Category: Running

NOW running app

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I have somehow managed to go through my entire life without buying a ‘Now That’s What I Call Music’ album. Not even when the series started in 1983, when I was 13 and probably knew not only the words to every track but also the names and favourite colours (thank you Smash Hits) of each member of every band on it.

Last year, the ‘Now That’s What I Call Running’ box set was released, and now, NOW have released a running app.

You decide how long you want to run for, and the app will create a playlist of that duration from the tracks on your phone. Or, alternatively, you can buy tracks from the complete NOW catalogue from within the app. You can also choose the energy filter which will create the playlist based on the energy level you set.

It has an incredibly intuitive interface, and I was set up in a few clicks.

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now-running-app-time

Not wanting to break my 30 year streak of never owning an NOW album, I let it choose 30 minutes of music from the selection on my phone.

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As you’d expect from a running app, it tracks your distance, pace and calories and lets you share your run with Twitter.

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This is the perfect app for people (like me) who can never decide what music to play. Please excuse the pathetic time it recorded. I’d foolishly gone for a run after having a dodgy stomach and anything above a walk had me almost doing a Paula.

NOW Running App costs 69p and is available to download on iPhone  and Windows Phone 8.

How to live to 100

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Did you know, being single after 40 increases the risk of early death and cuts your chances of making it to 60? No, me neither. I’m not sure why this would be but, as the message this infographic wants to give is ‘stay active’, it must mean if you have a boyfriend/girlfriend/wife/husband (yes, it would be easier to type ‘partner’ but I really hate that word and yes, I know I just typed it anyway), you’re more likely to go for walks together to get some exercise. Or something like that.

Anyway, here’s some interesting facts for you.

How to live to 100 Middle Aged Adults

Infographic provided by BMI Healthcare.

p.s. Sorry for using the word ‘infographic’.

Kalenji Kiprun medium distance running shoes

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Kalenji (sold exclusively through Decathlon stores) have introduced a new range, the Kiprun. Kiprun is a range so simple there are only three to choose from:

  • Kiprun SD (Short Distance) for 10km
  • Kiprun MD (Medium Distance) for half marathon
  • Kiprun LD (Long Distance) for marathon

I like simple, so, when they asked me if I’d like to review a pair, bearing in mind I’ve got the Great South Run coming up, I chose the half-marathon ones. These medium distance shoes also come in a choice of neutral or pronation so, as I – despite being undoubtedly wonky in places – am a neutral runner, I chose those.

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Considering how light they are, they’re surprisingly cushioned and comfy. If I tried these on in a shop, I’d think ‘yes, these are the shoes for me’ (and then obviously trying on six more pairs before going back to the first pair and buying those).

I love these shoes. They’re light and springy and a perfect fit. My original thought on their appearance was they were a bit on the dull side, but when I got outside the pink bits were glowing neon. My last pair of running shoes cost £130, these are £69.99. I know which I’ll be buying next time.

So, today, I had the perfect shoes and the perfect running weather – warm but with a cooling breeze and a touch of drizzle.

Still did a shit time though. Ho hum.

For more information on the Kalejni Kiprun medium distance running shoes, visit their website.




My own parkrun and magpies on sheep heads

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My Twitter timeline this morning was full of people going off for a parkrun, so I decided to do my own parkrun in honour of Juneathon. Except it wasn’t going to be in a park and it wasn’t going to be with other people but it was going to be a 5k. So, you can call it a 5k if you want to, but I’m sticking with parkrun, so there.

All was going well until I got to the slopey bit that goes up to the little shop and because I’m planning on doing the Great Kent Bike Ride tomorrow, decided I should rest and walk up the slopey bit but then I thought what if I was doing an Ironman? Would I walk in the swimming bit because I had to get on a bike after but then I thought yes, I probably would but there’s not much chance of me doing an Ironman anyway because a) I can’t swim; b) I’m too scared to cycle faster than 10mph; and c) I’ll probably never do a marathon because I keep whinging about how there’s nowhere to train round here.

Anyway, I stopped being a wimp and pretended I was an Ironman and ran up the slopey bit then got on the trail and there was a man running towards me and I wondered how long most runners wait until acknowledging the runner running towards them and I usually keep my eyes down until they’re right near me and then I look up and smile and say hello or grunt or whatever I’m capable of doing at the time and then there was another runner coming towards me when I was going through a gate and I thought oh no, more running etiquette dilemmas – do I stand here holding the gate open for her or just go through it? and it’s not the type of gate you can hold open for someone anyway and so I went through it and hoped she didn’t think I was being rude and if she had done the same to me, I wouldn’t have thought she was being rude but anyway, she smiled and said hello so I don’t think she was too bothered and then I went past the sheep field and there was a sheep with a magpie on his head and he didn’t look too bothered, he was like ‘yeah, I’ve got a magpie on my head, so what?’ and then I got back to the house and I’d only done 2.94 miles and I was determined to do 5k and so I carried on and it took until I’d done 2.97 miles to get past the house and I went up the road a bit until I did 5k and then I walked back.

Job done. Innit. 

Festival icon set to give her training some welly at Glastonbury

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Jo-Whiley-Running-Wellies

Jo Whiley will wear the world’s first “running wellies” at Glastonbury to keep training on track

Glastonbury presenter Jo Whiley will be at the forefront of festival fashion when she sports the world’s first ever pair of “running wellies” later this week. The prototype footwear has been created by Bupa specifically for Jo, to help keep her training for the Bupa Great North Run on track during her busy summer of festival commitments, whatever the weather.

Bupa’s team of experts have created a number of the limited edition “running wellies” for festival goers this summer. The footwear has been designed in the style of the traditional wellington boot and include several key requirements of a trainer including laces, a supportive sole and increased ankle and heel support. Music fan Jo, will also be able to keep in touch with the latest festival sounds with the built in iPod holder.

bupa-running-wellies

Despite her busy summer schedule, the presenter has committed to running her first ever half marathon on 15th September, in a bid to get fit. It is hoped that the “running wellies” will enable Jo to continue her training for the Bupa Great North Run despite the unpredictable weather and iconic mud covered fields. The run is part of Bupa’s My First Run campaign, which aims to inspire 2,000 people to take up running by offering free Bupa Great Run 5km places to first time runners.

Jo Whiley said: “I’ll be spending a lot of time working at festivals throughout the summer and always tend to be up to my knees in mud. I’m determined to keep my training going for the Bupa Great North Run and the right footwear is crucial, so the running wellies seem like the only way I’ll be able to get the miles in throughout the festival season.”

AWDis Girlie Cool T-Shirt

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I only did half an hour of weights yesterday, but I’m aching today. That’s what you get for not doing any exercise for a month, I suppose.

Today I went to the gym and not just because I had a new AWDis Girlie Cool T-shirt from Qtag.com I wanted to try out.

awdis-girlie-cool-t-shirt

I like this t-shirt. It fits well, it’s red (I like red), it’s got wickability, it’s comfortable and, best of all, it doesn’t cost much over six quid. Yeah, six quid for a proper technical wicking t-shirt without having to go into that well known high street shop that does cheapy sportswear but has a layout like a van backed into the shop, ejected its contents and left it there in a muddled heap. 

You don’t have to get a red one; you can get a black one, a yellow one, a purple one, a white one, a one-of-their-three-different-shades-of-blue one, a fluorescent pink one and even a kelly green one (whatever that is).

By the way, ‘AWDis’ stands for All We Do Is. I’m not sure what it is they only do. Make decent cheap t-shirts, maybe.

I got to the gym and as I got there a girl was going in and she held the door open for me and then there she was in the changing room and it’s only a small room and there was only two of us in there and so I thought I should probably make conversation or something but all I could think of to say was ‘cold, innit?’ and I’d already had the ‘cold, innit?’ conversation with the girl on reception, so I just smiled at her, hung up my coat and went out and did some gym stuff.

After being on the rowing machine and cross-trainer, I wanted to do an Audiofuel Thru the Gears session on the treadmill but I hadn’t run for nearly four weeks when I did three miles with a running group. Yes, a running group. Me, out running with other people on purpose and not just accidentally because I got caught up in a bunch of schoolkids running for the bus. Get me, Miss Social Runner.

Anyway, I managed a whole Thru the Gears session without any walking bits and felt knackered but great after.

I’m quite enjoying this Operation Stop Being a Fat Lazy Cow. I’ve still got university assignments to do though, bah.

Operation Stop Being a Fat Lazy Cow day 3
Rowing machine: 20 minutes
Cross-trainer: 20 minutes
Treadmill: 15 minutes
New t-shirts: 1
‘Cold, innit?’ dilemmas: 1

Day something under duress

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I wasn’t going to do anything as I’ve had strange mystery illness for two days but I mistakenly told twitter I wasn’t going to do anything but then running goth, travelling hopefully and fair weather runner (sorry for the lack of links but I’m writing this on my phone) all ganged up on me like the witches of fucking eastwick and said I had to do something so I did a plank.

Janathon Day 12: My first parkrun!

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Since when did Saturdays begin at 7am, huh? Well, this one did. After Nici said on a previous blog post that one of her mini-Janathon challenges was to finally get to a parkrun, this reminded me that I’d kept meaning to get up (down? across? not sure…) to Whitstable which is the venue of my nearest one.

Whitstable, although only 30-40 minutes away by car, takes nearly two hours on the train and so I asked iliketocount if he would drive there and he said yes and, so, this morning, off to Whitstable we went.

It was great! I’d run the Folkestone Half the year before last and found out that coastal runs are pretty dull. But the Whitstable run had enough scenery going on to make things interesting and although it was mainly an out and back along the seafront, there was a muddy bit before looping back which broke it up a bit.

Coming back down to the finish though, I saw the runners ahead going up a hill at what appeared to be a 45 degree angle. NO ONE TOLD ME THERE WERE GOING TO BE HILLS! BASTARDS! I got to the bottom of the hill and it didn’t look too bad from there, it definitely didn’t look as bad as it did from the distance and I told myself that I could run up it, or at least stagger in a fashion not too far removed from running.

I made it to the top of the hill and looked at my Garmin: 34:08, which is mighty fast for me at the mo.

Stats
Distance: 5k
Time: 34:08
Pace: 11 m/m
Whitstable parkruns: 1

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