A tribute to my revival of the Canada Fitness Test, the “one guarantee of physical fitness”, from one of my favourite shows. Continue reading
My Running Shorts
My Running Shorts: short stories about my life on the run.
Category Archives: Celebrity Sneakers
Do it for your muscles it’ll make them hustle
And four help you through the night
I don’t think much about what I eat. I make a weekly meal plan so I don’t default to grilled cheese every night. I naturally tend towards reasonably healthy and balanced meals. I shop the perimeter of the store, venturing into the aisles for a few prepackaged staples I’m too lazy to make, like pasta sauce. I occasionally eat family sized bags of chocolate covered almonds. By myself. In the time it takes to watch Parks and Rec. Continue reading
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Posted in Celebrity Sneakers, Running Tids & Bits
Tagged exercise, fitness, food, health, nutrition, running, sports nutrition
Can’t find a better man
Off-topic: I recently discovered the Epic Rap Battles of History series. I try to keep this blog on-topic, so I had no reason to post an epic rap battle video instead of real content. Until Mr. Rogers* mentioned sneakers and Cool Runnings. Bingo. Continue reading
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Posted in Celebrity Sneakers, Running Tids & Bits
And they’re still running today
I wish I could claim to have found this one my own. I am, however, going to spend the next three evenings on google images looking for more retro running pics, because this is so amazing. Continue reading
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Gotta blame it on something
A lot of celebrities run the NYC marathon. I’ve even heard of some of them. This year famous NYCM runners included singer Mya (6.59.39), athlete Apolo Ohno (3.25.14), model Christy Turlington (4.20.47), and actor/host Mario Lopez. Continue reading
Posted in Celebrity Sneakers, Running Tids & Bits
Tagged Boston Marathon, celebrity, exercise, fitness, health, marathon, New York City Marathon, running
I do believe I’m feeling stronger every day
My parents are moving. Their home is my childhood storage locker. Somewhere in the teenage wasteland I left behind lies an exercise secret: Continue reading
Posted in Celebrity Sneakers, The Gear Junkie
Tagged celebrity, exercise, fitness, gear, health, marathon, running
Who do you think you are?
Last minute Halloween costume ideas for runners who want to dress up as other runners: Continue reading
You came in with the breeze on Sunday morning
30 years ago today. I’m still awed by him. An older and wiser and wrinkled awed. It has, afterall, been 30 years. Continue reading
We all want to change the world
Finally, a reality show I can stomach. I’m looking at you The Biggest Loser (which, by the way, I stopped watching after I cancelled my cable … turns out I didn’t download like it, I just PVR liked it) and you The Amazing Race (which devolved into the Amazing Cab Ride Race and I lost interest).
My latest discovery is a two-part reality show about running. Continue reading
Posted in Celebrity Sneakers
Tagged Boston Marathon, exercise, fitness, health, marathon, running, TV, TV show review
Warm beer and bread they said could raise the dead
Have you ever been asked that old nugget, if you could invite five people, living or dead, to dinner who would you invite and why? Yeah, I hate that question too. Let’s play, with the obvious running twist. I’ll go first.
1. Terry Fox – Why? Childhood hero. I once went to a museum to look at his shoes. So yeah, I’m a fan.
2. Jacqueline Gareau - Why? She’s the one that Rosie Ruiz totally screwed over and she handled it with grace.
3. Simon Whitfield – Why? My enormous crush He stars in one of my favourite Olympic moments and is the only person on the list I’ve run with FOR REAL.
4. Roger Bannister - Why? Science geek and runner. Just like me. Except for the neurologist and record breaking parts.
5. Roger Robinson – Why? I love his articles on running and I think he’d be good at filling those inevitable awkward silences at the dinner table.
And if any of them send their regrets,
Tom Longboat - Why? Controversy and stories of intrigue followed him as he raced – and often bested – the greats of the time (Shrubb, Pietri).
Your turn! (Conveniently bolded and exclamation marked so you know to reply. Even if you only want one guest. I know it’s a lot of work to host a dinner party, even an imaginary one with dead invitees).
Title: Jimmy Buffett – Cheeseburger in Paradise. 1978.
Mr. Jones and me staring at the video
PSA: Do not google image "teen steam".
Remember Who’s the Boss? I thought Sam was so cool, which I realize confirms all the nerdy suspicions you ever had about me. Do cut me some slack. I lived in the middle of nowhere. We didn’t have cable (it’s not available in the middle of nowhere, even today) and so I watched the three channels we managed to get with our antenna, however fuzzy. The station airing Who’s the Boss transmitted to nowhere. About eight times a day.
What I didn’t watch was her 1988 workout video, Alyssa Milano’s Teen Steam Workout. I love that in the 1980s the only qualifications for releasing a workout video were skinniness and small screen fame. By the power of YouTube, a cross training experience for you to enjoy:
I love the shoes. Bonus points if you can identify the make.
Title: Counting Crows – Mr. Jones. 1993.
Let us die young or let us live forever
runsalm3.blogspot.com
I’m sure by now most of you have heard about Sally Meyerhoff. Olympic qualifying marathoner, age 27. She was out for a training ride. Reportedly she failed to yield at a two-way stop sign. She died instantly when her bike collided with a pickup truck.
I did not follow her career or read her blog, but in reading her posts now it is evident why she was beloved and admired. Many writers have shared their thoughts on Sally’s death – I’ve linked to a few below. I’m not a “take home message” writer, but today is different. Take home message today: the car will always win. Be safe. RIP Sally.
- I like Margarine: A Run for Sally
- Angry Runner: Sad Day in the World of Running
- Running Times: Remembering Sally
- Runner’s World: Remembering Sally Meyerhoff
Title: Alphaville – Forever Young. 1984.
Happy Jack wasn’t old, but he was a man
He wore onesies. And he did pushups on his fingers. And he said that women can lift weights. And he lived to 96. Coincidence?
Note: The featured Face Workout counts as training under the No Training Marathon Training Program.
Title: The Who – Happy Jack. 1966.
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You better lose yourself
I have already written sarcasm-laden posts about the Biggest Loser 4-Week Marathon Training Plan. I just never thought I’d be following it. But that’s a post for the Bermuda Marathon in four weeks. The 3rd Annual TBL Marathon (“surprise”, you have to run a marathon in four weeks) aired last night and four new losers completed 26.2 miles. I won’t even say anything about the contestant (except don’t vote for HER) who proclaimed during the race I’ve never run more than 8 miles because the show’s legal team wants you to believe they are totally fit for this challenge. After signing all those waivers I would be too tired to run.
We say time doesn’t matter, but secretly we really want to know how fast they ran. The newest losers are marked with an asterisk (*).
Daris (Season 9): 4.02 at 197 pounds (down from 346 pounds).
*Ada (Season 10): 4.38 at 167 pounds (down from 258 pounds).
Tara (Season 8): 4.56 at 159 pounds (down from 294 pounds).
*Patrick (Season 10): 5.45 at 244 pounds (down from 400 pounds).
Helen (Season 8): 5.48 at 147 pounds (down from 257 pounds).
*Frado (Season 10): 5.51 at 221 pounds (down from 367 pounds).
Koli (Season 9): 6.08 at 218 pounds (down from 403 pounds).
Ashley (Season 9): 6.26 at 231 pounds (down from 374 pounds).
Michael (Season 9): 6.26 at 299 pounds (down from 526 pounds).
*Elizabeth (Season 10): 7.27 at 177 pounds (down from 244 pounds).
Mike (Season 8): 8.58 at 214 pounds (down from 388 pounds).
Ron (Season 8): 13.16 at 279 pounds (down from 430 pounds).
Title: Eminem – Lose Yourself. 2002.
Posted in Celebrity Sneakers
Tagged exercise, fitness, health, marathon, running, TV, TV show review
The bipeds stood up straight
The Big Bang Theory's Sheldon Cooper stretches before a run
I love when my two favourite activities (running and TV viewing) intersect. It happened again last week.
In an effort to live forever, or at least until the Singularity (when his consciousness could be moved to a robot for eternal life), Sheldon goes an ill-conceived health kick. That’s right, Sheldon Cooper took up jogging.
Running is a natural first pick activity for Sheldon, with his extensive background in the sport. In his own words, I’ve run from bullies, dogs, angry chickens and one particularly persistent PE teacher determined to bend me over and give me a scoliosis test.
His reluctant trainer, next-door neighbour Penny, follows this well-known plan: I just run until I’m hungry, and then I stop for a bear claw, which Wikipedia tells me is a pastry popular in the US.
Sheldon’s running outfit, complete with black dress socks, Flash t-shirt (a happy coincidence as it was Flash t-shirt day anyway) and technology, is sure to aid any ambitious new runner with goals of immortality. As Penny guides him through a series of stretches she asks, can you do this (weird yoga pose) and he dryly replies, “we’ll never know“.
Sheldon studied up on biomechanics (which is good, because his are terrible), but we’ll also never know if he can really run ….
Title Reference: Barenaked Ladies – The Big Bang Theory. 2007.
TV Reference: The Big Bang Theory, Season 4, Episode 2, Veggie Fail. September 2010.
Posted in Celebrity Sneakers, Running Tids & Bits
Tagged exercise, fitness, health, running, TV, TV show review
