto-uploads from the FR60 when a run is complete, and a DailyMile account that’s fed by the Garmin Connect data.

    It starts to look like a fitness Frankenmonster when I lay it all out. But, hey – I’m an engineer. I love my data.

    The upshot of carrying and using all this technology is that the gains in my health are visible in almost every critical area. That’s highly motivating. My mile pace has come down by 45 seconds per mile in the past few weeks. My resting heart rate is down into the low 50s. I’ve lost 17 lbs since I began using the FitBit site in early January. I’ve increased my long-run duration to 55 minutes from less than 40 in December. I know the proper pace to maintain my heart rate in zone 4. I can correlate caloric intake with activity, both normal and fitness activities. I know my strong and weak running days and times. Virtually all the patterns that can help improve my overall fitness or point to weaknesses in my plan are visible. It’s an approach to fitness for an everyday guy that only would have been available to elite athletes as recently as ten years ago.

    In the end, the availability of the technology makes it possible to extend lives, and to extend them with quality, my own included.

    What’s your experience with fitness technology and tools? Share in the comments.

  • The Roadhouse 358

    December 31, 2011 in Blues, Music, Podcasts | No comments

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    The final Roadhouse hour of 2011 is filled with smooth blues. Little Hurricane, Shaun Murphy, Big George Jackson, Carolina Chocolate Drops, and Etta James end the year in smooth style. The 358th Roadhouse is an hour of blues with few rough edges and is also, of course, another hour of the finest blues you’ve never heard.

  • The Roadhouse 357

    December 23, 2011 in Blues, Music, Podcasts | 1 comment

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    This week, we pay respects to the artists who passed in 2011. Big Jack Johnson, John-Alex Mason, George Mojo Buford, Doyle Bramhall, and Eddie Kirkland light up the little bandstand in the corner in this edition. With all due respect, the 357th Roadhouse really is another hour of the finest blues you’ve never heard.

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