Swerunner's blog - February in Gothenburg!

The Bus stopSuccess at thumbing a ride!

It's cold isn't it?!
Forgive me for not being that active on the blog during wintertime here in Gothenburg, I spend more time at the gym than running. Keep an eye on my activity monitor below because I still every now and then find myself taking the opportunity to run and get my blood flow going despite the cold weather conditions.

Handy E71 phone accessories on the run

I've been asked plenty of times of how one should carry the Nokia E71 phone during a workout like running or biking. To be honested there isn't a "one way or the highway" approach, some cases or armbands might do the trick with a good headset and headphones. I'll share some of my accessories and point out a few other suggestions that might be useful. Feel free to pitch in if you've got other useful tips on how you carry your device.

Learning from your workout habits - pay attention to your type of workout (biking and running mostly in my case) weather conditions (Sweden is cold, rainy, unpredictable) and if you do alot of musiclistening during workouts etc. After that you can start to focus on what you really need instead of what you might like. Most of the time you can get away with cheap accessories and still achieve a fun and a comfortable workout.



Iphone armband - I use a Nokia E71 during my workouts and I discovered it has nearly identical size dimensions as the Iphone. Lot's of cases to choose from, I bought this armband on ebay and use it regularly. It's got washable fabric, most of the buttons are easy to reach, the case is a joy to use and comfortable.


Nokia E71 Leather Case - For me this is the best allround solution for your E71. If you don't like armbands and just want to firmly grab your phone while running this is your case. The Nokia E71 Leather Case protects your precious device from rain, sweat, impact shocks. It comes with a removable beltclip and I use it as my main phonecase.


Waterproof iPhone case from Aquapac - This is the more extreme way to keep your phone out of water, dust and sand. Suitable while tracking your swimming sessions, triathlons or offroad mountainbiking.


A simple drinkingbelt - sometimes there might be simpler ways to carry your phone around, a drinking belt with a water resistant pocket might do the trick. If you're interested in ordering this belt, it's made by a swedish manufacturer called Perfekta. Available in Germany, France and UK.


The headphones Phillips SHS8000 - a good value for money inear headphones with wonderful sound and I never have to worry about them falling out of my ears with the ear hook. My third pair and I am extremely happy with these. My ears don't hurt when I use them and they stay put!

The headset SE HBH-DS205 - another well priced midrange item, my bluetooth stereoheadset. It's fairly small, about the size of a cigarette with controls enough to manage volume, music track and handle calls. The box came with bud headphones but I immediately switched them out. It's a flexible compact listening device that clips to my shirt or jacket. The sound appears to be great and the noise-reduction appears to work very well with very little outside noise transfering. As far as a stereo Bluetooth headset goes, the DS205 works perfectly for my workout needs with 8 hours nonstop musicplaying. My only minus is that it doesn't display the Song Titles and Incoming Caller ID.

How to get a free spotify account in four steps!!



Ok this topic doesn't go under my normal swerunner theme, therefore I'll keep it somewhat "hidden" from the main blog. With this unofficial tutorial that I got via twitter (you can follow me @swestar btw) shows you how to get a UK/US spotify account by hiding your IP adress. Credit goes to one of my readers at www.e71fanatics.com for sharing that with me, one of the benefits I get for being a part of and writing for great tech sites on the net. Thx guys. So here's the tutorial:

Step One: Visit http://htmlblock.co.uk/anonymous_web_browser/

Step Two: Visit “spotify.com” using the above proxy (write the spotify.com adress inside the proxy box)

Step Three: Sign up for a free account. Enter in all real information except for birthdate. I’m just paranoid is all (yet publicly blogging about it). For postal code, use “EC1M 3HN” (thanks, Fabric London!). Finally, enter the captcha, which is extremely difficult to read, and don’t sign up for any of the partner newsletters.

Step Four: Open a new window sans proxy. Go to the “download” section of spotify.com and download the OS X or Windows client, login and enjoy. No need for a proxy once you have the app.

That's it!! Now enjoy your new spotify account, don't forget to say thanks and leave a comment to let me know that this solution is still working. / swerunner

Running the love and hate game


Top reasons why I hate running:
I get all sweaty
My shoes gets smelly after a while
Its hard work and its exahusting
It takes up some time
It makes my feet and legs sore
People think I'm crazy for loving it
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But I never regret any mile I run because of why I love running
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Top reasons why I love running:
The most efficient path to cardiovascular fitness and stress reduction
It is the most accessible of aerobic sports. Anytime, Anywhere.
It's inexpensive and easy to learn, without fancy equipment
I can run at my own pace, with or without company
Improves my metabolism (calori burning engine and nutrition absorption)
A great social activity for families, friends and individuals of all ages.