Yesterday was cross-training day. I hit the gym for some upper body and a little cycling. Pretty normal routine with some modifications for an irritating back ache I was experiencing. I finished the strength routine and was settling into the biking when I realized at about 4 miles in, I hadn’t hit start. I wondered why the resistance felt so minimal. I hit start and everything started to fall into place. Sure, I was getting my cardio and cross in on the bike even without the bike routine in start but the point is that I wasn’t aware of what was happening with the routine or my performance.

My friend John over at Foley Writes likes to point out that I’m a bit of an exercise nerd. He included a clip of Big Bang Theory on my Facebook page once. Sheldon and Penny go for a run where Sheldon (presumably me) is geeked-out with the gadgets of running; Penny is not. Hilarity ensues.

I’ll admit that in most other places in my life I’m a geek. I have a few laptops, iPad, Shuffle, iPod, iPhone, and all the gadgets a boy could want. I don’t see a reason why that shouldn’t apply to my running life too. Like a lot of newbie runners, I’ve made some investments that now seem more like wasteful expenses but eventually find gadgets that do what I need when I need it done.

While, some folks seem to think that you can just go out, run, and grab a bear claw as the clip suggests, I like to know where I am, what I am doing, and how this workout compared to the last one. You see it all the time with athletes taking notebooks to the gym, consulting a coach/trainer, or logging activity in some form. So when I failed to hit start I was left feeling like I’d wasted my time.

You and I both know that the time wasn’t wasted; it just wasn’t counted. Measurement of performance is an important part of training. You read it all the time with regard to people in training with regard to how much, how far, and how fast. I’m not going to set any records on the world’s stage and I don’t want to do that. I want to have some personal records (PR) and monitoring is part of that experience. I feel settled with what I gear up with each run:

• iPod Shuffle with some kick ass tracks to keep me moving
• Yurbuds to keep the earphones in place
• Nike+ Sportsband to track my distance/speed/calories on runs
• Amphipod hydration system (which draws funny looks from those that don’t use a waistband)
• and the various wicking clothing needed to run and be comfortable

I admit, openly, that I love my gadgets. I’m eying up some GPS technology for my runs and haven’t decided if Garmin is the way to go or waiting for the Nike+ GPS with TomTom is the right move. I avoided buying this at first because I wanted to see how serious I would become about the activity. I can say now, I am an active hobbyist here and one my way to being counted among the marathoner sect.

Of course, I still need to hit start or I won’t be counting my time; worse I’ll be “gambling about like a bunny”.

Shameless plug: if Nike or Garmin want to sway me in one way or another, feel free. I’ll be happy to honestly review your devices and promote what tool/features I think work great.

Image Source: 1: Navigadget

Image Source: 2: Garmin

Living in Buffalo, NY you learn to deal with snow and cold. When I was younger I would camp in the snow with my Scout troop and even later in life do the same with my buddies. It would seem, though, that over the years I’ve become less tolerant of being out in the snow and cold for long periods of time. Truth be told, I’d probably bundle up and stay indoors most of the time. However, training can’t always be done in ideal 50 Degree Fall running weather and the time it takes to work up to 13.1 or 26.2 from a 5K distance demands several weeks.

I joined Fleet Feet – Buffalo’s Half Marathon training and began running with them on January 7th. January. Buffalo. Cold. I’m a rookie after all and having only begun running in July 2010 I have no experience in running in the cold. I make mistakes; a lot of mistakes. Fortunately, the training program involves some 100+ runners this season ranging from 10K folks, rookie half-marathoners like me, to Boston Marathoners. It is an impressively diverse group. No doubt in the weeks to come I’ll learn much about my style, how to perform better, and how to dress for running in Buffalo – in Winter. But, I can’t wait for weeks; it is cold now. So I’ve done some searching and some experimenting. This is what I learned:

• Run anyway. The hardest part about running in the cold is getting the motivation to do it. Just get up, get dressed, stretch, and hit the road. The first 1/4 mile will be chilly but the body warms up quickly. Running in the cold is less than ideal and the motivation is just monumental. It looks crazy to outsiders but running in the cold feels pretty good.
• Dress for 20 degrees warmer. The good folks at Fleet Feet Buffalo shared some wisdom with me back in the late Fall months when it was getting chilly. Dress like it is 20 degrees warmer than the ambient temperature. This rule of thumb goes back to point 1 – your body warms up quickly. I find that this rule of thumb works well – when you know what to wear at different temperatures.
• Check with experts. Runner’s World has this handy little gadget buried on their website that helps you determine what gear is best. Yes, it links to a store but I don’t feel compelled, and neither should you, to buy anything I don’t need.
• Breathability. Ugh – I’ve made a ton of mistakes here. I’ve picked up cheap hats and gear that just don’t breathe. Consequently, I overheat or soak in sweat (both gross and dangerous when it comes to cold weather activity). My fatal flaw – hats. I finally shelled out the money for a nice breathable polar fleece hat – now I need to run in it.
• Traction. I upgraded my Fall shoes to trail shoes for running on snow. I hate them. It feels like I’m running with concrete soles as my feet clap against the ground. I’ve given them a fair shake and I still hate them. I’m going to try my Fall shoes this week and see how I do in them. The secret to traction, I think, is cleaning out the treads a bit as I run. I find some open patch of pavement and stomp or scuff my feet along for a few steps. This keeps the treads cleaner and I’m less prone to slipping.

As I wrote earlier, I’m a rookie – a newbie – a noob at this whole thing. I’ll take all the advice I can get and offer anything I learn.

Image source: puroticorico; thanks.