New Wallpaper is Coming!

We’ll be featuring some new wallpaper this week including a St. Patrick’s Day feature celebrating Irish runner Eamonn Coghlan, a new one for Spring, and possibly something for Easter as well!

2012 In Review (Updated)

It’s been a while since I’ve posted. The month of December became insanely busy both on a work level and personally. I managed to stay on track and hit the big target of 3500km for the year, though! Here’s a quick breakdown of the year compared to 2011:

I did 25% more runs in 2012, and my average mileage increased by 24%. I increased total distance by 55% and spent 78% more time running in 2012. However, with all of that increase, my average pace dropped quite a bit – by 13%. You’ll notice that my pace dropped drastically in August 2012, when I ran the Canadian Death Race. That was nearly the only run I did that month, and with all of the elevation change, rough terrain, long distance and nearly 24 hours of running, I was happy just to finish. Interestingly, my pace dropped through about the same time period (though not as steeply) in 2011, but the gap in pace was much lower as well – and that’s likely because I was taking it easier after a hectic Spring race season in 2011.

You’ll notice from the images below that I’ve continued to run mostly in the mornings, although I did spread things out over the day just a bit more, and taking 2% off of the night runs. One of the bigger changes, other than mileage, pace, and time, was the terrain. The majority of my running was on the road in 2011 (60% road, 30% treadmill, 6% trail, 4% other), and I’ve gone nearly opposite to those figures with trail taking the lead by far (56% trail, 25% road, 6% treadmill, 3% other). I feel like the longer, slower mileage has really allowed me to both stay more healthy and enjoy my runs more. Although I’m out longer, I no longer feel the pressure to perform and take the time to really enjoy my surroundings.

Obviously I have nothing to complain about. Although I’m slower, I’m running a lot more, and staying healthier while doing it. While I’m not sure what that means for 2013, there’s one thing I do know – that I likely won’t be focusing on PR’s in road races. More likely it means that I’ll be looking for a few ultras to complete so that I can enjoy the run and the community a bit more (since I tend to have a bit more of a laser focus when I’m trying to accomplish something in a road race).

I’ll likely put all of these numbers in a side-by-side comparison in the near future as an update to the post, just for clarity.

The North Face Momentum 1/2 Zip Review

8.4

Great for Layering

This is a warm and comfortable popover that is a great addition for cold runs. Used as an outer layer on it’s own or layered with others, you’ll love the fit and feel of this great running technical 1/2 zip.

This item has now been replaced with the TKA 80 Hybrid 1/2 Zip (MSRP: $60 CAD)

The North Face Stormy Trail Jacket Review

8.9

Great Protection

This jacket is awesome. It’s waterproof, windproof, highly breathable. It has the new FlashDry technology and it works as advertised. The only thing I could think of that would make me like it better is thumbholes, but that’s likely ’cause I was wearing it in Winter. Come Spring, this will be my go-to jacket of choice.

MSRP: $180 CDN

The North Face Impulse 1/4 Zip Review

8.7

Great for Layering

This is a great performance/running long sleeved pullover that works well on its own or as an added layer in cold temperatures. It’s part of The North Face’s Flight Series. Check out the video…

MSRP: $70 CDN

Don’t Be That Awkward Runner

This video is pretty old now, but still funny. You’ve seen these guys at your last race.

ePulse 2 Strapless HR Monitor

3.9

Needs Improvement

The video pretty much sums it up pretty well: this is a great idea theoretically, but it’s just too far behind the competition at this point. Without any connectivity, there’s no way to analyze your data over time, and no way to easily change the settings.

I really like the idea of a strapless HR monitor, but just don’t see the practicality for anywhere that requires winter clothing for your sport. A strap that goes around my forearm rather than my chest would be a great alternative, and if it connected to my current GPS watch and I could retain all of that info, I’d be in heaven.

Unfortunately it feels a bit cheap on the construction side (maybe I’m just getting too used to Apple products), the battery life is way too low (not to mention having to go through an annoying reboot process if you completely drain the battery). It’s usable for it’s singular purpose: strapless HR monitoring – as long as you don’t need warm clothes on.

After reading several reviews on Amazon, there are a lot of pleased people out there, so it definitely has a market. And it does seem that this version is a big upgrade to the first. But for me, there’s a lot of work to do to make this a great product: better display, better battery life, better connectivity, easier setup (although the one-button HR monitoring works great).

Cost: $90-$130

‘Monkey Man’ World Record

Yeah, that’s right, I said, “Monkey Man.” Kenichi Ito, a Japanese runner who trains on all fours everyday at home, uses a “monkey style” of running. He set a Guinness World Record November 15 by running the 100m in just 17.47 seconds on all fours. Awesome. And a little weird. Seeing is believing – check out the video.