1. TriFind.com →

    Thinking about running a triathalon this summer.  List of possibilities.

  2. This morning a friend and I did a loop around Upton State Forest.  It was a gorgeous morning :)  No great account to tell of this one, except that beautiful weather and great company made for a great start to my day :)

    This morning a friend and I did a loop around Upton State Forest.  It was a gorgeous morning :)  No great account to tell of this one, except that beautiful weather and great company made for a great start to my day :)

  3. MHIYAL Part I : Disclaimer

    First things first.  What do all those initials mean??

    MHIYAL = managing hunger in your active lifestyle.

    Second: before I start this series of posts: you need to know a little bit about me. 

    1.  This whole series of posts stems from one fact: I am in training, and I am ALWAYS hungry.  It’s been this way since I started seriously playing competitive sports in high school.  I am in search of ways to manage this hunger in a way that keeps me from binging on bad foods, helps me to build lean mass while shedding fat, is healthy and keeps my taste buds satisfied.  The more athletes I talk to, the more I realize that this is a very common problem, with a huge array of solutions that need sorting through. 

    2.  I have a BS in Molecular Biology, I am a certified personal trainer, and have been an athlete since I could walk.   A few things I am not: a physician, dietitian, or a nutritionist.  Everything I say I have either learned by experience, or, have learned by research (and for those things, I will do my best to provide references).  You can take from it what you will, but bear in mind that while what I post has worked for me, it may not work for you.

    3.  I hate pills.  Supplements (besides a daily multivitamin), any of the variety of steroids, appetite suppressants and the like are not part of the solution.  Chemically altering your body’s chemistry is never good, unless in a manner prescribed by your physician. 

    4.  While I hate pills, I do like protein supplements.  My favorites so far are Muscle Milk (it’s lactose free!) and Nature’s Research.  I don’t know much about Muscle Milk except that it tastes good and doesn’t drive my digestive system crazy (lactose intolerant :\ ).  I’ve been using Nature’s Research lately, and between its high protein content, low sugar content (and no aspartame!) and strong amino acid complex, I’ve found that it reduces my soreness and helps me feel more recovered faster. MetRX also makes a pretty good product that I have used in the past, but it’s loaded with sugar and sugar substitutes, and doesn’t taste all that good. 

    5.  I am Italian and French, so good food is in my blood.  I believe that everything should taste good and that you should be able to eat well while still achieving your goals.  I have never once in my career embarked on a faddish or drastic diet.  You won’t find any of that crap here.  Generally they deprive you of something and are only effective until your body starts correcting for it.  Some of them actually result in drastic weight gain and health problems once you “finish.” Sound nutrition in appropriate portions are the two things that I teach my clients.  If you want a candy bar, go for it.  Just don’t do it twice a day every day.  If you’re watching the game, and want some pizza, eat it. But run an extra mile the next day.  You get the picture. And that leads me to my final point:

    6.  Life is about moderation.  Everything in moderation.  Food, alcohol, exercise, work, play.  Too much of a good thing is just that: too much.  Likewise, too little is too little.  As we grow as people and athletes, we must strive to reach a balance in everything we do.

    Got it?  Good. Now we can move on :)

    If there is any particular thing you’d like to know, ask me questions here.

    Keep your eyes open for more posts in the series over the next few days!

  4. Epic post in the works.

    Been working on a post about hunger management for athletes. 

    Lost it all this afternoon when computer decided to shut down firefox for no reason…

    So, rewrite in process, but if you have questions or comments, leave them here:

    http://getmeoutside.tumblr.com/ask

  5. Guy runs world record mile... In a BOMB SUIT →

    This guy runs for fun in a bomb suit. I don’t know if he’s bored, in intensely good shape, or out of his mind.  Maybe a little of everything?

  6. MapMyRun.com - Training Log for clutch4786 →

    What I’ve been up to lately - 

    Finally, today, I felt strong running. It feels so good to finally not feel like I’m struggling through every step!!!

  7. MapMyRun.com - Fartleks: Speed Training on 03/24/2010 →

    Tough day today.  I’ve been running a little slow, so I started some speed training today.  The sprinting made my jogging slower while I was catching my breath, so I ran a slower mile, but research shows that if I can lengthen my stride by mixing in sprint/fartlek workouts, my regular runs will be faster.  We’ll see what happens.  I am determined to get back under 8 minute miles consistantly, so, I’ll do what I have to do.  

    At least it’s a beautiful early spring day in New England today.  

    p.s. if anyone is curious for a little more information about Fartlek Training, Check out this website: http://running.about.com/od/trainingessentials/f/fartleks.htm

  8. Hey Out There! So the goal for this weekend was to hike Mt. Tom (Mt. Tom State Reservation, Holyoke? MA)… we were unsuccessful.   Unclear directions put us at the Whiting Street Reservoir, although we didn’t know it.   We walked half the loop around the reservoir, and decided to go exploring off the beaten path. There were old gate posts that lead to apparently abandoned property, and eventually, we ended up on the street on the other side of the reservoir.  GPS pointed us NNE towards the Reservation, and a road that would loop us back around to where we were parked.  So, we resigned ourselves to walking on the road for a bit, and kept on. Maybe 100 yds up the road we intersected the Metacomet-Monadnock Trail, and the map said it would take us to the same place that the road would, except we’d cut a little length off and there was the obvious advantage of not having to worry about cars. While it wasn’t what we originally had aimed for, the trail (marked by white hash marks on trees) was beautiful, although steep.  It very quickly ascended about 1000’ , to the top of an unnamed peak in the Mt. Tom range.  The picture at the beginning of this post is of me standing at the top of these cliffs.  They seemed like they would have been great climbing, if I had brought climbing equipment.  The top also makes for a great picnic spot.  From the cliffs we walked down the back side of the peak, down the B-17 walking trail, named for a B-17 that went down on the peak in 1946 on its return from WWII.  There was a beautifully maintained memorial along the way for the 25 servicemen who perished in the crash.   From the end of the walking trail, we walked down Mt Park Rd. back towards the Reservoir, and our vehicle.  All told, it took about 3 hours, including frequent rests, and a good long break to take in the view at the top of the cliffs.   The plan is to go back in a few weeks and actually go to Mt. Tom - now that we’ve found the State Park and the appropriate trail head.  I can’t call the day a waste though, because the weather was perfect, 70 degrees, dry, and clear blue skies.  Enough of a breeze to keep you cool but not cold, and the opportunity to spend the day with two awesome women without the distractions of our modern world.  It was a perfect way to ring in spring. 

    Hey Out There!

    So the goal for this weekend was to hike Mt. Tom (Mt. Tom State Reservation, Holyoke? MA)… we were unsuccessful.  

    Unclear directions put us at the Whiting Street Reservoir, although we didn’t know it.   We walked half the loop around the reservoir, and decided to go exploring off the beaten path. There were old gate posts that lead to apparently abandoned property, and eventually, we ended up on the street on the other side of the reservoir.  GPS pointed us NNE towards the Reservation, and a road that would loop us back around to where we were parked.  So, we resigned ourselves to walking on the road for a bit, and kept on.

    Maybe 100 yds up the road we intersected the Metacomet-Monadnock Trail, and the map said it would take us to the same place that the road would, except we’d cut a little length off and there was the obvious advantage of not having to worry about cars.

    While it wasn’t what we originally had aimed for, the trail (marked by white hash marks on trees) was beautiful, although steep.  It very quickly ascended about 1000’ , to the top of an unnamed peak in the Mt. Tom range.  The picture at the beginning of this post is of me standing at the top of these cliffs.  They seemed like they would have been great climbing, if I had brought climbing equipment.  The top also makes for a great picnic spot.  From the cliffs we walked down the back side of the peak, down the B-17 walking trail, named for a B-17 that went down on the peak in 1946 on its return from WWII.  There was a beautifully maintained memorial along the way for the 25 servicemen who perished in the crash.  

    From the end of the walking trail, we walked down Mt Park Rd. back towards the Reservoir, and our vehicle.  All told, it took about 3 hours, including frequent rests, and a good long break to take in the view at the top of the cliffs.  

    The plan is to go back in a few weeks and actually go to Mt. Tom - now that we’ve found the State Park and the appropriate trail head.  I can’t call the day a waste though, because the weather was perfect, 70 degrees, dry, and clear blue skies.  Enough of a breeze to keep you cool but not cold, and the opportunity to spend the day with two awesome women without the distractions of our modern world.  It was a perfect way to ring in spring. 

  9. MapMyRun.com - Regular Run: 1.5 Miles on 3/19/20 →

    What a beautiful Day!!! Felt gooooooooood this morning!

  10. Don’t bother with that Ark, Noah

    So the rain in New England finally stopped last night (it had been close to a week straight of just rain rain rain)… and it is an ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL spring day out there.  45 degrees and sunny, barely any wind.  Just had the best run I’ve had since before the winter.  It didn’t hurt my lungs to breathe, my hands weren’t numb when I got home… and i didn’t feel like my stride was compromised by having to watch out for ice, and the sun felt amazing on my back. 

    Looking forward to thursday, if the weather is going to stay like this, and maybe hiking Mt Tom this weekend (it’s going to be 60+ degrees!).  Gotta love the dawn of spring :)