Triathlete Question – Swimming with iPod

www.waterproofcases.net Our customer Jacqui wrote in because she was having trouble with intermittent volume in our Aquapac Waterproof iPod case. She’s a triathlete and wants to train with music during her swimming routine. We have 3 tips for Jacqui to help with the volume fluctuation she was experiencing. In this video we address the waterproof headphones, the connector and the snug fit of the waterproof case. Thanks for writing in Jacqui.

What are some good songs to listen to while running?

Well, i havn’t ran in a while now because i sprained my ankle or tore a ligament or something like that. But it seems like its getting better, so i thought i should give jogging a try. The thing is its time to update my ipod. Any ideas for good jogging/running songs?

Namaste Yoga Video 5 minute Preview

From www.mobovivo.com. Preview of Namaste, a beautiful yoga series. Experience yoga in this innovative series which combines sensual, stunning photography and original music with authentic Hatha yoga practice. Shot in High Definition in exquisite settings, each of the 13 episodes teaches a unique flow sequence and inspires viewers to begin or continue their yoga practice.

Psychology of Running a Marathon

For most participants, finishing a marathon is not easy. It requires physical as well as mental toughness. You will need to practice reaffirming your motivation, have some self-discipline, and use effective time-management to get through it. "A marathon challenges me on every level of my being: It’s as much an emotional/mental battle with myself as it is physical. Just getting to the starting line healthy is difficult. Making it to the finish line, can sometimes see impossible," said Bob Wischnia, Austin Runner Magazine Editor in the January 2008 issue of Austin Runner Magazine.

Bend Like a Reed in the Wind – Too few portable toilets, people who push and shove to get a space in front of you, you sleep late, you can’t find your favorite socks, your iPod batteries ran out and on and on creates stress. The point is to remain calm and work with the changes.

Control the Things Under Your Control – Make a list of what you’ll wear for the race. Plan for extra clothing if it’s colder and if it’s warmer than expected, layers you can shed along the way. Check your shoes to make sure they’re in good condition.

Visualize the Day – Relax in a comfortable chair and try to visualize what arriving at the starting line will look like and feel like. Go through the race and imagine what you will see, how good you’ll feel and crossing the finish line. If you’re going for a specific time goal, visualize the time on the clock at the finish line.

Be Confident in Your Training Plan – Hopefully you didn’t wake up the week before the race and decide to run a marathon. Like most, you selected a group to train with or a plan outlined by experts and followed it for 16 weeks or more. Be confident in the plan you undertook and don’t doubt it.

Be Your Own Cheerleader – self talk can reaffirm positive feelings and a positive mental outlook. Have ready things to say to yourself when the times get difficult.

Helpful Tips During the Hours Immediately Before the Marathon

• Plan on some traffic, especially for the larger races. Fifteen thousand cars trying to get into a certain area of downtown will be like a normal work day which means traffic.
• If you’re planning on meeting family members on the course, use online mapping services to plot them out. This also goes for finish line gatherings.
• Take a look at the local weather forecasts to get an idea of what to expect. Check at least two to verify.
• While the marathon expo can be fun and informative, it’s important to stay off your feet as much as possible prior to the race.
• Drink fluids up to the start of the race.
• The runners gather in a chute called a corral. Look for signs and line up according to your expected finish time.
• Go over your goal one more time. Is it to finish or is it to finish under four hours? Have a goal and execute the plan to achieve the goal.

Helpful Tips During the Race

• Run at your pace. You’ve trained for a certain pace and you may feel stronger than you expected. Stick to the plan. It’s always better to start slow and speed up later in the race than to burn out at the beginning.
• Loosen your arms and shoulders to prevent shoulder stress and other upper body tightness.
• Tell another runner some encouraging words. We all like to hear that we’re doing good, even if we’re not. It also makes us feel good that we’ve helped someone else.
• Socialize if you feel like it. Talking with others during a run makes the time go by quicker. It also makes you feel like your not the only one having difficulties.
• Pain comes and goes in various places. Know that it’ll end in time. To pass the time and get your mind off of the pain, repeat a short mantra or count to 20, over and over. You could say the ABCs over and over. This may be when you turn on your iPod and play music.
• Be cognizant of the spectators, the bands and the scenery. Enjoy the experience.
• Don’t let negative thoughts snowball into a problem. Repeat positive affirmations over and over. "The legs feel strong" or "I’m going to finish strong" or "keep moving"

Life After the Marathon

Congratulations! You finished. Now what? The body is severely stressed. You should not engage in any running activity for a few days. Cross training to loosen up the muscles is encouraged. Some people experience a let down after a big event such as a marathon. They’ve trained 16 weeks to a year for the big day and it came and went.

Before the marathon race day, think about what training would look like once you recover. Plan out how fast you should jump back into it. Maybe the season changes and you have another type of race in mind. Training for a 10K is different in some ways than training for a marathon. Give it some thought and come up with a plan.

Maybe you had such a great time running the marathon you want to do another one. Although Dean Karnazes ran 50 marathons in 50 cities in 50 days, most humans can only undertake two per year, spaced six months apart.

 

10+ Ways to Track Your Marathon Run

By Paul Glazowski

Some people make goals for themselves to reach every day. Like an hour-long bike ride, or a walk or jog around the neighborhood each morning, noon, or night. Others like to work themselves up toward bigger things. Like climbing Everest. Or rowing across an ocean. Or running a marathon.

Now seems a fitting time to spotlight that last endurance sport, given that this is the eve of the annual NYC Marathon, set to begin in less than 24 hours. Whether you’re in the main pack, watching from the sidelines, or simply feel inspired to boost your own level of performance, these are some networks, applications, and services that will help move you forward faster and longer yet.

If it’s the NYC Marathon that you’ve got your eyes set on, the main NYC Marathon page will give you much of the information that you need to know about the race happening tomorrow, November 2, 2008, and anything else happening around the big event. Will, or anyone you know, be taking part the marathon? Tell us in the comments!

The Universal Sports website will feature live coverage of the NYC Marathon from 9AM ET until the finish, and will offer streams from three live views. (Remember to account for Daylight Savings Time.)

There is also the storied Boston Marathon to consider, of course. The 113th edition of what is called the world’s oldest marathon is set to hit the city’s streets on April 20, 2009. Better get prepared!

Want to start pushing yourself toward a particular goal, be it as a runner or otherwise? Mecanbe is a great place to network with people and manage a kind of collaborative success. When you’ve got someone to nudge you on when you’re feeling ready to retire from your efforts, that’s when a place like Mecanbe can make quite a difference.

There are a number of other services that can network you to other runners, if only just to socialize and brag about how easy (or excruciating) it was to get past that 20 mile marker and continue moving them limbs. Favorite Run is one such environment, which claims to maintain a membership of nearly 70,000.

LogYourRun is another. It is a Web application that charts routes, sports GPS tools, as well as a forum, Facebook () application, mobile-friendly and iPhone-compatible features, blogs, a calendar, and more.

MapMyRun functions much the same way, thought some users may find it to be a more easily navigable environment.

RunningNetwork delivers any news having to do with the sport. National news, photos galleries, videos, training tips, and resources aplenty.

You might like to listen only to your surroundings as you maintain a pace to the finish line, but if you prefer to get through mile after mile with some beats, an interactive and slightly social service championed by the most ubiquitous name in sporting goods the world has ever seen, a trip down Nike+ lane and all it entails might prove handy to experience your training any eventual “big day” in an interesting way. You can trace your speed and share songs for playlists with other users. An iPod is a must, and, depending on your personal setup, you might need a special pair of shoes to make the system complete, but if you’re up for it, you might get that extra umph from your earbuds that songbirds and the sound of thousands of rubber soles hitting tarmac couldn’t quite match. There are also several Facebook apps which connect with the Nike+, all of which you can find here.

Speaking of gadgets, if you’ve got an Android ()-equipped T-Mobile G1 on hand, perhaps Breadcrumbz may do the trick for logging your route. Concentration might be hard to keep as you travel further along your journey, but hey, it’s all fun, right?

Meanwhile, in iPhone world there exist several downloads, some free, some paid. Pacemaker [iTunes URL], for example, is free and simply calculates time for a set pace and distance. This can be useful if you want to see when you can expect to “make it there” – wherever “there” might be. Alternatively, the App Store showcases a duo of applications named iRun [iTunes ()] and iRunPro [iTunes]. They are $0.99 and $1.99, respectively, and essentially provide a user with a pace meter. The pricing option gives you a pace graph and audible alarms.

 

Running is SO Easy!

Treadmill_Trainer Volume 2

I just got in from an accidental run that turned out to be my fastest, happiest run to date!

Sitting at my computer enjoying some raw chocolate pudding and a fabulous green juice, I simply had too much energy to sit still.  So I got out my ipod, downloaded Treadmill_Trainer Volume 2 onto it, and set out for the boardwalk. 

This is the first time I’ve finished the entire workout, and I seriously had a smile on my face the whole time!  There are 2 spots where Yuri says you can stop, and I’ve taken him up on his offer times before, but I was in the zone and feeling like I could just kill the workout.  And I did!  I even ran home after I finished stretching!

I love his workouts and the way he talks to you as if he’s right there beside you.  I even talk back to him and answer all of his questions out loud!  For example, when the workout was over he asks: ”How are you feeling right now?” Amazing!  “How did you feel 10 minutes ago?”  Amazing!  “How did you feel when you woke up this morning?”  Umm…not this good…no.  (I had to talk myself into going to yoga this morning)  Then I patted myself on the back (because he told me to) and congratulated myself on running 10 k in approximately 45 minutes…and I’m not a runner!  For comparison, I ran a 5k in April and my time was 29:41…and I was dead tired and wanted to throw up…a lot.  What a difference!

I just recently started running, and I’ve only run two 10 k’s before tonight.  I ususally just do 5 k’s because I get bored of running after 30 minutes.  But since I signed up for a half marathon 5 months ago, and put off training until pretty much right now, it’s time to get serious…hence the Treadmill_Trainer series of workouts being downloaded to my ipod.  After tonight I feel certain I am going to have a competitive time in the run, and I really can’t wait to do it!  I think I’m going to do intervals during the run.  I’ll just listen to the Treadmill_Trainers even then.  That would be funny.  The motivation he gives during the workouts is priceless.  I’m seriously going to listen to the training audio when I run the race.

For more information, click the image above!

I should definitely add:  I highly recommend Volumes 2 and 3 plus all the hill running stuff, but only get Volume 1 if you are JUST starting out.  It involves walking and running, perfect for beginners, but you may find it too slow if you have any experience.  That being said, Volume 2 will kick your a** no matter what level of runner you are!  If you disagree and think you’re some big time runner, then you HAVE to try it.  It’ll step up your game so much and you’ll be thankful for the challenge!!! 

Happy running

 

Running on Inspiration

By FitMom

Last spring a couple of my neighbors started training for a half-marathon. I watched as they ran past my home office window. After several weeks of watching them I couldn’t help but be inspired. I laced up my shoes and headed outside.

I knew two things about running: 1) It worked and 2) I didn’t like it. However, I’d never run with music. The iPod would become my secret weapon. When I cued up the right songs, I was transported by the beat. Just like the good old days of step aerobics class, the steady music propelled my movements. My legs moved forward in a rhythmic and automatic fashion.

Just keep running. Just keep running.

When my neighbors saw me making my first pathetic passes around the block, they cheered me on. Then they lapped me. I longed for the day I could run with them, the REAL runners.

Running got easier. I bought the shoes and then the right ‘moisture wicking’ clothing. I had become a legitimate runner. However, it was clear I would not be running with my friends – in a race or otherwise. I realized that I liked running for its convenience and efficiency. I liked the way it made me feel and the way it made my thighs look. But I had no desire to run longer than three miles, or improve my time. I didn’t feel the need to push myself or prove anything. For a competitive person like me, that was a pleasant surprise.

A few weeks ago I noticed another neighbor started running past my window. Maybe she was inspired by my marathoner friends, or maybe she saw me and knew that if I can do it, anyone can. Now that’s inspiring!

What gets you going?

 

Choosing a Running Route

15 Exercise Video Tutorial Sites to Pump You Up

There’s no need to invest in expensive DVDs you’ll watch only once when you have a wealth of instructional videos at your fingertips. Try these and let us know which ones work for you.

5min.com – 5min has video tutorials for just about everything, and they have a large section for fitness, stretching, yoga and more.

 

About.com – The well-known source for information on just about every subject you can think of has a well developed sports section with numerous articles and videos on different types of exercises.

beYOU.TV – Videos are free to watch with ad support, or you can choose to pay a monthly subscription for ad-free streaming access to their videos or you can purchase videos to download to your iPod, Zune or TV to watch when and where you want.

eHow.com – A site covering an enormous selection of tutorials on various subjects with videos mixed in with the text lessons. (Disclosure: eHow is a previous sponsor of Mashable events)

ExpertVillage.com – Broken down by activity, each group has multiple videos and you can rate them on their effectiveness.

HealthClubTV.com – A UK-based fitness site that lets you pay as you go. Has videos for just about every form of exercise you can think of.

Instructables.com – Another catch-all style video instructional site that has a large assortment of exercise videos to help you out.

MuscleHack.com – Various weight lifting videos interspersed with many other exercise and muscle building tips.

MyPypeline.com – Gives you several free tools to track your progress and has a wide variety of training videos, but all must be rented or purchased to get access to the full video. Videos are also formatted for iPods so that you can easily take them anywhere with you.

PumpedVideo.com – Numerous instructional videos demonstrating proper form for various weight lifting exercises.

Sclipo.com – A large collection of workout videos with fresh suggestions, such as how to use a children’s swing to work on your abs.

Sutree.com – A catch-all site for video tutorials on all sorts of subjects with numerous results for exercise, workouts and more.

VideoJug.com – Has a wide range of tutorials for all sorts of fitness activities including unusual activities such as cheerleading and kiting.

VideoTutorialSpot.info – Numerous tutorials for sports such as basketball, lacrosse, running weight training and more.

WikiHow.com – A Wiki-based site filled with instructional information on any number of subjects with videos sprinkled throughout.

 

How to Love Jogging

 

Embarking on a quest to achieve good health and being fit is not an easy one. Dealing with the lack of will power to engage in a monotonous low intensity activity which seems to last more than you desire can be a real drag. Jogging may not be an exciting and exhilarating activity, but can get be enjoyed and get you the results you need for living a healthier and stress free life

 

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