PlayStation Vita has potential by Gieson Cacho

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The fact that I wasn't in line nor a first day adopter says a lot about Sony's losing appeal. No, I don't represent the masses, but if you knew me, you'd know I'm usually the first to be in line the night prior. This time around, I've skipped multiple consoles in favor of iOS devices and I'm going to sit back and wait to see how the upcoming months shape the Vita.

It's not perfect, but it can become a must-have machine. It just needs to evolve and take steps in the right direction.

via Contra Costa Times

Motivation: Pushing Limits

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Thought you had some amazing goals for 2012? Think again. Next year, James Ketchell will set out to do what no one has done; row across the Atlantic, climb Mt. Everest then cycle around the world. He's already done the first two tasks although in different years and while completing all these feats in a year is timely possible, I'm excited to track his progress. Check out his awesome video, following him on twitter, @CaptainKetch and track his story via his website, jamesketchell.net.

Pushing Limits from Tim Juby on Vimeo.

A 10K before a 10K

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Waking up albeit late in the morning, I thought to myself, "Why not go running outside on a nice San Diego Winter's Day?"  Of course, after eating a great breakfast of pancakes, eggs & rice + fruit, and an hour of digesting, we went out around noon for the usual Miramar Lake Loop.  I wanted to make it an easy 10K so I did an out and back here and there rounding it off to 6.5 miles.

It's always a pleasure to have my wife Adelle run with me and truthfully, I was only expecting her to run 1-3 miles but after jogging two solid 11 min/ mile, she decided to keep on trucking. I ran ahead of her and then turned back in order to catch up with her then went ahead again. This was my way of reaching my 10K goal prior to this Sunday's Cardiff Kook 10K and I did it. It was hot, I felt okay, but for the first time in a long time, my ankles were feeling loose. I'm taking a breather today, mostly stretching but I'm excited and can't wait for this season's first 10K. As always, I'm going for under 60 minutes. If I get near 55, I'll be in heaven!

Latest Endeavour

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Two things.  1) I've just been accepted into 2XU's 2012 Ambassador Program and I'm super stoked.  I can already feel that it's giving me that extra edge to not only train but to bring it to the next level! If you have the time, check out their awesome clearance section for some great deals of up to 40% off! Just click here.

I've been stuck on my current level of physique weighing between 165-190 lbs for the last two years and I need to manage that.  As of this morning, I'm at 186.6 w/ a HIGH BMI of 26.0 / 146 lb Lean mass and 40.6 Fat mass.  (all these measurements have been calculated with Withings iPhone App WiScale)  I paired it up with a Tanita Irongirl scale because it was on sale at 75% off so until I find the need for the BC1000 or when Withings producers a better scale with more readouts, I'll hold off.

Eating on the road has its challenges and working out at hotels does have its drawbacks.  Because of that, I'll be taking it up a notch and actually be documenting it more here on elijahnicolas.com.  That's just an intro to number two; my dedication to Crossfit.  Check out my buddy Ryan Espiritu's blog.  He makes an awesome comparison between "Marathon Ry | Crossfit Ry" and he definitely is a great inspiration.

I let him down last week after he took one for the team partnering with me for the partner WOD and I blew chunks 5-8 minutes into the workout.  Way to pull for my slack.  SWAG!

Crossfit Ry takes better race pictures than Marathon Ry.

 

 

This post won't last long because having pictures of Ryan on my blog aren't my type of thing.

2012 Lake Hodges 5K Trail Run Race Report

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Since 2010, the Sun Strides Foundation has been continually expanding their Trail Run Series. The start of the series begins with a 5K out and back course at Lake Hodges in Escondido, California. This year, the Trail Run Series consists of three runs: a 5K, 7K ending with a 10K. If you're not familiar with their mission statement, here it is -- "To provide sustainable energy solutions for people with limited resources throughout the developing world." Pre Race: Friday was a long day and was extended into the early morning hours resulting in a total of two hours of sleep. I didn't feel rested but at the same time, the motivation was ever presernt. Lien Vo chose to run and of course, it was Ryan Espiritu who said I should do it. I didn't know about this series or the Lake Hodges 5K until the Friday the day before so I thought, why not? No training (my usual enemy) and spontaneity suits me best so, once again, why not? I woke up to an early alarm and text that Lien was at the house already and I got going. Putting on my 2XU Men's Elite Compression Tights paired with their Men's Active Run Top MR1810A, I felt good. I chose to wear my Asics GT-2150s because I didn't think my Newton's would perform so well on the trail. I'm still not sure if that was a good idea or not. I stopped by Starbucks for a bagel and coffee, drank an FRS, registered and waited until the start.

Race Course: I didn't expect the hills, nor did I expect that many loose rocks so of course, along the way, my ankles continued to roll on me but overall I felt great. Not a 10 by any means, but I did clock my first mile at 8:48! The average temperature was a hot 78F by the time the race started and the sun present and in summer's strength. It felg good indeed! After that first mile, my heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest and that's when my body yelled, "YOU SLEPT 2 HOURS!"

I did finish under 30 minutes clocking 29:59 with their Road I.D. chip timing but the course did fall short at 3.0 miles. All in all, I felt okay but I'm more than determined now to get my 5K on!

Avg Moving Pace - 9:52 min/mi Avg HR - 171 bpm Avg Temp - 78.8F

P.S. I will have the Miami Rock 'n' Roll and Ragnar Florida Keys up soon. I promise!

Happy 2012!

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Last year, around this same time, I posted some line items of what I wanted to accomplish in 2011.  The biggest accomplishment was running the San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon and finishing.  I also finished the Miami Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon this past December! (but I still have yet to blog about that one)  I hit a PR for the 10K and actually a "life" goal of running one in under an hour at the 2011 Great Cow Harbor Race!.  Once again, I didn't properly train for either runs, so that also led to me just signing up for the sprint distance in the San Diego Tri-Rock.  Unfortunately, cycling was almost absent in 2011 and blogging was getting tiresome.  I'm still having a hard time differentiating elijahnicolas.com and adellelijah.com and it's slowly getting there...I think.  I did begin eating "healthier and less" but at the start of the holidays, I tanked.  I'm now officially the heaviest I've ever been.  Yes, I still fit into all my clothes but I'm not the lean 165 lbs. I will be. So, bottom line, I'm going to lose 25 lbs by year-end.  Shoot, I want a summer beach body darnit!  I'm also running the 2012 San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Ful Marathon again with a simple goal of 4:30 and WILL train for that bad boy.  Here's to 2012!!!

 

 

 

Catching up to the iPhone

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With the release of Google's Galaxy Nexus by Samsung tomorrow on Verizon, I couldn't have pointed it out better myself than Daring Fireball's Mr. John Gruber:  

...The 2008 G1 had a hardware keyboard; a hardware up/down/left/right controller for moving the insertion point in text and navigating menus; dedicated hardware buttons for Menu, Home, Search, and Back; and SD card storage expansion. All of these things were held up by some critics as advantages against the iPhone. Today’s Galaxy Nexus has none of these things.

 

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"A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them." - Steve Jobs (BusinessWeek / 25 May 1998)

Affirmation: Galaxy Nexus

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Amongst my friends, some might call me an Apple Fanboy but at heart I know that I always take into consideration all the pros and cons of all technological devices. I really do try my best to be unbiased and after extensive research, I'll make an argument / recommendation for whatever device will fit your needs. Someone told me last week that I like to be right (duh) but they're missing the bigger picture. It's not about being right or wrong. It's all about making sure that it fits the personality / requirements of that individual and from there I can claim success as long as they enjoy the product. But alas, affirmation from tech pundits always puts a smile on my face.  As some of you might know, I like to be in the know and now!

 

 

Onto Google's first Android phone running Ice Cream Sandwich - Galaxy Nexus. Techcrunch editor MG Siegler just released his review and here are some key points:

  • ...it feels like I’m Zack Morris holding his Gordon Gekko phone
  • still feels rather cheap and plastic-y
  • the camera is definitely worse than the iPhone 4S, both in megapixels (8 vs. 5), and in image quality

but of course MG Siegler does admit, "It’s important to emphasize the fact that the Galaxy Nexus is without a doubt the best phone I’ve ever used that’s not an iPhone."

Google also released a pretty cool commercial.

Update: It's official, you can purchase this phone tomorrow for $299.99 + two year contract on Verizon! (via BGR)

Three times in a week: Miramar Lake

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I've upped my "training" a notch and have actually been putting on some miles on my Newtons! In preparation for the Miami Beach Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in December, I've been waking up early and running around the local lake. I'm definitely a sore and probably should be stretching out more. Here's my latest run where I've actually achieved two miles pacing ~9 mins each! That's fast for me. Of course I tapered out but still came in at under 50 minutes for 5 miles! Today is going to be a 10-miler! I'm just not sure if I want to run around the lake twice or come up with a random run around the neighborhood.

A (short) Wednesday Hike

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I decided to take a hike yesterday and go up a local mountain trail. More specifically, up Black Mountain. It isn't really a recreational hike but more a path up a mountain side but it felt really good. I've actually done this hike 4 times this year which is a record but it's short and usually gives you great views of San Diego. Not so much yesterday. Parking near the gates, I set off and kept the speed up and sweat a good bunch. The only downside was the late start but it all was well worth it. It's pretty awesome taking a look at the Garmin data how much more of an effort it is to climb than descend. Taking a look at the elevation gain of ~750 feet, you can see the heart rate graph accompanying the ascent and descend where it drops off almost a whole 20 bpm. It's definitely more along the effortless side of working out, but none the less, I was still within the 60% Max zone. Good times! I'll have to post some panoramic views next time I "summit!"