Audiobooks on bluetooth
And Splitters on leashes
Fake zombie chases and step competitions
Capri yoga pants with deep pockets & no strings
These are a few of my favorite things!
"When the dog bites, When the bee stings, When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things, And then I don't feel so bad"
LOL! Trust me, when it comes to running, I always feel bad, until it's over, when I feel like I've conquered the world even if I only jogged 1/4 mile of my 2 mile walk. But it's slightly less frustrating with a few apps, and yoga pants with pockets to hold my phone.
The Quick Links:
- Capri Exercise Pants WITH POCKETS!!
- Bluetooth Headphones
- My Favorite Audiobook Player for android
- The Zombie 5k App
- Plantar fasciitis socks
- Charity Miles App
After weeks of annoying everyone around me, on a search for exercise pants in something larger than a size xx small, with pockets, in material that is not see through ... I found them. This may be my biggest accomplishment of the year. :-)
They have pockets big enough to hold my cell phone. No more stupid arm band thingy when I am trying to run. Real, deep, side pockets. And they were only $10. (Ignore the size chart and order your "normal" size - I think they run just a tad big if anything) https://amzn.to/2VpKVNP
And my shirt to go with them. :-)
If you use a cricut or silhouette, you can find the free svg for this shirt here:
(I bought these - then later discovered they make them with toes. I don't know why toe-less socks are a thing... I wear regular socks over these.)
And to complete my ensemble - Plantar Fasciitis Socks.
After my 3rd massive flare of PF this year, I went to wal-mart and basically bought everything in the foot care aisle. I was desperate. And the things that help are not the things I expected to help - probably because I had no idea what I was doing. But plantar fasciitis socks are a big deal for me now - they really help. Those and the weird infomercial band things with the foam balls in the middle.. I love those ridiculous looking things - they really help! But not when I am running or hiking.
Years ago I started walking and running with a simple bluetooth (in one ear) headset. I liked it a lot, because it left one ear free to better hear the traffic and people around me. I don't know what happened to those old headsets... but last year I picked up a simple pair of bluetooth headphones and they are working well for me. Especially now that my phone is in a pocket on the side of my pants, I love not having a cord running from my ears to my phone. I picked mine up at TJ Maxx for around $20 and they work well enough. I occasionally have trouble with the signal cutting out and being crackly for a few seconds - it drives me nuts. I read up on specs, thinking I needed a stronger connection, or something with the "frequency" I see listed in some specs.. but from what I have read, it's simply because of an interference - probably something nearby the trail that interferes with my bluetooth signal. Sure enough, I noticed it happens along the same basic section of the trail almost every time - so something in one of the homes nearby is likely the cause.
I wear a fitbit blaze. I have had one for years... I just want very basic smart watch functions, so this has been plenty for me. I always carry my phone, but my phone is always on silent. Always. I never turn my volume on. The fitbit alerts me of messages and calls - even those that come through telegram or Facebook messenger, I set which apps I get alerts from. And it tracks my steps and my sleep. Until they make a smart watch with a really good camera, I'm not going to stop carrying my phone on runs - so I don't need the music, or the ability to pay, etc. (Check craigs list, sometimes you can find a decent deal - although often used seem to be almost expensive as new!)
Besides the excruciating pain, and inability to breath, my biggest issue with running is the boredom. I know people who run to clear their heads. I'm not one of those people. My head spins in a dozen directions, mostly reminding me what all I could be accomplishing if I were not on that trail, and I feel even more defeated. I love my spotify playlists, but for running, I am extra odd, as I prefer audio-books. They keep my mind occupied, sidetrack me from the aches and pains and general discouragement that I am still struggling to jog a solid 5k.
My favorite independent audibook player is Smart Audio Player
I need the ability to play the books at faster speeds - I think most books are recorded ridiculously slow! This one is simple, free, and has a sleep timer too, if listening at bed time.
Libby is my go to for free audio-books. It works with my library cards, I can borrow audio books from our local library. https://meet.libbyapp.com/
Christian Audio also has a free audio-book each month - you listen to it through their app.
I'm kind of addicted to couch to 5k training programs. I think they are less boring than a straight run, that might be the allure for me... but even better than a straight couch to 5k program is the Zombie 5k. I'm not really a zombie fan, I do not watch the Walking Dead.. this is not about the zombies for me, but the story line, and the extra exercises like lunges thrown into the work out make this my favorite program. Once you complete the 8 week 5 k training, there is a second app, Zombies Run, with seasons of running missions. No longer broken up into walk/run, but they do have some prompts to encourage you to run faster at times. These apps both work around music or audio-books - they will interrupt your playlist (or audio-book) and then resume what you were listening to after their prompts.
Back in 2014 I blogged about my workouts with the Zombie 5k App -
https://fieldsofhether.blogspot.com/2014/07/zombie-5k.html
Back in 2014 I blogged about my workouts with the Zombie 5k App -
https://fieldsofhether.blogspot.com/2014/07/zombie-5k.html
Run for charity. Simply download this app, use it to record your runs, and choose the charity you want to donate to. From their page - "We’re supported by corporate sponsors like Johnson & Johnson, Del Monte Fresh, Brooks Running, Blueprint for Athletes and others. These companies are repurposing their media budgets (money that otherwise would have been spent on other advertising like banner ads) for social good."
And now that I am taking not one, but TWO dogs with me... this is helpful. I love this particular design, because it comes apart and can be used as two leashes. For the first half of our run, Max the puppy does really well. But about half way through, his puppy tendencies tend to take over. If that happens, I move well trained Molly to the bungee portion of this (It means I am holing a hook, not a handle - Molly is 6lbs and well trained, so this is not really an issue), and put Max on the solid top part where I have a bit more control over how he walks. It's nice to not have two leashes tangling, and I think walking in tandem with Molly helps Max to learn what we expect.
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