tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9498811655150397762024-03-13T19:19:29.070-04:00running thru timeThese are notes of my running journey. Hopefully they will be useful or even inspiring to other runners!
Scroll down and look on the right hand side for titles that might interest you (Archive)Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger107125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949881165515039776.post-66127386899017695572018-01-28T15:08:00.000-05:002018-01-28T19:57:34.607-05:00Achilles Strain - it's not as trivial as I thought<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is sort of an unloading, a confession of sorts, a realization of reality... I injured my Achilles and I've had a difficult time recovering. This is coupled with the final realization that I clearly am not bullet proof and am not resilient to injury. I've had running related running injuries before and somehow I rumbled through them. And now I'm finding that I am unable to simply rumble through my current injury as easily or smoothly as before.<br />
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I yanked my Achilles in mid September and, now January, I am still working towards healing. And this is really, really, annoying. Annoying because of the time it has taken and my body's seeming unwillingness to fix itself quickly. And annoying because my ankle / Achilles still hurts 4 months later.<br />
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Having said the above, I realize that I carry 90% of the responsibility, the remaining 10% being my gene's. I was a late starting running, having just picked up the concept of running when I was 52. I didn't join any groups, I didn't have a trainer, I just started trying to run - and I sucked at it. I read a lot about running, read blogs, forums, and so on, and sort of figured out what I was supposed to do and some of what I was not supposed to do, which, much to my detriment, I probably did anyway. But one of the things that I ignored was my overall fitness and conditioning. Being already fairly naturally "fit", I didn't really think about it much, and felt that getting my miles in was *the* most important thing. How many miles did I log this week, became my mantra. So ultimately, if I had an hour to exercise, I would use that time to run instead of maybe spending 20 minutes doing core exercises and leg strengthening and then running a productive 40 minutes. No, no, no... I preferred to just run. That 20 minutes was an extra 2-3 miles that I could log! Besides, those core and leg exercises were, well, boring. I'd rather run in the rain...<br />
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This (kind of) worked for a number of years. I suspect now that many of my various previous injuries could have been avoided or reduced if I had spent more time conditioning and strengthening my core and legs. And now age has really caught up with me (I'm 61...) and I've become prone to more and more "little" injuries and it is taking longer and longer to recover from these "little" injuries.<br />
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And then I did this thing to my Achilles while taking down my hurricane shutters after Hurricane Irma. I knew that something didn't feel right when I stepped off the ladder but of course, I kept going. I even went for a run later. And that's when the lump on my Achilles grew to the size of a small key-lime. And it hurt. It hurt enough that I could barely walk. I did all the necessary things: ice, elevate, heat, massage, repeat.... and the lump eventually reduced to more the size of a small walnut, but I still could not run without it being noticeably painful.<br />
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Yes, I went to my Doc, who did an ultrasound to make sure that I hadn't done anything super-serious to the Achilles, such as tear or rupture, and after confirming that I hadn't, gave me a script for physical therapy. And the PT is working, my ankle is feeling better, and yes I can see that I will be running again soon (I haven't run in 4 months).<br />
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But here's the crux of the challenge: Measuring only 6 inches long, the Achilles tendon is thickest and strongest tendon in our body. It can handle almost 4 times your body weight while walking and almost 8 times your body weight when running. This tendon is responsible for manipulating the heel and thereby enabling walking, running, and jumping. And it turns out that it is very susceptible to injury. The health of the Achilles tendon depends on the health, strength, and conditioning of, guess what (?), all the various muscle groups in my lower extremities that I was basically ignoring.<br />
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I had anticipated that the PT work would be focused on my lower leg area, perhaps my lower calf, maybe some deep tissue massage, maybe some ultrasound therapy, heat, and some ankle specific exercises. -- Wrong --<br />
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Yes, there has been some deep tissue massage, and yes it was uncomfortable. Ok, it hurt. But it helped.<br />
But then, things went totally askew on me. My PT has evolved into a broad effort to teach me how to strengthen and condition my lower extremities, from my hips down to my toes. The range of exercises and routines has been very broad, probably broader that it would be for a real runner (who knows to exercise and condition their entire body) because my lower body conditioning is so bad. The number of exercises grows with every PT visit to the point that I mix up my daily routine to both incorporate them all throughout the week and induce some measure of muscle confusion, which I'm told is a good thing.<br />
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So far I do feel stronger, but I'm also kinda sore all the time because I'm constantly implementing a new exercise that is stressing out an area that I have previously neglected.<br />
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In hindsight, I'm amazed that I was able to run any of the distance events that I've run without out totally destroying myself... I now have a growing menu of routines that I run through every day in an effort to strengthen my core, hips, and legs and I can see that once I've been able to heal my Achilles injury that I will be a stronger and fitter runner. Maybe I will be able to run another marathon...!<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949881165515039776.post-33681759775519300092017-07-10T09:52:00.003-04:002017-07-10T10:01:20.276-04:00Heat and Humid Running<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Summer has arrived and is in full, and I do mean full, bloom. It is hot, and in FL it is VERY humid. With Fall running events on the horizon, there is no option other than to train hard in the summer... and so we run.<br />
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Runner's World had some good articles in their August 2017 edition, all worth taking a read of. But in the end, I feel that summer running is not complicated. It requires some simple planing and a little thought. Done properly, I get my miles in and improve my conditioning. From my perspective hot/humid weather running involves the following:<br />
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<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Run during cooler parts of the day,</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Run shady routes (stay out of the direct sun as
much as possible),</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Run slower,</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Run hydrated,</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Run connected (with a phone or with someone),</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Run aware of your body’s condition.</span></li>
</ul>
I took exception to a part of the Runner's World article regarding avoiding out and back routes; in other words, be able to bail on the run if things were to go south. At many levels I have to agree that this advice makes sense, but at it's core I disagree that runners should give ourselves a way out of a hard run. Say whaaaat???<br />
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We always have a way out of a run - we just stop the run. We find shade, we walk instead of running, we sit down, we call for help and so on. "Bailing" should not be an option... as in "instead of doing the 10 miles that I need to run, I'm only going to do 3..."<br />
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I tend to prefer a point to point run (usually a big loop), but often do out and backs. The one advantage of an out and back is that once I get to the turn-around point, I won't be done until I get back to my starting point, and thus the impetus to keep running. This almost always works out, although I've had to bail a few times and either walk back or get a ride - it happens. But the point is that the goal is to accomplish a given distance; given the option to bail takes some of that impetus away. <br />
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So having said the above, if I'm going to run an out and back in hot and/or humid conditions, I need to plan accordingly, and yes, I do refer to my list.</div>
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Summer running is hard, but I do admit that doing it makes me a better Fall and Winter runner. I have no idea what it does to my body physically (actually I do, but not enough to talk about...), but what ever it is, it seems to be good. My biggest problem is that when I travel to the cooler north for an event, I have no idea what my pace is - and then I become pleasantly surprised! So it seems to be worth the effort!</div>
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Run cool... Summer is here...<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949881165515039776.post-5791428456302835042017-01-28T09:37:00.001-05:002017-01-29T14:24:31.459-05:00Lazy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I got lazy. I procrastinated. About running I mean. Conflicting priorities and events pulled me away from my usual morning run routine, and then it started... the laziness, the procrastination. "Well, I didn't run yesterday, or the day before, or the day before that.... and I have things that I <i>really </i>need to get started on today, so maybe I'll just skip today's run..." You know - that kind of a thing.<br />
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And so a week went by, then two weeks, and so on... And every now and again I'd drag my sorry butt out the door for a short unsatisfying run.<br />
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Not that I have anything to prove to anyone by posting up consistent mileage. It's all me. I run only for myself, and general sanity. But I did notice my waistline - that little bicycle inner tube that was forming. And the little plumpness in my gut.<br />
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I made a vow to myself seven or eight years ago that I would never, ever, let my girth precede me through a door, i.e. I did not want to grow the dreaded middle aged gut. And so far, so good. But stop running for a couple of weeks and seeds seem to sprout...<br />
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It's not like I'm sitting on my butt all day instead of running, but it seems that the act of consistently running has helped my body keep itself together. Or maybe it's just age... After all, I am a decade past the magic 50.<br />
<br />
It's also interesting that in the first week or so of not running, my legs just did not feel right. Like they were antsy and restless. I kept up my stretching routine, but I'm guessing that my legs missed the runs.<br />
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I did feel a little guilty while being lazy and not running... like something was admonishing me that had not run that day. I tried not to feel guilty; I still felt like a runner; I still felt that I had earned those stripes; I just wasn't running that particular day (or the one before, and the one before that, etc...). It was odd. When I'd see other runners I'd watch them almost longingly, wishing myself out there, to get back into my routine.<br />
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But it's so easy not to; so easy to skip a day. There were appointments, meetings, different crises to tend to. Or it was too windy, too cold, too hot, too late, or too much or too little of something. There were a thousand reasons to put off the run, some of them even valid... But none of them good enough actually.<br />
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Then my father-in-law wound up in the hospital with congestive heart failure and while sitting with him I obviously heard a great deal regarding the causes and prevention of heart disease. Aerobic and anaerobic exercise are paramount. If you are not moving, you are dying. The various doctors and nurses would compliment me on my apparent "good shape" and congratulated me on my exercise routines. "Keep it up" they'd say... Little did they know that I had become "lazy" about all that... and I didn't share that little fact because suddenly I did feel very guilty.<br />
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I had to start my running routine again - no excuses. If I'm not moving, I'm dying.<br />
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So I'm working on getting back into it -<br />
But it has been difficult to get back into the longer runs. Not running for a few weeks seems to have sapped my endurance levels. My legs feel ok, but I seem to have no juice. So I run until I feel fatigued, then walk for a bit, wait until my heart or lungs or whatever catch up, and then run some more. I pick out-and-back routes so that I'd have no choice but to make it back. Naturally I'll challenge myself to go another 1/2 mile or more each time... And my level of impatience is such that I'd run versus walk so that I could get home, shower, and get on with my next task.<br />
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I need to get over this laziness and procrastination. If I'm not moving, I'm dying. And I don't want to die sitting in a chair or on a couch.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949881165515039776.post-56167636784340977532016-12-08T13:48:00.000-05:002016-12-08T14:22:23.652-05:00Not watching my pace<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've started to do my runs without monitoring my pace - and oddly enough my runs seem easier and my pace is a little faster.<br />
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Ever since I started running 8 years ago I've been a data addict: how many miles did I run, what was my pace, my time, and so on. I even keep a log with all this info. For a while I was also monitoring my heart rate, not just while running, but also tracking how long it took to get back to "resting". I was keyed into having access to instant data. The app on my phone would announce mile markers, pace, total time, heart rate and what ever other metric I could find. For a while I was drilling down to quarter mile increments. I was getting so much information through my earbuds that I couldn't keep track of it all through my aerobic haze. It was information overload - it was nuts and absolutely not conducive to running well.<br />
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So after recovering some sense of sanity, I throttled back to just having my app announce mile markers and I would then note my current pace status on my running watch (a $19 Timex... nothing fancy). However, I do still keep a log of my miles, splits, and overall time... That data-geek side of me is still with me.<br />
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A couple of weeks ago I turned off the announcements from my app. It still tracks my miles, route, pace, and overall time, but I no longer had anything barking in my ear. I'm also still timing my run with my watch, but I'm not looking at it until I've finished my run. And an odd thing is happening - I'm just running... It is awesome.<br />
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I'm running at whatever pace feels right for the distance I am going to do that particular day, i.e. a quicker pace if I'm going for a short run, or a slower starting pace if I am going long. Intuitively I can feel that I am negotiating with myself about speeding up or slowing down, and yet I seem to settle into a pace that literally just works. And my pace overall is a bit quicker, and obviously my overall times are better. And I'm not totally sure why.<br />
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Previously when I was tracking my splits I was having my app ping me every 1/2 mile, and as a result I had a pretty good idea how I was doing. So, I'm wondering: if for some reason I was off my pace (running slower), did I subconsciously and for no good reason increase my anxiety levels which in turn pushed me into increasing my effort to make up for being off-pace? There is nothing seemingly wrong with that, yet perhaps I was getting into a "speed up/slow down" cycle that was not the best recipe for a good run. In other words I was too focused on running an expected pace. I have realized that if I was running faster than whatever pace I was expecting, I incorrectly assumed that I was suddenly superman and try to run even faster, which almost always had bad results...<br />
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I've tried to use all of my available information for planning my various races, usually for events that were 8 or more miles in length. I would literally work up my targeted splits, use a Sharpie to write them on sports tape that I would then tape to my forearm, and then try to run to those goals. Hey, there are companies that will make you a specific bracelet with your splits for marathons and HM's! Therefore it must be a good idea, right? Except in my case, sometimes I was able to run my "plan", and more often, not :-).<br />
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So now I'm trying to run by feel... for example, today I ran 7 miles, and my goal was to run it at a good pace - not a race pace, but a good reasonably fast pace, i.e. no dawdling (is that a word?). I didn't do anything special other than start running and visualizing my course and how far I had to go. I never felt the urge to run faster or slower, I just ran with the thought that I had an approximate distance to go to my finish. I like to run my last mile as hard as I can - and without knowing exactly where my Mile 6 was, I had to take a guess and go for it - and it all worked.<br />
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Now the next question for myself is, am I willing to run an event, like a HM, without tracking my pace? It's one thing to run a 12 or 14 mile training run without watching my pace, but if I'm looking to do well in an actual race, can I execute well without my electronic help? <br />
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I donno..... Stay tuned. We'll find out soon.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949881165515039776.post-63985697440069503202016-09-29T22:07:00.000-04:002016-10-20T20:43:29.472-04:00Ragnar Adirondacks !<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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193.9 Miles - Saratoga Springs to Lake Placid. An elevation rise of 1,434 feet, 12 guys, two vans. Start a runner and keep a runner moving day and night until the finish line. That's the definition of a Ragnar event.<br />
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I was invited for a second time to join a group of guys who have made running Ragnar Relay events a tradition for 10 years. My first experience with these guys was for Ragnar's Reach the Beach event two years ago. That event was a "WOW" experience for me and worthy of a repeat.<br />
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For those of you that aren't familiar with a Ragnar Relay event, it goes something like this:<br />
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<ul>
<li>You get 12 running buddies that are comfortable enough with each other to tolerate the close confines of a stinky van for 24+ hours.</li>
<li>Divvy up the running assignments into 36 legs according to the segments laid out by Ragnar.</li>
<li>Start runner #1 at the appointed time (it's a wave start so that most teams finish around the same time).</li>
<li>Runner #2 takes over from runner #1 at a designated transition point, and so on until the last runner crosses the finish line.</li>
<li>Each runner will do 3 legs of varying distance (each leg in this particular event ranged from 2 to 9 miles) approximately 8 to 11 hours apart.</li>
<li>You run during the day, night, in the rain, fog, hot, cold, whatever, until the team finishes.</li>
<li>You rest (kind of) while riding in the van from one transition zone to the next, and if you are lucky, you might be able to grab a couple hours of sleep on the grass somewhere or on a school gym floor.</li>
<li>It is a test of endurance, patience, camaraderie, and a very high tolerance to port-a-potties. For what it's worth, the incentive to run fast is that the closer you are to the front of the pack, the cleaner the bathroom facilities are!</li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXNC3VBfjmO9cIkHAaH1D0JN_O8TgS96FQ_BFmoqv7rtgVnCBuU3q41JnAaNa9XqVgsGmXi2rQb01b1I-hoIELaLdxopuVgU8TW9kC9UH1AclUSeT_U3ed8vgAqNw-1q0wnLB4Jg1sjDE/s1600/RouteMap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXNC3VBfjmO9cIkHAaH1D0JN_O8TgS96FQ_BFmoqv7rtgVnCBuU3q41JnAaNa9XqVgsGmXi2rQb01b1I-hoIELaLdxopuVgU8TW9kC9UH1AclUSeT_U3ed8vgAqNw-1q0wnLB4Jg1sjDE/s320/RouteMap.jpg" width="211" /></a>So that's the set up... Here's how it went:<br />
Van 1 with 6 guys left our rental house in Lake Placid (near the finish line) at 4:30AM to drive down to Saratoga Springs. They had a 2+ hour drive (in the pouring rain) in order to make a 7:15 AM start for their first runner.<br />
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Van 2 (the cool van - but not because I was in it), got to sleep in and left Lake Placid around 8 AM, to transition with Van 1's 6th runner. I took the baton (actually a "wrist baton") from Jon at around 10:30AM somewhere north of Saratoga Springs and took off for a rolly 7.8 miles.<br />
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The picture below was taken somewhere near mile 6.5 of my first leg. The photographer was talking to me, but I couldn't hear a word he said, so I just smiled and waved...<br />
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The one thing about Ragnar events is that they are not like other road races where the streets are closed off and there are cops on the corners of busy intersections - oh no.... Ragnar puts out some signs to point runners the way, and you are left to run on the shoulder of the road dodging cars, trucks, and buses. In some cases there are some traffic cones, or even a trail or sidewalk to run on, but for the most part it's a run on the shoulder of rural roads. If running through a town and you get to a traffic light, you have to follow the light. It's also not like a standard road race where there are masses of runners all together. In a Ragnar event, runners are very much spread out and rarely will you ever have an occasion to run with another runner. You might catch up and pass another runner (the coveted "kill", or you might be passed yourself (yeah, I got passed some - but only by runners at least 30 years younger than me... and I'm ok with that.).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ironman Dan about to clobber a young buck</td></tr>
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Speaking of "kills", this is a great picture of Dan, aka "Ironman Dan", one of our old bucks, setting his sights on a young buck that he is about to "kill" (pass). That poor kid probably never even knew what hit him. I think it's a great picture!<br />
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And so on we went until we arrived at Lake George, where we transitioned the running<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back Street BBQ </td></tr>
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responsibilities back to Van 1, then went in search of some food and fell into a place called "the Back Street BBQ". One of the reviews said "family staying at a nearby hotel, we walked to the restaurant, but the place looked so scary we kept on walking..." and that sealed the deal for us - we're in. Does this picture of the place look that scary? Basically, it is a biker bar with BBQ on the side, a crusty bartender, and a very interesting bathroom. The BBQ was "ok"... Bartender had this story that he used to offer free condoms to his customers, but his method was unique: he'd pin the package to the wall in the bathroom, but the kicker was that he'd put the pin through the center of the package. He wondered how many kids in town were "Back Street BBQ kids"... Interesting sense of humor that guy. There's more to tell, but...<br />
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After dinner we took off to the next Van Exchange Point (where Van 1 would hand off to us) and stopped at a Walmart along the way for supplies (water, gatorade, peanut butter, bread, junk food, pillows and sleeping bags). Oh - and Tums... one of our guys was brave enough to have the baked bean soup stewed in pork rind back at Back Street BBQ, and he was not feeling so good.... no wonder. But he survived. We then found a spot at the school that was being used as Van Exchange Point to lay out in the dew covered grass for a bit of rest before our next shift. I was up next for the first night run of our shift.<br />
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Speaking of vans, some teams rent large 15 passenger vans with lots of room. Our team rents mini-vans (easier to drive and to maneuver around these country roads), but somewhat cramped for space. This is a pic of the back cargo area where we would store a cooler and bags for 6 guys. And of course every time you needed to get something from your bag (dry or warmer clothes) your bag was ALWAYS the bag on the bottom... The inside was just as cramped, although we usually "just" had 5 guys in there (one runner running...), and you can see that the designated stinky seat has the obligatory towel. What you can't see is all the crap and garbage that is strewn throughout the van... :-) The downside to the mini vans is that there is absolutely no way to stretch your legs out (think of cramps) without putting your feet into someone... But it is an adventure!<br />
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Regarding night time runs, Ragnar required us to have reflective vests, a headlamp, a blinky light in front and one on our back. I don't believe that was enough given some of the traffic that runners had to deal with. On some roads there was not much of a shoulder to run on and on curves cars and trucks would come roaring by. I didn't hear that any bad things happened, but I know that there were close calls. I think that the next time I run a Ragnar at night I'll be lit up like a Christmas Tree.<br />
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On another little side note, the routes were marked "ok" by Ragnar, but they could have been better marked, especially at night considering that the route was literally in the woods and there is nothing for miles... and I do mean nothing. One of the guys in Van 1 mentioned that he became concerned at one point as he couldn't see any runners ahead or behind him and began to worry that he had missed a turn. Only when he happened to come across an unattended water table with Ragnar symbols did he feel confident that he wasn't blazing his own trail. This situation is actually made worse by the lack of cell signal across a lot of the course - if you get lost you can't call for help! Our van had to guide a runner back to the route after she got confused about a turn - it's dark, no street lights, few cars - who knows where she would have wound up. But remember again, this is supposed to be an adventure.<br />
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By the time our (Van 2's) rotation was over, it was around 2AM and cold (low 50's/high 40's?) and we headed straight to the next Van Exchange Point (again a school). This time, 4 of us opted to see if we could nap inside the school itself instead of battling the wet and cold grass or trying to sleep in the van. It turned out that $3 each got us a spot of the gym floor. Bargain! We walk into the darkened gym and there are perhaps 10 or 15 people spread out along the wall. We pick a spot under the volleyball nets in the middle. Lay down, set an alarm for 5AM, and I'm asleep almost instantly. At the appointed hour my phone is buzzing and I look around to find myself surrounded by other runners - the gym is packed. So packed that I have to carefully thread my way in between the sleeping bodies that are literally inches apart to get to the door.<br />
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One of the complications/challenges that we had was that as we made our way through the Adirondacks was that cell service was minimal at best. And we needed a cell signal in order to communicate with each van so that runners would be ready at the designated transition point. During our short nap time, Van 1 was in the "dead zone". But from previous messages we were aware that they were running early (we were beating our anticipated times like crazy) and we had a reasonable guess as to when Jon, the guy I would take over from, would come running into the transition zone.<br />
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My last leg of 5 miles or so was along the Algonquin River. I lucked out with being able to run as the sun started to rise and it was awesome. This is kind of a crappy picture, but hey hopefully you get the drift (I took it while running...). The sun was just starting to burn through the fog and mist and the view was spectacular. You can just see a guy in front of me that I was catching up to. With that run complete, I was done, I had run 3 legs for a total of 15.1 miles and it felt great! I could have done more, but grateful at the same time that I didn't have to.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJn4hg7DrzVGA2VozfPiCtweKHooB7co32qAXyW0IWAihuD54O3t-j0CSUoxPI94ItjNzeumSrG95m1b5S1ut63AkorCx2oxWIJ0cfY51jZDGexGGmtPCzgNNUytgWcRKZYBfCeCekysw/s1600/elevationChart.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJn4hg7DrzVGA2VozfPiCtweKHooB7co32qAXyW0IWAihuD54O3t-j0CSUoxPI94ItjNzeumSrG95m1b5S1ut63AkorCx2oxWIJ0cfY51jZDGexGGmtPCzgNNUytgWcRKZYBfCeCekysw/s320/elevationChart.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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The next 5 legs that Van 2 had were all brutal - all hilly, all going up. Bruce had an almost 400 ft consistent vertical climb over less than a 2 mile stretch right out of the gate, a rolly couple of miles, finishing with another ridiculous climb. In Van 1, Daniel had a 700 ft climb in 2 miles that was so tough that runners for that leg received a special medal! By the way, after reaching the peak, Daniel had a 700 ft drop in a bit over half a mile - that would have destroyed my quads. Tough guys, they are. Richard finished the race off for us with a 7.6 anchor leg that was super hilly and going up all the time (remember we're making our way to Lake Placid... ski country, so it's all up, not much down). You can see from the elevation chart just how challenging this thing was.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy1hMkSRN-Q5HK2WyyA431_eyTgL0aOY7sprfFfFmjaJpHkRtb2Vt-6BzAV-YtpDXQyqTtQ8Ajf5uPpME7292SWriMGdEOUHzFQOk6aBuqX_DaCLYI5GT5UYjU5_KR9a58nAu3zQjyAEI/s1600/race_photo_team.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy1hMkSRN-Q5HK2WyyA431_eyTgL0aOY7sprfFfFmjaJpHkRtb2Vt-6BzAV-YtpDXQyqTtQ8Ajf5uPpME7292SWriMGdEOUHzFQOk6aBuqX_DaCLYI5GT5UYjU5_KR9a58nAu3zQjyAEI/s400/race_photo_team.jpg" width="400" /></a>The awesome news is that we finished in 28 hrs, 6 min 12 seconds, putting us 52nd in a field of 277. From the group picture at the finish line you can tell how thrilled we were to be done! The winning team finished in 21:58:06, a blistering average pace of 6:48 min/mile. In addition, since we were mostly a gang of over 50 year-olds, we were 2nd in the Masters division. We missed first place in the Masters by a team called The Fast, the Slow, and the Ugly by 4 hrs and 26 minutes. Oh well.<br />
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But the even more awesome news is what this group of guys does for fund raising. Since they started running relay events 10 years ago, they have been fund raising for the American Cancer Society. This year this group raised over $60,000. Over the last 10 years, the group has surpassed $500,000 for the ACS. Totally awesome.<br />
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Once again, this was an incredible experience, so different than the road races that I am more accustomed to. It required a lot of organization, mostly on the part of our team captain Jerry, who did a monumental and stellar job getting us into the event, filling all the slots, ensuring that we had a place to sleep, the van's, pre-race dinner reservations, and coordinated getting everyone's arrival and departures. This is a great group of guys and I hope to be invited to participate with them again! It was a blast. Many thanks to them.<br />
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Next up: Ft DeSoto HM Oct 30.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949881165515039776.post-51457452993191761082016-07-07T11:14:00.003-04:002016-07-07T11:14:50.167-04:00Running is hard, but is it fun?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What is it about running that we do it? We run endless miles, we sweat, we exhaust and injure ourselves, and yet we keep doing it. Why?<br />
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There was an article in the July, 2016 issue of Runners World by Jonathan Beverly titled "Pleasure and Pain" (I can't find a link to it - I'll add it when I finally find one) where he explored to concept of whether or not running was supposed to be fun or something else. The article starts out with a co-worker, having learned that he had recently run a 10K event, asked him if he had had fun. And that's where it starts. Are we having fun running?<br />
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I like running, but does that make it "fun". The word "fun" doesn't sound like the right description - I think perhaps "rewarding" might better describe it.<br />
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When I think of "fun", I'm conjuring up something that won't hurt me or exhaust me. Maybe even make me laugh. Do we have fun when we go to the gym and push a bunch of weights around? Kind of the same thing, isn't it? It's not "fun", but yet it feels good. But maybe feeling good is what "fun" is...<br />
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When my non-runner friends ask me why I run, I feel that I have to justify my activity. They aren't runners mostly because it requires a level of effort that they aren't prepared to make - they may have tried it in the past and discovered that it wasn't "fun" in a traditional sense, but never persevered to the point of feeling the "reward" for having done so.<br />
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So I wind up having a variety of explanations:<br />
- It's an excellent cardio/vascular exercise<br />
- It helps me unwind<br />
- It helps me manage my blood pressure<br />
- It helps me manage my blood sugar levels<br />
- It's "me" time<br />
- and so on... and not once do I mention that "it a fun thing to do...".<br />
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I run because I enjoy the effort and the motion of running, but probably my favorite part is the feeling afterwards. I love that flush feeling that results from the recovery from being exhausted. It's like an internal glow.<br />
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And perhaps all runners need to confess that running is, at least a little bit, masochistic. I quite frankly have no other way to explain why I would run a bunch of miles in hot, humid weather and then look forward to doing it again the next day.<br />
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Jonathan Beverly mentions runner Mark Rowlands in his article and a hill that Rowlands liked to run, if for no other reason than to prove to himself that he still could. Do to do so was a sense of accomplishment, while realizing that one day, the hill would win. Accomplishing that feat (beating the hill) made it "fun" for him.<br />
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I've never won a race, and while it is likely that I never will, I don't stop trying, if for no other reason than the fact that I believe that I <i>could</i> win. As Beverly writes, I will push myself beyond my body's distress signals for no other reason than satisfying my internal determination to try. And for some crazy reason in my head, I like that and repeat this effort time and time again. So because I do it, and because I choose to do it repeatedly, does that make it "fun"?<br />
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So I think that the short answer to all this is Yes. Yes, it is fun because we find it rewarding, and in that reward we find pleasure, and so therefore, if we find it pleasurable, ergo, it is "fun".<br />
'Nuff said...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949881165515039776.post-50219443532325537222016-03-29T16:25:00.000-04:002017-06-21T09:46:47.067-04:00Fighting a Pre-Diabetic condition - and trying to run<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Being a runner and suddenly being diagnosed pre-diabetic creates some interesting challenges, especially since I have sustained my running almost entirely on carbs. Carbs have been my best friend. Yet, six months ago I was informed by my doc that my A1c level over the course of a year had increased to 6.2, firmly making me "pre-diabetic". In consideration that there is a growing population with this issue (rising blood glucose levels), I thought others, and in particular other runners, might be interested in what I’ve learned, what steps I've taken, and the current results.<br />
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Summary for the impatient: In the 6 months since that last blood test I’ve been able to lower my A1c from 6.2 to 5.9. I'm still in the "danger zone", but at least I'm only 2% off normal instead of 3% off being full blown diabetic. Progress.<br />
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I changed what I ate, how I ate it, exercised like a demon (aerobically and anaerobically), and I took a Vitamin D supplement daily. I don’t know if one thing or a combination of any of them did it, but now my goal is to get it below 5.7 (the magical threshold to being labeled “Normal”). While I am excited to be at 5.9, I also realize that one blood test does not success make… but it is a positive step in the right direction.<br />
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My doc informed me in early October 2015 that I was officially "pre-diabetic" with an A1c reading of 6.2. At 6.5 I would be "diabetic" and my doc alluded to various things which didn’t sound attractive to me. Unfortunately, our health care system being what it is, it seems to not allow our primary care providers with the flexibility or the time to discuss the "what now" guidelines. My doc gave me her diagnosis, some very general guidelines, and I was basically left to figure it out.Notwithstanding, the prospect of being diabetic scared me enough that I took my condition seriously.<br />
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At the very top of this is the fact that I don't think that I fit the profile of a person who might be prone to diabetes. To begin with, there is no history of diabetes in my family. I'm 5'10, weigh in at around 159 lbs soaking wet, have very little body fat, I do not eat sweets and unhealthy food, and am very active. I don’t sit at a desk, I run anywhere from 20 to 30+ miles per week, I bike, I kayak, I do a lot of physical work…. You get the drift: there isn’t much grass growing under my feet. I just can’t see myself fitting into the profile of a diabetic – I could be all wrong, but that’s my illusion…<br />
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Immediately after my docs’ diagnosis I went into "pre-diabetic crisis mode". Without any guidance other than that carbs and sugars were bad, I cut out carbs almost entirely and developed an eagle eye for the sugar content in everything. I love ice cream - no more ice cream. I like my coffee strong and sweet - no more sugar. I concentrated on proteins, selected fruits and veggies, and any carbs that I ate had to be complex carbs. I avoided anything that was "processed", came in a bag, and read nutritional labels fanatically.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcuqGPnmu1qF8XXI51CQjH8NWteVu06GWX_ULlGTGF6IRunMFsXTcrxmP7AjjOif8duiqvatuSk4t5aTyRGA_46c4RVtmrSMMZFQoX0kXPVtb68pV-uKlZFgWKCYswyF1iEOpbTlXCr_g/s1600/tired+runner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcuqGPnmu1qF8XXI51CQjH8NWteVu06GWX_ULlGTGF6IRunMFsXTcrxmP7AjjOif8duiqvatuSk4t5aTyRGA_46c4RVtmrSMMZFQoX0kXPVtb68pV-uKlZFgWKCYswyF1iEOpbTlXCr_g/s200/tired+runner.jpg" width="146" /></a>Immediately after starting this new food routine I lost weight (6 lbs, maybe more?) in 8 to 10 days. And I had no energy. I couldn't run a mile without slowing to a walk. But it all kind of made sense to me: no carbs, no glucose, no glycogen, no energy. In my old world, carbs were my best friend: carbs = glycogen = energy and endurance. I kept pushing my runs, assuming that my body would figure out where to get the necessary fuel to convert to glycogen in order to sustain a run, but was unable to find it or adapt to it. It was horrible and frustrating. As a result of all this I had to back out of a series of half marathons that I had hoped to run during the Florida winter running season. If I couldn't run 3 miles, I clearly was not going to make it through three 13.1 mile events. Bye-bye entry fees....<br />
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In desperate need of help and full of frustration, I wandered into the offices of the resident nutritionist/dietitian at a nearby Publix supermarket and met Anastasia - and I cried for help. I am certain that Anastasia thought I was a nut case. I explained my predicament, lack of knowledge, my running goals, and so on, and in return she took me through her process of examining my food and fluid habits and activities performed. I explained my running goals and my frustrations in achieving them due to my urgent need to address the pre-diabetes diagnosis. After a couple of consults she came back with two key things: 1) I was not consuming anywhere close to enough calories and carbs to sustain my level of desired activity (duh on me), and 2) she taught me that I could eat carbs (preferably complex carbs) but that for every 18g of carbs that I ate, I had to also have 8g of a protein (more on this below). In other words combine carbs with proteins.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpBXGGtWjDuiZhyHctVQzSz7DqP1zos1cSD6X5nI313ArtGRv9C6ExUpN-O07VpAe_Hd9eBcTIF2dbsyAkzwcDaoyGzARNcmZYoSky8-hy7K5gp0_vQxEXLclGuXu7SL_-7lDggsk21PQ/s1600/statin_warning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpBXGGtWjDuiZhyHctVQzSz7DqP1zos1cSD6X5nI313ArtGRv9C6ExUpN-O07VpAe_Hd9eBcTIF2dbsyAkzwcDaoyGzARNcmZYoSky8-hy7K5gp0_vQxEXLclGuXu7SL_-7lDggsk21PQ/s200/statin_warning.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
She also gave me heads up (and I confirmed this with my own secondary research) that 10% of the male population that is taking a statin will experience elevated blood glucose levels. That last item threw me for a loop – because I had been on statins for a long time (over 10 years), but had stopped taking them about 4-5 months prior to my last blood test (my doc didn’t advise me to, I just decided to stop taking the statins for a totally separate reason). Perhaps more importantly, I have not found any documentation that discusses that the high blood glucose level caused by statins is reversible by not taking the statins. It turns out that this is a known possible side effect, and part of the balancing act for managing LDL.<br />
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Meanwhile, I began to follow the dietary guidelines that Anastasia recommended – and it was pretty simple actually. Carbs are ok as long as I concentrate on complex carbs. For every 18g of carbs, I made sure to also eat at least 8g of protein. Stay away from pre-packaged and over-processed foods. Don’t eat junk food. For example, a meal might include whole wheat pasta or brown rice and almost any protein (beef, chicken, turkey, fish, etc…). I scrutinize labels of any packaged food (i.e. canned or jar foods) for the one’s that have the least amount of added sugars. If the label had ingredients that I couldn’t understand or pronounce I’d toss it and look for another. I found that in the morning <i>anything </i>works as breakfast, as long as I follow the 18g carb/8g protein rule, i.e. multi-grain or whole wheat toast with hard boiled eggs, cheese, turkey, or peanut butter, etc., works fine. If I ate out (which happens a lot), avoid the crap food, focus on the veggies, fresh fish, and simple entrée’s. No french fries!<br />
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And as would be expected, now that I was ingesting some measure of carbs and more calories, I was able to run again. So that sort of solved that problem, but I was still concerned about lowering my blood sugar. Anastasia assured me that as long as I stayed away from simple carbs, made sure that I balanced out the carbs with a protein, and kept my activity levels up, I would see my blood glucose levels and my A1c readings go down. I have to tell you that I was running on faith.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirnYEfLHL2sTDakO9INcETFpIDDVY9QRneBnJazYlpyM8Liun95GmZZL6LDAtNQhUMlSn0xkjv-7MMDorMBYQdABjBT4Lu5DFZ9z_o6y4zu9Mo7aZdbXKr8eMfh3TH12jAmHMrbIEKElE/s1600/sugar+spike.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirnYEfLHL2sTDakO9INcETFpIDDVY9QRneBnJazYlpyM8Liun95GmZZL6LDAtNQhUMlSn0xkjv-7MMDorMBYQdABjBT4Lu5DFZ9z_o6y4zu9Mo7aZdbXKr8eMfh3TH12jAmHMrbIEKElE/s200/sugar+spike.jpeg" width="200" /></a>So, for those of you that don’t know and are curious, I’ll explain what the relationship is between carbs, proteins, and digestion. As a runner, you already understand the difference between a simple and a complex carb. Simple carbs convert to glucose much faster than complex carbs. It’s that simple. And for a guy like me, simple carbs will cause sugar spikes that my system does not manage very well. Complex carbs obviously also convert to glucose, but do so much slower. And here is where the protein part of the diet fits in. Proteins tend to slow down the entire digestive process, thereby delaying the introduction of any carbs into my intestinal system. Fats slow the process down even more so, which is one reason why peanut butter is a go-to bread topping. So by slowing down the digestive process, I’m smoothing out sugar spikes and (hopefully) allowing my system to process the glucose. [Side bar here: I’m still researching if it makes a difference if I take in the proteins first, at the same time, or after I eat the carbs…]<br />
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Ok – one more piece of the puzzle: insulin. We’ve all heard of it. It is produced by our pancreas. Insulin is the magical hormone that we have to have in order to process and absorb the glucose in our bloodstream into something useful. If our bodies don’t do that, then bad things happen to other organs, so this is important. In my case, my system is a somewhat “insulin resistant”. In other words, my pancreas is producing insulin just fine; it's the rest of my system that is somewhat less than receptive about using the insulin the way it is is supposed to. Ok, that sucks… More so since apparently my use of statins may have helped bring that about. Wonderful.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3eqSXFU88cQBbzcLKPuKLEkYTHj3_6EUBYjis9ldGeU6ecwDUiCeMFJWvWdRTgfOwaqqmTvq-k-lE9xmmxXU2jkhzhnnCV9v-VYNmSwB_vtOeQL6XuLVUq9SRkCDcqCjGUu97o4PvU20/s1600/vit_D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3eqSXFU88cQBbzcLKPuKLEkYTHj3_6EUBYjis9ldGeU6ecwDUiCeMFJWvWdRTgfOwaqqmTvq-k-lE9xmmxXU2jkhzhnnCV9v-VYNmSwB_vtOeQL6XuLVUq9SRkCDcqCjGUu97o4PvU20/s200/vit_D.jpg" width="195" /></a>But Anastasia gave me another little clue that was interesting: It turns out that low levels Vitamin D play a role in insulin resistance. My most recent Vitamin D level was tested two years ago and it came in at 32 ng/mL, and apparently it should range between 30 and 100 ng/mL, putting me at the low end of the scale. I kind of thought that was odd since I spend a lot of time outside, but I’ve learned that the copious amounts of sunblock that I put on to ward off sun damage can limit the amount of Vitamin D absorbed. Interesting stuff. And so, you guessed it, I started taking a Vitamin D supplement. My doc doesn't put too much credence on the Vitamin D effect, and referred to new studies that put the normal range to somewhere between 20 and 50 ng/mL. Food for thought... I'm going to stay on it through to my next blood test though.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZIakyfChECzuGb6XC9Q_e-WBInr7_7_YXsFXcaT4KU1WriPYJ04IwgExHJ3rZsVQujVbnCedO6uFIsrmWTOjUp6BeNbde46yInq3taakkBONpxZPJdMJ3FeNGKJNgaUsNFdTITgZUBCA/s1600/near_end_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZIakyfChECzuGb6XC9Q_e-WBInr7_7_YXsFXcaT4KU1WriPYJ04IwgExHJ3rZsVQujVbnCedO6uFIsrmWTOjUp6BeNbde46yInq3taakkBONpxZPJdMJ3FeNGKJNgaUsNFdTITgZUBCA/s320/near_end_c.jpg" width="135" /></a>By figuring out what I could eat and how to combine it all together (carbs and proteins), I was able to train up for the last Half Marathon of the FL season (at least one that was near me). I was coming from behind with regards to my endurance training and was simply hoping to cross the finish line vertical and preferably running. As it turns out that event was a Personal Best for me, finishing a full minute faster than my previously best HM. I ran hard and as strong as I dared. But I should also note that it helped that the course was pancake flat and the temperature was in the perfect low 50’s! This was the first time that I’ve ever run a HM in conditions as perfect as these were.<br />
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I was concerned about using GU during my runs and trained without it. But Anastasia had assured me that it would be ok to suck down GU’s while running since my body would be begging for easy fuel and would literally want to suck all available glucose out of my blood stream, i.e. any sugar that I took in would be <i>immediately </i>put to use. So on race day I sucked down one at mile 4.5 and another at mile 9. I have to tell you that the GU made me feel like Superman – it gave me a serious lift. I actually felt that I could have run harder, but was afraid to out-run my conditioning; I simply had not had enough time to train and condition. As it was, my legs were burning when I crossed the finish line.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSjR_6x5Hvd2uNEBcr4Nmhrm49g4XKtK80YYuvMRz-Y-1egOHW5enkEOXm0tb7MpBrwdTmQTv3igNvTJo32jaCSclG4RUoxDCQoB1vD3b9kcMkpR-4Z6xO4o4AWwsFyNJBhiS9EuunXcg/s1600/gears.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSjR_6x5Hvd2uNEBcr4Nmhrm49g4XKtK80YYuvMRz-Y-1egOHW5enkEOXm0tb7MpBrwdTmQTv3igNvTJo32jaCSclG4RUoxDCQoB1vD3b9kcMkpR-4Z6xO4o4AWwsFyNJBhiS9EuunXcg/s320/gears.jpg" width="320" /></a>My focus now is to get my A1c below 5.7 and I'm tuned into what I eat, how I combine those foods, plenty of workouts, and of course, my Vitamin D. To make that happen I am trying to amp up my activity levels while at the same time limit my carb intake. For example, since the HM I’ve been doing my 5 mile runs in the AM without having anything to eat prior – it is hard, really hard - and by the end of the run I am definitely running on fumes, but my illusion, in my head, I am imagining all those little glucose molecules being vacuumed out of my blood stream. I am also trying to be very conscious of the 18g carb/8g protein ratio, and err on the side of protein. This is somewhat easy when we cook at home, but when going out for dinner, it gets a bit more difficult – but doable.<br />
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The punch line to all this is that I’m convinced that one or all of the things that I did (what food, how prepared/combined, exercise, and Vitamin D) positively affected my situation. It's all intertwined. As I mentioned earlier, I realize that one good blood test does not a life make, but I am forging on… <br />
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My final comment on this is that it has not been hard to eat a specific diet, take a Vitamin D pill, and exercise, but rather that it seemed really, really hard for me to get the <i><u>right </u></i>information with regards to <u>what to do</u>, <u>what to eat</u>, <u>what to avoid</u>. With so many people with this kind of condition, this information and steps to take should have been readily available. I'm hoping that this post will provide others in this situation with at least a bit of guidance and encouragement!<br />
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Meanwhile, in 6 months I’m looking forward to reporting an A1c level of less than 5.7! Right now my next step is to look for a 10K event to run. Maybe even another Marathon next year!?<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949881165515039776.post-74147368616654796652016-03-12T13:28:00.000-05:002016-03-29T11:33:22.874-04:00Ft De Soto Half Marathon aka Florida Beach Halfathon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWtQgdR1ZkGo3ZkSkVj2QFs5nLvNMl1utwUDugER1eY0aPXHMiXvN_pnC4pj1wHKNaFCwbZ51NJwlK4SWkNK6JaHpPSsaiMRbDoEWUpRBg7dmQRQxUi8L0Q8dfrNOHslx8CAqQ377XNAw/s1600/medal_a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWtQgdR1ZkGo3ZkSkVj2QFs5nLvNMl1utwUDugER1eY0aPXHMiXvN_pnC4pj1wHKNaFCwbZ51NJwlK4SWkNK6JaHpPSsaiMRbDoEWUpRBg7dmQRQxUi8L0Q8dfrNOHslx8CAqQ377XNAw/s200/medal_a.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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This was a Half Marathon run at the Ft De Soto Park
at the most southern tip of Pinellas County, Florida (Tampa Bay area). The official name for this event is the "Florida Beach Halfathon". The park itself is mostly known for some
awesome beaches – they really are spectacular.
The course ran mostly on a cement recreational trail with a little bit
through a parking lot, thereby negating the need to close off streets. Best off
all, it was pancake flat.</div>
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643 runners toed the starting line for the HM. I managed to finish 190<sup>th</sup> overall
and 9<sup>th</sup> out of 22 in my gender age group with a 1:57:54 chip time
(9:00 min/mile pace). Given some recent
challenges, my goal was mostly to just cross the finish line, but I was
realistically hoping for anything less than a 2:11:00 finish (that’s a 10:00
min/mile pace…). </div>
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But I need to back up a bit…. Six months ago my doc labeled me as
“pre-diabetic”, i.e. my A1c was 6.2 at my last blood draw, and I put myself on
severe carb and sugar restrictions. This
of course totally whacked my ability to run; I wasn’t able to run a mile
without stopping to walk. I had no juice. I dropped out of 3 HM’s that I had
hoped to run this season – how could I run them if I couldn’t even go 3 miles?
Long story short: I met with a nutritionist/dietitian who schooled me on my
diet, particularly in consideration of my desired physical activities (I’ll
probably discuss all this after my next blood draw and I have some quantifiable
data as to the results or effects, if any, of my diet). In addition to my diet
issue, I was also working on rehabbing a piriformis muscle pull (see earlier
post – good fun!), and while much better, has continued to linger. But with the
Florida running season coming to a close, I really wanted to run a HM and this
particular event was the last one within a reasonable driving distance. So I
signed up realizing that it may not be a memorable run, but at least I would
give it a go.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWbMVy1iwSBJAPrbep5vpnG300azBzkEa5SAbkVkvHAhnmjzSPiUqF4ocRCU0u6xKmGmFGJTYlwIOxNwfc3Y1bCFDL0pXTty1G-lDfU5H9T_B4Mxt0LDQ7-JcKaIgntci7mSGODzcaaqo/s1600/FtDeSotoHMmap.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWbMVy1iwSBJAPrbep5vpnG300azBzkEa5SAbkVkvHAhnmjzSPiUqF4ocRCU0u6xKmGmFGJTYlwIOxNwfc3Y1bCFDL0pXTty1G-lDfU5H9T_B4Mxt0LDQ7-JcKaIgntci7mSGODzcaaqo/s400/FtDeSotoHMmap.JPG" width="400" /></a>When I first looked at the course I noticed that the first
three miles are a loop through a picnic area and then back through the starting
area again before shooting out to the extremes of the park – and I kind of grimaced
at that… I was concerned that the first
three miles would crowded going through that picnic area and basically
repeating parts of the course. But in reality, there was no problem, there was
plenty of room to run, and I didn’t pay that much attention to the fact that I
was running through the Start area again. I remember one event, the Detroit HM,
going over the Ambassador Bridge, where we were so crowded that we were barely
jogging 6 or 8 abreast up the bridge with no room to pass anyone. In
comparison, this event was a piece of cake.
Once we finished that 3 mile loop it was about a 10 mile out-and-back shot
along the very flat recreational trail.</div>
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I made an effort to properly prep for this event – I ran as
many long runs as I could fit into my schedule topping out at a 14 miler. I was
hoping to condition my legs (and my piriformis muscle) to the distance and
train my body to run with a lower carb intake. The latter was the hardest. My
legs were fine, but my energy levels sucked. As a result, my pace was nothing
short of horrible. On my last 14 mile run, I averaged a 10:10min/mile pace…
thus my low expectations.</div>
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The day before the event, instead of “carb loading” as I
have done for previous distance events, I simply substituted fresh baked white
bread for a sandwich (I’d been on whole wheat or multi-grain, i.e. complex
carbs) and had pita bread with dinner… nothing crazy… On race day morning, at 4AM I had a
hardboiled egg and a peanut butter sandwich on white bread. I got there early enough to loosen up and
stretch. An hour prior to the start I took 3 Speed Legs tablets, and then 30
minutes prior, downed a 5hr Energy shot. I hit the port-a-potty, ran some
sprints to warm up, did the usual shoe lace tightening – loosening thing, found
a spot in the back of the starting area and sat down to wait for the start. I
was ready.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheDx4DJCxHtUtKJ7twsycWT4t493SXyvwhe6Mcu0fqJYH63M4gZObNIC7P0eQolZHBzUpnggWj8InmuCfghWyKbxqPmZ4NLTbSNI4bGg-qlVpAj5dO87JFbt9plBkUWjnT40V-fZRhw6E/s1600/race_1590_photo_31823924.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheDx4DJCxHtUtKJ7twsycWT4t493SXyvwhe6Mcu0fqJYH63M4gZObNIC7P0eQolZHBzUpnggWj8InmuCfghWyKbxqPmZ4NLTbSNI4bGg-qlVpAj5dO87JFbt9plBkUWjnT40V-fZRhw6E/s320/race_1590_photo_31823924.jpg" width="320" /></a>This is a pic pre-start - and you can see that we are all a little chilly. I'm in this picture, but you can't see me because I'm way back plus I'm sitting on the pavement. The sun is just starting to break the horizon and it is a beautiful, clear, day. </div>
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I anticipated that my first mile to be slow, somewhere in
the 10min/mile range, but with all the hype and the perfect temperature (it was
high 50’s) I ran it in 9:24. Mile 2 was 9:19. The next 10 miles were all sub 9
minute miles (8:41 to 8:57). </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt6jJ5gpY-ElgQ4Il3rWmEXjqMK-0MZ69YnBWexhjmjsz_ja8hcywjDs3lr6Z_0uzpXRNp8FX3JFq13x-MyHEKAokcFRATznbTKo4PO0CmH5SEyIX_Ga0wQMMMYxfLEcnihYhacQnEFRc/s1600/Mile8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt6jJ5gpY-ElgQ4Il3rWmEXjqMK-0MZ69YnBWexhjmjsz_ja8hcywjDs3lr6Z_0uzpXRNp8FX3JFq13x-MyHEKAokcFRATznbTKo4PO0CmH5SEyIX_Ga0wQMMMYxfLEcnihYhacQnEFRc/s320/Mile8.JPG" width="240" /></a>The picture to the right is just before the mile 8 turnaround. Very scenic... the Sunshine Skyway Bridge is to the right, but out of view in this pic...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiG0PlyKJ_Fkq6opvEmkRUuQSa1JOjRN3CHK1j7Lj-GQ-HEJFSHoCOI7B3Mm9neX5CskVHYGGyROtjlgun79x2jXDoSWluwY60jl15j2FusUEeEqBZrhMl-MLW7sGqjmCDbRDrAfNPce8/s1600/near_end_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiG0PlyKJ_Fkq6opvEmkRUuQSa1JOjRN3CHK1j7Lj-GQ-HEJFSHoCOI7B3Mm9neX5CskVHYGGyROtjlgun79x2jXDoSWluwY60jl15j2FusUEeEqBZrhMl-MLW7sGqjmCDbRDrAfNPce8/s320/near_end_c.jpg" width="136" /></a>I think this pic (left) is around mile 10 or 11 - I'm in a good stride and feeling pretty strong. I did Gu at around mile 4.5 and again around mile
9. I tried to time it so that I could chase it with some water at an upcoming
aid station, and that worked out really well. I considered sucking down another
Gu around mile 11, but I was getting too much of a sugar-belly and I didn’t
want more discomfort than necessary. However, at mile 12 I started to feel the
twinges of a leg cramp, probably due to the fact that I should have run more miles in training (i.e. lack of conditioning) And having learned my lessons the
hard way, I backed off, breathed deep, altered my gait, and loped in at a 9:something
pace. I so did not want to have to come to a halt due to a debilitating leg
cramp, not only because it would have cost me a bunch of time, but because it
really hurts! So I nursed myself in,
even being ok with the fact that I got passed in the last few feet of the race
(something I hate to have happen…), simply because I was thrilled to have run
this HM much better than I ever expected. I crossed the finish line under 2:00
hrs. Totally thrilled! Legs were burning as a result of the effort, but thrilled!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuUWveT0vZmM34w8dTBophuri_kRTkGAHNP479GpFHJueMH5Bk4zCSpIgdb7jxwka95Jt8bZ0VpEkwl786CE0nimIuZze2iH22Iuns3uuPGUoCARz8B-rvZeK1HMPkTguYD1L_NVfTfYM/s1600/onthebeach_a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuUWveT0vZmM34w8dTBophuri_kRTkGAHNP479GpFHJueMH5Bk4zCSpIgdb7jxwka95Jt8bZ0VpEkwl786CE0nimIuZze2iH22Iuns3uuPGUoCARz8B-rvZeK1HMPkTguYD1L_NVfTfYM/s320/onthebeach_a.jpg" width="191" /></a>Immediately after finishing I made my way to the beach
(about 100 yards from the finish line), lost my shoes and socks, and walked
into the cold Gulf of Mexico. What an awesome feeling! My legs , ankles, and feet loved it! It was
probably the best thing that I could have done. I don’t think that even a
massage would have felt better.</div>
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Ok – that that was fun and it was great… What’s next? With Florida summer soon upon
us, distance events are rare. We have some 10K’s and I’d like to sign up for
some. More importantly, I am anxiously waiting for my blood test results to see
if my diet efforts have had an effect on my blood sugar levels. That is really
what is next….</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949881165515039776.post-31046181601720331742015-10-21T11:27:00.000-04:002015-12-17T16:22:15.443-05:00Piriformis is a pain<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXMdvZukogld-nS4BTntlugl_2QHdFBnh7LDcluEVF4vhykCB7FbSgOaQxdGO9xU208HE7ZBvomdcTsQy54-TXxWVDpxIjTmP5NtIfiqoppe1dMKQNaj97nvGoV1aDFyvBMcM3y19PL5s/s1600/piriformis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXMdvZukogld-nS4BTntlugl_2QHdFBnh7LDcluEVF4vhykCB7FbSgOaQxdGO9xU208HE7ZBvomdcTsQy54-TXxWVDpxIjTmP5NtIfiqoppe1dMKQNaj97nvGoV1aDFyvBMcM3y19PL5s/s320/piriformis.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from Sports and Spine Rehab</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Piriformis Syndrome is literally a pain in the ass. Really.<br />
<br />
There is a muscle that runs kind of sideways and crossways across our hips that helps control the swing and general action of our hips. And apparently if you aggravate it, it can cause all kinds of discomfort. To make matters worse, it runs very close to the sciatic nerve and can make that very unhappy too, leading to a lot of general unhappiness all the way around.<br />
<br />
I didn't even know what it was but the effects of "Piriformis Syndrome" started bugging me over two years ago (2013). I noticed it mostly when driving - my right butt/hip would ache. If I had to drive a long distance I would become very uncomfortable and I'd have to stop regularly to stretch. It didn't bother me during my MCM marathon training, but it was there. Then, about a year later it started to affect my sciatic nerve, and I just thought it was a leg issue. I learned a few stretches that helped, and for the most part tried to ignore it.<br />
<br />
Late this summer, August of 2015, along with an ankle issue, my pain-in-the-butt thing got worse - really uncomfortably so. It was a sharp, focused pain deep in my butt cheek whenever I tried to do speed work. And I still didn't know what it was. It was only by accident that I finally stumbled on what my issue was by reading a lot of posts on the runnersworld.com forum.<br />
<br />
That started the process of getting myself rehabilitated and repaired (or is it repaired and rehabilitated?). And it's a long process before full happiness ensues...<br />
<br />
I've learned that Piriformis Syndrome can be brought about by either too much sitting or too much running (on hard surfaces). Well, I don't sit very much, and while I run a lot, I don't think that I qualify for "running too much". So what else? It turns out that weak glutes and/or ankle issues can also contribute to Piriformis Syndrome - and while I didn't think that I had weak glutes, it is certainly a possibility. And I certainly have ankle issues (seems to be a recurring issue for me).<br />
<br />
So with that in mind, I've begun doing exercises to strengthen my glutes and have some new orthotics for my feet. And I'm experiencing positive results. Lots of lunges. Lots of deep knee bends. I also learned about the "Myrtl Routine", basically a series of exercises that focus on your hips. The Myrtl Routine runs through clams, lateral leg raises, donkey kicks, and so on. Do an internet search for it. Good stuff.<br />
<br />
With regards to running, I had to cut down my miles substantially, partly because it hurt, but also because I did not want to cause further damage. My initial focus was two-fold: relieve the discomfort, and to strengthen my glutes and legs.<br />
<br />
My morning routine involves a lot of easy stretching, all of them are yoga positions that I've been taught - I'd list the names, but I haven't got a clue. I know that one is called "Pigeon"...? Deep knee bends, some on toes, some flat footed. More lunges. Donkey kicks and what I call "Kraut walking" (high steps). I also run through a Myrtl Routine.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, as I get older, I loose endurance quickly, so I wind up having to re-build my miles, starting with 2 and 3 mile runs for a while before graduating to 4 & 5 and ultimately 10 and 15 miles. I also lost any element of speed (not that I had a lot...). With a faster pace comes longer strides, which means that I'm stretching out my hamstring, and by connection, the piriformis muscle. I'm having to re-train those muscles to accept the stretch and the muscle turnover tempo.<br />
<br />
At this stage, I am still in the 3 mile run stage, and I'm wanting to feel confident and strong before running further and faster. This is running season in FL and the weather is awesome. It is a shame to not be able to take advantage of it! But I I want to run when I'm 88, I better take care of my body while I'm 58.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949881165515039776.post-56129515297824825872015-07-13T16:00:00.000-04:002015-08-19T11:39:15.972-04:00Mind over matter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtuUdYmGpTuV2mDEMsNfjfL7csPUjW7yKzCQ_fL1VHKU7Ls8sGp_UwWYohwQJXyX9T2Vb-406nOG0fITDACVofrXvr2kQa5i_Qja056VmIkifRrV404ibL4F9xuP4oGSuT255gK3uQfsc/s1600/brain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtuUdYmGpTuV2mDEMsNfjfL7csPUjW7yKzCQ_fL1VHKU7Ls8sGp_UwWYohwQJXyX9T2Vb-406nOG0fITDACVofrXvr2kQa5i_Qja056VmIkifRrV404ibL4F9xuP4oGSuT255gK3uQfsc/s320/brain.jpg" width="308" /></a></div>
At what point are you really tired? Our bodies seem to always be able to do and go just a little bit further, so how can we tell when we're really "done"?<br />
<br />
The answer to that is part physical and part mental. Yes, there is the necessary endurance and stamina that comes from training and running many, many miles, but it's the mental part that I think really does it.<br />
<br />
We train our bodies to be able to endure many miles and to run at a pace that we want to hit. But physically, things begin to happen, things begin to hurt and get tired. As we chug our way through the miles and as we stress muscles and bones, at least two things start to happen: 1) we start to feel "tired", and 2) something somewhere will start to hurt or ache.<br />
<br />
And this is where mind over matter comes in. We start to feel fatigue as a result of the release of lactic acid from our muscles (which is a natural result of the energy release from muscle action). Lactic acid works as a basic signal to the brain to back off the level of exertion. In extreme cases, lactic acid build up will create a sense of nausea, which pretty much forces the body to ease up on the level of exercise intensity.<br />
<br />
So the trick here is to recognize that muscles are releasing lactic acid, thus the indications of fatigue, but know that there is still muscle endurance left. It's almost like "ignore that flashing red warning light - full speed ahead!".... The fine line to consider is being able to recognize when you are truly red-lining your capability and it's time to back off. And where ever that point is, it is different and unique for everyone.<br />
<br />
The same holds true with aches and pains that develop during a run. Which ache is normal and which one needs to be tended to <b>RIGHT NOW</b>? After running a bunch of miles, it's only natural for different parts of your body to start to complain. You can run through most of them, but you've got to be conscious that there are some that you shouldn't run through. And again, there is no one answer since everyone is unique.<br />
<br />
For me, sharp pains are usually not good. Ditto knee discomfort. Knee discomfort at any level is usually a big DO NOT RUN sign for me. But general aches and soreness I can, and will, run through, and oddly enough, they often dissipate before my run is over - sometimes only to bite me in the ass later in the day or the day after... but that's a different story.<br />
<br />
For me the key is to focus on whatever my goal is for that day's run. I won't pick a distance that I haven't been adequately or properly been training for; for example if my long runs have been 10-15 miles I won't suddenly decide to do 40 or 50 miles on a given day, but I might do 20... With that goal in mind, I just start grinding through the miles, and as I've probably mentioned in other posts, mile by mile they click off until I'm done. At some point during a long run, something in my body will start to complain and I'll do a kind of "how bad is it" analysis, maybe adjust my stride, slow down, or something, but I'll try to keep running. I used to hate stopping for any reason (hey, the clock is ticking... can't stop for nothing...) -like, I would put up with a loose shoestring or a pebble in my shoe for a long time before I'd force myself to stop to take care of it - really stupid of me... But I've grown up now (58) and I'll take the time to stop to take care of things so that I can have a better and more productive run.<br />
<br />
But as the miles accumulate I find that I have to concentrate harder on maintaining pace and form. As I get tired, my posture can get sloppy, and as it gets sloppy, I'm not running as efficiently as I could. The better my posture, the less likely it is that I'll hurt something else. And this can take a lot of mental effort.<br />
<br />
It's hard for me to remember exactly what is going on in my head, but I know that I'm trying hard not to think of how many more miles I have left, but rather focus on running smooth. Of course, I've also gone through runs where I'm thinking "5 more miles... "x" more minutes (depending on my pace that day)... if I run faster I'll be done sooner", which can make the end of the run <i>very</i> hard... To focus on running smooth, I have this mantra that I think I picked up from Arya in Game of Thrones: "light as a feather, quiet as a millpond"... and I try to translate that into my footfalls, as in "land softly, land gently"... and not let my feet just "plop" because I'm getting tired and/or my legs/feet hurt.<br />
<br />
If I'm really getting uncomfortable, I'll start going through the routine of telling myself that the discomfort that I am currently feeling is temporary and expected, and that it will be over as soon as I cross my designated finish line.<br />
<br />
But probably the mental thought that gets me to the end of my run when I'm getting tired and I'm hurting is the thought that I've not yet completed the goal that I set for myself that day. And only when I hit that mile number, whatever it may be for that day, do I feel like I can stop to lick my wounds.<br />
<br />
I do find it interesting that we as humans can develop our muscles to do amazing things, but it takes that grey mush between our ears to bring it all together... It's pretty amazing!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949881165515039776.post-32150526769470359102015-05-29T11:18:00.001-04:002015-08-19T11:38:57.265-04:00That long run<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRvQffgVn_MtheL1AcqRxmviY_0Oa3LScWn8BEJf9ASdv3pKwmuF6uEcyhbwZvV1pIkQDF-cDSjMX9FkKpJ5L_jQwLOedNN0bcetZFUzBNIhhn2owFKFoZx39TFxmYrD1HmV7dqsR6yZ4/s1600/mile_markers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRvQffgVn_MtheL1AcqRxmviY_0Oa3LScWn8BEJf9ASdv3pKwmuF6uEcyhbwZvV1pIkQDF-cDSjMX9FkKpJ5L_jQwLOedNN0bcetZFUzBNIhhn2owFKFoZx39TFxmYrD1HmV7dqsR6yZ4/s320/mile_markers.jpg" width="148" /></a></div>
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As a beginning runner six short years ago, I was very
intimidated by the thought of the “long run”. Anything over 3 miles was “long”
to me. And it turns out that I was not alone. The punch line here is that my
intimidation was only because I knew nothing about endurance training and had
absolutely no appreciation for what the human body can accomplish when properly
trained and conditioned.</div>
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But without a doubt, the mere thought of doing a 10 mile run
was daunting to me, never mind doing a 20 miler in prep for a marathon. I might
as well have been contemplating a trip to Jupiter. It wasn’t going to happen.
How is it that anybody could run that far?
Ultra-marathoners were some kind of super-freakazoids to me. How could I
ever possibly run 10, 20 or 26.2 miles, particularly given my very late start to
my running career? I was convinced that you had to have been born with a
special gene that enabled you to run far and survive it. I was in awe of
marathon runners.</div>
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It all kind of came together for me after running my second
Half Marathon. I finally realized that it was all about the training. I also
noticed the numbers of runners that participated in these HM’s – and they came
in all different shapes, sizes, and abilities. They weren’t all
“super-athletes” – they were normal guys and girls living ordinary lives. Some
were older than me (a helpful omen), most were younger, some were heavier than
me, and so on… and for the most part, they all were able to go the distance,
albeit some faster than others. It seemed possible for mere sub-mortals like me
to run distance.</div>
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However, having said all that, I was only slightly prepared
to accept the necessary training plan for my first marathon. As I reviewed my plan
and realized the reality of how many miles I was going to have to run to build
up my endurance, my reaction was: “I’m going to do what??!!” No way. It’s not possible. </div>
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As it turns out, it’s not really so bad. Those long runs turn
out to be (almost) a piece of cake, and I actually look forward to them. Three reasons:</div>
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First of all, I didn’t have to jump from running 3 miles to
doing 12 or 18 miles - </div>
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The training plan edged me up mile by mile – there was no
surprise and I had slowly built up the endurance to do so. So when the day came
for me to do longer and longer runs, I actually had the ability to do it. Three
miles became 6, became 9, became 14, and so on. This of course, was the point
of the training plan. Improve endurance, get stronger, build stamina, run
further …. Amazing how that works, eh?</div>
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Secondly, I found that the miles just click by. I get myself into a groove and just chug. It
literally involves getting myself into a mental state of accepting the fact
that I am going to run “x” miles today – that’s my mission, that’s my goal, and
I’m going to accomplish that goal. Period. Having arrived at that “mental
state”, I just go, and yes, the miles just click by… And I like it!</div>
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Thirdly, that feeling that I get after completing that long
run is awesome – </div>
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Really - it is a feeling of tremendous satisfaction. I may
not have the opportunity to tell anyone that I just ran some silly distance,
but inwardly and to myself I’m wearing a sly self-satisfying grin. And there is
no better feeling. This is something that only another runner would understand.</div>
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I do, however, have a few requirements for my long runs: </div>
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<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">a)</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The route needs to be interesting or at least
attractive (no highways or traffic),</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">b)</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">If I’m running solo (which I usually do when
going long) I need to have good music or a good podcast,</span></div>
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<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">c)</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">It’s important that I anticipate my fuel and
hydration needs and prepare for handling them accordingly. Most of the time I
carry everything I need, which can be a pain, but it’s also amazing how good it
feels to be self-sufficient.</span></div>
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I’ve done most of my long runs as early in the morning as I
can get myself up for, as close to first light and sunrise as possible. In fact
the best time is before dawn, when there is barely a hint of the sun coming up.
I do this mostly just because I like the freshness of dawn and the fact that
there are so few people out and about at that time of day. It’s calm and quiet,
and the day is new. But I do it early also so that I have time to recover afterwards
and still be able to do things later in the day with my family.</div>
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The first half mile is always the hardest for me, probably because
I’m not 20 years old anymore and so it takes a little while for me to get
loosened up. And then once I get past the first mile I get myself into a zone
and I am able to just chug, and the next thing I know I’m at mile 10 or
something. </div>
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For my long runs my preference is to pick a circular route. Ideally,
I have never run that route before which makes it a bit of an adventure.
Alternatively, and actually more realistic, are out-and-back routes… in other
words run a bunch of miles out, turn around and run back. The tough and good
part about out-and-backs is that once I get to the turn-around spot, the only
way to get home is to run all the way back to my truck… so there is a pretty
good incentive to get it done. Then finally, there is the multiple loop routine,
which fortunately I’ve only done a few times. While prepping for the 2013
Marine Corp Marathon I did a 6 mile loop 3 times so that I could get 18 miles
in, and it really fell into the category of “work” – it was no fun and I got no
pleasure out of doing it.</div>
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I do find that I negotiate with myself about the distance, like
for example I’ll tell myself that in 3 miles I can suck down a GU or a banana,
or in another mile I can turn around and head back, or I’ve only got 5 more
miles to go, so if I run faster I’ll be done sooner, and so on! I never think
about the time, i.e. how long I’ve been running, only the distance. The amount
of time that I’ve spent on my feet doesn’t register with me until later, which
helps me explain away why my feet might hurt. I do remember situations where
I’ll promise myself a extra long Epson-salt foot soak, or (ever since my wife
introduced me to it) promise to take myself to get a pedicure. [Side note here:
my first time was after a particularly hard 19 mile run my wife encouraged me
to go with her for a pedicure and I absolutely loved it – it was the best thing
that I could have done for myself and I highly recommend it!]</div>
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The only caveat I have with long runs, particularly in prep
for a marathon, is that I’m convinced that running for longer than 3
hours, or at the max 3:30 hours, is not beneficial. I’ve done several 4hour runs because I was
sure that I needed to be “able” to do it, but the truth is that those runs just
beat the crap out of me. Recovery was tough, and I’m not sure that I actually
helped myself or improved by conditioning.</div>
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<br />
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The punch line here is that you shouldn’t be intimidated by
that long run. It’s an adventure that you’ve been preparing for and now you are
going to prove to yourself that you are good for it. The feeling afterwards is
very satisfying and confidence building. When someone asks what you did this
weekend you can say that, yeah you mowed the lawn, went to a party/dinner, and
oh yeah by the way, also ran 15 miles…</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949881165515039776.post-86145821130603484582015-05-12T11:24:00.000-04:002015-05-12T11:24:00.103-04:00Plan A, no Plan B, ok.... Plan C<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7TAbs6fpxdNkWL2y8TOuUSyvBDY0lWct8BN-bnaB86xski2MbBmX0zEylGAX_GNRRTwI3ou4eyuO0MG371xmh88EVi3Bc3ASUPhbaLvlBX0v49VqIpkeVSctGVvwwz2tX8qyyLEVA6yk/s1600/PlanA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7TAbs6fpxdNkWL2y8TOuUSyvBDY0lWct8BN-bnaB86xski2MbBmX0zEylGAX_GNRRTwI3ou4eyuO0MG371xmh88EVi3Bc3ASUPhbaLvlBX0v49VqIpkeVSctGVvwwz2tX8qyyLEVA6yk/s1600/PlanA.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All runners go through this at some point: Get up and out for a modest run before the
day gets started and the sun gets things too hot. That’s the plan - no waivering.
Except that energy levels are really low, and I mean really low. It’s
been a tough week, lots of miles, the house kind of has a lazy feel about it,
and the resolve to get out for a run is crumbling. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So Plan B begins to form in your mind… How about taking a “rest
day”? After all, you deserve it, and your body will no doubt appreciate it.
It’s a nice warm day, perfect for floating in the pool with a cool drink and a
book. Plan B sounds really good! Oh, and
a sandwich. Something tasty and juicy. Key on tasty. Ohhhh yeahhhhh.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But then you remember your resolve to run… The sandwich
sounds good, but then the guilt thing comes in, like maybe you should “earn” it
first… So after pondering all of this for a while (and the sun continuing to
rise along with the temperature) you finally decide on Plan C: do a run, a couple of miles at least, and
then follow it up with a guilt-free sandwich while floating in the pool with a
book. But for the love of all that is good, get out there! (remember it’s all about “showing up”….)_</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That was me yesterday – I really struggled to get out for my
run. All of my household members were being lazy and proud of it and I was
getting sucked into their very comfortable aura. The day was beautiful: a clear, hot, Florida day. The allure of floating in my pool
with a book and cool drink was intoxicating.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But what got me over the edge was two things: I was hungry and I didn’t want to eat anything
without having burned some c’s first (I don’t always feel this way, but I did
yesterday) and secondly and most importantly, my insistence on “showing up!”.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As it was, I chugged out 6 miles in brutal heat. I started on
the asphalt road but the heat from the road was getting to me, so I drifted to
the cement sidewalk where there was some shade, and then tried to run whenever
possible in the grass because it was so much cooler than the sidewalk.
Unfortunately, the grass here is so thick that it is hard to run in – it’s like
running through a sponge; I have to literally lift my knees up so that my foot
can clear the sod – it really screws up my gait!</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Nonetheless I did it, plopped into my pool afterwards, and
thoroughly enjoyed a sandwich and cool drinks. Ahhh… oh yeah, now we’re
talking! I showed up, I did my best, and
I felt great for having made the effort.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949881165515039776.post-77562659325649197132015-04-29T12:43:00.000-04:002015-05-12T11:05:36.555-04:00Show up...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvmXgQLYAvHyYUVR9k_brL7KbnABD7rPFr4VAEWw4crAM8BHCv7Q78z5szF-msVh7Bvs375-JEyrvMhtntVPCn8qzbKDj-Pxulq-u2SQKLA1gmPrB4XDotSVWW9-2oPEtB5LZl7Pat51w/s1600/showup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvmXgQLYAvHyYUVR9k_brL7KbnABD7rPFr4VAEWw4crAM8BHCv7Q78z5szF-msVh7Bvs375-JEyrvMhtntVPCn8qzbKDj-Pxulq-u2SQKLA1gmPrB4XDotSVWW9-2oPEtB5LZl7Pat51w/s1600/showup.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Reminders:<br />
<br />
1) Show Up - get out there<br />
2) Be Honest with Yourself - Be honest about your current fitness<br />
3) Pay Attention - Be aware of your body<br />
4) Do Your Best - Anything less makes the run a waste of time<br />
5) Don't be too Attached to the Outcome - It's always different later<br />
<br />
I found these 5 points somewhere some time ago and I think they are worthy of posting. Items 1, 2, 3, & 5 were authored by Angeles Arrien (a cultural anthropologist), and I suspect that item 4 is an extrapolation that fits really well with the others. I think that item 2 was originally "Tell the Truth" by Arrien, but while an excellent axiom to live by, for a runners list of goals I like the being honest phrasing.<br />
<br />
This is how I see these items fitting in to running:<br />
<br />
1) Show up - Get your shoes on, and get out there. Your fitness and health will not happen unless you make the effort to get out there. We do not get stronger or better by sitting back. It may be a drag to get out the door - that first half mile may be hard, but after that you know that you will be glad that you made the effort. More importantly, not showing up is worse than defeat. What's that line from the movie The Shawshank Redemption: "Get busy living or get busy dying" ? Very apropos. If you don't show up, you deserve what you get (or not).<br />
<br />
2) Be Honest with Yourself - Don't kid yourself about your capabilities. And this actually cuts both ways: being overly optimistic about what we "want" to be able to do as well as being too humble and modest about what we "can" do. But this can be hard because we all aspire to be more than we are - be able to run faster,further, better... Genetics, fitness level, and more, create the reality is that is each of us. It's important to have goals and stretch goals, but they have to based on reality, a starting point. Recognize your reality and do everything you can to improve that.<br />
<br />
3) Pay Attention - Don't ignore the little injuries, and the corollary to that, take advantage of when everything is right! Pay attention to things that hurt so that they don't turn into debilitating injuries that will keep you out of your running shoes. If something doesn't feel right, figure it out and fix it. And having said that, when your body feels like it is perfect, take advantage of it.<br />
<br />
4) Do Your Best - It's a mind set, and it should actually apply to everything that we do. Running is weird in that we tend to have different goals for each of our runs. The point is, whatever the goal is for that days run, focus on doing your best to accomplish that goal. Sometimes it's pace, or form, or breathing, or gait, or distance, and so on... If you are not going to make a serious effort at it, then don't bother doing it. Anything less makes the run a waste of time.<br />
<br />
5) Don't be too Attached to the Outcome - Having a great or bad run or race is just one event in a lifetime of events. Savor or admonish yourself for the moment, and then move on to the next one. Having a great run or a great race feels awesome, and yes it does wonders to increase confidence, but it's just a small part of the bigger picture. Think "what's next" and what can you do to get better. Just because you had a great race does not mean that all races will be great. Likewise with a bad run or race - it sucks and can be draining if you let it, but that is all the more reason to move ahead. Again, think "what's next".<br />
<br />
But it all starts with SHOW UP !!<br />
<br />
<br />
Show Up<br />
Be Honest with Yourself<br />
Pay Attention<br />
Do Your Best<br />
Don't be too Attached to the Outcome<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949881165515039776.post-45210798190823187532015-03-23T10:51:00.000-04:002015-03-23T10:51:05.814-04:00It's really about the Newton's<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht3rX9SN3jYE4S85H7VXhGoCh9kmwwc7fqvJeIgiVLARtZSYduN2x4GreCrlwbQqlrVGjyb6qFQ2gEjjuC8jupZh_v4x7iJx1Oog_QnXcfYGBdOnFAb4w2y9jpP8n05gPTDIOefdrAfj0/s1600/Newton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht3rX9SN3jYE4S85H7VXhGoCh9kmwwc7fqvJeIgiVLARtZSYduN2x4GreCrlwbQqlrVGjyb6qFQ2gEjjuC8jupZh_v4x7iJx1Oog_QnXcfYGBdOnFAb4w2y9jpP8n05gPTDIOefdrAfj0/s1600/Newton.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
During a St Paddy’s Day 5K event one of the 5 lugs on the
bottom of one of my Newton Motion III’s ripped off. Somewhere around mile 1 I could hear this
“flapping” sound, but of course since this was a race I wasn’t about to stop
and investigate. After all, I was
neither in pain nor bleeding profusely, so I kept on running. I ran the rest of
the race with that “flap” sound at every step until I crossed the finish line,
and then realized that one of the lugs on the bottom of the shoe was hanging by
a thread (the “flap” sound with every step was the sound of the lug slapping the
pavement), and then within a few steps while getting some water, ripped off
completely. Ok, no biggie I thought, I still had 4 lugs left… I took a picture of it and called it good.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpLkJYhy-hNZQ2G9ai5WdtgrUFpq0w0SgMHPgfojJOhx89XzC_slGMi1OsulRhg7lCsW5NIp8XR8VVrsxE0uhTD5Jceh2lz3xD-SdBvp8CkoGH0c1k11dn827tU5PTehUy5oJH3gxs2OM/s1600/broken_missing_lug.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpLkJYhy-hNZQ2G9ai5WdtgrUFpq0w0SgMHPgfojJOhx89XzC_slGMi1OsulRhg7lCsW5NIp8XR8VVrsxE0uhTD5Jceh2lz3xD-SdBvp8CkoGH0c1k11dn827tU5PTehUy5oJH3gxs2OM/s1600/broken_missing_lug.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I love these Newton’s… really. I’ve flirted with other
brands, but I always come back to Newton’s. I’m on my third pair, if that is
saying anything… In a crazy way, they help me run faster, they encourage me to
run stronger, and I believe, they help me run more efficiently. I just wish that they weren’t so damn expensive…
I’d try other styles of Newton’s if I could afford them…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I get <span style="font-family: inherit;">lazy during a run and my form star</span>ts to droop,
somehow the feel of the Newton’s prods me to pay attention. Other shoes don’t
do that for me. I’m not exactly sure how it happens, but there is a subtle feel
in my midfoot whenever I start to lose my form, coupled with another odd
feeling in my core-area. And as soon as
I fix it, I start running more efficiently.
Best of all, when I get into the groove I can easily out-run my intended
distance for that day – which has good and bad ramifications...</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But I do find that in order for me to run in the Newton’s “properly”,
i.e. get the efficiency of form out them, I have had to build relatively solid
core strength as well as well-conditioned hams and quads. I’m not talking about
going crazy with core exercises, squats, and so on –I’ve just been doing general
routines – and I can both see and feel the difference. But it turns out that
this is pretty important, because the stronger my core and legs feel, the
better my form, pace, and endurance are.
And better yet, the more confidence I have. And I think that running
with Newton’s has had a lot to do with it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’ve had situations where during a run, perhaps within
a mile or so from being done, I’d run into an acquaintance running the other
way, and on a whim I’d spin around and join them (of course, I always ask if
they want some company or a pacer… after all, sometimes we run because we want
the alone-time…). My point here is that I couldn’t do it if I didn’t have the
confidence that I had the endurance to extend my run. And I think that the
Newton’s have done a lot to give that to me.</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Oh, and by the way, I placed second in my age group on that
5K, flapping lug and all…! I missed
first by 27 seconds ! If I had paid a
little more attention, maybe I could have claimed 1<sup>st</sup> Place ! But I should also note that this was a very
casual event – yes it was timed event, but it was a gun start (no starting line
mat) and the start itself was somewhat very half hazard. For all I know, the guy that beat me had
lined up way in front, whereas I was way in the back with my wife and son and
had to bob and weave my way up.. Once
clear of most of the starting area pack, I ran pretty hard, despite the fact
that it was very hot (yes, this was a Florida event!). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I narrowly missed destroying my ankle while cutting a corner
though: the course ran along an asphalt trail and just before the finish had a
90 degree turn onto a sidewalk. I was in the process of passing another runner
at that moment (bad timing on my part – lack of patience) and he suddenly
bobbed out towards me causing me to miss the sidewalk and land on a rocky edge.
It’s amazing what goes through your mind in a situation like that. I remember
simultaneously thinking that this had disaster written all over it for me,
while at the same time calculating where could I place my left foot to take the
weight as soon as possible. As it turns out I was able to get my left foot firmly
on the sidewalk right about the time I felt my right ankle complain.
Fortunately nothing bad happened (I have a history of ankle injuries) and I was
able to finish strong. But that little tiny event, a duration of perhaps 3
seconds, reminds that I ought not take
this stuff too seriously – this is supposed to be fun and I want to be able to
run for years to come. I could so easily of destroyed my ankle in my desire to
pass somebody at the worst possible time and that would have sucked big ones!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="line-height: 16.8666667938232px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But the best news of all is that I'm getting new Newton's !!! Yea!!!</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949881165515039776.post-89416958929894071652014-11-10T09:05:00.000-05:002015-01-01T16:56:21.763-05:00Adversity as a challenge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidZZCLTUJtyaOeuNZ4mP2oHtkLoY7oZH2aCa9ki7K3duYiDV7mkWylvoHaXFh7ITOKrzwzDTAgqVUf3q8BFRsrxWXW6bZwH_c2B5OUHlxfH3OQnPdB5c0mUH1ZkM3VGKEd4VWk69CIS9s/s1600/bangheadhere.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidZZCLTUJtyaOeuNZ4mP2oHtkLoY7oZH2aCa9ki7K3duYiDV7mkWylvoHaXFh7ITOKrzwzDTAgqVUf3q8BFRsrxWXW6bZwH_c2B5OUHlxfH3OQnPdB5c0mUH1ZkM3VGKEd4VWk69CIS9s/s1600/bangheadhere.jpg" height="200" width="197" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
"Adversity introduces a man to himself". This
is a quote from Marcus Lattimore, a running back with the San Francisco 49ers
who recently retired from the NFL due to knee problems, without ever playing in
a single game. His is an interesting story, but I'll let you look it up on your
own. The adversity that he is referring to I think was specific to his physical and athletic challenges and own personal athletic aspirations vs an interpersonal type of conflict. Taking
that assumption, his statement is in line with some physically issues of my own that, quite frankly, have been driving me nuts. </div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
A few months ago I strained my Achilles, I worked my way
through it and was able to have a good go at the Reach the Beach Ragnar Relay
in September <a href="http://runningthrutime.blogspot.com/2014/09/reach-beach-ragnar-relay-2014.html" target="_blank">Reach the Beach Ragnar Relay</a> (http://runningthrutime.blogspot.com/2014/09/reach-beach-ragnar-relay-2014.html). My ankle and Achilles were not perfect, and it hurt, but I figured
out how to do the hills and run a respectable pace without destroying myself in
the process. I love to run, I love the feeling of running, and even though I'll
never win a race, I love to compete. But I won't do it at the expense of
permanently damaging myself. And that is where the adversity comes into play. </div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
I understand what Marcus Lattimore means by what he said.
Granted, this guy is a star athlete. He's got the goods. I'm just an old,
amateur wanna-be runner... But I get it. When something fails to work out as I planned, I get
annoyed and I challenge myself to find a way to fix it. I've stopped being
disappointed by injuries and feeling sorry for myself, and instead focus on
solving the problem and setting a new objective. I'm not settling with the
situation or even close to giving in, but rather I make myself accept the facts
and look for solutions or other ways to satisfy my craving to achieve a specific goal.</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
Case in point: I had signed up to run a Half Marathon for this past weekend - but
it didn't happen for me. For the last three weeks I've been fighting my
Achilles strain and then I managed to roll my ankle, totally compounding my
problem. I actually thought that I was going to be ok (after rolling my ankle),
but couple of days later it reared its ugly head. I eased my way through my
runs, feeling mildly optimistic that things would work out. But no cigar.... </div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
On a beautiful early Sunday morning, two weeks prior to
my HM event, I started a run and didn't get 200 ft. The pain was a hard signal
that I ought not be running. I could walk ok, but running was out of the
question. And yeah... I got mad, was disappointed, and felt sorry for myself... I let those feeling last for the entire 200 foot walk back to my house. Time for a
new plan and solutions. This half marathon wasn't going to happen for me
(although I will admit that up until the night before the event I carried the thought that if my
ankle felt better that I would still try to run it... But better sense prevailed..).</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
What I read from Marcus Lattimore's quote is that when
things go sideways you discover if, and how, you are able to handle them. You are truly introduced to yourself. How will you handle this situation. The question then becomes: are we
able to, or even willing to, look beyond the problem, the adversary situation. Are we willing to look in, and out of, the box for the
solutions... Sometimes it's all about getting our head in the right frame of
mind. I think that it's ok to feel the emotions of the moment (the
disappointment, anger, etc), but the key is to get over it quickly and move on.</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
Of course, this particular situation just happened to suck just a little bit more.... I couldn't help but look at the race results yesterday: It turns out that there were only 13 runners in my age group that ran the HM, and given the pace that I've been training at, I had a pretty solid shot of placing in the top 3, if not first in my age group! This kind of set up, an event where there weren't really any seriously faster runners than me in my age group signed up, is a rarity, and it sucks that I could not take advantage of it. <Sigh....> But that's cool - I'm still all in. It just means that I need to put a little more effort into the next one!</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949881165515039776.post-87179349454859621242014-10-15T09:29:00.003-04:002014-10-22T17:04:07.317-04:00How much should I run?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_rnOUJN7R2AQtGfIp0K3WmdPz30g1UQW0GzjOJPchY_s1_DrH863ZRLk7f2Py4LJUOqFNZ2ema4geukFpq5mL3ALyeMXP5RxkkJ9XYS-e-egw-ET9Woh5nRHtOUn8beEYkgb4AWtkVB8/s1600/generalmapmiles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_rnOUJN7R2AQtGfIp0K3WmdPz30g1UQW0GzjOJPchY_s1_DrH863ZRLk7f2Py4LJUOqFNZ2ema4geukFpq5mL3ALyeMXP5RxkkJ9XYS-e-egw-ET9Woh5nRHtOUn8beEYkgb4AWtkVB8/s1600/generalmapmiles.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
Seriously, how many miles should I run? How much should any runner put in?<br />
<br />
I put this question up with a certain amount of tongue-in-cheek - because the answer invariably is: "it depends". It depends on where I am in my running experience, level of fitness, and specific goals and targets. It is easier to answer the question if I have an upcoming race event, and therefore I am structuring my running mileage accordingly in order to be adequately trained and ready for the event.<br />
<br />
But I'm pondering the question outside of training for an event: given my age and overall health (which fortunately is pretty good) <i>how many miles per week will provide me with the optimal return in maintaining a healthy body and mind</i>...? And the corollary: <i>at what point am I causing damage to my body (by running too many miles)...?</i><br />
<br />
If I put this question up to Google, I get over a billion results... so this seems to be important to a lot of people.<br />
<br />
I run about 30 miles per week, sometimes a bit more, sometimes a bit less... I'm prepping for a Half Marathon, so every week I'm doing a 10, 12, or 14 mile long run - no big deal, right? But I keep asking myself: for conditioning purposes, should I be running more weekly miles, like maybe closer to 40 per week? Or should I be doing fewer miles to reduce the risk of damage or injury?<br />
<br />
On the one hand I am concerned about whatever conditioning I might be missing by not running more miles, but on the other I worry about what part of my body I might be damaging or wearing down. We've all heard the saying "what hurts you makes you stronger...", which I've bought into most of my life, but now I'm beginning to wonder if I'm always going to be able to recover from that which hurts me... You can see the conundrum...<br />
<br />
Well, it turns out that even science (my usual go-to source) can't help me here, simply because I don't have access to the specific data regarding the status of the wear and tear of my joints, muscles, ligaments, cardio, or vascular systems, etc. I have to literally rely on "how I feel". I have to try things and if I <i>feel</i> that there is improvement, continue doing it, and if something hurts, I am supposed to back off. Hardly scientific, but it's the best I've got (short of instrumenting myself somehow and having a budget of many dollars to pay for it).<br />
<br />
So as runners, we push ourselves through pain and discomfort in order to build endurance and performance levels. And by doing so, we believe that we are able to do more. If at some point the pain is so uncomfortable that it is not tolerable, we say 'ok -that's as far as I can go', but we do so at the risk of actually damaging a critical part of our body.<br />
<br />
Let's not kid ourselves: as we run we are wearing down cartilage and all the other pieces that help us move. And we have no idea how much of that is happening or at what point it will cripple us. For some people it happens faster than others.<br />
<br />
So what do we do? What should I do?<br />
<br />
I'm going to run until I <u style="font-style: italic;">feel</u> that I've run too far or too much. I'm going to be confident that I will recognize the signals that I should tone down my mileage or workouts. Obviously this is highly subjective and I may be influenced by what other runners my age or older are accomplishing (or not accomplishing) or by my own competitive nature. But the other reality is that we, as a species, never got better by not trying... so therefore I want to push the envelope until I sense a tear in the seam... (does that make sense?).<br />
<br />
Now - what about the other part of that question: how do I know if I'm not running enough? <br />
<br />
That turns out to be a multi-faceted question since it has at least two parts: 1) how much running is necessary to achieve a desired level of endurance or performance, and 2) how much running is appropriate for a better than average cardio-vascular health?<br />
<br />
The answer to the first part is actually very straightforward because it is actually just asking how competitive do I want to be?. If I am <i>really</i> competitive, I have to put in a lot of miles... no bones about it, and guess what?, this falls back into the question of how many miles can my body take... ahhhh, the catch-22, the self-eating watermelon...<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
The second part is easier: Thirty minutes of aerobic activity 3 times per week is what is lauded as the "minimum recommended" for general cardio-vascular health, or 90 minutes per week. I have no idea what exactly is that based on, which makes that a somewhat less than a satisfactory answer, but let's take it at face value for now. [I think that it is based simply on the fact that any activity is better than no activity, which is kind of a lame answer.]<br />
<br />
So for a "better than average cardio-vascular health" goal, my personal goal would be running a minimum of 200 minutes per week, split up across the week, with an actual target of ~250 minutes, and a stretch goal of 300 minutes. Head's up: this is a purely arbitrary conclusion on my part based on my personal condition. But it seems in keeping with general fitness thought. Personally, I know that if I run at least 200 minutes per week I can drink beer and eat ice cream... :-)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCX89pQ1eMCMlFBsolOCKaA7phZNPtiodIGXitfqRuUt4AAr8svkY0LXkbKHsOMzgffuYChpqA_NLKEZmrP3JFcs9YZ8YdeJrmEE4Yx6aqYoYM-ny_asJP_o3OG3cINBlJzAdYP_WZI9M/s1600/heartclock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCX89pQ1eMCMlFBsolOCKaA7phZNPtiodIGXitfqRuUt4AAr8svkY0LXkbKHsOMzgffuYChpqA_NLKEZmrP3JFcs9YZ8YdeJrmEE4Yx6aqYoYM-ny_asJP_o3OG3cINBlJzAdYP_WZI9M/s1600/heartclock.jpg" height="168" width="200" /></a></div>
And just for grin's I thought I'd also toss in this notion that our heart has a lifespan of a defined number of beats (say what? says who? and how do they know?) and so by engaging in an aerobic activity such as running, and thereby increasing our heart rate, that we are more rapidly using up our allowance of heart beats. And that is so wrong.... As it happens, if you regularly exercise aerobically, your heart conditions itself to the point where your resting heart rate is sufficiently lower than if you did not regularly exercise. There are numerous studies on this - do an internet search - that quantify this in detail. The interesting fact is that by regularly exercising aerobically and conditioning your heart to beat at a lower rate (resting) you actually wind up using substantially fewer heart beats than if you did not exercise.<br />
<br />
More as it happens...<br />
Honeymoon HM in 3 weeks.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949881165515039776.post-28280780236361739362014-09-16T11:12:00.000-04:002014-12-08T11:07:22.497-05:00Reach the Beach Ragnar Relay 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho2Yq3QhTeVWR0hHjk4ck28IKOy_N8gDbhEfE3YCumFtBV4lO4lEqoiVZl4fEddNrfw90ULwmB0-JUPo59ONut7ORv07T04fAaruFatIb7vVDjJgVTbac25HLqlE38_zQQThblkfKjeZ8/s1600/RTBlogo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho2Yq3QhTeVWR0hHjk4ck28IKOy_N8gDbhEfE3YCumFtBV4lO4lEqoiVZl4fEddNrfw90ULwmB0-JUPo59ONut7ORv07T04fAaruFatIb7vVDjJgVTbac25HLqlE38_zQQThblkfKjeZ8/s1600/RTBlogo.png" /></a></div>
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Confirmation that runners are truly insane is
volunteering to participate in a 207 mile relay race. I was invited to join a
team running in this year’s Reach the Beach run in New Hampshire that goes from
Cannon Mountain at 2000 odd feet down to Hampton Beach and, oh yeah, it was an
experience. </div>
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If you don't know what one of these relay events are
like, this is how it works:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRpkz2_AHegIqQ5qWROiJDJaYygrWnK-3kSiAMYwiCMnCFJEcGIbamJqn0MzwWSrcPIJl_6aa5GcFNk3l2fsH4-vGPvGGJccmDC2S5P09_rseBtqWb3H8mEOS3MOx9OcH0Y2ZUCWUAnBw/s1600/route.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRpkz2_AHegIqQ5qWROiJDJaYygrWnK-3kSiAMYwiCMnCFJEcGIbamJqn0MzwWSrcPIJl_6aa5GcFNk3l2fsH4-vGPvGGJccmDC2S5P09_rseBtqWb3H8mEOS3MOx9OcH0Y2ZUCWUAnBw/s1600/route.jpg" height="320" width="243" /></a>The first thing you do is get a team of 12 runners
together and split them up into two groups of 6 runners, each group has a van. Preferably, each group of 6
can get along pretty well with each other - and this is important, because each
group is going to spend the better part of the next 24 to 40 hours in very
close proximity to each other. Seriously close.</div>
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The next thing is you divvy up running rotations. There
are 36 segments, so each runner will ideally run 3 legs. The distance of each
leg is determined by the relay event organizers, officially defining a
"transfer point", with legs varying between 3 to 9 miles more or
less. So, "runner #1" starts the first leg - everybody piles into the van and you drive down to the next transfer point, and he/she passes the baton to
"runner #2", and so on. After you cycle through your 12 runners,
runner #1 gets another go, and the cycle continues until you "reach the beach"
ie the finish line. No hotels, no stopping. You are always hopscotching the
current runner. </div>
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<o:p>Here is the elevation map... wicked for those of us (me) who have spent the last 12 months running on flat terrain:</o:p></div>
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Each team has to have a name – ours was “Close the Gap”.
There is a significance to it, but I don’t remember what it was about... Other teams
had crazy names like: “Girls gone Miled”, “Fuster Clucks”, “Beach Balls and
Bikinis”, and so on… One of my favorites was “Out of Breathalyzers”.</div>
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The teams are divided into 2 vans. Vans 1 and it's 6
runners go through the first 6 segments and then meet up with Van 2, where upon
Van 2 takes over for 6 segments and the folks in Van 1 get a little break until
they take over at the end of the 12th segment. And then Van 2 gets a little
break, and so on.... You sort of getting the drift?</div>
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It all sounds very straight forward, and it is, except
that we are talking about more than 500 teams, each of which has 12
runners. Some teams are
"elite" teams with only 6 runners, or in our case 11, due to a last
minute drop by a team member. Believe it or not, it took us 2 hours to figure out
how to fill in the segments that the dropped runner would have run.</div>
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The transfer points are chaotic and crazy with vans
pulling in and out, runners finishing their segment and handing off their baton
(or in some case arriving and not having someone to hand off to because: a) the
Van is late b) the van got lost c) the new runner is not ready d) the new
runner is in a porta-pot, or maybe e) the runner is so incredibly fast that
he/she is beating expected times....). Remember that are over 500 teams and
there are two vans per team! That’s a
lot of traffic. This picture is from one of the very "calm" transfer points.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSL0LtsBMAhz5yuLlKPxmN-pTF4l6Has0uhCYrRBM7H8eHBm30efPVVibIPcf8ks6fy_MSBEI7SLvdwARknnq_jIx_tF1bBTVaCXlIQRvJhKZ7QBT8yBmrxIN55MooDfwYZXYYjFAvQ84/s1600/vanxfer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSL0LtsBMAhz5yuLlKPxmN-pTF4l6Has0uhCYrRBM7H8eHBm30efPVVibIPcf8ks6fy_MSBEI7SLvdwARknnq_jIx_tF1bBTVaCXlIQRvJhKZ7QBT8yBmrxIN55MooDfwYZXYYjFAvQ84/s1600/vanxfer.jpg" height="219" width="640" /></a></div>
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Did I mention that this was a non-stop event? I didn't
sleep a wink for 40 hours. It's been a long time since I've done that...</div>
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Ok, so let's run through this: I was runner #8 and in Van
2 (the "cool" Van - btw; apparently there is a bit of competition for coolness between the vans...). At the
transfer point runner #7 hands off to me and I take off for a ~6.7 mile jaunt.
No biggie; the course goes from the mountains to the beach so it's all an easy
downhill, right? No way dude - we're in
New Hampshire - and it is freaking hilly! And the down hills are brutal! But I gut it out and run hard. But oops,
there is going to be a problem... </div>
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There are so many vans associated with the event that we
have created our own traffic jam in one of the little New Hampshire towns. And I
mean serious traffic jam – these are two lane roads and we have overwhelmed the
traffic capability. A couple of miles out from the town (and my transfer point)
I can see that vans and local cars are all backed up and I start thinking about
what do I do if my van didn't make it to the transfer point with the next
runner. Do I keep running? Do I just kind of hang around? What is the protocol?
So as I'm pondering my options I happen to pass a van that has an arm hanging
out the window with a water bottle and I'm think "damn I could use some
water", and I realize that it's my van, they see me coming and were
thoughtful enough to realize that I might need some water, but even better, had
already busted out our next runner who was trekking on foot to the transfer
point! Awesome! I happened to catch up with her about a half mile from the
transfer point and we jogged in together for the official hand off. Hooraa, one
down for me. </div>
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But now it's back into the van (after walking back
through the traffic to find it), squeeze into the designated "stinky"
seat (no time for post run stretching) and we rush to get to the next transfer
point before our new runner gets there. Now I can give myself a wet-nap bath,
get out of my sweaty running duds (safely locking them into a zip lock bag to reduce
some of the stinkiness), and do a little stretching.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMpkjgGTV9RZNvbJVmjAK2HcuDzKTyrDKGKKzj5ZgVbtORO-61CmGYSZ3AIg4EZN4_XH-aON77s6fEhbKDFmCgW_U2LZfFb3WmZlkfHnbGOtpVkeH4lN8DvtjpFojzod6D0mG__t5gnAw/s1600/incoming_nite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMpkjgGTV9RZNvbJVmjAK2HcuDzKTyrDKGKKzj5ZgVbtORO-61CmGYSZ3AIg4EZN4_XH-aON77s6fEhbKDFmCgW_U2LZfFb3WmZlkfHnbGOtpVkeH4lN8DvtjpFojzod6D0mG__t5gnAw/s1600/incoming_nite.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a>My first run had started at about 5PM, and this pic is one of our runners coming in from the dark at around 8PM. My next run,
leg #20, isn't until around 3AM. Yeah, you read it correctly. 3AM. But I can't
stretch out in the van and take a nap - there just isn't room. It’s just a
minivan.. We've got bags, snacks, fluids, clothes, towels, maps, garbage, etc.
it's a packed van. Plus there are things to do - like, someone has to drive,
someone else needs to navigate, someone needs to keep a eye on a stopwatch so
that we can keep track of the runner we just started, the runner that just
finished their segment needs to get themselves cleaned up a bit, and
so on... Hopefully, we get the to next transfer point in enough time to let the
upcoming runner change into new (and dry and better smelling) running duds and
ideally warm up for their run. Oh, and we need to keep the other van updated on
our progress so that they can be sure to be at the next Van Transfer Point so
that they can take over for their 6 rotations. There is a fair amount of
necessary coordination and organization. </div>
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We (Van 2) finished our first rotation around 8:30PM, sending
Van 1's first runner off with a big cheer. We dive into a restaurant eat and
try to relax a bit. Then it's back into the van and we navigate our way to the
next Vehicle Transfer Point, roughly an hour away. As soon as we get there (a
school parking lot) we try to find a place to park and hopefully catch some zzz's. But this
is not a nice quiet school parking lot...
There are at least 200 odd vans pulling in and out, there are people
(trying) to sleep on whatever patch of grass they can find - picture
cocoon-like blobs (runners rolled up in sleeping bags) scattered helter-skelter
everywhere - people (trying) to sleep in their vans - car alarms going off
because someone accidentally hit the Panic button, headlights, backup beeps,
trucks with flashing/rotating beacons... Are you getting the idea yet that this
was not the place for some rest? You got it...</div>
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<br /></div>
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Ok - so it's getting close to my turn to run again... Do
you remember that our team was down a runner? So, out of all this we shuffled
rotations and distances around and I'm picking up a couple extra miles in order
to somewhat relieve the guy running before me (because he’s a stud and he
picked up another segment). That means that we are going to pull off to the
side of the road at a location determined by us and wait for him to reach us (and find us in the dark) for the baton hand off. It's 3AM. Dark. 40-odd degrees. Country road. Hilly. We
had already passed a van that pulled off to the side but missed seeing a deep
ditch and fell into it, breaking an axel and who knows what else - bad night
for them – hope they bought the extra insurance :-(. </div>
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<br /></div>
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And so we are waiting. I'm all set. Reflective vest.
Headlamp strapped to my forehead (I've never run with one before). Blinky light
clipped in front and one in back. I'm ready. And we're waiting. Did he run by us and we missed him? There are lots of vans and lots of runners
going by... Easy to miss him...</div>
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But suddenly we spot him as he is passing us - we did
almost miss him! and I'm off. Now I'm off on this surreal run - ok, it's only
5.5 miles, no biggie there, but it was just weird. </div>
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I'm expecting a run down a quiet, rolling, dark country
road illuminated by what's left of the super-moon and guiding my way with my
headlamp. Oh no.. not so much... It was not quiet and it was not dark. The road
was a constant parade of vans leapfrogging their runners. Plus, the pavement was not perfectly smooth -
hey, it's a rural road, what did I expect? So I had to concentrate on where I
was stepping to avoid potholes or cracks in the road or rocks and so on... I found it helpful to draft a runner and let
her find most of them for me. Yeah, it would have been way more chivalrous of
me to let her draft me and let me stumble through the mine fields, but hey, she
insisted on passing me and I decided to keep up and follow her. Besides..., well,
you know..... So anyway, I never saw much
of the moon. The bright side is that I also never had to over-anticipate an
upcoming hill because I could never see it coming - I just knew t was there
when I hit it. The downhill ones were the biggest surprise because all of a
sudden I'm loading up my quads and wondering just how steep and long the damn thing is
going to be. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
One of the other elements of the event is the concept of
"road kills", i.e. how many people have you passed. I'll tell you
right now that I got passed a lot, even though I was running at what I thought
was a respectable 8:15-8:30 pace. At one point I get passed by this one
bonehead who mutters to me as he passes "road kill!" And I shout up
to him "yeah, and I've got 30 years on you - how do you feel now?!"
To which he now felt some measure of chagrin and I think said
"sorry". Some vans made a big deal of it by decorating their van with
tally marks of their "kills". It's all good - I get it ;-). I just thought it was funny. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixvJDgxOELxs2Ms0JdvBdaMaujk9MRSqDdMIHTAbDwYlXWjkqH00BtXmQpYFduWGO6g82hfkDcInBTcgkIr8t6OT7BEpT7giv2SLTfDcotfxfz54639-7QWieEKr-9ZnOXdN7tsmDsgCQ/s1600/resting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixvJDgxOELxs2Ms0JdvBdaMaujk9MRSqDdMIHTAbDwYlXWjkqH00BtXmQpYFduWGO6g82hfkDcInBTcgkIr8t6OT7BEpT7giv2SLTfDcotfxfz54639-7QWieEKr-9ZnOXdN7tsmDsgCQ/s1600/resting.jpg" height="200" width="148" /></a>The hardest part is the third segment, especially after
having no sleep. Three of our guys had to run a total of 4 segments so this
last leg would be even tougher for them. I managed to rest a little bit by
laying down on some grass at the last vehicle transition point while we waited
for Van 1’s last runner. With the help of a little 5HR energy shot I gave my
last 6.8 miles all the game I had, still managing to maintain an 8:15-8:30
pace. My quads were getting hammered on the down hills and my calves and hams
screamed at me on the up hills. From an endurance perspective I seemed fine,
but my legs did not like the terrain. I was sooooo happy to finish.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinJ5fe2zR_K7Nwl4F-ILCzF285WPBOrPKwDAdmLYxPGSWxkBXQwSw6-n_8-4Kq8pEil8cOiamhyphenhyphen5Iq_pegiGWaUxjCqEFgVMVVqY8hoKCQSZ8E_DTwPVtIKeLR5Yy0Q_nmfO3AzGICT3Y/s1600/finishing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinJ5fe2zR_K7Nwl4F-ILCzF285WPBOrPKwDAdmLYxPGSWxkBXQwSw6-n_8-4Kq8pEil8cOiamhyphenhyphen5Iq_pegiGWaUxjCqEFgVMVVqY8hoKCQSZ8E_DTwPVtIKeLR5Yy0Q_nmfO3AzGICT3Y/s1600/finishing.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>Once we launched our last runner on the last and final
segment of the event, we all cram ourselves back into our van and scoot down to
the finish line area. Now we are truly combating with all 1000+ vans, plus
local traffic (the town of Hampton must of hated us!). Fortunately we had
rented a house within a half mile or so from the finish line and could park our
van at the house and walk over. The temptation to jump into a shower before
doing so was huge, but if we did we would have missed our finishing runner. The bummer
of being the last runner is that he had to run about 3/4 of a mile on the beach
to the actual finish line – I’m not sure that I would have had the juice in my
legs to do that through the sand! But here he trudged, running in his socks, shoes in hand, gamely claiming a "road kill" at the finish line, and we all joined in with him to cross the finish line together with the announcer calling out the
name of our team. It was great to be done. Now, where’s the food and where’s
the beer!!</div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<o:p>We weren't able to capture a "crossing the finish line" picture, but we did get a group pic at the end. That's the beer and food tent behind us - lets go already!</o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUW30O4GlAZ42foEsIYnL3nTC3eJJFFXpZBWYoBtqDWf2u2tSAYLC8phutWtMLgabsgQX2rEGm5GsHYVo1Fw5rfCYA42csPs4wVQ5a_7XnITNdGUww5bc5xO7AojWFh8u2kNo2EYlfjMY/s1600/groupfinish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUW30O4GlAZ42foEsIYnL3nTC3eJJFFXpZBWYoBtqDWf2u2tSAYLC8phutWtMLgabsgQX2rEGm5GsHYVo1Fw5rfCYA42csPs4wVQ5a_7XnITNdGUww5bc5xO7AojWFh8u2kNo2EYlfjMY/s1600/groupfinish.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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540 teams signed up to run, 530 started, 522 finished.
The fastest team finished in 20hr 24min (an incredible 5:54 pace), the slowest
finished in 37hr 30min. We finished in
28hr 43min (an 8:18 pace), 133<sup>rd</sup> place overall.</div>
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<div class="MsoPlainText">
From an event organizational perspective, I was
impressed. The race organizers had to coordinate an entire 207 mile route and all that it entailed; through towns and villages, arranging transfer points, traffic and police,
signage (i.e. runners: go this way.. Vans: go this other way..), do whatever
they can to avoid totally annoying the entire population of New Hampshire, organizing
volunteers (especially tough on those needed to work the midnight hours), and
so on. I suspect that it was a tremendous undertaking. I totally appreciate their work and efforts - thank you.</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
It was truly a different experience for me, so different
than running an individual event – fun at so many different levels, hard at
others, as well as being challenging. I was running with a team of whom I only
knew one person and fortunately we all got along great and helped each other. I’d
like to do it again and if I have that opportunity I’ll have a better training
routine and a better race-day strategy to manage my legs. Hooraah</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
Next up, Honeymoon Island Half Marathon November 8 !</div>
<br />
<i>(If you would like to leave a comment I've been told that it may be necessary for you to temporarily allow 3rd Party Cookies - it's not my thing... it's seems to be a Google Blogger thing... For example, if you use Chrome as a browser, go to "Settings", scroll down to the bottom and select "Show Advanced Settings", select "Content Settings" in the Privacy section, and then un-select "Block 3rd Party cookies...". I would not recommend leaving your settings that way, so be sure to reset it back to block 3rd party cookies.)</i><br />
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949881165515039776.post-87414968065594162842014-09-04T22:10:00.000-04:002014-09-04T22:10:17.049-04:00Back to the Newtons<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-OKMsxt-mzA-1d0-lu8SykWvgiaOshPFIswAgQ2YYTCiV9fCO5RjAd5CNYX_B1YU7bmyTKn7UH5oMt7VSpDcNkA1yhTOUMixIvXZqRusbaw7XkmYr1cVfJxmT_FX-sXbslTI54gZAeCA/s1600/NewtonMotion.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-OKMsxt-mzA-1d0-lu8SykWvgiaOshPFIswAgQ2YYTCiV9fCO5RjAd5CNYX_B1YU7bmyTKn7UH5oMt7VSpDcNkA1yhTOUMixIvXZqRusbaw7XkmYr1cVfJxmT_FX-sXbslTI54gZAeCA/s1600/NewtonMotion.JPG" height="137" width="320" /></a></div>
This is like one of those "forgive me for I have sinned" moments... Thinking that my old Newton's weren't cutting it I went off the reservation and bought a pair of Saucony Triumphs. They felt good. They felt different. And I put 150 odd miles on them. But after the first few runs I found that they just were not working for me. My gait was off, my ankles didn't feel right, my achilles got tight... nothing was right...<br />
<br />
So I went back to my old Newtons and immediately felt the difference. It was like finding an old friend. They felt great. Well used, but my run felt so much better than my runs with the Saucony's.<br />
<br />
But I don't think that this necessarily has anything to do with Saucony shoes from a quality perspective - they are good shoes - they just weren't working for my gait and physical characteristics.<br />
<br />
One of the things that I noticed while running with the Saucony's was that my left foot was toe'ing in. A friend suggested that it was because of a weak or tired muscle - but I was somewhat skeptical about that. I did sort of notice was that when I ran in my old Newton's that it did not happen, but that little fact did not totally register with me until later.<br />
<br />
Then, on a whim, I went into a local running store to re-visit Newton's and the woman who took care of me suggested that perhaps I needed more of a stability shoe. <br />
<br />
I said "nah.... I'm good, I want to try the Gravity's that I've got now"... I did, and as I ran around the store she noted that my right foot was caving in from time to time. Hmmmm. I mentioned my issue with my left foot toe'ing in, and she said yeah, that makes sense. That the left foot was basically compensating. More hmmmmm. I'm not totally sure about all of it, but ok, I'll take it at face value. Then she had me try the Newton Motion Stability model - and I absolutely noticed that both of my feet were on track, no toe'ing in. They felt great. I want to be back in Newton's!<br />
<br />
And I would have pulled the trigger on buying them if they didn't cost $175. Folks, that's a ton of money for me, and so I didn't buy them, much to that woman's disappointment. I also had a little issue with the woman, but I won't go into that - it was just a little off-putting, and that was another factor in my not being that anxious to give her my money. But still, $175 is a lot of money.<br />
<br />
But guess what? I was able to get a 20% discount directly from Newton. I feel bad for not being able to support my local running store, but 20% turns $175 into $140. And now we're talking. I'm hoping to get them before I leave for my Reach the Beach relay run in New Hampshire next week. Hopefully, I'll be able to have a great run with them!<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949881165515039776.post-41026003689573955152014-08-13T09:32:00.004-04:002014-08-13T09:32:45.361-04:00Struggling but I'm winning<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIBXiANR7j9wfB-XOnaaWSfW6j9mx-eOO95IziLSEXChTtK6yJ8i56P8qBS6D4Rap5vNG994r_abL4tX-piiZqY9XhFKSDcphscGafja-ZU9NFbcdJUcW1nBe3w1rr_mKLhRzwuyuCDQU/s1600/struggle_saying.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIBXiANR7j9wfB-XOnaaWSfW6j9mx-eOO95IziLSEXChTtK6yJ8i56P8qBS6D4Rap5vNG994r_abL4tX-piiZqY9XhFKSDcphscGafja-ZU9NFbcdJUcW1nBe3w1rr_mKLhRzwuyuCDQU/s1600/struggle_saying.jpg" /></a></div>
The summer humidity, the ongoing commitments of day to day life, and some nagging ankle issues are working hard to beat me down. I'm struggling, but I'm winning, and I can't wait to see the view from the top...<br />
<br />
I make an effort to be committed to my running goals, but they always get re-prioritized by life's other priorities (family, work, social commitments, etc - you know how it is...). When I have a pressing ongoing project I am tempted to forgo my morning run so that I can get an even earlier start on the project, the rationale being that there are other people that are affected by the status of the project. On the other hand, I'm not being true to myself and my health by dropping my run.<br />
<br />
I remember years ago rationalizing that there was no way that I could get to a gym or start a running routine because I had "urgent and pressing" responsibilities that just <b>had</b> to be addressed. Once they were taken care of, then and only then could I think of myself... but of course that never happens.<br />
<br />
Of course, I've had people tell me that I needed to literally schedule my workout time as if it were a business meeting, i.e. make it mandatory. And predictably, I never did that. I always felt too committed to my work and family priorities. It was not until I sold my company that I suddenly had the time to run - which is how I started running...<br />
<br />
Now I'm facing the same issues again, work projects and family commitments are demanding time and I've been tempted to forgo my runs to take care of those responsibilities. Just a few weeks prior to the Marine Corps Marathon last year I got enveloped in a huge project into which I felt so committed that I scaled back my marathon training - at obviously the wrong time - and I am sure that helped contribute to my tough marathon. It's not an excuse - it was my decision, but in hindsight a bad one.<br />
<br />
But I've pushed back.<br />
<br />
I am forcing myself to reschedule projects and meetings in order to accommodate my running and training routines so that I can meet my running and training goals.<br />
<br />
The current levels of humidity are a different story, and there is not much that I can do about that. It has a way of just sucking the mojo out of me - it is so hard to run when it is so oppressively humid. Ugh. I've been scheduling my runs early in the AM before the sun breaks the tree line - it's still humid, but at least the solar radiation is not knocking me down. Plus I'm working on the premise that by gutting it out and pushing through my runs that I'm actually getting stronger (yeah, right....).<br />
<br />
I'm also fighting an Achilles strain, which requires careful running, resting the ankle, ice, and elevation. I've got a Ragnar Relay coming up in a month, and I'm determined to have a good run!<br />
<br />
I'm struggling, but I'm going to win my battles!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949881165515039776.post-68117301377248441882014-07-15T13:46:00.000-04:002014-07-15T13:46:01.696-04:00It's all about the shoes<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ppHAfGwDHgb5nKSX-c0gpO2UPyzdblBqYVKB37THFYVpN6MnDRxi3PojuvqbTMh3AZvDI3ghAbkUNP3466w6hnj6rWDKaX8IIR2sPFtPLoud6wpxEH5JJpcwsWRKlZFBtAIDLQY74eo/s1600/shoes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ppHAfGwDHgb5nKSX-c0gpO2UPyzdblBqYVKB37THFYVpN6MnDRxi3PojuvqbTMh3AZvDI3ghAbkUNP3466w6hnj6rWDKaX8IIR2sPFtPLoud6wpxEH5JJpcwsWRKlZFBtAIDLQY74eo/s1600/shoes.jpg" height="242" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Newtons, Saucony, and Cloudtec</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have fallen out of love for my Newton running shoes
(Gravity)… After running 560 miles in my
first pair and 515 in my second, I just wasn’t feeling the love anymore for the
Newton's. Perhaps my gait has changed, but something is different. At 500 miles it
is obviously time to consider new running shoes, and as I readied myself to do
so, I have to admit that the cost of the Newton’s was also a consideration in my choice of a new pair.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And so, after trying a myriad of different running shoes, I
opted for Saucony Triumphs – and so far they feel good. They are a little bit
heavier than the Newton Gravity’s (306g vs 252g) with an 8mm heel-toe offset. To
be honest, I can’t really feel the difference between the weights of the shoes.
The important part, of course, is that they just feel right when running. The odd thing that I've noticed while running with the Saucony's though, is
that I’m not as focused as I was with the Newtons with regards to landing on my
midfoot/forefoot, although I know that I am still doing it. I do notice that my
steps are quieter. For some reason I was unable to land as softly as I would
have liked with the Newtons and I tended to hear a “plop” sound with every
step. Odd. It may have been my gait.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I took up running with the Newton Gravity shoes I noticed that I was a tad faster, probably because I became more focused on my form and doing the
midfoot/forefoot thing, and so I have been curious what the effect, if any, would be
with the new Saucony’s. The answer is still TBD… It has been so hot and humid,
that any real evaluation or analysis is going to have to wait until the weather
gets a little more cooperative. I’m still running in this humidity, but not
with a tremendous amount of gusto. My running mojo is sucking…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcnZI5MttH54BPlsEyCpJ8sat1eVmwMo5AZR-54KlIg4eAFTdnrYUy6SLCsFU2aw8McUpc2PyZd5ltiFOOLPa7ja9ylXxUxlPJG7dOaGKV3c4dxraRK9ccpHpdDcslaPKHUlnW8nBs7VU/s1600/cloudtec.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcnZI5MttH54BPlsEyCpJ8sat1eVmwMo5AZR-54KlIg4eAFTdnrYUy6SLCsFU2aw8McUpc2PyZd5ltiFOOLPa7ja9ylXxUxlPJG7dOaGKV3c4dxraRK9ccpHpdDcslaPKHUlnW8nBs7VU/s1600/cloudtec.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But then entered a wild card… I fell into a pair of CloudTec Cloudracers
(230g, 5mm heel/toe offset) (website: <a href="http://www.on-running.com/">www.on-running.com</a>)
the night of a 5K. I immediately felt the lightness
of these shoes. Wow, so this is what lightweight shoes feel like! But they are a little weird in that the soles of the shoe have
these rubber “eyelets”, or bumps (see the picture...) that are kind of little bouncy, spongy things… My
initial reaction when I saw the shoe was “yeah, right… forget about it”, but
then I tried them on and ran the 5K race with them. And I PR’ed it… on an incredibly hot and
humid night (it was</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
a midnight 4<sup>th</sup> of July run…) I ran the fastest 5K I have ever run. It must have been the shoes...! (uh-huh...) But yes, they really, really
felt good. I felt a little extra spring that was very dynamic. Maybe that is what those rubber eyelets thingy's do.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m a little skeptical with regards to how many miles I can
get out of the Cloudtec shoes, because I am sure that the rubber eyelets will
either fatigue and collapse, or will rip out. We’ll see. I may just use them
for events. But they do feel real good!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Next up: I'm hoping to run in one of the Ragnar series relays, the New Hampshire Reach the Bay (or is it Beach?) in September. Never done one, hope to see what it's like!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After that its a Half Marathon on Honeymoon Island in November.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949881165515039776.post-91887716282533195522014-06-25T09:50:00.001-04:002014-08-27T12:39:49.166-04:00The Cost of Running $$<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKGgGZzJt0lItkyq0lT4aosdacLB0HQIFolGiMhXDnGgXlXEeGS9SUzqcWYopM20REJLO9nHsmfs3uI6B1lWi82tYhiufFJC59Fb_DOVz3aDuSe5oWXrLIt1_Y5TASShwKhROENZ9SBTA/s1600/cost+of+running.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKGgGZzJt0lItkyq0lT4aosdacLB0HQIFolGiMhXDnGgXlXEeGS9SUzqcWYopM20REJLO9nHsmfs3uI6B1lWi82tYhiufFJC59Fb_DOVz3aDuSe5oWXrLIt1_Y5TASShwKhROENZ9SBTA/s1600/cost+of+running.jpg" height="200" width="173" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I made the mistake the other day to consider
how much that particular run was costing me, as in how much per mile (I
sometimes like to do math while I’m running… I know, crazy…)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ok, it’s not a ton of money, but it turns out that it is not
insignificant either. If I include the broad assortment of running
related goodies, from shoes to gu, it costs me about $0.80 per mile… More on how I’ve arrived at that in a
sec. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I first started to run 5 years ago I literally went out
with my day-to-day sneakers, a pair of shorts and a cotton tee shirt. After all, running is commonly known as the most inexpensive form of exercise – no equipment needed and the
roads, sidewalks, and trails are free.
The only thing required is one’s effort.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, I’m sure you know the story… To start with my shoes sucked (they were my
non-work shoes that I played with my kids with, mowed the lawn, walked around
downtown with, etc..), so I got into more appropriate shoes dedicated to
running. That was the first cha-ching.
And course, special socks became the next mandatory item since my
cotton/polyester sox didn’t do my feet any favors. Another cha-ching. And so it goes – you know the drill.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So let’s just start with the shoes and sox… For example, I recently bought a new pair of Saucony
Triumph’s for $140 and some new sox for $10.
I’m hoping to get 400 miles out of the shoes, so that comes to $0.35 per
mile. I’ll get maybe double the miles out
of the sox, so let’s say that comes to $0.01 per mile. For my feet alone, every
mile that I run every day is costing me $0.36. So for a 30 mile week, that totals out to $10.80 a week. I’ve spent more
for a gym membership that I never went to…. So I'm totally cool with that; a pretty
cheap solution to better physical and mental health.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But guess what? It doesn’t end with just the investment in
my footwear! Here is a list of the crap that I’ve wound up buying to support my
running habit:</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">More sox</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Non-cotton t-shirts</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Running shorts</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Winter running pants and shirts</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">A rain shell (for those drizzly or ice-spitting mornings)</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Headgear, i.e. hats and skullcaps</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Sunglasses (ok… I might have bought them
regardless, but interestingly enough, I only wear them when I’m running…)</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Nutrition (like gu, shotbocks, Gatorade, etc.)</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">First-aid junk (band-aids, ace-bandages, wraps,
creams, Epson salts, etc)</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Running app for my phone (vs buying a GPS watch)</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Ear buds for music (they break, get lost, etc.)</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">A waist-pack to carry all of my crap in</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Camelback and a water belt</span></li>
</ul>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
And now I’m pushing $0.80 per mile. This calculation is the result of putting all
of the above items into a spreadsheet, establishing a cost and then dividing by how
many miles I might get out of them. And
that $0.80 may even be low, but nevertheless it is still way better than paying for a
gym membership that I never went to.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But wait ! There’s more !
How about running a race, or four, every year? And here is where the
real money comes in. Event costs vary, and I’ve paid anywhere from $25 for a 5K
to $140 for a marathon. My annual costs for event entry fee’s is around $300,
and this does not take into account any costs associated with me getting to the
event or lodging, etc. I probably
dropped between $700 & $1,000 to run the Chicago Marathon in 2011, between lodging,
transportation to Chicago, cabs, food, etc.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So the net-net here is that running isn’t free… it has costs
and they are not necessarily negligible.
Shoes are expensive. Sweat-wicking shirts and shorts are expensive. Events are expensive. No
wonder that running is a multi-billion dollar industry!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But at the end of the day, running is arguably still the
cheapest form of cardio-vascular exercise available that has the added value of
providing awesome mental refreshment. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949881165515039776.post-45758841452900004792014-05-28T11:49:00.000-04:002014-08-27T12:41:55.473-04:00Hot run<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg47H4RXVUqhWvaYa6mcttjsuIyhe0Sf0XWhgdbBUA7CJcYZLGfW2a-T7bXRSGhC4dBnkXRFG1FzG7CoAhUlPIrKM34wxLZ7THqJ7akj39ClaAPMPTWM3q7MP42v_BoAi-sIsikxbwPkSo/s1600/hotsun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg47H4RXVUqhWvaYa6mcttjsuIyhe0Sf0XWhgdbBUA7CJcYZLGfW2a-T7bXRSGhC4dBnkXRFG1FzG7CoAhUlPIrKM34wxLZ7THqJ7akj39ClaAPMPTWM3q7MP42v_BoAi-sIsikxbwPkSo/s1600/hotsun.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What's better than a mid-day 6 mile run with the temperature at 90 degrees plus, and heavy, heavy humidity? And no wind, by the way.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Everything and anything... But I had that hankering to do a tough
run. It had been a big weekend of drinking and eating and I had a lot of bad ju-ju that I
wanted to sweat out. So I had
good cause…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I got myself prepped with the necessary goodies for a "you-must-be-crazy-to-run-in-this-heat" kind of a run: Vaseline, sunscreen, a camel-back loaded with
ice, a sweat-wicking skull cap, and sunglasses. And off I went – and I had a
great, but tough, run. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I kept myself at a very easy pace, 9:50-10:15 min/mile pace
and never got to a point where I was predominately breathing through my mouth (For me,
that’s a key indicator of my aerobic intensity. If I’m breathing through my
mouth 100% of the time, I know that my heart rate is pushing 130bps, and so if I’m breathing mostly through my
nose while running I know that my heart rate is likely around 120 or so.<br />
<br />
But it was hot, so hot and muggy!
My route had a lot of shade trees, but I had stretches of a half-mile or
more that had no shade whatsoever, and those parts were brutal.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I started out sipping water from my camel back every half mile, and
then later in the run when I was feeling the most heat (and I was definitely
hot from exertion) I started drinking much more often as well as soaking my skull cap with the cold water from my
camel back. I got hot enough that I took a walk break in a shady area at mile 5 so that I could cool myself down after a long stretch
in the sun. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But overall it was a great, focused, run. I felt that I ran
with purpose and determination. It goes without saying that the plunge into the pool afterwards was awesome. And I definitely felt like had relieved myself of most of the bad ju-ju... I know I have a good sweat going when the sweat is flying off my fingers as I run.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I lost 3 pounds during my run, despite constantly taking in
fluids. According to an article that I
read, that equates to 3 pints of water loss – which sounds pretty crazy. A three pound loss also comes out to 1.8% body
weight loss for me, which I think is within the safe zone of temporary weight
loss due to sweating fluids out. But the 3 pints of water still sounds nuts to
me. That would be on top of all the water that I drank while running (which
turned out to be ~2 pints). Hmmm</div>
<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949881165515039776.post-45963667503792820882014-04-29T15:09:00.000-04:002016-03-29T20:05:29.711-04:00Stages of a Marathon<div class="MsoNormal">
This is my take on the 10 stages of a marathon... If you've ever run a marathon you'll so get it... If you are considering running one, now you'll know what to expect!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0paEvWJo3CCp5uGoodL9zcTBAiXEdOrO-tVR4mVbuDACnb-mrjAYQKZ3lEuAEnjrb1eC-lcu-Nyeq4bK2EPY8JwE64apGFMYkvAbWH4sGiG3z4sDaFc8dhxPwCAd81fHQN6YzjHMrnG0/s1600/ChicagoM_start.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0paEvWJo3CCp5uGoodL9zcTBAiXEdOrO-tVR4mVbuDACnb-mrjAYQKZ3lEuAEnjrb1eC-lcu-Nyeq4bK2EPY8JwE64apGFMYkvAbWH4sGiG3z4sDaFc8dhxPwCAd81fHQN6YzjHMrnG0/s1600/ChicagoM_start.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<b>Stage 1: Pre-start Anticipation </b></div>
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Standing (or sitting) in the Starting Corral. Sun is just
peeking up over the horizon. Anticipation and excitement are high. It’s chilly,
you are ready to go, and you are packed in with 1,000’s of fellow
runners, all anxious to get this thing going. It’s a little boring. You’ve
already been up for 3-4 hours. And you need to pee…</div>
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<b>Stage 2: Miles 1-6, finally running</b></div>
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Slowly getting the kinks out, trying to warm up and not hurt
anything. Lots of noise and cheering. Trying not to get too hyped up and blow energy. Gotta
find a place to pee.</div>
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<b>Stage 3: Miles 7-14, in the groove</b></div>
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Ok, this is what you’ve trained for. Cruising along, not too
fast, trying to remember when and where to find some fuel or fluids. You are feeling
pretty good. Everything is normal. Hey, this isn't so bad!</div>
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<b>Stage 4: Miles 15-20, starting to feel kind of like work</b></div>
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More than half way done, less than half way to go. Keep her
steady, remember fuel and fluids. You've trained for this. All good. But jeesh, this is beginning to feel like a
haul.</div>
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<b>Stage 5: Miles 20-24 – crossing the chasm</b></div>
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You are now running in the black hole. You’ve never run this
far before (except for maybe your previous marathon…), and there is no telling
what is going to happen. Training runs maxed out at 20 miles. Can you even run
further than 20? Don’t think about it. Just run. You won’t get to the finish
line if you don’t run. Just run. Gotta keep running. Do not stop.</div>
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<b>Stage 6: Mile 24 – things hurt</b></div>
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Multiple body parts are complaining. Must keep running. Very
tired. Feet say stop. Head says not yet. no way. Spectators yell “you are almost there!”,
but you know that already, you just wish that it were true. Digging deep for the will to keep running. There is a vague mirage of a finish line somewhere
ahead. Could it be? Gotta keep running.</div>
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<b>Stage 7: Mile 25 – 1.2 miles to go</b></div>
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Oh me oh my – yes, there is a finish line up there
somewhere, you can smell it, you can hear it. You are struggling, but can’t stop for nothing
now. Anyone can run 1.2 miles. Anyone. C’mon baby, c’mon, dig deep. </div>
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<b>Stage 8: Mile 26 – New Life</b></div>
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You can see the Finish Line… It is shimmering with all of
the wonders of sweet relief and promises of untold wealth and happiness.
New found strength floods your legs (<i>where the heck was that back at mile 23?</i>).
Praise the gods, you are going to finish the marathon. Nothing short of a bolt
of lightning is going to keep you from crossing that finish line. And yet those
last 385 yards are like an impossible distance. Why is this not over yet? Why
is there a hill here? Are you freaking kidding me? C’mon baby, c’mon!</div>
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<b>Stage 9: Finish Line – Euphoria</b></div>
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Relief, disbelief, unbridled satisfaction, euphoria like you
have never experienced before in your life, and so much more flood your body.
It’s done. You did it. You did something that others won’t or couldn’t. You
took yourself out to the edge and you brought yourself home. The feeling is
indescribable. You will never be able to explain this feeling to anyone.</div>
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<b>Stage 10: Later that day – Now what?</b></div>
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Ok cool – you did it. Your walking is a little stiff, but you feel good. Now what other seemingly
insurmountable challenge can you conquer?<br />
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In the event of interest, here are links to my two marathons. They were hard, no stellar times, but they were great experiences:<br />
<b>Marine Corps Marathon 2013: <a href="http://runningthrutime.blogspot.com/2013/10/marine-corps-marathon-true-grit.html">Marine Corps Marathon -2013</a></b><br />
<b>Chicago Marathon 2011: <a href="http://runningthrutime.blogspot.com/2011/10/2011-chicago-marathon-i-did-it.html">Chicago Marathon - 2011</a></b><br />
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<i>(If you would like to leave a comment I've been told that it may be necessary for you to temporarily allow 3rd Party Cookies - it's not my thing... it's seems to be a Google Blogger thing... For example, if you use Chrome as a browser, go to "Settings", scroll down to the bottom and select "Show Advanced Settings", select "Content Settings" in the Privacy section, and then un-select "Block 3rd Party cookies...". I would not recommend leaving your settings that way, so be sure to reset it back to block 3rd party cookies.)</i></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949881165515039776.post-83093959582579539932014-04-25T11:08:00.002-04:002014-04-25T11:13:37.644-04:00Preparing for an 8K<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m gearing up run an 8K (5M) event in a couple of
weeks and I’m finding the process to be so much different than the training I’ve
gone through for a HM or a marathon. Strictly speaking, a 5M race is like a
10K, it’s all about speed and endurance, but mostly speed. The trick is to be
able to sustain the speed for entire distance. Assuming that I had some speed,
I would be very serious about my training, but since I don’t I’m focused on
meeting or beating an arbitrary goal that I’ve set, which is to finish in 44 minutes or less (very possible), with a stretch goal of 40 minutes (not
likely). Anything in between will be a home run for me.</div>
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I’m pretty comfortable running 5 miles, so the distance is
not an issue. What will be my challenge will be to do so quicker than usual. My
5 miles runs have ranged from as much as 48 minutes to just under 43. </div>
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One of my many challenges has been my first
mile: it seems to always be my “shake out” mile and almost always is close to a
10 min/mile pace. That first mile is where my body works out all of its kinks and my joints loosen up and my muscles warm up and so on... That slow start strategy has worked fine for HM and marathon events, but obviously not applicable to short distance events. Totally different situation for me.</div>
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The times that I’ve run a 5 mile route better than 44 minutes
have all been when I’ve been able to do that first mile in the low 9 min/mile
range. After that first mile I’ve been pretty good at paring down the next 4
splits, but when that first mile is 10 min/mile, wow, that’s a lot of time to
win back. And I have not been able to pin down why I was able to run that first mile faster on those days.</div>
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Typical splits for 5 mile run might be:</div>
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Mile 1: 10 min</div>
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Mile 2: 9:30</div>
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Mile 3: 8:50</div>
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Mile 4: 8:30</div>
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Mile 5: 8:00</div>
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Which approaches a reasonable ~44:45 total time… which is just "ok" …. On good days I can do the 4th mile at closer to 8:00 and the last mile under 8:00.</div>
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Obviously, if I can get through each of those first two miles at closer to a 9 min/mile pace I could be reaching into a 43:xx time…”.
So I’m working on that by warming up more prior to my 5-6 mile runs, and we’ll see what happens. On the day of the race I will probably jog a mile or so before the start to make sure that I'm loose and ready to run those first miles a little faster. I'm not worried about the distance - I'm pretty confident about my endurance - I'm more worried about sustaining the speed.</div>
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In the meantime, I managed to do something weird to my foot
while doing speed intervals. Felt good running, but afterwards the top of my
left foot is very sore and it hurts to walk. I skipped a running day, but did a
slow 3 miles today. It hurts now, but not as bad as yesterday. Hmmm. What a
pain in the ass…</div>
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The event is on May 10. It should be interesting!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949881165515039776.post-81945676265243738252014-04-15T11:21:00.001-04:002014-04-15T11:29:30.230-04:00Humid Humid HumidHumidity has hit my neck of the woods (FL) and it is only mid April. And there is no such thing as a cool morning run - it is humid even before the sun comes up. And then when it does rise over the trees, the solar heat just adds to the joy. It's amazing what shade does to make you feel cooler.<br />
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Interestingly enough, the humidity drops after the sun has been up for a bit. If I could delay my runs until the sun has been up for a couple of hours, I don't feel the affect of the humidity as much. But then I have to deal with the actual solar heat. Aye, such a dilemma... (truth be told, I'm just glad to be able to be running).<br />
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Over time I've learned a few things about humid running:<br />
- run slower<br />
- run shorter.<br />
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If running longer:<br />
- take with or have access to plenty of water, Gatorade is nice but not mandatory,<br />
- look for shade,<br />
- it's ok to take walk breaks,<br />
- lube up to prevent chaffing,<br />
- keep an eye on HR, either by feel or with a monitor<br />
- wear clothes that breathe and wick sweat away from my skin,<br />
- if I start tasting salt on my lips, walk and take water liberally,<br />
- if I start feeling hot, stop running. (this is a big judgement call that I'm not good at...)<br />
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Normally I like to run with a hat to protect my head and shield my eyes, but when it is humid it simply loads up with sweat so I wind up sticking it my waist band (where it does nothing other than to annoy me). So I found a white skull cap that does a great job capturing the sweat on my bald noggin and gives my head a little bit of UV protection. More importantly, it feels much cooler than the cap. The only possible down side is that my wife thinks that I look ridiculous - but fortunately I don't care... :-)<br />
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As long as I follow my rules (above), I still get a great run, sweat out all the bad juju, and move on. And a jump in a pool afterwards always feels good!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0