Labor Day put a bit of a kink in my workout plans, but I’m getting back on track. Today was a strength and running day which means I went to Curves and ran three miles. I’ve talked plenty about Curves in my last few posts, so now I’ll talk a little bit about my running. I pretty much used to hate running and I mean HATE, but lately it’s grown on me. I know it’s one of the best ways to get in shape and it’s really good for your heart. Since I’ve recently gotten serious about running, I’ve gotten quite a few things to help me get the best run possible. My favorite gadget is RunKeeper. This is a handy little application that I have on my iPhone that tracks my run using the iPhone’s GPS. This application is also available on Android phones. Once you complete an activity, you upload it to the web and can see what you’ve done online. You can keep track of your runs, walks, bike rides, and more. You can also add activities that you didn’t use the phone app for as well as things like runs on a treadmill or cycling on a stationary bike. I could probably go on about RunKeeper for quite a while, so I’ll stop here for now and possibly talk more about it later. Another gadget I love to use is my hear rate monitor. I use a Polar F6 which I think is no longer being made, but Polar offers a variety of options depending on what you want to use the monitor for. It’s really validating to see how many calories I’ve burned once I’ve completed a workout, and know that the information is tailored to my stats. And finally, these don’t really qualify as a gadget, my Vibram FiveFingers. I’ve grown to love these shoes. I use the Bikila model and they are fantastic. I use them for running, biking and working out at the gym. I’ve been using them since late June and they are a little worn looking, but they still feel like new (see pics below). They take a little bit of getting used to, your running stride changes so you feel your run in different parts of your legs, hips, etc. As you can see in the pics of my shoes, they get pretty dirty (and smelly), so it’s a good thing they are washable. Anyway, those are my main running helps. Feel free to ask me any questions about them.
(The puppies had to sneak into the second pic. They hate being ignored! 
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