Did he just say "fart lick"??

I finally got to wear it! The orange Nike shelter jacket that I mentioned in a recent post was put to good use yesterday morning. I decided to do a 5 mile fartlek run and was hoping that this kind of running wasn't going to irritate the jock itch which is almost entirely gone, but still lingering in some spots. Well the irritation was there, but with a modified running gait I was able to break 7 minutes for the middle miles which I was thoroughly happy with doing. The Nike Explore shelter jacket that I recently purchased with the Dick's Sporting Goods gift card I was so graciously given for Christmas proved to be an amazing buy. It has excellent breathability (which was part of a review I read which I can now verify) and while it's not the lightest jacket on the market, it's weight was certainly not an issue. Simply put: if it wasn't for the fact that I was nice and warm during a winter run, I wouldn't even have remembered I was wearing a jacket.

 Blurry pic but there she is!

Now....I know I mentioned the word "fartlek" before and I did not elaborate. Many of you probably know or have heard of this term before; others may have thought I made a very humorous typo and didn't look over my posting before I clicked "publish." Well....a fartlek is actually probably one of the most fun methods of training out there for runners. It's a Swedish word that translates to "speed-play" and that's exactly what it feels like: play.

The method is simple: after an adequate warm-up (about 10 minutes at an easily maintained pace), the runner begins speed work in which he or she runs with faster effort for short periods of time (15, 20, 30, 40, etc.). Say you're running down the street or on a trail and you want to incorporate this kind of speed work. As you're running, pick a landmark or street out in front of you and kind of sprint to it--this could be that tree with the weird branch, the church sign, that nail salon...you get the idea! During track in high school, we would run fartleks on the track and Coach Mclaughlin or "McLaugh" as we called him would simply blow his whistle when he wanted us to sprint and blow the whistle again to resume our regular running pace. If you ever have gone with a child running, walking, or simply playing in the park, you probably have seen fartlek running at its finest! Kids love this kind of run-all-out-then-catch-your-breath-and-do-it-again kind of running.

Read about Fartlek running here: http://www.saltyrunning.com/2012/12/04/fartleks-running-terms-that-made-my-middle-school-athletes-giggle/

Do any of you eat Clif Bars? Have you at least tried a Clif Bar before? "Don't knock it unless you've tried it" is what I like to preach. Well, I absolutely love Clif Bars and over the weekend I drafted a cover letter which I sent to an employee at Clif Bar & Company. My dream, as it currently stands, is to blend my passion for teaching children with my passion for healthy living. This "healthy living" includes making smart food choices, frequently exercising, and maintaining good mental and physical health such as minimal stress, adequate sleep, etc. I think that Clif Bar is a unique food company which I would love to work for and build and coordinate a program that uses Clif's resources and philosophies to engage their future customers: children. What better way to combat rising obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and even stomach cancer (http://tinyurl.com/ozrz939) than to get children to appreciate more natural foods and the planet that the come from?

Read about Clif Bar & Company here (http://issuu.com/clifbar/docs/clif_all_aspirations_2012?e=4713146/1657854) or take some time to peruse their website. Do this while trying a Clif Bar for bonus vegan runner points!  

That's all for tonight! Stay safe out in the snow northeast people! 

Happy Running!