On Sunday, August 30th, Kat, Mary, and I joined up to do a 12-13 mile (20-22 km) long run together for our training. The day was hot, even in the morning, but armed with some sports drink and determination off we went. The route took us from our little cottage uphill from Albert’s Farm in Northcliff all the way along Tana Road and down to the far corner of Delta Park. On the way back we made a little detour up to the Johannesburg Botanical Gardens to add the extra distance demanded by our training plans. Overall, it was a tough day. The longest we have been on our feet so far, but this is what training for a marathon is all about: perseverance and keeping on. Tired and sweaty, we finished up around mid-day. Bring on Soweto!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Dear John/Jane
Dear Aaron, Ingrid, Ann, and Marissa,
I am at once sad and delighted to be writing this letter to you. The past two years you have been there for me, more than you could ever know. You have each ran or biked for me as part of team efforts in the sport of triathlon. Our relationship, as it has been, has been wonderful. I have experienced much joy and satisfaction with each of you. The camaraderie and friendly competition we have shared against our mutual friends has been delightful and invigorating. Life producing. Your place on the teams we have been on together has truly been an encouragement to me. Without each of you there along the way I would not have participated in 3 triathlons in 1 years time. Again, our relationship as it has been, as teammates, has been amazing!
I must tell you though, I have found another athlete to fill your shoes or pedals, as the case may be different for each of you. This athlete, I have realized I love a lot and really want to see her be able to excel at this sport of triathlon and with your feet on the pavement or shoes in the pedals, she cannot do that. You are standing in her way. So I must ask you to respect me and my decision, and step aside. I will be honest with you. The athlete that is replacing you is not as fast as you. She won’t be able to bike 12+ miles in less than an hour or run 3.1 miles in 30 minutes. With her on my team, we may for sure come in dead last with the finish line all packed up. But I do not care. I love this athlete! I want her to have a chance to do more than she ever thought possible!
I met this athlete out on the run course last Saturday at Girls Best Friend. I had talked about the possibility of doing all 3 legs myself next year, but never really thought I could do it. It was always an illusive thought. But out on that run course, I realized that within me, lives someone far stronger than I ever imagined. And as I crossed that finish line, I knew, I KNEW that next time I crossed a finish line, I wanted it to be because the girl I met out there, the strong one, did it all by herself. That the beep went off, the photo is taken, of a girl who is truly a triathlete!
I hope you will all understand and forgive me. It is not you, it is me! We can remain friends. And instead of being on the race team, I would love to have you as part of the support team. People to run, bike and swim with in training. Or if you like, I would love to have you there on race day running, swimming and biking right beside me…or ahead of me…I won’t ask you to go that slow. Or, if you are not up to it, you can always come and watch and cheer and remember back to the old days, when I barely thought I would make it out of the water alive and to the transition area.
I am sorry my friends and teammates. Our relationship must die, so that I can live. In the dying though, something new will develop between us and I am excited for that.
With great sadness and much anticipation for the future,
Kim
Sunday, August 30, 2009
"I Don't Care About Your 2010 Elections Advocacy, I Just Want To Run...Fast!!!"
Tatakbo Ka Ba? GMA-7 5K/10K Run @ The Fort/ 6:02 AM 30 August 2009
This was my general feeling when I finally registered to participate in the GMA-7 10K Run. Who cares about the incoming elections, anyway? The purpose of my participation of this run was to evaluate my racing performance after doing a lot of running workouts for the past weeks. I wanted to run in this race with an average pace of less than 5 minutes per kilometer.
One of the 3 Stages Prepared For The Race
The race was scheduled at 5:30 AM and I was already at the starting area at about 5:15 AM. I was surprised to see the festive atmosphere of the place with the presence of three (3) elevated stages; one for the race which was located at the far back of the runners & front-left side of the starting line and another big covered stage for the “special program” initiated by GMA-7 for the swearing in of oath by the candidates for the presidential elective position. Most of the runners at the corral area were not interested or listening on what the Emcees were announcing. In the first place, I don’t watch GMA-7 programs and I really don’t know the personalities or even the news broadcasters. Instead, I started to stretch my leg muscles while waiting for the race to start. I saw the family of Annalene aka The Meek Runner and I approached them. I had a brief time talking to them until such time the Emcees transferred at the front of the starting area and continued their program. We were surprised that we just heard the starting gun.
"Mass Start" For the 5K & 10K Runners
The number of runners who joined this race was also unprecedented. There were lots of runners and I can estimate that it reached at least 4,000 + participants. I am sure the runners did not participate the race because of the presence of the politicians but I am pretty sure most of the runners just wanted to run and the rest of the participants wanted to see the “stars” and personalities of GMA-7.
The other small stage infront of the Starting Line
The race finally started at 6:02 AM and it was a “mass start” for both the 5K & 10K runs. Since I was few meters from the front runners, I started slowly making sure to warm-up my leg muscles. I weaved through the slower runners as I tried to find my comfortable space and pace during the start of the race. From the start, I slowly passed the slower ones and those who made a dash from the starting area who ultimately run slower after running for about a kilometer. All the streets were fully packed with runners and I could hardly weaved through the runners. It was only at the 2.5-km turn-around where the 10K runners started to have more space. From the 2.5-km point, I started to peak up my pace and was able to pass more of the runners. Running towards the Market! Market! area was a breeze as I saw a lot of familiar faces who were ahead of me and those who were trailing me as I passed at the turn-around area.
The problem about the narrow route at the British School and at the vicinity of DILG’s Public Safety College started to be encountered by the 10K runners as most of the 5K runners and “walkers” occupied the road. At this point, it was the last 3 Kms of the 10K route. I had another problem of weaving through the slower runners & “walkers” that made my pace slower up to the point when I reached the road in between the new St Luke’s Hospital and the Ford Car Store.
After running through the streets west of Rizal Drive, I knew I still have one more kilometer to go before the Finish Line. On the last Five Hundred Meters before the Finish Line, I had to slow down because of so many spectators along the route who completely filled almost one-half of the road. The spectators were waiting for the “stars” and GMA-7 personalities to finish the race.
After Crossing The Finish Line
I finished the 10K run in 46:29 minutes with an average pace of 4:40 minutes per kilometer (based from my GF watch). I was able to run well during the race but it could had been better if not for the numerous runners that clogged the narrow streets along the route.
After the race, I did not bother watching the program being prepared by GMA-7 for the politicians. I just overheard that they were reciting an oath that mentioned that “they will be honest, that they will serve the poor and hungry, that they will not abuse their power, that they will not “pocket” the money of the government which are to be used for education, social services, and infrastructure, that they will “so and so”. Whatever, Guys! It sucks to see the politicians reciting such oath infront of the runners and signing such oath on LIVE TV Telecast. If you can not even support or see to it that we attain Sports Excellence in the country, then stop promising to serve the “poor and the hungry” and the the whole country! To me, everything was “bull….”; empty promises; and a “show” to be forgotten after it will be published on the daily newspapers & seen on TV newscasts and finally, I am sure the Race Organizer was laughing all the way to the bank despite of so many “lapses” (again)!
I am already tired mentioning to this blog the different “lapses” of the Race Organizers. As a runner, I just want the following things to be perfect, at least—appropriate length of table for the water stations; abundance of water & water cups in Water Stations; accuracy on the route distance; presence of digital clock at the Finish Line & publication of Race Results; and lastly, punctuality of scheduled time on the start for the race.
The "Presidentiables" & Politicians At The Biggest Stage
The race was significant because I was able to meet new acquiantances (Raffy Uytiepo & others); awarded my “1,000-Km Club” Finisher’s T-Shirt to Joseph Baltazar; talked to the family of David & Rowena from Great Britain; meet a young runner at the age of 11 years old who beat me by one second; meet the Finishers of the 1st BDM 102K (Ralph Salvador, Eric Socrates, & Dionisio Potonia); talked to the registrants of the 1st MASTERS 15K Run; and happy to see the awarding of the winners of this race who are members of my Elite Team Bald Runner. The following pictures will speak for themselves:
At The Team Bald Runner Booth (Note: BR's Logo)
Natz aka i2runner with GF & Coach Titus
Awarded "1,000-Km Club" Finisher's T-Shirt To Joseph Baltazar (On my left side)
Raffy Uytiepo, "El Numero Uno" Race Organizer of Cebu City (on my right)
Kid Lindangan (11-year old young runner) & Dad After The Finish Line
Carb o Loading
Today’s workout Saturday! Got up at 6:00, which was really not a problem because I’m pretty used to it. I quickly got dressed and ran down stairs to make a breakfast shake. A normal peanut butter shake containing 2 scoops whey, 1/2 cup oats, 8fl oz skim milk, 1tbs peanut butter of course. “I’m a peanut butter freak”.
6:40, time to blast to the gym. It takes about 40mins to drive to the gym, but it’s a nice relaxing morning drive. Say hey to the fed ex guy, thanks for delivering my package yesterday!
Woo, what a workout, and what does every good workout need? A good snack of course! Bought me and dad superfood pro bar, yum! Time to leave and rest the legs for tomorrow.
While leaving the gym we got caught in rain, lots and lots of rain. It kinda felt like we were driving in a tunnel of bad weather.
We stopped at eyetique to see my cousin. I bought a pair of oakley radars and we went to the green mango for lunch. I had some yummy veggies, tofu, and white rice for a post-workout simple carb. “always thinking”. My cousin and dad has iced green tea. I had hot because I was cold as hell after getting caught in that nasty down pour.
When we got home I took a shower and had a snack. Vanilla protein shake with blueberries for antioxidants.
Later that night we went shopping. We drove all over. But it was fun . We went to bravos and ate some awesome whole grain pasta. Carb o loading for tomorrow race! The pasta had spinach, pine nuts, sun dried tomatos, olive oil, feta cheese, and multi grain pasta. Wahoo, what a powermeal!
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Nice To Know As An International Event
I just received an e-mail from the Race Organizer of the Los Angeles Marathon stating therein that their Online Registration will be open effective on August 31, 2009. The Race Day will be on March 21, 2010. The last day of Registration will be on March 1, 2010. The Race Route will be completely different from the past editions as the race will start at the Dodgers Stadium and end in Santa Monica Beach. Registration Fee is $125.00.
From this information, let me point the following observations:
1. Registration Period—An International Marathon Event opens its registration at least six (6) months before Race Day. This is a positive indication that the event will push through and it is already calendared in the list of Marathon Races in any of the websites maintaining a list of Marathon Races in the USA or in International Cities/Countries. The 6-month period is an appropriate duration to train for the said event. May the Local Race Organizers learn from this.
2. Deadline of Registration Period—If the Online Registration published the date for the deadline of Registration, such date will be strictly followed. There will be no “special” accommodation for late registrants! The reason why the Race Organizers always set a deadline for registration in International Marathon Event is that they want a 100% Customers Satisfaction to all the participants. This is translated to efficient production of Race Packets, Finisher’s T-Shirts, Medals, & Certificates to include coordination for security, medical, and safety protocols for the said race. On the said race, the Race Organizers had at least 3 weeks before the distribution of kits and on the race day to prepare the Race Packets of the participants to include the “giveaways” at the Finish Line. I hope our local Race Organizers will learn from this to avoid some “lapses” in the distribution of kits. It is also on this period that the race results encoders will be able to input all the data of the runners in their Master List of Participants for easy post-processing of results immediately after the last runner had passed the Finish Line. It should be noted also that the entity that receives your Online Registration is completely a different group from the Race Organizer.
3. Registration Fee—The registration fee is $ 125.00. Nowhere in the website where you can see where your registration fee will be used. The Race Organizer will not explain where your registration fee is going to be spent!!! If the Race Organizer decides not to give you a singlet or Finisher’s Shirt, they don’t need to explain. It’s either you want to pay the registration fee or not/join the race or not! It’s your choice. However, I am sure the money you paid for the registration is worth the experience during the race.
4. No Need To Invite Elite Foreign Runners—Let the name of the city or location of the Marathon Event speaks for itself. However, if you announce your Marathon Race as an International Event with 60 days before Race Day, there is a slim chance that the best international runners will be coming to participate in the said event. The best runners are already focused to join races which had been known by them 5-6 months ago. If ever foreign runners will participate in our International Marathon Events for the months of October & November, these runners would be their 2nd or 3rd rate runners. We hope these runners to arrive in the country at least two weeks before race day in order to acclimatize with the weather and humidity.
See you tomorrow at the Starting Line!!!
Friday, August 28, 2009
Current iPods disappear in advance of Sept. event
All current iPods SKUs are being discontinued, sources in Apple’s Authorized Reseller network claim. The sources note that even though stock is running low or empty in many cases, no new resupply shipments to third-party vendors have been scheduled. The dwindling numbers have been anticipated however, as an attempt by Apple to drain inventory in advance of new iPods, which should be announced in…
(source)
Running in the Rain
It had been almost a month since my last run. A MONTH! I’m disappointed with myself, but the only thing to do about it is to not let it happen again.
I have been telling myself (and others) “no excuses” for a while and tonight I decided to live up to it. It was raining. I had a perfectly good excuse not to run, but I did anyway. It was amazing! Ends up I really love running in the rain. I only wish I would have had my hat. It only rained hard for maybe half a mile so it wasn’t bad at all and it wasn’t humid or hard to breathe (well not because of the rain, a little because of me being way out of shape). I did 2.5 miles and it took me 30min. A little slower than I’d like, but miles are miles.
Songs that got me to pick up the pace (neither are super upbeat but the lyrics and feel of the song got me moving):
- Eet – Regina Spektor
- Sweet Disposition – The Temper Trap
And my running gear:
- Nike shoes (w/my time chip from the Chicago HM as a reminder of what I’m capable of)
- reflective band (made for the arm, but it feels more comfortable on my leg – also has a pocket you can put a key in)
- Nike+ armband (got 2 for $1 on eBay!)
- headphones, iPod, Nike+ kit
- RoadID bracelet
- and sometimes I wear a heart rate monitor, but I didn’t tonight. (I didn’t take Luna either although she does have a harness and leash now so she can go outside .)
4 miles and a messy apartment
I’ll take a brief break from packing to talk about tonight’s run. It ended up being four miles instead of five, and it was brutal. I don’t know why – I’ve certainly run in hotter weather than this – but the sun, the humidity, and maybe the tunafish wrap I had a half hour earlier conspired to turn me into Sir Leadweight today. I reached the finishing point exhausted, dehydrated, and annoyed that not all runs could be like Tuesday’s run.
My last run with the Team is on Saturday: eight miles. Enter nerves again, especially after today, especially if it’s hot. The good news, though, is that I’ll be running my 9-miler with one of my best friends in the world, who will be visiting my new city the first week I’m in town.
My writing tonight is dull, and I’m sorry for it. I’m mentally and physically exhausted, and my apartment, which should be all packed and ready for the movers, is not even close. It’ll be a late night.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Emiclaerloop Amersfoort 08-26-2009
The entire day I didn’t feel very good, I started to get nervous for the run. At the end of the afternoon it started getting hot so I started to get worried. I don’t run that well when it’s hot.
K. had dinner at our place before we went and we left at 6.30 pm for the starting point, this was about 10 minutes from home so we were there on time. We picked up our starting numbers and then we waited till we could start.
Our run started at 7.35 pm and right from the start I knew I’ve made a mistake. I started to fast, I let myself carried away by the other runners. I had a hard time finding my own pace and looking back I never got it during the run.
I was supposed to run 7.5K, three rounds of 2.5K. The first 2.5K I passed the finish line at 16 minutes what was fast for me. But in the second 2.5K it all started going wrong. I became overwhelmed with the heat, I felt dizzy and decided to walk for a minute or so. I tried again to run but had 2 walk two more times. I just couldn’t do it. Halfway the second 2.5K I decided that I would stop at 5K and so I did.
Afterwards I was so angry and disappointed in myself. I’ve trained for this, I knew I could do it and still I failed. I’ve been grouchy all night.
Today I’m still not very happy with what happened last night but made some decisions and try to see things positive:
- I’ve made a Dutch girl gets healthy plan which I put in my weekly weight challenge and will update every week.
- I am going to train hard next month for my 10K.
- I am going to run the 10K on September 27th and I am going to finish it. Even if this means that I have to crawl across the finish line.
- Positive: I did finish the 5K in 36.18 which is almost 1.5 minute faster than my last run in June and I walked three times.
I’m so proud of my friend K. She finished in 40 minutes which means she’s going to run the 10K under an hour! You rock girl!
Some pictures of yesterday:
K. and I before the start
Passing through at 2.5K
Finish at 5K
Chilled + High
Checked the weather at wake up (5:33 this time)….36 degrees, WHAT?? Wanted to go back to bed, but couldn’t fall asleep, so I just checked a few things online to wait for it to get warmer. Finally, out of sheer boredom, I popped out of bed at 7:11 to go run…I thought about taking today off, but couldn’t stand the idea of knowing all day that I hadn’t run (ohh no it’s coming back…). I always HATED rest days before my “falling off the wagon”…But I told myself I’d just go out for a short run to keep my legs loose..aiming for 3ish miles…Found out I went 4.5miles, Opps!(secretly YAY!) The temp was still cool but I was properly dressed in my long sleeves(with mittens on!) and capri tights, thanks to the beautiful sunshine…
I returned home to shower and get on with my day(complete with the runner’s high). Skyped with my mom for a bit, then talked to my BEST BEST BEST friend from back home!! YES!! I love her and miss her sooo much! I downed a cup of coffee during all this…once that excitement was over, I knew I needed to get some breakfast in me!
Eggwhite omelete w/spinach&red pepper, H2Omelon, 1/2 banana, COFFEE <3 , and water…
Soo good! yummmm! But I seriously need to do schoolwork…I have a few things that need to be completed today! EKK! Good thing I work well under pressure…and my day is definitely going to include 1+ more cups of coffee! But I’m going to call my sister first <3 …THEN I’ll get to work
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Week in Review and News!
Since I was bad and didn’t post this last week:
Wednesday, August 19th: Wii Fit free step in the morning. 1986 steps! LOL!! great year. 20 minutes while watching the morning news.
Thursday, August 20th: Wii Fit Strength.
- Single Leg Extension (20 reps) Very unstable
- Push-up/Side Plank (6 reps) I did this knee dwon
- Torso Twists (6 reps)
- Jackknifes (30 reps)
- Lunges (30 reps each leg) UGH!!
- Advance Step. One of my worst scores ever. Perfect: 199; OK: 125; Misses: 12! Total score 523.
Sunday, August 23: We went to the park while hubby was practicing softball. We brought the kids bike so they could ride, and I walked. The total mileage was Just a hair under a mile and a half. more detail.
Tuesday, August 25th: I had to drop the car off for an oil change. since it is right by the old school, I brought my bike to ride home. Way quicker than waiting for the shuttle. When the car was done, I rode the bike back. Total mileage 3.62 miles.l
News: I signed up to run/jog/walk a 5K. I’m going to start training and you’ll here ALL about it here. The race is 31 days away. September 26th. Wish me luck! I’ll be following this training guide, starting with Week 3.
Running into information
A few months ago I read the book Born to Run by Christopher McDougall and it motivated me to get off my ass and start running. I was a little too motivated and ended up fracturing my foot, but this post isn’t about me being a dumbass so we’ll skip over that part. Anyhow, so I start running around my neighborhood and all is fine except I have no idea how far I’m running and therefore don’t know if the times I am clocking are good or bad. There are a few different ways to accomplish this but I chose to use a website called MapMyRun.com.
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what this site does, you punch in a location and then use the map to click along your running path to calculate distance. So I mapped out a few different routes to figure out how far I had been running and then made some changes to give myself a 2 mile and a 3 mile option. It is pretty cool, and accurate to boot but where am I going with this?
Well when you map a route you can save it. When you save it you have the option of the map being public or private…public being the default. You can also search these public maps saved by other users. A quick search in my small town and there are 192 maps found! Now where do most people start their runs from? If you said their house, you would be correct. So now I can see all of these runners and where they live based on their map. This site also offers up the username of the person who submitted the map. As with most internet services, some of the usernames are bizarre like techdulla, but some are like johnsmith22. Now I know where you live and what your name is. I also know that you run a particular 10 mile loop every Saturday morning.
Just another example of people sharing information about themselves without realizing it.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Ready As Ready Can Be
Tonight, I have another 10, 000 thoughts and I still have not finished blogging about the other 10,000 from the other day…but this one is celebratory….so it goes first.
You all know that on Saturday, I will be doing a triathlon relay, this time doing 2 legs of the race, swim/run. I have been quite nervous as I have had a goal to be able to run the WHOLE 5k without stopping. Well, running, oh heck, all exercise has been sucking for me lately, so I knew I was NOT on schedule to be able to complete this. Of course, I did not tell Coach how BAD I was sucking…and despite it being an all female event, he plans on running it with me. (Something about me being his little bird taking flight for the first time or some sentimental thing like that, that makes me cry to think about it, so instead I will make light of it!) Anyway, given that he plans on running with me, I knew that there would be little room for breaks, so I HAD to get my mileage up.
So tonight I went out for a swim followed by a run. I swam for 20 minutes. I do not know the distance in the pool I am in, but figure 20 minutes is about how long it will take me to do 500 meters, since I can do 700 in 25 minutes. When finished, I jumped in my car, and went down to the state park trails (about 3 miles away) to run a loop that I KNOW is 1 mile around. My plan was to run it 3 times, without stopping.
Lap 1 happened and as I approached my starting point, I threw my hands up in victory…and continued running.
As I finished lap 2 my legs were burning, and my breathing was rough, but heck, what is one more lap? As I started it, I thought, “What is the big deal to stop for just a minute. Besides, I think my shoelace is tied too tight. I should fix that. Oh and one of my toes is falling asleep??? What the heck is that? I should check that out…”
But then I thought…
“Do I really want to tell Coach that I ALMOST ran 3 miles straight or do I want to hear his excitement when I tell him I RAN 3 miles straight?”
I want the surprise and excitement. So I kept running.
Halfway through my last lap, I got a stitch in my side and thought, “oh man, I can’t finish this!”
I would swear there was someone else in my head yelling at me.
“Oh yes you can! Don’t you dare quit now!
“OK, I guess I can go a little further.” Breathe deep and slow…deep and slow….
I came to my final stretch. It was a stretch of marshy land covered by a wood plank bridge. Once I cross this, I am done. I thought, “I am not gonna make it!”
Out of nowhere I heard Adam yelling at me…”Sprint it out Kim! Finish strong!”
So what did I do?
You got it! I sped up!
I finished strong and I immediately pulled out my phone to call Coach! Got his voice mail…poor guy listened to it later and for a brief moment thought Crazy Kate had come back for a visit and I was in a place of really needing to talk and he wasn’t available…HA! Nope, that was just me not being able to breathe!! Sorry to have scared ya Coach! I am FINE! More than FINE!
At least now, I know that I can do Saturday’s event. I had my Friday Night Tri a week or so ago and now this little training brick tonight. There are still a lot of unknowns out there and I am still very intimidated. But I feel better about it now!
I am ready as ready can be.
Oh yeah, Coach’s response to my achievement?
“Of course you did it! You’re hardcore!”
Oh the expectations I have set myself up for, there is no going back now! And dang! These boys have followed me across the state and even when they aren’t around, their words haunt me and challenge me to greatness! God, I love the men you have placed in my life…so grateful!
Oh SNAP! I get to check off another goal from my list!
Running and a fruity reward
Hey All -
I started feeling better tonight, and then I started feeling a bit lazy. So I decided to go for a quick run once it started to cool down tonight. Of course due to the move and the frickin’ boxes everywhere, I could not find either pair of my current running shoes (by the way – has anyone seen a pair [or two] of Saucony fusions anywhere??) I made do with my Asics that are over two years old now. They did the trick though, and I ran three miles in half an hour. It was hot, but not too bad considering what it’s been like lately.
I ran for a few reasons tonight – first of all I feel like it’s been a while since I have had time or energy to go running. The heat takes a lot out of me for some reason, and my schedule has been jam packed for the last two weeks – finding thirty minutes to do anything has been a challenge.
A nice discovery during my run was that losing a few pounds has made it a lot easier to run
After the run, I came home to a bowl of nectarine, sherbet, a small spoonful of almond butter and three nilla wafers. This was so good and the perfect treat after running in the semi-hot summer weather. Sweet!
That’s about all I have for a recap today. I did not really eat that much – a blueberry scone for a late breakfast, a bowl of cassoulet for a late lunch / early dinner with a piece of french bread. Yum.
I am off to figure out what I’m going to wear tomorrow and think about breakfast and lunch for tomorrow. Fun times – see you all tomorrow!
Monday, August 24, 2009
Esalen!
Esalen. The word itself summons up tantalizing visions of adventure, of unexplored frontiers, of human possibilities yet to be realized.
Not my words, and perhaps not the most concrete description to offer a vacation-seeker who might not know Esalen from Iceland. And yet … it’s so true. I spent last week in this little slice of heaven on earth, and as always, left full of joy, completely relaxed. It’s really quite impressive.
From this short visit, I have so many stories and learnings to relate, I hardly know where to begin. Deep thoughts will arise (as we say in the Buddhism biz) over time. Here’s a vignette from late night at the hot tubs:
Two hot tubbers (paraphrased): Running hurts. We have ITB syndrome.
Ashish (paraphrased): My ITB and other problems disappeared just as soon as I began running barefoot. Read Born to Run.
Fourth hot tubber: That is terrible advice. If the nerves ending on my feet become desensitized from running barefoot, how will I use my feet to caress my lover?
Ashish:
Maybe you had to be there. I do hope you get to go. I can’t promise you the experience I had, but I can promise that you will be changed.
Day 3: Run
So I ran 9 this morning. It feels good to be out in the mix again with people who run early, who run with their dogs, who eat shot bloks, who see the same runners twice on one run hours after the first time.
I spent much of my run contemplating ways I could get across the Twin Cities Marathon finish line in less than 6 hours. There’s a part of me that really wants to “just see what happens,” but I feel like it’s a game of Russian roullette with injury that’s not worth playing. I am annoyed with myself though because I feel like I shouldn’t have given up on my marathon hopes so soon this summer. I think I could have pulled it off. Then again, I think I’m just finally finding my post partum groove that allows me to juggle more balls and I just don’t think my head was in it earlier this summer. So I’ve moved on and set my sights on a spring marathon instead.
Still though, it feels good to be doing longer distances again. Really, really good.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Big brains and big schizophrenia
When Mark Twain quipped that one should be careful in reading books of health, he touched on a complex, seemingly paradoxical, universal problem. We are fortunate to live in societies rich in calories, indulgences, and leisure. For this, our biological selves are truly grateful.
On the other hand, we are also fortunate to have what Vonnegut in Galapagos called “big brains,” frequently capable of rational thought. As we have developed more delicious foods and more extensive luxuries, alarmed members of society have turned these big brains on the body, analyzing every iota of input and output.
And so came the terrible schizophrenia of materialistic views on health. Healthy foods are defined by what appears to be the whims and myopic preferences of societies, authors, and some vague sense of “optimal” health. Healthy exercise is fetishized and idealized as some lofty goal that requires pain and discipline.
All of this, of course, takes a toll on the minds and bodies of what is generally considered to be a glorified monkey with a penchant for salt and fat.
What does health even look like?
Most of us think that health is sexy, flat-bellied, with 2% body fat. Most of us think that health is smoke free, drug free, and carb free. Most of us think that health is happy all the damn time.
Of course, the world-famous Jack LaLanne, notable for his juicers and emphasis on regular exercise, is still kicking at 94. On the other hand, George Burns died just after his 100th birthday (NOT of lung cancer), after a life of conspicuous cigar smoking.
Hmm.
This unfair anecdotal juxtaposition is proof of nothing. But, it should have caused you a slight pausing, during which you questioned, even a little bit, whatever vision of health you currently see.
Reaching the goal
Once a goal is selected, people abuse their basic tendencies for salt, fat, and free time. They build and refine complicated systems designed to hold that all at bay, ensuring that they become a picture of health. And they become healthy, happy individuals.
Except that it rarely works. More often than not, the goals we set are foolish, or misaligned. Other times the systems we put in place are incapable of leading us to success.
What else can explain the myriad diet books and machinery? Which systems have failed you?
Pushing through
Christopher Hyatt, a clinical psychologist, pointed out many times in his writing that most people fall into this two step cycle.
- Enthusiasm
- Frustration
Look at the end product of that cycle.
What’s missing is the last two pieces
- Renewed effort
- Results
Look at the end product of that cycle.
OK, so now what?
I say we closely examine each of the three problems with health– the goal, the cycle, and the circle. I say we have a longer conversation, one that may be devoid of harsh answers, judgments, and “simple” solutions for what health is.
By questioning our definitions, we alleviate much of the stress that comes with health, because we allow ourselves to look at it from many different angles. With any luck, we can land with an open definition that isn’t quite as painful.
By questioning our cycles, we gain more understanding about what healthy behavior looks like. At the same time, it offers an opportunity to increase engagement and experimentation in our lives, so we aren’t just accepting someone else’s maladapted system for our own lives.
And finally, by questioning the vicious cycle of failed health, we stop searching for perfection, and we look for health in who we are and what we can do. At the same time, by fostering a culture of perseverance and experiential results, we live our lives the way we want, and reduce the risk of death by misprint.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
HVM: rhodiola update
so far, rhodiola is AWESOME. le husband thinks so too. friday, we both decided to see if it would do anything for us at all, and took a total of 2, 200mg capsules – one mid-morning, and one early afternoon. neither of us were expecting much at all, but we both felt more energetic than we have in weeks. i was able to focus better at work, and didn’t get as tired as i usually do over the course of the day. no jitters, no weird side-effects. so far, so good.
today, i’m noticing less of an effect with the rhodiola, but it could be because we went on our first run in nearly two weeks. awesome, thought, right? i WENT RUNNING!! we did pretty okay too considering how long we’d been slacking. i ran 2 miles and called it a day, opting not to run another mile for time with le husband. i just knew if i ran any further, i wouldn’t be able to go again tomorrow, and i want to take advantage of this new-found energy and momentum.
we’re going to continue taking the rhodiola supplement until the bottle is empty – so a total of two weeks. i’ll keep you posted!
Mahomet Half II
Woke up to a beautiul morning for running a half marathon – upper 50’s, a bit breezy, and mostly sunny. I felt refreshed and rested as I readied myself for the day’s run. Treating the race as a semi-long run, I felt none of the usual race day excitement, rather, just a desire to get out and run for a couple of hours.
I arrived at the race site without problem, registered, ran a slow mile, and walked to the start line. I saw Mike I., and we talked for 5 minutes about running. He invited me to run Forest Glen with him sometime. I told him I don’t own a car, so he said to email him and we could plan for him to pick me up and drive me there. I have never been to Forest Glen, from Mike’s description it sounds like a tough and beautiful trail run.
We started off the line at 7:00am, and I ran comfortably and slow the first mile. I was surprised to hear the 1 mile split at 8:15, it felt more like 9:15. For the next 6 miles I remained on cruise control, running between 8:05-8:15 pace.
When I could I ran on the crushed gravel edge of the asphalt country roads, but sometimes the edge was just high grass, so about 2/3 of the race I ran on the hard road. I wore my Puma 4 ouncers, deciding to test my foot strength. These shoes have just a thin sheet of rubber pasted to the bottom of the mesh , no cushioning and not much of a heal. It is close to running barefoot, and I am happy to say that I had no problems with the ashphalt surface, my foot strength was good, and the shoe comfortable.
At mile 7 I started to accelerate my pace without trying, as I had caught a bit of trance energy and flowed with it. I am guessing my pace dropped to 7:30-7:45, and I held onto this through miles 8-11. The final 2 miles I dropped the pace further to 7:15-7:25, just that natural urge to run hard during the final minutes of a run.
Before I knew it I was crossing the overpass hill which leads to the high school track, and I sprinted the final 300m, coming into the chute in 1:42:40, for an average pace of 7:50. I had no struggles in the race, it was just a smooth flow of running which felt good the entire way. After the hard 300m my breathing returned to normal in 10 seconds.
During the race I compared how my mind grasped distance from a few years ago, and today. 2006 was the last time I ran a half marathon, and it was on the same course. Then the miles seemed longer and more stugglesome, especially the final 3. Today I did not begin to feel warmed up until mile 10, and was disappointed that the run would soon be over. Having run a few ultra distances this year, it stretches the mind to believe that 20 miles is short, and 13, real short. In 2006 I finished in 1:47, so I took 5 minutes off that time with minimal effort.
After eating a banana and a biscuit with honey, I decided to walk the overpass to Lake of the Woods and run some trails. I ran at my normal long run training pace, which is 8:30-10:00 per mile – nice and easy. After 5-6 trail miles I packed it up and went home.
Overall a good training day, 19- 20 miles total, 13 being moderately hard. My knee never bothered me, so it is a hit or miss injury, some days it feels weak after 5 miles, on other days normal. Not sure what to make of it.
The 50 miler in Hell, MI is in 3 weeks. I will plan on running 20-27 miles next Saturday, then begin to taper off with shorter, quicker runs.
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