I can't wait to see this movie with Natalie Portman starring opposite Mila Kunis. The movie is supposed to be released Dec. 3, 2010. I love those uber-competitive dance movies! See the FOX Searchlight Black Swan website here.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Black Swan
I can't wait to see this movie with Natalie Portman starring opposite Mila Kunis. The movie is supposed to be released Dec. 3, 2010. I love those uber-competitive dance movies! See the FOX Searchlight Black Swan website here.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Magic Mile
http://jeffgalloway.com/resources/gallracepredict.html
I'm going to try Jeff Galloway's "MM" Pace Predictor once I get the free opportunity to hit the track and get some fast miles under my belt.
I'm going to try Jeff Galloway's "MM" Pace Predictor once I get the free opportunity to hit the track and get some fast miles under my belt.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
"How to Push Past the Pain, as the Champions Do"
October 18, 2010
How to Push Past the Pain, as the Champions Do
By GINA KOLATA
My son, Stefan, was running in a half marathon in Philadelphia last month when he heard someone coming up behind him, breathing hard.
To his surprise, it was an elite runner, Kim Smith, a blond waif from New Zealand. She has broken her country’s records in shorter distances and now she’s running half marathons. She ran the London marathon last spring and will run the New York marathon next month.
That day, Ms. Smith seemed to be struggling. Her breathing was labored and she had saliva all over her face. But somehow she kept up, finishing just behind Stefan and coming in fifth with a time of 1:08:39.
And that is one of the secrets of elite athletes, said Mary Wittenberg, president and chief executive of the New York Road Runners, the group that puts on the ING New York City Marathon. They can keep going at a level of effort that seems impossible to maintain.
“Mental tenacity — and the ability to manage and even thrive on and push through pain — is a key segregator between the mortals and immortals in running,” Ms. Wittenberg said.
You can see it in the saliva-coated faces of the top runners in the New York marathon, Ms. Wittenberg added.
“We have towels at marathon finish to wipe away the spit on the winners’ faces,” she said. “Our creative team sometimes has to airbrush it off race photos that we want to use for ad campaigns.”
Tom Fleming, who coaches Stefan and me, agrees. A two-time winner of the New York marathon and a distance runner who was ranked fourth in the world, he says there’s a reason he was so fast.
“I was given a body that could train every single day.” Tom said, “and a mind, a mentality, that believed that if I trained every day — and I could train every day — I’ll beat you.”
“The mentality was I will do whatever it takes to win,” he added. “I was totally willing to have the worst pain. I was totally willing to do whatever it takes to win the race.”
But the question is, how do they do it? Can you train yourself to run, cycle, swim or do another sport at the edge of your body’s limits, or is that something that a few are born with, part of what makes them elites?
Sports doctors who have looked into the question say that, at the very least, most people could do a lot better if they knew what it took to do their best.
“Absolutely,” said Dr. Jeroen Swart, a sports medicine physician, exercise physiologist and champion cross-country mountain biker who works at the Sports Science Institute of South Africa.
“Some think elite athletes have an easy time of it,” Dr. Swart said in a telephone interview. Nothing could be further from the truth.
And as athletes improve — getting faster and beating their own records — “it never gets any easier,” Dr. Swart said. “You hurt just as much.”
But, he added, “Knowing how to accept that allows people to improve their performance.”
One trick is to try a course before racing it. In one study, Dr. Swart told trained cyclists to ride as hard as they could over a 40-kilometer course. The more familiar they got with the course, the faster they rode, even though — to their minds — it felt as if they were putting out maximal effort on every attempt.
Then Dr. Swart and his colleagues asked the cyclists to ride the course with all-out effort, but withheld information about how far they’d gone and how far they had to go. Subconsciously, the cyclists held back the most in this attempt, leaving some energy in reserve.
That is why elite runners will examine a course, running it before they race it. That is why Lance Armstrong trained for the grueling Tour de France stage on l’Alpe d’Huez by riding up the mountain over and over again.
“You are learning exactly how to pace yourself,” Dr. Swart said.
Another performance trick during competitions is association, the act of concentrating intensely on the very act of running or cycling, or whatever your sport is, said John S. Raglin, a sports psychologist at Indiana University.
In studies of college runners, he found that less accomplished athletes tended to dissociate, to think of something other than their running to distract themselves.
“Sometimes dissociation allows runners to speed up, because they are not attending to their pain and effort,” he said. “But what often happens is they hit a sort of physiological wall that forces them to slow down, so they end up racing inefficiently in a sort of oscillating pace.” But association, Dr. Raglin says, is difficult, which may be why most don’t do it.
Dr. Swart says he sees that in cycling, too.
“Our hypothesis is that elite athletes are able to motivate themselves continuously and are able to run the gantlet between pushing too hard — and failing to finish — and underperforming,” Dr. Swart said.
To find this motivation, the athletes must resist the feeling that they are too tired and have to slow down, he added. Instead, they have to concentrate on increasing the intensity of their effort. That, Dr. Swart said, takes “mental strength,” but “allows them to perform close to their maximal ability.”
Dr. Swart said he did this himself, but it took experience and practice to get it right. There were many races, he said, when “I pushed myself beyond my abilities and had to withdraw, as I was completely exhausted.”
Finally, with more experience, Dr. Swart became South Africa’s cross-country mountain biking champion in 2002.
Some people focus by going into a trancelike state, blocking out distractions. Others, like Dr. Swart, have a different method: He knows what he is capable of and which competitors he can beat, and keeps them in his sight, not allowing himself to fall back.
“I just hate to lose,” Dr. Swart said. “I would tell myself I was the best, and then have to prove it.”
Kim Smith has a similar strategy.
“I don’t want to let the other girls get too far ahead of me,” she said in a telephone interview. “I pretty much try and focus really hard on the person in front of me.”
And while she tied her success to having “some sort of talent toward running,” Ms. Smith added that there were “a lot of people out there who were probably just as talented. You have to be talented, and you have to have the ability to push yourself through pain.”
And, yes, she does get saliva all over her face.
“It’s not a pretty sport,” Ms. Smith said. “You are not looking good at the end.”
As for the race she ran with my son, she said: “I’m sorry if I spit all over Stefan.” (She didn’t, Stefan said.)
How to Push Past the Pain, as the Champions Do
By GINA KOLATA
My son, Stefan, was running in a half marathon in Philadelphia last month when he heard someone coming up behind him, breathing hard.
To his surprise, it was an elite runner, Kim Smith, a blond waif from New Zealand. She has broken her country’s records in shorter distances and now she’s running half marathons. She ran the London marathon last spring and will run the New York marathon next month.
That day, Ms. Smith seemed to be struggling. Her breathing was labored and she had saliva all over her face. But somehow she kept up, finishing just behind Stefan and coming in fifth with a time of 1:08:39.
And that is one of the secrets of elite athletes, said Mary Wittenberg, president and chief executive of the New York Road Runners, the group that puts on the ING New York City Marathon. They can keep going at a level of effort that seems impossible to maintain.
“Mental tenacity — and the ability to manage and even thrive on and push through pain — is a key segregator between the mortals and immortals in running,” Ms. Wittenberg said.
You can see it in the saliva-coated faces of the top runners in the New York marathon, Ms. Wittenberg added.
“We have towels at marathon finish to wipe away the spit on the winners’ faces,” she said. “Our creative team sometimes has to airbrush it off race photos that we want to use for ad campaigns.”
Tom Fleming, who coaches Stefan and me, agrees. A two-time winner of the New York marathon and a distance runner who was ranked fourth in the world, he says there’s a reason he was so fast.
“I was given a body that could train every single day.” Tom said, “and a mind, a mentality, that believed that if I trained every day — and I could train every day — I’ll beat you.”
“The mentality was I will do whatever it takes to win,” he added. “I was totally willing to have the worst pain. I was totally willing to do whatever it takes to win the race.”
But the question is, how do they do it? Can you train yourself to run, cycle, swim or do another sport at the edge of your body’s limits, or is that something that a few are born with, part of what makes them elites?
Sports doctors who have looked into the question say that, at the very least, most people could do a lot better if they knew what it took to do their best.
“Absolutely,” said Dr. Jeroen Swart, a sports medicine physician, exercise physiologist and champion cross-country mountain biker who works at the Sports Science Institute of South Africa.
“Some think elite athletes have an easy time of it,” Dr. Swart said in a telephone interview. Nothing could be further from the truth.
And as athletes improve — getting faster and beating their own records — “it never gets any easier,” Dr. Swart said. “You hurt just as much.”
But, he added, “Knowing how to accept that allows people to improve their performance.”
One trick is to try a course before racing it. In one study, Dr. Swart told trained cyclists to ride as hard as they could over a 40-kilometer course. The more familiar they got with the course, the faster they rode, even though — to their minds — it felt as if they were putting out maximal effort on every attempt.
Then Dr. Swart and his colleagues asked the cyclists to ride the course with all-out effort, but withheld information about how far they’d gone and how far they had to go. Subconsciously, the cyclists held back the most in this attempt, leaving some energy in reserve.
That is why elite runners will examine a course, running it before they race it. That is why Lance Armstrong trained for the grueling Tour de France stage on l’Alpe d’Huez by riding up the mountain over and over again.
“You are learning exactly how to pace yourself,” Dr. Swart said.
Another performance trick during competitions is association, the act of concentrating intensely on the very act of running or cycling, or whatever your sport is, said John S. Raglin, a sports psychologist at Indiana University.
In studies of college runners, he found that less accomplished athletes tended to dissociate, to think of something other than their running to distract themselves.
“Sometimes dissociation allows runners to speed up, because they are not attending to their pain and effort,” he said. “But what often happens is they hit a sort of physiological wall that forces them to slow down, so they end up racing inefficiently in a sort of oscillating pace.” But association, Dr. Raglin says, is difficult, which may be why most don’t do it.
Dr. Swart says he sees that in cycling, too.
“Our hypothesis is that elite athletes are able to motivate themselves continuously and are able to run the gantlet between pushing too hard — and failing to finish — and underperforming,” Dr. Swart said.
To find this motivation, the athletes must resist the feeling that they are too tired and have to slow down, he added. Instead, they have to concentrate on increasing the intensity of their effort. That, Dr. Swart said, takes “mental strength,” but “allows them to perform close to their maximal ability.”
Dr. Swart said he did this himself, but it took experience and practice to get it right. There were many races, he said, when “I pushed myself beyond my abilities and had to withdraw, as I was completely exhausted.”
Finally, with more experience, Dr. Swart became South Africa’s cross-country mountain biking champion in 2002.
Some people focus by going into a trancelike state, blocking out distractions. Others, like Dr. Swart, have a different method: He knows what he is capable of and which competitors he can beat, and keeps them in his sight, not allowing himself to fall back.
“I just hate to lose,” Dr. Swart said. “I would tell myself I was the best, and then have to prove it.”
Kim Smith has a similar strategy.
“I don’t want to let the other girls get too far ahead of me,” she said in a telephone interview. “I pretty much try and focus really hard on the person in front of me.”
And while she tied her success to having “some sort of talent toward running,” Ms. Smith added that there were “a lot of people out there who were probably just as talented. You have to be talented, and you have to have the ability to push yourself through pain.”
And, yes, she does get saliva all over her face.
“It’s not a pretty sport,” Ms. Smith said. “You are not looking good at the end.”
As for the race she ran with my son, she said: “I’m sorry if I spit all over Stefan.” (She didn’t, Stefan said.)
Monday, October 18, 2010
style and hair muse
I've always loved Nicole Scherzinger for her exceptional sass and talent on the dance floor, as well as on the mike. Since I dyed my hair (DIY Clairol "dark brown") and it's a lot darker than I anticipated, I needed to lean on the shoulder of my good friend, Nicole, for some moral support hehe. Here are some shots of her that I'd like to emulate and maybe duplicate... hey, as Lats would say, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." (I had to give him a shout-out because he'd call me on it and then I'd go off on my usual tirades hehe.)
There were other fabulous pictures of Ms. Scherzinger, but I simply do not have the time to entertain these pics on my blog right now. I should be doing homework, actually...
Cot dang, look at her exotic tan, buff legs, and usual healthy, vibrant signature-black locks!
I have the same hue of this leather jacket and scarf she's sporting. I love black aviator sunglasses and a nude wardrobe palette. It's chic but low-maintenance, and of course, it's not trying too hard.
I want to rock this pompadour sometime later this week when I go out!
Diggin' this ensemble- gold & off-silver/palladium are some of my favorite couplings.
Kishes,
P
There were other fabulous pictures of Ms. Scherzinger, but I simply do not have the time to entertain these pics on my blog right now. I should be doing homework, actually...
Cot dang, look at her exotic tan, buff legs, and usual healthy, vibrant signature-black locks!
I have the same hue of this leather jacket and scarf she's sporting. I love black aviator sunglasses and a nude wardrobe palette. It's chic but low-maintenance, and of course, it's not trying too hard.
I want to rock this pompadour sometime later this week when I go out!
Diggin' this ensemble- gold & off-silver/palladium are some of my favorite couplings.
Kishes,
P
Sunday, October 10, 2010
J Brand Houlihan's - got 'emmmm!
I hunkered down and got myself the Vintage Westpoint pair of these. I hope it doesn't disappoint!
**EDIT 10/16/10: I went back to Nordstrom's and returned the Vintage Westpoints for the Vintage Olive, and I'm one HAPPY CAMPER!!! I love the Vintage Olive cargoes so much better than what I had- I think it's because I saw J. Alba with the same ones of this color and there was a reason why she wore the crap outta' her pair! I can't wait to save up some more money for another pair. :)
May 12, 2010
Houlihan, Reporting for Duty
By CATHY HORYN
IT’S probably not surprising that Frank Doroff knows what is selling at any second at Bloomingdale’s since he is the store’s vice chairman for ready-to-wear and bloomingdales.com. Still, on a recent evening with friends he was impressively prepared when someone mentioned that she had just bought a pair of cargo pants.
“Was it the Houlihan?” Mr. Doroff said, lighting up. “That’s our best-selling pant.”
From his tone, it seemed that even he was surprised and tickled to be saying Houlihan. But out of the hundreds of contemporary and designer pants, of the cargoes and leggings and boyfriend khakis stretching across the country in a blur, the Houlihan is certainly worth noting.
Since the end of January, its manufacturer, J Brand, has sold more than 75,000 pairs of the style and has 40,000 pairs on back order. “In 33 years I’ve never shipped anything like this,” Jeff Rudes, the founder and chief executive of J Brand, said this week, noting that some customers have offered to prepay for the $230 style. Bloomingdale’s has sold thousands, according to Mr. Doroff, who wants more. Barneys New York has 1,000 pairs of Houlihans on reorder, with waiting lists at its stores. The Intermix chain said it has sold 2,000 pairs.
J Brand, a 5-year-old company based in California, is widely distributed, and this particular cargo style has apparently done well everywhere, though the hard-to-get factor may be exaggerated. On Monday, I counted five pairs at Bergdorf Goodman, and a number of Web sites indicated that they had them.
Still, there is no denying their hot-item status. Although Mr. Rudes might sell more jeans and leggings, the demand for the pricey Houlihan, which J Brand considers a novelty style, has been exceptionally intense. Fashion blogs have been discussing the style since February — the fit seems to be the main draw — and you can find scads of pictures of Houlihan-supportive celebrities, including Rihanna and Jessica Alba.
The military-style pants were aptly named, too — after Hot Lips Houlihan of the movie and television series “M*A*S*H.”
Mr. Doroff said that the response to the pants was immediate and persuasive. In early February, a Bloomingdale’s manager on the West Coast alerted him that an order had sold out in a matter of days. Then Mr. Doroff’s 12-year-old daughter told him she wanted a pair of Houlihans. By that time, however, they were sold out at Bloomingdale’s in New York.
In Mr. Doroff’s view, the Houlihan has been successful because of the lightweight yet rugged fabric, the faded olive color and the popularity this spring of cargo pants and other military looks. “The jeans business has been a little tough,” he said. “We needed some newness in the market.” He added, referring to Mr. Rudes, “He was the newness.”
The Houlihan is made of a Japanese cotton twill that contains two percent Lycra. In addition to a vintage wash, it has smooth cargo pockets and a tapering fit that ends with zippers on the outside of the legs. Mr. Rudes said, “It’s all about the fit.”
Anyone who has tried on the Houlihans would likely agree. Although their skinny line appears unforgiving, they are very flattering. They work as well with sandals and sneakers as stilettos.
The similarity to Balmain’s cargo pants doesn’t go unnoticed, either, though the Balmains are about $2,000 and have, as if it could make that big a difference, top-stitching on the thighs to enhance the worn look. Mr. Rudes said his pants were in the pipeline before Balmain showed the style in Paris last October. “Let’s face it,” he added. “We’re not Balmain.”
**EDIT 10/16/10: I went back to Nordstrom's and returned the Vintage Westpoints for the Vintage Olive, and I'm one HAPPY CAMPER!!! I love the Vintage Olive cargoes so much better than what I had- I think it's because I saw J. Alba with the same ones of this color and there was a reason why she wore the crap outta' her pair! I can't wait to save up some more money for another pair. :)
May 12, 2010
Houlihan, Reporting for Duty
By CATHY HORYN
IT’S probably not surprising that Frank Doroff knows what is selling at any second at Bloomingdale’s since he is the store’s vice chairman for ready-to-wear and bloomingdales.com. Still, on a recent evening with friends he was impressively prepared when someone mentioned that she had just bought a pair of cargo pants.
“Was it the Houlihan?” Mr. Doroff said, lighting up. “That’s our best-selling pant.”
From his tone, it seemed that even he was surprised and tickled to be saying Houlihan. But out of the hundreds of contemporary and designer pants, of the cargoes and leggings and boyfriend khakis stretching across the country in a blur, the Houlihan is certainly worth noting.
Since the end of January, its manufacturer, J Brand, has sold more than 75,000 pairs of the style and has 40,000 pairs on back order. “In 33 years I’ve never shipped anything like this,” Jeff Rudes, the founder and chief executive of J Brand, said this week, noting that some customers have offered to prepay for the $230 style. Bloomingdale’s has sold thousands, according to Mr. Doroff, who wants more. Barneys New York has 1,000 pairs of Houlihans on reorder, with waiting lists at its stores. The Intermix chain said it has sold 2,000 pairs.
J Brand, a 5-year-old company based in California, is widely distributed, and this particular cargo style has apparently done well everywhere, though the hard-to-get factor may be exaggerated. On Monday, I counted five pairs at Bergdorf Goodman, and a number of Web sites indicated that they had them.
Still, there is no denying their hot-item status. Although Mr. Rudes might sell more jeans and leggings, the demand for the pricey Houlihan, which J Brand considers a novelty style, has been exceptionally intense. Fashion blogs have been discussing the style since February — the fit seems to be the main draw — and you can find scads of pictures of Houlihan-supportive celebrities, including Rihanna and Jessica Alba.
The military-style pants were aptly named, too — after Hot Lips Houlihan of the movie and television series “M*A*S*H.”
Mr. Doroff said that the response to the pants was immediate and persuasive. In early February, a Bloomingdale’s manager on the West Coast alerted him that an order had sold out in a matter of days. Then Mr. Doroff’s 12-year-old daughter told him she wanted a pair of Houlihans. By that time, however, they were sold out at Bloomingdale’s in New York.
In Mr. Doroff’s view, the Houlihan has been successful because of the lightweight yet rugged fabric, the faded olive color and the popularity this spring of cargo pants and other military looks. “The jeans business has been a little tough,” he said. “We needed some newness in the market.” He added, referring to Mr. Rudes, “He was the newness.”
The Houlihan is made of a Japanese cotton twill that contains two percent Lycra. In addition to a vintage wash, it has smooth cargo pockets and a tapering fit that ends with zippers on the outside of the legs. Mr. Rudes said, “It’s all about the fit.”
Anyone who has tried on the Houlihans would likely agree. Although their skinny line appears unforgiving, they are very flattering. They work as well with sandals and sneakers as stilettos.
The similarity to Balmain’s cargo pants doesn’t go unnoticed, either, though the Balmains are about $2,000 and have, as if it could make that big a difference, top-stitching on the thighs to enhance the worn look. Mr. Rudes said his pants were in the pipeline before Balmain showed the style in Paris last October. “Let’s face it,” he added. “We’re not Balmain.”
Thursday, October 7, 2010
4 Tips to Make Hill Work Fun
The trick to mastering hill training is taking the process slowly, allowing your body the necessary time to adapt to and recover from your workouts.
Once you get to be more proficient on hills, you'll become aware of something revolutionary: hill training is fun. While hard work, hill training makes you realize that your body is powerful and resilient, capable of literally overcoming an obstacle set before it.
Hillwork also injects some excitement into your run, since flat surfaces can grow monotonous.
The following tips will help ensure that hill training stays both fun and focused.
Vary the distances. Run short hills (~30 seconds to run, with an incline of 5-15% gradient), medium hills (~30-90 seconds to run), and long hills (more than 90 seconds). On a short hill, your energy source will be anaerobic (without oxygen); as such, always allow your body proper recovery (a walk down the hill, for example). Running a medium hill is both aerobic and anaerobic, and allows you the chance to develop your lactic acid tolerance. (Critical in improving endurance). Running a long hill is mainly aerobic. Here, the idea is to exert moderate to hard effort - don't be too concerned about your speed.
Be bouncy. Good form makes hillwork safer and more satisfying. When running up a hill, the goal is to be as "bouncy" as possible. You want to use a slightly higher knee-lift than you would when running a flat surface. You should push upwards with your toes and flex your ankles, then land on the front part of your foot. Focus on your legs - your arms, neck, and shoulders should be free of tension. Arms should be held at a 90 degree angle.
Eyes ahead. The impulse to look at your feet when scaling a hill (especially a long one) can be overpowering - why do you want to know how much more hill lies ahead of you? Keeping your eyes straight ahead, however, helps you maintain proper form and avoid straining your neck.
Inspire yourself. As most runners know, getting your brain in the game is often half the battle. If you tell yourself "I can't do this" or "this run will be awful," chances are you're going to have a bad run. When it comes to hill running, positive self-talk can be a big motivator. Instead of dwelling on what could possibly go "wrong" when you climb the hill, remind yourself that you have the strength and determination to dominate your run. Hill, schmill.
Jersey City Running Examiner Lauren Leatherman is a writer and runner living in Jersey City, New Jersey. Lauren holds an MFA in Creative Writing from NYU and has published articles and essays about fitness, nutrition, and motivation for runners. You can reach her at leathermanlauren@gmail.com.
Once you get to be more proficient on hills, you'll become aware of something revolutionary: hill training is fun. While hard work, hill training makes you realize that your body is powerful and resilient, capable of literally overcoming an obstacle set before it.
Hillwork also injects some excitement into your run, since flat surfaces can grow monotonous.
The following tips will help ensure that hill training stays both fun and focused.
Vary the distances. Run short hills (~30 seconds to run, with an incline of 5-15% gradient), medium hills (~30-90 seconds to run), and long hills (more than 90 seconds). On a short hill, your energy source will be anaerobic (without oxygen); as such, always allow your body proper recovery (a walk down the hill, for example). Running a medium hill is both aerobic and anaerobic, and allows you the chance to develop your lactic acid tolerance. (Critical in improving endurance). Running a long hill is mainly aerobic. Here, the idea is to exert moderate to hard effort - don't be too concerned about your speed.
Be bouncy. Good form makes hillwork safer and more satisfying. When running up a hill, the goal is to be as "bouncy" as possible. You want to use a slightly higher knee-lift than you would when running a flat surface. You should push upwards with your toes and flex your ankles, then land on the front part of your foot. Focus on your legs - your arms, neck, and shoulders should be free of tension. Arms should be held at a 90 degree angle.
Eyes ahead. The impulse to look at your feet when scaling a hill (especially a long one) can be overpowering - why do you want to know how much more hill lies ahead of you? Keeping your eyes straight ahead, however, helps you maintain proper form and avoid straining your neck.
Inspire yourself. As most runners know, getting your brain in the game is often half the battle. If you tell yourself "I can't do this" or "this run will be awful," chances are you're going to have a bad run. When it comes to hill running, positive self-talk can be a big motivator. Instead of dwelling on what could possibly go "wrong" when you climb the hill, remind yourself that you have the strength and determination to dominate your run. Hill, schmill.
Jersey City Running Examiner Lauren Leatherman is a writer and runner living in Jersey City, New Jersey. Lauren holds an MFA in Creative Writing from NYU and has published articles and essays about fitness, nutrition, and motivation for runners. You can reach her at leathermanlauren@gmail.com.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
swaggerific.
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