Saturday, December 31, 2005

Picture Post



Just posting pictures for my own reasons.

Friday, December 30, 2005

Is There Honor In Completing A Race As An Event?

In his recent book, Run Right Now1, Joe Henderson cites Dr. George Sheehan as saying, "Pinning on a race number means you've taken an oath to do your best, whatever that might be." In light of the movement towards event marathoning, I was struck by the statement and its apparent incongruity with what's popular in running today.

I've mulled this over and eventually came to the conclusion that for many of the marathon walkers, Sheehan would not have condemned them. I've seen may fast runners berate "the charity runners" or "the walkers" and do not condone this. While their contention is that the event is a race is correct, it is also flawed. Those who race or who matter in the race are typically confined to the top 20% or so of finishers. The others are there to either race themselves, challenge themselves or for the experience of the event.

Racing against yourself - chasing a new PR, trying to do better than last week (month or time), these are things that Sheehan wrote about in his columns and books. Challenging yourself is another concept that Sheehan weighed in positively on. So, now we are left with the experience the event crowd.

This is a much harder analysis, and in the end, the only one that really required deep thinking. Are they doing their best? What is "doing your best"? Must one's best always be measured athletically or physically? Many of the "eventers" are challenging themselves. For many, a walk of 6 or 7 or 8 hours represents a major accomplishment. Yet, for some, the act of finishing isn't a real challenge. Have they been untrue to Sheehan's oath? I say, "No." Often, they are out there performing other functions that, while not a challenge for them physically, do challenge them to "do their best" at something. For those who struggle to complete the event (and I've often used the marathon as the example here, but it applies just as much to the 5K's, 5-Miles, 10K's and Halfs), having that person next to them massaging their mind, keeping them from focusing on the hurt in their legs or back is critical. They do their best to support those around them with praise, advice, and other support. I have no doubt that without them being there, fewer of those who struggle would arrive at the finish line. So, even those who don't challenge their physical being challenge themselves to help those around them to achieve more than they thought possible. Were he alive today, Sheehan would find the "eventers" hadn't failed to honor the oath to do your best.


1Joe Henderson, Run Right Now: What A Half-Century On The Run Has Taught (New York: Barnes and Noble Books, 2004), 182.

Thursday, December 29, 2005

Four In The Rain

After a couple of days of unseasonably warm weather, we're about to regress to the mean (geekspeak for return to normal). I figured I'd grab off what will likely be my last shorts and tee shirt run of the year. I ventured down to the local park and banged out 4 miles. I was nervous about running on the roads because of compromised visibility since the rain had already begun.

The park is 0.8 miles around. I knew that it usually takes me between 6½ and 7½ minutes to do a lap, so, based on my starting time of ≈7:31AM, I kept running the math, based on 7 minute laps. First lap, 7:38; second, 7:45; third, 7:52; fourth, 7:59; finish (fifth), 8:05; and when I got back to the car and turned the key to put on the clock - 8:05!

I headed home to shower and prep for work. I realized that even on a run this short, I'd chafed my nipples. I need to remember the Band-Aids for all wet weather runs.

Wednesday, December 28, 2005

Doing The Right Thing

If you are a runner, you probably have used running shoes in the back of your closet. I have a lot. This time of year, many of us make New Year's Resolutions. Many of them have to do with self-improvement (running more or exercising more is often on the list). I want to suggest that you commit to helping others who run (or participate in your activity of choice). Here's some information about something I am going to do:

One of Runner's World's Heroes of Running for 2005 was Ana Weir of One World Running. I want to suggest that you call the newsletter editor for your local running club and set up a shoe collection at one of their runs, remember to ask club members to also donate money to the charity.

Box the collected shoes and ship them to:
One World Running
PO Box 2223
Boulder, CO 80306

or, if not using the post office:
One World Running
c/o Sports Department
Daily Camera Newspaper
1048 Pearl St
Boulder, CO 80302

If you can manage it, please also make a donation to them. Checks should be made payable to: One World Running. Contributions are tax-deductible, as One World Running is a 501-C-3 organization. Most of the shoes go to Africa, but some also go the Latin America and the Carribean. It costs almost $4.00/pair to transport the shoes to Africa, and about $2.00/pair in the Americas, so contributions are needed as much as shoes. Shoes deemed unfit for reuse are sent to Nike through Boulder, CO's Eco-cycle program to be ground for use in tracks and playgrounds. All work for this charity is volunteer, every dollar given is used either in sanitizing shoes or transporting them. They also collect soccer and baseball gear.

I have about 10 pair that will soon be en route to Colorado.

Other Blogs I Like

This listing of blogs I like is linked to from the sidebar of my blog. It will be used to recognize blogs that I like, while keeping the number of blogs I link to on the main page limited. I read enough of them that keeping them listed there forces things I'd like to keep accessible far off the bottom of the page. This is my solution.

Running Blogs:
Little Miss Runner Pants - an amusing blog about running and the life of a twenty-something woman in the middle west.

Running With Lydiard - Mike Salkowski documents his efforts to follow legendary running coach Arthur Lydiard's training program. Mike is assisted in interpreting Lydiard's advice by noted Lydiard authorities, Nobby Hashizume, Glenn McCarthy and others.

Boston or Bust - Vince Hemingson's blog documenting his efforts to qualify for and run the granddaddy of North American Marathons.

See Us Run - this website documents the fourth and fifth grade classes from Russell Elementary School as they work to complete a virtual run across the United States. It will continue through the end of the school year, when, if either of the classes has arrived at the Atlantic Ocean, then Mr. Paul Staso, husband of their physical education teacher, Mrs. Vicki Staso, will run across the country following their route.

Alison's Running Blog - Start Now - Alison Wade's blog, which is currently transitioning from a blog about her life and training to more of a running news and commentary site. Ms. Wade started the Fast Women and Men's Racing Photo Websites, which she later sold the NYRRC.

Walking Blogs:

Ultrawalker - Marshall King documents his ultrawalking adventures. Marshall recently became a Centurion by completing a 100 mile walk in 24 hours.

Fat Man Walking - Steve Vaught's website tracking his trek across the United States. Steve, an ex-Marine (OK, some will argue that you're never an ex-Marine), husband, and father who had become very overweight seeks wisdom and understanding while making a transnational amble.

Weight Loss Blogs:

Twice The Man - G.R. Hamm's blog documents his weight loss from a peak of 431 lbs. At that level, his health was in serious jeopardy. He's working to get himself down to a weight that is healthier. Currently (end of 2005), he weighs 359 lbs! See what he's doing now.

The Skinny - John Cotey's blog about his efforts to lose weight. Cotey is a sports reporter for the St. Petersburg (FL) Times, so the writing is excellent. It was accompanied by a series of columns in the paper.


Other Blogs:



I should also note that unless a blog is truly exceptional, it will not show on my Blogs I like lists until it has been published regularly for at least a couple of months. (I've seen a great many blogs that started nicely disappear after several weeks.) You can improve the odds of showing up on these lists by commenting regularly on my blog or by linking to it, either in posts or on the sidebar of your blog.

Last updated:

Last Gloat of the Year

Unless something surprising happens, this should be my last gloat of the year. I was selected as the link of the week by the Twice the Man blog.

GR had this to say about my blog: "I like this blog, because one it lets me know even guys that have lost the weight need to stay on top things and continue smart eating & exercise; and two it lets me know that I don't have to regain it all back and more after I lose weight." While my all-time peak weight was less than half of GR's, it pleases me that I can inspire and instruct him regarding managing weight.

I find his site inspiring because it shows that even those who seem to be completely out of control with their weight (he weighed more than 430 lbs. when he started) can, with proper guidance and support, really change their habits and behavior and can do the things that will have a profound impact on their health in the long term.

Tuesday, December 27, 2005

I Am 'The Strangler'

Last night, we were at my in-laws celebrating the holidays. At dinner, I sat next to my 7 year-old nephew, who's good friends with my son (also 7). They're both into professional wrestling, and still young enough to think it's a sport. I have a pretty good, teasing relationship with him. As I sat down, my nephew immediately launched into "I don't want to sit next to 'The Strangler'." I don't know where he came up with the name.

After the meal, we opened gifts. I got a pair of running tights and a long-sleeved technical tee. In order to check sizing, I headed off to the bathroom. While in there, I had an idea. Suddenly, out marched 'The Strangler.' Returning to the living room, I shouted, "Watch out for 'The Strangler'!" It drew a good laugh. Now, all I need is a mask.

Friday, December 23, 2005

Sneakers


A Pair Of Converse All Stars (aka Chuck Taylors or Chucks)

Life's Lessons in the World

A few days ago, I was at the gym and this young woman says loudly, "No yapping!" It was a bit startling to hear, but it quickly became clear that she was talking to her father and one of his friends. As the exchange continued, it went on that the free-weight room had become an overly chatty environment and very little exercise seemed to be getting done there. Her next comment was very incisive, she described it as a "beauty shop with weights." While my experience in beauty shops is pretty limited, I related it to my boyhood experiences in the barber shop as a boy. If you've never done either, perhaps you've seen Floyd's Barber Shop on the Andy Griffith Show or watched one of the Barber Shop movies. Regardless, the thing that really hit home was the fact that that dynamic is a big part of most running club's group runs - they're a barber shop / beauty shop at 7 miles an hour. I'd mentioned before about my Mom not understanding the joy of running, here was the paradigm I could use.

I go to a local pizza place for lunch about once a week. It's owned by a family (no, not one of THOSE families, at least, I don't think so), the parents are immigrants, the son was raised here. The mother and/or son are around pretty regularly. We'd had a laugh in the spring when, to avoid bread during Passover, I ordered an antipasto. When I declined the bread with it, citing religious reasons, the proscuito and other pork based meats were pointed out to me. I had to explain that to honor my religion, while I didn't keep kosher, therefore didn't eschew pork, during Passover, I wouldn't eat bread. I had to explain my convoluted reasoning, and we all had a smile. This time of year, we had to go through the Merry Christmas / Happy Chanukah / Happy Holidays rigamorole, with the added "War on Christmas" discussion that seems to have become necessary this season. In the end, we acknowledged that we're different, and that respect for those differences is what counts.

There is no "War on Christmas", simply an effort by many people to avoid potentially offending others by wishing them a pleasant wrong holiday. My stance on this thing, if someone wishes you a good wrong holiday, say, "Thank You." Take it in the spirit intended. If you feel a need to point out that they've wished you the wrong one, then do so, and add, "But I appreciate the good wishes." We should all try to be sensitive to the feelings of others by bidding them one of the generic holiday wishes, such as "Happy Holidays" or "Season's Greetings" unless we know which they celebrate.

Whatever your religion, let me wish you the best this holiday season.

Thursday, December 22, 2005

Got The Niggles


One of New Jersey's top runners, Aidan Walsh, is an Irishman. I tell you that for two reasons; first, I love listening to an Irish brogue; second, it means he speaks English a bit differently than I do. Aidan, who competes for his employer, Running Company, recently won the Ashenfelter 8K Classic race.

When chatting with Aidan after the race, I asked how his training was going and he said something like, "Pretty well, but I have a few niggles." A couple were then listed, followed by, "There are always niggles." Aidan's use of "niggles" was new to me. I knew the term, but would have said, "a couple of niggling things." I liked the usage, and today, well, I've got a couple of niggles. My right hamstring and left achilles have been bugging me. During my run today, my left calf muscle was hurting, though it seemed to loosen up late in the run.

When I was young, I rarely had anything bugging me. Here in middle-age, rare is the day when some niggling thing isn't annoying me. Just because I was feeling crummy, I decided to try a trick I was told about for your tough days. This is one that was discussed Monday by Andrew at Downeast Running - counting your steps. It simply is a mind game to keep you occupied so you don't think about how lousy you're feeling. I did it half-heartedly for part of my run, but really wasn't feeling bad enough to need the mental escape.

So, I've got the niggles. Thank you, Aidan, for teaching me a bit more about my native tongue.

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Fatigue Failure

Monday's seaplane crash in Miami is beginning to look like a case of fatigue failure. There have been several reports of a wing separating from the plane before it crashed into the sea. Fatigue is an insidious thing, everything seems to be going along find until one day, apparently without cause, BOOM!, something breaks.

It may have happened to you. You aren't doing anything different from usual, suddenly your key snaps, or the beater on your mixer falls off, or (one I actually saw once) your tire is suddenly driving along ahead of your car.

Why should this matter to you? If you pass over or under bridges, walk into large buildings, drive or ride in cars, busses, or airplanes; a fatigue related failure might kill you. One spectacular failure related to fatigue was the collapse of the Mianus River Bridge on Interstate 95 in Connecticut back in 1983. Yes, the chances are small, but an understanding of why it happens can be nice to understand.

Did you ever wonder why most holes in structural members are round (or have rounded corners)? There are two reasons for this, one is that drills are round, the other is that a sharp corner focuses stresses. Because of this focusing of stresses, tiny cracks will often start to form. Once they've formed, they tend to grow. Very slowly at first, then a bit quicker, and eventually, BOOM!, you get that catastrophic failure. (Of course, very often that BOOM! is something small, so we hear "click!")

The cause of the initial crack can be a sharp corner (engineering or manufacturing failure), or it can be corrosion (maintenance failure), or it can be something like a bolt that wasn't tightened enough (assembly failure). Regardless, the result can range from inconvenience to death.

Have you ever looked at one of those things that broke after many years? What you probably saw was a very smooth break much of the way across followed by a section that looked like it was torn apart. That's a classic fatigue failure.

In order to understand these failures, we can consider a bridge beam. These are usually large I-beams (though they may have many other shapes). If we imagine one of them installed on a bridge, it may have to support some percentage of the weight of a tractor-trailer (or even several of them!) So, let's assume that every time a tractor trailer drives across the bridge, this beam is loaded with 50,000 lbs (25 tons) and it flexes a little bit. (I often look out airplane windows and watch the wings of the plane flex - the tips move up and down.) Some metals have a fatigue limit, below which they will not fail due to fatigue (perfect situation), other metals are subject to fatigue regardless of the load applied. (When I searched to confirm terms, I found this link that gives a more in depth look at the topic.) Anyway, over time, a tiny crack is formed, then it begins to grow. During this phase, though the crack may not be visible, it can often be detected. This is the important part of this post.

There are processes that can detect cracks in material too small to see. Without going through the processes, suffice to say, it can be critically important to do at least occasional testing to determine if crack develpment is occurring. This type of testing is also often done during production of large parts to ensure their long and safe function. One of the big companies involved in making these products is Magnaflux. There's little value to testing most small items, but when lives are at stake, testing must be performed regularly.

In the case of airplanes, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) generally requires inspections related to the age of the plane. (Note: planes ages are usually considered in flying hours, rather than years.) One of the difficulties facing those trying to evaluate fatigue problems is that your testing must not destroy the item you are testing. (It would make no sense to "break" an airplane in order to say, "Yep, that one used to be good enough to fly.") So, all testing must be non-destructive testing.

The plane involved in the Miami crash dates from the 1940's and likely had a great many flight hours. If well maintained, a high flight hour plane can be safe, but I think we can reasonably expect to see an advisory from the FAA mandating additional inspection and, perhaps, replacement of some parts on this type of aircraft.

Running In The Dark

Today is the winter solstice. The sun is at its southernmost point of the year and, in the northern hemisphere, we have our shortest day. In my area, sunrise is at 7:18 and sunset is at 4:33 (these numbers will differ a bit - people to the east of me in the Eastern Time Zone will see an earlier pair of numbers; to the west, later; but the time between will be the same; those north of me will have less time between the numbers; to the south, more time). For me, this means that we have eight and one-quarter hours of full daylight and a bit under nine hours of usable daylight. Now, if we take away time to prep for work and work time, it becomes clear that at this time of year, barring those who work early schedules or run during lunch, our training, if done outside, will be done in the dark.

Last night I had a nice, if unexceptional, training run. I did 5 (maybe 6 - I'm notorious for sloppy counts) laps of my local park starting at about 8:30PM. That put another 4 miles into my training log. I did a hard 10K racewalk on Sunday and my legs have been rebelling a bit (gotta stretch more!). This park closes at dark, but in conversations with cops, they've said essentially, "If you seem to have business here, were not going to be too aggressive about throwing you out." So, around I went. During my time there, it was quite pleasant. We had a full moon six days ago, and the clear skies were letting in the moon's reflected light. The temperature was probably ±25°F with the breeze making it feel like ±18°F. I was probably dressed a bit too warmly, the hat and double gloves letting me sweat a bit. I was utterly alone; no dog walkers, no police, no drive-thrus, just me. It was really quite nice...now if only I could do something about the cars passing constantly on the road outside the park.

All this said, I had a carless road, and cold, pleasant night, and solitude. If my legs hadn't been unhappy, I could have run for hours like that. It was really nice.

Tuesday, December 20, 2005

Walking and Biking For Exercise

Now that New York City's MTA has gone on strike, an awful lot of people are finding the need to do a bit more exercise than usual.

I think The New York Time's article requires registration. You can find CBC's article here. An article from Bloomberg discusses the Taylor Law which prohibits the MTA from striking (and I think the actual group that's out is actually a subset of the MTA called the NYCTA). Also, Time Magazine has an article accompanied by some good pictures (the Times article also has good pictures).

I'm sure there will be a lot of sore muscles, aching feet and groaning people over the next few days. Part of me wants to say, "I told you so." In the end, the issue for those needing to walk or cycle to work is the question, "Are you adequately conditioned to be able to do it without putting unreasonable demands on your body?" If you are in reasonable shape, walking from Penn Station to your Manhattan office (both NJ Transit and LIRR deliver their riders to Penn Station) should not be very difficult for most people above 4th St and below 60th St. Unfortunately, many people aren't in reasonable condition. Add to the deconditioned people those with medical conditions that preclude them from walking of cycling and you find a great many people being force to drive into the city. To prevent total gridlock, the city has announced a 4-person per car rule - in my opinion a wise way of limiting the number of vehicles coming into the city in the early part of the day (it only applies to a part of Manhattan and last only until 11 AM.

At the time of 9/11, and again with the New Orleans flood, the issue was raised about how people get out of a city in the event of a transit shutdown. The contingency plans are a step, but nothing will replace having people who can move themselves without cars. Clearly, the lesson has not gotten through. I think the billboard companies should post on unused billboards the question, "Could you walk home if you had to?" Only when most of the population could honestly answer, "yes", can we consider ourselves reasonably ready for another terrorist attack. We each have an obligation to be able to answer, "yes", to that question.

Monday, December 19, 2005

Running, Walking and Pedometers

I've been wearing a pedometer for a while now. I do occasionally forget to put it on in the morning (or take it off to change and neglect to put it back on). Regardless, I find that when I exercise, I usually tally 7000 to 10,000 steps per day. When I don't exercise, getting to 2000 is about all I end up with.

One question that I've been seeking to answer is, "What is the difference between running and walking on a pedometer?" Wearing it in a recent 10-mile race gave me some good running data. It seems that when I run, I usually tally about 1600-1700 steps per mile. This compares with the 2000 per mile that seems to be pretty close to the truth when I walk. I usually run at a moderate pace, putting in most of my miles between 7:30 and 8:30 pace (that roughly equates to 4:40 - 5:15 per km).

So, for me, my step count seems to be 15% - 20% less per mile than when I walk.

A further note on pedometers: current recommendations are for 30 minutes of exercise daily for health. Many of the pedometer advocates suggest 10,000 steps per day. This would equate to about 5 miles of activity. While it's a great goal, and one that will go far to helping people lose weight, it is probably more than most of us truly need. I think that most of us would do fine if we got to 6000 or 7000 steps per day. That would still represent 3 - 3.5 miles of activity, and would burn some 300-350 calories (yes, technically kilocalories). This activity level would take us about 45 - 55 minutes if we move at 15 minute miles (a brisk pace for most people). Further, since most of us will walk perhaps a mile in the course of "normal life", this can be cut down to about 30 - 40 minutes of "exercise" plus normal activity.

So, my suggestion is to aim for 30+ minutes of dedicated exercise supplemented with living a more active life (park a bit further away, walk to lunch, or take a stroll around the block) and you'll have enough activity to maintain health.

Sunday, December 18, 2005

The Meme Thing and Runners Who Rock

One of the things going around the blogging community is memeing. (I hope I did OK on adding the -ing suffix there.) It is essentially a challenge, in which, when you are tagged (sent an e-mail), you are supposed to respond with the list that is requested, then tag a specified number of other bloggers.. My stance on memes - "Homey don't do that!" This is partially because I don't share an e-mail, thus making tagging me an iffy proposition (or perhaps indicating no readers), so I haven't been tagged. Second, I feel like the concept of memes underlies a degree of mental laziness on the part of blog writers, though it does often bring out interesting aspects of the bloggers personality.

Two memes that are drifting around the running community are: "five random things" and "runners who rock." The first is sort of a challenge to open yourself up, the second is to list some runners you respect and tell why. You can see some examples of the first meme by clicking these links: Alison's Blog - Start Now; Running Chick with the Orange Hat; and The Thinking Runner. Some examples of the second can be found here: Running With Jack; Weighty Words; and you can see this meme get started in A Passion For Running. The first has no real appeal to me, but the second, because it involves recognizing excellence (perhaps in unusual ways) appeals to me. So, I've decided to tag myself on the second meme, Runners Who Rock.

Since this meme originated the Mark, the running blogfather, I've copied his rules here:
1-Create a post titled Runners Who Rock.
2-List three runners who rock and tell us why they rock. Make sure you provide a link to their blog!
3-Tell those three runners about the meme and tag them so they can keep it going.
4-Link to runners who rock and to the blogger who tagged you so we get a ping and can keep track of all the participants!

Now, since I've ignored normal rules, I'm going to modify them here a bit. Since a meme must grow, it requires other bloggers to get involved. Since, I wasn't tagged, I don't feel an obligation to name bloggers as my Runners Who Rock choices. Therefore, I have a level of freedom that normal memers (again a questionable word) don't have. So, here's my list of Runners Who Rock:

Toshiko D'Elia - Toshi, as she's known, is a top national level age group competitor. Toshi came to running relatively late - I think a bit over 30 years ago. She and her late husband, Fred, were involved in founding the North Jersey Masters Track and Field Club. Toshi holds numerous national age group records, and now competes in the 75-79 year-old age group. She's in the midst of recovering from missing most of her Fall training, the result of a broken arm suffered when she was knocked down at the NewAlliance New Haven 20K Road Race over Labor Day weekend. I recently had the chance to see her as she watched her grandson, Ben, competing at the New Jersey Cross-Country Meet of Champions.

Roger Price - Roger is another national class age-group competitor. He works at the Sneaker Factory running store, where he shares his shoe and running expertise with their customer base. Roger is an active member of both Raritan Valley Road Runners and USATF-New Jersey and has served both organizations as a volunteer.

Patti Lyons Catalano Dillon - Patti was the first American woman to run a marathon in less than 2:30. She's an extraordinarily upbeat person, who, with her husband, Dan, coaches the Connecticut Home Schooled Harriers. She also shares her experience with the next generation of runners on Dyestat's Girl Talk! thread and elsewhere. Patti's current running goal is to qualify to run in the 2008 Olympic Trials Marathon (when she will be 55 years old!). In order to do this, she'll need to meet the qualifying standard by running a marathon in 2:47:00 or faster. If she succeeds (and I think she'll do it as long as she can stay healthy), she'll be rematched with the woman who beat her at Boston in 1979, Joan Benoit Samuelson, who has already qualified.

So, for both competing at a high level and working to pass their love of running on to others, these are my runners who rock.

Saturday, December 17, 2005

Intolerance II

My ongoing research into my lactose intolerance moves forward. Over the past few days, I've had milk, mostly in the form of Starbucks Coffee drinks. I had earlier tried drinking soy milk and reported on the mostly favorable results in an earlier post.

My preliminary research on Lactaid says, "it works". Twice, I drank Starbucks espresso based drinks with milk (Caramel Macchiato or Caffe Latte) in their grande size without bad side effects. The first time, I'd eaten a bigger than usual lunch and was having some gas prior to the coffee, so, while the gas persisted, it didn't seem to worsen. As a result, I couldn't reliably judge if Lactaid worked. The following day, I had one on an empty stomach, the result was virtually no flatulence. Lactaid worked!

What I don't know is how much is necessary in order to counter a certain volume of milk. Since Lactaid is an enzyme, it breaks down the lactose that my body can't break down itself. (My body doesn't produce lactase, the enzyme that breaks down lactose, in sufficient quantities if at all.) Lactaid comes in caplet form, and 3 caplets is the recommended dose. Taking at the recommended dose prevented problems.

The next question is will a lower dose work - will 2 caplets do the job? One? Will one be enough most of the time? Will two usually be enough? So, for me, further study is in order.

I Walked

Among many runners, that's a bad thing to say; but in many ways, it can actually be a good thing. After several days of significant foot discomfort, I decided to give my feet a recovery day. I racewalk, so even when I walk it's no stroll in the park. Yesterday, I took a stroll in the park - a vigorous one.

If park management is to be believed, the path I walked is 2.2 miles long and I walked it in almost exactly 22 minutes, so I was going at 10-minute miles or 6.0 miles per hour. Even a couple of hours after my walk, my feet weren't hurting. They hadn't gotten tight like they do after most of my runs.

Walking, when done briskly, can provide you with an aerobic workout that matches that of running, but without the impact loads that running puts on the body. What about calories burned? Well, the rule of thumb is that running and walking both burn roughly the same number of calories per mile. The difference comes from the fact that when you run, you cover those miles a bit faster than when you walk. Much of my running training is done at about an 8:00 or 8:30 pace, or about 7-7.5 mph. The aerobic intensity of this walking was considerably higher than that, but because of the reduced pounding, I could do it with less fatigue and without aggravating my feet. In terms of intensity, I'd estimate this to equate aerobicly to about a 6:40 mile pace (about 9 mph).

So, while for many runners, saying, "I walked" is a mark of shame, it shouldn't always be that way. I can consider yesterday's walk to be a sign of wisdom and honor.

"We know you're tough, but are you wise?"
- Coach Bill Squires of the Greater Boston Track Club

Friday, December 16, 2005

The Price of Fatigue

Running, at a level beyond fitness running, seems to always involve some pain and some fatigue. That fatigue, especially when life includes blocks of sitting, but prohibits napping, can be quite demanding. It also means that at times when you sit, especially in darkened locations, for any extended period (that's pronounced movie theaters, Power Point presentations, etc.) there's a tendancy to doze.

This can be very frustrating, both to oneself and one's spouse. It's gotten bad enough at times that my wife won't let me sit on the couch for fear of my dozing off. Focus seems to have an impact on this, I seem able to keep my focus level high in places like the car and only very rarely do I feel like I'm going to doze off. (When that strikes, and it seems to only be a couple of times a year, I pull over for a nap - usually as little as 10 or 15 minutes will do the trick.) The flip side is that most TV, which is often audio-visual background, seems to me to be a powerful sleep inducer. For this reason, I love the auto-off timers on TV's.

One recent related blog post was from Andrew at Downeast Running, in it he outlines part of the price of fatigue for him. So, I run, I work, I eat, I spend time with family, and I sleep. It just often feels like my need for sleep is never fully satisfied.

Thursday, December 15, 2005

Oh, My Aching Feet

It seems like the demands of the ten-miler on Sunday was enough to make my feet pretty sensitive. They haven't been very painful, but a bit...and I can tell that it won't take much to put them over the edge.

I repeated my "standing barefoot in the snow" this morning outside the gym. I got a few strange looks. It was cold this morning, and after standing, when I walked, I felt my feet (now wet with melted snow) stick a bit to the walk. It was pretty disconcerting.

I'm trying to be diligent about my stretching, and the discomfort isn't too bad, but I'm not 100%.

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Fish is Healthy, But...

There's been a lot of talk recently about mercury in fish. A lot of it has centered on tuna, especially canned tuna. In the United States, most tuna is either categorized as solid white or chunk light. The solid white is albacore, which is a high mercury fish. The chunk light contains about 1/3 the mercury of solid white, so it's the healthier choice to make.

In general, the higher on the food chain a fish is (that means eating smaller fish and also relates to long life), the more they tend to concentrate mercury in their body. One of my favorite fish is swordfish, but I haven't had it in about 2 years because it is a high mercury fish. Some excellent background information can be found on FDA's site here. You can find a good list of mercury levels by fish species on the FDA's website here. The American Heart Association has some good background info, though with a less complete listing here. Salmon is one popular fish that is very low in mercury and sardines are another.

While most of us think of the silver-colored liquid metal when we think of mercury, the version that is usually found in the environment that is dangerous is a compound called methyl mercury. Mercury is of particular concern to pregnant women and those with young children as mercury and most heavy metals tend to impact neural development.

Eat your fish regularly, but choose it wisely.

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Some Humor and Some Advice About Ice

I came across a very funny posting on Bad Ben's Ramblings entitled T-Shirt Etiquette. It's worth a read, especially if you're a long-time runner or want to laugh at what you likely regard as the geeks that run.

Bad Ben's Site put me in touch with another posting entitled Screw Shoe (Great, here come the fetishists and other perverts! They're in for disappointment.) This is a trick that I know from the mountain biking world applied to running. Pay particular attention to the portion of the diagram entitled "ouch." I've chosen to go the commercial route, having invested in a pair of YakTrax. I got the pro version with the extra strap to help keep it on the foot.

Keep your feet on the ground and keep running from the cars! (Apologies to Casey Kasem.)

First Cold One of the Season

This morning, I ran in 12°F (-11°C) cold this morning. It was the first time I went out in what I regard as serious cold (OK, for you Minnesotans, this is practically short sleeve weather). I did a bit over 4 miles in about 35 minutes. I think I collected some frost in the moustache. It felt pretty good. Since the run was pretty short, I didn't have any real problems with cold (numb fingers, etc.).

I was wearing my heavier tights along with a heavy zip mock-turtleneck shirt and a light shell. I was double gloved - a pair of knit gloves under a cheap baggy shell. I was also wearing a knit cap, Thor-Lo crew socks and normal running shoes. (I don't go the trail shoe path in looking for extra warmth.) Since it seems to be shaping up to be a cold winter, I might need to invest in a pair of wind briefs to keep my equipment warm on my longer runs as I prepare for Boston.

Stay warm!

Monday, December 12, 2005

Old Milk

You've probably seen one kind or another of milk that keeps better than usual. How do they do it and is it as nutritous as fresh, pasteurized milk? A nice explanation can be found here. (That link should stay active for a couple of weeks, then you'll need to be a subscriber to NY Times online to get it.)

The upshot is that it loses a very small amount of nutritional value, but for the most part can be considered virtually the equal of fresh, pasteurized milk. The ultrapasteurization process heats the milk to a very high temperature for a very, very short period of time.

Feet On Ice


In order to prevent a possible flare up of plantar fasciitis after yesterday's ten-mile race, I used a convenient resource, snow, to help minimize any possible swelling. It seemed to work pretty well.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

Often, when I go to the gym, I'm shocked by the drivers waiting to get a space in the parking lot at high-demand times. It's shocking because they could easily get a space on the street just 100 or 200 feet away. That kind of distance could easily be walked in a minute or less, so they certainly aren't saving any time by parking closer. What make it more remarkable is the mentality behind it...they are going to the gym to exercise, but getting a little more exercise prior to their workout or class - not a chance! To me, the whole situation is bizarre.

I will say that I (who lives about 3/8 mile from my gym) often drive over, to get in a workout before work, or stop in on my way home. I try (and sometimes get lazy) to walk over when the workout is my only activity. The stroll over is a great warmup or cooldown. It can be done at an intensity level that doesn't make me break a sweat if I've showered and changed or it can be done with vigor to get me to the gym (or home) more quickly.

We've gotten into a mentality where exercise done out of a gym setting is often not recognized as exercise or valued for its calorie burning or other benefits. Many of the people who go to my gym live within a mile of it, now some don't have the ability to walk over readily, but most do (or at least should). Why don't they enhance their workout by adding the walk to and from the gym at least some of the time?

Ten Quick Miles

I had anticpated slogging through the 10-mile race I ran yesterday AM. Instead, I surprised myself. I expected to run at about an 8:30 pace, instead, the results put me at 7:40. How and why did I misjudge?

I hadn't done much long training. Without that, stamina will likely be less than ideal. Second, I had been having some trouble with plantar fasciitis. I didn't really expect this to be a serious problem during the race, but knew if I beat my feet up excessively, it would flare up after the race. Third (and this had impacted the second), I have been trying to execute a form change, changing from a hell striker to a forefoot striker. I was unsure of the abilities of my feet and calves to function well as shock absorbers for a race of this length.

I ran the race by feel, relying on my body to provide me with feedback on my effort level. This is something that can work well for experienced athletes, but if you are new to sport, you're probably better off relying on a heart rate monitor. After the first, slightly quick mile, most seemed to tick off in about 7:45's. Around 8 miles, I found my right foot was getting sloppy with a heel strike, so I worked a bit on my foot posture.

Much of the second half of the race was spent chasing down and then, trying to keep ahead of one guy. I passed him around the 7-mile mark. He closed much of the 100 foot gap I'd opened by about 9. Somewhere near 9 1/2 (maybe 9 3/4), he came up beside me, and I couldn't answer the challenge. He went by. After the race, we thanked each other, each of us had pushed the other past what we could have done solo. (I wonder if I'd have beaten him if I'd been doing more long runs.) All in all, it was a good day.

Friday, December 09, 2005

The Eyes Have It

Yesterday, I went to the eye doctor for my annual checkup. As a contact lens wearer, I am more regular on this than most people. First, the good news - I don't need the white cane with the red tip, yet. As a kid, when someone couldn't throw, we'd say, "He couldn't hit the broad side of a barn." My eyesight then permitted me to see the barn, it was probably good enough that if the door was open, I could see the door. It has gradually worsened (though not really that much). Being into middle-age, I have developed a bit of farsightedness. It's a bit annoying to have to put on reading glasses if the light's not good, but having worn glasses or contacts most of my life, it's no big deal.

I took the opportunity to ask my doctor two questions: What does he think about the optical muscular development programs that are supposed to diminish your need for glasses? and, What is his stance on vitamins and supplements?

Regarding the muscular development programs, he told me that unless you have a problem with optical muscles, and that group is almost always young people, the cause of most focus problems is changing depth of the eyeball. No amount of muscular work will change that, therefore, in most cases, the only people helped by these kinds of programs being used by adults are those employed by the sellers of these programs.

Supplements were a very different story. He was strongly in favor of good diet aided by supplements, especially including anti-oxidants. He mentioned a few vegetables including broccoli. In general, I've learned that with regard to veggies, the more color thay have, the healthier they are for us. Here, he said that there was some disagreement about whether it made a difference, but he was certain that good nutrition wouldn't hurt and could likely help. He also pointed out that protecting the eyes from exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light with good sunglasses was also important in slowing age related deterioration of the eyes.

One final note, he wears glasses and has not gotten his vision corrected with surgery (either knife or laser). In previous conversations, he's told me that he'd given it thought and for him, the convenience of being free of glasses didn't outweigh the possible risks. (So, no radial keratotomy, Lasik, etc. for him, or for me either.)

Thursday, December 08, 2005

Sabotage?

Last night, I got home late for dinner and my wife had put my food in a bowl to keep it warm. I ate all of what was there. I'm not sure if it was sabotage...I think she really wants that dollar. I'm not sure if was her intent to sabotage me, but I ate half again what I should have.

I'm running a 10-mile race this Sunday, and while I know I'm undertrained, and may hurt my feet a bit, I'm putting it out there to test myself. Since snow is expected tomorrow, if I need to ice my feet, I'll walk barefoot into the snow after the race.

Wednesday, December 07, 2005

Changing Goals

The whole business of marshaling one's energies becomes more and more important as one grows older. - Hume Cronyn

Aging gracefully is a difficult proposition. In middle age, I am still fighting like heck to deny that I've lost any of the abilities I had a couple of decades ago. This morning, I was talking with one of my running friends at the gym. I believe he's somewhere between a decade and a decade and a half older than I am. That 60ish age group seems to be where the real decline in ability seems to occur. It's the wisdom that comes with acknowledging one's changing capabilities that intrigues me.

This man has needed, because of knee issues, to stop most of his running in training. He now spends the bulk of his training on the elliptical trainer. He does still race, and does well in his age-group, but he's had to tone it down. He no longer runs the long races, saying that 5 miles is his limit. (I suspect he'd slip into a 10K without argument, but there aren't many around anymore.) This process of adjusting one's goals as we age is, in my mind, a big part of how we do manage to age with grace. I am not saying we should ever give anything away without a fight, but when the price of fighting that fight affects quality of life, then it's time to reevaluate how to continue the fight.

I've had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with many fine older athletes, some of whom we fine young athletes, others found their talents later, while still others rose from mediocrity by suffering less from the ravages of time. I've also spoken to many fine athletes who've, though injury, lack of desire, or impinging of life's demands, given up sport. Some continue to participate on the sidelines, others simply move away or redirect their athletic interests. Most seem to recognize the value of an active life. More and more, it's clear to me that staying active is a key part of aging with grace.

I was introduced to the concept of "squaring the curve" by walking coach Mark Fenton when he was making the TV show America's Walking. The essence of the concept is to live a life with quality for as long as possible, keeping that gradual decline of abilities at a minimum for as long as possible. The eventual outcome of every life is, unfortunately, death. If the curve is well-squared, one's abilities are reasonably well maintained until just before one's death.

I look to people like this friend to set the example for me to follow as I am faced with the challenges of aging. I hope I can meet the challenges with a fair measure of grace and manage to square the curve well (and many, many years from now).

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

On Intolerance

I hate intolerance! No, not gay bashing (though I hate that and think such behavior is reprehensible), nor most other varieties of social intolerance. I'm talking medical intolerance. I have a condition, and frankly, not a particularly bad case of this condition. Apparently, my body fails to produce (or underproduces) the enzyme lactase. It causes me to become flatulent after I consume milk. Before I realized the cause, I'd consume larger amount than I do today, with considerably more severe effects - diharrea and cramping.

This morning, I stopped into a Starbucks, and ordered myself a tall latte with soymilk. For a small premium (I think 50 cents), people around me may have been offended by my other characteristics, but not by aromatics emanating from my hind parts. The latte tasted a bit different, perhaps a bit sweeter and more vanilla-y (you tell me how to spell that one), but it was good. I think I can chalk this little experiment up as a success. Now, I wonder if I can similarly avoid this problem with Lactaid and wonder if it would be budgetarily more advantageous. More experiments to come! Ain't science wonderful!

Note to readers: In writing this, I was having difficulty spelling diarrhea. I tried to look it up in my favorite online dictionary, but got stymied, even though they have a "browse words near" function - my spelling was pretty far off! I then had the bright idea of looking up Imodium (which I misspelled)(by the way, that link will currently - Dec 2005 - let you save a dollar on "New Imodium Liquid"). Google was gracious enough to offer me a suggested alternative spelling. So, thank you Google, Imodium and Merriam-Webster for helping to keep quality of my writing at a passable level.

Good-Bye, Stan Berenstain

As New Jersey's highly litigious bear hunt gets under way, and bears in many parts of the country prepare to hibernate, it's time to say good-bye to another group of bears. I saw yesterday that Stan Berenstain, co-creator with his wife, Jan, of the Berenstain Bears had passed away. I saw mention of it on NPR's website, though it happened about 2 weeks ago.

While I was never a huge fan of the Berenstain Bears, I remember a copy of one of their books in the bookshelf of my parent's house when I was growing up. So, they were always a sort of "comfort food" for my mind. Good-Bye, Mr. Berenstain, your creations will live on in the hearts of many.

Training Barefoot

In the running community, there is a lot of conversation about training barefoot. It is developing on several fronts. The commercial side of it comes most significantly from Nike through their marketing of the Nike Free, but it also comes from websites like Ken Bob Saxton's website, and from blogs like Running Barefoot.

The basic premise behind all of these forces is that modern shoes and the American lifestyle have conspired to weaken our feet and lower legs and have a negative impact on foot health, both in terms of reducing flexibility and to a lesser extent promoting disease.

I have become a mild follower of these theories. I've changed (gradually) from a highly supportive running shoe to one with less support and less cushioning. Shoes like this make your feet do more work. When I run, to avoid abusing my feet, I must strike with the forefoot, absorb the impact with the foot as I drop my heel, then push off by again lifting the heel. It requires a fair amount of foot and lower leg strength.

All of this is a prelude to a goofy incident this past weekend. I drove over to my gym shortly before closing to squeeze in a quick workout. I dressed in my shorts and singlet and suddenly realized that I hadn't packed my running shoes. I hadn't enough time to scoot home to get them, so, since I'd been working on foot strength and had done a few barefoot workouts, I decided that that would be my solution. Quickly weighing my options, I decided that I was less likely to be challenged if I ran in socks, rather than fully barefoot, so I headed off the the aerobic equipment room shod in socks.

I climbed onto one of the mills and started it up. One factor that concerned me was speed. While I can run comfortably at about an 8:30 pace in shoes, I was a bit fearful of slipping in my socks, so I decided to run at about a 9:30 pace. I cranked the mill up to that level and ran. (I needed to make a brief stop because one time, when wiping sweat off my face, I dropped my glasses onto the treadmill belt. I couldn't safely leave them in the aisle behind me, so I stopped for a moment to pick them up and put them back on.) Several members of the gym management team came in while I was running. None seemed to pay any attention to socked feet. After 2.5 miles, I did a brief cool down and my stretching.

I awakened the next morning with some pain in my left foot. Near the middle of the foot, towards the outside, it hurt. I think I pulled something a bit. Other than that, I also had a bit of irritation on my soles. I have some scarring from some old medical procedures and the friction seemed to irritate the scars a bit. It's now two days, the foot pain and the irritation of the sole are virtually gone. I think I can consider this accidental experiment a success!

Monday, December 05, 2005

Meeting A Legend

I recently had the opportunity to meet Tom Fleming. He's not a household name, but he should be. Fleming, who coaches at a private school in NJ, won the NY Marathon twice in its early days. He also had two second places and several other high placings at the Boston Marathon. So, why don't you know of him? Fleming had the misfortune of running in the shadow of perhaps America's best known marathoner, Bill Rodgers. (Yes, for those of you who are marathon fans, if you want to claim that Frank Shorter deserves that title, I can't really argue against it.)

Among the stories that I heard Mr. Fleming tell, my personal favorite was a tale about his winning a car in 1981. In those days, he was training at a very high level. His weekly mileage was about 140/week (yes, that is 20 miles a day!) and he walked to the running store that he operated. The result was that most of the mileage on that car built up driving to races. His annual mileage on the car was about 2500, while his annual training mileage was about 7000! How many of us can make a statement like that? I know that most weekdays, I drive more than my weekly mileage.

You'll find a capsule biography on Fleming by scanning down to the three asterisks (***) in the article recognizing his induction into the Ogden Newspapers 20K race's hall of fame. You'll also find Fleming listed several times among the top finishers in the early years of the NY City Marathon. You can also find a nice article by Running Times republishing of their story on the 1979 Boston Marathon. Fleming is also mentioned in Marc Bloom's book, God On The Starting Line. (I might add that Bloom's book is excellent, and likely an inspiring gift for any young runner you know.) Fleming is truly one of the great ones, yet his accomplishments go virtually unrecognized except by true students of distance running.

Why are essential fatty acids essential?

I'm in the midst of listening to The Perricone Prescription and was struck by Dr. Perricone's emphasis on eating fish. Dr. Kenneth Cooper also strongly recommends fish in the diet. Both of them do it for the same reason, though their approach to it differs significantly. Perricone comes at it from a cosmetic viewpoint ("eating fish will make you look better") while for Cooper, it's a health spin ("fish oils are significant contributors to health"). In the end, the message is the same.

Why is it that some oils are called essential fatty acids (EFA's)? The answer is really quite simple, they are necessary to our body's good function, but our body does not make them. This means it is essential that we obtain them from our diet.

There are many further nutritional nuances, but this one seems to now be coming from many sources. Given the opportunity, eat more fish.

Thursday, December 01, 2005

November Index

Just setting this up so I'll have it ready.