Back to Running (finally!)

A patient comes running into the doctor's office and yells. "Doctor, help me. I am shrinking.

The doctor in all of his busyness chirps back to the man, "I am sorry sir, but you are just going to have to be a "little patient"."

I have been trying to have lots of patience! Last week I had one run, an 8 miler on the treadmill. I had a tweak in my back a couple of days earlier after lifting a kettlebell off the floor awkwardly but that run went well. However later that night it started spasming up. I had a hard time moving, stretching, and turning with it because it kept locking up and going into spasms.

It got quite comical. I could barely get into my car. Bending down sent it into spasms, then once I got seated I couldn't get my head into the car. My head would not bend forward. I had to put my hand on top of my head and pull my noggin down in order to get it into the car (no big head jokes here!). Then I couldn't reach out to pull the door shut without putting my back into spasms again. I had to slide my foot out and try to pull the door shut with my toes. At school I would be brought to my knees if I reached the wrong way or sat up or down wrong. Turning over in bed was just painful.

Fortunately things have subsided and I ran 8 stiff miles today after a full week off. If it goes well tomorrow then I may enter the Great Bay 1/2 marathon on Sunday. The best thing about getting injured was that I didn't have to run either of the Eastern States races last Sunday as the weather looked horrible.

It is Spring, So Why I am on the Treadmill?

Monday night I lifted up a kettlebell without positioning myself correctly and something in my mid-upper back got tweaked a bit. Today I decided to run on the treadmill in case it hindered my running. Everything went fine except when I was starting the treadmill I was also fiddling with an iPod. I didn't realize that I got the treadmill speed up to 12 mph until my legs started going faster than I had planned. Fortunately, I got the speed down before I shot off the back. I actually felt real good on the treadmill and ended up doing 8 miles at a faster than normal pace. My back still is tweaked, however.

Now I am thinking about jumping in a race this weekend or next to see where I am at. I know I am not anywhere near to a racing speed and I will need a lot of races before I feel comfortable running fast. So I could do the Eastern States 20 miler or the "lesser of two evils" half-marathon (it has been a few years since I have done the 20 miler). I could also do the Great Bay 1/2 Marathon. Or I could do one of the Eastern States races this weekend and the Great Bay race next weekend. Or I could just train and save my money. I'll have to check out the upcoming weather and decide soon. What is nice is that I feel good enough running that thinking about racing is actually I choice I can make.

Here is an interesting video on marathoner Ryan Hall and Team World Vision. They are bringing clean water to people in Africa.

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.

Run Haile Run!

Last night I read Matt Fitzerald's post on meeting Haile Gebrsalasie and other Adidas athletes who were also gold medalists from the Osaka World Championships in 2008. Marathon world record holder Haile Gebrselassie was joined by Tyson Gay, Jeremy Wariner, Allyson Felix, Veronica Campbell-Brown, Christine Ohuruogu and Blanka Vlasic at the world renowned Athletes' Performance Institute (API) in Los Angeles where the athletes gave insights into their running styles and discussed how they plan to successfully defend their world titles this year.

It was a great post comparing Haile Gebrsalasie to another charismatic athlete, Mohammed Ali. You can read his post here. You can read Matt's interview with this outstanding runner here.

I also found this video of the event including Haile's 4 minute/mile pacing on a treadmill and the throwing of his arms in the air. That is quite a stride that he has! Reading Matt's post will help you appreciate the video.

The Puma L.I.F.T. Racer

L.I.F.T stands for “Lite Injected Foam Technology.” I don't know much about this shoe. Is is being marketed to runners? It is called a racer. Is it for fashion? It is called a sneaker. Will it be an adequate replacement for those who like running in the Puma H-street shoe? I haven't seen any reviews so I really don't know. It does look very lightweight. It's created from lightweight foam injected into a mold. The upper is stitched on rather than glued onto the shoe. It just became available last week. It will be interesting to find out if runners like this shoe.

This is the description that Amazon.com give of the shoe.

Amazon.com Product Description
You'll experience a lightweight "Fat Free" ride like you've never experienced before. The L.I.F.T Racer sneaker from PUMA has a breathable oval mesh upper with attractive microsuede trim detailing. It has an ergonomic design that will provide you with premium, nonstop comfort, while the multi-tractioned outsole will deliver top notch footing on most surfaces.

From the Manufacturer
PUMA is the global athletic brand that successfully fuses influences from sport, lifestyle and fashion. PUMA's unique industry perspective delivers the unexpected in sport-lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories, through technical innovation and revolutionary design. PUMA Running offers options for a marathon trainer or a casual jogger. The Running Collection intertwines innovative technology and superior comfort with smart style.

Product Description
The PUMA L.I.F.T. Racer SF brings innovation to the running range with a unique construction that epitomizes lightweight running. The upper is made of synthetic material for comfort. The midsole is constructed using an EVA injection process combined with an innovative design that allows the EVA cushioning to wrap around the entire upper. This gives the L.I.F.T. Racer its most important features: a lighter weight and lower profile. In addition to the EVA construction process, these shoes feature a microsuede trim detail and oval mesh for breathability. Ergonomically designed for short-distance running, yet versatile enough to be worn anywhere.

Younger Legs for Older Runners

Peter Magill is a very fast masters runner. In fact, he is one of the best in the US. He has a website called "Younger Legs for Older Runners". I was checking the site out a bit yesterday. I saw this post titled "Pete's Home Remedies: The Circle of Pain - lower back spasms, hamstring soreness, quad pain" it includes "EASY EXERCISES TO PREVENT, MANAGE, AND RELIEVE THE PAIN OF COMMON LOWER BACK TIGHTNESS, HAMSTRING SORENESS, AND QUADRICEPS PAIN". I found his quadricep pain remedy interesting. It is very simple: Run downhill quickly. He says to, "Either run downhill strides on a moderately steep slope (preferably grass, trail, or some other soft surface), or try a longer brisk downhill run." That is it.

I am not in pain. That is good news but I have bumped the mileage up and am still trying to keep my hips adjusted correctly. So I tried this "remedy" a bit today in the middle of my run. Now on Saturday I had run 15 miles and then I did 12 on Sunday. I took yesterday off and went out for today's run. I felt real sluggish after a couple of miles and thought I might have to walk at about 3 miles. I decided to run home and call it a day at 5 miles. However before I hit a turn to head home I started feeling a bit better so I decided to go 7 miles. Then on a downhill I just let my stride go and picked up the pace. Maybe I was starting to feel better after a slow start, or maybe the downhills helped me loosen up some but I started feeling quick and loose so I skipped the 7 mile route and kept going. I ended up running 15 miles and felt just fine the rest of the way.

Unfortunately I have not been able to wear the new Nike Lunaracers since the 15 miler on Saturday. The tongue or shoelaces were irritating the top of my left foot. It still hurts when I put shoes on. I almost cut the tongue off so I could run in them today, but they are new shoes so I will wait it out.

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!