Jog Log

Last Friday my brother Jon told me about a cool website sponsored by Nike that makes use of a digital chip (about $30) which you sync up with an iPod Nano to measure how far you run. [http://nikeplus.nike.com/]. On the website you can join a jogging team, start a competition, or run for a cause. Even though I don’t have an iPod Nano I got excited about the thought of competitive running (not for speed but for distance), so off I went the next day.

Saturday I ran 3.5 miles in 33 minutes and burned 250 calories.

Monday I ran 4.25 miles in 30 minutes and burned 300 calories.

[I have serious doubts about the ability of the treadmill I used to tell me how many calories I burn; it doesn’t even ask your weight.]

Officially I am on a jogging fad. My plan is to make it a habit, but until I’ve gone four straight weeks I don’t think it qualifies for more than a fad.

When I next go to San Diego at the end of February for business I want to run from our hotel in Pacific Beach up to where the sea lions gather in La Jolla. I’ve been there once before and have wanted to go back. It’s about 8 miles round trip and slightly uphill on the way to La Jolla.

With four weeks before the trip, I expect that jogging three times a week should get me there. I’ll have to increase my distance by a mile each week in order to handle the full 8 miles. And I’ll have to practice running at a slight incline for at least the first half. And I’ll have to get used to stopping and starting at street lights. I can do that.

I might try another run the morning before I leave to come back. Heading south from the hotel you can run along the boardwalk all the way down to the inlet to mission bay which is only about 3 miles one way and relatively flat.

But for now all this running doesn’t get recorded to any teams on this Nike website. There are so many worthy causes to run for! I need a sponsor. Anyone want to sponsor me?

(…crickets chirping….)

Maybe we should wait and make sure this isn’t just another fad.