Fitness Test

June 18, 2012

So as you can see this is just a one mile run in 8:37.  The reason for this run was as a benchmark for a class I signed up for at the Y.  I wanted to do something to complement the running in order to tone up the upper body and this ten-week class started at the Y.  So with this class on Mondays we will be doing kettle bells and TRX.  Tuesdays are half spinning and half running steps (which is exactly as fun as it sounds).  Wednesdays are "cardio challenge" Thursdays are strength training and Fridays are "Expect the unexpected."  Yikes.  So I'm going to be doing this on top of my 3.5 mile runs Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

So we started on Monday with a fitness assessment.  We did one-minute sit-ups, one-minute push-ups, plank, wall sits and the aforementioned one mile run.  We also used a body composition scale which differs from a regular scale because it not only tells you your weight, but it tells you what percentage of your body weight is fat vs bone vs  muscle etc.  I was actually very pleasantly surprised to see my results in this regard.  I've lost 12 pounds since I started this little running adventure nigh on three months ago.  More importantly, however, my metabolic rate is up, my visceral (trunk) fat is in a good range and my muscle is well above average.  The scale also gives a "physique rating"  I expect to receive "lard-ass" or "tubby" or "sweats while I eat" but instead I got "standard muscular."  As Borat would say, very nice.

So here's to a summer of busting my butt in the gym while putting the miles on the road.

10K

June 16, 2012

So today I completed my first 10K!  It was the Clive Running Festival which is a fundraiser for the trails in Clive.  Here's the route and statistics:

I'm really happy with the 11:00 min/mile pace.  My friend Paul (who is an endurance sport ninja with multiple marathons and open-water swims to prove it) has been doing my long runs with me and was gracious enough to sign up for this with me.  We ran the whole course except when we walked through the water stations.  This was a nice course with some rolling hills, and paths on the trails and through some neighborhoods.  This seemed to be a really well-organized event as well.  It was sponsored by Fitness Sports (the local running/swimming/tri specialty store).  They had volunteers along the course directing traffic and giving you your time every other mile marker.  They also had the aforementioned water stations and the Clive fire department had opened a hydrant at one point along the race to help cool down although it wasn't really that hot yet at this time of day.

Probably my favorite part of this race was having people along the course cheering for us and also they had an announcer at the finish line who called out our names when we finished.  (because we finished *near* the end, he had plenty of time and no distraction from other people finishing and was able to call our our names to our adoring fans).

As you can hopefully tell from the map, the 10k for this race was actually two circuits of the 5k course. Which made for probably the most interesting thing to happen during this race.  We got lapped.  That's right, the guy who ended up winning the 10k lapped us just before we finished the 5k and he was finishing the 10k.  It was definitely humbling but cool to see some pretty fast dudes.

This was definitely a fun race.  I felt really good throughout the whole thing and felt like I could have run further at the end.  One note about nutrition here in case anyone is looking for that sort of thing, I always have a hard time deciding what, if anything, to eat before an early-morning run or race like this. I don't know if this is the right thing to do or not but it worked for me this time.  Late on Friday night, I ate one slice of whole wheat toast with some peanut butter on it.  Then I woke up about an hour and a half before the race started, ate another slice of whole wheat toast with peanut butter and drank a container of flavored coconut water.  I felt really pretty hydrated throughout the whole race.  The water stations were nice, but I think I probably would've been able to finish without them.

Looking forward to my next race which will either be a 5K this weekend or a 10K next weekend.

Here's some pics:

At the finish line.  Paul's in there too but he's being obstructed by the person in the green shirt.

Me and Paul straight killin' it with our post-race swag.  (I know it's Paul and I, but I always get the Willie Nelson song in my head and I can't say anything but me and Paul)

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June 13, 2012

This was another 3 mile run with Ben.  This one we were definitely off our game for.  Protip: don't eat a hamburger or some spicy chicken chinese dish before you decide to run three miles. (Bonus Protip:  Using the word 'protip' makes you sound like an internet badass).  Ugh.  I think we both felt like we were running with bowling balls in our stomachs during this one.  We stuck it out and survived, however, even it was was waaay slower than what we'd normally like to do.

June 12,2012 and June 14, 2012

So here's a new topic for this blog: run commuting.  These two runs were also my morning commutes to work these days.  I've been wanting to do this for a while but it took quite a bit of planning to make it happen.  So, obviously in order to do it, I have to be able to shower and get dressed at the end of the run.  Unfortunately, my employer does not provide any locker room or shower facilities. Fortunately, I have a YMCA membership and the Y is right across the river from my office.  However, the Y does not have place to store all of my gear.  They do, however have a "fitness center" (read: country club) where, for an extra fee, you can get a locker (with your name emblazoned on it no less!) to keep your stuff in.  So, despite the vaguely elitist feeling I get from having such a locker, I signed up for it in order to enable my run commute.  

So to make this work, I drive in on Monday, taking in my suits and some non-running, non-work clothes.  I stash the suits at my office and the other clothes in my snooty locker.  Then I take the bus home and run in the next day to the Y.  I shower up and put on the casual clothes there, walk over to the office and put on the old lawyer costume and I'm golden.  I've gotten my workout in before I even eat breakfast and I don't have to get road rage during my commute.

I also decided to try out a different playlist for these runs.  Instead of some pumping music, I got a fantasy baseball podcast.  That way, it feels like I'm running with someone, but I also get to listen to something that I wouldn't otherwise have time for.  It worked really well.  

I really like this route because it takes me through some neighborhoods that I wouldn't otherwise see on foot.  The only bad part about this route is once I get into downtown, I'm stopping and starting every block it seems like.  

The plan is to keep this commute most of the summer because most of my mid-week training runs call for three miles.  This route is pretty much 3.5 miles so it will work well for this training.  I can go different ways in order to increase the mileage to adapt it to the training schedule.

June 9, 2012

Another good run with Ben.  This time a little earlier in the morning.  It felt like we had a really good pace for us this time.  Looking at the results, it looks like we were able to get it in under 10 min/miles which always feels good.  I never would have thought I could say that a 3.17 mile run felt "routine" but that's starting to be the way it is around these parts.

June 7, 2012

June 7, 2012

How it Felt:  Pretty cool.  So this is a path on one of the many wonderful trails in Des Moines that I'm pretty familiar with.  This time as I approached the single-track trail, I thought "two roads diverged in an open wood, etc, etc." and decided to take the single-track.  This was my first time on this, or any other unpaved trail and it was pretty cool.  This was a very different experience than running on the paved trails.  A lot more quick ups and downs with hills, trees whooshing (well not really "whooshing" at my pace, but you get the idea) by (in my mind I felt like the speed bike scenes in the forests of Endor), and my mind was much more engaged looking out for the terrain...except for the few seconds when I wasn't watching the terrain and caught my left toes on a root going downhill.  I did an awesome barrel roll and came up with nothing damaged but a pretty cool scrape on my knee (you thought I was going to say that my pride was damaged.  You obviously haven't been reading long enough to know that I have no pride left.  Gotcha!)  So I did a mile on the single-track and then two more miles on the paved trail.  Good run overall, although I think I'll probably be staying more on the pavement for now.

June 6, 2012

Running Partner: Ben

How it Felt:  Great!  It was nice to have a good-feeling run after a couple of rough ones in a row.  Running with someone really helps me to get motivated and to keep running when I'd maybe otherwise want to quit.  Good conversation is better motivation than pumped-up music.  That may change if my goal changes from just getting the run done to trying to be fast.  I honestly don't know if I'll ever have trying to go faster as a goal.  Right now I really enjoy running and I don't want to lose that.  I fear it will be like when I decided to major in music in college.  Playing went from something that was my favorite thing in the world to do to drudgery because it was so intense all the time.  Of course, I didn't really start to love playing my horn until I got really good at it, so if I get really good at running, I might enjoy it even more.  For now, I'm just going to keep getting out there and putting the miles in.

June 5, 2012

Route:

Playlist:  You Make My Dreams Hall & Oates
              Revolution                         The Beatles
              Communication Breakdown Led Zeppelin
              Immigrant Song                 Led Zeppelin
              Rock And Roll                 Led Zeppelin
              The Song Remains The Same Led Zeppelin
              Long Train Runnin'        The Doobie Brothers
             Any Way You Want It Journey
             You Make Loving Fun Fleetwood Mac
             Don't Stop                         Fleetwood Mac

No way to really explain where this playlist came from.  I should mention that I signed up for iTunes match and I'm really enjoying using it.  If you haven't used it before, basically if you have an iPhone or iPod or other Apple device, for $25 bucks a year, you get all of your media pushed to all of your devices from the cloud.  This means that I can have all of my music (about 50 gigs right now) available on my phone all the time without taking up memory space on my phone.  So I'm going through a lot of stuff making playlists.

How it felt:   Not good.  Kind of disappointed to have two really tough runs in a row.  Yesterday I tried Pilates for the first time in an effort to do some cross-training-type stuff and work on my core a little bit. Yikes, that was painful.  All day today my abs hurt every time I sneezed or moved at all really.  Needless to say, I felt those sore core muscles throughout the whole run.  In fact, I had to walk three times during the three miles.  I felt like last Saturday was by far the best, easiest run I've had and since then I've had two really tough runs.  I'm hoping that tomorrow will be better.  See you then.

Update

Sooo, it's been over a month since I posted.  I could make several excuses for why it's taken me so long, but that would not be interesting to either of us, so let's just summarize what has happened since I last posted.

First of all, I have still been running.  At least four days a week every week, increasing the weekly mileage little by little.  In fact, probably the biggest development in my training is that I started following a big boy training program.  For six weeks now, I've been following the Hal Higdon Novice Supreme Training Program in order to prepare for the Des Moines Marathon in October.  At this point, I haven't actually signed up for the marathon.  I keep telling myself I'm just going to keep following the training program and see how it feels.  I think in the back of my mind, I assume that there will be a point where it will be too hard and I won't be able to do it anymore and then I'll quit.  I picked this particular program because it gave me enough time to build a base and not add too much too quickly in order to prepare.  I should clarify that even though I've only been following the plan for six weeks, I'm actually on week 10 of the plan because that's where I need to be in order to get ready for the Des Moines marathon.  The mileage for week 4 when I started was actually right at what I was doing at the time, so I thought "If I'm running these distances anyway, why not train for something?"  So here we are.  I'm one third of the way done and just finished my hardest run to date.  Here's the route and statistics

I'm not gonna lie, this one hurt.  I think the biggest reason for the pain was because I didn't follow the training plan this week like I'm supposed to.  The plan calls for runs Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday with a long run on Saturday.  There was rain on Wednesday and Thursday of this week, however, so I moved those runs to Friday and Saturday respectively then did the long run on Sunday with no day off in between like the plan calls for.  The worst part of this run was a tightness in my left shin.  It's now about four hours after finishing and the pain is all but gone, however.

I've had a lot of encouragement and running with my friends during the time I've been gone.  I've had runs with Aaron and Ben who I think I've mentioned before as well as some runs with friends Melanie, Paul and Ana.  I also had several group runs with folks from the YMCA.  Unfortunately, my training schedule does not align well with the group from the Y, so my running with them has been infrequent.  I have found that I really enjoy running with someone better than running alone.  Even though I enjoy my music, I find that I can lose track of time better during a conversation, so I've been very thankful for friends who want to run with me and talk the whole time.

As you guys know, I really dig running gear.  Yes, I have acquired some new gear since we last spoke.  For one thing, I got another pair of my Brooks PureFlow shoes that I absolutely love.  They are a different color but I got them in order to alternate between the two and keep them fresher and more cushiony for my feet.  I really did research and try on a bunch of different shoes but in the end, none worked better for me than the Brooks.  I'm very happy that I've found a pair that works for me.  I'm even more happy to learn that they are coming out with the PureFlow 2 sometime later which means they're going to keep making them for a while.  If I ever find out they're going to quit making these, I will be in the store like Elaine stocking up on Today's Sponges.  I've also gotten several pairs of shorts, a few shirts, some socks, a hydration belt, and a hat.  I have found all of these items to be worth it in the way they help when I'm running and how they motivate me to get out there just to use them.

Finally, and most importantly, my wife has started running too.  I'm very proud of her for getting out there even when she's tired from taking care of kids all day or when she's sore or whatever and she is still getting out there.  I'm really looking forward to a time when we can run together in a race.  With the two kids, it's difficult/impossible to get out there at the same time now so we have to take turns.

Thanks for reading all the way through this, I'll try to keep posting more frequently.  I've been sharing my runs on Facebook/Twitter through Mapmyrun or Runkeeper so I haven't been posting them here.  I'll keep trying to work on a good balance.

5K Baby

So I did it.  I told you guys I was going to do it and I did.  Last Saturday I ran my first 5K.  And it was a lot of fun.  I saw several friends, some I expected to see and others who were a great surprise to see.  Also I saw some of my mortal enemies from Iowa Legal Aid, so I was motivated not to look like a fat loser, lest they try to take advantage of me in our future litigatory battles.  More motivating, however, was my friend Jill and her friend Jill who ran with me and pushed me to a time way faster than I ever would have expected.

April 21, 2012 - Court to Court 5K

Route:

Pace/Distance:

I don't know what's up with the 2.94 distance on this one.  I must've rounded some corners funny or something.  

According to the race results page I finished in under 28 minutes.  I was really hoping to finish under 30 minutes so finishing under 28 was awesome!  Again, this great time for me was the result of getting pushed by a great friend and helps reinforce for me that running is definitely better as part of a community.

Here's a picture of me at the finish line with my good friend Nate.  Nate is a running stud and one of the guys whose accomplishments motivated me to really get out there and run.  

Now I'm looking for my next race.  Who wants to run together?

One Month and Counting

Sorry guys, I've really been slacking on posting updates.  I just realized that it's been more than a week since I posted anything.  I was getting discouraged about posting for a while because I was afraid few people were reading.  Then within just a few days of each other I heard from several people that this blog was motivating them.  These comments came from friends I haven't seen in a while and from several of my friends who were among the group who motivated me to start running in the first place.  So thanks to everyone who's given me encouragement on the way for running and blogging and thanks to everyone who's reading this now.

So, what have I been up to?  Here's a quick run run-down since my last post:

4/18/12:

3.11 miles
32:38 or 10:30 min/mile

4/20/12:

1.07 miles
9:22 or 8:45 min/mile

4/22/12

2.6 miles
27:08 or 10:26 min/mile
Special Guest Star:  Aaron

4/25/12

1.88 miles
20:58 or 11:09 min/mile
Special Guest Star:  Ben (who tells me about a block into our run that he used to run cross-country in high school.  Show off)  Seriously, Ben is another great guy and I'm really honored that he asked to run together and we had a great time running down around the baseball stadium.  I'm really glad that I can hold up more of my end of the conversation now when I'm running with a buddy.

4/26/12

4.01(!!!) miles
40:00 or 9:49 min/mile

First time over 4 miles and it felt pretty good really.  I'm surprised at how I've been able to up the miles and the pace these last two weeks and enjoy it.  It was a simply gorgeous day for a run so that helped for sure.

4/27/12

2.63 miles
23:42 or 9:01 min/mile

Seriously windy today.  I had to (boo hoo) buy a new long sleeve shirt at my gym before the run because I knew it was going to be too cold to run in the short sleeve mesh shirt I brought with me.  Glad I got the longer sleeve shirt.  Run was tougher today and my shins were hurting again which they haven't done in a while.  When I laced up the shoes today, I discovered another set of holes far back on the shoe so I laced them up through that set.  I don't know if doing that accounted for the hurt today or if it's residual from going further yesterday than I've been.  What do you guys think?

Also, bonus on the new shirt purchase, I was able to fit (not squeeze) into a large shirt (insert teen girl squee here).  I also weighed in 5 pounds lighter than I was a month ago when I started.  Sweet.  Still fat, but heading in the right direction.

Breaking 3 Miles

Sorry again for the infrequent updating.  I had a reader jonesing for an update so I knew I needed to get on it immediately.  Don't want to anger my loyal fan base.

I'm going to keep it short with mostly course and paces because it's already 11 o'clock and I've got an 8:15 hearing in the morning.

4/13/12

Route:

Pace/Distance:

April 14, 2012

Route:

Pace/Distance:

April 15:

Route:               Pretty much identical to the 13th.  

Pace/Distance:  Roughly 21 minutes.  

Special Guest Star Aaron went along with me on this run.  As always, fantastic company and I'm very grateful that he joined me yet again.

April 17 (this is the big one y'all!)

Route:

Pace/Distance:

Check that distance again.  3.1 miles (according to Google conversion search, that equals...5K)  Yup, I decided that I'm going to do my first 5K this weekend.  Before I decided I was going to sign up for public humiliation, I wanted to make sure I could actually cover the distance.  Hopefully being able to do it under 11 min/miles will assure that I'm not the very last one across the finish line.  So I'm doing the Court2Court 5K which is a fundraiser for Iowa Legal Aid.  I figure since I spend so much of my work time going toe to toe with attorneys from Legal Aid, I should balance the karmic scales by participating in a fundraiser for them.  So, it's official, I can't back out now.  If you're in Des Moines, sign up to run in this with me or come out and cheer me on as I lug my fat ass up the hill in front of the Judicial Branch Building.  See you there. 

A Week's Worth of Runs

So, it's been a while since I posted about any runs.  Don't worry (not that any of you were) I haven't given up on running.  I decided to post the past week's runs in one post instead of a different post for each day.

Shoes for all runs:  Brooks Pureflow

April 8, 2012
Time 6:14 PM

Route:

Pace/Distance

 

How it felt:      And now we get to the dangers of not writing this each day.  I honestly don't remember how this one felt.  It seems like I had a slower-than-normal pace, so I'm thinking that maybe I had to walk some in there which wouldn't be great.  I do remember the next day, however.

April 9, 2010

High Noon

Course:   http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/82111361

No pace or time information available for this one.

How it Felt:       Absolutely terrible.  Not because of the running but because of the workout.  I decided to join this group from the Y which a deacon from our church invited me to.  One would think that a deacon of the church, charged with helping his congregants "grow in love of God and neighbor" would be concerned about my well-being.  Apparently, this man takes his charge neither literally nor seriously.  Within fifteen minutes of starting this workout I was cursing my fellow man, taking the lord's name in vain, and cursing my lot in life.  So the workout was to run from the Y up to the state Capitol.  About .75 miles.  Awesome, if we would have just run there and back.  Once at the Capitol, however, the group leader decided it would be a fantastic idea to run up the approximately 5,234x10^23 steps in front of the Capitol.  

Running up the steps was not sufficient, however.  We then had to run down and then perform a set of exercises at each landing, alternating between pushups, situps and tricep dips.  Having survived the first circuit, we then jogged over to the South side of the grounds and ran back up towards the building up what is undoubtedly Iowa's steepest hill.  We then ran back down the steps repeating the other exercises.  For the third round, the other intrepid souls ran to the North side of the grounds and ran up Iowa's second steepest hill.  I was concerned that if I ran up said hill, I wouldn't have enough in me to make it back to the Y.  So I decided another trip up and down the stairs was what my bloated carcass needed.  We finished the workout with yet another trip up and down the stairs and a run back to the Y. Wow.  I lost two pounds in water weight during this workout.

I will never go to the Y on a Monday again.  

April 10, 2012

8:00 PM

Weather:  Cold and windy

Route:

Pace/Distance:

How it Felt:     Pretty blah.  As you can see, I was running this one on a track.  I think tracks might fall right behind the treadmill on the list of least favorite places to run.  I really need something to look at when I'm running or else my mind tries (and usually succeeds) to convince me that running is not what my body should be doing at the time.  Also, it was dark and cold which made this even worse for running.  Finally, I tried doing this without any music because I read some ill-informed Runner's World article about running without music because you can get desensitized to it and so that you can "listen to your body."  Folks, for a fat boy like me, listening to your body while running is about the worst thing you can do if continuing to run is your aim.  My body was telling me things like "wow, this is hard"; "are you sure you wouldn't rather be sitting on the couch, eating potato chips, watching baseball, you know, like the rest of our lives up to this point?"; and "ok, seriously tubby, you're going to have a heart attack if you don't stop this and feed me donuts."  So I really struggled to stay out there and I walked sometimes and it was generally pretty miserable.  

April 11, 2012

Noon

Route:

                                                        

Pace/Distance:

         

How it Felt:            This one felt a lot better after the previous few days.  I don't know if it was a function of the time of day or what I'd eaten or what, but this one felt pretty good.  I was happy to get almost 2.5 miles at an almost 11 minute/mile pace.  This was a nice route and one that I can expand in the future to go on longer runs.  

April 12, 2012

8:30 PM

Route:

Pace/Distance:

Playlist:       Flaming Lips: iTunes Originals Album

How it Felt:      Even better than the day before.  I know this was really slow, but I definitely felt like it was a pace I could keep going at.  Aside from my right foot going numb, yet again, I felt like I could have easily kept running for the rest of the night.  I'm very encouraged to be this close to 5K distance.  I'm pretty confident I could run a 5K now and I think I might next Saturday!

Run 16

April 6, 2012

Time/Weather:    

Playlist:     Same as yesterday

Shoes:       Brooks Pureflow

Running Partner:    None :(  There's a sad face to this one because I was going to run with a group from the gym today.  Because it was Good Friday, though, there weren't many folks at the gym.  I spied a group of three guys who were going out for a run but the fat kid who always got picked last in gym in me wouldn't let me be assertive enough to ask the guys if I could run with them.  I definitely felt like an outsider as I watched the guys go out for a run together and I ended up going by myself. (insert sad trombone "way-wah" here)

Route:      Bonus loop around the baseball stadium.

Pace/Distance:

How it felt:     The first mile is definitely getting easier with every run.  I find myself not even starting to think about what I'm doing until at least the ten minute mark which is usually the end of mile 1.  I probably could have gone further again today, but I had mapped out a nice two mile route and I decided to stick with it.  I certainly couldn't have ever thought that a two mile run could get to be routine, but here we are and I've done a week's worth of daily two mile runs.  Also, I've already put almost 10 miles on my new shoes!  That means I'm like 1/50 of the way to getting new shoes!  See you tomorrow.

Run 15 (Two weeks in to this crazy experiment)

April 5, 2012

4:30 PM (shhh, don't tell that I left work early to run)

Weather:  Sunny, chilly; probably 60 (I keep forgetting to check the weather app before I go)

Shoes:    Brooks Pureflow (aka Green Hornets)

Playlist:    How You Like Me Now by The Heavy
                 Freewill by Rush
                 Enter Sandman by Metallica (man, the nightmares from this video alone kicked me into high
                 gear while I was running)
                 Dr. Feelgood by Motley Crue (don't judge.  you know you love it too)
                 Don't Stop Me Now by Queen
                 (Don't Fear) The Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult (always need more cowbell)
                 Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne (terrible audio quality in this video but check out this kid!!)

Running Partner:    None.  But I did pass the same woman on the way up and back down.  Granted, she was walking, but still, I passed someone!  Twice!

Route:

Bonus route trivia:  If you run along this route, be sure and keep an eye out for the folks making out in their cars in the little parking area just south of University off the trail.  For extra bonus points, stare into their car the whole time you're running past, just to make them nervous and self-conscious.

Extra bonus trivia:   Along with the makers-out there was an ambulance parked in the same little parking area.  I took a lot of encouragement from the fact that trained medics watched me zombie past them and they did not seem concerned enough by my appearance to inquire whether I needed medical attention.  I count that as a sign of improvement in my running!

Distance/Pace: 

How it Felt:   Really awesome!  I kept being surprised when I was getting my time and distance updates through my headphones that I was keeping about a 10:00 min/mile pace the whole time.  Just like yesterday, my shins were completely pain-free.  At about the 1.75 mile mark, my right foot started going numb again.  Don't know what to do about that yet.  It didn't feel quite as good cardiovascularly tonight as yesterday, I was ready to quit when I did.  I felt like I could have gone further but I let my mind talk me out of it.  Well, I really shouldn't say that because I went the route that I mapped out so I didn't really quit early.  I guess what I'm saying is, last night my mind and body felt like I could have kept going if I'd wanted to.  Tonight, I didn't want to, even though I probably could have.  

So, two weeks down.  I've lost two pounds in these two weeks without making a point to change my diet.  I've planned on writing a post about nutrition sometime but I haven't really started working on that yet.  I read earlier that when you really get into running, the nutrition starts taking care of itself because your body won't tolerate crap food and that you'll crave certain things that you need.  So far, I've found at least the first half of that to be true.  I haven't really been able to eat as much crap as I normally would and I end up eating much better than I would if left to my own devices.  Hopefully I'll learn more about proper nutrition as I go along, but right now, I'm just making one change at a time.  And this change to running is definitely a good one for me so far.  See you tomorrow!

Run 14

April 4, 2012

8:30 PM

Weather:

Route:

Shoes:          Brooks Pureflow (aka the "Green Monsters")

Playlist:        YYZ by Rush

                     Stronger by Kanye

                     Strange Times by The Black Keys

                     Steady as She Goes by The Raconteurs

                     Race for the Prize by The Flaming Lips

                     Jessica by The Allman Brothers

Pace/Distance:

How it Felt (warning, strong language ahead):     Fan-fucking-tastic.  I had absolutely zero pain in my shins this entire run.  No stitches in my side, no panting, no wheezing.  I basically looked exactly the guy in the Race for the Prize video.  No, not the guy playing the sousaphone, the running guy hooked up to the monitors who's more machine than man.  I really felt like I could have kept running all night.  The only thing was a little, just the slightest, complete numbness in my right foot for about the last third of a mile.  I believe the technical term is paresthesia which sounds so clinical.  But numbness is so much better than pain, I could have run with that all night.  

Seriously you guys this was a definite breakthrough type experience.  I was so happy the whole time.  I wanted to keep going but I had mapped out a route ahead of time and I wanted to stick with that.  Plus, it added to the perfection of the whole experience that my playlist ended exactly when I walked back up to my front door.  

I should mention I decided to wear a compression shirt tonight because it was a little chilly and I wanted something with long sleeves.  I thought I looked pretty much like this:

In reality, however, I'm sure I looked much more like this:

Either way, I ran and it was fun.  That's all that matters.  See you tomorrow.

Run 13

April 3, 2012
12:15 PM

Weather:

Shoes:   Brooks Pureflow

Playlist:  Same as last several runs, Chicago; Rush; Cure etc.

Route:    http://soc.li/q9EPlFU

Pace/Distance:   So I tried using mapmyrun instead of run keeper on my phone today and it didn't work.  Apparently, it said I had a weak GPS signal when I hit the start button so while I thought it was tracking me, it was waiting for me to tell it to use the GPS anyway.  Damn.  Best as I can figure I did two miles in about 25 minutes so we'll go with 12:30/mile pace (this does include a 5 minute walking warmup, however)

Running Partner(s):   Well, I accidentally got caught up in a running group.  I was walking down this route to get started and just when I was ready to start running, a group from my gym started running right past me.  I went along with the flow and found they were running the same route I was planning on running.  Bonus of running with this group: I was not the last one finished!

How it felt:    Not too shabby.  Running with a group was nice to see where I fit in and keep pace with some other folks.  It looks like I might now have a group to run with on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays now, so that's cool.  My legs didn't hurt too bad until the end of the run.  Nothing like yesterday on the treadmill though, that's for sure.  I am starting to worry that I might be suffering from chronic compartment syndrome and that I'm going to be feeling like this every time I run unless I have surgery.  Not looking forward to that, but if I do have it, it would be nice to get it treated so I'm not in pain every time I get out there.

Green Shoe Diaries (and Run 12)

You knew this post was coming.  You knew it was coming soon.  You've known since I told you I already had a pair in mind.  You probably knew it was coming before I did.

I tried to hold out.  I really did.  I stuffed my ears with beeswax.  I lashed myself to the mast.  But the shoe Sirens always lure me towards the rocks.

I'd been doing some obsessive research harmless browsing.  Merely window shopping.  I figured out how much room I had on the credit card carefully considered my budget, considered hiding it from my wife consulted with my wife, and sped casually drove to the store.  (ok enough of the strike throughs)

I'd already tried on several pairs of shoes in Coralville at a great store called Running Wild, including the new Nike Pegasus and the Saucony Triumph; both of which I really liked.

But I knew that if I really wanted to do the right thing, I needed to try on more shoes.  I went to Fitness Sports in Windsor heights.  Having done my research, I tried on three different pairs that I thought might do the best: the Brooks PureFlow, the Newton Sir Isaac, and the Saucony Kinvara.  I trust that the salesman was impressed with my knowledge of what I wanted though confused when trying to determine if I was really a runner based on my physique.

So, the Kinvara just didn't feel right for me.  It is more of a minimal shoe, though still with some cushioning.  It didn't have the amount of cushioning I was looking for though.  I also thought I could feel something poking into my medial arch and I just wasn't a fan of that.  So that contender was out from the first wearing.

It came down to the Brooks and the Newton.  The Brooks already had the mental edge in my mind from what I'd already researched.  The Brooks also had a head start because it was $55 cheaper than the Newton.  But I wanted to test them both fairly so I ran several laps in the hallway behind the store in both.

I really like both shoes.  The Newtons definitely felt unlike any shoe I'd ever worn before.  Because of the lugs in the front of the shoe, they felt like those shoes for building your calf muscles that would inevitably lead to you competing in the NBA slam dunk competition despite the fact that you're a short fat boy from Oklahoma.  No?  That was just me?  Although walking in them felt weird, running in them felt pretty good.  I didn't noticeably feel the action/reaction technology that Newton touts, but they shoes felt nice and springy in the midsole.  The Sir Isaacs are supposedly more forgiving than other Newtons if you mis-step and heel strike rather than the mid- to forefoot strike they're designed for.  I did notice a couple of times when I hit with my heel.  It wasn't painful or anything but it definitely felt awkward.

Then it was time to test the Brooks.  It wasn't like the heavens opened up and choir music started playing, but they did feel really nice when I put them on.  I've been told that the best test for whether a shoe is right for you or not is that you don't even notice you're wearing them.  That was definitely true for the Brooks.  When I was running in the back hallway with them, if it weren't for their tapping on the ground, I wouldn't have known I was wearing shoes at all.  I didn't feel any of the familiar pain and tension in my shins that I've grown accustomed to, despite running several circuits back and forth behind the store.

So, with the store closing and my money literally (come on, you guys know me better than that) burning a hole in my pocket, I faced the moment of truth.  It probably came down to my preconception and the price difference, but I ultimately went with the Brooks.

So as soon as I got home, they were subjected to rigorous inspection by my shoephiliac daughter:

Having passed her inspection, she deemed them worthy of my feet and helped me try them on:

After consultation with Brooks' website, I learned they are actually designed to go with the sole on the bottom of your foot.

So later in the evening, I took them for a run on the treadmill (that way I can take them back if they're not what I'm looking for).  N.B. I HATE treadmills.  They never seem to fit my stride and I hate not being able to easily adjust my cadence or stride as necessary.  So this was a short(although not short compared to two weeks ago) test run

April 2, 2012

Time: 9:15 PM

Weather:  Climate-controlled

Route:   Treadmill

Running Partner:  Watching the SEC beat the Big XII in yet another sport.  Damn.

Distance/Pace:   1 mile at 10:43 pace

How it felt (More importantly, how the shoes felt):  The shoes felt really great.  I was going along for quite a while without feeling any pain or tightness at all.  My feet felt really cushioned (which was important because I think I'm getting a corn on the bottom of my right foot, but I didn't feel it at all).  Towards the end of the mile, both legs really started tightening up.  I'm laying this squarely at the feet of the treadmill though.  I think it was because I wasn't able to find a comfortable pace/stride on the treadmill.  I say this because almost as soon as I was done, i.e. much quicker than normal, the pain went away completely.  The only discomfort I felt during the run that I would attribute to the shoe was some slight pulling on my calfs.  I think that is because of the comparatively low heel-toe drop in these shoes.  I'm going to take them outside for another run today and see how they hold up when I can control my pace and stride better.

Day 12 (Run 11) With Special Guest Star!

April 1, 2012
6:00 PM

Weather: Hot.  88, slight breeze.  It felt nice but it was definitely warm for April 1.

Shoes:   Nike Free 4.0

Running Partner:      Aaron!  Aaron is a fantastic friend who suggested we go for a run together.  Aaron is the exemplar of a great friend and running partner.  If you don't have a friend like Aaron, get one now!

Route:     Down Polk Blvd. (My favorite street in Des Moines) to Grand.  East on Grand to 45th and back in.

Pace/Distance:   2 miles in 29 minutes.  I had to walk a couple of times.

Playlist:    Fantastic conversation!  Well, fantastic for me anyway.  All Aaron got to hear was Fatty McGee wheezing out the occasional three word sentence.  Sorry about that dude.

How it felt:     Running with a buddy was a great experience in terms of how quickly the time passed.  I was pretty self conscious of not being able to hold a conversation even at the slow pace we were going, but Aaron was very gracious and didn't even mention it.  It was noticeably hotter than it has been and I felt myself get pretty parched even though I drank water all day long.  Towards the end of the run my left foot was numb and my right leg had the normal shin pain I'm used to.  Within thirty minutes after we finished, all was back to normal. so I assume no permanent damage was done.  I'm very glad I got to get out again today and very thankful to have a great friend to run with.  Looking forward to doing it again.

Day 10

March 30, 2012

Time: 3:30 PM

Weather:  Forgot to check again but another perfect day for getting outside.  Probably 70, sunny, light wind.

Shoes:   Nike Free 4.0

Running Partner:  Mollie for the warmup and first .75 miles then I had to drop her back off at home.  Also, word to the wise, when you're walking/running with a dog sometimes you need to carry more than one poop bag with you because sometimes one doggy pitstop is not enough.



Route:

Pace/Distance:

  

How it Felt:       Tough.  I walked several times (about 5 times for twenty second each or so).  It actually starts hurting worse when I walk.  I definitely had some mental struggle today and I realized that stopping running was about the worst thing I could do because it was a lot hard to start running again than it was to just keep running once I was going.  But I'm still pretty shocked at how much further I'm going now than just a week ago.  I found myself lusting after some more cushioned shoes the last two days.  I've tried to make a deal with myself that I won't even go in and look at shoes until I finish my first 5K.  I know if I go in to look, I'm sunk and I'll be walking out with a new pair.  I'm thinking about going easy the next two days.  Maybe just a mile each day.  Check back tomorrow.

Day 9 (First Time Over 2 Miles!)

March 29, 2012

Time:    4:30 PM

Shoes:   Nike Free 4.0

Weather: Forgot to check.  But it was nice.  Probably 68, windy.  Cool front moving in.

 Route:  
                                                 


 Pace/Distance:

Playlist:             25 or 6 to 4 by Chicago

                          Just Like Heaven by The Cure

                          Mr. Brightside by The Killers

                          Dog Days are Over by Florence and the Machine

                          Freewill by Rush

                          Running on Empty by Jackson Browne

                          Don't Stop Me Now by Queen

How it Felt:        Pretty good.  I really like running along the river, having great scenery and other runners around makes me not as conscious of the running itself.  Today was the first time I really had fleeting moments of not thinking about the running.  I think it was toying with the feeling that people talk about when they say the miles just go by and you don't even realize it.  I learned the quickest way to lose the feeling is to become cognizant of it.  Sort of a Wylie Coyote going off a cliff then looking down and falling sort of thing.  The playlist above is a 150 BPM that is supposed to be a 10:00 min/mile playlist.  Obviously, I didn't make that.  I was behind from the start even though I was moving my feet to that pace, I must take too small strides to make that be a 10:00 minute mile.  Oh well, like I've said before, I'm more concerned about just getting out there and putting some miles in than how fast I'm going.