Key Word: Resting, Maximum, Are you OK?
Word Count: 552
First run of the week today! (stupid rain) I was in need of some heart rate data after finding that my resting heart rate is 44bpm (maybe a lil' slower), so I went for a Felix Run from Finish Strong. Coach said, due to the heat, we shouldn't do the two mile hard tempo, opting instead for alternating half-mile hard, with half-mile easy. Naturally, as I was trying to find my maximum heart rate, I opted for something different. After a mile real easy, I took off for a mile hard.
That mile went faster than I thought it would; 8:03! Pretty good since I wasn't in an all out blaze (though I was sprinting at the end). My heart rate got up to a noticeably fast 184 bpm at the end. Half mile with a walk and easy run (Meghan came back by asking "Are you all right?", yes, just resting up to BLAZE a mile). The second fast mile was a bit more of a challenge, and though I didn't notice my exact time at the finish, I think it was 8:20 (this watch makes checking split times difficult or maybe impossible, it's more into heart rate stats). My heart rate trumped itself by topping out at 185 during this interval. Quick break for a wee (believe it or not, I actually didn't get that in before the run ... unlike me), and I met up with Leon for the run back.
185 is probably not my max heart rate, but it's close. I probably need an honest to goodness sprint workout to nail down the max. A supposedly very reliable formula for max heart rate goes like this: 210 minus half your age minus 5% of your body weight plus 4. Sure, why not. That yields a max of 191. Wikipedia claims that 205.8 - (0.685*age) was deemed by some study to be the best formula, though they say there really is no acceptable formula (this one had a standard deviation of about 6 bpm). This would yield a max of 185.
With this info, RunnersWorld UK lists how you come up with running zones (http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/news/article.asp?UAN=176). They use your "working heart rate", or your max minus your resting, as the key for the computations. As they put it, long runs (aka, Saturday morning runs) should be between 60%-70% of your max. To compute that, you take 70% of your working heart rate (here I use 185 as max and 44 as resting), and I get 143 as my heart rate. I would have to run HELLA SLOW to get my HR that low on Saturday morning. If I assume my max heart rate is around 197 (one formula said it should be), 70% lands me at 151 (possible, though still slow pimpin'). Regardless of my exact max, 166 (my cruising HR on Saturday) seems fast, close if not over 80% which is more so a tempo or long fartlek rate. I may try to slow it down, and maintain the slowness and see how I feel. 12 miles on Saturday. Sounds long, but after 18, it should be awesome!
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
18 miler - PUKE UP!
Key Words: 18 miler, Puke on the 59 Overpass, 166 BPM
Word Count: 1400 or so (come on, it was a long run, give it a read .. esp if you have opinions on heart rate)
So last Saturday was the HoustonFIT Chicago Marathon training program 18 mile run. As it has taken me three days to write this, it was clearly a rough event. First, as I'm not sure of the tone I am going to write this in, in case its overly negative, let me say I'm glad to be healthy enough to be able to run 18 miles in Houston's August heat. Lord knows I don't take care of my body or health the way I should (damn those vices!), but thankfully, I'm still up to the task. So there, onward to 18.
The Friday before the run was our fantasy football draft, and for that reason, I should not have been as sleep deprived as I was. After football drafts my mind is so busy racing with what could-a, should-a, that I have a hard time enumerating sheep. So it was with maybe five hours of sleep on Friday night, and 10 over the past two days, that I toed the line at 4:30AM for our run.
This was my first run with the new heart rate monitor. My goal was simply to learn about my body: what rate did my heart like when I was cruising, did it spike up during the painful parts, could I use it to force myself to run through difficult stretches of asphalt? As Larry and I (my running partner at the start of runs of late) headed to Luke's Locker my heart rate steadily climbed, settling in at a game 166 or so per minute. Much to my pleasure I noticed that I could foretell when my HR had climbed or fallen more than a couple of beats. Once I suddenly felt cool, calm, collected ... I looked down and my HR was a mellow 150! 3.5 miles to Lukes, somewhere around 10:20 or so a mile.
After Lukes we were to run to the Rice loop (6 total miles) and do one Rice Loop (3 miles), one Herman Park Loop (3 miles) and return to Memorial (18 total). Note therefore, that this could easily be a 12, 15, or 18 mile course. The big secret from our last 15 mile run was that I didn't do 15 miles; I only did 14! (scandal!) So I was committed to doing 15, and really wanted 18. I have been more and more vocal about the silliness of our 21 mile training run three weeks prior to Chicago and I will certainly not run it. This, if I made it to 18, would surely be my longest training run.
Things went well to Rice, with my HR staying pegged at 166. Some of Felix's crew (including his wife Sylvia) were running with us. It turns out that Felix is apparently running Chicago!?!? I had no idea. Anywho, I jockeyed with them a bit, and after they left the aide station at mile six ahead of me, I chased them around Rice. This is where the heart rate monitor came in handy. Right before mile nine, I had an urge to go ahead and decide to only run 15. I looked at me HR; 165, nope, doing 18. I had an urge to walk; HR was 166, nope keep on trucking. After a few more "urges", I calmed down and pulled into the nine mile stop under decent control. I had either just fended off a silly desire to run less, or fended off a smart desire to cut things short on a day when I wasn't at my best.
Then things went horribly wrong.
The HRM strap was irritating me a bit, so I took it off. This made my watch very angry. That made me very angry. My stomach got angry! ME HAGS MAD!!!! Suddenly I didn't feel well. My ears throbbed, my stomach churned, my head was buzzing. I figure the stress (which was silly) over the HRM was not what my body wanted while being so taxed, and it revolted accordingly. I grudgingly reset the watch, strapped back up, and headed out for my Hermann Park loop.
I could no longer resist the urge to walk during this part. I started jockeying with some fast 5/1 runners, and came across a walking Larry; people around me walking makes me want to walk, so I did. Somewhere around Hermann I realized that I probably should have only did 15, but as I was committed, I hobbled on into the 12 mile stop. My HR, though my speed was starting to drop, was hanging at 166 or so while running. In a sign of decent aerobic fitness, my HR would drop the required 20 beats or so during the first minutes of a break (I believe that's a traditional measure of fitness :).
From 12 back to the park was an exercise of triage; running when I could. I ran with Larry some, Alaina's Greg some, and Alaina herself worked the Lukes aide station and ran Greg in. I was generally doing 5/1 (five minutes running, 1 minute walking), though I certainly took liberty with the lowering the 5 and increasing the 1. Then came the puke. Thankfully not mine, nor that of another running, but as I was coming to the 59 overpass, I realized I was about to step in a puddle ... of puke! I quickly realized the puddle likely came from the guy passed out in the car next to said puddle! Hopefully he was alive. I say that out of concern, and because I, as best I could in my state, laughed my ass off! With a fleeting smile, the run continued. Somewhere after Lukes, probably around mile 16, I was weary of some of the pain coming from my right achilles. As this was the one that troubled me before this year's Houston Marathon, I simply hoped to get back in one piece. It twas truly a slow march down Blossom!
I made it back to the park in about four hours. The HoustonFIT seminar was over, the tent was being broken down, but the Fall Group aide station was still up, serving those us of limping back to our starting point after a long 18 miles.
For only the second time I can recall, I got a wee bit faint after this run. Not as bad as the infamous "Hotter Than Hell 25K" from 2005, but my head was buzzing, my ears felt full of blood, I had an undeniable urge to sit down. I quickly gave Larry his promised sample of Endurolytes and headed back to my car. The "Party in the Park" was on Sat. morning, but get this, I was too tired to go get free St. Arnolds beer! Yep. You read right. I was blasted.
So what does this mean? Well, I'll go into Chicago with a clear conscience. I made it 18 miles. Some running, some walking, some jumping of puke puddles, but I made it. Forgiving myself the runs missed due to injury, and assuming I make the remaining long runs, I'll be as ready as I can be. As for the heart rate monitor, I'm glad I got it. I still need to do lot's of runs with it, particularly in colder weather, and see what it turns up.
The biggest head scratcher of all this is how my heart rate stayed steady during the miles when I suffered so much. Does this mean there is no tie to heat and heart rate? Why didn't my heart rate drop? Was my cardiac system just blasted, so it was running fast? It could be that the "aerobic" part of my heart rate was lower, and the extra beats were a futile attempt to get blood to my skin where it could be cooled. With some tempo and speed runs under my belt, I hope to verify that the high 160s is where my heart wants to be (lower if possible, of course). With some cold runs, I can start to verify if there is a link between my heart rate and performance (i.e., the heat will be out of the equation). If there does prove to a link, I could us the HRM on race day to stay in a cardiac "happy place" and hopefully keep the engine purring for longer than I have in the past. Heart rate is, they say, the only true measure of how hard you are working. But "they" have been known to be wrong!
No speed workout today; thunderstorms. Probably good though, the legs have been a little tired. Jumping puke puddles at mile 14 is hard work!
Word Count: 1400 or so (come on, it was a long run, give it a read .. esp if you have opinions on heart rate)
So last Saturday was the HoustonFIT Chicago Marathon training program 18 mile run. As it has taken me three days to write this, it was clearly a rough event. First, as I'm not sure of the tone I am going to write this in, in case its overly negative, let me say I'm glad to be healthy enough to be able to run 18 miles in Houston's August heat. Lord knows I don't take care of my body or health the way I should (damn those vices!), but thankfully, I'm still up to the task. So there, onward to 18.
The Friday before the run was our fantasy football draft, and for that reason, I should not have been as sleep deprived as I was. After football drafts my mind is so busy racing with what could-a, should-a, that I have a hard time enumerating sheep. So it was with maybe five hours of sleep on Friday night, and 10 over the past two days, that I toed the line at 4:30AM for our run.
This was my first run with the new heart rate monitor. My goal was simply to learn about my body: what rate did my heart like when I was cruising, did it spike up during the painful parts, could I use it to force myself to run through difficult stretches of asphalt? As Larry and I (my running partner at the start of runs of late) headed to Luke's Locker my heart rate steadily climbed, settling in at a game 166 or so per minute. Much to my pleasure I noticed that I could foretell when my HR had climbed or fallen more than a couple of beats. Once I suddenly felt cool, calm, collected ... I looked down and my HR was a mellow 150! 3.5 miles to Lukes, somewhere around 10:20 or so a mile.
After Lukes we were to run to the Rice loop (6 total miles) and do one Rice Loop (3 miles), one Herman Park Loop (3 miles) and return to Memorial (18 total). Note therefore, that this could easily be a 12, 15, or 18 mile course. The big secret from our last 15 mile run was that I didn't do 15 miles; I only did 14! (scandal!) So I was committed to doing 15, and really wanted 18. I have been more and more vocal about the silliness of our 21 mile training run three weeks prior to Chicago and I will certainly not run it. This, if I made it to 18, would surely be my longest training run.
Things went well to Rice, with my HR staying pegged at 166. Some of Felix's crew (including his wife Sylvia) were running with us. It turns out that Felix is apparently running Chicago!?!? I had no idea. Anywho, I jockeyed with them a bit, and after they left the aide station at mile six ahead of me, I chased them around Rice. This is where the heart rate monitor came in handy. Right before mile nine, I had an urge to go ahead and decide to only run 15. I looked at me HR; 165, nope, doing 18. I had an urge to walk; HR was 166, nope keep on trucking. After a few more "urges", I calmed down and pulled into the nine mile stop under decent control. I had either just fended off a silly desire to run less, or fended off a smart desire to cut things short on a day when I wasn't at my best.
Then things went horribly wrong.
The HRM strap was irritating me a bit, so I took it off. This made my watch very angry. That made me very angry. My stomach got angry! ME HAGS MAD!!!! Suddenly I didn't feel well. My ears throbbed, my stomach churned, my head was buzzing. I figure the stress (which was silly) over the HRM was not what my body wanted while being so taxed, and it revolted accordingly. I grudgingly reset the watch, strapped back up, and headed out for my Hermann Park loop.
I could no longer resist the urge to walk during this part. I started jockeying with some fast 5/1 runners, and came across a walking Larry; people around me walking makes me want to walk, so I did. Somewhere around Hermann I realized that I probably should have only did 15, but as I was committed, I hobbled on into the 12 mile stop. My HR, though my speed was starting to drop, was hanging at 166 or so while running. In a sign of decent aerobic fitness, my HR would drop the required 20 beats or so during the first minutes of a break (I believe that's a traditional measure of fitness :).
From 12 back to the park was an exercise of triage; running when I could. I ran with Larry some, Alaina's Greg some, and Alaina herself worked the Lukes aide station and ran Greg in. I was generally doing 5/1 (five minutes running, 1 minute walking), though I certainly took liberty with the lowering the 5 and increasing the 1. Then came the puke. Thankfully not mine, nor that of another running, but as I was coming to the 59 overpass, I realized I was about to step in a puddle ... of puke! I quickly realized the puddle likely came from the guy passed out in the car next to said puddle! Hopefully he was alive. I say that out of concern, and because I, as best I could in my state, laughed my ass off! With a fleeting smile, the run continued. Somewhere after Lukes, probably around mile 16, I was weary of some of the pain coming from my right achilles. As this was the one that troubled me before this year's Houston Marathon, I simply hoped to get back in one piece. It twas truly a slow march down Blossom!
I made it back to the park in about four hours. The HoustonFIT seminar was over, the tent was being broken down, but the Fall Group aide station was still up, serving those us of limping back to our starting point after a long 18 miles.
For only the second time I can recall, I got a wee bit faint after this run. Not as bad as the infamous "Hotter Than Hell 25K" from 2005, but my head was buzzing, my ears felt full of blood, I had an undeniable urge to sit down. I quickly gave Larry his promised sample of Endurolytes and headed back to my car. The "Party in the Park" was on Sat. morning, but get this, I was too tired to go get free St. Arnolds beer! Yep. You read right. I was blasted.
So what does this mean? Well, I'll go into Chicago with a clear conscience. I made it 18 miles. Some running, some walking, some jumping of puke puddles, but I made it. Forgiving myself the runs missed due to injury, and assuming I make the remaining long runs, I'll be as ready as I can be. As for the heart rate monitor, I'm glad I got it. I still need to do lot's of runs with it, particularly in colder weather, and see what it turns up.
The biggest head scratcher of all this is how my heart rate stayed steady during the miles when I suffered so much. Does this mean there is no tie to heat and heart rate? Why didn't my heart rate drop? Was my cardiac system just blasted, so it was running fast? It could be that the "aerobic" part of my heart rate was lower, and the extra beats were a futile attempt to get blood to my skin where it could be cooled. With some tempo and speed runs under my belt, I hope to verify that the high 160s is where my heart wants to be (lower if possible, of course). With some cold runs, I can start to verify if there is a link between my heart rate and performance (i.e., the heat will be out of the equation). If there does prove to a link, I could us the HRM on race day to stay in a cardiac "happy place" and hopefully keep the engine purring for longer than I have in the past. Heart rate is, they say, the only true measure of how hard you are working. But "they" have been known to be wrong!
No speed workout today; thunderstorms. Probably good though, the legs have been a little tired. Jumping puke puddles at mile 14 is hard work!
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Tempo Time
Last Thursday was the third run of the week and my return to Felix's Finish Strong Thursday tempo runs. One mile easy, two miles hard, one mile easy. I wanted to the fast miles to be around 9 min/mile, and they ended up 8:56 and 8:45, so they went well.
I ran most of the fast miles with a gent I knew by face, but learned to be Dave. Dave is an older fellow who runs with HoustonFIT's main Yellow group and somewhat suprisingly, I seemed to wonder why I ran with HoustonFIT as much as I did. When I told him I was going to run Chicago and rejoin the main Yellow group afterwards, he simply responded with, "Why would you do that?". Ahhhh, well, cause it's my group and they are training for the Houston Marathon like will then be doing? Of course, the truth is people get kind of attached to the people and routine of their running groups. Dave suggested that I run with Houston Striders or similar year round group since they would be running mileage (~15 or so) that I was trained for post-Chicago. Felix and the Yellows will be more so be in the lower double digits at that time. It turns out that Dave has ran with many other running groups, so he probably doesn't feel obligated to stick with HoustonFIT. I suppose I could run with others and keep my post-Chicago mileage higher, but as I say, running isn't always about running. I enjoy the Yellows, so back I'll go a few weeks post-Chicago.
This Saturday was our 18 mile run. It was a chore, and as it was my first run with my new heart rate monitor, I've got lot's to say! I'm still stewing over what I learned during that run, so I'll have more to say shortly.
Last week was the first week, other than a marathon week, where I ran more than 30 miles in seven days time. For that reason, I'll probably just shoot for a couple of runs during the week; I'll probably skip Monday's easy run.
Almost time to try out my new, Auburn colored (War Eagle!) Mizuno Wave 7's. Perhaps I'll try Thursday's run with the new kicks.
I ran most of the fast miles with a gent I knew by face, but learned to be Dave. Dave is an older fellow who runs with HoustonFIT's main Yellow group and somewhat suprisingly, I seemed to wonder why I ran with HoustonFIT as much as I did. When I told him I was going to run Chicago and rejoin the main Yellow group afterwards, he simply responded with, "Why would you do that?". Ahhhh, well, cause it's my group and they are training for the Houston Marathon like will then be doing? Of course, the truth is people get kind of attached to the people and routine of their running groups. Dave suggested that I run with Houston Striders or similar year round group since they would be running mileage (~15 or so) that I was trained for post-Chicago. Felix and the Yellows will be more so be in the lower double digits at that time. It turns out that Dave has ran with many other running groups, so he probably doesn't feel obligated to stick with HoustonFIT. I suppose I could run with others and keep my post-Chicago mileage higher, but as I say, running isn't always about running. I enjoy the Yellows, so back I'll go a few weeks post-Chicago.
This Saturday was our 18 mile run. It was a chore, and as it was my first run with my new heart rate monitor, I've got lot's to say! I'm still stewing over what I learned during that run, so I'll have more to say shortly.
Last week was the first week, other than a marathon week, where I ran more than 30 miles in seven days time. For that reason, I'll probably just shoot for a couple of runs during the week; I'll probably skip Monday's easy run.
Almost time to try out my new, Auburn colored (War Eagle!) Mizuno Wave 7's. Perhaps I'll try Thursday's run with the new kicks.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Seven and a Winner!
Key Words: Yasso, 90 degrees and loving it, Marshmallow Peep
Word Count: 371
I was expecting poor things of today's speed run. I had a mean bout of insomnia Monday night, and felt pretty weary as I was warming up at Lamar. The good thing was the temperature was a balmy 90 or so (I'll take it, 'twas around 100 last week), so I hoped my body would stop protesting somewhere along the way; off I went.
Surprisingly, to me at least, this was by far my best of the three Yasso sessions. My times were fast, though I wasn't going absolutely all out, and they didn't suffer through the repeats. The seven times were: 4:03, 4:05, 4:03, 4:01, 4:02, 4:03, 3:58. Officially, Chicago runners were to do 8 repeats this week, but I skipped seven last week in favor of the 1200x400. I certainly could have banged out another, but out of respect for the 18 miler this weekend, I stuck to my plan.
As far as my future and Yasso's, I'll probably do 10 repeats one of these days, but I don't see (weather permitting) it being hard to do 10 under my goal pace of 4:30. As I've said before, Yasso is a good workout, and it means you might be able to do your marathon in 4 hours and 30 minutes, but not that you will. I'm certain that before my second marathon, when I PR'd in the 5k the weekend before the run, I could have smoked out some nice Yasso times; I still only managed 4:39 in the marathon.
On a nutritional note, I tried more honey today, completely forgoing my normal Accelerade prior to the run. This is clearly the source of my speed :) I'm not that much of a believer, but it at least seems like something I should keep trying. Intense though .... very crunchy! I feel as if there's a violated bee somewhere simmering with anger as I eat her prized possession. Perhaps I should be on the lookout for insect retribution on my long runs.
Finally, thanks to Jon, I now know what my outfit will be in next year's centipede race.
Word Count: 371
I was expecting poor things of today's speed run. I had a mean bout of insomnia Monday night, and felt pretty weary as I was warming up at Lamar. The good thing was the temperature was a balmy 90 or so (I'll take it, 'twas around 100 last week), so I hoped my body would stop protesting somewhere along the way; off I went.
Surprisingly, to me at least, this was by far my best of the three Yasso sessions. My times were fast, though I wasn't going absolutely all out, and they didn't suffer through the repeats. The seven times were: 4:03, 4:05, 4:03, 4:01, 4:02, 4:03, 3:58. Officially, Chicago runners were to do 8 repeats this week, but I skipped seven last week in favor of the 1200x400. I certainly could have banged out another, but out of respect for the 18 miler this weekend, I stuck to my plan.
As far as my future and Yasso's, I'll probably do 10 repeats one of these days, but I don't see (weather permitting) it being hard to do 10 under my goal pace of 4:30. As I've said before, Yasso is a good workout, and it means you might be able to do your marathon in 4 hours and 30 minutes, but not that you will. I'm certain that before my second marathon, when I PR'd in the 5k the weekend before the run, I could have smoked out some nice Yasso times; I still only managed 4:39 in the marathon.
On a nutritional note, I tried more honey today, completely forgoing my normal Accelerade prior to the run. This is clearly the source of my speed :) I'm not that much of a believer, but it at least seems like something I should keep trying. Intense though .... very crunchy! I feel as if there's a violated bee somewhere simmering with anger as I eat her prized possession. Perhaps I should be on the lookout for insect retribution on my long runs.
Finally, thanks to Jon, I now know what my outfit will be in next year's centipede race.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Be My Honey
Key Words: Stinger, Heart Rate Monitor, Tie Rack
Word Count: 500
35 minutes easy today. I was a bit of an anti-social runner, as I let know one know I was running, but the mood struck for a Bayou run, so off I went. I had previously laid out a route for three miles (staying on the path from Montrose and AP, all the way around the small end and back), so I added a couple passes over the Jackson Hill bridge and pretty much hit the time dead on. The run went well, no problems (I did step in a huge bat poo pile, but the homeless man was diligently sweeping up the poo slick as I came back by ... very considerate).
I tried the new hotness, Honey Stinger, before this run. This stuff is basically pure honey (first ingredient, honey, second ingredient, water; add a little salt and B vitamin for good measure). To that end, the stuff can, and does, crystallize in the packet; I had to crunch my way through the contents of the packet! It was basically two tablespoons of honey, so it was kind of intense, and obviously sweet! More calories than GU, and equivalent electrolytes, so it really comes down to simple (honey) versus complex (GU) sugars. The stuff didn't upset my stomach, so I think I'm clear to try it on a long run. Perhaps I'll regret forgoing slow release sugar (GU) for instant satisfaction (honey) .... 18 miles on Saturday seems like a good way to try it out!
I have a heart rate monitor in the mail. The Polar RS200. It is just a heart rate monitor, but it can bond with the Polar foot pod if I want to go that way in the future. Most important at this point is to know if I'm getting the most out of my runs. Heart rate is the only real-time measure of that, so I suppose I'm going to start down the path of heart rate training. I've never tried it before, but after a conversation with Pam on Saturday night, I'm convinced it is at least worth a shot. I should have it in time for Saturday ... should be interesting!
On a side note, I think I've planned out my next seven medals. This is important since that will complete my "tie rack of medals" enabling me to then retire a content little distance runner. Here we go:
Word Count: 500
35 minutes easy today. I was a bit of an anti-social runner, as I let know one know I was running, but the mood struck for a Bayou run, so off I went. I had previously laid out a route for three miles (staying on the path from Montrose and AP, all the way around the small end and back), so I added a couple passes over the Jackson Hill bridge and pretty much hit the time dead on. The run went well, no problems (I did step in a huge bat poo pile, but the homeless man was diligently sweeping up the poo slick as I came back by ... very considerate).
I tried the new hotness, Honey Stinger, before this run. This stuff is basically pure honey (first ingredient, honey, second ingredient, water; add a little salt and B vitamin for good measure). To that end, the stuff can, and does, crystallize in the packet; I had to crunch my way through the contents of the packet! It was basically two tablespoons of honey, so it was kind of intense, and obviously sweet! More calories than GU, and equivalent electrolytes, so it really comes down to simple (honey) versus complex (GU) sugars. The stuff didn't upset my stomach, so I think I'm clear to try it on a long run. Perhaps I'll regret forgoing slow release sugar (GU) for instant satisfaction (honey) .... 18 miles on Saturday seems like a good way to try it out!
I have a heart rate monitor in the mail. The Polar RS200. It is just a heart rate monitor, but it can bond with the Polar foot pod if I want to go that way in the future. Most important at this point is to know if I'm getting the most out of my runs. Heart rate is the only real-time measure of that, so I suppose I'm going to start down the path of heart rate training. I've never tried it before, but after a conversation with Pam on Saturday night, I'm convinced it is at least worth a shot. I should have it in time for Saturday ... should be interesting!
On a side note, I think I've planned out my next seven medals. This is important since that will complete my "tie rack of medals" enabling me to then retire a content little distance runner. Here we go:
- Chicago Marathon
- Houston 30k
- Houston Marathon
- Austin Half-Marathon
- Seabrook Saturday Half-Marathon
- Seabrook Sunday Half-Marathon (two medals for this one!)
A full tie rack by the end of March ... who would have thunk it? It is actually time to start considering the 2008 Hood to Coast and the 2008 London Marathon. Both take some serious advance planning, so I have to see if I really want to commit to either/both. Perhaps I should look into getting a new tie rack?
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Houston, Get a Clue
Key Words: Rice Block Party, Cups of Tap Water, This Might Save Your Life
Word Count: 893
Likely Next Topic: Cross Training Sunday
Much to say, so a quick recap of this morning run. 13.1 miles for the Chicago marathoners, so I toed the line with Larry at 5AM; off we went to Lukes for the first 3.5 miles of the run. This leg went well, with my averaging about 10:15/mile. I lost Larry at this point, but picked up a trio of female runners for the trek to Rice Loop and our second aide station. The triumvirate lost a member, and then I passed up the remaining duo before a return to the aide station. There were lots of people piling up at the aide station; about 50! It was like a block party on the Rice campus!! After milling about for a bit, and eating an orange slice, off I went back to Lukes. I chased down Pink Headphones Girl, and rounded onto Lukes in just over 11 min/mile total pace. Since that time include three long breaks, I was pleased with the time. Much of the remaining two miles were solo, and thus my mind got away from me a bit during that stretch; my time suffered accordingly, but I was pleased with the overall time (esp. considering I grazed at Lukes for 5 min on the way back!). I finished in just under 2:29.
Nutrition: Post-run, Jon taunted me viciously for pointing out that after I had an orange slice at the Rice Block Party and at Lukes stop #2, I felt full of energy! And that was only after one slice, had I ate the whole orange ... cartwheels down McDuffie, no doubt about it! This was the first time EVER I've eaten food during a run. Maybe I've found that my body likes "au natural" sugar? Maybe I just had a good day?!? It demands a test, so in addition to buying new shoes (Mizuno Wave 7s) and socks today, I purchased some Honey Stinger from Lukes. This stuff is basically pure honey, so I'm wondering if it will have the same impact as the orange? Whatever caused the orange effect, I want it again ... I felt extremely good after the citrus infusion.
Hurricane's coming. Well, not really. Dean is almost certainly not going to hit Houston, but yet people are going ape sh!t. First off, you don't need to buy every bottle of water in Kroger people. If you plan to stay (and most will), fill your cups with tap water, cover them with saran wrap (they had plenty of that) and viola, you're ready for a natural disaster. The city has also erected "Fill Your Tank With Gas" billboards ... too much, too early. Disappointing.
BUT, here's what you should check with Dean roiling up the Caribbean; you're get out of town bag. After Katrina/Rita I realized that I could need (probably due to terrorism, unfortunately) to get out of town quickly. To that end, in my car and in a book bag in my apartment, I stored a gallon of water, a big bottle of Gatorade, a huge container of peanuts, and a huge bag of M&Ms. Don't scoff, just continue. As these emergency instruments are almost two years old, I checked dates and most are indeed expiring; time to restock. I went to Kroger and purchased two of each of the following: family sized Planter Peanuts (those adverse to peanuts should go for almonds), a family sized bag of M&Ms, and a small container of Gatorade mix. The beauty is the peanuts and M&Ms have 8,720 calories, and all in a very small space! Better yet, a serving of peanuts has 14g of fat, 7g of protein, and 5g of carbs ... a reasonably balanced meal. The M&Ms will make up for the somewhat low carbs in the nuts, and both will fill you up as they have lots of fat. The Gatorade is just another small way to carry lots of calories (1,850), and keep the electrolytes balanced by mixing it with my water. That number of calories could easily keep me feed for a week, so that, with my water, makes me ready to go on quick notice. Oh, and it takes a while for this stuff to go bad, so set it, and forget it!
For the water, you need to buy Ozarka or some good name brand. Those Kroger milk jugs full of water are not air tight; I have had all the water evaporate from those. In two years, my Ozarka jugs (including the one in my hot car) are still filled to the brim.
MOST IMPORTANTLY AND EASILY FORGOTTEN, write down your insurance numbers and key bank account numbers and put that in your pack. If you have to stay gone for a while, you'll need that stuff.
So go get an old back pack or sturdy Target bag, and make the $15 or so investment in at least one get out of town pack. Not likely that you'll likely need it, but you could save your life, and probably those of several friends and/or family.
Word Count: 893
Likely Next Topic: Cross Training Sunday
Much to say, so a quick recap of this morning run. 13.1 miles for the Chicago marathoners, so I toed the line with Larry at 5AM; off we went to Lukes for the first 3.5 miles of the run. This leg went well, with my averaging about 10:15/mile. I lost Larry at this point, but picked up a trio of female runners for the trek to Rice Loop and our second aide station. The triumvirate lost a member, and then I passed up the remaining duo before a return to the aide station. There were lots of people piling up at the aide station; about 50! It was like a block party on the Rice campus!! After milling about for a bit, and eating an orange slice, off I went back to Lukes. I chased down Pink Headphones Girl, and rounded onto Lukes in just over 11 min/mile total pace. Since that time include three long breaks, I was pleased with the time. Much of the remaining two miles were solo, and thus my mind got away from me a bit during that stretch; my time suffered accordingly, but I was pleased with the overall time (esp. considering I grazed at Lukes for 5 min on the way back!). I finished in just under 2:29.
Nutrition: Post-run, Jon taunted me viciously for pointing out that after I had an orange slice at the Rice Block Party and at Lukes stop #2, I felt full of energy! And that was only after one slice, had I ate the whole orange ... cartwheels down McDuffie, no doubt about it! This was the first time EVER I've eaten food during a run. Maybe I've found that my body likes "au natural" sugar? Maybe I just had a good day?!? It demands a test, so in addition to buying new shoes (Mizuno Wave 7s) and socks today, I purchased some Honey Stinger from Lukes. This stuff is basically pure honey, so I'm wondering if it will have the same impact as the orange? Whatever caused the orange effect, I want it again ... I felt extremely good after the citrus infusion.
Hurricane's coming. Well, not really. Dean is almost certainly not going to hit Houston, but yet people are going ape sh!t. First off, you don't need to buy every bottle of water in Kroger people. If you plan to stay (and most will), fill your cups with tap water, cover them with saran wrap (they had plenty of that) and viola, you're ready for a natural disaster. The city has also erected "Fill Your Tank With Gas" billboards ... too much, too early. Disappointing.
BUT, here's what you should check with Dean roiling up the Caribbean; you're get out of town bag. After Katrina/Rita I realized that I could need (probably due to terrorism, unfortunately) to get out of town quickly. To that end, in my car and in a book bag in my apartment, I stored a gallon of water, a big bottle of Gatorade, a huge container of peanuts, and a huge bag of M&Ms. Don't scoff, just continue. As these emergency instruments are almost two years old, I checked dates and most are indeed expiring; time to restock. I went to Kroger and purchased two of each of the following: family sized Planter Peanuts (those adverse to peanuts should go for almonds), a family sized bag of M&Ms, and a small container of Gatorade mix. The beauty is the peanuts and M&Ms have 8,720 calories, and all in a very small space! Better yet, a serving of peanuts has 14g of fat, 7g of protein, and 5g of carbs ... a reasonably balanced meal. The M&Ms will make up for the somewhat low carbs in the nuts, and both will fill you up as they have lots of fat. The Gatorade is just another small way to carry lots of calories (1,850), and keep the electrolytes balanced by mixing it with my water. That number of calories could easily keep me feed for a week, so that, with my water, makes me ready to go on quick notice. Oh, and it takes a while for this stuff to go bad, so set it, and forget it!
For the water, you need to buy Ozarka or some good name brand. Those Kroger milk jugs full of water are not air tight; I have had all the water evaporate from those. In two years, my Ozarka jugs (including the one in my hot car) are still filled to the brim.
MOST IMPORTANTLY AND EASILY FORGOTTEN, write down your insurance numbers and key bank account numbers and put that in your pack. If you have to stay gone for a while, you'll need that stuff.
So go get an old back pack or sturdy Target bag, and make the $15 or so investment in at least one get out of town pack. Not likely that you'll likely need it, but you could save your life, and probably those of several friends and/or family.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
New Kids On The Block
Key Words: Kenyan Way, Universum, Millinea
Word Count: 861
Likely Next Topic: Tax Free Weekend Shopping Report
First running. Wednesday, in reckless disregard for the fairly hard speed workout Tuesday, I decided to do a 4 mile tempo run; 1 easy, 2 hard, 1 easy. The first easy mile, 10:40, went swell. Then, my legs started hurting. My quads actually, they felt tired, they burned more than they should have. 9:05 to the mile marker, and at that point, I decided to listen to papa HoustonFIT, and just do the scheduled 30 minutes tempo run. After a short rest, I picked it back up to tempo speed, but then braked it back recovery speed for the final half mile; just over 30 minutes total. Kenyan Way was out at Memorial, jamming up part of the track ... not sure what they were doing ... many cones setup along the trail ... speed work I suppose.
Now, for some thought provocation. Wednesday was the kick off for ExxonMobil's US recruiting (USR) efforts. Over lunch, the USR folks brought in a rep from Universum, the supposed leader in knowing what young'ins think of your company. They showed data from Engineering (a main focus on XOM) and business (another focus). Differences between the two were as expected, and really, the groups were fairly identical (notable exception, the business folks reeealy wanted to work in New York; Wall Street I suppose).
The interesting part, and I admit I kind of geek out on this stuff, is the effect of "the Millineas", as the Italian lady from Universum called them. In her nomenclature, Gen X'ers are people born between 1968 and 1977 (which would include the author and probably the two or three people who read this blog!). Millineas are people born from 1978 onward; they were, I suppose in high school or college at the turn of the millinea (Universum only interviews near term or recent grads). These are the kids who had the soccer parents, who always received a trophy for participation, and are the future leaders of tomorrow. She showed a slide that compared the differences between the responses of the two groups. Most telling were (X followed by M): We seek jobs with work life balance, while we don't since we assume it is a given; we think the American Dream is dead, while we believe you can still make it happen; and a job is simply for money, while we believe it has to be a blend of money and social consequence. What's interesting is that the effect of the Millineas caused The Peace Corps and Teach American to vault from unlisted amongst the 250 ranked companies to the top ten on this years list! Also, Google, the company that would at least appear set to appeal to the Millineas, has, over the last four years, went from unranked, to 150, to 2, to a resounding #1 on this years list.
Another telling aspect of this was general categorizations of the two groups. In a nutshell, she said the Millineas demanded structure, group work, and would most likely not risk the status quo for financial wealth. Put another way, and she did put it this way, employers will be disappointed with their ingenuity, their resiliency, and their ability to work outside a group setting. I'm starting to believe that I can tell a difference in the kids that work for us now, and those that I see on campus. I thought it was just me getting older (that option is still a horse in this race), but perhaps it is that they really are changing. I think this change away from solo ability and ingenuity, if it's true, will probably be the most impactful thing to happen to our society in a long time.
One final nugget: Millineas are now expected to have 11 jobs in their careers, and more importantly, any stigma attached to that is gone. Many companies have accepted this change, and those above, and modified their work environment and expectations to maximize this new breed of worker. They understand that the Millinea will only be there for a while, but they try to make the relationship mutually beneficial, and there's certainly the chance to come back at a later date. 11 jobs; the chance to come back?!? ExxonMobil is certainly not like that, and ultimately, I think we will suffer for it. We still preach that we hire for a career, but do we and should we? More importantly, on a personal note, is what it will be like for me if the day comes when I quit the XOM. When I changed majors in college for the first time, I would do so again a mere four weeks late! It was like a burden had been released once I washed the stigma away from the change. I wonder if I get away from the stigma of quitting the XOM if that would lead to a Millinea like career path?
13 miles this weekend. I suppose I'll have time to consider the answer to that self directed question.
Word Count: 861
Likely Next Topic: Tax Free Weekend Shopping Report
First running. Wednesday, in reckless disregard for the fairly hard speed workout Tuesday, I decided to do a 4 mile tempo run; 1 easy, 2 hard, 1 easy. The first easy mile, 10:40, went swell. Then, my legs started hurting. My quads actually, they felt tired, they burned more than they should have. 9:05 to the mile marker, and at that point, I decided to listen to papa HoustonFIT, and just do the scheduled 30 minutes tempo run. After a short rest, I picked it back up to tempo speed, but then braked it back recovery speed for the final half mile; just over 30 minutes total. Kenyan Way was out at Memorial, jamming up part of the track ... not sure what they were doing ... many cones setup along the trail ... speed work I suppose.
Now, for some thought provocation. Wednesday was the kick off for ExxonMobil's US recruiting (USR) efforts. Over lunch, the USR folks brought in a rep from Universum, the supposed leader in knowing what young'ins think of your company. They showed data from Engineering (a main focus on XOM) and business (another focus). Differences between the two were as expected, and really, the groups were fairly identical (notable exception, the business folks reeealy wanted to work in New York; Wall Street I suppose).
The interesting part, and I admit I kind of geek out on this stuff, is the effect of "the Millineas", as the Italian lady from Universum called them. In her nomenclature, Gen X'ers are people born between 1968 and 1977 (which would include the author and probably the two or three people who read this blog!). Millineas are people born from 1978 onward; they were, I suppose in high school or college at the turn of the millinea (Universum only interviews near term or recent grads). These are the kids who had the soccer parents, who always received a trophy for participation, and are the future leaders of tomorrow. She showed a slide that compared the differences between the responses of the two groups. Most telling were (X followed by M): We seek jobs with work life balance, while we don't since we assume it is a given; we think the American Dream is dead, while we believe you can still make it happen; and a job is simply for money, while we believe it has to be a blend of money and social consequence. What's interesting is that the effect of the Millineas caused The Peace Corps and Teach American to vault from unlisted amongst the 250 ranked companies to the top ten on this years list! Also, Google, the company that would at least appear set to appeal to the Millineas, has, over the last four years, went from unranked, to 150, to 2, to a resounding #1 on this years list.
Another telling aspect of this was general categorizations of the two groups. In a nutshell, she said the Millineas demanded structure, group work, and would most likely not risk the status quo for financial wealth. Put another way, and she did put it this way, employers will be disappointed with their ingenuity, their resiliency, and their ability to work outside a group setting. I'm starting to believe that I can tell a difference in the kids that work for us now, and those that I see on campus. I thought it was just me getting older (that option is still a horse in this race), but perhaps it is that they really are changing. I think this change away from solo ability and ingenuity, if it's true, will probably be the most impactful thing to happen to our society in a long time.
One final nugget: Millineas are now expected to have 11 jobs in their careers, and more importantly, any stigma attached to that is gone. Many companies have accepted this change, and those above, and modified their work environment and expectations to maximize this new breed of worker. They understand that the Millinea will only be there for a while, but they try to make the relationship mutually beneficial, and there's certainly the chance to come back at a later date. 11 jobs; the chance to come back?!? ExxonMobil is certainly not like that, and ultimately, I think we will suffer for it. We still preach that we hire for a career, but do we and should we? More importantly, on a personal note, is what it will be like for me if the day comes when I quit the XOM. When I changed majors in college for the first time, I would do so again a mere four weeks late! It was like a burden had been released once I washed the stigma away from the change. I wonder if I get away from the stigma of quitting the XOM if that would lead to a Millinea like career path?
13 miles this weekend. I suppose I'll have time to consider the answer to that self directed question.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
A Quickie
Not much time. Tired, did much room rearranging (the karma is palpably better), and I have a big day at work tomorrow (well, a long day, 8-5 mtg).
Speed workout today, and as the temp was 100, and I didn't need to advance in the Yasso workouts, so I did the prescribed workout of 3x1200x400. My 1200 times were 5:38, 6:02, and 6:19. Needless to say, the heat started wearing on me. Almost five miles, and I'm glad I did the 1200's, as I think variety helps, and week on week of Yasso 800 would make me a great 800 runner, but I question the value of the repetition for my marathoning.
Tomorrow I hope to do a tempo run of some kind. Thursday, an easy run, though I'll gladly cancel it if the legs feel beat. If I do all those runs, I could top 30 miles for the week, which would probably be a first for a seven day stretch without a marathon in it. It's requiring some sacrifices, but as I'm finally healthy, I want to give it a try.
Speed workout today, and as the temp was 100, and I didn't need to advance in the Yasso workouts, so I did the prescribed workout of 3x1200x400. My 1200 times were 5:38, 6:02, and 6:19. Needless to say, the heat started wearing on me. Almost five miles, and I'm glad I did the 1200's, as I think variety helps, and week on week of Yasso 800 would make me a great 800 runner, but I question the value of the repetition for my marathoning.
Tomorrow I hope to do a tempo run of some kind. Thursday, an easy run, though I'll gladly cancel it if the legs feel beat. If I do all those runs, I could top 30 miles for the week, which would probably be a first for a seven day stretch without a marathon in it. It's requiring some sacrifices, but as I'm finally healthy, I want to give it a try.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Running Rhythm
Inches of rain, the forecast for July
Gave way to August, and a lofty high
100 degrees, maybe in spots more
No one was outside, not even the Rankin Road whore
Four days of sloth, an Indiana wedding
If not drinking, I was slumbering in the Marriott bedding
A run a run, was desperately needed
35 minutes easy, HoustonFIT Chicago runners heeded
Brenda was to run, Chris Sowers too
I'll hook up with them, a Monday running party anew
To Memorial Picnic Loop, that was our place to meet
But find them I didn't, my failure was bittersweet
At the park at least, I could get in a run
But a solo after promise of a party, not very fun
Off I went, by the soccer players' cheer
Surprisingly I ran up there back, Brenda, Chris, and Samone were near
Memorial we crossed, picking our way with caution
Then Brenda kicked out, using quick motion
"She always runs ahead", Chris said while waning
"I hope I can keep up", I thought while gaining
I got on Brenda's hip, around the loop we went
Hey, there's Felix, by the Finish Strong tent!
9:49, the first measurable mile
An easy run?, I questioned with a smile
Go ahead if you need, Brenda said with a huff
I could run no faster, her claim of an easy run, clearly a bluff
8:37, came nine tenths of a mile
Starting at the corner, the markers are full of guile
9:24, the last mile did come
Brenda said I'm done, water, I need some
I said a quarter mile more, no farther shall I go
Then turn around we did, joining the opposite flow
Water was had, hydration was a plenty
Then to the corner we came, departure such a pity
On Brenda went, a little more to cover
Then Claire appeared, from her bad back she did recover
Meeting Astros, while she convalesced
Though famous, I thought, their team is quite a mess
Goodbyes were said, hope to see you later
Saved by the Bell, the most famous is AC Slater
Random thoughts, were clearly in my head
Maybe I needed rest, make an early trip to bed
Four miles I covered, and I did so with relative ease
The heat not so bad, but wait for the sunset please
Four more days, five days total of running
That's my goal this week, it's the goal for which I'm gunning
Thanks for reading my poem, I wrote it with a smile
Blogging can be boring, so I went the extra mile
This is a different, an old kind of view
A running poets musings, I bid you adieu
Gave way to August, and a lofty high
100 degrees, maybe in spots more
No one was outside, not even the Rankin Road whore
Four days of sloth, an Indiana wedding
If not drinking, I was slumbering in the Marriott bedding
A run a run, was desperately needed
35 minutes easy, HoustonFIT Chicago runners heeded
Brenda was to run, Chris Sowers too
I'll hook up with them, a Monday running party anew
To Memorial Picnic Loop, that was our place to meet
But find them I didn't, my failure was bittersweet
At the park at least, I could get in a run
But a solo after promise of a party, not very fun
Off I went, by the soccer players' cheer
Surprisingly I ran up there back, Brenda, Chris, and Samone were near
Memorial we crossed, picking our way with caution
Then Brenda kicked out, using quick motion
"She always runs ahead", Chris said while waning
"I hope I can keep up", I thought while gaining
I got on Brenda's hip, around the loop we went
Hey, there's Felix, by the Finish Strong tent!
9:49, the first measurable mile
An easy run?, I questioned with a smile
Go ahead if you need, Brenda said with a huff
I could run no faster, her claim of an easy run, clearly a bluff
8:37, came nine tenths of a mile
Starting at the corner, the markers are full of guile
9:24, the last mile did come
Brenda said I'm done, water, I need some
I said a quarter mile more, no farther shall I go
Then turn around we did, joining the opposite flow
Water was had, hydration was a plenty
Then to the corner we came, departure such a pity
On Brenda went, a little more to cover
Then Claire appeared, from her bad back she did recover
Meeting Astros, while she convalesced
Though famous, I thought, their team is quite a mess
Goodbyes were said, hope to see you later
Saved by the Bell, the most famous is AC Slater
Random thoughts, were clearly in my head
Maybe I needed rest, make an early trip to bed
Four miles I covered, and I did so with relative ease
The heat not so bad, but wait for the sunset please
Four more days, five days total of running
That's my goal this week, it's the goal for which I'm gunning
Thanks for reading my poem, I wrote it with a smile
Blogging can be boring, so I went the extra mile
This is a different, an old kind of view
A running poets musings, I bid you adieu
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Night Three - Tempo
Last night's third night of back to back to back running this week brought a tempo night. The idea became a 45 minute tempo run (10 easy, 25 hard, 10 easy), as this was a small step up over last week's tempo run. Leon and I tried to run with Jon and Lynette (I have grown weary of solo runs), but a meeting time could not be established, so off we went to the Rice football field. Simple route, start running the loop, and keep moving. Things went OK, but late in the 25 I was certainly aware I was working. Though I'm not aware of mile markers at Rice (2.9 miles around), I'm confident my speed, much like last week, was sub nine minute miles. Four more miles in the books, bringing me to 13 for the week. Saturday morning the plan is still to run with HoosierFIT while in Indy; this will be my first week with four runs in quite a while. I thought I knew, but maybe wasn't sure, that the entire USA FIT network started with HoustonFIT; something I learned from the HoosierFIT web page. Anyway, my fuel belt is packed, I've got my GU, I'm ready to run amongst the soybean!
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Smoking Hot and Fast
Key Words: Chicago/Indy, Head Band Man, Whose Ear?
Word Count: 425
Likely Next Topic: Do they make a dri-fit suit?
As for my promise of Chicago travel plans, I'm still not sure what's going to happen. I will be in Auburn until the Friday before the run, which means I either need to get a Houston, Atlanta, to Chicago/Indy, to Houston set of flights, or fly back to Houston on Friday, only to hop on another plane to head to the Windy City. Details, details .... will hopefully know soon.
Today was speed work. Our coach, Head Band Man (I don't know his name, and I don't mean this moniker disparagingly; he's actually an excellent coach), said last week that we probably wouldn't be doing sprints this week, so I think that (and folks getting over the 15 miles) dulled attendance. Leon joined Jon and I though, and did some side running while we did 6 Yassos (6x800mx400m). Last week I tried to nail 4:15 over each 800, this week, I just wanted to run hard and accepted that my time would slow. The times were 3:56, 4:01, 4:01, 4:10, 4:17, 4:12. I got water after each hard part and allowed myself 30 seconds of walking at the start of each easy 400. I was pleased with my performance; I felt a lil' queasy at the end (I was running hard to pass some smuck in a red shirt who was cooling down), so I think I gave a good effort.
I'm trying to be brief(er) than yesterday, but I'll still leave you with a philosophical comment on the mental side of running. It's worth noting that at the start of the fifth repeat, which was more than last week, things suddenly got harder. Of course, they didn't, it was just in my head. When I misread my watch in repeat six and thought I had ran a very slow 39 second first 100m, I suddenly felt very winded; again, the brain working against the body. The way I broke down on last Saturday, and all this ill mental energy at the speed work has me thinking that I really need to spend some time getting my running head back on straight. Getting out there three or four times every week will help, and sprints, which give you many chances to doubt your ability to finish, should help too. I hope to run tomorrow, and I'm running with HoosierFIT on Saturday morning (Whose ear? Whose ear??) while in Indy. Back in the saddle again! Now, time for some glutamine :o)
Word Count: 425
Likely Next Topic: Do they make a dri-fit suit?
As for my promise of Chicago travel plans, I'm still not sure what's going to happen. I will be in Auburn until the Friday before the run, which means I either need to get a Houston, Atlanta, to Chicago/Indy, to Houston set of flights, or fly back to Houston on Friday, only to hop on another plane to head to the Windy City. Details, details .... will hopefully know soon.
Today was speed work. Our coach, Head Band Man (I don't know his name, and I don't mean this moniker disparagingly; he's actually an excellent coach), said last week that we probably wouldn't be doing sprints this week, so I think that (and folks getting over the 15 miles) dulled attendance. Leon joined Jon and I though, and did some side running while we did 6 Yassos (6x800mx400m). Last week I tried to nail 4:15 over each 800, this week, I just wanted to run hard and accepted that my time would slow. The times were 3:56, 4:01, 4:01, 4:10, 4:17, 4:12. I got water after each hard part and allowed myself 30 seconds of walking at the start of each easy 400. I was pleased with my performance; I felt a lil' queasy at the end (I was running hard to pass some smuck in a red shirt who was cooling down), so I think I gave a good effort.
I'm trying to be brief(er) than yesterday, but I'll still leave you with a philosophical comment on the mental side of running. It's worth noting that at the start of the fifth repeat, which was more than last week, things suddenly got harder. Of course, they didn't, it was just in my head. When I misread my watch in repeat six and thought I had ran a very slow 39 second first 100m, I suddenly felt very winded; again, the brain working against the body. The way I broke down on last Saturday, and all this ill mental energy at the speed work has me thinking that I really need to spend some time getting my running head back on straight. Getting out there three or four times every week will help, and sprints, which give you many chances to doubt your ability to finish, should help too. I hope to run tomorrow, and I'm running with HoosierFIT on Saturday morning (Whose ear? Whose ear??) while in Indy. Back in the saddle again! Now, time for some glutamine :o)
Monday, August 6, 2007
Job 38:11
Key Words: God, Cauterization, Glutamine
Word Count: 998 ... worth it, I hope
Likely Next Topic: Chicago Travel?!?!?!!!
".... Hitherto shall thou come, but no further...." Job, Chapter 38, Verse 11
This passage from the King James version of the good book was made famous, well, by God, but our modern, sometimes agnostic and secular world, was reaquanted with it by Dan Brown in The Da Vince Code (Silas, that giver of a bad name to albinos everywhere, found a flagstone with this verse under the Rose Line, then clubbed that poor nun with it ... as a pale person, I assure you, you need not fear me).
This verse summed up week nine of Houston FIT, particularly mile 12 of 15. I don't know if it was the heat, the lack of training (I've missed four of the nine weeks), or the solitary nature of the run, but I was utterly beaten on Saturday morning. I bemoned "Why won't it just end" shortly after the Luke's Locker aid station; I normally reserve such cheery outbursts for mile 22 of the marathon! I will say no more about the run, other than I had time committments to keep, and had some hard decisions to make to keep them. I'm happy to say I finished the run healthy, and kept my time committments; I had just put on my dry t-shirt when the seminar started. As for my nagging hamstring injury, I am ready to declare myself healthy enough to run with reckless abandon, though admit that I am behind when it comes to the training schedule.
Tonight I ran three miles at Memorial. More of those pesky time committments kept me from running more miles, but as I was shooting for a marathon pace run (10 min/mile), it was just about the right length according to our training schedule.
Now the important part .. I really hope you make it this far. If you don't F YOU :) Kidding. Jokes. Here's the secret to staying healthy when marathoning; I knew it all along and have reconfirmed it with my speedy recovery from the hammy injury (speedy since I started treating it, as I'll detail below). First, a little back story ...
Many years ago I had to have an abscess cut out. Abscesses are nasty little puss wads that your body walls up simply because it doesn't know what to do with them. Many times, if you don't leave an abscess open, it will fill back up with puss, so I was left with a nice open wound on a part of my body post-op (just don't ask me to show you the scar :o). For about four weeks, the wound healed very slowly. My doctor cauterized the wound twice in the name of reminding my body to heal, but the progress remained slow. So I did what I do, I read .. a lot. I learned that every cellular division is driven by an amino acid known as Glutamine or L-Glutamine depending on your nomenclature. This amino is traditionally known as "non-essential" because your body can produce it. Europeans, being crafty and European and all, realized much ealier than the American medical establishment that there are times when the body cannot produce enough; thus it's current clasification as a "conditionally essential" amino acid. So I said, "Maybe I don't have enough Glutamine in me to heal this wound."
Now friends, I admit, I could be falling into the trap of causality. That trap being, "I want something to happen, so I'll do X, that something happened, so X must have worked!" Wrong, voodoo logic. Regardless, after about one week of glutamine supplementation, the wound was healed. It had barely made any progress through four weeks of normal healing, but then sealed up in only a week's time of glutamine supplementation! I am convinced that the glutamine was the source of my healing.
Fast forward to two weeks ago. I know running puts your body under huge stress, and I had a hamstring injury; why couldn't a lack of glutamine be slowing the healing? I started taking 500mg of straight glutamine supplemant after long runs, and took a protein supplemant everyday that has about 3000mg of the stuff. I can say that my problems seem to have gone away, and my legs feel about as good as they have in quite a while.
Causality? Could be. A deficiency in Keith body that other's might not have? Could be. The point though is there is little downside to glutamine supplementation, and big potential upside. My PhD friends might point out that there is fear that glutamine supplementation could cause an undiagnosed cancer to spread like wildfire (remember, every cellular division, including cancerous ones, need glutamine). The only study I've ever seen on the topic (a well constructred breast cancer study) showed no increase in metastasisation due to glutamine supplementation, so the fear seems, at least, somewhat overstated. Again, we're not talking about lots ... let's just top off the tank to make sure that, as you tax your body, you are getting enough of this critical amino acid.
GNC 100% Whey Protein supplement has a good amount of glutamine in it, or you can simply buy the supplement at the same place.
I encourage all you marathoners to consider trying it. Start slow, of course, making sure you have no ill effects. Perhaps you just consider taking it after long runs? Maybe, if you already take protein containing glutamine, you just make sure you take it daily, and maybe hit it extra hard after high milage. You just might find yourself healing faster and feeling better than you have in a long while!
Word Count: 998 ... worth it, I hope
Likely Next Topic: Chicago Travel?!?!?!!!
".... Hitherto shall thou come, but no further...." Job, Chapter 38, Verse 11
This passage from the King James version of the good book was made famous, well, by God, but our modern, sometimes agnostic and secular world, was reaquanted with it by Dan Brown in The Da Vince Code (Silas, that giver of a bad name to albinos everywhere, found a flagstone with this verse under the Rose Line, then clubbed that poor nun with it ... as a pale person, I assure you, you need not fear me).
This verse summed up week nine of Houston FIT, particularly mile 12 of 15. I don't know if it was the heat, the lack of training (I've missed four of the nine weeks), or the solitary nature of the run, but I was utterly beaten on Saturday morning. I bemoned "Why won't it just end" shortly after the Luke's Locker aid station; I normally reserve such cheery outbursts for mile 22 of the marathon! I will say no more about the run, other than I had time committments to keep, and had some hard decisions to make to keep them. I'm happy to say I finished the run healthy, and kept my time committments; I had just put on my dry t-shirt when the seminar started. As for my nagging hamstring injury, I am ready to declare myself healthy enough to run with reckless abandon, though admit that I am behind when it comes to the training schedule.
Tonight I ran three miles at Memorial. More of those pesky time committments kept me from running more miles, but as I was shooting for a marathon pace run (10 min/mile), it was just about the right length according to our training schedule.
Now the important part .. I really hope you make it this far. If you don't F YOU :) Kidding. Jokes. Here's the secret to staying healthy when marathoning; I knew it all along and have reconfirmed it with my speedy recovery from the hammy injury (speedy since I started treating it, as I'll detail below). First, a little back story ...
Many years ago I had to have an abscess cut out. Abscesses are nasty little puss wads that your body walls up simply because it doesn't know what to do with them. Many times, if you don't leave an abscess open, it will fill back up with puss, so I was left with a nice open wound on a part of my body post-op (just don't ask me to show you the scar :o). For about four weeks, the wound healed very slowly. My doctor cauterized the wound twice in the name of reminding my body to heal, but the progress remained slow. So I did what I do, I read .. a lot. I learned that every cellular division is driven by an amino acid known as Glutamine or L-Glutamine depending on your nomenclature. This amino is traditionally known as "non-essential" because your body can produce it. Europeans, being crafty and European and all, realized much ealier than the American medical establishment that there are times when the body cannot produce enough; thus it's current clasification as a "conditionally essential" amino acid. So I said, "Maybe I don't have enough Glutamine in me to heal this wound."
Now friends, I admit, I could be falling into the trap of causality. That trap being, "I want something to happen, so I'll do X, that something happened, so X must have worked!" Wrong, voodoo logic. Regardless, after about one week of glutamine supplementation, the wound was healed. It had barely made any progress through four weeks of normal healing, but then sealed up in only a week's time of glutamine supplementation! I am convinced that the glutamine was the source of my healing.
Fast forward to two weeks ago. I know running puts your body under huge stress, and I had a hamstring injury; why couldn't a lack of glutamine be slowing the healing? I started taking 500mg of straight glutamine supplemant after long runs, and took a protein supplemant everyday that has about 3000mg of the stuff. I can say that my problems seem to have gone away, and my legs feel about as good as they have in quite a while.
Causality? Could be. A deficiency in Keith body that other's might not have? Could be. The point though is there is little downside to glutamine supplementation, and big potential upside. My PhD friends might point out that there is fear that glutamine supplementation could cause an undiagnosed cancer to spread like wildfire (remember, every cellular division, including cancerous ones, need glutamine). The only study I've ever seen on the topic (a well constructred breast cancer study) showed no increase in metastasisation due to glutamine supplementation, so the fear seems, at least, somewhat overstated. Again, we're not talking about lots ... let's just top off the tank to make sure that, as you tax your body, you are getting enough of this critical amino acid.
GNC 100% Whey Protein supplement has a good amount of glutamine in it, or you can simply buy the supplement at the same place.
I encourage all you marathoners to consider trying it. Start slow, of course, making sure you have no ill effects. Perhaps you just consider taking it after long runs? Maybe, if you already take protein containing glutamine, you just make sure you take it daily, and maybe hit it extra hard after high milage. You just might find yourself healing faster and feeling better than you have in a long while!
Friday, August 3, 2007
4 miles + 2 Shiners
Topic: Tempo running and tempo drinking
Key Words: Tempo, "Working from Home", Double Fisting
Next Likely Topic: 15 Miles and Some Furniture
I've been saying I would describe my Chicago travel plans for a few days ... but I still don't have Chicago travel plans! Getting close to having them though ....
Last night (Thursday), I went to Memorial and did a tempo run; 1 mile easy, 2 miles hard, 1 mile easy. I wanted to run the easy miles around 10:30 to 11:00, which is the pace I should be running my Saturday long runs, and bang out the fast part in about 9 min/mile. It was kind of hard to keep my foot on the brake, but I did the slow first mile in about 10:45 and then struck out for the fast part. I can say that for the first 3/4 of a mile, I could tell I hadn't ran "fast" since Alaska .... my lungs were protesting. I stuck through it, started my "just run to the next tree" trick, and my body slowly stopped protesting. The next two miles were 8:56 and 8:43. Though I was BLASTED after that (and completely drenched), it was good to run fast. No terrible pain, and today, I feel pretty good. I contribute the two post run Shiners to my legs feeling good today (I took the first one easy, trying to pace myself as if it were a long spell of drinking, then I hit the next one hard, trying to improve on my VBeerMax).
Tomorrow is 15 miles ... I'm not terribly excited! I think it will be a challenge for me given my lack of mileage over the past month. The goal ... nice and slow and even. I hope to make it to at least 12 miles before things get rough.
And for good news ... I'm at home at 2PM on a Friday! We had a lunch downtown, and my planning co-worker asked the boss if we could both head home "to work" after the lunch .... he said sure ... and here I am ... working :o) Actually, I'll double fisting; I have the work laptop up and running in case something comes up.
If you've got running plans this weekend, have a good one!
Key Words: Tempo, "Working from Home", Double Fisting
Next Likely Topic: 15 Miles and Some Furniture
I've been saying I would describe my Chicago travel plans for a few days ... but I still don't have Chicago travel plans! Getting close to having them though ....
Last night (Thursday), I went to Memorial and did a tempo run; 1 mile easy, 2 miles hard, 1 mile easy. I wanted to run the easy miles around 10:30 to 11:00, which is the pace I should be running my Saturday long runs, and bang out the fast part in about 9 min/mile. It was kind of hard to keep my foot on the brake, but I did the slow first mile in about 10:45 and then struck out for the fast part. I can say that for the first 3/4 of a mile, I could tell I hadn't ran "fast" since Alaska .... my lungs were protesting. I stuck through it, started my "just run to the next tree" trick, and my body slowly stopped protesting. The next two miles were 8:56 and 8:43. Though I was BLASTED after that (and completely drenched), it was good to run fast. No terrible pain, and today, I feel pretty good. I contribute the two post run Shiners to my legs feeling good today (I took the first one easy, trying to pace myself as if it were a long spell of drinking, then I hit the next one hard, trying to improve on my VBeerMax).
Tomorrow is 15 miles ... I'm not terribly excited! I think it will be a challenge for me given my lack of mileage over the past month. The goal ... nice and slow and even. I hope to make it to at least 12 miles before things get rough.
And for good news ... I'm at home at 2PM on a Friday! We had a lunch downtown, and my planning co-worker asked the boss if we could both head home "to work" after the lunch .... he said sure ... and here I am ... working :o) Actually, I'll double fisting; I have the work laptop up and running in case something comes up.
If you've got running plans this weekend, have a good one!
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Speed Workout Update
Key Words: Clean Running Shorts, Polar or Garmin, Nail Gun
Word Count: 400
Next Likely Topic: Chicago Travel Plans
Well I'm glad to say I survived the day after the speed workout! Unlike last weeks speed workout, which was much less grueling than yesterday's Yassos, today brought only mild leg stiffness, and that can probably be attributed to the fact that it was my first run in eight days! I'm still experiencing some pains in the hammy, but I think the healing progress is still progressing; a good thing. Hopefully the next few long runs will go well, and then I can pronounce myself well, and just maybe consider stepping it up to four runs a week.
Today was just a short bike ride, but tomorrow will hopefully be some kind of tempo run (I hope I have clean running shorts :-o ... better go check). Oh, and to follow up on the late birthday gift I was to get myself, one of the girls at speed training had a version of the Polar watch I was thinking of buying .... still got to figure out if it's time to step into the world of high tech running, and then whether Polar or Garmin.
Now a new feature: the Leon Tax update! As I may have mentioned before, the Leon Tax is the high cable bill I have since Leon loves his TV. I've been trying to get more out of the tax by cruising the movie channels late at night (which is hurting my sleep time; I really need to stop). Last night's flick - Final Destination 3! You may have seen the first one (not bad, for a blood and gore movie), but I think this one went straight to DVD. Still though, the occasionally dismissal from this world via nail gun is just plain funny! It's one of those movies where you find yourself yelling "LAWD GIRL, DON'T FALL ON THE NAIL GUNNN .... dang, helluva way to go." Oddly entertaining! Unfortunately, I'm a sucker for Star Wars movies, Matrix movies (even the bad ones), and "V for Vendetta" .... hopefully, in the name of sleep, none will be playing tonight. Oh, and if you get a chance to watch "Thank You for Smoking", do so, it's a really good flick that most everyone seems to like once they watch it.
Word Count: 400
Next Likely Topic: Chicago Travel Plans
Well I'm glad to say I survived the day after the speed workout! Unlike last weeks speed workout, which was much less grueling than yesterday's Yassos, today brought only mild leg stiffness, and that can probably be attributed to the fact that it was my first run in eight days! I'm still experiencing some pains in the hammy, but I think the healing progress is still progressing; a good thing. Hopefully the next few long runs will go well, and then I can pronounce myself well, and just maybe consider stepping it up to four runs a week.
Today was just a short bike ride, but tomorrow will hopefully be some kind of tempo run (I hope I have clean running shorts :-o ... better go check). Oh, and to follow up on the late birthday gift I was to get myself, one of the girls at speed training had a version of the Polar watch I was thinking of buying .... still got to figure out if it's time to step into the world of high tech running, and then whether Polar or Garmin.
Now a new feature: the Leon Tax update! As I may have mentioned before, the Leon Tax is the high cable bill I have since Leon loves his TV. I've been trying to get more out of the tax by cruising the movie channels late at night (which is hurting my sleep time; I really need to stop). Last night's flick - Final Destination 3! You may have seen the first one (not bad, for a blood and gore movie), but I think this one went straight to DVD. Still though, the occasionally dismissal from this world via nail gun is just plain funny! It's one of those movies where you find yourself yelling "LAWD GIRL, DON'T FALL ON THE NAIL GUNNN .... dang, helluva way to go." Oddly entertaining! Unfortunately, I'm a sucker for Star Wars movies, Matrix movies (even the bad ones), and "V for Vendetta" .... hopefully, in the name of sleep, none will be playing tonight. Oh, and if you get a chance to watch "Thank You for Smoking", do so, it's a really good flick that most everyone seems to like once they watch it.
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