PhotosAndRunning.info

I apologize for the lack of posts ... I will be updating http://www.photosandrunning.info from this point forward.

Heat Exhaustion

Well it's summer time and it's hot outside (it hit 120 yesterday). The thing that I notice the most when running in this heat is that I cannot keep my pace, and I tire much faster than I do when I work out in the gym (which is also hot). Since we are talking about the heat, I figured this was a good chance to talk about Heat Exhaustion and other items to worry about when exercising in the heat.

What are the symptoms of heat exhaustion?

• Heavy sweating
• paleness
• tired/weak
• dizziness
• headaches
• fainting
• muscle cramps

Certainly sounds like a normal sunday afternoon. If someone is experiencing these symptoms, you should help them cool off. Get them inside to an air conditioned spot, have them change clothing (into something cooler), cold bath, or pouring water over their head/skin will also help (since water cools over 20 times faster than air).

Remember in the heat, it is important to conserve sweat, not water.

Running Log

One of the things about running is keeping track of distances and times of your previous runs. This lets you review your past runs and track any improvements. You can also prepare yourself for longer runs, by pushing yourself farther, and noting the conditions/emotions you were experiencing during the run.

In other words, start a training diary. It will allow you to improve, and hit those goals that you have set for yourself.

Try different angles and perspectives

Try to take pictures from different angles. You can get some interesting shots by being up close to the object and changing the angle of the camera. For instance, the picture above I took without aiming, but adjusting the angle of the camera so that there are different objects in the background.

I could have just taken a picture of the object on the ground (straight on - see below ) and moved on, but I tried something different and changed the angle (having the camera focus on the arrow and have objects in the background) made the image more interesting.

Carry a gray card

This is one trick that I have yet to try myself. I have read this tip on several sites, and it should be worth a try. (I actually plan to try it this weekend). The purpose of the gray card is so that you can identify the white balance in post production.

The tips is that you should shoot a throw away shot with the gray card every 30 min - 1 hour as the lighting changes around you.

Running Barefoot

Okay this may sound strange, but this actually worked wonders for me. There are a few ways that you can improve your running form/ability. One of these ways is running barefoot.

My Story:

I would say that I was an average runner. At least beginner runner. I could not run long distances, and I had to walk a lot. I ended up entering a 5k race for my company, and I was suffering from horrible pains in my shins and my legs.

I finished the 5k, nothing to write home about, but I was happy with the result, even though I was in pain.

A few days later, I found a story come across my news reader, about how the shoes you wear might not be helping you at all. They could actually be hurting you. Considering I was still in pain from the race, I decided to read the article and the comments.

The comments from the article lead me to this site runningbarefoot.org. Where you read testimonials about how great this is. After about a day or more research, I figured I would try it out. I couldn't be in any worse pain than I already was.

After a few days of trying it out, I must say that I run almost every day now, I even ran 10 miles one morning, and did not hurt one bit (after the initial recovery).

There are several books that also recommend this style of running as a training method.






Check out the resources, give it a try, and evaluate. What do you have to lose? You may find that you enjoy running more.

iPhone camera 3G part 1:camera

One of the things that I hope is improved with the iPhone 3Gs (I do not have the iPhone 3Gs) is the camera. The picture above was taken with my iPhone 3G. Almost half of the pictures that I have taken with the camera are blurred. This can make an interesting effect when you're goofing around, but if you're used to a faster camera, this can quickly get on your nerves.

Of course the performance in low light situations is not the greatest either. The pictures tend to come out grainy.



Of course this is an integrated camera, ipod, phone, mini computer all in one so I guess some features can be lacking. But just be aware that you will need to take a lot of photos for some decent pictures, because several of the pictures will not work at all.