Category: In the News
I met up with a buddy of mine today to catch up and shoot the shit. During our conversation which touched on work, common friends, and general insanity, he mentioned he just joined an adult dodgeball league. Let me repeat that, an ADULT DODGEBALL LEAGUE. Bad assed!
He tells me it is run by the San Francisco Recreation Department, and will go for 10 weeks starting tonight. It goes from 7:30-9:00 on Friday nights at the newly remodeled gymnasium about a mile from my house. So, of course I had to look it up online. Low and behold, it was not only NOT FULL, but it only cost $27.00. You got it, $2.70 a week to run around like a kid and throw balls at people. AWESOME.
Now here is the part that blew me away; I went to the Parks and Recreation website and was stunned. They offer all sorts of great classes for kids through seniors. Everything from art classes to fitness classes to sports to ballroom dancing to theatre. Again…AWESOME. And they do it cheap! All you have to do is join the parks and recreation site (Free to join) and then start choosing places and classes. You pay for the classes you want to take.
I HIGHLY recommend anyone in SF who is looking for something fun to do, to visit this site.
Because of a conversation with a friend, tonight I was throwing balls at strangers and having a great time. And the other people playing had as much fun as I did. Good times. Very good times. (and rather spontaneous)
I wonder what I will try next?
-Rob
I saw this today and had to pass it on.
We are often telling people to track their calories, but tracking your measurements are important as well. If you want to be sure that all the hard work you are putting forth is really working, grab a scale and a tape measure. DON”T TRUST YOUR PANTS! (Well new pants. If your old tight pants are no longer tight, YOU ROCK!)
Thank God someone finally wrote a sensible retort to all this “you’re probably dehydrated” nonsense. “Drink to your thirst” is the best advice I’ve heard on the subject.
I’ve waited until about the halfway point in my training to announce this– Yes, I am making another go at the San Francisco Marathon! I’m all signed up and hope that July 25, 2010 will see me crossing the finishline without incident! Well, other than the requisite amount of “incident” involved in running 26.2 miles. 
It’s about time someone did this! Thanks to The Daily Beast for compiling the latest data on which diets actually work based on weight lost at 6 and 12 months, as well as attrition rate (after all, no diet works if you can’t stick to it!)
The winner, Volumetrics, is an approach I highly recommend for many folks, and, of the top 5, all but Atkins are what I consider to be reasonable, balanced, SUSTAINABLE ways of eating for life. (Maybe it’s because I’m more of an endurance athlete, but, I’m just pretty anti-Atkins. I do agree , however, that lowering carbs for a week or two is one way to lose some of the water weight that is stored with glycogen and slim down for a near-term event.)
WHAT: Come celebrate the partnership between Manduka and Lululemon with a complimentary yoga flow class taught by the founder of Manduka, Peter
Sterios. It will be a strong and invigorating evening filled with Peter’s guidance and teachings to help you get a jumpstart for the holiday season!
WHO: Lululemon Athletic and Manduka
WHEN: Wednesday, December 16th, 2009
7:30 - 8:30 PM
WHERE: Lululemon Athletica (Cow Hollow)
1981 Union Street (between Laguna and Buchanan)
San Francisco CA 94123
Any FitLifeSF peeps who go, please send us feedback or comment on this post!
Thanks!
-Rob
I need to print this article on How to Spot a Runner in a Marathon from Time Out Chicago for Rob, who has a proven ability to not see me, even as I run right by him and they shout “SMURF!” over the loudspeaker.
The Wall Street Journal today weighs in on the increasing number of “one-and-done” marathoners. (We runners also call them “Bucket Listers.”) Some very good points are made, including:
- In the world of fitness, doing a little every day for the rest of your life is WAY better than killing yourself for four months and then taking five years off.
- Eating like you’re still training for a marathon after you’ve finished is, well, a really bad idea.
- Despite the glamour associated with the marathon, the most popular race distance in the country is 5K (3.1 miles)- a totally fun and do-able distance that is less likely to lead to injury and/or mental fatigue.
- The real victory is not in crossing a finishline 26.2 miles from a start line once or twice. Victory in this case is still hitting the pavement (or being otherwise physically active) 10, 15, 20 years down the road.
Despite the “time-limited” marketing on P90X or Insanity or any of the other 90-day, 60-day, 6-weeks Beachbody programs– the point is not to get as ripped as you can in 90 days, it’s to see what you can do this 90 days, then set goals for the next, and the next and the next. Ultimately finding a program or combination of programs that works for you.
After a complete week away in the Caribbean (and yes, it was “ON A BOAT!”), we are back to follow up on all the comments which have come on while we were away.
Also, just as a FYI, cruises are not conducive to being fit. No matter how good your intentions may be, the lure of booze and food will overtake you. (Well, mostly the booze) Add to that “Travel Bloat” and you will have all the inspiration you need when you get home!
Sunday: Sambo
Monday – Saturday: More of Shaun T’s Insanity
Gotta get back on that horse!
And one last thing. When you are on a cruise, don’t be on the boat that the Carnival Cruise line Flag Ship decides to run into. Though a great conversation piece, it was a bit off putting.
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/cruises/item.aspx?type=blog&ak=68500121.blog
The New York Times weighs in on some sites that make music specifically for running.
I have to say, I love running to music, so this list has some options I need to check out. I know some folks are adamantly anti-iPod, but I do really love the boost music gives me.
Here are some tips, though, on how not to be a douche when running with an iPod:
- Nobody wants to see your guts on the roadway. If running on the side of the road, either take your earbuds out altogether, or take out the one facing the road so that you can hear everything going on. (I know you are technically supposed to run facing traffic, but some roads around here have more space on the with-traffic side of the road, so hearing both cars and bicyclists is important.)
- The same goes for high-traffic areas at races. If running across the Golden Gate Bridge in a race situation, for example, I’ll take out my left earbud and stay closer to the right (since I’m not the swiftest) so that I can be sure to hear people coming up behind me.
-Would you drive on the freeway with earplugs? Then don’t run on a track with an iPod.
- Not everyone thinks The Brady Bunch was a seminal artist in the development of post-Beatles musical America. Keep it turned down to a reasonable level even if you are running off-street.
- If a really crappy song comes on your Shuffle, that’s YOUR fault, not mine. Don’t screech to a hault in the middle of the path to dig your iPod out of your shorts and find something you like better. Wait until you can pull off the trail responsibly to fix it. (And, yes, you CAN survive without it- my iPod froze or something halfway through the Emerald Across the Bay and I had a lovely time without it. Didn’t stop to see what the problem was. Try it, you might like it!)
- Consider making a playlist specifically for your races, with slower songs upfront to keep you reigned in in the beginning and with realy adrenaline-thumpers when you think you’ll be at tough spots like hills or boring out-and-backs.
- If you lock your iPod, it won’t get progressively louder from bouncing around in your shorts.