Recently, I joined the modern age and switched from a BlackBerry to an iPhone 4s.  It has taken some time to adjust to the new operating system, but you can definitely do a lot more with the iPhone.

In addition to its advanced features, the iPhone also provides access to a wealth of applications.  One of my interests was finding a good GPS run tracker.  The App Store happens to offer several free run tracking application options.  Given the choices, I decided to test four different free applications to evaluate which run tracker to use.

 

 

In case you weren’t already convinced that the Philadelphia area is home to one of the best beer scenes in the country, no less an authority than BeerAdvocate agrees.  Today, BA founders Jason and Todd Alström flew their crew down from Boston to once again visit a good sampling of the city’s best beer bars.

The Alström brothers established BA as a way for beer enthusiasts to connect, support and promote good beer.  In addition to general beer discussions through its forum, the website provides a pretty comprehensive database of beer reviews and ratings.  If you’re visiting another city and looking for bars serving good beer, the BA website also features reports and reviews of bars and other places of interest.  Its motto is “Respect Beer,” which is simple and yet a great way to live life.

On occasion, BA goes on the road to check out the local flavor.  Previous trips have included the Great American Beer Festival in Colorado as well as two prior visits to Philadelphia.  This trip’s rather ambitious itinerary included drinking beers at Grey Lodge Pub in Northeast Philly, Jose Pistola’s and Monk’s in Center City, Earth Bread + Brewery in Mt. Airy, Farmers’ Cabinet in Midtown Village and Khyber Pass Pub in Old City – all from noon to about 10 p.m.  Fortunately, there was no need for a designated driver.  As soon as they landed and checked into their hotel, they put away the keys to their rental cars and are depending on cabs to get from place to place.

Deep in the heart of South Philadelphia’s Passyunk Avenue, alongside the newer, trendier establishments, is Marra’s.  It’s an old school, Italian restaurant in the tradition of Ralph’s, Villa di Roma and Dante and Luigi’s.  Many visitors and celebrities from out of town have dined here through the years.

Perhaps its claim to fame is that Marra’s has been in business and serving pizza since 1927.  That’s before any current Philadelphia restaurant (including Tacconelli’s, which is older but did not start making pizza until the 1940s). 

This Sunday featured the running of the 2011 Philadelphia Marathon.  While this year’s edition was marked by tragedy of two deaths, it was, by and large, another successful race.  There were over 10,000 finishers in the marathon alone to go along with over 11,000 finishers in the half marathon and Rothman Institute 8K.

The race is a fantastic tour through the city.  Starting off on Benjamin Franklin Parkway, with many runners lining up by the Art Museum, you pass the Parkway museums, turn at Love Park, run by City Hall, go through Chinatown and by the Constitution Center, head south on Columbus Boulevard past Penn’s Landing including the Moshulu and U.S.S. Olympia, come back up South Philadelphia, head west on South Street and past Jim’s Steaks, go north back towards Old City, turn by the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, pass the throngs in Center City, take a trip through Penn and Drexel, go past the Philadelphia Zoo, climb up Fairmount Park near the Please Touch Museum, head back towards Center City on West River Drive, go back west on Kelly Drive by the river into Manayunk, and head back to finish on the Parkway.  That’s a pretty good sampling of the city.  It’s fast and relatively flat race, and, at least today, the weather definitely cooperated.

On Saturday morning, I went over to Sidecar Bar and Grille for its “Let’s Do Breakfast with Founders” event, which was run in conjunction with the Craft Beer Express.  With the bar opening at 10:30 a.m., one would reasonably believe that getting there at around 10 a.m. would be quite early enough.  Wrong.  By 9:15, over an hour before the event, there were already twenty people in line.  By 10 a.m., the line was seventy deep.  To wait in line to drink beer on a nice Saturday morning.

Of course, it wasn’t just any regular beer.  Founders, a relatively small brewery based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is one of the most well-respected breweries in the world.  It only brews about 30,000 barrels yearly, but its entire lienup is highly regarded in the beer drinking community.   Fortunately, Pennsylvania is one of the sixteen states to which it distributes.  And while Founders has a nice selection of beers available year round, it also has special, limited release beers that draw beer enthusiasts like opening day sales of new versions of iPhones. 

The Philadelphia food truck/cart scene has definitely taken leaps and bounds forward.  While it still has a ways to go to come close to the variety and quality of the New York, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon vendors, there’s been much progress.  Just a few short years ago, we were, more or less, limited to long-standing, stationary trucks parked in University City and Temple and relatively average carts in Center City.  There were no Twittering trucks announcing their location and presence to their followers.  Food trucks were notably absent from Center City.

Thankfully, things have gone up and up.  New food trucks and carts have popped up, including roving ones.  The variety and quality have vastly improved, with cupcake trucks, a taco truck from an Iron Chef, as well as other ethnic specialty foods.  Events such as the Night Market and Vendy Awards have also helped spotlight the scene.

And now, the next step in the evolution is the pizza food truck in Center City.  And not just any pizza, but wood-fired, Neapolitan-style pizza.  Pitruco Pizza recently made its debut, with a current rotation of two days at Love Park in Center City and two days in University City. 

Here’s the problem about advice regarding proper hydration during a marathon: there’s no one correct and accepted method. 

Instead, there are multiple schools of thought on how to properly stay hydrated without being overhydrated.  In a recent New York Times piece, there’s a focus on avoiding drinking too much water, which could lead to the condition called hyponatremia.  Ingesting more fluid than you lose through sweating or urination could dilute your blood’s sodium levels, which could lead to serious, even fatal conditions.  Instead, the article cites recent guidelines from the International Marathon Medical Directors Association to recommend drinking only when you’re thirsty.

This advice probably goes against everything marathoners of all levels have heard.  Indeed, a HealthDay article from this weekend offers differing thoughts from a registered dietitian.  The recommendation was to stay properly hydrated and consume 16 to 20 ounces of water about 2 hours before the race, drink another 7 to 10 ounces of water 10 to 20 minutes before exercise, and take in about 6 to 8 ounces of water every 15 to 20 minutes during exercise.  For activity of longer than an hour, there also should be consumption of a sports drink with 4 to 8 percent carbohydrates. 

In the end, it matters what works for you.  For me personally, I’ve tried drinking only when thirsty as well as drinking on a regular schedule and gotten dehydrated through both methods.  If anyone has a fail-safe method, I’m all ears.

Today, a Sunday, I was looking to buy a six pack of beer before watching football.  Of course, here in Pennsylvania, it’s not as simple as just going to the neighborhood supermarket.

As is well known, most regular grocery stores, such as SuperFresh, Acme and Genuardi’s, in Pennsylvania are not permitted to sell beer or other alcohol.  The majority of beer is, of course, sold in cases through beer distributors.  Many of these beer distributors now are permitted to sell beer on Sundays, but only after 12 p.m.   Beer can also be purchased in smaller quantities and with more expensive prices at convenience stores and delis.   On Sundays, these stores, like restaurants, are permitted by the state to sell beer only after 11 a.m.

Needless to say, the state’s alcohol laws are unnecessarily confusing.  It’s tough to keep track of the restrictions.  Take a trip sometime though other states to see how much simpler  it is to purchase beer.

From time to time on longer races or training runs, I develop some cramping, soreness and general fatigue in my calf muscles.  While some of these aches are to be expected when you run 15 or more miles, you can still hope to minimize their effects.  Hence, the latest addition to my attire for long runs and races: the compression calf sleeves.

Compression calf sleeves serve several purposes.  Their end goals are to allow you to run longer and recover quicker.  Generally, the compression sleeves support your calf muscles.  They improve blood flow to the muscles, allowing increased oxygen to the lower leg and alleviating lactic acide accumulation.  Compression sleeves  also stabilize and minimize muscle vibration.  Less muscle exhaustion and reduced risk of cramping result.  Even after a run, wearing the sleeves can speed up muscle recovery. 

A visit to Atlantic City from Center City Philadelphia is only about 65 miles and a little over an hour, so it’s not really accurate to describe it as a road trip.  You can go there on the way to or from a weekend at the shore, as a spur-of-the-moment decision during a night out, or for a planned gambling excursion.  Regardless of the circumstances, I strongly recommend that you make time for a submarine sandwich at White House Sub Shop on Arctic Avenue.

Open since 1946, White House is well known to both old timer residents as well as newer generations of Atlantic City visitors.  The corner shop itself is not large and is an exercise in inefficiency.  There are about 10 booths, and those looking to sit down must stay outside the inner door until a waitress takes them to a table.  Those looking for take out can proceed inside to  the back, where they then stand around like stockbrokers waiting to place buy-sell orders.  For those looking to sit down at the counter, it’s a gray area whether you can go in and sit down without a waitress taking you there or not.  Somehow, this system has worked for about fifty years.