Social Workout

Scientific

Should You Stretch Before You Run?

Yes, said my high school track coach. It'll help prevent injuries. No, said my dad. It'll actually lead to more injuries. So who's right?  Turns out, no one (as unsatisfying as that is). USA Track and Field has just published the results of an extensive new study of almost 1,400 runners ages 13 to 60 assigned to either stretch before running or not stretch before running for a three-month period. Bottom line: Stretching didn't matter. Regardless of which group they were in, the stretchers or the non-stretchers, runners sustained injuries at about exactly the same rate. No higher, no lower. So stretching before doesn't cause injuries and it doesn't prevent injuries. So do it if you like it, and skip it if you don't. Now, stretching after exercise, that's a whole nother story... (via NYTimes)

Workout

30 minute run

Although I didn't go nearly as far as I used to in that half hour, still got 30 minutes of sweating in this morning! Not bad after a 40 hour work week of farming and 12 hours of commuting.

Workout

Running, yes. Boxing, no.

Th.  I couldn't be EFF'd to get out this morning (rain...lots of it...reckon this winter's been the wettest in some 12 years or so), but it cleared up a bit here and there in the afternoon, sooooo....

Tales from the Trail

Competition: It's Pretty

I’ve never been a particularly competitive person. What other people do really couldn’t matter less to me. Perhaps it’s narcissism—I’m pretty focused on myself. I steer clear of sports and group activities, and flourish in solo endeavors.

So far this has worked out pretty well for me; then a gorgeous, long-legged Columbian woman in tiny running shorts came into my life. I don’t know her name…I just know that she is my arch-rival.

Workout

I AM NOT, IN FACT, DEAD.

Since my last post on July 14, I have either been

*packing

*singing opera

*driving from Des Moines to Minnesota

*teaching

*driving from Minnesota to Texas

*teaching, directing, administrating a three-week opera program

*cleaning up and unpacking after a summer on the road and getting ready for my trip to New York.

Workout

Back in Action

Not that I've been sedentary.

I've been working as a laborer at an organic farm. I love that my new job has allowed me to escape the office chair. I love that I come home sore. (Although, I do feel my body adapting and farmwork gets a little easier each week.)

Motivations

Gandhi Would Never Count Calories in the Spin Class Line

Last night, as I left my running class, I was part of a conversation that hurt my soul:

Running Class Girl: That was hard.
Me: Yeah, but think about how far we've come. It's really sort of amazing.
RCG: I do it to eat more.
Me: Well, that's a definite benefit.
RCG: I totally downed a bag of M&Ms before I got here. I was going to bail tonight, but then I had to come.
Me: Cool.

Then we proceeded to talk dieting....

Workout

running, walking

Ran for 1/2 an hour through & around Ft. Tryon Park

Walked for about 2 hours downtown while hanging out and tearing around with a friend, knocking around the East Village, Murray Hill and Chelsea.

Sports Bras

An Ode to the Titsling

I have a dream.

I dream that one day I will stop running around the parks of New York City, grimacing as I watch other women jog by me with their boobs thudding downward with every step.  Damn, that looks painful.  I hurt for you boobies!

We spend hundreds of bucks on proper sports wear: expensive shoes, wicking tops, heart rate monitors, Lululemon pants (a personal addiction of mine), even fancy shmancy socks that prevent ankle rub…yet, for some reason there are still women out there who will not invest in a proper sports bra.

Workout

Half or Full?!

So I think I want to run the Mardi Gras Rock 'n' Roll. My sister lives in New Orleans, so I'd have someone to stay with, and I found cheap flights... But now the question is: do I want to run another half marathon, or do I want to be completely insane and go for the full?