Runningmonkeys

Last weekend was the next in the season’s enduro races at the Tsukuba circuit.  Our team entered two teams of 4 riders.  We had a very successful race in terms of staying on our bikes and staying upright.  The track was quite wet and so I guess all of the riders were a little more […]

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This coming weekend is the second enduro race this season at the Tsukuba race circuit.   This time it will be a 6 hr event, and I think we have just one team of four entered, instead of two.  For six hours, our team will have one rider on the track at any one time each […]

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The words relax and run are very seldom seen together in the same sentence.  Most people on this planet seem to think that it is impossible to relax and run at the same time.
Most runners have realised that they can use running as a trigger for mental relaxation.  For many of us, the simple ritual […]

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Umeboshi is the Japanese Pickled Plum.  They are eaten by the Japanese in many different situations.  A lot of Japanese people eat a couple with their breakfast every day.  Many Japanese Obento (lunch boxes) have a small Umeboshi on top of the rice.  They are used as fillings in rice balls and other recipes and […]

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Marketing type people will tell you that the best shoe communicates your chosen  lifestyle, most accurately.
Retail salespeople will tell you that the best shoe is defined by product gimmicks.
The world will tell you that the best shoe depends on how successful you see yourself.
Reality will tell you that the best shoe is simply which ever shoe does […]

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The other day I received an email from a nice lady called Rosemary.  She had the pleasant job of informing me that I had won a million euros in a lottery based in the Netherlands.
I was particularly surprised since I don’t remember ever entering a lottery based in the Netherlands, but her helpful email explained […]

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Evelyn at Homespun Honolulu has written a very balanced review of the 1st Annual Hibiscus Half Marathon in Honolulu.  Her report is a mixture of satisfaction and constructive criticism (check it out for yourself). 
This got me thinking about what a really good race looks like.

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I love running shoes.  I think it is the whole association thing, but just the thought of running shoes makes me happy.  Does that sound weird to you, or am I not alone?
Anyhow there is a new kid in town in the world of running shoes and they have bought with them a whole new […]

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Today my wife gave birth to our new son!  He is about 3.3kg and a healthy little screamer.  The birth went relatively smoothly, but it was still a serious ordeal for my wife.  How does she do it? 
Before  my wife was a mother, she was a marathon runner.  This isn’t to say that she is […]

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I have just read an very interesting post on Henrik Edberg’s site,  ThePositivityblog .  It is simply called 25 simple ways to motivate yourself, and so it really caught my attention.  As a runner I am constantly looking for new ways to keep myself motivated and moving forward, and I think that there are a few really important points […]

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