we found the time to have our 5th annual New Years eve fun run.  we had a great group of runners who participated in at 5k-ish (3.4 miles).  everyone enjoyed a fresh cold water at the end, hung for a few and went on the their new years festivities.

good time had by all.

 Took a road trip to see the Tigers in St. Louis.

 Spent an amazing week on the island of Anguilla.  This place rocks.  rundetroit attempted to go for a run on the island, only to be chased by multiple dogs, cutting my run short and instead opting for a swim in the ocean.

Multiple concerts, including Wilco, Trevor Hall, BRUCE, Howie Day, Phish, Widespread Panic, and a bunch of Tiger games.

In the middle of all this fun, part of rundetroit was pregnant, and the other part was training his ass off.  It was the summer of Marc, who completed multiple sprint triathons and finished off the season with the Benton Harbor, Whirlpool 1/2 Ironman Triathlon.  This was no small task.  A 1.2 mile swim in Lake Michigan, followed by a 56 mile bike ride, into a brisk wind I might add, only to finish off with a 13.1 mile run in a cold 55 degree rain.  6 1/2 hours of triathlon awesomness.  Oh, then a 2 1/2 hr. car ride home.  I could not have done this without the killer Steve Zager who kicked ass that day as well.

rundetroit also ran!  I completed my 10th marathon in as many years, finishing the Columbus (Ohio) Marathon with a Personal Record, 3:55.  It was a beautful day and a great race, highly recommened.  Again, the killer Steve Zager put in a great showing that day as well.

And the biggest and best news of 2009, and what put us so far behind in keeping you all updated was JONAH HARPER NAKISHER, born November 2, 2009.  This was the most insane, intense, emotional experience EVER…and amazing. 

rundetroit.com onesie’s will be coming soon!!!  We will continue to keep you updated.  xo rundetroit.

Damn…what has rundetroit been up to?  We’ve seen some great music.  Ben Harper at Saint Andrews Hall, a sick show, the guy rocks.  We’ve been to the Tiger’s game, Eastern Market, planting flowers, we even went fishing, oh yeah…and we’ve been training our asses of off…or at least I have.  Pregnancy is only lending itself to about 3 mile runs, which as far as I’m concerned is pretty f*cking impressive, especially at 17 weeks.

I’ve been doing a masters swim class which is both awesome and humbling.  Out of pool full of people, I’m by far the slowest.  The class mostly consists of previous high school and college swimmers.  They kick ass.  I’m the guy who gets lapped and can’t even do a kick-turn…but I love it.  The “master’s” swim class is a great tool to improve on your fitness, swim technique and endurance.  You don’t just get in the pool and swim.  There are drills involved, for example:

200 meter warm up (there and back is usually 50 meters)

300 kick set (doing 50’s with a kickboard, with 10 seconds rest between each 50)

Main set- 4 x’s 100 (10 sec rest between), 4 x’s 50 (15 sec rest between), 4 x’s 25 (20 sec rest between).  The shorter the distance the faster you should go.  Do this whole set 2 times.  A solid workout in the pool.

Racing season is upon us.  rundetroit will be doing the Ann Arbor triathlon on June 7.  This is great race we do yearly, if you’re remotely ready, you should give it a shot.  We’re also figuring out if we’re going to do the Motor City Tri on Belle Isle on June 14 (it’s always interesting swimming in the Detroit River), or Big Fish near Ortonville on June 21.  These races and more info are on the rundetroit.com calendar.

Coming soon, I’ll be blogging about the bike portion of my triathlon training and how much I HATE THE BIKE!  I’ll be looking for anyone who can help change my mind.

We’d love to hear about where you’re racing this summer, comment on the blog or email us.

So what are we up to?  We’re always up to something.  What are you up to?

It was all about sharing the knowledge.  Last Thursday, about 20 triathletes and aspiring triathletes attended rundetroit.com’s SWIM-BIKE-RUN Triathlon Clinic at our neighborhood rec. center. 

We wanted to thank Westborn Market for supplying awesome recycled nylon shopping bags, coupons and refreshments.  We truly commend Westborn Market for having the insight and forethought to support our local community grass-roots project.

We also wanted to thank Tom from Bikesport for bringing his experience and knowledge of triathlons, along with some great hand-outs and bikes for everyone to check out.  Bikesport is an amazing store and a tremendous resource for athletes who are involved or looking to get involved with the sport of triathlon.

Lastly we wanted to thank Katie Sophia for taking the time to come and talk about the swim.  Katie is so dedicated to the sport of swimming and left us with tons of useful information and training guides.

We hope people left knowing more than when they came.  Triathlons and the sport in general can be very technical and seem over whelming.  If you’re just getting started, don’t be overwhelmed…just do it.  My first year in the sport I used a mountain bike, not ideal, but it worked.  When I got a new bike, I thought my bike time would dramatically improve…it was almost the same.  It’s not about the equipment, but the person using it. 

Hit the pool, do at least one open water swim before your first race and don’t forget to get your endurance up by running.

Btw…rundetroit.com will be at the Bikesport sponsored Ann Arbor Triathlon on June 7, 2009.  It’s a beautiful swim, great bike and killer 5 mile trail run.  This is a great race and an awesome way to kick off tri-season.

                                                 

I’m not exactly sure what I just did…

I work well with deadlines and with goals.  Ten years ago I said I was going to run a marathon every year for the next ten years.  Here I am ten years later, trying to figure out where I will run my tenth marathon.  Exciting. 

Over the last ten years I’ve figured out that just running was a little too one dimensional for me and I needed to switch things up in my training.  In 2002, my wife was pregnant with our first, so I got some extra training time, and began participating in triathlons.  First with sprint triathlons, the distances of which are approximately (in order) an 800 meter swim (1/2 mile in open water), 12 mile bike and 5k run.  Over the past six years I have completed numerous sprint triathlons and a few Olympic distance triathlons which are a 1.5k swim(about a mile), 40k bike (about 26 miles) and 10k run (just over 6 miles).

Triathlons are awesome.  If you break down a sprint tri, the distances are so doable, but putting it all together is another story.  You basically jump in a lake, swim and come out running into a “transition area” where you parked your bike before the race.  You then peel off your wetsuit, throw on a helmet and bike shoes, run out of the transition area, hop on your bike and ride ride ride.  When that’s over you run your bike back into transition, lose the helmet, throw on your running shoes and hit the road running.

Throughout this process you can’t for get to drink and eat as much as your body will allow.

Did I say awesome?  You’re either going to have to take my word or try it for yourself.

Quick story:

Allison and I went out with our friends Lauren and Jeb.  Allison and I were doing the Anchor Bay Triathlon 2 weeks later and told Jeb he should join us.  Jeb is in good shape, but by no means had he ever trained for a triathlon.  Jeb borrowed an old bike of mine, and showed up race day ready to roll.  He pounded out a great race, and actually enjoyed it.  I don’t recommend this for everyone one, but it can be done.   

Here’s my point, April 23, 2009 rundetroit.com is hosting a SWIM-BIKE-RUN Triathlon Clinic at the Huntington Woods Rec Center.  Checkout Allison’s blog below.  We’re gonna talk about the races we’re doing this summer and get you ready for yours.  Even if your just curious, come and get some info and collect a goodie bag.

Oh, back to when I said, I’m not exactly sure what I just did…

Well Allison is pregnant again, and I’m taking on another challenge to do a ½ Ironman Triathlon (1.2 mile swim, 56.2 mile bike, 13.1 run)….like I said, not exactly sure what I just did.

presents…

swim-bike-run

join us for an incredible night of round-robin discussions and demonstrations that will prove invaluable as you kick into high gear for the upcoming triathlon season.

where: huntington woods rec center

(26325 Scotia Road, btwn Lincoln & 11 Mile) 

when: thursday, april 23, 2009

time: 7:30-9:00 pm

cost:$5 per person, just a lil something to cover the cost of the room!

rundetroit.com has brought together a team of experts in the three disciplines of swim, bike and run to share ideas, training plans, helpful hints, and technical wisdom for every level of athlete.

this is an opportunity to speak in small groups to local athletes, to ask your burning questions, and to make community connections in an intimate and inspiring forum.

 please reserve your spot ahead of time by calling the huntington woods rec center at #248-541-3030 and don’t forget some extra pocket change because our official rundetroit.com gear will be on sale. 

I wanted to share this not only to honor my great-uncle and his memory but to take the opportunity to mention a chance encounter rundetroit.com made at his shiva.  My cousins have quite a few family friends, many I only know very superficially and some hardly at all.  While I was sitting with the little sir as he ate his bagel and cream cheese dinner, a super friendly “sort-of stranger” sat down and began talking with us.  He introduced himself as Richard, he must be just a few years younger than me, and he is visually impaired. 

As we began chatting about kids and being an adult, I finally realized who this really outgoing guy was…this was the Richard or Ricky that I used to admire hustling down the lakeshore running path in Chicago when I was there for PT school and he was attending law school. 

It was only moments before we got knee deep in conversation about running and marathons and how I saw a small story about him in Runner’s World Magazine after he completed one of his many finishes at the NYC Marathon.  The conversation was infectious, he shared his greatest moment of accomplishment beyond getting into law school, passing his board exams and winning many cases on behalf of individuals with disabilities…Richard conquered the Ironman last summer!!

He spoke with unapologetic pride about his Ironman finish, how he wore his finisher’s medal every day for at least two months after the race, and how unbelievably hard it was to make it to the end without falling apart.  He shared the many challenges beyond those we as sighted racers must overcome, such as swimming 2.4 miles in 55 degree waters without any verbal guidance from his partner or the ability to peak up in order to see the shoreline.    

Richard told me he is still reeling from his Ironman experience nearly nine months later, that he probably won’t do another one and that he is squeezed in two more marathons since completing the Ironman, his favorite being the ING NYC Marathon in which he runs with the Achilles Running Club.  He also told me that he had a few more minutes of Ironman fame when he was featured in a newsclip on CNN- “just google Richard Bernstein-Ironman” and you can see the whole story.”  I did, and I swear, so should all of you.  He is legendary, he is extremely proud of himself and he deserves to be.

Dig deep,

rundetroit.com

I am on a serious yoga bender. 

For the past couple of years I have been incorporating yoga into my workouts, especially in the winter when running outside in sub-zero temps is no fun.  Going on two weeks I have been an almost daily yogi.  I’ve done it at all different times, starting at 6am some days, ending at 9:30pm other days, and all times in between.

It’s hot, sweaty, exhausting and refreshing as hell.  I think everyone does yoga for different reasons.  My friend J.B. does yoga purely for the spiritual release.  For him it’s like therapy, a time to reflect, enjoy time to himself away from life and all its distractions.  He becomes Zen for about an hour.

For me, I’m a junkie, it’s all about the workout, about kicking ass, holding poses, throwing in extra push-ups and doing as many rounds of each flow as possible.  I like to work hard within my practice, and sometimes I even attempt to breath with an ocean like quality.

My Zen time comes in the closing minute of practice, right after I say “Namaste” to end it all.  I take a minute to reflect, be thankful for everything…all that crap.  For me it works.

 Am I “good” at yoga?  No.  After two years I still can’t bend over and even come close to touching my toes.  I think that’s another reason I do it.  As a runner I have super tight hamstrings, according to my physical therapist wife, some of the worst she’s ever seen.  Yoga allows me to pay attention to those imperfections and attempt to improve and focus on them.

My wife Allison is a pilates instructor, she took a one year certification class and over 200 hours of supervised teaching, practice and observation.  Until recently I had never done pilates…not even once.  This winter I began to regularly practice pilates with Allison.  I think it’s why I’ve been enjoying yoga now more than ever.  Pilates gives me so much more to think about…in a good way.  Now when I practice yoga I’m not just focused on the next “move,” but what muscles I should be using to get there.  It’s all such good stuff.

Meanwhile, today it’s 60 degrees and I’m jonesing for a run…maybe right after my 4:30 yoga.

Namaste.  rundetroit.com   

btw…don’t forget to mark your calendar for rundetroit.com‘s Triathlon Clinic Thursday April 23 from 7:30p-9:00,

and the rundetroit.com Running Clinic Thursday June 4 from 7:30p-9:00. 

Both will be held at the Huntington Woods Rec. Center.

Much more info on that to follow!!!

The Women’s Committee of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit presents…

  Stretch Your Body, Stretch Your Mind, Stretch Your Hand…

Stretch to Help on Sunday, March 15th 

Women from across the community will be stretching their bodies, minds, and hands as they Stretch to Help those in need on Sunday, March 15th.  Twenty different yoga, pilates, and other exercises classes will be offered at 12 locations (see below for details) throughout the day exclusively for this event.  There is no charge for this event and registration will be granted on a first come first served basis.  There is a suggested minimum gift of $18 to Federation for 2009 to participate.

 Please click on http://jewishdetroit.org/stretch for information and to register for the event.  You must register by next Monday, March 2^nd in order to insure your placement in a class.  Classes are going fast, so sign up today!  If you have questions, contact Women’s Department at 248-642-4260 x202

 Join our amazing community of women as we make a difference in the lives of others.  I look forward to seeing you on Sunday, March 15^th.  Spread the word (forward this on to your friends and family) and Stretch to Help!

 Gratefully,

rundetroit.com

Locations involved include:

Pure Element Pilates, Sports Club of WB, Beverly Hills Club, Franklin Racquet Club, Karma Yoga, Powerhouse Gym of WB, The Center for Yoga, Yoga Shelter, Townsend Street Pilates, Jewish Apartments and Services, The Jewish Community Centers of Metro Detroit.