A Good Week of Long Runs

Today was a decent running day. I had missed a run for the past two days so I was hoping to do another 15 miler. Even thought my left hip was a bit off, my muscles were good and loose. At about 13 miles I sort of changed direction to add a few more miles. I was feeling fine so I threw a new loop in and ended up going 21 miles. That was my longest run since struggling through Boston two years ago (after not running for the 15 days beforehand due to bronchitis). Boston did not go well that year. I felt fine the whole way today and only in the last mile did I start to feel any stiffness in my legs. I have had a good spell of 8 days since last Saturday: Sat. 15 miles/Sun. 12 miles/ Mon./off/Tues 15 miles/Wed. 8 miles./Thurs. off/ Fri. off/ Sat 21 miles. That would be 71 miles in 8 days. Not bad since I probably have been only running 20-30 miles per week since November.

Two days off was a good idea. Last Saturday I woke up with a cramp in my left calf. I was starting to feel the muscle tightening up on my runs. I felt nothing today. I am not sure why I feel so good. I know I have made dramatic improvements in my hips. I have lost about 10 pounds. I have been following the Warrior's Diet, but probably not as fully intended. I eat light and healthy during the day and eat a well balanced healthy meal at night. I have cut out tons of processed foods, sugars, and diet cokes. I eat a lot of fruits and veggies. I would guess that could make my muscles feel so much better if it cuts down on inflamation or something in the muscles and joint areas and feeds them good nutrition.

Today I ate an apple at noon, a Cliff bar an hour before my run (at 2:00), and drank three of four glasses of water. I did not bring anything to eat or drink as I ran (and brought no money either). I will have to do that soon as the weather warms up and I keep doing longer runs. On a normal day I may eat some nuts, fruit, or cheese mid-morning. Then at lunch I may have two or three pieces of fruit, nuts or cheese, and maybe something like broccoli. It doesn't sound that tasty but I am not craving the bad foods throughout the day as I used to do.

I did finally get to run again in the Nike Lunaracers today. The tongue was irritating the top of my left foot when I first wore them for 15 miles last Saturday. If I put them on now, the tongue still irritates it. I was going to cut it off but then the shoelaces would dig into my foot. So today I just moved the shoelaces up a notch and pinched the bottom of the tongue so it was pulled up away from the shoe. It may have looked funny but it worked like a charm. Other than that issue the Lunaracers seem to be excellent running shoes.

It also helps my running that this has been a horrible year at my school. A new principal is really making life miserable. She does not like me (or even talk to me), my creative approach to teaching, or the fact that I think that there is more than one style of learning in this world (not every student is a quiet little girl who enjoys doing paperwork all day-or practicing "state test" questions endlessly). I am being forced out of the school for even having a different opinion than hers. After 21 years at my school, it appears I will be gone next year. It can be tough being a guy teacher in a school full of women (here is a positive post I made on what it is like- but you can read between the lines if-you are interested). A good long run helps me deal with the ridiculousness of the situation. Ironically Wednesday night I will go to the Boys and Girls Club in Nashua to be honored with a Teacher-of-the-Year award and then I will have to find myself another school that will appreciate good teaching.

If you are brave (and smart) you might want to check out or try these warm-up skipping exercises as presented by Coach Jay Johnson on his blog. Here is his Running Times acticle explaining how to get ready for a race. The skipping routines remind me somewhat of what I have seen Haile Gebrsalaise and the Ethiopain runners perform before working out.


Warm-Up: Skipping Exercises from CoachJayJohnson on Vimeo.

Running Down the Road Like Loose Electricity!

"Running down the road like loose electricity." This lyric from the song "Breathe" on U2's "No Line on the Horizon" was playing on my iPod as I did today's run. I just like the phrase. I don't know what "loose electricity" feels like but to me it is when the running is going good and you can just tune out the world, stretch your stride out, listen to an iPod, and dream ridiculous dreams about running fast and free. Another song from the same album has the line, "The right to be ridiculous is something I hold dear" from "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight".

This afternoon I laced on a new pair of running shoes and headed out the door. My legs felt pretty good so off I went and ended up running 15 miles. I am enjoying the long runs and the fact that I can do them more easily has me thinking that my running can go real well this year. My goal for years has been to run 75-100 miles per week during the summer months. I haven't been able to do that due to my back, hips, and legs always being out of alignment. I think I might be starting to get it right. If I can start building a base now, where 15 mile runs feel this easy, I can start adding up the miles so that I can get that summer of running in that I haven't been able to do. The other goal is to take off 20-25 pounds. Then if I can stay injury free, I can go after my ridiculous goals for the Falmouth Road Race and for the Applefest Half-Marathon.

I have a role model in another newly minted 50 year old runner, Mike Merra. Look at what he has done this past year. He has been bumping up his weeks to 70 mile weeks and now an 80 mile week. Lots of determination and dropping the weight will get you there. A couple of weeks ago I saw Mike running at the indoor track at Hampshire Hills. He looked loose and strong and had the stride of a much younger runner. Another 50 year old athlete doing all the things it takes is Scotty Graham. Look at what he is doing to keep his body running its best. All you younger runners pay attention because this is the work you too will be doing someday if you continue to love running and desire to do it well.

My new running shoes are Nike Lunaracers. I haven't replaced my daily running shoe since the Applefest Half-Marathon last fall when I bought a new pair of Asic Hyper-Speed 2's. They have lasted quite a while. I wasn't sure the Lunaracers would work for me. They are lightweight (boy- are they!) but they seem to have more of a sole that I am used to. I had to order them online. I ordered a 1/2 size larger than normal as I heard they fit tight. They came yesterday and fit my feet fine although I would like a little more room for my toes. They feel very cushiony, but when you run with them they feel flat and firm and with a pleasant spring to them. I had no problems running the 15 miles and was thinking about going more, but I was developing a bit of irritation on top of the middle toes of my left foot. I think these are going to be very good running shoes for me. Plus they are so vibrant that you feel like loose electricity running down the road!

If you want to see a truly wonderful running stride. Check out this Runnerspace.com video of High School freshman, Lukas Verzbicus, setting a new High School indoor 5000m track record Friday night. That is right, he set a high school record as a freshman (although he is about 1 year older than most freshmen). He is from Lithuania and moved to the US before becoming a runner. Don't expect to see him run Spring track however. He is going back to racing triathlons! By the way he ran 14:18 indoors. His long stride reminds me of my college teammate, Danny Henderson. Danny won the NCAA 5000m track championships in 1979 and 1980 in 14:17 and 13:55 as well as a first place Div. 3 cross country championship (and 2 days later 10th place in the NCAA Div. 1 championship). Danny eventually ran 13:23 for 5000m running for Athletics West. This kid has the same skinny leg long stride. He is running almost as fast as a collegiate champion at 16 years old! Very impressive!