Running with Fast People & Heading to the MD: 9/13

Recently, I've been running more alone than as part of my classes, so this morning's run as part of Plycore was a welcome change.  Most of the people who take these classes are in much better shape than I am.  Even though, I have gotten much stronger over the last year, their conditioning is far better than mine, so keeping up with them is always a challenge.  We ran 2.67 miles this morning, but consider I don't have a Gamin yet -- I can't tell you what pace we ran, but I do know that it was much faster than I am currently running when I run on my own.  The first three guy were out about a full two blocks ahead of me by the time we reached the halfway point.  I was able to stay with the next three ladies until we were about two thirds of the way through the course, but the settled in about a half of a block behind them and losing ground quickly.  It was a challenge just to keep up with them as longs as I did and required much more form me than I normally put out.  Normally, I have enough energy to sprint out at the end, but that was not an option on today's run.  I may have been able to pick it up a little but didn't try because that wasn't the point.  My goal is to be able to keep up on these runs at my own normal pace.  I know that it will require a lot of continued effort on my part, but I am committed to my running goals.

After class I did a few cross training exercise on my own because the class stuff was sure to aggravate my Achilles.  I made sure that I stretched a lot, then hit the foam roller.  I can see this being my SOP for a while.  I hope not, but I think it will last this way until I finish my next race on the 9th. 

To that end, I will be going to the MD this afternoon to talk about my heels.  I have been avoiding it because I know that I will be told that I should take some time off from running.  And -- I just can't bring myself to do it.  However, I don't want to take the risk of injury, so I have decided to suck it up and go.  At the very least, I might get a better idea of what is going on with my heels.  Do I have Achilles Tendonites?  Is it Plantar Fasciitis?  Some weird hybrid?  or maybe there is a demon living in there that just hates me?  Who knows, but I hope after today that I will at least have a better idea of what treatment might help.  Also, I will be traveling this weekend, so If i just cross train the remainder of this week and the remainder of next week after I return I might be able to give myself something close to two weeks off from running.  Maybe?  Not promising!?!  Probably won't happen, but we shall see!

Umstead Saturday Sat. the 11th: Grunts & Guts Run

Umstead trail picture found on net

The weather is getting much cooler and the leaves are just beginning to turn, so I don't have to get up before dawn if I want to run when it is cool; however, I wanted to get going at 5am this morning.  It didn't happen.  The alarm went off, but I just couldn't get up.  I slept in until just before 7am, but I managed to get out the door just after 8am.  There was already a high probability that this run was going to be difficult because I had run more in the last two weeks than I have in a long time.  Yesterday had been a rest day, but my legs felt more heavy than rested when I got up and started moving around.  My suspicions that this run was going to be kind of sucky were confirmed when I stumbled in the parking lot before I even started running.  It got worse as I walked the trail to the Company Mill Loop.  I kept misstepping and stumbling, which had me a little concerned about falling.  To make matters worse, I had a hitch-hiker in my shoe and felt like I was going to had to make a numerical pit stop before I even made it to the bridge to begin my actual run.  But, I ignored all of the discomforts and started my run without any delays or stops.  I spent the whole first mile and a half debating about going off the trail somewhere and finding a nice tree to stand behind, but by the second mile my legs felt sacks potatoes, and I knew that stopping anywhere meant my legs were not going to start running again.  By the time I reached the last inclines keeping my legs moving was the only priority.  I actually push myself to run harder up the hill, not because I was trying to prove anything, but because I wanted it to be over with.  Grunting out the last three quarters of a mile was difficult but I actually managed a bit of a sprint because I just wanted the run to end.  after crossing the bridge, I couldn't manage to look more than two feet in front of me, and I had absolutely no aspirations to run any bit of the trail back to the car.  I didn't appreciate nature, could care less about any of the wildlife, and sure as hell didn't want to interact with any of the people, who were passing by me all excited to be starting their hike or run.  I just wanted to get back the parking lot stretch and go home.  Some people would be proud of themselves for gutting out a run like this, and maybe am a little.  But mostly, I am just thinking that I want runs like this one to crop up less often, I want to get better conditioned and understand my body more, so grunting gut runs are an infrequent occurrence.  

Thursday Plycore: 8/9 Why I Have to Go to This Class!

Of all of the Classes at the Y, Dan's Thursday Plycore is the class that I hate to miss the most.  This was the first morning class that I attended, so it is the class that means the most to me.  My life changed with this class, and I hate to miss it or sit it out.  I know that some people might think the I am overstating things when I say that that one exercise class changed my life, but I wanted desperately to change the way I lived for my entire adult life, but I could never find the fortitude to change until that morning.  The class kicked my ass!!!  Seriously, I am sure that the people in the class feared that I would pass out and die right there in the middle of class.  I could even do half of the exercises that they were doing, and my only real goal was to not give up.  I'll be honest, about twenty minutes into class, I thought that these people are effing insane and I'll never be able to do this class, so I should just go home!  The exercises were difficult, but what was more difficult was fighting though the thoughts in my head.  I kept think that this was a huge mistake -- these people are wearing shirts from marathon's that they have run, and I can't even do ten push ups!  Thoughts like this just streamed through my head, but the clock kept moving and so did I.  When the class was over, I had done less than half of what everyone else had done, sweat twice as much, and smelled worse than everyone combined.  I doubt that any other the class members ever thought that they would see me again, but I knew that I would see them.  My wife took this picture as when I got home.  

That shirt is completely soaked in sweat, but if you notice , I am smiling! 

I guess that somewhere in my mind attending Thursday morning Plycore has come to mean that I haven't given up.  That I am still hanging in there, struggling to make all the changes that I desperately want to make.  So, on Wednesday night, I decided that I would return to Plycore Thursday morning. That night I set out all of my stuff, set my alarms for 4am, and went to bed at around 10pm. I had no problem getting up -- I actually woke up about 5 minutes before my first alarm.  I left my apartment, and when I walked through the doors to class was greeted by Dan and several of the class members, who asked how I was and said that they were wondering why I hadn't been in class.  It felt really good to be back.

However, I had to be realistic because they are primarily running stairs in the class, and there is really nothing that could be worse for my legs than stairs, and running stairs for thirty minutes straight would be beyond stupid of me.  I really do miss taking part in the morning classes.  Even though I almost always keep my I-pod on and don't talk that much I really enjoy being part of the group, which has made these solo workout all the more difficult. So I asked Dan How long he thought that they would be running stairs and he said about thirty minutes, so I told him I would Run 5 kilometers out side and join the class for the last 15 minutes of their workout, which I did.  It felt great to be back because without Plycore, my wife wouldn't have taken this picture of me getting my medal at my first 5K!

 

Weds. Sports Conditioning & the Foam Roller: 8/8

In accordance with my plan to try and strengthen my lower legs.  I returned to Sports Conditioning Class this week.  I also miss taking part in the classes, which I mentioned in my last post.  My plan was to take the first half hour of class and then go off and Stretch and use the foam roller.  I really wanted to do the ab portion of class and then do the lower leg portion that usually comes next, but I also knew that I would need to avoid the jump rope and jump squats.  I replaced these exercises with heel raises and regular squats.  The abs were a little difficult because I had done Bryan's Toning Class less about 12 hours earlier, which was ab intensive.  The single leg squats were not too bad, which was somewhat shocking.  The leg raises were not fun however, but I wasn't really worried about how my achillies would be during class because it mainly flares up after I have been sitting or inactive rather than while it is in use. 

I did leave the class after thirty minutes like I had planned, so that I could stretch and use the foam roller.  I was able to take my time stretching.  I the roller really seems to make my legs feel better.  It isn't a pleasant feeling in the least, but the roller does seem to reach deeper into the muscle than ordinary stretching.  If you are having leg pain I really recommend giving the roller a try.

Toning Tuesday: 9/7

Needed this class badly!  Tuesday was one of those days where you just have watch life just pile it on someone that doesn't deserve it.  All that you can do is offer your support and hope that the person is strong enough to deal with everything.  I can't really tell you how I felt when I left work,  I guess it was a  combination useless and sullen.  Nothing had happen to me directly, but I still felt like crap.  I just wanted to get to the gym so that I could do something physical and hopefully turn off my mind.  I took the Toning  class which was tough, but not tough enough for me to escape my thoughts.  We did a lot of abs and leg work.  Both things that I need. 

I am going to try to attend more of the classes, so I can work on strengthening my leg muscles.  My heels need the support.  I don't want to do too much, so I will be skipping some exercises, leaving early to do extra stretching, and making use of the foam roller as much as I possible.  I did a good stretch after this class and made use of the roller, which I think helped a lot.  I miss attending classes because they give me a sense of camaraderie that I really like.  I don't mind running alone, but I am not fond of doing exercises alone.  Abs, push ups, and lunges are a better when done with friends.

Umstead Labor Day -- Three Naps and Four Miles of Spider Webs: 8/4 & 8/6

On both Saturday and Monday, I ran the same trail that I've been running: the Loop of the Company Mill Trail.  Saturday's run was good, but not as great as last week.  By the time I got the the beginning of the loop I was chomping at the bit to run.  I could tell right away that my pace was too fast, and that I would be forced to back down at some point, but I just couldn't hold myself back.  It felt as if I were really monstering it until I hit the utility road.  I got there much quicker than I had anticipated.  I reeled it in a bit after I crossed the road and was still doing well on at about the two miles, but then I hit the up hill portion of the trail leading back to the utility road, and I felt every mile that I had run that week smack dab in the middle of my quads.  My pace slowed a great deal during the up hill, and by the time I crossed the utility road again, I was grunting it out.  Luckily, I was able to recover some energy during a couple of tricky down hill spots and was able to finish off the last bit respectably. 

After the run I was wiped out.  My wife and I were going to the NC State game that night and had some errands before hand.  I took a nap after I got home from the run, another nap after we got home from our errands, and another one after the game and before dinner.  I was just beat.  Sunday, I just stayed home watched movies and read running blogs. 

Monday's run was much better but had it's own issues.  And by issues I mean 4 miles of spider webs.  I got to the park just after 7am, even though the hours are from 8am to 8pm the gate has been open when I've gotten their at that 7 on Saturday's.  I guess that since it was a holiday they were waiting until 8am or were too short staffed to open the all of the gates early.  There were already at least eight cars parked outside of the gate, and almost all of them had some sort of triathalon or Marathon related bumper stickers!  Love it!  So I pulled in right behind the last car, and I made my way to my trail.  I figured that surely someone had already gone down the trail before me.  But, alas, I was mistaken!  The only thing that had been down that trail were raccoons and snakes, and their tracks were fresh!  Also, all of the spider webs were in tact.  I know because I cleared the entire first mile of the lead trail, and then nearly the entire loop.  I didn't see another person until just after I crossed over the utility road for the second time, which adds up to about 4 miles of spider webs.  By the end of it my hair was in absolutely no need of any gel!  Overall this run was much better.  My legs felt fresh, and I paced myself better at the beginning of the run (because I was looking out for snakes on the trail).  I was still running strong as I completed the loop, which only took me 45mins.  It was really a great run!

However, I am coming down from a major running high -- I can feel it. Can you say Junkie boys and girls? Although my goals are still weight loss centered, I can tell that there has been a major shift in my focus. I still like when the scale is kind to my, but it feels so much better when the clock is kind. The scale is a fickle mistress, who loves to screw with your mind, but the clock is the super sexy, above playing games, and speaks with direct mathematical honesty. It's refreshing! I have had the feeling for a while that I needed some sort of competitive direction for my training. Weight loss just for the sake of weight loss is a wonderful thing, but I think that it is difficult to sustain. It is easy to get frustrated because your goals are not being achieved, and just as easy to lose focus once your goal has been reached, so I've thought for sometime that I needed a sport or hobby to focus my activities. Also, I've always felt like I missed out on something because I didn't take part in any real competitive sports in school. I wasn't on any of the teams in High School (unless you count chess . . . yes . . . I was on the chess team!), nor did I do anything competitively in college -- not even on the intramural level -- which I have always regretted.  I played sports until around Jr. High, but I quit mainly because I was playing football and baseball, which I loved but wasn't really any good at. I lacked the concentration and aggression needed for football, and I just sucked at baseball. And even though the idea of Cross Country always appealed to me, I thought that I was too big to run and honestly was too scared to try. Also, because of my size, there was always pressure to play football anytime the topic of sports came up, so I avoided the topic in general.

Now, I find myself on the back end of my 30's, and I am filled with this overwhelming desire to both run and compete. I have no delusions of ever being anything more than average runner, and I know that I still need to lose around 50 pounds. But, I can't get running out of my head, I am talking about it all the time, I have a Garmin 205 in my cart on Amazon and have told my wife not to even think about getting me anything else for Christmas, I am truly obsessed. My Achilles has been injured for around two months.  And it made me crazy to stop running. It is getting better (I think), but I know that it would heal quicker if I took some more time off, but that is just not an option. I already have my next two races planned out, but I can't help looking for more. The achilles are really improving, and I think that if start to strengthen the muscles around them that they will get better. The morning stiffness and pain is nearly gone, and I hardly have any problems throughout the day, but it still is not to the point where it feels 100%. I am frustrated a by it and really tired thinking how my achilles are doing. I know that the people around me are tired of hearing me talk about it!

Last week people kept asking me if I had any plans for Labor Day weekend , and I would get all excited and tell them how I was going to go running in Umstead Park on both Saturday and Monday!!! They would just stare back at me like I was a Fucking idiot an idiot because of course for them "plans" meant trips to the beach or the mountains -- Not running in a park 10 mins from my apartment. But, truly that is all that I can think about these days. I've been reading running blogs like other guys read porn ( I'll give you links later). Currently, my wife is humoring me -- meaning she listens to me talk about running until it is too much and then just goes into English off mode, which is easy for her since English isn't here native tongue. She just flips a switch in here mind and filters out anything that isn't Japanese -- and then the smile and nod fest begins, but the worst part is that I am so desperate to talk to someone about running that . . . it works for me!!  But, I am not sure how much longer it will work for her!?!  So, I need to find another outlet for all of this quickly!

Blog Links:

Fitness Junky
The Boring Runner (He's not)
Frayed Laces

Another Car Share 1.67 mile dash: Friday 8/3

I was off on Friday, so I slept in!  My wife took the car to work, which was no problem.  I had some stuff to do later in the day, and I needed to do a shorter run.  Everything just fit into place, so I ran from our apartment to her work again and picked up the car.  Our little car share system worked really well once again.  I used to do this on my bike all the time, but now that I am running more, it just makes so much sense.  I can also make this into a longer run really easy on weekends if I want.  I probably won't be doing much of that until the weather turns bad and I can't run in Umstead or one of the other local nature parks.  This short little run was just what I needed because I was planning two Umstead run for the three day weekend and wanted to have a little rest up before hand.

Thursday 9/2: Morning Run

I was wiped out Wednesday morning and overslept.  Not a little either, I had my alarms (three of them set for 4am, but my wife had to wake me at 6am so that I wouldn't be late for work.  I took it as a sign that I just need to give myself a day off.  Plus, I wanted to see how my achilles would react to a full days rest.  I got up on time Thursday morning, but opted not to go to Ply Core because I figured that they would be running stairs for most of the class.  I decided to run down to the capitol again and do my 5k route.  My achilles were feeling better, not fully healed, but considering all of the running that I have been doing, I really shouldn't complain -- I will -- but I know that I shouldn't.  I enjoy running in the morning just before sun up.  When I leave my apartment, I can still see the stars in the sky and get to enjoy the sunrise as I am leaving the gym .  I never thought that I would be a morning person, but I am now.  Thursday morning was a really great morning for a run through the city.  The run went off with out a hitch, very little traffic on the street.  I got off to a really good start.  I attempted to really soak in this run, enjoy it, and not let the moment escape me.  I did however make a point to sprint out the last portion 10th of a mile.  I wanted to end it on a strong note rather than just ease on home.  I wanted to feel those big deep breaths of cool morning at the end of the run.  I really like this side of running, which is probably why I don't mind running alone.  I never really get bored on runs.  Granted, my longest run are around 45 to 50 mins. but still I doubt that it will ever be a problem for me.used to be when I was younger.  I used to say that that was why I didn't like running, but I doubt that that was true.  I was just lazy!  As long as I have my I-pod, I am sure it will never be an issue, but I don't think that it will be one if I ran without it. 

After the run I stretched, did some abs, and hit the foam roller, which just sorted me out like you wouldn't understand.  I miss going to my classes, but I am enjoying my running more than I care to attempt to explain.   I know that I need to get in some cross training or I will regret it later. 

Tuesday Two-a-day: Had a Feel It Would Hurt . . . 8/31 Toning Class & AM 5k Run

Since the Y had canceled their classes in order to refurbish the floors last week, I spent the entire week running and did not one crunch or push up.  The closest I came to a push up was when I lowered myself on the ground to look under my car so that I could make sure my neighbors cat wasn't under it, and I am pretty certain that doesn't count.  I knew for sure that the afternoon toning class was going to be a giant suck fest!  And, I thought to myself: how can I make it worse?  I thought this because . . . sometime . . . I like to piss myself off  challenge myself.  So in the morning, I got up and ran 5 kilometers just to make sure that the class would be a grand old giant suck fest times two . . . And . . . it was . . . it was . . .it was!  Push ups, bicycles, planks, they all sucked big time!  The worst was the side planks because at one point I thought that my kidney was going to pop out!  I would like to say that by the end I was starting to enjoy it, but that would be a bold face lie.  I was happy that it was over.  End of story!  I stared at the clock for the last five minutes, thought about crying, and just prayed that it would end.  The bigger problem is that right now I am still in full on running mode, and even though I know I need to attend more conditioning classes, all that I really want to do is run.  I am going to have to rectify this after the labor day holiday or life will just suck when I start doing more conditioning once the weather gets bad.

Numeric Interruption Run: Sunday Aug. 29th

August is quickly fading and won't be missed.  It hasn't been an awful month by any means, but I am no fan of summers in the South.  The weather seems to entering into a more moderate phase with fewer days feeling like a punishment from God!  The previous days run in Umstead Park had me on a real high, and Sunday's weather was just too good for me to take the rest day that I needed.  So after spending the morning debating about going for a run, I did what I knew that I was going to do all along and threw on the new running shoes.  Now. I'll admit that this was not the best idea.  I really was in need of a rest day, and even though I was able to run in my new shoes the day before I really did need some time to just get use to the new insole.  But, like the Good little Cancerian Crab that I am I got my little claw around this idea and would not let it go. 

I decided that since it was nearly noon that I would just run around my neighborhood because even though the temperature was in the low 80's, it was rising quickly, and the Sun was already beating down pretty hard.  My neighborhood has a lot of nice shady trees, so I hoped that this would provide some relief.  However, I didn't really matter all that much because this run was going to suck for a variety of reasons that no shade tree could help.  I finished my warm up and had run for about 5mins when I realized that I had a pressing numeric issue if you catch my drift.  Now had the value been any greater than 1, I'd have been heading straight for home, but considering it was less than two I decided to go find a public restroom that I could duck into.  I live very near NC States campus and was only about a block away from the library, so I headed off in that direction.  I doubted that anyone would notice me since it was Sunday afternoon on the second weekend of school and a gorges day.  I could pretty much guarantee that the library would be empty except for a few international graduate students and the checkout attendant.  Luckily, I know that library like the back of my hand, so I was able to go straight to the nearest restroom without drawing any attention to my sweaty self.  After, my pit stop I decided to go and run on the intramural field, which is a nice place to run -- very flat with well maintained grass.  However, as soon as I got there and started to run around the field, my I-pod decided that it had to die.  I knew that it was on it's last leg because too much sweat gotten into it and had started to act like it is possessed: turning on when it wants, skipping songs, ignoring the hold switch.  But I was hoping to get another few weeks out of it, but the sucker was toast, and I took that as the final sign that I shouldn't have attempt this run, so I went on home before things got any worse.   If you want an example of worse just follow this link: Frayed Laces: $150 pit stop mistake