fast and far

Haiku and a High

2010-10-04T16:22:00.002-05:00

salmon sunset light
dissolves to indigo depths -
reflections vanish

Decent week of running last week, but the weekend was interesting. On Saturday, after plenty of rest, I did a short run in the afternoon. Only three miles. I felt like crap. Then on Sunday, after not getting much sleep Saturday night, and some pretty marginal nutrition during the day, I decide to go for a five mile run. I felt pretty good as I started, and by the time I got to mile four, I was feeling really good.

Then the runner's high kicked in.

Wow. It's been a long time since I've felt that good. For the next two miles, I picked up the pace and was just cruising. It felt so good to run so hard for a change. Everything was clicking and the endorphins were just flowing through my body. I felt like I could have kept it up for another mile or so easily. In fact I though about taking another loop around the pond to make a seven mile run but it was getting dark so I just headed home.

It was a very good run.

C-Ya

Getting Back In The Groove...

2010-09-29T16:05:00.002-05:00

Well, I seem to be back into the running groove. Now I just need to get back into the blogging groove...

I've been getting in my four or five runs every week. Things are still feeling good. Starting to build slowly.

Last weekend it was almost 90 degrees on Saturday (in Boston!). I took the day off. Then on Sunday it dropped to the mid 60's. Nice. Went for an easy 6 mile run with a couple friends. Took it easy, but did just fine. Weekend (long-ish) runs now have a minimum distance of 6 miles. My midweek runs will be transitioning from 3 mile runs to 4 mile runs over the next few weeks. Building that aerobic base. Races will come next Spring.

I may not be blogging too much again yet, but I am keep track of quite a few of you other runners out there. You're all doing just great! I'm looking forward to seeing some marathon results in the next few weeks... (including a significant PR and a BQ!)

C-Ya

I Am Back...

2010-09-18T11:00:00.004-05:00

Finally!

I waited until I was sure the old injuries weren't going to flare up again. But I think I can safely say now that I am back! Back on the roads. Back on the trails.

Running again!!!

I've been running 3 to 5 times a week for two months now. I'm just starting to get back some aerobic capacity. My pace is improving. I'm dropping a few pounds. I feel great.

I want to give myself plenty of time to rebuild (and I need to drop a few more pounds that I gained over the last three years while I was injured). So I'll add mileage very slowly through the Fall, then add some extra cross training/core strengthening over the Winter. In the Spring then I hope to focus on some speed, run some shorter races. Then if all goes well, go for marathon number six in the Fall of 2011.

To recap the past three and a half years (three injuries and one divorce later) ...

After marathon number 5 (Hyannis), as I was recovering and then rebuilding, I tore the meniscus in my left knee (injury number one). Confirmed by MRI, but the orthopaedic surgeon did not want to do the surgery. He wanted to give it a little more time. A few months later it was feeling much better -- it healed on its own after about a year.

Then as I started running again, I tore the meniscus in my right knee (injury number two). [They were likely both injured by my previous training, but the left one went first.] The right knee took over two years to heal. It was never quite as bad as the left one, but it lasted longer. Perhaps I wasn't as religious about the physical therapy and strengthening with the right knee.

Over the last six months or so there were a number of starts and stops. Also I had issues with plantar fasciitis in both feet (injury number three).

But time heals. And the divorce, as painful as it was, is now fading into the past. And I've been running regularly now for almost two months. Today's run around Fresh Pond was at a decent pace (decent for me anyway). Tomorrow will be a 5 mile run.

Not back to fast yet. And not back to far yet. But things are definitely looking up all around.

C-Ya

When You Cramp in the Last Mile of the Boston Marathon...

2010-04-19T18:20:00.004-05:00

When you cramp in the last mile of the Boston Marathon, it's good to know you can rely on the soft touch of a Boston Police officer to get you through the pain...

Well done runners!

First Race In Over Three Years...

2010-03-14T21:55:00.003-05:00

Yep, it's true. I did run the An Ras Mor 5K in Cambridge this morning. So here's the race report:

The weather sucked.

That's it. Oh, and I at least ran it in less than a half hour. [And not much under 30 minutes.]

Temperature was in the low 40's and it was raining and blowing -- average 25mph winds. I don't think the gusts of wind were quite reaching what they did last night (40mph gusts). The rain pounding against my bedroom window kept waking me up. And once in a while a big gust of wind would hit the house and I could literally feel the house move (bedroom is on the third floor). So a restless night before the race.

My friends all made it to the start line, survived the weather and the race, and everybody made their goals. It actually was a fun time for all. And there was Smuttynose IPA at the finish.

I'm not complaining too much (except for the weather part). I've only been training for about 6 weeks I think -- after two and a half years off due to the injuries. It feels good to race again -- despite the slow pace (I ran my last marathon at a faster pace than I did this 5K).

The knees are holding up fine -- pretty much pain-free running (walking is a different story). Still some residual plantar fasciitis pain (it is improving) after the race -- no problems during the race.

All my friends who did their first race today are asking when we're going to do another one. Looks like I'll have to put something on my calendar -- keep us all training for the next few months.

At least the weather can only improve.

C-Ya

Seven Glorious Miles

2010-03-07T22:29:00.002-05:00

It was about 56 degrees in Boston today. Yesterday too.

Seven miles -- along the Charles River. Absolutely beautiful run. I am so wonderfully tired. And don't oranges just taste amazingly good after a solid run?

I didn't post last week, but the running has been good. I've been getting either four or five runs in every week. On Friday, I did the closest thing to a tempo run in a long time. It was a five mile run, with 2.5 miles at an up tempo. Feeling good. And today's 7 mile run, in this gorgeous weather, running with friends, was just extremely gratifying.

Next Sunday, the 5K. I'll be slow. But I'll have fun. The rest of the week will be a bit lighter. I'll probably run Tue, Wed and Thu, with just a warm-up type run on Saturday so I feel sharp on Sunday.

C-Ya

OK, maybe not THAT macho...

2010-02-25T21:58:00.002-05:00

If you've seen the new movie "Shutter Island", you're familiar with the storm that hits an island off of Boston harbor. It's a tremendous storm. Hurricane-like winds.

Yeah. That's pretty much the weather right now.

Tonight's run is rescheduled for tomorrow. If Chuck Norris wants to go for a run in this, he's welcome to the "most macho" title.

C-Ya

¿Quién es más macho?

2010-02-24T21:25:00.004-05:00

A. Chuck Norris

OR

B. Kurt from Boston...

who just ran 5 miles including 8 X 400 intervals...

on an outdoor track...

in Boston...

in February...

in 38 degrees...

in the rain.

¿Quién es más macho?

An Incomplete Week

2010-02-22T15:03:00.002-05:00

Yes, it's true, my training was incomplete this week. I missed one day.

Now, I could blame it on the mid-week snow we had. And in fact, that did shorten one of my runs (the next day I was hoping the warm sun had melted all the snow on the neighborhood track and I could run some intervals -- but no, still covered in slush).

No, I probably have to lay some of the blame on the two bourbons I had Tuesday night (Fat Tuesday!) with my brother who was in Boston on business. That just really took Wednesday out of the picture (and I wasn't going to miss ashes Wednesday evening either). That left me with four runs to do in four days.

Didn't happen.

I did get my six miles in on Sunday afternoon. It was a beautiful day to run along the banks of the Charles River. And six miles is still a tough run for me. I'm sure it will be several months before I'm enjoying the long runs again.

Hopefully this week I can get that interval session in. I do have a 5K on the calendar -- less than three weeks away now.

C-Ya

It Was a Very Good Week

2010-02-14T17:15:00.002-05:00

Five runs this week -- for a total of 22 miles.

This has been my biggest week since the first of the two injuries. It was capped off (just now) by a 6 mile run down to the Charles River, across a couple bridges (Anderson bridge at Harvard and back to the Arsenal bridge near Watertown), and back home. I was a bit tired the last mile as I haven't done 6 miles in about 2 1/2 years.

It's four weeks to my 5K race. This is going to be one slow 5K. But it will be a fun 5K as I'm running it with several friends.

I'm also pretty happy with a new song I wrote, so it's been a very good week.

C-Ya

Sunny and 16

2010-02-07T14:42:00.005-05:00

Yep, 16 degrees this morning. And with a good breeze, the wind chill was probably in the single digits. But I was prepared -- two layers just about everywhere.

And 16 was also the number of miles I ran this week. I missed one day, but got four runs in. Next week I'll get my five runs in and top 20 miles for the week. That will be the first time since the injury two and a half years ago. Seems like a long time ago, and a long ways to go.

As I frequently talk about running the pond (Fresh Pond in Cambridge), I thought I'd post a couple pictures of it. These were taken yesterday when it was slightly warmer (though overcast). It was 20 degrees. (Fortunately we're supposed to warm up to the 30's for the next few days.)

This is from across the pond looking back towards Cambridge and Boston. It's almost totally frozen over. At the top you can just see two of Boston's famous landmarks (buildings). To the left is the Hancock tower. Closer to the center you can just see the Prudential Center (The "Pru" -- finish line for the Boston Marathon). I gave the Pru a wink for Juls.

One more view. You can see the area here where the pond is fed from a spring -- it's not frozen.

Finally, here's a shot of the trail. It's 2.25 miles around the pond on the main trail, 2.5 if you add another short segment. I'll typically run here if I need to get in anywhere from 3 to 5 miles. More than that and I head to the Charles River Reservoir. These days, as I'm rebuilding, I'm getting most of my running in this area. I'll soon be expanding though, so maybe some pictures from the Charles next month.

C-Ya

Not a Bad Week

2010-02-02T22:39:00.002-05:00

Last week wasn't too bad. I only got a couple runs in, but I got new shoes and a new pair of mittens.

This week will have a lot more running than last week. This morning I ran 5 miles. Only a little tired the last mile. I also was starting to feel the right knee meniscus-related pain, but it wasn't bad at all. Still, 5 miles may be the limit for a few weeks. The plantar fasciitis was non-existent before, during and immediately after the run. But after a while, the PF really started hurting a bit. It seemed to get worse during the day. I don't know. I'll continue the stretches and make sure I'm not running on it when they're inflamed.

The shoes are sweet. I'm now running in Brooks Dyads. They're basically the replacement for the old Radius's. The Radius's were great -- I've had a few pair over the years. The Dyads feel just as good -- I think they'll work out just as well.

And the mittens are TOASTY! Two layers. The inner mittens work quite well by themselves (I used them alone this morning), but when you add the shell over them they are really warm. Better than ocelot spleens. Last Sunday I ran in the morning. It was about 10 or 11 degrees (F). Wind chill brought it even lower. My hands were sweating after a couple miles. They are quite nice. I don't know why I never acquired a set of mittens like these before.

Anyway, hoping to get four or five runs in this week (if I can keep the PF under control).

C-Ya

OK, I'm In

2010-01-27T18:14:00.002-05:00

I signed up for my first race since the 2007 Hyannis Marathon.

It's a 5K.

Flat and fast in Cambridge on March 14th.

I need the motivation. I've got several friends (first-timers) I talked into doing the race, so I figure I'd better be there with them.

Meanwhile, the knees are holding up just fine, but I'm still dealing with some plantar fasciitis issues. The PF isn't too bad right now, but I've got to take care of it. New shoes tomorrow. And I've got a new set of stretches (and strenghtening exercises) to do. It's "come to Jesus" time. Get religion. Shake off this inactivity. Get back to 5 days a week running. [It's been sporadic, though I have been running every few days.]

There have been enough other "distractions" in my life lately that I need this now. I'll post on those soon enough, but for now I need some routine. Something to focus on.

Getting lean again. Getting fast again. Going far again.

One step at a time.

C-Ya

Still running...

2010-01-24T23:57:00.002-05:00

...though I missed a couple days this last week.

What can I say? Not so easy to get back into the swing of running outside when you live in Boston -- and it's January! Still, it warmed up a bit today. Something like 40 degrees. And it's supposed to get almost up to 50 tomorrow. Woo hoo! Yeah, I'll be going out for a run. This morning's run was still on the cold side. Felt like about 25 degrees.

The knees are good. They're holding up well. I just keep having issues with my heels. Guess it's obviously time for new running shoes.

Weird. It's been so long since I've bought running shoes. I need to actually research them again. I've always had good luck with Brooks, but I think this time I might consider some other brands. I think as long as they have extra cushioning and some stability control I should be all right.

C-Ya

[No, not time yet]

Digression...

2010-01-19T22:08:00.002-05:00

This blog has, for the most part, been about my running. My experience of running, training, and living as a "runner". I've written about the ups and downs, the personal challenges, etc.

But I'm going to digress for one post here.

I just spent the last hour writing a lengthy rant about everything wrong with this Democratic party.

And then I just erased it all.

Let me just say this to our elected Democratic congress: find a spine.

Longest run since April 2008 (and haiku)

2010-01-17T14:16:00.003-05:00

runing steady
around the frozen pond --
fissures in the ice

Yep.

Ran 5 miles this morning! It felt SO good (even if I was getting a little tired the last mile). Weather was nice -- about 30 degrees maybe. Overcast.

I had intended to run yesterday (when temperatures hit 40) but a flare-up in my knee dissuaded me. It's not as bad as it sounds. I seem to have occasional problems with the torn meniscus when I walk. But not when I run. And even when it flares up (which my understanding is when a piece of torn meniscus gets pinched in the joint), just resting it for a half hour to an hour usually does the trick. And most strange is that running now seems to have no effect on it (just walking). Weird.

So 5 miles. That was the longest I went in between the two injuries. I can see now that going further will not be an issue, so as soon as I log a 6 mile run, I will have run farther than I have since the first injury after my last marathon (Hyannis marathon Feb 2007, injury Summer 2007).

It's been a long road. Glad to be on a different road now.

C-Ya

Enough already! (plus haiku)

2010-01-15T10:32:00.002-05:00

sunrise smears
across the frozen pond
-- geese are calling

Yeah, enough of the cold already! How many consecutive days of, like, 20 degrees? Too many. So when I woke up this morning and it was in the low 30's, I knew I had to take advantage of the "balmy" weather. It was a nice run around the pond (still frozen over of course). When I reached to far side, the sun was just above the trees and its reflection just smeared across the entire pond. ("Where are my sunglasses?").

Still taking it easy on the runs, but occasionally pushing the speed a little.

This weekend, since it's supposed to be sunny and 40 tomorrow, I'm going to push the distance a little bit. Go 4 or 5 miles. [That just really sounds so pathetic after all those 50 and 60 mile weeks training for marathons.] I know, enjoy what you can. Last year I couldn't run a block without significant pain in the knee. And now I'm back on the road to recovery.

Oh, and one other thing...

I'm signing up for a 5K! March 14th in Cambridge. More details later, but it gives me something for motivation. See, I've also got two friends who have just started running and I've talked them into doing the race. So... yeah, I gotta do it too. It'll be fun, right?

We're not talking marathon.

Yet.

C-Ya

Turning the Corner (and a haiku)

2010-01-09T22:08:00.002-05:00

footfalls seek traction
on snowpack hard as ice.
moonlight shows the way.

Over the years there have been plenty of times I've had to significantly cut back, or even stop running for a bit. Those times were due to various factors. Sometimes work just encroached too much. Sometimes it was due to injury (like this last time). Sometimes life just happens. But every time I return to running. It's a part of who I am. And every time I return to running, it's a struggle.

For the first X number of weeks, I'll just feel like I'm slogging through one crappy run after another. To be honest, I feel like I'm "jogging" rather than "running". Don't ask me the difference -- it's subjective. When I'm "running" I feel energized, fulfilled. I feel more alive in the world (See my song -- "Runner's Blessing"). But when I'm "jogging" I'm just trying to "get through it". It seems to take longer. I feel how out of shape I am. My joints ache. I feel my age.

But then there's always that moment. That run where things start clicking again and I'm back to my "running" self. I turn the corner.

Today I turned the corner.

Just like that. I went out for a run and I was "running". The pace felt quicker. It all just felt right. All was good with my running self (even though I'm much slower than I was before the injury -- for now...). [I should also note that I started taking glucosamine again for my joints -- and they felt great.]

And so, I think I can safely say now that the injury is healed (at least sufficiently to run regularly). Still having some issues with plantar fasciitis (going to have to tape my foot again tomorrow), but other than that, all is well.

Just wish it wasn't so damn cold out!

C-Ya

Four Runs in a Week

2010-01-04T22:59:00.002-05:00

That's more than I've done in a long time. Even though they were each on the order of 3 miles, at least I got out and ran four times last week. And the 3 mile runs were each non-stop -- I didn't have to stop to rest my knee. Things are looking good.

Yesterday's run was fun... We've had a bit of snow lately. I strapped on the yaktrax and ran Fresh Pond. Conditions were perfect for using them. Mostly hard packed snow (occasionally loose). Slightly more effort in the snow, of course. But it was a nice run -- it wasn't really too cold.

Not much else to report on. Sorry, no haiku today.

C-Ya

Two Days in a Row

2009-12-30T01:00:00.002-05:00

Three miles yesterday.

Three miles today.

No stops to rest my knee (though I'm still so out of shape I would have liked to have stopped to take a break). So yeah, things are going pretty well. I'm close to 4 runs per week now. I still usually take a day off after a run, but today shows I can do two days in a row.

Of course running in sunny 60 degree weather in Phoenix makes it a little easier.

But I'm enroute back to Boston tonight so -- back to cold runs for the duration of the winter.

I'm OK with that. Once again, I'll say it. I am just quite happy to be running at all now.

So...goodnight for now. It's overnight to Detroit, then a couple more hours into Boston... Then off to work.

C-Ya

Three Weeks and Still Going

2009-12-16T13:05:00.003-05:00

It was yesterday, about an hour or so after my run, I was walking up the stairs and I suddenly realized -- I have sore muscles! Oh, the soreness feels SO good.

I've been running for three weeks now. And though the knee isn't perfect yet, I'm able to run every other day. My last few runs have been 3 miles each, with only minimal stops (I recall stopping twice during each of the last two runs -- the first stop coming around the two mile mark). I expect to be running three miles non-stop by next week. Then I'll go to four days each week. And slowly increase the mileage. Small steps.

This journey back to running is a slow one. I am so out of (running) shape. Which also means my quick breaks to rest my knee are a welcome relief to my running muscles as well. "Patience" I tell myself...

C-Ya

Week 2 and another haiku

2009-12-08T12:28:00.003-05:00

morning at the pond
brings unexpected joy -
sunrise lights my path

This is my second week back running. It seems with each run the walking breaks to rest the knee are getting shorter and farther between. I am just so grateful to be able to run again. Twenty nine degrees and snow on the ground? Where are my running shoes?! I'm going out!

And the haiku just keep coming...

C-Ya

haiku time again!

2009-12-04T18:03:00.002-05:00

cool morning air
awaits me at fresh pond -
a bird is calling

Ran this morning around Fresh Pond. A lovely run. Of course I'm having to take it really easy as I rebuild my knee. But this morning was about 2 1/2 miles of running (3 including the walking breaks). Yeah, and those walking breaks weren't just for my knees. I am so out of running form.

But it feels so good to get outside and run. My weekly total will only be something like 7 miles. But that's 7 miles more than I was doing a month ago. Or a year ago. Or two years ago.

I cannot wait to get out and run again (on Sunday). Although I feel little tiny tweaks in my knee, in general things are looking very good -- just in time for Winter here in Boston. Hmm...5K in March?

C-Ya

Back on the Road!

2009-11-27T16:47:00.002-05:00

Yes, it's true. I am running again. Barely.

After being sidelined for (essentially) two and a half years, I am running again. I know enough to take it very easy and build up very slowly. This will be the challenge for me.

To recap...

After my 2007 Hyannis marathon, and after a month or so of taking it easy, I was starting to increase mileage again when I was sidelined by a tear in the meniscus in my left knee (though it was several months before it reached the point where I could no longer run and needed to seek medical advice). That injury lasted about a year.

Then in the Spring of 2008, as I was starting to run regularly again, I tore the meniscus in my right knee. (Same pain, same symptoms, other knee) I'm guessing that both tears were the result of building my marathon mileage too quickly (I was running marathons at the rate of two per year). The right knee took more like 18 months to reach the point where I could start running again.

And just to add insult to injury, several months ago I gave up my car so now I walk a whole lot more. (I live and work in Cambridge, so it's actually rather easy to get by without a car.) But all the new walking resulted in a wicked case of plantar fasciitis (right foot).

But, I learned how to tape my foot to provide the needed additional support (to alleviate the inflamation in my foot). It really did the trick. I was able to immediately run on it with no pain.

So...now I begin the very slow process of rebuilding my running. [No predictions regarding future racing...yet.]

No, I'm not down about my present condition. I'm just filled with gratitude that I can run at all and am appreciating every mile of every run now. [And I hope to be blogging a bit more here now that I'm running again.]

C-Ya

My Knees Are...

2009-05-14T17:15:00.002-05:00

A) Older than the hills

B) Killing me

C) A biomechanical nightmare

D) All of the above

If you chose "D", you would be correct! As if recoverying from torn meniscus in EACH knee was not enough, now my left knee has what appears to be a medial collateral ligament strain, AND, my right knee is exhibiting some symptoms of runner's knee. I ran a total of 5 miles last week and they hurt again.

I have a theory.

I've been working out extensively on an elliptical trainer. I suspect the elliptical motions may have overdeveloped certain muscles and when I began running again, they stressed my knee ligaments in new ways.

I'll be backing off on things for a little while (yet again). Maybe I'll just swim for a little while. Perhaps do some cycling. And then I'll try running again (without the elliptical). Eventually I'll run again.

C-Ya (in a few weeks)

Haiku Time Again!

2009-05-03T21:22:00.003-05:00

gray above, gray below

spring rain falls on Fresh Pond

a run unfolds

It's been a long time coming. I can't remember the last time I went out for a run. For the past month or so, it seems, it's been a 1/2 mile at a time on a treadmill, in between elliptical training and stair climbing or rowing. All indoors. In the gym. But today...

I went OUT for a run. It was one mile, then a little walking, then another half mile.

It felt so good to run outside (at Fresh Pond of course). Cool with a few sprinkles. Gray skies above, Fresh Pond itself steel gray. And in between, Spring is just exploding here in Boston. Cherry trees are blossoming. Trees are showing more green. Flowers everywhere.

And I went out for a run.

[Gee, I almost feel blessed.]

Boston Marathon 2009

2009-04-21T11:02:00.005-05:00

So, once again I find myself on the sidelines watching the Boston Marathon. But this year, there is a difference. The knees are healing. I am beginning to re-introduce running into my workouts. I've got a long way to go, but things are looking good. I'm looking forward to posting the account of my "return to running"!

Sunday, April 19th

Had lunch with Elizabeth and two of her friends from Cleveland, Amie and Barb. It was a nice lunch at Bertucci's (especially nice for the extraordinarily short 5-minute wait) in Harvard Square. Nice to talk running for a change. I'm really missing it and am more motivated than ever to get the strength back in my knees and hit the roads and trails again.

After lunch I drove them over to Marathon Sports -- Amie was in need of a few more energy gels, and then dropped them off at Copley near their hotel -- after wishing them a good run for the marathon.

Monday, April 20th - 113th running of the Boston Marathon

Anita and I found a nice spot just before the beginning of Heartbreak Hill, right around mile 20. Seemed to be almost perfect running conditions early in the race. I'm guessing mid to high 40's with just a light breeze. As the day wore on, however, the temperature seemed to drop and the wind picked up (headwind for the runners).

The first of the wheelchair athletes had already passed when we got there, but soon after the elite women came by. At that point in the race Kara Goucher was right in the front of the lead pack. Kara finished third, only 9 seconds behind the winner, Salina Kosgei. Second place Dire Tune was only 1 second behind Salina.

The elite men came quite soon after. Ryan Hall was already in third place, though still within sight of the two leaders. He would finish third, 58 seconds behind Deriba Merga. Ryan finished 8 seconds behind the second place finisher, Daniel Rono.

Now came the most difficult task of all...

Spotting Elizabeth! ('cause she's so fast, right?)

Twice over the last three years I've looked for her without success. This year was going to be different. She gave me her predicted pace. I calculated when she would pass mile 20. And then I almost missed her. Almost...

So there she is, running in top form, looking great at 20 miles! [Yeah, crappy video from my cell phone.]

Unfortunately, I missed Barb and Amie (though I'll have to check my cell phone videos against their times -- maybe they're in one of them). [You'll just have to come back and do Boston again! If I'm on the sidelines, I'll find you next time.]

So now...

Congratulations Elizabeth (3:16:30) -- great run! Think you were close to your goal, right? [I see a sub-3 in your future.]

Great run, Amie (4:11:09) -- pretty damn good for your third marathon!

And Barbara (3:28:25) -- WOW! You won your division at Boston! That was well ahead of your prediction.

And congratulations to all the other runners who made it through the 113th running here in Boston.

So that's all for now.

Runner's Blessing

2009-04-14T07:20:00.003-05:00

For all you runners, this is for you. My new song, "Runner's Blessing".

A high quality digital download is available at my website, kurt.winikka.com.

Run in harmony!

It's April Already

2009-04-10T10:45:00.003-05:00

And still no regular running.

Sigh.

Apparently, two miles in one week was just a bit too much for my right knee. So here I am a couple weeks later getting ready to test it again. Persistent, aren't I?

I think I need to change the name of my blog to "(Running seems to be receding) fast and far".

So -- on another note...

I wrote a song about running. I was taking a song-writing class from Bob Franke and I was having problems coming up with my songwriting assignment. He asked about hobbies. I mentioned running. "Write a song about the meaning of running!"

Thanks a lot, Bob.

At that point, I think that was the last thing I wanted to do. Running means so much to me, and not running has been really pretty depressing. It's something that has been at the core of me for quite some time. I mean, I know a lot of these running blogs are all about trying to find the meaning in our running, but to try and explain it in a song just didn't seem right. Can art explain music? Can music explain art? Aren't they all about trying to understand the human condition? Finding truth and beauty in the world and our lives? How can a song explain the meaning of running?

Not to mention that I CAN'T RUN RIGHT NOW! So why don't I just give myself a paper cut and drip lemon juice over it?

I was wrong.

Maybe a song about running can say something about life itself.

I'm actually quite happy with how the song came out. Kind of inspired, actually. I'm looking forward to putting it out there for the running community. I've got a basic demo recorded and I'm just putting the final touches on that mix. [It's not a full blown arrangement or anything -- just guitar and voice -- but I think it's worth putting out there.]

I'll put a link up this weekend.

March Update

2009-03-15T17:31:00.002-05:00

Yeah, things are still coming along slowly. I've been taking glucosamine for my knees, and it really seems to help. I've been very slowly building things back up. And...

I have gotten up to one mile -- PAIN FREE! (on an incline on a treadmill)

And then the next day the knee was a little stiff. But not too bad. This next week I'll do my 1 mile run a couple times (in addition to all the stair climbing, elliptical and rowing time).

It was like 60 degrees in Boston today and I want to be out running so badly. And I can feel that the knees are improving. But I know that I really need to take my time.

Patience.

Oh, and look for a new running-related song on this blog pretty soon.

C-Ya

Progress...

2008-12-17T11:43:00.002-05:00

Just a quick update:

I am working out at the MIT fitness center. I am rebuilding ... well, practically everything. Concentrating on the knees, building strength everywhere around them and in my legs in general.

Aerobically? No running yet. Elliptical training, stair climbing, rowing, cycling. But no running yet. I expect to begin introducing running in another month or so.

The knees? Left knee seems to be doing fine. Right knee still gets occasional pain (due to meniscus tear).

Expect another update next month.

Have a great holiday season and C-Ya in the new year!

Did I Mention...

2008-10-16T15:34:00.001-05:00

...that the meniscus in my other knee has torn?

Yep. The left knee feels great.

Now I'm rehabilitating the right knee. It doesn't seem to be quite as bad as the left one was, but it's been enough to keep me from running. I'm rebuilding strength (again) in my knees, and working out aerobically. I have no idea how long it's going to take. The left knee took about a year to heal. It's been about 6 months now on the right knee. I'm hoping that by the end of the year, I'll be back to some regular running.

So, don't expect much in the way of blogging about my running. Cuz it's almost non-existent right now. Once I start running again, I'll blog regularly.

Until then...

C-Ya

Thoughts on Marathon Day

2008-04-23T12:15:00.002-05:00

Since I was "off" from work, A and I of course went down to Kenmore Square to watch the Boston marathon. We got a bit of a late start and so missed the very first elite frontrunners. We were across the street from the "Citgo" sign and had a great view of everything. The weather was probably just a little warm for the runners and it was sunny.

It's always amazing watching the finishers. Especially those who are obviously gritting through a lot of pain -- and are still moving at a good clip. It was also amazing to see the Hoyt team again (their 26th Boston marathon!), and of course Lance Armstrong (and his entourage).

For the second time, searched for E-Speed, but never saw her -- she was that fast!

We watched for a couple hours then left. It certainly does help in the inspiration department!

Some Other "Famous" Marathoners

2008-04-21T10:00:00.005-05:00

After watching the trials, I met up with a couple of famous marathoners for lunch. At least "famous" in the running-blog world.

DaisyDuc and E-Speed.

They were loading up for the marathon. And yes, E did eat that last sweet potato fry!

And here we are before I drove them back to their hotel.

US Olympic Womens Marathon Trials

2008-04-21T09:52:00.003-05:00

Held in Boston yesterday. I went down to the Charles River to catch a glimpse of the runners -- on the Cambridge side of the river.

There was one woman who went out really fast. At this point, she must have been at least a quarter mile ahead of this lead pack. You can see Deena in this group. Soon after this point she took off and caught the leader. She went on to win the trials.

Recovering from another relapse

2008-04-20T14:57:00.002-05:00

Just when things were starting to get better -- the knee decided it was not going to cooperate. There was a bit of a relapse in the knee, and that led to several weeks off. Again.

But, I will not be put off. Unfortunately I have not had access to my normal fitness center lately (that's another story). That is also about to change.

The good news is that the knee is again on the mend. I ran 2 miles on Thursday, and 2 miles this morning, before heading down to the Charles River to watch the Olympic Women's Marathon Trials (Deena won, of course).

As I slowly start running again, I should be posting more often.

Stay tuned for a couple more posts over the next 24 hours! It's marathon weekend here in Boston -- and my wife and I just had lunch with a couple of "famous" blogger marathoners!

C-Ya

Ahh... Sore Legs

2008-03-07T17:38:00.002-05:00

My legs are sore. And that feels soooo good. You wouldn't think 15 miles in a week would do much damage. Combine it with plenty of strengthening exercises (in the weight room), a not insignificant amount of time on the elliptical, cycle and rowing machines, and essentially six months off, and yeah, a person could feel a little tired.

But it's a great feeling.

No pain in the knee. And of course the old hamstring strain is long gone. Now it's just the slow road to getting back in shape.

I'm working out five or six days a week, with a 6 mile run (minimum now) on Sundays. The weekly mileage will increase ever so slowly over the next couple of months, but by the summer I expect to be back to some heavy training again.

It's a little soon to sign up for my next marathon, but I'm looking ahead to Tucson in December.

C-Ya

Slow but Steady Progress

2008-02-15T14:15:00.002-05:00

Last Sunday I ran 5 miles.

I count that as quite a success. It was around a 10 minute pace. I am so out of shape. But then, what else should I expect for being out of commission for six months. I'm not complaining. I'll take the running anyday.

Even a run through a snow squall.

Yep. Weather was pretty weird on Sunday. I left home, temperatures were not bad -- low 30's. It was overcast. I heard there was a storm coming so figured I should get out and do the run.

I ran down to the Charles River and down towards Harvard. Just as I'm crossing the river to head back, it starts to sprinkle. OK, not bad. I have no problems with this. But then, within about 60 seconds, sleet is stinging my face. For the next mile and a half, I run face into driving sleet and then snow.

But I'm not complaining.

Except that about the time I get home, it all stops. And by the time I finished my cool-down walk, the sun is shining.

Great timing.

I'll be in Brooklyn this weekend and plan to do six miles on Sunday -- Prospect Park.

Running (despite how out of shape I am) is feeling really, really good.

C-Ya

Haiku and a Run!

2008-02-04T14:38:00.000-05:00

ice patches impede
confident footing
on my trail

I ran 4 miles yesterday - Charles River trail. This is the farthest I've run since the injury in July. It felt so good to reach 4 miles. That used to be my minimum distance for any run. This week, it's my longest. And it was slow. But progress is being made.

I will get past this long patch of ice. I will run confident again. Miles of running still await.

Today at lunch I went for a walk along my running trails near work (Minuteman National Park). Quite a few patches of ice still -- though temperatures have been reasonably nice lately. No plans to run on these trails for a while, but it was lovely to walk in the woods again. So quiet and peaceful.

C-Ya

Slowly but Surely

2008-01-21T22:13:00.000-05:00

I'm running a little bit every few days. Increasing my distance just a little bit each time. Yesterday I ran 3 miles! Yeah! [It used to be that running 4 miles was a "day off".] I am just happy to be running again -- as slow and awkward as it is.

[Is it just me or is blogger incredibly slow tonight?]

Nothing much else going on (in my running world).

C-Ya

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

2008-01-10T20:02:00.000-05:00

The Good:

Ran a hill workout (treadmill) on Tuesday. It felt really good. It's been so long since I've had a good running workout. Then yesterday, I did weights/circuit training...

The Bad:

For some reason, my left knee just decided to stage a mutiny. I couldn't do even half the weight I was used to doing with that leg. What the hell? The elliptical and the rowing were OK, as were the rest of the weights. But for some reason, my left leg was not cooperating...

The Ugly:

When I woke up this morning, there was this big knot in my left quads. It hurt. I think I overdid something (duh).

So I took the day off. Things feel much better tonight. I should probably take it easy tomorrow as well. We'll see how things go.

C-Ya

Stupid Knee

2008-01-07T13:57:00.000-05:00

Well, I did get out yesterday for a run. Hey, it was 51 in Boston. There was no way I wasn't going to at least try running. In shorts and T-shirt. On January 6th.

Unfortunately, the knee -- or rather the meniscus -- was not entirely cooperative. I've been having some occasional twinges since New Year's Day -- when I stepped off the last step of our stairs and torqued the knee a little bit. It felt like a short-term thing, but was still giving me some issues. I didn't get much further that a mile when I decided it wasn't worth pushing it any further. There was some uncomfortable pain on the downhills, and the flat didn't feel that great either.

On the plus side, I discovered that running uphill felt absolutely wonderful. Tomorrow I plan to do one of those hill workouts on the treadmill (along with my other cross training).

Things feel much better today with the knee, though I'll still just do the elliptical and rowing workout, along with some weights.

It's a long term thing.

C-Ya

Worst Injury Ever

2008-01-05T15:13:00.000-05:00

OK, well, my worst injury so far.

I mentioned in my last post that this one has gone on for 6 months and it's still not completely normal. I have a small tear in the back of the meniscus on my left knee. I couldn't run for 6 months. For the first 3 months, I would be in pain after walking for 10 minutes. I finally broke down and went to physical therapy.

After about a month, I still couldn't run, though I was strengthening my left leg considerably.

Oddly, right around the time I finally got scheduled for the MRI, it started feeling much better. A few days later, I ran 1 mile. No pain (in the knee). It felt great to run again. And it felt like crap.

It has been so long without running, that I really feel like I'm starting over.

Hopefully, I will improve rapidly.

I've been increasing mileage very slowly. Not running two days in a row. Increasing by a half mile at a time.

On New Years day I ran three miles. Whoo hoo! Tomorrow will be another 3-miler. And I am excited about it -- temperatures in Boston are supposed to get back up close to 50! (It was 7 a couple days ago.) Maybe I'll even push it to 4 miles and run along the Charles River a bit.

That's all for now.

C-Ya

Happy New Year

2008-01-02T17:18:00.000-05:00

Well, things could be worse...

More in my next post, but the second half of 2007 was pretty much dominated by my "worst ever injury". Previous record was held by a groin pull back in the early 90's. I was out for 6 months. This time, it's been 6 months, and I'm not out of the woods by any means.

However, the good news is -- I am FINALLY able to run a little bit again. For the first time since last July. I ran 3 miles yesterday. And I consider it quite an accomplishment.

And then I stepped off the bottom stair onto our porch and torqued my knee. No workout today -- it still hurts. But I should be back in the gym tomorrow.

It is amazing how "de-trained" I've become in the last 6 months. I will be starting out 2008 from scratch. Running short distances maybe 3 days per week. Building very slowly (although with plenty of cross-training). But I am optimistic.

My goal for 2008: Tucson Marathon in December -- qualify for Boston and New York.

How will I get there? Three months of slow build-up. Three months of base training. Five months of marathon training. Should be enough cushion for any small set-backs.

So, what have I been doing the past six months while I wasn't doing any heavy duty training?

Songwriting

Also, by next week, I hope to have uploaded all of my (running-related) haiku to my website. You'll be able to find all of them in one place.

And any of you on myspace feel free to link up to my myspace space.

C-Ya

Short Run -- Not Good

2007-11-11T21:14:00.000-05:00

I tried running today. This afternoon. Per PT's advice, stretched, warmed up slowly. Walked about 5 minutes easy, then walked faster for another 5 minutes. Then broke into a very easy jog.

Instant pain.

I lasted maybe 100 meters.

This is just a bit depressing. It's been too long. This week I will likely see an orthopedic knee guy. I suppose get the MRI. PT is pretty sure it's a torn meniscus. It has not improved at all.

At this point, I just really want to know what's going on with the knee. Give it to me straight, Doc. I can take it...

C-Ya

Cool New Toy

2007-11-07T18:46:00.001-05:00

I just got one of the new Sprint Touch phones. It is wicked cool. This of course has nothing whatsoever to do with running. Except that I have a cool toy to play with while I'm NOT out there running.

Jake (physical therapist) was supposed to check out my knee again this morning, but was busy with another patient. I won't be able to get his opinion until Friday. More of the same stuff this morning at PT. I am getting tired of getting up at 5:15 to drive downtown.

Nothin much else.

C-Ya

OK, Maybe I Just Miss One

2007-11-06T09:31:00.000-05:00

Never did get around to posting again last night. Maybe sometime this week I'll sneak in an extra post. I was out late last night at a gig. When I got home I was too tired to post again.

Not much to report though. Today I'll work out on the elliptical trainer and on the rowing machine. This "not running" is just really getting to me. It's hard watching the runners out along the Charles River. The weather is still great, but I can't run. Frustrating as hell.

Hard to motivate myself to get into the gym to workout every day. I like the cycling, but it's just not the same. But I've gained a few pounds since the injury. So I just get myself in there and do it. Whether I feel like it or not.

C-Ya

Missed Posting Yesterday

2007-11-05T10:19:00.000-05:00

So if I post twice today does that count? How about once in the morning and once in the evening?

Just finished my physical therapy session a little while ago. The knee is a bit sore. The one-leg stairmaster workout was the killer today.

Yesterday I got out for a decent bike ride from Cambridge out to Lexington and back along the Minuteman trail. Definitely need to get full gloves for those brisk early morning rides. My cycling gloves have the fingers cut off -- the digits were freezing! It was really only about an hour ride, but I went pretty hard. Felt great.

Oh, and how about those Patriots?! [I'm really more of a Red Sox fan -- and that was one sweet World Series by the way...] But it was an exciting finish to yesterday's game -- down by 10 in the 4th quarter -- came back to win it.

C-Ya

Condolences to friends and family of Ryan Shay

2007-11-03T21:02:00.000-05:00

Ryan Shay died today during the Olympic marathon trials. Just tragic. Thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.

Nothing much to report. I didn't do much today except replace the weather stripping around the front door. Weather wasn't too great today here in Boston -- I imagine not much better in NYC. But tomorrow should be a little nicer.

Good luck to all you runners out there tomorrow at the NYC marathon.

C-Ya

I Ran a Little Bit

2007-11-02T17:27:00.001-05:00

A very little bit.

During physical therapy.

For one minute at a time.

Backwards.

Uphill.

My knee was a bit sore through most of the morning. Hard to see how I'm going to get to running by next week, but we'll see. Overall, it's felt better this week.

At PT, I've been doing a lot of weight training for the leg (plus all the other usual stuff -- stim treatments while exercising the leg, etc.). I've had to shift my normal waking hours. I've got to get into PT around 6:00 am so I can leave by 8:00 am (since I park my car on the street in downtown Boston -- if it's there after 8:00 am, it's gonna get towed).

So I'm feeling a little tired today.

C-Ya

Worst Injury Ever?

2007-11-01T20:06:00.000-05:00

Might explain why I haven't posted in something like months. I'm still recovering.

And what am I recovering from? (Or more acurately, what am I NOT recovering from?) It appears to be a ...

torn meniscus

Oh hell.

So right now I'm in physical therapy. One of the best facilities in Boston. But if things haven't improved by the end of next week (when I will attempt to run again), I'll be going to an orthopedic (surgeon) who specializes in athlete's knees.

Yeah. Remember Noakes' ten rules for runners? One of them is "Avoid the knife." I'm not keen on even arthroscopic surgery. I don't care if Joanie had it just weeks before the 1984 Olympics and then went on to win the first women's Olympic marathon.

So anybody out there have experience with this kind of injury? According to my PT guy, assuming it's a minor tear (and this one is likely to be minor), I should have a complete recovery and be running 6 weeks after arthroscopic surgery. I do trust this guy. He's a marathoner and a marathon trainer (and the owner of a large physical therapy business in Boston). But talk of surgery does make me quite (understandably) nervous.

The odd thing about all of this is that my running buddy from work -- has the same type of injury.

Anyway, it is national blogging month (or something like that) -- so I'll be posting every day this month.

Better stay tuned -- there will be a surprise coming in a couple weeks.

C-Ya

Grrrr!!!

2007-07-26T15:29:00.000-05:00

The injury that won't quit.

The foot is fine -- no more plantar fasciitis. The hamstring injury just won't give up. It was in the middle of the left hamstring leading up to and past my Hyannis marathon. Not enough to totally derail the training and race, but enough to have had some effect. Trained and raced through it.

After resting for a while, started up with the training again. So the hamstring injury moved up the muscle into my butt. A real pain in the butt. Meanwhile, the plantar fasciitis shows up. I'm sure each of these was affecting the other.

After backing off again, some total rest and then starting back up again, the foot pain (plantar fasciitis) is gone. Meanwhile the hamstring injury moves its way back down my leg to the hamstring tendons (behind the knee). It seemed to be getting better.

It just got worse again.

And again I will have to back off on running. Increase the cross-training. Ice it. Yadda, yadda, yadda.

And so now, the Tucson marathon would be too soon for a serious BQ attempt. If I can resume training again in another 4 to 6 weeks, I could possibly do the Arizona Rock N Roll marathon as a BQ attempt. Weather would be good. It's flat. A little crowded at the beginning, but doable. But training in Boston all the way into January.

Gonna have to take this one week at a time.

Grrrr!!!

Base Build-up

2007-07-17T14:50:00.000-05:00

OK, I'm back to base build-up. Finally.

No pain in the foot, and the hamstring is just a minor issue now -- and icing it is really helping.
Last week I accumulated 26 miles in four runs. Longest was Sunday morning's 9 miler. It was pretty warm, but I got through it OK. I was starting to fade about halfway through. I had run across the Mass. Ave. bridge (Harvard bridge) and was heading back when I passed a runner who had stopped to take a gel. We ran the rest of the way along the river together and it was enjoyable having someone to talk to. He kept me going at a good pace for most of the remainder of my run.

This week I add another running day (five total) and will put in 32 or 33 miles (long run of 11 on Sunday). Today's 7 miler at lunch was also a bit warm, but carrying water really helps -- drinking it early in the run, sprinkling it over my head towards the end of the run.

The following week I need to be in the high 30's for mileage (12 to 14 mile long run) -- cause then the countdown to the BQ (attempt) begins. 18 weeks until the Tucson marathon.

C-Ya

Back On Track

2007-07-12T12:53:00.000-05:00

Well, almost...

I've now gone more than a week with NO PAIN in my foot! (Yeah) On the other hand, the pain in my knee has been lingering. (Boo) However, I think I've figured out what it is -- and it's not my knees. (Yeah) It's inflamation of the hamstring tendons. (Boo)

Left hamstring again?! WTF? The good news is that it seems to be controllable. Icing, gentle stretching, and I've been able to do my 6 and 7 mile runs. That's good, because if I want to make a run at a BQ in Tucson in December, I've got to get my base mileage up -- like NOW.

So, yeah, I am finally getting back on track. The weather has been warm and a bit humid. But the trails are mostly shaded so it's been great recently.

As soon as I know whether I'm back on track for my training schedule, I'll update my upcoming race schedule.

C-Ya

Where was Kurt?

2007-07-05T08:26:00.000-05:00

day lilies sway
under whispering oaks;
splashes of summer

[Had to start with haiku -- composed on my run on Tuesday]

So where has Kurt been? Well, on vacation for one thing. Nova Scotia in particular -- mostly Cape Breton Island. That place is freaking amazing. I'll be going back. Next time with a bike. That place is made for bicycling. I'll post some pictures soon.

But that only explains about a week or so of my absence. What gives?

Injury recovery.

I've had a chronic hamstring (low-grade) injury since BEFORE my last marathon. I developed some sort of plantar fasciitis after the marathon. And to top it off, I started having some pain in the backs of my knees.

I backed off. I did more cross-training. I took two weeks off (that did not really help). So here's where I am now...

The hamstring injury is gone. (Yeah!)
The knee pain is pretty much gone. (Yeah, again!)
The plantar fasciitis is still lingering a bit. (Boo!) But I think I have it under control.

After the two weeks off, I went out for an easy run. Within a block my heel was hurting like hell. After a bit, it sort of stretched out and I finished the run OK. This week, on Tuesday I did 7 miles at an easy pace. I stretched my foot every way I could think of before I started. Virtually NO PAIN! Just to be complete, I iced it at my desk for a while after the run. Yesterday, walked several miles (down to the Charles River -- Harvard Bridge -- Boston's amazing 4th of July celebration) -- no pain in the heel. Today will probably be about 6 miles. We'll see how it goes.

And it needs to start going, cause it's time to start building back up for my run at a BQ in December.

C-Ya

Two More Haiku

2007-05-10T14:12:00.000-05:00

between the river
and gleaming towers,
splash Spring blossoms

[From Sunday morning's run along the Charles River.]

bright warm sun,
breeze flows through hair
- running free

[From Tuesday's very warm, but fortunately slightly breezy, run on the trails at work.]

C-Ya

If It's Not One Thing...

2007-05-10T14:03:00.000-05:00

...It's another.

The hamstring is almost completely healed. (Yeah!) Now I've some plantar fasciitis coming and going in my left foot. (Boo!) But at least I think I understand how to deal with this one. It seems to mostly become irritated when I start out a run going uphill.

So don't do that.

I realized last Sunday morning that after several days of not much complaining from the foot, when I started out my medium-long run of 11 miles. The first quarter mile is all uphill. There was no pain when I started, but by the top of the hill, it was hurting. A half mile or so later, it was stretched out, but I had problems with it the rest of the day. But when I run at work, which normally starts out going downhill for half a mile on soft trails, I had almost no pain whatsoever.

Just need to find a new route from home to the Charles River trail that doesn't take me over any serious hills in the first mile.

This delay in getting back to some serious training has pretty much removed the Memorial Day "Run to Remember" half marathon from my calendar. I don't need to push myself yet, I want to be healthy when I start the long haul to my BQ next December.

And what's up with this weather?

Sunday morning's run was in the high 40's. My next run, on Tuesday, was in the 80's. Today it was in the 90's. I'm not acclimated to this heat yet!

C-Ya

Boston Weather

2007-04-26T16:39:00.000-05:00

Just so no one out there thinks that last week's Boston Marathon weather might be typical (in the end, conditions were really not too bad for running)...

In the week before the marathon, it was cold and there was a mixture of snow, sleet and rain.

One week after the marathon -- 7 days to be exact -- the temperature hit a sunny (Phoenix-like) 90 degrees.

90 degrees.

That is one of the many factors that makes the Boston marathon unique. You really have no idea what the weather will be like until the race starts.

Back to the heat... Monday was a day off (so I missed the hot day). I ran about 6 1/2 miles on Tuesday. It was well into the 70's. I was dying out there, but happy to be running on mostly dry trails again.

Today was almost perfect. Low 60's. I ran almost 6 miles at lunchtime (trails again).

Not much else to report.

C-Ya

Kevin Spacey Made Me Run 2 Extra Miles

2007-04-23T09:30:00.000-05:00

The weather in Boston was absolutely spectacular this weekend. Everybody was outside -- especially on Sunday.

Sunday was also supposed to be my first run over 8 miles in about a month. [I did a couple 9 milers as I was recovering from the marathon, but then cut way back to help the hamstring injury heal.] The plan was 9 miles -- down to the Charles River, across the Harvard Bridge (Mass. Ave. -- that's the one in the picture at the top of my blog), and back along the other side. But Kevin Spacey thwarted my plans.

Turns out he's filming his new movie 21 in and around Boston. On Sunday they completely closed the Mass. Ave. bridge. Couldn't even run across the bridge (through their set, of course). If I had just turned around and gone back home, I would have been about a half mile short on my run. So instead I kept running and crossed over on the Longfellow Bridge. That added about 2 miles to my run.

So I did 11 miles instead of 9. That's the furthest I've run since the marathon -- and it felt long. My legs are stiff today.

It's all Kevin Spacey's fault.

Evening Run (and a haiku)

2007-04-20T13:09:00.000-05:00

twilight's last glow
reflecting across the lake
-- tomorrow's hope

Yesterday I grabbed my gym bag as usual when I went out the door in the morning. Unfortunately, I forgot to put my running shoes into the bag. I had taken them out to dry after my previous run in the rain. So I worked straight through lunch and figured I'd leave work at a decent time and run from home. But of course I ended up working until 7:00. By the time I got home, it was getting dim. Not to be deterred, I laced up and headed out for 5 miles (twice around Fresh Pond). When I started running, and looked west across the pond at the last light of evening reflected in the still water, I was just stunned. It was so beautiful. The haiku was complete before I finished the first loop.

The hamstring has definitely improved. I can still feel it after a run, but it is much better. I'm looking forward to a short run tomorrow, and then 9 miles Sunday morning along the Charles River.

And so the mileage starts to increase. If all goes well, I'll be running the Boston Run to Remember on Memorial Day weekend.

C-Ya

Boston 2007 Pictures

2007-04-16T16:07:00.000-05:00

Just a couple pics from today's race...

I was standing at mile 20, right in the middle of Heartbreak Hill. We have friends who live right there on Commonwealth Ave. (VERY convenient). They had a brunch/party today and I just sort of crashed it for a bit.

The weather was not great, but it could have been a lot worse. Deena was with the lead pack right into Wellesley (where she had to heed the call of nature). By the time the women reached this point (mile 20), it was down to these three. Lidiya (number 6) would eventually outpace the others in the last couple miles.

Deena still looked awesome. At mile 20 she was in 5th place, but had someone right behind her. I'm not sure when she pulled away, but at least she got a top 5 place (I think it was worth 1 point in the marathon series).

At mile 20, the lead pack for the men was still huge. There were probably two dozen running right together. By the top of the hill, the front 7 (I think) pulled away. If you watched it on TV, you know that Robert Cheruiyot very impressively pulled away not long after that. He's the one on the right wearing number 1.

After watching and cheering for some of the masses, and warming up at our friends' house, I had to head into work (yuk!). [And these uploads were delayed because when I got to work I discovered we were under an internet attack and our networks were on their knees.]

Lastly, prayers go out for the victims and families of all those involved in the terrible shooting incident this morning at Virginia Tech.

Hyannis Pics -- As Promised

2007-04-16T15:53:00.000-05:00

Hyannis Marathon - February 2007

Prior to the race:

The starting line (obviously). I'm way back.

Anja enjoying the beach and scenery while waiting for me at the 5 mile mark. (Yes, it was very beautiful -- even for the runners.)

The infamous shirt change at 18 miles. (Somehow I knew Anja would be here with her camera.)

Just after finishing (ready to hurl).

Me and my bud -- Bill Rogers (really nice guy).

That's all.

C-Ya

Hamstrung

2007-04-14T15:32:00.000-05:00

Yes, the other reason I've been a bit quiet on my blog is because I have also been recovering from a minor, but chronic hamstring injury.

The hamstring has been bothering me for about 6 months. I trained through it for my last marathon, but I suspect it was one reason I did not race at my potential. It never got really bad, but after every long run, and every hard speed or hill workout, it was there. Just lingering in my butt.

So I decided that I wanted to really give it a chance to heal before I take my training up another notch in my quest for a BQ. As I was doing my recovery runs after the Hyannis Marathon, I was keeping track of exactly how the hamstring was doing. As soon as my mileage got back up into the 20's (for the week), the tweak in my hamstring came back. So I cut back, and then cut back some more. For the last two weeks, I have only run twice per week (and only about 4 to 6 miles each time). This last week things were feeling much better, so I plan to start increasing the mileage again.

As you can see from my updated schedule, I'd like to do a half marathon on Memorial Day weekend. As long as I can start increasing my mileage in the next week or so, I should be able to pull that one off. The serious training starts in late June and I'd like to get back up into the 40's by then. I'll have to see how the next couple weeks go.

Meanwhile, good luck to anyone running Boston on Monday. It's going to be miserable weather, but I sure plan to be out on the course to watch Deena kick some ass. I tentatively plan to be on Heartbreak Hill (we have friends who live there). Since they moved the race time up, I'll be able to watch the competitive runners on the hill and then at least the front part of the masses. I'll have to head back into work in the afternoon.

C-Ya

Two Haiku

2007-04-13T17:07:00.000-05:00

sweeping swirling
snow gently drifts down
-- a soft white blanket

snow melt mud
clinging to shoes,
running free

These were the last haiku of the Winter and the first haiku of Spring. Both were written in my head during runs. The first one was about a month ago. I thought it might be the last snow of the Winter. Yeah, right. It snowed yesterday -- April 12 -- then turned to sleet and then rain, and then rained out the Red Sox game I had tickets to. [At least the game was rescheduled.] The second one was written when I did my first run back on the trails after the snow and all the ice had melted and the rain finally let up enough to get out onto the trails. It was muddy.

Yes, I know, I haven't posted in a very long time. My post-race recovery turned into a bit more of a break from running. Not a complete break, but a more complete rest period. So I took a break from blogging as well. At least the writing part. I have still been reading all of your blogs out there (and commenting occasionally).

So, I still owe everyone at least a couple pictures from the last marathon, and an explanation for the prolonged absence. Look for my next post. Soon.

C-Ya

Hyannis Marathon - Race Report

2007-02-27T23:04:00.000-05:00

Short Version:

4:09

Dang. Once again, I did not make my goal of getting under 4 hours.

Longer Version:

The day before the race, it was kind of cold (low to mid 30's) and a bit breezy. But the forecast called for a little warming and not much wind. Looking good.

We met up with daughter and boyfriend who drove over from NYC, and we drove the marathon course and then hit the expo. After picking up my shirt and chip (and a few goodies), I was kind of excited to meet Bill Rogers (an inspiration for me), who was autographing posters. It was actually a little embarassing. I was wearing my Grand Canyon "Rim to Rim to Rim" sweatshirt and he asked about it. (It's a hike organized by some former co-workers.) I did mention it was mostly hiking (not so much running). But when he autographed my poster, he wrote "congratulations on the Grand Canyon marathon". Oops.

The pasta dinner at the Sheraton was fine and Rogers was the speaker. I appreciated what he said about how he thinks for a lot of people, at least for us very average runners, it takes about three years for the body to adjust to racing the marathon (without cramping). Of course, I'm at about 2 1/2 years right now, but I felt like I was prepared finally to have a really good race.

We were able to get a pretty good night's sleep. It was very quiet in the hotel (unlike the previous night), and at 7:30 I was up and eating a little breakfast. After a bagel with almond butter, half a banana, and some energy drink, I spent the next hour in the hotel room getting dressed and stretching out. We then drove over to the start and I just went over and got in the line for the john. Timed it just about perfectly. As I finished, I handed my extra clothes to my support team, sucked down a GU and took a few sips of water, then found my place in the ranks.

Big crowd. I was not expecting that many people at the start. They started the marathon, the half marathon, the marathon relay, and a 10K all together at 10:00 a.m. It was more than a minute after the gun went off that I crossed the starting line.

I pretty much stuck to my plan as far as effort goes in the first 6 miles (except for the first mile which was a good 40 seconds slow because of the crowds). I started at about a 9:05 pace and slowly increased to 8:45. At 6 miles I was supposed to hit 8:35 per mile, but after that I mostly just kept bouncing around 8:40 to 8:50 per mile. Not quite as fast as I planned.

The course, though stunningly beautiful, was just a little hilly. No killer hills. And not enough to really wipe you out. But over the course of 26.2 miles, it added up.

The temperature was just great (at least for a New England February marathon). Sunny and high 30's for quite a bit of the race. And since I had a support crew, I had them provide a shirt change for me. Just before mile 18, I pulled off my (now very sweaty and chilly) shirt and swapped it for a nice warm dry shirt and a pair of gloves. That felt great. Little did I know, however, that the race photographer was right around the corner. The race pictures might be interesting.

Though I wasn't running quite as fast as I had planned, I was still running strong. My pace never fell off through the first 18 miles. And even miles 19 and 20 only slowed a little. I hit 20 miles in 3 hours exactly -- still feeling pretty good. The hill at 21 miles, however, really wore me down and I was slowing just a little too much. And then, just after 23 miles, a cramp hit my left leg.

Short history. In my first marathon, I started cramping (big time) at mile 20. Both legs -- calves, lateral side, medial side. My second marathon I went out way too fast and I got dehydrated which made the cramping worse -- it started at mile 16. At Phoenix, I made it to mile 22 before I started cramping. Again, both legs -- all sorts of muscles.

This time, however, I made it to mile 23 and then only one muscle cramped -- left leg, lateral side. I did have to stop briefly to walk it off. It didn't last too long and I was off and running again. But I lost about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes there. The last few miles were slower. I was out of energy and really digging down just to keep going. Just after mile 25, the same muscle cramped up again. Once again I stopped to walk it off. It took me just a bit longer to get myself going again, but Anita really gave me some encouragement in that last mile to pick it up and finish strong.

I ran it into the finish with my left leg on the verge of cramping up again.

4:09

Almost exactly the time I got in Phoenix about one year ago. Not what I was hoping for.

And on the negative side for the race itself -- they were OUT of the complimentary beers when I got to the post-race party!

But I felt better running this race. I felt stronger and more consistent throughout the race. I think my splits were more even (further analysis will tell). And of course, I went farther before I cramped, and then when I did, it was much less severe than previous races. My next marathon will be around the 3 year anniversary of my first one. A reliable source says I'll make it through without cramping at all.

And to paraphrase Bill Rogers, any marathon where you don't end up in the medical tent is a good one.

After a few hours rest and recovery, we went out for a very nice Italian dinner (Alberto's in Hyannis -- highly recommended) to celebrate my race and our daughter's birthday. There was pasta, wine, dessert and about 5 glasses of water.

I'll post a few pictures and a few other comments in the next day or so. Until then, I'm in recovery mode.

C-Ya

Hyannis Marathon - Pre-race Report

2007-02-26T15:39:00.000-05:00

[I actually wrote this on Saturday -- but I lost my internet connection just before I could upload it. Race report will follow later this evening.]

I was hoping to get the day off from work on Friday so we could drive down to Hyannis early in the day. Didn't work out. I had to work until about 2:00 p.m. (boo). So by the time we hit the road, we were in the south shore Boston rush hour traffic. That added almost an hour to our drive.

We got to our hotel in Hyannis around 6:30; a little tired. We checked in and after settling into our room, and a light supper, decided to get to bed early. At which point the noise in the room directly above us kicked in. It sounded like a half dozen kids running around, talking and yelling, television blaring. This continued until almost 1:00 a.m. We complained several times. They've now promised us a (different) quiet room tonight. At least we were able to sleep in a little -- though I was hoping for more like 9 uninterrupted hours of sleep. Tonight should be better.

Hyannis is clear, chilly and breezy this morning. It's about 28 degrees right now. But forecast for tomorrow calls for about 32 degrees at race start, warming up to about 36 degrees (and not as breezy). For a winter New England marathon, that sounds pretty good to me.

Yesterday I picked up a pair of "wind" briefs -- 35% off at Marathon Sports in Cambridge, and another running shirt -- 50% off (Marathon Sports has a winter gear sale going on). I plan to wear the wind briefs under my Race-Ready shorts.

Hey, if you women can blog about your sports bras, I can write about my wind briefs.

I also picked up my gels for the race (Gu -- assorted flavors).

Daughter Anja and boyfriend Ben are on their way now to Hyannis, and together with Anita will form my most awesome support team. Yeah, team! Their most important function is to be at mile 18 to give me my change of shirt and gloves. Even in these cold temperatures, I find that even 16 to 20 miles of running can produce plenty of sweat -- and it gets cold. So I plan to change shirts at that point in the race.

I've planned out my nutrition. I've got my pre-race breakfast with me. Bagel with almond butter. Maybe a little fruit. I drink until 45 minutes before the race. (I tried drinking until 30 minutes prior -- but 30 minutes just wasn't quite long enough to let everything pass through.) I'll take one gel just before the start, and then one every 45 minutes. And I'll take an endurolyte every 60 minutes. This is much less than I did in my last race. That race was a disaster. I think just that little extra electrolyte boost will be plenty for me.

Goal: sub 4:00:00 Target: 3:40 - 3:50

And to recap the race plan...

Miles 1-2 -- 9:05 pace Miles 3-4 -- 8:55 pace Miles 5-6 -- 8:45 pace Miles 7-26.22 -- 8:35 pace for a target finish of 3:47. And as long as I keep it under 9:00, I'll should have my sub-4 race.

Now it's off to drive the course and then check in at the expo.

Next report will be post-race!

C-Ya

100 Days - 30000 Crunches

2007-02-22T17:54:00.000-05:00

So 100 days ago, I saw some of you bloggers out there were picking up on these "daily challenges". I had been following Beansprout who did 100 consecutive days of 10K(+) runs. Then I see Olga takes on a daily challenge that included doing 300 abdominal repetitions per day (along with other "challenges") for 50 days, which she got from Rob the Runner who was doing something similar. So I, almost flippantly, decided to jump on the bandwagon...

Sure, sounds like fun, I'm going to do 300 ab reps per day for 100 days. That would take me almost up to my planned marathon. I figured the core strength would really help in the late miles of the race.

We'll see.

Today, 100 days later, I did my 30000th crunch.

Now I must confess that this represents an average of 300 per day. There were, in fact, days where I missed maybe 100, or 200 reps. Then I would make them up over the next day or two. But the vast majority of days it was 300 reps. A good chunk of them were sort of standard crunches, but I also did reverse crunches, twisting crunches, and other variations focusing on my sides and back as well. I feel pretty good. There were days I really wish I hadn't signed up for it. But I'm the type of person who, when he says he's going to do something, will follow through.

Rock hard abs? Well, pretty firm, but I need to lose a few more pounds before it's really visible. I'm not going to sweat it.

I'm more interested in maintaining my running form between miles 20 and 26 this Sunday. I'm looking forward to that challenge. It's only one day.

C-Ya

Marathon Week

2007-02-21T15:57:00.000-05:00

It's already here. I'll be running the Hyannis Marathon this Sunday (Feb. 25th). I did my last real training run today at lunchtime (7 miles). Tomorrow is a day off and then an easy 3 or 4 on Friday (there's a 5K run with Bill Rogers I may try to get in on -- especially since it concludes with beer), and another shakeout jog on Saturday -- maybe 3 miles and a couple strideouts. The race is at 10:00 a.m.

I know, I know. A New England marathon in February?! Hey, I'm not going to have to worry about heat exhaustion. Actually the weather is shaping up to be pretty good for running. Forecast calls for a breezy 37 degrees. As long as Friday's snow gets cleared out, it'll be fine.

So what is my goal? My target range is 3:40 to 3:50. But I'll be satisfied with anything under 4:00. I've been guilty of going out too fast in every marathon I've done (except maybe Phoenix). So I've practiced my race pace cut-down. The first 2 miles will be at 9:05 pace. The next two miles will be 8:55. The next two will be 8:45. After the first 6 miles, I'll hit my remaining race pace of 8:35. An 8:35 pace gets me right around a 3:45 marathon, but the initial cut-down adds 2 minutes so following this plan nets about 3:47. If I'm not feeling trashed at 20 miles, I'll try to get under 3:45 by picking it up just a little bit. That's the plan anyway.

Am I ready for it? I think so. Even though work did at times intrude on my training, I was still able to get in most of my runs. I did miss one of my long runs a couple months back, but I ended up with three 20 to 21 milers (and plenty of 16 to 18 milers) and six weeks of 50+ miles (with a max of 60). I've practiced my marathon goal pace a bit more than previous attempts, so we'll see how this all turns out.

Check out tomorrow's post for an update on the daily challenge!

C-Ya

Haiku for a Taper

2007-02-20T17:47:00.000-05:00

snow and ice laced,
a field lies fallow
-- regenerating

Ok, yes it has been quite a while since I posted. And unbelievably, I am already in the last week of my taper for a marathon! Yes! I'm running a marathon this weekend!

More details to follow tomorrow. Suffice to say that I am actually -- finally -- getting out from underneath the pressures of work for a bit. And just in time to rest up for my race.

C-Ya

Brrrr...

2007-01-20T20:55:00.000-05:00

It's cold.

OK, I have no right to complain. Especially when I look at the Midwest, and all the snowstorms the Northwest has gotten. We've had it pretty easy here in Boston. But Winter has finally arrived. Virtually no snow yet, but it was really cold this weekend.

Saturday was in the low 20's (I think) and very breezy, so that sent the wind chill down. I did my easy 5 miler around Fresh Pond, but I just felt chilled to the bones for the rest of the day.

Then Sunday morning arrived. I got up for my long run. I had 17 planned. I was getting dressed and had already had my normal pre-long run toast with almond butter, when I checked the weather. It was 12 with wind gusts to 23 mph. That sent the wind chill down to about -2 or -4. That was it. I drew the line. I really didn't want to spend 2 1/2 hours out in that weather. Went back to bed. It was supposed to warm up a bit later in the day so I decided to wait.

Around 3:00 I finally headed out, dressed in full regalia. Running pants over shorts, jacket over heavy shirt, full face wool hood and fleece cap on top, gels in my pockets, and carrying an insulated water bottle. It was still pretty cold, but it worked out well. I was overdressed for the first 6 miles (and took off the wool hood), but after that, it was about right (and I put the hood back on around mile 7). I put in 15 miles -- felt like 16 or more with all that running gear.

51 miles for the week.

====================

The Daily Challenge (300 ab reps/day for 100 days):

20500 down, 9500 to go.
I have passed the 2/3rds mark.

Rock hard abs? You know the guy on the cover of Runner's World? Well, my abs don't look like his. But they are feeling pretty solid (under those last few pounds I need to lose).

C-Ya

Big Miles (for me anyway)

2007-01-07T20:34:00.000-05:00

After missing a key workout in each of the two previous weeks, this last week I nailed everything for the most miles I've ever run in a week.

This morning's long run, just shy of 21 miles, capped off a 60 mile week! And it was not a crappy run (like my last 20 miler a few weeks back). For the record, Monday through Sunday went as follows:

Mon: day off
Tue: 15 miles close to goal marathon pace (it was quite windy, so a little slower)
Wed: 4 easy
Thu: 6 medium
Fri: 7 medium (with hills)
Sat: 3 easy
Sun: 20+ (long)

And given the extreme weather we've had here, I was actually worried that this morning (January 7th in Boston) would be TOO WARM! It was 72 degrees yesterday (freaky). I ran in shorts and t-shirt and was SWEATING. But it did cool off and I had near perfect running weather -- mid 40's pushing into the low 50's by the time I finished.

C-Ya

Coming Up for Air

2007-01-03T23:27:00.000-05:00

Just a brief post to let everyone know I am still among the living.

With a huge push to finish up some big tasks at work, the holidays, the marathon training, and problems with my PC, etc., I just really haven't had time to post anything. Hopefully that will be changing in the next couple of weeks.

Oh yeah, my system RAM went bad on my PC. The new RAM arrives tomorrow (along with an upgrade to my video card). I'll be installing that and then re-installing Linux. (The RAM failure took out my linux file system -- the windows files are OK as far as I know. I really didn't lose that much personal data, it's just a hassle re-installing stuff.)

So the training is going pretty well. I did miss two key workouts over the last several weeks (it just got to be too much with a big push at work and the holidays). I missed one long run and one tempo run. I'm back in the swing of things this week and will probably hit my highest mileage ever for a single week.

The daily challenge has continued. I don't have my log book handy, but it's been 300 ab reps per day.

Hope everyone had a great holiday season and is enjoying a happy new year. More to come this weekend (after my computer is upgraded).

C-Ya

Checking In

2006-12-06T23:11:00.000-05:00

dessicated leaves
cover the trail
-- and the cracked ice

Just checking in with a haiku and a short update. I've been incredibly preoccupied with work and traveling to Arizona last week to spend a little time with family, and so have not had time to update this blog lately.

The daily challenge is still going strong (sorry, I don't have the totals handy right now -- don't remember which day I started on -- will update again very soon). I must admit that there have been a couple days that I didn't get ALL 300 ab reps in -- BUT I did make them up and so am maintaining an average of 300 reps per day.

The running is going quite well. Last Sunday I did a marathon goal pace run in Tucson. [Side note: flew from Boston to Phoenix last Thursday night and it was colder in Phoenix than it was in Boston!] Anyway, the goal pace (GP) run was different. The objective was to start with the 6-mile cutdown -- 8:50 pace for the first 2 miles, 8:40 pace for miles 3 & 4, 8:30 pace for miles 5 & 6. Then run current marathon goal pace (about 8:20) for 8 miles. Unfortunately, Saturday night the wind began to howl. I woke up to incredibly strong winds Sunday morning. My out and back route would be interesting. The first two miles were kind of meandering around a neighborhood and were pretty close to being on target, but the next 5 miles were all WITH the wind. And boy were they fast (yeah, well faster than planned). BUT, I maintain that they were at an appropriate effort. The fun began when I turned around for the return. There was no way to maintain GP against that wind. I may as well have been running up a steep hill -- it was that strong. But my average for the entire run was an 8:32 pace (14 miles). My goal average was 8:29, so I was pretty damn close for having to deal with all the wind.

Then after taking Monday off (and traveling back to Boston), I did a tempo run yesterday (Tuesday). Three miles easy, 5 miles at tempo pace, and 2 miles easy recovery. I took 4 seconds per mile off my tempo pace, and added a mile onto the tempo run I did two weeks ago. Feeling strong.

Today was an easy 5 mile recovery run. I think I've got a 10 miler scheduled for tomorrow, then a couple easy runs before Sunday's 20-miler. I'm feeling good. I've had a couple minor aches and pains (left hamstring and left foot), but they seem to be improving.

Work will be hell for a little while so posting will be sporadic. But I'll be lurking and keeping up with everyone.

C-Ya

Back From Holiday Break

2006-11-27T17:02:00.000-05:00

We've had company staying with us for the past 5 days so I haven't had much opportunity to write anything. But I have been keeping up with (almost) everything else. Let's start with the daily challenge.

Daily Challenge Status (300 ab reps per day for 100 days):
Day 13: 3900 down -- 26,100 to go
Thanksgiving was a challenging day. We got a late start, Anita and I were cooking all day, and I didn't get around to doing them until after dinner (before pie). Anja joined in and the two of us cranked out 300 ab reps while the rest of the family and friends harrassed us. All in good fun.

Last Tuesday was my second tempo run. I ended up cutting the total length of the run by 1 mile (8 actual versus 9 planned), but still did the "Lactate Threshold" pace for 4 miles (per plan). I took about 10 seconds off my pace from my last one. The four miles were covered at an 8:04 pace.

Wednesday was an easy 5 miles and then I missed my first run of this cycle on Thanksgiving Day. Got up too late, had too much to do, too much to eat, it was cold and windy and rainy, blah, blah, blah. I let it go.

We did have a great Thanksgiving feast. Anita and I did the turkey (she always does the stuffing). Our out of town friends made appetizers and vegetable dishes. Anja has perfected the smashed potatoes. Kai was coerced into making an orange-cranberry sauce. Anja's boyfriend, Ben, made two pumpkin pies. I also made a gingered-pear pie. Had a Thanksgiving dinner that just couldn't be beat.

Friday was a very nice 10 mile run along the Charles River, and then Saturday was another easy 5 miler.

Sunday was my first serious long run: from home (near Fresh Pond) to the Charles River (Elliot Bridge), to the Harvard Bridge (Mass. Ave.), out past the Fens to the Riverway trails, out to (and around) Jamaica Pond, back on the Riverway trails, past the Fens to the Harvard Bridge, along the river back to Elliot Bridge and back home. 18 miles. 9:10 pace. And it did NOT suck.

Today (Monday) was a recovery day and I did just a bit of cross-training (rowing, abs/weights/cycling). My legs are still a little stiff, but they feel pretty good.

This is a recovery week, so my mileage is cut back a bit. I do plan to do another marathon goal pace run on Sunday (14 miles).

C-Ya

Catching Up

2006-11-20T18:10:00.000-05:00

It's been a few days since I posted, so here's the update...

Daily Challenge
Daily Challenge Status (300 ab reps per day for 100 days):
Day 6: 1800 down -- 28,200 to go
Days 1 and 2 were pretty easy. Started getting a little tougher on day 3. Today (day 6) was a bit easier. [I'm not going to post every day about this -- just enough to let everyone know how it's coming along.]

Thursday (11/16)

Nice 10-miler on mostly muddy trails again. Weather continued to be unseasonably warm. Thursday evening it was 72 degrees. Just weird.

Friday (11/17)

Did some cross training and then an easy 4 miler on very muddy trails.

Saturday (11/18)

Easy 5 miler -- twice around Fresh Pond. It was a bit colder Saturday morning and the rain seems to be gone now.

I built and (mostly) installed an island in our kitchen. By the time I went to bed, I was really tired. I knew then that Sunday morning's long run was not going to be much fun.

Sunday (11/19)

It wasn't fun. Down to the Charles River, over to the Science Museum, all the way back to Watertown (Beacon St. Bridge) and home. 16 miles. I felt slow and sluggish the whole way. Much slower than anything in the last few weeks (about 9:24 pace). I did pick up the pace in the last few miles.

Monday (today)

Cross training at lunch time. Rowing, abs, weights, cycling. I cut it a bit short because I had plenty of work to do and I also wanted to get some decent recovery time after yesterdays cruddy run. And...

We are officially EX-homeowners! Sellers closed this afternoon. No more mortgage payments for an empty house. Yeah!

Tempo run tomorrow. Hoping to pick up the pace a bit from the last one. We'll see.

C-Ya

Wash My Eyes

2006-11-15T13:55:00.000-05:00

Wash my eyes, that I may see,
Yellow return to the willow tree.
Open my ears, that I may hear,
The river running swift and clear.

And please - wash my eyes.
And please - open my ears.

Wash this world, it is one place,
It wears such a mad and a fearful face.
Let the cruel raging cease.
Let these children sleep in peace.

And please - wash this world.
And please - let these children sleep in peace.

- Greg Brown

This song was going through my head for my entire run today (an easy 5 miler on still-muddy trails).

Daily Challenge Status (300 ab reps per day for 100 days):
Day 1: 300 down -- 29,700 to go

C-Ya

Nothing or Double

2006-11-14T17:15:00.000-05:00

cool wet fields of hay
hidden birds emerge
- whisper across the sky

Lia asked if I composed my haikus during my runs. The answer is yes, and no. Although they are all inspired by my runs, only occasionally will a complete haiku will come to me during a run. Usually I experience some connection with something I encounter on my run. A particular place, time, feeling. Something about it will resonate with me. As well, a few words will be suggested. A phrase or two. Then usually later in the day I'll recollect the image and the words and then construct a haiku that (hopefully) maybe suggests something even deeper. Only a very few times have I been able to piece together an entire haiku during a run. I think it's probably better to just "experience" it on the run, and then later, with some additional introspection, flush it out, polish it.

Today was a nice run on mostly muddy trails. My shoes are drying next to my desk right now. I also included 10 X 100m strideouts in the last couple miles. Total of 8 miles.

OK, so beansprout has taken on the challenge of running 100 10K's in 100 days. She is already more than halfway through. Very impressive - that's twice as many days as Dean Whats-his-name. But wait! Now Olga is taking on a daily challenge. For 50 days (among other things) she is doing 300 ab reps per day. Like I said in the comment I left there, I was feeling pretty good about moving up to 150 ab reps 3 days per week.

So... since it seems I have just over 100 days until my next marathon, I will take on the following challenge:

[Doubling Olga's challenge]
300 ab reps per day for 100 days

This is gonna hurt for a few days...

Olympic Swag!

2006-11-13T21:29:00.000-05:00

I promised Tammy I'd post this (eventually) -- so here it is.

Tammy had a contest on her blog to guess where she was going to spend a week. Knowing Tammy's keen interest in cycling, and a desire to do an internship there, I figured it was probably the US Olympic training center in Colo. Springs.

It was. And Tammy sent me this cool swag for guessing correctly.

Sorry the image isn't clearer -- but you should be able to read the tag: USA Torino 2006. I feel like jumping onto a bobsled when I wear it!

A Really Good Run

2006-11-13T11:18:00.000-05:00

After Thursday's 10 miler, I was ready for a couple of easy days. On Friday I did the first half of my normal cross training (rowing, abs, weights, cycling), and then went out for a very easy 4 mile run on the trails. It was a beautiful day and I wanted to make sure I enjoyed the remainder of the good weather for the season. (Forecast called for rain and dropping temperatures starting on Sunday.)

Saturday, I did another easy run. Two laps around Fresh Pond for a total of 5 miles. The weather was holding. It was a bit cooler, but still quite nice. And then the day just kept getting nicer and nicer. I figured Sunday morning would still hold some pretty good running weather.

When I got up Sunday morning to do my 12 mile goal pace run, it was just unbelievably warm. And I thought I had already done my last run for the year in a T-shirt! It felt like it was well into the 60's at 7:30 in the morning. It was overcast and almost muggy. By 6 miles I was absolutely drenched in sweat.

The plan was to practice running marathon pace, complete with a 6-mile cutdown. My current estimated marathon pace is 8:30 per mile (enough for a solid PR, but not enough for a BQ -- we'll see how the training goes). So the idea is to run the first two miles at 9:00, the next two at 8:50, and the next two at 8:40. That's a gradual cut-down over the first 6 miles to the goal pace of 8:30. The remainder of the run (6 miles in this case) is done at goal pace -- 8:30. It adds 2 minutes to your marathon time to start the first six miles like this, but it also forces the runner to start conservatively -- saving valuable energy for the later stages of the race. This is important for me to nail down because more than once I've gone out too fast (and there is evidence that going out too fast also contributes to cramping in the late stages of a marathon). So here's how it panned out...

Miles 1 & 2 -- 18:16 (16 seconds behind, 9:08 pace versus goal of 9:00). (just a bit slow)
Miles 3 & 4 -- 17:46 (6 seconds behind, 8:53 pace versus goal of 8:50). (much closer)
Miles 5 & 6 -- 17:18 (2 seconds ahead, 8:39 pace versus goal of 8:40). (almost spot on!)
Miles 7 - 12 -- 50:31 (29 seconds ahead, 8:25 pace versus goal of 8:30). (oh, yeah.)
Overall -- 1:43:51 (9 seconds under goal).

This run felt GREAT. I felt like I could have continued the goal pace for several more miles. It's still very early in the training cycle (15 weeks until the marathon) and I feel confident I will at least be able to run my next marathon at this pace (a bit faster if I can lose a few more pounds).

And that gave me 44 miles for the week (similar mileage to last week). This next week bumps it up a bit more with a 16 miler on Sunday to 48 miles. I'll be ready for my first serious long run.

C-Ya

Not That Bad, Really

2006-11-09T18:04:00.000-05:00

OK, I said that last Sunday's run was a bit tough. I should clarify that. It was tough in a good way. As in, pushing through some soreness and tiredness and still finishing at a good pace and actually feeling good about the run.

OK, so on Monday, my day off from running, I did some cross training. I was kind of tired, so I cut the circuit training part a little short (half as many reps). I still did about 20 minutes of rowing.

Then on Tuesday, I had my first tempo run of this cycle. I started out with a 2-mile warm-up at an easy pace. Then I picked it up to what should be lactate threshold pace (somewhere between my 10K and 15K race pace), and held it for 4 miles. I finished with another easy 2 miles. I averaged 8:15 for the tempo part of the run. A little slower than I would have liked, but I'm OK with it. It was my first real up-tempo run in quite a while. Tuesday night, of course, I stayed up WAY too late watching the election returns.

Yeah, I was quite pleased. [No gloating.]

Unfortunately, I just didn't get nearly enough sleep that night. On Wednesday, my easy 5-mile recovery run was a real butt-dragger. I'm glad I no longer time those runs. It would have been depressing.

Today, however, after a really good night's sleep, I ran 10 miles at lunchtime. I mapped out ahead of time a new section of trails near Concord and measured it out with favoriterun.com's google earth interface. The weather today was simply amazing. Almost too warm. Upper 60's! This is crazy for November in Massachusetts. Averaged 8:36 per mile for the 10 miles. Felt very, very good.

Easy runs for the next two days, then my first "goal pace" run on Sunday. That will be where I practice going out 30 seconds SLOWER than goal pace, and gradually increase to goal pace in the first 6 miles (then hold that for the duration of the run). This one will be 12 miles total. Last week I did 43 miles, and this week should be 44, so no big increase this week.

And, on a MOST exciting note... It looks like we have FINALLY sold our house back in Kansas! We close before Thanksgiving.

[...and there was much rejoicing]

Not Easy (and another haiku)

2006-11-06T10:58:00.000-05:00

bare limb juts over
cold still water - suspended
between blue skies

Saturday morning was a little chilly. I did an easy 5 miler - a couple times around Fresh Pond. A long bare branch suspended over the water in Fresh Pond inspired the haiku. Many dogs (and their respective owners) were out enjoying the brisk air. Per my oath -- no watch, no time, just easy running.

Sunday morning was my first long run of this cycle.

I should explain that I consider 7 to 9 miles to be a medium length run, 10 - 13 miles to be medium/long, and 14 or more miles to be long. So this was my first long run of this training cycle. Just because of how the mileages line up around the Charles River, I ended up doing two different loops (Elliot Bridge to Harvard Bridge - 7.2 miles, and Weeks Bridge to Harvard Bridge - 5.2 miles), plus the round-trip to the river (1.8 miles), for a total of 14.2 miles.

I can't say it wasn't painful.

"Pain is weakness leaving the body" became my mantra for the last 3 miles. Oh, if I had slacked off on the pace towards the end it might not have been as tough. But I made sure I did not let up one bit. I ran consistently and strong right to the end. I did the second half slightly faster than the first half (negative splits), and finished strong. Time was 2:05:27 -- 8:50 pace.

I ended up with 43 miles for the week (1 more than planned). That was because on Friday when I was doing my cross-training, when I got to the end where I was to do 10 minutes of rowing to finish up, someone jumped on the rowing machine. I didn't want to wait around, so I did 1 mile on the treadmill instead -- thus the extra mile.

This week will be 44 miles, including a tempo run tomorrow. Today I'm just a bit stiff from yesterday's long run so the cross-training will feel good.

C-Ya

A Most Excellent Run (and a haiku)

2006-11-02T15:16:00.000-05:00

blue gray lichen
edges the smooth wet stone
- reflecting cloudy skies

After two incredible unseasonably warm days (almost 70 degrees!), a cold front moved through this morning. It was chilly and rainy most of the morning. Luckily the rain had moved on by the time I went out for my run. I did wear gloves for the first time this season (and a long sleeve shirt, shorts, and hat). Although my hands were a little warm and sweaty by the end, I was dressed about right.

And it was a great 10 mile run. Through muddy trails. Colonial houses lining quaint streets in Concord. More muddy trails behind (North of) the Sleep Hollow cemetary. Returning the back way by the airport (Hanscom) and pounding up the last big hill to the parking lot.

8:28 pace all the way.

Feeling really good.

And to recap the last week...

Last week ended with a total of 38 miles, including a 10 miler last Thursday and 13 on Sunday. Tuesday of this week was 8 miles (a lot of trails) with 10 X 100m strideouts (during which I over-stressed my right quads -- they're better now). Yesterday was an easy-easy 5 miles.

This week will be a total of 42 miles with 14 on Sunday.

Congrats to everyone who ran marathons (Detroit and Marine Corps) last week!

C-Ya [some pics coming soon...]

Back in Training

2006-10-24T16:33:00.000-05:00

Yes, it is true, I am back in marathon training.

After a 6 1/2 mile run on Friday on some new trails (compliments of another runner here at work) at an 8:27 pace, a day off on Saturday, and another 12 mile run Sunday morning (about a 9:00 pace), I have begun another marathon countdown.

And which marathon is it that's 18 weeks away? (cue drum roll...)

Hyannis!

OK, that's gonna be cold, isn't it?

Yep.

But maybe not as cold as you might think. In the last 6 years, they've had one race with temps in the low 20's, two in the low 30's, and three in the 40's (three years ago it reached 49 degrees). Sure it's a dicey proposition, but the alternative - Austin - had an ice storm last year, was almost 80 degrees a prior year, and has a lot more hills in it. I'm stayin' local for this one.

So after building a pretty solid base of about 35 miles per week, I've started my training.

Monday was cross-training (after Sunday's medium/long run) -- rowing, cycling, abs and weights.

Today was an 8-mile medium (aerobic) run (8:37 pace) with ten 100m strideouts.

I feel a little tired this afternoon -- and that feels GREAT!

Why Haven't I Posted Since Sunday?

2006-10-19T14:17:00.000-05:00

I have no idea. Here's the summary so far this week.

Monday

Cross training day. Felt just a little sluggish after Sunday's 12 mile run. 1 mile warm-up (treadmill), abs/weights/rowing, 1 mile cool-down (treadmill).

Tuesday

Medium paced 8-mile run (out to Concord and back). Felt very good. Pace was 8:45 going out 4 miles. Pace was 8:41 coming back in (with more uphill). Average pace 8:43. Feeling strong.

Wednesday

An easy 4 mile run on the trails. It's so beautiful out with the Fall colors that I finally did something I've wanted to do for about a year. I took my camera out on my run. I will post a special link to the pics once I get them uploaded. It was actually almost warm again -- mid to high 60's and humid.

Thursday

Another cross training day. Just like Monday (same stuff), but felt much better.

I am finishing up my last week of base conditioning. Next week I will be starting my marathon training program. Stay tuned for more details...

C-Ya

Relaxing on Sunday (Mostly)

2006-10-15T17:06:00.000-05:00

Apart from a few miles of my run this morning, it's been a pretty relaxing day.

This morning I did 12 miles around the Charles River. Everything was going fine until I got to the B.U. bridge. It was there that I realized my run was not going to be the relaxing medium/long run that it usually is. It was that time of year again. The weekend of one of those walks/strides for the cure (I'm guessing Komen breast cancer).

It wasn't too bad along the Cambridge side of the river. Apparently that was because it hadn't actually even started yet. The walkers I saw were just walking to the start on the Boston side. By the time I rounded the Science Museum and was running back along the Boston side, the paths were totally filled up with people. They had just started the walk and I was attempting to make my way through these thousands of walkers.

Don't get me wrong. I thing what they're doing is great. I just wish they would at least stay on the paved paths and at least leave the little single track dirt paths to the runners and bikers. We could have dealt with it. But no, they've got to fill up the entire space between the river and Storrow Drive. They seriously slowed me down and at one point I just had to hop over the guard rail and run on Storrow Drive. This was not the safest move but the traffic was light and I didn't feel like walking for a mile in the crowd.

It was kind a chilly when I started (wore a long sleeve shirt for the first time this Fall), but I warmed up adequately within a couple miles. Despite being slowed down by the walkers (reduced to walking several times), I still averaged 8:58 for my 12 miles. I figure without the walkers I probably would have averaged about 8:54 (guessing I lost about a minute to them). It was still a very good run and an average pace a good 15 seconds per mile faster than last week.

Early this afternoon then, we had Audrey over for brunch. She was a good sport and didn't complain about my huevos rancheros. We had a very nice time, and good conversation, until she had to head off to study. Every RBF'er I've met has been so nice and she is no exception.

Tonight will be our normal routine of soup, salad and popcorn.

C-Ya

Friday Update

2006-10-13T12:32:00.000-05:00

Update for the week.

Wednesday was an easy 4 miler. I have no idea how fast I ran it. Remember, I'm not wearing my watch on my easy/recovery runs. It was a great run on the trails around here (Minute Man National Park) as the Fall foliage is really beautiful now. It's nice to just run and enjoy my surroundings -- and the amazing Autumn transformation. Maybe on next weeks easy run I'll take some pics.

Thursday was cross-training. Mostly rowing, weights and abs (with 1 mile warmup and 1 mile cooldown).

Ah, but today...

Temperatures are a little bit cooler -- in the 50's. There is a little breeze. And I pushed the pace a little bit on my 6 mile run. Everything was clicking. About halfway through mile 3, that old familiar runner's high just flooded through my body. It lasted for almost a mile. I did have to push a bit to maintain pace in the last couple of miles, but ended up running the 6 miles in 49:50 (about an 8:18 pace). It felt REALLY good. I am so ready to begin marathon training again (but that will wait for one more week).

Tomorrow is a day off, then 12 miles Sunday morning.

A Few Pics from NYC

2006-10-10T19:52:00.000-05:00

As promised, some pictures from our activities this last weekend in NYC (apart from running in Central Park with thousands of runners doing the NYC marathon 18 mile tune-up race).

NYC had a city-wide event going on this last weekend called Open House New York. All sorts of buildings, design centers, museums, etc. were open and conducting tours this last weekend. We did Brooklyn on Saturday and Manhattan on Sunday.

We got a tour of Urban Glass in Brooklyn. Here I am picking out a birthday present for myself (birthday was yesterday).

After a tour of BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music), we went out to a cemetary for a performance piece called "Angels and Accordians". It was really kind of cool. Accordianists playing music and angels (dancers in white) dancing around the cemetery.

On Sunday, after my run (followed by a jazz brunch in greenwich village), we checked out the Chrysler building. Here's daughter pointing out the art deco elevator.

As we left the building, I took this shot of a reflection of the Chrysler building in the building across the street. The flag is mounted on the Chrysler building above my head.

Next we walked over to the United Nations. Inside is one of my all-time favorite works of art -- the Chagall Window. The work was done by Marc Chagall (of course) and was dedicated to Dag Hammarskjöld on his death. Chagall dedicated the monument in 1963:

"To all who served the Purposes and Principles of the United Nations Charter, for which Dag Hammarskjöld gave his life"

Outside, this sculpture pretty much says it all.

From there we walked back to Grand Central Station. It's really too big to capture without a very wide angle lens, but here's some of it.

We finished our tour of NY architecture and design at the New York Public Library. If any of you recall the movie "Ghostbusters", this was the site of the lions who come to life. The lions' names are "Patience" and "Fortitude". I don't know which one is which.

On a running note, today I did 8 miles from work out to Concord and back. Pace was 8:47 per mile. Temperatures are still on the warm side. Felt great.

Too Cold; Too Hot; Just Right

2006-10-09T16:39:00.000-05:00

OK, so in my last post when I flippantly asked if anyone wanted to join me for a run in Central Park Sunday morning, I wasn't expecting so many of you to show up. Wow, such a big response!

...

Apparently, there was a NYC Marathon 18-mile tune-up race in Central Park. They started about 20 minutes before I did. The leaders passed just as I started (20 minutes into their race). The racers were doing 3 6-mile loops around the park. I did 2 loops (12 miles). I got lapped by the winner just a bit before their finish line (I was about 2 miles into my second loop). The guy went by me so fast -- amazing.

This One Is Too Cold

The first time I went to NYC I tried to run in Central Park but they had a record blizzard that weekend. Something like 27 inches of snow. I didn't even make it out to the park.

This One Is Too Hot

The next time I went to NYC, I got to the park. It was freaking hot. This was last July. I did 15 miles and it really wiped me out.

This One Is Just Right

Yesterday morning was just right for running. A nice and cool Autumn morning. I ran outside the race course markings and didn't even drink any of their gatorade (there are sufficient water fountains in the park).

I averaged 9:14 pace for the 12 miles. I had hoped I would be a little faster, but the park does have its hills and they did have some impact. But I felt very good after the run.

Interestingly, my split for the first 6-mile loop was 55:24. My split for the second 6-mile loop was 55:24. Don't think I could do that again if I tried; but glad to see I ran consistently.

Will post again with some pics from other activities of the weekend.

An Autumn Haiku

2006-10-06T16:10:00.000-05:00

cool zephyr
animates sanguine leaves
-- imminent change

It's Autumn and the leaves are changing. It really doesn't get any better than this. Temperatures in the 50's, a cool breeze, and a 6-mile trail run through the woods. And yes, I passed some blood-red colored leaves fluttering in the cool breeze.

OK, maybe the diction is a little esoteric in that haiku. I don't usually do this, but to save you the time looking them up: zephyr = gentle wind; animate = give motion to, but also to give life to; sanguine = blood-red color, but also hopeful, optimistic. So there is this implication of hope and life in a season symbolic of the end of life. But you can interpret it any way you want. Whatevuh.

The run was wonderful. I averaged an 8:43 pace (again!) for the 6 miles of trail with gentle hills. Stretched afterwards in the sun. Feeling really good. Fatigue gone. Rebuilding going very well. One or two more weeks of mid-30's mileage and then the marathon training starts up again.

Heading to NYC tonight. Tomorrow is a day off from running and we'll hit some of the Open House New York sites. On Sunday I plan to run Central Park again. Two loops -- 12 miles. Any NYC RBF'rs out there running Sunday morning?

34:43

2006-10-04T20:23:00.000-05:00

My 4-mile "recovery" mile this evening. That's about 8:42 per mile.

"Recovery" my ass. It's that damn watch.

I guess it's kind of a good news/bad news thing. I got a new battery today, installed it, and now as soon as I'm running with the watch, I'm pushing myself. The first two miles were actually at an 8:30 pace. I slowed down a bit in the second half.

Was it a good run? Yes -- the weather was beautiful and I was running strong. No -- I should have run more slowly. Yesterday was a medium pace 6 miles. This was supposed to be a recovery run. You eejit!

Recovery runs and watches don't mix. Unless you're running for time and not distance. So here is my oath for my upcoming marathon training session:

{hand upon a stack of marathon shirts}

With the family of running bloggers as my witness, I, [state your name] "Kurt in Boston", do solemnly swear that I will not wear a watch, or record my time, on any recovery run.

My recovery runs will be relaxed and easy, and I will not push myself to keep up with the young turk who just passed me, or to pass that old geezer who has no business running faster than me, or to impress that attractive runner who just flashed a pretty smile at me.

If I keep this oath faithfully, may my tempo runs be strong, my intervals fast and on the mark, and my long runs consistent, may my muscles, with the proper nutrition and rest, recover quickly and rebuild to a stronger state, and in my races may I be fleet of foot, running at my true potential; but if I swerve from it, or violate it, may the reverse be my lot.

What Time Is It?

2006-10-01T21:00:00.000-05:00

I have no clue.

Within the last three months, the batteries in every single watch I own has died. I suspect mysterious electromagnetic radiation from some sort of top secret project at M.I.T. has drained the energy out of every watch battery I own.

This has not been a bad thing.

I have been unable to time my runs for the last several weeks. And since it has been a rebuilding time, I think it is good. Even (or especially) on my "easy" runs, I too easily become a slave to my watch. Too often I listen to my watch rather than listen to my body. But this rebuilding phase has forced me to just go out and enjoy my runs.

On the other hand, it was nice to find that last week's 8-miler with DGC was at an 8:45 pace.

But since then, my runs have been chronograph-free. Tuesday and Thursday were 6-milers. Wednesday and Friday were cross-training days -- although they each also added 2 miles. Saturday was a day off.

Today (Sunday) I did a 10 mile loop around the Charles River. It was overcast with only a couple intermittent sprinkles (this was between 8 and 9:30). It felt like I was running 9 minute miles (but who knows). My legs were getting a little tired around the end of mile 8, and so I just started pushing it a bit harder. It felt good. Very good. (And no complaints from the hamstrings.) Total miles: 26.

This next week I'll be adding another running day and upping the weekly mileage to about 32. My plan is to hold my mileage in the mid 30's for two or three more weeks and then begin the marathon training (for either Hyannis or Austin).

And I think the chronograph-free runs have run their course. It's time to start making some self-assessments. See where I am as I get close to starting my training.

What time is it?

Time to replace the batteries in my watches.

Weekend in KC

2006-09-27T13:46:00.000-05:00

I spent the weekend in the Kansas City area. I needed to do some painting at the "house-that-won't-sell" in Overland Park, as well as a few other home maintenance tasks. It also gave me a chance to spend a little time with our son in Lawrence.

Saturday

I flew from Boston to Kansas City early Saturday morning. The kid (our son) picked me up at the airport and we stopped for some brunch on the way to the house. We met our realtor at the house and took care of a couple minor issues first, then went out to pick up the paint and a few supplies. After that I dropped the kid off at work. I spent the rest of the evening prepping the downstairs. I was pretty tired and ended up watching a movie while waiting for the kid to get off work ("Ice Harvest" -- interesting, but I prefer my movies a bit less gruesome). Then he and I drove out to Lawrence where we spent the night.

Sunday

The next morning I was up early, as DGC and I had made plans to run together. I drove back and we met up near the trails around 9:30. DGC started her Garmin and off we went. We did 8 miles out and back and according to the Garmin averaged 8:45 per mile. It was a good pace for me - just a slight pushing, but not so much that we couldn't keep up a conversation. And I think we talked constantly through the 70 minute run. It was great talking about past races, injuries, training, families, jobs, etc. The coversation then continued as we went for breakfast nearby.

I'll just say this about DGC -- she has no business looking so good after an 8 mile run.

I think only one of us looks like he ran 8 miles. Anyway, we had a great time and I look forward to meeting up again sometime.

I spent the rest of the day priming and painting. I was, however, distracted at one point in the afternoon when I looked out the window and saw this...

I believe it is a Cooper's Hawk. Anybody familiar with hawks? That's a squirrel it's nibbling on.

I stayed at the house that night as the kid had brought an air mattress over with a sleeping bag. It was almost midnight and I was ready to collapse. I unrolled the air mattress and began looking for the air pump. Nowhere to be found. I was so tired, I just crawled into the sleeping bag on the floor and fell asleep.

Monday

I woke up Monday morning a bit stiff, but rested. I almost immediately resumed painting. I knew I had a lot to do before I headed back to Boston. I took one break around 11:30 for lunch and then spent the rest of the day painting and then cleaning up. It was almost 9:00 pm by the time I had wrapped everything up and snapped a few pics. (How does it look?)

Drove back to Lawrence again, had dinner with the kid, and slept 4 hours on his sofa.

Tuesday

Early morning, we headed back to Kansas City to the airport. Seven hours later (14 hours after finishing the painting) I was back at my desk. Despite being dead tired, I went out for a 6 mile run in the early evening.

My left hamstring had been bothering me for a while (a literal pain in the butt), but seemed to be getting much better with my reduced training. But all day Tuesday I kept feeling twinges from it. I realized later that the slight flare-up was NOT due to Sunday's 8 mile run (followed by lots of painting and squatting down, etc.), but was aggravated by sitting on the airplane that morning. The hamstring felt GOOD both during and after the run. I can live with that. Slept very well last night.

Anyway, things are still going well with the rebuilding. Today was a bit of cross training (about an hour in the workout room at work).

C-Ya

Autumnal Equinox

2006-09-22T10:46:00.000-05:00

Technically, the Autumnal Equinox is tonight at 11:02 (Eastern). Just thought I'd throw that in there as a public service announcement. And because I couldn't think of another title for this post.

Yesterday's easy 5-miler was quite nice. The weather has turned cool and it finally feels like Fall (early Fall, anyway). I continue to alternate between easy runs and a mix of cross-training, circuit-training and running, with a medium/long run on the weekend. The hamstring issue is, for the most part, behind me (no pun intended). I'm aware of it, but it doesn't bother me and seems to be getting better each week.

As I mentioned previously, I'm now into the "rebuilding my base" phase. That means I get to start increasing my weekly mileage! I am so looking forward to that. I really can't wait to get out on some longer and harder runs. I'm feeling good and the weather has been spectacular.

This weekend I'll be in the Kansas City area to work on the "house-that-won't-sell". I need to make a few repairs and touch up some paint (actually repaint a couple of rooms). While there, I'm looking forward to getting out on some of my old trails -- and meeting up and running with DGC for a run on Sunday. I expect she'll kick my ass.

C-Ya

Anybody Running Austin?

2006-09-18T21:08:00.000-05:00

Sunday was the last run of my "recovery" phase. I did an easy 7 miles along the Charles River trails. I felt my left hamstring tighten up around mile 5, but it didn't last long and miles 6 and 7 felt great. I'm getting antsy to start building up my training again.

And so, today was the first day of my "rebuilding" phase. And ... I did some cross-training (1 mile warmup, circuit training/cycling, 1 mile cool down), about one hour.

I'm planning 4 or 5 weeks of rebuilding before I start marathon training. During this period I'll increase my mileage from about 24 miles per week to about 34 miles per week. My Sunday medium to medium-long run will increase from 8 (this week) to about 12 at the end.

Haven't decided on my marathon yet. I'm looking to do one in February and I'm considering either Austin, TX or Hyannis, Mass. (Oh yeah, Cape Cod in February). I'm sure Austin would be a lot of fun. It's such a great city -- the music, the food. But Hyannis is a bit closer to home (and therefore quite a bit cheaper).

Any other bloggers out there doing Austin?

More Easy Running

2006-09-14T10:31:00.000-05:00

flash of blue and white
a jay seeking shelter
from the late summer rain

Another nice easy 5-mile run today on the trails. It was a little bit warmer (though still cool), and more humid than the last two days.

I would say I have definitely recovered from the fatigue. All the residual soreness is gone. My runs feel relaxed. I feel relaxed. But I still have some twinges in my left hamstring. I'm hoping by next week those will have passed as well and I can start rebuilding. Until then, though, I'm happy to just be enjoying these easy runs.

C-Ya

Premature Autumnation?

2006-09-13T08:26:00.000-05:00

warm meadow grass
rustles in the cool breeze
and summer's last crickets

Yesterday's run was an easy, and absolutely beautiful, 5 miles along the Minute Man trails. The sun was warm, there was a gentle cool breeze. It was nice to just enjoy the run through the woods. No thoughts of mileage or speed or training. Just an enjoyable run.

And leaves starting to change???

When did this start? A few trees turning various shades of yellow, bronze, and a kind of violet-rose. Just a few. And quite beautiful. I know it's been cool lately, but it's hard to believe summer is over.

I do love the Autumn season. It's something I never appreciated growing up in Phoenix; where Autumn usually occurs on the Tuesday between Christmas and New Years. Living in the Kansas City area, it quickly became my favorite season. Now that we're in New England, I get to enjoy this amazing foliage every Fall. This will be my second Autumn here. If it's anything like last year's -- it ought to inspire some decent haikus.

Today will be cross-training, and then George Mumford is speaking at the Cambridge Insight Meditation Center.

C-Ya

Feeling Better

2006-09-10T17:57:00.000-05:00

This morning was a nice relaxed run along the Charles River. Just over 7 miles. It was quite nice. I could feel my hamstrings tightening up after about 5 miles. I stopped to stretch for a bit and continued on. Felt good for the entire run. I'm thinking another easy week like this last one should do wonders. I'll add on a little bit more cross training (some circuit training), but that will be about it. I'll re-evaluate everything next week to determine whether I'm ready to start moving back up the mileage chain or not.

It does feel nice to have a life again. Short runs, not much overtime at work -- I've actually got time to do a little reading as well (some new Sci Fi short stories). Oops, I'm still supposed to be working my way through all that great literature. I'll get back to Ulysses as soon as I finish this story.

Or maybe the next one.

Recovery???

2006-09-08T13:18:00.000-05:00

OK, seriously, I'm back now. So what was that all about? Part of it was another brief heavy work period (another 80 hour week). There was also the distraction of "almost" selling our house back in Kansas (more on that later). And then there was dealing with yet another injury of sorts...

As you may recall, I was ramping back up to train for my next marathon (Tucson in December). The training runs just weren't going that well, though. It seemed every long run was just a bear to complete. And I'm talking about the easy 12 to 14 mile runs here. I've never had that much trouble completing them. And less than two months prior I did a 50 mile week with a 21 mile run with no problems whatsoever. Also, after every fast or far run, my hamstrings were flaring up (both legs, but especially the left).

So were the hamstrings the problem? No. I finally figured it out last week (chalk up another new experience).

Overtraining fatigue.

Let's see. After June's marathon (but not quite marathon because I got dehydrated), I decided to try a double and two weeks later did my 50 mile week. So let's see, that was a marathon - one week recovery - 50 mile week. Brilliant.

So I trained for a second marathon (that never happened because of work overload). Then I did a two week recovery, didn't I? Well, apart from the 1 mile time trial. OK, so I did some speedwork and a race when I should have been recovering. I had a good race, though.

Then I started ramping back up the miles to get into marathon training again. Too quickly. Not enough recovery (especially given the double marathon attempt).

Then I started marathon training, and there was another heavy work week. So, additional work stress.

Then we thought we were going to sell our house. We had buyers. We had a contract. But the buyers were evil. After the house inspection, they decided they wanted an allowance to do some more (cosmetic, but unnecessary) work. They provided a bid for the work. They totally forged it. We told them to get lost. More stress from the unsold house.

OK, so we have:

Inadequate recovery after the marathon (plus additional high miles) - check.
Speed training and a 1 mile time trial during recovery - check.
Work stress - check.
House (not) selling stress - check.
Building miles too quickly - check.
Low grade hamstring injury as a result - check.

Yeah, overtraining fatigue. Too many factors got stacked up here.

So ... the Tucson marathon is out. On tap is two weeks at half mileage, no long run, no fast training. I'm doing the recovery I should have done after the last marathon. Two weeks of very easy running alternating with some cross training. Then I will (a little bit more slowly) build the aerobic base back up. There will also be more sleeping, and making sure to get enough protein in my diet. And only then will I begin training for my next marathon. Marathon training is now 5 weeks away - minimum.

Disappointing, yes. But it's like Craig says, reacting to your situation doesn't get you very far. Far better to respond intelligently.

PS - I have been reading your blogs -- I just haven't had the time to do much in the way of thoughtfully responding. Hoping that's changed now...

Has it really been that long???

2006-08-19T19:06:00.000-05:00

Whoa. I've been away for a while. Ok, so I was on vacation. And this week has been another hell-acious work week. But I have gotten back into training for my next marathon. And with it has come a running low, a running high, and stuff in between.

The low.

First week of training. Not this last week, but the week before. I figured, "no problem getting the mileage back up." I'd been running a few times a week. Low mileage, but still running. It was a nice break. But every workout seemed to take a lot out of me.

And then there was last Sunday's medium/long run...

It was only supposed to be 12 miles. How hard could that be? Well, let me tell you. My legs were so fatigued by 10 miles that I was seriously considering just hanging up on the next marathon. What happened? By mile twelve, I had to stop and walk. I was that tired. I began to think there was something wrong. Maybe all this training over the last couple of years has just left me fatigued. Maybe I didn't take enough time off. Maybe I cut back too far on my running.

But I knew one thing. Never judge a season (or a marathon cycle) by a single workout. Or even a single week.

So on to week two. And this wasn't going to be easy. I had another 80 hour work week ahead of me (they pretty much suck). But I was determined to continue with the training program. I figure if the fatigue continues for another week or two, I'll think about bagging it and regrouping. But then came...

The high.

Tuesday's schedule called for 8 miles with 10X100m strideouts. I did the workout after working about 9 hours (and had another 2 hours to go). It was amazing. It was getting dark when I started and so I ran it on the back roads around Concord (near work). Rolling hills for almost 7 miles. And it was one of those runs where you're just there -- in the moment -- and time is obliterated. You hear your breathing and footfalls as you're running and you just feel at peace. It's a cliche -- but one with the universe. Everything in its place. And then the strideouts -- just flew through them.

And stuff in between.

Thursday called for 10 miles. After working about 10 hours (with another 3 to go), I again took off through Concord. The run started out pretty good, but I was pretty tired by the last couple miles. That's OK, though. It's been a long week. I never really expect to get two fantastic runs in a week. (Oh, on Wednesday, I took a break from work and did some cross training -- rowing, cycling and weights.)

Friday was a day off (from working out). I also "only" worked 8 hours and Anita and I went to a movie ("Scoop" - a decent but not great Woody Allen film). And I got a good night's sleep.

Today, Saturday, was my last long workday (12 hours). I got in an easy 4 miler. Tonight I plan to get some good sleep again, and then tomorrow will be 13 miles.

It's got to go better than last week.

Three Haikus and a One Mile Time Trial

2006-08-03T11:06:00.000-05:00

I'm still here.

I was on vacation -- and chose not to blog (took a break from a lot of things). And now I'm back at work -- and until now haven't had time to blog (catching up on things). But now that I have room to breathe, and write, and ramp up my training -- here we go...

The One Mile Time Trial

Thank you to everyone who provided suggestions on my training. As it turned out, I didn't follow any of the plans to the letter, but wanted to single out three of you who made an effort to provide some guidance -- thus, three haikus.

First of all, for Joshua "Flash" Gordon, who provide the most detailed, and intense, training regimen. I'm sure it would been a great program, and he obviously thought about it quite a bit, but it was more than I was ready to do at the time. Thank you for your effort! Here's a haiku:

warm summer night
transformed in a flash
- clouds pour out

For Tammy, who really, really, really wanted a haiku, and put some good effort into a training schedule with lots of good supplemental exercises (plyometrics, etc.). Sorry, too many directions to go -- but here's a haiku just for you:

river surges with
summer rain cycles
- fluid power

And finally, for Love2Run, whose schedule I most closely followed, at least the beer-drinking parts! He really made the most valid point -- in one week, all I could really do is try and sharpen my leg turn-over. And that's basically what I did. I missed quite a few runs, but when I did run, I tried to put in some strideouts -- and one day I ran on some (not too steep) hills. These days, we're looking forward to another refreshing blast of cool Canadian air from the North:

coastal breeze greets
fresh canadian air
- our summer relief

And the 1 mile time trial? I delayed it from Wednesday until last Sunday. Sunday morning I did a 3 mile warm-up. First mile slow, second mile gradually speeding up (to about 9 min mile pace), and third mile with four strideouts in the first half mile (each one faster than the previous, the last going up to about 6:30 mile pace) and very easy in the second half mile. I then rested for several minutes to cool off and drank just a little bit.

I ran the mile with negative splits, each quarter faster than the previous. When I finished, I felt like I could have gone faster. My early quarters could have been a bit faster and overall I could probably have run a good 10 seconds faster. But I'm not complaining too much. My time?

6:34

Unbelievably, I actually TIED my best mile over the last 25 years. I'll be trying this again in a couple months. I should be well under 6:30 for sure -- shooting for sub-6:00.