I am obviously a self-proclaimed obsessive personality about running. How obsessive are you about running? Take my totally unscientific quiz to rate yourself!
I am obviously a self-proclaimed obsessive personality about running. How obsessive are you about running? Take my totally unscientific quiz to rate yourself!
Which state has the best runners? Well, it depends on what you mean by “best,” but according to this Runner’s World column, Oregon is #2 overall. We’re #1 in “runs per person.” Data comes from RunKeeper. (Why is Massachusetts #1? Well, RunKeeper is based in Boston, so you can do the math.)
For those of you who missed this on Run Oregon’s Facebook page (and if you aren’t following our Facebook page, why not???), Runner Claire Wycoff has an artistic streak, and her medium of choice is Nike+. She has many more pictures at that Tumblr site, including at least a couple that are borderline NSFW.
I recently upgraded my smartphone to the Samsung Galaxy S5, and I’ve been playing around with the S Health app for a week and a half now. If you haven’t followed the Galaxy line of phones, the S5 comes with two hardware features that the S4 lacks: (1) a waterproof(!) casing; and (2) a heart rate monitor. In our rainy environment, the waterproofing is definitely a nice feature, although I’m too scared to test it…
* Here’s a new cross-training idea: shivering in the cold. Okay, it’s doubtful that shivering is as effective at building up cardiovascular endurance as running is, but apparently it does stimulate the conversion of (mostly) useless white body fat into (much more) useful brown body fat. Brown body fat is “a tissue that is metabolically quite active. Unlike white fat, it burns calories and generates heat.” So I guess this means if it’s too icy/snowy/frigid…
* Usain Bolt and sprinting may be uber-popular in Jamaica, but it looks like road racing in more middle/long distances is gaining in popularity there too. Bolt doesn’t look like a distance runner but I’m guessing he could give Brian Bernier a run for his money!
A collection of recent running-related links across the Internet: * A new Centers for Disease Control study found that only 1 in 4 U.S. kids ages 12-15 gets the recommended amount of at least one hour of moderate to vigorous physical activity a day. Not good, especially since a Swedish study concluded that “[e]very 15 percent increase in aerobic fitness in your teen years is associated with an 18 percent reduced risk of heart attack…