My Chas. Dickens Week

It wasn't like the first six words of Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities last week. After dropping out of the half-marathon, where I ran one of the fastest 10Ks and 10 miles of my life before the wheels came off, the week went from bad to worse. I took Monday off, popped 4 (ish) miles on Tuesday - Thursday each a.m., and then just ran out of steam completely. I saw my sports doc and my rolfer to try to regain some semblance of my old self. After taking Friday and Saturday off, Eric and I went to do an easy 10k on the river trails on Sunday. About 2 and a half miles in, I requested that we turn around. Man, some days you're just not feeling it. I couldn't get my breathing right - something that never is an issue for me.

I spent the rest of the morning pondering weak and weary over my running. Then, a friend, well let's be honest... one of my greatest friends came into town to have an early Thanksgiving with a portion of his extended family who are also friends of mine. We partook of good food (vegetarian in my case) and wine, and splendid conversation. It took my mind off of my plethora of problems de pied.

The next morning, yesterday, he and I got up relatively early. I wanted to attempt another run. He asked if he could bike along and keep me company. What ensued was a terrific run into a cold wind. Running slowly enough to chat took my mind off of my problems. I felt fluid and, if not fresh, relatively rested. We finished the hilly and windy 4 miles in a nice time, with little or no problems to report. I felt pretty good about it the rest of the day.

This morning I decided to tempt fate again, and awoke at 4:30. By 5 a.m. I was out in the pretty seriously chilly morning air putting in a little three miler on the flatest course I run. Honestly, it felt wonderful. I made sure to stretch a bit more, and focus on the activity more than the time (22:12 in case you're wondering).

So, after a craptastic past 7 days or so, I think I'm back on track. I am going to chill out on running any races, and just focus on the zen of running (or at least try to do so). Friday and Saturday, for want of something athletic, I dusted off my awesome road bike and cranked it around town. I remember why I like doing that so much. The speed and handling of the two-wheeled Ferrari is kind of exciting every now and then. I usually use one of my mountain bikes for errands, and haven't had the roadster out for some time. I think on my 1 or 2 days off each week, it is going to get the nod as the regular go-to machine.

I've also been checking out swimming videos (since I live 100yds away from an Olympic size pool). I normally do more swimming in the Winter, and want to try to improve my form. I'll write about it more as soon as I get my head wet.

That's all for now. Props to my friend, Doug who had a nasty little bike accident in early morning frost yesterday. We've all been there, and hope you're feeling well enough to get back on the horse later this week.

Happy T-day.

Hard Week For Running

The bad news started on Thursday when I visited my sports Doc so that he could hear an odd grinding sound my right knee was making whenever I went up hill or ascended staircases. After an x-ray and some discussion, the diagnosis was osteoarthritis. I don't really have my pain in the knee at all, but have begun to take corrective actions. I'm getting a vegan glucosamine chondroitin (hard to find, I might add). And today I'm going in for the first in a series of three shots of hyaluronic acid into the knee. I have a couple of friends who sell hyaluronic acid through natural products channels, so when my doctor brought it up, I didn't have too many questions about it.

Long-term, I'll be ok to run. The HA shots can be done every six months. Then there is always cortisone (which I would do extremely sparingly). And finally, if necessary some years down the road, they can do minor surgery to smooth over rough edges. So, while not great, it isn't as bad as it could've been.

With that news in the back of my mind, I went with my running buddy, Eric, to crank out the Pilgim Pacer half marathon on Saturday. The weather was cold and blustery. And while I had a lot of warm clothes with me, I figured I'd just warm into the run. So I wore a long sleeve shirt over shorts. The result was that I remained cold, even as I sweated, for the entire portion of the race that I completed (ahhh foreshadowing).

I normally train at 8:45-9 min/mile. Races I usually run about a minute faster. While this works well for me in 10K - 10 mile runs, I have a tendency to get insane calf cramps at race pace when I break the 10 mile barrier. It is an odd situation. I can run 15 miles in training with little water, maybe one gel pack to eat, no salt capsules... and never, ever have a problem. But if I kick out a a slightly faster pace, it doesn;t seem to matter how much electrolyte I put into my body, I get debilitating cramps after 10 miles like clockwork.

And that is what happened at Pilgrim. I had run a really nice race up to about the 9.5 mark. My knee hurt a bit. And to be honest, I slowed the pace a tad and ran as much on the grass next to the pavement as possible. But when I felt the cramps coming on, I knew that the race was over. I figured I'd gladly tear up my knee for a good time, but if that wasn't going to be in the cards (I wanted 1hr 44min or better), it was time to pop. I slowed and jogged for a bit, waiting for Eric (who was running a strong yet sensible race) to catch up. When he did, he graciously slowed and we chatted for a bit as he handed me his car keys so I could get my warm clothes, and I handed him a packet of three Cliff's Shot Blocks (which I had been saving for the last three miles because they are so stinking tasty). And then we took off in separate directions; me to the car to finally get warm, and he on to glory and acclaim.

On the ride home after the event, we discussed our future runs. We both love running and doing the long distances. Both of us feel that the bigger organized races seem to detract from the fun level, and put pressure on the experience. While many people use races as a goal for a distance (ie marathon), he and I don't We regularly knock out big miles on the weekends. What we decided in the car was to pull back and do more of the smaller trail races which have more cameraderie, less pressure, and are easier on the joints (read knees). If we want to do a marathon, or 50K, we can do it through the trails, or just lay out our own and roll through it.

I still plan to do one shorter distance (10K) run in Feb; the Groundhog Run in the caves in KC. It is fast, and I'm thinking my calves have never blown out, even at a much faster pace at that distance. It is a good race to go for a PR. But other than that, I'm going to run for fun, do some trail races and stop pressuring myself on the road race PRs. It is simply too frustrating to be feeling great, and cruising at a good speed, only to have one small part of your body let you down.

If anyone has thoughts on what to do to prevent the weird calf cramps, I'd love to hear it. I don;t think it would alter my plans, but it would be nice to know. Currently, when I have done those, I take an electrolyte drink bottle, 2-3 Cliff shots, a salt cap before and 1-2 more during the race. It strikes me that that should be enough to chill any cramps, but it never is when the pace gets too high.

That's all for now. I'll have more next week on the HA shot.

Running for Thanksgiving Sans Turkey

I know it is a few weeks before Thanksgiving, but it is never too early to think about all that we can be thankful for (apologies for finishing the first sentence of this posting with a preposition). I'll cover why Andy the Turkey is the first thing you see her a bit later on.

What a weird week of running. It was cold as he-double toothpicks. It was also dark as ... well, you get the idea. I hate running with hats and headlamps, but I did for much of the week. I tried running tights (with shorts over them for modesty reasons), sweatpants, loose-fitting layered long sleeve shirts, compression shirts with a jacket... It was hard to get comfortable. Somehow I struggled and muddled through a bunch of runs. Then came Saturday. Eric and I are planning to do the Pilgrim Pacer half -marathon next weekend, so we thought we'd get a solid run in. We were going to do the river trails (where the Sandrat run is held for those of you not from Lawrence) and add a mile to each end, but Eric had another suggestion. He knows that my favorite surface isn't pavement or trail, but packed gravel. So, in a magnanimous gesture, he suggested that we just run the eastern length of the river levee. After waiting for the temperature to climb above 40F, we set off.

It was gorgeous, with not a lot of wind, and a lot of sunshine that was beginning to warm the air. We slowed our pace to around 9min/mile so that we could get more running time in. I was trying out a couple of new things. The first was to carry my EmergenC-infused water in my hand rather than on a belt. The second new item in my arsenal was a few Cliff Shot Blocks that Cliffs had given to me at the last trade show I had attended (Cliff's people also had given me an unreleased new mocha flavored squeeze shot that was pretty great when I tried it on a run a couple of weeks ago). I'm happy to report that the tiny hand-fitting (no strap) water bottle was terrifically easy to run with, and the blocks of strawberry energy gunk tasted great.

One of the most interesting things to note on the jaunt was that I became really aware of how much better shape I'm in now than I was even a few years ago. I used to do the same levee distance or the river trails on my bike (that used to be my sport of choice). And, when I did these, they would be what I considered my serious workout for the day. To switch from biking a distance to running it was a great feeling. I've felt a bit of that on some of my other runs, but the levee really drove it home. Enough tooting my own horn (yeah, yeah, I'm awesome and all that rot...). Anyway, we should be ready for the Pacer next week.

I've had a weird sound in my knee for weeks. No pain, but an unrelenting grinding noise when I go up stairs or hills. Very odd. I'm seeing my sports doc this week to make sure there is no issue. Chris, my other running buddy heard it on Friday and thought it sounded a bit off as well. I'll make a report next week if it turns out to be anything significant.

So this morning, I cranked out a new 5 mi route that involved running about a mile down Kasold between 6th and Peterson. I had never noticed this, but that MAJOR roadway has 0 sidewalks between those streets. I was a bit flummoxed (god I love that word) by that fact. But, being very early in the a.m., I alternately cruised on the asphalt when no headlights were approaching and then ran on the grass when cars came by. Great run when there is little traffic, because it is a road that I have never walked before, and the novelty of it made it fun. It also has some tremendous hills (and I'm kind of a fan of hills).

OK, now back to the animals and Thanksgiving. Andy the Turkey and Matisse and Kahlo (see below) are all rescue animals from Cockadoodlemoo Farm Animal Sanctuary (www.cockadoodlemoo.org). Turkeys are really very intelligent, majestic animals. So I'm just going to suggest that as a thank you to the fellow creatures with whom we share this planet, that anyone reading this consider going vegetarian or vegan this Thanksgiving. There are so many wonderful options available now, that even if you love eating meat, I could fix a dinner for you and you would never know that you weren't eating the real thing. If anyone does want suggestions, write to me or post a comment below, and I will get you suggestions and recipes. Matisse and Kahlo have an example of a meal's first course below.

Until next week, happy running and healthy eating.

A Cold, the Cold, and a New Park to Run in

This should be a short post this week. Should be, but you never know... After the run a week ago, Sunday, I came down with a crappy little head cold. I ended up taking Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday off from smacking the pavement. I returned to the road on Thursday for a whimpering 2 miler. It was the first chilly run I had done this year (other than Boston). Friday I dragged through my usual early 4 miler. It was faster than the day before, but not good if you're looking at your watch for improvement. I tried to set up a Saturday, a.m. run with my buddy, Eric, but he had spent the whole week sick with the same cold as well. So he took a pass.

Friday night, I did something I hadn't done in ages. I took out my blender and made sheets of paper on screens that I had constructed out of picture frames and coat hangers earlier in the week. I had wanted to get back into making paper for some time, but just hadn't (you know how it is). For the first run, I was just experimenting with thickness. The frames didn't hold up too well, but I did manage to get some nice, if uneven, sheets. As I progress on this endeavor, I'll make some periodic reports on how it goes with adding color and other textures.

Saturday arrived with a bit of a nippy wind. I waited until about 8:30 before heading out the door in a jacket, a shirt and shorts. I had picked a route that is anywhere from 8.5 to 11 miles. I choose it if I want the option to bail at any given point. I actually felt pretty good at the 3.5 mile mark, so I made the decision to continue on toward the dam at Clinton. There were no other runners once I hit the SLT path. I ran alone for two-ish miles up the gently sloping field toward the lake, and then where it turns north toward Lecompton. About halfway through the section that is bordered by Clinton Pkwy on one end and 6th St on the other, I started meeting cyclists. It was odd, because there was an abundance of them. Now an aside...

I used to bike a lot. I particularly liked to ride long distances on my road bike - a great Specialized Sequoia. Every now and then, I'd be way out on the SLT, the Farmer's Turnpike, or the Kaw River Levee (that last one on my Cannondale MB400) and I'd see a lone runner. While I liked what I was doing on the bike in terms of effort, I always thought that the runner out there in the middle of nowhere, with nothing save shorts and shoes was somehow...well, badass. These days, as much more of a runner than a cyclist, I am always internally pleased when I run into bikes in the countryside. Because in my mind, I'm now the badass that I used to admire. And its odd, because it doesn't seem like all that big a deal when I'm just out running. But there is always some kind of inner flicker of accomplishment that courses through me when I encounter the athletes of the two-wheeled variety.

OK, back to the story... So I cranked through the last 4-5 miles of the run, and felt great. I hadn't set any speed records. But I also didn't have any muscle or joint pain, no feeling of stiffness, no apparent lactic acid buildup, and no shortness of breath. Eric and I traded texts, and we agreed to meet on Sunday for a 5-6 mile run in the morning.

When Sunday rolled around, it was cold. I had a jacket, two shirts, and shorts over long pants. Eric had a couple of shirts and a pair of shorts. We discussed bringing gloves, but finessed them in favor of letting our hands warm up as we ran. I wanted to do an exploratory run down Wakarusa to 15th St, and then turn west and try to find the grass start of some trails and paths I had heard about. This turned out not to be too hard to do. After a quarter to half a mile on 15th, we came to two mown grassy areas that seemed to lead off into a wooded area bordering a neighborhood. We took the first one. And, after crossing the same stream twice, ended up on the trails that make up Fred DeVictor Park. Stupid me, I didn't realize that that was where Fred's Park was located. I have played tennis with Fred (Lawrence's esteemed former Director of Parks and Rec) on most Saturdays for the past fifteen years. I had been out of town when the park was dedicated a few years ago, and had never bothered to figure out exactly where it was. Well, I'm pleased to report that Fred has a nice park with an awesome path that stretches on for miles through some of Lawrence's western neighborhoods. Eric and I ran a couple of miles of the trails before heading back to my house for some coffee and conversation.

When the run was over, I felt pretty tired. I had put in over 16 miles in a couple of days while still a bit under the weather. It didn't help that Eric and I had finished the run with a sprint finish (because we apparently are that stupid). So I spent the rest of the day taking a bath, a nap, reading, and then watching a documentary about Fred Lebow - the NYC Marathon impresario. All in all, it was a nice weekend.

Travel Conclusion

4:30 a.m. Too many weeks on the road

Las Vegas... Sin City... Gateway to the rest... Last week, as the final stop in my tripartite trade show travel (three shows in three weeks), Nevada's premier gambling mecca became my home. I normally stay at the Westin - my favorite off the strip hotel - or one of the Venetian properties. Both, however were booked up, so I went with the Mirage.

At first blush, as I entered the lobby, I thought what a sad little place. The ceilings seemed low and kind of dark. There was no organization to the check-in process (which took an unduly long amount of time). And overall, after two weeks of travel, I wanted something light and airy, not slightly clammy feeling and dark. Finally, after a nice clerk checked me in, I found myself on the 11th floor, trudging down one of those low-ceilinged halls that seem to extend forever in the palaces of excess that populate the city. My doorway was only one or two away from the absolute end of the hall. That made it about a football field's distance from the elevator or the ice machine. Honestly, after all of the travel, it kind of rankled me (that is a term I have always pined to utilize (that is yet another)). But there were some benefits to the outpost location that became more apparent as my stay progressed - I'll get to those later.

I opened the door to my room, and was pleasantly surprised to be greeted by a somewhat tasteful, passably clean, and... wait for it... airy room. I gasped, no kidding, as I realized that the windows actually opened in the room. Who knew? Since I hadn't lost any money yet, I was only tempted to inhale the fresh(ish) air, and not to fling myself out into the afternoon sky. I checked the bed for bugs - this is something I always do. One apparently cannot be too careful anymore. And, finding no critters lurking, I proceeded to unpack in the nice room, with its views of both the Strip and the mountains in the distance.

I was pretty tired from the travel and a good run the day before, but I nevertheless changed into shorts, trudged back up the hall, and went downstairs. Since it was raining (a true oddity for Vegas), I found the cardio-center and did a quick workout. The guy at the desk was nice and helpful. After the treadmill, I showered and then went to dinner at a sushi place across the boulevard with a co-worker. It wouldn't be until the next day that I'd finally do a run on the Strip.

The next day I awoke at 4:30 a.m. I had been working on the East Coast for the past couple of weeks, so it somehow felt as thought I had slept in, with the three hour time difference and all... I was looking forward to a run, but it was too early. I grabbed a small $4 cup of coffee (no kidding - and actually $5 with tip) from another very nice guy in the casino, and then went back up to my room to continue reading the running and philosophy book I've been wading through for the past couple of weeks. When 6 a.m. finally rolled around, I went back along the hallway, down to the lobby, and out onto the Strip. I was instantly surrounded by people running. And this happened the next day as well. It was amazing, really, because outside of Austin, TX, I have never visited a place that had more early morning runners in one place than Las Vegas.

For years I had heard from other runners that the Strip is a great place to run in the mornings. And, while it was nice to be around other runners, I can honestly say that the Strip is not a good place to run ever. I did two runs of approximately 6 miles each on two subsequent mornings, and didn't really enjoy either one. The Strip simply has too much traffic and emissions , too many curb cuts, too many scary drunk or drugged people (staggering somewhere...home?), and too much noise (blasting so loudly from speakers in front of the various properties that you can't hear your own MP3 player), that the run really isn't fun. It is an interesting route, but I found it utterly impossible to get into a flow. And it was pretty depressing seeing some of the homeless types sleeping wherever they could find a safe spot as I got further out of the center. So, now I can say been there, done that, but I don't plan to do it again.

Now to return to two earlier topics. First off, I came to actually appreciate the Mirage. The rooms were nice. The staff of the hotel is actually the nicest I've encountered on my 20+ trips to Vegas. The amenities (cardio-room, the snack shop, the Starbucks) were all good as well. I would happily stay there again. And I would ask for a room at the end of a hall. Because of the way Vegas is, the room requiring a hike was a wonderful insulation against the noisy late-night revelers that populate the city. I can honestly say that my stay at the Mirage was the most restful I've ever had in Sin City. After initially being unimpressed, the Mirage grew on me. I would highly recommend it as a nice place to stay the next time you find yourself in the glowing city in the desert.

Finally, to return to another comment; if you do travel a lot, you can check out places you are staying by going here http://bedbugregistry.com/ . I use it. I cannot vouch for its accuracy, but it does serve to remind me to check things once I'm in a room, prior to unpacking. On all three of the trips I took, I encountered no critters creeping or crawling. But with the bugs all over the news lately (like an epidemic), it is good to check.

Until next week... Good night. Sleep tight. And... well... you know the rest.

Boston

I spent most of last week and weekend in Boston. I probably like that city more than any other on the East Coast. That's normally not saying much, because those who know me are aware of my preference for all things west. But Boston is different. It has an open feel, nice people (a rarity for the Eastern US), stellar waterfront, great shopping, and so much history that you can't even spit without hitting a monument of some kind.

Marisa and I hit our favorite places to shop on Newbury Street. We also dined at our favorite vegetarian and vegan restaurants. A Slice of Pie, My Thai, and The Other Side were all as good as we remembered, serving up good, inexpensive fare.

We also stopped in at the Harvard Bookstore in Cambridge. I picked up a copy of a book entitled Running and Philosophy. It is an edition with essays by various runners and philosophers (as the title might have clued you in) who discuss various aspects of mind and body co-existence and dynamics that occur when one runs. I'm about a third of the way through the book as of this writing. So far I've found the first three essays to be excellent, thought-provoking pieces. The two that followed dealing with running as religion and religious experiences through running, sounded as though they'd be more interesting than they turned out to be. I'll write more on the book when I complete it. I would, however, recommend it strongly, simply based on what I have read thus far.

In Boston, we stayed at the Renaissance Hotel on the south side near the convention center. The hotel has a lovely workout facility which I eschewed (except for one day that was extremely cold and rainy). Each morning I arise and hit the asphalt. I'd leave the hotel running on a bridge that crosses a major roadway. I then ran about a mile and a half through a horrifyingly trafficked industrial zone before turning through a neighborhood park toward the ocean. A mile or so of that, and I'd hit a circular jetty or break of some kind that stretches about one and a half miles with water on either side. It returns to land by an old fort. I'd then run back to the hotel, retracing my steps.

I've written about this run before. The sea and park sections of it are pretty neat. The traffic section, however, is not. I do the run when I'm in Boston because it is a route I know. The nice parts of it are certainly not worth the ugliness you have to run through in order to reach them. That being said, I did the run three times in the four days I was there. The other day I ran on a treadmill. If all running was like that, no one would run...

When I got home yesterday, Kansas weather was perfect. After 5 days in cold rainy (but awesome) Boston, I was ready for a run I love. I normally don't do longer runs on days that I fly, but yesterday I made an exception. As soon as I walked in my door, my travel clothes fell to the floor (there's a lovely image) and my running attire took their place. I felt a nit tired and jet-lagged, but cranked out an 8 miler on the SLT. No speed records were set. I also never really got into the zone. But I was able to re-introduce my being to the special feeling that comes from running a favorite route. The run seemed like a metaphor for hanging out with an old friend. Last night, I slept well.

Living here in Allentown (really just visiting)

Chris sharing a pre-race moment with his coach (and wife), Marisa

The Bert Nash Dash and Bash was a really fun time, with a 5K, a 10K, and a bunch of great bands playing afterward. I had been looking forward to running the 10K for some time. It was going to be a great way to pop a local race and support a good local case at the same time. The race was scheduled for a start time of 4 p.m. on Saturday. I found it kind of odd that a race would be scheduled with such a late starting time. I also found it odd that at 7:30 a.m. Saturday morning, I was out on a 12 mile run with my buddy, Eric, rather than resting up for the race later in the day. Here's what transpired.... I remember it like it was yesterday....

While I had been planning to run the BND&B (sorry, I'm tired of typing that out), Eric is signed up to do the KC Marathon (or half marathon) next weekend. He called me on Friday with the request that I do a last long training run with him. He also offered to pick up half of my entry tab on the BND&B if I'd blow it off (the race that is). Since I like longer distance running, and prefer morning runs to those later in the day, I didn't take too much convincing. I still picked up my race packet, just in case I decided to do both runs. But I was pretty sure I was just going to train in the a.m. and then hang out later at the race.

Here's an aside: While picking up my packet at Gary Gribble's, I bought a new pair of Mizuno's. My older pair has about 700 mi on them, and were starting to look a bit long in the tooth. I really love the Inspire model, and was happy to buy another. I took them out on the training run yesterday morning, and they felt great - no issues.


New Mizunos are on the right (My camera sux. The trim is orange, not pink)

Anyway, so we did a beautiful run on a beautiful day. And once it was done and I had showered and napped (and watched a lot of tennis on the tube), I drove downtown to see the race. I purposely left my running shoes and bib number at home, knowing that If I brought them I'd surely want to run.

Chris Ford was ready to run. At the start of the 10K, he lined up in the first row. Not too long after the start, he came rolling back through the finish chute in 5th place (first in his age division - 30-34yo). The day had gotten hot, and he had pushed it by knocking out the first mile in 6min 10sec. He held it together, though, and made it through the brutally hilly course in a good time.

Chris rocking his medal

After he stopped sweating like a... well, a guy who'd just run a hard race in the heat (sorry no good metaphors came to mind), Chris hung out with Marisa and his best friend - a glass of Free State beer (see pic below). We listened to some bands and then split for home.



All in all, it was a good week for me. I had a good race last Sunday, and a good long run the following Saturday. I ran about 40 miles this past week (sadly, 12 of them on a hotel treadmill in cold, rainy Allentown, PA). I read a book by Dean Karnazes that was pretty interesting. And I got to see a friend ascend (metaphorically) the podium at a great new race.

This coming week will be more running in more exotic places - if you can imagine a place more exotic that Allentown, PA.