Archive for May, 2012

This guy knows what I'm talkin' bout./AP photo

I’m sick. I’ll spare you the gory details, but there’s lots of sneezing, coughing, and dirty looks from co-workers involved. I’m feeling and sounding pretty gross, but what I’m most concerned about is the effect my little cold might have on my weekend running schedule.

Normally, I’m the type to use any excuse not to run — especially I’m scheduled for a long run — including spotting a cloud in the sky and noticing a “Law & Order: SVU” rerun on TNT. However, the Peachtree Road Race is barely a month away, and it’s getting harder and harder to make excuses.

But is illness a legitimate excuse to skip a run? A study tested runners with colds, and had some continue to run and some remain sedentary. Results showed having a cold did not hinder runners who continued to run, nor did running cut down on the length of a cold. So, it seems, running with a head cold is A-OK. But the same article notes that more severe illnesses can be …

Continue reading Have cold, will run »

The AJC Peachtree Road Race is approaching, and you need nice places to train. There’s no better place to start than with Atlanta’s PATHs, a trail system that travels throughout metro Atlanta.  Over the next few weeks leading up to July 4, we take a look at the miles of paved paths that form the PATH trail system and tell you what you need to know about using them to get ready. For more information on the PATH Foundation and to check out all the PATH trails in metro Atlanta, visit pathfoundation.org.

Chastain Park PATH

Location: Chastain Park near Buckhead (MAP)

Parking: Chastain Park red lot on Powers Ferry Road near the amphitheater. A large map of the trails is at the parking lot entrance.

About the PATH: Two 3.1 mile mostly concrete loops with some of the trail covering an asphalt side street. The two big loops are mostly the same, with a slight diversion plus there is a 1.6 mile loop that shares portions of both longer loops.

Chastain Park Path (Path …

Continue reading Atlanta’s PATHs: Chastain Park »

The winning design

Kara Stanley, a 12-year-old from Woodstock, was named the winner of the AJC Peachtree Jr. T-shirt design contest.

The 26th running of the 3K will take place at Piedmont Park at 9 a.m. Saturday.

Stanley’s design was chosen from the top five entries selected by the Atlanta Track Club.

She is a student at Chapman Intermediate School who has participated in the AJC Peachtree Jr. since she was in the third grade.

She hopes to run her first AJC Peachtree Road Race next year.

Continue reading AJC Peachtree Jr. winning T-shirt design selected »

I had just moved back to Atlanta last year and needed a new pair of running shoes. My gold-accented New Balance 769s were done. After going through the whole process, I was down to three options.

I used to only wear gold on my feet.

One pair – the Adidas Glides – was bright neon green. The salesperson and I joked about the color, but honestly, I didn’t quite think I was ready to pull those off. I wound up liking the New Balance 890s better, and they only came with a touch of bright green around the edges.

They seemed a lot brighter when I was actually wearing them.

A friend of mine went to get new running shoes and after picking a style, ordered a normal-colored pair instead of taking home the crazy color combo the store stocked.

I must ask. What is up with shoe colors these days?

Newton just about only makes brightly colored shoes. New Balance comes out with a multi-colored version of a lot of models. People buy them (and wear them in public). Maybe you all can help me out …

Continue reading These colors do run »

Take that meeting standing up, gentlemen!/AP photo

There are plenty of jobs that require standing up and even moving around the majority of the day. But if you’re not lucky enough to be a dogcatcher, fitness instructor or landscaper, chances are you’re spending the majority of the day sitting.

There are days when I literally have to peel myself from my desk chair because I’ve been sitting so long. In the back of my head, I know it’s probably not the best thing to be sedentary for so long, but like gorging on tortilla chips at Mexican restaurants and having that fourth beer, I try not to think about it too much.

It got harder not to think about it after reading an interview with Gretchen Reynolds, the Phys Ed columnist for the New York Times and author of the book “The First 20 Minutes.” She says sitting for long periods of time is pretty much the worst thing you can do for your body, and recommends standing up for two minutes every 20 minutes to combat accumulations of fat in …

Continue reading Stand up for better running »

If I could, I would drink the entire half-gallon of chocolate milk after a run. Instead, I stick with a school lunch-sized carton of 2% chocolate milk. (Staff)

You can chug Gatorade G3, scarf down PowerBars or choose any of a number of specialized recovery products following your AJC Peachtree Road Race training runs and the race itself.

Or you can drink chocolate milk.

That’s what I do.

What’s not to like about it? One of the greatest non-alcoholic drinks in the world – up there with Milo’s sweet tea, Coke and quality root beer – provides health benefits that are perfect post run. Sign me up.

Side note: This will be my last blog about drinks for a while as I know Yvonne wrote about water a few weeks ago.

I read about chocolate milk as a post-run drink a while ago, and thought it sounded interesting. The article mentioned that chocolate milk had a good blend of proteins, carbohydrates, sodium and calories to help the body post-run. Every now and then, I would think back to …

Continue reading Chocolate milk does a runner’s body good »