Happy New Year and keep running

There's nothing quite like getting up and starting the year off with a great run.

New Year's Eve brought me to my second run streak challenge of the year.
And even though I didn't sign up for a race this year on New Year's Day, I am itching to find a race to keep up my running streak.

Through these running streaks, I've found that even being able to run 1 or 2 miles daily is tremendous mental break. And equally important, is the physical benefits of running daily have helped me to improve endurance and race times by almost a minute in the 5K during the course of my run streak. 

It started in April. When a one month challenge to run everyday during the course of the month, led to a steak of over 100 days. Then we started another challenge (Thanksgiving to New Years) in order to stay fit & active during the changing seasons.

So start your year with a run streak of at least 1 mile per day and see how much better you feel!
Happy New Year!

Ready to run? Yes, on Christmas

Yes I know it's Christmas morning. Why should that stop you from running?

There are a few times during the year that I really enjoy going for a morning run. It might sound cliché, but a morning run on holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Years mornings are so peaceful and calm. 

I would really enjoy a light snow to run this am but I will take the mild weather instead! 

Enjoy your Christmas morning!

The on-going challenge: FitBit....OR the on-going FitBit challenge?

There's two sides to every story.
And in the case of this running technology, there's even more sides.


While I understand the value of tracking steps and maintaining some level of 'activity' - using a FitBit is a great way to track that activity. However, for runners who go out and run +20 miles each week, is it providing any additional value or data? Especially, when I'm already equipped to track my progress with my watch or other apps using either a Garmin, TomTom or one of the many web-based sites or fitness apps.

Fall racing is here!!

If you're like me, you know at least one person who has run a Marathon and/or a half marathon this fall. Even if you didn't run one yourself, then you're possibly wishing you did. 

There's no feeling quite like that stiff-legged ache after completing a race. It's enough to get us to keep going - no matter whether we had a good race experience or not.

And for those of us who didn't run-simply  watching the televised coverage of NYC Marathon is enough to motivate us to go out and run. Even if the wind chill has made the tempurature feel like the 30's. 

I guess that's why in 1996 after watching the marathon that year I made the commitment to train & run it the following year. A lot of painful training runs later-I did it! I finished my first marathon. 

Did you run a marathon or half-marathon his fall? If not, what are you waiting for? 

Hitting the Trails

After running for over 100 days straight in mostly the same areas around home and work, you have to do something different to break out of the rut and keep the running interesting and motivating. For the first time in a long time, I decided to run after work - instead of before or even at lunch, as I've done over the last few weeks. Since it was pushing 90 degrees at 5:30pm, I thought it would be best to hit some trails, where I might get the benefit of some shade.

I've been to a nearby park in Kinnelon a few times and thought, what better way to warm up than to park at the HS across the street and then run to the trails in the park. "Yes, great idea". Until