Running with Chuck

I've run with a lot of people over the past 5 years. Robyn was there with me for every step of the Boston Marathon and lots of the training runs. Monica has been a steady running partner for road and trail runs as we explore new areas and revisit old friends. Alyssa, Elizabeth, Reji, and lots of the others in TARC have introduced me to regular training runs in the Fells. Even from afar my brother has challenged me to run further and faster. But my first and best training partner has always been Chuck.

When I first started running I was working in Kendall Square. At lunch I'd head out and meet Chuck partway through the run. We'd enjoy the sun, the mid-day crowds, the running paths and then go our separate ways. We fell into an easy rhythm early on. Later, we planned runs together and they became my first 5 miler, 10 miler, 15 miler. One of the most important runs we did together was 18 miles long and it was the one that convinced me that the marathon was possible. Until then I'd had trouble with leg cramps on my long runs, but Chuck's familiar companionship, steady pace, and comforting manner made that run possible. Later I raced with Chuck in a summer 5K series, working on speed and enjoying the post race beer.

If you haven't guessed, Chuck is the Charles River. I've run along the Esplanade, around Harvard Square, from Community Rowing, out to Newton, and across the many bridges along the way. The bike path runs up and down either side of the river, all the way from the Museum of Science out to Newton. It ranges from vibrant and active sections by MIT and the Esplanade, straight and steady sections by the BU bridge where you hit your groove, isolated and quite paths in Watertown where you can sometimes run a mile without seeing another runner. It's got variety and familiarity, activity and solitude, running partners galore, people watching, crew boats and bikes to race with; pretty much everything to ensure you'll never get bored or complacent.

A few standout memories:

• Finishing my first 10 mile run just past the BU bridge, the feeling of elation at reaching an ambitious goal and making me feel like anything was possible.
• Post snowstorm night time run though deep drifts by the Anderson footbridge wearing every light I owned.
• Watching the sun rise while racing the crew boats at the Elliot bridge
• Long runs from Community Rowing with Robyn coaching me for the marathon
• Nearly passing out at the River Street bridge on a hot summer day, learning that some days are just not your day
• My first 5K race, standing in a huge crowd on Greenough Blvd trying to guess my pace.
• Cruising along the Cambridge side near MIT with Monica, looking at each other, and simultaneously saying "How about two extra bridges?"

I still look forward to running with Chuck on most days. We live about a mile from the river so on the shortest runs I don't get a lot of river time, but some
days I'll drive straight to the river, pick a spot, put on the headphones, and think "How many bridges today?"

Snowy run

I managed to get out of the office just as the snow started falling. By the time I got to Alewife the snow was sticking pretty well and traffic had slowed considerably. On Concord Ave at dusk I noticed two runners, clad in standard issue neon yellow tops and black tights pick their way through the 1/2" of freshly fallen snow on the sidewalk and glide effortlessly along the crosswalk. That looks like fun, I thought, but it'll be fully dark by the time I make it home. Some memories flooded back of training for Boston when I ran in all weather, pre-dawn or post-sunset so I decided to give it a shot. Somerville had declared a snow emergency so my first order of business was to find parking but as I came in the door I announced to Monica that I was going to change and go for a run. Without skipping a beat she said that I should grab the ankle reflectors in the closet. That's why I married her. :)

Off with the work clothes, on with the winter running gear. Tights, shell, hat, gloves, reflective vest and ankle reflectors. The trail runners seemed a better choice for the conditions so I put those on along with my Dirty Girl gaiters. Out the door I went, just 15 minutes after arriving home, into the steadily falling snow and full darkness - although with all the streetlights and white snow it was hard to tell. I had two flashing lights and lots of reflective gear so I felt as safe as I could as I took off down the street.

It wasn't quiet like some snowy runs; everyone was on their way home and the streets were still full of cars. The sidewalk was fairly good traction but slippery in places so I took my time. Waiting at the first stoplight I wondered in the people in their cars were looking at me like I was looking at the two runners I saw, only without the gliding effortlessly - I plod. I'm a plodder. The Walk sign came up and off I went towards Harvard Square. I met a few runners and we exchanged self-congratulatory pleasantries before parting ways. I decided to stick to the more well light route since I was having some trouble seeing the contours of the brick sidewalk and didn't want to trip.

Along the river it was quiet and snowy and all I had hoped for. As I crossed the bridge and waited for traffic it struck me that I loved living near the city. I continued inbound on the Boston side of the Charles following another runners footprints and the path of one seriously confused bicyclist. I crossed paths with another runner at the next bridge, but they were so bundled up that I couldn't tell their gender. We gave each other a silent wave. Back on the Cambridge side I was slipping a bit and had trouble staying in the middle of the sidewalk - maybe it was time to finish this up. Back through Harvard Square and back to the brick sidewalks that were now making it tough to keep any rhythm to my stride. Almost home - do I push it? Nope, just not worth it. And it wasn't what I was looking for tonight.

In my training log it's listed as 3.7 miles at a fairly slow pace. In my memory it's a winter wonderland.

Training Log - Week ending 3/23/2013

Last week was a good training week, this week I managed to keep up the momentum. I'm pretty tired but I managed to crank out another long run, albeit a slow one.

Sunday 3/17 - 45 minutes of lifting and stretching at the gym

Monday 3/18 - 5.1 miles @ 9:37 - lunch run with Tery and Pete, then on my own. Pushed it to 5 miles instead of my planned 4.

Tuesday 3/19 - Road the stationary bike for 45 minutes

Wed 3/20 - 5 miles @ 10:19 - lunch run, pushed myself to run the full 5

Thursday 3/21 - rest day

Friday 3/22 - 3.7 miles @ 10:36 - Predawn run before podiatrists appointment

Saturday 3/23 - 13.1 miles @ 10:09 pace - Pretty decent run along the Charles, from home to the Museum of Science and back, plus a little extra to make it 13.1. Slight calf cramps at the end; have to keep an eye on that.

Total Mileage - 26.9 miles
Two solid weeks in a row, really ramping up the miles finally. 9 weeks out from Pinelands.

Jingle Bells and Commitment

At the 2011 Somerville Jingle Bell Run I ran with Brenda, and Monica was our cheer leading section and head photographer.  She enjoyed the experience so much that she said she wanted to train so she could run the race in 2012 - her goal after being out of running for a long time.  Not only did she achieve that goal of running the race this year (in a very fetching elf costume I might add) but she raced a summer 5K series and a 5 miler up in NH, plus has added training runs every week.  The run this year was just as much about being part of 5000 costumed crazies as it was about completing a task that was started a year earlier.  This year's race was great; we had good costumes (Monica in green, Dave in blue), got a great parking spot, ran a good race, and easily made it into Redbones for the free meal and beer after.  You can't ask for much more from a cold December Sunday with rain in the forecast.

I've been talking about my goals for a while, and one that has been on my list but that hadn't yet come into fruition was running a 50K before my 50th birthday.  My previous blog entry was about it and I talked about possible races I could enter.  On 12/12/12 a message came across my facebook wall about a special offer to save $12 on the entry fee and I bit.  A few keystrokes later and I'm officially registered for the Pineland Trail 50K.  It felt great to take a tangible step toward my goal and commit publicly.  The die is cast.

Figuring out how to combine my ski schedule this winter and work related travel with long training runs will present some interesting challenges, but goals aren't meant to be easy.  I'm working now to map out the training schedule and find a few kindred spirits to train with as I enter the new world of ultras.  Once more into the breach!

Oh, so that's what improvement feels like

I'm not a fast runner.  Other runners seem to have a gear that they can shift into when they want to pour it on; not me.  I have one gear - plodding.  Don't get me wrong; it's a good gear.  I like plodding.  It's a fairly efficient pace, with some variety between slowly jogging and rapidly ambulating.  My pace got me through a marathon and I'm pretty pleased with that.  My schedule this summer hasn't allowed for too many long runs, so Monica and I signed up for a series of Thursday night 5Ks along the Charles River.

I have never placed in the top 10 for my age group and unless I find a race with fewer than 50 participants I probably never will.  But I like racing because it gives me an objective measurement to gauge my progress.  Training runs, no matter how well intentioned or rigorously run don't put you in the same frame of mind.  In the minutes before the starting gun you anticipate, concentrate, and fully invest.  No matter how important the training is, it never puts me the same frame of mind.

Last Thursday was the final 5K of the summer.  Monica couldn't make it so I was running solo for the first time this year.  On a whim I decided to run with my MP3 player, something I've never done in a race before except for the first Jingle Bell Run 4 years ago.  I usually like paying attention to the sights and sounds around me, especially when running with someone else but this was an unusual solo run so all bets were off.  The start was delayed by reasons unknown for 15-20 minutes so we all had extra time to mill about and get a little extra anxiety.

I moved a bit further up in the queue than usual as the crowd was a little lighter than the previous races in the series; perhaps the earlier start and the impending darkness played into it.  As the crowd surged forward I felt surprisingly good. The hip problems and general lethargy of the past month weren't present so this was a pleasant surprise for me.  I started scanning the runners ahead of me and thinking "I should be faster than him or her."  It's not pretty, but it often works for me.  Granted, some of those people I think I should be faster then just pull away and I never see them again, but such is life.

At the one mile mark my pace was 8:11, faster than any other race we've done this summer.  So, naturally I slowed down a bit but nothing was hurting and my stride was easy so I crept the pace back up. After the first mile and the out-and-back most folks settle out into a steady stream of about the same pace.  I passed a few people, a few people passed me.  I was tempted by the water station but decided I was going to push it a bit so I sped (ha!) by the folks getting water, crossed the bridge, and entered the home stretch.

Except it's still 1.1 miles to the finish and that section seems to go on forever.  With .5 miles to go I attempted to increase my pace but that elusive gear remained elusive.  Looking the data from the watch I guess I sped up a bit but just barely until the last .2 miles.  Lots of folks passed me in this section, including several that I had passed between miles 1 and 2; that hurt.  But with the end literally in sight and the smell of BBQ in the air I pulled it together and crossed the finish with my pride intact.  My time was 25:40, around 30 seconds faster than my previous PR.  It's not a huge improvement but 10 secs/mile is nothing to sneeze at.  I finished 300/807 overall, 202/347 males.

Pushing 50 it's nice to see that I can still improve.  There's hope for me yet, still trying to work the clutch and get the shifter into that elusive higher gear. 

Garmin Track of the race

Racing in a Sauna

Monica and I run in a once-a-month musically themed Thursday night series along the Charles River, a 5K that ends with a BBQ, band, and beer.  This month was the Jerry Garcia Memorial Run.  The start/finish for this series is close to the house so it's easy logistically.  Monica parked a car in the lot across the street earlier in the day and we road our bikes to the start.  It didn't seems so hot at first, but as we arrived at the car it was clear that it was going to be a tough night.  The humidity and lack of wind gave the scene a rather drastic feel.

First, we changed into running shoes and pinned our bibs on, then headed over to pick up the t-shirt Monica had ordered.  Runners were beginning to gather in greater numbers, so we walked around the tents to see what was there and dropped the shirt off back at the car.  In just a quick jog across the road I could feel my hip bothering me, and I knew it wasn't going to be an easy race.  At the starting line we stretched and did a quick warmup run to get the muscles moving.  At 7:28 the massed runners surged toward the tunnel under the bridge and at 7:30 the race started right on time.

This time the start was much more organized and orderly than the first race in the series.  There was no mud, and less chaos so we were able to settle into a full speed pace quickly.  As we made the turn at the sign and headed back to the tunnel everyone was already starting to sweat.  Monica was running with her GPS watch and she said that it seemed to take forever to get to the first mile beep, but in fact we were well under 9:00 pace.  This was the first 5K I've ever stopped to get water, it was just brutal.

We crossed the bridge which is right around 2 miles and were headed back towards the finish line now, my hip wasn't bothering me as much as I expected and we kept up the sub-9:00 pace.  We actually passed a few folks that had been ahead of us the whole way.  At the turn into the finish line we handed our tickets to the collector, I said "Hi" to Jackie who I haven't seen in a long time, and we quickly headed for some water, food, and beer, in that order.

On the beer line I kept feeling someone spilling what I thought was beer on my shoes.  It was my own sweat dripping off my elbows. Yuk.  The beer tasted great but it was really too hot to enjoy the food.  The band was fine and I got to quickly catch up with Jackie and Christopher but we were both ready to head home.  We were drenched with sweat even 45 minutes after we finished; thankfully Monica has waterproof seat covers in her car.  Our time was great, around 26:15 which was about 3 minutes faster than last time.  If the weather is cooler for the next two races it will be interesting to see our times improve.

One's cross (training) to bear

In the past 7 days I've gone road running, trail running, hiking, and mountain biking.  Looking back another week and you can throw in road biking and weight training, and a little swimming a bit further back.  One of my goals for this year was to mix up my training in an effort to stay motivated and to avoid injury.  I've certainly been successful in the former, the latter is more of a mixed bag.

The biggest change has been the mountain bike which opens up a significant new level of activity.  The speed, full body workout, and potential for disaster keeps me motivated and alert.  While I love hiking and will never give it up, mountain biking is new and exciting.  There's so much to learn and experience, and I find new challenges each ride that are within my reach that I come away with a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment that I've missed recently.

Trail running has also been a fun activity, one that adds variety to my weekly running mileage.  I'm not convinced it has been good for my injury, since I often end the loop in the Fells with a sore hip but I think it has been a good experience in general.  I enjoy the need to think and react while running, instead of the steady plod of one foot in front of the other.  Once a week seems about right for me, and I get the added bonus of surprising deer on the trail.

It's hiking season and we're heading north most weekends now.  We've got a few longer hikes planned and there's nothing like that feeling at the end of a long day when you arrive at the car, exhausted but satisfied with a job well done.  I'm mostly hiking in trail shoes and when we can we run the flat stretches.  With our weekends up north we have been hiking one day and doing 1-3 hours of mountain biking the next which makes for an easy drive home without being exhausted.

I still run 3-4 days a week, trying to mix in some variety (hills, sprints, races) but my routine is usually to just go out for a run and see where it takes me.  I still have a group of runners at work but our regular Monday run has taken a beating due to a lot of travel.  With the heat this summer my pace has been rather slow and methodical, but miles are miles.

Weight training is the odd ball.  I have a gym at work that I use when running, and I occasionally do sets of exercises that I've done for decades, but I don't really have a plan or goal.  This is probably where I would get the most bang for my buck, but I don't really have the energy to set something up.  Any suggestions for a training plan that would help me as a runner/hiker/biker?

The only other thing I would consider adding is swimming with the hopes of a triathlon in my future.  The logistics are hard to figure out so I'm just putting that on hold for now.

I wonder if watching the Tour de France and the Olympics on TV counts for cross training?

Runners are stupid

Especially injured runners. This isn't a groundbreaking revelation, but I'm pretty lousy at being injured.  For the past two weeks I've been fighting a nagging pain in my left hip/leg/thigh that doesn't respond to ice, stretching, or Ibuprofen.  The only option remaining seems to be a pretty drastic one; and I'm not sure I'm ready for it but it may be time: rest.  All athletes hate being on the sidelines, and I'm no different.

The worst part is that we are finally getting some good weather after a week of rain and some killer thunderstorms.  I'm stuck in the house with an ice pack on my leg while outside everyone and their sister is running, biking, hiking, and generally having a heck of a time out there.  Rest sucks: it's the absence of fun. I even forced myself to run last week while I was having trouble walking up stairs.  I would hold onto the railing and pull myself up each flight and somehow I felt it was a good idea to run 5 miles.

Monica and I went for a hike in the Blue Hills on Saturday and I was hoping that my leg would loosen up after a bit.  No such luck; about 15 minutes into the hike I knew we couldn't do our planned route, and it probably would be best to just turn around.  So naturally I insisted we go another 10 minutes to the viewpoint, limping up the climb and stumbling back down.  Back at the car we ran into friends from the AMC who were halfway through a double Skyline traverse and I felt even worse about the whole thing.  So instead, we went shopping.

I've got a race on Sunday, so I'm going to rest all week.  Assuming I can survive the rest I should be able to struggle through 5 miles since I really don't care about the time.  I have to run it since the race comes with a t-shirt and I won't be able to wear it if I don't finish the race.  And of course there's BBQ at the end.  That's good for recovery, right?

It's spring, time for trail running

The last two weekends Monica and I have headed out to Great Brook Farm State Park in Carlisle.  She brings her spiffy new mountain bike, and I bring some trail running shoes.  I'll be getting a mountain bike soon so I can join her on rides, but for now I'm content to run some of the great double and single track available in GBF.  I haven't done too much trail running, but I'm enjoying it a lot these days.  The pace is generally slower, the ground is much more forgiving on my legs, and I don't have to deal with traffic lights.

I've been using my new small hydration pack, giving me some easily accessible water, a few Gu's, and a place to hold my wallet and phone. I've used a Nathan hip belt but with the twisty trails the backpack feels like it carries more smoothly and allows me to twist and turn more comfortably. It also looks cool.  For shoes I have two pair; Innov-8 and Asolo.  The Asolos are new and this past weekend was their first day out.  I bought the Innov-8s last year and they have been on a few long hikes and run in the Whites.  The only other trail running gear I use are my Dirty Girl Gaiters, in Lime Gatorade Hurl.  They also look cool.

The trails at Great Brook are a mix of farm roads, paths in fields, and single track.  I don't know the trails in detail but it's not very big and bordered by a few main roads so you can't get too far off.  The first time I ran there I just stayed on the wide paths and strung together a 4 mile loop without crossing my tracks.  The second time I tried more of the single track, such as Indian Hill (Tip: avoid trails with the word "Hill" in the name) and the Woodchuck Loop, then followed a trail I had never seen before which took me out to some town land called Thanksgiving Ground Forest.  It was just an out and back before hitting some more double track, crossing the road and taking the Tophet Loop, which is my favorite mountain bike single track, and working my way back to the car.  It rained for the second half of the loop but never too hard so it just made running in the woods more interesting.  People hurrying back to their cars under umbrellas gave me some odd looks.

The plan is to add at least one day of trail running a week, after work on my way home.  I can run a 7 mile loop in the Fells that offers some nice variety of single and double track, plus the occasional view of Boston from a tower.  That should add some variety to the week and make the longer runs easier on my knees.

Besides, anything that lets me wear the Dirty Girls is a good thing.

New Training partner

Monica has decided to take up running after a gap of over a decade, so I have a guaranteed running partner for at least 1 or 2 days a week if our schedules mesh.  She has to deal with a reconstructed ACL so running is a bit of new venture for her, one she's taking carefully but with gusto.  We started with a few run/walk ventures until she could run a full 5K without stopping several times; we've since gone up to 4 miles.  Our most common route is from the house to the Charles River and up or down a few bridges, which has been my regular morning routine for a while.  Until now I've never run that route with someone else; it's different when you're having a conversation the whole time.

When I started running I ran mostly alone, or with someone who was a much more experienced runner than I, like Al, Robyn or Mimi.  They would guide me with suggestions on stride, pace, stretching, etc and just keep me moving in the right direction.  Now someone is looking to me for the same kind of advice and I feel like I actually know what I'm talking about.  We went through the shoe buying process, getting the right running clothes, training plans, and we're looking at signing up for her first 5K. It feels like I'm going through the introduction to running all over again.

It has reminded me that I need to set a new goal and create my own plan to achieve it.  Right now I don't have a particular race or distance that I want to work on, although I'm very interested in more trail running.  Time to bring up CoolRunning Event Calendar and start looking for something interesting.

Not just another pair of running shoes

Before I started running semi-seriously (or whatever the heck I'm doing now) I never tracked how long I had a pair of shoes, or how many miles I ran in them.  They didn't wear out; I wore them until they fell apart. When they were too far gone to ignore I'd buy a new pair. I never kept track, it didn't matter.  But now, I buy shoes after doing actual research.  I go to running stores, sample a bunch of shoes, have my gait analyzed, and don't always buy whatever is on sale. The price isn't a problem since I feel like I'm getting good use out of them. I use runningAhead to track every run, every mile, every minute I spend on my feet.  It's great for training, for looking back at the past year or month and feeling a sense of accomplishment, for knowing when it's time to retire a pair of shoes.

I've just retired my last pair of Saucony Ride 3's after a fine snowy run in shorts. They have 350 miles on them, which I find is just about where I start getting some discomfort after runs, so it's time.  Looking back through the log, I just discovered that these were the shoes I used for the Boston Marathon!  I was sure it was a different pair, but the computer doesn't lie.  They also ran the Bay State Half marathon and the Jingle Bell 5K.  All the rest of their mileage was training runs, from 2 to 21 miles in length.

I've retired a few pairs of shoes, but these have done the most with me.  A quick review of the runs with this pair of shoes brought back all sorts of memories, both good and bad.  Of course there was the marathon, but also the 21 mile training run 3 weeks before which let me know that I could do it.  There was the very painful 13 miler in September that convinced me to switch from the full to half marathon in October.  There was the Jingle Bell Run with Brenda, wearing matching reindeer antlers. All from a single pair of shoes.

Like Gu and Clif Bars, shoes are consumables.  You buy them in order to use them up.  They have an expected life span and they serve you well, but their destiny is to become trash.  Perhaps they can be used as casual shoes, or in my case then end up in the pottery studio covered in mud, but their days are numbered.  Or in the case of running shoes, their miles are limited. But I'm a nostalgic fellow, and it's rare that something from such an important event in my life gets discarded so easily.  I'm not sure what I'll end up doing with this pair, but it's the last pair of Ride 3's I'll ever own.  They've switched to the new Ride 4's (which I just ordered).  The Ride 3 was the first shoe I had fitted to my feet, and I went through 3 pairs of them.  I may just hold on to this last pair.

My Frienemy - The Treadmill

Running in winter can be an invigorating experience; full of bright sunshine, clean, cold air, dedicate running companions.  It can also be a miserable, exhausting mix of sleet, extremely poor footing, short periods of daylight, and streets and sidewalks narrowed by piles of frozen mess.  Which leads me directly to the treadmill at the gym.  When it's snowing hard, or this winter, raining, more often I have been choosing to run on the treadmill rather than run outside.  Last winter when training for the marathon last year I rarely ran on the treadmill.  The runs were longer and spending all that time on a treadmill wasn't worth it.

But this winter I'm not as motivated to suffer outside so I end up downstairs.  The gym has a couple of nice modern treadmills (and a few crappy old leg breakers) with a lovely view of the parking lot. At least once a week I head down there, pop my headphones on, and spend 30-50 minutes staring alternately at the lights in the parking lot and the glowing red LEDs of the display.  No TV at the work gym.  My chief entertainment is singing along with my music and calculating the next fraction of my remaining run.  Math is fun. I usually determine how far I will run based on how I feel after the first mile; I rarely have a definite goal in mind.

So, why frienemy?  I have so many conflicting thoughts I decided to put together a list:

Pros:

• No need to deal with foul weather or darkness
• Fairly accurate timing, distance, and calorie calculations
• Ability to adjust elevation at will
• Automated programs

Cons:

• Boring as sin
• Tendency to race against a clock or arbitrary goal leading to possible injury
• Ever-present fear that one small misstep will propel me backwards into the wall
• Lack of breeze
• No variation of the running surface
• Only have access at work/gym
• Boring as sin (yes, I said it already but it deserves saying again)

 I'm sure there are more pros and cons, but frankly, one run a week on the treadmill doesn't warrant that much thought.  The workout is still good, and the mileage still counts, so I run and try to get through the boredom and think of longer, warmer days.

New Years Resolutions

A new day and a new lease on life!  Time to reflect on 2011 and plan for 2012.

2011 was a pretty big year for Runner Dave. The highlight was certainly running the Boston Marathon, my first.  My friend Robyn ran every step with me and I'm eternally grateful to her for that.  The race itself was a mixed bag; I had calf cramps for the last 10 miles that caused me to walk a bit each mile but I finished and I was very proud of my accomplishment.  There was also my first real bout of disappointment related to injury.  I had registered for the Bay State Marathon in October but leg problems caused me to scale it back to the half.  It was a big disappointment and felt like a failure, but completing the half even though my training had been so poor and interrupted was a boost. I even got a chance to pay forward Robyn's gift to me by running with Brenda on the Somerville Jingle Bell Run, which was my first race ever 4 years ago. I ended the year healthy and excited about running.


So, I'm looking forward to 2012 and planning out some races and goals for the year. Here they are:

1. Stay Healthy - I had several problems in 2011 with injury, from ITB tendinitis during my Boston training to a persistent cramping problem in my calves. They seem to be related to overtraining issues and technique.  To address this I am going to do a lot more cross training; adding road and mountain biking to the weekly schedule and creating a weight lifting program that strengthens my knees. I'm looking into Yoga to help my flexibility and I want to keep to a sports massage once a month because I like pain, apparently.
2. Eat better - In 2009 I lost 60+ pounds and felt great.  It made running much more enjoyable and made me feel better during and after.  After Boston and the inactivity that came with injuries I've gained back some of that weight so I want to get back to the diet that helped me lose and maintain my weight.While exercise is part of it, getting back to the eating techniques that worked is the key.
3. Create a routine - I've got a group run on Monday with some co-workers that has become part of my weekly tradition.  A weekly schedule that mixes running (indoors and out), biking, and weights in a coherent training schedule will help me focus and motivate to get in the full number of workouts per week. Weekend backcountry skiing this winter will replace the long runs, assuming we ever get any snow.
4. Add some new race challenges - A second marathon is in my future at some point, not sure when or where.  For some reason I want to run a 50K trail race before my 50th birthday, and Pinelands on Memorial Day weekend could be the right fit.  It's daunting but so was the marathon.  We'll see how the long runs in the spring go.  One last piece of the puzzle is a triathlon.  Before I started running I was a biker and growing up I was a competitive swimmer, so a tri seems logical, right?
5. Have fun - I think this one is pretty straight forward.  Why do it if it isn't fun?

First day back

It's been 3 weeks since my last run.  I think that's probably the longest I've gone between runs in over a year.  After the Bay State half marathon I came down with a nasty cold that hung around for 3 weeks.  It's still hanging around but I can deal with the symptoms now.  I've gone to the gym a few times to ride the bike but it's not the same thing. Whether it's running, biking, or hiking, there's something transformative about traveling distance under your own power that you simply don't get from stationary exercise.

So this morning I put on the tights and long sleeve shirt, hat, gloves, and MP3 player, and off I went in the standard time driven sunshine with a cough drop in my mouth and a song in my ear.  At 6:30 I could see my breath even though the day promised to warm up to the 60's. My legs weren't tight, that was a good sign, and I loped off at a steady pace.  Lord, I really had missed this, taking the turn before Harvard Yard and heading for the river.  There were a lot of crew boats on the water this morning, taking advantage of the nice weather and sunlight.  I decided to limit myself to a 3.5 mile route, no point pushing things too hard.  I turned at the Western Ave bridge instead of going on to River St and headed for home.

Not a bad day run; certainly not a record setter but it felt comfortable.  I've gotten out of my stretching routine in the past couple of weeks, and I've definitely put on a few pounds so it's time to get back to a routine.  It's also approaching winter so I want to set up a cross training program that gets me on the bike, out skiing, and even in a pool somewhere so I can prepare for a triathlon in 2012.

And so it goes.  It's good to be back, I missed it here.

Bay State Half Marathon - 10/16/2011

 So, race day came along and it was time to run.  My sister came up for the weekend, and Monica was in her usual race photographer mode. A bunch of friends who signed up weren't able to run due to injuries, and I was almost in the same boat with constant leg cramps that left me unable to do any long training runs in the past six weeks.  I felt somewhat unprepared, and was worried about how my legs were feeling in the hours before the race.  My goals were:

1. Don't get hurt
2. Try to maintain a 10:00 pace
3. No walking
4. Enjoy myself

 The alarm went off at 5:00 and I assembled my gear for the day.  I had my belt with two Gu packets and a Clif bar, one small bottle of Gatorade, plus my phone in case I dropped during the race and needed to connect with Sue and Monica. It was a shorts and t-shirt day, perfect running weather. I had my oatmeal for breakfast and ate a banana, and grabbed water and a bagel for the drive up. We headed north right on schedule at 5:45, arriving at the parking garage in Lowell at 6:30.  By 6:45 I was in the Tsongas Arena stretching and keeping an eye on the bathroom line. Sue and Monica headed out to find a Dunkin' Donuts, which, being Massachusetts, wasn't hard.




 While stretching I spotted Adam, who unfortunately wasn't feeling well. His friend was recovering from being hit by a car one week before this, his first marathon. And Miriam wasn't able to train due to injuries for this race so the whole world was suffering along with me.  I continued by stretching, started warming up a bit, and got in line for the bathroom again.  Monica and Sue came back with their bagels and tea, much happier.  At 7:45 the masses started out to the start line, which was right in front of the arena.  I wandered into the corral and started getting my brain around the task at hand.  I was relaxed, and spent some time observing all the runners around me.  It was pretty easy to spot the first time runners, the old hands, and folks like me who were wondering if they could complete the distance. The weather was perfect for the race; cool but sunny and little wind.

 We all stood silently for the national anthem and then moved forward for the starting count down. 3, 2, 1, and we were off, although it took a good solid minute to reach the start line.  I had a plan and tried to keep to it, slow and steady pace.  Compared to last year I was much further back in the corral so I wasn't passed by as many people in the first mile. Monica was easy to spot in her bright orange jacked at the first bridge so I made sure I was on the correct side of the road and clear of other runners so they would have an unobstructed shot.  I'll do anything for a good photo.  The course is a double loop, and the first part is for both the half and full marathoners so there are lots of runners.  I grabbed some water at the first aid station and took in the hill at the first major bridge crossing.  After that we said goodbye to the marathoners (showoffs) and reached the far end of the loop where we cross the river and start back towards home.

 I was feeling OK, not perfect but OK.  At one point I felt a little tightening up in my right calf so I slowed the pace a bit and shifted my stride, and it seemed to go away.  You can run on the dirt path along side  the road here and I did, taking advantage of the softer surface.  I walked briefly at the next two water stops, mainly so I wouldn't spill Gatorade all over myself.  I saw Sue and Monica again on the opposite side of the bridge around mile 5 and hit the downhill back to the end of the first loop.  Unlike last year, we weren't finishing at the baseball stadium so there weren't any crowds there.  Back past the starting line and on to loop #2 and I ate my first Gu.  I began feeling a bit more comfortable here, just 6 miles to go.  Monica and Sue were there again at the bridge and I knew that the next time I saw them I'd be almost done.  Miles 8-11 were fine; no pain and some nice conversations with other runners about donuts and the weather.  My pace had slowed a bit, I was running 10:15 but this is where my cramping occurred in the past and I was very leery of pushing the pace.  After seeing my cheering squad at the last bridge pass I decided it was time to eat my second Gu and pick up the pace a bit.

 But, there really wasn't anything in the tank.  I went a little faster, but not much. This is where I could definitely feel the lack of training; my legs were on cruise control and nothing was going to make them feel good.  Past the stadium and now I was smelling the finish line.  Unfortunately with the new layout of the course you can't see the finish line until the last 100 yards. I like seeing the finish line.  Not much of a sprint for me and I got passed by a few people who still had something in the tank, but I didn't really care. Monica and Sue were at the finish line too (how did they get there ahead of me?) but this time Monica didn't run onto the course. I must have looked great in my mylar blanket because a volunteer walked with me from the finish line until she handed me off to Monica.  I felt fine, but needed food and drink.  Ah, chicken noodle soup and salty chips tasted great and we sat for a bit while I ate and stretched.  Then I checked my time (2:11:03, my slowest half marathon of the three I've run) and we headed for the car.

 It was an interesting race for me.  I've been injured for a while, unable to make any long runs and always suspicious of my own body to fail.  It was in my thoughts the entire run this day, constantly checking on my legs and seeing if they were going to turn on me.  But the stretching, the pace, and the hydration all worked well for me. As I head into winter I will cut back on some of the running and try for a more balanced routine with cross training to give my legs a break.  The 1/2 marathon distance is a good one for me, and one that I can do better at with some more targeted training.  Perhaps in the spring, it'll be time again.  In the meantime it's working out my winter training routine and skiing.

You put your left calf in, you pull your left calf out

You do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around...

So I changed my registration from the full Bay State Marathon on Oct 16th to the half marathon.  Three weeks ago during my long run I had more intense pain in my left calf at around mile 9 of a planned 14-miler.  I felt it coming on, I knew what was about to hit, and it happened anyway.  The three mile walk home gave me plenty of time to mull over what my future held.  The decision to drop out of the marathon was an easy one; six weeks was not enough time to recover from this and I hadn't done any runs longer than 13 miles.  I elected to change my registration to the half since I figured with some rest, stretching, and massage I could get through 13 miles even if I had to walk.

The more interesting questions centered around my relationship with distance running.  This has been a nagging injury that first showed up in the final training for Boston.  Perhaps I did something to myself that hasn't yet healed, or is my body simply not build for this type of punishment? I really don't know the answers to these questions, and they have a big impact on my training and race plans for next year.  This winter is going to be devoted to skiing, but I would like to plan for at least one big race next year. I'm actually thinking about a 50K trail run which I think would be easier on my legs, and I like the idea of walking up steep hills.  I haven't had a successful long run in a few months which makes it hard to put a lot of confidence in my planning.

I like running.  I like feeling of getting in a good workout on a summer day.  I like getting into a solid rhythm and watching the miles fly by.  I like the community, the camaraderie, the comisery.  I want to be part of it but I'm coming to grips with the pain and suffering that goes along with it. When I'm training fairly hard I can feel my legs going up every flight of stairs.  Is this normal?  And is it what I want?

One thing that is clear to me is that I'm more comfortable and get more enjoyment when I do more cross training.  Biking, swimming (triathlons?), rowing, hiking; these all need to be part of my regular routine.  If I can add biking to work some days in the summer, or an after work headlamp fueled ski tour mid-winter I think my week will have more balance.

And that's what it's all about.

Diary of a Crappy Run

Perhaps the day a tropical storm is scheduled to arrive isn't the best day for a long run.  It's pretty darn hot out here, and the humidity is awful.  I hope my two water bottles will be enough.  I probably shouldn't have waited until 9:45 to get out here; an earlier start would have been much better.  Oh well, too late to worry about that.  Since tomorrow will be worse I'd best get going.  Hrmm, the legs aren't feeling very good. But they never feel good when I start out, once I warm up they'll get a little better.  Even though I'm just getting back at training after my injury, doing a 13 miler today shouldn't be that big a deal, right?  I did 11 last week and although it wasn't a great run I survived.  Just two more miles shouldn't cause any problems.  At the river and headed inbound.  The legs should be loose by now, but they're still feeling sluggish. This could be a painful run.

Let's take the little path around Magazine Beach.  I think this is it, nope, that's just the parking lot.  How about this path?  Well, there's where I want to be over there, I'll just cut across.  OK, that wasn't worth it.  Past the BU bridge, at least there's a water fountain coming up.  Just a short break for water, and since I'm stopped I'll stretch the legs a bit.  That didn't feel better, but I'm sure it helped. On towards the Mass Ave bridge, gee it's pretty hot out here today.  The dirt path by the river feels good, too bad it doesn't go the whole way around Esplanade.  Approaching Mass Ave, if I slow down just a little I'll miss the light and get to rest for a bit.  Perfect, that means I get 90 seconds of rest and it doesn't look like I'm being a sloth. What?! The walk signal already?  OK, keep moving.  Longfellow or Museum of Science?  Suck it up, do the distance, MoS it is. Why am I getting passed by everyone? And especially by these tiny women who are running twice as fast as me?  Ah, the turn at the Museum, things should get better soon.

OK, how far is it to the water fountain in front of Community Boating?  I'm dying here, this is much hotter than I counted on and my Gatorade tastes like hot tea.  Finally! Stop the watch because this is going to be a few minutes.  Water, Gu, stretching; all needed.  I'll walk back and forth so it doesn't look like I'm about to collapse.  Why is everyone else still running?  At least one or two should be stopping for water.  Bastards.  I can at least make it to then next water fountain, get moving. I love this area and I wish I were feeling better today.  Lots and lots of people getting in their workouts before the storm.  I hate them all.

Ah, this feels a little better.  Wait, no it doesn't.  It still sucks. On the Esplanade at least, there's a small breeze from the river.  Yikes, I need another break because my legs are screaming.  I'll stop here in the shade, at least I made it past another bridge.  It's not that far to the next water fountain, get moving you lazy bum. Good, there's a dirt path here that should help.  Look, up ahead, it's a water fountain.  Why is there a line of runners waiting for water?  Finally someone else is showing the effects of the weather.  Lots of sweaty people, all fitter and faster than me, but sweat is the universal equalizer.  Gatorade and Gu are gone, but all this water will do the trick, I should be fine from here.

This stretch has always seemed too long.  Under the BU bridge and past the MIT students cleaning up the river bank, pardon me for not saying "thanks" but I don't think my voice would be audible right now.  OK, lets settle into a pace and try to reclaim this run.  Thank god the light is against me and I have to stop.  Why are things spinning?  Yikes, I'm getting dizzy!  OK that's it, cutting the run short right now.  Passing out isn't an option.  Stop the watch, I'll just stand here a bit.  I'll just lean on this light post.  I'll just sit on this support.  Drink your water you idiot!  Let's check my fancy heart rate monitory, hrmm, 135.  When it gets down to 110 I'll start again.  135.  134.  134.  135. That's not right.  Deep breaths, relax, calm down.  127. Better.  125. 120.  OK, we're headed in the right direction, finally. 119, getting closer. 115, 112, 112, 112.  That's close enough, right?

What's the shortest way home?  Cross the Charles here or take the foot bridge?  More dirt if I take the foot bridge.  Not bad, slow the pace way down. Stairs up the bridge, ooh, that doesn't feel good.  Let's walk across the bridge.  Let's walk to the stop light. I could cross as there's no traffic but I'm going to be good and wait for the walk light. Running again, to the one hill.  Ouch, a slight calf cramp, we'll walk up that sucker as well.  Home isn't that far away now, I can feel it. Nice easy pace, I must look like hell. Take it one block at a time. Try to concentrate on the sidewalk right in front of you.  Ooh, better obey the traffic light and wait for the walk sign.  Just a few tenths left, I'm not taking the usual detour to add a little distance.  This is close enough, I can see my house from here. I need to cool down, I can still feel my heart racing.  Just walk, keep walking.  God this run sucked.  What's wrong with me?  I don't see how I'm going to do a marathon in 8 weeks! 10.75 miles, at least I did 10+.  How many times did I stop?  Doesn't matter, the run is over and we're on to recovery mode.  Lord knows I need it.

The Simple Life

Running appeals to me on a number of levels.  It can be solitary or communal, depending on my mood or available running partners.  Although it is somewhat weather dependent you can run in pretty much any conditions provided you are willing to suffer a bit, and after all what is exercise but organized suffering? You can run anywhere from city streets to mountain trails to a hotel treadmill on a business trip.  It requires nothing but a pair of running shoes and some comfortable clothing; you don't have to put the bike in the car, or drive to the mountains, or find a place to store your rowing shell.

When I started running I had a pair of shoes, some shorts and cotton t-shirts, and my one piece of specialty gear - a pair of white cotton gloves for cold weather.  Packing my bag to run at lunchtime was simple and quick. I was living Thoreau's maxim - "Simplify, simplify."  I decided to get a new pair of running shoes and got fitted properly and had my gait analyzed but that just meant a new pair of shoes to replace the old ones.  The next big purchase was my Garmin GPS watch (with heart monitor) that tracks my every move and presents me with reams of information for study and analysis.  A small MP3 player was needed for the long training runs. Then I got some gels to eat while running; not really gear but something else keep track of and pack.  My exercise shorts really weren't the best for running so I got new ones, plus some running tights for the cold weather.  Since I was at the New Balance factory store I picked up a new top and a running jacket for rain and bad weather.  At this point I was often running after dark so I found a reflective vest with a matching blinking light for visibility.  My dark running jacket wasn't enough so I found a bright orange one with reflective patches.

Then I suffered my first real injury, a bout of ITB tendinitis that left me unable to run for a few weeks.  That lead to getting The Stick and a foam roller for stretching and massaging my sore and stiff muscles and tendons.  Somewhere in here I got a belt for long runs so I could carry water, some food, and my cell phone.  My collection of shirts grew until I had a weight for each possible temperature range, plus several from my races.  During my training for Boston I added monthly professional massages to work out the kinks and help stave off injury. Special trail shoes for trail running, plus a pair of Dirty Girl gaiters for the proper look.  Recently I've had a problem with my calf so I bought a special calf stretching aid that gets used several times a day.  Last weekend I bought an IKEA cabinet to store all of this gear in my guest room, although to be fair it also holds hiking, biking, and skiing clothing as well.

Two nights ago after my long run I finished stretching and was headed over to the kitchen when I stubbed my toe on the calf stretching device.  I wonder if there are protective toe socks that would have saved me from this?  My once simple activity now has lots of gear and packing and choices.  I do love the gear (I'm a gear hound, I admit it) but I sometimes want to head out wearing any old pair of shoes and a cotton t-shirt with nothing but the sun to keep track of the time.

But I'm scheduling a massage session for next week and I need to pick up a new pair of shoes.  I wonder what color the t-shirt is for the Bay State?


UPDATE - 8/22/2011
How could I forget my compression socks?!  They have been on my legs for pretty much every run in the past 3 months and I'm not sure how much they help prevent injury and recovery but they look wicked cool. At least that's what I keep telling myself.

Working through injury

Again.

Three weeks ago during a morning run I felt some pain in my right calf but it wasn't bad enough to make me stop.  The next morning I called off my run a short way into it and decided that it wasn't worth getting hurt right before my week long hiking vacation (NH, Baxter, Acadia) so I decided to rest for a few days. I figured it was the heat.  For the hiking I wore my compression sleeve on my calves which seemed to do the trick.  We had a bunch of great hikes including a nice long loop over the Knife Edge to Baxter and Hamlin Peaks.  We were tired at the end of the day, but my legs were OK.

Skip ahead to the Tuesday after the vacation when I went out for my first run in two weeks.  About one half mile into an easy run at my sister's house in NY I felt a familiar pain in my right calf and pulled up to a stop. I can't tell you how frustrating that was.  My plan was to go into the long run part of my marathon training right after the vacation but this was putting my race in October in jeopardy.  Even a full, quick recovery might not be enough to get the miles down in time.

So, the first thing I did (after moping) was to schedule a massage with my guy, but that wouldn't happen until the following Monday.  After I got back from NY I went for a bike ride after work to make sure that I could still exercise at all.  That ride was difficult because of the all runners I was passing and wishing I were with them.  Still, it was good to be out and active.  I ran into Jackie who was doing the regular Thursday night Charles River run and we chatted a bit and I felt a little better about my recovery plan.  On Saturday Monica and I went for a ride on the Mountain Bike Loop in the Fells which went really well.  I need a better mountain bike. :)  That will have to wait.

Monday comes and after work I have my massage with Nolan.  Boy, that hurt a lot but I think it really did a good job.  He worked on my calves for nearly 30 minutes with painful instruments of destruction and I had a bit of a hard time walking right after but I could tell it was good for me. We talked about the injury and he suggested I get something to stretch our my calves and use it many times a day. After false starts at two stores I found what I was looking for at City Sports. I'm now using it 5-10 times a day, every time I get up from my desk I try to stretch for a minute.

This morning (Wed) I went for my first real run in 3 weeks.  I stretched a bit before heading out and ran at a slow steady pace.  There was no pain, but when I got hurt there wasn't any pain until all of a sudden there was.  I crossed the Charles, taking the steps on the footbridge gingerly to avoid any unnecessary strain. At two miles I stopped and stretched again, no point being silly about this.  The final mile back to the house I could feel a little tightness so I slowed the pace (how could I go any slower?) and finished pain free.

Now it's a routine of ice, stretching, compression, and rest.  I'll try a run again on Friday, then a longer one on Sunday.  Perhaps the marathon isn't a lost cause yet.  If I can run a 12-14 miler in the next few weeks then I'll feel much better about mid-October.  Until then I'll just take it one day at a time, and try to work against my normal instincts and not overdo things.

Starting the Week right

Monday mornings set the tone for the week, but I guess that goes without saying.  For my workout schedule, if I don't get a run in on Monday morning the whole week feels a bit off kilter. I always fear falling behind my goal of running or exercising 5 times per week.  Missing the Monday workout means I'm behind the eight ball and can only miss one other day all week!  That's too daunting and makes it easier to rationalize that I can write off this week and concentrate on next.

But if I get my early morning run on Monday then I get to work with the feeling that I'm already ahead of the curve.  I don't need to rush home and try to get a run in before dark, or break up my day with a lunchtime visit to the fitness center for a boring treadmill session.  The little pains I feel climbing the stairs to the 3rd floor each morning remind me that I've already accomplished something today, this week, this year.

From a fitness standpoint it's probably not a huge thing.  I often hike both days of the weekend, so I'm already getting a good amount of exercise.  Sunday is really the first day of the week according to my software tracking but that's not they way my lazy self rationalizes it. I've found that I can't give my self a sliver of justification to avoid exercise.  The best Monday mornings are: wake up, put on running gear that I set out the night before, put on the MP3 player to some loud fast music, and be out the door less than 10 minutes after the alarm goes off.

After that, the rest of the week is up to me.