Have had a succession of good runs in the past week. Last Friday I headed back to my beloved Carolina Beach State Park to run a series of longer intervals, based on a work-out that I had read in Running Times magazine. The specifics called for 5 reps of 2000 meters, which I amended based on the loop I was to utilize, to 5 X 1.35 miles. The pace of which suggests starting at about half-marathon pace, and gradually lowering until the last interval is run at about 10K pace.
I warmed up with about a two mile easy jog up Snow's Cut Trails to Snow's Cut Hill and back. My "loop" that I was then using for the fast repeats consisted of a stretch of the main entrance road from the far corner of the marina parking lot...Nature Trail...and the "new trail"...back to the trailhead of Snow's Cut Trail/ and the marina parking lot.
Did the first rep. in a little over ten minutes, which didn't seem too hard, and was likley a bit slow, but not too far off of my guess of what my half marathon pace would be. Between reps, as per the work-out's suggestions, I jogged real easy but for only two minutes rest. The next rep I ran in 9:45, then the third in under 9 and a half minutes. By this third repeat of the loop, the lactic acid had begun to build in my legs, my breathing was a bit more labored especially the second part of the loop on the trails. All of which mirrored what the intended effects of the work-out are. The main element being that one should be able to finish and get faster each succesive repitition, with less and less percieved "rest" between and "comfort" during the fast phase. Or in other works, they require more and more effort to complete.
The 4th rep. I ran strong and in under 9 minutes, the last one in @ 8:35. Took some guts on the last two, my legs/ breathing were already tired and laboring early in each loop as I set out up the road towards my right hand turn into the woods onto Nature Trail. It kept getting "longer and longer", and the turns wider and wider until I would hit about the half way point and enter the woods. And the last part of the new trail would have me counting every dip, bend, and nook and cranny in the bush until I could see the light of the parking lot and the end of the rep. Overall though, it was an excellent preperatory speed work session for my upcoming marathon in Novemeber. I cooled down with an easy jog up and aroud some of the camp grounds, and even went back out later that night after work and ran an easy five miles.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Out and About
Ran the 1st annual Movin' for Myeloma 5K Sunday morning in the beautiful Carolina Beach State Park. Finished a solid second place overall, out of about 150 runners. Tough course, especially in the first mile or so running through alot of loose sand by the Cape Fear River and up along the first leg of Sugar Loaf Trail. Times can almost be thrown out in such an event, but for the sake of this blog I finished in 18:56. Was pleased with the effort, passed a younger guy at about the two mile mark and held a strong pace through-out slowly pulling away from him on the loop back towards the finish line and marina parking lot area. Was a nice crowd out there for a smaller local race, and I enjoyed hanging and talking running/ and life with some good friends.
Went on a three hour plus long run today (Tuesday). Wasn't sure how far I was going to run (by time). Initially the thought was that if I could get in two hours I'd be pleased; but once I got out there I decided to try and extend the run out to near or past the three hour mark. My travels on foot took me over into the old Sea Breeze area and up and over Snow's Cut Bridge twice... then several miles on the trails in the State Park and out and beyond running the trails that extend out along the Cape Fear River southward towards Kure Beach. Exited out of the woods and off the trails at the interesection of Ocean Blvd and Dow Road... took Dow Road into the "backside" of the quaint town of Kure Beach... then eventually on back Lake Park Blvd and another smaller loop through the residential areas of Carolina Beach including a pleasant jaunt down the boardwalk with its exquisite views of the Atlantic Ocean visible above the dune lines and scrubby palms plants and willowy reeds. Was the 4th run now that I have done that has lasted for more than three hours.
Had put down previous to last week, two heavier mileage weeks of 55 miles and 70 miles. Last week knocked out two tempo runs of between 6-8 miles, as well as the 5K race. Plan is to run harder again for another two weeks or so then begin to taper as I approach the Outer Banks Marathon on Novemeber 8th. Though still I will try and mix in some harder work-outs, and hopefully some speedwork either on the track or on the trails.
Went on a three hour plus long run today (Tuesday). Wasn't sure how far I was going to run (by time). Initially the thought was that if I could get in two hours I'd be pleased; but once I got out there I decided to try and extend the run out to near or past the three hour mark. My travels on foot took me over into the old Sea Breeze area and up and over Snow's Cut Bridge twice... then several miles on the trails in the State Park and out and beyond running the trails that extend out along the Cape Fear River southward towards Kure Beach. Exited out of the woods and off the trails at the interesection of Ocean Blvd and Dow Road... took Dow Road into the "backside" of the quaint town of Kure Beach... then eventually on back Lake Park Blvd and another smaller loop through the residential areas of Carolina Beach including a pleasant jaunt down the boardwalk with its exquisite views of the Atlantic Ocean visible above the dune lines and scrubby palms plants and willowy reeds. Was the 4th run now that I have done that has lasted for more than three hours.
Had put down previous to last week, two heavier mileage weeks of 55 miles and 70 miles. Last week knocked out two tempo runs of between 6-8 miles, as well as the 5K race. Plan is to run harder again for another two weeks or so then begin to taper as I approach the Outer Banks Marathon on Novemeber 8th. Though still I will try and mix in some harder work-outs, and hopefully some speedwork either on the track or on the trails.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
The Long Run --Building Confidence
This past Sunday I ran time wise, and likely distance wise the farthest I have ever gone in my life. Three hours, twenty -two minutes and some odd seconds I spent running... and for good measure another twenty minutes walking/ running. My previous long run had been a twenty mile run that took me three hours and four minutes.
I've been over the course of the past few months gradually extending the length and distance of my long runs. It's wise to slowly increase the amount by increments of time, and not necessarily by distance. One's body measures more accurately in the long term by the time it has to spend in motion and "on its feet" then by numbers of miles... and furthermore distances covered can vary in longer runs depending on factors such as weather and how the body/ mind feels going into the run. But time is always the same time, as redundant as that may sound.
I had plateaued at between two hours and fifteen minutes to hours and thirty minutes earlier in the summer. Usually too I was gutting out the last half hour or so of the runs. The three hour + run that I had completed a few weeks ago also was very tough physically and mentally especially in the latter stages... which left me questioning somewhat my abilities and/or resolve to run for longer segments of time and distance.
So mentally I attempted to change my approach by doing some visulaization techniques... "seeing" a digital watch read-out of over three hours, and "telling" myself that I had the fortitude and the training base to succeed running long. And also trying to take some of the self created pressure I was putting on myself to get ready, and be ready for the marathon in early November. Also I literally decided to change the actual areas where I would run by looking more so to run in the woods and on the trails in the state park, as well as along the beach on the north end of Pleasure Island. I figured the asthetics would help, as would the terrain and the cooler temps in the woods. And not knowing exactly the distance being covered, as opposed to the last long run that I had clocked on my car odometer.
I set the alarm for six a.m. and was off and running at six thirty from the beach and down the short boardwalk in Carolina Beach. Ran all the way to the very end of the North End where the marshy channel cuts back from the Atlantic Waterway and canal to the back side of the narrow tentacle of the island. After running all the way back on the beach to the pier, then back Canal Drive, I headed for the bike path that crosses under Snow's Cut Bridge, and eventually into the CB State Park and its labrynthe of trails criss crossing thru the woods and watershed lands. Out by the bay off the Cape Fear River I had the pleasure of sighting several egrets... some poking thier long white necks out of the tall reeds... and others perched high up in trees by the water's edge. Also saw an osprey that circled over head. I lost track of time, loosely gauging my progress by the height of the sun in the sky, and by the natural timer inside my body and mind.
And some three hours and twenty minutes later I exited out of the last trail I wanted to run and hit the main road by the entrance of the park for the cool down walk/ jog back home. What a joy and a blessing... and wonderful way to spend a Sunday morning. Oh, and I gained a little bit of the sometimes elusive thing called self- confidence... which is pretty important in running, as it is in most other aspects of one's life.
I've been over the course of the past few months gradually extending the length and distance of my long runs. It's wise to slowly increase the amount by increments of time, and not necessarily by distance. One's body measures more accurately in the long term by the time it has to spend in motion and "on its feet" then by numbers of miles... and furthermore distances covered can vary in longer runs depending on factors such as weather and how the body/ mind feels going into the run. But time is always the same time, as redundant as that may sound.
I had plateaued at between two hours and fifteen minutes to hours and thirty minutes earlier in the summer. Usually too I was gutting out the last half hour or so of the runs. The three hour + run that I had completed a few weeks ago also was very tough physically and mentally especially in the latter stages... which left me questioning somewhat my abilities and/or resolve to run for longer segments of time and distance.
So mentally I attempted to change my approach by doing some visulaization techniques... "seeing" a digital watch read-out of over three hours, and "telling" myself that I had the fortitude and the training base to succeed running long. And also trying to take some of the self created pressure I was putting on myself to get ready, and be ready for the marathon in early November. Also I literally decided to change the actual areas where I would run by looking more so to run in the woods and on the trails in the state park, as well as along the beach on the north end of Pleasure Island. I figured the asthetics would help, as would the terrain and the cooler temps in the woods. And not knowing exactly the distance being covered, as opposed to the last long run that I had clocked on my car odometer.
I set the alarm for six a.m. and was off and running at six thirty from the beach and down the short boardwalk in Carolina Beach. Ran all the way to the very end of the North End where the marshy channel cuts back from the Atlantic Waterway and canal to the back side of the narrow tentacle of the island. After running all the way back on the beach to the pier, then back Canal Drive, I headed for the bike path that crosses under Snow's Cut Bridge, and eventually into the CB State Park and its labrynthe of trails criss crossing thru the woods and watershed lands. Out by the bay off the Cape Fear River I had the pleasure of sighting several egrets... some poking thier long white necks out of the tall reeds... and others perched high up in trees by the water's edge. Also saw an osprey that circled over head. I lost track of time, loosely gauging my progress by the height of the sun in the sky, and by the natural timer inside my body and mind.
And some three hours and twenty minutes later I exited out of the last trail I wanted to run and hit the main road by the entrance of the park for the cool down walk/ jog back home. What a joy and a blessing... and wonderful way to spend a Sunday morning. Oh, and I gained a little bit of the sometimes elusive thing called self- confidence... which is pretty important in running, as it is in most other aspects of one's life.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Speed + Distance
Are two vital components to any work-out regimine. Both have thier own benefits, as well as the similarity of helping anyone become a better runner. From the novive to the elite, our bodies and minds gradually becoming stronger as a result of such challenges.
Last Tuesday I drove up to the UNCW Track for a morning speed work-out. I usually have a good idea of what type of session I am going to do before I even get in the car... for that day what I had in mind was running alot of 400M repeats, ideally getting into the neighborhood of 14, 15 reps... and a couple more to boot. I base, or to be more accurate in many cases, copy my work-outs from those I find in magazines such as Running Times, or in some of the books that I have on the sport.
As soon as I had gotten out of the car and began jogging some slower warm-up laps I could tell that my legs felt tight, or heavier than I would like. Had gone for a solid two hour run Sunday morning, so I knew it was some residual "waste" in the body from that run; nonethless I was there (the track) and dressed, and decided to see how close I could get to completing the work-out that I had intended to do. There are times though running wise, especially when running on the roads/ trails that I will let my body/ mind dictate or change the length and speed of the run, by doing either or more or less of what I may have been planning to do.
But as alluded to ealier, I find on the track it to be a good idea to go with what I think I want to do, or I can give myself "justified" reasons for not attemtping or completing a certain speed session. With that I mind I set out to do the task at hand, telling myself the ideal goal will be 16 X 400M w/ 400m job between reps. Which i ended up completing, running the first eight reps in an average time of @ 1:25- 1:26, and the last eight in about 1:18- 1:19. Tooped it off with a cool down run around campus. Was a challenging work-out, the last several reps the lactic in my legs kicked in almost full bore right in the first 50M or so of the 400... but the work-out's purpose is to teach the body to be able to run thru such discomfort, and the number of reps designed to mimic if your will conditions faced by runners in longer races such as the marathon. Its not so much how fast each rep can be run, but being able to complete a large quantitty of repetitions that is of importance.
Next up more about distance running, and teaching/ training myself to run longer and longer amounts of time....
Last Tuesday I drove up to the UNCW Track for a morning speed work-out. I usually have a good idea of what type of session I am going to do before I even get in the car... for that day what I had in mind was running alot of 400M repeats, ideally getting into the neighborhood of 14, 15 reps... and a couple more to boot. I base, or to be more accurate in many cases, copy my work-outs from those I find in magazines such as Running Times, or in some of the books that I have on the sport.
As soon as I had gotten out of the car and began jogging some slower warm-up laps I could tell that my legs felt tight, or heavier than I would like. Had gone for a solid two hour run Sunday morning, so I knew it was some residual "waste" in the body from that run; nonethless I was there (the track) and dressed, and decided to see how close I could get to completing the work-out that I had intended to do. There are times though running wise, especially when running on the roads/ trails that I will let my body/ mind dictate or change the length and speed of the run, by doing either or more or less of what I may have been planning to do.
But as alluded to ealier, I find on the track it to be a good idea to go with what I think I want to do, or I can give myself "justified" reasons for not attemtping or completing a certain speed session. With that I mind I set out to do the task at hand, telling myself the ideal goal will be 16 X 400M w/ 400m job between reps. Which i ended up completing, running the first eight reps in an average time of @ 1:25- 1:26, and the last eight in about 1:18- 1:19. Tooped it off with a cool down run around campus. Was a challenging work-out, the last several reps the lactic in my legs kicked in almost full bore right in the first 50M or so of the 400... but the work-out's purpose is to teach the body to be able to run thru such discomfort, and the number of reps designed to mimic if your will conditions faced by runners in longer races such as the marathon. Its not so much how fast each rep can be run, but being able to complete a large quantitty of repetitions that is of importance.
Next up more about distance running, and teaching/ training myself to run longer and longer amounts of time....
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
The Realm of the Spirit---
Met a guy named Mike a few weeks ago who has a love for running as much as I have. However, there is one huge difference between the two of us; Mike will never run again. He was hit by a car while out running several months ago, and by his words is just lucky today to be able to walk. He wears a black brace/ boot on his left leg and foot, but does manage to get around under his own power.
I run into him (pardon the pun) most Sunday nights... and he always asks me how my running is going. I tell him about some of the work-outs I have been doing, and how the marathon training is progressing. He gave me some good tips this last time we talked about my longer runs, which I shared that I sometimes struggle with mentally more so than physically.
He told him more about his running. About how he used to go to the library downtown and check out all the books he could on running. The passion he developed for the sport. How he ran his first marathon in three hours and twewnty minutes; and how after increasing his training and becoming more knowledgeable about running and training, he decreased his time to a personal best of two hours and forty-minutes in the Marine Corp Marathon held in our nation's capital.
But times, age group awards, training schedules are but one side of the coin of running. The other side, and by far the most important, is how running makes us feel and what it does for us positively on a daily basis. Running in Mike's words was spiritual... and he didnt have to tell or say anything more than that for me to totally understand on the deepest human levels just what he meant.
For its exactly how I feel, and something that I could either attempt to describe in a few words... or write an entire book to fully convey that spirituality I experience and live when I run. But I am human, and from time to time I can lose sight of what is right in front of me. When I laced up my shoes Monday morning and headed out on my run, I thought about Mike, and I thought about just how damn fortunate I was to have what I have, and to be able to spend that hour or so out there doing something I love to do. None of us knows when our last run may occur.
I run into him (pardon the pun) most Sunday nights... and he always asks me how my running is going. I tell him about some of the work-outs I have been doing, and how the marathon training is progressing. He gave me some good tips this last time we talked about my longer runs, which I shared that I sometimes struggle with mentally more so than physically.
He told him more about his running. About how he used to go to the library downtown and check out all the books he could on running. The passion he developed for the sport. How he ran his first marathon in three hours and twewnty minutes; and how after increasing his training and becoming more knowledgeable about running and training, he decreased his time to a personal best of two hours and forty-minutes in the Marine Corp Marathon held in our nation's capital.
But times, age group awards, training schedules are but one side of the coin of running. The other side, and by far the most important, is how running makes us feel and what it does for us positively on a daily basis. Running in Mike's words was spiritual... and he didnt have to tell or say anything more than that for me to totally understand on the deepest human levels just what he meant.
For its exactly how I feel, and something that I could either attempt to describe in a few words... or write an entire book to fully convey that spirituality I experience and live when I run. But I am human, and from time to time I can lose sight of what is right in front of me. When I laced up my shoes Monday morning and headed out on my run, I thought about Mike, and I thought about just how damn fortunate I was to have what I have, and to be able to spend that hour or so out there doing something I love to do. None of us knows when our last run may occur.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
20 mile run
Ran 20 miles last Thursday morning, the longest distance I have ever run in my life. Preperations for the run began two nights before when I mapped out the approximate course in my car; and the night before on my way home from work when I strategically stashed a 32oz water bottle near about the half way point of the run... then later set my alarm clock for 6am the following morning.
I awoke then that Thursday to the blue flashes of lightning, and the sounds of thunder from a storm that had passed over and was by then a few miles out to sea, leaving behind a blanket of wetness and layer of fog, as well as humdity levels likely around 90%. Nonetheless, I headed down to the ocean after a half cup of coffee, some water and gatoraide... said my pre-run prayers in the sand, then headed onto and along the boardwalk, and up Canal Drive to the North End of the island.
Early on the run was quite pleasant, I took the pace rather easy and tried to settle in physically, and mentally as well to what I knew would likely be a three+ hour endeavor... an excellent test of my mettle and grit as a long distance runner. On the way back form the North End, a few short miles into the run, the sun began its ominous, steady upwards climb from the horizon where the sea meets the sky; its unwaverng light and heat burned quickly thru the lingering bank of fog and low clouds. I knew I was in for a challenge, one however I was somewhat prepared for.
Prepared at least hydration wise as I stopped for a drink again at the water fountain by the boardwalk, and after I crossed the island and ran up and over Snow's Cut Bridge to the mainland I stopped and drank out of a bathroom sink in the park that straddles the Atl. InterCoastal Waterway off of River Road.
Apparently that water hit the spot, since I felt a bit frisky and picked up the pace a little as I headed up past the Coast Gaurd station and up thru the tracts of marsh land that sweep back away from the Cape Fear River. About two miles or so later I realized I had been a bit over zealous; as I got a little past the half way point or ten miles, I had to slow my pace for a few shorter intervals just to sort of regain my running equilibrium.
Then I started to look for Cathay Road, and started to think about my water bottle that was stashed down that road a ways. I hoped like heck no-one had moved it or that something had happened to it, and chided myself for not remembering to put two dollars in my pocket in case I had to go into the gas station to get a water bottle.
Onto Cathay Road I went, knowing that I was in for a windy, continous upgrade for the next mile and a half, as the road weaves thru some residential areas. By now the sun was beating down on me, I had long discarded my t-shirt on a back road near the Carolina Beach Post Office. (as a corrolary I must confess I forgot and never went back to get the t-shirt that i threw over the side of a stop sign- sorry world- I did look for it a few days later on a run but it was gone-- which makes two that I have discarded and forgot now in 2009).
As i wove up, up, and around the turns (its more of an upgrade but for an area thats mostly flat its a noticeable little stretch of slight uphill) the thought came to me and I started to repeat the mantra that God resided on Cathay Road. God is on Cathay Road, God is Cathay Road... over and over. After many a bend, a turn, etc I kept thinking ok one more stretch then I will see/ hear Carolina Beach Rd and be close to my water bottle, and close to the final 7-8 mile stretch on back home. After a disapointment or two, i returned to the thought God is on Cathay Road, God is Cathay Road...
But I did make it to my water bottle, and also ate some energy sport beans I had in my pocket... as well as stick my head under a hose faucet on the side of the gas station and fill up the bottle again... taking it with me and sipping out of for a few miles down Carolina Beach Road. I gutted out it all out, running alot on the grassy areas as it was easier/ cooler on my feet, and helped me to avoid traffic. Started to break the run down from side road to side road, praying for help to get me to the next one, then giving thanks for the aid in getting me there.
Then back across Snow's Cut Bridge at @ the 18.5- 19 mile mark... whew that was a test of will going up and over, but one that will pay dividends I hope in the future. Then the last mile or so back into the center of town, and down to the boardwalk and the beach where the run came to a satisfactory and welcome end; my principle goal was to just finish in one piece. 3 hours and 4 minutes, which did surprise me some as I thought I was barely moving at times in the second half of the run. But time isn't all that important, just a measuring stick we runners use. The true importance was working towards and setting myself a challenging goal that day in my progression upwards toward a marathon in Novemeber, and not giving out or giving in when the going got tough both physically and mentally.
I awoke then that Thursday to the blue flashes of lightning, and the sounds of thunder from a storm that had passed over and was by then a few miles out to sea, leaving behind a blanket of wetness and layer of fog, as well as humdity levels likely around 90%. Nonetheless, I headed down to the ocean after a half cup of coffee, some water and gatoraide... said my pre-run prayers in the sand, then headed onto and along the boardwalk, and up Canal Drive to the North End of the island.
Early on the run was quite pleasant, I took the pace rather easy and tried to settle in physically, and mentally as well to what I knew would likely be a three+ hour endeavor... an excellent test of my mettle and grit as a long distance runner. On the way back form the North End, a few short miles into the run, the sun began its ominous, steady upwards climb from the horizon where the sea meets the sky; its unwaverng light and heat burned quickly thru the lingering bank of fog and low clouds. I knew I was in for a challenge, one however I was somewhat prepared for.
Prepared at least hydration wise as I stopped for a drink again at the water fountain by the boardwalk, and after I crossed the island and ran up and over Snow's Cut Bridge to the mainland I stopped and drank out of a bathroom sink in the park that straddles the Atl. InterCoastal Waterway off of River Road.
Apparently that water hit the spot, since I felt a bit frisky and picked up the pace a little as I headed up past the Coast Gaurd station and up thru the tracts of marsh land that sweep back away from the Cape Fear River. About two miles or so later I realized I had been a bit over zealous; as I got a little past the half way point or ten miles, I had to slow my pace for a few shorter intervals just to sort of regain my running equilibrium.
Then I started to look for Cathay Road, and started to think about my water bottle that was stashed down that road a ways. I hoped like heck no-one had moved it or that something had happened to it, and chided myself for not remembering to put two dollars in my pocket in case I had to go into the gas station to get a water bottle.
Onto Cathay Road I went, knowing that I was in for a windy, continous upgrade for the next mile and a half, as the road weaves thru some residential areas. By now the sun was beating down on me, I had long discarded my t-shirt on a back road near the Carolina Beach Post Office. (as a corrolary I must confess I forgot and never went back to get the t-shirt that i threw over the side of a stop sign- sorry world- I did look for it a few days later on a run but it was gone-- which makes two that I have discarded and forgot now in 2009).
As i wove up, up, and around the turns (its more of an upgrade but for an area thats mostly flat its a noticeable little stretch of slight uphill) the thought came to me and I started to repeat the mantra that God resided on Cathay Road. God is on Cathay Road, God is Cathay Road... over and over. After many a bend, a turn, etc I kept thinking ok one more stretch then I will see/ hear Carolina Beach Rd and be close to my water bottle, and close to the final 7-8 mile stretch on back home. After a disapointment or two, i returned to the thought God is on Cathay Road, God is Cathay Road...
But I did make it to my water bottle, and also ate some energy sport beans I had in my pocket... as well as stick my head under a hose faucet on the side of the gas station and fill up the bottle again... taking it with me and sipping out of for a few miles down Carolina Beach Road. I gutted out it all out, running alot on the grassy areas as it was easier/ cooler on my feet, and helped me to avoid traffic. Started to break the run down from side road to side road, praying for help to get me to the next one, then giving thanks for the aid in getting me there.
Then back across Snow's Cut Bridge at @ the 18.5- 19 mile mark... whew that was a test of will going up and over, but one that will pay dividends I hope in the future. Then the last mile or so back into the center of town, and down to the boardwalk and the beach where the run came to a satisfactory and welcome end; my principle goal was to just finish in one piece. 3 hours and 4 minutes, which did surprise me some as I thought I was barely moving at times in the second half of the run. But time isn't all that important, just a measuring stick we runners use. The true importance was working towards and setting myself a challenging goal that day in my progression upwards toward a marathon in Novemeber, and not giving out or giving in when the going got tough both physically and mentally.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
August --
Cycled up mileage wise the past three weeks. Ran @ 45 miles in the first week, 48 the second, and @ 55 miles the third week. Once again a mix of base runs or daily runs of around six to seven miles. Longer runs of upwards of fifteen to sixteen miles, speedwork on the track, and some shorter tempo runs of three to four miles. Have also added sprint work on the beach at the end of some runs. Six to eight reps of about twenty second sprints with maybe a minute's rest in between.
My last long run was a bear. Really started to tire about and hour and forty five munites into the run. The heat and humidity undoubtebly played a role, as did the fact that I was running long off of a speed work out two days before, and a six mile run the day before. Read a quote reprinted from Dr. George Sheehan that stated "we are all an experiment of one"... meaning all of us learn thru are own trial and error what works, and what doesn't work for us. The lesson I extracted, being that I need more rest before I go for a longer run.
The last speedwork session I did Sunday morning consisted of 6 reps of 1,000m w/ 200m easy jog in between. Good workout, and quite challenging to me on a more physiological or mental plain. Holding a harder pace on the track for a longer distance, two and half laps worth, as opposed to running 400Ms or one lap. Though the week before I ran 800m repeats, Yasso 800s. 8 reps in about 3:10- 3:15 w/ 3:15 worth of recovery jogging between reps. And at the end of the 1,000Ms I did run to 400Ms in 1:15, and 1:13. Trsut me those "shorter" intervals are as challenging when they start to add up in thier own right.
Being on the track teaches me to be a little bit tougher I think every time I go out there. Pushing thru the lactic acid build-up that occurs more and more as the number of reps increase. Convincing myself to do "just one more", usually a few times each session.
But the long runs/ and or the tempo runs bear thier own lessons of fortitude likewise. Running for seemingly endless stretches of time, telling myself another half hour, another fifteen minutes, another five minutes etc etc.
And then there are the days like this morning that are most welcome and necassary to just go out and sort of run free and easy, with little thought or worry about time or pace. Not that I don't enjoy the challenges of training, but its paramount to me not to lose sight of the daily pleasures of just being to head out the door and do something I love to do for an hour or so out of the day.
My last long run was a bear. Really started to tire about and hour and forty five munites into the run. The heat and humidity undoubtebly played a role, as did the fact that I was running long off of a speed work out two days before, and a six mile run the day before. Read a quote reprinted from Dr. George Sheehan that stated "we are all an experiment of one"... meaning all of us learn thru are own trial and error what works, and what doesn't work for us. The lesson I extracted, being that I need more rest before I go for a longer run.
The last speedwork session I did Sunday morning consisted of 6 reps of 1,000m w/ 200m easy jog in between. Good workout, and quite challenging to me on a more physiological or mental plain. Holding a harder pace on the track for a longer distance, two and half laps worth, as opposed to running 400Ms or one lap. Though the week before I ran 800m repeats, Yasso 800s. 8 reps in about 3:10- 3:15 w/ 3:15 worth of recovery jogging between reps. And at the end of the 1,000Ms I did run to 400Ms in 1:15, and 1:13. Trsut me those "shorter" intervals are as challenging when they start to add up in thier own right.
Being on the track teaches me to be a little bit tougher I think every time I go out there. Pushing thru the lactic acid build-up that occurs more and more as the number of reps increase. Convincing myself to do "just one more", usually a few times each session.
But the long runs/ and or the tempo runs bear thier own lessons of fortitude likewise. Running for seemingly endless stretches of time, telling myself another half hour, another fifteen minutes, another five minutes etc etc.
And then there are the days like this morning that are most welcome and necassary to just go out and sort of run free and easy, with little thought or worry about time or pace. Not that I don't enjoy the challenges of training, but its paramount to me not to lose sight of the daily pleasures of just being to head out the door and do something I love to do for an hour or so out of the day.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Becoming a Complete Runner
I came across an article in Running Times that talked about runners becoming "complete runners". In the sense of being able to run well and compete in different lengths and distances, under any number of conditions. Instead of focusing on training for a specific event like the marathon by running long runs, or training for the mile on the track by doing speedwork... to think of it in terms of becoming a better runner at any/ and all distances.
For me I have been combining longer runs about once a week with speed work sessions on a local high school track. Trying not to always focus on what the exact benefit of a specific work-out will have on my training for a set race (such as a 5K I did July 11th), but more so on how my overall fitness level as a runner will be improved.
Also tempo runs, sprint work after a 6-7 mile run, the occasional "two- a - days". How I can improve my overall physiology as a runner, and become as the article termed it, more of a "complete runner."
The OBX Marathon lies ahead in a little over three months. By doing the running and training that is necessary to be able to finish the race, I know in the long run I will be well on my way to becoming a better and more effcient runner in all aspects of my running.
For me I have been combining longer runs about once a week with speed work sessions on a local high school track. Trying not to always focus on what the exact benefit of a specific work-out will have on my training for a set race (such as a 5K I did July 11th), but more so on how my overall fitness level as a runner will be improved.
Also tempo runs, sprint work after a 6-7 mile run, the occasional "two- a - days". How I can improve my overall physiology as a runner, and become as the article termed it, more of a "complete runner."
The OBX Marathon lies ahead in a little over three months. By doing the running and training that is necessary to be able to finish the race, I know in the long run I will be well on my way to becoming a better and more effcient runner in all aspects of my running.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Logging the Miles---
Put down about 55 miles last week- most all year. Did a long run of about 15 miles midweek, and another long run of 12.6 miles on Saturday. Took off Monday, and then did a speedwork session on Tuesday up at the Ashely High School track. 6 X 400 meters, plus ended with an 800 meter interval. Tough conditions in the brutal morning heat (highs were in the mid 90s). Ran a tempo run Thursday morning-- hard pick up of the pace for a good tewnty minutes or so in the middle of a 6 plus mile run that I do which loops through some trails in the state park. Also went an easy 2.5 miles after work near dusk.
Friday evening I laced up the shoes and went out for another evening run. Have been going mostly in the mornings, but my schedule got bumped up so I decided to do my run/ work-out in the evening instead. For the most part of my running career, I have run in the evenings, so it was sort of "nostalgic" to slap the asphalt and pound the dirt trails as the sun was on its way downward, and not on its upward climb.
Got onto the main road into the state park after coming off of one of the trails in the woods and the view ahead suddenly was breath taking. The light of the setting sun coming thru the pines and decidous trees that border the mouth of the Cape Fear River... the shafts of light coming thru the tall saw grass ...the moorish dark murkiness of the swamps on the adjacent side of the raod.
And I recalled ultimately why I am out here. It's not to chase after medals and age group wins and PRs... not to minimize, and I'd be lying if I didn't say in thier own right they are important to me. However its the metaphysical highs I have when I come upon such natural beauty as I did this evening... I can't put something in my body, or read something in a book, or see something on the big screen... that can make me feel the way I feel when I can immerse myself in the undiluted, pristine world that surrounds me for those fleeting, precious moments in time.
Friday evening I laced up the shoes and went out for another evening run. Have been going mostly in the mornings, but my schedule got bumped up so I decided to do my run/ work-out in the evening instead. For the most part of my running career, I have run in the evenings, so it was sort of "nostalgic" to slap the asphalt and pound the dirt trails as the sun was on its way downward, and not on its upward climb.
Got onto the main road into the state park after coming off of one of the trails in the woods and the view ahead suddenly was breath taking. The light of the setting sun coming thru the pines and decidous trees that border the mouth of the Cape Fear River... the shafts of light coming thru the tall saw grass ...the moorish dark murkiness of the swamps on the adjacent side of the raod.
And I recalled ultimately why I am out here. It's not to chase after medals and age group wins and PRs... not to minimize, and I'd be lying if I didn't say in thier own right they are important to me. However its the metaphysical highs I have when I come upon such natural beauty as I did this evening... I can't put something in my body, or read something in a book, or see something on the big screen... that can make me feel the way I feel when I can immerse myself in the undiluted, pristine world that surrounds me for those fleeting, precious moments in time.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Into the Wild
Out running Tuesday, doing a long run and got a little off the trails that I wanted to be on out past the state park and up parallel to the Cape Fear River. To backtrack though, I hit about two feet of standing water on SugarLoaf Trail... likley a result of some unusual tide patterns, that not only affect the ocean but bodies of water that are close to and feed into the Atlantic, and cause some minor flooding. Didn't see the water until I was in it, and had to run/ walk thru it for about fifty to a hundred feet.
But out behind part of the Army Corp's Electrical grids and hydro generators ... as I wrote I had mistakenly wandered off from where I wanted to be... I was cutting back to the woods-line up the slope from the bank of the river when I saw a Great Blue Heron take flight out of a marshy pond right off to my one side. Anyhow as I was watching this majestic, beautiful creature take wing, I darn nearly stepped on a three foot black snake that was curled up on the gravel and weeds sunning itself in the mid morning heat.
Later in the run L had an even bigger black snake... five feet or so... cross directly in front of me as I ran along one of the trails in the woods. I was also plagued once again by horseflies... they seems to come out in waves the hotter the day is along stretches of the ground that are more sand than dirt. And of course the ever present spider webs at this time of year... nothing like spitting out silk and the occasional bug, and wiping the mess off one's face and out of one's hair.
Though I have the thought somewhere deep in the bush, that this is their domain, their home... the horseflies, the spiders, the mosquitoes, the black snakes etc... its me, in fact who perhaps is an unwanted guest. They don't (or hardly) come into my home...
Then running this morning along a shade covered road in the Sea Breeze section just off Pleasure Island and on the mainland I saw a large hawk take flight in the trees just up ahead of me... same place I had seen two hawks last week take flight... truly an amazing sight to witness up close.
But out behind part of the Army Corp's Electrical grids and hydro generators ... as I wrote I had mistakenly wandered off from where I wanted to be... I was cutting back to the woods-line up the slope from the bank of the river when I saw a Great Blue Heron take flight out of a marshy pond right off to my one side. Anyhow as I was watching this majestic, beautiful creature take wing, I darn nearly stepped on a three foot black snake that was curled up on the gravel and weeds sunning itself in the mid morning heat.
Later in the run L had an even bigger black snake... five feet or so... cross directly in front of me as I ran along one of the trails in the woods. I was also plagued once again by horseflies... they seems to come out in waves the hotter the day is along stretches of the ground that are more sand than dirt. And of course the ever present spider webs at this time of year... nothing like spitting out silk and the occasional bug, and wiping the mess off one's face and out of one's hair.
Though I have the thought somewhere deep in the bush, that this is their domain, their home... the horseflies, the spiders, the mosquitoes, the black snakes etc... its me, in fact who perhaps is an unwanted guest. They don't (or hardly) come into my home...
Then running this morning along a shade covered road in the Sea Breeze section just off Pleasure Island and on the mainland I saw a large hawk take flight in the trees just up ahead of me... same place I had seen two hawks last week take flight... truly an amazing sight to witness up close.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Back to the Track
Ran some speedwork last Saturday morning on the Ashley High School track. Arrived earlier in the day, a little after eight a.m.in order to perhaps beat some of the heat. Was pretty hot though even at that hour, but I wasnt going to let that or much else deter me from the work-out I had planned. I have done some intervals/ speed sessions at the Carolina Beach Lake, but running on the hard asphalt path that encircles the lake as well as periodically dodging people, dogs, and ducks is not the most conducive environment for such activity.
So I tossed my backpack over the chain linked fence, climbed on up and hopped over it, and felt like I was returning to a paradise lost from a previous lifetime. I have run a few laps on the UNCW track in the middle of some random runs, but hadn't done any kind of speedwork. There's just something magical to me about the sight and smell of 400 meters of the hard rubbery all-weather surface laid out in a perfect oval... with a smooth bed of green grass in the middle... and metal bleachers on the sides of each straight-away. The scoreboard down at one end of the infield with the Coca- Cola sign, the lane markings, the start lines for different distances/ races painted on the track.
The 'ol yellow summer-time sun beat down from above as I started the work-out by doing about a mile and a half warm-up/ easy jog (6 laps) around the track...to loosen the muscles, as well as wake up the mind and spirt... acclimate my entire self to the stately surroundings. Afterwhich some light stretching, more water, take the t-shirt off and hang it on the fence in front of the bleachers... and a slow reverential walk to a triangular marking near the approach to turn 1 that I will use as my start and finish point each successive repitition.
A deep breath and a calm thought and I'm off. It feels good to be off and moving at a more rapid speed on the track, to feel the bounce of my feet/ shoes on the hard rubbery surface... but I exercise purdent caution on the first rep. and glide thru the finish in 1:33 not that winded at all, and ease down into the one lap jog I will do in between each fast 400m rep. I then stop for a few moments back at the start/ finish point to allow my pulse rate to lower closer to a normal resting beat... reset the stopwatch... and then I'm off again.
The next rep. I knock out in @ 1:26, then bring the third one down to 1:18 as I start to get accustomed again to the pacing I want to run and the effort or exertion needed to hit or run certain times per lap or per 400 meters. I want most of them to be hard, say 85- 90% effort... but not all-out... as the reps and the work load increases, it will take more effort to run the same distance in the same time... or if I choose, slightly faster then the previous lap.
By now I am getting it dialed in... and on the next few laps I let it fly a little more each time. As I run the back strecth I can feel the lactic acid in the legs increase... feel the cool burn... I must concentrate a little more on holding my form... especially as I run turns three and four and then on down the final front stretch.
Seven reps down and I want to finish the last, the eighth one on a high and really open it up... say 95% effort or so. There's an art to running 400 meters... as a distance its close to an extended sprint, but not all-out.. at least not in the first say 150-250 meters. One must save some "gas in the tank" for that last 50- 75 meters or so of maddening straight away.
I'm off and into turns one and two running strong, posied, confident...controlling the pace and holding back just a bit... then onto the back stretch... by now the long straight-away has increased I would swear by another 20 or 30 meters... pounding, striding... holding my form... ignoring or pushing through the discomforts of the body... ignoring the flash bulb thoughts-- slow down, stop, ease up... finally into turn three... drink Coca Cola yes yes... turn 4- where are you turn 4? ... quick, rapid breaths, starting to lose some feeling in the legs... then off turn 4 to the front stretch... mentally ticking off the numbers painted on the lanes of the track one two three... can't see don't look up at the other lanes for the rest of 'em...glance up look straight ahead dig in hold form breathe...like led zeppelin sang 'where is that confounded bridge?'... 25 20 15 10 5 meters my precious lovely little traingle I see it!... and its over I'm done look at the watch... 1:10- whew, not bad...as I gasp for breath, barely able to move... shuffling forward hands on my hips upper body nearly doubled over.. til I can regain a semblance of normal movement and slowly ease into a jog like trot on the back stretch.
Cool down with another mile and a half slow jog on the track and call it a day, pleased with the results... and if perchance you saw me walking back out to my car you would have caught a sly little grin on my face, like a grown kid rediscovering the feeling of Christmas mornings long since past... but certainly not forgotten.
So I tossed my backpack over the chain linked fence, climbed on up and hopped over it, and felt like I was returning to a paradise lost from a previous lifetime. I have run a few laps on the UNCW track in the middle of some random runs, but hadn't done any kind of speedwork. There's just something magical to me about the sight and smell of 400 meters of the hard rubbery all-weather surface laid out in a perfect oval... with a smooth bed of green grass in the middle... and metal bleachers on the sides of each straight-away. The scoreboard down at one end of the infield with the Coca- Cola sign, the lane markings, the start lines for different distances/ races painted on the track.
The 'ol yellow summer-time sun beat down from above as I started the work-out by doing about a mile and a half warm-up/ easy jog (6 laps) around the track...to loosen the muscles, as well as wake up the mind and spirt... acclimate my entire self to the stately surroundings. Afterwhich some light stretching, more water, take the t-shirt off and hang it on the fence in front of the bleachers... and a slow reverential walk to a triangular marking near the approach to turn 1 that I will use as my start and finish point each successive repitition.
A deep breath and a calm thought and I'm off. It feels good to be off and moving at a more rapid speed on the track, to feel the bounce of my feet/ shoes on the hard rubbery surface... but I exercise purdent caution on the first rep. and glide thru the finish in 1:33 not that winded at all, and ease down into the one lap jog I will do in between each fast 400m rep. I then stop for a few moments back at the start/ finish point to allow my pulse rate to lower closer to a normal resting beat... reset the stopwatch... and then I'm off again.
The next rep. I knock out in @ 1:26, then bring the third one down to 1:18 as I start to get accustomed again to the pacing I want to run and the effort or exertion needed to hit or run certain times per lap or per 400 meters. I want most of them to be hard, say 85- 90% effort... but not all-out... as the reps and the work load increases, it will take more effort to run the same distance in the same time... or if I choose, slightly faster then the previous lap.
By now I am getting it dialed in... and on the next few laps I let it fly a little more each time. As I run the back strecth I can feel the lactic acid in the legs increase... feel the cool burn... I must concentrate a little more on holding my form... especially as I run turns three and four and then on down the final front stretch.
Seven reps down and I want to finish the last, the eighth one on a high and really open it up... say 95% effort or so. There's an art to running 400 meters... as a distance its close to an extended sprint, but not all-out.. at least not in the first say 150-250 meters. One must save some "gas in the tank" for that last 50- 75 meters or so of maddening straight away.
I'm off and into turns one and two running strong, posied, confident...controlling the pace and holding back just a bit... then onto the back stretch... by now the long straight-away has increased I would swear by another 20 or 30 meters... pounding, striding... holding my form... ignoring or pushing through the discomforts of the body... ignoring the flash bulb thoughts-- slow down, stop, ease up... finally into turn three... drink Coca Cola yes yes... turn 4- where are you turn 4? ... quick, rapid breaths, starting to lose some feeling in the legs... then off turn 4 to the front stretch... mentally ticking off the numbers painted on the lanes of the track one two three... can't see don't look up at the other lanes for the rest of 'em...glance up look straight ahead dig in hold form breathe...like led zeppelin sang 'where is that confounded bridge?'... 25 20 15 10 5 meters my precious lovely little traingle I see it!... and its over I'm done look at the watch... 1:10- whew, not bad...as I gasp for breath, barely able to move... shuffling forward hands on my hips upper body nearly doubled over.. til I can regain a semblance of normal movement and slowly ease into a jog like trot on the back stretch.
Cool down with another mile and a half slow jog on the track and call it a day, pleased with the results... and if perchance you saw me walking back out to my car you would have caught a sly little grin on my face, like a grown kid rediscovering the feeling of Christmas mornings long since past... but certainly not forgotten.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Long Run
Went for a longer run Tuesday morning. Started out by looping thru the Carolina Sands neighborhood, then up and across Snow's Cut Bridge, and then ran the Sea Breeze Road Loop which winds back to the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway across from the North End of Pleasure Island. Then back across the BRidge and onto the bike path that begins back by the boat launch and parking lot off Spencer Farlowe Road. By now the sun was at its mid morning height and the air heavier with humdity... experience dictates not to try and battle mother nature, be content with what she gives... which translates athletic wise to a more moderate to easy running pace. Running too hard, too early in a run when its warmer out will have unwanted consequences later in the run, though at the time one may seem to be one upping the environs.
But the woods brings a bit of relief, and I take the hard packed dirt trails with relative ease, catching site of the Atlantic Waterway as it meanders back to the Cape Fear River. Eventually however I must leave the sanctuary that the woods have provided me today, and return to the heat of the asphalt roads. Did also take a drink form one of the old fashioned water pumps in the camp grounds while running thru the state park... the water was quite refreshingly cold.
Then as I crossed back over Dow Road I passed a woman jogging and pushing a stroller with two toddlers, and for good measure a small dog also ran in front of the most unusual posse. Said hello and gave them ample room to enter the greenway path. Few moments later I thought of the fountain beside the boardwalk I would pass in about a mile. The water in that one though is usually fairly warm. And at some point coming back Harper Drive I decided to extend the run out another fifteen, twenty minutes or so, and to pick up the pace after I ran the boardwalk a.l.a the Arthur Lydiard type runs of the 3-1 formula long runs whereby the last 1/4 of the run was alot harder than the first 3/4ths which were ran at a slow/ moderate "conversational" pace. Though his runners would do about a 17 mile loop that encirlced high above Aukland, New Zealand that contained many elevation changes. The run I did today was closer to 12 miles, and I only ran harder the last 1.5- 2 miles.
Did that then as i looped half the lake after crossing over the main drag in the CB, then headed back into the residential neighborhoods back behind the CB Elementary School. Dug in, and held a harder pace block by block for a good fifteen minutes... trying not to think about it at all... and one point having the thought "this thinking must stop". Pushing thru, capping the long run with an edge, some toughness, a little bit more meat on the bones. Ended the run at the entrance to the beach down from my home... an hour and forty seven minutes, which is the longest run i have done since the winter time.
Had the thought after a brief swim in the ocean while walking back that longer runs can sometimes be like rambling confessions to onself, a purging perhaps of some of the junk that permeates all of our hearts and souls... the beauty is out here I can get instant redemption, even if its for just an hour or two.
But the woods brings a bit of relief, and I take the hard packed dirt trails with relative ease, catching site of the Atlantic Waterway as it meanders back to the Cape Fear River. Eventually however I must leave the sanctuary that the woods have provided me today, and return to the heat of the asphalt roads. Did also take a drink form one of the old fashioned water pumps in the camp grounds while running thru the state park... the water was quite refreshingly cold.
Then as I crossed back over Dow Road I passed a woman jogging and pushing a stroller with two toddlers, and for good measure a small dog also ran in front of the most unusual posse. Said hello and gave them ample room to enter the greenway path. Few moments later I thought of the fountain beside the boardwalk I would pass in about a mile. The water in that one though is usually fairly warm. And at some point coming back Harper Drive I decided to extend the run out another fifteen, twenty minutes or so, and to pick up the pace after I ran the boardwalk a.l.a the Arthur Lydiard type runs of the 3-1 formula long runs whereby the last 1/4 of the run was alot harder than the first 3/4ths which were ran at a slow/ moderate "conversational" pace. Though his runners would do about a 17 mile loop that encirlced high above Aukland, New Zealand that contained many elevation changes. The run I did today was closer to 12 miles, and I only ran harder the last 1.5- 2 miles.
Did that then as i looped half the lake after crossing over the main drag in the CB, then headed back into the residential neighborhoods back behind the CB Elementary School. Dug in, and held a harder pace block by block for a good fifteen minutes... trying not to think about it at all... and one point having the thought "this thinking must stop". Pushing thru, capping the long run with an edge, some toughness, a little bit more meat on the bones. Ended the run at the entrance to the beach down from my home... an hour and forty seven minutes, which is the longest run i have done since the winter time.
Had the thought after a brief swim in the ocean while walking back that longer runs can sometimes be like rambling confessions to onself, a purging perhaps of some of the junk that permeates all of our hearts and souls... the beauty is out here I can get instant redemption, even if its for just an hour or two.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Back in the Saddle
Friday morning and I headed out for what I thought was going to be one of my more typical runs when I decided rather spontaneoulsy to get back on the horse known as speed work. So directed the run on down and over to the lake in the CB to rev it up and air it out some.
I know adding speed work again ( I was doing work -outs of this nature once a week for a time back in January and February before a series of heavy colds sidelined me a few times) is vital to my development, and vital to becoming a "tougher" runner (see my last blog), and also a key component in training for a marathon.
Warmed up then with a little over twenty minute jog, took a deep drink out of the fountain, stertched, took my t-shirt off, and toed the imaginary line I drew on the walkway at the top of the lake. Wanted to run hard, but not too hard; much of the reading I have done over the past few months suggests that speed work or interval training run too hard can be self defeating. Its more beneficial to hold paces that are a bit harder than say a 5K race pace, then to go close to all out each speed segment.
With that in mind I hit start on my stopwatch and was off on the first rep. Felt good whirling around the lake, swooshing along to the tune of the breeze my body in motion was creating... did the first rep in 2:24, I estimated the distance I was running to be about 600+ meters. Knocked out four more using the same pattern of then jogging 1/4 lap, walking 1/4 lap, then going right into the rep of @ 1/2 lap. Sucessively brought the time down, until the last one of around 2:05. Did gun it more and gut that last one out; I like to leave out on a high. Shuffled/ jogged then for another thirty minutes including a short stretch on the beach.
Went 7+ miles then Saturday morning, early a little after 7am as I had to leave out after 9 am to go to work. Legs were tired, pleasantly worked and a bit heavy from yesterday. Felt good then, and today, adding the speedwork back into my retinue of workouts.
I know adding speed work again ( I was doing work -outs of this nature once a week for a time back in January and February before a series of heavy colds sidelined me a few times) is vital to my development, and vital to becoming a "tougher" runner (see my last blog), and also a key component in training for a marathon.
Warmed up then with a little over twenty minute jog, took a deep drink out of the fountain, stertched, took my t-shirt off, and toed the imaginary line I drew on the walkway at the top of the lake. Wanted to run hard, but not too hard; much of the reading I have done over the past few months suggests that speed work or interval training run too hard can be self defeating. Its more beneficial to hold paces that are a bit harder than say a 5K race pace, then to go close to all out each speed segment.
With that in mind I hit start on my stopwatch and was off on the first rep. Felt good whirling around the lake, swooshing along to the tune of the breeze my body in motion was creating... did the first rep in 2:24, I estimated the distance I was running to be about 600+ meters. Knocked out four more using the same pattern of then jogging 1/4 lap, walking 1/4 lap, then going right into the rep of @ 1/2 lap. Sucessively brought the time down, until the last one of around 2:05. Did gun it more and gut that last one out; I like to leave out on a high. Shuffled/ jogged then for another thirty minutes including a short stretch on the beach.
Went 7+ miles then Saturday morning, early a little after 7am as I had to leave out after 9 am to go to work. Legs were tired, pleasantly worked and a bit heavy from yesterday. Felt good then, and today, adding the speedwork back into my retinue of workouts.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Went for a run this morning with my Dad around a five mile loop that somewhat encircles the large development called Brierwood which he and my Mom call home. Ran and talked on and off, as we did the day before; I usually let him more or less dictate the pace as he's now in his mid sixties and also not in as good of shape as I am currently. Though for his age, he's one of the best runners in the area as evidenced by the age group wins he regularly picks up when he competes in local races.
Its another warmer morning, though I do remark about a mile in that it seems a shade cooler and less humid than the day before (my Dad is not convinced). We do catch a little breeze out beyond the country club and large pond as we head out into more of the back country section of the sprawling community... scattered in amongst the old woods and wetlands of southern Brunswick County. Every run is like a snow flake; no two are ever the same. This pearl of wisdom occurred to me a few days ago... where-else, but during a run.
We got done with the loop in a little over forty-five minutes; he eased into a cool down walk up the road past his driveway while i slowed into a trot like jog to talk a few moments more with him. He asked if I was going to continue on with the run, and I answered in the affirmative that I was, so we bid adieu for the time and exchanged a "good run" and I circled back, checked my wrist watch, took off my sweat drenched t-shirt and placed it under the mailbox... and was off again headed back to whence i had come from.
Decided to take the five mile loop again but run it in reverse (runners can be creatures of habit; my Dad, and I when I run this loop that includes a couple different roads will always run it the same way) and also to pick up the pace and lay down some quicker miles and see what the body and mind could handle today.
Have been cycling up mileage wise the past two months or so, but had wisely taken a few easier days this past week that had just ended to allow my legs to recover a little after two fairly intense weeks prior to the last. Hit a bit of headwind on the straight drag of road about a mile in that parallels the road on across several golf holes from my parent's house, and had to dig in a little to maintain the fairly good pace I felt like i was running. I knew once i got up around the turn and into the "back country" part of the run that the wind should be at my back. Of course experience has taught me never to assume wind directions and to never assume any part of a run may or may not be easier than what it may or may not turn out to be.
Held the steady clip I was running and the wind perhaps did come at my back a little, at least it wasn't in my face and the warmth of the mid- morning wasnt too much of a bother... so I pushed it down the tier of straight shots and bends trying to maintain the current pace while alleviating the physical discomforts I was in by focusing on the patterns in the gravely asphalt... the way the road meets the grasses and vegatation on the side I was on... the greenness of trees, shrubbery... the beauty of a stream rolling back out of a small swampy interlude in the trees. Seeing things exactly as they exist in thier own undiluted nature
Thinking then too about how I want to be a tougher runner; the chasmic seperation between voicing the thought and the actions to necessitate the potential outcome. Tougher, stronger, tougher ... step by step by step. Then a vision as I look up ahead and see an old fence shrouded by over growth of the natural woods by a turn in the road... I'm back in Franklin Township running the run i ran some random day fifteen, twenty years ago... and this run is the same as that run... time and space are irrelevant... everything is nothing anyway. I smile inward, again the smile of people slightly mad... but who are quite comfortable in their own sphere of madness... the smile of those who realize they love some God or divine being out there a little more than they'd ever let on to in cocktail party conversations... the smile of those who know what it is like to chase a love to the four corners of the globe knowing they'll never quite catch her and that's exactly the way it supposed to be... after all, muses seldom lie still by the gate.
Then its back onto the main road past the club house and the golfers and the golf carts... I pass a woman out running we say hello and for a split second I wonder about her run and wonder what she may wonder about my run today. One more street one more stretch and I hold firm and strong moving swift counting off the mailboxes in the back of my mind as I near the last bend in the road and the end of the run, with one last thought that "the alleviation of suffering is possible"... and this carries through to the last step of the second five mile loop in a little under thirty-six and a half minutes.
Its another warmer morning, though I do remark about a mile in that it seems a shade cooler and less humid than the day before (my Dad is not convinced). We do catch a little breeze out beyond the country club and large pond as we head out into more of the back country section of the sprawling community... scattered in amongst the old woods and wetlands of southern Brunswick County. Every run is like a snow flake; no two are ever the same. This pearl of wisdom occurred to me a few days ago... where-else, but during a run.
We got done with the loop in a little over forty-five minutes; he eased into a cool down walk up the road past his driveway while i slowed into a trot like jog to talk a few moments more with him. He asked if I was going to continue on with the run, and I answered in the affirmative that I was, so we bid adieu for the time and exchanged a "good run" and I circled back, checked my wrist watch, took off my sweat drenched t-shirt and placed it under the mailbox... and was off again headed back to whence i had come from.
Decided to take the five mile loop again but run it in reverse (runners can be creatures of habit; my Dad, and I when I run this loop that includes a couple different roads will always run it the same way) and also to pick up the pace and lay down some quicker miles and see what the body and mind could handle today.
Have been cycling up mileage wise the past two months or so, but had wisely taken a few easier days this past week that had just ended to allow my legs to recover a little after two fairly intense weeks prior to the last. Hit a bit of headwind on the straight drag of road about a mile in that parallels the road on across several golf holes from my parent's house, and had to dig in a little to maintain the fairly good pace I felt like i was running. I knew once i got up around the turn and into the "back country" part of the run that the wind should be at my back. Of course experience has taught me never to assume wind directions and to never assume any part of a run may or may not be easier than what it may or may not turn out to be.
Held the steady clip I was running and the wind perhaps did come at my back a little, at least it wasn't in my face and the warmth of the mid- morning wasnt too much of a bother... so I pushed it down the tier of straight shots and bends trying to maintain the current pace while alleviating the physical discomforts I was in by focusing on the patterns in the gravely asphalt... the way the road meets the grasses and vegatation on the side I was on... the greenness of trees, shrubbery... the beauty of a stream rolling back out of a small swampy interlude in the trees. Seeing things exactly as they exist in thier own undiluted nature
Thinking then too about how I want to be a tougher runner; the chasmic seperation between voicing the thought and the actions to necessitate the potential outcome. Tougher, stronger, tougher ... step by step by step. Then a vision as I look up ahead and see an old fence shrouded by over growth of the natural woods by a turn in the road... I'm back in Franklin Township running the run i ran some random day fifteen, twenty years ago... and this run is the same as that run... time and space are irrelevant... everything is nothing anyway. I smile inward, again the smile of people slightly mad... but who are quite comfortable in their own sphere of madness... the smile of those who realize they love some God or divine being out there a little more than they'd ever let on to in cocktail party conversations... the smile of those who know what it is like to chase a love to the four corners of the globe knowing they'll never quite catch her and that's exactly the way it supposed to be... after all, muses seldom lie still by the gate.
Then its back onto the main road past the club house and the golfers and the golf carts... I pass a woman out running we say hello and for a split second I wonder about her run and wonder what she may wonder about my run today. One more street one more stretch and I hold firm and strong moving swift counting off the mailboxes in the back of my mind as I near the last bend in the road and the end of the run, with one last thought that "the alleviation of suffering is possible"... and this carries through to the last step of the second five mile loop in a little under thirty-six and a half minutes.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Running Hard
Building the base back up, have gotten out running every day this week. Went for a longer run Wednesday of about 10- 12 miles. Followed that up Thursday with an easier 6 plus mile run, then ran harder on Friday. Took one of my usual loops thru some residential parts of Carolina Beach at an easier, steady pace... then picked up the tempo back on the Greenway, back down past Food Lion on Spencer Farlow Drive.
Kept it kicking pretty hard all the along the bike path that runs adjacent to the Atlantic Intercoastal Waterway and under Snow's Cut Bridge. Then across the dead end street by the American Legion and on down the rest of the bike path to where the waterway spills into the Cape Fear River... kept it moving pretty hard by now the breaths coming more rapidly, short and choppy, the legs feeling the burn of the lactic acid building up, the mind signalling to the body to slow down (ignoring the mind here is paramount or simply thinking about somehting else like what i might eat for dessert later). Up thru the windy twisty paths that jut away from the water back into the state park then onto a short stretch of macadam roads in the park (telling myself two more stretches of trail then this madness will cease. Thinking about a JFK quote I once read where he said he thought he could tolerate any level of pain if he knew it was temporary and would end at some point).
Into the thick of the wilderness then just as fast as I had come out of it, woosh past old gnarled deciduous trees and pine brush palm scrubs me suddenly being in awe of the immense natural beauty that I am surrounded by... realizing too that it is going to be alright, in fact everything is alright and will always be alright, we are all saved we are all blessed... then back out of the woods across another street back into the woods... and the pain sears into my lungs/ legs it all suddenly hurts and now it takes intense concentration to not feel any of this and to will the body and the mind another half mile or so along this trail, counting each dip and turn every bend and every trail marker, one after the other soon soon i'll back out the deep dark deathbedded woods and back onto the main access road into the sunlight free free again and this pain will cease and sanity will return.... hang on and I do hang on after almost dry heaving near the end of the trail all the intense whriling motion begins to subside and my breathing slowly returns towards normal the heart and pulse rates which have been redlined begin to creep back down a bit again... I survived yet again.
Then a mile or so easy jog but not too easy back on thru the older residential section of the CB back across the main street and onto the boardwalk where catch site of the mightly vasy wondrous ocean which seemed like a lost vision from times forgotten ten or fifteen minutes ago when I was in the forrest.
Kept it kicking pretty hard all the along the bike path that runs adjacent to the Atlantic Intercoastal Waterway and under Snow's Cut Bridge. Then across the dead end street by the American Legion and on down the rest of the bike path to where the waterway spills into the Cape Fear River... kept it moving pretty hard by now the breaths coming more rapidly, short and choppy, the legs feeling the burn of the lactic acid building up, the mind signalling to the body to slow down (ignoring the mind here is paramount or simply thinking about somehting else like what i might eat for dessert later). Up thru the windy twisty paths that jut away from the water back into the state park then onto a short stretch of macadam roads in the park (telling myself two more stretches of trail then this madness will cease. Thinking about a JFK quote I once read where he said he thought he could tolerate any level of pain if he knew it was temporary and would end at some point).
Into the thick of the wilderness then just as fast as I had come out of it, woosh past old gnarled deciduous trees and pine brush palm scrubs me suddenly being in awe of the immense natural beauty that I am surrounded by... realizing too that it is going to be alright, in fact everything is alright and will always be alright, we are all saved we are all blessed... then back out of the woods across another street back into the woods... and the pain sears into my lungs/ legs it all suddenly hurts and now it takes intense concentration to not feel any of this and to will the body and the mind another half mile or so along this trail, counting each dip and turn every bend and every trail marker, one after the other soon soon i'll back out the deep dark deathbedded woods and back onto the main access road into the sunlight free free again and this pain will cease and sanity will return.... hang on and I do hang on after almost dry heaving near the end of the trail all the intense whriling motion begins to subside and my breathing slowly returns towards normal the heart and pulse rates which have been redlined begin to creep back down a bit again... I survived yet again.
Then a mile or so easy jog but not too easy back on thru the older residential section of the CB back across the main street and onto the boardwalk where catch site of the mightly vasy wondrous ocean which seemed like a lost vision from times forgotten ten or fifteen minutes ago when I was in the forrest.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Why I'm out here some days...
Last Friday I crossed the bridge and left off of the island to do a loop around the Sea Breeze neighborhood that abuts the Intercoastal Waterway. Ran behind the Food Lion shopping complex and up the steep grassy hill and onto lake Park Boulevard, and on up up up and over Snow's Cut Bridge. The view while running on the narrow raised cement "sidewalk" is breath taking; off to the left the eye follows the Waterway as it channels back past the North end of Pleasure Island and wraps by the beach houses that jut out onto the far back side of the ribboned land mass, before seemlessly spilling back into the Atlantic Ocean about a mile or so away. To the right the waterway runs back thru the woods and steep sandy banks of the 'cut' on down and into the mouth of the Cape Fear River, as it meanders almost dreamy like slow molasses into the abyss of the Atlantic. Some days I catch the sun sliding down the western horizon a blazing ball of fire raining millions of bits of light onto the glassy sheen of the water; perhaps only broken by a passing fishing boat or old tug barge chugging along.
I got off work Wednesday and head to my friends house in Kure Beach for a run, its been one of those long days we all have from time to time. One of those days that i need to forget about even before i take my slacks and shit off and lace up my beloved running shoes. My release is on the roads, my release is to run as fast and as hard as i can, to make it hurt physically, challenge the mind and the spirit, or numb it with the rythym and cadence of sneakers machine like hitting gravel and macadame. Their's a killer on the road, his brain is squirming like a toad.... So I hit the 3+ mile turn around (5k) in Battle Park by Fort Fisher in 26 and a half minutes ... and then check out. Check out all the way back Lake Park Boulevard and back thru the center of Kure Beach back up the little winding hill where i dry heave coming off the last turn, and smile an insane little inward smile because its exactly what I needed. I take what I need, and spit up the rest. Under 22 mins of it in this case, and i look forward to going back again for more and more and more of it.
I got off work Wednesday and head to my friends house in Kure Beach for a run, its been one of those long days we all have from time to time. One of those days that i need to forget about even before i take my slacks and shit off and lace up my beloved running shoes. My release is on the roads, my release is to run as fast and as hard as i can, to make it hurt physically, challenge the mind and the spirit, or numb it with the rythym and cadence of sneakers machine like hitting gravel and macadame. Their's a killer on the road, his brain is squirming like a toad.... So I hit the 3+ mile turn around (5k) in Battle Park by Fort Fisher in 26 and a half minutes ... and then check out. Check out all the way back Lake Park Boulevard and back thru the center of Kure Beach back up the little winding hill where i dry heave coming off the last turn, and smile an insane little inward smile because its exactly what I needed. I take what I need, and spit up the rest. Under 22 mins of it in this case, and i look forward to going back again for more and more and more of it.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Run Run Run
Put down about 50 miles last week. Best weekly total that I have had since getting back into the sport three years ago. Topped the week off Sunday morning by doing a trail run with my buddy Colin down in Kure Beach. We lopped back thru the neighborhood he lives in and beat the bush back to and then across Dow Road; picked up the trails and headed into the wooods back towards the mouth of the Cape Fear River. Varied the pace some, picking it up on some of the "straigher sections" and zipping up and down the small undulations in the terrain.
Found some old cement underpass that we ran thru twice (out and on the way back). Learned something new about trail running, as Colin picked up a fairly large rock and wipped it thru the "tunnel" and yelled several times, to scare off any wild animals that may have been lurking in the dark shadows and damp cool provided inside. Talked afterwards while sitting around the pool about doing speedwork; said its what I need to lower my race times. Had an invitation then Wednesday to meet up with a local high school track team and do 800 meter repeats, but won't be able to attend due to my work schedule.
Took off Monday, much needed day of rest, then got out for a solid eight to nine mile run Tuesday evening. Legs were heavy/ stiff the first few miles but took an easier pace and allowed them to warm up and eventually loosen up. Got into a nice cruise type pace then, ended up putting down a few miles in the state park. Passed a few other runners, as well as people out walking dogs on the numerous winding trails. Said hello to a lasy I know. Had the thought while I passed a grove of trees just off the main entrance road into the park, that a modern day old Buddha was sitting at one of the picnic tables meditating and perhaps blessing all the trees around him.
Ended the run back on the short strecth of boardwalk off the main square in Carolina Beach. Zoned out to the sound of my new running shoes hitting the wooden boards, the calls of a few laughing gulls swooping around, and the sights and sounds of the waves rolling in off the Atlantic ocean and the surf sliding up onto the beach.
Found some old cement underpass that we ran thru twice (out and on the way back). Learned something new about trail running, as Colin picked up a fairly large rock and wipped it thru the "tunnel" and yelled several times, to scare off any wild animals that may have been lurking in the dark shadows and damp cool provided inside. Talked afterwards while sitting around the pool about doing speedwork; said its what I need to lower my race times. Had an invitation then Wednesday to meet up with a local high school track team and do 800 meter repeats, but won't be able to attend due to my work schedule.
Took off Monday, much needed day of rest, then got out for a solid eight to nine mile run Tuesday evening. Legs were heavy/ stiff the first few miles but took an easier pace and allowed them to warm up and eventually loosen up. Got into a nice cruise type pace then, ended up putting down a few miles in the state park. Passed a few other runners, as well as people out walking dogs on the numerous winding trails. Said hello to a lasy I know. Had the thought while I passed a grove of trees just off the main entrance road into the park, that a modern day old Buddha was sitting at one of the picnic tables meditating and perhaps blessing all the trees around him.
Ended the run back on the short strecth of boardwalk off the main square in Carolina Beach. Zoned out to the sound of my new running shoes hitting the wooden boards, the calls of a few laughing gulls swooping around, and the sights and sounds of the waves rolling in off the Atlantic ocean and the surf sliding up onto the beach.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Ran in a 5K race last Sunday morning in Kure Beach. Called the Race for the Planet, Seahorse Sprint which began and ended at the North Carolina Aquarium near Fort Fisher. I didn't pre -register, and wasn't sure I was going to run the race until that morning. Was coming off of two or three good weeks of running, and had tapered down the few days preceeding the race in case I did run. That Wednesday I had run my state park loop as I call it between 51-52 minutes, taking the pace hard on the trails in the woods, then followed that up with a steady smooth 8.5-9 mile run Thursday evening. Enjoyed the solitude in the woods, listening to the sounds of nature, and reveling in the fact that I was healthy and free, doing something that I love to do.
Got up early Sunday morning a little before 6am and could feel the competitive juices starting to stir even at that early hour. The morning was mild; the breeze off of the ocean foreshadowed a pleasant morning and ideal conditions to race in. I packed up my gear in a gym bag (running shoes, change of clothes, towel, wallet/ check book to register) and drove out the straight shot down Lake Park Blvd thru Kure Beach, past the historic fort, and down the bucolic winding drive into the Aquarium.
Registered and also got bug sprayed as the noceums were out in full force likely coming out of the swampy vegetation and all of water near the narrow part of the island (hadn't noticed them anywhere else in the area or on the island until then... and there is no way not to "notice" them). Jogged to warm up for about 15 minutes passing several runners, said hey and talked to a friend Sean whom i had run with before a ways back in the state park (and who would win the race in 18:06), then stretched out under some trees by a picnic table, said a prayer, and headed over to the starting area.
Checked some race numbers to see how many people might be running, and saw there'd be a little under 200, not a bad crowd for a first time race. All the competitors gathered around, listened to some instructions and an overview of the course, and then a count down from 10 to 1 commenced.... and we were off.
Got out well but as always conscious not to go out too fast. As the field made its way on out of the aquarium grounds and up to the main road I had settled into what I percived to be a goood race pace @ 1/2 mile in, and was sitting in about eighth to tenth place. Eventually passed a few runners around the mile mark and settled down into fifth place in which I remained the rest of the race... actually got into a little of what I term "no man's land" as no-one was close in front of or behind me. Held a good soild steady pace throughout, my splits were likely pretty even, and brought her home in 19:13 which was the best 5K I had since I've gotten back into racing again last summer and fall.
Ended up winning my age groug 26-35 years old. 5th overall out of 172 runners, felt good about the effort, think i could have gone faster, and will shoot to do so next time I toe the line and race again. For now though it was just nice to be back out racing healthy and fairly strong again. See you all soon, and will be back for what I hope will be the 2nd annual Race for the Planet, SeaHorse Sprint next spring. Was a well organized, fun community minded event which prided itself on being entirely green.
Got up early Sunday morning a little before 6am and could feel the competitive juices starting to stir even at that early hour. The morning was mild; the breeze off of the ocean foreshadowed a pleasant morning and ideal conditions to race in. I packed up my gear in a gym bag (running shoes, change of clothes, towel, wallet/ check book to register) and drove out the straight shot down Lake Park Blvd thru Kure Beach, past the historic fort, and down the bucolic winding drive into the Aquarium.
Registered and also got bug sprayed as the noceums were out in full force likely coming out of the swampy vegetation and all of water near the narrow part of the island (hadn't noticed them anywhere else in the area or on the island until then... and there is no way not to "notice" them). Jogged to warm up for about 15 minutes passing several runners, said hey and talked to a friend Sean whom i had run with before a ways back in the state park (and who would win the race in 18:06), then stretched out under some trees by a picnic table, said a prayer, and headed over to the starting area.
Checked some race numbers to see how many people might be running, and saw there'd be a little under 200, not a bad crowd for a first time race. All the competitors gathered around, listened to some instructions and an overview of the course, and then a count down from 10 to 1 commenced.... and we were off.
Got out well but as always conscious not to go out too fast. As the field made its way on out of the aquarium grounds and up to the main road I had settled into what I percived to be a goood race pace @ 1/2 mile in, and was sitting in about eighth to tenth place. Eventually passed a few runners around the mile mark and settled down into fifth place in which I remained the rest of the race... actually got into a little of what I term "no man's land" as no-one was close in front of or behind me. Held a good soild steady pace throughout, my splits were likely pretty even, and brought her home in 19:13 which was the best 5K I had since I've gotten back into racing again last summer and fall.
Ended up winning my age groug 26-35 years old. 5th overall out of 172 runners, felt good about the effort, think i could have gone faster, and will shoot to do so next time I toe the line and race again. For now though it was just nice to be back out racing healthy and fairly strong again. See you all soon, and will be back for what I hope will be the 2nd annual Race for the Planet, SeaHorse Sprint next spring. Was a well organized, fun community minded event which prided itself on being entirely green.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Out and About- Notes
Ran about forty miles last week which was the best week miles wise I've had in well over a month. Took a long run last Sunday morning, crossed Snow's Cut Bridge and got onto River Road ...ran River all the way up to Cathay Road...Cathay to Carolina Beach Road and down CB Road to Bonaire where I stopped at a friend's house. Run took an hour and thirty four minutes; later I clocked the distance to be about 11.5 miles. Best long run that I have had again in well over a month.
Did a tempo style run Wednesday evening. Picked up the pace pretty hard on the trails in the woods of the State Park for ten to eleven minutes... then again the last 1/2 mile to 3/4 miles snaking back towards the boardwalk and beach. Felt good pushing it, not too hard, but good solid steady exertion. Went today as the evening waned for an easier, smooth 7.5 miles, though my legs were a bit heavy and my hamstrings tighter.
Looking at doing a 5K race down by the Aquarium at Fort Fisher past Kure Beach next Sunday morning (the 19th). Had debated a little about a doing a 5K up near Wilmington last Saturday but decided there was no need to push things and run a race when i was just starting to feel strong again physically, as well as physiologically from the flu enduced layoff. Should be a neat run too down on that part of the island in the middle of springtime, lots of natural scenery.
Did a tempo style run Wednesday evening. Picked up the pace pretty hard on the trails in the woods of the State Park for ten to eleven minutes... then again the last 1/2 mile to 3/4 miles snaking back towards the boardwalk and beach. Felt good pushing it, not too hard, but good solid steady exertion. Went today as the evening waned for an easier, smooth 7.5 miles, though my legs were a bit heavy and my hamstrings tighter.
Looking at doing a 5K race down by the Aquarium at Fort Fisher past Kure Beach next Sunday morning (the 19th). Had debated a little about a doing a 5K up near Wilmington last Saturday but decided there was no need to push things and run a race when i was just starting to feel strong again physically, as well as physiologically from the flu enduced layoff. Should be a neat run too down on that part of the island in the middle of springtime, lots of natural scenery.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Getting Back into the Groove
Have had some good runs the past few days. For two weeks or so after getting back on my feet from the flu, I struggled alot running. Mainly my breathing was off, I felt lethargic, and I just didn't have alot of "gas in the tank." I did manage to put down some miles here and there, but it was a struggle, and not fun to be out doing what I love to do. But I think I have learned though not to push through every setback, to give the body time to recover, and take just the amount its willing to give on any given day, and not get greedy and attempt to take much more.
Sunday I ran all the way out to the tip of the north end of Pleasure Island and back. Was a beautiful afternoon, sunny skies and temperatures around seventy; however there was a strong wind blowing out of the south which i ran into the teeth of all the way back in this mostly out and back course I took. It was a good challenge though, and an indicator that i was starting to get some more of my running mojo back. Ran Friday about 6.5 miles, Saturday morning a shorter 3-4 miles, and Sunday's run of close to eight miles. Each day/ run i set out with the thought of enjoying the run, taking the pace slower, and being only concerned with finishing and not being exhausted.
Started this week out then by running both Monday and Tuesday after work, going 6.5 miles at close to the pace and effort I was running before my illness Monday, then knocking out a slighty harder and faster 4 plus miles Tuesday. Again I felt pretty good, not only physically but mentally and spirtually. I started to recall again why i like to run, and the positive connectivity I feel between the triumverate of the body mind and spirit. Suffice it to say, its good to be back.
Sunday I ran all the way out to the tip of the north end of Pleasure Island and back. Was a beautiful afternoon, sunny skies and temperatures around seventy; however there was a strong wind blowing out of the south which i ran into the teeth of all the way back in this mostly out and back course I took. It was a good challenge though, and an indicator that i was starting to get some more of my running mojo back. Ran Friday about 6.5 miles, Saturday morning a shorter 3-4 miles, and Sunday's run of close to eight miles. Each day/ run i set out with the thought of enjoying the run, taking the pace slower, and being only concerned with finishing and not being exhausted.
Started this week out then by running both Monday and Tuesday after work, going 6.5 miles at close to the pace and effort I was running before my illness Monday, then knocking out a slighty harder and faster 4 plus miles Tuesday. Again I felt pretty good, not only physically but mentally and spirtually. I started to recall again why i like to run, and the positive connectivity I feel between the triumverate of the body mind and spirit. Suffice it to say, its good to be back.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Running on Guts and Prayer
I was fortunate to be able to make it to the starting line last Saturday morning for the 2009 Lo-Tide 5K run in Carolina Beach, NC. The preceding days, I prayed simply for the strength to allow me to participate in the race, and the ability to perform at my best once the gun sounded and the running began. Afterwards, I was able to give thanks for both conditions were granted. It was one of those days were something deep inside of me helped propel me form point A to point B; a combination of such inner fortitude and faith, as well as outward exertion.
Coming off the flu as I did, I knew realistically that I would not be able to run time wise what I would normally be able to, or if I was entering the race fresh and healthy. The weather conditions did not help either. It was a cold damp morning with a persistent, nagging raw breeze. Official conditions later were reported as cloudy and 44 degrees, but rest assured it was a "cold" 44 degrees. The kind of weather whereby its hard to get real loose physically to be able to run fast from the get go and most effectively, as a race the length of a 5K or a 10K inherently demands of its participants. At least those interested in running whatever to them would be considered a "faster effort."
The 5K runners and walkers were assembled at nine a.m. on Cape Fear Avenue near the Sea Merchant. The race starter led all 800+ of us huddled, shivering bodies in a traditional Irish prayer (as the race coincided with St Patty's Day weekend), a motorcycle revved up with a "leprechaun" at the wheel, the commands Ready, Set.... GO were shouted, and we were off and moving in masse, one big old sea of humanity jostling down the macadam streets of Pleasure Island. The race took us all once around the lake (which was quite interesting dodging bodies as the front runners of the 5k weaved on through the back half of the 10K runners)... then out on a loop to 8th St., back in Atlanta St. past the Elementary School and to the beach access on Hamlet St...then the final agonizing fifty yards or so on the inhospitable sand on into the finishing line chute.
I ended up coming in 8th place overall, and won an award for 2nd place in the 30-39 age group category. However, apart from those final statistics, is what can't be measured in any numerical sense...and quite frankly is a heck of alot more important than any of those place tallies or stats anyway. Its the effort put forth, not only the effort I put forth but the effort put forth by each and every person that went out there, toed the line, and finished either of the two races. The beauty of running is that ultimately every one of us on any given day can be winners, for after all, we are essentially competing with and against ourselves.
I won Saturday simply by showing up and giving it my all, running the race on guts for the most part, with a sense that something was there helping me along each and every agonizing step I took. I've run much faster times in my life, but I'm not sure the last time that it took the physical and mental effort that it took me Saturday morning to do what I ended up doing. I do not think I could have gotten to that blessed finish line one second faster than I did. I gave it my all, and in the last analysis of the sport of running as well as the sport called life, its what we may end up eventually being judged by after the last race has been run, and the final finish line has been crossed.
Coming off the flu as I did, I knew realistically that I would not be able to run time wise what I would normally be able to, or if I was entering the race fresh and healthy. The weather conditions did not help either. It was a cold damp morning with a persistent, nagging raw breeze. Official conditions later were reported as cloudy and 44 degrees, but rest assured it was a "cold" 44 degrees. The kind of weather whereby its hard to get real loose physically to be able to run fast from the get go and most effectively, as a race the length of a 5K or a 10K inherently demands of its participants. At least those interested in running whatever to them would be considered a "faster effort."
The 5K runners and walkers were assembled at nine a.m. on Cape Fear Avenue near the Sea Merchant. The race starter led all 800+ of us huddled, shivering bodies in a traditional Irish prayer (as the race coincided with St Patty's Day weekend), a motorcycle revved up with a "leprechaun" at the wheel, the commands Ready, Set.... GO were shouted, and we were off and moving in masse, one big old sea of humanity jostling down the macadam streets of Pleasure Island. The race took us all once around the lake (which was quite interesting dodging bodies as the front runners of the 5k weaved on through the back half of the 10K runners)... then out on a loop to 8th St., back in Atlanta St. past the Elementary School and to the beach access on Hamlet St...then the final agonizing fifty yards or so on the inhospitable sand on into the finishing line chute.
I ended up coming in 8th place overall, and won an award for 2nd place in the 30-39 age group category. However, apart from those final statistics, is what can't be measured in any numerical sense...and quite frankly is a heck of alot more important than any of those place tallies or stats anyway. Its the effort put forth, not only the effort I put forth but the effort put forth by each and every person that went out there, toed the line, and finished either of the two races. The beauty of running is that ultimately every one of us on any given day can be winners, for after all, we are essentially competing with and against ourselves.
I won Saturday simply by showing up and giving it my all, running the race on guts for the most part, with a sense that something was there helping me along each and every agonizing step I took. I've run much faster times in my life, but I'm not sure the last time that it took the physical and mental effort that it took me Saturday morning to do what I ended up doing. I do not think I could have gotten to that blessed finish line one second faster than I did. I gave it my all, and in the last analysis of the sport of running as well as the sport called life, its what we may end up eventually being judged by after the last race has been run, and the final finish line has been crossed.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
See You Saturday... Hopefully?
At the starting line for this year's Lo-Tide Run in Carolina Beach, NC. I am registered to run the 5k race, there is also a 10K race and a team competition. For more information on either participating or donating to this great cause please click on the following web link: http://www.lotiderun.org/. The event raises money and awareness for those families who have been afflicted by cancer, and the attendent costs of care and treatment. Last year nearly a thousand runners and walkers partcipated in the event, which also includes a carnival like party before and after the races.
I have had the date circled figuratively speaking on my racing calender for several months. However a recent bout with the flu has left my status come race day in a bit of jeopardy. Truth be told its not so much my participation that is or would be in jeopardy, its performing at my peak that is in jeopardy. But deep in the crevices of my mind I feel that if when called upon, I can marshall the necessary fortitude that it will take to run close to what I could have done had I not been beset by illness. Perhaps its tomfoolery, or wishful naivety; then again each of us I'm sure has read of or encountered supposed extra- human feats that at the time perhaps defied logic and science by a hair or two. And former Olympic champion Jackie Joyner- Kersee once remarked that running was "90% mental and 10% physical."
I havent run since last Tuesday, and have meticulously followed the advice of my doctor and of anything that i have read in print or on-line about running with the flu. It really takes alot out of one's immune system, and attempting to race, although only a 5K, is a tall order to force upon the body only a few days after most of the symptoms have abated. Yet the race is in my back yard, and its one of the biggest, most publicized ones of the year in the area, so with a little luck, a little prayer, a little of this and a little of that.....
The bottom line is that i will have to see how I feel come Saturday morning, I'm still adjusting to being able to be up and about, to do work, eat regularly, etc. Two, three days in sick terms is a bit of a long ways off; I did bike a few miles today so I will see how my body reacts to that, and if positively, I will try running some tomorrow. I must calculate too risk versus reward, and factor in other less tangible aspects like how I feel spiritually and in my gut in the hours leading up to the race. I may have to also see how I feel once the actual race starts, and make adjustments on the fly.
However, one way or the other, alot of money is going to be raised for some very laudable people, who I can only guess appreciate the helping hands extended from each and every one of us who can. And whether I run full bore, or at a light trot in the middle of the pack, ultimately matters little as to why I or any of us should be appreciative this weekend simply to come together in the true spirit of community, charity, and grace. Colds, flus, sprains, strains eventually do heal. Unfortunately not all of us are as lucky; but in the face of tall odds we can help each other to perservere, hope, dream, and work just a little harder at finding some positive solutions. I do hope to see some of you there!
I have had the date circled figuratively speaking on my racing calender for several months. However a recent bout with the flu has left my status come race day in a bit of jeopardy. Truth be told its not so much my participation that is or would be in jeopardy, its performing at my peak that is in jeopardy. But deep in the crevices of my mind I feel that if when called upon, I can marshall the necessary fortitude that it will take to run close to what I could have done had I not been beset by illness. Perhaps its tomfoolery, or wishful naivety; then again each of us I'm sure has read of or encountered supposed extra- human feats that at the time perhaps defied logic and science by a hair or two. And former Olympic champion Jackie Joyner- Kersee once remarked that running was "90% mental and 10% physical."
I havent run since last Tuesday, and have meticulously followed the advice of my doctor and of anything that i have read in print or on-line about running with the flu. It really takes alot out of one's immune system, and attempting to race, although only a 5K, is a tall order to force upon the body only a few days after most of the symptoms have abated. Yet the race is in my back yard, and its one of the biggest, most publicized ones of the year in the area, so with a little luck, a little prayer, a little of this and a little of that.....
The bottom line is that i will have to see how I feel come Saturday morning, I'm still adjusting to being able to be up and about, to do work, eat regularly, etc. Two, three days in sick terms is a bit of a long ways off; I did bike a few miles today so I will see how my body reacts to that, and if positively, I will try running some tomorrow. I must calculate too risk versus reward, and factor in other less tangible aspects like how I feel spiritually and in my gut in the hours leading up to the race. I may have to also see how I feel once the actual race starts, and make adjustments on the fly.
However, one way or the other, alot of money is going to be raised for some very laudable people, who I can only guess appreciate the helping hands extended from each and every one of us who can. And whether I run full bore, or at a light trot in the middle of the pack, ultimately matters little as to why I or any of us should be appreciative this weekend simply to come together in the true spirit of community, charity, and grace. Colds, flus, sprains, strains eventually do heal. Unfortunately not all of us are as lucky; but in the face of tall odds we can help each other to perservere, hope, dream, and work just a little harder at finding some positive solutions. I do hope to see some of you there!
Friday, March 6, 2009
Down and Out in the CB
I prop my weary bones up to the computer to type this entry. I exeggerate some, but not too much. Thursday morning I was diagnosed at the local medical center on the island with Type-A flu. The worst strain, according to the professionals. Rest, plenty of fluids, rest, rest, and more rest, two anti-virals twice a day, and in about a week I should feel ok again. Until then....
As a runner this can be like getting a death sentence. And quite humbling. Its not the physical aspects of sickness or injury that bother a runner so much as it is the mental aspects of having to put it in park for the time being. For we runners are hard wired to get our fix most days, in fact it has been documented that we actually become addicted physiologically to the activity. Right now though I do not feel like I could walk down to the beach without having to stop and rest several times en route. I am reminded of a quotation in the liner notes of Jane's Addiction's album Ritual de lo Habitual: "Sometimes in order to realize you were well, someone or something has to come along and hurt you." To go from running eight miles with the apparent ease of the breeze one day, to feeling aches in muscles I didn't know I had the next, can beget humility even in the intermittently over-fed ego like mine.
Today I laid around on my bed and looked out at the sunny warm day unfolding tantalizingly out of reach for me. And I thought about how nice it would be to lace up a pair of beat up sneakers and jog a short mile or two. No, not thoughts about 400 meter repeats, 10 % long run rules, hill training, age group awards; just a little run outside, spending just a little time doing something that I love to do.
So for now I will bide my time and follow the good doctor's orders, though i'll be a chomping at the bit in a few days to get back out there. Hopefully when I do, i'll take a little bit of this lesson with me onto the open road. For each day, like each run, is truly a blessing. Perhaps I was losing sight of this a bit...
As a runner this can be like getting a death sentence. And quite humbling. Its not the physical aspects of sickness or injury that bother a runner so much as it is the mental aspects of having to put it in park for the time being. For we runners are hard wired to get our fix most days, in fact it has been documented that we actually become addicted physiologically to the activity. Right now though I do not feel like I could walk down to the beach without having to stop and rest several times en route. I am reminded of a quotation in the liner notes of Jane's Addiction's album Ritual de lo Habitual: "Sometimes in order to realize you were well, someone or something has to come along and hurt you." To go from running eight miles with the apparent ease of the breeze one day, to feeling aches in muscles I didn't know I had the next, can beget humility even in the intermittently over-fed ego like mine.
Today I laid around on my bed and looked out at the sunny warm day unfolding tantalizingly out of reach for me. And I thought about how nice it would be to lace up a pair of beat up sneakers and jog a short mile or two. No, not thoughts about 400 meter repeats, 10 % long run rules, hill training, age group awards; just a little run outside, spending just a little time doing something that I love to do.
So for now I will bide my time and follow the good doctor's orders, though i'll be a chomping at the bit in a few days to get back out there. Hopefully when I do, i'll take a little bit of this lesson with me onto the open road. For each day, like each run, is truly a blessing. Perhaps I was losing sight of this a bit...
Monday, March 2, 2009
Random Ramblings
Had a conversation with my friend 'Massachusetts' Jim last week. We chat about running from time to time. He's run a few marathons including Boston, and other distance races a few decades ago. Though today he looks more like an old retired middle linebacker than a former distance runner. Started talking about training, and mileage; how hard it is or must be to put down weekly totals well over 100 miles like some primo runners do. He told me about the daily work-outs Bill Rodgers would do back in the 1970s. Run 10-12 miles slow and easy in the morning, then do a real hard 6 mile run with Randy Thomas and other elite locals in the evening. Used to do a loop around the area where Boston College is located. Anybody could show up and run with them at night Jim told me... of course, he added with a chuckle, hardly anyone could keep up.
Had the thought while finishing a longer run, that me or anyone else should never apologize for going all out, whether in running, or any other facet of one's life.
Ran a controlled harder pace Saturday morning. Did my 6 to 7 mile loop, the middle part of which goes thru the woods in the state park. Checked my watch back at the usual spot on the ramp going up the boardwalk and it read @ 49 and half minutes, almost a minute faster than my previous 'PR' for the loop. I use the term loosely as I'm not racing or going all out, plus I'm estimating the distance. A standard run done fairly regularly can be a good barometer of the shape i'm in at any time. Though the value of runs on an individual basis can be deceiving if based soley upon the time on a stop watch. I've seen it written (by whom i can't recall) that "perceived exertion" is a better yard stick, for it takes into account factors such as weather, mood, rest, what one ate for lunch, etc. Late Saturday afternoon I went back out again and did a real easy 3+ mile jog in the rain after lifiting some free weights. Some girl at a gas station called out "hey I know you must be cold,"..............."and wet," I called back to her from across the street.
Some times when I run I like to zone out and listen to whatever birds I can hear at the time. Blue Jays and mocking birds can be notoriously noisy; also around here I tend to hear alot of red bellied woodpeckers. Thier call or song that is, though i do also hear them pecking away at trees. Or its just a melodious cacophony of many feathered species. And for those of you who live on Pleasure Island, why do all those turkey vultures congregate on Monore between 6th- 7th streets? Certain days I have not only seen many, many of them in the trees beside the road, but a good half dozen or dozen of them on the peak of a roof of this one particular house. Would think this would be a bit disconcerting if I lived there.
A quote from Mark Twain I found in the book Dr. Sheehan on Running: "Anyone who has had a bull by the tail knows five or six things more than someone who hasn't."
Had the thought while finishing a longer run, that me or anyone else should never apologize for going all out, whether in running, or any other facet of one's life.
Ran a controlled harder pace Saturday morning. Did my 6 to 7 mile loop, the middle part of which goes thru the woods in the state park. Checked my watch back at the usual spot on the ramp going up the boardwalk and it read @ 49 and half minutes, almost a minute faster than my previous 'PR' for the loop. I use the term loosely as I'm not racing or going all out, plus I'm estimating the distance. A standard run done fairly regularly can be a good barometer of the shape i'm in at any time. Though the value of runs on an individual basis can be deceiving if based soley upon the time on a stop watch. I've seen it written (by whom i can't recall) that "perceived exertion" is a better yard stick, for it takes into account factors such as weather, mood, rest, what one ate for lunch, etc. Late Saturday afternoon I went back out again and did a real easy 3+ mile jog in the rain after lifiting some free weights. Some girl at a gas station called out "hey I know you must be cold,"..............."and wet," I called back to her from across the street.
Some times when I run I like to zone out and listen to whatever birds I can hear at the time. Blue Jays and mocking birds can be notoriously noisy; also around here I tend to hear alot of red bellied woodpeckers. Thier call or song that is, though i do also hear them pecking away at trees. Or its just a melodious cacophony of many feathered species. And for those of you who live on Pleasure Island, why do all those turkey vultures congregate on Monore between 6th- 7th streets? Certain days I have not only seen many, many of them in the trees beside the road, but a good half dozen or dozen of them on the peak of a roof of this one particular house. Would think this would be a bit disconcerting if I lived there.
A quote from Mark Twain I found in the book Dr. Sheehan on Running: "Anyone who has had a bull by the tail knows five or six things more than someone who hasn't."
Friday, February 27, 2009
The Need For Speed
Perhaps I'm old school; I believe the best way to run faster is to run faster. Sure, activities like biking, weight lifting, yoga, etc will help a person become more physically fit. But if one desires to shave minutes or seconds off thier racing times, or just see how fast they can run a set distance, some form of speed work is essential. For it trains a person physiologically to handle the discomfort that comes with pushing oneself. Plus it teaches the body how to better flush out lactic acid, and helps build certain type of muscle mass in the lower legs.
For me it had been since my days of running track in school since i had done any sort of substantial speed work. A few weeks ago I started to do so again on a more regular basis. Some days this is faster tempo runs as they are called, where i'll pick up my pace to a little under a 10K race pace for a few miles in the middle of a run. Or fartleking it in the woods in the state park. Sounds kinda taboo I know; if i'm not mistaken the word's origins are Sweedish, it means "speed play". Bursts of running fatser during a normal run, for say ten, twenty, thirty seconds... or to the next telephone pole, driveway etc. The beauty of it is you make your own rules, run fast when you feel like it, dont when you dont. Big key though is to not slow down much back below the normal pace being run in the work-out.
Yesterday I did repeats at the lake in Carolina Beach. I use a stretch on the path which i estimate to be a little over 400 meters. I run the repeat at about 85- 90% effort, then slowly jog for another 2-3 minutes, then walk for about 2 minutes until i've circled the lake... then BAM... off again running fast. Usually this fast segment takes @ 1:20- 1:25, and can get a little hairy when a mallard duck decides to cross my path, or a person's dog gets a little too jumpy. Yes, ideally I need to get to an actual track, but what ultimately counts is the exertion I put out. And the bucolic setting helps to take my mind of the physical pain. For its about a 1/4 - 1/2 way into the repeat that the lactic acid kicks in, the heart rate elevates rapidly, and the breathing gets quick and short. The mind says stop, your a damned fool. No not really, but it can be interesting the body/ mind connections. Near the end it can be the repititive thought "hold your form, hold your form," for it becomes vital to not break the natural running rhythm when fatigued.
I had the thought at some point in the workout that running/ training is one continuous experiment, the same as living life is. We learn what works, and what doesn't work by going out there and doing it. And then we adjust and try it again, and hope for the best.
And I'd like to say a special thanks to Guy's lovely daughter Katherine, who called out to me and said hello while I was stetching in the grass by the lake.
For me it had been since my days of running track in school since i had done any sort of substantial speed work. A few weeks ago I started to do so again on a more regular basis. Some days this is faster tempo runs as they are called, where i'll pick up my pace to a little under a 10K race pace for a few miles in the middle of a run. Or fartleking it in the woods in the state park. Sounds kinda taboo I know; if i'm not mistaken the word's origins are Sweedish, it means "speed play". Bursts of running fatser during a normal run, for say ten, twenty, thirty seconds... or to the next telephone pole, driveway etc. The beauty of it is you make your own rules, run fast when you feel like it, dont when you dont. Big key though is to not slow down much back below the normal pace being run in the work-out.
Yesterday I did repeats at the lake in Carolina Beach. I use a stretch on the path which i estimate to be a little over 400 meters. I run the repeat at about 85- 90% effort, then slowly jog for another 2-3 minutes, then walk for about 2 minutes until i've circled the lake... then BAM... off again running fast. Usually this fast segment takes @ 1:20- 1:25, and can get a little hairy when a mallard duck decides to cross my path, or a person's dog gets a little too jumpy. Yes, ideally I need to get to an actual track, but what ultimately counts is the exertion I put out. And the bucolic setting helps to take my mind of the physical pain. For its about a 1/4 - 1/2 way into the repeat that the lactic acid kicks in, the heart rate elevates rapidly, and the breathing gets quick and short. The mind says stop, your a damned fool. No not really, but it can be interesting the body/ mind connections. Near the end it can be the repititive thought "hold your form, hold your form," for it becomes vital to not break the natural running rhythm when fatigued.
I had the thought at some point in the workout that running/ training is one continuous experiment, the same as living life is. We learn what works, and what doesn't work by going out there and doing it. And then we adjust and try it again, and hope for the best.
And I'd like to say a special thanks to Guy's lovely daughter Katherine, who called out to me and said hello while I was stetching in the grass by the lake.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
"Aint it funny how the night moves..."
...is a line from an old Bob Segar song, followed by "when you just don't seem to have that much to lose." I seemed to have been hearing that the other day; the net result is that I decided to go for a run at nine o'clock in the evening, something (running at night) I hadn't done in awhile. By the time I was half a block down the road the life blood in me came rushing back to the fore, and the trials of this thing called life seemed once again to be just that, trials. And out there in the dark a smile spread across my face, 'tis but a dream anyway isn't it?' I looped the lake at Carolina Beach, guided by the faint glow of the lights that encircle the pathway and reflect softly atop the fresh waters. Then on past the elementary school and into the silent dark night of small town America. A calico cat suddenly appeared in a front lawn, it looked at me as if to say "ah ha mister! what per chance are ye doing out here amongst the critters of the night?" I just nod and wink and carry on my merry way. Everything seems to slow down the faster I run. This (the run) makes sense, perhaps nothing else that happened earlier in the day did. The road has a wonderful way of just not giving a damn why I am here, it doesnt care at all about love, money, religion, politics...none of that. And at times that's precisely the very thing that I am looking for, at least for an hour or so in the day. I ended my run on the beach. There was no moon, just a few distant stars way way up like miniscule golden dots in the sky. One of those nights when you have to almost strain a little to see the terrain of the sand ten feet in front. Where the ocean runs out and melts into the inky jet black sky, and it all almost looks a bit menacing. When realizations can jump up and almost sting me like a blast of salty air... that yes we all in fact have a hell of a lot to lose.
Monday, February 23, 2009
For Pre
I don't know where to begin. 'Pre' for those of you who may not know is the nickname of Steve Prefontaine, and is what most people called him or referred to him as. Some say he was the greatest long distance runner of all time; based not only on his talent and work ethic, but what he did for the sport of long distance running and track and field. "Pre Lives" is more than an idea, it's a kinetic life force that continues to propagate year after year.
Something came over me, or comes over me emotionally when i saw (on tv) or see (via the internet) the old Nike commercials "Pre Lives"; and/or the old footage of him interspersed with other athletes who wore Nikes over the last several decades that aired frequently during the Summer Olympics. Its like seeing an entity that lives deep inside of me and countless others come to fruition for a few brief fleeting moments...
Pre brought a certain panache to running, he filled stadiums, he moved people to chant his name "Pre Pre Pre" during track meets in his home state of Oregon. Perhaps it was the innocence of sports back then some 35- 40 years ago. Someone who put on a show for his fans, not for the love of money, but for the love of doing something as good as, or better than anyone on the face of the planet could at the time. He made running cool, inspired thousands to strap on a pair of sneakers and hit the roads, trails, or tracks where they lived. It was about finding one's inner resources, one's inner child, and not giving a darn what the world around thought.
For me it was about cutting up old brightly colored t-shirts and making crazy bandanas to tie around my head and flying around a cinder track at break neck speeds at practices, feeling the wind at my back, challenging myself to squeeze every ounce I had out of my body, mind and spirit in order to run perhaps just a little faster in a race than i did the time before. In a way, the same now holds true today... whether on a much simpler scale it be the solitude of an easy jog in the woods, or lining up at the start of a race marshalling the courage and guts to give it my all. He was oft quoted and had a marvelous way with words. "To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the Gift," is perhaps his finest jewel of wisdom. To limit this to the world of running would be almost be a disservice.
Sadly our heroes have this penchant for dying young, and in Pre's case it would be naive to think that this unfortunate fact doesn't in some way contribute to his iconic status in the world of running and sports. His death at age 24 left everyone wondering just what more he could have done had he lived. He placed 4th in the 5000M in the '72 Olympics in Munich, as the youngest competitor (age 21) there in the distance events. He returned to the University of Oregon and never lost another race in the NCAAs, and held just about every American distance record at the time of his death. He was training for the '76 Olympics in Montreal.
"You have to wonder at times what you're doing out there. Over the years, I've given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement." ~ Pre
"Some people create with words or with music or with a brush and paints. I like to make something beautiful when I run. I like to make people stop and say, 'I've never seen anyone run like that before.' It's more than just a race, it's a style. It's doing something better than anyone else. It's being creative." ~ Pre
Something came over me, or comes over me emotionally when i saw (on tv) or see (via the internet) the old Nike commercials "Pre Lives"; and/or the old footage of him interspersed with other athletes who wore Nikes over the last several decades that aired frequently during the Summer Olympics. Its like seeing an entity that lives deep inside of me and countless others come to fruition for a few brief fleeting moments...
Pre brought a certain panache to running, he filled stadiums, he moved people to chant his name "Pre Pre Pre" during track meets in his home state of Oregon. Perhaps it was the innocence of sports back then some 35- 40 years ago. Someone who put on a show for his fans, not for the love of money, but for the love of doing something as good as, or better than anyone on the face of the planet could at the time. He made running cool, inspired thousands to strap on a pair of sneakers and hit the roads, trails, or tracks where they lived. It was about finding one's inner resources, one's inner child, and not giving a darn what the world around thought.
For me it was about cutting up old brightly colored t-shirts and making crazy bandanas to tie around my head and flying around a cinder track at break neck speeds at practices, feeling the wind at my back, challenging myself to squeeze every ounce I had out of my body, mind and spirit in order to run perhaps just a little faster in a race than i did the time before. In a way, the same now holds true today... whether on a much simpler scale it be the solitude of an easy jog in the woods, or lining up at the start of a race marshalling the courage and guts to give it my all. He was oft quoted and had a marvelous way with words. "To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the Gift," is perhaps his finest jewel of wisdom. To limit this to the world of running would be almost be a disservice.
Sadly our heroes have this penchant for dying young, and in Pre's case it would be naive to think that this unfortunate fact doesn't in some way contribute to his iconic status in the world of running and sports. His death at age 24 left everyone wondering just what more he could have done had he lived. He placed 4th in the 5000M in the '72 Olympics in Munich, as the youngest competitor (age 21) there in the distance events. He returned to the University of Oregon and never lost another race in the NCAAs, and held just about every American distance record at the time of his death. He was training for the '76 Olympics in Montreal.
"You have to wonder at times what you're doing out there. Over the years, I've given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement." ~ Pre
"Some people create with words or with music or with a brush and paints. I like to make something beautiful when I run. I like to make people stop and say, 'I've never seen anyone run like that before.' It's more than just a race, it's a style. It's doing something better than anyone else. It's being creative." ~ Pre
Sunday, February 22, 2009
22 Feb 2009
Holy Sunday and i'm up and down to the beach there's a guy there with his two dogs on this cloudy windswept damp morning good for dogs cause they're always happy to be outdoors humans less so when the weather is not so agreeable. Set out to do the longer state park loop as I have named the run, about 7.5 miles in length. Headed down the back street Ken calls to me off his balcony out there drinking a cup of coffee say hello and continued on with no particular pressing thoughts early in the run just running. Later pass a guy with red sweatshirt he's on the greenway and i'm on Spencer Farlow Rd he catches my eye and waves and I wave back. Started thinking at some point after i ran under Snow's Cut Bridge along the bike path about a George Sheehan quote, Dr George Sheehan..."I run because i have to"... and i wonder if thats why that guy in the red was running cause for me it can be a thousand reasons at any one particular instance that culminate, or better yet synthesize into the thought/ statement "I run because i have to." He's there I'm here I run he runs it starts to rain lightly the drumbeat of life bangs and beats on in every corner of the globe. But then i'm back in the woods along the ATl waterway thoughts of writing...Jack Kerouac the Beats let it blow man like the jazz greats Charlie Parker spontanoues words sounds that capture the feelings ecstacies highs lows and all that stuff that cant perhaps ever be captured in its purest essence in any art form and I run run run on thru the ancient woods. Darn near then run into a lady coming along a bend in the trail out walking her dog she smiles at me as i do we say hello and continue on our own ways following our own Gods course maybe she's an atheist i confess though i didn't think that at the time. But i do wish i could record the thoughts that i do get more precisely as they occur when i'm running. Emerson or Thoreau once said they never trusted 'sedentary thoughts'.
And then later on the Nature Trail as its named in the state park lo and behold here comes the guy in the red sweatshirt and we pass each other on the trail exchange pleasantries some two, three miles after out first encounter out in the more civilized part of the island.
Got an occasional sharper pain once in my foot and once in my lower back the body's way of saying be careful dont over do it, two weeks a go or so i was more concerned about my right foot and thought i may have a stress fracture. So what do I do? After one day off/ rest i ran real hard the next week (on top of having to do some tougher work during the days that required me to stand alot) just sort of to see what if anything would happen...either the body will break or find ways to get stronger. One of the days while in the woods i imagined a healthy body or the silhoutte form of a body yellow in color (not sure why yellow) moving relatively pain free and unencumbered as if it was outside of myself, yet simulataneously inside of me. Hard to explain, and i did this while repeating a mantra something of the sort "i want to be healthy i want to be healthy and be able to run free." Injuries/ pain is a by-product of the sport and unfortunately inevitable from time to time. I had my freind Neva check it out then at the end of the week... she's a retired nurse with a masters from John's Hopkins so i assume she knows her stuff, plus i trust her judgement...she told me it was doubtful i had bone/ stress damage, and that it was likley an arch issue that i should have checked out by orthopedic surgeons, and she also told me a place to go on Shipyard Blvd. Though i can be a stubborn SOB and only want to go to a doctor if i'm about to die or something is about to fall off.
Got done with the run on the boardwalk felt good that last stretch past the small hilly dunes and scrub vegetation, little palmetto trees and plants...down the ramp and onto the beach went for a short walk after i untied my shoes took my socks off and slipped my shoes back on over my bare feet. Cant wait for warmer weather and wading into the ocean after getting done with runs. Such a high taking the shoes off after a real good sweat filled effort and wading out into the sea feeling the waves soothe the tired body.
And then later on the Nature Trail as its named in the state park lo and behold here comes the guy in the red sweatshirt and we pass each other on the trail exchange pleasantries some two, three miles after out first encounter out in the more civilized part of the island.
Got an occasional sharper pain once in my foot and once in my lower back the body's way of saying be careful dont over do it, two weeks a go or so i was more concerned about my right foot and thought i may have a stress fracture. So what do I do? After one day off/ rest i ran real hard the next week (on top of having to do some tougher work during the days that required me to stand alot) just sort of to see what if anything would happen...either the body will break or find ways to get stronger. One of the days while in the woods i imagined a healthy body or the silhoutte form of a body yellow in color (not sure why yellow) moving relatively pain free and unencumbered as if it was outside of myself, yet simulataneously inside of me. Hard to explain, and i did this while repeating a mantra something of the sort "i want to be healthy i want to be healthy and be able to run free." Injuries/ pain is a by-product of the sport and unfortunately inevitable from time to time. I had my freind Neva check it out then at the end of the week... she's a retired nurse with a masters from John's Hopkins so i assume she knows her stuff, plus i trust her judgement...she told me it was doubtful i had bone/ stress damage, and that it was likley an arch issue that i should have checked out by orthopedic surgeons, and she also told me a place to go on Shipyard Blvd. Though i can be a stubborn SOB and only want to go to a doctor if i'm about to die or something is about to fall off.
Got done with the run on the boardwalk felt good that last stretch past the small hilly dunes and scrub vegetation, little palmetto trees and plants...down the ramp and onto the beach went for a short walk after i untied my shoes took my socks off and slipped my shoes back on over my bare feet. Cant wait for warmer weather and wading into the ocean after getting done with runs. Such a high taking the shoes off after a real good sweat filled effort and wading out into the sea feeling the waves soothe the tired body.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
21 Feb 2009
First blog- off the cuff no regards to grammar
Cold morning, got out about 8am and walked down to the beach said my pre -run prayers. Dressed in long pants, my black Eagles beanie and gloves...I knelt in the sand, no-one on the beach the sun rising up out over the horizon to the east infinite waters topped by glimmering shiny bits of light unfurling over the gentle waves. Alone but for one seagull who swoops in and lands in front of me and glances back at me i acknwoledge him or her and we share a view of the Atlantic for a few moments in the eternal dream...then i'm out and off hit start on stopwatch after I walk back off the beach. Set out to do one of my standard loops about 6.5 miles...down first past the condo complexes and smaller beach houses on the narrow road parralel to the dune line. Air is crisp fresh no wind which makes the 25 degree or so temps. palatable easy pace I take on across then the main drag S. Lake Park Blvd... up on and thru Carolina Sands neighborhood, out the back way spilling onto 6th street, then up Sumpter Rd and past Chappelle Park. On by a morning tennis match and some teens skating on the cement banked ramps. Steady moderate pace probably about 8 1/2 minute miles legs need some recovery from tougher run in state park yesterday w/ Colin and Echo (the super running dog, could win Boston) and repeats/ speed work thursday.
Run today takes me eventually on the length of the greenway then pick up old dirt bike trail that meanders roughly parallel to the Atlantic Intercoastal Waterway before it spills into the mouth of the Cape Fear River...then up thru more of the woods deeper into the thick deciduous trees away from the water into the campgrounds of the state park, down some park macadme roads, two more trails, then back out thru the main entrance of the park. Run then thru some back residential neighborhoods to the boardwalk run the length of it 1/4 mile or so view the ocean on the left...Kure Beach pier two miles up the beach...then down the ramp onto the beach hit stop on the stop watch and the run is done in 55 minutes and change point to the sky give thanks and take cool down walk. Good run, smooth easy effort.
PM: Ran the course that's going to be used for the Lo-Tide 5K in March. Moderate effort, held good consistent pace throughout ran it in a little under 22 mins. Good workout especially after run this morning.
Cold morning, got out about 8am and walked down to the beach said my pre -run prayers. Dressed in long pants, my black Eagles beanie and gloves...I knelt in the sand, no-one on the beach the sun rising up out over the horizon to the east infinite waters topped by glimmering shiny bits of light unfurling over the gentle waves. Alone but for one seagull who swoops in and lands in front of me and glances back at me i acknwoledge him or her and we share a view of the Atlantic for a few moments in the eternal dream...then i'm out and off hit start on stopwatch after I walk back off the beach. Set out to do one of my standard loops about 6.5 miles...down first past the condo complexes and smaller beach houses on the narrow road parralel to the dune line. Air is crisp fresh no wind which makes the 25 degree or so temps. palatable easy pace I take on across then the main drag S. Lake Park Blvd... up on and thru Carolina Sands neighborhood, out the back way spilling onto 6th street, then up Sumpter Rd and past Chappelle Park. On by a morning tennis match and some teens skating on the cement banked ramps. Steady moderate pace probably about 8 1/2 minute miles legs need some recovery from tougher run in state park yesterday w/ Colin and Echo (the super running dog, could win Boston) and repeats/ speed work thursday.
Run today takes me eventually on the length of the greenway then pick up old dirt bike trail that meanders roughly parallel to the Atlantic Intercoastal Waterway before it spills into the mouth of the Cape Fear River...then up thru more of the woods deeper into the thick deciduous trees away from the water into the campgrounds of the state park, down some park macadme roads, two more trails, then back out thru the main entrance of the park. Run then thru some back residential neighborhoods to the boardwalk run the length of it 1/4 mile or so view the ocean on the left...Kure Beach pier two miles up the beach...then down the ramp onto the beach hit stop on the stop watch and the run is done in 55 minutes and change point to the sky give thanks and take cool down walk. Good run, smooth easy effort.
PM: Ran the course that's going to be used for the Lo-Tide 5K in March. Moderate effort, held good consistent pace throughout ran it in a little under 22 mins. Good workout especially after run this morning.
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