This video captures the spirit of almost every spin class I’ve ever attended*. Cut to the Schmidt. Continue reading
My Running Shorts
My Running Shorts: short stories about my life on the run.
Tag Archives: TV
Everybody’s walking like the new kid in town
It is well-known that my two main hobbies are running and TV-watching. I like to think I have sophisticated TV taste, rejecting the Two and Half Men laugh track style of show for the types of shows usually ignored by the broader public and cancelled after 2-3 amazing seasons.
But sometimes I get bored and I find myself watching embarrassing shows written for the masses. And sometimes those shows talk about running. This poses a problem for me, because I love to write about the collision of running and TV. But by writing about the collision of the embarrassing show and running my facade of good TV taste crumbles into a pile of badly stereotyped characters and cheesy one-liners. Continue reading
Like this:
Do it for your muscles it’ll make them hustle
A tribute to my revival of the Canada Fitness Test, the “one guarantee of physical fitness”, from one of my favourite shows. Continue reading
Fuel burning fast on an empty tank
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
There is unrest in the forest
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
Like this:
My fists rang like a bell
You know what would make running more exciting? Fighting.
It works for hockey. Continue reading
Posted in Running Tids & Bits
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
The sun always shines on tv
I am so disappointed. Project RUNway has nothing to do with running. This inappropriate use of the word run is reaching the criminal proportions of the oft misrepresented marathon.
This reminds me of my letdown/horror when the New Year’s Jersey Shore Marathon was not a 42.2K foot race between “The Situation” and “Snooki”. Some things you can’t unsee. Or unhear.
Title: A-Ha – The Sun Always Shines on TV. 1985.
The earth says hello
Lately the morning has been winning. And I’ve procrastinated going on my run until 10 or 11 pm. Dirt tracks by moonlight. 30K runs along dark and spooky waterfront trails that end at 1 am. It’s just a matter of time before I’m eaten by a coyote.
But this morning I won. And the universe rewarded me with 18K (of a planned 31K, oops) of freezing rainy misery.
Title: Hair - Good Morning Starshine. 1966.
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
Join in any reindeer games
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
Don’t leave me stranded
Title: Heart – Stranded. 1990.
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
I want to be forever young
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
Saturday in the Park
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
