How sweet it is

I finished my long run, one that capped off four weeks of hard training.  The run itself was really middle distance but represents gearing up for longer distances again.  It was a good one.  After bagging yesterday because of the weather, I started off when the mercury hit 14 degrees with a hint of sun peeking out.  I overdressed on purpose, so on the way out I was shedding and stashing layers.  After about 5 miles I was on a beautiful dirt road where I don't normally run.  The road is on top of a ridge and the sky was perfectly blue, and I was feeling great.  I pushed my turnaround further than I had intended, and the minute (yes, I swear, the exact minute) I turned around, the wind was in my face and the sky filled with clouds.  So the run back was the reverse of the first half, putting on clothes every mile or so.  I find this is okay on the way back, as I can concentrate on getting home and not worry too much about the cold.  Anyway, this was a nice and challenging run.

The four week training block itself was similarly challenging but very fun and rewarding.  First week: runnning base; second week: running power work; third week: running speed work; this week: lifting and long run.  Next week is themed "recovery" and I am looking forward to it tremendously (if I am not stupid and push myself too hard).  This is the first time I've applied such scientific training methods so I am curious to see if it makes a difference in performance.

This picture is meant to illustrate the large quantity of ice and snotsicles in my beard.  The ice didn't come out that well, but anyway, here's me after my run.


Today: Ran 14 miles.  Hot shower.  Yoga/stretching planned for this evening.

Two things about today

One: It was cold.  Minus 5, to be precise, which is well below the runners freezing point for any distance (except backwards running?)  So, my run got postponed until tomorrow.  And by "got postponed" I mean I did not go runnning.  Tomorrow it should be somewhere between 10 and 20 degrees by 11am.  Much better.

Two: I got to spend the whole day with my family, which I haven't done in a while, and it was nice.  Jess, Cadien, Rowan, Max, and I were kicking it in the minivan, at the science museum, at home, and at the grocery store.

Today: Intense yoga

good clean fun

Good day today - started out with a pre-dawn run, woke the girls up and drove into town, met Jess and Max for a wonderful breakfast, and had a reasonable day at work, with some good resistance training over the lunch hour.  Now, after dinner, the evening is winding down and I am feeling good.  I did tweak my neck doing pull-ups so I have to work on figuring out how not to do that...

Today: Run 4m easy;
Max reps/weight (dumbell) of:
Standard pull up, overhead press, standing curl, tricep kickback
Wide/narrow pull up, upright row, static curl, dips
Chin ups, straight arm raise, hammer curl, lying tricep extensions
Standard pull up, seated shoulder fly, cross body curls, side tricep pushups
Repeat entire resistance series.
Pull up total: 62.

I thought you were a runner

Still too sore to run.  Way too sore.  The leg workout from Monday was too much for my delicate constitution, and when I tried to hit the pavement today (ok, the treadmill), I found I couldn't do it.  So I did some resistance and core work as well as a little spinning to loosen up.

But the "failed" run reminded me that for those who may read this blog (all three of you), the name of the blog doesn't totally make sense - its title implies I am primarily a runner but right now I run so little.  So here's the explanation:  I've always been a low mileage runner.  When I did nothing but run (2001-2002) I rarely ran more than 4 (occasionally 5) times a week for maybe 30-35 miles per week at peak training.  I trained for my first marathon using the Galloway method, with short runs during the week and a long run every other weekend.  For me, that was successful.  As I incorporated triathlon (2002-2003) I was able to keep my running mileage constant because it was never that high, and there was room for swimming and biking.  For the next few years after that (2004-2005), I had a fairly mixed approach to training, cycling or running depending on my mood but not much else.  In fact for a year or so I focused on cycling (uphill) more than anything else.   In 2006 I was fairly unfocused, though, but added back more running mileage as I trained for and completed a 50 mile run in 2007.  Fast forwarding past recovery and fairly goal-less training, I found my motivation lacking and needed a change.  So, in 2009, I spent three months doing the "p90x" program (as seen on TV), running only once weekly to keep the muscles from wasting away, and since have been having fun again with both running and other kinds of training.  My runs are higher quality, and my body is stronger and healthier in some ways than ever before.  I've also really been enjoying yoga.  So now, the motivation is back, and if I had time I think I would be running more than before, but the time pressures of work and family are peaking in my life.  So, I am content to be healthy, happy, and reasonably fit.  I'm hopeful that speed and strength work will enable to me to run a good (PR) marathon in May.  As the weather gets warmer I'll switch some more of my training to running, and as I figure out that elusive balance in life I'll run as much as I can, and want to.

But in reality, it's always about running, whatever the activity.  Running was first for me, and there's no other source of flow that works so well for me.  If I had to pick one thing I'd run; I'll still run long after everything else melts away.

Today: 200 standard pushups; core/ab workout; 20 minutes spinning

Resilience

Take today -- a fairly stressful and even unpleasant day at work.  Not unpleasant because of anything anybody did or anything that happened, but unpleasant because I didn't get to focus on the things I wanted to.  Thinking back, most of what I did was fairly enjoyable, but as usual my mind requires reality to match expectations to be really satisfied.  There was a certain amount of tension too, much of it absorbed from other people but much of it generated right here in own mind.  And, I knew early on that there was no way I was getting in my planned workout.

So this became a test of resilience, one of the areas I am working hard on - flexibility and the ability to gracefully meet challenges and the unexpected.  I think I reached a nice medium today, killing two birds with one stone by taking 30 minutes for a free-form yoga practice, with some vinyasas, backbends, forward bends, twists, and a few minutes of meditation.  This was the closest I've come to truly shutting out my surroundings and "leaving behind" the past and the future as the instructors always say.  Am I approaching some kind of next level in yoga practice, perhaps?  In any case, the two birds I killed were lack of workout and dealing with a stressful day.  In the past I've only been able to do this by running, so it's nice to expand the arsenal (to stick with the metaphor of killing birds).

Tomorrow it will still be decent running weather although I'm wicked sore from the leg workout yesterday.

Today: yoga practice 30 min

January thaw

50 degrees today - rivers of snowmelt and puddles all around.  I missed the opportunity to run in shorts (unless it's warmer than expected in the morning) but it was still nice to feel the warmer air and watch steam rise from the landscape.

Today's workout was legs, legs, and more legs.  We'll see how runs go this week when everything is sore.

Today: Lunges, squats with calf raise, single leg squats, wall squat, side lunge, reverse lunge, single leg wall squats, deadlift squat, lunges on toes, three way lunge, chair pose, toe roll lunge, crouch walk, speed squats, calf raises (25 reps or 90 seconds of each, 10-15 pounds of weight for lunges)

A wimp no longer

Success!  Got up and ran before work this morning.  I've broken a two-week curse of not being able to drag my lazy butt out of bed.  The reward: feeling good all day, not to mention the sunrise and the stillness.

It brings up the eternal conflict between present self and future self.  Future self never regrets when present self goes on a run, no matter what the circumstances.  Present self sometimes regrets it while running (but never after!).  But, of course, one can't delay gratification always or present self will become a bitter shell and future self will have nothing left to enjoy.

Today: 4 mile run (fartlek), yoga for later

What a day (zero to hero)

Yesterday was a well-deserved day of rest and eating.

This morning I wimped out on a run -- it was pitch black and 0 degrees Fahrenheit, qualifying for the runner's freezing point regardless of distance.  So, instead, I rolled over, hit the snooze button (several times) and waited to wake up more naturally.  The day ended up being clear and beautiful, and my morning at work ended up was very busy, in a good way.  When I got home I took the girls for a wonderful, soul-cleansing walk, enjoyed dinner and bedtime, and now am ready for evening yoga and a repeat attempt at a cold, dark run tomorrow morning.  It's amazing what some quality family time will do for me, whether part of a walk, a sublime moment putting the girls to bed, or a smile from the baby.

Yesterday: rest
Today: yoga
Tomorrow: morning run, evening stretch
Next week: lower body and core resistance work, plyometrics, and middle-distance run on the weekend.

That's the spirit.

We all have those moments when we start out running, and think "man, this just isn't my day."  In fact I would say I had one of those moments today.  I almost gave in to the little voice inside: "listen to your body, if you're tired you need rest."  I almost declared it a rest day, got off the treadmill (yes, the treadmill), and walked back up to my office.  But sometimes I make the right choice, suck it up, and keep on, only to find myself in the middle of a really good workout.  Today was such a day, my friends.  I was running intensely and also finishing a 3 day series of upper body and core work, and sweating like a maniac in an indoor, stale gym.  Any tension of the day melted away and 4 hours later I still feel great.  Tomorrow, then, I can take an easy day, when I had planned to.

Today: 35 minutes speed intervals running: 
5 minutes warmup
3 sets of 5 x [45 sec @ pace (set 1 - 7:30; set 2 -7:15; set 3 -7:00) + 45 sec recovery @ 8:30]
   with ~2-3 minutes slow jog between sets
~3 minutes cooldown

130 pushups (assorted standard / wide / military press / diamond / decline / one armed)

how to fit it all in

My latest struggle is how to fit in the "workout," this piece of my day (and myself) that has become, on most days, not optional.  Have been successful at getting up early (4:45ish) for limited periods only, although that gets easier when spring arrives and running is a more attractive morning option.  Middle of the day is great but challenging to fit in reliably at work; and evening, which I did tonight, makes that blissful moment of falling asleep very satisfying.  Maybe I shouldn't look for a routine but value the variety and the different flavor of workouts in the morning, afternoon, and night.  We'll see.

Today: Lift bicep/tricep/shoulder.  Yoga.

Back in action

As I was running today (treadmill) I watched a very moving spot about the relief efforts in Haiti, followed immediately by a much longer segment about NBC's decision to put Jay Leno back at 11:30.  Unbelievable.  Then Antiques Roadshow came on and I lost all interest.

Very sad day as well, to find out that a friend's child has been diagnosed with something incurable that has a grim prognosis.  I can't even come close to imagining what they are experiencing.

Today: Run 4m pace work.
60 pullups, lifting (back), and core workout

Laid to waste

by illness.  It always amazes me how quick the transition is from feeling good to feeling awful, from feeling full of excitement and life to feeling like doing nothing but lying on the couch and sipping broth.  There's something about it, too, that takes me back to childhood, as I recapitulate all of the familiar motions: lying down, bucket next to me, toast, broth, gatorade, etc.  Trying to will myself better.

Yesterday: Not so much
Today: Down for the count
Tomorrow: Back in the game?

Back to basics?

I first became aware of fitness and the potential of the physical aspect of experience as a swimmer in high school - certainly an evolutionarily primal way of traveling but supported by buildings, chemicals, heaters, etc.  Later, in college, I felt  a much more return-to-nature (pre-industrial) connection with the physical experience as I got into backpacking, wilderness travel, and climbing.  All of these are practiced with modern equipment but don't need to be, and bring a simplicity of experience and a focus on meeting basic needs.  I have long since transitioned to running as my primary physical activity and connection with the outdoor world (supplemented by yoga, resistance training, cycling, etc.), and I often I catch myself in self-congratulations over its simplicity.  Yet how does that work, exactly, when I'm wearing synthetic clothing, watches, heart rate monitors, headlamps, Yaktrax, etc?; and how does it work when I'm running on a paved road supported by a massive infrastructure instead of doing something in the 2 feet of snow that are naturally on the ground?  I guess I could move to a warmer place and run barefoot.  I don't deny that running, like walking and swimming, are natural and ancient activities.  But is what I do really a back to basics practice?

Today: 6 miles running, 1 hour yoga.  Great combo.

Goals and Milestones

[last updated 1-10-2012]

Goals:
Run 100 mile race before age 45 (earn belt buckle)

Qualify for Boston Marathon, at any age.

100 standard pullups in 1 hour

1 arm pullups (any number)

Yoga: headstand, swing through from downward dog to sitting

Run 15 miles in under 2 hours (~8:00 pace) - I was nearly there in 2002.

Repeat Ironman distance triathlon. (??)
Complete multi-day run/adventure race.


Milestones:
50 Mile run 11:40 (Vermont 50, Sep 2007) completed.
Marathon PR 3:44:25 (Five Points of Life, Gainesville, FL Feb 2011)
Number of marathons completed, including as training runs or components of other races: 11
Ironman-distance triathlon 13:44 (Great Floridian Oct 2003)

Unexpected

Unexpected time with the kids in bed and chance to relax with Jess.  I have to admit, this week at work has been one of my most challenging and stressful in a long while.  In contrast, I have been feeling such good energy at home and feeling so happy with our marriage and children lately.  I've also been feeling great about pushing my body a bit and noticing the rewards from that (mostly soreness today).  Interesting contrast in mood and setting.

Today: running speed intervals (~4.3 miles total). turned out well.

Punishing?

Haiti is not a country that needed another disaster.  A few weeks ago I learned a little more about Haiti and its fairly difficult history.  I remember flying over the island 7 or so years ago and noticing (as many have) the stark dividing line between Haiti and the Dominican Republic - green on the DR side, brown and desolate on the Haitian side.  A lot of suffering for a country and people so close to home.

In more mundane news: the workout today was good, but perhaps not as punishingly executed as I had intended.  I did each exercise not to fatigue, but only to near-fatigue to maximize my overall reps.  The "prison-cell pushup" (stand, hands on floor, jump feet back, push up, right knee in, pushup, left knee in, pushup, jump feet forward, stand and jump) was the closest I came to punishment.  Don't get me wrong, there was plenty of fatigue involved, and there will be plenty of soreness.

Lately have really been noticing the pattern of body temperature change that I experience with workouts - up after the workout for an hour or so, then quite low for a few hours, then normalizing.  Same with alertness (though sleep has something to do with that.)

Today: Pullup (2 max rep sets each of wide grip, switch grip, chin up, close grip, towel assist, standard)alternating with Pushups (1 max rep set each of slow, prison cell, low hands, military press, one arm, stack foot, slow/fast alternate, diamond, clap, wide grip, side-to-side, high-low position hold, and standard).  Total 85 pull ups and 180 push ups.  As usual many moves taken from p90x.

interval training

Driving in to town this morning was peaceful and beautiful.  The girls were quiet, in their own world, and music was playing on the radio.  I enjoyed the light snowfall and the very scenic road to work, and even more so the girls' excitement at arriving at their school for their day.

From there, it turned into a fairly stressful day at work, followed by a great workout and a nice evening at home.  Homemade pizza is hard to beat!

Today: Running - hill intervals (~35 minutes, 2-9% grade);  Core/ab workout ~20 minutes.  Short yoga practice at night.
I'm creating a punishing pullup/pushup routine for tomorrow.  Too bad there are no rings available.

Equilibrium Restored

Yesterday was a very good day with a challenging run.  Although it was a frigid morning, I waited until the temperature had risen to the teens and went for a run with the wind at my back.   Despite a little slippage on the snow-packed dirt, I was warm and didn't have to cover my face.  Turning back was a different story, as the wind blew directly at me and for the second half of the run I was fiddling with a neck gaiter / face shield the whole time.  The running itself was nice and I am maintaining the recent moderate gains in my speed; the challenges have been coming from elsewhere lately (mostly the environment).

Up nearly all night for work.

Today was not so bad as I was able to nap and rest in the middle of the day.   I feel refreshed, relaxed, and somewhat back in balance as I think about the week ahead.

Yesterday: 11 miles running, short yoga practice
Yoday: Rest Day

The runner's freezing point.

At some point, the number of miles you run approaches or exceeds the temperature in degrees Fahrenheit.  That can be relatively mild if you go for a 20 miler in 20 degree weather, although I typically feel pretty chilled at the end of that kind of a run.  This morning I nearly crossed that line for a short run: 4 miles at a balmy 5 degrees, before dawn.  I was well-dressed and my face was protected (typically the most challenging part of cold-weather running for me--balancing the need to breathe, condensation, and snot with insulation and wind protection), so it was great run complete with tracks through fresh powder and almost no auto car traffic.  As I was returning I saw the sun rising in part of the sky that was clearing up.  Still, it was a cold run and one that may push the limit of my dedication this winter.

Had a fantastic breakfast afterward of a pork carnitas omelette with hot coffee (no pushing the limit of dedication there), went to work for a bit, then met up with Jess and the kids as well as her parents and sister who are visiting for an excellent lunch.  So far a great day with plans for a nap ahead, some yoga later this evening, and a general lazy, sunny weekend afternoon.

Today: 4 miles running, yoga.

More snow

A full but good day.  Our family from Maine (and San Francisco) are visiting -- I'm very glad they made it after having to postpone the trip twice due to snow.  We had a wonderful dinner and a birthday party for Cadien.  I wish I could spend more time at home during their visit but couldn't leave early today.

Watching the snow fall outside the office window between patients then driving home through it was quite beautiful. Some interesting snow moments today: sparkling in headlights in the morning and watching it fall through the darkness in the evening.  No play but soon.

Chilly weather this weekend (teens or single digits) but commited to a good run tomorrow and on sunday.

Today: Rest day (unintentional but needed).

Sublime

Excellent, intense workout today.  Sometimes it feels great to push to fatigue and exhaustion.  Recovery was tough, though and it took several hours to feel normal.   If I'm going to keep stacking runs with lifting work I have to pay a little more attention to electrolytes and nutrition in the middle of the work day, rather than eating the Dannon "light and fit" yogurt that is handy.  I started using Endurox years ago for long brick workouts when I was doing triathlon, then again this year with lifting.  Maybe it would help to bring it and use it but I'm sure there's something cheaper and less complicated.  In any case it was an excellent workout.

What a great surprise to see that Jess had been able to get out for a walk today.  I wish I could have walked with her.  I did have the sublime pleasure of holding Max (now 5 weeks old) as he slept after dinner and just maybe nodding off myself for a while.

Today:
Pull-Ups - 2 sets each, max reps: wide grip, narrow grip, and chin-ups; then 1 set of 2 pullups/2 chinups/repeat to exhaustion
Push-Ups - 2 sets each, max reps: standard, military, wide, diamond, decline, "dive-bomber"
Lifting - back work
[some may recognize slight modification of the satisfying p90x "back and chest" workout]
Run - speed intervals: 5 min warm up; 3 sets of 5 min 30 sec fast 30 sec slow alternate with 5 min easy; 5 min cool down.  Total 35 minutes.

Pain

Colds are kind of like a running injury:  it's hard to feel what it would be like to get back to normal, hard to imagine a time when everything is right.  When my knee is acting up, in particular, it has nagging and insidious way of souring my thoughts and my attitude.  This is quite distinct from the good pain of being tired, reaching the point of fatigue, or the aches and pains of a long run, in which I can visualize the time of ending, the time of feeling better, running through it and perhaps even turning it to my advantage.  The key to conquering or working with this kind of pain is continuing, whether by embracing or detaching.  The sneaky nature of the nagging pains is the idea that one won't be able to continue, that it will conquer.  I guess that's where illness falls in for me.  Even the most mild cold clouds things and alters thinking.  Why is this, when I've been ill and recovered many times in life, and when I've had several chronic running injuries that have healed -- why can't I use mental discipline and training to move past these, to push through these in the same way as with exhaustion or the good pain?  Hmmm.

Today: Yoga.

Failure of the Zone Defense

Well, the girls got me good at bedtime.  The four year old kneed me in the groin while the not quite two year old stole the lid off the trash can.  Then, they were both jumping on the bed laughing, but before I could blink they were sobbing and wanting to be held.  Definitely an adjustment period, for all.

Great workout today (detailed below).  I've been enjoying treadmill runs much more when I split them up with lifting.  I do hope I can get outside soon - the major snowfall has stopped for now, the sidewalks are cleared, the weather isn't that cold, so there isn't really any valid reason not to drag myself out of bed and run outside.

What am I training for?   Well, a few things.  My next race will be the Vermont City Marathon, this May in Burlington.  My long term goal is to run a 100 mile race before age 40.  In the more immediate sense, I'm trying to focus on and define a more holistic and total-body approach to training and fitness than I've used in the past, hence the yoga, lifting, etc.  When I started I was a pure runner, and evolved (?) into triathlon, back to longer distance running, and now to what I hope will be an expanded and sustainable approach.

Today: 5 miles running with upper body lifting - 21 total lifting sets (various exercises)
  Warm up and stretch.
  1 set each bicep/tricep/shoulder
  1.25 miles treadmill
  2 sets each bicep/tricep/shoulder
  1.25 miles treadmill
  2 sets each bicep/tricep/shoulder
  1.25 miles treadmill
  2 sets each bicep/tricep/shoulder
  1.25 miles treadmill
  Yoga-based stretching ~15 minutes

What a shot

Parsons hits an amazing game-winning three pointer.  Check it out -- I heard about this on the radio as I was driving home and recognized the announcer's voice.  Amazing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-ADIYrBfsA

Otherwise a nice rest day.  Played in the snow.

Today: Rest day (couldn't avoid shoveling snow).

End of an era

Well, not really the end of an era, but the end of my third paternity leave/part time off as I return to work tomorrow.  Many and mixed emotions, and each time it has been something of a transformative experience to have a child and be home for those first weeks of incredibly rapid change and intense family connection.  The end of the era is that this will probably be the last time we do this, and so tomorrow marks the last time I return to work in this context.

Today continued an incredible snowfall.  Not a storm, per se, at least in our town, but we've gotten about two to three feet of fresh snow in the last two days.  Rather than run, which would have been my preference, I took the skis out for some "backcountry" powder skiing in the field out back and in the surrounding neighborhoods.  Running would have been an exercise in futility, and trying to cross country ski in several feet of powder with  fish-scale nordic skis was challenging enough.  I did spend a great hour on them though, trudging through snow and gliding on roads and a few paths.  Otherwise some shoveling and building a snow tunnel for the girls (mostly Cadien) rounded out the training.  Rest day tomorrow and then a return to resistance work and speed training.

Dinner was good too -- baked chicken, skillet-fried potatoes and cheese, and a salad.  Doesn't sound like much but it was one of those meals when everything comes together both in taste and in satisfaction.

Nice end to a great day as I look forward to an evening meditative yoga practice.

Today: nordic skiing 1 hour, a bit of snow shoveling, and short calming yoga practice.

Snowy day

The view today reminded me of what you would see through the window while sitting in a cabin on a lake, looking out at the snow falling on the flat, quiet landscape.  Not that we have a fireplace (or a lake) but that was the general feeling.  A good day for sitting inside, which, after a few errands, is mostly what we did.  Once again tried to make a snowman outside with Cadien but the snow is not quite right, so we settled for putting a face on our snowman from the other day (still standing).

Today: Fairly intense yoga practice.

Happy New Year

I’ll miss winter running – a little. There’s something amazing about a dynamic, shifting surface, both from day to day and from minute to minute. My last run was a frigid and icy affair, but today I stepped out to a much warmer, stiller, and softer day. You won’t often catch me praising snow as a running surface, but today it made for a nice run.

Today: 4 miles running, 30 minutes yoga afterwards. Still sore from yesterday.