My brother thinks I’m nuts for not stretching.

According to most researchers, my brother is wrong.

According to this article at Run to Win, twice as many researchers say people should avoid stretching as researchers who recommend it.

He lists an interesting collection of quotes. Ones that I find most compelling.

• “Incidence of injury (whether you stretched or not) was not significantly different…”
• “New evidence suggests that stretching immediately before exercise does not prevent overuse or acute injuries”
• “The results of this review do not support the role of pre-exercise or postexercise stretching as an intervention addressing postexercise muscle soreness.”
• “Greater flexibility may impair performance in sports that do not require a high degree of flexibility such as running (or joggling).”

To stretch or not

If you like to stretch, don’t fret. There is no real evidence that suggests stretching will be bad for you. There just isn’t anything that says it will be good for you. Since I’d rather spend my time running, juggling, or joggling, I’m going to keep following my non-stretching ways.

Summary: It was a nice day for joggling. The temperature was cold but there was minimal wind and no rain. There were lots of people bustling around so I got more than a few cheers and smiles. The reaction of pedestrians is one of my favorite parts of joggling. My speed was below 8 min miles, a relatively easy effort. Starting next week, I’m going to begin training for the Shamrock Shuffle. I’d like to do it in under 34 min if I could.

Weather: 31 F. snow flurries

Distance: 5.78 miles

Time: 10:57 am

Run time: 45:00

Listening to: Point of Inquiry podcast

Weight: 191 lbs

Drops: 0

Condition: Feeling good. No pain

Shoes: Asics – 462 miles

Summary: Today represents the most days in a row that I’ve ever been joggling. I’m officially into uncharted territory. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel too energetic and did just a short run. I wasn’t particularly fast but did manage sub 8 min miles.

I feel proud that I’ve kept the streak going this long however, I still have a ways to go. It’s still fun for me. The existence of a goal continues to be motivating to me.

Weather: 31 F. snow flurries

Distance: 2 miles

Time: 5:01 pm

Run time: 15:42

Listening to: Point of Inquiry podcast

Weight: 193 lbs

Drops: 0

Condition: Feeling tired

Shoes: Asics – 457 miles

Joggling Streak day 445 – new record on 12seconds.tv

Summary: I felt good today. The weather was a bit warmer, my legs are rested and I couldn’t wait to get out and joggle. It was a relatively easy 3 miles but I finished in my fastest time this year. 22:55. The best part was that I wasn’t even winded at the end. I’m feeling really confident about my ability to set a PR in the upcoming Shamrock Shuffle.

Weather: 34 F. snow flurries

Distance: 3 miles

Time: 5:15 pm

Run time: 22:55

Listening to: Planet Money podcast

Weight: 193 lbs

Drops: 0

Condition: Feeling good. Left knee is still hurt but not while running.

Shoes: Asics – 444 miles

Joggling Streak Day 442 on 12seconds.tv

While the amount of caffeine that I drink is probably ok, there is growing evidence that too much caffeine can actually cause problems. This article by the Running Doctor points out that a few runners (who had clear arteries) collapsed during races. The common factor was that all had taken in a large dose of caffeine before the race. He cautions runners that they should limit their caffeine intake to less than 200 mg on the day of a race or run longer than 10K. So, I’ll repeat it for you here.

Limit caffeine to 200 mg or less on the day of a race or long run

Caffeine levels

In case you were wondering, the running doctor also provides a list of caffeine content of common drinks. My favorite, Dr Pepper has 39.6 mg per 12 oz can. My cup of tea is 40 mg. So, I’m way under because I could drink 5 cups of tea or drink 5 Dr. Peppers and still be under the limit.

Do you drink caffeinated drinks before a run? How much? Leave a comment and let us know.

Advertisement: Gballz.com - custom joggling equipment

Summary: I think I’m pretty much recovered except for a sore left knee. My speed seems to have come back as I easily joggled 2 miles at ~ a 7 min/mile pace. This was good because it didn’t feel too hard and the cold weather certainly slows me down.

I didn’t really mind joggling in the cold weather today. There was no wind so it wasn’t so bitter cold. I can’t wait for spring however.

Weather: 19 F. sunny and cold

Distance: 2 miles

Time: 10:10 am

Run time: 14:04

Listening to: Naked Scientist podcast

Weight: 194 lbs

Drops: 0

Condition: Feeling good. Left knee is still hurt.

Shoes: Asics – 439 miles

Joggling Streak Day 440 on 12seconds.tv

According to this article in the Dailymail, scientists have demonstrated that rats who exercise on a running wheel had improved memories over those those who were sedentary.

Running rats have better brains

In the study, they tested two groups of rats. One had access to a running ball while the other didn’t. After a few days, they conducted tests to measure the mental acuity of the rodents. The ones that ran scored twice as high on memory tests.

They took tissue samples from the brains and found that the running group had grown fresh grey matter.

More running = More brain = Better memory

So, if you are having a problem with your memory, start running. And if you really want to grow a giant brain, joggling may get you there even faster!

Summary: A casual 3 miler today. There was a light powdery snow that covered the sidewalks. It was the kind of snow where when your foot hit the ground the powder exploded around it leaving a wide crater of a foot print. I loved watching it happen. Of course, with the joggling balls in front of me I couldn’t watch for very long.

The super cold weather is starting to get old. I can’t wait for spring.

Weather: 22 F. Cloudy, snow flurries

Distance: 3 miles

Time: 4:30 pm

Run time: 24:26

Listening to: Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders podcast

Weight: 192 lbs

Drops: 0

Condition: Feeling great!

Shoes: Asics – 430 miles

Joggling Streak Day 436 on 12seconds.tv

The app is called JuggleFit and it is FREE to download and use. The company sells juggling equipment, DVDs, and juggling classes, so the free app is a great way for them to encourage people to start juggling.

I love FREE.

I installed the app and tested a few of the features.

What is JuggleFit?

The JuggleFit app is essentially a tracking system for your progress on various juggling skills. It has a list of standard tricks and a counter that lets you keep track of how many catches you made on a particular trick. Now, all your juggling records can be digitally captured right on your iPhone.

Useful additional features of JuggleFit

In addition to the tracking system, the app also integrates with your Twitter account so you can broadcast your progress to the world! You can also see the Tweets of other people using the JuggleFit app which means you can compare yourself to everyone else and more importantly, meet new jugglers.

There are also some practice tips which will be useful for beginner jugglers.

Suggestions for improvement

While the JuggleFit app is pretty good right now, there are a couple of things I’d like to see in future updates.

1. More trick information - There are some tricks with names that I don’t know. ‘Albert’? I’m sure in juggling circles people know these pretty well but for beginners (and out-of-the-loop jogglers) it would be helpful to get a description of the tricks.

2. Add joggling - I know this is a juggling app but it might be cool if they could add a way to keep track of your joggling miles. Of course, this might be a little less applicable to jugglers in general.

The JuggleFit app is certainly worth a download. It will help you keep track of your juggling progress which will definitely help you get better.

iJuggle iPhone app

Incidentally, the other juggling iPhone app that I use is called iJuggle. It is a siteswap simulator which allows you to type in a siteswap notation and see an animated juggler do the pattern. The combination of iJuggle and JuggleFit would be great if JuggleFit included siteswap information for the standard tricks.

Have you tried the JuggleFit Tracker or any other juggling iPhone app? What do you think? Leave a comment below.

I haven’t written about them before today because the truth is, I didn’t have much interesting to say. They worked just as well as any other pair of socks I wore. When it comes right down to it, I’ve never had many problems with socks. Cotton socks have worked just fine.

Problems with cotton

Although the cotton socks have been fine, there are also a couple of significant drawbacks.

1. Soak up water - No matter what, cotton socks get wet when you work out. They absorb your sweat and get heavier. This isn’t a big deal for short runs but when you’re going 10, 15 or more miles, the extra weight makes running harder.

2. Blisters - The second problem with water absorption of with cotton running socks is that it helps promote blisters. I rarely get blisters from running but when I do, I’m wear cotton socks that are completely drenched.

3. Holes - Perhaps the thing I hate most about my cotton socks is that they get holes in the toes. After 3 or 4 wearings, there’s always a hole that develops right where my big toe goes. It is annoying and distracting to have your toes sticking through your socks when running. I don’t like to throw things out so, I’ve sewed the holes but these don’t feel right either.

Wrightsock Running socks

Despite the drawbacks to cotton socks, I haven’t been motivated enough to find other options. It always seemed to me that “running socks” were just some marketing gimmick. A new package for the same old thing. However, after my recent Frozen Otter Ultra Marathon, I have to reconsider my position.  During this race, Wrightsocks kept my feet dry, warm and blister free.

The 32+ mile race was done on snow covered trails.  I was wearing an old pair of Mizuno running shoes and figured I needed two pair of socks to keep my feet warm.  Closest to my feet were the Wrightones SLX Delux socks.  They are made of Dri-WRIGHT polyester, Nylon and Lycra.  The large size was a bit small for my 11.5 sized feet, but it didn’t bother me too much.  Above these socks, I wore an old pair of cotton Hanes socks.

After 10 hours of joggling up and down snow-covered trails, I took off my socks figuring I’d see terrible blisters.  To my surprise, while the outer socks were drenched, my feet were still fairly dry.  They didn’t “prune” up like my hands did wearing wet gloves.  In fact, my feet were in great condition!  I was amazed.

If you are going to do long runs or trail runs, then Wrightsocks could be a good option for you.  They will keep your feet dry, blister free and remain hole-free for at least a half-dozen wearings.

Nice job Wrightsocks!

And if you are interested in trying a pair for yourself, click on this Wrightsock SLX Performance Sock Amazon affiliate link to get your own.