Fitness

Editorials October 8, 2010

Beware the Ice Pack, a Post-Run Safety PSA

Yesterday Carly shared one of what I consider to be the more important posts in recent memory (a close second to Michael’s post the other day). Carly related the story of a woman running with headphones on who “turned left abruptly, and went directly into the path of an oncoming bicycle.” The post highlights the potential danger of running or biking with headphones on. Increasingly we are (finally) talking about the issue of distracted driving. The fact is, distracted exercise is also an issue, and it is one that Larry has warned me about numerous times. Well, along similar lines…

News & Features October 6, 2010

Be Safe When Running with Headphones On!

Do you run with headphones on? Personally, I don’t, and I haven’t since I lived in a town that believed sidewalks were optional, and that SUVs have the right of way over the entire road, especially the shoulder where I was running. But I know many friends who do, and I hope they’re careful out there, especially after some recent tragic news out of Dallas, Texas. Over on the Runner’s World forums, someone shared the news about a young woman out running on a multi-use path, who was wearing headphones and turned left abruptly and went directly into the path…

Reviews August 5, 2010

RoadID Wrist Sport Band Review

About a week ago, my fiancee came home, walked the dog, and headed out for a bike ride. After she was riding for about an hour, she started to, for lack of a better word, “bonk”. It was hotter than she thought, she didn’t bring a snack, and she was almost out of water. Luckily she was able to call me to pick her up at the trailhead, but the incident worried me. What if she hadn’t stopped herself and started walking, or the heat snuck up on her more and she’d passed out? The next day, I went online…

News & Features July 6, 2010

Beware of Counterfeit Vibram Five Fingers!

Image courtesy Birthday Shoes It isn’t just ebook scammers you have to watch for on the internet! If you’ve been paying attention to Judie and Larry’s Couch to 5k Series, you may have caught that Judie runs in Vibram Five Finger Sprints. Recently I picked up a pair of Vibram Five Finger KSO’s at my local EMS, and I think Larry has a pair too…so we’re clearly big fans of toe-shoes here at Gear Diary. Now, if you’ve looked into ordering VFF’s recently, you may have noticed many sizes and styles are backordered. Vibram has had a hard time keeping…

Health and Fitness June 20, 2010

C25K: Larry Is too Cool for School

Week of 6 of the C25K program is in the books. Only three more weeks to go. Here’s how this week’s workouts looked: Larry: If you follow me on Twitter you may have noticed the lack of Tweets related to the C25K program this week. No it wasn’t a Twitter failure. Judie: And if you follow me on Twitter, you may have noticed the same lack of Tweets; that was not a Twitter failure, either. Larry: I was all set to follow this week’s plan until I ran until my old marathon training buddy at my neighborhood’s swimming pool over…

Reviews June 15, 2010

Review: Pocket Radar

I have mentioned my coaching exploits many times. I just finished my twelfth season as the head girl’s fastpitch softball coach. We had the best regular season in school history staying undefeated until losing in the state playoffs. One thing that has really changed over those twelve years is pitching. High school pitching now is as good if not better as some college pitching when I started coaching. With the pitching rubber only 43 feet from the plate, the speed of the pitching is a huge issue in my line of work. Most teams own a radar gun to not…

News & Features June 13, 2010

C25K Week 5: Get Your Drink On

Larry: Week 5 done! Only four more weeks to go before Judie and I are officially 5K runners. Judie: W00t! Larry: This week the workout schedule got a little different, and we were both in for a little shock when we took a look at the schedule. Instead of like previous weeks where each of the three weekly workouts were exactly the same, during week 6 all three were different. The shocker came when we both realized that we’d go from running for eight minutes to running twenty. Judie: Larry likes to check in with me every Monday and see…

Reviews June 12, 2010

Belkin Dualfit Armband As a Droid Case

Since there are no specific Droid armbands, I had to get creative to find a way to carry my bulky phone while I run. A bit of google-fu led to some posts over on Droid Forums about iPhone and iPod Touch cases holding the Droid reasonably well. I’ve been using a Belkin Dualfit for the last few weeks. How does it stack up as a Droid case? Read on to find out! First of all, the Droid is a heavy phone. It’s fine when you’re carrying it in a pocket, but on your arm, you definitely notice the weight right…

Editorials June 6, 2010

C25K Week 4: Zoom, Zoom

Larry: Week 4 of the C25K is in the books. This week’s 3 work outs consisted of: Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes) Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) I did all three workouts outside, on a new route. I definitely felt some progress this week. Running is becoming easier, although that first 5-minute run was tough! It’s good to feel progress as it makes…

News & Features May 30, 2010

C25K Week 3: Protect Those Feet

Larry: Week 3 of the C25K is in the books. This week’s workouts got a little harder and the first 3-minute run was a bit of a struggle but once out of the way I could start to feel the return of my endurance, even if it was ever so slightly. Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following: Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes) Walk 400 yards (or three minutes) Judie: Those three minute jogs were a killer, and since I got a new…

Reviews May 26, 2010

SportBoard for iPad Review

As a coach, it is exciting seeing possibilities new technologies are bringing to the profession. In the past I have reviewed a few iPhone apps that have performed a task, but were definitely limited in their abilities. After the iPad was announced, there was even a discussion about using the iPad to coach basketball on my favorite basketball forum Texas Basketball Coaches or TBC. Even non-tech savvy coaches instantly saw the possibilities of the new device. SportBoard for the iPad allows coaches to use the device to draw basketball plays just like you would on a dry erase clipboard. Draw…

Editorials May 24, 2010

C25K Week 2: Get On The Bus

There’s nothing like peer pressure to get you motivated. Last week I told you that after hearing my plan to start the C25K program and write about it for the site both Judie and Dan eagerly joined in too. Dan’s still on the sidelines with his wrist injury but Judie and I are plugging along, despite Judie battling illness and getting ready for her wedding! Well after seeing my week one article even more members of the Gear Diary staff decided they wanted in on the fun as well. Starting this week with week one of the C25K were Travis,…

Reviews May 14, 2010

C25K: Week 1

Larry: In case you missed my post from last week, I’ve started the Couch to 5K running plan. Or as a few of us at Gear Diary have turned to calling it, the “Blogger’s Chair to 5K” running plan. This running program helps you get from doing little or no exercise to running a full 3.1 miles in 9 weeks. Each week I’ll be updating the site with a post about the program, how the week went, some of the gear I used and more. Surprise #1: After I posted my initial article I got messages from both Dan and…

Editorials May 7, 2010

Follow Me and My iPhone On Our C25K Journey

My running career hasn’t been a long one. I started running back in the summer of 2007 as part of an effort shed a few pounds. After a few runs I was hooked and made a promise to myself. I was 37 at the time, and I pledged that I’d run the NYC Marathon the year I turned 40; at the time I planned to make it my first marathon. Anyone who knows me knows that when I start something I go all all in. I know only one speed. So it didn’t come a surprise to my friends or…

Reviews April 16, 2010

Review: Basketball Coach’s Clipboard For iPhone/Touch/iPad

The clipboard is a tool of the trade for basketball coaches that has been used for decades. I never coach a game without my trusty board sitting under my chair. The basketball clipboard is simple. A white dry erase clipboard with a basketball court diagram and a dry erase marker. The come in many sizes and configurations but all have the same function. Not high-tech by any means, but extremely useful. In fact, the only change in this technology is the switch from chalk boards to dry erase. Watch any game and you will see the boards come out at…

News & Features February 7, 2010

3D Rugby Hits England!

I love rugby. I played it in college, and again for a few years as an adult. If you’ve never played, imagine American football merged with soccer. Rugby is extremely fast-paced, with lots of hits and action. Part of that fast pace means sometimes you’re left scrambling trying to follow the game. O2 and Cineworld are riding the 3D craze with a new way to change that; they’re airing England’s national rugby games in theaters in 3D! From the Guardian‘s review, it seems like it was overall a huge success: The international game has long been a geometric business, a…

Reviews January 26, 2010

Wii Thrustmaster Motion Plus Elite Fitness Pack – Review

Almost a year ago I was sent a Nintendo Wii as a birthday present by a good friend. About a month later my then six-year-old niece and nephew heard about it and were excited to send me, via their mom, my sister, a Nintendo Wiifit pack. Some time ago I was sent the “Wii Thrustmaster Motion Plus Elite Fitness Pack”. It contained a number of accessories to work with the Wii fit system. Here is the confession — I played with the Wii for a few weeks and then didn’t touch it again for quite some time. I opened up…

News & Features December 23, 2009

The Dallas Cowboys Stadium Video Board: Gimme Some High Def

If you are a sports fan, or even a stadium / architectural junkie, there has been much written and discussed about the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium. Besides the cost of 1.15 billion Texas bucks, amazing engineering, the lavish interior, retractable end zone glass doors and roof — the largest enclosed NFL stadium is a visual jaw dropping experience when viewed in person. As a life long Dallas Cowboys (and Tennessee Titans) fan, I recently took advantage of Southwest Airline’s fare sale to catch a game day experience at the new Cowboys Stadium. I purposed to take my camera and capture…

News & Features December 9, 2009

Garia: Golf Cart made by the hands that build Porsches

The Garia Golf Cart is a truly unique vehicle for the links. Made at the same factory where both the Porsche Boxster and Cayman are born, the Garia features the same level of meticulous attention to design and luxury. The cart features a built refrigerator, hand-stitched seats, and an exclusive personalization program where you can choose to have the Garia painted in your favorite color or matched to your other cars. The Garia features a double wishbone front suspension similar to those found in sports cars and inspired by Formula 1 cars. The drive train is built by an Italian…

Reviews November 23, 2009

Oregon Scientific Marathon Walker Measures Your Progress Step By Step

The Marathon Walker from Oregon Scientific is a pedometer that measures the distance (steps or KM/Miles) you walk or run. Unlike other more basic pedometers the Marathon Walker uses accelerometer technology. This means you’ll obtain a reading whether you clip it to your belt or slip it into a pocket. I’m an avid walker so when the company sent us one to test I jumped at the chance.

Editorials November 10, 2009

RoadID Shows Customer Service Isn’t Dead

I had to share this example of fantastic customer service. A friend of mine is an avid runner, and for her birthday I bought her a RoadID gift certificate, to be delivered electronically to Gmail account.

« 1 … 21 22 23 24 »