The Osprey Rev Series line of trail specific packs comes out in early 2014, and I can't wait...definitely on my 'to get' list, particularly for the Old Dominion 100 in June.
Sunday 22 September 2013
Nutrition Tracking
So last week I decided to start tracking my nutrition for the month to see exactly what my daily calorie, carbs, protein, fat, etc., intake was, and to see if there is any correlation to how I feel each day. In trying to figure out the best way to track the information, I started using an app called 'Fat Secret'. After a week of use, i really think this is probably the easiest/best way to track nutrition information.
The app is super-easy to use and inputing meals is very fast. Aside from manually searching foods, the app also allows you to scan bar codes of the foods you eat (works awesome), search restaurant menus (from an almost endless number of restaurants, save regularly eaten meals, and reenter most eaten and recently eaten foods. It also sinks with the online version website, which can also be used to enter meals. In addition, when you create saved meals, the app generates a nutritional breakdown label for the whole meal; this is awesome for my morning protein shakes to see general nutritional information, as well as, more specific vitamins, types of fats, fiber, etc., contained in the whole shake.
Finally, I note that you can also enter general activity information to approximate calorie burn. This is obviously not exact, but it is a way to get a general idea of what you are burning each day.
Ultimately, I highly recommend the app for nutrition tracking. Check it out!
The app is super-easy to use and inputing meals is very fast. Aside from manually searching foods, the app also allows you to scan bar codes of the foods you eat (works awesome), search restaurant menus (from an almost endless number of restaurants, save regularly eaten meals, and reenter most eaten and recently eaten foods. It also sinks with the online version website, which can also be used to enter meals. In addition, when you create saved meals, the app generates a nutritional breakdown label for the whole meal; this is awesome for my morning protein shakes to see general nutritional information, as well as, more specific vitamins, types of fats, fiber, etc., contained in the whole shake.
Finally, I note that you can also enter general activity information to approximate calorie burn. This is obviously not exact, but it is a way to get a general idea of what you are burning each day.
Ultimately, I highly recommend the app for nutrition tracking. Check it out!
Friday 13 September 2013
Nike Free Flyknit+
I got to try the new Nike Free Flyknits yesterday at the City Sports Run Club. Here is what I thought:
While I am typically not a big fan of Nike running shoes, after demo'ing them for a 5k, I actually really like them. The fit and feel is awesome without socks. You can really feel the connection with the ground, and I like how the shoe basically hugs your foot like a sock - even around the ankle. At the same time, there is pretty good room in the toe-box. However, the shoe does seem to run about a half size small. If using them for anything over a 5k, I could see them starting to cause some discomfort if I didn't go up a half size.
I expected them to have more of a spongy feel, which was simply not the case (a good thing); rather, they offered a good combination of ground feel and moderate cushioning. I also note that it was raining heavily during the run, and even on slick concrete, the traction was pretty good. I didn't have any slips.
In short, they were flexible and fast and would be great for short (10-15k) and fast runs or track workouts. The price tag is still pretty steep at $160, but I can see pretty good value in what Nike has created with this shoe. Again, I am not a big fan of Nikes, so this shoe really surprised me. Others that were also demo'ing them (which included a pretty diverse group of people - casual runners to college track athletes) also seemed to like the shoe, especially their potential for speed workouts.
Finally, in an awesome turn of events, Vanessa (who didn't really feel like going to the event) won a pair the new Flyknits, which she also liked a lot. So it was totally worth going.
While I am typically not a big fan of Nike running shoes, after demo'ing them for a 5k, I actually really like them. The fit and feel is awesome without socks. You can really feel the connection with the ground, and I like how the shoe basically hugs your foot like a sock - even around the ankle. At the same time, there is pretty good room in the toe-box. However, the shoe does seem to run about a half size small. If using them for anything over a 5k, I could see them starting to cause some discomfort if I didn't go up a half size.
I expected them to have more of a spongy feel, which was simply not the case (a good thing); rather, they offered a good combination of ground feel and moderate cushioning. I also note that it was raining heavily during the run, and even on slick concrete, the traction was pretty good. I didn't have any slips.
In short, they were flexible and fast and would be great for short (10-15k) and fast runs or track workouts. The price tag is still pretty steep at $160, but I can see pretty good value in what Nike has created with this shoe. Again, I am not a big fan of Nikes, so this shoe really surprised me. Others that were also demo'ing them (which included a pretty diverse group of people - casual runners to college track athletes) also seemed to like the shoe, especially their potential for speed workouts.
Finally, in an awesome turn of events, Vanessa (who didn't really feel like going to the event) won a pair the new Flyknits, which she also liked a lot. So it was totally worth going.
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