So tonight I ran the long run I had scheduled for Saturday morning. The Saturday morning run didn't happen thanks to a very late night at a high school reunion Friday night. Anyway, the temps were crazy high, about 104 when I started at 7:30pm. I went and ran some trails that include some shady stretches, so I could escape the direct sun for at least some of the run.
I tried something new with my long run tonight. I drank a Gatorade G1 about 20 min before my run. I usually do my long runs on Saturday morning, and I usually hit the wall about an hour into my long runs. I think it's because I haven't been eating or drinking anything before my run. So today about 20 min before my run I drank a G1 sports drink (it also comes in a gel). It was kind of thicker than regular gatorade, and much sweeter. But it wasn't bad. The first 4 miles went about as usual - felt good, kept my pace steady, no problems. At about mile 5, which was about an hour into my run, I could really feel a second wind coming on. My last couple of miles were much stronger than usual. So, I think I've just found my new pre-run fuel. (ps - this is just a review based on my person experience - I wasn't asked or paid to do a review).
I also gave the ipod shuffle a try (after trying and trying to fix it) - and I'm sad to report that it didn't hold up. It lasted about an hour before it started getting static and acting up. I think it was moisture getting into the ipod itself instead of into the buttons on the headphone wires, because the tape on the headphone wires seems to still be sealed pretty well. I turned the ipod off for a while, then moved it from my waistband to my sleeve. I turned it back on and it would play music, but the headphone buttons wouldn't work. Those sony wireless headphones are starting to look better and better.
Showing posts with label ipod. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ipod. Show all posts
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
Tonight's tempo; My ipod gorilla shuffle
Tonight's tempo run
My tempo run went pretty well tonight. I kept my pace around 9:20 and my hr right around the middle of zone 4 (about 85% max hr) for a full 20 minutes without a break. So that's a big improvement over my past two attempts at tempo runs. Overall, this has been a great week of training, so I'm feeling great about my training right now.
About the only eventful thing about tonight's run was yet another close call with a driver that wasn't paying attention. This time it was a guy in a truck turning on to the road I was crossing. He stopped just a couple of feet from me. That's the last time I run at night in a blue shirt - I'm sticking with white, and maybe getting some flashing lights and an air horn.
Looking at my hr chart for tonight's run, the first 10min are my warm-up, 10-30 min is my tempo, and 30-end is my cool-down. My tempo range is between 161 and 171 bpm. (I can pinpoint where my close call with the truck happened - blue circle).
More ipod shuffle stuff
So, this is yet another chapter in my ongoing attempt to get my new ipod shuffle to work with my sweatiness. (see earlier posts here and here to catch up).
So this time I pulled out the big guns: gorilla tape.
Gorilla tape is kind of like duct tape on steroids. It looks alot like duct tape, but it's harder to tear and it has a thicker layer of adhesive than regular duct tape.
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I kept the duct tape I applied (described here) earlier. I added the gorilla tape over the ends of the duct tape. The gorilla tape folds over onto itself and around the wire, completely sealing the ends of the duct tape. As I wrote in my last post, the ends of the duct tape weren't sticking very well to the headphone wires, and when subjected to moisture (sweat) the ends of the duct tape started to separate. Also, the edge of the duct tape was sharp and irritating on my neck. The gorilla tape seals the ends of the duct tape, and also adds a slight fold to the sharp edge of the duct tape, pretty much eliminating the irritating edge.
Well, I'm happy to report that the gorilla tape seems to have done the trick. So far I've done a 2-mile easy run and tonight's tempo run with this tape job, and the tape is holding up well. Also, I've had no problems with my ipod malfunctioning. It isn't pretty, but it works (plus, nothing else about me is pretty when I'm running, so it fits in well). So, so far, so good. Saturday's 7 miler should be a good test.
My tempo run went pretty well tonight. I kept my pace around 9:20 and my hr right around the middle of zone 4 (about 85% max hr) for a full 20 minutes without a break. So that's a big improvement over my past two attempts at tempo runs. Overall, this has been a great week of training, so I'm feeling great about my training right now.
About the only eventful thing about tonight's run was yet another close call with a driver that wasn't paying attention. This time it was a guy in a truck turning on to the road I was crossing. He stopped just a couple of feet from me. That's the last time I run at night in a blue shirt - I'm sticking with white, and maybe getting some flashing lights and an air horn.
Looking at my hr chart for tonight's run, the first 10min are my warm-up, 10-30 min is my tempo, and 30-end is my cool-down. My tempo range is between 161 and 171 bpm. (I can pinpoint where my close call with the truck happened - blue circle).
More ipod shuffle stuff
So, this is yet another chapter in my ongoing attempt to get my new ipod shuffle to work with my sweatiness. (see earlier posts here and here to catch up).
So this time I pulled out the big guns: gorilla tape.
Gorilla tape is kind of like duct tape on steroids. It looks alot like duct tape, but it's harder to tear and it has a thicker layer of adhesive than regular duct tape.
.JPG)
Well, I'm happy to report that the gorilla tape seems to have done the trick. So far I've done a 2-mile easy run and tonight's tempo run with this tape job, and the tape is holding up well. Also, I've had no problems with my ipod malfunctioning. It isn't pretty, but it works (plus, nothing else about me is pretty when I'm running, so it fits in well). So, so far, so good. Saturday's 7 miler should be a good test.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Tuesday Intervals; More Ipod Shuffle stuff
Tuesday Intevals
Ran intervals tonight. Started with a run up to the high school track, but it was busy with some track practice so I headed over to my alternate spot. It's a nice 1/4 mile stretch of walking paths. The only bad part is that you have to cross a road, so there's always a risk that my interval may be interrupted by a car. Fortunately, the road is not very busy, so it's not usually a problem.
Really happy with my splits tonight: 1:39, 1:44, 1:46, and 1:44. That first one was my first ever sub-100 second 400m training interval! In fact, before tonight my interval workout pr for the 400 was 1:46, so tonight I beat that 3 out of 4 times! Not bad, not bad at all.
Ipod Shuffle, Part II
This is a follow-up to my last post about my attempt to fix my ipod shuffle.
So I've had a couple of runs now with my duct-tape fix. I'm happy to report that the ipod didn't quit on me during either run. But, there is some room for improvement on my "fix."
Two problems: 1 - the edge of the duct tape makes a nice, sharp edge that scrapes across my neck while I run, which is annoying; and 2 - the duct tape is separating from the wire, leaving a gap that could allow moisture to get to the switch.
So, I'm planning to re-do the tape job in a way that eliminates the sharp edge, and find some way to reinforce the area where the tape wraps around the wire. Maybe some better tape...but is there better tape that duct tape?
Ran intervals tonight. Started with a run up to the high school track, but it was busy with some track practice so I headed over to my alternate spot. It's a nice 1/4 mile stretch of walking paths. The only bad part is that you have to cross a road, so there's always a risk that my interval may be interrupted by a car. Fortunately, the road is not very busy, so it's not usually a problem.
Really happy with my splits tonight: 1:39, 1:44, 1:46, and 1:44. That first one was my first ever sub-100 second 400m training interval! In fact, before tonight my interval workout pr for the 400 was 1:46, so tonight I beat that 3 out of 4 times! Not bad, not bad at all.
Ipod Shuffle, Part II
This is a follow-up to my last post about my attempt to fix my ipod shuffle.
So I've had a couple of runs now with my duct-tape fix. I'm happy to report that the ipod didn't quit on me during either run. But, there is some room for improvement on my "fix."
Two problems: 1 - the edge of the duct tape makes a nice, sharp edge that scrapes across my neck while I run, which is annoying; and 2 - the duct tape is separating from the wire, leaving a gap that could allow moisture to get to the switch.
So, I'm planning to re-do the tape job in a way that eliminates the sharp edge, and find some way to reinforce the area where the tape wraps around the wire. Maybe some better tape...but is there better tape that duct tape?
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Trying to fix the ipod shuffle
Several weeks ago my wife got me an ipod shuffle. I was really excited because I thought it would be great for running.
I ran for many years without any music (unless you count the cadence we sang in the Army). When I started running again last December, I would listen to music on my iphone. However, as my runs got longer and I got sweatier, I began to get concerned about the wear and tear on my iphone. So I decided to look for something new.
The ipod shuffle seemed like the perfect choice. Not only was it compact, but I could easily transfer my iphone music to my new ipod using my mac without having to mess with file conversions, new software, etc.
Unfortunately, the ipod shuffle has been a bit of a disappointment. The ipod shuffle is very sensitive to moisture, which makes it a poor choice for running. The problem seems to be with the headphones. The ipod controls are on a switch that is built into the headphone wires. The problems are well-documented across the internet (just try googling something like "ipod shuffle sweat"). Apparently if that switch gets just a bit of moisture, the ipod starts to mess up or just shuts down - which is what's been happening with mine.
The possible fixes range from duct tape to "get a different music player." I decided to try the duct tape solution.
I can't remember where I saw this, or I would gladly give credit. But basically the idea is to cover the switch with duct tape. You have to keep the tape loose enough around the switch so that it can still be pressed and spring back. Other than that, it's pretty straight-forward. Just create a (mostly) water-tight seal around the switch with the duct tape.
I'll give this a try during my run tonight and I'll report back on how it works. I'm hopeful it will do the trick, because the options only get more expensive from here.
The ipod shuffle seemed like the perfect choice. Not only was it compact, but I could easily transfer my iphone music to my new ipod using my mac without having to mess with file conversions, new software, etc.
Unfortunately, the ipod shuffle has been a bit of a disappointment. The ipod shuffle is very sensitive to moisture, which makes it a poor choice for running. The problem seems to be with the headphones. The ipod controls are on a switch that is built into the headphone wires. The problems are well-documented across the internet (just try googling something like "ipod shuffle sweat"). Apparently if that switch gets just a bit of moisture, the ipod starts to mess up or just shuts down - which is what's been happening with mine.
The possible fixes range from duct tape to "get a different music player." I decided to try the duct tape solution.
I can't remember where I saw this, or I would gladly give credit. But basically the idea is to cover the switch with duct tape. You have to keep the tape loose enough around the switch so that it can still be pressed and spring back. Other than that, it's pretty straight-forward. Just create a (mostly) water-tight seal around the switch with the duct tape.
I'll give this a try during my run tonight and I'll report back on how it works. I'm hopeful it will do the trick, because the options only get more expensive from here.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Glitchy Run
Garmin problems, Ipod problems, and spider webs...what a run!
Went out for an easy 30min run Sunday night. I decided that I would watch my hr and really focus on keeping my hr towards the low end of my aerobic zone, around 150bpm. I set my Garmin hr alerts and hit the road.
A few minutes into my run I check my Garmin, and no hr. It's just blank where my hr is supposed to be. I had forgotten to moisten the hr strap :/ I wasn't carrying water, so I tried spitting on it a few times and my hr showed up. ok. So I start again, trying to pick up my hr, but it stays low. I pick up my pace - 11, 10:30, 10, 9:30...still, the Garmin keeps alerting me that my pace is too slow. So, either I got some major overnight improvement in my cardio system, or the Garmin isn't reading my hr correctly. I decided to ignore the Garmin and just run.
About 15min into the run, my Ipod shuffle starts acting up. First some static, then it just goes silent. It's not the battery - it usually warns me about low battery, plus the little light is on. I don't feel like messing with it, so I just ignore that too...
and then...BAH! big spider web. It's dark out, so I never see it coming. I just instantly feel my face, shoulders, and chest covered in web. Yuck. Another reason to dislike spiders. That one really picked a bad place to build his mega-web.
So, I get home and the internet is down. I guess I was just meant to have a low-tech, in-touch-with-nature night last night.
----
Quick follow-up on the Ipod shuffle problem. It's one of the new ones with the controls on the headphones. I did some checking and it turns out it's a pretty common problem - something to do with moisture getting into the headphone controls. I found a couple of fixes involving duct tape and saran wrap. Maybe I'll give one of those a try.
Went out for an easy 30min run Sunday night. I decided that I would watch my hr and really focus on keeping my hr towards the low end of my aerobic zone, around 150bpm. I set my Garmin hr alerts and hit the road.
A few minutes into my run I check my Garmin, and no hr. It's just blank where my hr is supposed to be. I had forgotten to moisten the hr strap :/ I wasn't carrying water, so I tried spitting on it a few times and my hr showed up. ok. So I start again, trying to pick up my hr, but it stays low. I pick up my pace - 11, 10:30, 10, 9:30...still, the Garmin keeps alerting me that my pace is too slow. So, either I got some major overnight improvement in my cardio system, or the Garmin isn't reading my hr correctly. I decided to ignore the Garmin and just run.
About 15min into the run, my Ipod shuffle starts acting up. First some static, then it just goes silent. It's not the battery - it usually warns me about low battery, plus the little light is on. I don't feel like messing with it, so I just ignore that too...
and then...BAH! big spider web. It's dark out, so I never see it coming. I just instantly feel my face, shoulders, and chest covered in web. Yuck. Another reason to dislike spiders. That one really picked a bad place to build his mega-web.
So, I get home and the internet is down. I guess I was just meant to have a low-tech, in-touch-with-nature night last night.
----
Quick follow-up on the Ipod shuffle problem. It's one of the new ones with the controls on the headphones. I did some checking and it turns out it's a pretty common problem - something to do with moisture getting into the headphone controls. I found a couple of fixes involving duct tape and saran wrap. Maybe I'll give one of those a try.
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