Dreadmill Song of the Week: At Least I'm not Like All Those Other Old Guys

When I was a teenager and even into college Five Iron Frenzy was my favorite band.  Hailing from Denver, Colorado, they were one of a plethora of Christian ska bands that turned up the 1990's.  But their fun lyrics and sheer longevity brought them a huge following.

In 2003 the band decided to call it quits, producing The End is Near then the The End is Here (the same CD with a second disc of a live recording of their final show in Denver).  By now I was out of college and had mostly outgrown the ska genre - but I HAD to buy the album, since the band was my favorite for so many years.

They Call Him Horse. Charlie Horse.

Photo by Brian Gosline

I think this happens to everyone some time.  You're asleep - or nearly asleep - and you flex your calf so your toes point downward and then your calf muscles tie into a knot and suddenly your wide awake with pain.  If you're lucky, you catch yourself just as the muscle starts to spasm and the worst of it is avoided.  On a bad night, though you'll be too late and you have to grab your foot with both hands to release the spasm and relax the muscle.  Then you spend the rest of the night with your foot pulled towards your shin and your leg fully extended to prevent what just happened from happening again.

Book Review: The Whartons' Stretch Book by Jim and Phil Wharton

In the September issue of Running Times, there was a feature article about Phil Wharton.  Phil was a promising high school run, but was beset by injuries late in high school and during his time in Junior College.  Eventually he was diagnosed with scoliosis (a lateral curvature of the spine).

Phil's dad, Jim was an architectural engineer studying exercise physiology when Phil was diagnosed with scoliosis.  After considerable research, the Whartons consulted Aaron Mattes, the therapist who developed the Active Isolated Stretching (AIS) method.  Using AIS and related strengthening exercises (for three hours a day!), the Whartons cured Phil's scoliosis and his running began to improve, peaking with a 2:23 marathon in 2000.

Dreadmill Song of the Week: It Snowed! by Tim Roseneau

It just seemed wrong to not do a Christmas Song as the DMSOTW today.  Chances are you've never heard of Tim Roseneau he's the guitarist for Diverse City - Toby Mac's band.

Still not following?  Toby Mac is one third of the Christian group DC Talk (that's the "Toby, Mike or Kevin" that This Train referenced).  When the boys went their separate ways, Toby's solo project included Diverse City - his backup band but also a group that he collaborates with and really excellent artists in their own right.

Sleep: Is it Worth it?

Product Review: Zipfizz Healthy Energy Mix

I've been a regular user of energy drinks for some time now.  I've enjoyed FRS and Red Bull and of course always drink at least two cups of coffee in the morning.  You could say I'm a well-caffeinated individual.  So when Zipfizz offered me the opportunity to review a sample of their energy drinks I jumped at the chance.

Giveaway Winners!

Congratulations to T Z and P1T0 - you are the winners of the Runner Pack and Triathlon Pack (respectively). I've sent an e-mail (or tweet) to each of you - send me your address I'll get your prizes out ASAP so you'll hopefully get them before Christmas.

Thanks to everyone who participated!

Dreadmill Song of the Week: Intergalactic by The Beastie Boys

Formed as a hardcore punk band in 1979, it wasn't until the mid-80's that the Beastie Boys began infusing their music with rap - which led to their raving success with their album Licensed to Ill and hit single "Fight for Your Right".  Since then they've hit on every album right up to last year's Hot Sauce Committee Part Two.

 I'll leave a disclaimer here, and say that I don't listen to a lot of Beastie Boys - I'm generally put off by anything that has an "explicit" label -  but I have to admit that their beats are a great fit for running (just watch the video for "Sabotage"). 

So...Who Wants Free Stuff?

It's been a while since I've done a giveaway and I've been saving up some stuff that I've thought would make good giveaway items and what better time of year to have a giveaway?  I've gathered it all together and created two give-away packs.

The Triathlon Pack includes:
An All-Pro Science (APS) Shaker Cup
One Packet of APS Recovery (Pineapple-Orange)
One Packet of APS PreCharge (Fruit Punch)
One Packet of APS 100% Grass Fed Whey (Chocolate)
A sample packet of Biofreeze Pain Relieving Gel
One Pair of Easy Laces
One Pair of Fuel Belt Elastic Race Laces (hence the name "Triathlon Pack")


The Running Pack includes:
One Pair of Men's (size 8-12) Nike Performance Stability Socks
Once clip-on flashing red light (with a Millers Mutual Group logo on it)
Four ginger candies
One sample of Arctic Ease Cryotherapy Wrap
One Pair of Little Hotties Adhesive Toe Warmers
2 ounce bottle of Water Jel Muscle Jel Pain Relieving Spray

To enter, just leave a comment.  We're not giving extra entries for twitter blasts or Facebook posts on this one - just leave a comment and get an entry.  The deadline for entry is Saturday the 17th at midnight. I'll use random.org to choose two winners who will be announced here on Sunday.

Thanks and good luck!

Tagged! II

Photo by sylvar

It's been a while since I've been "tagged" by another blog - and I usually have mixed feelings about it, but since it only happens once in a blue moon to me and its from Little Miss Runshine who has a really nice up-and-coming blog, I'll play along.

The task is to give 7 random tidbits about yourself and then tag 15 other bloggers.  Wait, 15!?  That seems like a lot.  Let's do 7.  7 and 7 that seems fair, right?  Okay, here goes:

Dreadmill Song of the Week: We're Getting Nowhere (Fast) by This Train

First, let me tell you not to confuse This Train with Train.  This Train was a Christian band in the late 90's that produced two albums.  I bought neither.  I got this song from a sampler CD that was included with an issue of the now defunct magazine 7-Ball.  I guess while I liked the song, I didn't like it enough to buy the album.  Although now I may, since you can get it on Amazon for next to nothing.

"We're Getting Nowhere (Fast)" is off This Train's 1998 debut album, Mimes of the Old West.  Like I said, I never bought the album, nor do I know anyone who owns a This Train album (their second came out a year later was entitled The Emporer's New Band).

Do You Need to Hit the Wall?

My last couple major races, I'm pretty quick to say that I never "hit the wall."  And because of that, I've walked away from both thinking, "I could definitely have done that faster!"  Which leads me to the question:  is it necessary to "hit the wall" in order to get your best race time?

I guess before we really get into this, "the wall" must be defined.  To me, "the wall" is different than a bonk.  In the 2010 Harrisburg Marathon, I bonked.  I didn't get enough carbohydrates into my system and I paid the price.  In the 2009 Pittsburgh Marathon I hit the wall.  I hit it late, but there was a point where I realized I can't go any faster, but I can definitely hang on until the end.  My legs were tired and sore, but I wasn't lacking in nutrients (at least not severely).  I did not run my fastest possible race in Harrisburg.  But I believe I did in Pittsburgh.

Breakfast Before a Race: Is it Worth It?

In a way, I'm really surprised I'm writing this post.  Especially, since I tend to lean towards risking "over-fueling" outside a race (or run) and "under-fueling" during a race (or run).  So in the past I've always chosen breakfast.  And I do think that breakfast is absolutely necessary if you're running an ultramarathon.  But I think that for shorter races, the case can be made that you need to skip breakfast.

Dreadmill Song of the Week: 25 or 6 to 4 by Chicago

As winter rolls in, more and more of us are moving our training from outdoors to indoors.  From the road or trail the dreaded treadmill, or "dreadmill" as it has been sometimes called.  And a "dreadmill" requires distraction.  If you're lucky, you've got a TV screen somewhere nearby.  If you don't, you need an iPod or mp3 player to keep your mind off the time, the heat (it gets pretty darn sweaty without a breeze), and the wheezing of that big guy just a few machines down.  So this winter I'm introducing a new feature:  Dreadmill Song of the Week.  Each week we'll talk about a song to load on your music player to keep you going through these cold winter months.


Chicago was formed in the late sixties in (where else) Chicago and released their first album in 1969 - the self-titled Chicago Transit Authority.  The group changed their name shortly after the album's release when the actual Chicago Transit Authority threatened legal action.

That first album, which featured hits such as "Does Anybody Know What Time it is?", "Questions 67 and 68" and "Beginnings" soared up the charts, going double platinum and making Chicago a huge success just two years after their inception.