Seems like a good time to reflect on the year that has passed, see how I've done with all I wanted to accomplish, and in general find a creative outlet for some of my nostalgia (which lately has been pretty prevalent in my mind).
What were my personal goals outside of running this year?
That's easy. Pass the PE Exam. Get ahead of the housework and stay ahead. Do some maintenance on the house that is overdo. Learn sign language.
I passed the PE (found out last week!). That's a huge career milestone that I fear I haven't put enough emphasis on here, because it isn't really related to my running (unless you count the runs I skipped while studying for it).
The housework is mostly caught up after cleaning for the holidays. It probably won't stay that way. This goal will likely continue into next year, and the year after...
I didn't do most of the maintenance stuff I wanted. I was busy with other stuff (read: goofing off).
Learn sign language. This is not a pipe dream. It will happen. Someday...
What did I want to do this year as a runner?
Every year starts out great (just like every day). Full of possibilities, ideas, schemes, goals that you think, "Yea, I'll do that. Piece of cake." And sometimes it is. But more often than not, there are a lot of failures, and the grander the plan, the more spectacular the failure. And I tend to plan big.
-Run some "fast" 5k races. The plan was to get under 20 minutes first (which I haven't done since high school), then work towards something in the 18 minute range. I didn't even get close to cracking 20 minutes.
-Run more events. I don't have anyone nearby that I run with. I don't know many of the local runners, because I just don't run enough races to meet that many people. I wanted to run several 5k races, a few longer ones, and a half marathon. I ran the half, and 2 5k's. Not even close.
-Run my first half marathon. Here I succeeded, and it was one of my favorite races that I've ever been a part of. I'm really hoping that it works out for me to run it again next year. Big plans sometimes equal big successes.
-Kick butt at the Thanksgiving Day 8k in my hometown. You can't have a good race if you don't train consistently, don't eat healthy, and don't even show up.
-Run over 1,200 miles this calendar year. I'm at 896 miles as of December 30th, I don't think I'll be making this one, but I am going to make 900. Close enough?
In terms of planning and goals, it was a pretty modest year for me, and I still managed to fail almost completely. The half marathon was really the only success I had for the year as a runner, but I always see these things in context. Everyone has failures, and you can't realistically expect to hit a home run every time I swing the bat. Maybe if I showed up to the batting cages a bit more often between games...
And my one big success really was big. It was the only race distance I'd never raced, and I went out and did exactly what I wanted to do. Everyone wants that perfect race, that moment in the sun, and for one hour, forty seven minutes, and thirty six seconds, I experienced something that a large number of athletes spend their whole lives longing for. I was who I hoped to be, and did what I set out to do - what more can a person ask for in their entire life?
I took a moment this morning to go back and read an article on ESPN that was one of my favorites of the year. Author Jeff MacGregor, one of my favorites, wrote a piece about his disillusion with professional basketball and how watching a young man named Lukas Verzbicas run a 4 minute mile (only the 5th American high school runner to do so, ever) brought him to a place where he could remember what sports should be. It is one of the best written sports articles I've ever read (read it yourself here, and I think it underscores what I would like my life to be. For a brief, magical period, this young man was exactly the way he dreamed himself to be.
I don't do New Years resolutions. I typically set a list of goals for myself for the coming year, but of the 10 or 12 I set, I usually only accomplish a couple, and this method isn't serving me very well. There are goals, and there are dreams, and the dreams are usually much bigger and farther away than the goals. I'm going to spend the year making my dreams and my goals the same, and in every endeavor in 2012, I'm going to attempt to be the person that I am in my own fantasies. No more goals set months in advance, to be brushed aside when they get hard or something else comes up. Just dealing with what is out in front of me, and doing it in a way that leaves me feeling the same way I felt in the middle of the Virginia Beach Half Marathon - real, genuine, exactly who I wanted to be doing exactly what I intended to do.
Happy New Year!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, See you January 3rd!
In case you haven't noticed, I've kind of been on hiatus lately. Very little running, practically no blogging.
I've been sick, and then there was Christmas, and now I've got year-end stuff going on and a house guest for the week. So I'm punting, I'm just going to sit idle until the beginning of next week, and enjoy a little rest.
Hope everyone is enjoying the holidays.
I've been sick, and then there was Christmas, and now I've got year-end stuff going on and a house guest for the week. So I'm punting, I'm just going to sit idle until the beginning of next week, and enjoy a little rest.
Hope everyone is enjoying the holidays.
Friday, December 16, 2011
The Deep South
So what has been keeping me away from my beloved blog for weeks on end, depriving you of the joy and fulfillment that comes from reading the tales of my heroic misadventures as a runner (and various other "professions" which I claim)?
In a word, barbeque.
Since my training was inconsistent this fall (read: I was lazy and used my PE Exam as an excuse), I opted not to run the Thanksgiving day race. It was colder than I was counting on, and I didn't see anything to be gained by spending $20 on a race which I wasn't prepared for after spending a week out in the woods in the rain looking for deer.
So Thanksgiving came and went, I ate too much (like everyone else), and then it was time to head south for work. I spent the last 2 weeks in Mississippi doing bridge inspections. I liked Mississippi - the people are nice, the weather was warmer than here, and the food was really good. There is barbeque everywhere - you step out the door in the morning, and immediately smell the smokers from the various barbeque places that have been going since 6 am.
And why didn't I blog about this while I was there? Well, for one thing, there was no running. I had scheduled a full 2 weeks off after Thanksgiving - the 2 weeks in Mississippi. For another, I was just tired. Inspecting all day, day after day, with no days off until we came home. Usually I was ready to hop in bed as soon as possible.
Now that I'm back, I've started my winter schedule. The weeks off, combined with eating too much, have really taken a toll on my conditioning. I feel almost like I'm starting over. I've done 12 ugly, slow miles this week, all of it "easy", with little quality. The only consolation is that I have ran 4 days - consistency seems more important right now than mileage.
Back to the endless inspection reports that I now have to write...
In a word, barbeque.
Since my training was inconsistent this fall (read: I was lazy and used my PE Exam as an excuse), I opted not to run the Thanksgiving day race. It was colder than I was counting on, and I didn't see anything to be gained by spending $20 on a race which I wasn't prepared for after spending a week out in the woods in the rain looking for deer.
So Thanksgiving came and went, I ate too much (like everyone else), and then it was time to head south for work. I spent the last 2 weeks in Mississippi doing bridge inspections. I liked Mississippi - the people are nice, the weather was warmer than here, and the food was really good. There is barbeque everywhere - you step out the door in the morning, and immediately smell the smokers from the various barbeque places that have been going since 6 am.
And why didn't I blog about this while I was there? Well, for one thing, there was no running. I had scheduled a full 2 weeks off after Thanksgiving - the 2 weeks in Mississippi. For another, I was just tired. Inspecting all day, day after day, with no days off until we came home. Usually I was ready to hop in bed as soon as possible.
Now that I'm back, I've started my winter schedule. The weeks off, combined with eating too much, have really taken a toll on my conditioning. I feel almost like I'm starting over. I've done 12 ugly, slow miles this week, all of it "easy", with little quality. The only consolation is that I have ran 4 days - consistency seems more important right now than mileage.
Back to the endless inspection reports that I now have to write...
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
I Think I Can, I Think I Can...Maybe Later Though (Finishing the series on motivation)
Have you ever tried to quit something cold turkey? People do this with smoking, and it almost never works. We have no willpower. Or more correctly, we have a limited amount of willpower. It is physically draining to fight a major urge, like an addiction. At some point, we've got no fight left. You see it all the time in dieting - a person eats smart and healthy, denying themselves the foods they love and fighting their urges as long as they can, then I - I mean, er, they, find themselves in the bakery at the grocery store...
Willpower is a limited resource, just like energy during a run. Nobody has the resources to do everything they should AND prevent themselves from doing all of the things they shouldn't. If we did, well by now you get the idea - rich, thin, setting a PR every weekend, etc.
So how do we beat a system that is designed such that the harder we fight, the more assured we are to lose? We stop fighting hard, and start fighting smart. We're smart, right? Damn right!
Barriers don't always work against us. They have no motive, they aren't for or against us, they are just there, and we move in one direction or another because of them. We need to build our own barriers, barriers that direct us away from failure. Let's practice, with the examples of smoking and dieting.
An active barrier to smoking would be tough - short of putting a mousetrap in the cigarette package, there aren't many options. Passive options are better, because you think about them less - they become part of your lifestyle more easily. Things like only taking a set number of cigarettes with you to work, telling your coworkers that you're trying to quit and not to give you any more under any circumstances. Removing the cigarette lighter from the car so you can't smoke in there.
Dieting comes with more plentiful ideas, and is a great example because food is omnipresent, whether you are a runner or not. In the first post we talked about the idea of locking up the candy bowl as an active barrier, or not having candy as a passive one. But how do we keep me, er, I mean, our hypothetical person who may or may not have a love of chocolate chip cookies, out of the bakery at Kroger? For starters, I don't go there. I don't buy anything on the cookie isle unless I absolutely have to. And when I feel the urge coming on, I don't hit it head on. I make myself accountable by telling someone (my wife typically), setting a goal, and placing whatever it is I want as the reward for reaching that goal. Shame from failure, or from disappointing others, can be a powerful tool - fear of this shame makes a powerful barrier.
So how can we apply this to what we really want - running success?
We have to use barriers to eliminate barriers. Confusingly simple, right? I know personally, my own reasons for skipping a morning run tend to be getting out of bed, having enough time to both run and get ready for work, and being able to push past those days when I just don't feel like running without any specific explanation as to why. Getting out of bed in the morning is hard. I'm a morning person, once I've escaped from the smotheringly comfortable confines of my blankets, but it is so easy to "just lay here 5 more minutes". So what do I do? Multiple alarms, spaced about a minute apart, in multiple locations around the room. Annoying, buzzing, beeping, dinging, multiple active barriers to me sleeping in and missing a morning run.
Once I get up, I need a little time to get fully awake, time to plan my clothes for running once I've seen the weather (winter running requires me to determine how many layers I'll need on a day-to-day basis), have a little coffee and a little water, and get going. And I'd love to just get going - if I could only find my shoes, or gloves, or that one particular garment that I'm missing. This is a passive barrier that has to be overcome. Typically, I try to do as much as I can just before heading to bed that will grease the wheels for the next morning. This means gathering running gear and placing it by the door, preparing anything I can for work (such as lunch), etc. - any thing that I can do to shorten the amount of time I need to get ready (which lengthens the time I get to spend on running), I try to do. To make sure this happens, I need strategically placed reminders - active barriers to things that I have to do. For example, I put my running watch right by my toothbrush - gotta brush my teeth every night, and the watch sitting there tells me to go get my shoes/clothes organized while I'm brushing.
What about those days where you just don't think you have it in you? This is where guilt and shame find their use. Guilt will drive a person to confess to something even after they've gotten away with it. You can punish a child simply by telling them that you are ashamed of what they did. This should tell you all you need to know about the power of these as motivational tools. A lot of people in a lot of advice arenas (weight loss, quitting smoking, exercise, etc.) will tell you that you should "make yourself accountable" to someone else if you want to reach your goals. This is right, but I say just telling friends and coworkers doesn't quite take it far enough, you need to hit it with everything you've got available. We're not young athletes training for a high school race here, where if we fail, "you tried your best" covers it. We're grown-ass men and women. If we make an honest effort and come up short, so be it, but if we can't set a goal and work towards it, what kind of people are we? Making yourself accountable to others is good - announce intentions on Facebook, tell spouses and coworkers what you're doing, hell, make bets with people about it (let your wallet keep you accountable). That's easy, when we fail it is easy to find people who are willing to be ashamed of us to help motivate us. But we need to be accountable to ourselves as well, shame and guilt have to work together. We need real, tangible, visible reminders of what we're working toward, and what the consequences of failure are. Your previous race times compared to the goal for that race could work (as someone who likes to race, it works for me). How about a picture of you in the best shape of your life, taped to the mirror where your reflection can easily show you that you're not in the best shape of your life? Guilt barriers are pretty personal, so everyone has to come up with their own.
When I started writing this series, I had some really good ideas, but as writing the posts became delayed more and more (why did this take 3 weeks, you might ask? Tune in, my next post will tell you all where I've been lately), the ideas have slipped away. I really need to start jotting down notes as soon as I have a good idea for writing, because a good idea slips away so fast, it goes from something profound to something mediocre in just a few hours of waiting. I had a good ending in mind here when I started this post (weeks ago), now I have nothing more than a recap. And since my page shows the last 5 blog posts, I'm not even going to take the time to write a recap.
Willpower is a limited resource, just like energy during a run. Nobody has the resources to do everything they should AND prevent themselves from doing all of the things they shouldn't. If we did, well by now you get the idea - rich, thin, setting a PR every weekend, etc.
So how do we beat a system that is designed such that the harder we fight, the more assured we are to lose? We stop fighting hard, and start fighting smart. We're smart, right? Damn right!
Barriers don't always work against us. They have no motive, they aren't for or against us, they are just there, and we move in one direction or another because of them. We need to build our own barriers, barriers that direct us away from failure. Let's practice, with the examples of smoking and dieting.
An active barrier to smoking would be tough - short of putting a mousetrap in the cigarette package, there aren't many options. Passive options are better, because you think about them less - they become part of your lifestyle more easily. Things like only taking a set number of cigarettes with you to work, telling your coworkers that you're trying to quit and not to give you any more under any circumstances. Removing the cigarette lighter from the car so you can't smoke in there.
Dieting comes with more plentiful ideas, and is a great example because food is omnipresent, whether you are a runner or not. In the first post we talked about the idea of locking up the candy bowl as an active barrier, or not having candy as a passive one. But how do we keep me, er, I mean, our hypothetical person who may or may not have a love of chocolate chip cookies, out of the bakery at Kroger? For starters, I don't go there. I don't buy anything on the cookie isle unless I absolutely have to. And when I feel the urge coming on, I don't hit it head on. I make myself accountable by telling someone (my wife typically), setting a goal, and placing whatever it is I want as the reward for reaching that goal. Shame from failure, or from disappointing others, can be a powerful tool - fear of this shame makes a powerful barrier.
So how can we apply this to what we really want - running success?
We have to use barriers to eliminate barriers. Confusingly simple, right? I know personally, my own reasons for skipping a morning run tend to be getting out of bed, having enough time to both run and get ready for work, and being able to push past those days when I just don't feel like running without any specific explanation as to why. Getting out of bed in the morning is hard. I'm a morning person, once I've escaped from the smotheringly comfortable confines of my blankets, but it is so easy to "just lay here 5 more minutes". So what do I do? Multiple alarms, spaced about a minute apart, in multiple locations around the room. Annoying, buzzing, beeping, dinging, multiple active barriers to me sleeping in and missing a morning run.
Once I get up, I need a little time to get fully awake, time to plan my clothes for running once I've seen the weather (winter running requires me to determine how many layers I'll need on a day-to-day basis), have a little coffee and a little water, and get going. And I'd love to just get going - if I could only find my shoes, or gloves, or that one particular garment that I'm missing. This is a passive barrier that has to be overcome. Typically, I try to do as much as I can just before heading to bed that will grease the wheels for the next morning. This means gathering running gear and placing it by the door, preparing anything I can for work (such as lunch), etc. - any thing that I can do to shorten the amount of time I need to get ready (which lengthens the time I get to spend on running), I try to do. To make sure this happens, I need strategically placed reminders - active barriers to things that I have to do. For example, I put my running watch right by my toothbrush - gotta brush my teeth every night, and the watch sitting there tells me to go get my shoes/clothes organized while I'm brushing.
What about those days where you just don't think you have it in you? This is where guilt and shame find their use. Guilt will drive a person to confess to something even after they've gotten away with it. You can punish a child simply by telling them that you are ashamed of what they did. This should tell you all you need to know about the power of these as motivational tools. A lot of people in a lot of advice arenas (weight loss, quitting smoking, exercise, etc.) will tell you that you should "make yourself accountable" to someone else if you want to reach your goals. This is right, but I say just telling friends and coworkers doesn't quite take it far enough, you need to hit it with everything you've got available. We're not young athletes training for a high school race here, where if we fail, "you tried your best" covers it. We're grown-ass men and women. If we make an honest effort and come up short, so be it, but if we can't set a goal and work towards it, what kind of people are we? Making yourself accountable to others is good - announce intentions on Facebook, tell spouses and coworkers what you're doing, hell, make bets with people about it (let your wallet keep you accountable). That's easy, when we fail it is easy to find people who are willing to be ashamed of us to help motivate us. But we need to be accountable to ourselves as well, shame and guilt have to work together. We need real, tangible, visible reminders of what we're working toward, and what the consequences of failure are. Your previous race times compared to the goal for that race could work (as someone who likes to race, it works for me). How about a picture of you in the best shape of your life, taped to the mirror where your reflection can easily show you that you're not in the best shape of your life? Guilt barriers are pretty personal, so everyone has to come up with their own.
When I started writing this series, I had some really good ideas, but as writing the posts became delayed more and more (why did this take 3 weeks, you might ask? Tune in, my next post will tell you all where I've been lately), the ideas have slipped away. I really need to start jotting down notes as soon as I have a good idea for writing, because a good idea slips away so fast, it goes from something profound to something mediocre in just a few hours of waiting. I had a good ending in mind here when I started this post (weeks ago), now I have nothing more than a recap. And since my page shows the last 5 blog posts, I'm not even going to take the time to write a recap.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Hold Please
The final post of my series is coming, but there have been internet issues - look for the next post to drop Monday or Tuesday.
I hope Thanksgiving was good.
I hope Thanksgiving was good.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Man, I Don't Feel Like Doing This
Some days, you shouldn't run. Maybe you turned your ankle and it's still a little suspect. Or you have a bad cold and didn't sleep much the night before. Or there's just no way to squeeze in a run around important events, like a family member's wedding or vacation travel. And that's OK.
But then there are the runs we miss for no reason. The "I don't feel like it" days. The "I'll run extra the rest of the week" days. The days when we talk ourselves out of running (the weather is supposed to be better tomorrow, I've got a bad headache, if I skip this one I could use the time to catch up on things around the house...).
So why don't we run? We know we should, especially if there's a race coming up. But then again, we all know that we should set aside money in savings, eat healthier, watch less TV, floss several times per day, etc. We know the benefits, we know what happens if we don't do certain things. So why aren't we all thing, fast, in perfect health with a bank account that will let us retire at 55?
I closed out the last post promising to talk about what's getting in our way. Well it doesn't take a deep look to see that WE are getting in our way. All of our lives are full of barriers, things that make it harder to do the stuff you want or need to do.
So what is keeping us from running consistently? I think as a runner, active barriers are harder to identify because there are less things physically causing us to take a day off. The weather is an active barrier - cold, rainy, or too hot, or whatever, the weather can push us towards skipping a workout. But what else is there really? It isn't as if someone is physically keeping us from walking out the door - you don't wake up tied to a chair with a sign in front of you that says, "Sorry, no run today".
Passive barriers (or at least the appearance of passive barriers in our minds) are plentiful. It is very easy to come up with a million things that I don't have, but feel I need in order to accomplish certain things. I'd love to write a book, but when I start thinking about it, the passive barriers pop up immediately - I don't have a good idea for a book, I don't have the time to write one, I don't know what to do after writing it. These are things I don't have, but feel I need, to reach a goal. And not one of them is legit. No time to write a book? I've found time to write 2 blog posts a week all year, I find time for certain TV shows every week, and it's not as if I spend all of my spare time keeping up with the housework.
No, most of our passive barriers are the result of lies. We all lie to ourselves, all the time. Sometimes it's not your fault, you're being pushed into it unknowingly (do you eat enough vegetables? Really?) But most of the time, we lie out of convenience. It is almost always easier to NOT do something, and then justify it, than it is to just suck it up and do it.
So what are you lying about? What passive barriers are you letting keep you from your goals as a runner? Here's where the cause and effect comes in. The effect is skipping a run. Think about the last one you skipped. Now play the 5 Whys game:
I didn't run, why?
I was behind schedule that morning, why?
I slept an extra 20 minutes, why?
I stayed up late watching Netflix. Notice, I didn't even need 5 of them this time!
Do this for a few missed runs, and look at the actions that eventually led to skipping the workout. Most of this will seem obvious and easy to fix, right? But then, if it was easy, wouldn't we all be slim, rich, Hollywood good looking and preparing for early retirement?
Next time, I'll talk about willpower (which doesn't exist), and how we can overcome barriers - not by hitting them head on, but by creating our own barriers against failure.
Since my most loyal follower Hugh Jass over at tin can treader is feeling some stress about upcoming events, I'll leave you with the most important link I've ever posted on here, James Altucher's blog. Mr. Altucher is a genius. Not you're run of the mill, lab coat and chalk board genius. Not a Rubik's cube in 10 seconds genius. James Altucher is a Steve Jobs type of genius, the only difference being that he is more concerned with his own personal happiness than changing the world. If you follow even half of his ideas (which often sound half-baked at first glance), you should come away healthier, happier, and more successful than you've ever been. Even if you don't (I'm still getting around to execution, perhaps I need to install some barriers to help out), just a quick read of a few of his posts will leave you feeling empowered, maybe even a little bit invincible.
But then there are the runs we miss for no reason. The "I don't feel like it" days. The "I'll run extra the rest of the week" days. The days when we talk ourselves out of running (the weather is supposed to be better tomorrow, I've got a bad headache, if I skip this one I could use the time to catch up on things around the house...).
So why don't we run? We know we should, especially if there's a race coming up. But then again, we all know that we should set aside money in savings, eat healthier, watch less TV, floss several times per day, etc. We know the benefits, we know what happens if we don't do certain things. So why aren't we all thing, fast, in perfect health with a bank account that will let us retire at 55?
I closed out the last post promising to talk about what's getting in our way. Well it doesn't take a deep look to see that WE are getting in our way. All of our lives are full of barriers, things that make it harder to do the stuff you want or need to do.
So what is keeping us from running consistently? I think as a runner, active barriers are harder to identify because there are less things physically causing us to take a day off. The weather is an active barrier - cold, rainy, or too hot, or whatever, the weather can push us towards skipping a workout. But what else is there really? It isn't as if someone is physically keeping us from walking out the door - you don't wake up tied to a chair with a sign in front of you that says, "Sorry, no run today".
Passive barriers (or at least the appearance of passive barriers in our minds) are plentiful. It is very easy to come up with a million things that I don't have, but feel I need in order to accomplish certain things. I'd love to write a book, but when I start thinking about it, the passive barriers pop up immediately - I don't have a good idea for a book, I don't have the time to write one, I don't know what to do after writing it. These are things I don't have, but feel I need, to reach a goal. And not one of them is legit. No time to write a book? I've found time to write 2 blog posts a week all year, I find time for certain TV shows every week, and it's not as if I spend all of my spare time keeping up with the housework.
No, most of our passive barriers are the result of lies. We all lie to ourselves, all the time. Sometimes it's not your fault, you're being pushed into it unknowingly (do you eat enough vegetables? Really?) But most of the time, we lie out of convenience. It is almost always easier to NOT do something, and then justify it, than it is to just suck it up and do it.
So what are you lying about? What passive barriers are you letting keep you from your goals as a runner? Here's where the cause and effect comes in. The effect is skipping a run. Think about the last one you skipped. Now play the 5 Whys game:
I didn't run, why?
I was behind schedule that morning, why?
I slept an extra 20 minutes, why?
I stayed up late watching Netflix. Notice, I didn't even need 5 of them this time!
Do this for a few missed runs, and look at the actions that eventually led to skipping the workout. Most of this will seem obvious and easy to fix, right? But then, if it was easy, wouldn't we all be slim, rich, Hollywood good looking and preparing for early retirement?
Next time, I'll talk about willpower (which doesn't exist), and how we can overcome barriers - not by hitting them head on, but by creating our own barriers against failure.
Since my most loyal follower Hugh Jass over at tin can treader is feeling some stress about upcoming events, I'll leave you with the most important link I've ever posted on here, James Altucher's blog. Mr. Altucher is a genius. Not you're run of the mill, lab coat and chalk board genius. Not a Rubik's cube in 10 seconds genius. James Altucher is a Steve Jobs type of genius, the only difference being that he is more concerned with his own personal happiness than changing the world. If you follow even half of his ideas (which often sound half-baked at first glance), you should come away healthier, happier, and more successful than you've ever been. Even if you don't (I'm still getting around to execution, perhaps I need to install some barriers to help out), just a quick read of a few of his posts will leave you feeling empowered, maybe even a little bit invincible.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Let's Do This!
Sometimes, you're invincible. Occasionally, it's a hard workout, and hit or exceed all of your targets. You may feel completely wiped afterward, but damn it, you DID SOMETHING out there today. Sometimes, you're beating the odds, overcoming some unforeseen setback, succeeding in spite of circumstances. More often than not though, it's some random time that you feel inspired. Maybe it happens while you're driving, and you find yourself plotting and planning your upcoming training, proposing a crazy schedule that you'll never keep, but you feel so empowered that you don't recognize the insanity.
And then sometimes you're whipped. It's hard enough to want to cook dinner at the end of the day, let alone run a 5 mile tempo run that you had planned. Or you slept too little, or too much, or you just feel crappy for no explainable reason. The complete antithesis of that insanely motivated, empowered you who believed that they could hop out of the car and run a marathon right then and there.
Motivation is such a fickle concept. So psychological, so easy to understand if you're on the outside looking in, or in the future looking back, but it's like attempting a Rubik's cube blindfolded when you're in the moment and searching for it.
It's easy to be motivated on race day. Even when you're not in the shape you want to be in, racing is fun. It's the payoff, the reward for the training. We've all skipped workouts for various reasons, but how many times have you ever skipped a race you were planning to run just because your motivation is a little off? Not many. Training motivation is the one that counts though, keeping yourself focused and working consistently towards your goal. It sounds so easy, even to me as I sit here typing it. So why do we skip workouts, why do we lose motivation?
I'm going to classify missed workouts in two categories - life, and motivation loss. Life happens, things sometimes truly get in the way of your running, and it can't always be anticipated and dealt with. Things in this category aren't going to be discussed here - I have a pretty strict policy of trying not to let things that I have no control over bother me. This series will focus solely on motivation, digging through the ins and outs of the human mind, discussing ways to tweak thought processes and hack your life so that loss of motivation doesn't result in skipped workouts. Cool, huh?
Psychology is king here, and the main ideas that can help us understand and overcome a loss of focus are psychological barriers and cause and effect relationships.
There are two kinds of barriers, mental road-blocks that can dictate what you do or don't do - active, and passive. Active barriers are things that actually prevent an action - if you lock the candy bowl in a cabinet and put the key in a desk drawer, that is an active barrier to you eating candy, because the process of obtaining it makes the reward of candy worth less than the hassle of getting off the couch, getting a key from one room, opening a cabinet another room, and getting a treat. Passive barriers prevent action through the absence of something - if there is no candy in the house, you cannot eat it. One of my favorite non-running bloggers, Ramit Sethi, frequently discusses barriers in the context of personal finance, and I will link to his blog several times, as he is a freaking genius when it comes to understanding the motives behind actions. Mr. Sethi's blog can be found here.
We can use cause and effect with this to work our way backwards to the source of our motivation loss, and how to prevent it. Starting at the effect (missing a workout), you go backward dissecting the causes and identifying barriers that need to be overcome (as well as places where you can create barriers that help you).
And that's what the next post will be about, why we don't run. What's getting in the way, preventing us from training and performing the way we want to. Look for that post on Sunday or Monday. Until then, stay warm, stay motivated, and when you can, stay invincible.
I've ran 4 of 5 days so far this week, which is pretty good. I need to be consistent, since I don't have much time left before Thanksgiving. Hopefully I'll get out of bed for a 10 mile run tomorrow morning.
And then sometimes you're whipped. It's hard enough to want to cook dinner at the end of the day, let alone run a 5 mile tempo run that you had planned. Or you slept too little, or too much, or you just feel crappy for no explainable reason. The complete antithesis of that insanely motivated, empowered you who believed that they could hop out of the car and run a marathon right then and there.
Motivation is such a fickle concept. So psychological, so easy to understand if you're on the outside looking in, or in the future looking back, but it's like attempting a Rubik's cube blindfolded when you're in the moment and searching for it.
It's easy to be motivated on race day. Even when you're not in the shape you want to be in, racing is fun. It's the payoff, the reward for the training. We've all skipped workouts for various reasons, but how many times have you ever skipped a race you were planning to run just because your motivation is a little off? Not many. Training motivation is the one that counts though, keeping yourself focused and working consistently towards your goal. It sounds so easy, even to me as I sit here typing it. So why do we skip workouts, why do we lose motivation?
I'm going to classify missed workouts in two categories - life, and motivation loss. Life happens, things sometimes truly get in the way of your running, and it can't always be anticipated and dealt with. Things in this category aren't going to be discussed here - I have a pretty strict policy of trying not to let things that I have no control over bother me. This series will focus solely on motivation, digging through the ins and outs of the human mind, discussing ways to tweak thought processes and hack your life so that loss of motivation doesn't result in skipped workouts. Cool, huh?
Psychology is king here, and the main ideas that can help us understand and overcome a loss of focus are psychological barriers and cause and effect relationships.
There are two kinds of barriers, mental road-blocks that can dictate what you do or don't do - active, and passive. Active barriers are things that actually prevent an action - if you lock the candy bowl in a cabinet and put the key in a desk drawer, that is an active barrier to you eating candy, because the process of obtaining it makes the reward of candy worth less than the hassle of getting off the couch, getting a key from one room, opening a cabinet another room, and getting a treat. Passive barriers prevent action through the absence of something - if there is no candy in the house, you cannot eat it. One of my favorite non-running bloggers, Ramit Sethi, frequently discusses barriers in the context of personal finance, and I will link to his blog several times, as he is a freaking genius when it comes to understanding the motives behind actions. Mr. Sethi's blog can be found here.
We can use cause and effect with this to work our way backwards to the source of our motivation loss, and how to prevent it. Starting at the effect (missing a workout), you go backward dissecting the causes and identifying barriers that need to be overcome (as well as places where you can create barriers that help you).
And that's what the next post will be about, why we don't run. What's getting in the way, preventing us from training and performing the way we want to. Look for that post on Sunday or Monday. Until then, stay warm, stay motivated, and when you can, stay invincible.
I've ran 4 of 5 days so far this week, which is pretty good. I need to be consistent, since I don't have much time left before Thanksgiving. Hopefully I'll get out of bed for a 10 mile run tomorrow morning.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Monday, November 7, 2011
I Will Get Up and Run, I Will Get Up and Run...
So the past couple of weeks I've been pretty short on motivation for both running and blogging (anyone reading my blog has noticed this lately). I sure do seem to have a lot of "good reasons" (read: excuses) for skipping runs and posting single-paragraph "updates".
So over the next 2 weeks (the week after that being Thanksgiving week, meaning I'll be in the woods hunting with no internet), I'm going to do an 3 part series on motivation. The plan as of now is to talk a bit about the psychology of doing stuff (in case you haven't seen my resume lately, I'm also a self-proclaimed amateur psychologist), I'll talk about WHY, spend some time covering WHY NOT, and give some links to sites I find useful for each topic. And along the way, I'm going to start applying the things I'm talking about to my own running to get it back on track (1. I should have been doing this stuff anyway; 2. Back on TRACK, get it?).
I've got 2 weeks to grab whatever conditioning I can before hunting season, the Thanksgiving 5 miler, and 2 weeks off for bridge inspections (official downtime before I start into winter mileage and spring scheduling). I barely ran last week, but had a good tempo run this morning. At least my lifting has been consistent for the past few weeks, and now that daylight savings time has ended I'll have better visibility for morning runs.
Tomorrow or Wednesday, expect the first installment of a series about motivation that will change your life!
OK, too over the top? I haven't even given the series a name yet...
So over the next 2 weeks (the week after that being Thanksgiving week, meaning I'll be in the woods hunting with no internet), I'm going to do an 3 part series on motivation. The plan as of now is to talk a bit about the psychology of doing stuff (in case you haven't seen my resume lately, I'm also a self-proclaimed amateur psychologist), I'll talk about WHY, spend some time covering WHY NOT, and give some links to sites I find useful for each topic. And along the way, I'm going to start applying the things I'm talking about to my own running to get it back on track (1. I should have been doing this stuff anyway; 2. Back on TRACK, get it?).
I've got 2 weeks to grab whatever conditioning I can before hunting season, the Thanksgiving 5 miler, and 2 weeks off for bridge inspections (official downtime before I start into winter mileage and spring scheduling). I barely ran last week, but had a good tempo run this morning. At least my lifting has been consistent for the past few weeks, and now that daylight savings time has ended I'll have better visibility for morning runs.
Tomorrow or Wednesday, expect the first installment of a series about motivation that will change your life!
OK, too over the top? I haven't even given the series a name yet...
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Come Here Often?
I've been too long since my last post. But I've got good reason - I just didn't know exactly what I wanted to say. I spent so much time and effort in the lead up to my PE Exam, and now that it is over and I've got my life back, I kind of got a little drunk off of the laziness. Being able to relax and do nothing for the past 5 or 6 days has just been too good, and too easy. No post race letdowns this year, but wouldn't you know it, I end up with a post-exam letdown.
I'm healthy again! My cold has finally backed off, and I am ready to face the frigid November mornings of the WV mountains. Somehow we missed the intermediate step, so I've been freezing while running this week. We had a stretch of 50 degree mornings - PERFECT running weather. Now in the morning when I lace up my shoes, it's 35 (or colder). Not so perfect, but it would be a hell of a lot more manageable if I'd gotten a few weeks of 40 degree weather to help me ease into it.
So after a little down time for illness and academics, I'm easing back into mileage and lifting - and my body is not happy about it. I went from a little sore on Monday night, to very sore on Wednesday morning, to walking a little odd today - this is from two runs and two sessions of lifting.
I'll finish off this post with three recent revelations.
1. I've missed out on a lot of good picture opportunities. I'm going to start taking my camera with me more to help remedy this - my phone is the cheapest thing imaginable, it does not have a camera. And now that the camera has fresh batteries, maybe I'll finally take some shots to add to the blog.
2. When your legs are sore, move them often. Stand shoulder width apart, and squat until your butt touches the ground. Do this about every hour or so. It will hurt, but it does prevent you from walking around looking like a goose with arthritis. Be discreet about these squats, however, else you risk a coworker coming by and asking you why you look like you are pooping in the floor.
3. New awesome must read blog! Lauren Fleshman is the best female 5k runner in America right now, and she's prepping to run her first marathon in New York this weekend. Her blog is great - she's witty, has an easy writing style, and is very knowledgeable about the things that go on in a runner's head while training and racing. I highly suggest giving it a read (look at me, I'm a link!).
Also, I'm looking for suggestions for running-related sports-sciency topics to research and learn more about, then possibly turn into a post (or several posts).
I'm healthy again! My cold has finally backed off, and I am ready to face the frigid November mornings of the WV mountains. Somehow we missed the intermediate step, so I've been freezing while running this week. We had a stretch of 50 degree mornings - PERFECT running weather. Now in the morning when I lace up my shoes, it's 35 (or colder). Not so perfect, but it would be a hell of a lot more manageable if I'd gotten a few weeks of 40 degree weather to help me ease into it.
So after a little down time for illness and academics, I'm easing back into mileage and lifting - and my body is not happy about it. I went from a little sore on Monday night, to very sore on Wednesday morning, to walking a little odd today - this is from two runs and two sessions of lifting.
I'll finish off this post with three recent revelations.
1. I've missed out on a lot of good picture opportunities. I'm going to start taking my camera with me more to help remedy this - my phone is the cheapest thing imaginable, it does not have a camera. And now that the camera has fresh batteries, maybe I'll finally take some shots to add to the blog.
2. When your legs are sore, move them often. Stand shoulder width apart, and squat until your butt touches the ground. Do this about every hour or so. It will hurt, but it does prevent you from walking around looking like a goose with arthritis. Be discreet about these squats, however, else you risk a coworker coming by and asking you why you look like you are pooping in the floor.
3. New awesome must read blog! Lauren Fleshman is the best female 5k runner in America right now, and she's prepping to run her first marathon in New York this weekend. Her blog is great - she's witty, has an easy writing style, and is very knowledgeable about the things that go on in a runner's head while training and racing. I highly suggest giving it a read (look at me, I'm a link!).
Also, I'm looking for suggestions for running-related sports-sciency topics to research and learn more about, then possibly turn into a post (or several posts).
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Poor Timing
The PE Exam is tomorrow!
And I've been sick since last weekend. This is a terrible time to get sick. I'm close to recovering, but I haven't been able to run in a week.
Tomorrow is going to suck. More to follow.
And I've been sick since last weekend. This is a terrible time to get sick. I'm close to recovering, but I haven't been able to run in a week.
Tomorrow is going to suck. More to follow.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Brief Update
Not much to say, not because I don't have things to say - give me half a chance, I'll come up with something to talk about! No, I don't have much to say simply because my life is currently dominated by my PE Exam preparations.
My running is still going well, my conditioning is coming back pretty quickly. That little hip issue is feeling much better, I continue to strengthen and stretch it, and I think it is healing. I'm back in the weight room, and I've adjusted my workouts to cut down my lifting volume to avoid soreness and tightness the morning after lifting. I don't want to compromise running form when things are going well.
Hopefully I can put together a longer post sometime soon, maybe I'll take a break from my studying tonight to come up with something training-related to talk about, or at least lay the ground work for some posts for the week after my test. Perhaps even a multiple-post thing...
My running is still going well, my conditioning is coming back pretty quickly. That little hip issue is feeling much better, I continue to strengthen and stretch it, and I think it is healing. I'm back in the weight room, and I've adjusted my workouts to cut down my lifting volume to avoid soreness and tightness the morning after lifting. I don't want to compromise running form when things are going well.
Hopefully I can put together a longer post sometime soon, maybe I'll take a break from my studying tonight to come up with something training-related to talk about, or at least lay the ground work for some posts for the week after my test. Perhaps even a multiple-post thing...
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Fall in West Virginia
October came along scary quick this year. Time seems to be running out on EVERYTHING - nice weather, studying for my PE Exam, preparing for my last race of the year, EVERYTHING.
As a runner, I have developed a love-hate relationship with the fall.
It's not hard to love the fall here in West Virginia. When you get out away from populated areas (easy to do), the views are always spectacular, but more so than ever in the fall. The leaves are changing now, and they blanket the rolling mountains with reds and oranges and yellows and leftover greens. The weather has cooled a bit, and the humidity is dropping - for a place nestled in the mountains, the humidity in WV is surprising in the summer. Two things we runners hate are heat and humidity, but fall is perfect running weather. That's probably why cross country season is set in the fall. The shortening days leads to more wildlife sitings at dawn as the animals start eating more to prepare for winter. Just an all around great time to be a runner. All of that, AND football and hunting season!
But this season also knows how to stab you in the back, especially as a runner. The days are getting shorter. I run at 6 am, which a month ago was great - greeting the sunrise every morning. Now it's still dark as I'm doing my post-run stretching. All those lovely fall colors, all of the West Virginia wildlife - I see very little of it on my runs. The occasional deer that's close enough to the road for a passing car to illuminate it with headlights. The cooling temperatures are great at first. Then I'm putting on more layers on cold mornings. Dew gives way to frost. The humidity dips low enough to make my nostrils hurt. And then there's fall cross country. My last fall as a cross country runner was 2002 - that's 9 years since I was on a cross country team. I miss having teammates, practices every day, traveling to races every weekend, wearing unreasonably short shorts in 40 degree weather. Scientist-types say that the sense of smell is the most powerful sense for memory recall. Cross country season is what a fall morning smell like, and longing is what it feels like.
October, as much as I love you, I sincerely hate you. I'm ready for May.
My running right now is, well, running. It's so dark in the mornings that I've had to start wearing a blinking light for safety. My wife and I each got one at the Rock'n'Roll Virginia Beach Expo, and it's been a pretty useful little thing. Since I'm cheap and probably will never buy another one, I only turn it on when cars are coming, and turn it off once they're safely past. I plan for the batteries to last a good long time. I had two solid tempo runs this week - 3 miles at an 8 minute pace. This seems good for easing back into hard running, and my body is responding well. I'm hoping to run longer tempos next week, and the week after be at full training mileage.
Enjoy the weekend, try to grab a bit more of that fading warm weather...
As a runner, I have developed a love-hate relationship with the fall.
It's not hard to love the fall here in West Virginia. When you get out away from populated areas (easy to do), the views are always spectacular, but more so than ever in the fall. The leaves are changing now, and they blanket the rolling mountains with reds and oranges and yellows and leftover greens. The weather has cooled a bit, and the humidity is dropping - for a place nestled in the mountains, the humidity in WV is surprising in the summer. Two things we runners hate are heat and humidity, but fall is perfect running weather. That's probably why cross country season is set in the fall. The shortening days leads to more wildlife sitings at dawn as the animals start eating more to prepare for winter. Just an all around great time to be a runner. All of that, AND football and hunting season!
But this season also knows how to stab you in the back, especially as a runner. The days are getting shorter. I run at 6 am, which a month ago was great - greeting the sunrise every morning. Now it's still dark as I'm doing my post-run stretching. All those lovely fall colors, all of the West Virginia wildlife - I see very little of it on my runs. The occasional deer that's close enough to the road for a passing car to illuminate it with headlights. The cooling temperatures are great at first. Then I'm putting on more layers on cold mornings. Dew gives way to frost. The humidity dips low enough to make my nostrils hurt. And then there's fall cross country. My last fall as a cross country runner was 2002 - that's 9 years since I was on a cross country team. I miss having teammates, practices every day, traveling to races every weekend, wearing unreasonably short shorts in 40 degree weather. Scientist-types say that the sense of smell is the most powerful sense for memory recall. Cross country season is what a fall morning smell like, and longing is what it feels like.
October, as much as I love you, I sincerely hate you. I'm ready for May.
My running right now is, well, running. It's so dark in the mornings that I've had to start wearing a blinking light for safety. My wife and I each got one at the Rock'n'Roll Virginia Beach Expo, and it's been a pretty useful little thing. Since I'm cheap and probably will never buy another one, I only turn it on when cars are coming, and turn it off once they're safely past. I plan for the batteries to last a good long time. I had two solid tempo runs this week - 3 miles at an 8 minute pace. This seems good for easing back into hard running, and my body is responding well. I'm hoping to run longer tempos next week, and the week after be at full training mileage.
Enjoy the weekend, try to grab a bit more of that fading warm weather...
Monday, October 10, 2011
Chicago Marathon Was This Weekend
Nothing really new to report for me, had an 8 mile run on Saturday that went very well. Whoo hoo. The excitement.
But I did want to write a quick post to point people towards my pal and loyal follower Alecia's blog.
Alecia just ran a PR at the Chicago marathon. If you read my blog, go check her blog out and show her some love for her performance yesterday in Chicago.
But I did want to write a quick post to point people towards my pal and loyal follower Alecia's blog.
Alecia just ran a PR at the Chicago marathon. If you read my blog, go check her blog out and show her some love for her performance yesterday in Chicago.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Back to Running
I'm back to running this week. My hip doesn't really feel much better, but I think the issue is manageable. I've learned that with a warm up routine specifically for the affected area, I can run without it hurting, and if I keep it mobile throughout the day I can avoid pain then too.
This week is just easy mileage to get back into the swing of things. Monday my hip hurt a lot during the run, but felt much better after I stretched out at the end. This morning I warmed up my hip properly, and had no trouble with it while running. I'm pretty sore all over from starting back in the gym yesterday.
That's all for now. Things have been pretty slow, just a lot of studying for my exam. I don't like to post just for the sake of posting, but I also hate to go days and days without some kind of update.
Hopefully something fun and exciting will happen in the near future for me to write about.
This week is just easy mileage to get back into the swing of things. Monday my hip hurt a lot during the run, but felt much better after I stretched out at the end. This morning I warmed up my hip properly, and had no trouble with it while running. I'm pretty sore all over from starting back in the gym yesterday.
That's all for now. Things have been pretty slow, just a lot of studying for my exam. I don't like to post just for the sake of posting, but I also hate to go days and days without some kind of update.
Hopefully something fun and exciting will happen in the near future for me to write about.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Just 5 More Minutes And I'll Get Up...
I really want to be running. I do. Every part of me wants to hop out of bed when the alarm goes off, lace up those shoes, and hit the road.
Every part of me, that is, except for my left hip. I've had a bit of pain in my left hip since early last year. Very manageable. It doesn't seem to get worse while running, but hasn't gotten any better either. So I've started some research to try to figure out what is up. During this process, I'm taking a little time to rest it.
I didn't run last week. There was no way to fit it in with the inspection, and I got a bit sick towards the end of the week. Sunday, my hip hurt the worst it ever has - needless to say, I got a little worried. Then Monday it felt the best it has in a long time - so then I was confused. Now it is back to normal.
I'm taking this week off entirely - no running, no lifting, very little physical exertion. Just some light stretching and strengthening exercises and some research. Hopefully in my next post I will have a solid diagnosis for you, as well as a plan for how to address the problem.
Every part of me, that is, except for my left hip. I've had a bit of pain in my left hip since early last year. Very manageable. It doesn't seem to get worse while running, but hasn't gotten any better either. So I've started some research to try to figure out what is up. During this process, I'm taking a little time to rest it.
I didn't run last week. There was no way to fit it in with the inspection, and I got a bit sick towards the end of the week. Sunday, my hip hurt the worst it ever has - needless to say, I got a little worried. Then Monday it felt the best it has in a long time - so then I was confused. Now it is back to normal.
I'm taking this week off entirely - no running, no lifting, very little physical exertion. Just some light stretching and strengthening exercises and some research. Hopefully in my next post I will have a solid diagnosis for you, as well as a plan for how to address the problem.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
In The Office for A Few Hours
I'm in the office for a few hours this afternoon, so I thought I'd write a post. Our inspection is going well this week, we're actually a bit ahead of schedule. We took the afternoon off for a conference call regarding the upcoming inspections in Mississippi. Since our folks in Mississippi are an hour behind us, a 3 pm conference call for them is a 4 pm conference call for me. This would normally be no big deal, except I am running in the evenings this week because of the inspection schedule (not enough time to run in the morning beforehand). And I don't especially like conference calls, especially ones where I have nothing to add to the conversation. So I'll be sitting here catching up on a few things and listening for the least possible amount of time, then heading home to run.
I had a 10 mile run on Saturday morning that went very well. I was comfortable at a sub-8:30 pace, and didn't end up with any soreness afterwards. Sunday was supposed to be a day off, but instead I found myself on a 16 mile bike ride to my office to pick up the company vehicle (meaning I could leave my personal vehicle home this week during the inspection. Not a bad ride, no muscle soreness, but my seat isn't the most comfortable. 6 miles with some all-out sprinting coming up this evening.
I'm tired, I'm damp from the rain this morning, and I'm filthy from the inspection. Oh, and I don't want to be doing this phone meeting (in case you didn't pick up on that). Maybe I can just sleep for an hour during the call...
EDIT:
It is currently 5:30. I'm still at the office. The call is still going on...
I had a 10 mile run on Saturday morning that went very well. I was comfortable at a sub-8:30 pace, and didn't end up with any soreness afterwards. Sunday was supposed to be a day off, but instead I found myself on a 16 mile bike ride to my office to pick up the company vehicle (meaning I could leave my personal vehicle home this week during the inspection. Not a bad ride, no muscle soreness, but my seat isn't the most comfortable. 6 miles with some all-out sprinting coming up this evening.
I'm tired, I'm damp from the rain this morning, and I'm filthy from the inspection. Oh, and I don't want to be doing this phone meeting (in case you didn't pick up on that). Maybe I can just sleep for an hour during the call...
EDIT:
It is currently 5:30. I'm still at the office. The call is still going on...
Friday, September 16, 2011
Tidbits
Time for a bit of housekeeping, regarding recent posts about the half marathon:
Typos - I'm not going to correct them. I try my best to avoid them, but without a second set of eyes proofing my posts, I'll inevitably miss some things. You should be able to figure out what I'm saying, you are that smart (or are you...). Someday when I'm rich and famous and can afford an editor for my writing, there won't be any more typos.
Names - Kim's grandma's name is Doris, spelled with 1 'r'. Her aunt's name, Sharon, is also spelled with only 1 'r'. After I got scolded over this, it seemed like a good idea to print a correction here.
Labels/tags for my posts - working on it. I'll probably get it about 1/2 done this weekend, maybe more if things go well.
Site redesign - been promising it for ages. I am finally actually working on the layout, but it is far from something I'm happy with. I don't want to change it until I'm absolutely satisfied with what I come up with.
Fall running schedule - my job sometimes interferes with my training, but not too often. I'm off on inspection next week, but it is a local bridge so I will probably be able to run (I'm taking some time off from the gym to make sure I'm healthy). I don't go to Mississippi for inspections until the 2 weeks after Thanksgiving, which are traditionally off/easy weeks for me heading into winter training anyway. Since I'm not lifting weights right now, I've got plenty of study time in the evenings for the PE exam. So things are looking up for my fall running!
As of late:
My week has gone well, I'm easing myself back into consistent mileage after the taper for the race. I've had 4 runs this week so far, for a total of 18 miles. Tomorrow is a 10 miler, then Sunday off before heading into my first full week of training for the Thanksgiving day 5 mile race. Yesterday was my only "hard" run, a 5 miler with 8-15s all-out sprints. It felt good to go fast, I haven't done any real speed work all year. Have a nice weekend.
Typos - I'm not going to correct them. I try my best to avoid them, but without a second set of eyes proofing my posts, I'll inevitably miss some things. You should be able to figure out what I'm saying, you are that smart (or are you...). Someday when I'm rich and famous and can afford an editor for my writing, there won't be any more typos.
Names - Kim's grandma's name is Doris, spelled with 1 'r'. Her aunt's name, Sharon, is also spelled with only 1 'r'. After I got scolded over this, it seemed like a good idea to print a correction here.
Labels/tags for my posts - working on it. I'll probably get it about 1/2 done this weekend, maybe more if things go well.
Site redesign - been promising it for ages. I am finally actually working on the layout, but it is far from something I'm happy with. I don't want to change it until I'm absolutely satisfied with what I come up with.
Fall running schedule - my job sometimes interferes with my training, but not too often. I'm off on inspection next week, but it is a local bridge so I will probably be able to run (I'm taking some time off from the gym to make sure I'm healthy). I don't go to Mississippi for inspections until the 2 weeks after Thanksgiving, which are traditionally off/easy weeks for me heading into winter training anyway. Since I'm not lifting weights right now, I've got plenty of study time in the evenings for the PE exam. So things are looking up for my fall running!
As of late:
My week has gone well, I'm easing myself back into consistent mileage after the taper for the race. I've had 4 runs this week so far, for a total of 18 miles. Tomorrow is a 10 miler, then Sunday off before heading into my first full week of training for the Thanksgiving day 5 mile race. Yesterday was my only "hard" run, a 5 miler with 8-15s all-out sprints. It felt good to go fast, I haven't done any real speed work all year. Have a nice weekend.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Part Deux
Sorry for the delay, I was a little sick towards the end of last week. Some extra sleep, a day off from work, and I'm right as rain.
When we last tuned in, our fearless hero was preparing himself for battle, readying his mind and body for what lay ahead. For a runner, this of course means one thing: last minute bathroom break. Every runner ends up making one (or ideally, 2) stops at the porta-potties before a race begins - an early stop, and one as close to race time as possible. 11,000 runners, how long do you think the lines were, even with around 100 porta-potties? So I got in line to wait, with about 10 minutes left to go and my warm up finished.
Meanwhile on the boardwalk, my own personal cheering section was watching the sunrise, picking out their viewing positions. They settled in at about the 2 1/2 mile mark and waited.
My wife made everyone with us shirts to wear while they cheered for me! Kim is a good artist. She likes to do these doodle-pictures, where she incorporates all sorts of pictures and words and such. They make great decorations, and in this case, the perfect iron-on for the race shirts:
(For the right price, you too could own a picture or shirt like this, customized just for you! Inquire in the comments section below...)
So my projected finish time put me in corral 2 - sounds pretty prestigious, huh? By the time I reached the front of the line and had my turn, however, corral 2 was long gone. I started the race with corral 11, considerably slower. It actually turned out to be a good thing, though. I spent the first 7 or 8 miles passing people, and weaving through traffic kept me from going out too fast. Plus it is a big confidence boost racing for 8 miles without being passed by anyone.
Around Mile 6 we saw the professionals coming back the other direction (they were around Mile 11), 2 east Africans about 200m out ahead of the main pack (which included Ryan Hall). I felt good, a bit warmer than I'd like when the wind wasn't blowing, but I was on pace and my legs felt great. In the last few miles, I started to develop a side stitch that I couldn't shake. I walked through a couple of water stops, more to try and calm the stitch than anything (my legs were still fine, plenty of gas left in the tank).
I rallied in the final mile to finish strong, and hopefully I wasn't making any stupid or uncomfortable faces in the pictures as I crossed the finish line. The only pictures we got were of my back as I went by. The recovery area was great, anything and everything a runner could want after a long effort - sports drinks, fruit, energy bars, towels soaked in ice water, you name it.
After a brief recovery and a trip back to the campground for a shower, we spent the rest of the day checking out the boardwalk, relaxing in the pool, and cooking out on the grill.
My official time was 1:47:36. That's about 8:13 per mile, which is a little slow compared to my 8:00 goal, but with the warm weather and difficulties in the late miles, I'm very happy with my performance. Had I not lost a month of training mid-summer, I'm confident that I could have gone under 8:00. I've rarely had a race go so well, I was really pleased with the whole weekend. The half marathon was the final frontier for me - I've now raced every typical distance, from 100m to a full marathon.
I took all of last week off, so no news there. I'm back to running this week, reloading for a 5 mile race on Thanksgiving day back in my hometown. I may or may not be able to run as much as I want in preparation for this one. We've got a ton going on at work - a deadline this week, I'll be out for inspections next week, I'm studying to take the PE exam on October 28th to get my engineering license, and sometime in November I'll be doing a 2 week tour of duty in Mississippi on inspection.
I hate being busy in the fall. I'd rather be watching football...
When we last tuned in, our fearless hero was preparing himself for battle, readying his mind and body for what lay ahead. For a runner, this of course means one thing: last minute bathroom break. Every runner ends up making one (or ideally, 2) stops at the porta-potties before a race begins - an early stop, and one as close to race time as possible. 11,000 runners, how long do you think the lines were, even with around 100 porta-potties? So I got in line to wait, with about 10 minutes left to go and my warm up finished.
Meanwhile on the boardwalk, my own personal cheering section was watching the sunrise, picking out their viewing positions. They settled in at about the 2 1/2 mile mark and waited.
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| Facing The Dawn, Check out Those Shirts... |
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| The Ladies on The Boardwalk |
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| Dolphins! Even The Wildlife Came to Cheer for The Race! |
My wife made everyone with us shirts to wear while they cheered for me! Kim is a good artist. She likes to do these doodle-pictures, where she incorporates all sorts of pictures and words and such. They make great decorations, and in this case, the perfect iron-on for the race shirts:
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| The Best Closeup I Could Get |
(For the right price, you too could own a picture or shirt like this, customized just for you! Inquire in the comments section below...)
So my projected finish time put me in corral 2 - sounds pretty prestigious, huh? By the time I reached the front of the line and had my turn, however, corral 2 was long gone. I started the race with corral 11, considerably slower. It actually turned out to be a good thing, though. I spent the first 7 or 8 miles passing people, and weaving through traffic kept me from going out too fast. Plus it is a big confidence boost racing for 8 miles without being passed by anyone.
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| The Anticipation Is Killing Them, Can You Tell? |
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| It Was Unanimously Decided That My Wife and In-laws Were The Best Cheering Section in The First Half of The Race |
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| Who's That, Off in The Distance? In The Red Shirt, Passing Everyone... |
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| I Swerved Way over to Ham It Up for The Camera |
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| A Little Blurry, But The Sex Appeal Is Still Undeniable |
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| The Camera Was on Burst, My Wife Didn't See This Until She Looked at The Pictures after I'd Passed |
Around Mile 6 we saw the professionals coming back the other direction (they were around Mile 11), 2 east Africans about 200m out ahead of the main pack (which included Ryan Hall). I felt good, a bit warmer than I'd like when the wind wasn't blowing, but I was on pace and my legs felt great. In the last few miles, I started to develop a side stitch that I couldn't shake. I walked through a couple of water stops, more to try and calm the stitch than anything (my legs were still fine, plenty of gas left in the tank).
I rallied in the final mile to finish strong, and hopefully I wasn't making any stupid or uncomfortable faces in the pictures as I crossed the finish line. The only pictures we got were of my back as I went by. The recovery area was great, anything and everything a runner could want after a long effort - sports drinks, fruit, energy bars, towels soaked in ice water, you name it.
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| My Finely Sculpted Derriere Still Going Past People |
After a brief recovery and a trip back to the campground for a shower, we spent the rest of the day checking out the boardwalk, relaxing in the pool, and cooking out on the grill.
My official time was 1:47:36. That's about 8:13 per mile, which is a little slow compared to my 8:00 goal, but with the warm weather and difficulties in the late miles, I'm very happy with my performance. Had I not lost a month of training mid-summer, I'm confident that I could have gone under 8:00. I've rarely had a race go so well, I was really pleased with the whole weekend. The half marathon was the final frontier for me - I've now raced every typical distance, from 100m to a full marathon.
I took all of last week off, so no news there. I'm back to running this week, reloading for a 5 mile race on Thanksgiving day back in my hometown. I may or may not be able to run as much as I want in preparation for this one. We've got a ton going on at work - a deadline this week, I'll be out for inspections next week, I'm studying to take the PE exam on October 28th to get my engineering license, and sometime in November I'll be doing a 2 week tour of duty in Mississippi on inspection.
I hate being busy in the fall. I'd rather be watching football...
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
My Incomparably Awesome Weekend, Part 1
We throw around the world "awesome" a lot. Seems like anything even reasonably cool gets labelled as "awesome" these days. "Awesome" has replaced "cool" as the word of choice. But very few things that we call awesome are actually of a caliber that they truly inspire awe - the definition of the word.
This weekend was awesome. So awesome, in fact, that it is going to take 2 posts just to tell you of all of the awesomeness that took place. So without further adieu...
Part 1:
I took Friday off from work to give us plenty of time to drive. We left early, everything packed, nothing forgotten (one of our most successful vacation endeavors EVER). ETA: 3 pm. Actual arrival: 5:30 pm. We sat in a traffic jam for over 2 hours at one point, but luckily we had already gotten gas, and kept each other entertained by making fun of the other people around us in their cars. The campgrounds that we stayed at - The Holiday Trav-L Park - is very cool. Little cottage sites, camper hookup sites, tent sites, 4 pools, and best of all, a private parking lot near the boardwalk that gave us access to the beach without worrying about finding or paying for parking. I, my wife Kim, and her mother Anita stayed in the cottage, while her aunt Sharron, uncle Eric, cousin Kayleigh, and grandma Dorris stayed in Eric's camper.
Saturday morning came much too soon in the flat, hard beds in the cottage. We cooked up breakfast on an electric griddle - pancakes, bacon, scrapple, and eggs. If I weren't an engineer, I'd make a pretty decent fry cook.
After breakfast, expo time! Kim, Anita, and I headed to the Health Expo to pick up my race packet and check out all of the booths. Samples of every supplement, energy bar, and sports drink imaginable, sign-up information for marathons all over the country, stacks and stacks of running shoes and gear on sale...every runner's dream, right? Except that isn't me. I don't supplement. I don't buy equipment when I don't need it. I don't get sucked into things with high pressure sales tactics. The free samples, however, were excellent. I tried one of EVERYTHING, and two if they were really good. The highlight of the expo (for me) was Jim Ryun speaking on the main stage. It was pretty surreal standing there listening to Jim Ryun tell stories about his racing past. If you don't know who Jim Ryun is, go ahead and turn in your running shoes, and buy an elliptical. It was definitely an awesome experience.
After the expo, we headed back to the campsite and spent the afternoon relaxing. We made full use of the pools, cooked some fish and onion rings, and just generally did nothing. That evening Eric and I rode bikes up to the beach to hear ZZ Top play. We didn't have tickets, so we watched from the boardwalk behind the stage, but we could still see the band and hear everything. It was an awesome concert, the only thing that could have been better would have been some pictures (sorry, I dropped the ball on that one).
When we got back from the concert, we went to play bingo at the campground pavilion. Not really my thing, but I went along anyway, you never know when you'll win some money. I didn't. But Kayleigh and Dorris both won some, so it wasn't a complete bust. Afterward, a few of us went to IHOP for a small, late meal. I had a race coming up the next day, after all, and our late lunch was wearing thin.
4:45 came MUCH too early Sunday morning. The cottage beds were very hard (did I mention that already?), so I didn't sleep great, but I was as ready as I could be. Standard race-day routine, commence! We arrived at the parking lot near the boardwalk around 5:45, since the main road would be closed at 6 for the race. The lot was about a mile from the starting line, so I headed off at a leisurely stroll while the rest of the gang headed to course to find their spot to spectate from.
About 20 minutes before the starting gun, I began my warm up. Just a long jog along one of the streets through the convention center parking lots, followed by some faster paced running to make sure I was good and ready. Halfway through I looked over at a runner who was doing some drills for his warm up, a very familiar face - RYAN HALL! (if you don't know who that is, please refrain from speaking to me again until you find out) I got to warm up for a half marathon with Ryan Hall! OK, so maybe I was just warming up "beside" Ryan Hall, but honestly, what's the difference? This time it really hurt not having a camera with me.
This seems like the perfect place to end Part 1. Tune in tomorrow for the thrilling conclusion in Part 2!
This weekend was awesome. So awesome, in fact, that it is going to take 2 posts just to tell you of all of the awesomeness that took place. So without further adieu...
Part 1:
I took Friday off from work to give us plenty of time to drive. We left early, everything packed, nothing forgotten (one of our most successful vacation endeavors EVER). ETA: 3 pm. Actual arrival: 5:30 pm. We sat in a traffic jam for over 2 hours at one point, but luckily we had already gotten gas, and kept each other entertained by making fun of the other people around us in their cars. The campgrounds that we stayed at - The Holiday Trav-L Park - is very cool. Little cottage sites, camper hookup sites, tent sites, 4 pools, and best of all, a private parking lot near the boardwalk that gave us access to the beach without worrying about finding or paying for parking. I, my wife Kim, and her mother Anita stayed in the cottage, while her aunt Sharron, uncle Eric, cousin Kayleigh, and grandma Dorris stayed in Eric's camper.
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| Our Home for The Weekend |
Saturday morning came much too soon in the flat, hard beds in the cottage. We cooked up breakfast on an electric griddle - pancakes, bacon, scrapple, and eggs. If I weren't an engineer, I'd make a pretty decent fry cook.
After breakfast, expo time! Kim, Anita, and I headed to the Health Expo to pick up my race packet and check out all of the booths. Samples of every supplement, energy bar, and sports drink imaginable, sign-up information for marathons all over the country, stacks and stacks of running shoes and gear on sale...every runner's dream, right? Except that isn't me. I don't supplement. I don't buy equipment when I don't need it. I don't get sucked into things with high pressure sales tactics. The free samples, however, were excellent. I tried one of EVERYTHING, and two if they were really good. The highlight of the expo (for me) was Jim Ryun speaking on the main stage. It was pretty surreal standing there listening to Jim Ryun tell stories about his racing past. If you don't know who Jim Ryun is, go ahead and turn in your running shoes, and buy an elliptical. It was definitely an awesome experience.
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| Cheesy Pictures, Not My Idea |
After the expo, we headed back to the campsite and spent the afternoon relaxing. We made full use of the pools, cooked some fish and onion rings, and just generally did nothing. That evening Eric and I rode bikes up to the beach to hear ZZ Top play. We didn't have tickets, so we watched from the boardwalk behind the stage, but we could still see the band and hear everything. It was an awesome concert, the only thing that could have been better would have been some pictures (sorry, I dropped the ball on that one).
When we got back from the concert, we went to play bingo at the campground pavilion. Not really my thing, but I went along anyway, you never know when you'll win some money. I didn't. But Kayleigh and Dorris both won some, so it wasn't a complete bust. Afterward, a few of us went to IHOP for a small, late meal. I had a race coming up the next day, after all, and our late lunch was wearing thin.
4:45 came MUCH too early Sunday morning. The cottage beds were very hard (did I mention that already?), so I didn't sleep great, but I was as ready as I could be. Standard race-day routine, commence! We arrived at the parking lot near the boardwalk around 5:45, since the main road would be closed at 6 for the race. The lot was about a mile from the starting line, so I headed off at a leisurely stroll while the rest of the gang headed to course to find their spot to spectate from.
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| Number, Check, Shoes, Check, Good to Go! |
About 20 minutes before the starting gun, I began my warm up. Just a long jog along one of the streets through the convention center parking lots, followed by some faster paced running to make sure I was good and ready. Halfway through I looked over at a runner who was doing some drills for his warm up, a very familiar face - RYAN HALL! (if you don't know who that is, please refrain from speaking to me again until you find out) I got to warm up for a half marathon with Ryan Hall! OK, so maybe I was just warming up "beside" Ryan Hall, but honestly, what's the difference? This time it really hurt not having a camera with me.
This seems like the perfect place to end Part 1. Tune in tomorrow for the thrilling conclusion in Part 2!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Ready, Set, GO!
I guess this week is like the calm before the storm. I'm resting up, running fairly short workouts with a high percentages at race pace, and packing for the long weekend at the beach.
I'm no especially worried about this race, but then again, I don't really worry about much. I can't do any more to get fit now, I just need to go on with the plan. I have no reason for race jitters, since I'm not a contender to win, what would I have to be worried about? Actually, my biggest question right now is, where are we going for lunch after the race?
I probably won't post anything else before the race, unless something cool or interesting happens (you never know!). I do plan to have a quick go through all of my posts tonight or tomorrow and put labels on all of my posts. Why? Because I'm a nutcase who can't let little things go. I've put labels on some of my posts, therefore, I must put them on ALL OF MY POSTS...
I'm no especially worried about this race, but then again, I don't really worry about much. I can't do any more to get fit now, I just need to go on with the plan. I have no reason for race jitters, since I'm not a contender to win, what would I have to be worried about? Actually, my biggest question right now is, where are we going for lunch after the race?
I probably won't post anything else before the race, unless something cool or interesting happens (you never know!). I do plan to have a quick go through all of my posts tonight or tomorrow and put labels on all of my posts. Why? Because I'm a nutcase who can't let little things go. I've put labels on some of my posts, therefore, I must put them on ALL OF MY POSTS...
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Pain in My...Back
My back popped again at the gym! I was in a bent over position again, not doing anything heavy, but my lower back was rounded instead of straight - probably what happened the first time as well. The good news is that it only hurts when I move it in a similar, rounded manner - which is really only when I bend to touch my toes. It causes me no pain when running, so I plan to keep on preparing for my race.
This week has gone well running, I've had a couple of easy runs and one short interval workout. My back hasn't prevented me from keeping on schedule, and my workload here at the office is light for the next couple weeks.
I'm still working out at the gym. I don't want to abruptly change things during my taper for the race. I'm keeping my intensity level high, but dropping the work volume gradually on everything this week. I'll spend next week resting up so I'm 100% for the race.
And in other news, do you know what starts this weekend?
World Track and Field Championships!
This week has gone well running, I've had a couple of easy runs and one short interval workout. My back hasn't prevented me from keeping on schedule, and my workload here at the office is light for the next couple weeks.
I'm still working out at the gym. I don't want to abruptly change things during my taper for the race. I'm keeping my intensity level high, but dropping the work volume gradually on everything this week. I'll spend next week resting up so I'm 100% for the race.
And in other news, do you know what starts this weekend?
World Track and Field Championships!
Monday, August 22, 2011
The Home Stretch
I've taken too long between posts. Again. But I can relax a little again, since we've gotten our latest submission at work done and can go back into cruise mode for a bit.
Since we last talked...
I had a good interval workout. The intervals were slower than I was doing early in summer, but that was to be expected. My running form feels better, and I feel like I'm in really good shape.
The evening after my intervals, I hurt myself at the gym. Not doing anything manly and strong. I was warming up for the dead lift and felt a pop in my lower back/hips. If felt the way a tendon does when you stretch and it makes that cracking sound. I didn't think much of it at first, but after a couple of minutes my back got tight and started to hurt, so I hung it up and headed home. It was sore for 3 or 4 days, but feels fine now.
After that little incident, I only did my long/tempo run this weekend. Another 10 mile tempo, with a mile warm up and mile cool down. I tried to go a little faster than last time, but this one didn't go as well. I was good for 6 or 7 miles, but I fatigued really badly and ended up walking a little bit in the last mile. I still managed to bring it in under an 8 minute pace, barely, and I think I'm good to try a 7:45 pace during my half marathon. I blame my diet the past few days for lack of energy - too many burgers, too many irregular meals.
I've got a few good runs planned this week, and a medium length run next weekend at race pace, then it's relax time as I prepare for the race...
Since we last talked...
I had a good interval workout. The intervals were slower than I was doing early in summer, but that was to be expected. My running form feels better, and I feel like I'm in really good shape.
The evening after my intervals, I hurt myself at the gym. Not doing anything manly and strong. I was warming up for the dead lift and felt a pop in my lower back/hips. If felt the way a tendon does when you stretch and it makes that cracking sound. I didn't think much of it at first, but after a couple of minutes my back got tight and started to hurt, so I hung it up and headed home. It was sore for 3 or 4 days, but feels fine now.
After that little incident, I only did my long/tempo run this weekend. Another 10 mile tempo, with a mile warm up and mile cool down. I tried to go a little faster than last time, but this one didn't go as well. I was good for 6 or 7 miles, but I fatigued really badly and ended up walking a little bit in the last mile. I still managed to bring it in under an 8 minute pace, barely, and I think I'm good to try a 7:45 pace during my half marathon. I blame my diet the past few days for lack of energy - too many burgers, too many irregular meals.
I've got a few good runs planned this week, and a medium length run next weekend at race pace, then it's relax time as I prepare for the race...
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Still Rollin'
I've rearranged my running schedule a little bit (again). I don't want to risk my mileage being too high and causing an injury, no matter how well the running is going.
I bumped my long workout to Saturday - a 10 mile tempo run with a full mile warm up and cool down. The 10 miles went great, just under an 8 minute pace, and I'm kind of looking forward to trying to go a little faster when I repeat the workout this Saturday morning. Tomorrow I'll do some 400m repeats to work on my speed and running economy. My form has felt kind of funny ever since the layoff, I just don't feel smooth and fluid. Some faster running should help fix that.
I may or may not get to post again this week, since we're up against yet another deadline at work. I definitely plan to write a post Saturday evening to cover all that goes on the rest of the week. In addition to my running, we're having dinner with friends on Friday evening and I'm helping my brother move into his new apartment at Marshall University on Saturday. And, since we're finally getting some rain, I might have to mow my yard sometime soon. I haven't mowed it in a month, it just isn't growing. At least with the rain the front yard isn't as brown looking...
I bumped my long workout to Saturday - a 10 mile tempo run with a full mile warm up and cool down. The 10 miles went great, just under an 8 minute pace, and I'm kind of looking forward to trying to go a little faster when I repeat the workout this Saturday morning. Tomorrow I'll do some 400m repeats to work on my speed and running economy. My form has felt kind of funny ever since the layoff, I just don't feel smooth and fluid. Some faster running should help fix that.
I may or may not get to post again this week, since we're up against yet another deadline at work. I definitely plan to write a post Saturday evening to cover all that goes on the rest of the week. In addition to my running, we're having dinner with friends on Friday evening and I'm helping my brother move into his new apartment at Marshall University on Saturday. And, since we're finally getting some rain, I might have to mow my yard sometime soon. I haven't mowed it in a month, it just isn't growing. At least with the rain the front yard isn't as brown looking...
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Running a Little Hot
So the Outer Banks trip wasn't too bad. A lot of driving for only being down there one day, but it wasn't meant to be a trip for fun, we had actual things to take care of. We did manage to squeeze in a little time at the beach though, and since I'm here to type this, you can safely conclude that I wasn't arrested for any road-rage related incidents during the 20+ hours of driving I did. It rained most of the afternoon on Saturday, but a day at the beach is still better than one at work, even in the rain.
I didn't do a long run this weekend. I had intended to run 11 miles Saturday morning, but events conspired to keep me from getting into bed at a reasonable hour. If I don't sleep, I cut back mileage/intensity to compensate. So instead I went out for a 5 mile run on the beach. It felt nice at the time, but left my calves sore for a couple of days.
My running schedule is a bit screwy right now. Normally, I'd want 2 hard workouts, one long run, and a couple of maintenance runs during the week. Since my conditioning isn't quite back from the time off, I can't do that. I've been running 2 tempo runs each week, which are kind of long, and no long run. We'll see how that works out for me.
Today's tempo run went pretty well, 8 miles at a 7:50ish pace. My target was anything between 7:40 and 7:50, so I'm right on track with that. It is pretty warm and humid here in the mornings right now - today was 74 and overcast, so the heat felt stuffy and oppressive. About a mile from home my face started feeling flush. There was a light breeze, but I didn't feel it on my face. Not good. I got on home, got some cold water, and took extra time to walk around for my cool down. I'm not even going to play around with the idea of heat exhaustion.
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| The Beach House |
I didn't do a long run this weekend. I had intended to run 11 miles Saturday morning, but events conspired to keep me from getting into bed at a reasonable hour. If I don't sleep, I cut back mileage/intensity to compensate. So instead I went out for a 5 mile run on the beach. It felt nice at the time, but left my calves sore for a couple of days.
My running schedule is a bit screwy right now. Normally, I'd want 2 hard workouts, one long run, and a couple of maintenance runs during the week. Since my conditioning isn't quite back from the time off, I can't do that. I've been running 2 tempo runs each week, which are kind of long, and no long run. We'll see how that works out for me.
Today's tempo run went pretty well, 8 miles at a 7:50ish pace. My target was anything between 7:40 and 7:50, so I'm right on track with that. It is pretty warm and humid here in the mornings right now - today was 74 and overcast, so the heat felt stuffy and oppressive. About a mile from home my face started feeling flush. There was a light breeze, but I didn't feel it on my face. Not good. I got on home, got some cold water, and took extra time to walk around for my cool down. I'm not even going to play around with the idea of heat exhaustion.
Friday, August 5, 2011
Catching My Breath
So things have finally slowed down here at work - until next Tuesday at least. We have a review meeting on Monday for the plans we submitted, and the results of that meeting will determine how hard the next couple of weeks are. But for now, I've got time to write a blog post.
My tempo run on Thursday went really well. I was right on my 8 minute pace, even though I felt terrible. I was sleepy, my legs felt dead, and I keep trying to find reasons to cut the run short. But I didn't, and I'm pretty satisfied that I toughed it out. My body just isn't accustomed to running 4 days in a row after that layoff, and I need to remember that.
The downside to this is that I started feeling a bit of pain in my shin yesterday afternoon. I'm going to treat and rehab it as it comes, and keep running. I've got my half marathon coming up, I'm not skipping it, and I'm not going in unprepared. I just need to be careful.
My wife and I are off to the Outer Banks for the weekend to take care of a bit of business down there. It'll be a quick trip, but I'm sure there will be some time to relax as well. I'll try and take some blog-worthy pictures of the area, the house, and anything else fun and interesting that I come upon.
My tempo run on Thursday went really well. I was right on my 8 minute pace, even though I felt terrible. I was sleepy, my legs felt dead, and I keep trying to find reasons to cut the run short. But I didn't, and I'm pretty satisfied that I toughed it out. My body just isn't accustomed to running 4 days in a row after that layoff, and I need to remember that.
The downside to this is that I started feeling a bit of pain in my shin yesterday afternoon. I'm going to treat and rehab it as it comes, and keep running. I've got my half marathon coming up, I'm not skipping it, and I'm not going in unprepared. I just need to be careful.
My wife and I are off to the Outer Banks for the weekend to take care of a bit of business down there. It'll be a quick trip, but I'm sure there will be some time to relax as well. I'll try and take some blog-worthy pictures of the area, the house, and anything else fun and interesting that I come upon.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
My Missing Week, Part 2 (and Miscellaneous Stuff)
My posting is still going to be sporadic for a few weeks. We met our first work deadline, but still have lot to do before the next one, so I could be doing long hours and weekend work - I worked Saturday and Sunday this past weekend.
But I'm not letting that stop me from training. I've got a half marathon to get ready for on Labor Day weekend, and I don't plan to go into it unprepared. I picked up a solid 6 mile tempo run Monday, at a sub-7:40 pace - I plan to try to run my race at a 7:40 pace and squeak in under 1:40 with a push at the end. A bit ambitious, but I've still got time to work on it. 8 mile tempo run coming up on Thursday, shooting for an 8 minute pace. If the morning temperature will cooperate, I should be able to breeze through this one.
So, where was I in regaling you with tales of my week at camp? Oh yea, I was complaining about the heat. Enough outright complaining then. Some other fun things that I was in charge of for the week were supervising dodge ball, and teaching an origami class. The only available location for dodge ball was the show ring at the livestock barns (the campgrounds are used for a ton of things, not just 4-H camp). The room is the perfect size for playing, but the floor is covered in wood chips for the shows, making it really dusty. So 90 degree temperatures (more like 110 inside the building), 90% humidity, and a couple dozen kids kicking up thick clouds of dust. Great idea, right? After about 5 minutes of playing, everyone has a moist coat of sweaty dust on them. We eventually commandeered the tennis courts later in the week when they weren't in use, allowing the kids to play outside.
As for origami, I'm far from an expert. Or skilled. Or even moderately good at it. But compared to a 12 year old who has never done it, I'm pretty qualified as a teacher.
I think that's all for now, I've been trying to write his post for 2 days in between long stretches of work. I may try to post again tomorrow or Friday about my tempo run. We are making a quick trip down to the Outer Banks this weekend to take care of some business, so I won't have internet until I get back Sunday night.
But I'm not letting that stop me from training. I've got a half marathon to get ready for on Labor Day weekend, and I don't plan to go into it unprepared. I picked up a solid 6 mile tempo run Monday, at a sub-7:40 pace - I plan to try to run my race at a 7:40 pace and squeak in under 1:40 with a push at the end. A bit ambitious, but I've still got time to work on it. 8 mile tempo run coming up on Thursday, shooting for an 8 minute pace. If the morning temperature will cooperate, I should be able to breeze through this one.
So, where was I in regaling you with tales of my week at camp? Oh yea, I was complaining about the heat. Enough outright complaining then. Some other fun things that I was in charge of for the week were supervising dodge ball, and teaching an origami class. The only available location for dodge ball was the show ring at the livestock barns (the campgrounds are used for a ton of things, not just 4-H camp). The room is the perfect size for playing, but the floor is covered in wood chips for the shows, making it really dusty. So 90 degree temperatures (more like 110 inside the building), 90% humidity, and a couple dozen kids kicking up thick clouds of dust. Great idea, right? After about 5 minutes of playing, everyone has a moist coat of sweaty dust on them. We eventually commandeered the tennis courts later in the week when they weren't in use, allowing the kids to play outside.
As for origami, I'm far from an expert. Or skilled. Or even moderately good at it. But compared to a 12 year old who has never done it, I'm pretty qualified as a teacher.
I think that's all for now, I've been trying to write his post for 2 days in between long stretches of work. I may try to post again tomorrow or Friday about my tempo run. We are making a quick trip down to the Outer Banks this weekend to take care of some business, so I won't have internet until I get back Sunday night.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Last Week, Part 1
I'm back, and as promised, here to talk about some of what I was away doing last week when I wasn't writing blog posts. However, there are no pictures. While it may have seemed like a good idea to offer this up, in retrospect, I don't care for the idea of posting pictures of people on the internet without their permission. Especially if a large portion of those people are underage. I will see what I can do about getting some scenery shots from the camp, though I didn't take any this year, there may be some stored somewhere on my hard drive from previous years.
The week started off with a wedding. Our friends Mitch and Heather got hitched down in Blacksburg on the Saturday before camp kicked off, so we headed down for drinking, dancing, and celebrating. Turns out I'm way too white to be dancing. Luckily, I don't think there are any pictures of that. While I left the wedding photography to the professionals (read: people with nice cameras), it was a good opportunity to play with our camera and try out some of the settings that I've never bothered to read the user's manual about.
Then it was up early on Sunday to try to get to camp as quickly as possible. This was Kim's first year on staff, so it would have been nice to attend at least a little bit of staff training. Turns out we managed about 5 minutes of that, we just could not get moving quick enough and the drive was too long.
Sunday at camp is a blur. Kids are showing up for registration and moving into the cabins, we're trying to get all of the information we need for the 300+ attending and get them settled in, get the oriented as much as possible to what is going on, and have the opening council fire for the week. The campers are organized into 4 tribes for the week (WV 4-H relies on many traditions borrowed from Native Americans), led by a chief - an older camper, for whom it is a great honor chosen as chief, and for those of us who've served in this capacity, it is a very special week. The staff are organized into the 5th tribe, the Bigfeet. Typically the chief of the Bigfeet tribe is someone who is new on staff and unfamiliar with what is going on - rather than a great honor, it is more of a trial by fire.
Kim, being new on staff and new to WV 4-H, was the obvious choice for chief! She spent a lot of the early part of the week completely lost as to what she was doing, but learned a lot about how we do things and had a really great week on staff. She was a great addition to camp staff, and I'm not just saying that because she's my wife.
Monday was hot. Ok, every day was hot. And incredibly humid. Standing still was enough to make us sweat. It was so hot at times, my upper lip was sweating. There are some buildings that have air conditioning (assembly hall, dining hall), and many that don't (cabins). We had to spend the whole week making sure kids stayed hydrated and took time away from the sun. Luckily, the camp has a pool. Unluckily, it is a public pool during the times we don't use it. Monday morning, before our designated time, some kid pooped in the pool! You may not know this, but a pooped-in pool requires about a day of shutdown for cleaning, filtering, and to allow a mega-dose of chemicals to be run through the system so that it is safe again. So we spent the first part of the week in the heat and humidity without the pool - and the rest of the week's humor revolved around poop jokes.
So there you have it. The first part of the week was full of surprises, both pleasant and unpleasant. I plan to write a quick post tomorrow (Saturday) about the rest of the week and last weekend, before resuming current events.
As for my training, so far so good this week. I'm at about 20 miles for the week, with my long run still ahead of me tomorrow morning. I have to work some this weekend, so I'll definitely want to get my runs in to keep my sanity. I had a nice 5 mile tempo run at about an 8 minute pace yesterday, which I plan to bump up some each week leading up to the half marathon. More on the plan in my next post.
The week started off with a wedding. Our friends Mitch and Heather got hitched down in Blacksburg on the Saturday before camp kicked off, so we headed down for drinking, dancing, and celebrating. Turns out I'm way too white to be dancing. Luckily, I don't think there are any pictures of that. While I left the wedding photography to the professionals (read: people with nice cameras), it was a good opportunity to play with our camera and try out some of the settings that I've never bothered to read the user's manual about.
Then it was up early on Sunday to try to get to camp as quickly as possible. This was Kim's first year on staff, so it would have been nice to attend at least a little bit of staff training. Turns out we managed about 5 minutes of that, we just could not get moving quick enough and the drive was too long.
Sunday at camp is a blur. Kids are showing up for registration and moving into the cabins, we're trying to get all of the information we need for the 300+ attending and get them settled in, get the oriented as much as possible to what is going on, and have the opening council fire for the week. The campers are organized into 4 tribes for the week (WV 4-H relies on many traditions borrowed from Native Americans), led by a chief - an older camper, for whom it is a great honor chosen as chief, and for those of us who've served in this capacity, it is a very special week. The staff are organized into the 5th tribe, the Bigfeet. Typically the chief of the Bigfeet tribe is someone who is new on staff and unfamiliar with what is going on - rather than a great honor, it is more of a trial by fire.
Kim, being new on staff and new to WV 4-H, was the obvious choice for chief! She spent a lot of the early part of the week completely lost as to what she was doing, but learned a lot about how we do things and had a really great week on staff. She was a great addition to camp staff, and I'm not just saying that because she's my wife.
Monday was hot. Ok, every day was hot. And incredibly humid. Standing still was enough to make us sweat. It was so hot at times, my upper lip was sweating. There are some buildings that have air conditioning (assembly hall, dining hall), and many that don't (cabins). We had to spend the whole week making sure kids stayed hydrated and took time away from the sun. Luckily, the camp has a pool. Unluckily, it is a public pool during the times we don't use it. Monday morning, before our designated time, some kid pooped in the pool! You may not know this, but a pooped-in pool requires about a day of shutdown for cleaning, filtering, and to allow a mega-dose of chemicals to be run through the system so that it is safe again. So we spent the first part of the week in the heat and humidity without the pool - and the rest of the week's humor revolved around poop jokes.
So there you have it. The first part of the week was full of surprises, both pleasant and unpleasant. I plan to write a quick post tomorrow (Saturday) about the rest of the week and last weekend, before resuming current events.
As for my training, so far so good this week. I'm at about 20 miles for the week, with my long run still ahead of me tomorrow morning. I have to work some this weekend, so I'll definitely want to get my runs in to keep my sanity. I had a nice 5 mile tempo run at about an 8 minute pace yesterday, which I plan to bump up some each week leading up to the half marathon. More on the plan in my next post.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Short Post, Long Weeks
I'm back! Can't say much today, we're slammed with a deadline at work. I'll try to write up a longer post in the next day or two, complete with photos and stories from camp.
For now, I'm back to work, back to training, and there will be some sleep in there somewhere...
For now, I'm back to work, back to training, and there will be some sleep in there somewhere...
Friday, July 15, 2011
Running Again
Feeling empty? Like something familiar is missing, like football without beer, like eating french fries without ketchup...
You're in withdrawal. I haven't posted since Sunday, and you love me so much that you've become chemically dependent on me. I suppose it's time for a quick fix.
I've been super busy at work this week trying to tie up loose ends. I'll be gone next week, braving the heat and humidity at Jackson's Mill 4-H camp to ensure that hundreds of campers have the best week of their year. It's a break from the real world, a chance to recharge, and to do something that I feel has real meaning to the world. It will also be a week that I won't be online. Better check into rehab now, or you may not survive without me.
I would promise lots of pictures, but at this point in our relationship we all know how often I actually post pictures...
To more important news - a week of running! After 3 long weeks, my leg is finally ready to go again. I got about 20 miles this week, mostly gentle and tentative, still a bit uneasy about fully trusting my injury. Yesterday I did a moderate 5 mile tempo run that went very well, and the added effort level didn't cause me any pain, so I think I'm in the clear. I have lost a bit of conditioning, the distance is there, but my pace isn't. The downside to all of this is, I don't run at camp. So after almost 3 weeks off, I get a week of easy running, then I'm off for another week. Running, you tease.
I'm going to have to rework my half marathon goal. I don't think I can get in shape for the pace I wanted to run with what time I have left. I'll have to pick something a little slower to shoot for. Not sure what yet, I'm letting it wait until after camp when I get really going again.
Hope you all have a nice week, someday you'll hear from me again...
You're in withdrawal. I haven't posted since Sunday, and you love me so much that you've become chemically dependent on me. I suppose it's time for a quick fix.
I've been super busy at work this week trying to tie up loose ends. I'll be gone next week, braving the heat and humidity at Jackson's Mill 4-H camp to ensure that hundreds of campers have the best week of their year. It's a break from the real world, a chance to recharge, and to do something that I feel has real meaning to the world. It will also be a week that I won't be online. Better check into rehab now, or you may not survive without me.
I would promise lots of pictures, but at this point in our relationship we all know how often I actually post pictures...
To more important news - a week of running! After 3 long weeks, my leg is finally ready to go again. I got about 20 miles this week, mostly gentle and tentative, still a bit uneasy about fully trusting my injury. Yesterday I did a moderate 5 mile tempo run that went very well, and the added effort level didn't cause me any pain, so I think I'm in the clear. I have lost a bit of conditioning, the distance is there, but my pace isn't. The downside to all of this is, I don't run at camp. So after almost 3 weeks off, I get a week of easy running, then I'm off for another week. Running, you tease.
I'm going to have to rework my half marathon goal. I don't think I can get in shape for the pace I wanted to run with what time I have left. I'll have to pick something a little slower to shoot for. Not sure what yet, I'm letting it wait until after camp when I get really going again.
Hope you all have a nice week, someday you'll hear from me again...
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Other Things
Monday is the day. Come hell or high water, I start running again. For a week. After that I'll be gone for a week, working at the state 4-H camp, which I do every summer. I'm finding it is tough to blog about my running when I'm not actually doing any running, so I have to resort to talking about some of my other training activities.
I hate most of the people at the gym. I don't often say that I hate someone or something, especially not complete strangers. But for about 90% of the people who use the YMCA gym, I make an exception - I really just don't like them. I have a variety of reasons for these feelings (not the least of which is a burning envy when I see someone on the treadmill while I am on the injured list). How many of them are actually accomplishing what they joined the gym to do (get in shape, lose weight, gain muscle, etc.)? Very few. Probably less than a quarter. If you've been doing something for an extended period of time, months or even years in some cases, without results, why wouldn't you do something different? I'm all for patience and long term goals, but you should see some progress along the way, sometime, right?
I don't dislike them all. There are some that I like very much, for one thing or another that I see them do. Since I don't know them, I give them fun nicknames to pass the time while lifting, based on the things that I see them doing. These nicknames change over time. Right now, they're superheroes and TV/movie personalities:
Clark Kent/Superman - This guy is a freight train. Every day, every exercise, he's lifting heavier than everyone else. Lots of big guys will grunt and yell and celebrate when they complete a big lift. He never does. He just quietly continues to work hard and get bigger and stronger. He's polite, humble, and never seems to be in the way like so many of the other big guys tend to be.
Lois Lane - A brunette that lifts weights rather than spending all of her time on the machines. I call her this because she clearly has a thing for Superman, she's the only one who he ever really talks to at the gym. It's like a soap opera on mute - for an hour a day, I watch this play out without any idea what the dialogue is. I'm almost certain at some point, one or more of the three of us will leave the gym, or switch our workout time, or something to put an end to my fascination with these strangers. At that point, I'll write the two of them a happy ending - which I will of course share with all of you.
The Fantastic 4: The next 4 guys workout together when they're all at the Y around the same time. While they're no more productive than anybody else, they are very courteous and friendly, and they're such an odd group to see assembled together. They are:
Brad Garret - Tall, with dark curly hair, and just generally goofy looking. He actually doesn't look that much like Brad Garret, but something about how he acts and looks reminds me of Brad Garrett.
Fat John C. Reilly - This guy looks exactly like John C. Reilly would look if his face were just a little fatter. Too bad he doesn't sound like him as well, that would be pretty amusing.
The Godfather - He's in his 60s, about 5'3", 100 pounds - but much stronger than you'd ever expect someone his size and age to be. He doesn't even look muscular. He looks a little like he might have been a mobster at some point - dark Mediterranean skin complexion, wears button up shirts with an extra button open at the top outside of the gym, and always has a gold chain on - even when working out. He doesn't say much. I saw him bench press 185 pounds twice one day though, so whatever it is he's doing, it's working.
The Zohan - So he doesn't really look much like Adam Sandler (don't pretend like you don't know what shitty movie I'm talking about). But his high, flopped over hair makes me think of that terrible abortion of a film (I also thought of him as Ace Ventura at one point). He always wears sleeveless shirts, and has big biceps but nothing else.
My manager also works out at the Y. He's lost a lot of weight - after his 40th birthday, he started working out (both cardio and strength) and paying attention to his diet. He's considerably healthier now.
Every coin has two sides. There are some people at the gym (or categories of people) that I have a specific hatred for.
Ex-military guy - He's a big fat muscle guy who used to be in some branch of the military, he's in his 50s maybe. I've overheard him talking to other soldiers (or ex-soldiers) who also use the gym. He also happens to be a racist, from the things I've overheard him saying about Muslims.
Personal trainers - all of them, whether they are paid, or a husband giving his wife direction, or a friend trying to help out. They impart their wisdom, gleaned from half-reading articles on sports sites and magazines, encourage us to do thing that they themselves don't understand the purpose of, and inspire us to laziness. There were a couple of women lifting weights the other day, using weights light enough that they were conversing while exercising. What's that supposed to do?
Thanks for listening to my rant. I am eagerly looking forward to running again, so that I have something better to write about...
I hate most of the people at the gym. I don't often say that I hate someone or something, especially not complete strangers. But for about 90% of the people who use the YMCA gym, I make an exception - I really just don't like them. I have a variety of reasons for these feelings (not the least of which is a burning envy when I see someone on the treadmill while I am on the injured list). How many of them are actually accomplishing what they joined the gym to do (get in shape, lose weight, gain muscle, etc.)? Very few. Probably less than a quarter. If you've been doing something for an extended period of time, months or even years in some cases, without results, why wouldn't you do something different? I'm all for patience and long term goals, but you should see some progress along the way, sometime, right?
I don't dislike them all. There are some that I like very much, for one thing or another that I see them do. Since I don't know them, I give them fun nicknames to pass the time while lifting, based on the things that I see them doing. These nicknames change over time. Right now, they're superheroes and TV/movie personalities:
Clark Kent/Superman - This guy is a freight train. Every day, every exercise, he's lifting heavier than everyone else. Lots of big guys will grunt and yell and celebrate when they complete a big lift. He never does. He just quietly continues to work hard and get bigger and stronger. He's polite, humble, and never seems to be in the way like so many of the other big guys tend to be.
Lois Lane - A brunette that lifts weights rather than spending all of her time on the machines. I call her this because she clearly has a thing for Superman, she's the only one who he ever really talks to at the gym. It's like a soap opera on mute - for an hour a day, I watch this play out without any idea what the dialogue is. I'm almost certain at some point, one or more of the three of us will leave the gym, or switch our workout time, or something to put an end to my fascination with these strangers. At that point, I'll write the two of them a happy ending - which I will of course share with all of you.
The Fantastic 4: The next 4 guys workout together when they're all at the Y around the same time. While they're no more productive than anybody else, they are very courteous and friendly, and they're such an odd group to see assembled together. They are:
Brad Garret - Tall, with dark curly hair, and just generally goofy looking. He actually doesn't look that much like Brad Garret, but something about how he acts and looks reminds me of Brad Garrett.
Fat John C. Reilly - This guy looks exactly like John C. Reilly would look if his face were just a little fatter. Too bad he doesn't sound like him as well, that would be pretty amusing.
The Godfather - He's in his 60s, about 5'3", 100 pounds - but much stronger than you'd ever expect someone his size and age to be. He doesn't even look muscular. He looks a little like he might have been a mobster at some point - dark Mediterranean skin complexion, wears button up shirts with an extra button open at the top outside of the gym, and always has a gold chain on - even when working out. He doesn't say much. I saw him bench press 185 pounds twice one day though, so whatever it is he's doing, it's working.
The Zohan - So he doesn't really look much like Adam Sandler (don't pretend like you don't know what shitty movie I'm talking about). But his high, flopped over hair makes me think of that terrible abortion of a film (I also thought of him as Ace Ventura at one point). He always wears sleeveless shirts, and has big biceps but nothing else.
My manager also works out at the Y. He's lost a lot of weight - after his 40th birthday, he started working out (both cardio and strength) and paying attention to his diet. He's considerably healthier now.
Every coin has two sides. There are some people at the gym (or categories of people) that I have a specific hatred for.
Ex-military guy - He's a big fat muscle guy who used to be in some branch of the military, he's in his 50s maybe. I've overheard him talking to other soldiers (or ex-soldiers) who also use the gym. He also happens to be a racist, from the things I've overheard him saying about Muslims.
Personal trainers - all of them, whether they are paid, or a husband giving his wife direction, or a friend trying to help out. They impart their wisdom, gleaned from half-reading articles on sports sites and magazines, encourage us to do thing that they themselves don't understand the purpose of, and inspire us to laziness. There were a couple of women lifting weights the other day, using weights light enough that they were conversing while exercising. What's that supposed to do?
Thanks for listening to my rant. I am eagerly looking forward to running again, so that I have something better to write about...
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Thinking and Doing
So it turns out that thinking you are healthy and healed when siting on the couch, poking and prodding at your injury, is a completely different thing from actually being healthy and healed and ready to run.
Wednesday Morning: another 1/2 mile jog, only to find out that my shin is still not quite there.
At least my weight lifting is still going well, and I've been doing a bit of biking at the Y to keep my cardio strong for me (eventual) return to running. I might be cutting it close with my half marathon preparations though...
Wednesday Morning: another 1/2 mile jog, only to find out that my shin is still not quite there.
At least my weight lifting is still going well, and I've been doing a bit of biking at the Y to keep my cardio strong for me (eventual) return to running. I might be cutting it close with my half marathon preparations though...
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Long Weekend
Independence Day was a much needed long weekend. Not only did I need an extra day off from work, but it sure didn't hurt having a few days of guilt-free laziness. Not running is driving me crazy.
We didn't do anything for the 4th this year. My wife had to work, so I stayed home and played housewife, taking care of some overdue, to-do list items. Every couple of months Kim has to travel around the state to the 3 Sam's Clubs for inspection, and it just so happened that this time around she ended up with the long weekend, meaning 3 days instead of 2. Don't feel too sorry for her though, because she now has 6 days off.
I think I can run tomorrow. The fulcrum test isn't producing pain in my shin, and I've really been working to align my knee over my big toe during everyday motions (walking, squatting down to pick stuff up, etc.). My legs feel good, and I don't think I'll be losing as much time as I thought when I realized the seriousness of the injury. I'm going to give it a couple of miles tomorrow and see how it feels, then a couple of more the next day, and report back the results.
We didn't do anything for the 4th this year. My wife had to work, so I stayed home and played housewife, taking care of some overdue, to-do list items. Every couple of months Kim has to travel around the state to the 3 Sam's Clubs for inspection, and it just so happened that this time around she ended up with the long weekend, meaning 3 days instead of 2. Don't feel too sorry for her though, because she now has 6 days off.
I think I can run tomorrow. The fulcrum test isn't producing pain in my shin, and I've really been working to align my knee over my big toe during everyday motions (walking, squatting down to pick stuff up, etc.). My legs feel good, and I don't think I'll be losing as much time as I thought when I realized the seriousness of the injury. I'm going to give it a couple of miles tomorrow and see how it feels, then a couple of more the next day, and report back the results.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Take Two
Step One: Approach wall
Step Two: Bang head against said wall
Step Three: Repeat as necessary
I'm sidelined again. After Wednesday's great run, I headed out into cool and comfortable weather Thursday morning, eager to try to get my rhythm back. About halfway through, a familiar pain started to emerge in my right shin...
So I need more recovery. Apparently one week just wasn't enough. I am fairly confident through my diagnostics that it isn't a stress fracture. I can hop up and down on it without pain. It only hurts when running. If I place one hand inside just below my knee, the other outside just above the ankle, and push lightly, it hurts (this is a form of fulcrum test). My knee has been tracking lateral to my big toe (meaning outside - see, I could play a doctor on TV!) when running. So I think when my soleus (lower calf) fatigues, its ability to help take the load is diminished. This introduces extra bending stresses into the medial (inside) side of the shin, placing that part of the bone in tension - bone, like most brittle materials, is much better in compression than tension. So pressing on the ankle/knee produces a pain that is the same as what I feel during running.
I don't think it is fractured, but it can't be too far off. Probably a few more hard workouts, and I'd be in real trouble here. So I need to stop running for a while. I plan to take it easy until the fulcrum test no longer produces pain, meaning all of my training will be weight lifting, biking, and swimming. At least I can keep my heart in great shape and stay strong and fit while I wait to run again...
Step Two: Bang head against said wall
Step Three: Repeat as necessary
I'm sidelined again. After Wednesday's great run, I headed out into cool and comfortable weather Thursday morning, eager to try to get my rhythm back. About halfway through, a familiar pain started to emerge in my right shin...
So I need more recovery. Apparently one week just wasn't enough. I am fairly confident through my diagnostics that it isn't a stress fracture. I can hop up and down on it without pain. It only hurts when running. If I place one hand inside just below my knee, the other outside just above the ankle, and push lightly, it hurts (this is a form of fulcrum test). My knee has been tracking lateral to my big toe (meaning outside - see, I could play a doctor on TV!) when running. So I think when my soleus (lower calf) fatigues, its ability to help take the load is diminished. This introduces extra bending stresses into the medial (inside) side of the shin, placing that part of the bone in tension - bone, like most brittle materials, is much better in compression than tension. So pressing on the ankle/knee produces a pain that is the same as what I feel during running.
I don't think it is fractured, but it can't be too far off. Probably a few more hard workouts, and I'd be in real trouble here. So I need to stop running for a while. I plan to take it easy until the fulcrum test no longer produces pain, meaning all of my training will be weight lifting, biking, and swimming. At least I can keep my heart in great shape and stay strong and fit while I wait to run again...
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Mission Accopmlished
4 easy miles this morning, with no shin pain. This is great, I can ease back into my training without really losing much ground. Plus I've got other activities that I need my legs working 100% to properly perform. Fighting ninjas, break dancing in parachute pants with my friends down on the corner, strollin' up the street with a pimp walk that lets the all the other ballers know, pilates, etc.
Or maybe I've just been going a little stir crazy not being able to run, and I'm really excited to be back at it. Also, I'd probably hurt myself trying to do any of those things.
I've started working on the new page layout. Nothing fancy, nothing too radical, really just some decoration, perhaps rearranging some things and adding useful stuff here and there. I want to make this thing look nice, like it was done by someone who cares and uses a computer as more than a fancy machine for playing solitaire.
My race schedule is pretty much shot. I'll be "redesigning" that too pretty soon. The only thing that is definite at this point is the Virginia Beach Half Marathon, because I've already paid, and I'll already be down there. Hopefully I'll get to add a few more events before summer starts to wind down.
Or maybe I've just been going a little stir crazy not being able to run, and I'm really excited to be back at it. Also, I'd probably hurt myself trying to do any of those things.
I've started working on the new page layout. Nothing fancy, nothing too radical, really just some decoration, perhaps rearranging some things and adding useful stuff here and there. I want to make this thing look nice, like it was done by someone who cares and uses a computer as more than a fancy machine for playing solitaire.
My race schedule is pretty much shot. I'll be "redesigning" that too pretty soon. The only thing that is definite at this point is the Virginia Beach Half Marathon, because I've already paid, and I'll already be down there. Hopefully I'll get to add a few more events before summer starts to wind down.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Still on The Sidelines
I ran about a half mile this morning to test my shin. Still not there yet. I'm giving it a few more days, and I'll try another short run to see how it feels. It's definitely better than it was, but I can't train on it. I must say, I don't care for this at all, not one bit.
Since I'm not running, I've got an extra hour each day to accomplish things. What am I accomplishing with this extra hour? Not much, it seems. I slept in this weekend, for the first time in a long time. I haven't gotten to work much earlier in the past week, even though I've been getting up at the same time. I almost feel like I should have some guilt over how lazy I've been. I don't.
I'm pretty glad I didn't have a race or long run this weekend. I had plans for dinner at Red Lobster with my wife Saturday night. Then I got a call around noon from my dad, he had a break in his water line and needed some help with it, so I hopped in the car and headed south. My parents live about an hour and a half from me - so quick math, leaving at 12:30, 3 hours of drive time, if we could fix the line within 2 hours I'd still have time to get home, shower, and go to dinner without eating at a weird time. The clock was ticking.
Luckily my uncle procured us a backhoe for digging up the line to find the problem, which cut out huge amounts of hand digging (and time). We finished fairly quickly, and I found myself back home by around 5 - leaving enough time not only for getting cleaned up for dinner, but also to watch the US Track and Field Championships before we left. Couldn't have worked out better.
I highly recommend the spicy habanero coconut shrimp, very good. The desserts, meh. I'm not much of a fan of restaurant desserts, they generally aren't that good, but it came with the meal thingy we were getting.
So I guess I'll just continue not running and getting fat while I wait on my leg to heal. Perhaps I'll spend some time on my redesign of this page tonight...
Since I'm not running, I've got an extra hour each day to accomplish things. What am I accomplishing with this extra hour? Not much, it seems. I slept in this weekend, for the first time in a long time. I haven't gotten to work much earlier in the past week, even though I've been getting up at the same time. I almost feel like I should have some guilt over how lazy I've been. I don't.
I'm pretty glad I didn't have a race or long run this weekend. I had plans for dinner at Red Lobster with my wife Saturday night. Then I got a call around noon from my dad, he had a break in his water line and needed some help with it, so I hopped in the car and headed south. My parents live about an hour and a half from me - so quick math, leaving at 12:30, 3 hours of drive time, if we could fix the line within 2 hours I'd still have time to get home, shower, and go to dinner without eating at a weird time. The clock was ticking.
Luckily my uncle procured us a backhoe for digging up the line to find the problem, which cut out huge amounts of hand digging (and time). We finished fairly quickly, and I found myself back home by around 5 - leaving enough time not only for getting cleaned up for dinner, but also to watch the US Track and Field Championships before we left. Couldn't have worked out better.
I highly recommend the spicy habanero coconut shrimp, very good. The desserts, meh. I'm not much of a fan of restaurant desserts, they generally aren't that good, but it came with the meal thingy we were getting.
So I guess I'll just continue not running and getting fat while I wait on my leg to heal. Perhaps I'll spend some time on my redesign of this page tonight...
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Adam, M.D.
Among my many self-proclaimed qualifications (mechanic, physicist, philosopher, snake wrangler, brew-master, Iron Chef, lady-pleaser Ph.D, etc.), I am a sports doctor. Not a doctor in the med school, residency, treats patients sense, more of a doctor in the "I have the internet and know how to use it" sense.
So after some (read: 2-3 hours) research, I've concluded that my injury is a mild case of Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome (MTSS). What is this, you may be wondering? MTSS is true shin splints.
What do most people feel when they say they have shin splints? They feel pain in the lower front of their legs. This is typically muscular, due to an imbalance between the muscles in the back and front of the lower leg. The back muscles are either tight, or too strong, keeping the front muscles in a constant state of tension. When you run, those front muscles provide the braking force for each step. Doing this while stretched loads them eccentrically, leaving them sore, and leading the runner to think they have an impact injury to their shin - which it isn't.
MTSS is different. As the name suggests, it is caused by stress to the medial (side nearest the center of the body) region of the tibia (large bone in the lower leg). It is a pain in the tibia itself, not the muscles around it. It comes from various things related to how you run - the way you land your feet, the degree to which you pronate, how quickly/slowly you increase your mileage, etc. These things result in eccentrically loading and fatiguing the soleus muscle, the lower part of your calf. When this happens, the soleus cannot do its job effectively, and you get increased torque about your tibia. Ironically, one of the contributing factors to my shin splint is landing on the balls of my feet - the very thing that helps protect my knees from injury is causing a pain in my shin. I suspect this, plus a few other factors such as my higher mileage (which I may have progressed to a little quickly) have caused this injury.
My case is mild, and the best thing I can do for it is rest. I have to avoid repetitive stress on the bone, meaning some time off running. How long? I don't know. I'm going to start with a few days and see how it feels. I'm hoping it will heal quickly since it isn't severe. I should be able to continue working out without stressing it, and I plan to do some swimming this weekend (or rather, plan to try to swim).
Who needs med school.
So after some (read: 2-3 hours) research, I've concluded that my injury is a mild case of Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome (MTSS). What is this, you may be wondering? MTSS is true shin splints.
What do most people feel when they say they have shin splints? They feel pain in the lower front of their legs. This is typically muscular, due to an imbalance between the muscles in the back and front of the lower leg. The back muscles are either tight, or too strong, keeping the front muscles in a constant state of tension. When you run, those front muscles provide the braking force for each step. Doing this while stretched loads them eccentrically, leaving them sore, and leading the runner to think they have an impact injury to their shin - which it isn't.
MTSS is different. As the name suggests, it is caused by stress to the medial (side nearest the center of the body) region of the tibia (large bone in the lower leg). It is a pain in the tibia itself, not the muscles around it. It comes from various things related to how you run - the way you land your feet, the degree to which you pronate, how quickly/slowly you increase your mileage, etc. These things result in eccentrically loading and fatiguing the soleus muscle, the lower part of your calf. When this happens, the soleus cannot do its job effectively, and you get increased torque about your tibia. Ironically, one of the contributing factors to my shin splint is landing on the balls of my feet - the very thing that helps protect my knees from injury is causing a pain in my shin. I suspect this, plus a few other factors such as my higher mileage (which I may have progressed to a little quickly) have caused this injury.
My case is mild, and the best thing I can do for it is rest. I have to avoid repetitive stress on the bone, meaning some time off running. How long? I don't know. I'm going to start with a few days and see how it feels. I'm hoping it will heal quickly since it isn't severe. I should be able to continue working out without stressing it, and I plan to do some swimming this weekend (or rather, plan to try to swim).
Who needs med school.
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