Fitness

The Slow Burn

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Reflecting on my training this past week, initially I felt like it was particularly unremarkable. But then I caught myself. I realized that this week, I completed all but two of my little checks, including the ever difficult-for-me back kick; PRed on my mile time while simultaneously exceeding the minimum requirement of 8 minutes for the first time; sparred an awesome but tough third-degree black belt candidate for 3 minutes for my live sparring round; and finished strong at the toughest conditioning workout of the black belt test to date, the first Mackay Stadium workout. Since when did these sorts of accomplishments start to feel like just another day at the dojo??

Taping Your Feet For Martial Arts

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I’ve got plenty of problems when it comes to martial arts. My thai kicks are lame, I get asthma attacks, and I can’t wear glasses with a sparring helmet on (plus, I don’t have contacts), so for me, sparring’s like that scene from Star Wars with Luke and Obi-Wan. But the most frustrating thing ever is getting cracks in the balls of my feet. Because even when I ace my thai kicks, remember to use my inhaler before class, and am doing drills without a helmet (and therefore, with eyesight!) — damaged skin on the bottoms of my feet hurts like a mofo and makes the mats…
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Fueling For Weight Loss Is An Oxymoron

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When you talk about health and wellness, it’s easy to say, “food is fuel.” The problem is that a lot of people jump into a fitness program with a goal that makes it hard to really see food as fuel. Take the calories-in/calories-out approach. Technically, that’s exactly how you lose weight. But psychologically, what ends up happening with that approach is a major increase in calories out (why not make every day a long-run day?) paired with a major decrease in calories in (if 1,200 calories is the bare minimum, then 900 calories must be better, right??), with the expectation that the piddly number of calories you…
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What has 24 legs and runs all night long?

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Why, a Reno-Tahoe Odyssey team, of course! Twelve runners per team, two days, and 178 miles from Reno, around Lake Tahoe, and back again (the long way). This is by far my favorite running event ever. It kept me from giving up on running when I was having knee issues, and it reminds me that running is about more than burning calories or preventing heart disease. Despite all those solitary miles we run, in the end it’s about coming together with friends and strangers to have fun and push your limits. And sometimes it’s about wearing silly hats and screaming…
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How Not to Train for a Marathon

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The Big Sur International Marathon has come and gone, and I remain a 26.2 virgin. Nobody ever said “first time’s a charm,” so I’m taking the past six months as a learning experience. The Theory I can’t be too upset, because I didn’t follow a standard marathon training plan. Back in December, I recalled how cross-training maintained my ability to run 10K early in 2010. All I knew is that I wanted to include cross-training, but I had a really hectic schedule. Since the long run rules as arguably the most important aspect of a distance training program, I thought…
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