Quick Update

Just to provide a quick update, we'll be traveling back to MA today from Chicagoland where Dolores and I spent sometime with my brother and his family. I'll have some pictures as well to share of what we did this weekend.

• Visited the Indiana Dunes National Park, climbed Mt Baldy, walked along Lake Michigan's shore 
• Saw an American Legion baseball playoff game (my nephew was pitching).
• Biked some trails in the Morain Hill State Park and visited the McHenry Dam (on the Fox River). Had a great meal at the Sagano's (a Japanese restaurant in Barrington, IL).
• Walked in the Cuba Meadows Preserve.

A good long weekend, full of family and fun times. I return to work tomorrow. Dolores continues her summer vacation although since she has been away for the week (she went out before I did), she has some house chores to catch up on.

 

I got my long run in this weekend by running from my brother's house to the baseball game. Using MapMyRun, it clocked about at almost 9 miles.

 

 

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Hot Run

The temperature and humidity were both still in the upper 80's when we got to the track for this week's workout at 7:00 PM Decided to do less repetitions. To go at a slower pace. To still cover approx 1.5 miles of intervals. These self-imposed constraints lead to the selection of 3 x 800 as the workout.

We did our mile warm up before and the mile warm down after.

We walked 180 and jogged 220 between for our recovery usually taking about 5 minutes between intervals.

The 800's went very well. I ran 3:31, 3.26, and 3:28. Fairly consistent. Not bad at all considering the heat/humidity.

May the roads/trails (and weather) be kind to you!

Technorati Tags : run, running, RBF, NCPacers, workout, interval, track

Readability Results - what they say to me

I posted the summary of the Readability results for each of my personal blogs. I do write on blog Synergy and 100Bloggers but both of these are group blogs. The results of these 5 tests would be more instructive for my own writing.

 

Here is what I think they say:

Gunning-Fog index, which is a rough measure of how many years of schooling it would take someone to understand the content. The lower the number, the more understandable the content will be to your visitors. Results over seventeen are reported as seventeen, where seventeen is considered post-graduate level.

I have a high score of 8.67 (P4GCE) with TE close at 8.61 and a low score of 7.42 (PR). I average 8.25. My work and education related writing tends to be more formal. My running writing tends to be the least formal. Overall I write for an 8th grade level.

Flesch Reading Ease is an index number that rates the text on a 100-point scale. The higher the score, the easier it is to understand the document. Authors are encouraged to aim for a score of approximately 60 to 70.

With the target at 60-70, and only two of mine below 70, I would say most of my writing is just a bit high on the scale but not far off.

Like the Gunning-Fog index, Flesch-Kincaid Grade is a rough measure of how many years of schooling it would take someone to understand the content.

I have a low score of 4.81 for PR and the others are all within 0.05 of each other. A real tight range. This says I write for a 5th grade level.

 

So what does this say for the bottom line? I think it says to keep on what I am doing.

 

You, of course as my readers, have the final say.

 

Do I need to change anything in how I write?

 

I look to you to be bold and provide your suggestions and comments either directly on the blog, or via email. You can reach me at shersteve at gmail dot com.

 

We are in this together. As much as I write for myself, I write for it to be read.

 

I welcome your advice.

 

 

 

 

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Running Basics - Tie the shoes properly

Since I hit my 500 milestone mark for this year, had done about 150 in Nov/Dec 2005, had purchased my current shoes pair of shoes in late October 2005 and have been alternating with one pair Tue/Thu and the other for Sun run, they each had about 300 miles on them. Hence, it was time to replace.

 

Miles of use is not my only factor. I have had good success with changing them with about this amount of wear. I also factor in how the cushioning feels. The soles on this pair have worn well but the inner soles are bottoming out. I might get some new inner soles and use them for spot runs here and there.

 

I have a tradition of lacing my shoes so the lace from the right side always goes over the left, and the left goes under the right. This harks back to a day when during an interview with Coach John Wooden who had great success with the UCLA basketball team in the 60's and 70's. Coach mentioned that he started each year by reviewing the basics. He did not assume that the players on the team knew his system. He started them all from scratch with the basics.

 

One of the most basic items was shoe selection. You needed to get sized properly to avoid blisters. You also needed to tie your shoes with the right over left procedure. By getting the players to think of tying their shoes in this way, he helped to reinforce thinking about doing things right the first time and every time. They also learned to tie with double knots so they would not need to stop during the game. The time in the game was important and he did not want to loose time for something as silly as tying a shoe. Hence, before they set foot on the court to practice, they learned how to tie their shoes.

 

Silly! Maybe but look at the success record he established.

How many NCAA championships did his teams capture?

 

I think there is something to the basics even at this level.

 

How do you tie your shoes?

If you do it haphazardly, I recommend undoing your laces and doing it right over left.

 

One small step.

The right over left laces will align with doing things right the first time, all the time.

 

The rest is up to you.

 

 

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504 Miles

Recent Running Chart
Originally uploaded by shersteve.

Peter, Paul and Mary would sing

If you miss the train I'm on, you will know that I am gone
You can hear the whistle blow a hundred miles,
A hundred miles, a hundred miles, a hundred miles, a hundred miles,
You can hear the whistle blow a hundred miles.

Lord I'm one, lord I'm two, lord I'm three, lord I'm four,
Lord I'm 500 miles from my home.

I am at home but the miles I have run year to date total 504 in 80 days of running. Normally three days a week, I am slightly behind plan to get to 1000 miles this year but if I continue to run healthy, I may still make it.

Ran 7 today with two Pacer buddies. It was hot and humid. Good thing we started early (7:30 AM) trying to do the same thing later would be harder. I like to have fun when I run. Running in this kind of heat is not fun.

Ran well enough to have something let to pick it up for the last half mile and close with a good finish. Still working on fluid replenishment. A small Dunkin Donut's "Strawberry Fruit Coolatta" got me some cold liquid with plenty of sweetness (290 calories for those counting).

The new Dunkin ad campaign could be an intro to get them to help sponsor the club: "America Runs on Dunkin".

Technorati Tags : run, running, weather, RBF, NCPacers, Dunkin+Donuts

A break in the rain and humidity

Caught a break in the rain and humidity to run the track workout this evening that was originally scheduled for Tuesday but due to the severe weather forecasted between 6:00 and 8:00 PM, I decided to forego.

 

Cruised through 8 x 200's. The first 6 at almost exactly the same split and then the last two coming down with the last one faster by over 5 seconds. It felt good to stride it out and finish strong.

 

One Pacer buddy was with me tonight to keep company. The Franklin High School boys cross country team had a captain's practice that was ending as we started. There was also some football (yes, real American football - not the soccer kind) on the field but other than the car on the track in lanes 3-5, they were not hindering our workout. They also left before we finished.

 

As nice a night as it turned out to be, it was also a realization that the days are noticeably getting shorter now. How quickly time flies!

 

May the roads/trails be kind to you!

 

 

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Weikert Ridge

Weikert Ridge
Originally uploaded by shersteve.

I got in a good run in Danville.PA last Sunday and then two good runs (Tuesday and Friday) in Weikert. This ridge was on the south side of the road I ran in Weikert. The road rolled up and down some good slopes as it wound its way amongst woods and farms.

Can you train low to run high?

The recent Active.com newsletter has an article by Matt Fitzgerald: Should you bonk on purpose?

 

Bonking is running out of gas either during a workout or a race. Not a good thing to do during a race but some research is indicating careful planning may turn a training bonk into a bonus.

 

Not that bad a concept. This really gets into some of the science behind the hard/easy day training concept. It does take time to recover from a run. The actual improvement from exercise is occurring during the recovery phase as the body recovers, rebuilding the muscles and glycogen stores.

In practical terms, she said, they should do some workouts within hours of having completed their last workout, such that there's not enough time to replenish muscle glycogen stores between workouts, and they should also leave their sports drinks and gels at home for some workouts (that is, intentionally under-fuel their muscles during training).

The benefits of this are more likely to be seen by endurance athletes. To me, this means more for those training to complete in triathlon or ultra long races. The average runner's training program would not call for sport drinks and gels during the workouts.

... athletes are able to perform at a higher level when they consume carbohydrate during training. Going five percent faster or farther in carbohydrate-fueled workouts will itself trigger greater training adaptations of certain kinds than going five percent slower or shorter in under-fueled workouts.

By extension, there are benefits to using this concept for the beginning runner. The challenge to the body coming from a sedentary life style to one where running is becoming a normal activity will be taxing the body. Providing moderate amounts of additional replenishment during the exercise should help the beginning runner get going. The recovery should be less painful and thereby the fun in running will be incentive to continue.

 

As with most advice

the best training recipe is probably a mixture of fully-fueled and under-fueled workouts. What constitutes the optimal balance between these two workout types is still unknown. You may need to experiment to find out what works best for you.

Do so carefully. Please don't plan to bonk frequently during your workouts. No matter how much it may benefit you, bonking takes the fun out of running.

 

 

 

Technorati Tags : run, running, RBF, Pacers, Active, training, exercise

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Between the showers

I managed to get a decent run in between the showers today. It was pouring early and as we had overnight guests, I did not get out to join the Pacers for the Sunday run or get to the Timlin Run in Hopkinton which had been my other options.

 

No big deal, the company at home was good. Great conversations, making connections and then cooking breakfast took most of the morning before they all headed out on the road in various directions for their return trips.

 

I watched England squeek by Ecuador with a good score by Beckham (yes, he of the "Bend it like... " fame). Finished cleaning up from yesterday's party before catching the melee called the football game between Portugal and the Netherlands. What happened to the beautiful game? No joga bonita in this one!

 

Then after the game, after the down pour took a break, I hit the roads. The first three were relatively easy/comfortable at about 9:00 pace, then the last mile and half I picked it up to close at just about 8:00 pace. Still sticky and warm. Almost wish it was raining more than the little spritz it was doing at the time. Might have been more refreshing.

 

May the roads/trails be kind to you!

 

 

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Pub Run and blueberry ale

It was a warm evening, temps in the 80's F, but the threatened thunder storms held off to let us run. One of the smaller turnouts, less than 20, showed up to run this night; two Pacers and the rest Wampanoag Road Runers.

 

It was a good run. I did a comfortable and evenly paced mile one and two. Not sure what occurred during three. I thought I was picking it up but ended up about 40 seconds for the mile slower than the first two (at 7:20).

 

The best part was the warm down back to Tom's Tavern (Wrentham) and cold frosted mugs of Wachusetts Blueberry Ale. That hit the spot! At Tom's, it is served with some frozen blueberries added to the glass before the pour. The blueberries are good for runners with anti-oxidant features!

 

May the roads/trails be kind to you!

 

 

Technorati Tags : run, running, RBF, Pacers, Wachusetts, blueberry

 

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Run that again!

What did I write about a year ago today?

 

On June 22, 2005 I had this posting:

From Curt Rosengren at The Occupational Adventure

Staying motivated can be one of the hardest parts of creating a career that really lights you up. It's not an overnight, push-button process. It takes time and effort for it to unfold, and it's really easy to stray off the path, especially if you're doing it alone (versus working with someone like me).

Taking a look at what motivates you and building that into your process can help. What motivates you? Is it competition? Is it somehow keeping score? Is it rewarding yourself for your efforts?

So what is your motivation to run? to run well?

Do you have a race in mind?

What is your short term goal?
What is your long term goal?

 

 

I have updated my goals for this year.

Have you?

 

 

Technorati Tags : run, running, RBF, Pacers, goals, archives

 

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Warmed Up Quickly, Adjust

The weather turned warm quickly last week reaching for the 90's on Sunday. So even though we started early Sunday morning, it was already 70 and humid for our distance runs.

 

The cold front was supposed to move through last night and this morning but while some thunderstorms broke yesterday, the front is still lingering this evening with more storms just starting to roll their thunder through the night sky.

 

Needless to say, the long run Sunday was warm. Especially as we did not get much of a preparation for it, it just came in. I took my shirt off after the run and it must have weighed 6-8 pounds. After a Dunkin Donuts Smoothie, a Gatorade, two 16 oz containers of water and a shower, I stepped on the scale and was still underweight by about 4 pounds.

 

Needless to say, proper hydration is required to run in the heat and humidity.

 

Adjusting the workouts to the conditions is also recommended. With nothing major on the plate right away, doing less is better than forcing it. What did Falstaff say: "Discretion is the better part of valor". Right on!

 

The track workout this evening was cut back accordingly. One had some family duties to handle. Another had run a five mile race on Sunday, in the heat, and was still recovering from that. We opted to do one set of 400's and let it go. The legs will reward us by being fresher on Thursday for the Pub Run at Tom's Tavern. At least, that is the plan.

 

So bottom line, listen to your body,

adjust to the weather,

and enjoy the run!

 

May the roads/trails be kind to you!

 

 

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New PR - Corporate Challenge

Yes, a quick update before I get to bed. The weather cooperated, the sky was blue, the temp in the 70's with a gentle breeze, hence a really nice night to run the streets of Boston.

I was fortunate to get close to the starting line and not have to deal with navigating my way through the thousands of runners on the course, just the hundreds ahead of me.

I dropped my time almost one minute over last year. I like that. It was a comfortable run in the crowd and dropping as much as I did was not expected. This bodes well for an attack on my 5K PR in some up coming races.

May the roads/trails be kind to you!


Technorati Tags : PR, run, running, RBF

JPMorganChase Corporate Challenge - Boston

I will be amongst the capacity crowd (12,000) of runners looking to make it safely and quickly from Charles Street along Commonwealth Ave to Kenmore Sq and back Commonwealth to Charles to finish the 3.5 mile race on Thursday.

 

May the road be kind to all runners in the race!

 

 

May the road/trail be kind to you when you run!

 

 

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Falmouth Road Race Update

Yes, the entries for Falmouth have been posted to their web site.

This list will be updated every Friday evening. Please do not call or e-mail regarding your acceptance into the race. All runners who were not accepted have been notified.

There are 95 runners from Franklin registered, and lo and behold, my name is on the listing!

 

Just booked a return trip to the Cape for August 11 - 14th.

 

If you are running, let me know and we can arrange to meet up somewhere.

 

 

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Pick it up at the end

Completed a good week of running, three days, twenty miles total: one day of speed/pace work, one tempo run and a distance run. I missed my walk with my wife by being out on some errands while she walked in the rain yesterday but I did get a day of extra non-running training in with the APECS class on Wednesday.

 

Coming to the last mile today had enough to pick it up for the finish. It is good to do this for a couple reasons:

1. Psychologically - good positive reinforcement to finish a run strong.
2. Physiologically - helps to teach the body good effort (i.e. running strong) when it is tired.

It helps when runners appear on the road ahead of you. It provides a target to go for and some extra incentive to get there.

 

What other reasons can you think of for a good finish to a good workout?

 

 

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APECS - a good choice for fitness

Along with some of the NC Pacers, I took advantage of a trial class at the Athletic Performance Enhancement Centers (APECS) located in Medway. Located off RT 109 it should be fairly easy to find for most people. Hustling from the train station to get there on time, I missed a turn and ended up a few minutes late. That did not stop me from jumping right into their "warm up". I only wish I had taken a couple of minutes to tie my shoes before getting into the warm up. But that is my fault not theirs.

 

The warm up was more than that. It was a good part of the workout. Quick one or two minute exercises; crunches, push ups, quick feet run in place, etc. You name it, we probably did it. I could hardly keep track it was so quickly paced. As a runner in good shape I was able to handle the pacing. It quickly told me something I already knew, I need to work on my upper body strength. My breathing was fine, my legs were good but my arms were quickly shown to be the weak spot.

 

With just time enough to grab the towel and water bottle, I got paired with an experienced member for the station workout. Here as well as the warm up, my arms failed me but my legs were fine. I did a resistance run (waist belted to a resistance rope), then to push ups on hanging rings, to resistance jumps (another waist belt to springs), to high knee steps on the marked floor, to a rolling climbing wall (yes, as you climb, the wall rolled down so you never reached the top, pretty slick), to pushing a 100 lb weight long the floor, to dragging some unknown (but very heavy) weight with a shoulder strap either by walking or running, to a jump rope station (the second time there I got the longer jump rope and did pretty well. I used to do that way back in high school prepping for basketball.), to the suicide runs... I think I missed a couple of the stations but you get the idea.

 

All this in just under an hour.

 

My partner was very helpful and supportive. The equipment was good. Clearly used but not abused. The room was not overly large but enough space with the stations spread around. A mirror wall on one side helped to expand the room. Most of the floor was the outdoor grasslike carpet.

 

My t-shirt was soaked but I felt okay. Supposedly I really find out tomorrow. We will see.

 

So would I recommend this?

 

If you want an indoor exercise arena, with professional support and guidance, with enthusiastic support from the other participants, then yes, you should consider this.

 

I need to spend more time on my upper body work and with the right amount of discipline I can use the weights I have and also do some simple pushups to provide the extra conditioning that I really should have.

 

If I find myself lacking in this discipline, then this would be a consideration.

 

So if you are in the Franklin/Medway area, check out APECS.

 

 

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06/06/06 - Part 2

Exercise is good for our health.

Here I write about my running and provide advice on running, training, race preparations, helping one another achieve ...

It may seem funny but a lot of my writing is drafted while I am running, especially if I am running alone.

I like to follow the train of my thought, letting it take me almost like I let my feet take me...

There goes the trail ... follow me

Joint Club Run - Group Photo

Joint Club Run #4
Originally uploaded by shersteve.

Some of the Wampanoag Road Runners and the Hopkinton Running Club joined with the Norfolk County Pacers today for a couple of runs through Franklin. Some started about 8:00 AM and did a 3 mile loop coming back to the starting point to pick up more runners for a 6.5 mile loop. The group spread out to find their own pace and had someone to run with as they went chatting along the way.

The weather was perfect for running, overcast, no rain (a little sprinkle as we finished wrapping up) and in the 50's.

Plenty of good conversations, training tips shared, and joint runs planned over coffee, Gatorade, bananas and bagels.

Double Duty Run

Trevor, my good buddy in the UK, is doing the Run for Moore 5K race this Sunday. There is still time to make a contribution to the Bobby Moore Fund for cancer research.

Running is a good thing, but of course, since you are here, you already know that.

Running for a cause like this is also a good thing to do.

Putting the two together is a great thing.

If you can contribute, it would be appreciated. The link is available on Trevor's page.

Have a great run Trevor!


Technorati Tags : run, running, cancer, cause, RBF