In yesterday's post, I asked people to guess what this new product was. I put up the following 2 photos, only I blurred out the name brand and other info that would give the product away. So here's the un-blurred version of those 2 images:
So in yesterday's post, many people guessed Nuun, and that's not far off. (The "best" incorrect answer was from buddy Marie who guessed "Body Glide Burstable Bubbles of Lubrication." I WISH!) This new product is GU's version of Nuun. I tried it once during my intervals at the Dome 3 days ago. I can't really "review" it yet, because I don't have a great sense of how well it worked. But I liked it and it didn't upset my stomach, so that's good!
ON TO THE WINNER OF THE GIVEAWAY:
Well, Kirsten from Canada was the first to guess correctly that they were GU Electrolyte Tablets. I contacted her, and she wrote this back to me:
Hopefully my Canadian-ness doesn't disqualify me. If it does, I'll just drink a mug of maple syrup...to remind myself about what being Canadian is all about.
Awesome. You have just reaffirmed every stereotype of Canadians I have, so thanks, eh. ;)
So look for GU Electrolyte Tablets in stores in March of 2011! And stop back shortly for a great "Friday Funny" about me and my cat...
OK, they MIGHT have over-hyped the letter a bit just to get me a little more excited about it, but that's still pretty cool, right? And being it's not the 21st of January QUITE yet, I had to blur out any indication of the brand, the product name, and what it can do for athletes.
Included in the package was this:
So here's how I'm turning this into a giveaway:
I want people to comment and guess what the product is. I'm looking for: #1: the NAME OF THE COMPANY (like "Nike") #2: the NAME OF THE PRODUCT (like "running shoes")
(Hint: it's not Nike running shoes.)
So, what do you think it is? Start leaving comments. I'll stop back now-and-then and comment as well, saying who's on the right track and who's not even close. Then you can re-comment armed with new info and take another stab at it. The first person to get it right wins some goodies from the unknown company with the brand new, secret, unknown product!
So, what's your guess? Check the comments throughout the day as I leave more clues and / or new info! Tomorrow I'll reveal the new goodies (and the winner of this little giveaway)!
p.s. If you're one of the other 25 people who got a "tube" of this "stuff," or you have some sort of inside information (like Matt and Katie from Dome Running), don't be a jerk and say "It's [this]! I'm 100% sure!" Don't ruin our fun. Let's play fair, people. Thanks!
Pharmie and I headed to the Dome for some indoor running last night. It was the first time it was opened to the public for running since the roof collapsed, so we HAD to go gawk at it.
Here are a few photos I took:
Plywood all over so construction crews can drive on the field, and the speakers hanging low that are usually WAY up high.
More plywood and speakers.
At the end of the "Dome Running season" last year, I took this photo that shows my normal starting point for intervals, and you can see into and across the stadium:
That same set of doors today looked like this:
And, not that you've already seen plenty of footage of this, here's a quick video I took:
Weird. And, believe it or not, it was actually HOT in the concourse! I heard someone say 85 degrees, but I don't think it was that warm. They were keeping everything EXTRA warm so nothing froze with the giant hole in the roof.
Anyway, we were actually there to run, so it was time for a workout. But I ran into SO many acquaintances, that I'm surprised I had any time to run! I ran into these people (in order of appearance): Rick, Peter, Jen, Steve Q, Matt, Katie, Brian, Ann, Ron, Stephanie, Regina, Jenna, Chris, Haley, Mark, Dave, and Kirt. (Oh jeez, I'm hope I'm not missing anyone!!...) How did I find time to ACTUALLY run while chatting with so many people?!? I love it!
(Oh, and there was a guy who looked like a coach who was "wheeling off" the inside loop at the Dome. I asked him what he got, and he said it was 605 meters. I've always judged it at around 602, so I've been close.)
Workout: 3 x 1815 meters (3 laps) with 1:45 rest between.
Not too shabby considering I'm still trying to fight off a cold. After each interval, the back of my throat was SO DRY that I couldn't swallow. If I tried, it felt like my spit was a porcupine, and my throat was sandpaper, and the porcupine was shitting hypodermic needles as it was being swallowed. Really.
And I THINK this was the most I've ever ran in the Dome before. I've done more intervals in the past, but last night, including WU and CD, I logged almost 6.5 miles. That's a lot for me on that hard, hard surface - I've been upping my mileage slowly but surely over the last few months. (More on my last few weeks of training in an upcoming post - maybe this weekend.)
Then Steve Q had a present for Pharmie and I. Once I got it home and pulled it out of my bag, it looked like this:
When I opened it up, I FOUND FUDGE!!!!!!!!
SOOO GOOD! THANKS STEVE!! :)
2 quick things:
#1. Pharmie and I are signed up for the Securian Winter Run (as part of the St. Paul Winter Carnival) in 10 days! I'm doing the half marathon and she's doing the 10K. It'll be my 4th year in a row! (It was my first half marathon back in 2008!)
#2. I've got a random, small, impromptu giveaway happening tomorrow. Check back around 7 am for your best shot at winning...
I just saw the photos from the Charities Challenge track meet a month ago. (NOT the "Meet of the Miles" that I posted the results to in Sunday's post.)
I ran the mile at this race, and I found the photos from Gary at Charities Challenge. Here are a few, and they tell the story of the race really well:
Starting in the middle / back.
Starting.
Finishing the first of 8 laps in 5th place. Just behind the coach for Sibley HS.
Another lap or 2 into the race, still in 5th.
Next lap, and both Coach and I just got past runner #243. Now in 4th.
Hitting my watch at the 800 or 1200 meter point.
Coach and I making the pass on #225 with just over 1 lap left! Moving into 3rd. Look at my face: I'm hurting...
...still really hurting...
What a bunch of heal-strikers! ;)
1 lap left, still just behind Coach.
Deep in the hurt locker, gunning for Coach.
Here's the winner finishing (in 4:45) to the far left in yellow. Second, third, and fourth are the final 3 in this photo (the other people are lapped). I'm still in third:
I look like death, and Coach in front of me and the guy behind me look great! I don't get it!
Still look like death, and the other guys look great.
The "photo finish" showing us 3.
After the race, I cooled down, changed into comfier shoes, and cheered during the other races:
Cheering in the background.
Cheering during the 800.
I LOVE Gary's photo of these 3 guys just after the 800! The middle guy just finished in 2:06.
This isn't meant to be disrespectful, but the race-walk mile always amuses me. But have you tried walking FAST? It's hard!
Some high-schoolers and middle-schoolers in the race-walk.
This kid ran a 5:00 mile, but fell out of his shoes during a 10:00+ race-walk mile.
Looking through those photos, I realized that the kid who's shoe fell off above was the same kid whose shoe is untied in the "heel-striking" photo during my 1 mile race. Funny!
And as I look through any photos from me at a track meet, I realize I'm a poor track runner. I'm always farther to the outside than I should be. It makes a difference when you're making 16 turns during a 1 mile race. (It's even worse when making 50 turns during the indoor 5000 that I did just after New Years!) Gotta work on that...
The official "Meet of the Miles" results are posted. I had a 4:49.53 (a PR I was THRILLED with!) which was rounded up to 4:49.6 on the official results. And I placed 12 out of 136 overall.
In my race report, I noted that I spent the whole race just behind Brian. He outkicked me to extend his lead a little, and he finished 1.6 seconds in front of me. Click here for the complete results.
Oh, and some good news for locals: THE METRODOME IS BACK OPEN FOR "DOME RUNNING" ON TUESDAY! And they extended the Dome Running season an extra 3 weeks for us, too! Click here for more info on that.
And a big THANKS to those that voted for me as "Endurance Blog of the Year". Voting is still open, but it looks like I'll finish JUST out of the top 3. Thanks everyone!!
Thursday night, I did 13 miles on a treadmill. With no TV, no music, and no reading material - simply my reflection in the mirror and the numbers counting up on the display in front of me.
It's a good "mental toughness" sort of a workout. I have 2 minor things that I like to do to help the run stay strong, and I think they are things other people could benefit from.
#1. NEGATIVE SPLIT THE "HARD" MILES. This isn't a groundbreaking idea - lots of people do that on treadmills. It gives me "something to do" every mile or 2. It helps keep me from going super numb while running on a suckmill for that long.
On Thursday, I warmed up for 2 miles, and then I ONLY sped up.
- Miles 3 and 4 were done at 8.5 mph (7:02 / mile) - Miles 5 and 6 were done at 8.9 mph (6:44 / mile) - Mile 7 was done at 9.2 mph (6:38) - Mile 8 was done at 9.4 mph (6:22) - Mile 9 was done at 9.7 mph (6:10) - Mile 10 was done at 10.0 mph (6:00) - Miles 11-13 were easy as cool down
My second point is related to the first one:
#2. END EACH MILE TRYING TO RUN "EASY" BEFORE UPPING THE SPEED. I started doing this 2 winters ago, and I like it. It gives me something else to focus on for a while.
Here's what I mean: let's say I'm running mile 8. For the last 1/4 mile or so of mile 8, I ONLY focus on making it feel as easy as possible. I know I'm not slowing down - I have the treadmill set to 9.4 mph. But if there's an adjustment I can make to my stride, my breathing, or my arms to make it feel easier, I DO IT.
The idea is that by the time I have to bump up the speed, I feel like I've been running "easy," and I NEED to bump up the speed. (Sure, this sounds great in theory, but I'm still hurting near the end of those harder miles.)
So here's my Tip of the Week for treadmill running: Try upping the pace as you go, and focus on running as smoothly / easily as you can before cranking up the speed each time.
A quick plea: The winners of the "Endurance Blog of the Year" will be announced on on Monday, so that means you have less than 2 days to still vote for me! Please vote on the poll below (or click here to go to the poll on the contest's website).
But more importantly, don't forget to vote for Steve in a Speedo as "Endurance Blog of the Year" by voting above or by clicking here. THANKS!! Happy weekend!!
(Scroll down 3 posts to yesterday's post to see why you should vote for Steve in a Speedo as "Endurance Blog of the Year!" Please CLICK HERE, scroll down to the poll, and vote for me! Thanks!)
Let's start with the "bad news" first - the insult.
I was swimming last week, and I was sharing a lane with a high-school girl who was OBVIOUSLY on some sort of swim team. We end up at the end of the pool together after my swim but before my cool down. Then she asks me an innocent question:
"Did you USED TO be a swimmer?"
Did she HAVE to say "used to?"
Because obviously my form is such horse crap now that there's little sign I ever knew how to do this...
I answered her with a little laugh and simply said "No, I'm just a slow swimming triathlete who's trying to get faster."
She smiled and let me get on my with my depression. Thanks girlie. Thanks.
Now, to get my ego back, we'll end with the "unintended compliment."
After my "Meet of the Miles" 1 mile race, Sean told me he was chatting with RR, a well-known, old-school Minnesotan runner. R said the following to Sean during my heat:
"Steve sure doesn't LOOK like a distance runner..."
I know, I know... that one could go either way. But what he meant was that I had more upper body muscle than most runners who I can hang with. (Not a lot more, just a little - I'm no Hulk.)
R said that because I'm built a little more like a triathlete who just happens to be pretty good at running - NOT a distance runner.
Plus, if I looked like a frail distance runner, Pharmie would leave me. No joke. She's told me so. On many occasions.
Well, I guess I'm off to the gym. For obvious reasons. ;)
(Scroll down to yesterday's post to see why you should vote for Steve in a Speedo as "Endurance Blog of the Year!" Please CLICK HERE, scroll down to the poll, and vote for me! Thanks!)
#6. Giveaways: In the last 18 months or so, I've given out a bunch of Road IDs, too many pairs of Ryders Sunglasses to count, 4 Sugoi Tri Suits, bike shorts, lots of Gu and Roctane, some granola bars, some tri books, etc, etc. I've lost track, but I'm pretty sure my blog has given over $3,000 in goodies to my readers in the last year and a half.
"Gnarliest injury contest" prizes
Sugoi tri suits
Prizes from the most recent "Stocking Stuffer" giveaway
#5. This:
(I'm not saying vote for me because I have a penis. But vote for me because I put up posts like this.)
So if you don't mind, please CLICK HERE, scroll down to the poll, and vote for "Steve in a Speedo!" (I'm currently in 4th place behind 3 great guys!) Thanks everyone!!
p.s. Back with 2 giveaways in the next 10 days or so, so check back...
Hi folks. I'm Steve. I became Ironman in WI in 2007. Now I'm stuck somewhere between teaching, making photos, raising my sons, training for triathlons, and everything else.
All content and original images copyright 2006 - 2026 by Steve Stenzel, AKA "Steve in a Speedo." All Rights Reserved. Want to use something seen here? Just ask - I don't bite.
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