Stop and Dream

January 01, 2020 by Stephen Hallgren in Life

There was a day when I’d slip Side A of my cassette tape into the deck, sprawl my awkward teenage body out on the couch, open up a magazine and dream. I dreamt seemingly impossible, yet fantastically amazing dreams of what I envisioned my life would be like. Some day I’d be a professional mountain biker shredding down epic mountains, winning trophies and earning fame. Or maybe if that didn’t work out, I’d be designing and programming the latest and greatest video games for Sierra Entertainment. Of course I’d have a fallback career as an architect. People would flock to the revolutionary houses and buildings I had designed, I would be the next Frank Lloyd Wright or Frank Gehry…

Fostering Thankfulness Through Running

December 27, 2019 by Stephen Hallgren in Life

The wind bites through my clothing, I can feel its sharp teeth pierce my skin. Drips of sweat quickly freeze and create icicles, stalactites of water, off of my face. Every stride crunches into a pile of snow, hopefully not hiding a patch of ice. My extremities are rebelling against the chill of the wind, while my mind wonders if I’m wearing enough clothes to prevent frostbite…

Book: Running Outside the Comfort Zone

December 12, 2019 by Stephen Hallgren in Reviews, Books

Right from the beginning of the book it is clear that Susan’s writing exudes a raw authenticity in how she presents herself and her own journey in running. While this and other running books have been super inspiring, I feel like I’ve been able to connect on a different level with this particular book. One of the questions that Susan asks herself is, “am I a real runner?” This question is one that I many of use fellow runners grapple with. Our digitally connected society makes it so easy to compare our own abilities and bodies with those around us and frankly the majority of us will always be able to find someone better than ourselves…

Race: 2019 Albany Last Run 5k

December 07, 2019 by Stephen Hallgren in Races

Similar to the Troy Turkey Trot, but a lot smaller, the Albany Last Run 5k is another great running tradition in the Capital District. Instead of runners dressed up as turkeys, the Last Run is full of Santas, elves, reindeers, Christmas lights, and plenty of other creative, festive outfits. This year marks my third time running the race and is a great run to close out the year, hence the name “Last Run”…

Gear: Smartwool Merino 150 Gloves

December 06, 2019 by Stephen Hallgren in Reviews, Gear

I have hot hands, no I’m not a hand model, my hands just overheat and sweat when I run. I’ve struggled with keeping my hands from getting too hot and then getting really cold from wet gloves. In the past I’ve rarely kept any glove on for a whole run, but even the hottest of hands can not withstand sub-freezing temperatures with no protection…

40 & Beyond

December 02, 2019 by Stephen Hallgren in Life

I’m 40. I’ve been told I don’t look 40. I definitely don’t feel 40, in fact, I’m in better health both mentally and physically than I’ve ever been. But, I checked my birth certificate and it does indeed confirm the fact that I am 40. The clothing and hair styles of my parents in my baby photos also confirm that I was born at the end of the 70s. While 40 seems old to some, or that it indicates years of decline, I see something different. I see years of growth from my 20s and 30s that I’m excited about continuing well into the rest of my life...

Race: 2019 Troy Turkey Trot 10k

November 29, 2019 by Stephen Hallgren in Races

This was my second year of running the Troy Turkey Trot and my second 10k race thus far. This race is all about tradition and less about frill and gimmick. While I have never run the 5k part of the Troy Turkey Troy, I assume it’s a little more crazy and rambunctious than the 10k. While there aren’t many spectators for the 10k, there are people getting already hitting the bars and getting set up in a few parking lots along the route to eat, drink and cheer on the 5k runners…

How To Use Your Nose To Go Slow

October 01, 2019 by Stephen Hallgren in Training

Being slow is not usually what runners want to be, but the virtues of training with slow runs is well documented. The only issue is that running slow and easy on the runs that you are supposed to take slow is possibly one of the harder parts of running.

Like most runners, I struggle with going slow. I have tried many different techniques to keep myself slow, but no matter how hard I try, I still seem to run too fast. I’ve tried stopping, walking, shorter strides, sheer willpower, but nothing works. I end up resuming my previous pace or sometimes going even faster…

Breathe Through Your Nose

September 13, 2019 by Stephen Hallgren in Training

10 minutes into my run I feel like my lungs are burning and I’m going suffocate. It feels like when I try to hold my breathe for as long as I can underwater. I’m dying to stick my head above water and take a giant gulp of life-giving air. Nothing is actually preventing me from opening my mouth to get more air, but I continue to fight the urge to breathe through my mouth. My body instinctually responds to the oxygen limit I’m putting on it and slows my pace down until I don’t feel like I’m suffocating anymore.

If you do a quick Google search about running and breathing you’ll find a lot of great articles about how to breathe efficiently (belly breathing) and how to keep a rhythmic breathing pace. You may even find articles about using both your nose and your mouth for breathing, but there is a lot less about the benefits of only nose breathing…

The Sidewalk Walker

August 25, 2019 by Stephen Hallgren in Life

Living in a city (Albany, NY) means that when I run I’m almost always running on a sidewalk. Oftentimes these sidewalks are full of people who, for some reason or another are, walking. Since I don’t listen to anything but the thoughts in my head when I run, I’ve found that I started classifying the different types of sidewalk walkers I run across.

While some walkers are merely harmless pedestrians trying to get from one place to the next by the slowest means a human can move, other walkers can be downright dangerous…