Motion Based
I am using my Garmin Forerunner 305 to time training runs. Right now I have a subscription to Motion Based that allows me to log the runs. They provide a nice RSS feed also.
Archive for the ‘sports’ Category.
Half Marathon Training Plan
Over the weekend I settled on a training plan for running the marathon. Initially I was going to use the standard plan at the marathon training site. After searching the web, I have reconsidered. I am going use a training plan I found at Runner’s World. Given the alernatives, it seemed to fit my personality the best. I like to compete, I like data, I am goal oriented, and I did not want to run 5 days a week.
On Saturday I ordered Run Less Run Faster from Amazon and it arrived today. I already had most of the plan mapped out from the information on FIRST’s web site.
Having never run in a race of any kind, I am starting at ground zero. With the Chicago Marathon over 10 months away, I entered the Marine Corps Historic Half on May 17, 2009, to get some experience in training and running a race. The typical training plans are 16-18 weeks. I only have 14 weeks before the half marathon.
The first thing I needed to accomplish was to set a goal time for the race so I could determine the paces I would use for the various training activities. With Run Less Run Faster, there are 3 key runs every week. The first is a speed work run, the second is a tempo run, and the third is a long run. Days between runs involve cross training. Without any race experience I ran and timed my own 5k to determine my half marathon pace. I ran a 21:55, 5k which puts me at a goal pace for just under 1:42:00 for the half marathon and just over 3:30:00 for the marathon. I’ll determine my goal and pacing for the marathon after running the half.
Update 2/27: The training schedule ended up begin a little aggressive. I pushed hard to meet the times on the 3 key runs but was then spent and was not able to do decent cross training or weight training on off days. I found a similar program on Runners World and adjusted my goal times slightly.
Play ball!
It’s that time of year again. Let the games begin. As most of my friends know, I bleed pinstripes. I usually don’t follow baseball much during the off-season, but this year has been different. Thanks to a couple of Yankee blogs, I feel I know the team as much if not more than I did when I was a kid, scoring the games at night beneath the covers with a transistor radio and a flashlight.
We ordered Comcast’s MLB extra-innings package for the first time this year. So now, we can watch live or delayed fast mode (tivo) every game.
For any Yankee fans out there, here are a couple of great Yankee blogs.
My prediction for the year? Yankees win! The Yankees Win!
Tiger Woods Wins
“Tiger Woods Wins!” That’s stating the obvious, isn’t it? Well, not really. Sure he just won his 5th straight tournament and 64th PGA win of his career. What I mean, is he has beaten me too.
To quote a friend, my favorite golfer the last ten years has been ABT. (Anybody but Tiger.) The reason being, I grew up a Jack Nicklaus fan. I didn’t want Tiger to replace my golf hero, the Golden Bear. Well, even though Tiger still needs five more majors to surpass Jack’s 18, and is way behind in 2nd place finishes for majors, he has won me over as the greatest ever.
Take a look at his last 40 starts at the Official World Golf Ranking. He’s won 17 of 40 tournaments. That is absolutely amazing. He is a once in a multiple generation type of player. It is not like all these other guys are slouches, but Tiger makes them look…well…pedestrian.
Golf is not supposed to be a win/loss type of sport. You play 25-30 tournaments a year. The very best usually get at most a few wins and a handful or two top tens. Tiger is racking up wins in 42% of his starts over the last two years.
Let me put it in a different perspective. Phil Mickelson is 37 and Vijay Singh is 45. They are two really, really, really good golfers. Combined they have been playing golf on the PGA tour for 31 years and have 64 PGA wins. Tiger has been playing for 12 years and has 64 PGA wins.