Should I Buy Racing Flats?

So, I am thinking of pulling the trigger on a pair of these puppies:



Been thinking about if for a while, but after reading Danny's recent blog, I think I'll give them a try.

New Route Review

This morning I did the newest of my 4-mile routes. This one takes me along the new Jewitt Trail, downtown past City Hall (and the breakfast smell of Big Boy), through the Indian Hill subdivision, and back along the main drag, Saginaw St.

Running downtown isn't really that fun. Too many cars and too much activity. Indian Hill is nice--I like that neighborhood. There appears to be less traffic there than in my neighborhood, but it was Saturday morning.

I felt like running another 2 miles, but I decided to stick with my plan of alternating 4 and 6 mile runs for the next week or so.

Routes from 2 to Infinity

Above, you see my "cloverleaf" running route system which gives me runs ranging from 2 miles to beyond the marathon. It's deliciously simple. There are three leaves or spokes radiating from the corner in front of my house. This is where I start and end all runs. Each of these has a 3 and 4 mile loop. I also have one 2 mile loop. This means I can create a variety of 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13 and 14 mile routes without repeats. Beyond 14 I can just add another one of the 2,3, or 4-milers.

For my current run of 6 miles, I have 6 different options: three different 3+3 routes, and three different 4+2 routes.

The combinations are not endless, but they provide enough variety. They also allow me to make adjustments on the fly, shortening or lengthening my runs en route.

And all this without getting more than 1.5 miles away from my house!!!! (That's where the red star is)

The North option has a nice path with a bridge and a golf course. The East option is right in my neighborhood and finishes with a quarter mile straightaway with my house visible at the end. And the West option goes through the new walking trail behind the high school, past City Hall and through another great residential neighborhood and city park.

All routes are within the City Limits of the little community where I serve on the City Council.

Fantastic Run

Today, I had a great run. It's worth writing about.

I left later than I do during the week; one of the cool things about running on the weekends is that it actually gets light outside. I left at 7:30 and set out to run 4 miles--a new variation on my newest 3 mile route. I don't run places for the first time in the dark.

I actually started out feeling more tired than I imagined. I think it's best to get out the door before I really and truly "wake up." The difference between 5:30 and 7:30 is huge here--at 7:30 I realize that I could be doing something else.

I listened to a great mix for the first time and really enjoyed the dawn and being able to see where I was going. I saw a crane under the bridge; he flew away as I plodded across. I saw a hawk. I saw a bunch of gulls and Canada geese.

By the time I was back on the older part of the route and heading home, I started flirting with the idea of adding 2 miles. I waited until the very last minute to commit to this. I literally made the decision to turn on that very corner. Then I added a 2-mile loop.

I wondered if this was the right thing to do. My plan has been to keep it conservative and finish feeling strong every day. I still finished feeling strong. The fact that I had run for a solid hour without stopping--at a slower-than-usual pace--made me feel great. I have ZERO soreness or discomfort today.

Had to write all that down. It was fun.

It's Better To Look Forward

I am so looking forward to my run tomorrow. It's going to be my favorite temperature (high 30s) and I'm doing a new 4mi route.

My buddy Joshua put a few mixes on 8tracks recently: this one seems great for running:

Best Running Neighborhood

I think I might live in one of the best running neighborhoods ever. Our subdivision connects to several other subs, so I have 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, & 9 mile routes right here without ever getting 1.5 miles away from my house! Because I want to make 6 miles my regular run, I have a number of possibilities right outside my door:

• 3M Bella Visa 2x
• 3M King's Fairway 2x
• 3M Bella Vista + 3M King's Fairway
• 4M Bella Vista + 2M Bella Vista
• 4M King's Fairway + 2M Bella Vista
• 6M Bella Vista

There--6 different ways to run 6 miles right outside my door.

I find myself missing running on my days off. But I think it's important to keep up this every other day routine, mostly because it is working so well. No pain, no injuries, lots of motivation. I think that's what I need for the next several weeks. I can start the 4x/wk training in January. Right now I just want to focus on getting up to 6mi for my daily run.

My plan is to be at 4mi this week and perhaps do a step-up to 6mi on a long run in a couple of weeks. Then I can alternate back and forth between 4mi and 6mi. Then I will step up to 6mi. For some reason, I just feel like skipping 5mi. Not sure why.

Training Begins Sunday, January 17

So I found what looks to be a really good half-marathon training program from Runner's World. I think I will stick to that. I had thought I might find a marathon training program and put this half in the middle, but no... let's do it the way it's supposed to be done.

Because everything is working so well, I am thinking that I may stick with my every-other-day routine until early January. I'll try to get my regular run up to 6 miles by increasing gradually.

This 9-week training program has 2 solid rest days every week. It is built on AI (tempo runs) and GP--gotta remember what that is. Gentle Pickups, that's what it is.

If I can be running 6 miles every other day by mid January, I think I'll be in perfect shape to start a program like this.

03.20.2010

Okay, I did it. I registered for the National Half Marathon in Washington, DC. I should probably add a countdown clock to this blog.

I'm confident that I'll be ready, and I am happy to have a training goal through the Winter months. It should be lots of fun. There's plenty of time.

Yup, put a counter up. 150 days. That's enough time. My goal time is 1:50, but I'll settle for less than two hours. With 150 days to run and train, I should be able to get there.

Gonna run 5 tomorrow: 3 before sunrise and 2 on my lunch break with Bill. It's supposed to be warm tomorrow--low 50s. Might even wear shorts!

Twinkletoes

My morning runs now begin in pitch dark, so these $7 flashing LEDs help. Cars can see my little twinkletoes from 1 mile away.

Ready to Move

So, my 3-miler went great this morning. My new Saucony Boston pants came, and they are the most comfortable item of clothing I own. I got antsy this evening and had to go out for a "walk." It was hard not to run the whole thing, but I forced myself to walk most of it. I ran for short bursts when I couldn't stand it. It's about 38F out there, and it felt great.

The plan is no running tomorrow--one of my days of listening. Then I do a gentle 4 miler on Saturday morning.

I'm feeling like a ChiRunning poster child right now. I'm still watching that tenderness in my right knee, but it's not pain. I think it's my whole leg reacting to not running duck-footed. I feel it during the day, too, as I walk with more alignment.

I think this going slower has really helped.

Now, the big question becomes when/if to register for the National Half Marathon in March.

So Far, So Good

My every-other-day strategy for listening to my body appears to be working. Tomorrow I go out for my 3 miler and it will be about 36F. I'm getting better at what to wear. On Saturday, I think I'll go up to 4 miles and alternate between 3 and 4 for a while. Again, my goal is to have my run be a 6 miler that takes me the better part of one hour.

ChiRunning Revision

I've revised that list of elements of ChiRunning in my head. Here's the new one:

1. Core muscles
2. Proper posture
3. Mid-foot strike
4. Slight lean (foot strike slightly behind center of gravity)
   
5. Uniform cadence (85-90 bmp)
6. Short strides

Neither Danny nor Jeff have added to their blogs recently.

ChiRunning Testimonial

After using it for several weeks, I can now say that the ChiRunning technique has helped me incredibly and nearly eliminated the pain and injury I found cropping up at the beginning of my running program. From my perspective, ChiRunning has three main components and benefits.

1. Use of core muscels and excellent posture for efficiency and economy of motion.
2. A mid-foot strike that lands behind your center of gravity due to a slight lean.
3. Uniform cadence of 85 - 90 bpm regardless of pace.

ChiRunning experts might quibble with the above, and I've cheated a bit by combining mid-foot strike and lean into #2. There's a lot more to ChiRunning, of course, including recommended focuses for arm swing, etc.

The hardest bit for me to pick up was the use of core muscles. Actually, this morning's 3 mile run was the first time I could really feel my core working and burning.

I started ChiRunning mostly to achieve #2--a mid-foot strike that eliminated my previous proneal tendon strain, and a lean that kept my body weight from squashing my lower legs with every pounding step. This element alone made an immediate difference for me.

Leave the Watch Behind

Another thing I have done recently is leave my interval timing watch behind. The means not only that I am not doing the run/walk method (I'll return to that, I am sure), but I am not really timing my runs or calculating my pace. At this point, my specific time doesn't matter. Working on my form, getting enough exercise, and not hurting myself is what matters. I also wore a knee brace on my right knee today; I just have a tiny tenderness in there, and I wanted to give that knee some compression and support. I'll try it the next few runs and ditch it.

The Road Ahead

I plan to go another week at the conservative pace I have adjusted to: 3 mile run every other day. After that, I will continue with every other day and add miles very slowly. After I feel confident, I will go to a 4 times per week schedule with a longer run on the weekend. My ideal schedule is:

S
M: short run
T
W: middle run
T: short run
F
S: long run

I think my first plateau might be something like 3/4/6, which is 16/week. I could then go to 4/6/8, which is 22/week.

Below Freezing

Tomorrow will be my first run below 32F. I think I have all the right gear assembled. Should be fun and interesting. I am very tempted to go 4 miles--I want to run longer. But I promised myself I'd plateau at 3 miles every other day for a while. No reason to push it. I can start adding miles in a couple of weeks.

UPDATE: Below freezing is not that cold when you're running. It's certainly different than say, skiing, or riding a motorcycle on the highway--both activities that I have done below 32F. I can tell that my gear is up to it--my legs were fine and my upper body may have even been a bit warm. In the future, I might lose the outer layer if it's not raining or snowing. I also went out later this morning--left at about 8 instead of 5:45, so there was actual sunlight on the scene!

Every Other Day

It's hard not to run on my off days. But I do think that it makes sense to back off and listen to my body for 48 hours before heading out again. I've made a decision to go every other day for a while, and limit my miles to 3 for the next couple of weeks. That's 3.5 times per week, which is fine. I will ramp this up after a while, but I think this is best for now.

Meanwhile, I like my new 3-mile route, which goes over a little bridge and past a golf course. I think I'll put together another 3-miler so I can alternate.

ExStream Running

Well, there's nothing "extreme" about my running, but today I had an "ExStream" run when I wore my new fly fishing balaclava. It was in the low 40s and really windy at 5:30 this morning; I didn't expect to break this out until the snow flew, but it was perfect today.

I bought this thing in Jackson Hole for the long and cold motorcycle ride to Park City. It was perfect for that trip, and it's perfect for running. It breaks the wind but doesn't turn your head into a Thermos. Flip the face cover below your chin. Slide the cap and visor behind your head. Keeps your earbuds nice and tight in the ears.

Earbuds, you say? Yes, I ran with tunage today...

My First iPod Run


And today I ditched the interval timer watch and donned the new iPod Shuffle. I had loaded in my new Purple Nurple mix. (Whoa, my two blogs converge!). I think today was the first time I was really ready to run with music. It was fantastic! For one thing, the run seemed a lot shorter. I also ran my new King's Fairway route (3 mi). Had highlights when The Shaggs came on; The Wave Pictures also made me strum air guitar and fist pump the sky. Fun!

BTW, the old Shuffles are mega cheap now. I bought this one new for $45. The perfect running iPod. I clipped it to my collar.

New Route

Big Fun! I worked out a new 3-miler today and I'm gonna do it first thing tomorrow morning. This one goes through the unfinished King's Fairway sub north of Perry Road. It's what I call a "lollipop" route--a loop at the end of an out-and-back.

Gonna try to keep it slow again. It's supposed to be 45 degrees, windy and rainy tomorrow morning. Changing routes, changing weather--big fun!

An Odd Goal

While walking the dog this evening, I came up with an odd goal for tomorrow:

Run your 3-mile route as slowly as you possibly can. Shoot for a time over 36 minutes.

UPDATE: Hah! I finished in 29:50--and I slowed down several times! I think I will try this again. 36:00 would be 12:00 miles. Not sure I can do it. I ran with a 4:35 r/w ratio and did the run in 9:56/M pace. Need to work on slowing it down. Also need to work on rest--my R plantar fascia hurt mid way during mile 3. I think I'll wait until Tues to do it again.

Weather.

It was 54 degrees when I went out. I wore long running pants--good move. I think that 55 or below means long pants for me. I wore a t-shirt and running windbreaker. That was too much--it made me sweat like a dog. A long-sleeved shirt would be good. I got two nice long sleeve technical shirts, but I think they are for very cold weather. They are tight fitting. I need some long sleeve versions of the loose-fitting technicals I have now.

I've also noticed that wicking shirts smell terrible. Here's an article about that.

That article had a great link to this company. Looks like I am going to need to try them!

Darkness.

Today, I ran during the day. No problem. As I keep running during the mornings, it's going to be dark for the whole time I am out there. Gonna need some reflective gear, and perhaps even some stuff that lights up. Here are some:

• Nathan LED Runner's Vest
• Yaktrax for running in snow.
  

On Vacation

One of the reasons I started running is the "no excuses" element; you know, you can run anywhere--in a different city, at a conference, on vacation. Well, I've been riding a motorcycle through Yellowstone and Grand Teton for the past week with my family, and I didn't run once.

Rationalization: think of it as an experiment. I was having a bit of joint pain after changing my gait slightly. I'll head out tomorrow and see how I feel.

Also, I am gearing up for cold weather running. I bought a Simms Balaclava for my cold motorcycle trip from Jackson, WY to Park City, UT. This one is for fly fishing! Started off that ride below 30 degrees!

Check out this article on Screw Shoes.