Blog Posts

"We run, not because we think it is doing us good, but because we
enjoy it and cannot help ourselves...The more restricted our society and
work become, the more necessary it will be to find some outlet for this
craving for freedom. No one can say, 'You must not run faster than
this, or hump higher than that.' The human spirit is
indomitable."
Sir Roger
Bannister

Running is freedom, which is a great way of looking at it. There are those days when you just feel drained from a long day of work and deadlines and you can't seem to muster up the confidence to get a run in. I suggest going anyway. Because you can create energy by burning energy. Running will give you energy and a sense of freedom. A freedom where you can escape your daily stresses, you'll find yourself cleansed and recharged after such a run. Even though just an hour before you felt like you couldn't do it.

Welcome to the Penguin Nation. We're not REALLY open for business, but will be soon.

Stop by JohnBingham.com and see all that's going on in the Penguin Nation.

I'll be back soon.

John

Although I sent a personal congrats to Matt Reed for his great performance at the Richard's Bay World Cup event last weekend, placing second and rocketing himself up higher in the ranking points, it slipped my mind that I didn't post the congrats on my blog. Huge congrats to him.

A couple of weekends ago I went to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to visit one of my best friends and watch the University of Michigan softball team take on Michigan State and Northwestern. I saw four games and quickly fell in love with the Michigan softball program.

They play amazing softball. They have one of the most legendary coaching staffs in the game. The Wolverines have a rich tradition that they revere and make a point to celebrate. This season they opened and dedicated one of the nicest softball stadiums in the nation. They have a loyal, fun fan base of which I am glad to now be a part.

The Wolverines crushed Michigan State in the two games I watched. Two grand slams, several home runs and a mercy-rule ending. It was one of the most potent offensive displays I have ever seen.

The two games against Northwestern were quite the opposite. Low scoring, decided by one run and the teams split. Not only hard-fought duels between top-20 teams and conference rivals, but the outcome was to decide who took the Big Ten conference lead and, therefore, who would host the conference tournament. I took this video below of Michigan coming back in the bottom of the seventh inning to win the second game and maintain their share of the lead conference standings-it was intense:



Since the standings were still tied at the end of regular season and their respective run differentials were also equal, a coin toss would decide which co-conference champ would host the Big Ten tournament. Northwestern won the toss and is hosting the tournament that opens today.

I have a lot of respect for Northwestern's program having competed against them several times in the cross-town rivalry at Loyola Chicago. But this weekend I'll be pulling for No. 2 Michigan to pull out the win over top-seeded Northwestern. Go Blue!

The latest comic from Frazz creator and noted triathlete Jef Mallett:


Check out this roster of 15 green sports stars

Active Expert, Bruce Hildenbrand previews the Giro d'Italia that starts Saturday

Even with the torch atop Everest, Olympics are clouded
Climbing Everest because it's there is inspiring. Climbing Everest because it's in Tibet is not nearly so heartwarming, particularly to an international audience that is still trying to sort through the ethics of getting enthusiastic about August's Beijing Olympics. Read full story


Make doping a crime, says Lewis
Olympic legend Carl Lewis has called on governments around the world to make the use of banned substances in sport a criminal offense. Read full story

Shave valuable time in you bike-to-run triathlon transitions by installing a quick-lace system:

Here's a question, probably with no right answer. In running a
marathon, how much fuel (gels or otherwise) do you consume. How much
fluid? I realize that the latter is especially dependent on the heat
and humidity of the run, but I'm trying to guage how I fare compared to
other marathoners.

Personally, I follow this rough schedule: 1 gel (I use CarBoom) at the
first hour and every half hour after that. 1 Succeed capsule every hour
for electrolytes. At least 2-3 cups of water at every stop. The fuel
schedule is something I determined during training partly as a way to
not feel hungry, but more importantly to keep from going into Ketosis.
Now, I'm not medicine man, but there are times in training runs when
I've tasted something like amonia in my gut. I think
this means I'm consuming muscle and am out of glycogen. But maybe
that's wrong. I do notice that on the above fuel schedule, I don't
taste the amonia taste. But I do wonder if I should front load the fuel
more, building it up for the later stages of the run.

But as far as fluids go, especially in the Frederick Marathon last
weekend, I felt dehydrated all day, and especially in the last half of
the run. There were plenty of water stops, but the cups were very small
and often filled only 1/3 full. I'm guessing these were about 3 oz of
water per cup. So I would drink 2-3 at each stop. But I think maybe I
needed more.

First of all, I'm feeling bad about not updating my blog for . . . awhile. That was a reason I didn't blog for so long, life gets in the way and I'd let it drop. So I did. I'll try to be better on it . . . we'll see. And now onto today's installment.

Today is my birthday. So to celebrate I'm gonna skip my 25 mile bike workout tonight and go out to dinner with my lovely bride. We went to the gym this morning to swim, or rather we drove to the gym - and then drove home because I left the workout bag on the island in the kitchen. Is senility setting in? Oh well, I get a mulligan for today for things like that I suppose.

So I started thinking about what kind of shape I'm in on my %# th birthday. And I can't complain one bit. In fact, I started thinking about what sort of shape I am in today, versus what kind of shape I was in 10 years ago. And I do think I'm in much better shape today than back in 1998. So today's blog will be a comparison of then and now.

10-ish years ago I was getting divorced. Getting drunk. Getting stupid. And getting lazy. (There may be more I was gettin' but this is gettin' depressing so I'll move on). Then just beyond the 10 year ago mark (let's call it 11 years) I started dating this gal. She was somewhat of a fitness fiend. Always going to the gym to workout. ( I had a gym card). And she was always running the treadmills when work sent her away on business. ( I had a gym card). And she was always active and ate healthy. ( I had a gym card). So one morning while she was away on business I decided to take up running. The alarm went off, and I pulled on some shorts and running shoes and went out the door. I turned a couple of corners and headed up a long street watching the light posts blur by me as I ran. . .

OK, so I actually only passed about 3 light posts before I started making sounds that would probably best be described as indicative of imminent death. Then I crossed the street and came to a stop. I looked at my watch. I had been running 8 minutes.

But it was a start. The next day I ran 9 minutes. Eventually I made it to the end of the block. Then I made it two blocks. And so on, and so on. Now if I look at my "results" page here on active.com I can see how far I've come. So they only go back to 2003 with this new setup, but I'd say in the past 10 years there have been more than 50, or 75, or I can't remember how many races that I've competed in. I've run 5K's, 10K's 15K's, 20, 25, 30K's, half-marathon's and five marathon's. There have been literally thousands of miles of training that I've put in, rain or shine. I"ve met many other great runners, and made some good friendships. Not many of us ever "break the tape" (ok, so none of us do) but we all are winners in our own right.

And I've started training for triathlons. 10 years ago or so I bought a mountain bike, and went over the handlebars and down a rocky creek bed on one of my first rides. I still have scars on my elbows. The bike has hung up in the garage ever since (how is it that tires go flat when they get no use?). So a couple months back I bought a road bike and probably have 5 times the miles on it already. I'm working on my swim, and yesterday I actually registered for my first Triatholn event for the beginning of August. It's a sprint distance, but its a start.

And so looking in the mirror, I do not see the guy that I saw 10 years or so ago. "Elvis has left the building", never to return. I like what I see, and more importantly what I can do. When I run now I can see a LOT of light poles going by in a blur. For more than 8 minutes.

Oh, and the "fitness fiend" gal? We are heading down to Mexico to celebrate our 8th wedding anniversary in a couple of weeks.

Life is good.

The season's first grand tour, the Giro d'Italia, kicks off on Saturday and though it looks to be a decidedly Italian affair, the last minute inclusion of Team Astana has turned the race inside out. Well, sort of. While Astana's roster includes, arguably, the three best grand tour riders, Alberto Contador, Levi Leipheimer and Andreas Kloden, only Kloden appears to be in shape to contest a major stage race.

OK. Can Levi and Alberto come off the couch and ride circles around yours truly? Do you even need to ask? But, dropping Bruce like a bad smell is different than keeping it all together in a three week race. One look at the race map should strike fear into anyone with a heartbeat and knowledge of the route.

The Passo Manghen on Stage 14 is pretty darn hard and the finish of that stage on the Alpe di Pampeago is humongous. The next day is brutal with the Passo Giau at 6mi of 10% and then the finish on the Marmolada(Passo Fedia) which is probably the hardest climb in the Dolomites, the last 3km averaging 15% or so. But, wait, there's more. The next day is an individual time trial which finishes at the Plan de Corones with sections up to 25% in the last 4 miles. Ouch!

Hey, but the hardest stage on paper may be Stage 20 five days later which includes the Passo Gavia and its ramps up to 16% and then the fearsome Passo del Mortirolo which is probably the second or third hardest pass in any grand tour. The 8-mile climb averages 11% and it is just a never ending climb of pain and suffering. Anyone who is hoping to do well in the race and has questionable fitness is going to have nowhere to hide.

With Astana's snub from the Tour I am hoping that the boys in blue lay down some serious smack and show why they deserve to be in France come July. Given their current lack of race conditioning it might be a tall order, but don't count out Alberto and Levi.

Bruce

ps - rumour has it that there will be a stage start or finish in the central valley town of Visalia in the 2009 (insert you favorite sponsor here) Tour of California. That may mean a mountain stage up into Sequoia National Park where 6-7000' climbs exist. Hmmm.