review - nike+ sportband

consider me a little late to the game, but i finally climbed aboard the nike+ train and it's all systems go. for the uninitiated (which included me until this past thursday), nike+ helps you track your distance, pace, time and calories burned while you run. they achieve this thru a small sensor you place underneath the removable insole of a nike+ shoe, which in my case is the original lunaracer. used in conjunction with the sportband (essentially a rubber watch), one can remove the link - it doubles as a USB port - plug into your computer and voila!

you can log each of your runs, track your progress, set goals and even interact with friends also using nike+ to create a sort of friendly competition... all in the name of getting in better shape. i seriously can't wait to get out for my 2nd run...

one can also calibrate the link so that the distance is accurate, whether by going to a track or a location with clear mileage markers. desperate to take it out for a spin, vim & i ran a personal best 10.02 miles in santa monica (SM pier to the venice pier, then turned around and reached entrada ave, then back to SM pier) today. my band somehow logged it as 15.39, so i adjusted it back to 10.02. i should have a more accurate reading next time around, but to be safe, i'll head to the UCLA track and dole out exact distances.


some of the other info it spit out in a fun interactive graph/readout were as follows:

duration: 1:52:28
mileage: 15.39
pace: 7'18" (average)
calories burned: 1,746 (adjusted down b/c of the incorrect mileage)

parkour - UCLA

this past saturday was the 4-week mark prior to warrior dash 2011, so it's time to step up my training... with some parkour! actually i really need to increase my long distance running aptitude, as the 10k camp pendleton mud run is right around the corner as well. but in the mean time, some captures from UCLA:

new balance minimus trail - first look

after spotting an early photo of these bad boys in the december issue of details magazine, i naturally did the immediate google, only to find out their release date was march 2011. what to do for three months?

i patiently bided my time and before you know it, voila! here's a peek at the kicks before i took them out for a spin this past weekend:




mind you, i've been on a barefoot kick (pun intended haha) these past few years, so my indoctrination has been leading towards this day. i first experimented with the nike presto many years back, bridged the gap with the nike free 5.0 trail and the air rift, and most recently have been running exclusively in the nike free 3.0. even the NB salesperson was warning me not to run too much soon in these, so i'll be sure to report back after a few training sessions...

in-N-out secret menu

behold... the entire in-N-out secret menu.

i've either heard of or tried most of what's on here, but grilled whole onions is definitely next up...