Man, running at lunch this week has gotten a lot tougher. It can’t be that I’m getting into worse shape, nor do I think it’s a case of overtraining. I think, it just that it’s gotten so damn hot. So much for Spring here in Central North Carolina.

Regardless, below is a nice article breaking down what’s going on during those lunch runs for me, you and everyone else squeezing a run in when they can:

What Happens to Your Body on a 30-Minute Run

Did I mention I’m really missing my road bike lunch workouts. Must get a bike rack for one or both of our cars to make riding at lunch a possibility again.

Some of the most popular posts on Keefer Madness have been Garmin related — mostly about fixing and resetting various models in the Edge cyclocomputer lineup.

Well with my first Garmin Edge 305, I got the cadence and heart rate accessories. Cadence is still humming along, but the heart rate monitor has been not accurately reporting heart rate over the past couple months. Two battery changes and various attempts to wet the contacts and my skin beneath have not resurrected the reliability of the heart rate monitor strap.

Do you all have any further suggestions, or is it time to just bite the bullet and buy a replacement heart rate monitor strap. If so, another Garmin-branded one or a different ANT+ heart rate monitor?

I pride myself on getting pretty good sleep most every day, but there’s always room for improvement, in pretty much everything we do. Lifehackers list of ten tricks for better sleep is great.

Love the pic accompanying #6, by the way. Good night!

Top 10 Tricks for Getting Better Sleep

I’m a big fan of the Fitbit, and have had one clipped to my belt almost daily since I first got mine a little less than two years ago. It’s a great little steps/activity tracker, and I’ve been impressed with their support and willingness to stand behind their product — even with early adopter types like myself.

Yesterday, they announced the new Fitbit Ultra, which I’d call the Fitbit 2.0 or maybe 1.5. It looks like the original model, and is priced at $99 like the original, yet it has some improved (and oft requested features) such as customization of the info showed, a clock and a altimeter. Oh yeah, and it comes in multiple colors.

While it’s not enough of a leap forward to necessitate upgrading from the original, it’s definitely worth it for those of you who don’t have one and/or have been on the fence on getting one.

Introducing the Fitbit Ultra. Now Track Stairs, and More!

This seems like a winning idea to me for those running, cycling, or pretty much any workout. I’m definitely going to give this a try, and may report back with my experience.

Jog.fm Suggests the Best Music for Your Workout Based on Your Performance

Sadly, almost all of my ride time so far in 2011 has been on the indoor trainer. Between time constraints and short winter days, that’s all I’ve had as an option. Active.com posted a nice mixed intensity work for the indoor trainer. I’m going to have to give it a shot one evening.

Mixed Intensity Workout for the Indoor Trainer

Seems like this year in North Carolina has had more than its share of cold weather this year — including several bouts of snow and ice. Granted, not a ton of accumulation, but enough to force most of us indoors for our workouts. Active.com has done a great roundup of seven ways to make it through the winter.

7 Tips to Ride Through Winter

This article below from Bicycling.com makes some great and compelling points as to why everyone show incorporate some intervals into their cycling regiment. I especially like the point about boosting your metabolism:

Exercise researchers have found that your metabolism stays higher for as long as 12 hours after a vigorous workout, which adds up to about 15 bonus calories for every 100 you burned during exercise. All you have to do is follow this simple plan.

Fry Fat with Intervals

This is a seemingly simple device to match two riders of varying fitness levels without having to go the tandem route. I’ll be interested to read reviews of this as people start to get their hands on it. On the surface, it seems pretty compelling and could be a good way to add into your workouts both a companion and some resistance training.

Cycling’s an expensive hobby. There’s just no way around it! The equipment (both bikes and clothing) is both pricey and numerous in needs (and wants). Upgrades to said equipment is even more expensive. Nutritional products can be yet another way break the bank.

CoachLevi.com did a great writeup/list of replacements for on-bike nutrition/snacks, lending itself to some cost savings.

Expensive Energy Gel Replacements