No Fun Fun Run

Well, I was afraid of this.  We spoke of this.  Heat starting on the rise and humidity back in full force. The summers are suppose to be hot and humid. You get used to it and you keep on running.  I did that.

But then Mother Nature decided to have some fun.  It got cooler and started to rain and rain and rain. With that the humidity increased to an unbearable level.  It really makes it tough to run.  The coolness of the air feels good for about the first mile and a half but then the humidity starts to get you.  What should be fun turns into a grind.  I love to run, I was "Born To Run."  It seems cruel that Mother N would take it away from me and make me just grit it out and make it through a run.  No fun, right?

Oh, there with be some small stretches where I can feel light and free, a runner out on the town.  Then that blanket wraps around me and tries to smother me. At the end of the run, when generally that is when I can smile, I am so spent that it does not seem I can recover for the rest of my evening (or day) but once again just keep moving.

Now that the heat is rising to meet the humidity.  Now I must readjust to the heat. It is tough.  I must be tough and endure.  I want to run.  I need to run.  I push myself out there, but I should not have to push so hard.  But I do. Sometimes it just is not fun.  Missing those runs is not fun either.

Keep going out there, right?  Look around at the scenery, let my mind wonder, keep the feet moving, and endure.

What do you think?
Zippy

Shoe Day

Today   was a great day because it was shoe day.  I love shoe day.  Even though  it means I will shell out some money and probably too much.  It is really the only shopping I like to do.

Usually I buy my shoes online, but I do periodically go to my local running store to buy shoes or apparel.  It is important to me to support the local running stores because they do much more than just sell me shoes.  They provide services such as group runs and race sign ups. They are also a great source of information and I try to take advantage of shoe day to tap into that information.

So, I was put an a machine that measured, by heat signature, how my feet touched the ground while standing still.  Next, I was put on a treadmill and we made a video recording while I ran.  It showed my foot strike from the back at ground level.  This was very cool to see because try  and try again I cannot bend over backwards to see that while I run. But I must say that when I run on the treadmill, which I find extremely boring, I know that I have a different stride that when I do my normal running outside.  That said, it is still cool to do and go through the motions with my running annalist.

Then I got to try on five different pairs of shoes, one at a time, and go outside for a test run.  Now that is fun, to test the shoes out one after another.  You really get a feel for the shoe and what the manufacturer is trying to do.  The differences in some is very subtle like the level of cushion between the New Balance 840 and the Brooks Ghost.  During just a regular run cycle, wearing one model a day, I would not be able to tell that while quite similar, the Ghost has a little more cushion in the forefoot. For me, that kind of thing is fun to discover and only done with this kind of test.  I even put one of the Brooks on and one of the New Balance on and ran that way.  Cool huh! Never would I do that at home (unless by accident and then it would probably be my work shoes that I would only discover it after I got to work).

During the shoe day road tests I had a great opportunity to talk about shoe technology and ask questions.  A lot goes into the design and build of shoes and I expect that with the costs of shoes. I want to see a progression of design and feel.  There are some great looking and feeling shoes out and I can't help but get a little excited about them. Of course, I see some that seem pretty silly and some ugly ones too.

For a runner, shoe day is a fun day full of thrills and information.  But it comes at a cost.

What do you think?
Zippy

Weather or Not?

Mother Nature! Damn!

Here in the South the weather in August is in the upper 90s and when you go outside Mother Nature wraps a warm and wet blanket around you called humidity. It makes running tough; it makes breathing tough. A key to running in this weather is getting yourself used to it and keeping at it (duh! Guess I just described running).

Most runners seem to get up early to run and get it in before the worst heat and humidity sets in.  I cannot get up early and run except on race day.  I have tried. This schedule will work for about three days and that is all I can stand.  I must train myself to tough it out in the middle of the day, before the 4pm peak of the day, or in the evening. Usually in the evening; however I prefer late morning.  Sometimes those runs are very forced and not so much fun.  Actually, while doing a lot of the runs in the heat and humidity I tell myself that I am not having fun.  It is OK after the run has finished and I can take a cool shower.

Well guess what? The past few days here, in mid-August, the weather has been in the middle 60s and rainy. No way, oh yea!  This is a double edge sword.  The first run in this was great.  I was light and fast. Since then I have been drenched in rain (better than sweat?). So, I do not like to run in the rain because of blisters, glasses getting speckled, and electronic gadgets getting wet. 

It also comes down to the runner’s brain thing again. I am accustomed to the August heat and what I do to prepare.  To keep myself prepared.  But now what do I wear, when do I hit the road, what technical devices can I use?  Can those cars out there see me? Will I wilt when the weather goes back to South Summer Sweltering? I worry. I keep running.

What do you think?

Zippy

Shoes and shoes

This is my stash of current running shoes.  I keep them in a bathroom cabinet.  My favorite shoes now are Brooks and Asics.  In this bundle are two racers, Asics and Puma.  Not shown would be my Asics trail shoes.

Art or worn out shoes!

These are kept at work for running breaks during the day.  The Reeboks are comfortable but a big disappointment for mileage.

What do you think?
Zippy

30

30 is embedded into my brain. A couple of years ago I forgot all about our wedding anniversary.  That date is a simple set of numbers and very important to me.  However, I bet I did not forget 30 that week. No. No. No.  30 is a part of my runner’s brain. I can go to bed with it, wake with it, and even dream of it.  My whole week revolves around it. 30.

That is my mileage goal if you have not already guessed.  If I run 5 on Monday, that leaves me with 25.  Only 3 on Tuesday, well got to make it up with only 5 more days to go (my running week is Monday through Sunday). Constantly trying to calculate and gauge my busy life and work schedule to get to 30. Long runs, short runs, some days with 2 runs, and at least 1 day off.  Need 30.

Sometimes at the beginning of the week I can clearly see the plan.  30 in sight; no problem.  Sometimes it works out, sometimes not so easy. Sometimes at the beginning of the week, usually while I am running, I look ahead and try to plan and just do not see how the hell I can do it.  Where is my 30.  How to sneak it in?

I try to always be ready with clothes, shoes, and gear at home and at work.  Planning my 2 hour pre-run fast.  Gadgets all charged.  Ready. Need my 30.

Oh the joy of that Sunday when I have worked hard to log 21 and I break away in the late afternoon and get 9. That means 30. Got 30.  Wow, now that really feels good. Accomplishment.

But my brain is constantly crunching that number 30. Some days I just cannot get away to run or cannot make the 6 that I need to keep me on pace to 30. Must recalculate and reschedule my week.  Runner’s brain working for 30.

Every week it starts over even if I only got 25 the past week.  Reset and plan for 30. That week with 25 or maybe even 20?  Well, I can justify, not 30, but must be short for a reason.  Don’t string two non 30 weeks together.  My brain would not like that. Need 30.

A runner’s brain must just work that way.  Set a goal and reach that goal. OK, next goal. Next 30.

Does your brain work that way?

What do you think?

Zippy

Hooked on GPS

It must have been eleven years ago when I bought my first GPS watch. It was a Garmin 301 Forerunner.  It was love at first run and immediately became an essential part of my training runs. Now this thing was about as big as a Texas belt buckle and almost as heavy, but I did not care and could only see the beauty of it's stylish lines. I would power it up, take it outside and leave it to sync to the satellites while I got dressed for my run.  I had plenty of time, yes plenty.

But how it tracked those miles and my pace.  It was a wonder.  This miracle device showed me that I sometimes, way to often, gave myself credit for more mileage than I was actually running. This was not good when training for a half or full marathon and those long runs mean so much. So, I could overlook the 15+ minutes to lock up and the short battery life. (Oh the pain I suffered when it would die during a run and I was out there on my own.) This thing still works, it is in the bottom of running junk trunk, but it still operates.

After a lot of research and taking with fellow runners I got the Garmin 205 next. Much much faster lock up time.  It tracks well, no trouble with big rainstorms or the sweat of southern humid hell runs. (a foreboding of future troubles). I am using this now one and like it.

One of my logistic challenges is that I need two sets of running aparati (aparatasis) because I sometimes run at work and also run at home.  It is a drag to carry my stuff back and forth; so that is my justification for 2.

So, after research, looking at runners wrists, and talking with runners I bought a Motorola MOTOACTV.  Now this is a thing of beauty. Smallish, light weight, and just extremely cool.  I got the Bluetooth headsets to use with it because it is a Bluetooth enabled MP3 player as well (I said it was cool). I really loved this thing, until.  After getting caught is a pitiful little rain in the last mile of a 9 miler it died on me. I could (can not) believe it. Oh the pain of my loss.  Do I get another one? This one lasted about a year. Amazon had it, but it showed as discontinued by the manufacturer.  A bad sign.

So, back to Garmin.  I got the 310 and it works great.  Two weeks and already race, rain, and sweat tested. This model locks up fast and claims 20 hours on a charge. She is kind of a big girl, but I am sure she will be as faithful as her sisters. It gives me mileage, pace, total time, and a breakdown of my pace per mile.

Garmin 301 eleven years, 205 two and a half years, 310 two weeks, and the Motorola about a year.

What do you think?
Zippy

Off and running

The daughter of a cousin of the neighbor of the race director sings The Star Spangled Banner in a wobbly voice that she thinks sounds like what she heard before the baseball game the other night.
Then... ready ...set ...Go (its the start of my runners blog).

This morning at 8am I ran a 5K in Piedmont Park.  The park is a pretty large park, of rolling hills, located in Mid-town.  It is a nice park, the architect was Frederick Law Olmsted, also the architect of Central Park in NYC. (read The White City)
The race was entirely in the park and the fee, are you ready, $5.  No timing chips, park facility restroom (real restrooms), and no frills.  There was water and decent snacks afterwards. Nice to run a cheap race with a nice course these days. Very very humid morning.
My time was good, but are we ever really satisfied?  A more efficient stride, a little more effort, more kick at the end, less doubt in the middle? I can be OK with my time, but if only faster.
Issues going into this race were multiple. New GPS watch (topic for more discussions), new MP3 player, (topic for more discussions), and out of my pre-race food (topic for more discussions).
There was one guy in front of me going into mile 2 and I needed to play it safe and pass him or road kill in Ragnar terms. Steady and persistent, I passed him and kept in front although I felt him on my shoulder at about the 2.5 mark. Good song came on and I was motivated. Other than that, no particular tales to tale, but they will come.

I hope we can also soon talk about the critical importance of the number 30.

So, stay with me.

What do you think?
Zippy