Running in Circles (January 2010)

January 4, 2010

My older son lamented during his recent Christmas visit he has realized two things he received from me in the gene pool: 1) a higher than normal forehead, and 2) not being able to leave the house on the first attempt. As to the first item, little if anything can be done about that one. As to the second one, in my family this has been affectionately given the name of “Old Timer’s”.

Sunday was like any other running day. I got up and did my p90x workout (yoga) before heading to the Fitness Center and 6 miles. It was a beautiful looking day outside- blue sky and sunshine. The problem was that it was -15 °. So I packed my bag and off to the car I went. For some reason I decided to check my bag making sure that I had remembered everything. D’OH #1- No shoes…so I quickly dashed back into the house got my Pearl Izumis from the closet floor. With nothing else forgotten, (I hoped) off I went.

It was indeed cold. But it was also a gorgeously crisp, brilliant day. I arrived at the Fitness Center, greeted everyone and went into the locker room to change. I guess I should have looked closer in my bag before I left. D’OH # 2- No socks. “Not to worry,” I said. “I always keep an extra pair in my locker just for moments like this.” And sure enough, there they were. I reached in my bag and pulled out my shoes. However something looked a bit strange. One shoe looked much newer and cleaner than the other. D’OH #3- I had picked up one of my newer shoes and one of my old worn out shoes. Let me just say one thing about running shoes- after 350-400 miles, as comfortable as running shoes may be- do NOT wear them for running anymore. If you are experiencing sore knees, shins, hips, etc.- 9 times out of 10 your shoes will be at fault. This is a simple fix- buy new shoes that fit your style of striding.

I finished the 6 miles on the tracked no worse for wear. I look forward to running with matching shoes on Tuesday.

January 13, 2010

It has been a hectic week- difficult to make sure I get all my runs in. Good thing it was an “easy” week P90X workout-wise. It is termed a “Recovery Week” which allows the confused muscles from the p90x workouts to get “unconfused” and relaxed. Thus far this month I have logged 47 miles- through the end of this week (Sunday) I will log another 34 culminating with 16 miles on Sunday. I am not sure how this will play out as I will be at IKKU Winter Camp this weekend in Orlando and then flying home. The 16 miler may have to wait until Monday until I get back to Iowa. Depending on the weather it may also have to be run on the track at the Fitness Center. Let me just say this about that: AAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

Sweet Jesus please let it be warm enough to run outside on MLK day!!!! As I ran around and around this past Sunday doing 14 miles- which was run at a 9:02 minute pace- I thought of the definition of insanity: repeating the same thing over and over again expecting a different result. For the whole 119 laps, I did the same thing over and over and received the same result. I was running in circles! I covered the 14 miles, but I didn’t get anyplace. Or did I?

January 15, 2010

Once again I find myself writing this blog on a plane. I am currently flying to Orlando for the IKKU’s annual Winter Camp. This year it is called “Kitakaze”, or “North Wind”. The workouts start this evening; go through all day tomorrow and then Sunday through the middle of the afternoon. In the midst of these workouts I will find time to: 1) catch up with old friends, 2) spend some time with Josh, 3) do my p90x workouts, and 4) run 5 miles. I am not sure how or when all of this is going to happen, but hopefully it will.

I am starting my 6th week of the p90x workouts. I can feel the difference in my muscles, and the see the difference in the way I look and carry myself. However now, with the increased mileage in my marathon training, as well as my teaching karate 4 times a week, and my running class two times a week, my body is starting to feel the effects. For the past week I have been without the recovery drink and performance bars. I wonder what effect this has had on my “fueling attempts” before, during and after running. I ordered enough for the month, however I gave some of each away to let people try them. Everyone who tried the products liked them very much and said they were going to order some. Without question, the Recovery Drink and the performance bars have improved my workouts and runs. Check out: www.beachbodycoach.com/rayporter. All products- for training and nutrition- have a 30 day money back guarantee. Trust me--once you realize the benefits, you won’t send them back.

As a result of not having the performance bars and Recovery Drink, I feel as though my running is not what it was over the past few weeks. My legs have felt heavier. And without question, I am getting VERY tired of track running. How I long to go for a run around the block and see the big river, or go for run down a country road where I am the only one on it and am blinded by the sunshine against the clear blue Iowa sky.

January 17, 2010

I am once again on a plane- returning from Winter Camp 2010. Once again I love watching Josh on the dojo floor. He couldn’t work out due to a shoulder injury while sparring a couple of weeks ago. However he did not let this stop him from flying to Orlando and helping the lower ranked black belts and kyu ranks with technique, form, etc. It makes a father mighty proud to see the high dans give Josh so much respect for his knowledge and execution of kata and bunkai. It was also good to see friends I only see now twice a year and catch up on what is going on their lives.

When lunch time came on Saturday and I appeared in my running clothes, everyone just shook their head and wondered 1) why I was going running and 2) how could I possibly run after a 2 ½ hour karate workout. It was 75° and sunny. Was I going to sit inside and wait for the afternoon workout to begin? I thought about those questions while I was running OUTSIDE for the first time in a month and one half. It will not be this warm in Iowa until one day in May.

Everyone has two or three things they do well. Out of those two or three things, everyone has one thing they not only do well, but thoroughly enjoy doing. For me, that one thing I do well and thoroughly enjoy is running. Now I am not the fastest runner, or a person who has the most endurance, or anything like that, but I do like to run. When I don’t run I get cranky. In Karate there is a term- mushin- no mind. When I run I enjoy having “no mind”- an effortless moment of the day where my mind freely goes from thought to thought, or rant to rant. When I have one of those runs- and they are becoming more frequent all the time- there is nothing quite like that feeling. It is when my entire body, mind and spirit are working together with the least amount of energy expended. After the first warm up mile, today was one of those runs. I was outside, it was warm, and the land was flat- a proverbial running nirvana. I ran 2 ½ miles down the road, and 2 ½ miles back, gaining speed the whole way. It was one of those afternoons when I could have run much farther, but the dojo beckoned me, so in I went.

January 18, 2010

My LSD runs are normally on Sunday. But with karate workouts going until I had to change and get the airport, I had no time for any length of a run. So today, instead of doing nothing, I braved the elements- 34°…W.C. of 26°…and foggy- and ran 16 miles. I put it off as long as I could. But then I thought of the alternatives- skip the run all together- not an option; run 16 miles on the track at the Fitness Center- AAAAGGGGHHHH!- I pulled on my “Capt. America tights; my compression socks; a spandex turtle neck; long sleeved technical shirt and my Miami Marathon windbreaker and out the door I went. The first mile wasn’t much fun- the wind was in my face and I prayed it wasn’t shades of the entire run to come. It took longer to figure out my new “wonder” watch with all the things it is supposed to do than it took me to run I believe. I got into a good comfortable pace. It was a pace faster than my previous LSD runs…slow down I thought to myself…keep the heart rate around 150+/-. When I got to mile 2 ½ I took the first gulp of the Recovery Drink from my fuel belt. Also, I munched on the first chunk of the performance bar I had broken into 5 little pieces prior to the run. I did this every 2-3 miles and I didn’t run out of gas. Amazing I thought to myself. I ran the 16 miles in 2:29, which translates into a 9:20/mile pace. And just like a couple of days ago, most of it seemed effortless. Eating bits of performance bar and drinking some of the recovery drink every couple of miles works very well. Perhaps by doing this, I am repairing my muscles before I destroy them. We shall see how this works again on my 18 mile run this coming Sunday.

January 30, 2010

It has been a couple of weeks since I last wrote. It has been a busy couple of weeks- work at United Way has intensified; teaching at the Fitness Center continues; and the combination of the P90X workouts and my marathon training has filled my days and some nights. And when I return from my annual “Porter Boys Ski Vacation” I will be adding triathlon training to this schedule as well. But with all of this going on, I am very happy. I have goals and a purpose for my life again. I have not felt this way in quite some time.

When I stopped writing last time I was due for an 18 mile run. It was cold morning- 33° with a W.C. of about 25°. Add the wind and freezing mist to it, and it was quite the day to venture out for a run. But not every day is going to be blue sky and sunshine running the country roads. My left brain was trying its best to get me not to go out, but I am getting better at ignoring that side of my brain when it comes to things of that nature. I strapped on my fuel belt, cranked up my iPod and off I went.

About ½ the way through the run- averaging about 9 min./mile, snacking on my performance bar and sipping my Recovery Drink- I experienced a “runner’s high”. There is a certain time during runs when every part of your being works together and functions like a well tuned engine. Normally it happens after 6-7 miles, but it started at the 9 mile mark on this run and continued through the 14 mile mark. I think it would have probably continued, but a very steep ½ mile hill at the 14 mile mark, put a damper on that high. Once I trudged up that very steep hill, I was able to slow my heart rate down, once again get my breathing in line with my stride and get back on the pace I had been running. So I went for another 3 ½ miles, finishing with another one mile hill- the dreaded Wells Ferry Heartbreak Hill. As you know from previous Running Rants, I had problems with this particular hill climb. Today I made it to the top without stopping- during the 18th mile of the run. WOOHOO! As I mentioned I had a runners high prior to this, but this got my engines revved like never before. And just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, when I completed the run I looked at my watch- 18 miles in 2:40! The last 9 miles were the same pace as the first 9 miles. And I felt as though I could have continued running.

I have a poster hanging on my home office wall I got when I ran my first NYC Marathon in 2004 that states: “At 18 miles you wonder why you do this. At 26.2 it all becomes perfectly clear.” The 16-20 mile point is where most runners- me included- “hit the wall”. However instead of running into it head first on this run, I jumped over it. Without question this 18 miler was one of my best runs- not only for this month but one of my best runs ever.

As the month has continued I have kept my United Way work schedule; continued my teaching schedule at the Fitness Center; and continued my P90x workouts and my marathon training schedule. When I finish my run tomorrow, I will have logged 167 miles this month and completed three months of training getting ready for April 19th when I will run from Hopkinton to Copley Square in Boston. I have made good progress and have stayed healthy to this point. I still maintain my two marathon goals: 1) Finish, and 2) Not die. But now I add a third goal: to enjoy every one of the 26.2 miles on that day.