Runners Handshake in Uniform

220px 3rd Battalion 3rd Marines dawn patrol Runners Handshake in UniformI do weekend runs at Balboa Park in Los Angeles. This time I did something I call “Handshake In Uniform”.

I always have great respect to the men and women in uniform in this country. They do what their superiors ask them to do no matter what. The do perform their call of duty…in good times and in not so good times.

So I finished my 6 mile run in beautiful sunny southern California weather. The park is full of walkers and runners alike. I can tell some are finishing up their training for the Los Angeles marathon which is only a few weeks away.

The weather has a cool breeze to compliment the early morning sun.

A Runners Handshake In Uniform

As I get to my car, pulling in was a gentlemen in a truck. You can tell from the logo in the back that this guy is from the marines. He got out wearing his marine – the few, the proud….t-shirt. I have got to do the “Handshake in Uniform”

I have to THANK this guy for what he represent as a nation. This guy is out there with others making sure the freedom that we enjoy in this country continues. Freedom is not free – if you know what I mean.

Before I finished my recovery drink, I just had a little chat with this marine.

Anyway, we exchanged pleasantries before he does his exercise run. Got to know him a little bit. He’s been in the military for 16 years now. Got a 17yr old son – he started when he was 16 years of age. Right now he’s on vacation and is waiting deployment in a few months back to either Iraq or Afghanistan. No plans of early retirement….

Handshake In Uniform – Just Do It

Why am I sharing you these…I wanted to ask that we as citizens give them respect and honor them for what they do to protect this country. We can at least express and say “THANK YOU” to them.

Yes, we can do a little handshake in uniform. A Thank you or even a salute…whenever we have a chance.

I did and…I can enjoy another Southern California run on a beautiful Saturday morning in this beautiful land of the free.

Do the “Handshake in Uniform” today.

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Elevator Health Warning

IMAG0983 200x300 Elevator Health Warning

Elevator Health Warning

I was in an educational tour this past week and saw an elevator health warning of some sort. I did not see it on the way up but rather on the way down from using the stairs.

I took a picture of course and this will serve as a reminder whenever I see an elevator next time.

It will serve as motivation in my quest for optimal health. I don’t know yours but I hope this will get thinking on what or how you get to take care of yourself.

Elevator Health Warning or Motivation?

It reads, “take the STAIRS”. And there’s this sub-headline which is a very good health motivation…

“Achieve Your Goal By Moving Ahead One Step At A Time”, very clever indeed.

Experts agree that regular exercise does amazing results to a human body. It’s been mentioned that 30 minutes of exercise 3 to 5 times a week is good for the heart. It does not really matter which exercise routine you do. Whats important is that you have your body in motion and doing something positive and on a regular basis.

I love running and that’s what I do. A three mile run 3 times on weekdays plus going an extra mile or two (or get close to an hour run if I can) on weekends work for me.

When training for marathons, that is not an issue. I just go with my calendar and do what is on the schedule.

No Elevator Health Warning But My Wife Has Something On The Go

When not on any training, I see myself getting lax some days and needed some kind of reminders once in a while. This picture on the elevator is a perfect elevator warning or motivation for me.

So I get reminders from my wife. She likes to park farthest from the entrance of any mall or any place we go to. She gets to stretch a little and get the heart pumping even for a short time. Can’t complain – I needed it and she does too.

Achieving optimal health is tough but it is something that all of us have to. Our busy lifestyle and the food that we eat has a lot to do on most peoples declining health condition.

You may not see an elevator warning like I did, but consider using the stairs next time. Remember, do a little workout…it’s good for you.

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Runners Lesson From Astronaut

120px GPN 2000 001027 Runners Lesson From Astronaut

John Glenn in Mercury suit with helmet. Courtesy of Wikipedia

From space, there’s great runners lesson from astronaut.

I used to work in the space shuttle program. I remember getting excited to see astronauts visit us on the assembly floor and have little chats. These men and women are for real and just thinking they do fly these huge engines and do space exploration is so amazing to me.

How do they qualify to be astronauts? They have to be very special human beings.

Runners Lesson From Astronaut John Glenn

One popular astronaut is John Glenn. Remember he was also a former senator.

He became the fifth person in space, the third American in space and the first American to orbit the Earth. Aboard Friendship 7 on February 20, 1962, on the Mercury-Atlas 6 mission, circling the globe three times.

Perth, Western Australia became known worldwide as the “City of Light” when city residents lit their house lights and streetlights as Glenn passed overhead.

The city repeated the act when Glenn rode the Space Shuttle in 1998. During the mission there was concern over a ground indication that his heat shield had come loose, which could allow it to fail during re-entry through the atmosphere, which would result in his capsule burning up.

Runners Lesson From Astronaut – Deal With Adversity

Flight controllers had Glenn modify his re-entry procedure by keeping his retrorocket pack on over the shield in an attempt to keep it in place. He was able to steer his spacecraft safely back to earth, and afterwards it was determined that the indicator was faulty.

He fought adversity in a death and life situation in space. Must have been a very nerve-racking…

With all the greatest tools and technology available, all of these won’t work unless you have a human being and a great man of character to steer it.

Runners Lesson From Astronaut  – Determination

That brings us to a runners heart. The determination to finish your goal despite adversity means success or failure.

Yes anybody can gear up with the best shoes, supplements and the coaching that are available. In the end, it is you who will put forth the effort. You will be the one conquering the miles and dealing with the situations and challenges along the route to the finish line.

You don’t necessarily have to deal with life and death situation (just like John Glenn) to finish the race but it will take a special kind of determination to make it happen.

Remember you are a runner and you are special.

What runners lesson from astronaut have you to share?

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Runners Lesson From Rattlesnake

 Runners Lesson From RattlesnakeFor some strange reason I know there is a runners lesson from rattlesnake.

Let’s see…rattlesnake is a unique specie only found in North America. No where in the world can you find these interesting creature.

They are part of (early) American culture and history? I heard they do have 13 rattles representing the early 13 colonies of what we now know as the United States of America.

Besides history, rattlesnake are known to be not aggressive snakes. They do mind their own business. Don’t mess up with them and they will leave you alone. They won’t chase you as long as you don’t bother them unlike other snakes.

If you do, they give you a warning first. Isn’t that something? They will rattle first and if you continue they become a different beast. They will protect and defend themselves and it is a do or die situation from that point forward.

That brings us to a runners lesson from rattlesnake. You see, it’s like they fully commit to doing what it takes to get the job (to defend) done. They know what to do (plan) and execute (finish) and give it all. No messing and guessing around.

Commitment is something that runners can learn from rattlesnake.

If you decide on a running goal of some sort, do your best to get it accomplished. It is natural that challenges begins to come up just as soon as you decide to do one.

You see it’s one of those natures law. Anything good is bound to be attacked and put down. Getting past and on top of  the challenges determines the degree of anyone’s success.

A fully committed person will find ways to win…

Just like the rattlesnake, they operate mostly on the defensive, but when challenged and switches to offense these creatures will deal it at any cost.

Commit. Do. Finish!

What do you think…have you a runners lesson from rattlesnake or any creature out there to share?

Runners Lesson From Hummingbird

hummingbird Runners Lesson From Hummingbird

Runners Lesson From Humming Bird Tattoo Picture courtesy of Larissa

Runners lesson from hummingbird is what I have in mind after reading a friends feed online;

“I got my first tattoo yesterday, the hummingbird symbolizes perseverance & tirelessness and energy…”

Let’s see why LORA B from Dailymile(dot)com did it. And we’ll share a little research, we got ours from wikipedia, to validate her arguments here;

Hummingbirds are among the smallest of birds. They can hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings 12–80 times per second (depending on the species). They are also the only group of birds able to fly backwards. They can fly at speeds exceeding 31 miles per hour.

Runners Lesson From Humming Bird #1 – Quality Diet

OK, let’s see some runners lesson from hummingbird.

Hummingbirds drink nectar, a sweet liquid inside certain flowers. Like bees;

  • they are able to assess the amount of sugar in the nectar they eat
  • they reject flower types that produce nectar that is less than 10% sugar
  • and prefer those whose sugar content is stronger.

Nectar is a poor source of nutrients, so hummingbirds meet their needs for protein, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, etc. by preying on insects and spiders.

Runners Lesson From Humming Bird #2 – Persevere or Die

With the exception of insects, hummingbirds while in flight have the highest metabolism of all animals, a necessity in order to support the rapid beating of their wings. Their heart rate can reach as high as 1,260 beats per minute. They also consume more than their own weight in nectar each day, and to do so they must visit hundreds of flowers daily. Hummingbirds are continuously hours away from starving to death, and are able to store just enough energy to survive overnight.

That’s one good runners lesson from hummingbird.

Runners Lesson From Humming Bird #3 – Store Up Energy

Studies of hummingbirds’ metabolisms are highly relevant to the question of how a migrating Ruby-throated Hummingbird can cross 800 km (500 mi) of the Gulf of Mexico on a nonstop flight. This hummingbird, like other birds preparing to migrate, stores up fat to serve as fuel, thereby augmenting its weight by as much as 100 percent and hence increasing the bird’s potential flying time.

Runners Lesson From Humming Bird #4 – Myth or NOT

Runners lesson from hummingbird or not. This is good to know (I think…)

Aztecs wore hummingbird talismans, the talismans being representations as well as actual hummingbird fetishes formed from parts of real hummingbirds: emblematic for their vigor, energy, and propensity to do work along with their sharp beaks that mimic instruments of weaponry, bloodletting, penetration, and intimacy. Hummingbird talismans were prized as drawing sexual potency, energy, vigor, and skill at arms and warfare to the wearer.

I don’t’ know if Lora knows all these but she hit a few target…

What about you, what’s your running tattoo?

Anyways, hopefully you will pick some runners lesson from hummingbird.

 

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Your Health Is Your Wealth

Your Health is Your Wealth.

health is wealth Your Health Is Your Wealth

 

Let’s find something we love or enjoy doing to get our health better this year 2012…

For me, running is one of them. I’ve been slacking myself the past few months on my runs but will press on to do better. Thanks to reminders like the quotation from above…

Happy New Year to All.

 

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Why Is This Runner All Fired-Up?

Why is this runner all fired-up?

Well, the Holidays is something to look forward to. Friends and family get together are plenty. There’s plenty of food, food and food.

I love to eat. Not really worried about gaining a few pounds this time of the year.

As a runner. All I have to do is increase my mileage and do a little extra workout…

It always works for me.

Plus, I get to work my wood fired oven. You see, I built a brick oven years back and it still provides us good food specially this time. Guests actually expects pizza and other favorites to get cooked in this oven. Roast turkey and BBQ ribs has made it in this oven.

I remember filling the oven with 24 loaf pan and baking banana bread in one firing. This was a perfect specialty Christmas gift for that year. It was a hit. Everybody wants one.

Now you know why is this runner all fired-up!

I’d like to share the short video above. We did pizza and focaccia. The very next day we have Korean BBQ and corn in the wood-fired oven done.

Next year when someone ask “why is this runner all fired up?”, you know it’s the food, food and food.

What does these all mean or have to do with running?

It’s all about MOTIVATION. If you love what you do;

  • A lot of good things can happen. You do and achieve more
  • Time goes fast when your having fun
  • You enjoy every moment or activity and things are (more often than not) done right
  • Challenges are overcome, solutions seems to be readily available
  • You feel good about what you do, and the results are in your favor
  • and a lot more…

There you go. Love what you do.

If it is running, keep on lacing up and find your motivation and keep doing it. Associate with like minded people. These can be your friends, family members or in these day and age you can go online and join running social clubs…

I hang around positive and highly motivated runners at Dailymile.

Cooking or baking may not be your cup of tea but for me at least this time of the year… why is this runner all fired-up? Its the FOOD…

The best of the New Year to all.

 

 

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What Can Runners Learn From Roosters?

What can runners learn from roosters? The quick answer is NONE.

However, if anyone were to realize what a rooster does IMAG0524 200x300 What Can Runners Learn From Roosters?daily, there maybe something that will surprise many runners, myself included.

I was coming home one morning and there it was, a rooster right in my front gate. He’s just standing and not even intimidated by my presence at all. Usually, chicken will run or move away in a hurry…this little thing  does not budge!

I have seen this bird from one of my running routes in the neighborhood. I’ve heard him crow many times and jump from where he and the hen stays at night ( I would assume) and start the day, as I pass by.

So what can runners learn from roosters?

I’d like to say - consistency. This bird starts the day early and for some reason it crows almost at the same time early in the morning. It seems like it has a built in alarm that sounds of when it’s due, rain or shine! This is a routine for roosters. It’ll crow and make the sound. It’s like doing an exercise of the lungs. Plus, if you’ve seen them do it you’ll notice they do flap there wings a few times (looks like a warm-up)…

Now, if you’re a runner and trying to reach a certain goal or finish time for a 5k, a 10k or even a marathon, training daily and consistently – will prove to be a great asset. And yes, even when the running conditions are not that great outside. Consistency and perseverance are important.

So the question, “What can runners learn from roosters?” can be answered with consistency. Lets put it in it’s simplest perspective like;

  • taking your vitamins daily
  • warm up and cool down before any run or exercise activity
  • eat or drink recovery nutrition
  • be safe while out and about
  • and more…

There’s always something to discover during a runners daily run. The views, the sounds, the smell and things on the way provide opportunities for motivation to keep (me) going.

Plus, I just love seeing nature and farm animals around specially at break of dawn or early morning, in the big city.

Who would have thought this runner actually learned something from a lose rooster from the neighborhood?

What can runners learn from roosters…besides consistency?

Maybe it’s time to have a harder look at this bird (or others) next time you lace up and put on some miles.

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When Do You Consider Yourself A Runner?

2551669039 ea6f5880f2 z 300x230 When Do You Consider Yourself A Runner?I was updating my workout online and here’s a question one member posted on the board, “When do you consider yourself a runner?

It is a very interesting question, and it actually generated a variety of answers. Some are very interesting, others were funny…I’d like to share some with you today.

When Do You Consider Yourself A Runner? – Answers

“If you run, you are a runner. It doesn’t matter how fast or how far. It doesn’t matter if today is your first day or if you’ve been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run.”

–John Bingham

I think being a runner is mostly in your head. Regardless of your distance and pace, if you think about running every day, anticipating the next outing, then you must be a runner. If you only run on a treadmill, then you are a hamster. Many runners turn into hamsters over the winter for some reason. Screwshoes or running snowshoes could liberate them from their winter rodent-hood!

–Gil R.

“I often hear someone say I’m not a real runner. We are all runners, some just run faster than others. I never met a fake runner.”

-Bart Yasso

When Do You Consider Yourself A Runner – My Ten Cents

Here’s what I will say if asked, when do you consider yourself a runner? When you ran a race like a 5k, half-mary or full and you complained afterwards saying you’re not paying the registration fee to run again and find yourself doing it the next year and the year after that…you are a runner!

Seriously, I really don’t know how to answer it. How about you?

Here’s some more of what others said;

I think being a runner is mostly in your head. Regardless of your distance and pace, if you think about running every day, anticipating the next outing, then you must be a runner. If you only run on a treadmill, then you are a hamster. Many runners turn into hamsters over the winter for some reason. Screwshoes or running snowshoes could liberate them from their winter rodent-hood!

–Gil R.

I Like what Michael said;

Identify? Sounds like something you do at an AA meeting or something. I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Get out and run a hole into the wind, kick up some dust!

I know what you’re saying though. Many people put a lot of stock into categorization. You’ll never have a one size fits all.

Establish a “running base” for yourself and stick to the routine through all manner of obstacles, be it pain, scheduling, weather… Do this for say 6 months, look at yourself in the mirror, and you’ll be able to think of yourself as a runner, but you won’t be as concerned as calling yourself one.

In a lot of other areas of life, when something is new to us, we tend to over-think, over-analyze, even obsess sometimes. After awhile, we attain knowledge and wisdom.

The one thing I do know, the most experienced runners among us usually don’t feel the need to identify or talk a lot about it. They “just do it” icon smile When Do You Consider Yourself A Runner?

When do you consider yourself a runner? Finally, let me try to end with this…if you have logged 250 miles at any given year you are a runner. That’s about the time when you need a new pair of running shoes!

 


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Realize The Value Of Running

Here’s another Video Runflix at 5kgeek(dot)com’s Runners Fuel Station.

Have you been asked, “why do you run?”

What is it in running that people enjoy and why they do it? Here’s what Jeremy has to say…

The real reason, though, that so many of us run is because the value  of life that it brings to us. The endorphins that are created from a great run can help us through so many of life’s great stresses. However, amazing as it is, many of us just run for “fun”. We run because we have found some sort of joy in the experience of running. We have found this great ancient touch with our primeval ancestry that had to run to survive. We run to live, we live to run! Read the full story…

Now, I have here a short video on running. Let me share it with you and share it to somebody you know who loves to run. Or to anybody, you never know they may like it and enjoy the health benefits it brings.