Map of Katy Trail [taken from katytraildallas.org]
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
The Beautiful Skyline: Katy Trail
One of the best, if not the best, places to run in Dallas is Katy Trail. This 3.5 mile paved trail is situated primarily in Uptown, with the American Airlines Center and Southern Methodist University (practically) serving as its end points.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Cold Weather Running
"It's too cold to go running!" Nonsense. All you need is the proper gear. The following list contains the essentials for cold weather running.
Lip Balm- Oh yes, chappy, dry, cracked lips are not fun at all. You can prevent this painful nuisance by administering a nice dose of lip balm/chap stick to your lips before you head outside.
Tissue- When running in the cold, many runners encouter mucous problems. You will want to be prepared by having a few tissues in your pocket. Blowing your nose into tissue is certainly favorable to using one's bare hand or glove.
Gloves- Keep those hands nice and toasty with a pair of gloves. Nothing fancy or expensive is necessary. A cheap 99-cent pair will do just fine.
Ski Cap- Not so much for your head, but for your ears. Like the gloves, nothing expensive is required. A cheap ski cap will suffice perfectly.
Compression Top- Unlike the gloves and cap, a long-sleeve compression top will be a bit pricey. The comfort and warmth it provides, however, is well worth the price. Nike and Under Armour have excellent reputations for making excellent compression tops.
And that ladies and gentlemen completes the list. Notice that the list addresses the upper body; your legs will be so busy running that enough heat will be produced to keep your lower body protected from the cold temperature. As such, wearing your regular running shorts, socks, and shoes should suffice for cold weather running. However, if you desire extra warmth, compression pants/tights should meet your need.
So, do not let the cold weather stop you from running. After ten minutes, chances are you will barely notice the cold temperature. And as another option to running outside during cold temperatues, you can always run on a treadmill.
Happy running my friends!
Lip Balm- Oh yes, chappy, dry, cracked lips are not fun at all. You can prevent this painful nuisance by administering a nice dose of lip balm/chap stick to your lips before you head outside.
Tissue- When running in the cold, many runners encouter mucous problems. You will want to be prepared by having a few tissues in your pocket. Blowing your nose into tissue is certainly favorable to using one's bare hand or glove.
Gloves- Keep those hands nice and toasty with a pair of gloves. Nothing fancy or expensive is necessary. A cheap 99-cent pair will do just fine.
Ski Cap- Not so much for your head, but for your ears. Like the gloves, nothing expensive is required. A cheap ski cap will suffice perfectly.
Compression Top- Unlike the gloves and cap, a long-sleeve compression top will be a bit pricey. The comfort and warmth it provides, however, is well worth the price. Nike and Under Armour have excellent reputations for making excellent compression tops.
And that ladies and gentlemen completes the list. Notice that the list addresses the upper body; your legs will be so busy running that enough heat will be produced to keep your lower body protected from the cold temperature. As such, wearing your regular running shorts, socks, and shoes should suffice for cold weather running. However, if you desire extra warmth, compression pants/tights should meet your need.
So, do not let the cold weather stop you from running. After ten minutes, chances are you will barely notice the cold temperature. And as another option to running outside during cold temperatues, you can always run on a treadmill.
Happy running my friends!
World Record Speed: Run Like an Olympic Gold Medalist!
Well, not quite. BUT, if you train at this high school track you will be training at the alma mater of olympic multi-gold medalist Michael Johnson!
Located in the Pleasant Grove neighborhood of Dallas, Texas, Skyline High School (aka Skyline Center) offers a very modest 400-meter track.
Tracks are ideal spots for improving your running speed. A very common workout for building speed is the 4x400m. After a brief warm-up (jogging for 5-10 minutes), run your first lap of 400 meters at top speed. You might notice that after 200 meters your energy and strength are practically gone; you might even have the urge to start walking. If you have never done a speed workout, you might very well feel like a worthless scrub. But do not worry, we all have to start somewhere. Once you reach the end of your first lap, rest for about 2 minutes (or until you feel your strength return). For your second lap, run at top speed again but be mindful of conserving enough energy to complete the lap at a consistant and strong pace. Rest and repeat two more times.
Speed workouts like the 4x400 should generally be incorporated into your running routine after you have established a solid running base (which can generally be about six months of consistent running).
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