Running for Geeks

ptorrone writes "It's certainly possible to geek out while you run and there are in fact running geeks. I started a new resource for geeks who like to jog, or who like me, are training to run a marathon. This month's features: Getting the right shoes and socks using technology, the Garmin Forerunner 201 GPS watch (also using the XML files for mapping), using the iPod/iTunes, with audiobooks as a training aid and lastly videos and photos of the 'Geek Gym' as well as the portable version for checking email, RSS feeds and IRC on the go as well as at home while exercising." If you're having trouble getting motivated, there are people who can help.

Comments

Can't Run, but Can Bike

[ackthpt]

I had to give up on running a couple years back due to a chronic knee problem. No problem finding other things to geek out in, though, such as bicycling, which is my current passion. I've got a cycling computer which has temp, cadence, heartrate, etc. and tracks it for later download to my computer (it's a Cyclosport HAC4) With advances in bicycle construction technology and cycling computers it's a natural to explore and push limits beyond the sweat.

Re:Can't Run, but Can Bike

[ackthpt]

used to bike, but then an accident broke the brake handle and I haven't gotten around to fixing it. (let's just say then when biking on a city street, watch for people opening their driver side door)

A healthy dose of paranoia while cycling or running is called for. I try to pass parked cars at a distance greater than a door should take. Not much help where bike lates are 3 feet wide and people park in them (then drivers honk and bitch about you being in the road, even though cyclists have the same rights and responsibilites as automobile drivers.)

Lo Tech Version

[Gothmolly]

Go to running store or good sports store
Buy shoes
Place shoes on feet
Run, during run observe surroundings, smile at people, collect your thoughts for the day, enjoy self

C'mon guys, give your brain a rest from the constant barrage of electronika, no wonder so many kids have so-called ADD.

Re:Lo Tech Version

[ackthpt]

Run, during run observe surroundings, smile at people, collect your thoughts for the day, enjoy self

Learn to Run before you do so. To my painful chagrin I learned muscles will develop (from a non-runner) to the needed capacity to run 10K within a couple months, but tendons take years. If you've never run before, start short, keep it to less than 2 miles for the first year.

I tore something called T-bands in both my legs the first time I ran 10K. I had the runners high (endophins) and didn't feel a thing until hours later.

Re:Lo Tech Version

[ackthpt]

YMMV

Indeed. However I've been fairly active for years, but not as a runner. Tennis, mountain biking, road biking, swimming and many long hikes (including Yosemite's Half Dome), but running is high impact. My physician , a runner, indicated many beginning runners will encounter the same problems I had, because they try to go too far, too soon. As I mentioned, I had the runners high and felt no pain while slowly tearing up my legs. Hours later I could hardly walk and had to stop everything for 3 months. I started running again, but only short distances, but my knee was too much of a problem to keep doing it and mountain biking during the same period.

Re:Lo Tech Version

[bwy]

What is more, I see folks spending hundreds of dollars on fitness gear before it is really justified.

I mean, come on, some guy who has never ran in his life spends all this money on gear before he even goes out running for the first time. Or cycling. Or anything. This isn't limited to geek gear though. You'll see guys who "run" 13 minute miles with a couple hundred dollars worth of Nike gear on.

Personally I believe that you put your money where your mouth is, or however the cliche should be worded for this. In other words, grab a good pair of shoes like you said, put on some old shorts and a T-Shirt, and if you're still running after 2 months, consider buying the geek gear if you think you really need it and you think it may help motivate you.

It takes more to motivate someone long term to get healthy than an iPod, or a wedding they want to look good for, etc. It has to become part of your life, part of your routine, and something you enjoy. Personally, I don't see what it is so hard for people. I mean, sit in an office cube all day. Go home. Decide to do something other than sit at a PC or TV for hours. Go to gym/running/etc. Look better and feel better. Repeat. If you're lucky you'll even quit LOOKING like a geek and maybe get a girlfriend to match!

Re:Lo Tech Version

[gnu-generation-one]

"If you've never run before, start short, keep it to less than 2 miles for the first year."

Sounds cautious alright -- I know runners who go 2 miles in just one day...

Re:Lo Tech Version

[Hiro Antagonist]

Thank you! Shoes are important, but you don't need the rest of the schwag.

Running shoes can get expensive, and are worth what you pay for them -- my quarterly Mizunos run about $80 a pair, and if I run in cheaper shoes, I get shinsplints and knee-pain from hell. Other people, like my boss, are lucky -- he can run in anything without having leg problems, and he's ten years older than I am. But shoes are worth spending money on, just to protect your joints.

As a note for beginners, make sure that you go to a *running* store to purchase your shoes -- not a Big 5 or a Foot Locker. The guys and gals at places like Sacramento's Fleet Feet are all runners themselves, and keep up on the latest in training techniques and technology, whereas the guys at Foot Locker are usually high-school students making minimum wage. A running store will suggest shoes, watch your form, and help you select form-correcting footwear.

So, shoes are important. But don't go out and buy hundred-dollar running outfits, and an iPod, and a heartrate-tracking watch, and all kinds of other crap that looks cool. All you need is a good pair of shoes, some old sweats, and some self-discipline. When you start running, it'll be hard, and you won't get far, but your endurance and distance will slowly creep up on you, and one day you'll realize that someone replaced your gut with a washboard, and that you can run four or five miles without dropping dead afterwards...hell, you'll feel refreshed.

Chair races

[Anonymous Coward]

I would be interested in any technology that helps me train for my office chair races each day. I stopped running and walking years ago, now I simply roll. Its the future of america i tell ya.

Re:no matter how big of a geek you are...

[velo_mike]

I don't care how big of a geek you are... Strap on some running shoes and shorts

Some of us are big enough geeks that loose sweats are preferable

Heartrate Monitor

[kongjie]

I'm surprised that a geek listing info about running doesn't mention the value of a heart rate monitor. One of the reasons I used to have problems sticking to a running/jogging program is that, unbeknowst to me, I was running way too fast!

I tried to exercise at what I thought was a reasonable speed, but I would inevitably get winded, give up and lose initiative. But then my girlfriend got me a monitor for my birthday and after using it I realized that my heart rate was WAY too high. Use of the monitor validated that even at slow speeds I was getting heart-healthy exercise. It also allows me to see my progress as my cardiovascular system improves and I am able to exercise harder and longer and still stay in my ideal zone. It's a great tool.

Don't forget...

[WaterTroll]

...to strength train. Jogging is great for cardiovascular endurance but strength training has several other health benefits. You don't have to be a heavy bodybuilder or powerlifter to benefit. Even twice a week is excellent. Many people believe that jogging burns calories. It does but very little compared to a regular, fairly moderate weight training, as your body's overall metabolism shoots up during the process of rebuilding the muscle fiber (please don't nail me on the precise medical wording, ok!). It greatly prevents ostereoperosis(sp?), among many other benefits, and also is effective in eliminating the risks (newly found research, check CNN) involved with the non-genetic diabetes type. You can't exactly mix the extremes of both weight lifting and cardiovascular endurance very well, but moderate amount of both for someone concerned about their own health and well-being is an excellent lifestyle choice. Exercise like jogging releases neurotrophins and promotes healthy neuron function/growth (if someone could elaborate on that specifically i'd appreciate it)

Running geek

[jfengel]

The great thing about running is that it requires so little preparation. No tires to pump, no pool to drive to, no weights to buy. Just you and your shoes.

I come home and can be out the door, ready to run, in five minutes.

I permit myself one bit of tech: a walkman. In the current case, and actual Walkman-brand walkman, but I'm going to replace it with an MP3-type player. Since I only listen to books on tape, which sound just fine at 32 Kbps, you can fit an awful lot of stuff on an inexpensive player. Perfect for three-hour-long LSD runs. (LSD=Long Slow Distance).

Wow!

[dasmegabyte]

Holy shit! This is such a great idea, I can't believe it was posted to slashdot!

I'm not a serious runner, but I do have a fairly geeky workout. I have shoes tailored to my feet from roadrunnersports.com, a pretty serious ride computer on my bike, and I used to record my workouts on a PocketPC (I stopped when I reached a "stasis" point, when I adjustment my workout to the point that my lifting and endurance graphs intersected).

It's great to see somebody bucking the stereotypes that claims all geeks are fat and lazy. A lot of us are outdoorsy types in better shape than our peers.

The best way to get your running shoes...

[localman]

...is to order them from Zappos.com :) Shameless plug, I know... but how else are you going to buy shoes from geeks?

The system runs on FreeBSD, Linux, Apache, MySQL and is written in perl. The warehouse of over half a million shoes is completely computer sorted by unique barcodes on each box and shelf. The whole system for which was designed and implemented inhouse by our small team (thee coders, at the time). We offer free shipping and free return shipping so there's no risk, and we respond faster than any other online retailer.

Okay. I'll shut up now.

Sorry -- it seemed on topic and I love my job :)

Why jog when you can bike ?

[ballpoint]

I don't understand why people choose to jog instead of bike.

The advantages of biking:

• infinitely much easier on your feet, knees and back.
• you can spend much more power, and you have more flexibility in choosing a suitable power level
• you can cover a larger area so it's less boring
• more flexibility in duration. Biking 8 hours a day is no problem for an untrained person, but running is.
• you can carry some luggage easily (iPod, phone, gps, book to read while pausing, drinks)
• you don't need to wear silly clothing (although you certainly can)
• a modern bike is way more interesting technically than running shoes.

Disadvantages:

• need a bike
• bike can break down underway

Re:Why jog when you can bike ?

[pclminion]

Jogging? What's that? I'm a runner. infinitely much easier on your feet, knees and back.

If I wanted something easy on me, I'd have chosen knitting.

you can spend much more power, and you have more flexibility in choosing a suitable power level

With the aid of a bunch of equipment...

you can cover a larger area so it's less boring

You don't know how to "get into" things. Running is a frame of mind, not a mode of transportation.

more flexibility in duration. Biking 8 hours a day is no problem for an untrained person, but running is.

Why do you insist on measuring the value in terms of distance travelled and time spent? And a runner can slow to a walk if he/she is tired.

you can carry some luggage easily (iPod, phone, gps, book to read while pausing, drinks)

God, none of that crap belongs on me when I'm running. Sounds like you need a whole bunch of shit to prevent yourself from being bored while performing your "hobby."

you don't need to wear silly clothing (although you certainly can)

Folks, it doesn't get much dorkier than being concerned with what your clothing looks like. Especially when you're performing an activity that causes you to sweat. "Hey, at least my sweat-soaked shirt is stylin'..." Sheesh.

a modern bike is way more interesting technically than running shoes.

Sounds like you bike because somebody told you it'd be good for your health. Everything you've said seems to imply you don't even enjoy doing it -- complaining about exertion, relief from boredom, physical discomfort, etc...

Feel free to bike, and tell others to bike, but don't compare what you do to what a runner does. It's cliche to say it, but if you have to ask why we run, there's nothing we can possibly say that will ever explain it to you.

A few suggestions

[agslashdot]

From your site - "I try and run/bike/workout for at least 30 to 45 minutes a day"

I began just like you did and made rapid progress, but then plateaued. Here's what works for me now -

a.Skip every other day. The muscles need atleast 24 hours to repair. By working them every day, you are overtaxing them. You will plateau, it is a certainity - ask any fitness specialist or your doctor.

b. When you do run/bike/workout, up the intensity and/or duration. Rather than 30 minutes, shoot for 1 hour, then 2.

c. Best to invest in an elliptical .Since your feet don't touch the ground on an elliptical, you don't bust your knees. At the same time you build rock-hard legs. Plus, you get to vary the intensity on an elliptical by changing the resistance & the incline - very effective.

d. Audio books are a great way to learn something while chugging away on an elliptical. I have loaded up on about 50 hours of philosophy - Locke, Kant, Hume, Hobbes, Machiavelli, Marx, and yes, the usual suspects - Socrates, Plato & Aristotle. As geeks, we are constantly upgrading "tech skills" ( Perl, Java, C++, C# etc. ) while neglecting "life-skills". A sound foundation in philosophy comes in handy like nothing else. Even if you don't care for the subject, you learn things like argumentation, dialectic, persuasion theories, burden of rejoinder...essential skills for making your point when you talk to anybody.

Best elliptical scores so far, at different levels -

3 hours, 19 miles, 2400 calories

1 hour, 7 miles, 950 calories

0.5 hour, 450 calories

Good luck, and watch that caffeine !



They can outsource me, but can they outrun me?:)

strength training

[tuxette]

Strength training is especially important for us geek gals out there.

Women lose bone mass at a greater rate than men, so weight training is especially crucial. Typically, after age 35, women lose 1.2% per year, whereas men lose 0.2% per year. For optimal bone remodeling to occur, significant resistance must be used. Ideally, this means progressing beyond the light weights used in group fitness classes.

Additionally, the increase in lean mass associated with weight training strongly correlates with a faster metabolism. This means that women will burn more calories twenty-four hours a day, not just during or immediately following the exercise sessions. If you consider that a pound of fat contains roughly 3,500 kcals, exercise alone is not the most efficient mechanism to reduce that fat. However, generating significant metabolically active tissue (muscle) will cause an increase in the basal metabolic rate, thus burning off those excess calories more efficiently!

Source: http://www.deepsquatter.com/strength/archives/lady lift3.htm