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Why I Don’t Run First Thing in the Morning

Yesterday afternoon we had a surprise softball game for Kev’s youngest at 5:30. We made it to dinner at 7, and we were home by 8. Since I hadn’t yet had time to get my run in, I thought I would go ahead and do it before it got too dark. I was almost to our [...]

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Budd Coates Teaches ‘Running On Air’ – The Monday Mile

Running on Air

I remember being about 20 miles into my first marathon, and the pacer making a very big deal about breathing deeply and in general watching our breathing closely. Even then this was not news – after getting myself into ‘fuel trouble’ on my first half-marathon, I started to pay attention to a whole bunch of [...]

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Recovery Is Training, too – The Monday Mile

Running Injuries

This is one of those things I fear saying out loud, but I have never been sidelines for more than a day or two with a running injury. I recognize that I am not normal – I have a good running posture and form, good joints, and a fast recovery. I tend to bounce back [...]

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R U A MILER? National Run a Mile Days – The Monday Mile

R U a Miler

Today marks an important – though totally artificial – milestone: the day Roger Bannister first officially broke the 4 minute mile. It is important because it removed a mental obstacle – and it is artificial because it is an arbitrary round number. That mark remains a goal for all milers and a remarkable achievement for [...]

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Early Morning Running Safety Tips – The Monday Mile

running-safety

For all of the years I lived in Massachusetts and was a morning runner, which I count as 18 or 19 – Patriots Day would mark the time when people would come out of hibernation and either start exercising or take the exercise routines outdoors. As I have noted, I keep running outdoors in pretty [...]

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The Right and Wrong Way to Do Post-Disaster Fundraising

Saucony #BostonStrong Medallion

Much has been written about all of the amazing people who stepped up after the Boston Marathon bombings, as well as companies in the area that opened their doors for stranded runners and other impacted individuals. We have since seen both good and bad examples of those who claim to want to help. The obvious [...]

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What Every Athlete and Weekend Warrior Should Have

One of the aftershocks of the Boston Marathon bombings this week is that racing is going to drastically change. Competitor.com, the organizers of the wildly popular (and often sold-out) “Rock n Roll” marathons has already said they’re working on updated security procedures, and runners at New York Road Runners are being told they can only [...]

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5 Ways to Honor the Boston Marathon Tragedy Victims – A Monday Mile Special Edition

Boston Marathon Tragedy

As someone who was born and spent more than forty years in the Boston area, my heart is heavy today. Although I am glad that the numbers didn’t continue climbing through the night in terms of those hurt, I am still having trouble wrapping my head around the horrific events that occurred at yesterday’s Boston Marathon. [...]

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My One-Year Runnerversary – The Monday Mile

I have posted several times about running as well as other fitness and health issues over the past year; I have also started a weekly ‘Monday Mile’ feature – and everyone has been amazing and supportive throughout, with loads of great discussions and tons of new stuff I have learned. At this point, I have [...]

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Tips for Your First 5K – The Monday Mile

Over the past week or so, several folks at Gear Diary have started (or re-started) running as part of training for a 5K road race. We’ve been having a number of discussions, and Carly and I have been recalling running our first races. Since spring has officially started and even in the northeast we’re starting [...]

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No Scream Cream – Waxing Poetic (and Pain Free) in Jamaica

I’m on vacation in Jamaica with my wife Elana, her brother Rob and Rob’s girlfriend, Alison. We had a casual breakfast in our villa this morning after which Rob headed to the beach to read. I lingered a bit too long over my last cup of coffee and, as a result, had the opportunity to [...]

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Your Health is No April Fool’s Joke – The Monday Mile

Your Health is No April Fool's Joke

Today being April 1st, you can expect to spend the day regaled by all sorts of ‘witty’ fake ads, fake ‘news’ items and so on – we have already seen Google out with a ‘YouTube closure’ and others, and it is easy to predict that many others will follow for Apple, Microsoft and more. Over [...]

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Healthy Delicious Lemonade in Seconds

It’s summer, and that means it is time for lemonade. (Actually, I love lemonade, so all year long is lemonade time.) The problem is that lemonade is made with sugar, and more and more studies are suggesting that sugar is not only addictive but is a toxic poison. (Yeah, I know the words “addictive”, “toxic” [...]

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Banish ‘Monkey Mind’ for a Better Run – The Monday Mile

Banish 'Monkey Mind' for a Better Run

‘Monkey Mind’ is the term used to describe the background chatter that happens in our mind, giving voice to the things that stress or worry or otherwise weigh on our minds. For many, going out for a run or working out in the gym is a time to think about everything – groceries, schedules, priorities, [...]

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Food Is for Fuel – The Monday Mile

Food is for Fuel

Image from Food is for Fuel.com I wrote about eating disorders recently because I was surprised at just how much of an issue it was for runners. There has been a lot of coverage due to the recent Eating Disorder Awareness Week campaign, and I have learned a lot of sobering things. One important thing [...]

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Cozi Family Organizer for iPhone and iPad – a Blueplate Special

iPhone and iPad apps for anyone on a budget. Nothing over $.99! My kids have finally reached the age that [...]

Smart Food Scale Promises to Up the Game in Your Kitchen and Reaches Kickstarter Goal

Regular GearDiary readers know that I’m a big fan of a good kitchen gadget, and I love my digital kitchen [...]

For Memorial Day, EA Holding Massive iOS Sale and G5 Having Huge Kindle Fire Sale!

Never a bad time for a great sale! Just in time for that classic gaming holiday – Memorial Day – [...]

Buy GRID 2: Mono Edition – The Most Expensive Video Game Ever

Got $190,000 laying around? Then you can make history and purchase GRID 2: Mono Edition, which includes an actual 170mph [...]

Switching Smartphones and Carriers Is Getting Harder Than Ever

Reading over Carly’s post and the comments made something clear to me – plenty of people have at least a [...]

Fast & Furious 6 Film Review

The ‘bigger is better’ filmmaking mantra works as this monstrous action-racing film series keeps upgrading with Fast & Furious 6 [...]