What's Cooler Than Being Cool?

I learned a valuable lesson last night. What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger... until you get frost bite on your ding dong.

I got back from a business trip to Huntsville, AL (low of 59, high of 72, blue skies) that afternoon to a cloudy, rainy, foggy, cold Logan Airport. Just a big, fat, wet New England punch in the gut. Since only princesses and baseball players stop what they're doing for inclimate weather, I geared up and headed out.

Critical point: I donned my Ranger panties (the manliest short shorts on the market), under armor long sleeve,
cotton tee, Team Zissou cap, and long sox. This left my hands, face, neck, thighs, and knees exposed. I was all pumped up to be running in the 39F rainy weather wearing short shorts. Really, nothing says, "I don't give a darn" like doing the exact opposite of what you should do.

So I ran, temperatures dropped, rain picked up, and my clothes got drenched. My body began to freeze. My legs, arms and face stayed warm and I kept my hands warm with my breath. At five miles in, my weiner started to tingle, then hurt, then lost all feeling. That's when the inner monologue began, "Hey numbnuts. How about you don't lose your manhood over a stupid October run. Go warm yourself up." The nearest building was hosting a fancy Cambridge dinner party. They proooobably weren't willing to let me, AHEM, warm myself in the lobby there so I found a nearby parking garage and awkwardly stood there with my hands down my pants. Take away the reflector belt and water bottle and you've got a perfectly normal scenario here. Just another unshaven, Zissou-hatted homeless dude trying to enjoy life in the only way he can. However, I looked like a polar bear pervert or an idiot runner who didn't look at the weather report. 

I passed a bank sign that said 29F at the end of the run but I made it back and everything was in working order. Do not fret ladies.

Tips du jour: 1) It's time to invest in some running gloves. 2) In the words of the Romans, "Semper ubi sub ubi." Or "Always wear underwear." Didn't think I had Latin puns did you?

Keep training,
LSF

Gym Fashion Faux Pas

I just got a second pair of Reebok Zig Dynamics this week to supplement the white pair so I've got something broken in but barely used for the marathon. 2 weeks and counting. They are gaudy but I love the neon green and black. Neon green and I go way back. I'm talking about walking the halls in a neon green Nautica shirt in 8th grade. I'm talking neon green sweatsuit from a Korean owned urban-wear store in high school. I'm talking neon parties in college. I'm EVEN talking about my neon green Carthage, New York tee from a gas station in the gem of the North Country. In a way, neon green has always been with me and shall remain an obnoxious part of my wardrobe for years to come.

However, I DID NOT foresee the faux pas that would be black shoes next to white socks next to white skin. I was so self-conscious about the gym fashion faux pas I called an old college professor to ask what word to use to describe it. He said to use, "faux pas."

Tip du jour: Keep light on light and dark on dark below the knees.

PS And get some long sox on those calves for chrissake!! I dunno who that is but he needs to hit the calf raise machine and he needs to hit it months ago!

Keep training,

LSF

You Take Your Car to Work...

Surfer Freaks,
It was a busy week at work. Got overtime hours, little sleep, ankles sore from running, and a pulled back from moving boxes. The only solution was to drop everything, resolve to come in on the weekend, grab a board and a wetsuit and head for the waves. Surfline reported 4-6 ft waves in Narragansett on Friday with a few remaining for Saturday. If you're used to New England surfing, this is about as good as it gets without a hurricane or Nor'easter offshore.

With a nap and traffic it took a whopping 3 hours to get to Narragansett from Natick. I stopped at Narragansett Surf and Skate, got the usual Bic 8 foot 4 incher. And eeeeeYUP, that's the same company that makes the ballpoint pen you use at work. The one you have to shake to get the ink to the ball every time it's been sitting upside down in your briefcase or pocket. The Bic long board does three things well.
1) Saves you some green. At $20 for a full day rental you get your money's worth and don't have to feel bad about denting or breaking it.
2) Makes it easy for beginners to stand up. It's practically the size of a canoe. Easy to balance on, easy to stay afloat even on slow breakers.
3) Hoists a red flag to other surfers. Don't get between a Bic boarder and the shore. Chances are he will be falling off it, accidentally flinging it 20 feet in front of him and killing everything in his clumsy path. On the danger scale: Sharktopus  > Noob on Bic board > Jaws > Piranhas.

And it does 2 things poorly:
1) Goes through breakers. Bigger board, more surface, area more push against you. A surfer dude on Yahoo Answers said to either push up and over for smaller waves or turtle roll. Duck diving, the technique used for short boards, won't work because of the buoyancy of the board.
2)  Steers. So I hear. Longer board, longer diameter/radius, more weight, more drag on the water. I'm not at the skill level where I need to make sharp turns. So no biggie for me. If you're good enough to need to make tight turns, this is very old news for you.

Tip du jour:
When paddling past the breakers, wait for a lull in the waves. Mind-blowing, I know. They generally come in sets of 4-8. When the mini swell is over,  paddle your way out. This lull was extremely brief on Friday afternoon and getting out was a major issue for me. If you lack the skill to turtle roll or the cardio and muscular endurance to keep paddling, you'll be stuck in the breakers. I call this Water Boarding because you've exhausting yourself, getting nowhere, and taking a 3 foot breaker to the grill every 20 seconds.

Keep training,

LSF

Yoga Hangover

Fitness Freaks,
I never have better jogs than on days after yoga. I somehow bypassed all nutrition considerations and ran 2x ~3 milers yesterday averaging under a 7 minute pace. A Big Mac and medium fries were jumping around my stomach like 16 year olds in a moon bounce. I can resist delicious fast food as well as the next guy but, come oooon, it's Monopoly season. It's the third best time of year behind March Madness and the Bowl Game Season. MacDo Monopoly is my gambling indulgence, my lottery tickets, my slot machines. I pretty much go into a gambling seizure like Fred Flintstone when I hear "Monopoly is back!" I don't even order food I want as long as I get to peel a couple squares off. "The large sweet tea doesn't come with Monopoly? Screw it, give me a medium."

Anywhoooo, the benefits of yoga are numerous.
-Increased flexibility: You'll be putting yourself into a bunch of weirdly named, awkward positions. If you've got a muscle that's feeling tight, it won't after yoga. Gals, flexible is sexible. Guys, it'll prep your muscles for your next workout. Like a massage, it gets the knots out, lengthens and untangles muscle-fibers. More on this
later...
-Strengthened core: If you eat right and yoga enough (that's right, I verbed a noun, get used to it), you'll end up with Bruce Lee-like17-pack abs, and great, balanced posture that will enhance everyday tasks and all athletic endeavors. More on this later...
-Increased balance: It strengthens the core, upper and lower leg and foot muslces, decreases likelihood of injury during running/lifting, ie twisted ankle, knee. More on this later...
-Yoga pants: wawaWeewa! Actually, I've spent significantly less time checking out bottoms in yoga class than expected. I get way too focused on not falling over to let my inner savage run free. Our instructor turns the lights off anyway, it's for the best.

The first time I yoga'ed, it was via youtube (there are tons of videos out there) to get a feel for what a class would be like and see if it was worth pursuing further. I started going to yoga once a week for 75 minutes and never looked back. Give a class a shot once, do your usual workout routine the next day and see how it goes. You'll dominate. Back me up WebMD!