#5 for Friday - "Things are going Swimmingly"
Many men go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after... - Henry David Thoreau Earlier this week I tweeted out the following Now after three sessions in the pool combined with very little running, I am starting to feel good. I have had many false starts over the past four months but this new sport (to me) is working well at the moment. Does this mean I am giving up on running? Heck no! But it does mean they I have to do more of swimming (and biking soon) to reduce the same pounding on my Body that occurrs over and over each time I run. With swimming, no pounding and thus no pain! But the running will be starting up again, either tomorrow or later this weekend. Why? Well RTB is in less than three weeks and I need to feel like a runner (at least) heading into that race. I have been posting on the race this week on the blog and will continue to do so leading into the events on 9/16! It is going to be a great time with team #Guzmanguys and I believe we are ready! Hopefully the weather holds in for us but I suspect it will be colder than norm (it was colder in that area last week) which creates its own issues (and benefits). Whatever the weather though, we will be ready! Running was limited this week (I did one whole mile with my daughter and that was it) so I added a few pics are from my travels around New Hampshire. Not many but a few good ones! Now onto this week's 5 for Friday! NUMBER ONE: I can do the UCan! Ok, so I have finished up my trial for these Generation UCan snack bars and I am intrigued by their Superstarch. This product is derived from corn and I found a whole rundown on this from the EatingAcademy website. Admittedly, this all above my pay grade from an "knowledge" standpoint so I will just continued to test these snack bars out and then see what the results are. This is not to say that the article is not helpful. I just need some more time to learn about "super starch!" NUMBER TWO: Hoka Clifton 3s not great? So my love for Hoka kicks is not secret so when I become uncertain about a pair of them, that is news! I purchased the Clifton 3s back in May and have worn them but I am developing blisters on my big toe. Now, the "toebox" was supposed to be increased in size with this version and I never had blisters with the 2s so how could blisters form with a wider toe box? I asked a person at a local running company this question and their answer - it has not been increased. So this is annoying as I am probably going to go searching for the 2s. I also owe a review on these shoes here on the blog sooner than later! NUMBER THREE: Bikes are expensive! Ok, I admit it. I am completely dumb when it comes to bikes. My last bike was a huffy years ago and since then I have completely ignored this end of the world but now as I become intrigued by cycling (and swimming), I have been doing some research on different brands. So far, I am finding that they are expensive! Wow. At the same time, this sticker shock is probably nothing to the normal bike enthusiast so pens of I just need to calm down, do some research and the pick the best option for me! Also, when I pay $130 for Clifton's, there probably creates the same sticker shock to the beginner runner! NUMBER FOUR: Reaching the Beach in 24 hours! Got an email today (image above) from the folks at Ragnar with a challenge! That challenge is for RTB teams to complete the race in less than 24 hours! To put that into perspective, a team would need to average a pace of 7:10/mile just to MEET the goal which is stellar though not unheard of. Our team can run well but I believe our pace last year around around 8:30 so we would to really step up! At the same time, I run this race to be with friends and have a good time - not to break the bank and set race records! NUMBER FIVE: Need a good trail! With all of this talk about cycling and swimming, my focus on running sounds like it is moving into the background but it is not. I still have goals on the running side I want to complete so I can assure you that running is very much part of my future. But in an effort to increase my longevity in the running world, I am looking for more "balance." These include swimming, biking and things like yoga. But it also includes finding more trails to run and things to see. So as I venture into the next steps of my "better health trip," I will be looking to become a more rounded individual that sees his health continue to improve and one day take down Psoriatic Arthritis! Since I did not run much this week, there is only a small selection of pics available so enjoy and thank you for reading as always! - BM
