well, since we’re heading into that season again, replete with this year’s spectre of H1N1 as the bogeyman of sniffles, coughs, runny noses, fevers, delirium, phlegm, and all other host of potential assorted symptoms, i figure it’s time to offer up this piece of medical interest for all you athletes intent on training through the health hazards that lurk ahead of us:http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/

i ordinarily eschew anything that might give the appearance of marketing, focusing instead on just commentary and recommendations. but occasionally something comes along that is so notable that it stands on its own independent of commercial overtones.this is one of them:http://banthespeedshop.com/#/homethis is, without a doubt, an act of sheer genius. it is one of the most hilarious videos on

this is positively brilliant. so brilliant, in fact, that i feel compelled to pass the word:http://grassroots.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=311991&supid=273688756some of you may have seen the announcement for this already on Slowtwitch:http://www.slowtwitch.com/Features/Rappstar_s_Ironman_Arizona_Charity_Challenge_1080.htmlyes, i know. i just did a social-cause post, and some

social conscience, social consciousness, and sports are not often associated with one another. for whatever reason (and i admit, there are many), people just don’t generally associate athletes and athleticism with concerns for the larger world.which i think is unfortunate, and one that i think should be dispelled.as part of this, i am writing this post. some of you may have noticed the presence

we live with a sense of ingrained nostalgia, reaching instinctively for things gone past, reacting by reflex for the idyllic memories of the way things were anytime we are confronted by the shock of something new.we do not like the new. we do not like its imposition of change. we do not like its demands to break with calcified tradition and fossilized custom and hardened formula. we hold to

note: this is the 3rd in an ongoing, non-regular, non-periodic series on strength training in terms of endurance sports. you can see parts 1 and 2 here:strength training, part 1strength training, part 2i found some more Youtube videos regarding strength training. you can add these to the library of videos. these are a little different, but i consider that useful in the sense that it provides

ok. it’s time for a day off. i’m not doing or talking or thinking about anything related to sports today. i’m sore. i’m tired. i’m hungry. and i’m really interested in nothing other than going back to sleep. and the only reason i don’t is this:today, Saturday, September 19, is International Talk Like a Pirate Day.i’ve written about this before:http://jonathaninthedistance.blogspot.com/2007

well, it was that time of year again…and i’m calling on all of you to help us preserve this for posterity.this past Sunday was the Malibu Triathlon, and we held our 4th running of the pink speedo crew. we didn’t have as many people as last year, but we made up for it with some extra equipment– tandem bikes (in pink), converse low-tops (in pink)–and extra effort–this year we did the swim in

hmmmmmmm…the 2010 Winter Olympics in Canada are supposed to continue the trend towards more eco-friendly sports events, with the Olympic-related construction in Whistler and Vancouver aimed at fulfilling the goals of sustainable development. as part of this, the Olympic village in Vancouver is intended to be a model of sustainability, and has been touted as an example of what will eventually

for those of you into cross-cultural exchange, ASICS recently published the results of their multi-national study on running habits in Europe. you can access it here:http://www.everythingaboutrunning.asics.eu/don’t be fooled by the spare nature of the entry page. click on any one of the countries or the more general “Europe” and you’ll find a lot of content regarding the nature of runners and

note:  this is the 2nd in an ongoing, non-regular, non-periodic series on strength training in terms of endurance sports.  you can get part 1 here: http://jonathaninthedistance.blogspot.com/2008/03/videos-strength-training-part-1.htmlit surprises a fair number of newbies that endurance athletes integrate an element of strength training (alternatively, weight training) into their overall training

oh boy. here we go again.there’s an article in Time magazine with the provocative title “Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin.” for the sake of reference and understanding what i’m about to say i’ll provide the link (and in case the link doesn’t work, i included the text of it at the end of this post–but be warned: it’s loooooooong):http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1914857,00.htmli

i’ve written several posts on swimming technique before (you can reference part 1 and part 2). well, for those of you wanted more, and i mean *more*, as in more than you could ever possibly want–like an all-you-can-eat-buffet that replenishes no matter how much you consume, i have come across something that’s about as good a candidate as you’ll ever find.it’s the Youtube channel “fit2race” (you

my last post dealt with vegan athlete Rich Roll (reference: getting fit & healthy). i found his story impressive, not just in terms of athletic achievement or personal change, but also because of his adoption of a vegan diet. i’m like so many others who find it hard to associate veganism with sports, given the integral nature of protein into physical recovery and growth. clearly, just based on

i’ve always insisted that anyone can do an Ironman. anyone.i’ve heard a lot of excuses from others about why that’s not true. from work (read: long hours on the job, few hours at home) to family (read: kids) to fitness (read: lack thereof, or fat) to diet (read: vegetarian, or vegan, or whatever) to whatever to blah blah blah blah blah blah. i’ve done my best to respond to these arguments,

people have asked me why i don’t follow pro cycling, much less the Tour de France.this article pretty much will tell you the story why:http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/the_bonus/07/07/tour it’s an article from Sports Illustrated on the nature of drugs in pro cycling. if the link doesn’t work, i’ve put the full text at the bottom of this post.the article essentially points out how

over the years since the first running in 1978, Ironman has developed its own body of lore, with stories used in various degrees to inspire, awe, shock, and warn both competitors and spectators about the nature of the distance.the underlying theme of the stories is consistent: the race is not easy, and is not something to be taken lightly. the distance carries with it strange properties, and

i’m sure a lot of you have been doing a lot of core work. it seems to be a pretty big trend, with just about every workout and training regime that i see devoting at least some part of the schedule to it. it’s at the point that if you’re not doing core work, you probably feel like you’re missing out.i’ve fallen prey to this wave myself, catching it courtesy of the advice of some physical

well, it’s Earth Day 2009, Wednesday, April 22, and so time for another eco-friendly blog post.i’ve written Earth Day-related posts before, addressing what i thought was a significant–but entirely fixable–problem in sports: race day trash. particularly at triathlons and marathons, which have gained outsized proportions courtesy of their accessibility to the masses. you can reference my

well, this is an interesting observation that certainly points out the nature of the human relationship with endurance sports:http://seedmagazine.com/content/print/the_running_man_revisited/apparently some anthropologists and biologists believe that humans evolved as long-distance runners, suggesting that running is what we were literally born to do. the article (i’ve put the full text below

have you ever wanted to be free?so much of our lives are framed in regimentation. agendas, priorities, timetables, calendars, schedules, plans. marked out in blocks and chunks and slots and entries. all arranged in rigid structures of appointments, meetings, discussions, sessions, events, talks. all broken down by deadlines and deliverables and due dates and demands. so much so that it

well, if there was ever an argument to work on running form, this is probably it:http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=15751in case the link fails, i’m putting the full text of the article at the bottom of this post.it’s an article from Running Times on running gait, and the growing body of research showing that certain types of strides are more efficient and less injury-prone than

it’s Earth Hour 2009.for those of you who don’t know, Earth Hour is an event started by Sydney, Australia in 2007 and is growing into a global phenomenon. Earth Hour asks that on March 28 of every year, at 8:30pm local time, people switch off their lights for 1 hour. the purpose is to spread the message of action on climate change, and to raise awareness of the issue around the world.for 2009,

i’ve written about this in the past. and i thought it’d let it go, but…it’s that time of year again:http://wiki.worldnakedbikeride.org/index.php?title=Main_Pageyes.yes, indeed.really?really.World Naked Bike Ride Day.here’s the official website:http://www.worldnakedbikeride.org/oh, the horror.the horror.i wrote a couple of posts about World Naked Bike Ride Day about 2 years ago. you can check

there are certain stories that athletes tell one another. stories handed down from one generation of competitor to the next.the stories are conveyed in ways sometimes written, sometimes verbal, but always with an air of solemnity and reverence, and invariably with a quiet understanding assumed to only exist between those who have lived the same experiences.the stories are meant to pass on lessons

well, if there was ever a reason to avoid a sport that requires you gain weight–any weight (as opposed to quality weight)–this is probably it.

check it out:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/01/28/football.fitness/index.htmlif the link doesn’t work, i’ve put the full text of the article below.

there was only 1 time when i had coaches who insisted i gain weight, and that was for track & field

a friend of mine died this past week.

not a good friend (we only got to know each other in the past year), not a close friend (we only related as compatriots and comrades), but a friend nonetheless (at least, to a degree that any other word just does not seem appropriate). someone i’ve worked with, and come to know…and in a way more than just another human being (as in: just another one of

okay, this is just a little bit off-topic, but it does relate to some themes i’ve discussed in the past so i’m going to include it anyway.

i’ve posted about the nature of the changes that occur in relation to Ironman, and how those changes occur throughout your entire state of being–physical, mental, and spiritual. in essence, it means a transformation of you as a person, and one that is

there’s been an awful lot of negativity lately. with this economy, it seems like all you see in the news is one bad story after another. and it’s percolating down to everyone, to the point that everywhere you turn it’s just grim attitudes piled atop more grim attitudes piled on top of even more grim attitudes, making everything feel like a morass of morbidity.

not to say that it’s not

hmmmmmmmmm…

so there was a rather sobering article in the LA Times this past weekend:
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-econ19-2009jan19,0,1021931.story?page=1

in case the link doesn’t work, i put the full text of the article below (even though the article itself has some pretty illustrative charts).

essentially, the article says that the U.S. economy may remain in its current moribund/