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May 30, 2007

WSDOT on Flickr


Snow Day
Originally uploaded by wsdot
I'm subscribed to Flickr's RSS feed for photos tagged tacoma, so I can see if there's any neat photos of places around town. Today there were a few of views from new, under construction Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Turns out WSDOT has a Flickr account and has posted some interesting photos up there.

May 27, 2007

Nike+ Adidas Hack


Nike+ Adidas Hack
Originally uploaded by Mike A.

Having just bought the Nike+ Sport Kit and 4GB Silver Nano, I didn't really want to drop another $100 or so on new shoes. Thus, I got out a Swiss Army knife and did some reconstructive surgery on my old Adidas running shoes.

How I did it:

  1. Remove the insole from the left shoe.
  2. Use a sharp object to dig a hole of the right size in the approximate middle of the shoe.
  3. Don't cut yourself.
  4. Periodically try to fit the sensor into the hole, so you can get it to just the right size.
  5. Replace insole.
  6. Go running.
Easy as cake.

On Running

I've recently started running again. By again, I mean I used to run occasionally when I'd decide every once in a while that I should start running again. Of course, that would only last a week or two, so we'll see how long this phase lasts.

This time I started up after hearing my wife talk about a guy at work who just ran a half-marathon here in Tacoma not too long after having part of his lung removed for medical reasons. That inspired me for some reason, so now I have a goal to run the Tacoma half-marathon next spring. My wife has agreed to do it, too, so I've done a bit of research and set us up a reasonable training schedule.

In the shorter term, we're planning to run the Bank to Bay 10K in Tacoma in September. In the even shorter term we're thinking about running the 5K course of the Sound to Narrows run in June.

A co-worker recently bought a Nike+ Kit that lets you keep track of your running data with an iPod Nano, and with me being easily influenced by friends when it comes to gadgetry, I bought one, too (and a 4GB Silver Nano).

To break it in, I decided to run 5K along Tacoma's beautiful Ruston Way waterfront. I finished in 26:17. I was pleased with that, though I had to push myself at the end to keep going. The nice woman in my Nike+ kit was helpful when she counted down the last few 100 meters. Hearing "Only 300 meters to go" really helps in some way.

latest

(Or see my run on Runner+)

I'm hoping with the combination of having goals (running events), a training schedule (Monday, Wednesday, Saturday), some fancy gadgetry and data (Nike+), and a running partner (my wonderful wife), I'll be able to keep this up for the long term.