I haven’t gone running since last week. Not because I am lazy (okay, a little bit of the lazy), but mostly because I really don’t want to over do it. I am doing Crossfit workouts five days out of the week. That is every weekday, with “rest” days on Saturday and Sunday. I am trying to exploring the upper limits of my physical capacity, and keep the activity level dialed to a few notches under the upper limit.
Which means that I have been a little cautious. The strength conditioning workouts at the gym haven’t really taken much out of me, but the “metcon” (as in, metabolic conditioning) sections are. Since this is Crossfit, we are doing brief, intense exercises that place a considerably anaerobic demand on us. My recovery times have never been great – normally people that I have worked out with will recover about twice as fast as I do, and I have a feeling that is due to a blood sugar issue on my part. Last night was especially telling – we did an interval set on rowers. 5 rounds of 40 seconds, all out effort, for calories. We had 4 minutes of rest between each round, and then 10 minutes after the last round we did a 2 minute all out sprint on the rower. Counting the calories really showed me how quickly my performance degrades. The first round I burned 16 calories. The second round 17. The third, 15. The fourth, 14 and the fifth 12. After resting 10 minutes I managed to burn 34 calories in 2 minutes of rowing. The first two rounds I was able to keep my pace strong all the way to the last second, but the second through the fifth rounds my intensity levels dropped way, way down. Whole body fatigue – not to the point where I was unable to think or move, but I could definitely feel the draining sensation. Your limbs get tired, your core gets tired, your brain gets tired of telling your body to move.
Last night’s interval set on the rower gave me a good idea of what I should be shooting for in my CFE interval WODs, though. Which means more gear – a watch with a stopwatch, lap and countdown timer function. Probably a Timex Ironman. Hooray, a valid reason for more toys! I’ve been accumulating smaller bits of workout gear so that I can practice outside of the gym – jumprope, kettlebell, a 6’ section of PVC. A stopwatch is something that will help – I know that I can use my Iphone as a stopwatch and countdown timer, but it isn’t waterproof or very easy to access while moving fast.
I don’t want all of my workouts to end up feeling like that kind of grind. So I am trying to find the balance of my desire to see gains, and my desire to not go backwards. Which is why I haven’t been getting up at 6am to go running. I have been waking up at 6am and assessing if I should go running. And the answer, for the most part, has been “no.” Some of that comes from an honest desire to not over train, and some (probably most) comes from being cozy in bed, and it being pretty cold and rainy outside. Cold and damp I can deal with, cold and pounding rain I don’t think would be good for my health. At least I am not that tough yet.
I have signed up for a clinic in Pose running. The closest trainer is in Salem, which is an hour drive away. So starting the second week of April I will hopefully have some drills and skills to practice, as well as have trained feedback on what I can work on.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
My Running Journal, 032510
Today was a wash, as far as runs go. Woke up with the alarm and realized that I wanted more sleep.
So I did. Zero miles at a pace of Zero minutes per mile.
Since I am technically still recuperating from my “injury,” I get to rest. Which made me start thinking about the difference, if any, between “rest” and “recuperation.” Besides the semantics, is there a difference? Gotta think this one through.
I bought a 1 “Pood” kettlebell today. I find it kind of funny that kettlebells are basically measured using an archaic Russian system. One Pood equals 16 kilograms, which comes out to about 35lbs. Which is surprisingly heavy. I was eyeballing the 1.5 Pood Kettlebell, but I need to improve my form with all of the regular Kettlebell exercises. Heavier weights do not necessarily equal improved performance. I probably should get one that is ½ pood (8 kilos), as there are some movements that I tried today that I can’t safely do with the 1 pood bell, for a number of reasons – the primary one is that I’m not ready for that weight in those motions.
Thinking of running, and running performance. Yesterday I talked about running as fast as I could while still maintaining a good posture and pace. As I think about running as a skillset, and not just “Put one foot in front of the other, very fast,” I keep realizing how bad the coaching was that I have received throughout my life. I am sure all of the shortcomings are a combination of me being a bad/slow student, and my instructors and coaches not quite grasping a specific skill, or how to teach that skill.
I am adopting the train of thought that, when it comes to running, the answer to people’s problems doesn’t lie in a pair of shoes that correct for their gait. Or more specifically, the problem is exactly that. I am guilty of giving people bad advice like this, and buying into that thought process. It is interesting to think of how inculcated we are now to look at a physical problem like over pronation or supination and try and fix it with shoes that restrict motion. Up until these past two months, when I thought about running, I thought about pain in my ankles and feet, fatigue, and the shoes that I would wear. Big, padded, awesome shoes. I went to a store that specializes in running. I had my gait analyzed. Shoes were prescribed. Run in these, and your problems will be fixed.
But that is so much bullshit. As I read more, and experience more running in minimalist shoes, I can really see how corrective footwear is a crutch that does not help – and the harm that it can cause, through weakening of the foot, ankles, knees, etc., is tremendous. Now, I know plenty of people who run without discomfort or serious injury, and have all of their lives. It isn’t just the shoe. It is also the runner. I’m happy to see that more and more people have already realized it. That developing running as a skillset is important. Not just “here, try these on.”
I’ve worn a hole in my VFFs. It is really neat to see, since it shoes exactly where the contact is between my feet and the ground. So a new pair is in order soon.
So I did. Zero miles at a pace of Zero minutes per mile.
Since I am technically still recuperating from my “injury,” I get to rest. Which made me start thinking about the difference, if any, between “rest” and “recuperation.” Besides the semantics, is there a difference? Gotta think this one through.
I bought a 1 “Pood” kettlebell today. I find it kind of funny that kettlebells are basically measured using an archaic Russian system. One Pood equals 16 kilograms, which comes out to about 35lbs. Which is surprisingly heavy. I was eyeballing the 1.5 Pood Kettlebell, but I need to improve my form with all of the regular Kettlebell exercises. Heavier weights do not necessarily equal improved performance. I probably should get one that is ½ pood (8 kilos), as there are some movements that I tried today that I can’t safely do with the 1 pood bell, for a number of reasons – the primary one is that I’m not ready for that weight in those motions.
Thinking of running, and running performance. Yesterday I talked about running as fast as I could while still maintaining a good posture and pace. As I think about running as a skillset, and not just “Put one foot in front of the other, very fast,” I keep realizing how bad the coaching was that I have received throughout my life. I am sure all of the shortcomings are a combination of me being a bad/slow student, and my instructors and coaches not quite grasping a specific skill, or how to teach that skill.
I am adopting the train of thought that, when it comes to running, the answer to people’s problems doesn’t lie in a pair of shoes that correct for their gait. Or more specifically, the problem is exactly that. I am guilty of giving people bad advice like this, and buying into that thought process. It is interesting to think of how inculcated we are now to look at a physical problem like over pronation or supination and try and fix it with shoes that restrict motion. Up until these past two months, when I thought about running, I thought about pain in my ankles and feet, fatigue, and the shoes that I would wear. Big, padded, awesome shoes. I went to a store that specializes in running. I had my gait analyzed. Shoes were prescribed. Run in these, and your problems will be fixed.
But that is so much bullshit. As I read more, and experience more running in minimalist shoes, I can really see how corrective footwear is a crutch that does not help – and the harm that it can cause, through weakening of the foot, ankles, knees, etc., is tremendous. Now, I know plenty of people who run without discomfort or serious injury, and have all of their lives. It isn’t just the shoe. It is also the runner. I’m happy to see that more and more people have already realized it. That developing running as a skillset is important. Not just “here, try these on.”
I’ve worn a hole in my VFFs. It is really neat to see, since it shoes exactly where the contact is between my feet and the ground. So a new pair is in order soon.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
My Running Journal, 032410
Today was the first of my Crossfit Endurance workouts. Which factored in nicely with all of the short distance running that I have been doing. The workout that I am starting with is a time trial (TT) for a short course – which means run 5k as fast as you can.
So I ran 3.45 miles as “fast” as I could. Instead of going hell for leather, I ran as fast as I could while maintaining form. So I finished 3.45 miles in 34:18. Which seems like a long time to me, but I ran a new route, and from mile 1.5 to mile 2.5 was a continuous hill climb, covering about 200 vertical feet, most of which was right at the end of the hill. I’m also trying to figure out how I was averaging a pace of 10:30 in the first mile, but completed the first mile in 9:30, and how my second mile was at a pace of 9:35, but I completed it in 8:43? However that works, I ran a pretty decent pace given the hill involved and my trying to focus solely on maintaining my form.
Which, I discovered, is pretty poor. I really need to find a coach, or get on a treadmill and have someone film me run. On the final leg of the run, I was passing in front of shops with large windows. This allowed me to view my form while I was running. While it is hard to really focus on your reflection in a window next to you while you are running, I managed a few peeks. And I noticed several things. The most glaring issue is my hips and torso. I could really see that my chest was raised, my back was arched, and my butt was out. I had a really pronounced lumbar curve and my posture was very upright. Which isn’t what I want – I am aiming for a forward lean and a neutral torso.
Part of the problem, I think, is that I am running with my abdominal muscles relaxed. Which is allowing my spinal muscles to bear the load, and which is probably pulling my lumbar curve even further out. So I experimented a little bit with pulling my belly button towards my spine and tensioning my abs over all. I didn’t see much change as I was running past the various windows, but I could feel a slight difference. I need to find a treadmill and someone to video me while I run (or at least set up a tripod with my camera).
A good concept for me to keep in mind was first introduced to me while practicing Taijiquan a couple of years ago. Honestly, I wish it had been clearly explained and reinforced while I was a teenager, or before then. The concept is that all movement originates from the core and ends in the extremities. In the martial arts that I was practicing, the idea is that, ideally, you originate your power and movement from your lower dantian (your center of gravity). You then direct that through to your extremities. Something that is becoming quite clear to me, since injuring my abdominal oblique, is that I have failed to incorporate this idea. I thought that I had it – as I can hiptoss people, whip a punch out without utilizing too much of my shoulder to generate the movement, and am really aware of my center of gravity. But truly incorporating the idea of core to extremity really means engaging the core muscles. And it has become obvious to me, based on what I glimpsed in the windows, that I am depending almost exclusively on the muscles that are in my lumbar region for this. When I sprint, I really start to feel a funny, weak joint sensation in my lumbar region. And this also comes in when I would do work on any gymnastic apparatus where your lower body is a pendulum – high bar, rings, parallel bars. Core to extremities – I need to keep my abs tighter when I run or perform any exercise, in order to protect my low back. 20+ years of working out and learning about all of this, and now I am actively thinking about its integration.
I’ve hammered out my workout schedule – and barring further injury I believe that I can handle it. Regular Crossfit on the weekdays, with a CFE workout on Wednesday and Saturday.
I think I am going to sign up for the Race for Roses 5k, to see if my 5k time improves. It will have been about a month from the Shamrock run, and the Race for the Roses track has less of a hill climb in it than the Shamrock run does. We will see.
So I ran 3.45 miles as “fast” as I could. Instead of going hell for leather, I ran as fast as I could while maintaining form. So I finished 3.45 miles in 34:18. Which seems like a long time to me, but I ran a new route, and from mile 1.5 to mile 2.5 was a continuous hill climb, covering about 200 vertical feet, most of which was right at the end of the hill. I’m also trying to figure out how I was averaging a pace of 10:30 in the first mile, but completed the first mile in 9:30, and how my second mile was at a pace of 9:35, but I completed it in 8:43? However that works, I ran a pretty decent pace given the hill involved and my trying to focus solely on maintaining my form.
Which, I discovered, is pretty poor. I really need to find a coach, or get on a treadmill and have someone film me run. On the final leg of the run, I was passing in front of shops with large windows. This allowed me to view my form while I was running. While it is hard to really focus on your reflection in a window next to you while you are running, I managed a few peeks. And I noticed several things. The most glaring issue is my hips and torso. I could really see that my chest was raised, my back was arched, and my butt was out. I had a really pronounced lumbar curve and my posture was very upright. Which isn’t what I want – I am aiming for a forward lean and a neutral torso.
Part of the problem, I think, is that I am running with my abdominal muscles relaxed. Which is allowing my spinal muscles to bear the load, and which is probably pulling my lumbar curve even further out. So I experimented a little bit with pulling my belly button towards my spine and tensioning my abs over all. I didn’t see much change as I was running past the various windows, but I could feel a slight difference. I need to find a treadmill and someone to video me while I run (or at least set up a tripod with my camera).
A good concept for me to keep in mind was first introduced to me while practicing Taijiquan a couple of years ago. Honestly, I wish it had been clearly explained and reinforced while I was a teenager, or before then. The concept is that all movement originates from the core and ends in the extremities. In the martial arts that I was practicing, the idea is that, ideally, you originate your power and movement from your lower dantian (your center of gravity). You then direct that through to your extremities. Something that is becoming quite clear to me, since injuring my abdominal oblique, is that I have failed to incorporate this idea. I thought that I had it – as I can hiptoss people, whip a punch out without utilizing too much of my shoulder to generate the movement, and am really aware of my center of gravity. But truly incorporating the idea of core to extremity really means engaging the core muscles. And it has become obvious to me, based on what I glimpsed in the windows, that I am depending almost exclusively on the muscles that are in my lumbar region for this. When I sprint, I really start to feel a funny, weak joint sensation in my lumbar region. And this also comes in when I would do work on any gymnastic apparatus where your lower body is a pendulum – high bar, rings, parallel bars. Core to extremities – I need to keep my abs tighter when I run or perform any exercise, in order to protect my low back. 20+ years of working out and learning about all of this, and now I am actively thinking about its integration.
I’ve hammered out my workout schedule – and barring further injury I believe that I can handle it. Regular Crossfit on the weekdays, with a CFE workout on Wednesday and Saturday.
I think I am going to sign up for the Race for Roses 5k, to see if my 5k time improves. It will have been about a month from the Shamrock run, and the Race for the Roses track has less of a hill climb in it than the Shamrock run does. We will see.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
My Running Journal, 032310
Today I did a short run, 1.27 miles at a pace of around 8:50 min/mile. I had my metronome set to 90bpm, and it was work to keep up with it. I felt like I was putting out a lot of effort to keep up the pace, but overall I didn’t feel that I was putting out a lot of effort – if that makes sense. Most of the effort was in keeping my legs moving fast enough to keep time, and not a whole lot of effort beyond that.
Now, what does that mean? A 9 minute mile will mean my marathon time will be just a hair under 4 hours. I wasn’t exhausted by any stretch of the imagination at the end of today’s run, but I doubt that I could have kept my feet moving that fast for more than 30 or so minutes right now. I’m going to have to by October, and if not faster.
I’m working on transitioning into POSE technique running. I feel that I should find an instructor, but there doesn’t seem to be anyone in the Portland area who is an actual POSE instructor. Which is funny, given how many people in the Portland area are runners – you’d think someone would have learned this and want to teach it.
The oblique that I strained last week is healing nicely – the muscle itself seems to be fine, but there is still pain and restrictions to my range of movement. If feels as if it is coming from the rib tips themselves, which makes me believe even more that I pulled the ribs out of alignment, or possibly sublaxed the costal cartilage at the ends of the ribs. Whatever I did, I feel that I am able to put about 50% effort into things. I absolutely don’t want to re-injure the area – if I do, it will most likely be worse. So I have to take it easy. Which is causing some motivation problems. This morning I almost didn’t go running. And I definitely didn’t run the distance I was scheduled for. But, I must remind myself, recovery. I have to keep reminding myself to take it easy(er), at least for the next week. And then…
Crossfit Endurance. I’ve decided that this break in my running schedule, again, is a good point to reset my training paradigm. The last break ended up with me switching from running shoes to VFFs, and this break will see me going from LSDs to CFE style workouts. 4-6 Crossfits anaerobic workouts per week, with 2 CFE endurance days. I’ll probably mix in some long distance trail runs, to keep things varied and to get used to running distance – to learn how to maintain form after a long period of sub-maximal output. Or, maximal paced output.
We’ll see. I want very much to be done recovering, an to be able to really, really push myself. I was right on the cusp, and now I have had to ease off a bit.
I have also started to put together a little micro-gym in my office. Right now, it is just a couple of pieces for joint mobility and PNF maintenance. What is PNF, you ask? “Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation.” A video is an easy way of showing what it is. So here is a video (not of me)
That is the general gist of PNF. Bonus, because I still have a tight hamstring that is causing me some pain.
PNF “stretching,” isn’t. The concept behind it, and the physiology behind it, mean that the muscles being “stretched” aren’t in fact stretching – that would imply that the muscle fibers and connective tissues are under mechanical tension and are elongating based on elasticity. Which shouldn’t be the case with PNF – instead, what should theoretically be happening, is that the muscle in question is relaxing under load – and it is doing this to prevent mechanical tension on the tendons. PNF should, in theory, work to make the muscles better able to relax and not stretch. The problem is that “proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation” is tough to say, while “stretching” isn’t. So we can abbreviate it to “PNF.”
Beside the massage table and stools in the office, I now have a 6’ section of 1” internal diameter PVC, otherwise known as the “Incredible Shoulder Mobility Device,” and a loop of climbing webbing to assist in some PNF work with my lower limbs.
Tomorrow, farther, and hopefully just as fast.
Now, what does that mean? A 9 minute mile will mean my marathon time will be just a hair under 4 hours. I wasn’t exhausted by any stretch of the imagination at the end of today’s run, but I doubt that I could have kept my feet moving that fast for more than 30 or so minutes right now. I’m going to have to by October, and if not faster.
I’m working on transitioning into POSE technique running. I feel that I should find an instructor, but there doesn’t seem to be anyone in the Portland area who is an actual POSE instructor. Which is funny, given how many people in the Portland area are runners – you’d think someone would have learned this and want to teach it.
The oblique that I strained last week is healing nicely – the muscle itself seems to be fine, but there is still pain and restrictions to my range of movement. If feels as if it is coming from the rib tips themselves, which makes me believe even more that I pulled the ribs out of alignment, or possibly sublaxed the costal cartilage at the ends of the ribs. Whatever I did, I feel that I am able to put about 50% effort into things. I absolutely don’t want to re-injure the area – if I do, it will most likely be worse. So I have to take it easy. Which is causing some motivation problems. This morning I almost didn’t go running. And I definitely didn’t run the distance I was scheduled for. But, I must remind myself, recovery. I have to keep reminding myself to take it easy(er), at least for the next week. And then…
Crossfit Endurance. I’ve decided that this break in my running schedule, again, is a good point to reset my training paradigm. The last break ended up with me switching from running shoes to VFFs, and this break will see me going from LSDs to CFE style workouts. 4-6 Crossfits anaerobic workouts per week, with 2 CFE endurance days. I’ll probably mix in some long distance trail runs, to keep things varied and to get used to running distance – to learn how to maintain form after a long period of sub-maximal output. Or, maximal paced output.
We’ll see. I want very much to be done recovering, an to be able to really, really push myself. I was right on the cusp, and now I have had to ease off a bit.
I have also started to put together a little micro-gym in my office. Right now, it is just a couple of pieces for joint mobility and PNF maintenance. What is PNF, you ask? “Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation.” A video is an easy way of showing what it is. So here is a video (not of me)
That is the general gist of PNF. Bonus, because I still have a tight hamstring that is causing me some pain.
PNF “stretching,” isn’t. The concept behind it, and the physiology behind it, mean that the muscles being “stretched” aren’t in fact stretching – that would imply that the muscle fibers and connective tissues are under mechanical tension and are elongating based on elasticity. Which shouldn’t be the case with PNF – instead, what should theoretically be happening, is that the muscle in question is relaxing under load – and it is doing this to prevent mechanical tension on the tendons. PNF should, in theory, work to make the muscles better able to relax and not stretch. The problem is that “proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation” is tough to say, while “stretching” isn’t. So we can abbreviate it to “PNF.”
Beside the massage table and stools in the office, I now have a 6’ section of 1” internal diameter PVC, otherwise known as the “Incredible Shoulder Mobility Device,” and a loop of climbing webbing to assist in some PNF work with my lower limbs.
Tomorrow, farther, and hopefully just as fast.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
My Running Journal, 031810
So no running these past couple of days – my next run is slated to be on Sunday, and will be a 3 miler.
Monday morning during the warm-up in Crossfit we were doing walking handstand drills. Now, I have a background in gymnastics, and handstands are an old hat. But at some point during the drill, I started to feel a little twinge in my left side. By the end of class, the twinge was a dull ache, but my whole body was a little achey/feeling worn, so I chalked it up to the post exercise ache. By the end of the day I was acutely aware that I had probably strained an oblique.
By Tuesday evening the ache hadn’t lessened, but I decided that I would see what it felt like after warming up and getting it mobile – which makes since – one of the best ways of reducing pain in a muscle that is aching due to use is to keep using it – the blood flow helps clear the crap out. In Chinese medicine, pain is caused by a stagnation of blood and/or qi, and so movement is essential.
Instead of handstand drills, we did rope climbing drills. I know how to climb a rope from elementary school, gymnastics, and the USMC. The least fatiguing way to do it is wrap the rope partially around one leg, so that the rope lays over the top of the foot, and then step on the rope with the other foot. This locks the rope between the feet, and with the correct tension between your legs, you can basically climb the rope with almost no upper body strength. However, doing this in minimalist shoes like the Vibrams is a new experience, and since the top of my foot is not calloused, I wanted to not give it rope burn. And I wanted to show off a little bit.
Stoopid. So I tried to climb without my feet. I used to do it in gymnastics, and in the Marines. It isn’t very difficult with enough upper body strength and grip strength. But what I didn’t take into account was the use of your abdominal muscles to stabilize. And how much strain it puts on your obliques, evidently. So when I heard and felt and popping sensation in the bottom of my ribcage, followed immediately by a twisting, excruciating pain, I realized that I was an idiot. I dropped off of the rope, clutching my side. I pressed in to make sure that I hadn’t caused a hernia (nope), but the crackling and popping sound along with the feeling of something moving back into place was a little disconcerting. Since the pain had ceased to be excruciating, and I still had full range of motion, I was pretty sure that I hadn’t torn the muscle in half, or from any of its bony connections. That, at least, was comforting.
So yesterday was a rest and recovery day, as is today, and probably tomorrow and Saturday(although the ocean has calmed down enough that it is probably going to be a great day to go fishing and kayaking, which I haven’t done since October).
I’m trying to not let this get me down. I was in a motivated space where I could see the increase in overall tempo of my training. I was excited to do it, and I was reflecting on how much I actually enjoy running and being physically active. This injury sets me back a week or so training wise, but it is also a test of my ability to heal and recover. It also gives me more time to assess my goals and where I am in achieving them.
Next week, on Monday, I hope to be back in the gym. I have decided that I am also going to train for the marathon using the Crossfit Endurance training paradigm. I’m excited to try it.
Monday morning during the warm-up in Crossfit we were doing walking handstand drills. Now, I have a background in gymnastics, and handstands are an old hat. But at some point during the drill, I started to feel a little twinge in my left side. By the end of class, the twinge was a dull ache, but my whole body was a little achey/feeling worn, so I chalked it up to the post exercise ache. By the end of the day I was acutely aware that I had probably strained an oblique.
By Tuesday evening the ache hadn’t lessened, but I decided that I would see what it felt like after warming up and getting it mobile – which makes since – one of the best ways of reducing pain in a muscle that is aching due to use is to keep using it – the blood flow helps clear the crap out. In Chinese medicine, pain is caused by a stagnation of blood and/or qi, and so movement is essential.
Instead of handstand drills, we did rope climbing drills. I know how to climb a rope from elementary school, gymnastics, and the USMC. The least fatiguing way to do it is wrap the rope partially around one leg, so that the rope lays over the top of the foot, and then step on the rope with the other foot. This locks the rope between the feet, and with the correct tension between your legs, you can basically climb the rope with almost no upper body strength. However, doing this in minimalist shoes like the Vibrams is a new experience, and since the top of my foot is not calloused, I wanted to not give it rope burn. And I wanted to show off a little bit.
Stoopid. So I tried to climb without my feet. I used to do it in gymnastics, and in the Marines. It isn’t very difficult with enough upper body strength and grip strength. But what I didn’t take into account was the use of your abdominal muscles to stabilize. And how much strain it puts on your obliques, evidently. So when I heard and felt and popping sensation in the bottom of my ribcage, followed immediately by a twisting, excruciating pain, I realized that I was an idiot. I dropped off of the rope, clutching my side. I pressed in to make sure that I hadn’t caused a hernia (nope), but the crackling and popping sound along with the feeling of something moving back into place was a little disconcerting. Since the pain had ceased to be excruciating, and I still had full range of motion, I was pretty sure that I hadn’t torn the muscle in half, or from any of its bony connections. That, at least, was comforting.
So yesterday was a rest and recovery day, as is today, and probably tomorrow and Saturday(although the ocean has calmed down enough that it is probably going to be a great day to go fishing and kayaking, which I haven’t done since October).
I’m trying to not let this get me down. I was in a motivated space where I could see the increase in overall tempo of my training. I was excited to do it, and I was reflecting on how much I actually enjoy running and being physically active. This injury sets me back a week or so training wise, but it is also a test of my ability to heal and recover. It also gives me more time to assess my goals and where I am in achieving them.
Next week, on Monday, I hope to be back in the gym. I have decided that I am also going to train for the marathon using the Crossfit Endurance training paradigm. I’m excited to try it.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
My Running Journal, 031610
This morning I was supposed to run 2 miles, but I didn’t. Zero miles in zero minutes.
Instead, I sandbagged. Which is probably a good thing right now, given that, since last week, I have basically been working out everyday since Thursday, and right now five days of work outs in a row is right at the maximal level that I think I can sustain without hurting myself. So when my alarm went off at 0545 this morning, I woke up, hit snooze, and groggily decided to sandbag the run today. Give my calves a rest day.
Not that I am taking the day off, I just didn’t run this morning. No, I have a Crossfit class this evening. So I will get my workout in.
Which leads nicely into what I have been thinking about. I started Crossfit to increase my overall fitness. Part of this whole process has been researching various styles and philosophies of training. Most of the training advice regarding prepping for long distance work involves “LSDs,” otherwise known as “Long, Slow Distances.” The idea being that you train your body to run long distances, well, by running long distance. Which makes sense. As you become accustomed to running longer and longer distances, your brain begins to make the rest of your body more efficient at what it is doing. Your footfall, stride, pace, it all comes together over time. In addition to the basic mechanics of covering long distances, your body begins to change the way it handles food and energy storage. Improving your aerobic stamina generally only comes about by training your aerobic metabolism – and that means long, slow(ish) workouts. The training cycle that I have been following is designed to do that – once I start the actual marathon training cycle, I will begin to run farther and farther each week – increasing my regular runs and then doubling that distance once a week. Which seems to be the standard design of most of the training calendars that I have come across. 18 or so weeks of progressing towards 26 miles.
Now that I have started Crossfit, and have come across the idea of Crossfit Endurance, I am re-thinking that training schedule. I still have time left to reconsider it, as I still have about 12 weeks before I start the marathon training cycle in earnest. So I have a little while to make that decision.
The trick will be convincing myself that CE will work in place of LSDs. Because the last thing that I want to do is half-ass and try and do both. From all of the anecdotal evidence I have come across (i.e., forum posts and speaking with trainers), you can only really do one or the other in order to expect any results other than an injury. And really, half-assing anything is just asking for trouble. I’m still not entirely convinced about certain aspects of CE, but that may just be because I haven’t asked enough questions yet (or I haven’t taken a big enough swig of the CE Kool-aid).
My main question is one of pacing, and having a sufficiently developed aerobic metabolism. I was a gymnast in High School, and had pretty intense anaerobic training – short bursts of power and speed was what I was trained for. When I tried any sort of real aerobic workout, I basically broke down. I’ve been talking about this since I started – learning how to be efficient, how to pace. Metronome, cadence, stride length, etc. How can I develop my aerobic metabolism to the point where I can get to 26+ miles, without actually learning what it feels like to get to that point?
I don’t know. Some ideas are percolating, and I think I may start putting it to the test. There are several races between now and the start point of my marathon training calendar. My run distances right now don’t really come into the LSD category, since none of my training runs are going to be farther than six miles. So I may be able to test out the CE training process in the meantime.
We will see. I figure I’m running close to barefoot right now, what’s another little training modification?
Instead, I sandbagged. Which is probably a good thing right now, given that, since last week, I have basically been working out everyday since Thursday, and right now five days of work outs in a row is right at the maximal level that I think I can sustain without hurting myself. So when my alarm went off at 0545 this morning, I woke up, hit snooze, and groggily decided to sandbag the run today. Give my calves a rest day.
Not that I am taking the day off, I just didn’t run this morning. No, I have a Crossfit class this evening. So I will get my workout in.
Which leads nicely into what I have been thinking about. I started Crossfit to increase my overall fitness. Part of this whole process has been researching various styles and philosophies of training. Most of the training advice regarding prepping for long distance work involves “LSDs,” otherwise known as “Long, Slow Distances.” The idea being that you train your body to run long distances, well, by running long distance. Which makes sense. As you become accustomed to running longer and longer distances, your brain begins to make the rest of your body more efficient at what it is doing. Your footfall, stride, pace, it all comes together over time. In addition to the basic mechanics of covering long distances, your body begins to change the way it handles food and energy storage. Improving your aerobic stamina generally only comes about by training your aerobic metabolism – and that means long, slow(ish) workouts. The training cycle that I have been following is designed to do that – once I start the actual marathon training cycle, I will begin to run farther and farther each week – increasing my regular runs and then doubling that distance once a week. Which seems to be the standard design of most of the training calendars that I have come across. 18 or so weeks of progressing towards 26 miles.
Now that I have started Crossfit, and have come across the idea of Crossfit Endurance, I am re-thinking that training schedule. I still have time left to reconsider it, as I still have about 12 weeks before I start the marathon training cycle in earnest. So I have a little while to make that decision.
The trick will be convincing myself that CE will work in place of LSDs. Because the last thing that I want to do is half-ass and try and do both. From all of the anecdotal evidence I have come across (i.e., forum posts and speaking with trainers), you can only really do one or the other in order to expect any results other than an injury. And really, half-assing anything is just asking for trouble. I’m still not entirely convinced about certain aspects of CE, but that may just be because I haven’t asked enough questions yet (or I haven’t taken a big enough swig of the CE Kool-aid).
My main question is one of pacing, and having a sufficiently developed aerobic metabolism. I was a gymnast in High School, and had pretty intense anaerobic training – short bursts of power and speed was what I was trained for. When I tried any sort of real aerobic workout, I basically broke down. I’ve been talking about this since I started – learning how to be efficient, how to pace. Metronome, cadence, stride length, etc. How can I develop my aerobic metabolism to the point where I can get to 26+ miles, without actually learning what it feels like to get to that point?
I don’t know. Some ideas are percolating, and I think I may start putting it to the test. There are several races between now and the start point of my marathon training calendar. My run distances right now don’t really come into the LSD category, since none of my training runs are going to be farther than six miles. So I may be able to test out the CE training process in the meantime.
We will see. I figure I’m running close to barefoot right now, what’s another little training modification?
My Running Journal, 031510
Today was a “rest” day, so of course I scheduled myself for an early morning Crossfit class. So much for rest – and to top it off, I think I strained one of my abdominal obliques, doing, of all things, a handstand.
Yesterday was scheduled to be a 4.5 miler, but I ran the Shamrock 5k instead. I finished in 30:17, which works out to be about a 9:40 pace. Not fast at all, but faster than I have been running any of the 3 milers, and plenty fast for right now. I probably could have kept that pace up for five or so miles – and I may have run the first and last mile faster than the middle one, since the middle mile in this race goes up Broadway, from Burnside up to PSU. The hill isn’t spectacular, but I haven’t done much in the way of hill work, and so grinding up it was a chore. Coming down the other side was pretty spectacular and fun. At the point that the course turned downhill, I started turning up my speed (same cadence, basically, just much, much longer stride) – which is easy when you are running downhill. What made it hard was that there were approximately 1000 people all in the same spot, and I think there may have been ten of us really trying to fly down the hill. Made for some awesome zigging and zagging, as well as abruptly having to slow down. I managed to keep enough in the tank to be able to sprint across the finish, but again, I encountered the same issue as I really picked up my pace – people bunched up, or running five to six abreast, at a much slower pace than I was moving at. Now I understand why they sent us out in waves – I can only imagine how a sub six minute/mile runner would feel getting stuck behind a bunch of 10 minuters.
The race, overall, was pretty fun. I hope that as the distances get longer, the fun level stays the same.
Yesterday was scheduled to be a 4.5 miler, but I ran the Shamrock 5k instead. I finished in 30:17, which works out to be about a 9:40 pace. Not fast at all, but faster than I have been running any of the 3 milers, and plenty fast for right now. I probably could have kept that pace up for five or so miles – and I may have run the first and last mile faster than the middle one, since the middle mile in this race goes up Broadway, from Burnside up to PSU. The hill isn’t spectacular, but I haven’t done much in the way of hill work, and so grinding up it was a chore. Coming down the other side was pretty spectacular and fun. At the point that the course turned downhill, I started turning up my speed (same cadence, basically, just much, much longer stride) – which is easy when you are running downhill. What made it hard was that there were approximately 1000 people all in the same spot, and I think there may have been ten of us really trying to fly down the hill. Made for some awesome zigging and zagging, as well as abruptly having to slow down. I managed to keep enough in the tank to be able to sprint across the finish, but again, I encountered the same issue as I really picked up my pace – people bunched up, or running five to six abreast, at a much slower pace than I was moving at. Now I understand why they sent us out in waves – I can only imagine how a sub six minute/mile runner would feel getting stuck behind a bunch of 10 minuters.
The race, overall, was pretty fun. I hope that as the distances get longer, the fun level stays the same.
Friday, March 12, 2010
My Running Journal, 031210
Crossfit today. Workout was relatively “easy,” insofar as I didn’t feel like vomiting afterwards. Today was a 2 part set, A set was all chest and triceps – 4 rounds, A1 benchpress 3-5 reps at a 5/0 tempo (lower for five seconds, explosive press up) and then rest 20 seconds, A2 3-5 dips then rest 20 seconds, A3 AMRAP pushups and rest. B was L-Sit compressions – sit on the floor, lift feet off of the ground with legs straight and fingertips pressing down on the floor, 5 second lift, 15 second rest, 15 reps.
Pretty simple, right? The wheels completely came off in my second round of the A set – my bench press was fine, but it has been a really, really long time since I have done dips, and between being on a gym floor at 7am and the bench presses, my pushups, were a little spotty.
But I got it done, and I feel good about being back in the swing with Crossfit.
Yesterday afternoon I had this creeping suspicion that I was dehydrated. I’ve been drinking water, but I tend to forget to for long stretches of time. Since starting running and working out in general, I’ve been trying to keep hydrated, but apparently I had fallen back into my usual pattern, which is to get wound up in whatever it is that I happen to be doing at the moment, and then 2 hours (or more) into it, realize that I haven’t had a drink of water in 2 hours. The general idea is that, once you realize that you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated. So waiting for thirst to drink water is a relatively bad idea, especially with a marathon as a goal. And I seem to have paid for my forgetfulness to hydrate in several scenarios over many, many years. The most recent being the soreness in my feet and legs. Yesterday afternoon I was hobbling around the office, and I thought that my legs shouldn’t be as sore as they were. Yes, I have been hammering them into the ground, but I’ve had muscle over-use ache before, and this seemed a little on the ridiculous side – especially since there was no sharp pain.
I did a mental checklist of all of the things that I have been doing to stave off the hurt. Anti-oxidant supplements? Check. Hot soaks after runs? Check. Proper stretching, massage, and acupuncture? Check. So what was missing? Simply H2O.
In Boot Camp all of those years ago, one of the things that the Drill Instructors seemed to get a sadistic kick out of was making sure the recruits were properly hydrated. Back then, we were issued 2 1 quart canteens as part of our wargear. When your canteen is less than completely full of water, it sloshes, and makes a considerable amount of noise when you walk or run. So either the canteens on your belt had to be empty, or full – and the only time they were allowed to be empty was if you had just drained them from full. You (as a recruit) were also never allowed to pass out because of heat exhaustion or heat stroke because you weren’t hydrated properly. We would, on a regular basis, have to drain both canteens as quickly as possible into our bodies. Try drinking 2 quarts of water as fast as you can while someone is screaming at you to ‘DRINK!” and then holding the empty canteens, opening down, above your head. And don’t vomit, because you will just have to refill those canteens and drink again.
As sadistic as this sounds, it actually served a purpose beyond the apparent hazing. The most useful place, for a human, to store water is in their body. When you are continually engaging in strenuous exercise, you need to replenish that water. Evidently, a good estimate of how much water you should drink per day, in ounces, is to take your body weight in pounds and divide by 2. The resulting number is a rough estimate of how much water you need to drink, daily, while leading a relatively sedentary life (which means that a person my weight should be drinking at least 3 quarts of water). As you increase your activity levels, so your need to replenish your water increases. So six, maybe eight quarts of water in a day isn’t unreasonable in a hot, humid climate, especially if you are intensely physically active.
How much water have I been drinking per day? Probably on the order of 2 to 3 quarts per day. Which would be fine if I hadn’t started running. My body needs more water, and not just to keep the fluid levels up. All of the metabolic waste that accumulates in your muscles after loading them (lactic acid and such) needs to be flushed out. More water should equate to a faster flushing.
So I doubled my normal water intake last night. Needless to say, I had to get up in the middle of the night, but my calves aren’t as sore as they have been.
I think I need to program my phone to alert me every 30 minutes to drink at least 8 ounces of water. And then I’ll get up every 25 minutes to pee.
You’d think that I would remember my own advice?
Pretty simple, right? The wheels completely came off in my second round of the A set – my bench press was fine, but it has been a really, really long time since I have done dips, and between being on a gym floor at 7am and the bench presses, my pushups, were a little spotty.
But I got it done, and I feel good about being back in the swing with Crossfit.
Yesterday afternoon I had this creeping suspicion that I was dehydrated. I’ve been drinking water, but I tend to forget to for long stretches of time. Since starting running and working out in general, I’ve been trying to keep hydrated, but apparently I had fallen back into my usual pattern, which is to get wound up in whatever it is that I happen to be doing at the moment, and then 2 hours (or more) into it, realize that I haven’t had a drink of water in 2 hours. The general idea is that, once you realize that you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated. So waiting for thirst to drink water is a relatively bad idea, especially with a marathon as a goal. And I seem to have paid for my forgetfulness to hydrate in several scenarios over many, many years. The most recent being the soreness in my feet and legs. Yesterday afternoon I was hobbling around the office, and I thought that my legs shouldn’t be as sore as they were. Yes, I have been hammering them into the ground, but I’ve had muscle over-use ache before, and this seemed a little on the ridiculous side – especially since there was no sharp pain.
I did a mental checklist of all of the things that I have been doing to stave off the hurt. Anti-oxidant supplements? Check. Hot soaks after runs? Check. Proper stretching, massage, and acupuncture? Check. So what was missing? Simply H2O.
In Boot Camp all of those years ago, one of the things that the Drill Instructors seemed to get a sadistic kick out of was making sure the recruits were properly hydrated. Back then, we were issued 2 1 quart canteens as part of our wargear. When your canteen is less than completely full of water, it sloshes, and makes a considerable amount of noise when you walk or run. So either the canteens on your belt had to be empty, or full – and the only time they were allowed to be empty was if you had just drained them from full. You (as a recruit) were also never allowed to pass out because of heat exhaustion or heat stroke because you weren’t hydrated properly. We would, on a regular basis, have to drain both canteens as quickly as possible into our bodies. Try drinking 2 quarts of water as fast as you can while someone is screaming at you to ‘DRINK!” and then holding the empty canteens, opening down, above your head. And don’t vomit, because you will just have to refill those canteens and drink again.
As sadistic as this sounds, it actually served a purpose beyond the apparent hazing. The most useful place, for a human, to store water is in their body. When you are continually engaging in strenuous exercise, you need to replenish that water. Evidently, a good estimate of how much water you should drink per day, in ounces, is to take your body weight in pounds and divide by 2. The resulting number is a rough estimate of how much water you need to drink, daily, while leading a relatively sedentary life (which means that a person my weight should be drinking at least 3 quarts of water). As you increase your activity levels, so your need to replenish your water increases. So six, maybe eight quarts of water in a day isn’t unreasonable in a hot, humid climate, especially if you are intensely physically active.
How much water have I been drinking per day? Probably on the order of 2 to 3 quarts per day. Which would be fine if I hadn’t started running. My body needs more water, and not just to keep the fluid levels up. All of the metabolic waste that accumulates in your muscles after loading them (lactic acid and such) needs to be flushed out. More water should equate to a faster flushing.
So I doubled my normal water intake last night. Needless to say, I had to get up in the middle of the night, but my calves aren’t as sore as they have been.
I think I need to program my phone to alert me every 30 minutes to drink at least 8 ounces of water. And then I’ll get up every 25 minutes to pee.
You’d think that I would remember my own advice?
Thursday, March 11, 2010
My Running Journal, 031110
2 miles @ an average pace of 11:04 min/mile. First mile was done in 11:18, and second mile was done in 10:53.
Oh boy am I looking forward to resting the legs a bit. Especially with a race this Sunday. Today’s run was a bit of a battle even before I started – I woke up feeling a little on the groggy side, and realized it was drizzling and cold outside. And then I stood up. Feet felt swollen and very sore, and the lateral edges of my calves hurt. It is only a soreness, but there seems to be a certain level of muscle weakness – I know that my legs are probably fine, but when I woke up the last thing that I wanted to do was to go for a run.
Got dressed, stepped outside, started the metronome, and the Iphone, and took off. Today was a 2 mile day, and out of the door I wasn’t even sure if I could make it around the block. I started walking, and headed to the corner, turned the corner, and started running. Or trotting. Or something. I had to run about half of a block to get my feet in sync with the beep of the metronome, and then it was a challenge to stay motivated to keep going. To want to keep going. My legs keep telling me to stop, turn around, go home. The little conspirator keeps whispering to me that all I need to do is run a mile, or less. I mean, come on, your legs ache, your muscles all feel creaky, it’s cold, your toes are frozen, you’re tired. Just turn at the next block and go home. You can keep running if you want, but just turn around. So I ran the full two miles today. My pace wasn’t awesome, and I felt like crap for most of it. I was thinking of a whole litany of excuses based on pains and possible muscles pulls.
And that was just two miles. I have found in the past, that if I can make it past the first mile and a half, I mostly stop whining, at least in my head. And the desire to stop after I get past that point, for the most part, only comes on again after six or so miles. What it is going to be like to run 26 miles, I cannot perceive yet.
Since I started running in my Vibrams, I have averaged a pace of about 10:50 minutes per mile. Slow, slow, slow. But averaging my pace from February, I’m moving an average of 6 seconds per mile faster, without shoes on. Which is cool. I’m hoping that this translates to even faster times once I get accustomed to running without running shoes, and my calves quiet down and allow me to start to go for that 8 min/mile pace on every run. What that shows me, even though I am having all of these negative thoughts and questioning myself while I am running, is that I am actually improving. Achey legs aside, I am feeling less and less winded at the end of the runs – which hopefully means that my cardiovascular health and endurance is improving as well. It also means that I need to start pushing to go faster and farther. Which is already set into the schedule that I am keeping – the Sunday runs are incrementally increasing in distance, and by the end of the Spring training cycle, my week day runs will all be 3 milers. Hooray.
I’m trying to keep on track with my diet, but may or may not fail spectacularly. Last night was Dumpling night at a friend’s house, and while I did make a couple using mustard greens as the wrappers, I pretty much gorged myself on fried and boiled dumplings with whole wheat wrappers. So a slightly rough start to my “diet” as far as that goes.
Oh boy am I looking forward to resting the legs a bit. Especially with a race this Sunday. Today’s run was a bit of a battle even before I started – I woke up feeling a little on the groggy side, and realized it was drizzling and cold outside. And then I stood up. Feet felt swollen and very sore, and the lateral edges of my calves hurt. It is only a soreness, but there seems to be a certain level of muscle weakness – I know that my legs are probably fine, but when I woke up the last thing that I wanted to do was to go for a run.
Got dressed, stepped outside, started the metronome, and the Iphone, and took off. Today was a 2 mile day, and out of the door I wasn’t even sure if I could make it around the block. I started walking, and headed to the corner, turned the corner, and started running. Or trotting. Or something. I had to run about half of a block to get my feet in sync with the beep of the metronome, and then it was a challenge to stay motivated to keep going. To want to keep going. My legs keep telling me to stop, turn around, go home. The little conspirator keeps whispering to me that all I need to do is run a mile, or less. I mean, come on, your legs ache, your muscles all feel creaky, it’s cold, your toes are frozen, you’re tired. Just turn at the next block and go home. You can keep running if you want, but just turn around. So I ran the full two miles today. My pace wasn’t awesome, and I felt like crap for most of it. I was thinking of a whole litany of excuses based on pains and possible muscles pulls.
And that was just two miles. I have found in the past, that if I can make it past the first mile and a half, I mostly stop whining, at least in my head. And the desire to stop after I get past that point, for the most part, only comes on again after six or so miles. What it is going to be like to run 26 miles, I cannot perceive yet.
Since I started running in my Vibrams, I have averaged a pace of about 10:50 minutes per mile. Slow, slow, slow. But averaging my pace from February, I’m moving an average of 6 seconds per mile faster, without shoes on. Which is cool. I’m hoping that this translates to even faster times once I get accustomed to running without running shoes, and my calves quiet down and allow me to start to go for that 8 min/mile pace on every run. What that shows me, even though I am having all of these negative thoughts and questioning myself while I am running, is that I am actually improving. Achey legs aside, I am feeling less and less winded at the end of the runs – which hopefully means that my cardiovascular health and endurance is improving as well. It also means that I need to start pushing to go faster and farther. Which is already set into the schedule that I am keeping – the Sunday runs are incrementally increasing in distance, and by the end of the Spring training cycle, my week day runs will all be 3 milers. Hooray.
I’m trying to keep on track with my diet, but may or may not fail spectacularly. Last night was Dumpling night at a friend’s house, and while I did make a couple using mustard greens as the wrappers, I pretty much gorged myself on fried and boiled dumplings with whole wheat wrappers. So a slightly rough start to my “diet” as far as that goes.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
My Running Journal, 031010
Today’s run was a short one, 1.23 miles at an average pace of 9:04 min/mile. I woke up listening to the early morning traffic whizzing by the house on wet roads. Flexed my feet, and definitely felt my calf muscles twinge a little bit. Since I am trying to get in shape for a marathon that is still seven months off, and not cripple myself, today I took it easy.
Sort of. That 9:04 pace was actually skewed – the reason it is that slow is that it includes the first 30 seconds or so of my run, when I was walking and strapping everything down. Looking at the lap summary on mapmyrun, It looks like the first 20 or so seconds I was walking at a pace of about 30 min/mile, and then started running – and by the end of the first minute, I was moving at about an 8 min/mile pace, for an overall first mile average of 9:14. The last .23 miles I was moving at about a pace of 8:22 min/mile.
Still not very fast from a single mile perspective, but it is close to the pace that I will need to hold steady at if I plan on finishing the marathon in four hours or less. And this was a pace that I felt I was pushing on – I definitely had the energy to run faster and/or farther, but I really do need to give myself a little bit of a break for recovery. Today was supposed to be a 3 miler, but between the muscle pain and how cold it was this morning, I am sure I would have pulled something. This is the first single mile that I have tried to run as quickly as I could, and stay on cadence. Still 85 BPM.
Today is also day three of my semi-paleo diet. I’ve decided that it will be easiest in steps, even if that is a cop-out of sorts. Wheat and processed sugars are out, and so far I have been able to not eat wheat (hoorah, two whole days!), and I’ve minimized my processed sugars – I haven’t been adding any to my foods, but I did eat an energy bar yesterday, as well as there being sugar in the sauce that I put on the rapini in last night’s dinner. I also need to start taking my blood sugar, and develop a schedule for that. And of course tonight is a dumpling night, and I’ll probably eat a few dumplings with flour skins. But we’ll see.
Sort of. That 9:04 pace was actually skewed – the reason it is that slow is that it includes the first 30 seconds or so of my run, when I was walking and strapping everything down. Looking at the lap summary on mapmyrun, It looks like the first 20 or so seconds I was walking at a pace of about 30 min/mile, and then started running – and by the end of the first minute, I was moving at about an 8 min/mile pace, for an overall first mile average of 9:14. The last .23 miles I was moving at about a pace of 8:22 min/mile.
Still not very fast from a single mile perspective, but it is close to the pace that I will need to hold steady at if I plan on finishing the marathon in four hours or less. And this was a pace that I felt I was pushing on – I definitely had the energy to run faster and/or farther, but I really do need to give myself a little bit of a break for recovery. Today was supposed to be a 3 miler, but between the muscle pain and how cold it was this morning, I am sure I would have pulled something. This is the first single mile that I have tried to run as quickly as I could, and stay on cadence. Still 85 BPM.
Today is also day three of my semi-paleo diet. I’ve decided that it will be easiest in steps, even if that is a cop-out of sorts. Wheat and processed sugars are out, and so far I have been able to not eat wheat (hoorah, two whole days!), and I’ve minimized my processed sugars – I haven’t been adding any to my foods, but I did eat an energy bar yesterday, as well as there being sugar in the sauce that I put on the rapini in last night’s dinner. I also need to start taking my blood sugar, and develop a schedule for that. And of course tonight is a dumpling night, and I’ll probably eat a few dumplings with flour skins. But we’ll see.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
My Running Journal, 030910
Today was a 2 miler, which means that I actually only ran 1.98 miles. But I averaged a pace of 10:58 in the first mile, and the second one was a 10:31. And I think my first mile was probably around a 10:30 as well, except that I started the counter when I started walking, and walked about a block to get my legs warmed up.
Today’s run was a little on the painful side. I’m trying to decide if the pain is because my calves are wasted from doing something new, or if I am just being whiny. I’m pretty sure it is a little of both. I re-read the advice on barefooting and running close to barefoot, and I think I wasn’t letting my heel touch down enough. So this morning I tried to focus on allowing my foot to touch down and allow the heel to touch down all the way. If you watch some of the videos of barefoot runners striding on pressure plates, you can see that the whole foot touches down at some point during the footfall.
This one shows it well, right around 3:30
My calf pain probably comes from a combination of not letting my heel down on the footfall – basically springing along, as well as dealing with the changes in the running style.
My feet this morning were cold, but really, at no point was there any pain from them. Running on asphalt primarily this morning, and so there wasn’t much in the way of pokey things to deal with, and only a little bit of glass in certain areas.
I attribute my faster pace to a faster cadence – I bumped the metronome up to 85 BPM from 80, which means that my feet were moving that much faster – 170 steps per minute over 160. I’m going to keep it at 85 for the next week or so, as the increase in pace did not feel like too much more of an effort, and at times I felt like it was a little on the slow side. Of course, I still have to keep in mind that when I feel like I could go faster, I probably shouldn’t (not quite yet) – my reasoning being that I am still trying to entrain my brain to a specific cadence. Surging and then easing back isn’t going to work on a long haul run.
I had the thought “what are your doing?” at about the same spot today as I did the other day. I was thinking about what, if any gains that I have made in my endurance and strength, and if those will increase quickly enough so that I can reach the goal of finishing the marathon in under 4 hours. It is a sort of sense of wonder.
Today’s run was a little on the painful side. I’m trying to decide if the pain is because my calves are wasted from doing something new, or if I am just being whiny. I’m pretty sure it is a little of both. I re-read the advice on barefooting and running close to barefoot, and I think I wasn’t letting my heel touch down enough. So this morning I tried to focus on allowing my foot to touch down and allow the heel to touch down all the way. If you watch some of the videos of barefoot runners striding on pressure plates, you can see that the whole foot touches down at some point during the footfall.
This one shows it well, right around 3:30
My calf pain probably comes from a combination of not letting my heel down on the footfall – basically springing along, as well as dealing with the changes in the running style.
My feet this morning were cold, but really, at no point was there any pain from them. Running on asphalt primarily this morning, and so there wasn’t much in the way of pokey things to deal with, and only a little bit of glass in certain areas.
I attribute my faster pace to a faster cadence – I bumped the metronome up to 85 BPM from 80, which means that my feet were moving that much faster – 170 steps per minute over 160. I’m going to keep it at 85 for the next week or so, as the increase in pace did not feel like too much more of an effort, and at times I felt like it was a little on the slow side. Of course, I still have to keep in mind that when I feel like I could go faster, I probably shouldn’t (not quite yet) – my reasoning being that I am still trying to entrain my brain to a specific cadence. Surging and then easing back isn’t going to work on a long haul run.
I had the thought “what are your doing?” at about the same spot today as I did the other day. I was thinking about what, if any gains that I have made in my endurance and strength, and if those will increase quickly enough so that I can reach the goal of finishing the marathon in under 4 hours. It is a sort of sense of wonder.
Monday, March 8, 2010
My Running Journal, 030810
Well, unfortunately the GPS on my Iphone decided to lose signal for most of yesterday’s run. At least it kept an accurate time. Yesterday was scheduled for a 3 mile trail run, and since I am running on the Leif Ericksson trail, I just kept an eye on the trail markers. Knowing that the distances may be a little off, I ran to the 1 ¾ mile marker before turning around. That means, if the markers are correct, that I ran about 3.5 miles in 39 minutes and 36 seconds, which averages out to about an 11:31 pace. Not bad, especially since I was cruising along in my Vibram Five Fingers, which meant I was being very, very aware of all of my footfalls. The downside is that I can't view my splits, but those really aren't necessary for this run.
I ended up running by myself yesterday, as everyone who had initially said they would join me ended up having other obligations. While waiting (as I didn't know who was actually showing up), I entertained all of the other runners at the trailhead with my sales pitch for running in Vibrams. It seems that everyone out there has heard of them, but no-one seems to have seen them in real life. Which is funny, because I know at least six or so other people that wear them on a regular basis. I guess that just means that I am in the minority.
Surprisingly, my feet felt fine at the end of the run – my toes were cold, and I thought that I had bruised a toe or two (nope, just that cold), but my feet felt no worse for the wear. And the wear was stones, gravel, stones, gravel, etc, the entire time. You really become aware of the surface that you are running on when you are nearly barefoot. You also get a sense of just how loud running shoes make us. “Clomp” is a pretty good word to describe just what it sounds. It makes you think about all of the people out there running who really don’t feel the ground underneath them – I saw a couple of runners really flying, and I doubt that they could have done it without the inch of foam under their feet. Not that that is a bad thing, but observing someone else run, and only avoiding the rocks that would obviously twist their ankles, while I’m mincing along aware of every last stone underfoot, is a neat experience.
No, the part of me that hurt during the run, and after the run, and now, is my calf muscles. Specifically all of the muscles that help to plantar flex and stabilize your foot (so the ones on the back and sides of your lower leg). It was bad enough yesterday that I really couldn’t walk normally – trying to plantar flex and push off in a normal walking style hurt, and the muscles felt completely worn out. So I ended up hobbling most of the time. I received some acupuncture, and today they still hurt, but I am walking normally. I am trying to figure out if the pain and weakness came from utter muscle fatigue – Yesterday I placed a tremendous demand on the muscles in my calves – 3 miles isn’t a long way, but really, the muscles that took the majority of the load yesterday were in my calves. My hamstrings, quads, hips, they all felt like I had barely started running at the end of the run. I’m hoping that as I continue to run in the VFFs, my calves will get stronger.
Today is day one of me trying to follow a paleo style diet. I have resolved to at least drop refined sugars and wheat products, and those shouldn’t be too difficult – it may be a little more difficult to not eat rice. I was thinking about it on the drive into the office this morning. The resolve to change your diet starts with you realizing that the little voice in your head that is complaining that it is too hard to avoid those foods is the one that is addicted to them. Addicts will make any excuse or justification in order to support their addiction. Confronting that voice, and overriding those complaints is really the core to successfully changing your behavior.
We will see if the sugar monkey is riding my back tomorrow. And the smell of baked bread, well, I just need to avoid bakeries.
I ended up running by myself yesterday, as everyone who had initially said they would join me ended up having other obligations. While waiting (as I didn't know who was actually showing up), I entertained all of the other runners at the trailhead with my sales pitch for running in Vibrams. It seems that everyone out there has heard of them, but no-one seems to have seen them in real life. Which is funny, because I know at least six or so other people that wear them on a regular basis. I guess that just means that I am in the minority.
Surprisingly, my feet felt fine at the end of the run – my toes were cold, and I thought that I had bruised a toe or two (nope, just that cold), but my feet felt no worse for the wear. And the wear was stones, gravel, stones, gravel, etc, the entire time. You really become aware of the surface that you are running on when you are nearly barefoot. You also get a sense of just how loud running shoes make us. “Clomp” is a pretty good word to describe just what it sounds. It makes you think about all of the people out there running who really don’t feel the ground underneath them – I saw a couple of runners really flying, and I doubt that they could have done it without the inch of foam under their feet. Not that that is a bad thing, but observing someone else run, and only avoiding the rocks that would obviously twist their ankles, while I’m mincing along aware of every last stone underfoot, is a neat experience.
No, the part of me that hurt during the run, and after the run, and now, is my calf muscles. Specifically all of the muscles that help to plantar flex and stabilize your foot (so the ones on the back and sides of your lower leg). It was bad enough yesterday that I really couldn’t walk normally – trying to plantar flex and push off in a normal walking style hurt, and the muscles felt completely worn out. So I ended up hobbling most of the time. I received some acupuncture, and today they still hurt, but I am walking normally. I am trying to figure out if the pain and weakness came from utter muscle fatigue – Yesterday I placed a tremendous demand on the muscles in my calves – 3 miles isn’t a long way, but really, the muscles that took the majority of the load yesterday were in my calves. My hamstrings, quads, hips, they all felt like I had barely started running at the end of the run. I’m hoping that as I continue to run in the VFFs, my calves will get stronger.
Today is day one of me trying to follow a paleo style diet. I have resolved to at least drop refined sugars and wheat products, and those shouldn’t be too difficult – it may be a little more difficult to not eat rice. I was thinking about it on the drive into the office this morning. The resolve to change your diet starts with you realizing that the little voice in your head that is complaining that it is too hard to avoid those foods is the one that is addicted to them. Addicts will make any excuse or justification in order to support their addiction. Confronting that voice, and overriding those complaints is really the core to successfully changing your behavior.
We will see if the sugar monkey is riding my back tomorrow. And the smell of baked bread, well, I just need to avoid bakeries.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
My Running Journal, 030610
Rest days are nice days, when you actually get to rest. Yesterday I slept in until 7am, and today as well. Of course, both Thursday and Friday evenings I was out and about until a wee hour of the morning, so technically, according to the passage of time, I actually slept less on the days where I have “slept in.” Oh well, the price you pay for having fun.
Speaking of, my calves have calmed down a bit. I’m sure tomorrow’s run will bring the pain, but ideally it remains just sore muscles that are adapting to new and increased demands. Luckily, fingers crossed, my feet don’t hurt. Tomorrow is a trail run, over gravel, stones and mud, which means my little tootsies are going to have a bit of a challenge. Expect to read a whiny report in the near future about how bruises on your feet hurt.
Today is a really beautiful day in Portland – early spring, with the sun out, a light breeze, cool temps, and everything is starting to bloom. Which of course means that I have a sinus headache due to all of the pollen floating around.
Monday I am slated to really start dialing in my diet – As much grief as I gave to the people who simplify the philosophy behind the Paleolithic style diet, I am going to start down that road. Not the “I’m a modern caveman and hunt with a sharpened stick,” but “I’m trying to keep my insulin levels stable and lower my cardiovascular risks.” Monday I’m going to start getting strict with my diet. I’ve already started thinking about how to prepare foods and tried out a couple of things. I’m going to aim for a diet that is 40/40/20 – 40% proteins, 40% complex carbohydrates, and 20% fats. We’ll see how that goes.
Time to go enjoy the sun.
Speaking of, my calves have calmed down a bit. I’m sure tomorrow’s run will bring the pain, but ideally it remains just sore muscles that are adapting to new and increased demands. Luckily, fingers crossed, my feet don’t hurt. Tomorrow is a trail run, over gravel, stones and mud, which means my little tootsies are going to have a bit of a challenge. Expect to read a whiny report in the near future about how bruises on your feet hurt.
Today is a really beautiful day in Portland – early spring, with the sun out, a light breeze, cool temps, and everything is starting to bloom. Which of course means that I have a sinus headache due to all of the pollen floating around.
Monday I am slated to really start dialing in my diet – As much grief as I gave to the people who simplify the philosophy behind the Paleolithic style diet, I am going to start down that road. Not the “I’m a modern caveman and hunt with a sharpened stick,” but “I’m trying to keep my insulin levels stable and lower my cardiovascular risks.” Monday I’m going to start getting strict with my diet. I’ve already started thinking about how to prepare foods and tried out a couple of things. I’m going to aim for a diet that is 40/40/20 – 40% proteins, 40% complex carbohydrates, and 20% fats. We’ll see how that goes.
Time to go enjoy the sun.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
My Running Journal, 030410
Today was day 2 of running in my VFFs. 1.97 miles (my “2” mile loop) was completed at an average pace of 10:55 min/mile. My first mile averaged to 11:00 minutes a mile, and the second half of the run averaged to 10:49. Which is both faster and farther than yesterday, but I am sort of paying the price for it – my calves are intensely sore – but it isn’t a feeling of anything other than overuse – no sharp pains, no sensation of weakness or imminent tearing of anything. If nothing else, I felt light on my feet for most of the run this morning. Overall, at least yesterday and today, I felt like I was using far less energy to run. Whether that is the change in running style, or just that I had a week-long rest, remains to be seen. But my body feels different at the end of these runs – beside sore calves, I don’t feel any tightness in my hips or hamstrings, and I feel more energetic at the end of the runs.
This morning I actually got off pace several times – I was striding faster than the metronome was counting. When I caught myself doing that, and eased back, I felt a little disappointed. I felt like I could run faster. But the trick right now is to keep it nice and easy, and not overload my legs and feet.
When I initially got them a couple of years ago, I tried out running in them, as I was training for a Half-Marathon and was wondering if I could pull off the near barefoot stride. After trying to run around the block a couple of times, I relegated to wearing the VFFs on hikes, and while playing in and around water. And then I shelved them altogether, for a variety of reasons (the primary one being that I was headed to China, and didn’t really want another reason for people to stare at me).
So why didn’t I stick with the VFFs to start with? It was my stride, and the nature of my footfall. Or I should say foot strike. I had been training in a really nice pair of Brooks Cascadia trail shoes, as the half marathon (the Haulin’ Aspen) is a trail run. And almost all of the training runs that I was going on were on the trail… and I was being really lazy, and training minimally. Running on concrete and asphalt is different from running on a gravel, dirt, mud and stony trail. I was just at the beginning of understanding how to run properly – I was still in the mindset of striking with the heel, and then rolling forward along the bottom of the foot to the toe, and then pushing off with the toe. Needless to say, heel striking for any length of time while barefoot or close to barefoot isn’t the best idea, and I realized that within a couple of seconds of trying to run in the VFFs.
Running barefoot or near barefoot really requires a different stride than what you can do in a running shoe. Running shoes, because of the padding and support, allow your feet to be protected, but there is not real demand to have a natural, careful stride. You can heel strike all you want (okay, not true, since that leads inevitably to injury). We weren’t born with shoes on, but, to steal a line from The Boss and Christopher McDougall, we are born to run. McDougall summarizes a brilliant bit of science that explores the anatomy of a human, and how we have structures in our body that only benefit us (from an evolutionary standpoint) when we run – such as our Achilles tendons, nuchal membrane, and ability to separate our breathing from our stride. All of the little bones, crisscrossing ligaments, muscles, tendons and joints in our feet serve a purpose, and the theory is that they are an energy return system – springs and tensegrity networks that assist us.
The only reason to wear shoes, arguably, is to provide protection from the elements.
I stopped trying to run in my VFFs back then because I wasn’t ready, mentally, to allow for that. I had repeated the mantra in my head that I hated running, the injuries to my feet and ankles that I sustained doing Gymnastics in High School kept me from having strong ankles and feet, and I felt like I was wasting energy running up on the ball of my foot.
All of which were self perpetuated lies. There is nothing, physically, holding me back from doing this.
This morning I actually got off pace several times – I was striding faster than the metronome was counting. When I caught myself doing that, and eased back, I felt a little disappointed. I felt like I could run faster. But the trick right now is to keep it nice and easy, and not overload my legs and feet.
When I initially got them a couple of years ago, I tried out running in them, as I was training for a Half-Marathon and was wondering if I could pull off the near barefoot stride. After trying to run around the block a couple of times, I relegated to wearing the VFFs on hikes, and while playing in and around water. And then I shelved them altogether, for a variety of reasons (the primary one being that I was headed to China, and didn’t really want another reason for people to stare at me).
So why didn’t I stick with the VFFs to start with? It was my stride, and the nature of my footfall. Or I should say foot strike. I had been training in a really nice pair of Brooks Cascadia trail shoes, as the half marathon (the Haulin’ Aspen) is a trail run. And almost all of the training runs that I was going on were on the trail… and I was being really lazy, and training minimally. Running on concrete and asphalt is different from running on a gravel, dirt, mud and stony trail. I was just at the beginning of understanding how to run properly – I was still in the mindset of striking with the heel, and then rolling forward along the bottom of the foot to the toe, and then pushing off with the toe. Needless to say, heel striking for any length of time while barefoot or close to barefoot isn’t the best idea, and I realized that within a couple of seconds of trying to run in the VFFs.
Running barefoot or near barefoot really requires a different stride than what you can do in a running shoe. Running shoes, because of the padding and support, allow your feet to be protected, but there is not real demand to have a natural, careful stride. You can heel strike all you want (okay, not true, since that leads inevitably to injury). We weren’t born with shoes on, but, to steal a line from The Boss and Christopher McDougall, we are born to run. McDougall summarizes a brilliant bit of science that explores the anatomy of a human, and how we have structures in our body that only benefit us (from an evolutionary standpoint) when we run – such as our Achilles tendons, nuchal membrane, and ability to separate our breathing from our stride. All of the little bones, crisscrossing ligaments, muscles, tendons and joints in our feet serve a purpose, and the theory is that they are an energy return system – springs and tensegrity networks that assist us.
The only reason to wear shoes, arguably, is to provide protection from the elements.
I stopped trying to run in my VFFs back then because I wasn’t ready, mentally, to allow for that. I had repeated the mantra in my head that I hated running, the injuries to my feet and ankles that I sustained doing Gymnastics in High School kept me from having strong ankles and feet, and I felt like I was wasting energy running up on the ball of my foot.
All of which were self perpetuated lies. There is nothing, physically, holding me back from doing this.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
My Running Journal 030310
Faster, or farther? Or both?
That’s what I’m asking myself right now. Last week I went on a business trip, and ended up not running at all for a week (and eating crappy food). Today I got back out the door and back on the running schedule, with a little bit of anxiety wondering how my performance may have been impacted.
I ran a whopping total of 1.18 miles this morning, at an average pace of 11:43.
Which isn’t far, and it isn’t fast, but, in my defense, is because I did things differently. Specifically, I didn’t wear running shoes. Nope, I decided that, since I had missed a whole week and probably am starting close to the beginning endurance-wise, that I could start the process over again, and this time without running shoes.
I pulled on my old Vibram Five Finger Sprints, that I bought back in 2008, and went for a trot. The running style that makes the most sense while wearing the VFFs is a forefoot touchdown, with absolutely no heel strike. I was already sort of running in this fashion – but the difference between my Brooks Addictions (which are designed to correct for heavy pronation), and the VFFs, which provide no support whatsoever, is huge. The sensation of running is tremendously different – and it is hard to describe. With my foot freer to move around, my legs felt completely different. Not like I was floating or anything, but without the stability control of the running shoes, or padding, the running style that I have been trying to develop – a forward leaning, ball of the foot springiness – was much easier to do. I wasn’t fighting the shoe. I was with the Brooks, which seem to be designed to encourage a mid-foot or heel strike, as there is a large amount of padding in the heel, and the sole is sort of wedge shaped, with the thicker part at the heel end. By the end of the run my legs felt really different from my other runs – most of the ache and muscle fatigue was below the knees. That, and my feet are a little sore now.
Now the question is how quickly can I condition my legs to running without padding? We’ll see. I have my first race of the season in a week and a half – the Shamrock run on the 14th. I’m running the 5k section of it.
That’s what I’m asking myself right now. Last week I went on a business trip, and ended up not running at all for a week (and eating crappy food). Today I got back out the door and back on the running schedule, with a little bit of anxiety wondering how my performance may have been impacted.
I ran a whopping total of 1.18 miles this morning, at an average pace of 11:43.
Which isn’t far, and it isn’t fast, but, in my defense, is because I did things differently. Specifically, I didn’t wear running shoes. Nope, I decided that, since I had missed a whole week and probably am starting close to the beginning endurance-wise, that I could start the process over again, and this time without running shoes.
I pulled on my old Vibram Five Finger Sprints, that I bought back in 2008, and went for a trot. The running style that makes the most sense while wearing the VFFs is a forefoot touchdown, with absolutely no heel strike. I was already sort of running in this fashion – but the difference between my Brooks Addictions (which are designed to correct for heavy pronation), and the VFFs, which provide no support whatsoever, is huge. The sensation of running is tremendously different – and it is hard to describe. With my foot freer to move around, my legs felt completely different. Not like I was floating or anything, but without the stability control of the running shoes, or padding, the running style that I have been trying to develop – a forward leaning, ball of the foot springiness – was much easier to do. I wasn’t fighting the shoe. I was with the Brooks, which seem to be designed to encourage a mid-foot or heel strike, as there is a large amount of padding in the heel, and the sole is sort of wedge shaped, with the thicker part at the heel end. By the end of the run my legs felt really different from my other runs – most of the ache and muscle fatigue was below the knees. That, and my feet are a little sore now.
Now the question is how quickly can I condition my legs to running without padding? We’ll see. I have my first race of the season in a week and a half – the Shamrock run on the 14th. I’m running the 5k section of it.
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