The G4 cable channel is airing all of the previous Ninja Warrior tournaments this weekend. The episodes will air all day today, Saturday and Sunday. Then on Sunday evening at 5:30 pm ET, "American Ninja Challenge 4" will air. That hour-long special will cover the latest competition among G4's viewers to get a chance to compete in the main Ninja Warrior (Sasuke, in the original Japanese) tournament. Then the channel will premiere the 22nd tournament of Ninja Warrior/Sasuke in the U.S. The tournament will be broken up into five half-hour episodes. A recap episode will follow later that night.

I wrote about Ninja Warrior a few weeks ago. It's a demanding obstacle course that requires a great deal of agility, body control and upper-body bodyweight strength. Many of the 100 contestants are primarily there for entertainment purposes but the top competitors are incredibly fit athletes. In previous tournaments, elite athletes from around the world have competed too, including Olympic medalists from the U.S. in gymnastics and wrestling. Gold-medal gymnast Paul Hamm was among the most well-known of these competitors.

The recent hit, "Wipeout", is largely inspired by Ninja Warrior but it's missing some of the key elements of Ninja Warrior. In Ninja Warrior, if you fall off an obstacle, you are out of the tournament. The live crowd gives the competition a better atmosphere. And there is a growing history and tradition with Ninja Warrior, as well as a worldwide fanbase, including the U.S., the UK and Latin America as well as Japan and East Asia.

For some examples of the toughest obstacles, run an Internet search for "ninja warrior salmon ladder", "ninja warrior body prop", "ninja warrior devil steps" and so on. Or just watch the episodes this weekend.

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By the way, I ran 5.15 miles on National Running Day a couple weeks ago. I hope everyone else was able to do something to help improve their fitness.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009 is the first annual National Running Day. It's an informal but national attempt to get more people involved in fitness activities. Running is one of the easiest sports to join. You don't need an enclosed field, pool or court. A park, bike/run trail, sidewalk or empty road will do. You don't need a lot of specialized equipment although it's highly recommended that you get fitted for proper running shoes at a specialty running store (local running store or LRS). You don't need to find teammates or opponents to run but if you do enjoy the company, you can run with one or several other people.

National Running Day doesn't involve road or track races. If you want to participate, just lace up your shoes and run. If you are overweight and out of shape, it might be better to walk today but it's still helpful to just get out there and get moving.

There's an "official" site, www.runningday.org, for reference purposes but you don't need to look at anything on the site to participate. Just run. I think you can download some sort of virtual badge, kind of like those "I voted" stickers. You can post them on your profile or on various web forums to show that you participated in National Running Day.

As I mentioned in the previous blog post, many more people could stand to get more involved with fitness activities. Even walking can help. If you are new to fitness or you haven't done any sports in a long time, just start by walking on 3 nonconsecutive days a week. Try walking for 20-30 minutes each time. The following week, add 5 minutes to each walk and continue until you can walk for 45 to 60 minutes without becoming exhausted. At that point, you could decide to start running by following a walk/run "Couch to 5K" program.

If you are a beginner, it's important not to try to do too much, too soon. This is how many beginners get injured. Then they get discouraged and give up altogether. It's far better to increase the time of the workouts gradually and to keep the speed slow. This will allow your legs to adjust to the impact stress of running and you will avoid most injuries. Your cardiovascular fitness generally develops faster than your leg strength does so you might be tempted to increase the time or mileage of your runs too soon. Don't do this. Just follow the program and soon enough, you will be able to run a 5K (about 3.1 miles) after just a few months.

One more note about running shoes: It's very important to get fitted for the right running shoes, for you. There are many companies that make quality running shoes (Asics, New Balance, Nike, Mizuno, Brooks, Saucony and so on) but you need to find the specific model that works for you. Only a minority of people can handle a neutral/cushioned shoe. Most people tend to overpronate somewhat. If you are among this group, you will probably need to get a little more support from your running shoe and/or insoles. Stability shoes are usually the right choice although some people may need motion-control shoes. Some people supinate (underpronate) instead of overpronate. Regardless, you can't really tell if you are neutral, an overpronator or an underpronator until a trained salesperson watches you when you run. Most employees at general sporting goods stores are not specifically trained to analyze your running gait. This is why it's a good idea to get your first pair of real running shoes at a specialty running store.

You will also find that "technical"/synthetic-fiber clothing works much better than cotton clothing does. Synthetics wick moisture (sweat) away from your skin, leaving you drier and making it much less likely that you'll experience chafing problems. Cotton is almost guaranteed to cause chafing problems once you start to run for significant distances. So avoid cotton clothing. This includes socks, shorts, pants and shirts.

***

RUNNING AND TRIATHLON TRAINING

I started running outdoors in recent weeks after struggling with various injuries over the winter due to an improper shoe fit. I ended up solving my problems by getting Superfeet Green insoles, which are much harder than the typical Dr. Scholl's insoles that you find at drugstores. The Superfeet insoles provide significant lateral support for your feet and ankles. They solved my issues with knee pain almost right away. (I had to take 8 weeks off from running over the winter because of a severe case of runner's knee. I still did a lot of swimming, strength training and some stationary bike workouts though.)

Anyway, I'm now running about 3 times a week, always taking about 48 hours off between runs. I usually swim on the other days. I'm finding that it's better to add bike workouts on the same days as my run workouts. You might think that it would be tougher on the legs but actually it works better that way. I get in all of my leg endurance workouts on one day and then I get the following day off from lower-body specific workouts. However, I don't always follow this schedule and I sometimes do run and bike workouts on separate days.

I did a lot of strength training over the winter too. I'm not doing as much now since I've ramped up the run and bike workouts and continued with the swimming but I still try to get in at least 1 or 2 strength workouts a week. I should clarify that strength workouts for endurance athletes and most other athletes do not resemble the weight sessions that bodybuilders do. Bodybuilders are concerned with muscle size, muscle definition and aesthetics. Functional strength, agility and muscular endurance are not as important for bodybuilders but they are very important for most athletes. I'll post more about this topic in a later blog entry.

Running outdoors is a liberating feeling. It's great to be able to roam about and see the sights outside without driving around in a car or taxi or taking the Metro (subway). I've mapped out a few different routes, including some that take me on the National Mall, around the Tidal Basin (where the famous cherry trees are located), past the Washington Monument and around the Jefferson, WWII and Lincoln Memorials. I bumped up my mileage gradually to the point where I'm now running about 4.5 to 8 miles for each run. I plan to increase my "long" run a mile a week until I get to about 12 miles or so. I'm also doing speedwork or tempo runs on one of my running days. This helps me to get used to running at faster paces, which will be helpful in races.

I'm still saving up money for a road bike. Hopefully I'll be able to get one within the next month. I only have 3 1/2 more months before the Olympic-distance triathlon. I'm doing a lot of work on the stationary bike but it's not quite the same as a regular road bike. I'm not going to get a BMX or mountain bike because they are just too slow. They are more rugged than a road bike but they just can't reach the speeds that a good road bike can. And when I talk about speed, I'm really talking about speed. Some of those cyclists can go fast, as in 35-40 mph or more! For intermediate races, it seems that I would have to average about 23-25 mph to be in the middle of the pack.

I'll have to try to find some to serve as my own personal triathlon sponsor or something. That would make it much easier to get a really good road bike or even a triathlon bike. Those can get quite pricey. While mountain bikes often sell for under $300 and commuter bicycles can sell from $150-$400, a road bike suitable for racing will usually cost more than $1000 although there are entry-level models that cost a bit less. Triathlon bikes tend not to sell in the same volume that road bikes do and they also feature expensive carbon-fiber tubing. I don't think it's easy to find new tri bikes for less than $1500 while many cost between $2500 and $3500. Some models are priced at $5000 and above while I saw one custom set-up at the bike store with a receipt of $10,000! That would be quite a bit over my limited budget.

I've taken a look at eBay but the problem is that I might not get the right fit. If the size is just a little off, you can put your knee or back in an uncomfortable position. That could cause overuse injuries in the long run, so I might stick with the local bike store. I saw at least a couple road bikes that I could probably afford. I'll also have to get a bike helmet and bike shoes. Bike shoes tend to last a long time, several years, but they do have a significant upfront cost. There are some models at around $100 while others have carbon-fiber soles and resulting carbon-fiber prices, over $300. They are really light though. I picked up a pair at a store just to see what the difference is. The soles are very stiff but the entire shoe seemed to weigh just a couple ounces.

I'm open to any ideas about sponsors. Unfortunately I am not an elite racer (yet?) so this idea might not get me anywhere. In that case, I'd just get an entry-level road bike and add clip-on aerobars. What's an aerobar? That's another topic I'll get to in a later blog entry, but basically it's a set of bars or a single curved bar that lets you lean your torso down in an aerodynamic position while your hands and forearms are pointed forward. Instead of sitting upright and presenting a large profile against the wind resistance, you can lean forward on the aerobars so that a much smaller area is facing the wind. This cuts down on the wind resistance dramatically. You won't see aerobars in most road cycling races because it's difficult to steer with them. That makes them dangerous in group riding (the peloton). But in most triathlons, drafting (riding behind another rider to minimize wind resistance) is illegal in the bike portion so it's more feasible to use aerobars.

***

But enough about triathlons for now. Today is National Running Day so do your heart and yourself a favor and get out and walk or run. It doesn't matter how long or how far you go. If you aren't used to exercise, you don't need to walk or run for too long. Just get started on the road to better health. Since I'm up early today, I might go for a run right now. Today is my speedwork day. We're supposed to have scattered but strong thunderstorms this afternoon and evening so it might not be a good idea for me to run home from work today. That's about all for now but I'll have plenty more to say about triathlons, running, swimming, cycling and fitness in the coming months.

Tomorrow, Friday, May 15, is National Bike to Work Day. People all across the country are encouraged to ride a bicycle to work instead of driving. Part of the motivation is to promote a more environmentally friendly lifesty1e but perhaps the most important reason is to get more people to incorporate exercise into their lives. It's no secret that the majority of American adults are overweight, and a steadily increasing percentage of adults are categorized as obese. In some cases, this is the result of specific conditions or diseases but in the majority of cases the problem is caused by a combination of poor eating habits and lack of exercise. Cycling to work won't take care of the poor eating habits (though it may encourage people to eat better, to be able to handle the extra physical activity) but it would serve to increase the exercise that bike commuters get on a regular basis.

(Decreasing gasoline use has another benefit: Less money for President Ahmadinejad of Iran and "President for Life" Chavez of Venezuela. Both of those guys get money from oil revenue as a result of petroleum product consumption worldwide, even when we don't buy petroleum directly from those countries. So there is a national security component to energy conservation too.)

Many cities across the U.S. are hosting local activities on Friday morning. These include gathering spots near work centers where bike commuters can get water, healthy breakfast snacks and live entertainment. Some locations are also holding raffles where you can win various prizes including a new bicycle.

Run an Internet search to find out whether there are organized activities in your area. Even if there aren't, consider taking part in the day anyway and ride your bike to work (or to school, if you are a college or high school student).

May is also National Bike Month in the U.S. Regular exercise and good eating habits are essential to maintain a healthy weight and body composition (muscle and body fat percentages). They will also result in a better outlook and a longer life for most people. (Exercise can't prevent car accidents, unfortunately.) Don't be one of those people who puts themselves into a Type II diabetic state because of all the potato chips, high-fat fast food, sugary soda (or worse, high-fructose corn syrup) and couch sitting. If you have children, be a good example for them by getting into better shape. You don't have to be a champion cyclist, just someone who incorporates moderate exercise and healthy dietary practices into your day-to-day life.

I do have to admit that I won't be biking to work but that's because I'm still saving up the money to get a decent road bike. But I have been doing plenty of work on the stationary bike along with regular swim and run workouts (and strength training) in preparation for the Olympic-distance triathlon this fall. I'm also entering a few road-running races this spring and summer to get my feet wet into the world of competitive athletic events, including my first 5K race this weekend. I'll post more about that in a few days.

One more note: June 3 is National Running Day. Everyone is encouraged to run (or walk) that day as part of another effort to promote healthier lifesty1es across the country. If you have never run consistently before, it may be better to walk on that day. I'll write up a blog post about some basic running tips for beginners before that date.

Stay fit and healthy and enjoy the warm weather (at least those of you in the Northern hemisphere).

As fans already know, the Sci Fi Channel series Battlestar Galactica ends its run tomorrow night with a two-hour series finale, starting at 9 pm ET. The channel will devote the entire day of programming to BSG, beginning with "The Hub" at 8 am ET. Sci Fi will continue to air episodes from this final season, Season 4, until 7 pm ET. At that point, they will air "BSG: The Last Frakkin' Special", an hour-long look at the series that features interviews with cast members, producers and others.

At 8 pm, the channel will air "Daybreak Part 1", the episode that aired last week. It is considered to be the first part of the three-part series finale. The next two parts will debut at 9 pm and 10 pm.

As you may have heard, the series has garnered many accolades over the past 5 1/2 years, picking up Emmy Awards and nominations, and a Peabody Award. The American Film Institute named BSG one of the ten best shows on television. Time Magazine named it the best show on all of television in 2005. Entertainment Weekly called it the 2nd most significant TV show or movie in science fiction over the past 25 years. BSG had a special showing at the UN this month as part of a cultural program examining the way BSG has dealt with issues of war, politics and governance.

I said that this is the end, "sort of," because BSG will not be disappearing off into the sunset after tomorrow night. There will be another BSG TV movie, "The Plan", which will air later this year. The DVD of the Caprica pilot will be released next month (on April 21). The pilot will debut on television in 2010 as part of a BSG prequel series that takes a look at the development of the Cylons, human cloning, corporate intrigue and a struggle between two families -- the Adamas and the Graystones.

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BSG on TV.com after the series finale

Many of us always knew that BSG was not the type of series that could be extended indefinitely. The episodes were too tightly interconnected and there weren't as many "standalone" episodes as one normally finds with most television shows. So we knew BSG would end sooner rather than later. But it's still sad to see this remarkable creative achievement coming to an end.

It's been interesting to serve as the editor for the BSG guide on TV.com for the last 3 years. I've learned a lot about what goes into the creation of a television series from reading various articles, analyzing episodes, discussing the show on the forum and even interviewing a couple of BSG insiders a couple years ago. The forum has been lively and one of the most intellectual ones on the site. That's not to say that we didn't have a couple problems with trolls in 2005 and 2006 but overall it has been a positive experience.

I'd hope that BSG fans continue to post on the forum with their thoughts, observances and opinions about the series even after it ends. I myself intend to start working on my "BSG novel" this spring after a lengthy hiatus. (Hey, if the Sci Fi Channel can take a 12-month hiatus between seasons of BSG, then I can too.) I haven't done much work on the novel in about a year but I have written down some ideas about key scenes, locales and themes that I want to cover in the last half(?) of the novel.

I'll try to post another blog entry about BSG next week, maybe a summary of my thoughts about the entire series (without getting into specifics about story lines).

And what's up with the Sci Fi Channel renaming itself Syfy? That's not a joke. People are going to call it /see-fee/ or /siffy/. Ugh.

***

As for other topics, I continue to be puzzled, frustrated and yes, upset, about what has been going on around this site over the winter. I won't get into specifics (for fear of getting censured, again) but I will say that the situations have not been handled properly at all. And that's all I'll say about that (as Forrest Gump might have said).

Exercise and fitness

I've kept up with the swimming and strength training this year although I ran into another problem with my knee, this time my right one. I'll post more about this next time but I'm convinced that I injured the knee doing a stretch common in yoga, where you lie on a mat, bend one leg at the knee and bring it up under your torso, and lie on top of the leg to stretch your hamstring and hip. The problem with this stretch/pose is the sideways torque on your knee. My knee problems started at about the same time I did this stretch. I took two weeks off from exercise last month but that didn't help at all. I started up with swimming and strength training again this month but I continued to experience pain on the medial condyle (inner protuberance of the bone) of my right tibia (the primary bone of the lower leg). One day, I was running out of time at the gym so I couldn't do my usual post-workout stretching routine. That night was the first in about 5 or 6 weeks where my knee did not hurt. My knee was pain-free the following day too. I didn't do any stretching after the next workout and I continued to be pain-free.

Though a regular program of careful post-workout stretching is a good idea in general, if you have a ligament or tendon injury, it could actually exacerbate the problem. I've now been pain-free for almost a week since I stopped stretching. I'll incorporate upper-body stretches again because that doesn't affect my knee, but I'll stay away from lower-body stretches for another week or two.

Keep in mind that static stretching, which is intended to increase flexibility and range of motion, should be done after a workout, not before. Before you exercise, it's more important to warm-up. I combine walking, slow jogging and dynamic warm-ups. Some call this "dynamic stretching" but it's really not intended to stretch out your muscles. It just gets your muscles used to moving in a slow, controlled manner. Along with a general warm-up, it will help your workout go much better. Some examples of dynamic warm-ups are alternating "hugs" and behind-the-back hand claps, slow arm rolls, slow torso twisting, and one-leg swings (forward, backward and each side), always in a controlled fashion. These are NOT ballistic stretches, the old-fashioned fast stretches like high leg kicks that were intended to extend your range of motion during a warm-up. Ballistic stretches are about the worst thing you can do in a warm-up.

Because of financial concerns, I may be scaling back my racing plans this year. I don't think I can afford to enter any triathlons. The entry fees are significantly more expensive than shorter running road races and the gear costs quite a bit too. Triathlon and road bikes are rather expensive and the costs don't stop there. You need to get the bike adjusted properly. A bike helmet is a safety requirement. Bike shoes are another mandatory item. For the time being, I'll stick to running races but I'll continue to do a lot of cross-training (swimming, stationary bikes, spin bikes, elliptical machine) along with strength training (which is not the same as bodybuilding). I'm going to ease into racing with a 5K this spring. I'm also looking at a 10K in the early summer. There are many running races in this area throughout the entire year. The National Marathon is taking place this Saturday. I'm not nearly ready for a marathon but I might go downtown to watch. (There's also some sort of antiwar rally going on the same day, which could make things quite tricky. I really hope we don't get any of the hooligans that showed up in Seattle during one of those anti-globalization protests some years back.)

Most races around here draw big crowds so it's not easy to win. I'm not expecting to win any of these races. An age-group award is probably out of reach at this point too. But I think I can get a "respectable" time in the 5K, especially now that I've figured out the problem with my right knee. I still have time to get in some tempo runs and interval training. I already know I can run at least 6 miles without getting tired, but I'll need to be able to run the 3.1 miles (the approximate equivalent of 5 kilometers) at a fast pace without crashing before the finish line. I've kept up my stamina with the swimming and biking. I try to include sprint intervals and tempo workouts to maintain and develop my fitness but I'll need to get some run-specific fitness too. I'll post the results if and when I finish the races. (That's if I'm still around on the site at that time. Unfortunately, that may not entirely be up to me.)

For those of you who have let yourselves go a bit, I have updated my "About Me" section to include a URL for a beginners' running site. It includes a "Couch to 5K" program to help you go from being a couch potato to someone capable of finishing a 5K run, thus the name. Though people occasionally lose weight just by modifying and overhauling their dietary practices, it's rare for those people to keep that weight off unless they include a program of regular exercise. Running is a relatively inexpensive way to start exercising. Beginners only need to buy a decent pair of running shoes (not "sneakers", which are designed more for their looks than for serious athletic activity). It's best to start out by walking, interspersed with brief periods of running if you aren't used to regular exercise. As you build up the time of your workouts, you should invest in some proper exercise clothing. Cotton socks, shorts and shirts are not recommended because cotton soaks up moisture. Sweat-soaked cotton clothing is heavy and it can cause chafing problems. Synthetic-fabric clothing (often called "technical" clothing) wicks sweat away from your skin, keeping you drier and safer from chafing problems. It's important to avoid the common problems of beginning runners: going too fast, too far, too soon. Running involves a great deal of impact stress on your lower body. It is generally safe but you have to build up the strength gradually. If you don't, you are almost guaranteed to develop runner's knee, ankle problems, shin splints or hip problems. But if you build up your time gradually, you will develop stronger legs, stronger bones, stronger ligaments and a healthier heart.

***

I won't include any original pictures this time since the post is already long enough. I have a few picture blog entries in the works that I planned a while back. I never posted them because of my dissatisfaction with the problems on the site. We'll see if I find the motivation to start posting those types of blog entries again. I think it's a shame to see what has happened in recent months, with long-time editors and active users leaving the site or even getting forced off while other problems were never properly addressed. (They still really haven't been.) I'm also disappointed in the decision to crack down on the NFL Picks contest on the Sports forum. Though I understand the need to prohibit "mindless" forum games where people "hurt and heal" by posting "+1" or "-1" over and over again, the picks contests involve actual conversations and extended discussions relating to sports. I don't see what is wrong with that. These are not "content-free" posts. Moreover, the very idea to have an NFL picks contest on this site originated with the staff themselves. I would think that the staff would welcome activities that increase community participation on the site through substantive interaction that is not based on deceit. I'll leave it at that, before I pick up another "official" warning.

The vernal equinox will occur on Friday shortly before noon. This signals the "official" start of spring although many consider spring to begin at the start of March or mid March when average temperatures are a bit higher. In either case, spring seems to be here. Let's hope that springtime brings a "rebirth" all around, of the site, of the economy and of many other things. By the way, I will become an uncle for the second time this spring. At the same time, a close relative will be having a "minor" surgery this month. Though the procedure shouldn't include any complications, it's always a little worrisome when someone has any type of surgery. Hopefully there won't be any problems. I won't post any more details than that since I know some people around here know my real identity. I don't care too much but I think that knowledge has resulted in some minor issues for me. Maybe if my novel gets a good reception, I'll be welcoming publicity. So long for now.

Well, this is my first new blog entry on the site in over three months. There's been a lot going on since the last post. I won't get into all the details but I'll provide some general updates.

As you may know, I was not happy with the site redesign in September, especially with all the bugs and some of the questionable design choices, such as the abbreviated Tracked Blogs list, the hiding of so many features behind submenus and so on. It took more than three months for the software people to fix some very notable bugs like the display of writers in episode guides. When there was more than one writer for an episode, the names would get mashed together, in a very prominent location on the webpage.

Some long-time editors seem to have drifted away because of all the site instability. At the same time, some dishonest individuals have been making a mockery of the submission and level system, to the point that I don't take it that seriously anymore. Why do I care about dishonesty, cheating and gaming so much? Well, besides the fact that it's dishonesty, cheating and gaming, it involves lying to other people on the site, people that are supposedly friends and acquaintances.

I have encountered situations in real life where someone had a similar attitude about lying, which resulted in quite a bit of hostility and harassment to me and significant financial harm. Let's just say someone (I'll call her "the Q") thought it was OK to knowingly make up stories about me and try to set me up with one of her gay friends. (I'm not gay by the way.) This isn't a comment about who other people want to see but when someone tries to set me up to have someone try to take me to their place, well, yes that's a BIG problem, one that gets me pretty upset. Though this took place a few years ago, I still had to deal with the situation because I continued to work in the same office for quite some time afterward. I see the same exact attitude toward lying in people who engage in gaming on a massive scale, deny it and act like they are honest contributors to the site. Gaming is lying and it's cheating and it needs to stop. If someone has engaged in gaming on a massive scale in the past, I think that person should voluntarily refrain from making any more submissions to any guides for a long, long time. (Three years would be my suggestion.)

A few days after my blog entry in October, I found myself out of work. It's been tricky ever since. Hopefully I'll find something else very soon. That's part of the reason why I didn't feel like posting on my blog and part of the reason why I don't feel any sympathy for gamers or "real-life" liars. I've never once felt that because of my challenging circumstances that I should be allowed to cheat or lie about other people.

Now that I've reached Level 55 and Battlestar Galactica is starting up its final set of episodes this week, I thought this would be the right time to post another blog entry.

STRUGGLES WITH MY KNEE -- AND RECOVERY

As you may know, I have been doing a lot of swimming in recent years, mostly in the summers and falls. Toward the end of last summer, I decided to ramp up the training and prepare for some type of race in 2009. At first I thought about running a marathon. I began running in September and picked up the pace in October. Unfortunately, swimming doesn't prepare your legs for the impact stress of running. It's very important for someone who is new to serious run workouts to start out slowly and limit the weekly mileage. I ran too fast and too far, too soon. I also experimented with some barefoot running because I read that it can help strengthen your foot and ankle muscles. In hindsight, I think only advanced runners should try out barefoot running because of the different running form and the lack of shock absorption, even if you try to run on your midsoles.

As a result of all that, I developed a case of runner's knee, a common overuse injury among beginning runners. My kneecap was tracking slightly to the side of the knee instead of riding directly in the groove between the two protuberances of the thigh bone. The inner part of my left knee got very sore and my knee started clicking whenever I bent it. It got to the point that I couldn't even walk up a small flight of stairs, not unless I kept my knee straight and swung my leg out to the side. I stopped running in late October. However, I soon started a limited program of strength training, to help rebuild the strength in my knee. I kept up with swimming to maintain my aerobic fitness.

I'm pleased to say that after eight weeks, my knee is OK again. My left knee still feels slightly weaker than my right one but I've been running, slowly, for three weeks, with no problems. I'm also building up the time of each workout gradually. No sudden long runs, even if I feel good during a run. I've worked my way back to 30-min. runs, three times a week. I've also increased my strength training. I'm mixing in swimming and stationary bike sessions too.

My focus changed in the late fall/early winter. I started to target a triathlon race in 2009 because I enjoy swimming. The runner's knee problem also contributed to the decision. I've done a lot of swim drills to improve my front crawl technique and I've started to pedal/spin at a higher cadence on the stationary and spin bike. I'm trying to get used to spinning at 100-120 revolutions a minute. It's more efficient to pedal at a higher cadence. If you try to pedal at a higher resistance level at a lower cadence, you can put too much stress on your knees. I'd really like to avoid any further knee problems in the future.

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS?

I didn't really make many New Year's resolutions. The most popular resolution in the U.S. each year is probably to get in better physical shape. Since I've already been swimming, running, cycling and strength training 3 to 6 times a week for the last seven months, I don't really need to make that type of resolution. (I took some time off in December because of the flu but that was one of the few breaks I've taken since late May.)

However, I did set a minor goal for myself. I'd like to be able to do one-arm push-ups by the spring. Extreme strength isn't really necessary for triathlons and marathons but I think strength training helps with injury prevention. The individual components of triathlon (swimming, biking and running) don't involve a lot of lateral (side-to-side) movement so those stabilizer muscles can get weak and out of balance with other muscles. You never want to have significant muscle imbalances. That almost always leads to injuries. So while strength training takes some time away from other training, if it helps you to avoid injuries, then it's worth it, even from a Return On Investment perspective.

The one-arm push-ups aren't necessary but I thought it would be a neat thing to be able to do. Though push-ups can be difficult for beginners, it can get too easy after a while. If you can do 20, 30 or more push-ups, you're focusing more on muscular endurance, not muscular strength. One-arm push-ups allow you to double the resistance of push-ups without any equipment and focus more on strength. They aren't for beginners and you should never jump into them unprepared. You first need to have a base strength level. Then you need to build up strength in your arms, shoulders, pectorals and your "core" muscles to handle the added stress. I'm still working on the preparation but I'm making progress. I might give the one-arm push-ups a try in a couple months.

TV.COM ITEMS

As noted in the title, I finally reached Level 55, after almost seven months. I really didn't submit much during the summer and fall, partly because I was busy with work, partly because I didn't need to update any guides and partly because I lost a lot of motivation with the redesign bugs. However, I saw the Ninja Warrior show on G4 for the first time a few weeks ago. The guide was in poor shape and the previous editors had been retired or went MIA. (I think it was the former.) Thus, I started to fill in the guide. Heaven knows I've had the free time lately. I started out slowly until yesterday when I did my first marathon submission session in perhaps a year. I added dozens of episodes to the guide and ended up reaching Level 55 today as a result.

I'm much less interested in levels because of all the gaming that is going on. The levels just don't mean as much in light of the clear evidence of misconduct. But it's still nice to hang onto the lower reaches of the top 100 on the site. Suffice it to say, I never plan to cheat just to maintain a particular level or user ranking. If I didn't feel like submitting anymore, I would just stop and maybe focus on forums and blogs only. That's sort of what I do already. I think I'm one of the top 10 in forum posts on the site, at least among non-spammers.

In case you aren't familiar with the Ninja Warrior show, it's a U.S. repackaging of the extremely popular Japanese fitness contest show Sasuke. One hundred contestants are gathered to attempt to finish what the producers call "the world's toughest obstacle course", one at a time. The first stage involves tests of strength, balance and coordination. The vast majority of contestants fail to finish the first stage. Many of the contestants are celebrities or non-athletes who are in the contest for entertainment purposes only. For example, there's a sushi bar owner called "the Octopus" because he always brings a dead octopus with him to the starting point. He's an older man, in his 60s. He usually fails to finish the first or second obstacle so he's not considered a serious threat to win. But he's a fan favorite. There's also a very frail-looking sculptor who looks like he weighs less than 100 lbs. He also falls into the water on the first or second obstacle.

At the same time, elite athletes from around the world take part because the course really is quite challenging physically. I've seen episodes with Olympic wrestlers and gymnasts, including U.S. Olympic gold-medal gymnast Paul Hamm. There is also a small group of elite Japanese regulars titled the "Sasuke (Ninja Warrior) All-Stars". These men are considered to be among the best contestants, with the best chance of winning the event.

The first stage, which includes a pole vault maze, a curved wall climb, various jumps onto ropes and leaping tests, usually knocks out 90 percent or more of the 100 contestants. The second stage presents tougher challenges, all of which have to be completed before time runs out. One of the hardest tasks is the Salmon Ladder, where the contestant has to hang on a steel bar supported on each end by short posts. Then the contestant has to move himself and the bar up to the next set of posts, moving up about 20 feet just by swinging his body and lifting the bar at the same time. (Women are eligible to participate although no woman has ever completed the first stage. However, there is also a separate contest limited to just women that focuses more on balance skills than upper-body strength.)

Only a few men finish the second stage. In one contest, no one made it past that stage, thereby ending the contest prematurely. If no one finishes, no one wins. That's what makes the event different. Everyone is competing against the course, not so much against each other. The contestants generally root for other people to succeed and beat the course. The third stage is incredibly demanding of upper-body strength. The stage is almost completely dominated by hanging obstacles where you have to move and support your entire body by hanging and grabbing onto posts, globes, curtains and ledges with your hands, with no opportunity to use your legs or feet for support. In most contests, no one completes the third stage because it's just that tough. This stage is untimed but it's still almost impossible to complete.

In the rare instance that someone finishes the third stage, they move onto the final stage, a grueling ladder and rope climb through a scaffold tower approximately 50 or 60-feet high. I think only three or four people have ever beaten the final stage and conquered the course to become "an ultimate champion".

The event is staged twice a year in Japan, in the fictional Mt. Midoriyama, which is actually a backlot of the Tokyo Broadcasting Company near the Japanese capital. The entire event takes place in a single day so the latter stages are often held under the lights at nighttime. The Japanese announcer is quite frenetic and excitable, giving the show a lot of its entertainment value. The U.S. G4 station adds an English-language introduction and comments after each commercial break but they leave the Japanese commentary in place, only adding English subtitles. The show is a lot of fun to watch and it displays the mindset more common in sports like running and triathlon, where the goal of most people is just to finish the course and compete against your own personal best time, not against other athletes. In Ninja Warrior, the course is the enemy, not the other contestants.

G4 has recently held American Ninja Challenge contests to select two or three U.S. contestants who are sponsored by the channel to compete in the Japanese contest. Other Americans participate too but they are usually Olympic athletes who qualify on their own. There have also been Olympic athletes from eastern Europe, Taiwan and South Korea, but most of the "entertainment" contestants are Japanese.

THE LONG GOODBYE

I don't watch too many shows on network television, mostly cable shows. For some reason, three of the shows I follow are all ending this winter and spring. The Discovery Channel's Survivorman series ended with the Papua New Guinea episode that aired in December. Les Stroud said that the week-long survival challenges have gotten to be too tough on his body. It can't be easy to spend a week in brutally hot jungles, frozen Canadian forests, arid Utah deserts or the middle of the ocean with little equipment and almost no food or water. At least he ended up surviving through to the end of the series, unlike Steve Irwin. I usually only watched Survivorman during holiday marathons but it was always interesting.

The Sci Fi Channel show Stargate Atlantis also ended recently, just last week. It's not as intense as Battlestar Galactica but it was a fun, adventurous show with a lot of humorous moments and likable characters. Especially in this difficult time for me personally and for the national economy, it's good to enjoy some light-hearted entertainment, to help provide some good cheer and optimism. Though some of the episodes in Season 3 and Season 4 were a bit inconsistent, I'd have to say that overall it was a quality show that provided exactly what it promised: action, adventure, humor and entertainment. I like the fact that the Stargate series are set in the present day and most of the characters are regular humans who just happen to be facing a strange situation (the system of Stargates and interstellar travel).

Last but not least, Battlestar Galactica begins its final run. The last episodes, the second half of the final season, start airing this Friday on the Sci Fi Channel. Time Magazine named Battlestar Galactica the 8th-best show on all of television for 2008. The most recent episode to air, "Revelations" (way back in June), ended on a shocking note. Time named that episode the 6th-best on all of television for 2008.

If you want to catch-up on recent episodes, you can view them on TV.com itself at the Battlestar Galactica guide. (Click on this link.) The Sci Fi Channel will also be airing a BSG marathon this Friday, starting at 8:30 am. The channel will also show the special "BSG: The Top Ten Things You Need to Know", which provides a 30-min. summary of the main elements of the story. It will air on Friday at 8 am and 6:30 pm ET.

If you're looking for a light-hearted, feel-good adventure, well, Battlestar Galactica isn't it. It's emotionally intense, politically charged and filled with conflict and drama. With the series coming to an end, anything could happen to any character at any time. I'm keenly interested to see how they tie the Colonial civilization to our own Earth. The approach is much more serious than the one seen in the 1980 sequel to the original TV series (appropriately titled Galactica 1980) where the Fleet arrived at the then present-day Earth and a group of "super Scout" children became significant characters.

I'm glad that the series seems to be ending on a high note in terms of creativity, although I'm still disappointed that it's ending soon. Some of the actors have hinted that the multi-part series finale will be completely mind-blowing.

There will also be an additional BSG television movie that should air later in the year. Most of the props and costumes are being sold off in a live and virtual auction this weekend so it's unlikely that any further BSG TV movies will be made. I would have liked to have bid on some of the items but I really don't have the funds now. I kind of wished they would have brought the items together and sent them to a museum of some sort like the Smithsonian's American History Museum (which has many items from popular entertainment and culture) or the Science-Fiction Museum in Seattle.

CODA

It feels sort of good to write another blog entry again. It helps to get some things off my chest and into the "blogosphere". I still have many other blog topics and original photos in store. We'll see if I get to them and start writing more frequently. I do want to get back to writing again, not just with blogs. I haven't written much on my novel in almost a year although I did some chapter sketches over the summer. I'd like to become at least a part-time writer so I need to start plugging away and doing actual writing. Maybe that will help my finances although I'm not expecting much on that front in the near term. Enjoy the rest of the week and may you have a prosperous 2009. But be honest with whatever you may do.