What a weekend! Running on the Virginia Beach Boardwalk

[caption id="attachment_2944" align="alignright" width="150"] Ahhh. The beach![/caption]

This was one incredible weekend!   It was the final weekend of my kid's summer vacation, and we decided to do something AWESOME for them!  We got up in the wee early hours of Saturday  morning and headed down to Virginia Beach.   We didn't let them know WHERE we were going  until we were in the car, and they didn't know we were spending the night until we pulled into a hotel (while 4 hours is a long drive, we have been known to do those as day trips).  I don't think there is anything that has quite the energy (or grants as much energy) as being on and in the ocean!

It did not take the kids long at all to jump right in! You could say it took exactly as long as it took them to get their shirts and shoes off!

[caption id="attachment_2947" align="aligncenter" width="490"] And They are OFF![/caption]

I won't lie, they aren't the only ones that love the beach!

#Juneathon Weekend 8,9 and 10

Seems three days is becoming my normal Juneathon blog...  I'm pretty sure that isn't how the "rules" read...

So what did I do?   Well on Saturday, I drove an hour (And a bit of change) out to Virginia (opposite side of DC from where I live) and picked up a Bowflex XLT for 75 bucks!

[caption id="attachment_2773" align="alignright" width="490"] see? it fit nicely in the car![/caption]

It was a pleasant enough drive, although a 5 buck toll on the road that goes to Dulles International Airport seemed a bit steep to me, especially since there was another 1 dollar toll to get OFF of the road! WTF?  But the drive was pleasant, and even with the addition of the cost of the tolls - the price was great..

Fixing the Antique.

I'm sure you have been wondering all day... What did the Once and Future Runner do yesterday, since he (probably) still can't run, and is incompetent when it comes to basic bike repair?  Did he do another long boring walk?

Well, Wonder no more!  I am here to answer ALL your Once and Future Runner questions.. Yesterday, on the way home from work I decided I would stop and get a new tire tube for my bike.. After all, Max pointed out that a flat tire doesn't mean you need a new bike and I suspect my wife would have agreed with her so it seemed the logical thing to do.  I had gone to one LBS  (that means local bike shop according to Max.  She is my new unpaid consultant on all things bike related) a while back, and wasn't all that impressed.  They were condescending, and difficult to get any real help.  Plus they seemed far more interested in up-selling, rather than helping us out.

Well, yesterday I headed out to a different one to see if that was the norm, or if they were more friendly.

[caption id="attachment_2707" align="aligncenter" width="490"] Local LBS[/caption]

I went into the Bike Doctor, and almost immediately was welcomed by one of their employees. 

The Insanity of it all.

My 3rd Anniversary here on wordpress seems like a great time to start faithfully blogging again! As I mentioned in my previous blog posting, it seems the perfect time for a change of attitude and direction in my fitness goals.  As everyone reading this blog knows, I am a runner.  This is my form of exercise.  I run.  I added in Yoga to help with my flexibility, but even that was simply a cool down from my run.  No Run = No Yoga.

Well, I'm bored.  I am still limited to a treadmill many times (just due to child care and timing), and its boring.  I enjoy watching the Walking Dead, but its STILL boring.  Tie this in with the fact that my wife has started doing Krav Maga, running isn't going to be enough.  Now, I think the running is still important (after all, I may need to run away from her and her new-founds skills!), and it is still my preferred form of exercise - but I want something more.  I have debated picking up a total gym/bow flex - and neither of these are off the table for the future (ju$t for the pre$ent if you catch my drift), or joining a gym.  As I weighed (See what I did there?) these two options, it occured to me to pick those Insanity DVDs up, and give them another shot.  They say the third time is the charm right?

[caption id="attachment_2434" align="alignright" width="180"] I totally needed this yesterday.[/caption]

So, I have completed the first three days of Insanity, and I have to admit - I am able to walk much better today!  Yesterday, If you could have seen me walk up stairs - it would have reminded you of your grandfather!  But today, I am back to super tired muscles, instead of agonizingly-painful-to-move-in-any-way-at-all muscles.  This gives me 2 months to decide on the Gym or not.  With a 2 mile warm up before starting it (that I will be increasing as time goes by), it is really going to help me build up my stamina and core!

My thought is to consult with a physical trainer at the end of the Insanity to help me decide the best path from there!

I heard a fantastic phrase recently.   "Dieting helps you look better in clothing.  Exercise helps you look better naked."   Since I want to improve both - it seems that diet and exercise will continue to be a factor!

Back at it! Did you miss me?

[caption id="attachment_1568" align="alignright" width="300"] Thanks for all the help Joe![/caption]

So, I have been quite quiet as of late!    The good news is that it isn't due to any unforseen disaster with my Mother in law's heart surgery.  She is doing AWESOME!  They kicked her out of the hospital earlier than planned, as she was doing so well!  She was glad to be home early - that is for sure!  My brother-in-law Joe stayed up there with her to help take care of her.  We headed up every night with food and to visit.

Friday we brought Joe down to the Philadelphia Airport so he could fly home to Texas after being away from his wife and kids for so long. His coming up certainly made life easier on my wife and I (thanks Joe!)

The Insanity Continues with a pending shoe delivery!

So last night, I popped in the next DVD for Insanity.  The flavor of the day was Cardio Power Resistance!  Granted I had a break that Shaun T. hadn't worked into his schedule, but this one seemed significantly easier than the Plyometric Cardio Circuit.  My primary thought is that as I am a runner I have pretty strong hamstrings, while I know my quads aren't all that.  This workout seemed to be more focused on hamstrings than quads (based on what was getting tired/sore.)

As if to support this - I am only sore today, not in agony and walking like an 83-year-old man.

Some of the exercises: 
Power Jumps - down to  a squat, jump up with your hands over your head, then land softly
Hurdles - Run in place, then on Shaun T.'s command jump as if you were going over a really short hurdle

Insanity

So, in theory I am "allowed" to start running again this weekend. The Podiatrist said I could give it a shot. This leaves me running in the "improper" shoes however, and my new (although still not what the podiatrist ordered - it is closer) shoes will not be here until next friday.    I have stated I am going back to exercising - even if I can't run - so it raises the question of WHAT to do?

Well, some of you may remember (that is if you are the one person that read my blog back then), that I once thought about doing P90X or Shaun T.'s Insanity.  At that time, in the long long ago, I did the fitness test for Insanity.

I hurt for four days.  I mean, I hurt ALOT for four days.  I decided I wasn't insane enough to continue.

Injury free Running seminar at Binghamton University

I find it difficult to believe that there are many runners out there that wouldn't like to run "injury free.". I especially think that any runner who pulled their calf muscle five times last year AND got shin splints that hurt enough that even the doctor thought it was a stress fracture REALLY needed to attend a seminar called "Injury Free Running," by Mathew Nark of Plaza Fitness in Stuyvesant Plaza, Albany NY.   The evening of the St. Patrick's 4 mile run I had the opportunity to go to just such a seminar that the Triple Cities Runner's Club sponsored.  I was bound and determined to walk out of there with at least three big things I could change, and I was not disappointed.

Probably the most fascinating piece of information I got out of it was the idea of muscle activation.   Mathew stated something along the lines of (I don't have an photographic memory) "About half of the people I see come in for injuries - aren't injured.  They have muscles that simply aren't firing properly.  Think of an army with 100,000 people. If only 20,000 are working - then it isn't going to be doing its job well.  This is also true with Muscles - if only 20,000 of 100,000 muscle fibers are working - the muscle isn't going to work as well."  Muscle activation is the idea of increasing the number of "working" or activated muscles fibers.  Even if you only get it up to 60,000/100,000 fibers - you are going to be able to do MUCH more than if you were at 20,000/100,000.  He then demonstrated with someone who had a recurring IT Band problem (and stressed that this is not guaranteed to be someone's issue just because they have IT Band pain, but that it WAS worth looking into if you did) come up as a "volunteer."  With this person, he

Added lifting in.. Again..

So, I once before stated that "Someone told me that Runners need to do more than just run."  At the time I started to lift at the YMCA while my kids were doing swim lessons there, but as their drown-proofing classed ended, so too did my lifting.  Well, in my ongoing project at home - to turn the kid's play room from a disaster area where we shove everything, into a useful room that they can play games/watch TV AND I can work out in - I may have created a solution!  My imitation total-gym is now set up and useable!

Now, I paid a whole whopping $20 bucks on Craigslist for this thing - and was able to use it briefly.  For obvious reasons, my wife was not pleased with the idea of having this set up in her living room.  She IS OK with it being setup in a room that she hardly goes into and consequently won't see it.  With this in mind I am going to add lifting in two to three times a week in my routine. Last night I did chest, triceps, and of course - abs.  Today it hurts to sit up or move my arms in anyway. I am such a wimp.

If i can manage to keep it up - I figure the strength training will really help my running, as well as the goal of looking good when I go to the beach!

Now I just need to figure out a good variety of exercises to keep it "mixed up" and prevent muscle memory.. Too bad it was 9 years ago that I used to go to a gym regularly! My memory isn't that good!

A Swim and a Run... Preparations continue! (though it does hurt more than I recall..)

I know that today is supposed to be a "Freaky Friday: Bizarre things found around the Interwebs"  - but I haven't had a chance to surf the interwebs lately - and nor have I posted on my exercising for the last two days.  So today is an update post instead!

Weds. was my "day off" of running (also known as a rest day) - I decided to take my kids to the local YMCA for the open swim.  They had a ball playing - and I did laps.  The one thing I quickly realized, is that laps are much more difficult to do as a 36 year old man, then they were when I was 12.  I remember going to my swim team practice (the Ramapo Raccoons!  and later the Rockland Dolphins) and doing lap after lap after lap - with no problems. Heck, I recall doing the 400 meter individual medley (100m each of Back stroke, Breast stroke, Butterfly, and Free-style)  - and being tired, but not thinking my arms were going to fall off...

So at the "Y" I headed out and did 50yds of Freestyle, did my flip-turn.....and switched to breaststroke.  Man, my shoulders felt it FAST (meaning that they got tired fast.. Not that I was fast.)  I ended up doing a total of 900 yards - with 2/3 of it being breast stroke.  Its kind of nice being able to pause during laps - and go play with the kids.  It doesn't give away the fact that I HAD to rest. This is the key reason I go to the open swim, and not to lap swim.   I have been reading up on line on how "public lap swim" works. And it seems that a lot of places do a "Circle swim" - where one side of the lane (or double lane) goes one way, and one goes the other. OR they might have shared lanes where each lane is like multiple mini-lanes.. you touch the person's feet when you want to pass.  I may have to go during "lap swim" time - to see how the folks at the YMCA do it. Who knew that swimming was so much more complicated than running? <side note: anyone have any advice on the subject of lap swimming?> 

Thursday I went out for a run in the evening, after Horace Mann's (my kid's elementary school) "Family Fun Night" - where the school serves hamburgers/hotdogs and has various bounce house type things for the kids..     By the time we got home - it was getting dark.

I strapped on my big 'ol "foot-coffins" (that name for shoes cracks me up) and headed out. I had no idea what distance I was going to do, just that it was going to be between 3 and 7.  I knew I wasn't going to run one of "Seton's" course's - strangely I have had no desire to do those after writing about them. I did a nice loop that worked out as almost perfectly 5 miles (I had to run past my house for 6 houses to actually hit 5 miles).  My legs were still tired - and it definitely showed in the last 2 miles - my splits slowed down noticeably.


Mile 1: 9:15
Mile 2: 8:45
Mile 3: 8:41
Mile 4: 9:02
Mile 5:  9:07

Still, not to shabby for my fourth run in 6 weeks. It brings my weekly total up to around 18 miles.  Hopefully I will get a run in today and tomorrow and push that up to 30 miles. 

I also have to say - jumping back in to running like this - my legs are sore today!  Though it does go well with the soreness of my upperbody from swimming.

Advil is my friend.

Five Miles in the Evening!



Course by Brian Hyland

 Now that the kids' are back at school for the year - I can run in the evening before picking them up on those rare nights when I get out of work on time.  Fortunately for me, last night was just such a day.

I taped up my calf  (and found out during the run, that a rush tape job does not hold), and headed out the door.  I still like to start with the courses that my Cross Country Coach Brian Hyland from "Back in the day" had laid out for the Seton Catholic Central Cross Country Team. It lets me concentrate on HOW I am running - since I know where I am running.  So I headed out my door and over to Laurel Ave, and left up to the park.  This works out to around 1/2 of a mile - the perfect warm up distance.  I popped out with some stretching (this is new... Since I have calf pain it is an attempt to help become a bit more limber) and then headed out on the Seton Catholic Central Cross Country Team 5 mile practice course.  Down Seminary to Beethoven, left to Leroy, right to West end, Left to Riverside Drive, Right to the traffic circle - and come back.

In addition to a Diploma
I  got a bunch of practice courses from this school!

The weather was a bit warm and muggy - but not HOT.  It also didn't require a long shirt, so I am definitely not complaining in ANY way.  I did focus on how my calf felt, but did not keep it from doing anything like I did on saturday.  It felt good the whole way. I certainly did not push the speed AT ALL:"

Mile 1: 9:42
Mile 2: 9:24
Mile 3: 9:07
Mile 4: 9:25
Mile 5: Only did .82 of the mile, but it was definitely slower - probably 10 minute mile pace.

So this morning being the "day-after"  - how do I feel?  surprisingly good. I expected to be as sore as I was on Sunday morning, but I am not.  My legs are tired - no doubt about that, but I could move without Advil today!  Tonight I am going to do a 3 mile run - again, no worries about the speed (ok, for future reference - I have no worries about speed until November.)  Luckily I didn't name my blog "notajogger" - both because it is already taken (and a good read, I suggest checking it out!) - and because I don't know how accurate it would be right now...  BUT I am in NO WAY complaining about it, it is a joy to be out there again.  In just a few more days - I know that my wife will really appreciate it as well (I'm much easier to be around when I can run!)

There was an interesting occurence that happened on Saturday that I hadn't mentioned yet.  I had just finished my stretching at the park, and headed out on the "Seton Catholic Central" 3 mile course - I had rounded the corner and waved to another runner, and he asked me if I had run the Boilermaker.  No mind you - the Boilermaker had 11075 runners finish the course - but this gentleman recognized me. We had a nice enough chat (he is training for the Niagra Falls Marathon) and we both headed back out on our runs.

The head nod between runners is nice -but being recognized from a HUGE race?  Now that's just cool...

Why do you run?

 I think this question comes up on most running blogs eventually.  We go out and force ourselves to run faster.  We run up hill. We ruin nice relaxing runs by mixing sprints into the middle.  We swim, bike and lift weights simply to run faster.  We lose sleep to be out there putting one foot in front of the other while others are still tucked safe in their beds.  We face countless obstacles like rain, snow and people walking dogs.  We re-evaluate our eating habits and skip things that we would LOVE to be eating.  We do all of this, just to do a form of exercise that statistically speaking, is simply going to hurt us.

Why?



And so much fun when you un-roll
them to eat them!



For me personally there are several reasons.  The first and most obvious - is to try to be in some sort of decent shape, and to (eventually) look good when I go swimming with no shirt!    By running I can still work toward this goal while not feeling any guilt at all from eating Swiss Rolls and Nutty Bars. (I love nutty bars...) Weight can be controlled simply through diet if that is the only goal.  Lets face it though, if that was the only reason, I wouldn't be out there running, or miss doing so when I have pulled my calf muscle (Again.) 

There is also the sense of accomplishment in completing a run. 

People may look at you crazy that you chose to go out and run 10 miles (heck - they look at you crazy for THREE miles), but when you finish it you know you  have done something you set out to do that others can't/won't.  When you look at your weekly mileage of 20, 30, 40 or more miles - you can't help but smile.  When seeing the monthly - or ongoing total from your GPS Program (892 miles)? It just seems unreal.

When running a road (or trail I imagine) race, seeing the other runners out there and being part of it.  As you pass people cheering (or in the case of the Boilermaker and some of the larger races -  Bands, comedians, etc) you are very aware of what you are doing (not in an OMG way!)  And that feeling when crossing the finish line knowing you have just done a 5k/10k/15k (or more I'm sure - I just haven't done "more" yet) is one of the greatest senses of accomplishment you ever get to feel.  For me, that is also not enough on its own.

Credits: http://www.ccrf-kids.org/runwalk2010.html.

With Childhood Obesity at an all-time high in America (17% - 3X higher than the previous generation) - it is an epidemic our country is facing, and not handling well.  My children get to see me go out and run - in addition to my daily time at work, being a dad, cooking dinner, running them to various practices as well as watching TV and playing video games.  They get to see that when I say "You can't just sit and watch TV all day every day" - I am not just SAYING it, but living it.  Studies have shown that "Do what I say, not what I do" is NOT an effective parenting strategy.  Children learn from what we do, and I want to teach them the best ways to live.  Tie in the fact that they (sometimes) run WITH me?  And its a fantastic "bonding" experience as well!  Now I admit this one SHOULD be enough of a reason on its own. But in the day-to-day hecticness of life - this too isn't quite enough of a reason on its own.

The "Bucket List" - We all have one in some shape or form.  Running the Marine Corps Marathon has been on my bucket list since highschool.  So on days that I didn't want to get out of bed - that goal has either a)gotten me out of bed, or b)made me figure out what time that evening I WOULD go running if I wasn't going to lose the sleep now.

And last, but not least.  Because I can.  Because a runner is what I am.  Not for any one of these - but for all of them and more.

Why do you run?

Freaky Friday - Bizarre Things found on the Interwebs! - Strange Exercise!

This weeks' dose of bizarre interwebness (I just made that word up...) - Odd Exercises!!!!!

[caption id="attachment_843" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Paddle Board Yoga!!!!"][/caption]

We have ALL heard how good yoga is for you. Its relaxing, strengthening and zen-like in its benefits. Having tried it - I can assure you it really is!  Plus it will increase your flexibility - helping you to avoid a string of pulled muscles like I have made my new hobby!

One group of people have found a way to make the "Working on Balance" part of yoga - FAR more important.  If you were to perform your Warrior Pose, and Downward Facing Dog on a Paddleboard!! Mess up? GO SWIMMING!!!  I can definitely see how being on the water would help with the relaxation and help you avoid distractions.

Cursed!! CURSED I TELL YOU!!!!!!

So.. I am really starting to wonder if there is a hex on me. 

Friday my calf was feeling well, so I figured a nice slow 1 or 2 miles on the treadmill could be perfect to see how it was coming.  On to that boring piece of equipment I went!  First .25 of a mile! DONE (and boring!) 2nd .25 of a mile? Done! (still boring) 3rd .25 of a mile? Done (and boring.. but better than not running!)  Then... sigh.. disaster.  My son came in to the room (for about the fifth time) to make a funny comment.  I turned to look at him and my left foot hit the plastic on the side.  My leg twisted and I caught myself on the hand rails - but a different part of my calf started hurting.

Sigh.  I am wondering if I will be able to manage 26 miles, 385 yards in just 53 more days.  At this point I need another 2 weeks (or so) of not running to let my calf heal.  My longest run to date has been 12 miles.  After 2 weeks, I will have 39 days to get ready for the distance, after not running for a month.  Luckily I have until October 20th to defer (10 days before the marathon) - so I should have a good idea of whether or not I am capable of doing it. I am not going to run in my VFFs again until after - and my new goal is simply to finish it.  5 hours just became an acceptable marathon time.

I wonder if anyone has ever successfully trained for a marathon by using a bicycle before? I plan on getting ALOT of miles in on my old-school 10 speed while I can't run.  Started on friday, will continue it this week!  Today is rainy and nasty - so off to the YMCA to use their elliptical and stationary bikes. 

I suspect that it isn't going to be very difficult to get a PR for my second marathon...

A new era in training... Using rather old technology..

So, with my penchance for injuring my calves - leading to down times of running of several weeks - I have decided I need a bicycle.  So doing the wise thing I posted on Facebook and Craigslist that I was looking for a bike!  Surprisingly I got some great offers of people being willing to lend me a bike.. As long as I traveled to Australia or halfway across the country to pick them up.  It seems my friends are comedians...

I found one I was interested in on Craigslist - but the person hasn't responded after I have pestered them for several days via phone and email.  As It kind of reminded me of trying to find a date in highschool - I knew to move on.  On a good note, one of my friends let me know he had found a bicycle in his garage when he moved, and if I wanted it he would happily let me have it.

[caption id="attachment_751" align="alignright" width="640" caption="My New (to me) Ralegh Capri bicycle from the 80's!"][/caption]

Talk about old-school!  I am very excited - it's the sort of bike I wanted as a kid (yes, that was in pre-mountain bike days.. 10/12 speeds were "all that" back in the day..)

Now the bad news.. Tires? Dry rotted.  Cables? Not all are hooked up to where they are supposed to be.  Brakes? Need to "Shoes"  Chain? TBD.

Namaste.

Last night was our first Yoga class.  I wasn't sure what to expect, only having done Yoga on the Wii.  The interesting thing to me - is that what I learned on the Wii did help! (And Seriously, who woulda thunk it?)

Warrior 1 Pose

 The instructor was faced with the challenge of walking into a room where she knew no one and knew nobody's levels, and teaching a class.  She started out with asking if anyone knew anything about yoga (not really - unless you count the Wii).  So she worked on teaching us some basic poses.

Another post about pain... Though this one concerns CrossTraining!

If you read any running magazines, or decent blogs on running - the importance and benefits of cross training will come up.  How it can strengthen your core, help prevent injuries and even speed up recovery time.  But, the negative aspects of cross training aren't always mentioned. This is where my story comes in.

So, last week, I began to supplement my running with lifting.  What this means, is that I lifted once - and then never got around to it the rest of the week.  But this week is/was going to be different! so on Monday, I did my run - and followed it up with a Chest/Shoulders and Tricep work out.  I didn't kill myself over it but did ensure that all muscle groups got a decent work out.  Then last night, I headed out the door to do 4 miles or so.  About two miles into it, my chest (left side) started to cramp.  For the life of me, I couldn't' figure out why!  My form was good, my breathing was good, and my arms were swinging as they should.  Then it occurred to me.  I had spent the previous day, working my chest to exhaustion.

I continued to run (of course), but made it a point to really concentrate on form.  The cramping did indeed work its way out and the rest of the run wasn't too bad.  The general point here - is to realize that when you start a new exercise routine - it usually causes a new type of pain.  This is also true when you drastically change, or add too - your existing exercise plan.  I hadn't thought about the fact that tired muscles - chest/back/whatever - will affect running, just as my goal of strengthening them will affect running.

Sometimes, Common Sense - doesn't seem so common.

Workouts and varieties of exercise.

So, I have (obviously) been running in an effort to increase my abilities, stamina and speed.  But, like most people I am an instant (or quick) gratification sort of person.  I would like to grow stronger, lose weight and run further NOW.  (This probably helps to explain how I manage to over do it and cause myself injury on a regular basis.  My wonderful wife put a lot of effort into keeping me from hurting myself just after my surgery.)  I started to do some research into exercise programs that could be done at home to increase my strength and lose the girl-scout-cookie fat that likes to stick to me.  There are three main ones I have looked at so far: P90x (heard incredible things from several people on this), Cross Fit (I have come to the conclusion that this is something like a cult and you can't figure it out without help.  I have no idea what the "exercise of the day" is, or how you find out) and Insanity (I liked the commercials).

My first priority is that it has to be able to be done on my own, at my house on a varying schedule as my family's schedule is anything but consistent.  The second aspect is that it can't require much in the way of the equipment.  I don't have the money to buy much equipment, nor the room to store it.  And third, it has to be something I will actually do.  Unfortunately this one will only be tested by time.