By David Freeze
Try New Things for Summer’s Challenges
Last Friday, I brought my granddaughter home from a week’s summer camp at BrickEd Academy. She had a great time and graduated a “secret agent.” We had a planned stop at Food Lion, and the subject of peanut butter came up. Booper said, “I don’t like peanut butter, and you can’t make me eat it.” When we stopped at Food Lion, I had two goals in mind. One was to get a box of Little Debbie cookies filled with peanut butter.
The other was to get a quart of Tillamook ice cream. On my very first cross-country bike ride in 2013, I rode through Tillamook, Oregon and stopped for some of the famous ice cream. I loved the ice cream then and had a current savings coupon, so the Booper and I had a conversation on which flavor to get. I overrode her top choices, and we purchased Strawberries and Cream. The Booper moaned, not happy.
On the ride home, she devoured the peanut butter cookie and loved it. Clarification from her included, “I meant I don’t like it on bread.” I laughed. After her short nap, she also devoured a bowl of Tillamook ice cream and tolerated my story of pedaling right to the company location, 3,000 miles from home.
Over the last few weeks, she ate an egg sandwich with tomato and onion, two more things she vowed never to eat. Another previously feared item was deviled eggs, once ranked high on her “will not eat” list. That item was conquered last week. Booper loved all these things once she tried them. My granddaughter is a very lively six years old and not as committed to her “dislike” list as she once was.
As we head into summer, nearly everyone struggles with exercise commitment during a time that many outdoor exercisers dislike. Consider some new things just like the Booper did. We got a dose of humidity last week along with a few hot days. Early morning humidities make running tough, and hot days do too. How can we keep some level of fitness on the tough days and the long haul of summer? Here is a simple solution that works for me. I keep a second watch, mostly just good for time, pace and distance. Some days are just better for walking, or if your run wasn’t the best, consider adding a mile or more of walking. Keep track of your miles, note them on a calendar on the wall and use it all to motivate your summer fitness journey. Walking miles count one for one with running miles, and we can add our swimming and cycling miles too. One mile of swimming is worth three of running or walking, and three miles of cycling also count for a mile of walking and running.
Speaking of watches, Skinny Wheels Pedals and Pints Bike Shop now is our local Garmin watch dealer. Garmin is generally rated the premier running watch and also the most accurate. Owner Porter Baker is well-schooled on watches and bicycle computers from Garmin and can recommend a good match for your fitness goals.
Another new item just on the market may gain a foothold. The RunSafePRO lightweight safety vest has a smart component. Their data suggests that 67% of runners and walkers are concerned with their safety while on or near the roads. 20% of motor vehicle-related accidents have to do with runner/walker visibility. These vests scan for approaching traffic and can also send a GPS alert in event of an accident. Should the wearer unexpectedly stop moving, the vest checks in and if no response, the vest then sends an alert and location to your primary contacts while sounding an audible alarm. Front and back lights adjust to your environment. Current cost is $119 per vest and look great for cyclists too.
Our next race is in Faith on Saturday, June 27th. The Shiloh Run for Missions 5K and Fun Run is a popular summer event which is highlighted by great door prizes, good competition and a challenging course that area runners love. Look for this race and others upcoming at www.salisburyrowanrunner.org
