The App Review

I've been pushing my training up a bit this year, trying to get slimmer and stronger at the same time.  Owing to my techno-geek roots, I've been road testing several apps on my phone to help me out with my exercise and dieting.  For the record, I'm rocking the Verizon Galaxy Nexus, however the apps that I've used are also available for the IPhone.  In a moment of weakness, I also picked up an IPad 2, because I really wanted a tablet.    Sorry Blackberry users, I haven't missed my Blackberry ever since I moved over to Android.

My goto app for the last month has been Calorie Counter by fatsecret.  It is available for Android, IOS, and Blackberry (BB users don't say I never gave you anything).  I LOVE this app.  I use it to record what I eat every day.  It has a large database with tons of brand name foods as well as foods from popular restaurants, making recording my meals simple.  Throw in the bar code scanner, and it takes nearly no time to record each food.  It also has an exercise diary, so that I can make sure that I'm burning more calories than I'm taking in.  It also has a weight loss diary, journal and recipe ideas for some added functionality.  Essentially I use the food and exercise diaries the most.  What's nice is that the app syncs across all my devices, so I can review my progress on either my phone or my IPad.  This app is perfect for me, because it helps me stay accountable to my weight loss goals.

As far as workout tracking goes, I've been using my Garmin 610.  I've loved having a GPS watch to record my running, since I first learned about them.  The 610 is great as a watch and as a touchscreen run recorder.  It is pretty accurate, syncs quickly with satellites (usually), and can sync with multiple devices (like my heart monitor) and programs.

However, I have been trying to get to the gym more to build my upper body strength and work on my flexibility.  Along those lines, I've tried a couple different apps:  Endomondo and Mapmyfitness.  They both work on Android, IOS, and Blackberry.  Both share many of the same features, such as GPS tracking, workout timers, site integration, and social networking.  They also offer voice feedback and live tracking.  Mapmyfitness has a basic food diary, but Endomondo makes use of fun statistics to compare your workouts.  Of the two, Endomondo seemed to be a bit more touchy on my Nexus than Mapmyfitness, sometimes switching workouts from random swipes at the screen.

For those who have difficulty putting together a workout program, there is Workout Trainer by Skimble.  This program offers GPS tracking along with specific programs designed for various training goals like weight loss or muscle building.  What's nice is that they use pictures and videos to show you how do the exercises.  Be warned that while the app is free, some of the workout programs do cost as much as $10.  It does offer plenty of free workouts to help you design your own program.  I use it mainly to add some new exercise to my routine and spice things up every so often, but even then I rarely use it.

For those of you needing a basic health/wellness/medical/fitness all-in-one app, you may want to try out MyHealthTablet by the Fenway Group offers you a one stop shop for recording your information.  It is currently only on the IPad.  As a journal, it does a pretty good, albeit very basic, job of things.  This provides a lot of flexibility, but sometimes makes it seem a bit simplistic.  For the less technically inclined, this is a good thing, but I consider myself a power user so I would welcome more options.

On the non-mobile side of things, I'm currently using Daily Mile to record my running workouts.  It has a clean looking interface, syncs with my Garmin and shares the results on my Twitter feed and with my Daily Mile friends.  Before Daily Mile, I used the Runners World Training Log to record my workout sessions.  Both are pretty good, but I prefer the Daily Mile interface over the detail of the RW Log.  Garmin Connect  offers lots of detail but is tailored to sync with your Garmin Watch, so it lacks some of the flexibility and detail for other workouts.

With the diet, health and fitness industry booming, there are a ton of apps, programs and devices out there to help you reach your fitness goals.  These few that I use are pretty good, but I've barely scratched the surface of what's available.  Everyone has an app or feature that they love, and if that's the case, stick with the app you're using.  However, no app in the world will help you lose weight, tone up or stay fit, if you don't do the hard work of diet and exercise yourself.   Remember these are only tools, not shortcuts to being a better, more fit you.

The Race Realization

Yeah...It occurred to me to me yesterday that I have signed up to run a 1/2 marathon (the Tom King Classic) in 2 weeks.  It also occurred to me that my longest run since the first has been 8 miles with the majority of my long runs being between 5 and 7 miles.  My speed work has been practically non-existent.  Yeah...I think I'm screwed.

The Negligence Reaction

To say that I've been negligent with my blog postings would be a....I don't know what it would be, but it wouldn't be nice.  So from the first sentence, you can see why my blogging efforts have been less than  stellar.  On the plus side, basketball season (5th grade basketball season, that is) is over and now I have some free time to devote to my training, and presumably this blog.  On the negative side, soccer season (5th and 6th grade soccer season, that is) starts up in about 2 weeks, so my rest will be short lived.  I've got a general outline for my race year, and frankly it is looking pretty sparse.  With all my anticipated coaching duties, it appears that I won't have that many free Saturdays to rip off a quick 5K, much less train for a long race.  Still I should get in 2 or more half marathons and hopefully a full this October.  The races that are on the short list so far are the Tom King Half, the Country Music Half, and the Southern Tennessee Plunge Marathon in Winchester, TN.  If my schedule works out, then I'll also try to slip in the Middle Half in Murfreesboro, but I'm not betting the farm on it.  I'll probably pick up my usual round of 5K's and 10K's this summer, but as it stands, I'm not sure when I'm going to get in all those long runs.  

In a bit of gluttony-for-punishment news, I've started doing long runs again at Percy Warner Park.  I haven't gone over 8 miles there yet due to the weather (it isn't winter all week till Sunday when I have to do a long run in the morning.  Damn global warming!), but I should be tackling the Main Drive soon.  I'm sure that I'll cuss and whine about it too.  I'm not sure when I became a gigantic sissy, but I sure do find plenty of reasons not to do those long runs.

The Pinewood Derby Obstrution

So I still haven't figured out my race schedule for the year, and we're already into the middle of January.  It's not for lack of looking however. I've gone through the regional marathons for the fall, but nothing is jumping out at me.  I keep toying with the Tupelo Marathon in September, but damn, I'm betting it's gonna be hot.  Throw in that it does not play to my strengths as it is not a big marathon, so I'm really iffy about this one.

Image via Wikipedia

Meanwhile, I've been neck deep in activities with my kids, and I have not had much time to do anything else.  For example, today I had 5th grade basketball practice (which I love (We're 3-2, so not too bad so far.)) and kids marathon training after practice (which helped with my weekly mileage, so that's all good).  When I get home from work tomorrow, I promised the boy that we would start on his pinewood derby car (Ya know, there's a reason that I'm not a woodworker).  Nevermind that he didn't want to use the skill saw of the nice man at the scout meeting because he wanted it to be handmade (Did I mention that nothing in my skill set includes woodworking?  Just wanted to make sure we got that straight).  If I haven't managed to saw off my thumb by the weekend, it will be a frakkin' miracle.  On the totally random plus side, I've re-discovered Coolio thanks to Rachel vs. Guy Celebrity Cook Off.  1-2-3-4...Get your woman on the floor!

The Cheddar Accompaniment

Why can't I get motiviated to prep my race schedule for this year?  The only race that I'm officially scheduled to run is the Country Music Half-Marathon this April.  (There is also the Disney Goofy Race in a couple days, but due to RL, I've decided to drop out of that one.  Lame, I know, but frankly, I'm not upset about it, because I just wasn't ready for it.)  I have a vague idea that I will try the Tom King Half again in March and possibly the Middle Half in October.  I need to pick a full marathon for the fall, but beyond that I can't muster the energy to do the leg work.  I'm sure that it's just the winter/post-holiday blahs, but I really need to get my head out of my ass and get back to work.  And yes, I do like cheese with my whine.

Irish Pride 5K Recap

The Father Ryan Irish Pride 5K was November 13, 2011.  As you can see, I'm a little late with this recap.  This was a [post] Veteran's Day race that benefitted the Father Ryan scholarship fund.  This was a small, local race that I learned about during my stint as my kids' cross country coach.  I also learned that several kids and parents from other parochial schools would also be participating.  When I found this out, I knew that I would be running this race.  After all, I have to represent, right?  Word.  The weather was chilly, but sunny.  Nearly ideal racing conditions.  It was a quick little out and back.  Although it wasn't a certified course, I whipped out a fast 5K, finishing in 20:37.  This was a 6:39/mi pace that won me a 3rd place finish in my age group.  It was also a PR!  A nice finish to a fun little race.

The Breathe Deep Nashville 5K

Today was the Breathe Deep Nashville 5K.  It was an event sponsored to fund lung cancer research.  I formed an SBA team for this race as this was organized by one of the SBA parents who's on the steering committtee.  The race took place around and in Centennial Park.  Since much of the course was outside of the park, it was a bit hillier than I anticipated, but not significantly so.  Despite a late 9:00 am start, it was pretty cold this morning;  somewhere around the mid-40's.

I knew that there were a lot of races going on in Nashville today, so I figured that the field would be small.  Even so, I hadn't run much since the Lincoln Y Half-Marathon and I wasn't sure how I would do.  Turns out that I was right in that the field was pretty small.  Probably under 500 participants.  Despite the weather and the course, I managed a decent time and finish.  I finished the race in 21:17, 6:51/mi with a 1st place finish in my age group and a 6th place finish overall.

Of note from this race, one of my 5th grade cross country runners ran the race today also.  Today was her 2nd 5k, and she got 1st place in her age group with a sub 30 min finish!  Makes an old coach proud.  When did I get so old????

Finally, a shout out to my homies who finished the Savannah Rock and Roll Half and Full Marathon today and the Ragnar Relay.  Great job everybody!