Too Much Tech

In today?s modern and technology-crazed world, it?s easy to get caught up in the latest and greatest gadgets. Millions of digital watches, GPS trackers, electronic mile-pacers, heart rate monitors, I-pods, Walkmans, etc. are sold every year?each uniquely marketed to help you train better, run faster and/or make your workout time pass quicker.

Although these gadgets do offer training benefits, it is VERY easy to become addicted and completely reliant upon them. Sure, there are certainly worse addictions: ice cream?chocolate?crack.

Wordpress category: 

Bend it

In addition to being lucky enough to live in one of the best cities in the world (San Diego), I am also fortunate that a trip to visit the in-laws doesn't burden me with a 3-hour road trip into the barren desert or a 2-connection flight to a po'dunk town in the middle of nowhere. No, you will not hear me complain one bit about compelled conjugal visits to the funky and athletic-minded town of Bend, Oregon.

Thumbnail Image: 

Wordpress category: 

Who is Alberto Contador?

If you tune into any of the remaining stages of Le Tour de France (daily on the Versus channel) this year, likely you will find the current leader of the race, Michael Rasmussen, battling head-to-head with a little known Spanish rider from Team Discovery--Alberto Contador. At 24, he is one of the youngest riders in this year's race.

Wordpress category: 

For the Dogs

We don't have a dog. I grew up with cats as the family pet--Siamese cats. But we don't have any cats now. Both unexpectedly died just before our daughter was conceived... Anyway, for some reason, this tidbit from today's WSJ caught my attention: "Metro areas with the most outdoor space per capita set aside for man's best friend"

Thumbnail Image: 

Wordpress category: 

2007 Top 10 Hotel Lap Pools in North America

AthleticMindedTraveler.com is on a crusade. We seek to revolutionize the way hotels describe their gyms by identifying which properties truly provide "state of the art" fitness centers. And, on behalf of our fish-like friends, we're on a mission to help hotels understand the difference between a "lap pool" and a recreational pool. For some reason, the hotel industry incorrectly believes that a hole filled with concrete, a few hundred gallons of water and a splash of chlorine amounts to a lap pool. Not quite.

Thumbnail Image: 

Wordpress category: 

Bye Bye Basso

After only 5 months into his recently inked 3-year contract, Italian cycling phenom Ivan Basso has resigned from Team Discovery Channel (partly owned by Lance Armstrong). Basso was signed in November 2006 as the heir apparent to King Lance (he finished 2nd to Lance in 2005 at TDF) with hopes of returning Discovery to the Tour de France podium wearing yellow.

To his credit, Basso appears to have submitted his resignation unilaterally and without "encouragement" from team ownership.

Wordpress category: 

Expect a Cold & Sloppy Mess at the Boston Marathon

In addition to its grueling course with rolling hills that line up like passengers boarding a Southwest Airlines flight, Boston Marathon's extreme weather conditions are another element that contribute to the race's high degree of difficulty.

In 1961 and 1967 Boston Marathon's weather du jour brought snow squalls and farenheit temperatures in the 30's. The hottest temperatures ever recorded were in 1976 (mid 90's) and 2004 (86F at the finish).

Participants in this year's race (Monday 4/16) will likely experience all that Mother Nature has to offer...except extreme heat.

Wordpress category: 

McDonalds Wants Your Angus Business

Ronald, Grimace and Hamburgler might soon have a new product to push. Anaheim McDonald's franchisee, Scott Frisbie, convinced the Golden Arch suits to test a new bigger, better and unhealthier burger--The Third Pound Angus Burger.

Thumbnail Image: 

Wordpress category: 

Flying to Europe? Avoid London.

No we're not advocating skipping a visit to the UK capital altogether. We're just making travelers aware that the brilliant British law-makers have imposed an airline ticket tax on everyone flying into and through London.

As of February 1, passengers who fly into or through London airports will pay new taxes and fees that can add up to $154 to the cost of a ticket. Even worse, the "air tax" is applied retroactively, meaning that even those who purchased their tickets last year will be hit with the new tariffs if traveling after 2/1/07.

Why the hike?

Wordpress category: 

Athletic-Minded Traveler aboard ExpressJet Airlines

This spring, ExpressJet Airlines will break off from Continental to begin operations as a stand alone carrier and passengers will be able to get athletic-minded traveler content on board.

"XJet" will target "under-served" markets with non-stop service on 50-seat planes. That's right, all routes will be non-stop. As its name implies, the company will fly jets, not prop planes, and each will have leather seats, only window and aisle chairs (i.e., no middles), and free XM Satellite radio.

Wordpress category: 

Pages