ROTD 4/30/2010--long and tough

Today, dear reader, is a mystery to me. The Bermuda triangle of running. I ran the route below, which is just 2.8 miles longer than my previous long run. Those took 1:30 or so, this took nearly 3 hours. Obviously I was going slower, but it did not feel much slower. Strange. And really tough.
I can feel it now in my feet and legs. Seems I lost the focus on impact just behind my center of gravity. I actually lost focus on nearly everything, just trying to fit in a 3 hour run. Don't know why it was so hard. I did finish, however.

I think tomorrow will be a nice, easy, short jog. Say, 6 miles or so. Need the recovery.

Projected weekly summary:
Monday: 8.9 miles
Tuesday: 9.8 miles
Wednesday: 7.9 miles of hill repeats
Thursday:9.2 miles
Friday: 12.8
Saturday (projected): 6

Total: 54.6 miles this week. This promises to be the only week I can put in these kinds of miles, as Medicine Wards start next week, and I start on call. It will be ugly.

Happy Running!

The Zoo!!

This is Logan's last month of pre-school for the year, so we are doing a few field trips and field day - fun end-of-the-year stuff.  Today we took the kids to the zoo in Waco.  Super fun!!  It's been quite a while since we'd been, and Myra never had.

Here is most of his class.  We missed Anna, as her baby sister was ill.

The kids were transfixed by the komodo dragon!  I think it sort of freaked Myra out.  I've never seen one this active!

After the reptiles, there was this cool Asian-ish themed play area.  These plates are chimes that ring when the kids jumped on them.  So cool!!

Logan "rode" a pony,

and practiced his rope swinging.

The lion was unimpressed...
We wandered around looking at all the cool animals (and making appropriate animal noises - so funny!!), then broke for lunch at the park in the zoo.

Myra liked climbing in the snake.

Logan liked climbing ON the snake.

and the balance beam.  That gymnastics stuff is really sinking in!

We had a great time!  Both kids crashed out in the car on the way home.  They needed the sleep after a busy day at the zoo!!

ROTD 4/29/2010--exploration, nice places

Dear reader, today continues the search for the perfect run. Long, some hills, few cars, nice views. I think it's coming together. The neighboorhood just north of Midway is surprisingly nice: large, older homes, great trees, immaculate yards.

I am proposing the following run for tomorrow. It's only 2.8 miles longer than my current runs, so it shouldn't be too much of a bump. That will be my long run for the week; Saturday we are taking the kids to the airshow, and I don't want to be blasted for that.

I'll have to take something more than the amount of water I currently carry; one bottle will be insufficient. I also have no time goals--I don't want a focus on time to distract me from pain-free running. Yesterday my plantar fascia acted up. Today (knock on wood) I haven't had much, if any, problems.

There were only a few parts in today's 9.2 miles where I felt that my form came apart. I am still in the stage where it's ok to stop and take a breather and reset--not the win-at-all-costs go-go-go mentality that dominated my triathlon years. I like my current mindset better.

Happy Running!

ROTD 4/28/2010--Hill repeats and vampire bites

Today, dear reader, was a rather difficult workout: hill repeats. One I probably won't repeat soon, as it really bothers my left foot. But I digress. Map/elevation below (click to enlarge, full details here):

The loop at the park is almost exactly 1 mile, and it is fairly steep to my eyes. However, it only represents 118 feet of elevation gain, packed into 0.4 miles, an average of 295 feet of gain per mile--which ain't much. Feels like it, though. I was able to do the loops in about 11 minutes, which is just a minute off my normal pace, so it wasn't too bad.

HOWEVER, this really killed my left foot. I have a chronic case of plantar fascitis, which is the vampire bite of running--it never really seems to go away, and it can be so painful you can't really walk. Today really flared it. So I won't be doing hill repeats for a while, as this injury is what kept me from running for 2 years.

The ChiRunning website has some tips, which I intend to incorporate. Can't let this running streak be broken by a silly injury.

Happy Running!

ROTD 4/27/2010--use the Force

Today, dear reader, I ran a route familiar to me (full details here). This route is almost exactly 10 miles long:

I continue in my quest for a relaxing route to run, and am nearly there. However, today is not the day for exploration with its inherent uncertainties about duration of run or time of arrival--as I had to go to work today. Bleh.

There are two forces in play when running. The first is gravity, which of course pulls your center of gravity straight downwards. The second is the force of the road pushing up against you.



The Force of gravity is of course what we all have to overcome to stand upright. However, this force can also be used to propel you. If you hold an erect posture, and engage in a slight forward lean, then the difference between your center of gravity and the site of foot impact translates into a forward propulsion--that is, you are falling. Properly harnessed, this results in free forward motion, with no muscular energy expended at all.









The force of the road is rarely helpful, and in fact can be quite damaging. This is the force that produces injuries if your technique is not sufficient to learn how to cooperate with the force of the road coming at you. This is primarily done by ensuring that the foot lands at least underneath, and preferably behind, your center of gravity.

Proper running form requires that your feet strike the ground behind you. This is more difficult than it sounds, as your body rightfully interprets this as a fall and bends you in such a way as to avoid it. I was able to do this today as well, and I can tell an enormous difference today vs yesterday.

Happy Running!

ROTD 4/26/2010--Return to Exploration

One of the niftiest things about running, dear reader, is the chance to explore. I don't live in an area much amenable to true exploration, as I suspect every nook and cranny of Temple, Tx is well known. However, it's fun to try out new routes. (click to enlarge, full details here). This run took almost exactly 90 minutes.


Admittedly, it's not running the Salt Lake Basin. One of the reasons I applied there for fellowship is because the mountains are my "cantante" (singers, for all of you who have not applied yourself to the Twilight saga). Please compare the pic of the Lake Mary trail in the Wasatch Mountains below to the route above (photo by Todd Keith) and it becomes immediately clear why I would prefer to run someplace else:

Wow.

But beggars and choosers, and whatnot. I am looking for a good long run, with decent shoulders and a nice, flatish surface (alternatively, traffic low enough that I can run in the middle of the road). Miles 1-5 of the above route were great, but Midway Road (miles 5-7 above) would not represent what I am looking for. There are too many spots where the sides are either too tilted, or covered in brush and I have to run in a car lane (with heavy traffic).

That said, I did manage to run today with minimal effort. Seems that the time I spent with Heggie's book did wonders for how well I can perceive what I am doing. I have gone a long way to fixing my right leg's alignment problems. Today's 9 miles felt relatively good, and I clearly could have gone another 4 or 5 miles without problems.

Happy running!

Sorry, no running.

Because I don't.  I sew.

But I do have cute kids.

who actually play together.  Nicely even.  It was a good day...