Savvy Wi-Fi citizens should not only be on the lookout for fast and nearby hotspots, but also be sure to lock down a secure Internet connection. Accessing open Wi-Fi signals can expose you to hackers, malware, and viruses, which can put private information at risk. At Boingo, we don’t want you to worry about practicing Internet safety, so we’ve developed a handy solution for you – Boingo Security VPN! Continue reading
“It is never too late to be what you might have been.” -George Eliot, English novelist The holiday parties are over. We now find ourselves back in the office and back in the old routine. But remember when the clock struck midnight on the 31st? I’m guessing you raised a glass of the bubbly, made a toast to the new year, and declared something along the lines of, “May 2012 be the best ever!” Well, how’s that going for you so far? Making 2012 the best year ever won’t happen simply because you proclaimed it. It only becomes a reality when you define what will make 2012 “the best year” and then set the goals to make it happen. As you might have guessed, I have a few thoughts on how to accomplish your goals: 1. Write Down Your Goals Thinking about what you want to accomplish is far less effective than putting it in writing. There is plenty of evidence that the act of writing down goals and regularly looking at them result in a stronger commitment to the goals and serves to keep one on track towards meeting his goals. 2. Personalize Your Goals Goals have to be yours –
It’s September, and the Ironman World Championship in Kona is four weeks away. Since 1992, my priority each August and September is final preparation for “The Big Show” in Kona. I put in mega miles in the desert heat and build confidence in my ability to perform well in the treacherous Hawaiian conditions. This year is entirely different. My 2011 Kona dream was derailed with a bike crash in early July that resulted in a badly broken collar bone. Through surgery and the follow-on rehab, I maintained hope that I could get back to the IM Championships to defend my title. But that was not to be. I am recovering, but the smart move is to give it more time to fully heal. To do otherwise would jeopardize my long-term ability to perform well and I’m not ready to retire yet. I believe I still have some game. Let me share some thoughts on the last six weeks: Several days post-surgery I started feeling like my “old self” which means I put my bike on the indoor trainer and did some riding. I felt like I was making progress. A week after surgery, I had my first post-op appointment and
Turns out, boulders and shoulders don’t mix. Our resident butt-kicker and 10-time Ironman World Championships Age Group champion Cherie Gruenfeld found that out the hard way during a recent early-morning training ride. Head down in the aero position, cranking away at 6:30AM, she didn’t see the landscaping boulder that had fallen into the bike path. Until she hit it. Let’s just say the boulder won. A broken clavicle and four broken ribs later, Cherie now finds herself in the position no athlete wants to be in: Evaluating their racing season and asking themselves, “What next?” As expected, Cherie has some great insight on what to do when things don’t exactly go your way. It’s a beautiful summer day. My next planned event, the 70.3 (Half Ironman) World Championships, is 6 weeks out. Today my training schedule calls for a 50-mile bike ride followed by an 8-mile run. But instead of “enjoying” that workout, I’m sitting here trying to adjust to my new future. As the old saying goes, “If you want to see God laugh, make a plan.” Two weeks ago, I crashed while doing a bike ride, breaking my collar bone and several ribs. Clearly the 70.3 Championships are
I wish I could say I get tired of watching Cherie Gruenfeld smash her competition. But I don’t. And I love it all the more now that she races in a Boingo kit! I asked Cherie for an update about her last race; below is her summary. My favorite line? “I loved it.” “I recently returned from Kona on the big island of Hawaii where I competed in a race called Honu 70.3. This is a Half Ironman distance race (Swim 1.2 miles/ Bike 56 miles / Run 13.1 miles). If you’ve seen the Ironman World Championships on NBC, you’ve watched athletes struggling through the brutal Hawaiian conditions. These same elements played a major role in this day of racing regardless of the fact that the distance is just half the Ironman distance. The swim, in the beautiful blue Pacific, is fraught with currents and waves as the result of strong winds. The bike course is part of the fabled Ironman bike course so we enjoyed the same strong cross-winds while attemptine to stay upright on our bikes. And during the run we had to negotiate the ups and downs of the Mauna Lani golf course along with some road
The Wall Street Journal recently featured an article on a Columbia University public health study, which found that very frequent travel leads to higher incidences of obesity and other health risks. Although this is the first study of this issue that I’ve seen, its results are far from surprising. Whether traveling by plane, train or automobile, travel presents challenges of all sorts and the most life-threatening challenge is maintaining one’s good health. But with a commitment to the task and a willingness to put in some extra effort, there are certainly things that can help the uber-traveler maintain good health. Here are some tips: Traveling by car: Bring an ice chest with food and drinks that you can keep cool with ice blocks. When you get to the hotel, put the ice blocks in the mini-fridge in the room and you’re set to use them again the next day when you reload your ice chest. If you’re on a multi-day trip, pack a pallet of drinks. When you start to deplete the cold drinks in your ice chest, add more so you have an ongoing supply of cold fluid. Travel by plane: Pack an empty plastic bottle. After passing through
Every once in awhile I hear a story that so touches me, I feel the need to share it. In 1985, Jim MacLaren, an all-American defensive tackle, lost a leg in a motorcycle accident. He reinvented himself into an endurance athlete and competed with able-bodied athletes in the Ironman World Championships in 1992, finishing in 10:42. Unfortunately, in 1993, tragedy struck again – a van veered onto the Orange Country Performing Arts triathlon course and struck Jim, who became a quadriplegic. A group of friends in San Diego rallied to raise money and provide emotional support to Jim, who needed to re-configure every aspect of his life to accommodate wheelchair-living. Flash forward to today. What started with a few good friends helping Jim MacLaren has now become the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF). This non-profit organization, whose stated mission is “to provide opportunities and support to people with physical disabilities so they can pursue active lifestyles through physical fitness and competitive athletics,” has raised more than $11 million to help athletes get back into the game. CAF has changed thousands of lives over the years and recently, they took their show on the road. They went to Haiti, where over 2000
Our resident butt-kicker has done it again. Cherie Gruenfeld placed first in her age group at the AVIA Wildflower Triathlon this past weekend, besting the 65-69 year-old age group for the Half-Ironman distance. (She beat the 60-65 year-old women for good measure, too.) Known for a particularly hilly and grueling course – many participants wonder how it is possible for a course to have so much “up” and so little “down” — the AVIA Wildflower Triathlon is one of the largest triathlon events in the world, with 7,500 athletes and 30,000 spectators attending each year. The event features a 1.2 mile swim in Lake San Antonio, a 56 mile bike ride that includes the notorious “Nasty Grade” — a nearly five mile grade which climbs 1,000 feet (300 m) from bottom to top of “Heart Rate Hill” — and finishes with a 13.1 mile run, more than half of which is done off-road on hiking trails. It’s a tough, fiendishly difficult course that will test the mettle of any triathlete. Lucky for Cherie, she’s got mettle in spades. And she’s got medal, too. A first place medal, that is! Join us in congratulating Cherie on yet another awesome victory. (P.S. Check out Cherie’s new
The New York Times recently published an article which asked the question: Is fitness all in the genes? The article discusses a study which found that there are genes associated with people’s response to aerobic exercise. Although not mentioned in the piece, this study falls on the heels of another which found a gene that predisposes people to physical activity versus sedentary ones like sitting on the couch. Now, I’m all for science. We can learn wonderful things from research and sometimes there’s an immediate practical application. But there’s a case to be made for studies of this sort being kept under wraps. Here’s what I mean: It’s no secret that some of us like physical activity more than others. There are some of us who go nuts without it and there are some who will fight it to the death. And if there were a guarantee that we’d all turn into physical studs/studettes through exercise, more people would simply suck it up, do the work and wait for the results. But, again, it’s no secret – that may or may not happen. Everybody responds differently. So, a study that presents a reason for our lack of desire to exercise
Some of you have asked for a glimpse in the day of my workout life, and I’m happy to oblige. Here is a snapshot of how I balance my work (with Exceeding Expectations) and my workouts: The alarm rings at 5:00 a.m. I take a moment to luxuriate under the warm, cozy covers before tossing them off. By 5:30 I’m in the pool starting a 2500 yard swim, a speed workout consisting of short, fast intervals. Following the swim, I rush home for a quick breakfast and a little computer time, checking new messages that need immediate attention. Having taken care of the necessary business details, I pack up the bike and several gear bags and drive out to my favorite locale for some bike and run speed work. My bike ride includes both short, steep hills and long flat sections perfect for “redline” intervals. This ride takes about an hour and a half and is quickly followed by a run which includes a couple of extreme hills. It’s a short three-mile run but a toughie because it ends with an all-out one mile to the finish. A few minutes of stretching concludes the athletic portion of the day, and
This Saturday, March 5, a group of Boingo employees will gamely attempt their first triathlon in La Quinta, CA. These are folks who spend hours working as a group towards corporate goals. But this weekend, they’re laying it all out there – as a team – and shooting for personal fitness goals. When I joined the Boingo family, I brought along my belief that everyone can benefit from some sort of fitness program. However, I’m well aware that many folks find it a bit intimidating to start a fitness program. You’ll be happy to know that there’s a very good solution to that problem, and the Boingo folks are an excellent example. Being a part of a group and having a goal upon which the group is committed are two of the best possible motivators for getting into a fitness routine and sticking with it. – When you’re having an “off” day, someone who’s feeling strong will pull you along. You’ll do the same when it’s your “on” day. - You always know that others are counting on you: if you commit to meeting at the gym, you’re expected to show up. Whether you feel like getting out of bed
0