Running in the Rain

Running and Tech Part 3

2011-11-26T13:48:00.001-08:00

Gear that Gets You Going

Runkeeper v2.9 Review

Anyone with an iPhone or Android based phone can attest to their "swiss army knife-iferousness" they can call, surf, play, snap, and many other one syllable verbs. After getting a Sprint HTC Evo last may I found that there is one application no Android ( or iPhone) should be without. This lil app is called Runkeeper. It sounds simple enough, but the wealth of information the app coaxes out of your smartphone is awesome.

Activity Type

Activity Type is where you set Runkeeper's calculations for your workout - there are many activities to choose from that set Runkeeper up to accurately calculate the amount of work done ( i.e. 30 miles of biking burns less calories than 30 miles of running)

Routes

Google Maps, Google maps that you can draw on, Google maps that you can draw on that save the drawings and tell you how far you've drawn. Is this cool or what? Everybody has their old comfy routes that they know like the back of their hands, why not document them so you can share them with others? I've found this feature useful now I can tell friends that want to go running with me exactly what they are in for.

Real Time Data and Feedback

Real time data, without having to look at your device. This is a nice feature and in Runkeeper it is VERY configurable - You get to choose the audio data and when you hear it. Pace, speed and distance can be provided at the specific interval; you choose if you want to hear it every 10 minutes or every 2 miles. On a personal note, I really like hearing the cues, I have mine set for every 5 minutes. Runkeeper delivers them seemlessly - it will operate transparently with any other audio you have running. The info is nice and allows you to focus on the activity, not checking your watch every moment or so. Depending on the speaker phone power of your device, you may be able to hear the cues without too much difficulty while doing other activities as well. It's pretty much a non-issue, but can be an issue if you keep it in your pocket on bike rides

The Website

From the webpage, all the information is at your fingertips, a very nice way to show pace and elevation. Breaking out the split times in mile intervals is helpful in building consistency and seeing the effects of adjustments you make during your run.

I did not have a heart meter for this review, but I am looking into them - heart rate is a very important stat in training.

Social

Runkeeper does one thing well - it is an awesome app for measuring fitness progress, but even smarter than that, they leverage the 200 ton gorilla that is Facebook to increase their networks reach and leave the "social" to the experts, but you can also link directly to your friends within a feature called Street Team.

The folks at Runkeeper realize that everyone is social on twitter and facebook - you can choose to let built in connectors post your activities to the social networks.

Runkeeper was not satisfied just to let you tell folks what you have done, they want you to be able to tell them what you are doing, right now without having to fumble for your keyboard on a long run

This is so techy-cool, your friends can track you live, They will see if you fall down a well, Lassie is now redundant

Well, Doesn't That Just Frost You!

2011-11-26T09:17:00.001-08:00

Knee pain is a quirky, stupid, and aggravating thing!
Sometimes the waiting game doesn't pay off, some times it does. This time it turned out to be the waiting game that paid off. I waited until the pain was a memory and started again, first 4 miles, no pain. 6 miles, no pain. Another 6 miles and a little warning pain. ARRRG!

Frosted Flakes fortified with Essential Insights!

Then came the fateful Sunday morning, I wanted to get a run in before church, it was a foggy, icy, frosty, cold November morning. You could tell the sun had grudgingly rose by the slightly less dark 50 meter circle of world the fog permitted you to see. The thermometer in my truck read 27 but the ashpalt running trail appeared only slightly damp I'd have to test it, but the path did not look to slick. I was running a 5 mile course Auburn to Kent and back. The start of a run in always a time to check out your body - before I get started I usually stretch out Achilles, but since I'm not going too fast I let the beginning of the run serve as warm up. The trail is not slick at all, but I notice white patches of frost in the distance. there is no chance of measurable precipitation, but the occasional flake falls through the fog, condensing in the 500-1000 feet of fog above my head. I hit the white patches of trail carefully, not too slippery. I see other prints in the frost trail off ahead of me. I wasn't the first one out? wow, early runner! At least there's only one set of prints, I feel like less of a slacker. Crossing the train tracks just past 277th I exercise extreme caution, the hardened rubber plates dividing the track are slick!

The run feels good, but I'm starting to feel the tell tale twinge in my right knee as I'm crossing the green river bridge - I'm being really careful as the bridge was covered in a thick coasting of frost. The frost is pretty much covering the trail - I take this time to critique the preceding runners tracks - great form, straight steps, but the stride is way long, either he's 8'5" or he's setting himself up for problems, or he's sprinting the whole way.
I reach the turn around at Willis and head back. My knee is telling me it's hurting, but not to intensely. as I look back across the path to the now two sets of tracks in the frost. My stride is an easy 8-10 inches shorter, then EUREKA!!!!!!

You Run Like a Penguin!

My stride may be perfect for maintaining the proper cadence ( 180 steps per minute) but I'm running like a PENGUIN! I just figured out why the inside on my right knee is hurting - GAS PEDAL FOOT! While you are driving, your right heel tends to sit between your brake pedal and the accelerator but the top of your foot rests off at an angle - over time that becomes an accustomed rest position for the foot, and when you are running, if you maintain that position the end of your right stride puts additional pressure on the front inside of your knee joint.

The rest of the run I concentrated on the now unnatural feel of straight in line footfalls, it felt wierd, but NO MORE PAIN!

Back in the Saddle Again

2011-09-04T08:05:00.000-07:00

And so it ends...

The chapter of my life dedicated to meniscus pain that kept me from running. Today I ran a half marathon - at an easy 12 minute/mile pace but nonetheless I feel that the act of completing the long run puts me back into the "runners" mode. I will go back to 10ks for the forseeable future with another 1/2 here or there as the situation requires. This is happening at the perfect time of year. Summer is winding down, even though it fitfully just begun. Cooler temps will allow for more afternoon runs, cloudy/rainy days will obviate the need for sunscreen

I have started to feel the delicious stiffness and soreness of calf and Achilles: the good soreness, where you know that a mile down the road it will be a memory - until you stop again! Today I will rest-day it tomorrow I will do a 10k and see if it feels as short as I remember :)

Three after Eight

2011-08-30T10:24:00.000-07:00

A Matter of Time

"Two weeks" is what the doctor said, "You could be running two weeks after the procedure" I take Dr. Hunter at his word but a couple of days before I hit the magic mark I dump my Harley on my ankle. Ouch. well, it's just a minor thing, I limp for a week and get over it. the next week was too busy to even try to get in any running so we are out 4 weeks after the procedure - TWO MONTHS since I've ran. I am burning up for a run and a free Saturday could not happen at a better time.

Vacationing in Lovely Nirvana

The morning of the run I knew it would be a hot day, so I hit interurban at 7:00am. I'm not sure how my knee would react to running, so I plan to run my short run - a 10k. the run starts off easy, I forgot my heart meter strap, but wore the Garmin anyway. I can turn around at the first notion of pain and if it's too bad I can walk back. A mile into the run I am reliving all the pleasure that I had been missing these two months now. In the back of my head the dreaded 4 mile pain is looming large in my mind, but it never starts at mile two, mile three I would start to feel the beginnings of the pain, and I was so focused on it that I think I was imagining it - by 3.25 my imagination was in check, I definately would have felt something, but all I felt was my stupid ankle that hurt a bit but did not worsen as the run progressed. I decided at the 10K turn around point that I would extend the run to my "medium" run of 8 miles since there was no sign of knee pain. At mile 4 I felt nothing but satisfaction that there was no pain. I prayed thanksgiving that God could put such awesome surgeons in my life. I was looking at stretching the run into a 1/2 marathon, but at mile 6 I considered that might be overdoing it, especially since I had only hydrated with two cups of coffee, and the heat of what would be a 90 degree day was starting to climb quickly. Mile 7 convinced me that 13 was too optimistic but that is fine, 8 miles was heaven, I AM BACK! Bliss has been recaptured.

Diversions in Hades

Then comes the next morning, on waking I notice that my legs are quite stiff, as I start to get out of bed I set my feet on the floor *ow* I try to raise myself out of bed *#%€£¥* I can't put any weight on the leg - the knee is screaming, and even hopping on the other leg hurts it. Ok, hit the bathroom, go downstairs, get food and down 800mgs of ibuprofen, sit with icepack and watch the morning news. I attempt to get up again and the knee is still screaming, "ok, time for stronger measures" I grab the vicodin and hope for some relief. A little, but more ice is needed. This went on for the rest of the day the next morning I head into work and limp all day, but the limp gets slightly better as the day progresses. More ice in the afternoon, and by the next day the limp is almost gone, I call the doc and he says that 8 miles was a bit much, he doesn't think any more damage is done and rest ice and ibu should help. A scary couple of days but I am still jubilant that running 8 miles was a possibility again. Fast-forward 1 week and I star over, this time with a little more moderation - 3 miles around a track, my pace is decidedly faster than normal, but I'm feeling good, after about 30 minutes I'm done and heading home to ice and ibuprofen. The next day ( today, actually) I'm feeling good, tonight I will go for 5 and see how that works... Wish me luck!

Now Don't Jump the Gun!

2011-07-26T20:23:00.000-07:00

OK! Swelling is going down quick! 4 days out of surgery I HAVE A KNEECAP! my limp is almost gone and I'm feeling very spunky. Thursday I may try my elliptical and if all goes well I may run Saturday morning. I will most likely run at a high school track so I can stop if I start to feel pain. This may be a bit quick but I'm feeling EXCELLENT. An icepack on my knee is taking care of residual swelling and tomorrow I won't wear an ACE bandage. I have refrained from taking ibuprofen, but if I could I know the swelling would be gone.

RUNNING! I am SO mentally ready, I think it is setting my mind on only one goal, if I do 16 laps at the high school track, I will be at four miles. I should start to feel pain if the meniscus isn't the issue. Of course if the meniscus isn't the issue the pain will only be minor.
However if I do regain a slight bit of composure I may opt for a bike ride Friday. That will be much less impactful on my knee.

Healing and Waiting

2011-07-24T17:55:00.000-07:00

It's getting better all the time....

Surgery on Friday was great. Annette came and visited me during the preop wait - which was awesome because my surgeon, Dr. Hunter, was running late - sometimes stuff happens, and if he needs to take more time with a procedure ahead of me, I am sure he would do the same for me if needed. Annette showed me pictures of the "Warrior Dash" she participated in, looked like fun, I have a couple of friends that did it, the next one I will be up for.

I am now (according to Dr. Hunter's estimate) 12 days away from running. I NEED TO RUN, I cannot state it more clearly, my mind is frazzled and nothing would help it more than miles and miles and miles (and miles and miles)

A Slide =(
Oy, I should have known, my discipline has been nil. I've eaten and gained - fully dressed i'm tipping the scales at 236 and I am sure that even with my celphone, my clothing does not weigh 16 pounds. Running will not address this, it's all discipline and self control. Running may make it easier to get rid of, but I need to get my mind right food /= comfort. Only being right with yourself brings comfort, and sometimes to get there you need to be uncomfortable - so be it. I'm not ready for any type of relationship but no one want a fat pig for a boyfriend.

Waiting for the Knife

2011-07-18T17:04:00.000-07:00

Meniscus tear *or* Clean up on aisle KNEE

So I have arraigned for surgery - it happens Friday, an arthroscopic procedure to trim away the torn meniscus and get me back in the run again. So far biking hasn't aggravated it at all, and walking is no issue - even Dance Central on my 360 is fine, it's just running : /

I have been able to keep some exercise going, but I want, no I NEED to run and the prognosis is that two weeks after the surgery I will.

Running Through the Pain

2011-06-25T09:56:00.000-07:00

My Knee is Bringing Me to My Knees!

For the psat couple of months I have developed a pain in my knee that debilitates after a certain distance - I ran through the pain today and completed my first 10k in a couple of months, but I need to get something done about it. Biking is fun and all, but I live to run.

Although I busted my lower femur in tae kwon do, I have had no issues with it and that is not where the pain resides. Looking at the diagram above the pain is coming from the left side top of the tibia or the miniscus The pain does not start immediately, it happens slowly after about 4 miles I become aware of it, then at five miles it is a constant thrum at mile six I am wanting to stop. once I stop and walk the pain is gone, but it returns quickly if I begin to run again. I made it the whole 10K and thats what I was praying for, now it's time to go to the doctor and get something done about it

UPDATE: the doctor recommended an MRI which revealed a torn meniscus, and the orthopedic surgeon said it's a simple procedure - I should be running again in two weeks after the procedure... I CAN"T WAIT!!!

It's been a while...

2011-06-04T06:47:00.000-07:00

Changes are not always good, but how you deal with them can be.

April 2nd my wife passed away from cancer - specifically Glioblastoma Multiform. This was a race we could not win. This was a race that we needed all our strength to finish. Cancer is evil, but it taught me what love means, what family means, and what is important in life. I am blessed to have faith - this gift is more powerful than most people can imagine and has saved me from despair.

During this time, my ability to fit running into my life has been somewhat constrained. Running has been a large part of my life for the last year or so. It is my tool for dealing with stress. During the final phase of my wife's cancer, I was blessed with inner strength, I was not able to run much at all, that's OK, I was there for my wife as I should be and looking back, in that time I found the truest love of all, I found it in caring for someone I love - caring beyond my own ability and growing in love that is beyond any I have felt before. I thank the Lord for my 26 years with Evi and know that now she stands before God and is singing with the saints.

Running into the new year

2011-01-01T20:14:00.000-08:00

Start it off right.

My return to sanity began on Christmas Eve with a much needed half marathon, no real worry about speed, just time to run and run and run.

NOTE: this was two runs - a 5 mile run earlier in the week, and my Half-M on Christmas Eve - I forgot to reset the Garmin between runs (doh!)

It was slow, cathartic, exultant, and so needed! You can't replace the feeling that endorphins bring at the end of a frazzling week!
My employer provides for a block of time off between Christmas and New Years Day, I used this time to great effect. After that run I had a few days of being busy, but I tried to use the morning times to recharge my base. , I've been very busy at work and home life presents lots of challenges, so it was nice to be able to string together a few 10Km runs. I ended up doing a little over 31 miles in total, which was very theraputic. Although maintaining an aerobic heart rate was not in the cards. for the majority of them, I was in close proximity for a few.

http://runkeeper.com/user/samstratton/activity/21628350
http://runkeeper.com/user/samstratton/activity/21670320
http://runkeeper.com/user/samstratton/activity/21702642
http://runkeeper.com/user/samstratton/activity/21743901

I took new years eve off to rest up for a group run that never materialized on new years day, so I went and dropped another 10K into the books

http://runkeeper.com/user/samstratton/activity/21935716

No need for a resolution about running, it's like saying "I resolve to breathe this year." Runnning is more therapy than fitness now. The rates for this therapist is quite reasonable.

Running, in the Rain; a Guide

2010-06-21T06:30:00.000-07:00

How you too can find yourself looking forward to those gray, cloudy, drizzly days

So, you're reading this blog thinking "this guy is whacked, I'm not going out there in the rain!" Ask yourself this: Why not? The answers will always feel like excuses - go on, try it, answer the question... see, it feels like an excuse doesn't it?

Now that we've gotten past that, lets talk about what you can do to make running in the rain your favorite pastime.

Course

The location for your run can really impact your state of mind. if you are constantly dodging puddles, leaping lakes, and mucking through mud the run will not be too fun - usually paved trails with good drainage work best. I find that level areas provide the best meditative runs, hills provide more challenge. It is also good to find a purpose built trail, especially during prolonged heavy rains - running along side a road can get you soaked as some drivers tend to view the combination of standing water and you as a great temptation.

Weather

If there are electrical storms in the area it's probably best to wait! I tend to prefer a heavy drizzle to a hard rain, but there are times when either are exhilarating. No matter the intensity, rain acts as an "acoustic wash" providing a level of white noise that is great for contemplation or just getting lost in the moment. The world is a different place outside in the rain - it's serene.

Clothing

If there is one thing that can ruin running in the rain it is cotton. Cotton is the abrasive sponge of the textile industry. If you are dry it's nice and soft, but get it wet and after a mile you'll have chafing that will scream COTTON! to you when jump in the shower. "Tech fabric" is a glorified name for polyester. This is not to be confused with those lime green leisure suits from the '70s. Tech fabric is light and soft, it's only joy in life is to suck moisture off your skin and keep it away. Tech fabric is definitely one of the main keys that turned me into a rain runner. I can be in a complete downpour soaking me from head to toe, but as soon as the rain's intensity abates - I'm dry. Tech clothing from shirts to socks helps keep you dry ( tech socks are awesome for channeling moisture from feet to prevent blisters) and does not cling - no wet T-shirt contests here! One article of clothing really helps in the rain: a baseball cap. You can keep your eyes out of the rain or turn it around to get a good spritz - it is nice keeping the eyes dry on the long runs - on windy days glasses are advisable too.

"Dress as if the temperature was twenty degrees warmer, if it's raining go for 10 degrees" - Eric Sach

How much to wear?

Temperature is a funny thing - Just standing around in 50 degree weather (Fahrenheit) in shorts and a T shirt is a bit cold. Trust me though, when you are running it is enough.Eric Sach of The Balanced Athlete summed up gear choice quite succinctly "If it's dry out dress as if the temperature was twenty degrees warmer, if it's raining 10 degrees" The following are rough guidelines, they work well for me, but people are different.

50 and above

The shorts and Tshirt work up until around 70 degrees, above that I'd switch to a singlet top.

40 - 50

I'd keep the tshirt, but either put a long sleeve shirt underneath or move to long pants. Long pants and heavy rain make for added weight though, try tights - seriously... guys too (these are awesome for warmth and wicking)

33-40

Don the long pants/tights and layered long-sleeve/Tshirt combo. ear muffs are optional. Gloves too are optional, but after the first mile, your hands do warm up considerably.

Under 30

You will need to add gloves - but also you'll be running in the snow - so get some traction devices for your shoes and BE CAREFUL one slip and you might take a few months before you can run again!

Do yourself a favor - if you haven't tried it, give it a shot - Go run in the rain and let me know what you think.

Recovery

2010-06-15T06:32:00.000-07:00

Post marathon training is now just running - I'm in need of more discipline. Although my distance is good, my pace is too fast and my runs too infrequent. Too fast of a pace is do-able, but there's a price to pay - small injuries tend to crop up when you are out of the MAF (Maximum Aerobic Function) mode. In my two runs since the marathon I've had a night and day difference; The first run was aerobic and slow 11 miles, the second was non-aerobic and fast and longer 13.4 the difference in mileage was small, the difference in pace was large now I'm sporting a sore foot.

This run was relaxed - nice and easy. The pace was slow, but definately a jog. I was not sore after this run, I was ready to run the next day.

Unfortunately life happens and I needed to wait two days to run again. So when I had my chance on Sunday AM to be out of church I ran with The Balanced Athlete on their Sunday AM group run. I brought the camera along and grabbed a few shots...

The group started out at The Balanced Athlete in the Landing at Renton and because it was a glorious sunny day we ran up the Maple Valley Trail. Some did 4 miles, some did 8. I and a few others decided a half marathon would be a good Sunday morning run. The Maple Valley Trail follows the Cedar River for the most part and one of the first portions is a walkway along the bank - the water is just about up to the walkway so you really feel close to the water - makes for some nice cool breezes and wonderful views, the cedar is a quick river that provides a great view from benches along side the path. Sitting and looking was not on the agenda and we proceeded up the river. On the outskirts of the city core, the trail becomes more "woodsy" for a while and the shade is quite nice.

Eric and the crew: Job well done

Righted - but sitting on the wheel lock

The Maple Valley Trail is frequented by a lot of bikers, of late there has been a speed limit imposed on the trail due to a fatal collision between a cyclist and a pedestrian. The City added in a portable radar speed wagon. that at sometime previous a group of folks decided to tip over. the TBA crew would have none of that and righted the hapless machine - no small feat as the low center of gravity and weight from the battery box really provided a nice upper-body workout! Once the detector was righted the crew continued on up the trail.
The rest of the run was uneventful, sunny and warm. I had my Amphipod belt so water was not an issue - it worked out nicely, but I may get some more bottles and a gel bottle for longer runs

Gollum runs a marathon

2010-06-06T20:58:00.000-07:00

Road Trip!

The day started with the sunrise, which normally most Washingtonians are blissfully unaware of. Today was different, not a cloud was to be seen. The burning ball of hydrogen spewed it's radiation indiscriminately striking all around with intense illumination. The sunscreen so cavalierly tossed in the closet last September would be called upon today.

The preparation for the race was hap-hazard, but complete. Little did I realize I would be so ill prepared for the sunniest day of the year so far. The race started informally - no chips here, my right calf bears a hastily scrawled "281" that is my race number.

Race materials

Sprint HTC EVO 4G for remote tracking via Google Lattitude
Garmin Forerunner 305 Onboard telemetry
16GB Ipod Nano with Nike+ system
Amphipod hydration belt (20 oz)
Strawberry CHOMPS electrolyte/carbohydrate supplement

The race began heading the wrong way - we needed to head south into Auburn before turning and heading north. the race for the most part followed the interurban trail which is a nicely maintained asphalt trail. The course for the most part is very level. My friend John and his son Jordan showed up at the beginning to cheer me on and followed for a couple of miles cheering me on from their car. The route crossed streets but it mostly followed the green river so a slight decline in elevation over time was to be expected - only two small hills that are over quickly, though with both past the 19 mile point, they were less than welcome. :D

When the race did leave the trail, it went thick into industrial Tukwila/Seattle and then through the urban residential suburbs of Southpark, back to urban industrial west Seattle and then the final 3 miles running up Alki for the finish on one of the most picturesque beaches in Seattle.

twenty miles is the halfway point in a marathon

The solitude of running can be a great thing, but it can also make your mind your own worst enemy. especially when you start running out of energy. Having run the race I can say there is incredible truth to the axiom the that twenty miles is the halfway point in a marathon as I felt that all I had was sucked out of me at that point. I was walking and running, my pulse was completely reactive - two minutes of slow jogging at 5 mph would send my pulse to the other side of 150 and walking would only drop it to my target rate. I was using the CHOMPS as Eric Sach had instructed - bitten in two and allowed to melt in your cheeks. when I noticed my mouth getting dry I'd hit the Amphipod bottles. although after twenty miles I was drinking enough to noticeably "slosh" while running. from 20-23 miles was my low point but was buoyed y the return of my wife and friends who offered water and support , I started to pick back up at 24 only to be admonished a couple of short hills once I hit the each, I pushed and started running again - at that point a great realization hit me - you have it in you if you think you do, you don't if you don't. I started running and did not stop - another entrant was running along side me now - she was doing 22 miles to prep for another marathon, we talked as we ran. I was surprised that I could do either but the camaraderie helped me continue - a shared goal is easier to achieve. My wife and friends were there waiting for me, cheering me on and helping me celebrate a goal achieved. 26.2 miles is a long way, much longer than I thought and something that would have been impossible to do without friends

People who made this accomplishment possible:

First and Foremost Evi Stratton, my wife of 26 years who has supported my wacky desire to run during any weather.

John and Dorsey Marx ( and Jordy too) who have been the best of friends and running partners

Dean Krippaehne for turning me on to "Born to Run" and being once of the motivators to this obsession.

Eric Sach for selling me a pair of shoes and giving me far more in knowledge and guidance than a large pile of shoes would cost.

Tanna Kilgallon for constant motivation and support and advice on running and marathons
The Whole Gang at Nike+ for the monthly competitions that made me strive to do better
and "TheRapture" from Hardocp.com forums who enlightened me to the world of Maximum Aerobic Function training

The Marathon is on!

2010-06-04T19:52:00.000-07:00

Woohoo! track my progress in the map to the right - the race starts at 7:30am, so as you are drinking your morning coffee, watch me run - and as an added benefit you now know where to send the oxygen.

I'm hoping this new-fangled technology works.

Sunday AM, Running with a New Group of Friends

2010-05-24T06:27:00.000-07:00

Sabbath from the Sabbath

This last week has been busy, the Mrs. has had medical issues ( she's back home now and doing much better!) and work has been turned up a notch. Running last week was held to a minimum and I could feel it in my head. Stress was starting to take over. I rarely miss church on Sunday, but with the week being so full I thought to pull a "vacation day".

I knew my day off needed to include running, that was the whole point of the day; Relax, stretch the legs out and do some serious endorphin generation. The question was where to run? My favorite running store, The Balanced Athlete, has free group runs many times a week. One of these runs just happens to fall on Sunday morning. I woke up early Sunday and decided to see if running with a group is different from running solo.

I'm kind of apprehensive about group runs as I'm not too competitive but I don't want to hold the group back - well, it turns out I needn't be concerned. The group runs are comprised of folks with many different types of runners, slow, fast, short distance, long haul. No matter the ability, all are welcome.

I had not logged a run Friday or Saturday, I was itching to put some miles on. I wanted to stay with the group distance wise. It turns out we were spread apart a lot. I was not the longest but I was not the shortest either, I was pretty close to the slowest, although this was definitely NOT a MAF run.

The heart rate was high, but maintainable, I did not hydrate properly, Eric Sach admonished "Next time bring a bottle, and if the run is over an hour a gel would help out to, it will make the run more enjoyable". Word to the wise is sufficient! But all in all it was enjoyable, and much needed. The run ended back at the store and we all went across the street to Cafe Felice for various morning beverages. A great morning meeting new people and creating a goodly quantity of endorphins!

To Kill a Headset - or - This earBuds for You

2010-04-28T21:04:00.000-07:00

Clouds, rain, rain, RAIN, SUUUUN! clouds, rain, rain RAIN!

What a run! I lived up to the domain name today - the term "gully-washer" is apropos.

As I started out I thought I would miss the worst of it - it was looking dark to the south, so I figured I'd head north for the first 1/2 of the run, then turn south after the fatty cumulus had scooted through. Little did I know what was on the horizon to the northeast - the cumulus' kid brother was blowing over just as I finished mile 2. It started sprinkling as I crossed the Green river, then started raining in earnest. I hit Willis at 2.6 miles into the run and turned to head back south, into the thick of this cell. Once I turned, the mild northerly wind that until then had been soaking my back, was now drenching my front - and doing a lovely job of it. There was no hail, but the rain was hard and big. I took my Garmin watch off and tucked its watchband into the waistband of my shorts so that my shirt would protect it from the brunt of the storm. I continued running, listening to a new audio book from Audible.com called "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" which is a very quirky-cool read. I noticed that the volume started to diminish until it was a whisper. I thought I had shorted out the Ipod. I had not, or at least the internal speaker worked well. My earbuds were toast - at least my Ipod was OK I unplugged and moved on.

The rain stops and sunshine starts - I take this moment to shed my t-shirt and wring it out. I put it back on wishing I could ring my shorts out as well, but discretion is the better part of valor and I decided against that. The sun felt awesome! I did note that my shorts stayed soaked for the rest of the run - afterwards I found the beginnings of road rash on my thighs. As I pass back by my truck (5.6 miles) the warm sun is starting to hide and a cloud to the north appears to be chasing me south. I keep going and find that I am outrunning the squall! Except... I'll have to run back through it to get to my truck... Well... it'll blow over by then.

I head down to 15th ST SW just south of the Supermall (8.2 miles) and turn to head back. The sky to the northeast is dark, and you can see the rain falling from the clouds, heavily. The rain starts as I hit Main Street in Auburn (9.1 miles) There's not a lot of it at the start, but the drops are huge. by the time I get to 15th ST NW it is coming down very nicely, not so much the big drops anymore - this is the medium sized soaker-hose rain that is typical of mid-squall. Up ahead I see that the view is obscured by rain, looks like I will hit the tail end of the squall as I end the run - the rain starts pounding, so much so that my tech gear - made to wick away moisture is now pasted to my body. as I finish the rain lets up slightly but I am a drowned rat! luckily I keep a tarp in the truck, under the back seat. I spread it out and hop in, start up the truck and immediately turn the heater on high-defrost. I am wet.

It is in you

2010-04-25T08:54:00.000-07:00

Seriously, activities that you feel are beyond you, are not.

I made the decision to run in a marathon. it was a decision I came to regret. The most I had ever run until today was 13 miles - half the necessary distance. I was ruing my decision, and ruing even more that the marathon was approaching quickly ( 6 weeks from today) I needed to up my training intensity. I needed to produce a quantum change - and jump it up to the next level. Last week I was reminded that the Marathon is coming, I better be ready.

The first question on forums I posted about my marathoner aspirations was "Have you completed any Long Runs?" The poster linking to Hal Higdon's marathon training guide That is where found what I needed, I N-E-E-D-E-D 20 miles. That distance stood as Gandalf in the middle of the bridge telling me "you shall not pass!" After last weekends half marathon at Boeing Field I wanted to try that locale again.

I started internallizing a 20 miler, it would only take 3 times around Boeing Field - I've already done 2. The difference is scale - 13 miles is so much closer to ten, and ten is a long ways! twenty is a double-long ways! The book I've been reading Born to Run by Christopher McDougall has me really pumped for distances - but distances the right way. straight up posture, small strides, elbows back, and smile. Following those rules you can go forever, after all as a member of Homo Sapiens we were born to run long distances.

This run saw the return of a friend to the blog - the Aviator. I posted the offer of a "marathon prep" run and invite 3 folks I knew were runners. All but John - the Aviator, had prior commitments. We started out at the northeast corner of Boeing Field and the pace was easy - basic 5 mph MAF run. It was so much better to have a friend to run with. The Aviator noted that the pace felt great, just a jog no more.

We were about 2/3 into the first lap and a minivan pulls in front of us. Out of the drivers window a golf putter extended with a plush carrot dangling from end. It was the Aviator's wife and son motivating us forward with a carrot on a stick. Luckily our pace was slow as running and laughing and clapping can be dangerous!

At the first lap (6.7 miles) John said he felt good with a bit of surprise. I admitted I was still really fresh, we stopped briefly and downed some Gatorade and chatted a bit the Dorsey (Mrs. Aviator) and JJ ( the littlest pilot) and then John surprised me, "Lets go" and we continued on - I thought John would have stayed for one lap - although he's in good all-around shape he hasn't mentioned distance running as being one of his fortes. And so we begin Lap Two. When it gets to be too much John said he'll just turn around.

We jog south on East Marginal Way and I check my Garmin,
"9 miles" I call out.
John is taken aback "That's the furthest I've ever run" he says matter-of-factly.
Sweet! After completing this lap he will have a half-M under this belt too!

Speaking of 'under your belt' the coffee and Gatorade from the morning was making for an uncomfortable bladder. Luckily Randy's restaurant was nearby -we approached "Restrooms are for Paying Customers ONLY" the sign on the door read. I whipped out my cash card!

"How many?" the hostess inquired thinking I was there for breakfast - the manager was standing near.
I said "I really need to use your restroom, can you charge me for a cup of coffee?" The manager flicks her thumb towards the restroom.
"Go ahead" she offered.
"Thank you very much" w00t!
On the way out of the restaurant I again offer a thank you.
"Thank you for asking" the manager's reply.

I get outside and John is stretching on the corner. We're off again! We round the corner of IGA heading back north it starts blowing and raining - that's the way the day has been going, a squall here and patch of blue sky there. With the wind to our backs the rain felt cool, and like we were being pushed along down the road. Within 5 minutes the rain stopped, the sun came out and had it not been for the wind the mugginess would have been insufferable.As we make it to the end of the second lap, I congratulate John - 13 miles is a LONG run and much further than he had ever gone. I downed another 8 oz of Gatorade and started off on the final lap, thanking John for the tremendous support from him and his family.

I had started to notice but did not pay too much attention to my pulse. Although I was still only doing 5 mph, my heart rate was sitting at 145. I knew what was happening, it had to be. I was only drinking every 6 miles. When running, you really can't chug a lot of liquid. about 8 oz is all I could fit in and still continue running. Now had I been able to drink 8 oz every 3 miles my pulse would have been lower, but I was keeping serious dehydration away for now. I passed Randy's for the 3rd time. thinking "I bet this run will burn enough calories that I can eat there". as I passed the half lap point I noticed little aches and pains starting to blossom a bit - ankles, knees, no muscle pain to speak of, just the complaints of joints from all the repetition.

On the back course up Perimeter Road, I was seeing steady heart rate at 145, which is outside of MAF but not raising any further while keeping the 12:00 pace. as I approached the end of twenty miles I saw the Aviator standing there cheering me on. checking my Garmin I still had 2/10th left and high fived him as I ran past informing him of the situation, 40 seconds later I came back and had completed the 20 - a big first for me.

I thought it was very nice of John to wait over an hour just to cheer me on, but actually he'd lost his car key while stretching when I took the "bio break" at Randy's. so after cool down stretches we jumped in the truck and headed down to the south end of the field and found the escaped key.
"Want to go to Randy's for breakfast?" I offered.
"We've worked off enough calories" John replied.
Sure enough the Garmin told me I'd worked off 3317 calories - an amazing number, 1.5 days worth of food!
Getting out of the truck was fun - our bodies were channeling Harvey Corman from the Carrol Burnett show, at first we could barely walk, when we arrived at the restaurant's door we were approximating a normal gate. As we were seated I was disappointed that there were no pull-bars or a crane to get me out of the booth when we were finished.

The 3 egg omelet with hash browns and toast was awesome, the coffee was good too. We ate and talked about this day of firsts. Stretching out the breakfast until we scraped up the courage to lift our sore complaining bodies out of the booth and back to the truck.

Looking back, this day is pivotal. 20 is a lot of miles, so is 26.2. Having done 20 though, a marathon is no longer the scary beast it was the day before. Much like Hermey the would be dentist elf in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, I had removed the teeth of the Abominable Marathon Monster.

The Needed Run

2010-04-17T17:32:00.000-07:00

Has a run ever been "mandatory" for you?

I had one of those this morning - I had some work I needed to take care of after an eventful/stressful day that saw me travel home, then spend 9 hours in the hospital ER - those moments where things are so stressful you remain calm because that's what needs to be. The stress builds up though - there are things in this world that are just plain wrong, and some of those things you have no power over. You are left to do the best you can with what you have. My family is currently working through one of those. The villain is unassailable and always moving forward. You get pictures of what is to come and you can not help but avert your mind's gaze.

In order to be as supportive and helpful as possible, you must guard against the stress - you need to be the rock that thinks clearly and can provide the comfort your loved one needs - you need 3 things - the love of an awesome God, the unity of a loving family and clear-headed peace of mind. My God is awesome and loves unconditionally, my family is as about as tight as it has ever been, so the clear headed peace of mind thing is up to each one of us. I find my way to strength and clarity through running. I think God has placed running squarely before me so I can be as strong as I need to be - I can keep a clear head and see things that will help the situation.

Slow and Steady with Benefits

2010-04-14T20:06:00.000-07:00

Being a slow runner isn't all defeat and demoralization

Especially when you are being passed by lady joggers! =) It does tend to keep the mind happily preoccupied. This is by no means indicating that these ladies would not have worth above and beyond any whimsical physical attractiveness. I would imagine they are very intelligent and motivated people but as they passed me we did not have time for a conversation, so I was only left with the shallow act of admiring their physical attributes. We must at times deal with these limitations, and for the sake of all feminists I hereby admit my guilt at admiring the fairer sex's functional form.

On yesterday's run I saw a couple running together and the main thing I noticed about the woman was that her foot placement was perfect - her stride was perfect - yes she was also very cute - but I could tell from looking at the stride, that she was in perfect alignment. One thought came to mind "I've spent too much time at The Balanced Athlete".

That reminded me that I must concentrate on my stride if I want to keep pain free and have the best endurance. If you have a bad stride, you can correct it. you just need the advice of an expert to point out changes you can make. A little turn here, a little change in stride length there, an adjustment to the foot strike. stuff that's easy to do, but takes discipline to keep up.

Information Junky!

2010-04-14T06:55:00.001-07:00

Lately when I run I listen to technology podcasts. These are sort of "portable talkshows" discussing the latest tech developements, issues, upcoming products, etc. My favorite website for grabbing podcasts is www.twit.tv - a network ran by the only person in the info tech media that could pull it off - and has/is blazing the trail for others to follow Leo LaPorte, Formerly of Tech TV ( a show that Comcast decided was too full of that "information stuff" and not enough "explosions and boobies") anywhoo...

I've been listening to Leo and his compatriots on The Tech Guy, This Week in Technology, Security Now, This Week in Google, Windows Weekly, Free Linux and Open Source Software, and have also branched out to listen to Cnet's Buzz Out Loud. If you want to be current on technology trends - listen to one weeks airings of these shows and you will become an informed person.

And this leads us to Audible.com. Audible.com is one of the sponsors of Leo's network. I've been hearing about them during the podcast's limited commercial breaks. The commercials harken back to old radio days, where instead of canned script, the podcast participants who have had experience with the product give recommendations and mini reviews - very "live" and refreshing. Extolling the virtues of Audible.com, the commentators relayed the value of being able to read without having to focus on the printed word. Being a reader I love the printed word, I just don't have the time to exclusively dedicate to reading. I thought that his argument had merit and decided to give Audible a try.

I will most likely provide a review of Audible in an upcoming episode of this blog, but for now it is safe to say that I am hooked on reading with my ears.

The first Book I chose was predictable: "Born to Run" by Chistopher McDougall. based on the one man's search for the proper way to run and finding much more. after an 8 mile run, I'm 6 chapters in. the narrator is doing a very good job. The reading is spirited and conveys a proper feel - much more like story-telling than narrating. The book has drawn me in much like reading paper copy - except that I can still perform other functions - like running, checking for traffic, monitoring heart rate, etc. the audio version has not removed the "mind-movie" effect of the book at all - I am picturing the settings and characters and am quite happily occupied throughout the run.

Life a little stressful? RUN!!!

2010-04-13T05:33:00.000-07:00

From the "I need to take my own medicine" department

Life is fun, it provides lots of motivation for a run. Whether you just want to stretch out a bit and work out the kinks, or you are heavy into life and need a "fix" - running provides an oasis of solitude where deep breathing is the norm.

The Second Race

2010-04-12T14:42:00.000-07:00

Racing is like golf - It's wonderful if you don't take it too seriously

I had an awesome time this weekend. The Seahawks 12K was amazing - what a huge race. it doesn't hurt that even with hills I put in an awesome 9:47/mile pace. It was also a nice morning. Before the race I went to The Balanced Athlete, and chatted with The folks there - Eric, the owner advised me that I would not be needing the long sleeve shirt, just to wear the tech T-shirt I had on over it.

"It's 50, [during the run] you're going to feel like its 70 degrees"

Having learned to heed expert advise I was rewarded by feeling very comfortable and cool during the race. I went back to the changing room and reset my ensemble - why is it that headphones always tangle in knots? anyway. We talked about who was racing which race - there was a 5K starting a 1/2 hour after the 12K. I was looking at all the folks sporting The Balanced Athlete attire - all shapes, sizes, ages. Eric said - if you are wearing a shirt and you get your picture in the paper, you'll get a free pair of shoes. I'm not sure if anyone did, but I don't think anyone's real motivation was to get a free pair, more to show support to a great establishment that gives back to the community.

At about 15 minutes before the start we all started heading out to the starting line - actually the starting area - if you were planning on running 5:00 miles you needed to be up front. I placed myself in where I thought might be the 10:00 mile section quite a ways back. All the runners were "chipped" so there would be no issues with starting late and the crowd moved comfortably forward. The announcer's voice blared through the loud speakers and became close to painful as I passed by each one on my way to the starting line. I had my ipod in hand ready to click the start button, and as I passed under the start line arch I activated it and then my Garmin - one can never have too much data.

A noticed within 100 meters that I forgot to set my Garmin up correctly as my heart rate alarm was singing, (It was set for 135 and I was not going to see that rate again until a few minutes after the race) a quick change on the run to 165 and I was good to go.

As the run progressed I found that cadence is really important to maintain. maintaining cadence on hills meant although I was going slower up, I was going faster down. When my body was locked "into the groove" I was running at my best. One failing that I noticed was that I was listening to music that had differing tempos - these caused me to slow or speed up and did not provide for a natural pace. For my next race I will attempt to choose more non-tempo music - music that has an easily ignored tempo like the World of Warcraft sound track.I may even check into specific pace-music to help support and lock in my cadence.

The halfway point greeted us with a trip around the Seattle Seahawks training site. Seahawk players passed out water and Seagals cheered us on. I re-learned the lesson "Walk through the water line" as breathing water really has a negative affect on your cadence! As we rounded the backside of the facility the Blue Thunder drum line was laying down some serious rhythm.

Heading back the hills seemed a bit steeper, but I was locked in - I popped out my earbud and listened to my body. Setting the pace au-natural worked nicely I put my glasses on top of the brim of my hat and worked on heart rate. Up hills I was fighting to keep my heart under control, and for the most part I was winning the battle. If you are running at a fixed pace, breath control is your only heart rate control. I was passing by runners whose breathing was controlling them - sucking wind loudly. I knew I would be there, but only near the end when I open it up within a 1/2-1/4 mile of the finish.

As the race wound back down by Coulon Park, I started getting antsy. I know the end is near! Should I crank it up? Should I wait and lose those few extra seconds? As the Lake Washington boulevard dumped onto Park Avenue, I thought I could see the starting arch... time to hit it! now I'm looking at 8 mph - 20% above my normal speed. about a minute in, my heart is talking to me - it can keep going, but it's not happy. I find 727 Avenue and turn west I'm passing folks at a pretty good clip now, I turn onto Logan and head north to the start/finish line and it's not there!!!

Apparently my Garmin was right, I was still about a 1/3 away from the actual finish line! Do I slow down? Hell no! My Garmin's heart meter is once again telling me that I have topped 165, after 170 it stops it's obnoxious ringing. I've got under 1/4 mile - more like 1000 feet and here's Blitz, the Seahawks mascot waving us in, I'm running as flat out as possible, but I pass close enough for a high-5 from Blitz. Now I see the finish, I'm about at max heart rate (178) and running at >10 mph I cross the line and I'm spent - this is the first time since a hard TKD workout that I thought I was going to succumb to nausea, it didn't happen, but it was close!

Walking it out after getting the chip removed was euphoric, I passed on the sports drinks they were offering as euphoria and nausea seemed to go hand in hand. I just wanted to let my lungs work. From what my Garmin was telling me, I was seeing a huge improvement over my last race in December - 20 seconds per mile faster! I didn't stay for the after run block part, but I did stay for a bit and chatted with all the other "balanced athletes" it was a great event, and I am really happy with the outcome and the improvement over December's race.

Running for Effect

2010-04-05T05:32:00.000-07:00

Stick with what works, but shake it up on occasion

Last month was a great month for running. March saw 168 miles, that's pretty hard core and I'm thinking April may be a bit less intense. I do have a race coming up next week though, it's a 12K on Sunday the 11th. I should be good to go, I'm going to MAF it this week with a gradual taper heading to a 2-3 mile run on Saturday. I did my best 10K last week hitting 1:01:01 - or 9:45 per mile. That's my first time breaking through the 10:00/mile barrier for a run of that length. With that milestone behind me I can focus on more aerobic base building.

I was helping the folks at the balanced athlete move and was talking to Tammy Bridges She's is an ultra runner, and is very experienced in technique and theory. We talked about aerobic base and how she runs - even with a back injury she's doing ultras and has many marathons under her belt. Tammy told me of her husbands disciplined approach to aerobic base and the the outcomes he has seen by just working MAF - he has a hard time getting his heart up, his pulse just stays low he can run forever and is quite quick - He took a disciplined MAF routine and stuck with it for over a year. I do not think I will be able to be quite so disciplined - I need to blow the carbon out from time to time and I do want to continue racing - so I will look for the slow improvements and be happy with the ability to run.

Running now has become a blessing - it's a part of my day that I can just "be" In a busy world that is a priceless ability. Stress, worries, emotion all seem to fade as the meditative mindset sets in.

Two words: "Runners Nipple"

2010-03-30T05:16:00.000-07:00

Ow ow ow ow ow!

OK, motivation is no longer the issue, now it's "runner's nipple". Folks who are just getting into running may not know the term, I thought it was quite a humorous malady until it happened to me, well it's still humorous, but painful as well.

A quote from coolrunning's website:

Description:
When you have runner's nipple, you know it. Raw, painful, even bloody nipples are tough to miss, though sometimes you won't notice it until you get into the shower only to be treated to a decidedly unpleasant stinging sensation.
Likely causes:
Chafing with a wet shirt or running singlet. Particularly during long summer runs, the constant friction of a sweaty, salty shirt can quickly rub your nipples raw. Cotton is particularly villainous here, since it tends to hold water and become heavy.
Remedy:
Before especially long runs and on hot days, smear a little petroleum jelly on the nipples (or really anywhere there might be some chafing). Wear softer, looser clothes, and avoid screen-printed designs on your shirts and singlets. Especially avoid cotton and instead seek out lighter wicking fabrics like CoolMax.

I noticed when I got into the shower this morning - that whole "decidedly unpleasant stinging sensation" description is pretty spot-on. I'm thinking this is a pretty temporary thing as yesterday's run was pretty unique. Puget Sound is experiencing spring thunderstorms and squalls - I love running in the rain, but when even tech gear is soaked through running becomes a bit problematic. The rain was coming down, coming straight, coming forwards and backwards too, as part of the run was beside a very busy street it seemed like the rain was falling up as well. That brings me to an interesting point, lets talk a bit about gear, the clothes you run in.

For most of the summer while I was hiking instead of running, I wore whatever I had around. Usually my wardrobe consisted of khaki shorts, a cotton tank top and an unbuttoned Hawaiian shirt with either my two year old Nikes or tire-tread sandals. For the time, this worked - I was doing 2-3 miles of walking, very low impact, very little need for heat regulation. The cotton absorbed moisture and for the most part it evaporated but as my workouts turned more towards running I found that I needed to get proper footwear. The link up top right on my site, is the place I first learned about running gear - not just shoes, but clothing as well. and the information has paid off in a huge way.

Cotton is not the runner's friend. Cotton is soft, but it retains moisture and will cling to the skin, acting as a conductor of heat while blocking airflow. "Tech gear" is man made material - that is engineered to wick moisture away while allowing airflow - this stuff IS the runners friend. By wicking away moisture it keeps you cool when its hot and it keeps you warmer when it's cold. Tech gear normally prevents the heartbreak of runner's nipple as the material is light and moisture does not accumulate in it. Yesterday run in the rain however saturated my tech gear and for a lot of the time pasted it to my body - where chafing occurred. After the rain though when the shirt was no longer being saturated it started to perform more normally, wicking without clinging, so I started feeling warmer and much more comfortable. The temps outside were ~40-45 degrees F, and I was in a tech T-shirt and tech pants. While the rain was pounding and the shirt was plastered to me, I was a bit cold. Once the rain let up a bit, the tech gear did it's stuff and allowed a layer of air between me and the shirt which provided insulation. About the only thing that would have prevented the plastering is a running jacket, but I like to run as light as possible.

If you are a new runner and want to be more comfortable please look into the tech gear - check out The Balanced Athlete - they have a lot of great gear designed for the northwest. If you decide to grab some tech gear from anyplace let me know how it works for you. I know I'm sold on it.

Days off

2010-03-28T18:58:00.000-07:00

When not to run

This weekend starting on Friday I have not run. I don't feel particularly badly about it as I did not feel good on Friday afternoon or Saturday morning. I also decided to nap on Sunday afternoon - the only time that day that was available for a run.

I find myself second-guessing my drive and wonder if this is this is the start of a falling off in motivation. I am planning on running tomorrow, and look forward to putting some miles under my belt. I would expect myself to be antsy - ready to be unleashed on the trail. I am not in that state of mind. I am looking at all the data collected from my running and seeing a plateau in performance improvement that is concerning. I'm wondering if it's time to shake things up again and put some hills and dales into the run. I think I'll do my local hilly 7 mile route and see how it feels. I'm hoping that I will be able to see some improvement since the last runs in January.

Tired of Slow

2010-03-26T04:56:00.000-07:00

MAF MAF MAF MAF MAF!

This week I ran. Every. Single. Day. Why all this running you may ask? Weight loss, or the lack thereof. You see, I'm trying to lose another 40 pounds - I originally tipped the scales at 260, I am down to 220 now and want to get down to 180 which puts me right in the middle of BMI Normal land. Last Saturday I weighed myself - I had lost .9 pounds from the weigh-in 2 weeks previous. That is not good enough, I'm running, but I'm eating too, I need to control my intake better. I also need to up my workout intensity. My goal is 2-2.5 pounds per week. If I keep to my goal this summer, when I step on my Wii fitness pad, my little Mii will not puff out after completing the "Body Test".

Yesterday was the shortest run of the bunch - it was a 10K, normally I would do 8 Miles (13K). I didn't wear my Garmin yesterday, but Nike+ recorded the 10K effort. Without the Garmin's cardio alarm, I had an excuse to not worry about heart rate.

MAF (Maximum Aerobic Function) training is a great way to build up aerobic base, but it does leave you with an unmet need to run "as fast as you can" yesterday's run was a mix of half hearted self-discipline and the need to rock the pulse a bit. A 10K in 1 hour 8 minutes is not that great of a run, but it did wonders for my heart and lungs - I was actually breathing HARD.

Today I'll try to put in the 8 mile run in MAF with the Garmin yelling at me to keep my heart rate under 135. Every once in a while though, I may leave that watch at home and open it up a bit.

I upped my running distance... UP YOURS!

2010-03-16T18:47:00.000-07:00

In my quest to improve my pace times while maintaining a MAF running profile, I kept coming back to a quote that Chuckie reiterated multiple times in the distance running post

Whatever training you have done to this point has not been as effective as it could have been. Usually, I have found, for two reasons :

1) You don't run enough mileage.
2) You train too fast.

I started MAF training at 5.2 miles per run, that worked for a day, but I was not getting the time in I needed so I started busting out 10Ks (6.24M) The awesome part is it worked! the bad part is it worked! I took my mile pace times from 13:40 to 12:15 but I seemed to plateau out right about there - one thing I noticed was that the time I was taking to complete the run shrank - and as it shrank, so did the amount of improvement.

Monday 3/15 I started doing 8 mile runs and the improvement started up fresh. Now I'm at 12:05 and though it's too soon to see substantial improvements I'm feeling and seeing speed improvements at about the half way point it's like I have a second wind and running just works smoother.

My hopefully stable regime will be five 8 and one 10-12 mile run per week, that will bring me up to 50 miles per week which is a goal of mine, but it brings me closer to my overall goal of getting my pace to 10:00 miles while in MAF profile.

Running and Tech part duex

2010-03-12T21:17:00.000-08:00

Today's run that Nike+ "lost"

Gear that gets you Going

Nike+ System

Nike is a great big company, they do great big things. They invest a bajillion dollars in fashionable athletic shoes and equipment, they invest a bajillion dollars in advertising.

Apple is a great big company, they do great big things. They invest a bajillion dollars in fashionable computing and entertainment equipment, they invest a bajillion dollars in advertising.

Hardware

Together they produced the Nike+ system for users of the Apple iPod/iPhone. The hardware part of Nike+ is a basic pedometer. It counts your steps. cool beans! At $29.99 this pedometer is priced competitively with other step counting devices - excepting the fact that you need an iPod or similar device to connect it to - that raises the total price significantly - but many people already own iPods/iPhones for other purposes so we will overlook this trivial fact.

Software

The second part of the Nike+ System is the back-office software that interprets that data using an apple device (iPod Nano in my case)this ingenious coding allows the ipod to transform the pedometer's counter clicks into a nice pile of data - pace, speed, and with user input (weight) it will generate a good approximation of calories burned. OK, this is starting to look better than just a basic pedometer! Do remember that you also have an iPod with you when you are working out, so now you have a device that while blasting tunes, audio books or most often in my case twit.tv podcasts ( I <3> Leo) will keep track of how far you've gone, how fast you went and will upload that data to a website where you can visualize it and more.

Website

The third part of this little wunder-tech is the Nike website where you upload and store your workout data. This is where this device really shines. the landing page http://nikerunning.com has all the flash you would expect from Nike - the marketing department is in full force and you can quench your swoosh-thirst with a complete catalog of apparel and swag.

Once logged in the home screen shows you your dashboard which contains current runs, goals, challenges, coaches, and an annoying and completely superfluous section called a "mini" - an atempt at wii replication, rather than Nike innovation.

Analysis

The runs are cataloged graphically by date and distance - the system also asks how the run was - attitude, weather, surface and a space for a comment is available for each run. This section really adds depth to work outs, showing you graphically where you are and where you've been.

Community

The Challenges section is the masterstroke of genius for Nike. where individuals can test themselves in friendly competitions or join teams and compete as groups. This can be a great driver for improvement in the individual - and provides a sense of community ( I had to get that screen-cap in as I was for the moment in the lead :D )

Overall

The website is written in Flash, which while looking "really cool and trendy" causes performance issues in most browsers. That aside and the pandering "mini", the overall package is quality. The Nike+ system does what it's suppose to do and does it well, after a simple calibration run, the device is fairly accurate and the mileage call outs are helpful. However the most valuable part of the system to the user is the community, a global and diverse community with friendly camaraderie and friendly competition. Even starting out, you feel like you belong, and you feel compelled to get more exercise! After all is said and done, that is the genius of this product. The device does it's job, but the community adds value that helps the device become more than the sum of it's parts.

One Month, 100+ Miles

2010-02-28T08:15:00.001-08:00

Wow! whoda thunk! This last day of Feb I'm using as a rest day, Yesterday I did 11 miles on interurban which pushed me over the 100 mile mark for the month. I've also completed my first 6-day/week run week. I'm a bit sore today, but that's what this rest day is all about. I'll spend today in church, singing in teh choir and then helping run sound for the evening, I may be a bit slow moving around, but I don't mind. Back at the running tomorrow!

Running and Tech

2010-02-24T19:13:00.000-08:00

Gear that Gets You Going
Part 1

Everyone has seen my Garmin workout links - I love my Garmin, safe to say that without it I would not be as fit as I am and probably not have stuck with working out long enough to see the other side of 5 miles in a run. So what do I find so motivating? What do I find so addictive about my Garmin? Come on in. Lets take a closer look at this piece of genius that's equal parts awesome and win shall we?

The Garmin Forerunner 305

The device itself resembles an oversized wristwatch, and comes with an adjustable chest strap heart monitor. The watch itself has a very decently sized, legible display. The LCD panel is capable of displaying up to four fields on each display page simultaneously and you can cycle through three separate pages. The displays are easily stepped through while running by pressing the arrow keys on the right hand side of the watch. I myself sometimes use the second screen but most often will stay on the first screen. My normal mode is to have Distance, Time, Heart Rate and Speed displayed. The second page has 3 screens - Time of Day, Average Heart Rate and Average Speed. The last screen has Calories, Time of Day, Max Speed, Speed and Calories. Besides having the LCD monitor your work outs, you can set up alarms to tell you if you are crossing a threshold - either speed or heart rate. You can set high/low triggers that keep you in the particular zone you want to be in. I have my alarms set for heart rate - low alarm is 130, high is 135. This keeps me in the max aerobic function zone for fat burning and endurance. The display has a map mode as well, nothing spectacular, you can see your course layed out on the screen, but I have not used that very often due to the software and web content Garmin designed specifically for the sport watches.

Garmin's Web Interface

This is the landing page after you've logged into connect.garmin.com. As you can see it provides a summary of your last 5 activities. The default google view is map, but satellite view is available. If you've visited my blog at all you are familiar with the public activity presentation and all the active content, if not here's my latest workout. I will address here some of the "behind the scenes" features of the website and just how useful this device can become.

Activities
This is a listing of all the activities recorded by the device, details are shown and individual runs can be selected via the activity name. but just from an initial glance I can see that my pace is increasing (w000t!) besides serving as a activity warehouse portal you can glean some data just by seeing changes over time.

Calendar

This view shows all the activities chronologically in a calendar format, the workouts are still "clickable". I like this view as it shows the "holes" in my regime - you can tell at a glance if you need more exercise or conversely you can see that you are chalked full of workouts!

Reports

This page does basic data mining, if you want to know what you did last week, last 30 days, last year, etc this page adds it all up for you.

Summary
The Garmin 305 is a portable trainer that remembers everything you've done, can tell you how you are doing WHILE you are doing it and can show you the progress you've made over time. Personally I would not be where I am now without it, and I'm more confident moving forward with the 305 on my wrist.

Slow-mo a go go

2010-02-08T20:37:00.000-08:00

A new tack for building up speed - running for a heart rate

I am now back on Interurban running on the flat and level. I came across a intense dissertation on target heart rate and exactly why running slow builds speed. It makes sense on a cellular level and since I have a marathon coming up in 4 months I thought it was worth 6 weeks of my time to note improvement. Maintaining a heart rate within 5 bpm (130-135) is not easy - for the first few minutes it is impossible as there is a certain hysteresis as your heart gets used to new demands. So far 130-135 is approx 4.4 mph = a very slow jog, more of a shuffle.

Pulse and breathing

At first the relationship between pulse and breathing seems rather elementary. When your pulse is fast you breathe harder and faster. This is a truth, but the corollary would be that if you breath hard your pulse should race. This is not true. which leads us to the reasons behind breath technique. Breath technique comes a close second to running technique. For a given pace if you focus on breathing more deeply and quickly your pulse will drop. When you think about it it makes sense - the reason why your heart beat increases is due to your muscles request for more oxygen. Your body does not care if your heart is beating fast or slow as long as it gets the oxygen it needs to metabolize nutrients to power the efforts of your muscles. Your heart rate can be an indicator of how efficient the process is. and that leads us to a discussion on the scale of the metaboli-meter...

The heart-o-meter

There have been various articles covering running and training and the opinions all focused on "target heart rate" which is established by the apparently arbitrary calculation available everywhere on the web.
While I took this number as the rate I was to shoot for, I did not know the reasoning behind it. After a modicum of research I believe I've found an answer that makes sense. When your exercise, you move your body by contracting and releasing muscles. To do this your muscles require oxygen and nutrients. Now we must talk metabolism and how your heart rate can be used as a meter to tell you how your body is doing

Cellular communications - your muscles saying "Can you hear me now?"

Mitochondria within the cells provides the cells with energy by metabolizing the oxygen and nutrients (glycogen). When you are exercising aerobically, the mitochondria can keep up with demand, and will actually increase in the cell. However when our muscle use exceeds the ability of the mitochondria to produce energy the cells will excrete lactic acid and shut down. This happens over a period of time and is commonly referred to as "THE WALL" as your cells shut down one by one, your body will slow down. and during that time your cells are shut down, they are not growing mitochondria. Lactic acid build up in the muscles is what causes the day after soreness - it is not all bad, and has it's place in the workout regime.

Intense Relationships

Mitochondria feed your cells, exercising at a rate that the mitochondria can keep up with increases the amount of mitochondria in the cells. With a higher level of mitochondria, your muscles can work harder. Are you picking up what I'm laying down???
Exercise at a higher rate than the mitochondria can keep up with is termed "Anaerobic" and has it's place in exercise - it strengthens the muscles and increases the amount of short term work a muscle can do. However maximizing your mitochondria has a much higher value for distance runners as it allows you to feed your muscles more efficiently and allows you to increase both pace and endurance.

Now, what about that heart-o-meter??

I'll quote the trainer's blog for this so as to capture the thought completely

"As a general guide, and in my experience, this is what I have found works best. Marathon HR will be approx 15-20 beats lower than HRmax (no better). And aerobic conditioning HR needs to be another 30 bpm below THAT (and hence ~50bpm below HRmax) "

That's the theory I'm working on now, maintaining 130-135 heart rate and hoping that over time my pace picks up ( before the marathon, June 5th!)

Back to Fenwick

2010-02-01T04:17:00.001-08:00

Hills Suck

No, really they do. Fenwick is an awesome place to work out - getting there is 3/4s the job though when you run there and back from my place. It started Sunday AM, wait , no it started Saturday - I didn't run Saturday as I needed to take my wife to the dentist.
While we were at the dentist she says "How long has it been since you've had a checkup" I shrug my shoulders in a typical male response.
"Since we're here, you should set up an appointment"
"Ok..." I groan. At least its a busy office, I won't need to even think about it for a month.
"Let me check the calendar" the receptionist stares at the screen "Lets see looks like the second week in March is the earliest..." I resist the temptation to shout out "YUSS" and pump my fist.
"Oh wait, you want afternoons? How about Monday at 4:00pm?"
The smirk on my wife's face is not perceptible - but I know its there!

I normally run on Mondays and Saturdays, since my schedule is now trashed I decide to run Sunday between church services. Thinking that I've done enought hills, and I should stretch out a it I'm thinking about hitting interurban for some flat-land running.

Church service starts with setting up. as we were setting up I talked to John - the aviator and sax player in our group. He says he's missing doing the stairs at Fenwick.
"Have you thought about running down there, it might not be too muddy" he says
"I haven't we could check it out after church, I think its about 2-3 miles from my house. Sound like a plan?" He agrees and I immediately think "HILL!"

I have always driven to Fenwick, parked, did my workout, got back in the car and went home. This would be a new experience leaving my car at home. This may be a good thing - It's been a long time since I visited Fenwick - last August-September time frame.

The run starts easily enough, we walk until warmed up then ust into a jog. We discuss technique and run more on the balls of the feet to minimize knee impact. it's working really well, we mix up walking and running but it's running for the most part when we get to Fenwick it's not too bad, the trail is wet, but not soupy. The running is good, and I find that my fitness level has increased - running up the hill still does a number on me, but I can keep going and the stairs are still tough, but I can run the whole trail and only walk on the boardwalk, as it is far too slippery for running. on the way back we walk up the hill on 277th, it's an amazing grade and even walking keeps my heart rate over 150. the hill by my house did not stop me though - I asked John to kick my butt if I started walking on it. all in all 7 miles of exercise. A good day

10 X E6 inches

2010-01-29T21:59:00.000-08:00

So I'm keeping my goal of a marathon completed this year, but I'm changing the venue. Instead of the Rock and Roll Seattle marathon, I'm doing the Green River Marathon June 5th. To get a feel for the course I'll be doing a pre-race this February 13th

The Million Inch Race

That's right, I will be running one MILLION inches! that's a little over two MILLION centimeters. I'll need to be on my toes, the marathoner friend at work said she would run it with me, PRESSURE! She's awesome, I'm slow. Maybe she'll bring her hubby along too, us guys gotta stick together in the face of speedy womenz!

Tomorrow if my schedule allows I want to head down to interurban and do some flat running. I've supplanted my normal 5.2 mile flat run with a 6.7 mile hill-fest. Maybe I'll notice a change - a friend at work thinks not "The only thing that gets easier when you are doing hills is doing hills" I hope to put that theory to the test!

Changing it up

2010-01-17T18:46:00.000-08:00

Variety is the spice of exercise

Trying to get ready for a marathon without a clue is quite easy, you listen to every opinion and make your own road. Having set my sights on Seattle's Rock and Roll Marathon June 26th, I am living in a deluge of information. The sheer volume and breadth of opinions on preparation is daunting. It causes me to take a little here, and a little there, overall it feels as if I am treading in ignorantly and proceeding on what "I" think I should do.

Eric Sach of The Balanced Athlete says that there will be hills. On reflection it seems reasonable, that in Seattle one might encounter hills. I've been running on level ground though - the Valley of Target Heart Rate.

You can see that when the elevation is not changing much that I can maintain a heart rate quite nicely. Small adjustments in speed will drop or raise it, and with the workload steady, control seems easy. I know that 26 miles on hilly terrain is not the same as 5 level straight miles. Now comes the challenge of the marathon - the only way to complete the marathon is to maintain a sustainable heart rate. The above run is at target heart rate and as you can see, the elevation change is give or take 20 feet. The spikes in the elevation readings above are typical errors due to the limited accuracy of GPS altitude measurement.

Hills toss in a whole new element of challenge:

You can see the predicament - maintaining a reasonable heart rate is a tough to say the least. During this course I ran the whole way, I did not maintain the same speed, but I maintained the same pace throughout - only shortening the steps to keep my heart rate down.

Hills: a Revelation of Elevation

2010-01-05T05:43:00.000-08:00

**GROAN**

I know the feeling, if you run, you know the feeling. The feeling is not one of joy. when you come to the base of a hill and look up you assess your situation. Many thoughts go through your mind at the base of a hill."I must keep running", "How high is my heart rate going to go", and "Breathe, breathe breathe!" I am new to hill running. Interurban trail is my normal haunt and elevation changes amount to about 6-10 feet - which you still feel towards the end of a run. Hills are very usefull things. I have hit a wall running on the flat - 6 mph is the wall. From all I have heard on the internets, hills will help you build your "base". which is to say that if you run hills you will be able to run faster, longer. In running, longer and faster is the goal.

Yesterday I did not bring my gear to work. I still wanted to run so on the way home I figured I'd do a local neighborhood run. What a difference terrain makes! Although the run was almost a mile short of my normal Interurban 5.2 I found that "shorter" does not necessarily mean "easier".

On the flip-side, running downhill is easy, but impact to the body is greater. When running downhill attention to joint health is needed. I try to maintain the same pace throughout the run, but heading downhill I need to shorten my stride to limit the impact and keep the speed from building too much. I'm thinking I may need to make this my regular run, Interurban is easier, but if I want to keep to my "marathon" goal, I want to be able to handle hills more easily. Luckily, in the Pacific Northwest, hills are around every corner.

Goals = Scary

2010-01-04T06:38:00.000-08:00

How do you embrace goals?

This year is nebulous. The changes will no doubt continue, but I'm not sure where they are going to take me. I guess that's why I need goals. Goals themselves are great things - it's the work that it takes to reach them that's a real pain. I have set some very intense goals for myself this year - I want to lose the other 40 pounds to get me to a proper BMI. Although that goal is a hard goal to reach, it's not the scariest goal I've set this year.

Wait for it... I'm putting it on the internets to either document my prescient awesomeness or to provide documentation of abject failure.

I will, by the end of 2010,
Complete. A. MARATHON.

There... I've said it. It scares the spit out of me to put that down. Marathons are the environs of the ultra-fit those that run for breakfast lunch and dinner. I am a fat old man with delusions of grandeur. June of last year I could barely run a mile. Now running is a part of my life, but 26 miles is a large task - one that jeers at me, taunting me, whispering self-doubts abound when I contemplate such a large task. But since it is now written, I will either succeed or fail - only time will tell.

...and a happy new year

2010-01-01T12:54:00.000-08:00

A Clean Slate

I hope this New Year's day morning finds you well, I greet 2010 with hope and courage. For me, 2009 saw a new direction in my life. 2010 is where we find out where this road goes. I'm not sure, but the way I've been going I can't rule out a marathon this year. My body is acclimating to running well. I ran last Wednesday, Dec 30th and pulled up lame and short - only 3.3 miles and a mile of that was walking. A couple of circumstances made for the not-to-stellar run.

Don't eat a big stack of pancakes before you run
Stretch, stretch stretch, lather RUN repeat.

Anywho, this morning Jan 1st 2010 I went down to interurban, warmed up a bit then stretched thoroughly. the 5.2 mile run was wonderfully enjoyable. I did not push, I maintained ~5.5mph the whole way my heart rate settled in the low 150s and all was good. I saw a couple of other folks on the trail, but for the most part it was mine. the 5.2 felt really comfy this morning and was therapeutic after that aberration of last Wednesday.

On reflection I'm thankful that I had that abortive run. I found that one bad run means nothing, that the next one is a clean slate - justification through getting off your butt - this is a great lesson to take into the new year. Pay attention to your body, but do not get in the way of yourself. Each and every run is a new chance to prove to yourself that you can do it. You don't have to kill yourself but you do need to be disciplined and make sure that you do not hold yourself back.

The Comfort Run

2009-12-28T20:59:00.000-08:00

The one you know like the back of your hand

The Comfort Run, like comfort food is a known quantity that serves the purpose intended. This run is the one you know well - you know every rise, every bend and every landmark. You run it at whatever pace you like. Comfort food fills you up and makes you feel good, a comfort run works you out and makes you feel good.

This I would guess gets to the point of the post, running can bring comfort - especially once you have a locale that you are familiar with. Lets look at three types of comfort running brings

Physical

Yes I know, running can physically strain your body, but exertion can become very comforting and does - as the muscles warm up, the heart rate stabilizes and the breathing hits a rhythm comfort begins when you adjust your stride and feel you can run forever. Settling into a run is always one of my favorite times

Mental

Reaching goals is a battle with the brain - I constantly hear my inner voice making excuses, learning to shut them up increases your mental focus. Self discipline is a powerful tool for those that harness it. With each goal you achieve reaching the next becomes easier. The comfort run builds confidence - knowing the run well allows you to exceed your normal self and use the run as a benchmark to try new techniques.

Spiritual

The comfort run excels at providing a forum for meditation whether you are contemplating God, nothingness, or your navel. you get to the rhythm and you can be "in the moment". Joseph Campell called this achievement "Bliss". Much like Church, I find myself in touch with my creator when I run and especially so when I am in a familiar place.

Whether you run for physical, mental or spiritual benefits or all three, you will benefit more than you imagine.

Running after Feasting

2009-12-27T18:59:00.000-08:00

If this entry were a Star Wars sequel it would be entitled

"The Belly Strikes Back"

The day after Christmas and all through the trail

My gear was fitting so snuggly, the drawstrings might fail

Christmas feasting had settled, expanding my waist

suspending any thoughts of running with great haste

When after a mile on the trail i did find

my endurance was waning rather early in this grind

Nonplussed by exhaustion I kept up my pace

any faster than 12 minute miles and I might fall on my face!

Onward I plodded further along in the run

gasping for air and wishing I was done.

When up ahead at mile 4 I did see

my wife walking the dog - and going slowly

I caught up to her and walked for a while

until my heart settled down from it's post-Christmas trial

On again, on again, I was spurred to flee

the running ended with a mileage of 5.3

Seriously, any runners out there feeling a bit "overloaded"? Wow, I'm hoping my next runs are not as grueling. I did get a bunch of new running gear (Thanks to my daughter <3)>

Be Careful What You Post In Your Blog

2009-12-19T19:13:00.000-08:00

A Great Day to Run!

So last update I had finished my post wondering what's next, this run turned into what I was talking about. The temps on this Saturdayy morning were in the mid 40's, a light wind out of the north and a fine foggy mist enveloped the Auburn-Kent valley. Since I had already bumped my top speed by two tenths ( 5.9 to 6.1mph) I decided to turn it down a bit and just work on staying in target heart range of 140 to 145. I backed off speed when I got settled into the run - 5.5mph was the speed that my heart decided was good ~10% off my "race pace" and very comfortable.

As I headed out I noticed a knot in my left calf that stayed with me the entire run. but again, the pace was so comfortable I had no issue overlooking it. When I arrived at my normal halfway point my heart rate was still in the mid 140s and the pace just felt right.

Expanding Horizons

3/4s of the way back I thought "Lets make this a 10 miler" and continued on past 37th street heading to 15th NW. I passed under 15th and was eyeing my Garmin... 7 miles... I kept heading out and hit 7.5 and thought "It's only 1.5 miles to 9 and I can turn around and make it a half marathon" The knot in my calf was still there but I was feeling fatigue, I could feel that I was going to be sore when I made it back. and a new issue popped up, I could feel an expanding hole in my sock! The toe next to my big toe on my right foot felt the fabric pulled taught across it and no amount of wiggling would release the tension (arrg!) but I kept going until I made it to 15th St SW and had to turn around due to 15th being a huge road to cross :(

Coming up Short at 15th St SW

My garmin read 8.2 miles - well short of my 9 mile requirement to make the run thirteen miles in total. I pushed on wondering if I'd have the oomph to make up the distance after getting back to the truck. when I got back to the truck I was at 11.44 miles =( oh noes! push on Sam, with one toe hanging out and now both calves mooing for their mommas and my groin yelling at me too. I ran .8 miles out and turned around - I even tried to pick up the pace a bit, but that wasn't happening. I was wondering if my calculations were correct and hoping that when I got back to the truck Garmin would tick the lucky 13 - my math skills did not let me down I ticked 13 on the other side of the truck completing a half marathon!

Pain

As I cooled off walking in circles near my truck I noticed that my legs were not walking normally, my gate was kind of like a half-hearted lipizon stallion. After my heart rate settled down into the 120's a started stretching... and although it hurt it hurt SOOO good. I jumped into my truck gingerly and could tell that sitting for any length of time would cause my muscles to scream trying to get up. They did scream, I looked like Red Foxx's grandfather goosestepping heading up to the door of my house.

IIIIbuprofen - I Bu Pro fen
(Sung to the tune of the Haleluja Chorus)

Thank goodness for modern over the counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, 800 mgs of teh stuff every four hours... hopefullyy I will be able to move tomorrow!

10K meters - what seemed like 10K people!

2009-12-13T06:10:00.000-08:00

9:50am Saturday Morning December 12th 2009
Kent WA
Clear and 28 degrees
Kent Christmas Rush 10k

New lessons learned while running with a whole bunch of people I don't know

Lesson number 1

ARRIVE WITH TIME TO SPARE

I was at the race with 15 minutes until start time, unfortunately I was driving around in my truck looking for a parking spot. EVERYONE in Kent WA must have been at this race. So I did what many folks did - made a parking spot, in the grass in front of a boarded up business (woohoo thank you recession!) I ended up running a half mile to the race course not knowing if I needed to check in or what.. apparently not, as the clock struck fifty seconds to the start of the race as I arrived (whew!) OK.. I need to pin on the bib, get my sunglasses on and get my earbuds in, get the tunes cranked up, and get my gloves on. the jeopardy theme song would have been very apropos here.

Lesson Number 2

CHECK YOUR TUNES!

In preparation for the race I tested out many tunes to help with pace management, I wanted to maintain as close to the magic "180" pace and keep it there. I found the perfect tune called "Buzz" by Four 80 East. unfortunately in my haste earlier this week at work I mistakenly put "Sonhar" by Praful which is about a 5% increase in tempo. I kept up with it, but Buzz would have been much more natural.

Lesson Number 3

USE TRAIL ETIQUETTE

Pass on the left! otherwise keep to the right! this is the Fat Albert Thesis "Hey hey hey, get outa my way!"

Lesson Number 4

FAST RUNNERS INSPIRE AND ENCOURAGE

a 10k is 6.24 miles. At the 2.25 mile mark I saw the person in first place on his way back. Wow, he was MOVING! Many folks around me cheered and applauded while they were running - for the majority the race is not about being first, it's about being there!

Lesson Number 5

BYSTANDERS ARE AWESOME-SAUCE

Along the way, at the mile markers there were race workers calling out times, ut at about the 3 mile mark there was this lady clapping and smiling - Manheim Steamroller Christmas tunes blaring from speaker on her front porch. there was one group of race workers shortly afterwards that stood there and clapped and cheered and smiled. What a joy for those of us concentrating on breathing!

Lesson Number 6

YOU ARE YOUR ONLY COMPETITION

When the pack breaks up after the start you realize that you are not running this race to be faster than others, you are trying to be faster than yourself. Setting that pace for a 6mph average I cut 5 minutes off my best 10K time - 8.3% faster - that's awesome and I may have been way back in the pack, but I'm chalking this up as a huge WIN.

Lesson Number 7

REWARDS COME WITH HARD WORK

When I started getting physically active last June I had seen myself in a picture on my 25th wedding anniversary trip and hated what I saw. Further motivation came from an old friend that was always as skinny as a rail, but last I saw him shocked me with his rotundness - I saw myself and knew that if I allow myself to continue I am just waiting to die. I did not want to run, running is hard! I wanted to get in shape by hiking and walking. I bought my Garmin and started hiking a 2 mile trail, after a time this became easy, so I started doing the stairs multiple times. That became too easy as well, so I extended it the hike to 3.5 miles. After a couple of weeks of that I started running the first half mile of the hike. I started track running started to buy into my life changes and invested in myself - running shoes, running gear. The rain forced me off the dirt trail at Lake Fenwick and onto the asphalt of Interurban soon 5 miles became my daily run, then when I had some left on one of the runs I extended it to a 10K.

Lesson 8

WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH YOURSELF?

Where am I going with this? What is the goal? Looking back over the last 6 months my abilities have changed so much that I am scared to say whats next - after finishing a 10k the next step is a half marathon. A HALF FRIKKING MARATHON . This is so foreign to me, this is too new and in a way scary. I'm not sure it may stop here, I may continue to extend my horizons but the change is definately entrenched, I feel differently about myself and my body. Although my weight loss has stalled at 220, I'm thinking that as long as it doesn't go up during the holidays it's a win for me! Notbeing sure about the future, I guess I'll just keep blogging and we can find out together.

Why are you doing this?

2009-12-02T05:25:00.000-08:00

A most important question!

In ten days I run my first race, the Kent Christmas Rush. I was going through the timesheets from the previous year's race and found my current ability lacking - I wanted to be in the middle of the pack for my age group, but all the 45-49 year old entrants finished a good 5 minutes ahead of my current 10K pace.

Warning: positive self-talk ahead!

I felt crest-fallen, until I realized I've been running for only 3 months. The ability to FINISH a 10K should be the celebration. On reflection I must pose the same question McCoy posed to Spock in the movie Star Trek: "Are you out of your Vulcan mind?!!" I'm a former heavy smoker, I quit that and put on a lot of weight. I'm working that off now and have made changes in my life to become more healthy. I've ran over 5 miles repetitively in driving rain and wind, I've ran two solo 10K runs already. A quick tally of the Garmin shows that I've ran 97.87 miles and since I started this change I've logged 296.75 miles in total. I have nothing to feel badly about, I have everything to be thankful for. This race is a positive affirmation of the new me. I am changing myself. I can be more than I am if I work at it and keep my expectations realistically high.

OK, enough "yay me" posting, now lets move on to "yay spouse" posting! My wife started coming with me, she walks while I run. I am so happy for her, I know the power of exercise and change really do great things for people. On Thanksgiving she came with me and we did Interurban, then on Sunday after church, the Aviator and his wife met us at Interurban. Although she currently has a blister I am hoping the Mrs. will catch the bug and accompany me more!

Stride, Pace, Speed

2009-11-21T18:28:00.000-08:00

Running for another 10K today I was vexed by my stride. I was running well, but my stride needed adjustment throughout the course of the run. Eric from The Balanced Athlete told me that to run as a way of life requires that I re-learn how to run. I'm slowly altering my pace to incorporate his tips:

Increase your rate (faster steps)
don't reach with your foot, place it underneath you
Pull yourself - don't strike the front foot down hard
Stand up straight - ears over shoulders
Move elbows back

Eric showed me from the treadmill that following these steps decreases the impact to joints and keeps your neck and back from tightening from bad posture. I saw him run, I heard the treadmill hum a constant tone. My time on the treadmill punctuated each stride with a change in the machine's pitch quite notably. When I first attempted to put this lessen into practice I didn't do so well - I followed his directions and shot to 8mph with my heart rate flirting with the top side of VO2max.

The past few days I've been slowly attempting to include the techniques to my workouts. I haven't got it completely down yet, but when I notice I am either slowing or my heart rate is climbing I switch to this mode I pick up speed and my heart rate slows - but my legs get tired quickly as it's not a "natural" gait. I'm thinking that I should be able to move over to this new mode over time.

The 10K race is fast approaching, ( December 12th!) and although today's 10K run was not as fast as I would like, I do have some hope to putting in a better time, today's run was after a couple of hours of working in the yard. I'm hoping that with diet and a couple of days down-time before the race I'll do much better than a 1:08 10K run.

Cardio and you!

2009-11-20T11:14:00.000-08:00

I've been hearing a lot of buzz words dealing with heart rate and exercise terms like VO2max, Target rate, aerobic, anaerobic, etc. The terms are vague and ominous sounding, but without a decoder I was not understanding them beyond knowing that target rate is best for fat burning. In this post I hope to remedy that. Click on the chart below, find your age across the top and directly below will be your heart rates associated with the various "buzzword" zones

Lets take it from the top down VO2Max this is where your body can no longer provide the muscles with the required oxygen to metabolize nutrients that provide energy. You can keep this rate for a while, but you will be feeling it in a day or two!

Next up is the almost as hardcore, but infinitely more sustainable Anaerobic zone - you still are running an oxygen deficit but you can keep this up for quite some time. While in the anaerobic range don't plan on holding long drawn out conversations or singing - your lungs have better things to do - you will also be feeling this the next day, but it's not too bad, once you get used to it.

I will combine aerobic and weight control zones into the same description - this is where your body burns fat most efficiently. it is also where you can actually hold conversations and concentration on running is not as essential.

The last zone Moderate I can only think that you can get here via walking to the fridge for pumpkin pie - to increase the burn of that workout pile the whipped cream high!

I spend most of my workouts in the anaerobic range. I rarely hit VO2max except when doing stairs or running while listening to Pantera. All this information and more can be found on wikipedia, I just thought I'd save the reader (and myself) additional hassle by posting it here.

Into the wind

2009-11-19T19:35:00.000-08:00

"In the main Puget Sound area and lower Chehalis Valley, a Wind Advisory is up again with potential gusts to 40-45 mph, maybe a few to 50 mph this evening."

- Snipped from KOMONEWS.COM's forecast

I run a 2.6 mile north/south course in the Auburn/Kent valley. Todays run came as a low pressure system was moving across Washington. Correspondingly the wind was out of the south and strong there was no rain besides a spritz at the end but the wind really affected my time!

Note the drop off in speed around the half way mark - yet my heart rate actually went up. Wind resistance made for a great return leg workout and although many times I sunk below 5mph I was working it!

The Storms Just Keep Coming!

2009-11-19T05:53:00.001-08:00

4 "storms" in 5 days is quite unusual for Washington. Now northwest storms are not usually thought of as especially impressive in terms of wide spread physical destruction. Our mountain ranges help to break up systems for the most part and systems tend to move through quickly. That said we do have lots of power outages, fallen trees and chaos. usually the morning after you'll notice debris strewn about in the streets - mostly leaves, branches, pine needles.

Previously, I would spend my time inside during the storms and play video games or watch movies, which I still do, but now I also grab my gear, head out into it and go running. Running in storms is a mixed bag - wind can be a friend or foe, rain is the same story. Running with the wind to your back can impart a feeling of being pushed along, but I have found that cooling suffers. I'm sure this is not scientific, but I feel running into the wind is better at cooling. Running into the wind does feel like more work, but mix some rain up with it and it's very refreshing.

That's my plan for today, I'm hoping to hit interurban around 3:15-3:30 and do either 5.2 or 6.3 miles - not sure which, all depends on how the legs feel. I do know that the choice of music will help dictate how long of a run. I'm thinking I'll be listening to the World of Warcraft soundtrack as the music is made to accompany long journeys. I have my gear in the truck - I'll change before I leave work to save daylight.

Saw the Domain, had to grab it!

2009-11-18T05:59:00.000-08:00

10k in the rear-view!

Besides the new domain, much has been happening in my life of running. The rain continues to fall although last Saturday was cold and partly cloudy when I started the run the temps were just above freezing - luckily I have long "Tech" pants and a long "Tech" shirt - which I layered a "tech" T-shirt over the top.

I'm not quite sure why folks call them "Tech gear" but I guess there is still a stigma attached to the word "Polyester". Polyester does a great job of wicking away moisture where cotton soaks it up and stays wet

Running in the rain is easy, running in the cold take a little getting used to. I convinced my nose about two miles into my run that it really did not need to run as well. Around the same time my hands started warming up as well. the run felt great and I set a personal best distance of 6.47 miles - over a 10K (6.24m) which was one of my goals now achieved! Since I was all puffed up about reaching 10 Km I registered for the "Kent Christmas Rush 10K" my goal is to finish, not sure if it will be last or not, but finishing will be a win in my book!

No run Monday, Metal Tuesday

Business kept me from running Monday, I really look forward to rain-running now and Monday would have been perfect - warm temperatures in front of a system blowing through and pretty good rainfall. Yesterday the temps dropped to 45 degrees and the precipitation waited until about half-way through the run. I recently found that my Blackberry 8310's headfone jack is not meant for a typical celphone headphone but for media player ear buds. Yesterday I packed my 1G microSD card with all the music it could fit. and decided to listen to different music. I chose Pantera for the workout. Normally I'm one for jazz/blues but in my past have been known to head-bang on occasion (Actually attended a Pantera concert in the mid 90's) Upon reflection I should not have been suprised at the affect it had on my workout my heart rate and speed were both up and I completed the 5.2 miles at a best average speed of 6mph . When I was about a quarter mile from finishing the run the skies broke loose. the rain was coming down - a squall line was passing overhead and it was dumping. Even with the temps in the mid 40s I was not cold at all.

Rerunning in the Rain

2009-10-28T05:36:00.000-07:00

If I was hot and female, I would have looked somewhat like this while running in the rain. Unfortunately for you I'm an overweight and balding old guy. :D

Friday I ran the 5 1/4 mile Interurban Trail course, the weather was as wet as I had ever seen while running. The wind was out of the south at 5 to 15 miles per hour with occasional gusts higher. The rain was coming down like a sideways soaker hose. With the wind from the South my back received a good dousing on the way out. The temps were in the mid to upper fifties so it was still comfortable if you keep moving.
At around the 2 mile mark the rain let up briefly and a rainbow appeared - one of thos "double rainbows" with two separate arcs. the first arc glowed brilliantly - it scintillated. The second arc was more subdued, but still quite visible. As the rain resumed I was concerned that my electronics might be damaged - as I jog, I am a veritable nexus of electronic regalia - Blackberry, Garmin, and Zune. well no worries, my back is to the rain. At about the 2.5 mile point I realized that that would not be the case for the last half of the run (dur!)
I turned at the 2.6 mile point at Willis Street in Kent and was met by a wash of rain to the face - not the large pelting drops that hit with a "thwock" but a full and gentle wall of droplets that soaked you, but did so in a most civil manner. I began to theorize on the amount of current that the headphone were carrying and considering the shock hazard , but the two electrodes would need to arc across a large vacuum so I deemed myself safe. my electronics for the most part was covered by my shirt and in either a holster (Blackberry) or pocket (Zune) but my Garmin bore the brunt of natures wrath sitting, like a mighty bulwark upon my wrist.
The wind from the south which for the first half had been pushing me along ever so gently, had become a fierce adversary pushing back at my progress. It also served to keep me cooled down and I completed the rest of the run with good pace.

The weekend was spent chilling at home and church (Saturday is my sabbath as Sunday is a very busy day!)

Monday I repeated the run, but had procurred new running shorts - no room for Zune! The weather was cloudy and the rain was minor and spotty. Now I am settling in to the whole "5 miles is normal" routine and feeling quite happy with myself. my pace is adequate at 5.5 mph. I'm sore after the run it's a "good" sore, and no injuries yet (knock on wood!)

I found out that my wife is going to need some help Wednesday unloading hay, so I move my next run up to Tuesday - I've been trying to get my church friends to join me on a run and the Aviator agrees and makes it out. Although the pace is slower, I like having a partner to run with - conversation while running is difficult, but it helps build endurance. No rain Tuesday at all during the run, it's a bit brisk though. Today (Wednesday am) I'm feeling a cold coming on so I'm going to take it easy for a couple of days and let this run through. I'll have World of Warcraft and a new level 80 to keep me busy while I get well!

Running in the rain

2009-10-21T17:36:00.000-07:00

If you want to blog at least blog about goals.

The past few weeks I've been dealing with foot pain - particularly on the outstep of my left foot. After doing my first 5 mile run, my foot ached enough to cause limping. I went to the running shoe store owner, he got me on the treadmill and said YOU ARE DOING IT WRONG! and told me to change up my running style completely I tried what he said, but it was uncomfortable and my heart rate was near max the whole time. Then as luck would have it my wife was thrown from her horse ( I'm a funny guy!) I took her to the doctor and while we were discussing the wifes broken thumb in the Xray I asked him about my predicament. He said in essence "YOU ARE DOING IT WRONG!" and told me that the way I run is ok - for now. I should expect some pain as my foot gets used to being in the proper geometry in these most expensive shoes,. I originally bought the shoes to help with Achilles tendon pain and the releif was instant. The Doc said "Sam, you have to expect that those portions of your foot that are being used for the first time may be a bit tender, but they will get in shape in time.

So Monday I did a 3 mile run and felt awesome - my zune was dead so I had to entertain myself - I whistled the tune "Take me to the River" (8 weeks at number 1 on the MP3.com Christian rock charts back in the mid 90s) now my pulse was in the 150-160 range, but the run was very do-able.

Today I made it almost 5 1/4 miles non-stop. I ran the way I normally do, maybe a bit better posture but not any big change. My zune was fully charged and I chose to run with Diana Krall (The Girl in the Other Room and Live in Paris)
This is the farthest I have ever ran in my life, and although it's a monumental occasion I could have kept going! I'm hoping to do my first race in December - a 10k and although I have no illusions about finishing in the top 10 (or 20, 30 etc) I am very confident that I will finish it, and that will be a win for me.

Autumn is Setting In

2009-09-29T04:23:00.000-07:00

Leaves are falling all around, Its time I was on my way. Thanks to you, I'm much obliged For such a pleasant stay. But now its time for me to go, The autumn moon lights my way. For now I smell the rain, And with it pain, And its headed my way. Ah, sometimes I grow so tired, But I know Ive got one thing I got to do

My beloved Lake Fenwick will be wet for the foreseeable future as the rains moved in last night. The trail isn't bad, but the boardwalk is treacherous when wet. So I think I'm going to start track running, although I may do some neighborhood runs, I really dislike breathing exhaust from vehicles while running.

Yesterday's run saw my fastest sprint time on the boardwalk - 14.8 MPH which if I could keep it up would be a 4:02 minute mile - how anyone could run a mile at that pace is beyond my comprehension, after 1/10th I was at the end of my rope.

A Hike During The Break

Last Friday my church's Music Director and I went hiking up in the cascades to a little place called Snow Lake. The locale was some of the most beautiful real estate in Washington. Approximately 4000 feet up in the Snoqualmie Pass area - just above Alpental Ski Area. The terrain was not too intense lots of forest with old growth, lots of boulder strewn hillsides. and most often a pretty good rise in altitude. The weather reports called for morning clouds until around 11:00 am so we thought that the hike would be nice and cool - we were surprised to find blue sky from sunrise on and the hike was warm - cool breezes were interspersed along the ever upward switchbacks and we made excellent progress. I was so thankful for the stairs at Fenwick, if it were not for those I might have had a bit of an issue with hike. Maybe the altitude was a factor, but wow, those switchbacks were a killer!

Lunch at the lake consisted of some energy bars and a package of beef jerky - a true hiking lunch if ever there was one!

Sitting at the lake, surrounded by the beauty really was the most relaxing time of my entire two week vacation. There were other people about but the lake seemed to emanate a peace force field that suppressed anything but a palpable sense of well-being and serenity. It was nice to see ground squirrels - not the large grey ones, but the little brown ones - showing up in goodly numbers along the trail.

A full day of hiking, we met at the church at 10:00am and returned at 4:30pm. I really thank Dean for the time and look forward to more exploration of the beauty this state holds.

A question of distance

2009-09-21T07:40:00.000-07:00

First week of vacation is down - lets have a status check

Achieved a workout goal
Relaxed
Went to breakfast with the "guys"
Obtain illicit substances! (?)

Last Monday was a personal best workout - 13 miles at Lake Fenwick in 4 hours. I did four reps of the park at 3.3 miles per rep. I was a machine, but not without side effects, by the end of the hike my hands had swollen considerably, this was easily fixed by a good dosing of Ibuprofen when I arrived home. My muscles were sore, particularly groin area and hamstrings. I'm not sure why - the trail was dry so I had no balance issues. well, the soreness only lasted a day - and I took a down day afterwards so all is good.

Wednesday I cut my workout short, only 2.5 miles. I misjudged time and had to cut it short to be able to grab breakfast with friends from church. I had a great time, they are truly good men, and time with friends is something to treasure.

I spent much of the rest of the week playing video games and bought a new hard drive - 1.5 TB should be enough to keep my out of disk space issues for some time!

Saturday I hit the trail, it was early and it had rained the night before the trail was moist, but not slippery. The boardwalk was quite slick and I exercised caution traversing that hazard. On the way back I got to the boat launch and looked down, there was a baggy of pot - quite a goodly quantity of it too. Now having grown up in a permissive generation I had a quickly quenched tinge of temptation before calling 911
"No, this is not an emergency. I've found a large bag of marijuana and don't want to throw it in the trash"
I provide my name, location etc
"We are sending a patrol car to pick it up" the dispatcher's voice is emotionless
I move back to my truck. My inner teenager is shaking his head "wow this is the first time in your life you've found a large bag of pot and you are actually turning it in?"
The question kind of rang in my head and it was rather refreshing to snap back to him saying "Well ya, you dumb shit".

As I was waiting for the police to arrive, a blue "ricer" car with a big fin on the back pulls in to the boat ramp road and parks. three guys get out. They are not wearing jogging outfites, they have no fishing gear and they are looking down and walking towards the general area where I found the bag. Whoops! "Well boys, if you would have gotten here 10 minutes ago you would not have to look for such a long time." The police cruiser arrives about 15 minutes later and I pass him the bag. I don't say anything about the ricer car guys - they've had enough bad luck for one day.

So last week I had a great vacation - achieving goals, enjoying friendships, thwarting criminals and disciplining teenagers.

Week two looks just as promising.

Fall - Autumn, Fall - Down, Fall - Rain

2009-09-07T19:48:00.000-07:00

The peace and serenity of a thousand gnomes with bubble-wrap

The weather for today's workout was overcast, but in the woods the rain fell from leaf to leaf. The forest has assumed the demeanor of fall, and with a temperature of 52 f, it felt like a fall morning . One lone soul had ventured out in his boat on the lake at around 8:30am. Fenwick is an "electric motor only" lake and from the other side, he was silent. I noticed as I started my workout that one of the maples had lost a large branch - a good 1 1/2' diameter branch came down in yesterday's gusty rains.

I thought the grass in the field would be slick, but my shoes kept me well in line. as I hit the first board walk I found that it was a bit slippery - but very manageable at a jog. Silence. Early mornings seem to be a wonderful time for a run. No one is out on the trail yet and I can be lost in a zen-like jog. I notice as I run down the trail that the indigenous creatures of the forest are scurrying about more - like they are trying to get their morning activities done and I am encroaching on their time. "Not to worry, I'll be quickly past and you can continue your morning activities".

The stairs are wet, the handrails wet and cold. The spiders know that I am the first one here. Pulling the morning's web production off my face and arms I head down the stairs. When cold, the air may be thicker, but it seems not to help too much during the climb of the stairs, although I am recovering from the exertion quickly. I start to run at the bottom, but check my speed as the trail is wet and I don't want to end up in a heap. Not to fear, the traction seems to be good, just wet earth, not slippery muck.

The boardwalk at the other end of the run is a completely different story, what is my fastest area, normally managing 8 mph. This is now a deliberate act of concentration and foot placement. No jogging will happen here, and so my speed is limited to 2 mph or under. The park entrance at Reith Road opens up and I notice the clouds starting to give way to blue sky - in the woods the rain still falls from tree to tree, but the day promises to become more summer like.

How many miles?

2009-08-31T20:40:00.000-07:00

W00t! another milestone achieved!

Tonight I celebrate a literal "mile"stone, I ran 4 miles today which is the furthest I have ever gone without stopping in these 45 years. It was a good running day - I had a good breeze for most of the run. I also had great distractions.

In the middle of this track was a soccer field and a group of about 8 boys between 8 and 12 years old were practicing. There were no adults around supervising, just kids trying and doing an admirable job of being organized - sure there were moments of individual chaos, but those were short lived as the olders made the youngers toe the line. there were whoops and hollers, teasing and cajoling, cheering and jeering. All in a raucous preadolescence that was wonderful to witness.

At about the 12'th lap a father and son wandered out on to the track from a yard that adjoins the school property. I'm thinking the dad had recently helped his son discover the rudiments of two wheel travel, and the little boy - maybe 5-6 - was exuberantly pedaling around the track, finally rid of those dratted training wheels, he was free! He passed me in a flurry of activity and determination, then a pit stop where dad adjusted the seat and he was off again.

At the 14th lap (3.5 miles) I was through convincing myself that I should stop and I was actually in a "zone" where my mind was not as concerned with my legs and breath- I was more focused on my average MPH which was 5.0 at the moment, but I was running 4.6. I picked it up a bit - up to 5.5-5.7 and my heart rate started spiking into the 160s, but I was not straining, I was comfortable as my heart was pumping all the blood I needed. so during the last quarter lap I stretched out my stride and grunted across the line to stop at 4 miles.

Describe a quiet Lake

2009-08-27T05:18:00.001-07:00

Placid serenity, interrupted by a sweaty old guy.

No one was out today - the weather turned overcast and while warm, had a feel of fall to it. Before I left for the workout, I received an IM from my friend John - not the "Stair Master", this John is the "Aviator" and was hoping to meet me out here but was unable to. I offered to do stairs for him.

As I arrive, one car was parked on the boat ramp road - a white haired lady is sitting at a lone picnic table looking after her rather portly beagle-mix dog tottering through the field. I stretch my calfs and shins as the dog wonders about intermittently interested and disinterested with his surroundings. Hitting the "start" button on my Garmin I began my run. After taking notice of me, the dog makes a half-hearted chase, but although I was something new, I was quickly placed in the "not that interesting" category. Wrapping around to the south and started back along the trail to the waters edge, I notice the lady had packed her dog into her minivan and began to leave. I was alone.

Past the boat launch, the wooden floating walkway thumps loudly with my foot falls. I'm usually concerned that I might be scaring away fish, but no one is here. The ducks sunning themselves in the overcast on the walkway do not approve and appear exasperated as they hustle into the lagoon to the left - Lilly pads abound and a Great Blue Heron is often seen standing on the branch of a semi-submerged fallen tree. To the right the Lilly pads give way to Lake Fenwick proper which looks particularly dark green and calm today.

A little further on I am back on a trail - this one is not dirt, but mostly gravel. So far the path is level but I know that a more strenuous portion is just ahead. Arriving at the field in front of the park's main lot, the brown grass crunches dryly underfoot as I run uphill for 50 yards. My heart rate is not ramping up anywhere near as quickly as yesterday. *note to self: eating 3 or more hours before exercise is best. Once across, the trail returns and I am engulfed in a tunnel of forest, more gravel trail, but it is slowly giving way to normal trail dirt. as it does the terrain becomes much more varied with hills and slopes. Still running, I adapt my pace to the differing path.

I approach the North parking lot and run around the perimeter taking advantage of the asphalt to increase the distance of my run by 1/10th of a mile - now comes the hill. The wide gravel path, one long switchback, winds it's way south along the other side of the lake and up we go. My heart rate is elevating nicely now in the 150s and my breathing cadence which was 3/4 time now is cut time. the switchback levels a bit and I am pleased to note that my pulse slows by ten BPM while still running. At the end of the switchback, the trail elevation raises very quickly and my lower pulse respite is only a memory as I am now flirting with the mid 160s. I will not slow and my legs move with purpose through the trail-steps, a few of these require a significant effort to traverse. I could run around them but they are put there to test me and I must defeat them! I could stop at the last stair - as I've done before, but I will not be tamed and I run until I reach the bench placed at the corner for lesser being to rest after their ordeal. The lake is now to my back and as I walk to Hell's Stairway I still have not seen another soul on the trail.

Peanut Butter - The downfall

2009-08-25T05:24:00.000-07:00

I guess if you are going to be slow, you might as well have fun

Monday's workout was slow - meaning not a lot of running. the 3.4mph average is far off in the distance. It all started at work... today was a busy day, too busy for me to grab a bite to eat. I usually like to grab something small during the day and usually it's a small bag of Planter's Peanuts. Well Monday was especially hectic so by the time I went to grab a bag, it was 3:00pm - time to go home. I thought "meh, I'll save them until tomorrow" and went home. by the time I got home I was HUNGRY and thought "I don't suppose a spoonfull of peanut butter would affect my workout."

I get to Fenwick and start my run, feeling a bit out of energy, but able to keep jogging. Then the first stop - The Stair Master is out on the dock stretching.
"How many times John?" I ask, not entirely frustrated at having to stop my run.
"Only once today, I did six yesterday, but tonight I'm in a hurry - I'll try for six again tomorrow" The Stair Master is a machine!
"I've settled on four, three on the way out and one on the way back." I reply, the Stair Master is not impressed...
"You should try six" he says matter-of-factly.
"I may get there eventually" and I'm off again. I run for about another 200 yards and slow to a walk. normally, I would not be even half way done with the first portion of the run, but I am out of steam my heart rate is pinging 160 and I stop "Damn peanut butter" I think to myself.

The Code of the Trail

During my time working out at Lake Fenwick, I've noticed a code of behavior among fellow hikers, much like the code of motorcyclists. When you pass each other you offer a perfunctory salutation "Good afternoon" or some such. However this is not uniform amongst the trails inhabitants. Older folks (I am including myself in this group, but only just) will always return a hello, young adults will too, teenagers who normally travel in packs, just look at you and think "eww, sweaty old guy" may offer a muffled "hi" or be silent as they try their best to not make eye-contact attempting to master the "cool and aloof" look. Since the hike covers a good variety of areas, you will come across people fishing, or picnicking or not really hiking, just out for a walk. I've found regardless of race, creed or color all adults will return a salutation.

Meanwhile, back at the Stairs

So I walk and jog until I get to the trail step hill - pallet like devices that simulate steps placed on the trail every twenty feet or so. Then I'm on it - I run. Now this is a pretty good hill to run up but I am managing 6 mph which is pretty dang zippy. my pulse at the start was in the 120s once at the top I'm hitting mid 160s all in about a 40 yard run. I walk to the stairs panting and a little more rubber legged than normal.
I start down the stairs working my lungs to lower my pulse rate - a trick Garmin taught me. When your heart rate is up your body is trying to do two things, take oxygen and get rid of carbon dioxide. once your system realizes that the levels are looking better, the pulse slows, I breath like bellows going down the stairs, not loudly, but complete "belly breaths" this drops my pulse down quickly 160s at the top of the stairs, 120s at the bottom. Rinse and repeat three times and I'm ready to continue on.

Blast from the past

Right after the stairs is a downward slope that I usually run, using the slope I can get going pretty dang fast, this time is no exception. I start down the slope and am running at around 8 mph, a quick run, about 40 yards into the stretch the slope increases and as usual, I let gravity add to my speed usually cranking out 9-10 mph which for me is flying. At this point I feel a mushy-ness to my legs as if they are going to give out on me - I look down at my watch - 11.8 mph! Holy moly! I can't slow down for another 20' or so, and I'm hoping my legs stay under me. This was quite a different feel from my previous blog entry and was, for a short period of seconds, rather disconcerting. Still, I felt same feeling before as a child, when you are going so fast that your legs start to fail you. The fact that I was going faster than I had previously gone I believe, was definitely attributable to the fact that my body was using energy to digest the lump of peanut butter that was now sitting in my stomach, and my legs did not have the energy to control the speed. I came precariously close to ending up in a heap in the middle of the trail - all because of a spoonful of peanut butter.

Note to self - when running at 3:00-4:00, make sure that you don't eat after 2:00!

Sabotage! The case of the Boz Burger

2009-08-24T05:25:00.000-07:00

My plan to sabotage myself has backfired!

Prologue

I did not work out Friday - I wanted to be ready for a 25man Naxx raid - it was fun, we got through many bosses. It started off my weekend very wonderfully. Blizzard does a good job at the game and the encounters are entertaining. I spent a bunch of in-game currency buying the "dual-spec" ability so I can DPS as well as heal. Anyhoo...

Saturday I get up and hit the trail. I am pretty happy with this run, I have now added the part from the beginning to the top of the hill before the stairs as a run. It is for the most part uphill and really gets my heart going. I managed to grind out 3.3 mph on the run. I also now run the first part of the return leg - while I'm on the boardwalk. That part is actually level to slightly downslope so I can open it up a bit - I usually hit between 7-8mph in that stretch. on coming home I make myself my usual strawberry smoothy and then hit the shower. My brother needs some help with his computer so I head over to his place for about 10 minutes. When I get back I jump into WoW for a bit and my wife calls "I've been to busy to go shopping, I'm at Burger Express, do you want me to pick you up a burger?"

"Yes" is such a dangerous word

"Yes" I say, knowing that the awesome goodness of this family owned independent restaurant that makes without a doubt THE best hamburgers in the known universe will come with consequence of capricious calories.
"Well, do you want a 'Boz Burger'?" she asks.
I grimace, "Sure."
"Strawberry shake and fries too?"
In for a penny in for a pound "Yes, please."

Hey there Mr. Self Control, how's it going? The Boz Burger is 1/2pound (cooked) it has bacon, mushrooms, ham, cheese, onions, ketchup, mayo, and mustard. They don't make a box big enough for it, so they wrap it in aluminum foil. As one of the reviews says "The only thing it's missing is angioplasty" The strawberry shake is a "best in breed" no mere milk shake here, this is cream and ice cream and strawberries. The fries are cut in the restaurant - no flash frozen fries here - these are the hot grease magnets of the 50's and 60s. After this meal I am so beyond full that I can not move in what I can only gestimate as a 2500 to 3000 calorie meal I am not completely guilt free, but I do know that the workouts in the near future will be chipping away at this burger for some time.

Sabbath? Not for you Mr. BurgerBelly!

Sunday is a full court church day for me - morning and evening services. In between these two services is a period of around 4 hours - Evi usually makes breakfast and I sit on my butt - She is the best omelet maker in the entire world. Not this time though, I need to burn some calories! Evi didn't have time for shopping on Saturday so there were slim pickings to eat anyway.

Hitting the trail I worried that the huge meal from Saturday would slow me down, apparently I was mistaken I managed a new personal high average mph of 3.4 which was awesome but I wonder what I could have done without the burger shake and fries weighing me down.

What's Shaking?

2009-08-20T05:28:00.000-07:00

The road to YUM!

In my past diet modifications I've tried to cut out carbs, which worked until I could not stand it anymore and then committed pasta-cide. As my only foray into the diet craze Atkins worked for the purpose intended, but it wasn't sustainable.
Now I have focused on calories in/out. My diet is much like my personality - if I find something that fits I use it, all the time, locking me into a pattern. I am a habitual creature, and habits are their own addiction. Being able to stick to a schedule and having a plan make my day boring, but easily navigable. Hence when I find something to eat which is easy to make, I tend to fixate on it as a habit. Anything that is reasonably cheap, somewhat palatable, and quickly prepared can be a source of daily nutrition.

STRAWBERRIES!

I love strawberries, they are the most yummy of all berries. I have loved them all my life. Even as a child when my grandma would take the whole family to the fields outside of Salem Oregon (Kaiser, actually) the owners joked that they would need to weigh me coming in and leaving and charge my parents for the difference.

SMOOTHIES!

I have found that my love of strawberries has not dimmed with age, and I started making "shakes" during atkins I would make "protien shakes" and not worry about calories - the protien was strawberry-flavored throw in heavycream and ice and boom a shake that resembles strawberry but packs massive calories.
Since Atkins was not a long term solution to my issues with mass. I decided to work on the calorie balance, this is where strawberries shine. A cup of frozen strawberries contains 50 calories, thats not a lot for such a sweet food! I do like big shakes and my mug that I usually drink water from is 32 oz - so how can we get that full of strawberry goodness without breaking the caloric bank? well, a quart of strawberries is 200 calories (a 1/10th of my suggested intake) but if we can't use a whole quart in the shake so lets say 1.5 pints leaving 8 oz for water, additional flavors, and protein powder. The protien powder that I use is 100 calories per serving, so now we are at 250 calories My wife introduced me to the wonderful world of "sugar-free espresso flavors" and with no calories you can sweeten to taste without guilt. even adding a banana for 100 (reduce strawberries by a cup) pumps it up to 300 calories for a thick, rich quart - yes a QUART of strawberry goodness. My mouth is watering even now as we speak! So here's the recipe:

[Light Smoothy of Much Gut Busting] <--notice, it's epic! (WoW reference)

15 large frozen strawberries
1/2 cup sugar free espresso flavors (straw, ras, or kiwi, etc)
1/2 cup of water
1 scoop protein powder (whey is my fav)
*optional sub 1 medium banana for 1 cup strawberries

Add ingredients to blender and puree (I never thought I would use that word in a blog!)
Makes 1 really large quart serving (burp!)

I used to walk a mile for a camel....

2009-08-19T05:29:00.000-07:00

Now I've done 100 miles for a whale (well, I was getting kinda big!)

Thanks to my Garmin 305 I have been able to track my progress since I began the hiking at Lake Fenwick, and last nights workout saw milepost 100 slide into the rear-view mirror. I should be getting all reflective but I'm more apprehensive - I want to keep going and not lose this drive. Right now it's warm and dry - hiking is easy, once fall sets in and the rains start will I be as committed to my routine? It's easy to say YES now, but the time will come when I'm grumbling and grumpy - I need to keep my eyes on the prize - which I am slowly realizing is not a point in time or a goal on the scale - it's a realization that I have changed, that I am no longer the person I was. A tall order coming from a computer geek bent on self destruction through gastronomic abuse and physical negligence.

Hike Hike Hike Hike.

2009-08-18T12:31:00.000-07:00

Last night was awesome -I was right to the limit when I came home - 574 calories and 3.24 miles my pulse stayed up there and the stairs felt like a workout - although I'm finding myself speeding up a bit on the stairs. This would be a good thing except for the whole "breathing" thing. By the time I'm at the last 2 flights of stairs my heart is heading to the mid 160s and my quads are complaining vociferously. I still manage to get the reps done, so maybe I should just accept my body's need to push me further. I'm also starting to note certain aches and pains that ebb and flow throughout the workout. My hike tonight should feel a bit more normal as the temps will be in the 80s - sweating is becoming comfortable, as long as i can keep it out of my eyes!

Morning Woods

2009-08-15T09:36:00.000-07:00

HA HA! couldn't resist!

I have a busy day today, and with work the way it is I really needed to work out - I didi not get a chance yesterday as I was busy until after 5:00pm So bright and early this morning I head out to the trail. Today was a slow day - only managed 2.8 mph average, but I did the stairs 4 times. I would have posted 2.9 except the blackberries were ripe and I stopped to munch before the end of my walk. Time to mow the lawn now!

Surf and Turf? No, Track and Trail!

2009-08-13T05:42:00.000-07:00

Awesome run - but a bit muggy!

Started the run today up at Totem Junior High - a lot closer than FWHS, and close to the trail too. I did 1 mile at almost 6 mph then decided to hit the trail, no stairs today though I figure trail and a mile is equivalent.
I did experience what muggy can be - It rained heavily last night, a good soaking rain that the area needed badly. As I began my workout, the sun started to make an appearance and warm things up, the impression I felt varied during the workout. Up on the track, which is a open area with a nice breeze going on, I felt run of the mill thick muggy air. When I went to do the trail portion I found that my environment turned into what could best be described as one step below a steam room. Thick air is not easy to run in. Thick air is not easy to do stairs in. Persist I must though and cranked out 4 miles - I think I may skip today though, I'm sore and want to recuperate.

And BTW - Tuesday afternoon I did hit the FWHS track and did 3 miles non-stop - I would have done more but nature was calling (dang bladder!)

It's beginning to rain, it's beginning to pour!

2009-08-11T05:19:00.000-07:00

Ahhhhhh! Sweet delicious rain!

After a long drought, the rain is coming down, heavily. I'm hoping that it will remind us to be careful on the roads today and then be gone. Refreshing as it is, the rain had overstayed it's welcome last winter, and the summer does not have permission to leave just yet.

The beginning of this system was just arriving yesterday during my workout and all I received was an occasional spritz of mist as the trees above me seemed to suck all the moisture out of the clouds. The rain was such a novelty that as I was running, I turned my baseball cap around to feel the cool wet on my face, but since it was late in the workout when the rain started, it all flashed to steam on touching my skin!

Speaking of working out - the shoes are awesome! I now can jog from the start to all the way to the top of the trail steps without stopping (4/5ths of a mile, mostly uphill) and while joggin in certain sections my heart rate actually went DOWN. This is progress, and I think I'm up for another few laps around a track to see what I can do. So the rain has given me an excuse to abandon the trail for today. I would like to see if the trail is doable in "fall" conditions, and I will head out to the trail tomorrow, but tonight I have practice so I'll be singing at seven.

New tune Tuesday, maybe...

What a wonderful time, Dean passes out what is sometimes properly constructed charts, other times it's just a set of lyrics with chords and various doodles - then we make up our own parts. Both are great challenges, I STILL can't read treble clef (curse my bass playing roots!) and I often need Evi's (the Mrs.) help with parts.

Rearranging Body Parts

2009-08-09T07:35:00.000-07:00

Pardon me Sam, but how's the jogging with the new shoes?

I was on call this weekend and had to go into work for Saturday and Sunday for a couple of hours. After the on-call time dropped at 5:00pm I headed out for the trail sporting my new Brooks Addiction 8 running shoes. Was there still pain? Yup, just a bit in the tendon, but it was much more localized and temporary, I also noted that my right leg's anterior cruciate was sore - this also went away too. I'm thinking this is all just my leg's attempt to redistribute to weight and stress that is now properly situated. Although the GPS indicated the trip was shorter, I ran the same course and I was able to run more of it. without the painful soreness of my Achilles. The "spot" pain was easy to ignore.
I'm thinking that with this issue out of the way I should be able to concentrate on building endurance and that I may need to head to the track to test out my new legs. I would like to see if I've made progress with my endurance - after so many flights of stairs and quite a few miles I'm hoping to find a maintainable pace that I can stretch into at least 3 miles. Just 12 laps around the track..

Good prices - very helpful folks

2009-08-06T16:28:00.000-07:00

and BONUS! the shoes killed the Achilles pain right out of the box!

So after work I stop off at The Balanced Athlete and there was one lady in the shop helping another customer, I did not have to wait even a moment before she asked if she could help me - the previous customer was just leaving. I explained my workouts and the pain I was experiencing. She listened attentively and then told me to take off my shoes and socks, roll up my pantlegs and get on the treadmill. A camera was set about 8 ' off the ground behind the treadmill pointing at the belt, she started it up and set the speed at 3 mph after about 20 paces she told me she had seen enough and then walked me through 2 complete strides showing what was called a rather significant "pronation" or an inward pointing geometry of the foot ankle and leg. She also let me in on a teh reason why my right foot points out slightly in my stride - it is caused from the habit of driving, your right foot is always pointed out right to depress the accelerator, while still being able to pivot left and actuate the brake. She said that it could cause some issues but that I should continue what I'm doing (consciously point the foot inward when I run and it will become a subconscious habit )

She asks me to have a seat and hands me a pair of footies - I don them and she places my feet in the caliper of DEATH! I find that I'm a size 13 and that D is basically the only width running shoes are made in. She heads back to grab a couple of boxes (Mizumo and Brookes)She fitted the brookes first. The shoes fit nice! they were snug but not tight. The most unlikely thing happened as soon as I took a step in them - the pain that was just in my achilles was gone *boom* just gone - the shoes adjusted my pronation taking the stress off the tendons and from the after video completely correcting my gait. The Mrs and I had an appointment in the evening so I could not work out today, but I am so looking forward to tomorrow and seeing just what the shoe will do for my running.

I seriously recommend The Balanced Athlete for any running shoe needs. even if you have shoes - if you are having pain or just want to check your stride - their prices are not as high as you would think given the experienced, helpful and considerate staff that takes the time to focus on you.

The Balanced Athlete

2009-08-06T10:18:00.001-07:00

Take the "oh" out of go!

When I ran my mile test - two miles at FWHS, I was sidelined for a couple of days due to leg pain - not quite Achilles but close. I was told that it's probably my running shoes - that happen to be my lawn mowing shoes - just a beat up pair of budget Nikes. This place I found via a Google search and they look like just the place to go - I'm going to head there after work and see what they can do.

The Balanced Athlete looks like not just a shoe store but a store created by runners for runners, offering classes and consultation. I'm hoping that they will set me up with a pair of shoes that will instantaneously have me running marathons without sweating. I will settle though for running without pain in the ankle/Achilles area.

I will update later with a report from the scene!

FLYING!

2009-08-05T05:28:00.000-07:00

The effect of running really really fast downhill

I've been picking up the pace a bit in my workouts. Once I do the stairs 3 times I head down the trail to the turning point at Reith Road in Kent. After heading downstairs on the third time, my heart rate usually settles into the high 130s by the time I reach the landing. There is a short uphill portion - maybe 15 yards followed by a gentle downward slope for about a 1/10th of a mile. I usually start jogging there, and as the slope increases I pick up speed - towards the end comes a most enjoyable and reminiscent experience: I RUN, not just run, not just sprint, but RUN! I'm beatin feet! The speed makes you smile, induced by the slope you are going so fast that you feel yourself a different person, almost animalistic as your entire body is working perfectly and your strides are so fluid that you almost feel you are floating above this chaos of activity that is your legs. ZOOOOM! And then all too quickly it is over. My heart rate is pounding into the 160s and I'm sucking wind hard - but for a brief moment, I was twelve again, running barefoot through Park Orchard woods, just running because that's what kids do - ahhh bliss! I hope that I can extend those brief intervals to more then a handful of seconds, but that will take time. In the mean time I will take what I can get weeeeeeeeeeee!

A return from the break

2009-08-03T05:42:00.000-07:00

Three days of busy-ness and I need to hit the trail!

Thursday I didn't work out, Friday I didn't work out, Saturday I didn't work out. Sunday I needed to hit it again. This time I took to the trial in cool of the morning. Starting out to get my heart rate going I jogged the first 1/2 mile and then jogged again up the trail steps. I was waffling on whether to do the stairs 4 times but the past two guilt stricken days chastised me and I did my usual three times and then continue the walk to get the final time on the way back.

The route in the morning is different - what was shady is sunny and what was sunny is shady but although that was disconcerting in a most subliminal manner I still wanted to see if I could up my average pace - when I added the 4 stair component to my workout, my pace dropped precipitously. From a high of 4 MPH down to the mid 2's I'm thinking that over time I may build it back up but 4MPH and 4 stairs is a ways out there. This Sunday morning I at least split the difference hitting 3.1 mph average. my heart rate spiked nicely from the start, I will incorporate running the initial 1/2 mile into my normal workout and then hopefully running the trail steps too. that really added a lot to my workout and I can see the impact in my average heart rate.

Centurion!

2009-07-30T06:22:00.000-07:00

Exercising in over 100 degree weather - Garmin keeps me safe

It was a first yesterday, Seattle WA hit 103. The impact of that sentence is lessened if you do not know that Seattle has only once, previously in recorded history dating back to 1891, hit the century mark. Being someone who has been born and raised in the cool green damp of the Pacific Northwest I found myself laughing at the enormity of the heat when leaving the air-conditioned environs of work or my truck. Heat, yes Heat with a capital H.

I have been warned about working out in high temperatures but I really wanted to keep my workout going. How can I keep myself safe, and accomplish the mission of completing my daily workout. The answer is somewhat apparent - Water and electrolytes - but there was a missing ingredient. Heart rate.
When you work out your body uses energy - one of the byproducts of this is heat. Normally perspiration is very effective at cooling the body, but as temperatures rise the efficiency of that cooling mechanism decreases. A response to the inability to cool one's self is a faster heart rate. a faster heart rate moves the blood around the body and much like a radiator carrying that heat to the surface of the skin where it radiates away - what happens when the outside temperature is warmer than the core temperature in your body? Well it's not that simple because sweat along with a breeze will cool you to below ambient, but the tolerance for heat buildup lowers when you throw physical exertion in to the mix. That's where my Garmin Forerunner came in - As my workout progressed if I was on flat ground (non-stair portion of the workout) I would limit my heart rate to the mid 140s. When your heart rate is at that level, you really notice heat's limiting effect on your activity, the slightest incline would send my heart rate soaring, unless I slowed down. Which I did. A lot.
I did the stairs towards the beginning of the workout - 3 sets - which really showed my body's ability to generate heat - the first trip up I was cruising, probably faster than my normal rate - my heart rate hit 155 ( a far cry from the 178 from my initial run 3 weeks ago) my next two sets I hit 157, but I had slowed to keep from heating up too much. the rest of the first half of the walk proceeded normally - although it was hot - so hot that the boardwalk had that "sauna wood" smell. On the way back I found that the woods felt cool compared to the blast furnace of the boardwalk. A small breeze blew by as I first entered and the relative coolness was delicious. I noticed though that my heart rate was becoming harder to control - walking fast on level ground would send it climbing and to slow it, I would have to slow down tremendously, all but stopping. and then came the stairs - the last time for the day - the stairs stood between me and my car. As there is a slight incline approaching the stairs, I walked in slow circles around the landing, waiting for my heart to slow into the upper 120's to start heading up. I hit the stairs at 125 and my heart rose slowly, I was basicly hitting a rhythm that would be a fast "Canon in D" by Pacabel. I must have looked like a sloth, each step carefully placed upward and onward, never stopping. after reaching the top, I was probably a bit on the conservative side - my heart rate was 151. The walk concluded with the trip down the hill to the car. I was so elated that I forgot to turn off the Garmin but from the activity, you can see when the car ride starts.

Shade and a breeze

2009-07-29T05:25:00.000-07:00

Two things that are not happening in Seattle today

Yesterday's workout was better than Monday's - I actually completed the stairs 4 times. The Garmin provides a sense of reassurance that I'm pressing hard by achieving target heart rate, but not pressing too hard by too easily overshooting heart rate. I am not new to exercise in hot weather - the master at my TKD school did not have AC and considered fans a luxury. But now that I'm older and may not have a few days to recuperate, I want to make sure my workouts are safe and effective. The 305's heart meter does just that.

Summertime, and the livin is easy....

2009-07-28T05:26:00.001-07:00

It's easy to sweat!

My truck's thermometer hit 96 on the way home yesterday. For us Washingtonians 96 degrees is equivalent to Dante's Inferno. Today and tomorrow we may eclipse the century mark. This is not normal, but if given a chance, I'll use it!

I work in AC all day long, and I had not been out of the office since 9:00am. Heading out after work the heat hit you in the face and said "Hi, my name is HOT, how do you do" heading home the temp spiked in the mid 90s but when I got to the lake it was a cool 87. Today I wore shorts for the hike and also a white baseball cap - most the walk is in the shade but with thinning hair Sun = Hat. The first thing I noticed was that my heart gets to target rate much easier. I actually had to slow down . I also found out the importance of hydration and SALT salt helps your body regulate temperature and when its hot and you are working, you go through it quickly. I met the stairmaster at the lake and we was a stair SLACKER! I can't fault him though, I only did them 3 times.
Today I'm going to try to do the stairs four times, but I'm going to load up on water and salt during the day!

Summertime, it's dang hot, but with the winter we had, I'm not complaining - check back on Thursday for an update though.

When you think you can't... Think again.

2009-07-23T05:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's walk started with continued soreness, my calves were still mooing. As I progressed they started to feel better.
As I hit the dock portion of the Fenwick walk I see him, in his '80s golf shirt, white hair and shorts, sitting and stretching out on the dock. It's the StairMaster.

"Hi John, how's it going?" I ask cordially, slowing but not stopping.
"Hello, pretty good, how many are you doing today?" He asks after me, I wince inwardly.
Feeling like the loser I am, I stop long enough to say "Oh, I'm only going to do them once, my calves are still killing me, from the 6 reps on Monday"

I think to myself "Good gravy, I'm walking and I'm doing the stairs what more do you want sheesh!" Then I realize that he's not the one I'm dissapointing, he is the StairMaster and will not suffer disappointment from FOOLS! I reflect back to my IM session with my friend Dean.
"I'm headed out to Fenwick, you want to come along?" I asked.
"No, I'll pass this time but do the stairs twice for me" Oh that Dean....
"Actually I was only going to do them once, but I'll donate that to you" My lame attempt at snappy rejoinders falls somewhat flat, but it'll do.
Back at the dock, I've moved on. I'm doing some soul searching, "Are you doing this to not hurt? Are you doing this to get in shape? Are you doing this to be comfortable? There's a reclining loveseat with a backlit keyboard, wireless mouse and 100" screen for your fat arse back at home that wants you to fail" my inner demon/angel taunts.
I clear my head and move along, thinking that in this heat 3 miles should be good enough. The spiderwebs from my previous walk help me to decide to bypass the loop, and I head down the stairs. Having just finished the first hill a ways back, my pulse is dropping and drops fairly quickly as I head down the stairs.
"Maybe just twice" I decide, as I notice my calves aren't near as sore as they were just 10 minutes ago. I start to head up the stairs. "Slow down Sam, watch the heart rate" I'm thinking because I don't want to spike the rate early and have to slow down or stop before i reach the top. As I check my heartrate I notice that 1/2 way up the stairs it's still in the 130s, it should be blazing into the 150s by now on it's way up to 170. By the time I get to the top, I'm panting, but my pulse is still in the 150's. Nice! I head back down my pulse drops, not to the low 110s previously, but high 120s I'm quite happy with, so I turn and head back up, I'm reminded of the immortal words of Han Solo "That's great kid, now don't get cocky" As I top the stairs a second time my heart rate is in the low 160s, the pain in my calves is a distant memory, but the rubbery legs kick in on the way down the stairs and I avail myself of the handrails.
Continuing on through the forest I'm not really looking to go fast or keep my heart rate up, I'm more into just going and enjoying. I make it to the North entrance of the park and walk a big circle to start heading back. I don't feel like jogging on the boardwalk so I fast walk, heart rate stays around 130, so I'm still in the +/- 10% of target heart range.
As I leave the boardwalk the coolness of the forest spurs me on, My heart rate is now in the high 130's flirting with 140. Who do I see on the trail? None other than the StairMaster, on his way back from his exercise. I hold up two fingers, not a peace sign - a count. The StairMaster nods.

"My calves aren't nearly as sore as when I first started out today" I say, in passing.
The StairMaster has patience, "You know," the Stairmaster stops, forcing me to stop.
"My legs never bothered me" he observed, "But the stairs made my lower back ache at first, just once, but never my legs."
I wonder what wise thing to say in the presence of the StairMaster. "My doctor told me that low back pain is caused by placing more weight on the heels, than on the balls of the feet" I have requited myself nicely, "I'm going to do two more on the way back" I add.
"Good for you, I only did them once today." the StairMaster quips.
"See you tomorrow" I say as I turn and continue my walk.
"The StairMaster... only did the stairs... once???" I think to myself, dismayed.
Resolute I proclaim to myself " Then I WILL do the stairs twice on the way back, but I do them for THE STAIRMASTER!"

Heat, Pain and Stairs!

2009-07-22T05:32:00.000-07:00

ow ow ow ow ow ow

Yes, I walked yesterday in the near 90 degree heat - 3.2 miles on the trail, did the stairs once, my calves did not want me to do the stairs once, my calves wanted to stay home (tender as veal they were!) But I need to keep this going. I found that 3 miles takes me under an hour and I can keep my heart rate around target for the entire time, so I've moved my starting point to the boat launch and then do a complete walk around the park.

The full tour (courtesy of Garmin)

Not much to see on the trail during the walk - a lot of Americana was happening around the lake though. Folks flipping burgers on BBQs kids yelling and laughing in the lake. It struck me as a very peaceful cacophony, almost sacred. Seeing people relax and enjoy life was much the same as looking at a painting and connecting with feeling the artist was trying to portray. You do an inner cheer for them saying "Yes, this IS what it's all about, please continue!" but then again it could have just been the heat :D

Repetition repeats repetitively

2009-07-20T18:48:00.000-07:00

The StairMaster has a name!

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/9257275

After having a great day at work - not too busy but not too slack. I'm still buzzing from the good report from the health check up - everything except for BMI is right where it should be and the Nurse could tell from the various readings that I was exercising properly. This is the first time I've had a entirely positive experience with a medical prognosis ( previously I smoked, or was not too active, so one thing or another was working against me,) but the nurse actually "poo-pood" my 30.5 BMI saying that I'm on the perfect track to an acceptable lower 20's BMI. I know I've been on this for over a month now and I'm still working, I'm not too worried about how much I eat, but that is coming down too, it's also a matter of what I eat. Fruits and veggies, Tuna, Chicken, not much processed grains. Like today, I woke up, got to work and had my normal "Black Coffee and Stomach Acid" for breakfast, for lunch around 12:30 I had a bag of planters peanuts (it's easy to eat small at work if you are busy) The peanuts I eat after noon because I want to hit the workout with at least some energy, but nothing that would stuff me. After the workout I have my reward: 10-12 strawberries, one banana, a 1/4 cup of cream (soon to be 1 cup strawberry yogurt) a scoop of protein powder and water, blended. It makes a utterly awesome smoothy. and I also had a good sized tunafish salad.

Meanwhile back at the workout - I took the StairMaster's advice to heart to day, I sent John, Dorsey and JJ an IM saying that I'm hitting the trail and proceded to head out. I waited a bit at the trailhead but I really wanted to get working and I figured they'd catch up. I got to the stairs and went down to the bottom then started my way up- first time was not too bad as my heart was pounding, but much slower than when I normally hit it. I turned and headed back down, I was breathing hard, but by the time I got to the bottom I was ready to test the theory, I go up to the top and was winded, but no more than usual so down I go again, I get to the bottom and as I head back up, I hear my friends making their way down from the top. They are impressed, I am impressed, the lady that was coming up my first time had come back and SHE was impressed lol. so I pass them on the way up and they start doing the stairs too (except the lady, she said she would try multiples tomorrow) I get to the top and my friends aren't far behind, John packing JJ in the back pack - JJ is into this exercise stuff and cheers dad on! We head down and do it again. I'm at my fifth time up! and on the way down we all start get wobbly rubber-band knees we continue the hike to the end of the lower trail and back. On the return leg we run into the StairMaster, I tell him that his advice is awesome, I did more stairs than I thought possible! He laughs and says its all a matter of doing it, just keep going. I thank him again and as we are heading back I say " I'm sorry I don't know your name, I'm Sam. The StairMaster said "I'm John" - we hit the stairs and I talk them into doing the loop. After that it was heading back down to the cars and home. All in all a great day of work and friends and now a more indepth knowledge of "The StairMaster"

7 miles! My Feets Hurt!

2009-07-18T19:10:00.000-07:00

Another 1st for me - although I think I'll take it a bit easier for a while

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/9121748

The Garmin is pushing me, pushing me further and further! I did fairly well, I stopped at the truck at the 3.5 mile mark to pound a bottle of water, but that took all of 30 seconds. I wasn't actually going for speed, I was more focused on heartrate and maintaining it at the 140 target, while keeping it low enough that I wouldn't burn out. Mission Accomplished! On the walk I noticed a guy who must have been around 55-60, who I've seen on many previous days, he says "hello" and I say "Good afternoon" and we pass each other. It happened this way as well today but since I was doing the trail twice I passed him again - at the stairs. He was climbing the stairs multiple times. He told me it was a "Mind game" as you are very winded when you arrive at the top, but as you head back down you get to recuperate. having hit over five miles at that point I said "I'll try that another time." and proceeded on to the turn around point and came back - this guy was still doing stairs! I told him "You either are committed or you should be." I think I might try that Monday. And when I see him again, I'll ask his name - for now he shall be known as "The Stairmaster"

Thursday's abbreviated aerobics and slackage at work

2009-07-16T20:25:00.000-07:00

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/9002705

I had an appointment at 5:00pm so i could not do 2 laps :/ oh well one lap will have to suffice for now. Not too busy today at work, I like it a bit more challenging. I got an email this morning saying that things will definately pick up next week. I'm happy for the down week as it was MS Patch Tuesday and I had the time to create and load a newly patched image to my thumbdrive. I also took the time to reload my development machine to speed it up a bit, but I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet and get some more memory I'm trying to keep the development work to a minimum to focus my energies on the customer. The last few weeks the customer has needed the focus, but this week I've had a bit of a break.

in other news my World of Warcraft Guild suffered an exodus, these things do happen but a bunch of really nice folks will be missed. It seems to happen every once in a while in MMORPGs but it does suck.

Friends on the Trail

2009-07-16T05:25:00.000-07:00

When a workout isn't work

I met some friends who wanted to check out the trail yesterday after work. We actually expanded the walk to the entirety of Lake Fenwick Park this added another half mile to the round trip. I'm thinking it will now become a regular route. John, Dorsey, and JJ are awesome folks to share the walk with. I had sort of written off the walk thinking that well, they are packing JJ, I might need to hold back and just enjoy the company. NOT! These guys hit the trail at a really nice pace and John while packing JJ did the stairs at a clip that I was hard-pressed to keep up with! JJ, (the piano-man) Is a hard working tyke and halfway through the walk took time to explore his surroundings. The picture is from the end of the walk, and reinforces the point that sometimes you have to stop and smell the flowers.

Tuesday Night Rejuvenation

2009-07-15T05:45:00.000-07:00

For such is the kingdom

Being a 40'something and having a family, I have found that sometimes I miss the times when my kids were little cute things that were doing the endearing little things that when they were older you reflected on so that you wouldn't throttle them. At choir practice last night, our resident choir toddler was fulfilling that requirement. JJ is an awesome little guy who parents could not love any more (it's actually been scientifically proven.) He is a very inquisitive, bold and rambunctious little urchin who has a propensity to be cute. I'm thinking he will be a musician of some talent. Today after work I will hopefully be walking with him and his family at the trail.

I have been singing in this group for many, many years. Through singing I have found very deep spiritual places. I have had much laughter and even been sophomoric at times. Our group is much more than a choir, we have all been singing together a long time, we are much like a family - we share whats going on with each other, we pray for each other. It's a great part of my life. I do however at times feel insufficient for the task. I can sing well, from bass to tenor, but I tend to sing well with repetition and assistance (learning parts.) Sometimes it feels as if I may be holding the group back, but then other folks need help with parts too, so I may be overly sensitive on that note.

Of Atkins bars and active ingredients: LESSON LEARNED!

2009-07-14T17:29:00.000-07:00

I was so up for a repeat performance today, but on the way back from dropping off some stuff for a coworker, I stopped into the health food store and saw a box of 130 calorie carmel chocolate peanut butter bars... I buy the box and grind on one (yum) I figure Hey, the bag of peanuts I usually have for lunch has 330 calories, I can gnosh a couple more. (YUM)

About an hour later *gurgle* I'm sitting at my desk at work *gurgle* and I'm feeling some digestive processes running amok *GURGLE* Well lets take care of this, time for some quality blackberry surfing time anyway.

Back at the desk, I'm figuring out an issue with VPNs and my laptop *gurgle* I try to ignore the noise, but in the back of my mind I'm thinking "GOOD GRAVY! WHAT HAVE I DONE?!?!" *gurgle* Well, lets go see if I can get very far with brickbreaker on the old blackberry. fast forward an hour - I'm leaving a bit early to take my wife to a doctors appointment and my backup arrives *gurgle* Better visit the little technician's room before I hit the road! OH NOES!!!

I get to my truck and look at the box, it says "People who are sensitive to the sugar alcohol should limit ingestion to one serving per 24 hour period to avoid the potential laxative effects" DOH!!!!

I get home *gurgle* Luckily my daughter is able to take my wife to the the appointment. I make a bee line to the bathroom - at least here I have my netbook for full page surfing! It's time to leave for choir practice, phew! I'm feeling much better now.

DOCTOR ATKINS IS REACHING OUT FROM THE GRAVE!

5 Miles +

2009-07-14T05:29:00.000-07:00

Self taunting for the uninitiated

What a hike! An hour and a half spent for 750 calories, and an average heart rate of 142 - This was a not as much of a challenge as I thought it was going to be - it was actually a fun workout.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/8715682

I found myself able to look around and take more notice of my surroundings, including an especially happy and barkiferous little scotty-dog that met me on the northside of the walk at a fenced in area directly off the boardwalk. He was trying to be ferocious, but I could see the smile on his face. bounce-bark-run-bark-bounce-pant!

The workout was not without a tragic injury though... I got "nettle finger" :( while web-wacking in the first time around the deer trail. I do not appreciate nettles! They sting and itch! It's all better now though.

The half-way mark I went through some "self-taunting" pointing out the proximity of the truck and that I could quit and sit and rest my poor tired self. I gave myself the finger and proceeded on (It's not easy to give yourself the finger, try it sometime!) The second lap was actually easier than the first. well for the most part - the second time up the stairs was work, but I still did not stop. The amount of sweat generated by this workout was a marked increase over the previous single loop. I think this may become my standard workout now.

Doubling down....

2009-07-13T13:55:00.000-07:00

When in the course of human events....

it becomes necessary to change one's tack in exercise - I achieved a goal of 4 mph, and without running the whole thing including the dratted stairs I do not see the return on investment increasing the speed. I'd actually be shortening my workouts. Today I'm going to slow down a bit - instead of looking at avg speed, I'm going to focus on heart rate and double the course, 5 miles in total and two times up and down the stairs. I'm going to keep my heart at the target range of 140 but I will try to avoid (for now) the 160+ range, except on the stairs. This is to ward off any "plateau" from stopping progress.

I am enthused with my progress so far, I haven't really weighed myself, I've been using a different determinant - how my rings fit. My wedding ring had to be resized 3 years ago and started to be tight enough to be concerning. My wife also gave me a ring for our 25th anniversary, that while it fit, I knew it was not going to come off without a lot of work. Both rings now slide easily from my fingers. I will know when my plan is fully changing me when the rings fall off. That is now sometime off in the future, but I am on my way.

Another reason to change the focus is not to burn myself out. I want to make this a life-change, not a fad or mood. to do this I need to focus on attainable fitness goals and ones that support the main goal of reducing.

Sabbath: a literal take

2009-07-12T15:18:00.000-07:00

Today is a down day, at least for the next 40 minutes or so. Normally Sundays are a pretty busy day for me. I use it as a day of rest for workouts, but Church has me busy both in the morning and afternoon. One Sunday a month I get the morning off and I rest; Actually I play WoW and wander about the house in an unkempt state.

In a few minutes I'll head to church for the afternoon service where I run sound and serve as a general purpose roady. The praise leader, the other sound man, and I have known each other for over many years and I find the afternoons talking with them while setting up the equipment to be both juvenile and therapeutic. There will be a dinner tonight so we will have good attendance. I try to do a good job but sometimes mess up - forgetting to patch the piano into the main system, running a line for the sax player etc. All in all though it sounds pretty good. Most of the group are professionals including a bass player that is freakishly good (having played bass for many years I am in awe of his skills).

Yesterday was a packed weekend day: although I did a personal best workout, I also re-installed 6 of the PCs at church. This was a pretty involved task, and took me around four hours. I haven't been officially named the Church's admin, but they call me, so I heed the call (It's kinda like a heaven-based 401k)

Personal Best!

2009-07-11T20:21:00.001-07:00

I hit the trail this morning early, the sun was up but it was still cool out. The park's parking lot where I normally start out from was closed - City of Kent sleeping in! I drove to the other entrance to the park - the one right off of Reith Road - and pulled off to side of the road at the parks North entrance. I was rather circumspect about changing up my hike - this was a big shift, going up the stairs first was definitely a different feel. Well, nothing ventured... I noted that my initial jog felt different, not as draining as normal, this was goodness. This was also my first time doing this in the morning, so where the sun normally was there was shade - made for easy running on the boardwalk. After about 1/3 mile I noticed my pulse rate getting up into the mid 160s and busted back to a fast walk. Not a quick step, more along the lines of longer strides.

I'm checking my Garmin for average speed which since I started out at a good jog, was up into the mid 5mph range. As I slowed it dropped and was at 4.6 by the time I hit the stairs *the velocity suck." After grinding to the top my average was 3.8, not bad.. I can make this up! I head to the right at the stairs , reach into the foliage and grab my prepositioned "web-wacker" ( a two foot long tree branch) and proceed around the deer-trail loop flailing the stick in a not altogether unsuccessful war against the morning's spiderwebs strung between the path's foliage.

By the time I get done with the loop (and dutifully return the web wacker) I'm still sitting at 3.8. I've got my breath back from the stairs, so I take it up to a jog until I get down the "pallet stairs" stuck on the trail on the hill next to Lake Fenwick. The "pallets" are a sort of trail stair and in order to run them you need to adopt a different metre "step-step-step, step" with the last step bringing both feet down very close together. Repeat 4 or 5 times and you are at the bottom . After this run I and at 4.0, my heart rate is at 168 and I slow back to a fast walk. I know it's a fast walk because my heart rate is reticent to come down.

I get to the half-way point, seeing my avg at 4.0 is mind blowing - my previos best of 3.8 was for the whole course and I just did the hardest half first! Iknow that I will not be able to maintain a run back up the hill. but I don't want to knock my average, so I follow my pulse: I run if my pulse gets into the 150s and walk if it hits 170. I power walk up for the most part but there is a good section of jogging. when I get to the "trail steps" I walk, but I walk fast, and just by walking my pulse taps 170 at the top of the hill. That's OK, I'm on level ground now and the rest is mostly down hill.

I still have the 4.0 avg going on. I complete the deer-trail loop and head back down the stairs, I can go down the stairs fairly fast. but not 4 mph, and when I get to the bottom the average reads 3.8. Time to kick butt and chew bubblegum, unfortunately, I'm all out of bubblegum. I jog on the trail after the staircase, it's downhill and makes for good speed without a lot of exertion. I stop when the trail wanders up hill a bit but I've added a 10th to my average. Finding another slight downhill,I jog - even though the heart rate is still mid 160s - and head down the big dip in the trail about 1/2 mile from the finish line, ding! I'm at 4.0 but my heart is in the mid 160s and I need to walk! so I do, I'm still tasting the goal and walk with long strides to maintain the average.

Hitting the boardwalk I'm in the final stretch. one third of a mile to go - pulse is down to 155 so I hit it... jog about 2 10ths and hit 166 then power walk down to 155 and hit it again, this time I keep it going until the end and when I hit the stop button, the garmin reads 4.1. My pulse taps 170, I am euphoric! I am triumphant! I am gasping for air! This was a good workout!

<--- Bike n00b! But still focused on the journey

2009-07-11T06:30:00.000-07:00

Lesson learned, to the path I've returned

Well, I'm thinking I just bought a lesson, rather than a bike. I did five miles, five painful, not so fun miles. The bike is not very stable and the way I fit it is all wrong. I'm going to take it to the bike shop and see if there's anything they can do. but I think I'm sticking to hiking in the meantime. Anywho, It's not quite 7:00am and I since the day is going to be a busy one I thought I'd get the work out in first. The trail is such a wonderful place of peace, although I do end up out of breath, the quiet and serenity of the woods provides energy and focus. I find myself very "centered" in that place of deep green and brown. After a 50 hour work week (even with the 4 hours off) this is a needed respite between the weekly chaos.

I have my Garmin on and sitting here typing I'm rocking 85 BPM. It's a bit higher than I want while sitting, but that's another reason for the workouts. Stuff is fitting looser now, I need to keep the focus. If I don't have enough funds for new clothes, I'll sport the "baggy" look for a while. It's all about priorities and getting myself closer to where I need to be is primary.

Test your mettle whilst you peddle

2009-07-09T20:59:00.000-07:00

Craigslist FTW, this is my first bike in 30 years. Back then Girls wore spandex, and dweebs wore helmets. The law is the law and I'm going to go get a helmet tomorrow. The last time I road a bike I crashed multiple times (My son was there and involved in at least one of them, all we got was a bad case of laughs as our front tires locked and we tumbled. The bike is a Giant Rincon 21 speed, although it does look used, all the mechanicals are in good condition everything works so far as I can tell. Now we shall see if Biking is for me. The Garmin will come along with and plot the course. Hopefully it will keep me peddling miles and losing flab.

Tools to Rebuild

2009-07-09T06:44:00.000-07:00

How shall I rebuild this bag of mostly water?

The Garmin Forerunner 305

A marathoner at work told me about the Garmin Forerunner series of GPS enabled watches, The way it breaks down your workouts - knowing at what level I need to be to produce the maximum effect without overworking has really helped me. At my age my target heart rate is 140, so if I'm cranking out 170 I'm going to want to stop and wheeze a bit, If I keep it between 150 and 160 I don't need to stop, unless my legs give out - being a video gaming couch potato my leg muscles need time to build up. I want to give them enough exercise to strengthen them as quickly as possible, so long runs become possible. I do use the watch for mile marking, and speed too, but mostly as a heart monitor

Lake Fenwick Park - Kent, WA

Another tool is a place, a place of resting and testing - the forge where I can refine and shape myself. Most of the walk/run is dense forest, the paths are dirt - no ruts or roots, so it's easy to concetrate on your cadence.
It begins with an 1/3 mile upward slope leading to stairs (more on the stairs later.)

With the added fun of elevation change it really works aerobically while strengthening the legs. The environment maintains a much cooler temp on hot days and the scenery is much better than running around a track. After a month of using this trail, I grow more accustomed to the elevation changes and turns and general features - the board walk on the north side before the entrance on Reith Road, the quick dip about half way through that drops down ~20 feet and pops back up 10. Although it is close in (30 minutes out of downtown Seattle) the park has kept it's forest feel.

The Stairs

The Stairs of Lake Fenwick are it's best and worst feature - A true love/hate relationship has developed. 256 beautiful, painful, euphoria producing/agony inducing steps lead the way down into/up out of the thick forest valley. At first my goal with these was to make it all the way to the top without stopping. Now I do not stop when I get to the top (Progress!) The day before yesterday, I was passed by a kid on the trail, and I thought to myself "If he runs up those stairs, I know he's a spawn of Satan sent to dishearten me." I get up to the stairs and I see him about halfway up, chugging away at a jog up the stairs... "You go ahead Satan, If I do get thee behind me, the least you could do is push!"

Upon reflection "Lachesis Jr." motivated me to keep going, and that was the first day I did not stop at the top. Oh I wanted to, but I wanted to keep going more to prove to myself that I could do it.

Ever been there?

2009-07-08T05:58:00.001-07:00

At some time in your life,(for me starting around 45,) you notice that you have relatively little control over what goes on outside your self. So you look for introspective changes you can make to experience the illusion of control. The one area where you are freely able to exercise change is "self". Some changes are are easy to make - shall I have an Ultimate Cheeseburger? Shall I smoke? Shall I drink excessively? Shall I spend a large percentage of my life in a world that exists solely on a large computer screen? Going down that road is easy, the benefits are simple and quick, but "easy" never produces good results long term.
On the other hand, the changes that do affect you in a positive, long term manner are almost never easy, but the rewards of these changes can be suprising. You set a goal and by striving to achieve it you notice other tangible benefits that were not in your plan. About 5 years ago, I quit smoking. I still think "You don't understand, I QUIT SMOKING!" The first part of that change was hard - keeping the commitment is pretty easy now, but in the beginning it took some real grit and determination - now it takes not being stupid, (which can be just as challenging sometimes.)

Now I move on - a few years of drink and food, but getting the nico-monkey off my back was so worth it. All this complacency used to gather strength to keep the smoke-free commitment was visible - 60 pounds of fat. Eating to generate the endorphins that sooth my synapses was a short term fix - the side effects are increased joint pain, lowered endurance, self esteem, depression blah blah blah. Time to make a change, not just a "lose the weight" change, a life change - attitude, honesty, respect, self control.