Corner Gas is one of my favourite shows. Remarkably it ran for six seasons. My favourite shows usually top out at three seasons, with threats of cancellation during the entire run. This is not because I have poor taste in shows, but because the rest of North America has poor taste in shows. Two and a Half Men. I rest my case.
In the 3rd season of Corner Gas two of the series regulars, Lacey and Wanda, start a running club so they can train for an upcoming 10K fun run.
Posted in Reviews on the Run
Tagged exercise, fitness, fun run, health, running, TV, TV show review
Longtime readers may recall that I cancelled my cable subscription 9 months ago for two reasons: to save money and to reduce my time-consuming TV viewing habit. Continue reading
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
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
I grew up in snow country. Yesterday almost three-feet of snow came down and snowed-in my parents. Now I live a bit more south and although we don’t have three-foot deep snowbanks I’m pretty sure it has already snowed more here this year than it did all last winter. It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas (or whatever December holiday you do or do not celebrate).
Every holiday season I watch 12 festive movies. I call it my 12 Movie Nights of Christmas. Bask in my originality. This year I am looking for festive movies that fit in to my training program, which largely consists of watching other people running in my TV set.
On the First Movie Night of Christmas my true love gave to me … Robbie the Reindeer in Hooves of Fire. Songs don’t need to rhyme. Enjoy these two sneak peaks.
p.s. Who do you think gets DQed for doping?
Training:
Racing:
Title: Gene Autry – Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. 1949.
Posted in Reviews on the Run
Tagged exercise, fitness, health, movie review, movies, Olympics, running, TV, TV show review, weather, winter
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
You know in those moments when you are kind of awake and kind of asleep and sort of dreaming but not really dreaming? In that moment, for some reason, I was running. And I was running like Phoebe. And it was fun. I may just try it for real. Also, Rachel runs kind of weird – glass houses Rachel, glass houses.
p.s. I gave up shows with laugh tracks. Now I remember why.
Title Reference: Alphaville – Forever Young. 1984.
Posted in Celebrity Sneakers, Running Tids & Bits
Tagged exercise, fitness, health, running, TV, TV show review
Rob Lowe, aka Chris, sprints away from the camera and runs toward the moon (Photo Source: http://inothernews.tumblr.com)
Like Homer Simpson, I watch an appalling amount of TV (Homer: Don’t you ever, ever talk that way about television). I read Television Without Pity more often than my local newspaper. Yes, I am ashamed. It should come as no surprise that the intersection of TV and running makes me positively giddy. So when Rob Lowe guest starred as vitamin-popping running nut Chris on Parks and Recreation I was most pleased.
Am I over-analyzing or is his form really terrible in this photo? His butt is sticking way out and his forward lean would shame that tower in Pisa. But you gotta love his enthusiasm:
I have a resting heart rate of 23 beats per minute. The scientists who study me say my heart can pump jet fuel up into an airplane.
I have run 10 miles a day, every day, for 18 years. That’s 65 thousand miles. A third of the way to the moon. My goal is to run to the moon.
I know what’ll loosen up our brains. Massage train. And, I know what you’re thinking. It’s not that I want a massage; I’ll be the caboose.
Title Reference: Chicago – Saturday in the Park. 1972.
Episode Reference: Parks and Recreation, Season 2. Freddy Spaghetti. Original airdate May 20, 2010.
Posted in Reviews on the Run
Tagged exercise, fitness, health, running, TV, TV show review
The Biggest Loser Marathon inspires (Source: http://tighthams.wordpress.com)
The Biggest Loser Marathon. That statement is controversial enough to finally lure lurkers into commenting on my posts. According to guides on how to write a popular blog the blogger is supposed to be divisive. Unfortunately, my thin skin isn’t controversy-proof. So I’ll stick to the facts. Mostly.
Several Losers have run marathons, or parts of a marathon, but the Biggest Loser TV show has hosted two official marathons with four runners each. The runners finish their tenure at the ranch, go home to get skinny for the finale, and to their surprise are told they are running a marathon in four weeks. They have been running, yes, but training for a marathon is more than just running. You know those ideas that seem good at the time? Well this one didn’t even seem good at the time. Except to the ratings counters. Unless injury is a good idea. But if Oprah can do it …. Whoops, I wanted to avoid controversy.
For only three easy payments of $19.99, you can own The Biggest Loser 4-Week Marathon Plan. Caution – marathons are longer than they appear. May cause permanent injury. Act now. Supplies are limitless.
We say time doesn’t matter, but secretly we really want to know how fast they ran. Are you faster than a Biggest Loser?
Daris (Season 9): 4.02 at 197 pounds (down from 346 pounds).
Tara (Season 8): 4.56 at 159 pounds (down from 294 pounds).
Helen (Season 8): 5.48 at 147 pounds (down from 257 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).
Mike (Season 8): 8.58 at 214 pounds (down from 388 pounds).
Ron (Season 8): 13.16 at 279 pounds (down from 430 pounds).
It is interesting that the three sub-200 pound contestants are also the three fastest contestants. There certainly appears to be a relation between finish time and weight. Mike is a notable outlier, at only 214 pounds his finish time ranks among the heaviest runners. A little Excel magic confirms this EVA (expert visual assessment). The Pearson’s r correlation coefficient for finish time and race weight is .57, compared to .41 for finish time and starting weight. But both are solid correlations. Run to lose weight or lose weight to run? Remember your first year statistics: correlation doesn’t equal causation.
Title Reference: Beck – Loser. 1993.
Posted in Celebrity Sneakers, Reviews on the Run
Tagged exercise, fitness, health, marathon, running, TV, TV show review
Daris runs 5K in 21.04
I watch The Biggest Loser. The show tempts me into binge eating while watching, even though most of the contestants have lost more than I weigh. Or used to weigh, before I started my weekly two-hour Biggest Loser binges.
Contestant Daris George (pictured left) recently ran The Biggest Loser 5K race in 21.04. Then he ran back to collect his get-Dallas-fit-team, so the race wasn’t an all out effort for him. He’s young, so he has that annoying speed advantage. And he works out all day long. So he has that annoying fitness advantage. But he still weights 214 pounds and 4 months ago he weighed almost 350.
21.04. I don’t want to be a skeptic, but it comes naturally to me. I’m not convinced that his finish time is legit. Or more plausibly, the time is legit but the course wasn’t a full 5K. Were the interns out there with a measuring wheel or a counter? I think a car odometer is a bit more likely. In other words, not certified. A 21.04K is a 4.12/km (6.46/mile) pace. Again, I don’t want to be the skeptic, but that just seems …. unlikely without some mighty fine genetics. Where can I get some mighty fine genetics?
But perhaps he has a lot of natural speed and Jillian yelled him to the finish. I’d certainly run faster than usual if she was screaming at me. Plus, would the show risk another running scandal? He did reportedly run a real road race a month later in 21.16. A minute and a bit slower, despite another month of training, but still a great time.
What do you think, is his Biggest Loser 5K time legit?
Title Reference: C+C Music Factory – Things That Make You Go Hmmm. 1990.
Posted in Celebrity Sneakers, Running Tids & Bits
Tagged celebrity, exercise, fitness, health, running, TV, TV show review
My Running Shorts, noun: brief stories about life on the run.
