Biking?

What is this biking stuff doing on a running blog? Well, after numerous nagging injuries this spring, I decided that biking might be a nice way to maintain my fitness even if I needed a little rest from running. I have never had a road bike, though I have a mountain bike that has been idle for most of a decade.

I really like to get on the open country roads, and that is part of what I like about running, though obviously the ground I can cover these days is limited. A few times a month I take my urban race car (VW GTI) out flying through the back country roads… rarely exceeding the speed limit, though I have taken 15 MPH turns at 55 MPH. (My GTI laughs at turn speed limits) =)

So I started to ponder how to see more of those beautiful open roads, all while maintaining fitness, when the idea of a road bike popped into my head. Now, I know nothing about road cycling, except they wear colorful outfits and a most dedicated shave their legs (out of tradition I guess).

When I started researching road bikes I was immediately overwhelmed. First of all, the price is pretty crazy, and of course the number of bikes and components to choose from is downright intimidating to a newbie. After resisting the urging from my brother-in-law to but a more expensive all carbon fiber bike, I settled on a Giant Defy 1. It was the best new entry level road bike that wasn’t too outrageous in price, but seemed to get as good as reviews as the more expensive bikes. Sure it doesn’t have the bling factor for a bike geek, but I am not a bike geek (just a geek).  

So I get my bike, and my shoes, and my pretty biking cloths and my padded biking shorts that make me feel like I have poo in them from the padding, and set off for my first 10+ mile ride. Despite repeating in my head over and over to unclip my pedals before I stopped, of course I forgot and fell over sideways. No big injuries, just some blood and scratches on my bike.

And if that wasn’t enough to show what a biking newbie I am, it took me one month to finally figure out I had to unscrew the little cap on a presta value to get air into the tire. Compared to running, biking is complicated! =)

I am working my butt up to longer rides (literally… my butt has to get used to being in the ‘saddle’ as bikers call it). I completed a 26 mile ride and though, yeah, cycling is easier in many ways than running, but it can be a great and enjoyable way to maintain fitness, without as much wear and tear on your body (well… except you bum). Riding up hills is definitely good for fitness, and honestly keeping up 16+ MPH speed for a whole ride is a good workout.

As I ease back into running, I have another secret weapon helping my fitness… cycling.

Boston Marathon terrorism

On Monday morning at 8 AM I tweeted “I am not afraid to fail, I am afraid to not try. I am going to try to qualify for the Boston Marathon.”

It is no secret that I have dreamed of running the Boston Marathon, but when I tweeted that on Monday I didn’t even *know* the Boston Marathon was going on right then. When I searched for Boston Marathon Qualifying times, I saw that the marathon was in progress. I checked some media sources regarding it to see if any US runners were doing well, but the race was not over.

Late in the morning I checked again, but still couldn’t find the names I was looking for so I did some searching on twitter, when I stumbled on a bloody picture tweeted from the finish line that said something along the lines of WTF just happened?

Not the Boston Marathon, please no. Terrorism anywhere is horrible, but terrorism at the finish line to a goal I have dreamed about for years?  I just felt sick, and even sicker when the reports of injuries started to pour in.

I could go off on a rant about terrorism, about how absolutely cowardly it is to target innocent women and children, and about how nonsensical such acts are (what exactly did it accomplish?), but this is a blog about running after all.

On Monday I didn’t want to run, but I did what we have to when adversity strikes, I continued on and I dragged myself out and did my run. I did wonder in my head whether the dream of Boston was ruined. Tainted. How in my mind could I derive joy from all my hard work and dedication, if only to get to the finish line where three people were killed, include a boy one year older than one of my own? I remember on my first marathon he was 3…

“Between miles 5 and 6 my wife and two boys were at the side of the road. I was going to give my wife a kiss (which would have been the only time I planned to break stride for the entire race) but she had the camera up, so I just smiled and waved (and said something stupid) My youngest son (3) was yelling ‘Go Daddy!’ ‘Go Daddy!’ ‘Go Daddy!’ over and over. My eyes got misty and I filed that gem of encouragement for use throughout the race.”

So what do I do now? The same as before, I try to run my best and qualify and run the Boston Marathon. Three people died for the love of the Marathon, and me, a no body average Joe who doesn’t even run fast, has a dream to run it. I will not bow to terrorism, or fear, or doubt… I will run, and I will run fast, and I will qualify for and run the Boston Marathon, and doing so I will show anyone that is smart enough to watch, that Americans, even average slow ones like me, don’t give up, don’t alter course, and we do prevail.

What am I doing running in the city?

I love my car. VW GTI. I like to take it for drives, just for the fun of driving. Only a few minutes outside the city and we have long and endless lovely country roads. So why do I continue to run the same routes next to crowds of angry commuters?

I don't know. Familiarity? I think at least a few days a week I will start driving a few minutes outside the city to do my runs. I won't have the routes all memorized, but I do have a GPS watch that can tell me when I am 1/2 to turn around.

First week of training results

3 Miles easy
5x400 meter intervals at 7:30 pace
Rest
Tempo with 7:57 pace for fastest mile
Rest
Fast 4 miles at 8:23 pace with fastest mile of 8:08
6 miles easy

My previous fast 4 mile for the year was at an 8:54 pace, so as slow as I am currently running, I can still see improvement in just one short week. Of course, I have a large opportunity for improvement right now. =)

5K on the way

So on May 18, I will put on a bib for the first time in years and run a 5K. RUN. The goal of course would be a PR, but that may not be realistic as I have just one week (of weak) ;)  speed training under my belt. That is the goal however, and time will tell what happens.

May 18th is a day I will never forget for other reasons, because, as some in the Northwest may remember, May 18th 1980, is the day Mt. St. Helen's erupted. I can remember being at a baseball practice and seeing the ash plumes stretching into the sky. From Portland, it looked like this

http://www.mount.st.helens.national-park.com/photo.htm

 

 

Back then I was a very skinny kid and yes I did run some (cross country). I never really trained so to speak... I could pretty much just run forever if I wanted. I believe once my dad took me to the Oregon Coast to run the Seaside Oregon half marathon... at least I think it was a half marathon. Maybe it was a 10K... I can't remember, but I know I didn't really train for it and I did OK. It kind of sucked though because part of it was in the sand which made for hard running. 

I was a good but not great runner back then, and one of the only races I remember was meet a that I placed 6th in. It was one of the bigger races too and probably my best performance, but I remember being next to another runner at my school, and at one or the other's suggestion we decided to go across the line together to tie, but in the last 50 yards he sprinted ahead and beat me. Obviously, he didn't like to lose.

A few years later he was much better at cross country than I, and I had stopped running. The next school year he didn't show up and I heard through the grapevine that he committed suicide over the summer. The story I heard was there was some type of injury or medical condition, and that Dr's told him he couldn't run anymore, and that pushed him to suicide. True story or not, I don't know, but that was the rumor at school.

Darn that kind of turned into a bummer, but where I was trying to go with that is that running isn't just running to everyone. Running certainly isn't worth your life, but running can make your life more worthwhile. It isn't the running itself per se, but the journey of it all. Health, determination, dedication, motivation are all required just to get you to the starting line. What happens from there, is just the icing on the cake.

Video on Tips for Running a Marathon

Happened across this videos on tips for runners

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWZ8yEmFmn8

First day of 5K training

Today is the first day of my 5K training cycle... in an attempt to break my 5K PR. Yahoo! This is the training I will follow: http://www.halhigdon.com/training/50935/5K-Advanced-Training-Program Unfortunately for me... I had a fast 5K for me when I was running a lot... even though I wasn't really training to run 5Ks back then. It will be interesting to see if I can get my speed up. Interesting indeed.

Running in the Rain

Being from Oregon, I run in the rain a lot. Sure the Oregon summers are beautiful and we can go months without rain, but rain is common in the Spring, Winter and Fall. Most of the Oregon rain is a light misty type of drizzle that hardly causes a bother. We walk around in the rain all the time without a worry or an umbrella. Now, from my time in Florida and Georgia, I know how hard rain can come down in stretches... drenching, pounding big wet drops that will soak you in seconds.

Yesterday I set out for a slow 6 mile run, and the weather was decent though cloudy. There was a little breeze at my back that I hoped would go away before I turned around and headed back into it. But about the 2.5 mile mark the clouds darkened and the wind picked up even more and a few drops of rain started falling. No problem, Oregon rain.

The 1/2 way point of my run was a bridge in a park. It is a familiar and comforting place where I have turned around many times in my running. About 1/2 mile later as I was running next to the Hillsboro Airport, the gates of heck opened up. I could hear the line of rain pounding the metal roofs of the hangers before it even reached me, a chorus of man and nature. The rain then raced across the taxiway and passed the airport fence and then engulfed me.

"You didn't think it was going to be that easy did you?"

It was no Oregon rain, it was some wayward rain from another place and I was drenched. The sidewalk was covered in so much water I had trouble carving a path without stepping in 1/2 inch of water. The comfortable run turned in to something else. When the rain finally let up a bit I grabbed my shirt and wrenched out a cup or so of water that my dry fit running shirt had soaked up. Regardless... I didn't put on any body glide and I knew I'd have some chaffing issues afterward (and I did).

Just when I thought the worst was over, the rain returned even stronger. As I approached an intersection, I couldn't help but break out in a smile. It was some crazy rain, and I was that crazy runner that over the past few years I would see from the warmth of my car and think, wow... I'd hate to be that guy. But you see... my smile was because I know now that I *want* to be that guy. I don't want to float down the cozy path in life, I want to get out and run in all that nature throws at me... preferably in nice weather, but you have to take it all in to be able to appreciate the more comfortable times.

Bring it on rain, bring it on. (but next time I will remember the body glide)

Targets

I don't think jogging is healthy, especially morning jogging. If morning joggers knew how tempting they looked to morning motorists, they would stay home and do sit-ups. Rita Rudner

A real run

So a real run for me... not a jog, still seems like a jog for me when I was running marathons. I haven't been trying to run fast at all at this point, just trying to build a base so I won't hurt myself when I do up the speed a little.

I have been running 4-6 miles every other day for awhile now, and after a 3 day break (couldn't fit a run in on Easter because of company) I decided to try to see how fast I could comfortable run 4 miles... and it turned out to be 8:55 per mile. Now, I don't put much weight in speed, I am not trying to win a race, and someone else's speed vs my speed (whether faster or slower) means very little to me. But I did run a complete marathon quite a bit faster than that once, so I am aware of the opportunity for improvement.

When I was at the Oregon coast over spring break I let the kids ride their bikes on my 5 mile trail runs. They really enjoyed it... especially the 9 year old. I could see in his eyes, in his voice, and his smile. What they said without words was, 'this is pretty cool'. Maybe he will remember that spark some time in the future when he is old enough to run (or bike or mountain bike) and he will also choose to hit the road or trail.

I am running again

I am running again. No really, and I can’t hardly believe it myself. I hit 17 miles for the last week and then started off this week with a six miler.

The route I choose was a very familiar one for me, one that I ran many many times during my marathon training. To the bridge and back I call it in my mind. Out along the boulevard, through the tunnel under the road, past the lakes by the library and to a bridge that marked the 3 mile point from home.

On that bridge, one second going one way, and then next moment another… is much like the moment I stopped running. I didn’t plan it, it just happened and day slipped by like cards in a deck before I realized how far in the wrong direction I traveled. Heading back to that bridge and turning around is a milestone for me.

Where am I heading now? I don’t know. I don’t know why, but I like it.

Increasing my search radius

As I got ready to head out for my run yesterday, my wife made the comment that she didn't think I would be coming back. Now, it isn't that unusual for her to try to get my route if I am planning a longer run. Many times I tell her where I am running, and when I should be back so she can bring me a stretcher if I don't return. =)

But on this case... she implied that I was headed on a one-way run. To which I replied, that if she had to search for me, the search radius would be rather small. 4.3 miles is my longest run this year... far cry from years ago... but it is a start.

Part of what I like about running is it is very approachable. Anyone can do it,  you don't need special equipment or training. However... you do have to put a lot of effort to get from here to there... from Mile to Marathon... you can't phone that in. If just starting, you have to take baby steps, but you do see the improvement.

The power of running

I had a bad day yesterday. Mostly at work... but I was just out of synch and frustrated about everything in general. The last thing I wanted to do was go home and run... but I did... and amazingly my whole day turned around!

That is the power of running for you right there. It helps put things in perspective. Sure... part of that may be you just don't have the energy to care afterwards... but hey... whatever works.

Don't be some guy

I am still running. Shocking I know. Did a 4.3 miler on Sunday. Need to get a nice base of 15-20 miles per week next.

This morning I overheard the beginning of story in the office, “apparently some guy…” I didn’t hear the rest of the story before I walked off but I was thinking to myself, it didn’t end good for that guy. I didn’t even know what the story is… but I know enough that you don’t want to be ‘the guy’ in “apparently some guy”.

Sure enough, as I walked past the cube later I heard “crushed every bone in his body”. Ouch for some guy.

Turner Creek Park loop by Bstark369 at Garmin Connect - Details

Turner Creek Park loop by Bstark369 at Garmin Connect - Details

Talk about an amazing finish

In a basketball game, I once hit a 3/4 court shot at the buzzer to tie the game. In a newsletter someone wrote that I had 'never say quit' in my eyes... but if you want to see 'never say quit', just watch what happens in this 600 meter race when Heather Dorniden trips on the last lap:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70UF82nysIU

Tonight, I run

Pain is temporary , it may last for a minute, for an hour, even a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take it's place. If I quit however, it will last forever.

--Eric Thomas

Tonight my new charger comes for my GPS watch. Tonight, I RUN.

GPS Watches

I looked around at the new GPS watches that came on the market since I last used one. There are quite a few more options now, including the Nike+ GPS Sports watch. I currently have a first generation Garmin Forerunner 305. The MotoACTV watch looks interesting in that it has a Bluetooth MP3 player built into it… which is a great addition.

For now I think I will stick with my 305, which I don’t have any complaints about. If the Nike+ GPS Sports watch had Bluetooth and MP3 player I would have jumped on it… but for now… I will just use my 305 with my current music players. I have to admit I am surprised that the 305 still stands up pretty well with some of the other watches still… must be at least 5 years old, which is eons for anything techy.

I ran x5

I did... I truly... well.. jogged... but it is a start! The start also is the only time running isn't a pleasure. Joins and muscles and lungs beg and scream for me to stop the nonsense. What is that terrifying thing in front of me... OMG it is getting closer... closer... closer... it is... a HILL. Oh the terror.

Now, I am no spring chicken anymore. I am so old I have to check my drivers license and do some math to remember, which is somewhere around 45 I think. The first thing I notice running as a middle ager, wholly crud... I am probably PAST middle age... the average life expectancy isn't 90 for me is it? Anyway, my body doesn't recover as fast as it used to. Right now running on consecutive days would be asking for an injury.

And so... as if only running 2 miles with pain is enough right now, I checked the Boston Marathon qualifying times, and I see they have gone down. I think my pace now would need to be 7:49 per mile to qualify, and when I was 38 I think it was 7:35... and there were increases at 40 and 45 before. So shit. I couldn't jump over the bar when I was younger and in MUCH better shape, so someone raises the bar. Nineteen minutes better than my best marathon. Impossible aye. Most likely not achievable my someone of my athletic nature, but still I can't stop thinking about it.

So how hard could the running be after I already completely changed my diet (drink juice for at least 2 meals a day and hardly eat dinner), stopped drinking coffee and alcohol (for the most part). Remember, it has been so long since I ran a marathon, I forgot the pain, but remember the joy.

Phase #2 started

Finally feeling good again! Ready to implement phase #2, getting in shape. I went out and tried to do a simple… lol… one mile run. I got a whole ¼ mile before my calves were burning like they were on fire. Talk about embarrassing. So I ran and walked and walked and ran until I finished, and the next day I was a hurting unit.  Yep… this is the painful part of running… the getting back in shape part. In a few weeks it will all be in the past.

Trying to drink only juice now. Down 15 pounds so far… 10 more is a nice goal to start. If I could get down to 175 I would be in prime running weight, I was 180-185-190 on my 3 marathons.