I am about to reveal something shocking about my run this morning, so you might want to sit down before reading.
The weather was actually bearable today.
In August.
By the way, it doesn't matter that it is the end of August, usually the awful weather stays until late October/early November. So this is very unusual.
I got off to a bit of a late start today. If you've been following the blog, you might have picked up on the fact that I am not really a leap-out-of-bed-at-5-am-to-run person. I'm pretty good at getting out once I'm up, but sometimes that takes a few taps on the snooze button before it happens. Then I don't like to leap into my running clothes and go immediately: I check my Gmail and Facebook, normally, along with the weather conditions. Then I go.
The hazard in this approach is that by 9am, Mr. Florida Sun is getting mighty strong, so sometimes I get started too late. However, this is tempered by the fact that the humidity is usually better if you go later. The usual dilemma.
Today I definitely got started a bit later than I would have liked. I stepped out of the car at around 9am and was stunned to find that the conditions were not awful. Now, this is within the context of Florida in the summer: it still wasn't 60F with a refreshing breeze, but it was comparable to a hot summer day up north. I still can't get over the conditions (this information is coming from Accuweather):
Temperature: 79F
Humidity: 82%
Dew point: 74F
Did you see that? Dew point was 74F! Not hovering near the 80s! And if you add the temperature plus humidity, you will notice that the result is 161. That is just barely over the evil 160 threshold. And there was a breeze. A somewhat cool breeze. A somewhat cool breeze that helped in evaporating the sweat, even in the sun.
I have no idea how long this will last, if it will last at all. But it was nice to run this morning. It's amazing how much less I look at my phone grimacing in agony when the conditions are bearable. Incidentally, today was another four mile plus 4 hill minutes day, with some running by the golf course added in. In the sun. Without dying. It's a Temple Terrace miracle!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
New Shoes!
So by now, you are probably thinking that anyone who claims running is a cheap hobby is totally lying. After all, I appear to be dashing in and out of stores all over the nation like I am the next contestant on Running Man. That's not really true, though. When I first started running, I was very broke and earning practically nothing. Part of what I liked about running was that I just had to invest in shoes every six months or so. My first pair came from the Saucony outlet in Somerville, MA and I think they cost around $30. But they were ugly, which is undoubtedly why they were so cheap.
I am a very fortunate runner because I haven't noticed any kind of major issue that I have which would require specialized footwear. When my shoes start to feel worn, I just head over to the nearest (or largest) Discount Shoe Warehouse and see what's there. I've done pretty well overall. My last pair of shoes were ASICS (the ones in White/Navy/Limeade) and I really liked them, but their time had come. So I present to you the new pair!
They are Air Alaris from Nike, so if I wanted to spend a small fortune, I could get all kinds of toys to attach to my shoes in order to have a completely accurate idea of my training. Or I could just use my phone with the free app to get the information that I need. See, running doesn't have to be expensive!
I also stocked up on another running essential: socks. My sock situation to date in my running career has been to put on generic, cotton socks and go. It struck me a few weeks ago that I might want to up my game in this department, since my feet always feel hot after running (this might be unavoidable). However, I'm wary of those little running socks. I've tried those before and often they slip, leaving my ankle(s) open to yucky blisters. There were lots of athletic socks at DSW and I managed to find some that were higher cut, yet still have the ability to wick:
And that was plenty of running-related purchasing for the day (although I did also acquire 3 new pairs of shoes, all of which are relatively low heeled, and therefore should be good for general use while training).
I am a very fortunate runner because I haven't noticed any kind of major issue that I have which would require specialized footwear. When my shoes start to feel worn, I just head over to the nearest (or largest) Discount Shoe Warehouse and see what's there. I've done pretty well overall. My last pair of shoes were ASICS (the ones in White/Navy/Limeade) and I really liked them, but their time had come. So I present to you the new pair!
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| Ta-dah! |
I also stocked up on another running essential: socks. My sock situation to date in my running career has been to put on generic, cotton socks and go. It struck me a few weeks ago that I might want to up my game in this department, since my feet always feel hot after running (this might be unavoidable). However, I'm wary of those little running socks. I've tried those before and often they slip, leaving my ankle(s) open to yucky blisters. There were lots of athletic socks at DSW and I managed to find some that were higher cut, yet still have the ability to wick:
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| Ta-dah! |
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Riverhills Drive
Today was the first of the official long runs. It was 6 miles. Perhaps understandably, I found it hard to equate 6 miles with a long run. After all, the actual marathon will require 6 miles, then another 20 and change afterward. But 6 miles is still a decent distance, particularly when run in Florida summer conditions -- as I learned once the run was over.
The first 'big' race that I did was 10k, which amounts to 6.2 miles. This made me feel like I had made it as a runner, for some reason, even though my time was horrid. My run today, in Florida summer conditions, was better than that run. It was the Tufts 10k, which I highly recommend if you live anywhere near Boston (and are female). You run on the Cambridge side of the Charles, then back on Commonwealth Avenue, which is the wicked pretty part of Boston. The race finishes in Boston Common (remember the Frog Pond?). It's very well organized and a great day. When I did it, friends and I sat on the grass afterward for a while, just enjoying the weather. I highly recommend.
This is one race that I wish I could run again, particularly since I am now a better runner. I think that it was a stretch at the time. What I mostly remember about miles 4-6 was trying to push myself through mentally. We were on Comm Ave, which is the part of Boston where the streets are organized alphabetically (NB: this is the only part of Boston that you can really say is 'organized'). I kept counting down the streets, but each one was taking far, far longer than I thought. For instance, I remember thinking that I was almost past Exeter Street, then realizing that not only was I not past it, but I was not even there yet, and the intersection itself felt like it took 10 minutes. And that was only the 'E' street. I still had Dartmouth, Clarendon, Berkeley, and Arlington to go.
Anyway, today's 6 miles didn't require quite so much mental push, although I would have been utterly fine with stopping after 5 miles. But I didn't, which is the whole point. I need to be better about running to finish rather than running to finish well; this mentality will be really important during the marathon. Six miles is still at the point where I could probably do decently well if I raced it tomorrow. That cannot be said of 12 miles or anything beyond that, when it will just be about finishing. I need to get more in that mindset, particularly since the conditions in Florida change (get awful) so drastically from the start to finish of long runs.
I ran around the golf course neighborhood, past some of the really nice sections. This was on Riverhills Drive, which you may have deduced is near the river. This was the oldest part of Temple Terrace that was built up and has a lot of very nice and interesting homes, plus plenty of shady oak trees. Here's a sample of some of my favorites from today:
My run today started on Riverhills Drive, turning about 2 miles in at Florida College. I went by a spot of historical note: the exact place on the Temple Terrace golf course that Reverend Billy Graham received his calling from God. Yes, he was out golfing and God spoke to him. This is the fairway where this momentous event occurred:
I, however, had no such experience today. The final photo I took as I was heading home, but it serves as a lovely encapsulation of the fact that yes, this neighborhood is built around a golf course:
The first 'big' race that I did was 10k, which amounts to 6.2 miles. This made me feel like I had made it as a runner, for some reason, even though my time was horrid. My run today, in Florida summer conditions, was better than that run. It was the Tufts 10k, which I highly recommend if you live anywhere near Boston (and are female). You run on the Cambridge side of the Charles, then back on Commonwealth Avenue, which is the wicked pretty part of Boston. The race finishes in Boston Common (remember the Frog Pond?). It's very well organized and a great day. When I did it, friends and I sat on the grass afterward for a while, just enjoying the weather. I highly recommend.
This is one race that I wish I could run again, particularly since I am now a better runner. I think that it was a stretch at the time. What I mostly remember about miles 4-6 was trying to push myself through mentally. We were on Comm Ave, which is the part of Boston where the streets are organized alphabetically (NB: this is the only part of Boston that you can really say is 'organized'). I kept counting down the streets, but each one was taking far, far longer than I thought. For instance, I remember thinking that I was almost past Exeter Street, then realizing that not only was I not past it, but I was not even there yet, and the intersection itself felt like it took 10 minutes. And that was only the 'E' street. I still had Dartmouth, Clarendon, Berkeley, and Arlington to go.
Anyway, today's 6 miles didn't require quite so much mental push, although I would have been utterly fine with stopping after 5 miles. But I didn't, which is the whole point. I need to be better about running to finish rather than running to finish well; this mentality will be really important during the marathon. Six miles is still at the point where I could probably do decently well if I raced it tomorrow. That cannot be said of 12 miles or anything beyond that, when it will just be about finishing. I need to get more in that mindset, particularly since the conditions in Florida change (get awful) so drastically from the start to finish of long runs.
I ran around the golf course neighborhood, past some of the really nice sections. This was on Riverhills Drive, which you may have deduced is near the river. This was the oldest part of Temple Terrace that was built up and has a lot of very nice and interesting homes, plus plenty of shady oak trees. Here's a sample of some of my favorites from today:
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| Near Ben Lomond Park. There are a lot of Scottish names, presumably to go with the golf course theme. |
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| One of the best aspects of Temple Terrace, in my opinion, is that the flora has grown in so nicely. Other, more recent neighborhoods in Tampa don't have this. |
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| I love the roof tiles! |
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| Actual fairway where Billy Graham received calling. It is the 18th hole. Good thing he had almost finished the round. |
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Relaxation
I knew that I wouldn't keep up with doing yoga and such every day, but I think that I'm doing a relatively good job. This week has required a lot of adjusting since I'm back in classes, so it's not so easy to organize my time. But I did get a chance to do two workouts and they have been quite useful. When I stretch after running, there is no question that I am getting more flexible.
Today I tried a yin yoga DVD that I got from the library. The practitioner was Simon Low and it was great. There was one pose that I absolutely could not manage, but the rest went quite well. One pose incorporated into the workout was pigeon, which really stretched muscles that needed some work. It's nothing like the Sesame Street song sung by Bert, if you're curious.
The best part of the yin yoga DVD (apart from the actual workout) was when the instructor offered an alternative banana pose at one point. There is just something funny about hearing the word 'banana' in a British accent.
I may go to hot yoga with a friend next week (hey, why not?) and normal yoga should be starting up soon. It will be nice to have more of an organized routine...actually, that could be said about a lot of things right now!
Today I tried a yin yoga DVD that I got from the library. The practitioner was Simon Low and it was great. There was one pose that I absolutely could not manage, but the rest went quite well. One pose incorporated into the workout was pigeon, which really stretched muscles that needed some work. It's nothing like the Sesame Street song sung by Bert, if you're curious.
The best part of the yin yoga DVD (apart from the actual workout) was when the instructor offered an alternative banana pose at one point. There is just something funny about hearing the word 'banana' in a British accent.
I may go to hot yoga with a friend next week (hey, why not?) and normal yoga should be starting up soon. It will be nice to have more of an organized routine...actually, that could be said about a lot of things right now!
When to run?
If all things were equal, I think that I would much prefer to run at sunset. The humidity is down, the sun is not as powerful, and it is just more pleasant in my opinion. But then you risk storms. Today, I went around 7:00PM. The weather was actually okay, especially with a bit of a cool breeze. But the whole time there were mounting clouds and I got concerned that there would be a storm (there wasn't).
The morning run/evening run dilemma is just yet another one of the challenges posed by Florida. There are only very small windows when you can run (early morning or before sunset). I guess I could run at night, but it would make me nervous. There are not always sidewalks or streetlights, not to mention that there are very few people outside. When I was in Boston a few weeks ago, I realized that I was surprised to see people out at night. It makes me more nervous to think that I would be out on my own at night, so I generally take a pass.
Undoubtedly, the highlight of today's run was coming back and passing the small pond. There was an alligator that had surfaced and he was sitting there like he owned the place. Actually, he does own the place, so more power to him. Another good reason not to run at night: every so often, you do hear of a runner being attacked by an alligator. No need for that.
Today I booked my massage for mid-September and ordered two new sports bras. Can you tell that payday was yesterday? Tomorrow I plan to go find some new shoes. The old ones are definitely worn and I can feel some slight stiffness in my knee, which is the sign that new shoes are needed. I hope I can find pretty ones!
The morning run/evening run dilemma is just yet another one of the challenges posed by Florida. There are only very small windows when you can run (early morning or before sunset). I guess I could run at night, but it would make me nervous. There are not always sidewalks or streetlights, not to mention that there are very few people outside. When I was in Boston a few weeks ago, I realized that I was surprised to see people out at night. It makes me more nervous to think that I would be out on my own at night, so I generally take a pass.
Undoubtedly, the highlight of today's run was coming back and passing the small pond. There was an alligator that had surfaced and he was sitting there like he owned the place. Actually, he does own the place, so more power to him. Another good reason not to run at night: every so often, you do hear of a runner being attacked by an alligator. No need for that.
Today I booked my massage for mid-September and ordered two new sports bras. Can you tell that payday was yesterday? Tomorrow I plan to go find some new shoes. The old ones are definitely worn and I can feel some slight stiffness in my knee, which is the sign that new shoes are needed. I hope I can find pretty ones!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Temple Terrace: it's no Worcester
Today's run was 4 miles with 4 minutes uphill. When I first saw that, I automatically assumed that those four minutes would be on the treadmill since this region of Florida is pretty bereft of hills. All of the other places that I've lived since starting my running career have had a decent hill profile. Boston has some killah hills, and others that are the slow and painful gradual types. These are the ones that you don't even notice until you decide to run them, then you wonder why your run has been so awful for the past 1/4 mile. Looking behind you, you realize that this is because you've been on a very long and gradual hill. Looking ahead, you realize that this very long and gradual hill may never end. Trust me, I've been on this run more than once.
When I started running in Boston, I lived in Somerville, which has several really nasty hills. Somehow, I managed to live right near the crest of one of them. So no matter which way you came to my apartment, the end of the run was inevitably a long, gradual, uphill climb. I initially noticed this as I was trying to finish my very first long run (6 whole miles!) and felt like the last part of my run was all uphill. I then realized that it actually was and that this 'all uphill' feeling was not my imagination. This is the town with Heartbreak Hill, after all (it's a big, long, gradual hill 20 miles into the Boston Marathon, which is not where you want such a hill. Many runners have been felled by it).
After Boston, I lived in Worcester, which is one of those many cities of seven hills. They aren't kidding. It's in the foothills of the Berkshires and you definitely get your hillwork done. I ran more hills in my warm-ups than I probably do now in a month of Florida running. There was a particularly brutal one that I used to use for hill practice which was a pretty decent incline that went on for 5-6 minutes. Back then, I didn't even really think about hills. They were just there.
Then I moved here, where there were zero hills. Where I lived before, the only thing approaching a hill was a pedestrian overpass located on a running trail. And yes, I did actually use that for hill training. It even had the added advantage of no shade whatsoever. So that was my hill. Or the treadmill. Or wait for the summer and Vienna, which has some completely ridiculous gradual hills:
When I was there this summer, I went on a run that had 15 straight minutes uphill. Seriously. And this was a casual hill compared to some.
Anyway, you can imagine my surprise and joy when I discovered that Temple Terrace does actually have a few hills. My first concern was whether it had enough of a hill to constitute four minutes, as mandated by my training plan for today. I decided to tackle 'the hill' to see how long it took, and wouldn't you know it? Two minutes up. So I ran it, circled around a lovely treed neighborhood, then ran it again. Problem solved!
When I checked my phone upon finishing the run, I realized that Temple Terrace actually has several elevation changes in the form of long, gradual hills. So actually, I did more than four minutes. Hopefully this is making me a stronger runner without me even noticing -- although I don't think I'm quite ready for Comrades, the insane South African ultramarathon with completely insane hills:
Here is a photo of the hill I ran today. Feel free to laugh. I should probably put 'hill' in 'quotation marks':
It's no Worcester, that is for sure. But I am running this marathon in coastal South Carolina, so likely I will be okay.
When I started running in Boston, I lived in Somerville, which has several really nasty hills. Somehow, I managed to live right near the crest of one of them. So no matter which way you came to my apartment, the end of the run was inevitably a long, gradual, uphill climb. I initially noticed this as I was trying to finish my very first long run (6 whole miles!) and felt like the last part of my run was all uphill. I then realized that it actually was and that this 'all uphill' feeling was not my imagination. This is the town with Heartbreak Hill, after all (it's a big, long, gradual hill 20 miles into the Boston Marathon, which is not where you want such a hill. Many runners have been felled by it).
After Boston, I lived in Worcester, which is one of those many cities of seven hills. They aren't kidding. It's in the foothills of the Berkshires and you definitely get your hillwork done. I ran more hills in my warm-ups than I probably do now in a month of Florida running. There was a particularly brutal one that I used to use for hill practice which was a pretty decent incline that went on for 5-6 minutes. Back then, I didn't even really think about hills. They were just there.
Then I moved here, where there were zero hills. Where I lived before, the only thing approaching a hill was a pedestrian overpass located on a running trail. And yes, I did actually use that for hill training. It even had the added advantage of no shade whatsoever. So that was my hill. Or the treadmill. Or wait for the summer and Vienna, which has some completely ridiculous gradual hills:
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| Yeah, I used to run that. Up. And down. That's running Wiener-style. |
When I was there this summer, I went on a run that had 15 straight minutes uphill. Seriously. And this was a casual hill compared to some.
Anyway, you can imagine my surprise and joy when I discovered that Temple Terrace does actually have a few hills. My first concern was whether it had enough of a hill to constitute four minutes, as mandated by my training plan for today. I decided to tackle 'the hill' to see how long it took, and wouldn't you know it? Two minutes up. So I ran it, circled around a lovely treed neighborhood, then ran it again. Problem solved!
When I checked my phone upon finishing the run, I realized that Temple Terrace actually has several elevation changes in the form of long, gradual hills. So actually, I did more than four minutes. Hopefully this is making me a stronger runner without me even noticing -- although I don't think I'm quite ready for Comrades, the insane South African ultramarathon with completely insane hills:
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| Comrades profile map. Insane. I cannot use that word enough in describing this race. |
Here is a photo of the hill I ran today. Feel free to laugh. I should probably put 'hill' in 'quotation marks':
It's no Worcester, that is for sure. But I am running this marathon in coastal South Carolina, so likely I will be okay.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Proof of me surviving the Florida Death Runs
Here are photos of me at the finish line. Note awesome new running shorts and visor in fourth photo. Please please please don't judge me on these times! My PR for a 5k is 31:20 (I ran a 10:06 mile split and this was only last September), really!
Phenomenal timing
Those big storms from this morning finally ended and the weather appeared to clear for a bit today around 6pm. I had been planning to go to the treadmill and do one of the four planned runs for this week. Today was supposed to be a 4M with 4:00 uphill within that. Right now, I believe that I have two viable uphill options:
1) Treadmill;
2) Neighborhood across the street with actual hills.
Because the weather was still dicey (there were clouds everywhere), I decided that it was a bad idea to go across the street in case I was two miles from my car when a major storm hit. I think it's better to avoid the treadmill in case of problems: all of them being busy, not being able to sneak in more than 30 minutes of a workout, room being over 75F, etc... I'll use one if there is no other option, but when I do have a choice, I'd rather be outside.
I switched the planned Thursday run with today's run, which was 1 hour of running. This was a better plan for two reasons:
1) I could run around my neighborhood with a part of my run near my friend Stephanie's house. In case of weather emergency, I could come home or stop by their place. Even if they were not home, I could hide under the overhang by their front door. This would not be considered a Random Stephanie Encounter since I would have rigged it;
2) I didn't need to take the phone since the run was not based on distance. Instead, I took my water-proof watch. I'm assuming that my phone is not water-proof...I definitely do not plan on testing it.
I timed this perfectly. The weather was actually almost pleasant (low 80s! Can you imagine?!?) albeit humid. If sweat actually does remove toxins from your body, I must be bordering on fully pure by this point. There was even a slightly cool wind, so the sweat actually evaporated sometimes. You know. Like sweat is meant to do to regulate the heat in your body.
What made this run kind of funny was that I think every runner in the neighborhood took advantage of this break in the storm to go out. I saw more runners in that hour than I usually see in a week. Well, maybe not a week, but certainly I am not used to everyone coordinating at the same time.
My timing, though, was impeccable. The run was without any weather incident at all. Then when I got home, as I was opening the door, I noticed that it had started raining again. A good downpour came about 15 minutes later. Perfect and I managed to avoid the treadmill!
I also tallied a list of running gear/stuff that I want/need:
1) New shoes: this will have to happen relatively soon. They are not posing any problem yet, but I have had them for a while;
2) Two new sports bras. This is moving up in importance. One of them does not offer sufficient support, the other one is causing chaffing. Ouch.
3) A massage. I haven't been in months and I could use one!
(I don't know why I'm suddenly making so many lists either).
1) Treadmill;
2) Neighborhood across the street with actual hills.
Because the weather was still dicey (there were clouds everywhere), I decided that it was a bad idea to go across the street in case I was two miles from my car when a major storm hit. I think it's better to avoid the treadmill in case of problems: all of them being busy, not being able to sneak in more than 30 minutes of a workout, room being over 75F, etc... I'll use one if there is no other option, but when I do have a choice, I'd rather be outside.
I switched the planned Thursday run with today's run, which was 1 hour of running. This was a better plan for two reasons:
1) I could run around my neighborhood with a part of my run near my friend Stephanie's house. In case of weather emergency, I could come home or stop by their place. Even if they were not home, I could hide under the overhang by their front door. This would not be considered a Random Stephanie Encounter since I would have rigged it;
2) I didn't need to take the phone since the run was not based on distance. Instead, I took my water-proof watch. I'm assuming that my phone is not water-proof...I definitely do not plan on testing it.
I timed this perfectly. The weather was actually almost pleasant (low 80s! Can you imagine?!?) albeit humid. If sweat actually does remove toxins from your body, I must be bordering on fully pure by this point. There was even a slightly cool wind, so the sweat actually evaporated sometimes. You know. Like sweat is meant to do to regulate the heat in your body.
What made this run kind of funny was that I think every runner in the neighborhood took advantage of this break in the storm to go out. I saw more runners in that hour than I usually see in a week. Well, maybe not a week, but certainly I am not used to everyone coordinating at the same time.
My timing, though, was impeccable. The run was without any weather incident at all. Then when I got home, as I was opening the door, I noticed that it had started raining again. A good downpour came about 15 minutes later. Perfect and I managed to avoid the treadmill!
I also tallied a list of running gear/stuff that I want/need:
1) New shoes: this will have to happen relatively soon. They are not posing any problem yet, but I have had them for a while;
2) Two new sports bras. This is moving up in importance. One of them does not offer sufficient support, the other one is causing chaffing. Ouch.
3) A massage. I haven't been in months and I could use one!
(I don't know why I'm suddenly making so many lists either).
Today is a treadmill day
One thing that is good about running in Florida is that the weather is predictable about 99% of the time: it is sunny, humid, and hot, with the chance of an afternoon thunderstorm. The same applies in the winter but with fewer thunderstorms and slightly less hot/humid. However, when I woke up this morning, the skies were looking somewhat ominous. I decided to check the weather to see if it made sense to go this morning or if I should wait until later -- actually, I wasn't really feeling like running, so part of this was simply me feeling lazy. As I was doing that, it started pouring rain. If you look at the radar image below (you can click on it to make it bigger), I live in the part marked Temple Terrace and that vast storm is moving toward me. Actually, I think it just got here because it's been pouring for the past 10 minutes, accompanied by thunder and lightning. I'm glad that I was not out running in this!
They are calling for rain and thunderstorms for the rest of the day. I think I will opt for the treadmill instead.
Follow-up (1/2 hour later...I still would have been running): there was just a ground strike close by with thunder following almost immediately. Yeah, definitely a treadmill day.
They are calling for rain and thunderstorms for the rest of the day. I think I will opt for the treadmill instead.
Follow-up (1/2 hour later...I still would have been running): there was just a ground strike close by with thunder following almost immediately. Yeah, definitely a treadmill day.
Monday, August 23, 2010
New schedule
With the new schedule, Mondays are now free. I chose this schedule because it works well with my teaching schedule: I need to be at school, teaching, MWF. All other days I run. Good combination! What makes it even better is that this year I am not teaching at some godawful torture hour (7:30am all of last year), so my MWF are not automatically write-offs. But it's good to have those days for doing things like weights. Just like today!
That makes two weeks in a row, which I think equals the number of times I did weights for much of the summer. Yay! And this time I remembered to stretch properly afterward, so hopefully less stiff tomorrow for my run.
I've tried two of the new relaxation DVDs. The Qigong one is okay, there are some useful exercises in them. The other one is a mediation one with a bit of yoga thrown in. This isn't terrible, but I'm not used to meditating (and would rather do more yoga). Maybe I can learn from this experience? I haven't tried the third DVD yet, plus I have a DVD on hold at my local library of Yin Yoga, since I liked it so much. But the selection is nice now. Maybe I'll even revisit PM Tai Chi at some point.
That makes two weeks in a row, which I think equals the number of times I did weights for much of the summer. Yay! And this time I remembered to stretch properly afterward, so hopefully less stiff tomorrow for my run.
I've tried two of the new relaxation DVDs. The Qigong one is okay, there are some useful exercises in them. The other one is a mediation one with a bit of yoga thrown in. This isn't terrible, but I'm not used to meditating (and would rather do more yoga). Maybe I can learn from this experience? I haven't tried the third DVD yet, plus I have a DVD on hold at my local library of Yin Yoga, since I liked it so much. But the selection is nice now. Maybe I'll even revisit PM Tai Chi at some point.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
The last of the short long runs
This morning was a 5-mile run and I toured my neighborhood. Started after 8am, so there was still some humidity, but there was cloud cover so I didn't get the full effect of the sun. As a comparison between this weather and Boston, I lost more than 2 minutes (!) off of my mile split from the last time I did a 5-mile run. Yeesh. Also, I didn't stretch as well as I might have liked yesterday after the Florida Death Run, mainly because everywhere I looked, there was a lot of bugs. Frequently, several varieties in one spot. So I decided to take a pass on doing a thorough stretch following the run.
This week marks the start of a new training program, one that has me running only 4 days a week: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. The purpose of the previous plan was to get my mileage back up and I'm having no issues physically with a total of 17 miles per week. So onto the 'real' plan now, which starts with 19 miles. The general guideline for increasing mileage is no more than 10% per week or else you might get injured, which is why I wanted a month to settle back into running a normal amount. Time to start progressing toward the big numbers!
Today also marked the last day that my 'long' run was 5 miles. Next week's long run is 6 and we just go up from there. Hence the title of this post.
This week marks the start of a new training program, one that has me running only 4 days a week: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. The purpose of the previous plan was to get my mileage back up and I'm having no issues physically with a total of 17 miles per week. So onto the 'real' plan now, which starts with 19 miles. The general guideline for increasing mileage is no more than 10% per week or else you might get injured, which is why I wanted a month to settle back into running a normal amount. Time to start progressing toward the big numbers!
Today also marked the last day that my 'long' run was 5 miles. Next week's long run is 6 and we just go up from there. Hence the title of this post.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Summer Sunrise Watermelon Race Series comes to a close
This morning, I ran the fourth and last race of the Summer Sunrise Watermelon Series, which was hosted by the Lakeland Runners Club. These are the runs that I also refer to as the Florida Death Runs. Basically, you run a 5k around a lake. This might seem easy enough, but then add in Florida's summer temperatures, and you can quickly see where the challenge comes in. My inspiration in signing up for this was that I thought that if I just ran, I wouldn't find morning running in Florida so bad. I was completely wrong. So my motivation about 0.5 miles into the first race was that if I could get through this, what could possibly be so bad about 26.2 miles in December in South Carolina? Call it mental toughness development.
There is much to recommend this series. The organization is excellent. The price can't be beat ($15 for all four races). If you did the whole series, you got a well-earned medal and t-shirt. There was ample watermelon at the end, even for us slowbies. The course, once around Lake Hollingsworth plus a teeny bit, is well-marked and lovely:
The only drawback is the fact that it's in Florida during the summer. Plus, you start at 7am, which is right around the time that the humidity is at its worst.
I started thinking about the four races as they might be titled if they were episodes of Friends. There was:
Whatever the reasons, the important thing is that they are over. And I did them. AND I got a well-earned medal:
There is much to recommend this series. The organization is excellent. The price can't be beat ($15 for all four races). If you did the whole series, you got a well-earned medal and t-shirt. There was ample watermelon at the end, even for us slowbies. The course, once around Lake Hollingsworth plus a teeny bit, is well-marked and lovely:
 | ||
| Actual photo of Lake Hollingsworth, taken this morning before the race. |
I started thinking about the four races as they might be titled if they were episodes of Friends. There was:
- The One Where the Sun Rose Too Fast and It Got Hot (two people asked if I was going to be okay at the finish line);
- The One Where the Humidity Dropped to 80% and It Wasn't So Bad, Relatively Speaking;
- The One Where Tropical Storm Bonnie was Nearby and It Was Crazy Humid Throughout (one person asked if I was going to be okay at the finish line. Plus I had to walk parts of it because the conditions were awful);
- The One Where I Finally Adapted (Somewhat) To Florida Heat.
Whatever the reasons, the important thing is that they are over. And I did them. AND I got a well-earned medal:
Thursday, August 19, 2010
An enjoyable run. In Florida. Yes, really!
As an astute reader of this blog, you are undoubtedly aware that running in Florida is not my favorite thing. But when I get to run around a neighborhood with lush gardens, stately trees, beautiful houses, and a peaceful route, I cannot complain. Especially when you add in a sky filled with infinite shades of orange, pink, and purple during sunset. This was in the neighborhood across the street that is built around the 1920s golf club.
DISCLAIMER: it was still hot. And humid. And I got insanely sweaty. So it's not like this was my dream run. Given the conditions, though, it was about as awesome as it gets, in my opinion.
(I tried to get a picture of the sunset. I really did. But I just barely missed it by, like, 5 minutes. Next time).
Work made it difficult to run this morning because hey guess what? We had a meeting! So I decided to leave it until the night, which made me nervous all day. When I first moved to Florida, I started running at night and did not enjoy it one little bit. For the first couple of weeks or so, I would make it to two miles and then I would have to stop. This wasn't an option. I literally could not continue. Eventually I got better but it was very frustrating for me and I've tried to avoid running at sunset ever since. However, after running in the morning, I have to say that running at night really doesn't seem so bad. Second, leaving runs for later gives me cause for concern that I won't go. In part, this is a practical concern: there is always a possibility that there will be a thunderstorm since that happens frequently in the summer. But I also have this nagging worry that I just won't do it. This is a bit silly, in a way. After all, if I can motivate myself to go in the morning, why wouldn't I be able to to it at night?
Probably this builds into a bigger concern that I have about missing training. I'm fully aware that missing one day is not the end of the world and that it won't completely derail my training. What makes this even sillier is that if something had come up today, I could have gone tomorrow. But still, I worry. And today, all was for naught because this was easily the best run that I've had since I started this training program.
Another great thing about running in the golf course neighborhood: there are hills. This might seem like a weird bonus, since hills are hard to run. But because hills are hard to run, that makes them great for training. Now, these weren't sizable hills by any stretch of the imagination, but they do count.
To make things even better, my new yoga DVDs showed up today. And when I was stretching tonight, I noticed (gasp) that I am even becoming very slightly more flexible.
Good day.
DISCLAIMER: it was still hot. And humid. And I got insanely sweaty. So it's not like this was my dream run. Given the conditions, though, it was about as awesome as it gets, in my opinion.
(I tried to get a picture of the sunset. I really did. But I just barely missed it by, like, 5 minutes. Next time).
Work made it difficult to run this morning because hey guess what? We had a meeting! So I decided to leave it until the night, which made me nervous all day. When I first moved to Florida, I started running at night and did not enjoy it one little bit. For the first couple of weeks or so, I would make it to two miles and then I would have to stop. This wasn't an option. I literally could not continue. Eventually I got better but it was very frustrating for me and I've tried to avoid running at sunset ever since. However, after running in the morning, I have to say that running at night really doesn't seem so bad. Second, leaving runs for later gives me cause for concern that I won't go. In part, this is a practical concern: there is always a possibility that there will be a thunderstorm since that happens frequently in the summer. But I also have this nagging worry that I just won't do it. This is a bit silly, in a way. After all, if I can motivate myself to go in the morning, why wouldn't I be able to to it at night?
Probably this builds into a bigger concern that I have about missing training. I'm fully aware that missing one day is not the end of the world and that it won't completely derail my training. What makes this even sillier is that if something had come up today, I could have gone tomorrow. But still, I worry. And today, all was for naught because this was easily the best run that I've had since I started this training program.
Another great thing about running in the golf course neighborhood: there are hills. This might seem like a weird bonus, since hills are hard to run. But because hills are hard to run, that makes them great for training. Now, these weren't sizable hills by any stretch of the imagination, but they do count.
To make things even better, my new yoga DVDs showed up today. And when I was stretching tonight, I noticed (gasp) that I am even becoming very slightly more flexible.
Good day.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
The course!
If you want to see the route that I will be running, check this out. I will have to run it twice because it's a loop, but that's okay. If anything, it makes things a little easier in my book because then you can track your progress more easily the second time around.
Batting 1.000 in the relaxation department
Last night, I came awfully close to not doing any kind of tai chi/yoga/anything at night. This was, in part, because I just didn't feel like it and, in part, because yet another night of the same PM Tai Chi DVD was just not exciting. Then, I had a brilliant idea. In fact, this may rank as one of my best of the month (possibly tied with nabbing my friend's CSA share). I have a Roku, which allows me to stream content directly from Netflix to my TV. What if they had a yoga workout? And by gum, they did.
Plus, it's a pretty good night workout with lots of nice stretching and good instructions -- the instructor is Sarah Ivanhoe. This workout is called Candlelight Yoga, which is kind of funny because the studio in the video has candles, yet the mood lighting is somewhat hampered by the fact that there are also lots of really bright lights. However, I liked the workout. It was not too tricky and there were even modifications offered if you were really yoga-impaired. The poses were not overly strenuous and some felt quite good. Plus, it wasn't PM Tai Chi because sometimes variety can be good.
I am hoping that my new yoga DVDs show up soon. Then I will have an embarrassment of PM workout riches.
Plus, it's a pretty good night workout with lots of nice stretching and good instructions -- the instructor is Sarah Ivanhoe. This workout is called Candlelight Yoga, which is kind of funny because the studio in the video has candles, yet the mood lighting is somewhat hampered by the fact that there are also lots of really bright lights. However, I liked the workout. It was not too tricky and there were even modifications offered if you were really yoga-impaired. The poses were not overly strenuous and some felt quite good. Plus, it wasn't PM Tai Chi because sometimes variety can be good.
I am hoping that my new yoga DVDs show up soon. Then I will have an embarrassment of PM workout riches.
Challenge Week
This morning was 'way gross. No particular reason why. It just was. I looked at the Accuweather report from this morning (yay for weather websites that let you go back and see earlier conditions) and it was about normal, as far as gross conditions go: 80F, humidity of 87%, dew point of 76F, and a heat index of 100. By the way, there is a generally acknowledged running guideline that any run you do when the humidity + temperature = 160F+ will be disgusting, which is pretty much the case from April to October here. But today the icky conditions felt even more ick than normal. It was a very sloggy four miles. One of the only respites that I had was around mile 3.3ish, when I ran past a bunch of foliage that jutted out slightly into the sidewalk. It rained last night and the water that had collected felt somewhat cool. Seriously. That was this highlight of this morning's run: slightly-not-hot rainwater. Ugh.
Funny: last Sunday, I chose a route that went by a house that belongs to a friend (well, two friends actually that are married). As I did, my friend was stepping out to get the papers, which is a somewhat weird coincidence. Today, I took the same route and saw her at the corner, in her car, leaving for work. Bizarre! Her name is Stephanie, and I am hereby dubbing these 'Random Stephanie Encounters' (RSE). Now that I've identified them, they will probably never happen again.
I went closer to 8am than 9am today because I was supposed to go to a meeting at 11am for work. Last night, I had an important realization: this is a challenging week. Why? Because it does not quite fit my normal routine. I am very fortunate that I have an excellent job in the 'allowing me to train for long-distance running events' category. While there are times when I need to be at the office at an appointed hour, for the most part, I can set my own schedule. Actually, I chose my marathon plan based on the fact that I can train on my work-from-home days, so that I don't have to feel too much pressure about having everything wrapped up so that I can be at my desk at 9am. And yes, I do recognize how sweet this is. The flip side is that I do work seven days a week, which is less fun.
However, this week is a weird week. We have meetings at unusual times. We are having meetings almost every day. We are having a lot of meetings, totaling, by my count, 9.5 hours -- generally I would estimate that I have more like ~2-3 hours a week (yes, I do need to be at the actual office more often than this, but we're just talking meetings here). I'm getting stressed out about scheduling the running since it doesn't fit the normal plan.
And I realized last night that this is okay, even if I can't find a routine for this week. There will be challenging weeks since I also have times that I need to travel. But I'm hoping that by identifying them as challenging weeks, I will feel better about them. By investing in this concept, I hope that it will make them less stressful.
Icky morning runs are not helping, though.
[Actually, I did not make the 11am meeting because there was a power outage and I couldn't open by automatic garage door. This literally happened as I was preparing to go and the garage door opened 1/3rd of the way, then stopped. If it were really an emergency, I could have opened it manually, but if you want to come over to my stuffy garage in Florida heat/humidity to open it manually, go on right ahead. I decided to take a pass.]
Funny: last Sunday, I chose a route that went by a house that belongs to a friend (well, two friends actually that are married). As I did, my friend was stepping out to get the papers, which is a somewhat weird coincidence. Today, I took the same route and saw her at the corner, in her car, leaving for work. Bizarre! Her name is Stephanie, and I am hereby dubbing these 'Random Stephanie Encounters' (RSE). Now that I've identified them, they will probably never happen again.
I went closer to 8am than 9am today because I was supposed to go to a meeting at 11am for work. Last night, I had an important realization: this is a challenging week. Why? Because it does not quite fit my normal routine. I am very fortunate that I have an excellent job in the 'allowing me to train for long-distance running events' category. While there are times when I need to be at the office at an appointed hour, for the most part, I can set my own schedule. Actually, I chose my marathon plan based on the fact that I can train on my work-from-home days, so that I don't have to feel too much pressure about having everything wrapped up so that I can be at my desk at 9am. And yes, I do recognize how sweet this is. The flip side is that I do work seven days a week, which is less fun.
However, this week is a weird week. We have meetings at unusual times. We are having meetings almost every day. We are having a lot of meetings, totaling, by my count, 9.5 hours -- generally I would estimate that I have more like ~2-3 hours a week (yes, I do need to be at the actual office more often than this, but we're just talking meetings here). I'm getting stressed out about scheduling the running since it doesn't fit the normal plan.
And I realized last night that this is okay, even if I can't find a routine for this week. There will be challenging weeks since I also have times that I need to travel. But I'm hoping that by identifying them as challenging weeks, I will feel better about them. By investing in this concept, I hope that it will make them less stressful.
Icky morning runs are not helping, though.
[Actually, I did not make the 11am meeting because there was a power outage and I couldn't open by automatic garage door. This literally happened as I was preparing to go and the garage door opened 1/3rd of the way, then stopped. If it were really an emergency, I could have opened it manually, but if you want to come over to my stuffy garage in Florida heat/humidity to open it manually, go on right ahead. I decided to take a pass.]
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
I'm definitely back in Florida
The first mile of this morning's run went well. Again, I tried my 'go slightly later' approach and that seemed to be a better solution. Even better, the sun was slightly shaded with clouds, so there weren't too many parts where I was directly exposed.
Miles 2 and 3, though, went less well. Quite a bit less well. The cloud cover -- sadly -- moved away and I was faced with full throttle sun. I was really hoping for that Mile 1 vibe to last longer. The moral of this story, likely, is to try and stick to running places that are shady, but it's almost impossible to avoid the sun entirely.
I was stiff to start today too. It would be easy to blame the weights from yesterday, but actually I think that it was more the weights combined with me not stretching properly. For next time, then, better stretching.
Last night I did manage to do the tai chi, so make that two days in a row. Whoo! I'm kind of excited for the new DVDs to show up just for some variety, though. I spent most of a summer doing the PM tai chi almost every night so it's a bit routine at this point.
Miles 2 and 3, though, went less well. Quite a bit less well. The cloud cover -- sadly -- moved away and I was faced with full throttle sun. I was really hoping for that Mile 1 vibe to last longer. The moral of this story, likely, is to try and stick to running places that are shady, but it's almost impossible to avoid the sun entirely.
I was stiff to start today too. It would be easy to blame the weights from yesterday, but actually I think that it was more the weights combined with me not stretching properly. For next time, then, better stretching.
Last night I did manage to do the tai chi, so make that two days in a row. Whoo! I'm kind of excited for the new DVDs to show up just for some variety, though. I spent most of a summer doing the PM tai chi almost every night so it's a bit routine at this point.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Weights
I finally got to the gym today to do weights. I say 'finally' because I looked at the paper where I write down my weights information and apparently I have done weights twice in the past two months. This was, in part, due to traveling and the fact that it can be hard to find a place to do weights when you are an international jet-setter like me. Or rather, when you are an international jet-setter who frequently crashes at friends' places because your budget does not match your jet-setting tastes.
The other part is that I tried to do weights last week at my hotel and it completely backfired. My hotel claimed that it had a complete gym, but I beg to differ. The website states that there is a 'Universal Weight Machine,' but I'm not quite sure what that means. There was no machine for working out legs or really any good way of setting up so that you could do that. Trust me, I tried and was convinced that I was going to give myself some remarkably dumb injury. They did have free weights, but that was about the extent of it.
Also, the rowing machine was broken, but that's a whole other topic. I have a love/hate relationship with rowing machines. My gym here does not have one, so I don't often get to rekindle my love/hate relationship with one and I was looking forward to it the minute I lay eyes on it. Then I sat down and there was no power. Boooooooooooooooo. Big hate, but for once I don't blame the machine.
Anyway, like most runners, I have pretty good leg strength but basically no upper body strength (that, and I have virtually no flexibility whatsoever). Years and years ago -- like, over 10 years ago -- I spent a summer going pretty regularly to the gym and doing weights, then I got bored out of my mind and quit. The last time I really did weights was probably early 2007; after that I just switched to running. Now I am aware that runners should still do weight training, especially since Runner's World makes it a point of reminding their readership of this fact at least once per issue. I'm also aware that doing weights helps my posture, metabolism, prevents osteoporosis, and God only knows what else. But I don't know. I feel like I never kicked that 'It's pretty boring' feeling from all those years ago.
I was better when World Cup was on. It was simple to get motivated to go to the gym and as an added bonus, keep track of soccer.
Another training decision that I made recently: more yoga/tai chi. Being at home all day (which I often am since I work from home) can make a person very listless. So I am going to try and do yoga or tai chi every day if possible. However, I know that probably I won't actually accomplish this goal, so I'm going to aim for every day and see what actually winds up happening. I have a 'PM Tai Chi' workout (there is also an AM, but I am more interested in the PM for now) and yesterday ordered three yoga DVDs from Gaiam. It was the 'Live Balanced' collection and none of them looks too strenuous. One is even Qigong, so maybe I will turn into a Jedi!
I'm not really big on the 'Yoga as Cardio' idea myself. Titles that have 'Power' and 'Yoga' together are just not my deal. I tried that P90X Yoga and did not care for it, mostly because I was pretty sure I was going to die within the first 1/2 hour. Or pass out. Plus I was dog-sitting and the dogs were looking at me funny. And it was hot. One of the dogs even licked me while I was trying to hold poses. No good at all.
Incidentally, Gaiam is having a sale, in case you want to stock up yourself. Once actual yoga resumes, I will just add the classes to the schedule.
...from reading this blog entry, you can probably see that today was not so exciting. But it sure did wander all over the place, now didn't it?
The other part is that I tried to do weights last week at my hotel and it completely backfired. My hotel claimed that it had a complete gym, but I beg to differ. The website states that there is a 'Universal Weight Machine,' but I'm not quite sure what that means. There was no machine for working out legs or really any good way of setting up so that you could do that. Trust me, I tried and was convinced that I was going to give myself some remarkably dumb injury. They did have free weights, but that was about the extent of it.
Also, the rowing machine was broken, but that's a whole other topic. I have a love/hate relationship with rowing machines. My gym here does not have one, so I don't often get to rekindle my love/hate relationship with one and I was looking forward to it the minute I lay eyes on it. Then I sat down and there was no power. Boooooooooooooooo. Big hate, but for once I don't blame the machine.
Anyway, like most runners, I have pretty good leg strength but basically no upper body strength (that, and I have virtually no flexibility whatsoever). Years and years ago -- like, over 10 years ago -- I spent a summer going pretty regularly to the gym and doing weights, then I got bored out of my mind and quit. The last time I really did weights was probably early 2007; after that I just switched to running. Now I am aware that runners should still do weight training, especially since Runner's World makes it a point of reminding their readership of this fact at least once per issue. I'm also aware that doing weights helps my posture, metabolism, prevents osteoporosis, and God only knows what else. But I don't know. I feel like I never kicked that 'It's pretty boring' feeling from all those years ago.
I was better when World Cup was on. It was simple to get motivated to go to the gym and as an added bonus, keep track of soccer.
Another training decision that I made recently: more yoga/tai chi. Being at home all day (which I often am since I work from home) can make a person very listless. So I am going to try and do yoga or tai chi every day if possible. However, I know that probably I won't actually accomplish this goal, so I'm going to aim for every day and see what actually winds up happening. I have a 'PM Tai Chi' workout (there is also an AM, but I am more interested in the PM for now) and yesterday ordered three yoga DVDs from Gaiam. It was the 'Live Balanced' collection and none of them looks too strenuous. One is even Qigong, so maybe I will turn into a Jedi!
I'm not really big on the 'Yoga as Cardio' idea myself. Titles that have 'Power' and 'Yoga' together are just not my deal. I tried that P90X Yoga and did not care for it, mostly because I was pretty sure I was going to die within the first 1/2 hour. Or pass out. Plus I was dog-sitting and the dogs were looking at me funny. And it was hot. One of the dogs even licked me while I was trying to hold poses. No good at all.
Incidentally, Gaiam is having a sale, in case you want to stock up yourself. Once actual yoga resumes, I will just add the classes to the schedule.
...from reading this blog entry, you can probably see that today was not so exciting. But it sure did wander all over the place, now didn't it?
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Back in the 813
I woke up this morning, took a look at the clock, saw that it read 9am, and thought, 'I'll just go running later.' But within 15 minutes of actually getting up I was in my running clothes, ready to go. It's funny just how much running can become a habit after a while. There have actually been times where I just didn't feel like it at all, but I would get changed and ready, then go. Trust me, I am not complaining because I'm pretty sure that there would be a lot of days where I wouldn't if I didn't have this habit (somewhat) engrained!
Then I stepped outside and immediately thought, 'UGH!' Florida summer hit me head on. And the thought of actually running in Florida summer was even more grim. But whatever, I did it and survived, even if it wasn't the best thing ever.
However, I do have to say that I think I have adapted. Certainly today's run was less torture than the ones when I first started this training program. I'm still much slower than I would like, but Boston served as a good reality check that these times are not really accurate.
In fact, I think that going a bit later might be the way to go. Sure, the sun makes it hot, but it also helps burn off the humidity and I'm starting to wonder if that's not what my body is mostly reacting against during those 7am-8am runs. The humidity is over 90% usually at that time, whereas later, it's at least in the 70%-90% range. So I might try running slightly later because I do feel less like death today. At the same time, it took a lot of grit to get through long parts of the run with sun -- there weren't too many, since I chose a pretty shady path, but when it came down to me versus Florida sunshine, it definitely tested my mettle.
Also, I must thank the new wicking visor, which I suspect helped a lot. Certainly today felt much better than days when I ran with my old visor with the added bonus that it helped (to some extent) with shading me from that Florida sun.
Then I stepped outside and immediately thought, 'UGH!' Florida summer hit me head on. And the thought of actually running in Florida summer was even more grim. But whatever, I did it and survived, even if it wasn't the best thing ever.
However, I do have to say that I think I have adapted. Certainly today's run was less torture than the ones when I first started this training program. I'm still much slower than I would like, but Boston served as a good reality check that these times are not really accurate.
In fact, I think that going a bit later might be the way to go. Sure, the sun makes it hot, but it also helps burn off the humidity and I'm starting to wonder if that's not what my body is mostly reacting against during those 7am-8am runs. The humidity is over 90% usually at that time, whereas later, it's at least in the 70%-90% range. So I might try running slightly later because I do feel less like death today. At the same time, it took a lot of grit to get through long parts of the run with sun -- there weren't too many, since I chose a pretty shady path, but when it came down to me versus Florida sunshine, it definitely tested my mettle.
Also, I must thank the new wicking visor, which I suspect helped a lot. Certainly today felt much better than days when I ran with my old visor with the added bonus that it helped (to some extent) with shading me from that Florida sun.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Where I ran in Boston
Some pictures to illustrate the places I've been talking about:
 |
| This view of the Charles River is where I ran when I went to the right. You can see that the beginning is hectic for traffic, but there are paths on either side (with lovely, shady trees). |
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| Boston University Bridge, about 0.7ish miles into my run when I was going to the right. No Smoots on this bridge. |
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| That bridge in the distance is the Smoot Bridge (aka the Mass Ave Bridge). Boston skyline in the distance. |
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| Actual, authentic running path next to the Charles. Not a bad place to run! |
Friday, August 13, 2010
Last run in Boston
Before I talk about today's run, let me just say that if you live anywhere near a Whole Foods, you should run -- not walk -- to get some of the Gruyere reserve wheel cheese. Ridiculously good. I may have to make French Onion Soup just for the cheese if I can locate this at the Tampa Whole Foods.
Unfortunately, my friend couldn't make it out to run. I decided to lounge around this morning and have a bit of a break. I'm not one of those 'Must Run First Thing In The Morning' people by any means. I think that you should run when you can...that being said, you do need to plan and make time to go. Yesterday, I was proud of myself because I changed my plans to make sure I could fit my run in. This scheduling stuff is important or else you can get behind. Also, the clear advantage of going first thing in the morning is that your run is done and nothing can get in the way later. I do prefer usually to go earlier rather than later, but either is fine, really.
Tonight was great: low humidity, good temperature, and a nice run by the Charles (again). Needless to say, I will miss this, but there is something about running here that I will miss even more. Even in this short week and a half, I feel like I'm developing better running technique. For instance, halfway through tonight I noticed that my shoulders were raised, meaning that I was holding in too much tension. So I spent the rest of my run concentrating on relaxing, ensuring that my shoulders didn't get too high. When I get to hills, I can feel my legs powering up. In general, I feel like there is more bounce in my step. Today, I may have even -- momentarily -- hit a 10-minute mile...although I don't quite trust the mile splits that my phone provides because sometimes they are just wacky. For instance, if I ran three miles in less than 36 minutes, I'm pretty sure I'm under 12-minute miles, whereas sometimes my phone disagrees.
I'm trying not to get morose about leaving Boston, although I'm pretty sure that my love for this city has come through pretty clearly. Instead, I want to focus on what I can do to be a better runner in spite of Florida. I am going to keep watching my technique and trying to improve in the areas that I noticed, such as keeping the shoulders down. Part of the problem there, I believe, is that I get so caught up in the challenge of just running in those conditions that I forget about other aspects of my running. Even though any distance feels like a challenge, it is not enough to only run. It's time to step up the technique and make the best of a difficult situation.
Funnily enough, during the Red Sox game tonight (which is in Texas) the announcers got talking about how icky the conditions can be in the south. They were of the mindset that no one ever fully adapted to the heat and humidity. That being said, it sounded far nastier there than Tampa: it was 100F at the start of the game. Ew.
I ran into a guy in the elevator tonight who told me that he has been working in Boston for three months and has only been running outside four times. Instead, he runs on the treadmill. Tragedy!
Unfortunately, my friend couldn't make it out to run. I decided to lounge around this morning and have a bit of a break. I'm not one of those 'Must Run First Thing In The Morning' people by any means. I think that you should run when you can...that being said, you do need to plan and make time to go. Yesterday, I was proud of myself because I changed my plans to make sure I could fit my run in. This scheduling stuff is important or else you can get behind. Also, the clear advantage of going first thing in the morning is that your run is done and nothing can get in the way later. I do prefer usually to go earlier rather than later, but either is fine, really.
Tonight was great: low humidity, good temperature, and a nice run by the Charles (again). Needless to say, I will miss this, but there is something about running here that I will miss even more. Even in this short week and a half, I feel like I'm developing better running technique. For instance, halfway through tonight I noticed that my shoulders were raised, meaning that I was holding in too much tension. So I spent the rest of my run concentrating on relaxing, ensuring that my shoulders didn't get too high. When I get to hills, I can feel my legs powering up. In general, I feel like there is more bounce in my step. Today, I may have even -- momentarily -- hit a 10-minute mile...although I don't quite trust the mile splits that my phone provides because sometimes they are just wacky. For instance, if I ran three miles in less than 36 minutes, I'm pretty sure I'm under 12-minute miles, whereas sometimes my phone disagrees.
I'm trying not to get morose about leaving Boston, although I'm pretty sure that my love for this city has come through pretty clearly. Instead, I want to focus on what I can do to be a better runner in spite of Florida. I am going to keep watching my technique and trying to improve in the areas that I noticed, such as keeping the shoulders down. Part of the problem there, I believe, is that I get so caught up in the challenge of just running in those conditions that I forget about other aspects of my running. Even though any distance feels like a challenge, it is not enough to only run. It's time to step up the technique and make the best of a difficult situation.
Funnily enough, during the Red Sox game tonight (which is in Texas) the announcers got talking about how icky the conditions can be in the south. They were of the mindset that no one ever fully adapted to the heat and humidity. That being said, it sounded far nastier there than Tampa: it was 100F at the start of the game. Ew.
I ran into a guy in the elevator tonight who told me that he has been working in Boston for three months and has only been running outside four times. Instead, he runs on the treadmill. Tragedy!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Changing the schedule
I decided to shake things up a bit and do most of my running here for this week rather than Florida (I leave on Saturday, bright and early...too bright and early to fit a run in beforehand). So today I did my long run of 5 miles, which went pretty well I thought. I ran faster than I might usually on a long-ish run because I needed to meet someone afterward, but increasing the pace didn't seem to cause any real problems.
I decided to run toward Boston on the Mass Pike side. Even though this is not the most scenic (or peaceful) run, it does have the advantage that there are no stop points or places where you might have to wait for traffic. This benefit, I felt, outweighed the slightly less hectic traffic on the other side. Mind you, I was running at around 6pm, so there was going to be traffic regardless (I had planned to run earlier, woke up, then just lacked any and all motivation).
Incidentally, I realized that there are pictures to come with all of these sites...I hadn't realized that I took them. The USB cord to connect the camera is currently in Florida, but I will be back soon enough.
Today I also wound up doing a lot of peripheral walking, by which I mean the kind of walking you do in a city simply because you have to walk from Point A to Point B more often. I think today totaled about 4 miles, which is a lot of peripheral walking to do! Plus at one point I had to walk around a mile, go for my run, then walk another mile. It was a bit hectic.
Tomorrow morning I am getting up bright and early (comparatively) to do a run with a friend. We used to run "together" with another friend; I have the "together" in quotation marks because they were much faster than I was. Basically, we would go to races together and they would sit around, waiting for me to finish. However, she is currently rehabbing from an injury, so I'm hoping that we will be around the same pace. Either way, it should be fun!
I decided to run toward Boston on the Mass Pike side. Even though this is not the most scenic (or peaceful) run, it does have the advantage that there are no stop points or places where you might have to wait for traffic. This benefit, I felt, outweighed the slightly less hectic traffic on the other side. Mind you, I was running at around 6pm, so there was going to be traffic regardless (I had planned to run earlier, woke up, then just lacked any and all motivation).
Incidentally, I realized that there are pictures to come with all of these sites...I hadn't realized that I took them. The USB cord to connect the camera is currently in Florida, but I will be back soon enough.
Today I also wound up doing a lot of peripheral walking, by which I mean the kind of walking you do in a city simply because you have to walk from Point A to Point B more often. I think today totaled about 4 miles, which is a lot of peripheral walking to do! Plus at one point I had to walk around a mile, go for my run, then walk another mile. It was a bit hectic.
Tomorrow morning I am getting up bright and early (comparatively) to do a run with a friend. We used to run "together" with another friend; I have the "together" in quotation marks because they were much faster than I was. Basically, we would go to races together and they would sit around, waiting for me to finish. However, she is currently rehabbing from an injury, so I'm hoping that we will be around the same pace. Either way, it should be fun!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Today I took a right
For some variety, today I ran to the right (toward MIT-Cambridge/Boston) and for even more variety, went over to the Cambridge side. This was a good plan on two accounts. First, there is less Turnpike/Storrow traffic, so it's not as hectic to start. Second, you get the best views of the Boston skyline from this side.
There is only one slight difficulty. From my hotel to the Mass Ave bridge is very slightly less than 2 miles on this run (I was doing 4 miles today). One choice is to wait out the intersection to run, like, 0.1 mile, which is stupid. The easier, non-trafficky solution is to run some of the distance over the Mass Ave bridge, then turn around and head back. Apart from the fact that bridges suck (since they incline), this is your best solution. And what makes it even better are Smoots.
A Smoot is a measurement that was designed as a MIT frat prank -- yes, this is what MIT students do for fun in their spare time, they design systems of measurement. Smoot was an actual guy who was about 5'7". To measure the bridge, Smoot lay down in each spot, then his frat brothers counted how many Smoots were required to get across the bridge. The measurements can still be seen and are commemorated with markings on the bridge. The really fun part of this story is that Smoot himself went on to chairman of the American National Standards Institute and the International Organization for Standards.
One way on my run wound up being approximately 1.9 miles and 84.4 Smoots. But I could be slightly off on that, so please don't report me to the American National Standards Institute.
Also, here is a tip for eating healthy while traveling: grab the CSA share of a friend who is going out of town. I picked it up yesterday and it became quite the conversation item, with several people asking me what was in the box. My favorite was a somewhat laconic guy who I walked by near the CSA pick-up place:
Laconic guy: CSA share day?
Me: Yep. Yummy melons.
Laconic guy: Whoo hoo [in a completely laconic tone]
Oh, and if you're curious about the why eating salads when you're out might not be your best plan, check this article out. Amazing.
There is only one slight difficulty. From my hotel to the Mass Ave bridge is very slightly less than 2 miles on this run (I was doing 4 miles today). One choice is to wait out the intersection to run, like, 0.1 mile, which is stupid. The easier, non-trafficky solution is to run some of the distance over the Mass Ave bridge, then turn around and head back. Apart from the fact that bridges suck (since they incline), this is your best solution. And what makes it even better are Smoots.
A Smoot is a measurement that was designed as a MIT frat prank -- yes, this is what MIT students do for fun in their spare time, they design systems of measurement. Smoot was an actual guy who was about 5'7". To measure the bridge, Smoot lay down in each spot, then his frat brothers counted how many Smoots were required to get across the bridge. The measurements can still be seen and are commemorated with markings on the bridge. The really fun part of this story is that Smoot himself went on to chairman of the American National Standards Institute and the International Organization for Standards.
One way on my run wound up being approximately 1.9 miles and 84.4 Smoots. But I could be slightly off on that, so please don't report me to the American National Standards Institute.
Also, here is a tip for eating healthy while traveling: grab the CSA share of a friend who is going out of town. I picked it up yesterday and it became quite the conversation item, with several people asking me what was in the box. My favorite was a somewhat laconic guy who I walked by near the CSA pick-up place:
Laconic guy: CSA share day?
Me: Yep. Yummy melons.
Laconic guy: Whoo hoo [in a completely laconic tone]
Oh, and if you're curious about the why eating salads when you're out might not be your best plan, check this article out. Amazing.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Taking a left
At the start of my runs here in Boston, I am faced with an important question: go left or go right? Either way, I am running by the river, but there are other factors to consider:
1) Going left (west-ish) means that I am heading toward Harvard-Cambridge/Brighton. There are more streets that need to be crossed, so it won't be continuous. However, parts of this run are very scenic and you can get away from traffic after a while.
2) Going right (east-ish) means that I am heading toward MIT-Cambridge/Boston. There is basically no traffic to impede the run because you go underneath any bridges. However, the start of this route is not as nice because you are running right next to Storrow Drive/Mass Turnpike for quite a while.
Both options offer plenty of shade and nice river views. Rowers are everywhere. The path is usually pretty clear and while you have to share with bikers, they are generally considerate.
This morning I took a left and to pep things up even more, crossed to the other bank of the river (Cambridge side) for a change of scenery. On the way back, I opted to run across the Weeks Footbridge just because I could (see photo of Weeks Footbridge below looking toward the Cambridge side). It was a bit hot and humid, but not terrible, and I found by keeping my pace on the slower side and steady I avoided any problems.
I have to say that there are far worse choices to have to make than right or left.
1) Going left (west-ish) means that I am heading toward Harvard-Cambridge/Brighton. There are more streets that need to be crossed, so it won't be continuous. However, parts of this run are very scenic and you can get away from traffic after a while.
2) Going right (east-ish) means that I am heading toward MIT-Cambridge/Boston. There is basically no traffic to impede the run because you go underneath any bridges. However, the start of this route is not as nice because you are running right next to Storrow Drive/Mass Turnpike for quite a while.
Both options offer plenty of shade and nice river views. Rowers are everywhere. The path is usually pretty clear and while you have to share with bikers, they are generally considerate.
This morning I took a left and to pep things up even more, crossed to the other bank of the river (Cambridge side) for a change of scenery. On the way back, I opted to run across the Weeks Footbridge just because I could (see photo of Weeks Footbridge below looking toward the Cambridge side). It was a bit hot and humid, but not terrible, and I found by keeping my pace on the slower side and steady I avoided any problems.
I have to say that there are far worse choices to have to make than right or left.
Yin yoga
Yesterday I decided to take the opportunity and attend a yoga class. Boston may be a running town, but it is also a generally fit town and there are no lack of yoga options -- particularly around Central/Harvard Squares, which is near where I am staying. I decided to check out Karma Yoga because they had a class called yin yoga that looked interesting. The description on the website was as follows: "Through the elegant combination of appropriate asana and gentle timing, Yin Yoga deeply stretches and nourishes the joints of the body, helping to generate much greater flexibility and core-level relaxation." Basically, you hold uncomplicated stretches for a long time, so it was a nice class to take. One of the challenges I find of just dropping in on a class like this is that you can be behind the students who have been attending for a while. With a focus on holding the poses instead of the poses themselves, you don't have that problem.
I was doing yoga in Tampa, trying to go twice a week. Mine is bare-bones yoga taught at the city's recreation facility. The price can't be beat ($6.25 a class), although you have to bring your own mat. Our teacher there is very nice and doesn't insist on doing annoying things like playing 'relaxation music.' There is only one problem: when the teacher goes out of town -- as she did for the month of August -- then there is no yoga. What is fun about being in a place like Boston are the wide number of options. I liked the yin yoga so much that I've requested a DVD about from the library at home. It was challenging but not taxing.
Like a lot of runners, I have basically no flexibility. Hopefully, by doing yoga I can help prevent an injury and provide some relief to tired muscles. When I went running today, I didn't notice any problems, which is always a good sign.
I was doing yoga in Tampa, trying to go twice a week. Mine is bare-bones yoga taught at the city's recreation facility. The price can't be beat ($6.25 a class), although you have to bring your own mat. Our teacher there is very nice and doesn't insist on doing annoying things like playing 'relaxation music.' There is only one problem: when the teacher goes out of town -- as she did for the month of August -- then there is no yoga. What is fun about being in a place like Boston are the wide number of options. I liked the yin yoga so much that I've requested a DVD about from the library at home. It was challenging but not taxing.
Like a lot of runners, I have basically no flexibility. Hopefully, by doing yoga I can help prevent an injury and provide some relief to tired muscles. When I went running today, I didn't notice any problems, which is always a good sign.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Salem 5k
Today was New England Day for me. I did a 5k in Salem, MA, then went to Maine and enjoyed Lobster Festival. One of the events was crate racing, which is where you have to run across lobster crates without falling into the water. There were 50 crates linked together; if the racer got through the 50, then s/he would take a short break and do as many more as possible. The winning crate racer ran 701.
My race was less entertaining (and less brackish) than this. The conditions were okay: not too hot, but rather humid. Despite that, my time was a full 4 minutes faster than the last Florida Death Race. Today definitely wasn't a personal record, but I was pleased with the result.
It was a nice race. We went around Salem with some parts by the shore, so you could see the boats. Also, the people there were very classy, I thought. They applauded the slower runners when they came in near the end as well as the last people to finish. I thought that this was great because I've been last in a race before and it is not a fun feeling. In fact, I had a bad race earlier this year where I thought I was last and I wanted to give up -- I didn't, and as it turned out, I wasn't even close to last either. So it's great to see others encouraging runners who are clearly pushing themselves, even if their results aren't as fast.
Near the end of the race, I got neck-in-neck with an older guy running. I wasn't really concerned about this and was almost willing to let him overtake me because he had a concentrated glare in his eyes. However, I did overtake him so I wasn't about to slow down and let him pass. Later, I saw that he won the medal for the fastest time in his age group. This gives me hope: if I can just keep running at exactly the same pace for the next 30 or so years, maybe someday I'll win an age group too!
But seriously, congratulations to that guy and thanks for a great race, Salem organizers!
My race was less entertaining (and less brackish) than this. The conditions were okay: not too hot, but rather humid. Despite that, my time was a full 4 minutes faster than the last Florida Death Race. Today definitely wasn't a personal record, but I was pleased with the result.
It was a nice race. We went around Salem with some parts by the shore, so you could see the boats. Also, the people there were very classy, I thought. They applauded the slower runners when they came in near the end as well as the last people to finish. I thought that this was great because I've been last in a race before and it is not a fun feeling. In fact, I had a bad race earlier this year where I thought I was last and I wanted to give up -- I didn't, and as it turned out, I wasn't even close to last either. So it's great to see others encouraging runners who are clearly pushing themselves, even if their results aren't as fast.
Near the end of the race, I got neck-in-neck with an older guy running. I wasn't really concerned about this and was almost willing to let him overtake me because he had a concentrated glare in his eyes. However, I did overtake him so I wasn't about to slow down and let him pass. Later, I saw that he won the medal for the fastest time in his age group. This gives me hope: if I can just keep running at exactly the same pace for the next 30 or so years, maybe someday I'll win an age group too!
But seriously, congratulations to that guy and thanks for a great race, Salem organizers!
Saturday, August 7, 2010
I don't hate running
The title for this post may seem strange: obviously if I want to run a marathon, I don't hate running, right? Some days that is difficult to remember. I spend so much time running in conditions that I dislike (even in winter in Florida since it's often still humid) that it can be really hard to think back to those good runs that I enjoyed.
Today was one of those good ones.
I went around 7:15PM (post-ballgame) just in time to get the light of the setting sun. This run was next to the Charles, heading west (other runs have been east). The temperature was in the low 70s, the humidity was under 40%. It was fantastic. I was a bit slow to start -- probably because I didn't go yesterday -- but shook that off pretty quickly . Not too hot, not too cold, and I'm pretty sure my time was good (unfortunately, there was no good way to pause my phone at lights and I had to wait for a few, so my mile split was wrong). I hardly looked at my phone at all to see how far I had gone, which is a real change from normal when I have to give myself pep talks to get through the last half of any run.
Hurray!
Here is hoping that my good running mojo continues for tomorrow when I do the Salem 5k. And that I am not burned as a witch.
Today was one of those good ones.
I went around 7:15PM (post-ballgame) just in time to get the light of the setting sun. This run was next to the Charles, heading west (other runs have been east). The temperature was in the low 70s, the humidity was under 40%. It was fantastic. I was a bit slow to start -- probably because I didn't go yesterday -- but shook that off pretty quickly . Not too hot, not too cold, and I'm pretty sure my time was good (unfortunately, there was no good way to pause my phone at lights and I had to wait for a few, so my mile split was wrong). I hardly looked at my phone at all to see how far I had gone, which is a real change from normal when I have to give myself pep talks to get through the last half of any run.
Hurray!
Here is hoping that my good running mojo continues for tomorrow when I do the Salem 5k. And that I am not burned as a witch.
Reflecting on myths about running
I haven't been running yet today but it is absolutely wonderful out. Not too hot, not too cold -- well, maybe a little too hot, but it's 3PM right now. I plan to wait until around 7PM, then go. Actually, I really plan to wait until after the Yankees/Red Sox game, so knowing them, that might be closer to 8PM.
As I was going around Boston today, I got thinking about two common runner myths:
1) You get to eat whatever you want;
2) Running costs basically nothing!
#1: Ha! I wish. Of course you don't! Well, I guess you could eat whatever you wanted, but I mean you could do that whether you ran or not. The end result would be the same: you would get fat. Running does burn calories, but not enough for you to be able to eat whatever you feel like. For health reasons, I also try to stay away from foods that will spike my blood sugar levels, such as white flour, white sugar, and (tragedy) dried fruit.
It makes sense that when you run, you want to be as tiny as possible so as not to strain your joints and so that there is less weight to carry. As a result, it's better to watch what you eat. I find that I've been away from 'bad' food long enough that I don't usually crave it anymore. There are a few exceptions, like pizza, which is essentially my kryptonite. In general, though, it is better to watch what you eat regardless of how much physical activity you do.
Because I've been traveling a lot this summer, it has been a challenge to eat well. Sure, you could just eat salads all the time, but those aren't always healthy depending on the dressings. My ideal solution is to be in a place where I can easily buy food from a supermarket or something similar. For instance, I was in London (England...in case you are from Southern Ontario...) and was near to a Sainsbury's and a Marks and Spencer. Both had lots of good options for portable meals that were healthy. Right now, I'm very close to a Whole Foods and a Trader Joe's. Sure, Whole Foods may be expensive, but it's still cheaper than dining out all of the time, plus you know what's in your food. I also brought with me a set of utensils (plastic) and a tacky, plastic plate that is very resilient; I purchased both of these when I was in England. Someday, I hope to craft some kind of container that is amenable to traveling for these items...but truth be told, I am not that crafty, and it's really not that hard to fit a set of plastic utensils and a plate in your suitcase.
#2: I mean, I guess running could cost almost nothing, apart from the fact that you pretty much need to buy shoes every 6 months or so (and you don't want to skimp too much because you can get injured). But I'm curious to know who can resist all of the running-related things out there. I put them into two categories: gear and toys. Gear is anything that you wear in the hopes of improving your running. Toys are anything gadget-like that you hope will improve your running. In general, I am quite good about staying away from both gear and toys; the only real toy I have is my phone and the holder that I use when I take it with me so that I can track mileage. Before I started doing that, I guess I had an Ironman watch that could, theoretically, qualify as a toy. That was it.
With gear, I am also pretty good, but it gets harder to resist. One item I definitely wanted while in Boston was a visor that wicks sweat (NB: almost anything associated with gear for runners involves wicking). Being a running town, Boston is also a running-stuff town, and there are several places where one can stock up easily. Today I went to City Sports. The nearest City Sports to me in Florida is a whole state away in Atlanta, GA and I think that this is a good thing. It's got so much gear that I think it would be hard not to indulge on a regular basis if there were one closer (there are running-specific stores in Tampa, just not ones that are all that convenient to me). Today I went to the one with the outlet as well, where I got two pairs of honest-to-goodness geary shorts that, naturally, wick sweat -- a big upgrade from my current shorts, which all came from Target. At one point, I was close to getting three other pairs, but none of them was very flattering so I changed my mind. Somehow, I stayed away from the gear Red Sox shorts. And I did wind up getting my visor too.
There are many, many more items of gear/toys that I want, but it is true that you don't need gear/toys to run, I suppose...
(Another toy I want is one of those foam roller things that you can use to help stretch. And some gear shirts. And more shorts. And new running shoes. I think that's all. Okay, maybe a pouch thing for carrying gels/water).
As I was going around Boston today, I got thinking about two common runner myths:
1) You get to eat whatever you want;
2) Running costs basically nothing!
#1: Ha! I wish. Of course you don't! Well, I guess you could eat whatever you wanted, but I mean you could do that whether you ran or not. The end result would be the same: you would get fat. Running does burn calories, but not enough for you to be able to eat whatever you feel like. For health reasons, I also try to stay away from foods that will spike my blood sugar levels, such as white flour, white sugar, and (tragedy) dried fruit.
It makes sense that when you run, you want to be as tiny as possible so as not to strain your joints and so that there is less weight to carry. As a result, it's better to watch what you eat. I find that I've been away from 'bad' food long enough that I don't usually crave it anymore. There are a few exceptions, like pizza, which is essentially my kryptonite. In general, though, it is better to watch what you eat regardless of how much physical activity you do.
Because I've been traveling a lot this summer, it has been a challenge to eat well. Sure, you could just eat salads all the time, but those aren't always healthy depending on the dressings. My ideal solution is to be in a place where I can easily buy food from a supermarket or something similar. For instance, I was in London (England...in case you are from Southern Ontario...) and was near to a Sainsbury's and a Marks and Spencer. Both had lots of good options for portable meals that were healthy. Right now, I'm very close to a Whole Foods and a Trader Joe's. Sure, Whole Foods may be expensive, but it's still cheaper than dining out all of the time, plus you know what's in your food. I also brought with me a set of utensils (plastic) and a tacky, plastic plate that is very resilient; I purchased both of these when I was in England. Someday, I hope to craft some kind of container that is amenable to traveling for these items...but truth be told, I am not that crafty, and it's really not that hard to fit a set of plastic utensils and a plate in your suitcase.
#2: I mean, I guess running could cost almost nothing, apart from the fact that you pretty much need to buy shoes every 6 months or so (and you don't want to skimp too much because you can get injured). But I'm curious to know who can resist all of the running-related things out there. I put them into two categories: gear and toys. Gear is anything that you wear in the hopes of improving your running. Toys are anything gadget-like that you hope will improve your running. In general, I am quite good about staying away from both gear and toys; the only real toy I have is my phone and the holder that I use when I take it with me so that I can track mileage. Before I started doing that, I guess I had an Ironman watch that could, theoretically, qualify as a toy. That was it.
With gear, I am also pretty good, but it gets harder to resist. One item I definitely wanted while in Boston was a visor that wicks sweat (NB: almost anything associated with gear for runners involves wicking). Being a running town, Boston is also a running-stuff town, and there are several places where one can stock up easily. Today I went to City Sports. The nearest City Sports to me in Florida is a whole state away in Atlanta, GA and I think that this is a good thing. It's got so much gear that I think it would be hard not to indulge on a regular basis if there were one closer (there are running-specific stores in Tampa, just not ones that are all that convenient to me). Today I went to the one with the outlet as well, where I got two pairs of honest-to-goodness geary shorts that, naturally, wick sweat -- a big upgrade from my current shorts, which all came from Target. At one point, I was close to getting three other pairs, but none of them was very flattering so I changed my mind. Somehow, I stayed away from the gear Red Sox shorts. And I did wind up getting my visor too.
There are many, many more items of gear/toys that I want, but it is true that you don't need gear/toys to run, I suppose...
(Another toy I want is one of those foam roller things that you can use to help stretch. And some gear shirts. And more shorts. And new running shoes. I think that's all. Okay, maybe a pouch thing for carrying gels/water).
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Wicked Scenic Boston Run with Killah Hill
I did it! All 5 miles! And I didn't overheat! What a surreal feeling that was.
So the route was: Charles River --> Esplanade --> Cambridge Street (*not* Beacon Street, as I said yesterday, but it was in Beacon Hill) --> Tremont Avenue --> Boston Common. Some of you have requested pictures, so here's one from around the Esplanade:
Not bad, scenery-wise. Boston Common was fun too. There were kids at a tennis camp and I even got to run around the Frog Pond. This picture shows just about where my run ended. However, the Frog Pond was closed, so it wasn't quite so active:
The Killah Hill was...well...not so fun. My run tracker is amusing since it tracks both your pace and your altitude. Funnily enough, my pace went down quite a bit when the altitude started to go up!
This run was fun for another reason (apart from not overheating and getting through the 5 miles). When I first started running, I lived in Somerville, MA. I started -- like most people -- with smaller distances and shorter runs. Then one day I decided that I was ready to tackle what I considered to be a 'real run': my first 6 miles. I don't know why I felt this distance made you officially a runner, but it was the marker that I chose and I set out. I went from Somerville to Cambridge (which might sound impressive but at the time was actually across the street), down to the river, ran for a while, then came up back to my house. This was also the run that I realized we lived up a steep yet gradual hill, one that I really hadn't noticed walking. But I did it. The last part of it was pretty brutal, but I made it and that's all that matters.
It was amazing to me when I considered the difference between suburban Florida and Boston in terms of space. From my hotel to the Esplanade was about 2.5 miles. In that time, I covered several neighborhoods, ran past the MIT and Boston University campuses, and went by three red line subway stations -- the red line stations are actual normal distances, unlike the green line, which is essentially a tram. In Florida, I could probably still be running around the same subdivision after 2.5 miles.
What I also realized as I was heading home was that unless I change my schedule, this was my last 5 mile run in Boston during this trip. Time certainly does fly...
So the route was: Charles River --> Esplanade --> Cambridge Street (*not* Beacon Street, as I said yesterday, but it was in Beacon Hill) --> Tremont Avenue --> Boston Common. Some of you have requested pictures, so here's one from around the Esplanade:
Not bad, scenery-wise. Boston Common was fun too. There were kids at a tennis camp and I even got to run around the Frog Pond. This picture shows just about where my run ended. However, the Frog Pond was closed, so it wasn't quite so active:
The Killah Hill was...well...not so fun. My run tracker is amusing since it tracks both your pace and your altitude. Funnily enough, my pace went down quite a bit when the altitude started to go up!
This run was fun for another reason (apart from not overheating and getting through the 5 miles). When I first started running, I lived in Somerville, MA. I started -- like most people -- with smaller distances and shorter runs. Then one day I decided that I was ready to tackle what I considered to be a 'real run': my first 6 miles. I don't know why I felt this distance made you officially a runner, but it was the marker that I chose and I set out. I went from Somerville to Cambridge (which might sound impressive but at the time was actually across the street), down to the river, ran for a while, then came up back to my house. This was also the run that I realized we lived up a steep yet gradual hill, one that I really hadn't noticed walking. But I did it. The last part of it was pretty brutal, but I made it and that's all that matters.
It was amazing to me when I considered the difference between suburban Florida and Boston in terms of space. From my hotel to the Esplanade was about 2.5 miles. In that time, I covered several neighborhoods, ran past the MIT and Boston University campuses, and went by three red line subway stations -- the red line stations are actual normal distances, unlike the green line, which is essentially a tram. In Florida, I could probably still be running around the same subdivision after 2.5 miles.
What I also realized as I was heading home was that unless I change my schedule, this was my last 5 mile run in Boston during this trip. Time certainly does fly...
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
In the unforgettable words of Han Solo....
Don't get cocky.
I'm in Boston and had my first run by the Charles today (yay!). Boston is a running kind of town. It is almost impossible to be somewhere and not see someone running, which is great. You see all kinds of runners: ridiculously fast ones, slow ones, beginners, old people, the works. Today I even saw a family of three. It is inspiring. Plus, the Charles is super nice because you can run right next to it. Mind you, in places it is not so great since it's also right next to two major arteries (Storrow Drive and Memorial Drive) -- plus the Mass Turnpike. But life could be worse than looking out over a river while you run, plus there are nice shady trees pretty often. Sometimes you even see rowers (disclaimer: I used to row. I loved it more than almost anything).
Today was four miles. Because it is not so killer hot/humid, I really let it rip on the first mile. This was a big mistake because while it was not *as* hot/humid, it still *was* hot/humid and I had to slow the pace down quite a bit for the remaining miles. But the important thing was that I ran a fast mile! Much faster than any pace I've been able to maintain for a while -- a full 2 minutes faster than those brutal runs last week. And the moral of this story is that heat makes you run slow.
I am staying right next to the Charles by the exit for the Turnpike. Today I made it to the MIT Bridge. The plan tomorrow is to pass that, get to the Esplanade (that part they show sometimes on Cheers with all of the sailboats), hit the killer hill (or 'killah hill' as the locals would call it) up Beacon Street, go through Boston Common, and finally go to Commonwealth Avenue. This is about as scenic a run as you could do in Boston, I think. Although considering that I am from Florida and I live in a region with zero hills, this run might do me in! Good thing that Friday is a rest day.
At the same time, I don't want to get cocky. It still can get hot here. So I need to pace myself better because the rest of the run was less fun than it could have been. Here's hoping that I can stay steady and not let the hill beat me.
I'm in Boston and had my first run by the Charles today (yay!). Boston is a running kind of town. It is almost impossible to be somewhere and not see someone running, which is great. You see all kinds of runners: ridiculously fast ones, slow ones, beginners, old people, the works. Today I even saw a family of three. It is inspiring. Plus, the Charles is super nice because you can run right next to it. Mind you, in places it is not so great since it's also right next to two major arteries (Storrow Drive and Memorial Drive) -- plus the Mass Turnpike. But life could be worse than looking out over a river while you run, plus there are nice shady trees pretty often. Sometimes you even see rowers (disclaimer: I used to row. I loved it more than almost anything).
Today was four miles. Because it is not so killer hot/humid, I really let it rip on the first mile. This was a big mistake because while it was not *as* hot/humid, it still *was* hot/humid and I had to slow the pace down quite a bit for the remaining miles. But the important thing was that I ran a fast mile! Much faster than any pace I've been able to maintain for a while -- a full 2 minutes faster than those brutal runs last week. And the moral of this story is that heat makes you run slow.
I am staying right next to the Charles by the exit for the Turnpike. Today I made it to the MIT Bridge. The plan tomorrow is to pass that, get to the Esplanade (that part they show sometimes on Cheers with all of the sailboats), hit the killer hill (or 'killah hill' as the locals would call it) up Beacon Street, go through Boston Common, and finally go to Commonwealth Avenue. This is about as scenic a run as you could do in Boston, I think. Although considering that I am from Florida and I live in a region with zero hills, this run might do me in! Good thing that Friday is a rest day.
At the same time, I don't want to get cocky. It still can get hot here. So I need to pace myself better because the rest of the run was less fun than it could have been. Here's hoping that I can stay steady and not let the hill beat me.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
I think I'm adapting
This morning's 3-mile run was also not so bad, although it was sufficiently humid that my glasses fogged up as I ran. The sun, however, was not terrible (this was around 8am) and with plenty of shade, I felt pretty good by the end. Sunny moments were actually kind of nice since they helped evaporate some of the moisture. Good enough to crank it up a bit for the last 0.1 mile. Then I walked it off and sweated a lot.
This is great timing for adapting to the hot/humid environment since I am sitting right now at the airport, getting ready to fly to Boston. Here is hoping that any warm-weather experience will stay with me for the next week and a half!
Slight change to this week's training plan: Tuesday 3; Wednesday 4; Thursday 5; Saturday 4; Sunday 3. Nice pyramid. I'm doing a 5k on Sunday, so it makes sense to switch things up a bit.
This is great timing for adapting to the hot/humid environment since I am sitting right now at the airport, getting ready to fly to Boston. Here is hoping that any warm-weather experience will stay with me for the next week and a half!
Slight change to this week's training plan: Tuesday 3; Wednesday 4; Thursday 5; Saturday 4; Sunday 3. Nice pyramid. I'm doing a 5k on Sunday, so it makes sense to switch things up a bit.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Interesting
I was reading the May 2010 issue of Runner's World this morning (I'm super behind with them) and ran across an interesting piece of information:
"If you're running at least every other day, your body will adapt to a more efficient running pattern, which eliminates extraneous motion and generates some small time improvement."
I find this interesting because I didn't really notice this from past long-distance training. I've run two half-marathons before, but maybe the circumstances weren't right to test this theory. After the first one, my next race was a 5k. I did it while I was training for a triathlon, and while my fitness level should have been overall better, I was tired from the training when I did it (also, it warmed up even though it was in the winter in Florida...never good for me). After the last half-marathon, I didn't really run anything. So maybe this time around, I will see a difference! I don't really expect to improve all that much, time-wise, since marathon training is more about endurance and distance, and that's fine too.
"If you're running at least every other day, your body will adapt to a more efficient running pattern, which eliminates extraneous motion and generates some small time improvement."
I find this interesting because I didn't really notice this from past long-distance training. I've run two half-marathons before, but maybe the circumstances weren't right to test this theory. After the first one, my next race was a 5k. I did it while I was training for a triathlon, and while my fitness level should have been overall better, I was tired from the training when I did it (also, it warmed up even though it was in the winter in Florida...never good for me). After the last half-marathon, I didn't really run anything. So maybe this time around, I will see a difference! I don't really expect to improve all that much, time-wise, since marathon training is more about endurance and distance, and that's fine too.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
No luck today
I should go check my horoscope for today. It probably said something like this:
"Your plans will not come to fruition, no matter how good your intentions. Also, avoid running in swamps."
After this morning's fiasco, I decided to go to my gym and finish up the last 4 miles of my 5 mile run. There is a 30 limit on the cardio equipment, but I decided to cheat by doing 30 minutes (at a 5 mph, or a 12-minute mile split), then finish the last 18 minutes after taking a brief walk around the facility, thus allowing anyone waiting for the treadmill to jump on it whilst I wasn't there. Since no one did, I claimed the treadmill and finished up my 18 minutes. But it did not feel good. Not one little bit. In fact, it's good that I stopped after the 30 because I'm pretty sure that I didn't have the power to get through another 18 without a break. I was on the verge of overheating. Inside.
I've run on the treadmill at my gym before and did not find it overwhelming. It's slightly hot, but not too bad, and they have a fan right next to the treadmills to help you recover. Today, though, was not especially fun. I was wondering if I really was just not in shape or what was happening, but before freaking out I decided to check with the gym employee to see how hot it was.
The temperature gauge is in a different room than the treadmill. According to the gauge, it was 75F. According to the employee, the treadmill room is generally a few degrees hotter than that room.
In other words, it was too freaking hot for running on a treadmill. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that a fitness center be between 68-71F -- I just found this doing a quick Google search and haven't been able to confirm it on the ACSM website, but that seems about right. However, this is not taking into account the humidity outside. If it is humid outside -- and dear Lord, was it ever this afternoon (in the 80% range) as a thunderstorm was forming -- then probably a few degrees lower is not amiss.
So maybe 75+ is a little warm?
Not my day for running! Tomorrow is stretching (yay), then only one more run in Florida. Wednesday's run, barring any unexpected events, will be four miles next to the beautiful Charles River. Here's hoping it isn't the beautiful yet smelly Charles River.
"Your plans will not come to fruition, no matter how good your intentions. Also, avoid running in swamps."
After this morning's fiasco, I decided to go to my gym and finish up the last 4 miles of my 5 mile run. There is a 30 limit on the cardio equipment, but I decided to cheat by doing 30 minutes (at a 5 mph, or a 12-minute mile split), then finish the last 18 minutes after taking a brief walk around the facility, thus allowing anyone waiting for the treadmill to jump on it whilst I wasn't there. Since no one did, I claimed the treadmill and finished up my 18 minutes. But it did not feel good. Not one little bit. In fact, it's good that I stopped after the 30 because I'm pretty sure that I didn't have the power to get through another 18 without a break. I was on the verge of overheating. Inside.
I've run on the treadmill at my gym before and did not find it overwhelming. It's slightly hot, but not too bad, and they have a fan right next to the treadmills to help you recover. Today, though, was not especially fun. I was wondering if I really was just not in shape or what was happening, but before freaking out I decided to check with the gym employee to see how hot it was.
The temperature gauge is in a different room than the treadmill. According to the gauge, it was 75F. According to the employee, the treadmill room is generally a few degrees hotter than that room.
In other words, it was too freaking hot for running on a treadmill. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that a fitness center be between 68-71F -- I just found this doing a quick Google search and haven't been able to confirm it on the ACSM website, but that seems about right. However, this is not taking into account the humidity outside. If it is humid outside -- and dear Lord, was it ever this afternoon (in the 80% range) as a thunderstorm was forming -- then probably a few degrees lower is not amiss.
So maybe 75+ is a little warm?
Not my day for running! Tomorrow is stretching (yay), then only one more run in Florida. Wednesday's run, barring any unexpected events, will be four miles next to the beautiful Charles River. Here's hoping it isn't the beautiful yet smelly Charles River.
Where not to run
Here's a tip: don't go for runs in a swamp. Particularly in Florida during the summer. And especially during a heat advisory.
How did this happen? After yesterday's not-so-terrible run, I was feeling pretty confident and was hoping that the worst was over. Today, for my 5 mile run, I decided to check out Lettuce Lake Park. I had been told that this was a good place to go running; in fact, the person who mentioned it was surprised to learn that I hadn't been yet (what can I say, I used to live in the other end of town and it wasn't exactly convenient). So I decided that it would be fun to check it out for this morning's run just to shake things up a bit.
Big. Mistake.
Lettuce Lake Park is essentially a swamp. Not like the bayou or anything, but if there were rain, it would get filled, and I think that it would be even more swamp-like. There are plants everywhere and it is exceedingly humid.
Note that the humidity is already on the high end here in Florida, not to mention that pesky heat advisory from yesterday, which is still in effect. And the dew point was 79F (!) this morning. That is one mere degree away from the danger zone. And I was in a swamp.
I don't quite know how to explain just how awful I felt. Let's just say that sweat was already amassing in my hair about 1/4 of a mile in. This is one of the grosser feelings that I know: sweat just accumulating with nowhere to go. As I went on, I was literally drenched. My time was unbelievably bad -- even worse than my earlier runs this week.
I'm going to finish up the run later this afternoon on the treadmill at the gym. Dividing runs is not the worst thing in the world, but I don't think that most running experts have in mind that you only got through one mile of your five mile run when they recommend it.
It just started raining. Had I continued my run, I would be out there right now. Rain here is not some kind of nice relief from the heat. The humidity and everything tends to continue. Plus you risk a thunderstorm, which can be very violent. So maybe things are best that I didn't finish...except that it is still bugging me!
How did this happen? After yesterday's not-so-terrible run, I was feeling pretty confident and was hoping that the worst was over. Today, for my 5 mile run, I decided to check out Lettuce Lake Park. I had been told that this was a good place to go running; in fact, the person who mentioned it was surprised to learn that I hadn't been yet (what can I say, I used to live in the other end of town and it wasn't exactly convenient). So I decided that it would be fun to check it out for this morning's run just to shake things up a bit.
Big. Mistake.
Lettuce Lake Park is essentially a swamp. Not like the bayou or anything, but if there were rain, it would get filled, and I think that it would be even more swamp-like. There are plants everywhere and it is exceedingly humid.
Note that the humidity is already on the high end here in Florida, not to mention that pesky heat advisory from yesterday, which is still in effect. And the dew point was 79F (!) this morning. That is one mere degree away from the danger zone. And I was in a swamp.
I don't quite know how to explain just how awful I felt. Let's just say that sweat was already amassing in my hair about 1/4 of a mile in. This is one of the grosser feelings that I know: sweat just accumulating with nowhere to go. As I went on, I was literally drenched. My time was unbelievably bad -- even worse than my earlier runs this week.
I'm going to finish up the run later this afternoon on the treadmill at the gym. Dividing runs is not the worst thing in the world, but I don't think that most running experts have in mind that you only got through one mile of your five mile run when they recommend it.
It just started raining. Had I continued my run, I would be out there right now. Rain here is not some kind of nice relief from the heat. The humidity and everything tends to continue. Plus you risk a thunderstorm, which can be very violent. So maybe things are best that I didn't finish...except that it is still bugging me!
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