It continues to be a little bit odd to write a blog that has been about running when I haven't really been able to run in nearly four months. It's not that I don't have other things that I think about or want to write about, but the format seems to have lost its glue. I debated ending the blog entirely, putting it completely on hold until I am running again (if?), or some other dramatic gesture. But the reality is that running is just a means to an end, as much as I like it, and the blog is really about staying fit and trying to capture some meaningful and interesting moments in life.
So, what has been going on with my running? I have been continuing with physical therapy, including standard and like stretching and building strength in those sneaky weak muscle groups. But I have also been working on radically changing my running for, to something like a combination of the POSE technique, chi running, and the trendy barefoot running techiques that are out there. I suppose progress is difficult to measure when you are building from the ground up, but I have felt a natural flow s times with the new form, and can see how this could work well in the long run. Not bad, I suppose for changing a decade worth of cerebellar neural connections. So, in order, my goals are simply to be able to run again for fun and fitness, to be able to run mid or long distances and return to marathons, and to pursue the long term goal of running a 100 miler in the next 5-10 years. We shall see, but I haven't given up yet by a long shot.
In the meanwhile I have been continuing to explore yoga, lifting/calisthenics, cycling, and swimming. I haven't forgotten the 100 day clean living challenge, although the first 35 days were more successful than days 36-70. Put in the context of summer vacation, though, I suppose staying reasonably fit and eating reasonably well is success after all, even if I am no closer to returning to "race weight" now than on day 1. I will tell you that reconnecting with friends and family, which was really the unifying theme of our vacation, did resonate with the spiritual / intentional living portion of the clean living challenge, so in the last 30 days I will commit to getting back on track in all three areas: food, fitness, and compassionate, intentional living.
I have been thinking a lot lately about motivation, as I find myself noticing how widely my mood can swing during the course of a day, and I change mental-emotional states. One morning I can be fired up for the day, think about how lucky I am, make all kinds of plans for projects and trips, and a few hours later can be feeling tired and overwhelmed and without motivation to do anything at all. I notice this at work a lot, but really it applies to other areas of life too. What I came up with (during a less motivated period, even) is that I/we experience life in a series of overlapping and shifting states. These aren't meant to described in words so much, but I could certainly call one of them "post-poor-sleep-but-coffee-rally-happiness", and another "unmotivated-and-down-for-no-reason", and feeling-healthy-happy-and-mellow", or "jacked-up-and-thinking-of-a-million-things I want to do.". Etc etc. So how to live within this context? Is what works bet to manage and control the states, to switch freely between, or simply recognize and accept them? Can one change the tenor of a given state over time? am tying to pay more attention to these.
That's about it for now. A some point soon I will start posting workouts again.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Clean and fun living
Currently I'm on vacation at a beautiful lake in western Maine. Life is good.
On the advice of my physical therapist I am revamping my running form to a higher-cadence forefoot striking approach. This style has a name but I don't remember it. It is coming along but it will be a while before it feels natural or efficient. Still, if it enables a return to running I will be happy.
Eating well and trying to focus on local food. Dinner menu from last night: salad with almost all local produce, local sweet potatoes, local wine, and grass fed bison steaks. Tasted good too.
On the advice of my physical therapist I am revamping my running form to a higher-cadence forefoot striking approach. This style has a name but I don't remember it. It is coming along but it will be a while before it feels natural or efficient. Still, if it enables a return to running I will be happy.
Eating well and trying to focus on local food. Dinner menu from last night: salad with almost all local produce, local sweet potatoes, local wine, and grass fed bison steaks. Tasted good too.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Summer rhythm
This post will be a bit shorter than usual, since I am typing on an iPad and not as used to the keyboard. It's big enough to type in standard fashion, but does require some adjustment. Why typing on an iPad? We are on our old school summer vacation, a three week family road trip extravaganza from Florida to Maine and back.
I've lost track of how far I am into the clean living challenge--probably around day 35 or so---and it is going fine. Even after three days of car travel, I have exercised 2 of those 3 days and only had one unhealthy meal. Yoga and calisthenics are great for the road.
Clean living includes keeping connections with others healthy, and from that perspective things have been great. Because we are driving up the coast, we thought we would visit as many people as we could along the way. So far we have seen family in Savannah, an old high school friend and her family, in Richmond, whom we haven't seen since before either of us had children, and good friends in Providence, where we are now. It is wonderful to actually see people, to meet their kids or see them getting bigger, and to catch up a little bit as the river of time flows by. God I'm feeling poetic. In addition to visiting friends and family, and staying at a beautiful lake for two weeks, our own family is strengthening our connection and developing/reinforcing the rituals that are the backbone of family life.
I'll post some pictures when we get to the lake. I'm off now to do some outdoor yoga in the breeze. More is to come about running and my knee also, since I had my first session with the running physical therapist back in town, and he wants me to revamp my entire stride and form. I've changed long-term habits before, but it's not easy...
I've lost track of how far I am into the clean living challenge--probably around day 35 or so---and it is going fine. Even after three days of car travel, I have exercised 2 of those 3 days and only had one unhealthy meal. Yoga and calisthenics are great for the road.
Clean living includes keeping connections with others healthy, and from that perspective things have been great. Because we are driving up the coast, we thought we would visit as many people as we could along the way. So far we have seen family in Savannah, an old high school friend and her family, in Richmond, whom we haven't seen since before either of us had children, and good friends in Providence, where we are now. It is wonderful to actually see people, to meet their kids or see them getting bigger, and to catch up a little bit as the river of time flows by. God I'm feeling poetic. In addition to visiting friends and family, and staying at a beautiful lake for two weeks, our own family is strengthening our connection and developing/reinforcing the rituals that are the backbone of family life.
I'll post some pictures when we get to the lake. I'm off now to do some outdoor yoga in the breeze. More is to come about running and my knee also, since I had my first session with the running physical therapist back in town, and he wants me to revamp my entire stride and form. I've changed long-term habits before, but it's not easy...
Monday, June 27, 2011
Day 28/100: A lotta variety
It's been a good week+ since my last post. My "clean living" challenge is still on. The nutrition aspect has been fair. I've been successful with reduced portions and very few desserts or sweets, although I am still far from true "healthy" eating (whatever that is). Borrowed and read The Paleo Solution, which was better than expected. Jess and I may explore the Paleo eating concept more during this 100 days, although I'm not sure it's the ultimate answer in terms of balance and healthy approach. We will have the opportunity to eat a largely local/organic diet while vacationing this summer, so it might be a good time to experiment. Exercise and body work are going well also, and I've detailed these below. Finally, I think I have noticed a change in attitude, a (slightly) more relaxed and accepting approach. Have others noticed? Not sure. I do feel better, but I'm not sure whether that is due more to my intentional changes or to an easier month at work and an upcoming vacation.
The workouts:
Day 20: Mountain Bike ~45 minutes; Yoga 15 minutes (surprisingly intense vinyasa flow)
Day 21: Yoga 30 min, "Yoga 201" on iPad. This was a very nice practice, with some attention focused on balance poses including crane and sideways crow. A bit of a breakthrough for me in terms of figuring out what to relax and what to hold in tension in order to achieve balance in these poses.
Tuesday, Day 22: Rest Day. Although my intent was to do 100 days of yoga in a row, then 100 days of workouts in a row, I accepted a day of rest after 3 hours of sleep the night before and mental/physical tiredness. I think this was the right thing.
Wednesday, Day 23: Road bike, 21+ miles, 96 degree heat. Wow, I am somewhat deconditioned but very poorly heat-adapted this summer because I haven't been running. I rode a familiar course with some very mild hills and got my heart rate up much higher than usual for a short road ride! So I guess it was a good workout despite the objectively "easy" terrain. Never underestimate a heat challenge.
Thursday, Day 24: Swim 1200 yards at the good old YMCA.
Friday, Day 25: VO2 Max testing, Lifting/Calisthenics
This was a really cool day. I had the opportunity to undergo some metabolic exercise testing on an indoor bike, equipped with oxygen and carbon dioxide sensors. In addition to estimating my VO2 max (46 ml/kg/min - above average for my age but below average for a good athlete!!), I got a sense of my anaerobic threshold, heart rate response, and several other parameters. This is actually pretty cool, since I am probably the least cardiovascularly fit I've been in years. Once I get my knee in line and begin running again, I will repeat this to track progress!
Also did some pull-ups (30), core work (weighted incline situps), and bicep dumbbell sets.
Saturday, Day 26: Yoga 1:05- a fantastic practice from an iPad app ("Fire" TotalYoga TV). This was the the fastest and most sustained vinyasa progression I've done, along with some inversion and headstand work. In fact, I've added a few yoga poses to my Fitness Goals list, including headstand and a few others.
Sunday, Day 27: Rest Day. Best intentions, but long day at work.
Today (Monday), Day 28: Indoor bike power intervals 9 miles / 30 minutes; lift shoulder & triceps (dumbbell work), push-ups, swim planned for tonight.
We are preparing to spend part of the summer at Kezar Lake in Western Maine, where part of Jess's family has gone for decades and where I have had the privilege of joining them now for 10+ years! This is a relaxing, renewing spot (pictured on the top banner of this blog), and also the site of many a nice run (including a 35 miler around the lake in 2007) and a few nice rides over the years. This will not be the summer for an epic run, but I am hoping to run a few times, swim some, and generally enjoy the area.
The workouts:
Day 20: Mountain Bike ~45 minutes; Yoga 15 minutes (surprisingly intense vinyasa flow)
Day 21: Yoga 30 min, "Yoga 201" on iPad. This was a very nice practice, with some attention focused on balance poses including crane and sideways crow. A bit of a breakthrough for me in terms of figuring out what to relax and what to hold in tension in order to achieve balance in these poses.
Tuesday, Day 22: Rest Day. Although my intent was to do 100 days of yoga in a row, then 100 days of workouts in a row, I accepted a day of rest after 3 hours of sleep the night before and mental/physical tiredness. I think this was the right thing.
Wednesday, Day 23: Road bike, 21+ miles, 96 degree heat. Wow, I am somewhat deconditioned but very poorly heat-adapted this summer because I haven't been running. I rode a familiar course with some very mild hills and got my heart rate up much higher than usual for a short road ride! So I guess it was a good workout despite the objectively "easy" terrain. Never underestimate a heat challenge.
Thursday, Day 24: Swim 1200 yards at the good old YMCA.
Friday, Day 25: VO2 Max testing, Lifting/Calisthenics
This was a really cool day. I had the opportunity to undergo some metabolic exercise testing on an indoor bike, equipped with oxygen and carbon dioxide sensors. In addition to estimating my VO2 max (46 ml/kg/min - above average for my age but below average for a good athlete!!), I got a sense of my anaerobic threshold, heart rate response, and several other parameters. This is actually pretty cool, since I am probably the least cardiovascularly fit I've been in years. Once I get my knee in line and begin running again, I will repeat this to track progress!
Also did some pull-ups (30), core work (weighted incline situps), and bicep dumbbell sets.
Saturday, Day 26: Yoga 1:05- a fantastic practice from an iPad app ("Fire" TotalYoga TV). This was the the fastest and most sustained vinyasa progression I've done, along with some inversion and headstand work. In fact, I've added a few yoga poses to my Fitness Goals list, including headstand and a few others.
Sunday, Day 27: Rest Day. Best intentions, but long day at work.
Today (Monday), Day 28: Indoor bike power intervals 9 miles / 30 minutes; lift shoulder & triceps (dumbbell work), push-ups, swim planned for tonight.
We are preparing to spend part of the summer at Kezar Lake in Western Maine, where part of Jess's family has gone for decades and where I have had the privilege of joining them now for 10+ years! This is a relaxing, renewing spot (pictured on the top banner of this blog), and also the site of many a nice run (including a 35 miler around the lake in 2007) and a few nice rides over the years. This will not be the summer for an epic run, but I am hoping to run a few times, swim some, and generally enjoy the area.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Knee update
I've put this in a separate post, so please skip it if you are not interested in my knee.
After 10 years of chronic intermittent knee pain that I attributed (incorrectly) to my IT band, about 8 months of worsening knee pain that I thought was in the joint but was very hard to pin down, and about 3 months since I've really run at all, I got an MRI after physical therapy did not help. The MRI showed the suggestion of a minor medial meniscus tear and some cartilage wear just under it. So last night I saw a PM&R doc at the orthopedic center who specializes in running medicine last night, expecting to talk about whether I need surgery for this minor tear.
Instead, after a thorough (and very instructive) history and exam, he told me very convincingly that my pain, both acute and chronic, is due to poor patellofemoral tracking, with the superolateral undersurface of the patella rubbing against the bottom of the tibia. This is near but not identical to the where the IT band attaches, and it explains almost all of the knee pain I've ever had in this leg, from my first run-stopping episode in 2001, to the very localized stiffness during the first few hundred yards of a run that I've been feeling for the last five years or so, even to the vague pain radiating from the back of the patella to the back of my knee. The abnormal MRI findings? Purely incidental, as no amount of directed knee grinding could actually elicit pain. What did elicit pain? Him putting his finger in a certain spot and having me flex my quads. That, my friends, elicited a lot of pain, and convinced me more than anything that he had figured out the problem.
So, basically this is a case of longstanding patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) or runner's knee. The good news is that it can be treated with physical therapy, maybe a brace, maybe a joint injection, and very unlikely to require surgery. I'm very confident that I will be back running soon enough.
After 10 years of chronic intermittent knee pain that I attributed (incorrectly) to my IT band, about 8 months of worsening knee pain that I thought was in the joint but was very hard to pin down, and about 3 months since I've really run at all, I got an MRI after physical therapy did not help. The MRI showed the suggestion of a minor medial meniscus tear and some cartilage wear just under it. So last night I saw a PM&R doc at the orthopedic center who specializes in running medicine last night, expecting to talk about whether I need surgery for this minor tear.
Instead, after a thorough (and very instructive) history and exam, he told me very convincingly that my pain, both acute and chronic, is due to poor patellofemoral tracking, with the superolateral undersurface of the patella rubbing against the bottom of the tibia. This is near but not identical to the where the IT band attaches, and it explains almost all of the knee pain I've ever had in this leg, from my first run-stopping episode in 2001, to the very localized stiffness during the first few hundred yards of a run that I've been feeling for the last five years or so, even to the vague pain radiating from the back of the patella to the back of my knee. The abnormal MRI findings? Purely incidental, as no amount of directed knee grinding could actually elicit pain. What did elicit pain? Him putting his finger in a certain spot and having me flex my quads. That, my friends, elicited a lot of pain, and convinced me more than anything that he had figured out the problem.
So, basically this is a case of longstanding patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) or runner's knee. The good news is that it can be treated with physical therapy, maybe a brace, maybe a joint injection, and very unlikely to require surgery. I'm very confident that I will be back running soon enough.
Day 19/100 clean living continues
The last week or so has been a good one for clean living. My nutritional habits are far from perfect, but in general they have tended towards healthier and smaller portions, with less refined sugar and late-night eating. Like I said, though, I am far from perfect, as I did enjoy a vintage cola this afternoon. I had to laugh when I was told it is healthier because it has "real" sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup. If we're going to do something unhealthy but fun, let's just admit it! I have yet to try fasting but would still like to incorporate it in some fashion. Perhaps skipping a meal to start? Finally, I am reading The Paleo Solution, a book about a dietary regimen that several of my friends are following. So far it is mildly interesting but not earth shattering. However it is not completely full of shit (yet) so I will keep reading. Reflecting back, I've read a lot of books like this: Atkins's original book, one called Breaking the Sugar Addiction (probably the best one), and many vegetarian, vegan, and live food tracts. It's interesting how they often use the same logic to reach different conclusions. I think in the end we can approach but never reach some very difficult-to-characterize truth about nutrition that incorporates moderation, healthfulness, variety, and minimizing refined sugars. Or, perhaps that opinion is uninformed because I have never committed to and tried any of these specific diet plans.
Yoga has been going well, although after about 14 straight days I realized that at this point a daily practice was not the best idea. Logic as follows: (1) in order to maintain a daily practice, I had time for very little other training, working out, etc. (2) Because of that, my daily practice had to be fairly vigorous, requiring a lot of standing poses with lunges. (3) These were irritating my knee. So, instead, I decided to follow my own nutrition philosophy in a different context, and started practicing moderation and variety. Here is what I've been up to:
Day 19 (today): Yoga (~1 hour) - "Ashtanga Primary Series" from Yoga Today. Plenty of vinyasa with some standing poses and forward bends. Also a nice series in preparation for swinging ("floating") through from downward dog to staff pose and vice versa. The more I explore yogatoday.com the more I am impressed. These are some nice practices, and many are available for free on Youtube. I may overcome my cheap instincts and actually buy one from the website too.
Day 18: Lifting. This was like an old-school workout for me:
Repeat 4 times: 5 pullups
15 pushups (various types)
15 weighted incline situps
bicep dumbbells (2 sets regular, 2 sets static)
tricep dumbbells (2 sets bench DB raises, 2 sets kickbacks)
shoulder 1 (2 sets straight arm raise, 2 sets overhead press)
shoulder 2 (2 sets upright DB row, 2 sets DB fly)
Bonus set: 5 pullups, 15 pushups, 15 weighted incline situps
Day 17: Swim 1500 yd
Day 16: Yoga 30 minutes. "Yoga for sleep" from YogaYak
Day 15: Indoor bike 12.7 miles / 45 minutes / 106W / 17.1 mph
Dayy 14: Lift back / core / chest at O'Connell Center Gym, Swim 1250 yd. (this was a good workout with friends)
Overall it's been a great week, as I reflect back. Work is a little slower-paced, allowing some time for reflection and a few more dinners at home. The kids are all doing well and I am enjoying watching them really start to express their personalities, as well as develop genuine relationships with each other that do not depend on us. And my wife, of course, is amazing.
Today we went to the Retirement Home for Horses and fed carrots to horses with a few other families. Great fun, and I even think I am getting used to the summer heat, finally.
Yoga has been going well, although after about 14 straight days I realized that at this point a daily practice was not the best idea. Logic as follows: (1) in order to maintain a daily practice, I had time for very little other training, working out, etc. (2) Because of that, my daily practice had to be fairly vigorous, requiring a lot of standing poses with lunges. (3) These were irritating my knee. So, instead, I decided to follow my own nutrition philosophy in a different context, and started practicing moderation and variety. Here is what I've been up to:
Day 19 (today): Yoga (~1 hour) - "Ashtanga Primary Series" from Yoga Today. Plenty of vinyasa with some standing poses and forward bends. Also a nice series in preparation for swinging ("floating") through from downward dog to staff pose and vice versa. The more I explore yogatoday.com the more I am impressed. These are some nice practices, and many are available for free on Youtube. I may overcome my cheap instincts and actually buy one from the website too.
Day 18: Lifting. This was like an old-school workout for me:
Repeat 4 times: 5 pullups
15 pushups (various types)
15 weighted incline situps
bicep dumbbells (2 sets regular, 2 sets static)
tricep dumbbells (2 sets bench DB raises, 2 sets kickbacks)
shoulder 1 (2 sets straight arm raise, 2 sets overhead press)
shoulder 2 (2 sets upright DB row, 2 sets DB fly)
Bonus set: 5 pullups, 15 pushups, 15 weighted incline situps
Day 17: Swim 1500 yd
Day 16: Yoga 30 minutes. "Yoga for sleep" from YogaYak
Day 15: Indoor bike 12.7 miles / 45 minutes / 106W / 17.1 mph
Dayy 14: Lift back / core / chest at O'Connell Center Gym, Swim 1250 yd. (this was a good workout with friends)
Overall it's been a great week, as I reflect back. Work is a little slower-paced, allowing some time for reflection and a few more dinners at home. The kids are all doing well and I am enjoying watching them really start to express their personalities, as well as develop genuine relationships with each other that do not depend on us. And my wife, of course, is amazing.
Today we went to the Retirement Home for Horses and fed carrots to horses with a few other families. Great fun, and I even think I am getting used to the summer heat, finally.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Day 12/100: pleasure in daily activities
Today I got up and had a really nice breakfast with my family (eggs, sausage, bran muffin, watermelon). It seems like a few years ago we had more of these breakfasts, but as life has gotten more complicated and a little busier, they have become a almost noteworthy events. Lately, Jess and I both work out in the morning as well, so make mornings more hectic. Today, however, we both slept in. I'm not sure why breakfast is such a pleasant time--perhaps because everyone is in a generally good mood and not tired, because the food we eat for breakfast is usually quite tasty, or because sipping coffee provides a nice stimulant kick.
Then I mowed the lawn, something I enjoy quite a bit. In the grand scheme of things, this represents the continuation of my journey towards becoming more and more like my father (unequivocally a good thing!). Today was especially relaxing as it wasn't yet hot and I listened to some music while I mowed.
Yoga practice for today was actually surprisingly intense and novel. This was a YogaToday youtube video called Twisting Away Tension, which not only had some novel variations on both prayer twist and supine spinal twists, but had a great core section with leg and arm movements while holding boat pose. I felt great afterwards. It's still interesting to practice yoga while trying to ignore the distractions of playing and occasionally crying children nearby (somtimes next to or on top of me!).
I read with the kids for a little while, then took Cadien out for a bike lesson. She has made some really good progress in the last few days, and I think I will be able to take my hand off the seat -- such a metaphorical step! -- before too long. It's amazing to me, though, how these bike lessons are fatherhood in a microcosm: a delicate balance of coaching, encouraging, teaching, comforting, and pushing.
Finally, I came to work for the evening. So far it has been fairly low key but fun to get back to my "roots" as a pediatrician.
Then I mowed the lawn, something I enjoy quite a bit. In the grand scheme of things, this represents the continuation of my journey towards becoming more and more like my father (unequivocally a good thing!). Today was especially relaxing as it wasn't yet hot and I listened to some music while I mowed.
Yoga practice for today was actually surprisingly intense and novel. This was a YogaToday youtube video called Twisting Away Tension, which not only had some novel variations on both prayer twist and supine spinal twists, but had a great core section with leg and arm movements while holding boat pose. I felt great afterwards. It's still interesting to practice yoga while trying to ignore the distractions of playing and occasionally crying children nearby (somtimes next to or on top of me!).
I read with the kids for a little while, then took Cadien out for a bike lesson. She has made some really good progress in the last few days, and I think I will be able to take my hand off the seat -- such a metaphorical step! -- before too long. It's amazing to me, though, how these bike lessons are fatherhood in a microcosm: a delicate balance of coaching, encouraging, teaching, comforting, and pushing.
Finally, I came to work for the evening. So far it has been fairly low key but fun to get back to my "roots" as a pediatrician.
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