When I work out, it's pretty much guaranteed that I'm going to sweat. I've tried Bikram Yoga in the past with a friend. I'm not sure it's for me because I could never stop focusing on the fact that I was in a room heated to 105 degrees Fahrenheit (40.6 degrees Celsius), with sweat dripping off me so much that my leg would slip out of the positions.

I bought Yoga for Beginners with Patricia Walden by GAIAM on DVD and I believe I paid less than US $15. I saw it sitting in the fitness DVDs section at Target when purchasing a gym bag. I saw the DVD and it was cheap, so I figured, why not? My mom had been telling me to practice some yoga to relax from the stress I had from school.

When I purchased the DVD I had no expectations for it to get me in great shape or turn me into a yoga master. I originally bought it as a technique for relaxing and beating stress through yoga.

The DVD sat in my case for about a year until I decided to try it out. I tried it out one time after buying it, and was annoyed with how long it took to get to the actual poses. However, I gave it another shot and decided to review the DVD for WalkJogRun.

I would give this DVD 3/5 stars for the degree of fitness it provides. However, if I was reviewing this for its ability to relax me and to increase general flexibility, it deserves 5/5 stars.

The overall look of the DVD is very old fashioned. The instructor, Patricia Walden, is located on a beach doing the poses and speaks about how yoga can do such great things for your life and body.

When I turned on the DVD, it was a bit slow to start. It didn't help that I lost my DVD remote and couldn't fast forward to get to the poses. Then the instructor started doing crazy front and back bends that I couldn't believe were for beginners. I realized then this was not the actual Yoga for Beginners portion of the DVD. I'm not sure what it was or why it was included. The total run time for the actual workout is about an hour. However, the poses are done very slowly and in no way fast enough to get your heart rate up.

Even though the DVD was not enough to give me a good cardio workout, it helped me relax. I am sure I will throw it in again sometime if I feel stressed out out or need to get some efficient stretching in. I usually like to have some noise playing before I go to bed, and I may just throw this DVD in for that as well. The music that plays during the workout is very relaxing, and Patricia has a very calm voice.

I also discovered this DVD is available for rent on YouTube for $2.99 If you've never been to a workout class, this video will offer some humorous enlightenment about why you may want to avoid the standard group yoga class. Try Yoga for Beginners and let me know what you think! What are some of your favorite fitness DVDs?

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Each year hundreds of companies and organizations spend a ton of money advertising in race goodie bags. I decided to share exactly what I got from my Chicago Marathon goodie bag.

There were a ton of pamphlets in my goodie bag. There were a lot in there that advertised particular races. This may be a good idea for targeting a first-time marathon runner who hasn't heard of these races before. However, most of us can get this information online or from word of mouth.

Everyone always loves free samples in a race goodie bag. Clif offered a free chocolate mini bar. I was excited because I like Clif bars, but they aren't anything new to me.

I saw a stick of Extra gum, and tried it right away. Will I ever buy this particular Extra gum again? Probably not.

Will I ever use Affresh dishwasher and disposal cleanser? Certainly not. As a poor post-grad, I have neither a dishwasher or garbage disposal.

Goodie bags may be a good tactic for companies targeting those who are not going to walk around the expo. It does make you wonder if they will even look through the pamphlets, or just take their t-shirts and be on their way.

The Chicago Marathon expo very strategically places T-shirt pick up at the back of the convention center, forcing people to at least take a look at some of the vendors.

What's in a Marathon Goodie Bag?

Before I added anything extra to my goodie bag it contained:

Official Race Packet Info

Official Progam
Chicago Marathon T-shirt

Race Ads

Indianapolis Mini-Marathon Pamphlet
Illinois Marathon Pamphlet
Monumental Marathon Pamphlet
Sedona Marathon Pamphlet

Charity Ads

Team Paws Chicago Pamphlet
Team to End AIDS Pamphlet
World Vision Pamphlet
Team in Training Pamphlet
Alzheimer's Association Pamphlet
Girls on the Run Chicago bumper sticker
Susan G Komen Pamphlet and Ad
American Cancer Society "I'm Running For" race bib

Samples

1 stick of Extra dessert delights
Smucker's Natural Peanut Butter Sample
Affresh Dishwasher cleaner sample
Larger Affresh Dishwasher cleaner sample
Chocolate Chip Mini Clif Bar
Chicago Athlete Magazine
Free Trial Offer at Chicago Sun-Times E-paper

Money Off Coupons

Jbird 10% off coupon/pamphlet
Sports Authority $10 off purchase of $50 or more

Product/Service Flyers

Advocate Health Care Pamphlet
Kefir Pamphlet
Run Your Best Pamphlet
Reavy Rehab Pamphlet
CTA Going Green Map of CTA lines
Hard Rock Café Pamphlet
Tracking Key Pamphlet
MarathonFoto Pamphlet
Lasting Commemoratives Pamphlet
CARA Winter Programs Pamphlet

Chotchkies

CTA keychain

One thing that I did love from my race packet was The American Cancer Society's "I'm Running For" race bib. I definitely wrote my dad's name on this and wore it for the marathon. Everyone knows someone who has passed away from cancer, or is currently struggling with it. I think the race bib was a great way to target runners for charity awareness. The race bib was genius because many people can connect with wanting to remember someone through a marathon. Many already run marathons in memory of someone special. If The American Cancer Society had just put a pamphlet in the expo bag, maybe they would capture some of the 45,000 people who got a bag. By encouraging people to write someone's name on the race bib and wear it for the marathon, they are marketing their charity to not only the runners but the spectators who see the bib as well.

After I walked around the marathon expo, I grabbed whatever people offered me. I got a free Five Hour Energy, sports beans, samples of sports and energy drinks, tons of bars I never heard of before, pamphlets on different charities and races in the next year. I signed up for a few raffles to win race entries. I was convinced to sign up for the 2012 Polar Dash Half Marathon in Chicago. For only $50, I got a fleece jacket and half-marathon race entry. I decided this was a good deal especially since the proceeds go to the Team Ortho Foundation

Overall, I believe the Chicago Marathon had a much bigger expo than some other races. I got a lot of free samples, which means tons of snacks for work today at WalkJogRun. What do you expect to get out of a race expo or goodie bag? What do you do when you see the items in your goodie bag? Toss them? Or do the contents make a lasting impression?

As a treat for my PR in the Wisconsin marathon 12 days ago I bought myself the Garmin Forerunner 610 to replace my trusty 5 year old Garmin Forerunner 305. I was looking forward to wearing a watch vs a brick, reduced heart rate spikes and more fun, not to mention the 305 "menu" button was starting to fail... However, my first run out on Tuesday was a little disappointing.

Prior to the race I knocked out 5 mile easy runs at a pace of between 8:10 and 8:30 with a heart under 142 beats per minute. Last Saturday (one week after the marathon) I went out for a 3 mile recovery run and came in at 7:51 for the 3.2 miles with an average heart rate of 142 - all seems to be going smoothly with my recovery.

On Tuesday (10 days after the marathon) I donned my newly acquired 610 and hit the path for a 5 mile recovery run. Based on my recently discovered heart rate reserve I wanted to keep my heart rate under 142 and set a heart rate alert and configured the watch "pages" to show all manner of info but I was very interested in the lap and average %HRR stats.

50 yards down the road the alert started screaming at me. No stranger to heart rate spikes on the 305 I assumed it was something similar but the heart rate on the display wasn't in the 200s but a more reasonable 156. Huh. I carried on and gradually decreased my pace and the heart rate started to drop too. I switched to the lap screen I'd configured but both the average and lap heart rates showed a blank. I had entered my resting heart rate so for now I'd carry on without it.

5 miles later I came back to the house and based on my vibrating, beeping task master's instructions I had slowed down my pace for the whole run to 9:03 for a 139 average. Not terrible but certainly not where I expected to be based on past performance. No temperature variations between today and the past few runs bar a degree or two. It must be the watch. My Garmin 305 must have been failing and mislead me as to my actual heart rate. I showered and grumpily headed into work. Would I have to run this slow in all my future training easy runs? Had I been training to hard and stayed healthy out of sheer luck? Should I say heart rate training be damned and just run my ass off and not worry about the workout prescriptions?

Hours later I felt pretty good for a 5 mile morning and as the coffee started to kick in my scientific mind found a solution.

This morning (Thursday - marathon + 12) I ran another 5 mile run, the same course, same temperature, same time of day as Tuesday (and for arguments sake not far from Saturday's fast run either) but this time armed with both Garmins and a heart rate strap dedicated to each. I concluded that if they differed, I had a problem and would need more data. It hadn't occurred to me that they might agree...

For the sake of scientific disclosure the 305 is running the 2.90 firmware, the 610 is running 2.20.

The green shaded cells show where the Garmin 610 was at least 1% higher than the 305 for a value, the red where the 610 was at least 1% lower than the 305 for a value.

The charts below are the result of overlaying Garmin 610 data on top of the 305 chart from Garmin Connect. For the most part they concur with the exception of a large heart rate spike on the 305 at the start and an off the chart pace of 1:48 at the end of the timing chart.

Analysis

The time difference vs. moving time is because 610 was also on auto pause. Despite stopping and starting both watches the 610 still auto paused and resumed after I restarted the timer when the traffic lights changed along the way, hence average pace was also off.

The overall moving time difference was negligible with the only difference probably due to not being able to start and stop each watch at the same time.

The average moving pace was also within my 1% limits - 1 second difference so no problems there.

The best pace for lap 5 on the 610 was a crazy 1:58 per mile spike not picked up by the 305 but the impact on average moving pace was too small to push the lap average in the wrong direction. The only big moving pace difference was lap 2 where 610 showed 8:52, 305 showed 8:45.

I was delighted to see my average heart rate on both devices didn't vary by more than 1% either way as I first thought it was at least 10 beats per minute off based on my first run.

The max HR was different by 9 beats per minute but I'm not surprised given the different profiles of the heart rate spike at the start of the run. The 610 appears to be better at handling HR spikes.

The calorie calculation seems very different at 648 on 610 vs 721 for the 305 despite identical weight data. I'm not too concerned though as I would expect the newer technology to be more precise.

Summary

The things I care about HR, average moving pace, distance, moving time on the 610 were all within 1% of the 305 so I'm happy that the watches are comparable in terms of data accuracy (relatively speaking). The differences that do exist don't impact my running. I also discovered that the reason the heart rate reserve didn't show on Tuesday was because even though I entered my resting heart rate I still had it calculate my heart rate zones by max heart rate. Why this would control whether or not to calculate heart rate reserve is beyond me but switching it to %HRR for zone calculations fixed it.

Don't shoot the messenger

So my theory about the 610 over-reporting my heart rate was proved to be false. It's me who is defective ;-) I'll need to run a follow-up experiment to prove this but a couple of new theories to test are:

• Running in the morning vs. afternoon. I ran a lot of evening runs pre-marathon but the morning ones were still faster than this but I'm willing to test it out.
• The addition of orange juice to my coffee and oatmeal breakfast before I run. I read in Pete Pfizinger's Advanced Marathoning that drinking orange juice with your morning oatmeal instead of coffee results in 3 times as much iron being absorbed by your body. I added the orange juice to my morning ritual with a delay on the coffee, but still drinking it (can't skip that part of my day). Could it be that my body is just too busy using heart rate cycles on my digestion?
• The amount of time between finishing breakfast and running. Similarly to point two - I used to give myself about an hour between breakfast when I ate in the morning and running but with my new schedule with the twin girls I tend to sit in the nursery with them eating my breakfast and playing with them while my wife gets ready. I need to try to eat earlier before heading into the nursery to see if that makes a difference.

If all of these prove inconclusive it could just be that I am still recovering from the marathon 12 days ago and my body is communicating through my heart rate. I certainly feel fresher training at 70% of my heart rate reserve than I remember before the marathon on my recovery runs. It will be interesting to see if the rest of the hard works still get me where I want to be. I *feel* like I should be running faster but only the results will tell! I'll follow up with more of my experiment results.

The Brooks Nightlife Jacket is one of the greatest purchases I've made for my runninng wardrobe.

First, the 360 degree of candle power retroreflectivity will help ensure your visiblity when exercising outdoors in low-light conditions. It's availalbe in both neon yellow, which I have, and black with neon yellow accents. Now that the sun sets at about 3:30pm here, I get good use out of this!

The zipper zips high, but unlike some jackets I own, I cannot feel the zipper rub against my neck as it's covered by a fleece cover.

Inside pockets hold money and an mp3 player with a hole for headphone cord. The chest pocket is the perfect size for my iPhone, so I wear this on my extreme long runs when I feel a phone may be necessary.

Drawstrings at the hip allow the user to make it as snug or as loose as possible. However, the only con of this jacket is what to do with the hanging strings once they've been pulled tight so they're not hitting your legs with each step.

The vents in the back and underarms allow for great breathability. It's also good in a variety of temperatures , good from 35-65 deggrees, depending on what you layer underneath. It's made of Brooks Shelter AireplexII 100% Polyester Microfiber with Teflon DWR. I've worn this in 30 degree weather with a long sleeve shirt and it was almost too hot! It's also wind and water resistant, so this is my go-to jacket for bad weather.

What's a great purchase you've made for your wardrobe?

Having discovered the Nike+ app on my iPhone last week I ordered a new Nike+ sensor for my shoe (the old one had cracked somehow), and ordered the Belkin Sport Armband for iPhone from Amazon. I'm sad to say I threw out the packaging so I can't return it. What can you do? I wrote a scathing review of course and continued the drum beat here :-)

Did anyone at Belkin try this with an iPhone?

I was sorely tempted to produce a video review instead to show the complete failure of this product but figured it would waste more time than it took me to shop for it.

If you take the armband and put it on, it feels *fairly* secure. Add an iPhone 3GS and very quickly you realize what a waste of money this would be. It flops up and down and the arm band wiggles it's way down your arm unless you have it tight enough to constrict the blood flow, at which point you're at risk of fainting during exercise :-)

I had the Nike+ neoprene armband for my nano when I used the old sport kit and the velcro fastener and neoprene combo made it easy to wrap firmly around your arm, partially waterproofing the nano but also securing it completely. I'm going to have to try to find one like that for the 3GS in person at a store since I've unfortunately ditched the packaging and can't return this hunk o junk.

I've owned the foot sensor for some time but not run with my iPod Nano in quite a while. I do like to run with my phone just from a safety standpoint so the Nike+ integration was an exciting development.

Despite having our own iPhone app I was keen to see how the Nike+ piece worked. I looked around and until today I couldn't find out how to get the Nike+ app or get it all working.

I found a review on CNET explaining how to get it all working. Basically go to your iPhone settings and scroll down looking for Nike + iPod on the settings page. Flick the switch to ON and then hit the sensor button to start pairing your sensor with the phone. Now when you go back to your list of apps you'll see the Nike+ app and can start training.

When you sync your computer after your first workout it will start synching your workouts with the Nike+ site if you have an account or prompt you to create one.

Woohoo! 393 miles in 2008 so far and the rest since June 2006 means I'm a member of Nike's 1000 miler club.

Yesterday I bit the bullet and bought my new Nike Air Structure Triax 10 running shoes and some other bits and pieces. The running shoes are now in yellow and black, an upgrade from the red and black accents in the last pair. Super Feet have also released gender specific orthotic inserts so I bought a new pair of those too. This is all driven by my latest injury created from running a marathon on a cambered highway in a pair of shoes with too many miles on them.

I also got a new Nike+ sensor since the last one was running low on battery power after a year of running. Melissa pointed out that Nike now has a new armband for the iPod Nano Sport Kit setup so you can finally see your display through a panel in the band. Prior to this you had to shuffle down the neoprene material to get any feedback about the buttons you were pushing. Melissa bought one and I guess I'll have to wait til next week. My last purchase was a new pair of Balego comfortable socks.

So I have all my new stuff and I'm going to go for a 3 mile run, even though a part of me is nervous that it might be too far still for my recovering foot. At least we're running the 3 mile loop from our house which means at about 2 miles I have the option of cutting across the grass to get home. Some of my previous runs since the marathon I've been stuck 1 mile out from home when I realized that the pain was back and I have to walk that last mile, not helping my condition. Hopefully this won't be too much and I'll be home in three miles looking at this and feeling smug. I'm hoping the new shoes and inserts will be enough cushioning to save me limping home.

I remember reading the instruction book when I bought my Nike+ sensor that it would eventually die but I had no idea it would be so soon. I have to confess I never turn off the sensor and have run over 531 miles in the last year with it so it has certainly taken a beating but I would have expected it to last at least as long as a watch battery.

The units are sealed so it means I have to pay another $30 for a new sensor now. It's pretty good value if you break it down: $30 = about 5 cents per run OR 8 cents per day for statistics about my running patterns and a pace guide.

If your battery dies when you're in the middle of a run you can use WalkJogRun to plot your running route and see how far it was and how many calories you burned so all is not lost!

I just read on ipodnn that Nike accidentally leaked a product onto their European website and then pulled it back again. The device called the Nike Speed+ eliminates the need for an iPod Nano, or any iPod at all, by displaying the feedback from the Nike+ sensor on a watch device capable of showing pace and calorie information. This appears to be distinct from the unreleased Amp+ which is supposed to act as a remote for the iPod Nano as well as displaying the sensor information.

As for my own announcements, I've just signed up for the Chicago Distance Classic (half marathon) in August and the Chicago Marathon in October. Tonight I'm attending a Team in Training meeting to take part in the San Diego marathon in June. Two and a half marathons!

My training has been picking back up again after my physical therapy to address the tendonitis I was experiencing on the inside of my ankle. The physical therapist had a few revelations about my running style and my arch support in my shoes.

I woke up this morning and felt that tell-tale ache on the inside of my ankle again. I felt it a little while I was on the ghetto treadmill in our building. One of the things I notice about the treadmill is that although it faces a mirror with a hole cut out for a TV, the alignment of the treadmill is angled to point more directly at the TV. I'm curious if the reason I felt the pain was that I was subconsciously trying to correct my run so that I was running towards the mirror. Either way, it was foolish not to stop and either turn the treadmill or just stop. Prior to this I had run on a mirror-less treadmill at the gym and even done 3 miles outside without an issue. Hopefully two days rest will help.