Home based workouts and injuries....my 2 cents.

This question showed up in my stream yesterday, and instantly I wanted to reply. So I wrote a brief reply that begged for a deeper explanation or discussion, so I have decided to write that here. Feel free to comment, as I am open to other opinions, even if they are contrary to my beliefs. (no, really, I am. just try to make them well thought out. I hate automatic gainsaying.

As an adult, I am a BIG FAN of personal responsibility and accountability. As my family knows, I try to impress this view on people beginning at a fairly young age. This makes me come across as a bit of a hardass, and I'm ok with that. There are many common expressions that I just don't agree with: "Life is Good." Nope. Life is what you make it. "Dreams come true." Nope. Goals are achievable. 

Aren't you glad you aren't living in my house? 

In any case, as far as the topic of home-workout programs leading to serious injuries? Of course they can. It is a WORKOUT PROGRAM. This is why the videos have disclaimers on them like this:

Yes, this is taken from a BeachBody video. More about that later, but i thought it particularly important to show since thier P90X is referenced in the article on www.dispatch.com. This particular warning is on one of their lower intensity programs. I can assure you that it is also on their higher intensity programs as well.

Does this absolve the company? I think so. 

Cigarettes have warnings. Roller Coasters have warnings. Hell, even the coffee cup from McDonald's has a warning. Hello, don't use your hair dryer in the shower, stupid. 

Also, if you are a person who has been inactive for many moons been leading an unhealthy lifestyle, why in your right mind would you expect that you could leap off the couch and do ONE pull up, let alone a series of them while moving side to side P90X style? You might as well run onto the field during an NFL game and expect to score the winning touch down!! Oh, and then don't forget to blame the NFL for your stupidity.

Beginners need to start at the BEGINNING. Read the first sentence in the warning above. Sound familiar? Yep, pretty much seen on MOST IF NOT ALL exercise videos, commercials, handouts, gym waivers, etc.

Personal accountability. Just do it.

And if you can't, then work with a coach. Sure, some people can't afford a personal trainer. I get that. But can they afford an injury? Can they afford to workout and NOT have a trainer? Maybe, but probably not, especially if they are beginners.

Begin at the beginning. Don't jump into the deep end before you can blow bubbles with your face in the water and not choke. Baby steps.

That's all I have time for today. I welcome your comments below!

peace, yo!

Gene

Procrastinate Later....

I am SO FAR BEHIND in my training for my debut in the Philadelphia Marathon. Does this surprise me? No. Am I paniking? No. Although i typically like to be a planner and list checker-offer, preparing for races has always taken a back seat. Time to step it up, though~!

Yesterday I went out for a long run. According to most of my #runnerd pals, the long run is meant to be done at around 2 minutes per mile slower than your regular pace. This put me right around 10:30 per mile, which I tried really hard to maintain. When I look at my garmin stats, the first loop (5 miles) averaged out to be 10:16 (moving pace). so...BAM! pretty good. I think that the things that saved me from going too fast were the walk breaks that I took (with increasing frequency toward the end), and the hills. Yep. This long run included some hills. Why? I live in Vermont. Kinda tough to map out that kind of distance without hills in there somewhere.

Oh, and since I really don't like the monotany of roads, I included some trails, too. One of which includes a nice, long (you guessed it) hill. On the map below, I started and finished at the red dot-thing. I parked in Bryce's school's parking lot, and the plan was to do 3 5-ish mile loops. This was to be the lower loop on the map. Course starts out running north along a road then turns east (right....) under the highway, then south (right again) into the parking lot of the Montshire Museum. I continued south along the trail that i love so much, the Hazen Trail. Because I am such a good sport and know that Adam can't get enough of it, I snapped a picture of my Uranus and sent it along to him.
Back on the road, I ran back to the car to grab some water, text Tracey that I was still alive, and update her on my change of plans. Why the change in plans? Well...lemme tell you. I was running in my...ummm....Asics something-or-other road shoes. I will say that they, for the most part, feel great on the road. Just enough cushion, light weight, etc. BUT....they are SO not meant for the trails around here. Perhaps on a rails-to-trails place, or a paved path along the river masquerading as a trail, but not in a trail that is narrow, rooty, rocky, and sometimes muddy. I felt every rock, pebble, stick, and twig. My oringinal plan called to do the loop 3 times. FRAGO! (FRAGmentation Order, meaning a sudden change in plans. The Army is famous for them....) I decided to go north this time, and loop around Norwich village, staying mostly on part of the course for the CHaD Half Marathon, my first ever half.
As I came back into town (near the 5, where I turned East (left), i developed a sharp pain on the ball of my right foot, between the Roast Beef piggie and the hungry piggie. I stopped for a bit to massage it out, but the pain never really went away completely. Hurray....anyone have any suggestions?
The run from there back to the car is pretty lonely. Not many houses, not a lot of traffic. Ho hum...left, right, left, right...an on back to the car. For the last two miles I daydreamed of these chicken fingers dipped in bbq sauce. When i got home, i put some in the oven while i showered and wrapped my aching calves in ArcticEase.  The run was great; i am very greatful to Tracey for allowing me the time for the run. She rocks.
Lessons learned? I need to NOT eat sweet sausages with onions and peppers the day before. Not because it was nasty, but it just didn't give me any energy. Carrying my water bottle without my holders is not fun. I need a longer playlist on my mp3. Trails need trail shoes. It is ok to open up the pace every now and again, just to keep things from getting dull. (it is also ok to close it up a bit to balance it out....) Most important thing learned? GET OUT THERE AND RUN!!!
Here, then, is the map. Link to the deets here.

Push thyself

(finally, a post about running.....)
when i run, i typically run by feel or by the clock. when i say 'by the clock', i don't mean that i race the clock, i mean that i look at the clock and say, "aw, crud. I only have 45 mins to run today", or some such non-sense.
I am typically able to get in 5k, which is nice, but sometimes it leaves me wanting more. i feel like i haven't really challenged myself. know what I mean?
last week i challenged myself to some 4x800 repeats. once on the track, and then again on the treadmill. I was challenged, but felt like i could have given more. why didn't I? the clock. my wife is great, i mean GREAT about giving me time to run. sometimes, though, i don't take full advantage of that gift. i need to work on that.
in an effort to change my ways a bit and use my time better, tonight i decided that i would run for an hour, as long as there was no one waiting to use the dreadmill.
and no one was waiting. i had the whole room to myself for almost 40 minutes. i tuned the TV in to the Aresnal Football (soccer, for us 'Mercans) match (game). I plugged in to AudioFuel's interval track. which one? well, that's where i got confused, too. I chose the 180max interval. (at right)

 I had intended to chose the Martin Yelling tracks, which have interval repeats.





so what did i do? did i just stop after the first track was done?
not today.
today i decided to push myself.
I had no curfew, and no one was waiting to use the equipment.
So i loaded the Dr. Yelling (whoops. didn't realize that he is a Dr.) and kept on running. The fastest pace is 180bpm. all intervals and rest periods (at 150bpm) last 3 minutes. see that stack of lines on the cover? yea. well, i've done this one solo in the past, and the second 180bpm interval came around 5k. Today, it came at 10k.
and it nearly kicked my butt. ok, it mostly did.i was dripping with sweat, my shirt was soaked completely through front and back. i was developing hot spots on my toes on my right foot. I cranked out the last interval at 8.5mph. none of my slower recovery intervals were at less than 6.5mph.
i pushed myself today, and it felt great.
what can you do today that will push yourself?

Shark Bait

when I was a young warthog, i subscribed to National Geographic World, a magazine for kids. all kindsa cool kid stuff in it. one thing that I learned is that sharks are attracted to shiny objects. (at least they were back in the late 70's or early 80's). when i swim in the ocean (which i try to do as infrequently as possible), I remain congisant of this tip and try to dress more like a seal than like a shiny fish.
so?

today, as I was walking around the house getting ready for work, I noticed a shiny object low in my periphery. at first i was alarmed, and began flailing my arms around, hoping to appear larger than i am, so that the sharks wouldn't start circling. it must have worked (otherwise i couldn't be typing this. duh). not even land sharks (shown here, courtesy of google images and SNL back when it was FUNNY...)

at any rate, after i made sure that my life wasn't in danger from shark attack, i saw it again. what the? what could this be? you wanna know? wait for it...

i was my own BELT BUCKLE.

welcome back, old friend.

Funny Photo Friday

As we head into this most Sacred of Weekends (I'll just sit here and wait for the lightening bolt), I leave you with this photo.


see more

Global Warming my A$$ 6.66 mile race report

Oh, SNAP! I was almost done, and then remembered this is s'posed to be in the newspaper column format. Here goes:

Who: Me. Gene. Dad. Sonny Boy. Bonehead.
What: Global Warming my A$$ 6.66 mile race
When: Friday, 12MAR10
Where: Hartford and North Hartland, Vermont, Rte 5 south then north, along the 3cm wide strip of asphalt between the speeding vehicles and certain death in the ditches.
Why: "Because it's there."
How: Painfully, slowly, inch be ever-loving inch. errr...i mean....in my Adidas something or others (am i the ONLY one online who wears Adidas???), Darn Tough socks, EMS microfiber pants, GMARA.org tech shirt, and Brooks running jacket. Oh, and Under Armour hat. Garmin 305. TIME=57:32
whew, that was painful.
on with the show....
As usual (NOT "as PER" usual. man, i HATE that. per=as), i procrastinated trained VERY HARD for this race, and nailed it to the wall. Like Jell-o. Ever tried that? Ever heard that expression? (see, i can even procrastinate with a race report!)
I got to the venue right after work. I had tried to line up my diet to be conducive for an after work run, but then tragedy struck. I ate my salad for lunch, and then ate my yogurt and granola around 2pm, figuring on a nice 2 hour window between eating and running. WELL....then some techs from radiology came around and invited me down to their area to partake in some good eats from a birthday party. Luckily we were short staffed in the ICU and I couldn't leave to join them. "No problem! We'll bring you some shrimp jambalaya!!!) Tragic.
So i ate some. And then ate more. 3 small bowls later, (over the course of about an hour. gimme a break. i am NOT a Dyson. See? procrastinated AGAIN. i RULE!) where was I? oh, right. eating. again.
So now it was about 300. ut-oh. not what i bargained for, and we all know how eating too close to running can effect the run(s). If you are not sure, head on over to Beth's blog and read all about it. Luckily, Mother Nature was in my corner, and things worked out A-OK by 345. I drove to the parking area and got myself all set up with Teri (Garmin). Luckily there was ample parking nearby, and I didn't need to take the shuttle. This is a bonus, actually, because I don't do well sitting amongst strangers. Parking was here, at our new aquatic center. I know. It looks like an abandoned warehouse. Mind you, this multi-million dollar complex is a big thorn in the sides of town residents.

Upper Valley Aquatic Center

I am not quite sure why, but I felt compelled to take a picture of my shoes, socks, and shins. Here, for your viewing pleasure, is that picture. (Parents, please ask young children to leave the room briefly. Thank you.)

 Here is a picture of Teri before the race. Hardly seems nervous at all, does she?
I tried to take pictures during the race, but they didn't come out very good. Must have been my blistering pace that made them all blurry. The Vermont countryside isn't all that picturesque this time of year, anyway. Lots of mud, brown leaves and 'grass', bleck. There is about 3-5cm of asphalt between the white line and the edge of the pavement (budget cuts?), and then about a foot of unstable dirt between the end of the pavement and either the guardrail or a ditch. Let's just say "pucker power" and move along, shall we?
So out and back. I walked for about 20 feet at the 3.5 mile mark, and then again at about 5 miles. I felt REALLY STUPID both times, so i huffed along. Teri screamed at me to slow down more often than to speed up, except on the hills. It was good to hear that, so now I can adjust the pace alarm settings. LOVE IT!

All in all, it was a great race, and a fun idea. One of the best things was the parking, but one of the worst things was the post race feed and massage tent. I must have been REALLLY slow, because by the time i got back to the start/finish area, it had been cleared out. Nothing there but the tumble weeds. And my nuun.

just when i thought i was 'safe'....

there have been many times over the past couple of weeks when i have given serious consideration to give up running. for example, the seemingly endless cold darkness here in the VT winter has given me no real safe option for running other than the dreadmill. we won't go into details about my love affair with the rubber band of doom, but suffice to say.....i only tolerated it a handful of times over the winter. not nearly enough time spent on the thing to beconsidered 'training', but just enough so that i didn't suffer any major setbacks.

another example is the internal struggle that i have about devoting time to running. it is a hobby that, on the
outset, only benefits ME. no one else benefits from my runs. or so i thought. to help drive this message home to me, i was given a sticker AND a magnet for Christmas that says, "Running is cheaper than therapy." the take away from that gift is that Dad is a much easier person to live with after he runs. this fact, coupled with my guilty feelings that arise when i do run, make for some very interesting internal dialogs late in the night, and early in the morning. i swear, though, that i am trying to get better with this.
i swear.
in the mean time, i have also thought about not blogging any more. there are only a few people who read it, and fewer people who comment, so it isn't the same as if, say, Redhead or Beth suddenly stopped.
then i looked around my little microcosm and saw that my running and talk of running has (perhaps) had a bit of an influence over others. one of the other RNs in the ICU has signed herself and her husband up for a 5k run  later this month. one of the parents from my wife's daycare has started running, and wants to do some races this summer. another co-worker and i often chide each other about having run or not. my wife, even, has expressed that she wishes that we could run together, but that her ankles can't take it anymore. i contend that if we started back gradually, walking for a few weeks, then walk/jogging, we could be running together by the end of the summer. she's thinking about it. (win!)
i read running blogs like most people read the daily newspaper. reading them has become like crack, and i look forward to keeping up with about 15 people online. i signed up for a virtual 6.66 mile race, and have joined a group of other runners trying to get in 1000 miles during 2010. i am WOEFULLY behind in my distance, but am not ready to give up.

these things, coupled with some recent events at work, have really sent me on a mental downward spiral. i want to publically apologize to my family for my recent bad moods, bad behaviour, and general all around shittyness. i am sorry.
but in the past few days, after some thinking, i have decided to make some changes and stage a come-back of sorts. (can anyone else hear l.l. cool j, "don't call it a comeback, i've been here for years...." no? anyone? Beuller?) and then today, as i was continuing to mull things over, i received an email from one of my best friends. we were chit-chatting back and forth about other things, and it turned to running, and then the comment was made, "Hearing about your runs motivates me...." all i can say is, 'enough said.'

or, as L.L. said, "I'm gonna knock you out!"
Running, you have been warned.

have things like this happened to anyone else, or is it just me? i leave you with some lyrics...
"Mama Said Knock You Out"
[LL]
C'mon man
[News Report]
And with the local DBT news, LL Cool J with a triumphant comeback
[mumbling]
but tonite...
[LL]
Don't call it a comeback
I been here for years
Rockin my peers and puttin suckas in fear
Makin the tears rain down like a MON-soon
Listen to the bass go BOOM
Explosion, overpowerin
Over the competition, I'm towerin
Wreckin shop, when I drop these lyrics that'll make you call the cops
Don't you dare stare, you betta move
Don't ever compare
Me to the rest that'll all get sliced and diced
Competition's payin the price
[Chorus:]
I'm gonna knock you out (HUUUH!!!)
Mama said knock you out (HUUUH!!!)
[REPEAT 4X]

Sitting on the couch today....

making sure to wiggle around a bit so that my butt doesn't become a permanent part of the furniture, and Tracey said something like, "the weather is nice, but the wind seems to be picking up a bit." So i replied something witty like, "not as windy as I was that time I ate those refried beans....."  "yep."
**some back ground info here. my wife is married to the best conversationalist this side of the Pecos River. I can, and often WILL, talk intelligently with people from all walks of life. and i am incredibly insightful as well. oh, wait a sec. that's not me. that's Patrick Jane. now where was I??? right.
then i said something about not wanting to run in the wind, to which she replied, "i am sure with all that gear you have, you won't even notice the wind."

of course, she is right. but it wasn't the gear that concerned me. it is my amazing ability to run like i am towing a parachute, even in the slightest breeze. add actual WIND to that, and, well, it looks like a scene from a Winnie-the-Pooh story.  except there is no smile on my face. We had the conversation at around 1230, as we were settling in to watch The Young and the Restless. don't judge, lest ye be judged..... I said that I would go running at 1, but didn't actually get out the door until closer to 115. What can i say.... I was really hoping to find out more about the whole Sharon/Ashely/Adam thing. whew. I pried myself away, and drove to a small parking lot less than a mile from the house. i had a 10k loop in mind, and didn't think that i would be able to make it back up the hill to the house after i ran.....

and that proved to be a good idea. i mean, i supposed i could have made it, but would have taken longer than the hour that i intended to be gone. all things being things, the run was a good one. started out headed into the wind and going uphill. that wasn't fun. and then the BIG, steeep hill came. it is almost a quarter mile long. they all seem to be that way lately. this one might be a good candidate for a hill workout hill.

ended up with 6.2 miles in 53:22.

i am finishing this post at work on Saturday. my back is to the window, which is tough for me (Doc Holiday syndrome), but i have to do it because it is so BEAUTIFUL outside, and I am here until 4pm. but THEN i will be outside, shooting hoops with the Fam. i think we'll go to Dothan Brook School.

this weekend, try to get OUTSIDE!~

how the Dreadmill got it's name

As many stories start..... "There I was......"
in the early 90's I was single, and lived in a pretty cool studio apartment in Burlington, VT that was a corner unit in an old, converted hotel. It had 16 foot, pressed-tin covered ceilings, and the windows started about 18 inches off the floor and were 8 feet tall. My unit looked out over main street and Lake Champlain. Directly below me was a bagel bakery. My pad was always about 85 degrees or warmer (the floors were always toasty!), but often smelled of garlic. Can you see part of the reason why I was single?
So one day I decided to join the local YMCA to try to get into shape for the coming spring. I have always prefered to work out with my own music, and not some over-hyped Top-40's station blasting in the back ground or morning talk show hosts who laugh a bit too enthusiastically at their own lame jokes. I just can't stomach it. This particular day was a nice one, I recall, and I brough along my Walkman (or some k-mart version) to keep me company on the treadmill. There were 4 mills, set up in 2 groups of 2, in front of a big mirror. When I got there, two 'hotties' were running on the ones in the back row, so I had to run in front of them. Do you see where this is headed? I wish I had.
About ohhh, i dunno, 5 to 10 minutes some time into the run (does it REALLY matter?) I had this incredible need to see if i could run with my eyes closed. I mean, seriously, how hard COULD it be? No obstacles. Thunk, Thunk, Thunk. steady pace. no dogs to dodge, curbs to hop, ice to skate over....so why not?
Let me tell you why not. Two words: YARD SALE. you know, as in your stuff spread all over for the world to see.
yea. in less time than it took Gary Coleman to say, "Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Willis?", I was flung off the back of that Dreadmill and into the middle of the floor. But not before bouncing off of the belt. Probably more than once. While trying to blend into the carpet, I heard the raucous laughter that can only be produced by two Hotties who have just witnessed a dork get spit off the treadmill. Know what I mean? No? Am I the only one? Dammit.
I got up, gathered my broken player, cassette (which i am sure the Hotties at this point thought was Bananarama or something), headphones, and shattered ego (which was in a ba-jillion pieces), and walked out. I can't even remember if I turned the Dreadmill off or not. It can run forever, for all i care. That's how i roll (off).
There you have it. The story of how i came to name the Dreadmill. To this day, I am still weary of being shot off the flippin thing. At our gym here in the hospital, the wall is right behind the machine, so i wouldn't get shot far. I would just get ground to little bits as the Rubber Band of Death had me pinned like a gigantic belt sander. Bob Villa would not be happy.

....this one isn't uplifting at all.......

Tom Petty said, "the waiting is the hardest part." standing here, at my patient's bedside for the past four days, I have come to strongly believe it. this poor guy is dying, slowly. he's probably been clinically dead for the past 24-36 hours. but we hang on. we wait. a sister was due to arrive from TN last evening, but her flight was grounded for mechanical issues. the next flight out wasn't available until today. so we wait. and we increase dosages and settings. and we wait. and we console, and we listen to his favourite music from the Moody Blues.
and we wait.
because times like this are stressful for all, including staff, we (the staff) often find release in humor. and then little things creep in, like a glance from a co-worker taken the wrong way, or a percieved attitude in an email, and we snap at one another. at best. at worst, we take these things home and snap at OUR family; kids, wives, husbands, dogs, cats.
and then they wait.
for us to get better. for us to stop taking things out on them. for us to be able to take the pain and stress that comes along with our jobs and deal with it in a more productive manner; without the yelling, and the short remarks, and the unreasonable expectations.
and so I run. people ask me if i am running away from something, or running toward something. before i answer them, i wait.
when i give it thought, i do both. away from things in my past, decisions I've made, things I have done, demons that i have created. toward a better, brighter future. toward the ability not to better control my emotions and reactions to things that get me flustered.
so i run.
and i wait.

New Challenge

As if i don't have enough going on.....
A few months ago I came across this site www.hundredpushups.com . i printed out their little charts, and kept it as a book mark, thinking that i would see it often enough to get motivated to actually DO it.
but i haven't. i HAVE moved the sheet from one book to another. searching back into my anatomy and physiology files i can say that my triceps were at least minimally invovled in moving the sheet, but did not produce the burn that i would have hoped. on to the next idea.
a few weeks ago i started following a blog over at trithedream.com. the author actually joined the challenge, and has been posting his workouts. accountability. hmmm. that's what this site is supposed to be all about. so, here i go, with renewed enthusiasm...

i am joining the challenge tonight. printing out the stuff that i need today, reading it later, then starting tonight. should be a fun ride. i just hope that i can brush my teeth and wash my hair. i am already having flashbacks.....

"More PT, Drill Seargent! More PT! We like it, we love it! Make it HURT Drill Seargent, make it HURT"

i need help.

Duty Called

at 350 AM. We were all sleeping comfortably when I heard the phone ring. My first thoughts were that there is NO WAY that we both could have over slept by 2 hours. It was the VA. Listened to the message from the warm, soft comfort of our bed.
"Gary wanted me to call you to see if you could come in early. We have 7 patients. Ok, well, call us please."
ugh.
so i waited. i figured i would wait 5 minutes and then call. 2 minutes into that 'grace period', my cell phone rang. right above my head. so i answered....
"Hi, Gene, it's Albie. I really hate it when Gary does this to me, but can you please come in at 5 am instead of 730? we have a full house, and it is getting crazy."
"sure, no worries. i'll be there by 445," came my reply.
and so it went.
i worked too much yesterday. from 445-1600, then from 1630-2330. grand total of 19.5 hours. then got up this morning at 615 and worked from 730-1600.
yep. i need sleep. which collides with "i need to run". so maybe saturday or sunday i will go for a nice, LSD run. then Monday pick the MWF/TuTh cycle back up again.
c-ya!

eerily safe

try this experiment. place your hands against your face as if you were holding binoculars, but actually have your hands touch your face. now connect your thumbs under your nose. this should also look like you are pressing up against a store window to see the goodies inside.
now run.
for fun, try going up stairs, and then down stairs. oh. one more thing. do it at dusk or twilight.
that's almost what it was like running/hiking up Mt. Cardigan this morning. i left the house around 420, and in just under an hour was headed up the trail. made it to the top before the sun rose, but the sky had clouded in while i was headed up. I only managed one decent photo, and it has one of the tower's guy wires smack in the middle of it.

From dad's races

right before i got back to the parking area, i heard a loud "*snort*" coming from the trail ahead of me. my immediate thought was "DEER!", so i stoppd running and stood next to a tree. a short way down the trail i could see a woman headed up who had just finished blowing her nose. whew! at least no run in with wildlife!! i also noticed that she was wearing some sort of music player, and probably couldn't hear me stomping down the narrow trail. so i stepped aside to let her pass.
right as she got to me, she finally looked up. her eyes got huge and she shrieked. i tried not to laugh, and only said, "good morning!" before continuing down the trail.
got to the car, got changed sent a text that i had made it back, and then headed home.
success.
so the title? well, that's how i felt, in my head, as i was running through the darkness with only my headlamp to shine the way. eerily safe. thank you for indulging me.
Thanks again, Tracey, for letting me do this. I know that my 'account' is running low...

The difference of a day

as you know, i ran the dreadmill monday before work. (this is NOT the gym at the VA. just sayin'.) i also ran on it yesterday. lungs didn't fare much better, but i did notice that i started to feel a little better after 1.5 miles. only had time to go 2 miles, so i only felt good for about 25% of the time i was on the dreaded dreadmill. drat. i ran at a 4% incline. ran slowly. maybe a 10 minute mile. maybe.
today, while driving to work, i said aloud, "i don't feel like running today." then the little, often irksome, voice in the back of my head reminded me of all of the reasons that i NEED to run, and of all the other people who i 'know' who are having a rough go of it and STILL run.....so i did.
and i ran hard, for 2 miles. at a 7:32 mile pace, which translates to around 8 mp.
the first half mile cruised by, and before i knew it, i had gone almost a mile. gone. that's funny to me, because i didn't actually go anywhere. i was very tempted to back off on the speed after a mile, but then remembered that i would feel better after another half mile. that half mile didn't tick by as quickly. i tried desperately not to stare at the clock, and instead concentrated on my reflection and the music pumping through my .mp3 player. (no, it isn't an iANYTHING. and i love it). so at 1.5 miles i bumped the speed up to 8.5 mph, and ran that for the last half mile, trying to keep an eye on my slowly disappearing reflection. my form is getting better.
so i think that i will try to continue these short morning runs, adding in outdoor runs when i can. on the dreadmill, i will concentrate on my form. ah, new goals.
but i DO MISS hanging out with T for a while before i come to work. once i get my form down, i will switch to every other day or so, not every day. see? another goal.
sha-BAM!

mirror, mirror

this morning before work, i ran on the dreadmill. tried to cram in a few miles in a short period of time. lemme tell you right now that my cardio status is in the toilet.
the change of seasons from summer to fall and from winter to spring have been very hard for me for the past 10-15 years. typically i get myself on some sort of medication (usually singulair) to bridge the gap, but this year I have chosen NOT to do this.
and it shows. when i ran this morning, i was quickly winded, and had a hard time getting in as much of a run (distance wise) as I wanted. i managed 2.75 miles before i had to stop and cool down. so i slowed for a while, and ended up with 3 miles. in about half an hour. i should be doing that in 20-24 mins, ESPECIALLY on the dreadmill (no wind/hills/etc.)
but i didn't. my legs feel like they did 'something' this morning, but not that they ran at all. which i guess is good, except that it isn't.
oh well.
so...mirror....the dreadmill was reflected in the gym's window this morning, and i could see myself run. wow. my form is AWFUL. so i tried to change it up a bit, so that it looked A LITTLE like i knew what i was doing. and my stride was different. didn't seem like i was working as hard. at least not my legs. just my lungs. but it was interesting to see myself run. my form needs work.

add it to the list.

Blistering Speed

i took advantage of wonderful weather this past Friday to try to catch up on some litte chores around the house. After running a few errands, I got clearance to go for a run.
My goal was to use the run to test out Ensure again and to be out for longer than 6 miles. The out and back that i have done on the AT from Norwich south to the shelter and back gives a nice, slightly challenging, 7 mile loop. Seemed perfect.

note: it is now a WEEK since the activities i am about to describe.

off i ran. and ran. i was feeling GOOOOOOD. dashing up hills that usually slow me down. i could 'feel' the trail, if you know what i mean. i could anticipate the climbs, was ready for the down hills. it was nice.

i ran without headphones so that i could listen to the forest. chipmunks were everywhere, gathering nuts, running up and down the stone walls. i spooked a partridge, thought i saw a deer; you know, the usual fall activities in the Vermont woods.
did i mention that i was feeling really good about the run? at the ususal turn around, i was still going strong(ly?). i decided to extend my run, and gave serious consideration to going all the way to west hartford (the OTHER trailhead) and then turning around. that would have made the run into just over a half-marathon, right around 14 miles. i was REALLY considering this to be a good idea. (foreshadowing).

around mile 4, which isn't much beyond the shelter, i started to feel a hot spot on my left instep, at the height of my arch. hmmm. not good. didn't feel any debris in there. hmm. no socks. did i mention that i wasn't wearing socks? at this point i have about 20 miles on these shoes, all without socks, and have had no troubles. the day and the trail were dry, so...why not?

did i mention the hot spot? i now had one on my RIGHT foot, too. dammit. do i turn around, and go 4+ miles back, or do i just call Mike to rescue me in W. Hartford and make the mileage only 6? run, run, run, try not to think about it, run run run....

ut-oh. down hill coming up. long one. ouch. ouch, OUCH! stop. tighten laces. less slipping=less rubbing=less blister, right? TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE. decided to run until Teri (Garmin (p.b.t.n.)) chirped 5 miles, then turn around. make 10 out of it. why not, right?

blister central. ouch ouch ouch. managed to make the return trip in just 5 minutes longer than the first part, which i think is GREAT considering that my left arch had pretty much turned into ground beef. (see photo of 1 week old wound)


fast forward to today. one week has passed, and i am still limping on that foot. i have soaked in epsom salts, which helps, but maybe haven't done it enough. i am trying to air it out at night, which helps, but me thinks the clogs are not helping. too hot. the skin is nice, soft, and pliable, but it is ringed in RED, sensitive tissue. YEP...looks like a localized infection. bugs have taken up residency in my left foot. WHAT???

walk-run

Monday, afterwork, I headed out to a local trail system. Hurricane Forest is a town park (i think) that has multiple trail systems, at least 2 ponds (no boating/swimming allowed, though), and some nice benches.
Oh. and HILLS.
Got a text from the Weeb-Meister just before i headed out, and she said that she was going to call me in a few. So i set the fazer to "stun" (cell phone to vibrate) and ran off into the woods. just before a big hill, the phone rang (buzzed). YAY! sweet reprieve!!!
we chatted for almost a mile, which translated into about a 15 minute mile....
then i picked up the pace, completed the loop, and then ran a second time around. saw NO other people. Amazes me how no one is ever out on this trail system. Very well kept secret, i must say.
Before the run I drank a vanilla ensure. The run turned out to be short enough that i am sure that things would not have been any different if i did have it, but i really wanted to see how it would sit in my belly after all that running around. it was fine. my belly was fine. no sudden urges to 'move things along', which is what i was totally expecting.
so, good.
good run, good trails, good chit chat with the Weeb-meister.

Love, LOVE the pillow(s)

Quite a while ago T (aka MLW) came up with a top ten list for me of things to always remember. I wrote some of them down, and try to remember the rest. #10 was probably to NEVER forget the list. hmm.
high on the list (low in number) was "Love, LOVE the pillows". We had just gotten new ones, and I wasn't too sure about them. That was 3 pillow changes ago (I am not sure exactly why, either), and I must have learned to Love, LOVE the pillows. I can't get my lazy butt out of bed in the mornings. I set FOUR alarms. They go off. I turn them off. I go back to sleep. I stay asleep. I finally wake up in a PANIC, run around the house like a maniac, and dash out the door. If i had to actually put together clothes to wear to work, it would be a disaster. I am SO happy that i have to wear scrubs at work. easy-peasy, lemon squeezy.
Anyway, I need to find a better method to get myself out of the house and running or riding every day. Hear that, self? EVERY DAY. My 'big' race is 21 days out. I bought some new tires for the MTB that are 'comfort tires'. huh? well, that's what the box says, so we'll go with it. I am tempted to try them out, but a bit afraid, too. i did a coasting test down the driveway, and was still going pretty good half way down the street. hmmmmmm....might break a speed record. so far i think i have maxed out at 29mph.
At any rate (speed), i won't ever have to worry about it if continue my love, LOVE affair with the pillow(s).

99% mental

i have heard that it is important to mentally prepare for competition, and that this mental prep is a huge part of success. that being said, and if it is believed, i am a SHOE IN to win the CHaD half. In fact, mebbe i shouldn't even run it, so that I can give someone else a chance.

HA.

it is true, though, that most of my prep (99.9%) has been (and will likely continue to be) mental. I will reserve that 0.1% for physical training. Heck, i might just lace up my shoes for something other than a trip to the store. call me crazy. (or is it LAZY?)

a side part of the CHaD race is that the organizers are trying to set a World Record for the greatest number of people wearing a SuperHero costume to assemble at one time (or something like that). I was asked by a co-worker what i was going to dress like, and here was my response:

I am not dressing up. Why not? Simple. I dont' think that it is right for people to see me in a Superman costume lying on the side of the road in a pile of my own vomit and frothy sputum. The image just doesn't sit well.

So there you have it. I am hoping for a long run tonight, perhaps 10 miles, then a couple more like that over the next week. Taper? how do you taper from virtual ZERO? not gonna happen.

Then there is the race in OCT. If i get the time off, then i MUST train for that one. ha.ha.ha.

my new toy, and our first run

blog for events on 31JUL09

T convinced me that it would be OK for me to get a Garmin 305, so after some shopping around, i bought one through Amazon.com. Since i saved so much $$ (almost 45%!!!) i had it shipped express, and got it last evening. A quick glance through the instruction book, and then plugged it in to charge overnight. the device only requires 3 hours to charge, but what the heck.

got up this morning, ate a bagel with creamed cheese, drank a cuppa coffee, and got ready to go. of course, as soon as i pulled into the little parking area it began to POUR. i strapped on the HRM, switched my watch to the right, and fastened the 305 to my left wrist. off i went.

the trail shoots up pretty quickly, and soon i could feel my heart trying desperately to pound its way out of my chest. a glance at the 305 read 90bpm.

really. 90. hmmmm....i smell a rat!

turns out that i had the strap too low, and the signal was false. once i fixed that, the heart rate shot right up to around 160-170-180!!! range. ah. sometimes too much information is a BAD thing....

on i ran.

rain, rain, rain.

run, run, run.

passed 6 hikers headed the other way. they were soaked, as was i, but they didn't have smiles on their faces (nor stars upon thars). all had biggie packs that had rain jackets, and wore heavy boots. i was very happy that i had chosen my Adidas for the run. they shed water very quickly, and don't get heavy or soggy when wet. I only walked a few times, and for a short distance. i had adjusted the heart rate upper limit to alarm at 160. i should have kept it at 180 because the flippin thing was CONSTANTLY alarming. (i made that change later, back at the ranch).

when i got to the shelter, the turn-around point for the day, i sucked down an espresso Clif gel-pack-gu-thing, and had a few good chugs of water. my experience with Clif Shots has been mixed. the first time was on the LT with Weeb. No worries what so ever. Felt great afterward. So i tried one again, before an afterwork run last fall. about 5 minutes into the run i began to experience severe abdominal cramps. less than 2 minutes after that i was fertilizing the forest. wow. explosive. because of that experience, i was reluctant to try it again, but though that it would be a good thing to do just the same. i brought along TP in my butt pack, so i should be ok....turns out that it wasn't a problem AT ALL.

on the return trip i didn't bother to try to side step the puddles and the mud. ran right through them. it was a blast, and the backs of my legs were covered. joy! i managed to catch and re-pass 3 hikers. the trail had become a river of mud with scattered rocks, roots, and puddles. lets say that it took 3 days for my shoes, packed with newspaper, to dry out.

all in all a great run. one thing of note, though, is that my nipples were killing me. i didn't realize it until i was in the shower, using my scrubbie (the blue one with the knot!) that i realized that they were flippin' ON FIRE! i need lamisil (sp?) NOW. but we don't have any. the pain subsided, but then came back. oh well. i think that i will use my brown under-armor shirt under my running shirt next time, and see how that goes.

alright. enough for now. thank you for tuning in.

and a HUGE thank you to T for letting me and encouraging me to do this. I love ya, babe! +1, me