This month the weather started getting more consistent and I had some great morning rides and sunset runs across the dam.
I even managed to get to the gym more. I switched up to a new routine that I found online. I was getting bored with my old gym routine. I didn't feel I was in the gym very long, especially as I know do the majority of my cardio outside.
I didn't get out and run as much as I'd planned so I gotta get cracking on that.
I also completed the three week intro program on EA Sports Active 2 on the PS3, I really am liking that. I will post a full review of the intro program soon. I have just started on Phase 1 on 9 week program.
Summary:
April Bike Miles: 103 Miles
April Running Miles: 9 Miles
April Fitness Workouts: 19 workouts
My plans for May are to run in the OC Wahoo's 5k to kick off the month. I am aiming to get more runs in, at least twice a week and to continue building up the miles on my bike.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Essential Gear: Road ID
The road ID is a piece of kit you can wear on your neck, wrist, ankle, shoe or foot. The idea is that if you are ever in an accident someone can use the id to contact someone you know.
It comes with one of two types of info plates on it. The original has your name, address and number on it and the Interactive has website and pin on it.
The interactive id takes it a bit further. First responders can log into the site on the tag and enter your pin to access all your emergency contact information and medical information. You’ll need to be sure you keep it all up to date buy making changes whenever you change Doctor, Insurance etc.
I have the Interactive Sport id version. It goes on the wrist and has a velcro strap on it you can adjust to your size. I make sure I wear it every single time I go out the door for a run, ride or race. I find it pretty comfortable on my wrist but sometimes when I run I will put into over a sweat band cos it can start to scratch a little as you move.
They have various other versions and they come in several colors so you can tie it in with the wrest of your gear.
You can order the Road ID online at http://www.roadid.com/Common/Catalog.aspx?C=RoadID
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Mileage Tracking
I've been trying a few tracking options for my mileage for running, cycling & gym workouts. So far I'm using multiple ones but consolidating them into one main website. Here's what I'm using for each.
Running
Favorite - Nike+ GPS
www.nikeplus.com
I've decided to stick with Nike+ GPS for my iphone. It's a really simple to use app and I like their online communities at nikeplus.com & nikeplusactive.com. I wish they would merge the two so I didn't have to go to two places to participate in their online activites though.
The Nike+ app has a cool feature that will post to your facebook if you set it up. It will then let people know when you start a run and if anybody comments on the post it will read it out to you!
I have previously used the Nike+ sportband. The sportband is a basic watch that when combined with a sensor in/on your shoes can track your mileage/speed/pace. I have found it to be pretty accurate for my needs. After your run you plug it into the USB port on your computer and it uploads the run to the website. I now mainly use it on the treadmill. When outside I can use the GPS app instead. The other advantage of the sportband is the price, it was pretty cheap and great for a beginner to running. The online challenges and trophies add extra incentive and fun to running.
Nike just released their own GPS Watch with TomTom which looks really nice. It's $199 and functions as a watch. It's also got some nice features to remind you to get out there and run too. You can see more about it here. I think i'll probably pick one up later this year.
As with any GPS enabled sharing program you want to be sure to change the settings on your profile to friends only.
Cycling
Favorite - Mapmyride
www.mapmyride.com
I'm currently using the mapmyride app for the iphone. The app has a nice user interface and is pretty simple to use. It will also post to your facebook/twitter if you want. I have mine set up to post to twitter once I complete a ride. It also uploads it to the mapmyride website.
As with any GPS enabled sharing program you want to be sure to change the settings on your profile to friends only. Mapmyride allows you to make things as public or private as you want to. Be sure to read through all of your settings.
The mapmyride website is pretty good but is in transition mode at the moment from an old to new version. I find the best thing about it is the ability to find rides in the mapping tool. I'd like to use more functions but alot of them are not ready or working yet on the new site. The old site was horrible so I dont bother with it. The other downside to it is the stupid pay versions so you get annoying ads coming up alot. The features offered for the pay version are pretty useless so i'm stuck with the ads for now.
Gym Workouts
Favorite - Dailyburn
www.dailyburn.com
For my gym workouts I like Dailyburn.com's app for the iphone. The main reason I like it is that I can create my workout plans on the website and then access them on my phone while at the gym. I can log in my sets, reps & weight and submit it and it updates the website.
The dailyburn website has lots of other tracking tools for tracking weight, calorie intake etc but they aren't things that I use.
All in one summary
www.dailymile.com
My favorite website for keeping all my workouts together is Dailymile it looks great, it's really simple to use and has the added bonus that it can import from Nike+ and Garmin Connect. I only have to manually log my gym workouts into the site. It's got some nice charts and tracking tools also. Dailymile has a nice summary you can add to your blog too, check mine out on the right hand side of my blog --->
I really want to check out the Garmin connect import. I need to see if it will import for cycling, if it does i'm tempted to get a Garmin for my bike and ditch the mapmyride app. If anybody has used it please comment and let me know!
Some other features I like about the Dailymile site are:
1. Events - You can create/join events and have them display in your race calendar
2. Facebook Connect - It uses Facebook to login so I dont need another username
3. Motivation - You can comment on friends activity and send them little motivational badges
Running
Favorite - Nike+ GPS
www.nikeplus.com
I've decided to stick with Nike+ GPS for my iphone. It's a really simple to use app and I like their online communities at nikeplus.com & nikeplusactive.com. I wish they would merge the two so I didn't have to go to two places to participate in their online activites though.
The Nike+ app has a cool feature that will post to your facebook if you set it up. It will then let people know when you start a run and if anybody comments on the post it will read it out to you!
I have previously used the Nike+ sportband. The sportband is a basic watch that when combined with a sensor in/on your shoes can track your mileage/speed/pace. I have found it to be pretty accurate for my needs. After your run you plug it into the USB port on your computer and it uploads the run to the website. I now mainly use it on the treadmill. When outside I can use the GPS app instead. The other advantage of the sportband is the price, it was pretty cheap and great for a beginner to running. The online challenges and trophies add extra incentive and fun to running.
Nike just released their own GPS Watch with TomTom which looks really nice. It's $199 and functions as a watch. It's also got some nice features to remind you to get out there and run too. You can see more about it here. I think i'll probably pick one up later this year.
As with any GPS enabled sharing program you want to be sure to change the settings on your profile to friends only.
Cycling
Favorite - Mapmyride
www.mapmyride.com
I'm currently using the mapmyride app for the iphone. The app has a nice user interface and is pretty simple to use. It will also post to your facebook/twitter if you want. I have mine set up to post to twitter once I complete a ride. It also uploads it to the mapmyride website.
As with any GPS enabled sharing program you want to be sure to change the settings on your profile to friends only. Mapmyride allows you to make things as public or private as you want to. Be sure to read through all of your settings.
The mapmyride website is pretty good but is in transition mode at the moment from an old to new version. I find the best thing about it is the ability to find rides in the mapping tool. I'd like to use more functions but alot of them are not ready or working yet on the new site. The old site was horrible so I dont bother with it. The other downside to it is the stupid pay versions so you get annoying ads coming up alot. The features offered for the pay version are pretty useless so i'm stuck with the ads for now.
Gym Workouts
Favorite - Dailyburn
www.dailyburn.com
For my gym workouts I like Dailyburn.com's app for the iphone. The main reason I like it is that I can create my workout plans on the website and then access them on my phone while at the gym. I can log in my sets, reps & weight and submit it and it updates the website.
 |
| Home Page |
 |
| Entry Choices |
 |
| My saved training plans |
 |
| Entry screen while at the gym |
The dailyburn website has lots of other tracking tools for tracking weight, calorie intake etc but they aren't things that I use.
All in one summary
www.dailymile.com
My favorite website for keeping all my workouts together is Dailymile it looks great, it's really simple to use and has the added bonus that it can import from Nike+ and Garmin Connect. I only have to manually log my gym workouts into the site. It's got some nice charts and tracking tools also. Dailymile has a nice summary you can add to your blog too, check mine out on the right hand side of my blog --->
I really want to check out the Garmin connect import. I need to see if it will import for cycling, if it does i'm tempted to get a Garmin for my bike and ditch the mapmyride app. If anybody has used it please comment and let me know!
Some other features I like about the Dailymile site are:
1. Events - You can create/join events and have them display in your race calendar
2. Facebook Connect - It uses Facebook to login so I dont need another username
3. Motivation - You can comment on friends activity and send them little motivational badges
Friday, April 1, 2011
Training Summary Mar'11
This month I started to get back my motivation! I got some more running in and even did a race. The final week of the month I kept to my schedule except for the Monday as it was after race day.
My cycling was disrupted a few times with the weather not making its mind up! It was nice for a few days then wet and cold for a few days. It finally warmed up in the last week and I'm on course to finally get my Tue/Thu/Sat rides all in one week.
I still didn't get myself to the gym enough, so I'm not happy with that. I have gone there this week and have my stuff to go today, once I get into the routine of doing after work I'll be happier.
Summary:
Month Bike Miles: 77.38
Month Run Miles: 8.42
Month Gym Visits: 3
My aim for April is to get more runs in, I signed up for a 5k race at the OC Marathon to keep me focused. The race is at the start of May, this should help motivate me. I also need to get into the gym more often. If the weather cooperates I will continue to clock the miles onto my bike.
I also ordered EA Sports Active 2 for the PS3. I've been thinking about it on and off for a while. It will give me a little extra twenty minute cardio workout (or more) and will give me no excuse to not do some kind of workout if I skip the gym. It comes with three "controllers" that you strap on to yourself. One on each arm and one on your thigh. It has a built in heart rate monitor too. It's dropped in price now so it was only $38, we had a gift card kicking around so I was only out of pocket $13. It arrives on Monday so I will drop a review once I've tried it out a few times. Here's some vids about it.
PS3 Trailer
This video someone compares the HR monitor
You can also find more about EA Sports Active at the official website here
My cycling was disrupted a few times with the weather not making its mind up! It was nice for a few days then wet and cold for a few days. It finally warmed up in the last week and I'm on course to finally get my Tue/Thu/Sat rides all in one week.
I still didn't get myself to the gym enough, so I'm not happy with that. I have gone there this week and have my stuff to go today, once I get into the routine of doing after work I'll be happier.
Summary:
Month Bike Miles: 77.38
Month Run Miles: 8.42
Month Gym Visits: 3
My aim for April is to get more runs in, I signed up for a 5k race at the OC Marathon to keep me focused. The race is at the start of May, this should help motivate me. I also need to get into the gym more often. If the weather cooperates I will continue to clock the miles onto my bike.
I also ordered EA Sports Active 2 for the PS3. I've been thinking about it on and off for a while. It will give me a little extra twenty minute cardio workout (or more) and will give me no excuse to not do some kind of workout if I skip the gym. It comes with three "controllers" that you strap on to yourself. One on each arm and one on your thigh. It has a built in heart rate monitor too. It's dropped in price now so it was only $38, we had a gift card kicking around so I was only out of pocket $13. It arrives on Monday so I will drop a review once I've tried it out a few times. Here's some vids about it.
PS3 Trailer
This video someone compares the HR monitor
You can also find more about EA Sports Active at the official website here
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