Copyright 2008 The New York Sun Fri, 21 Mar 2008 14:52:41 -0400 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://www.nysun.com/blogs/nyc-outdoors webmaster@nysun.com en-us Peter Shankman http://www.nysun.com/blogs/nyc-outdoors/2008/03/unhealthy-fun-and-what-you-can-do.html http://www.nysun.com/blogs/nyc-outdoors/2008/03/unhealthy-fun-and-what-you-can-do.html Fri, 21 Mar 2008 14:52:40 EST The man who climbed up a mountain and came down ... a sore man. So I'm in Palm Springs for the week, where it's warm, but not overly warm. I'm probably the youngest person here by far. This is a place for older people. Which is ironic, since they have some really awesome mountains to climb. Was here all week at a conference, and was going insane. Not because it wasn't a good conference, but because all people do at conferences is drink, drink some more, then top it all off with a bit of Peter Shankman http://www.nysun.com/blogs/nyc-outdoors/2008/03/why-spitzer-should-have-gone-for-a.html http://www.nysun.com/blogs/nyc-outdoors/2008/03/why-spitzer-should-have-gone-for-a.html Thu, 13 Mar 2008 19:19:07 EST Had Governor Spitzer gone for another run, this whole thing never would have happened. With apologies to Woody Woodpecker's favorite quote (If Woody had gone straight to the police…): I'm willing to bet that if the Governor of New York State had exercised more, or spent time on the elliptical trainer, or even just walked around the block every time he allegedly met with his "friend," the number one subject in New Yok wouldn't be the Governor and his designation as "Client #9," but rather, Peter Shankman http://www.nysun.com/blogs/nyc-outdoors/2008/03/my-training-mantra-for-now.html http://www.nysun.com/blogs/nyc-outdoors/2008/03/my-training-mantra-for-now.html Tue, 4 Mar 2008 20:51:25 EST They say you gotta have a mantra. You know, something you say when you need encouragement … something that keeps you going when you ask yourself what are you doing it for. The nice thing about mantras is that they can change as you need them to. So for instance, my current mantra, "It's just the beginning of the season, and I was injured, I'll get faster as I train," can change to "I'm faster now that I've been training." At least, I hope it can. Coming back from an injury is one of the Peter Shankman http://www.nysun.com/blogs/nyc-outdoors/2008/02/a-330-marathon-winning-is.html http://www.nysun.com/blogs/nyc-outdoors/2008/02/a-330-marathon-winning-is.html Sat, 9 Feb 2008 00:08:33 EST When I discovered "outside sports" — and by "outside sports," I mean anything that involved me getting off my (at the time) huge ass and sweating in an effort to lose weight — I would tell anyone who would listen. Didn't matter if I didn't know what I was talking about ("I ran my first 5k! That's so massive!" "Er, Peter, that's 3.1 miles – about the distance from your apartment to the subway." "Oh.") or if my stories had merit to no one but me ("... and then, at mile 4.0219, my heart rate Peter Shankman http://www.nysun.com/blogs/nyc-outdoors/2008/01/in-sports-whos-a-beginner-arent-we.html http://www.nysun.com/blogs/nyc-outdoors/2008/01/in-sports-whos-a-beginner-arent-we.html Wed, 30 Jan 2008 21:34:57 EST Tri, tri again … Was reading the latest edition of Triathlete magazine on my way to the airport today. The entire issue is dedicated to beginners in the sport. I recommend picking up a copy if you've ever thought of tackling the multi-sport world in any fashion. Got me thinking though, about what a "beginner" really is. I've done several Triathlons, including the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon, as well as the Nautica NYC Triathlon this past summer. And even though I know what to do, and how Peter Shankman http://www.nysun.com/blogs/nyc-outdoors/2008/01/injury-and-the-power-of-frustration.html http://www.nysun.com/blogs/nyc-outdoors/2008/01/injury-and-the-power-of-frustration.html Tue, 22 Jan 2008 01:22:00 EST Define "irony." For me, irony is being a marathon runner, a triathlete, a licensed skydiver, a daredevil, a risk-taker … and never (knock on wood) getting badly injured, other than the occasional sprained ankle. Inadvertently cracking a rib by slamming into a closing F train door — that's irony. So I sit here with a fully fractured rib, absolutely unable to run outside for the next two weeks. You've NO idea how this pisses me off. How do you work out when every deep breath causes you pain? Peter Shankman http://www.nysun.com/blogs/nyc-outdoors/2008/01/the-holy-grail-sweat-proof.html http://www.nysun.com/blogs/nyc-outdoors/2008/01/the-holy-grail-sweat-proof.html Mon, 7 Jan 2008 21:38:44 EST CES, if you play it right, is a healthy-exerciser's fantasy. You spend the majority of the day walking miles and miles around the convention floor, trying desperately to find appointments with reps of companies. Once you actually locate them, you spend the next 20 minutes walking from product to product to get information on them. Then you walk back to your hotel, take a shower, and spend another six hours walking from party to party, smiling politely. Fall asleep for three hours, and do it Peter Shankman http://www.nysun.com/blogs/nyc-outdoors/2008/01/from-vegas-the-latest-in.html http://www.nysun.com/blogs/nyc-outdoors/2008/01/from-vegas-the-latest-in.html Sun, 6 Jan 2008 20:50:29 EST Hello from the Consumer Electronics Show 2008, in Las Vegas, Nev.! Over the next week, I'll be meeting with the latest and greatest companies with the latest and greatest in outdoor electronic devices. From headphones to heart-rate monitors, if it's electronic and you can use it while doing something outdoors, I'm going to look at it, write about it, and blog it for you! I've got meetings about everything from the latest in-ear headphones that block out the world while you're on the Peter Shankman http://www.nysun.com/blogs/nyc-outdoors/2008/01/stay-put-the-other-resolutioners.html http://www.nysun.com/blogs/nyc-outdoors/2008/01/stay-put-the-other-resolutioners.html Sun, 6 Jan 2008 14:56:52 EST Welcome to 2008. Worked out yet? If you belong to a gym, and have gone since January 1, you've no doubt walked in and been shocked at the number of people sweating, 95% of whom weren't there on December 30. What happened? Simple: They're resolutioners. Resolutioners are the gym-goers who make their promise that, come January 1, they're going to "work out!" For them, that means joining a gym, spending hundreds of dollars on initiation fees, workout clothes, and a new iPod. Then they go to Peter Shankman http://www.nysun.com/blogs/nyc-outdoors/2007/12/how-to-get-some-exercise-at-the.html http://www.nysun.com/blogs/nyc-outdoors/2007/12/how-to-get-some-exercise-at-the.html Fri, 21 Dec 2007 15:35:38 EST Starting tomorrow, millions of New Yorkers will take part in that wonderful NYC holiday ritual: getting the hell out of town for the holidays. I personally am going down to Florida for a few days of falling from an airplane, because, well, because I'm weird. But … whether you're going to London or Lima, Prague or P-Town, there are a few simple ways to get some exercise while you're dealing with endless delays, lost luggage, and clueless TSA officials who demand that you walk through the metal Peter Shankman http://www.nysun.com/blogs/nyc-outdoors/2007/12/the-waiting-around-workout.html http://www.nysun.com/blogs/nyc-outdoors/2007/12/the-waiting-around-workout.html Mon, 17 Dec 2007 23:03:16 EST This morning at Commerce Bank, I was waiting on line and the guy in front of me falls down. Before I even had a chance to dial 911 (and by dial 911, I mean shout "holy crap!" and then grab my cell phone), he stands back up. And falls back down. And stands back up. At this point, my curiosity was piqued. So I asked. Because, you know, I'll talk to anyone. "What the hell?" I asked, in my charming way. "I don't go to the gym. Rather, I work out whenever I can. Usually when waiting in line," he Peter Shankman http://www.nysun.com/blogs/nyc-outdoors/2007/12/racing-in-the-cold-heres-how-to.html http://www.nysun.com/blogs/nyc-outdoors/2007/12/racing-in-the-cold-heres-how-to.html Thu, 13 Dec 2007 16:40:50 EST Baby, it's cold outside. You warming up the right way? There's a 4-mile race this weekend in Central Park. I guarantee it's going to be one of the most crowded races of the season. Why? Because it's the last chance for everyone to get in their "Nine," to qualify for the 2008 NYC Marathon. So it's gonna be packed. Problem with it being packed (in addition to your first-mile time going to hell) is that you're going to get all warmed up, only to freeze and have nothing to do while you wait 10, Peter Shankman http://www.nysun.com/blogs/nyc-outdoors/2007/12/in-a-city-of-pedestrians-why-are.html http://www.nysun.com/blogs/nyc-outdoors/2007/12/in-a-city-of-pedestrians-why-are.html Wed, 5 Dec 2007 18:50:05 EST I've come to the frightening conclusion that there is absolutely no excuse to be overweight in this city. Don't get me wrong — I'll have 10 more pounds to lose until the day I die. And that makes it even more frustrating. I live all the way on the West Side. I mean, ALL the way on the West Side. If I lived any more west, I'd have to swim to the subway. That much west. So any given day, unless a bus shows up at the time I'm leaving my apartment, I'm guaranteed a walk of at least six-tenths of Peter Shankman http://www.nysun.com/blogs/nyc-outdoors/2007/12/buying-toughness-mental-and.html http://www.nysun.com/blogs/nyc-outdoors/2007/12/buying-toughness-mental-and.html Sun, 2 Dec 2007 16:31:00 EST I'm lying in the volleyball courts inside Central Park around 72nd Street. My stomach is on fire. My legs are like cement blocks, and my breathing is labored. I'm being called a "lazy maggot" by a screaming man. It's not even 5 in the morning. I've paid $695 for this. Contrary to earlier times in my life when I might have been watching the sun come up while slightly dizzy, this time has nothing to do with alcohol. This time, I'm one of about 40 victims being tortured by an ex-Navy SEAL for Peter Shankman http://www.nysun.com/blogs/nyc-outdoors/2007/11/safety-tip-dont-leave-home-without.html http://www.nysun.com/blogs/nyc-outdoors/2007/11/safety-tip-dont-leave-home-without.html Tue, 27 Nov 2007 21:03:00 EST Let's talk for a second about safety. A few weeks ago, a skydiver died during a jump. His body, however, wasn't discovered until two days later. This is unacceptable. As a skydiver, I can tell you that what happened there is very much the exception, and not the norm. We look out for each other. We have to. We're in that kind of a sport — it's dangerous enough — so we keep an eye on each other. I can't tell you how many people I know do this — we check each other in the plane, we check each Peter Shankman http://www.nysun.com/blogs/nyc-outdoors/2007/11/burning-off-the-bird.html http://www.nysun.com/blogs/nyc-outdoors/2007/11/burning-off-the-bird.html Tue, 20 Nov 2007 13:00:00 EST Six thousand people got up early on Sunday morning to hear Joan Rivers say the F-word in Central Park. And also to raise money for God's Love We Deliver, a wonderful organization that serves homebound people with illnesses. Anyhow, prepare for a plethora of people working out this week — not only in all the usual spots, but times 10 on Friday, when everyone who's left in the city attempts to "burn off the bird," through running, gymming, or whatever other caloric expenditures they can find. Peter Shankman http://www.nysun.com/blogs/nyc-outdoors/2007/11/get-ready-for-a-cold-weather.html http://www.nysun.com/blogs/nyc-outdoors/2007/11/get-ready-for-a-cold-weather.html Sat, 17 Nov 2007 00:44:00 EST But baby, it's COLD outside! Yeah, today was a bit chilly, considering what it's been of late, no? Winter in NYC, without fail, means people stay indoors as much as possible. Gyms get busier (by like, 1 millionth of 1%, so that doesn't really matter), but the parks, basketball courts, and biking and jogging trails around the city definitely drop down a bit in usage. Which is why, of course, it's a perfect time to work out outside. Cold is only evil if you think it is. In fact, the majority Peter Shankman http://www.nysun.com/blogs/nyc-outdoors/2007/11/have-a-healthy-holiday-season.html http://www.nysun.com/blogs/nyc-outdoors/2007/11/have-a-healthy-holiday-season.html Mon, 12 Nov 2007 00:24:00 EST You realize what's coming up, don't you? Worse than finals back in college. More dreaded than a cavity filling … It's the holiday season in New York City. "But wait," you're saying … "How could the holiday season in New York City be bad? How could it be anything but wonderful? Holidays mean parties, and shopping, and lots of treats to eat, and eggnog, and office gatherings, and candy on the desk, and going out for drinks and staying out late, and …" See where I'm going here? If you're Peter Shankman http://www.nysun.com/blogs/nyc-outdoors/2007/11/doggy-duathlon-underwear-run-5000.html http://www.nysun.com/blogs/nyc-outdoors/2007/11/doggy-duathlon-underwear-run-5000.html Tue, 6 Nov 2007 16:47:00 EST One of the biggest problems on the Internet today is faced by overly impulsive people. It's one thing to see an advertisement in a magazine for a triathlon, and say, "Yeah, that looks cool, I might want to do that one day," then forget about it, and move on. It's quite another to be on a site, and two clicks and seven seconds later you've paid close to $200 for the privilege of joining 5,000 weirdos in swimming through the Hudson River, biking up the West Side Highway, and running through the Peter Shankman http://www.nysun.com/blogs/nyc-outdoors/2007/11/everyday-heroes-of-the-marathon.html http://www.nysun.com/blogs/nyc-outdoors/2007/11/everyday-heroes-of-the-marathon.html Sun, 4 Nov 2007 19:30:00 EST Run like the City! Okay. I swear, this isn't just a running blog. Honestly. This will most likely be my last running post for a while. But today … Wow. I mean … WOW. Okay. Let me back up. Last night found me at the Standard Chartered Bank pasta dinner at Beppe. I sat next to Henry Wanyoike and Joseph Kibunja, two ridiculously fast marathoners. Not only are they fast, but — get this — Henry is blind, and Joseph is his guide. Yeah. They're 2:40-ish marathoners, and one of them is blind. I