TheOtherScott

Added my first marathon to the list, which brings us up to an even 20 marathoners. Good work, team!

I currently have a 30lb kettlebell and want something bigger. How heavy should I go for things like swings and squats while keeping the 30 for presses for the time being? I'm primarily a runner, but enjoy kettlebells way more than barbells or bodyweight for cross-training.

Mostly due to my kids. They're picky eaters as-is, and removing anything unnecessarily is just a recipe for disaster (pun intended).

From a storytelling perspective, I think it was the boldest entry to date. The explicit refusal to indulge in any fan theories was very smart, and the lack of a Luke/Kylo duel meant the script never contradicted itself for the sake of an action scene. I didn't love the Casino scene, but the acknowledgement of the world outside battleship bridges and lightsaber duels was really needed. I loved how much they raised the stakes by essentially reducing the resistance to about a dozen people. I didn't expect them to go that far, but I was legitimately not sure anyone was going to survive, and I haven't felt that way in a Star Wars movie before.

That's probably accurate, now that I think about it. I was doing it to great success but after about five years of solid running experience under my belt. Definitely listen to your body and slow the heck down if you're just starting out.

This was more or less my go-to workout for a good chunk of the last year before I started training for my marathon. Here's what I found: I always felt like a badass after workouts. It didn't improve my endurance/ability to go fast over long distances, and it's really not a substitute for long distances, but it's absolutely beneficial for sports and probably essential for any sport that requires short bursts of speed (which is pretty much all of them, but I found it made me a better capture the flag player primarily). I was sore after in a very satisfying way. What are your goals? Sprints are great, but they're not a one-stop shop for a distance runner. If you sprint three days a week and do a single long run, I think that's a great way to go if you're in a time crunch, but if you just want to get a good workout in under half an hour, then sprints are probably my favourite thing.

I'd be a member if there was a tribe in my town.

The only reason why I'm not still running in the Bare Access is because they just don't have enough cushioning for marathon training. If you're primarily looking for a crossfit shoe, Inov8 is pretty popular among that crowd.

If the cost worries you, I've noticed that they tend to go up on the used market a lot. If you're not set on a Fitbit-brand tracker, Garmin puts refurbished models up on Amazon with some regularity and their reputation is a bit better among athletes.

I'm about halfway through training for my first marathon right now, and I think patience is what makes you a good runner. Because there really aren't any shortcuts, at least not for long distances. Obviously, that means doing the hard work and purposeful practice, but it's definitely a skill/discipline unto itself.

Before you pony up for a sports-specific product, it might be worth knowing that vinegar will get the stink out of reusable cloth diapers, and can probably handle sweaty technical fabrics as well.

Too much, yet not enough. I think I only have a single pair of shorts and a tech shirt that I wouldn't want to part with at the moment, and even then, they don't match super well. Everything else is either the wrong size (most of my race shirts), is worn out or broken (my tights and jacket), or is something I thought I needed but actually didn't (tights and jacket again). I'm perfectly happy running in whatever t-shirt is handy and an old hoodie as long as I'm in good shorts, but I'm probably an outlier among runners in this regard.

Yeah, it's kind of a half-truth that folks with a strength-bias turn into a statement of fact, when it's complicated at best. You'll have a hard time achieving muscular hypertrophy by endurance exercise alone (though if you look at the legs of pro cyclists, it's definitely not impossible), but you won't suddenly see a drop in muscle mass and strength just because you run sometimes.

You don't really need to worry about it unless you're really hard on yourself on the bike. If your goals are primarily to get big and strong as quickly as possible, you won't get there on a bike, but if you just want to be healthier, there's nothing wrong with mixing in some cycling or running if you enjoy it. You won't undo your strength training unless you're not eating enough *and* logging huge mileage on the bike.

You can do strength workouts with a kettlebell, but swinging a kettlebell for high reps will definitely get your heart rate up, and will strengthen a host of muscle groups while doing it. It's one of those exercises that maybe proves that exercise isn't as simple as strength and cardio. They're very versatile and even at $2 per pound, still far less than a stationary bike, treadmill, or elliptical trainer. And they take up very little space.