It has been a long time since my last post and I feel the need for some sort of placeholder just to show that I am still here. It is not that I have given up running or lost my enthusiasm for writing about it, more a case of other things in life getting in the way.
May is an exciting month: It started with the twenty first birthday of my youngest (who was born on the same day of the year as Karl Marx) , which was followed by the arrival from Canada of my sister and her family, in preparation for the wedding of my elder daughter, next week.
I have been out for a few runs but the aim has been to maintain some level of fitness rather than build. It was a pleasure was to manage a couple of runs with my sister and brother in law, and show them my regular routes. But there is not much to say about steady runs where nothing unusual happens. So I won’t.
A matter of far greater concern and mental tension has been the cake. We made it a couple of months ago and have been feeding it with brandy ever since. Last weekend we added the marzipan and today, whilst all sensible people were out racing 10ks, or such like, we were struggling with the icing. I was more nervous than at the start of a marathon! All the time a voice in my head was saying “this cannot be lumpy and amateurish. This must be smooth and precise.” and all the time my eye was trying to make calculations about tolerance levels and what was acceptable. Sports science tell you that this is not the way to approach any task . If you started a race thinking you had to perfect, you would inevitably trip over your laces and land on your face. But I could not think any other way and certainly could not imagine my way into some sort of icing zone (as I think that requires some sort of expertise). Nevertheless, at the moment, it looks OK. I only hope that in future it will stack-up.*
So there will be another gap of a week or so before my next post and then it will be back to normal and soon it will be time for this year’s Juneathon.
(* what a pleasure it is to use a cliche of business-speak but tell the literal truth)
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Lost at Sea
I love stories like this. A man buys a boat and decides to sail from Gillingham to Southampton.He is a total novice and has no navigation aids but sees no problem because it is simple - right? All you have to do is keep within sight of the coast and keep it on your right hand side and eventually you will arrive. Unfortunately he forgot he would be passing the Isle of Sheppy, on the right hand side, and so keeping the coast always on his right meant he went round and round in circles until he ran out of fuel.
Although I am amused by the dumb failure, I secretly admire the spirit of someone who sees no barrier to just giving something a go. Also I can never be too critical of someone, going round and round in circles as metaphorical I have spent large sections of my life doing the same thing. Even my running can feel like that at times.
Just like the sailor I set out on my running journey with one simple rule - if I get out enough and run regularly my fitness will improve and I will run better. The most important thing is consistency and that is all I need to know (and in fact despite an amount of reading and a certain amount of experimentation that is all I really know). But although the rule is true there are very many Isles of Sheppy that can send you off course:
There are all sorts of reasons for a stop/start programme, some within your control, some outside. The key is to recognise what is happening and re-plan. The advantage of running is that at any point we can pause, reorient ourselves and make changes. There is no reason to get stuck.
Although I am amused by the dumb failure, I secretly admire the spirit of someone who sees no barrier to just giving something a go. Also I can never be too critical of someone, going round and round in circles as metaphorical I have spent large sections of my life doing the same thing. Even my running can feel like that at times.
Just like the sailor I set out on my running journey with one simple rule - if I get out enough and run regularly my fitness will improve and I will run better. The most important thing is consistency and that is all I need to know (and in fact despite an amount of reading and a certain amount of experimentation that is all I really know). But although the rule is true there are very many Isles of Sheppy that can send you off course:
- Go out too hard, fail to build gradually, get injured - break the consistency.
- Over estimate your capabilities, get discouraged - break the consistency
- Get distracted by other things (or just life in general)- break the consistency
- Fail to establish the unthinking habit of getting out the door at a regular time, so you leave it too late in the day - break the consistency.
- Repeat the same runs too often so you loose freshness and enthusiasm - break the consistency.
- Get ill - break the consistency.
There are all sorts of reasons for a stop/start programme, some within your control, some outside. The key is to recognise what is happening and re-plan. The advantage of running is that at any point we can pause, reorient ourselves and make changes. There is no reason to get stuck.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
I Do Not Understand Quantum Theory
In which the author’s already tenuous grasp of reality is put under further strain.
My attitude to running technology is conflicted: ideologically I like the idea of running with as few encumbrances as possible - just getting out there and not worrying; but I also like toys.
The only tool I have consistently used is a heart rate monitor, which I principally use to manage my effort on slow runs. Adding speed and distance has been great for keeping records and has cut the time spent on Google maps working out distances, but I have never used the extra information on the run (as everything is about effort level). My engagement with speed and distance has therefore been at the lowest level, I bought a Garmin 50 very cheaply on Amazon, but it has been just fine. Importantly I have never worried about its accuracy. I measured it at the beginning, was happy and have trusted it ever since. This means it has never occupied much of my brain: all I have to do is put on the hrm and watch, which is second nature, and I am out the door.
As I said I like to run with as few complications as possible
That has now changed as the Adidas micoach has introduced a degree of confusion. When I first got it I ran with both it and the Garmin to compare the distance measurement and as I reported the micoach registered a shorter distance. No problem I thought, it is just a matter of adjustment and all I need is a calibration run at the track.
Yesterday I managed to organise myself and run the test (Hemel has a nice track but its opening hours are quite limited). Garmin on one foot, micoach on the other, over three runs (1600m, and 2x800m).
The Garmin was pretty good, 1.67, 0.825, 0.829km (especially as because of some cones I mostly ran in lane 2). The micoach was however way out: 1.88, 0.94, 0.99km. A longer distance!
Today I went for another normal run with both sensors for a further test and again the micoach showed a shorted distance. This is too confusing.
The only explanations I can think of are that either my running style was slightly different on the track and the micoach was more sensitive to the change, or on my normal runs, over longer distances, the micoach suffered some signal interference.
But I am puzzled as I now have something that records distance as both longer and shorter. Truly it must be a quantum device.
My attitude to running technology is conflicted: ideologically I like the idea of running with as few encumbrances as possible - just getting out there and not worrying; but I also like toys.
The only tool I have consistently used is a heart rate monitor, which I principally use to manage my effort on slow runs. Adding speed and distance has been great for keeping records and has cut the time spent on Google maps working out distances, but I have never used the extra information on the run (as everything is about effort level). My engagement with speed and distance has therefore been at the lowest level, I bought a Garmin 50 very cheaply on Amazon, but it has been just fine. Importantly I have never worried about its accuracy. I measured it at the beginning, was happy and have trusted it ever since. This means it has never occupied much of my brain: all I have to do is put on the hrm and watch, which is second nature, and I am out the door.
As I said I like to run with as few complications as possible
That has now changed as the Adidas micoach has introduced a degree of confusion. When I first got it I ran with both it and the Garmin to compare the distance measurement and as I reported the micoach registered a shorter distance. No problem I thought, it is just a matter of adjustment and all I need is a calibration run at the track.
Yesterday I managed to organise myself and run the test (Hemel has a nice track but its opening hours are quite limited). Garmin on one foot, micoach on the other, over three runs (1600m, and 2x800m).
The Garmin was pretty good, 1.67, 0.825, 0.829km (especially as because of some cones I mostly ran in lane 2). The micoach was however way out: 1.88, 0.94, 0.99km. A longer distance!
Today I went for another normal run with both sensors for a further test and again the micoach showed a shorted distance. This is too confusing.
The only explanations I can think of are that either my running style was slightly different on the track and the micoach was more sensitive to the change, or on my normal runs, over longer distances, the micoach suffered some signal interference.
But I am puzzled as I now have something that records distance as both longer and shorter. Truly it must be a quantum device.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Canal Boat Interlude
Last Friday was my birthday and to celebrate I decided to see the canal from a different viewpoint.
I have lost count of the number of times I have run alongside the Grand Union Canal. I never tire of it as everyday brings a fresh view: a new boat, changes in the vegetation, new ducks, or even a fisherman actually catching something. Over time I have developed a great attachment to the place a sense of belonging that I feel I have earned - because I run. But I have never seen it from the water, never used it for its original purpose of navigation by barge.
For my birthday I thought it would be a good idea to hire a boat and see if it is as peaceful on board as it looks from the towpath. From the outside the boats seem to chug along at a gentle walking pace, with the person at the tiller standing almost still, looking relaxed. Nothing can be done faster and there is nowhere else to go. Perfect.
Now after having tried it I can report that it is not quite so simple. For a start it is quit hard work: the locks need a lot of effort to winch up the sluice gates and push the paddles back and forth. On the boat there were only three of us (one for each paddle and one to steer) and although one person could push a lock paddle it required strength. It would not be an issue if the locks are well separated but we had to seven very close together and eighteen in all - the ultimate result was delayed onset muscle soreness, which only goes to show that fitness comes in different forms and exercise can be found in unexpected ways.
I didn't get stiff because I avoided the grunt work: not because of some sort of birthday pass but because I was the least troubled by the idea of piloting the boat into the lock without really knowing what I was doing. But piloting the boat also had its own challenges. Physically there was no problem apart from standing for a long time (not something I normally do as I am either moving or sitting ) but my inexperience forced constant concentration as I tried to keep in control of the steering: trying to remember which way to push the tiller, how far it needed to be moved, and calculating how long it took for the direction to be changed.
So not quite the easy-going slow-paced day I imagined but it was rather wonderful.
It was surprising how quickly time disappeared. One of my fears had been that, after the initial novelty, the experience might become a little bit boring. But no - the day was full. It was a great way to see the surroundings and, perhaps because of the slow pace, there were more interactions with people as we passed, those on other boats, fishermen, the one runner we passed, and at the locks people would often watch and sometimes help with the pushing. It was also good to be able to stop anywhere and have the extremely elaborate picnic prepared by my wife and daughter: moments of pure contentment.
The boat was a great interlude but now it is back to the serious relationship between me and the canal - running. Yesterday I was back along the familiar tow path but there was a change: I made a conscious effort to look about more.
P.S. The photo of ducklings was taken last year but one of the pleasure of the outing was passing similar groups of fluffy little mallards. It felt as if spring had suddenly arrived.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Adidas micoach
The highlight of my running week was being invited to test the latest piece of running technology from Adidas.
It happened at the Battersea park running track and in itself that was part of the pleasure. I have rarely run on a track and never under flood lights, doing so this time made me feel as if I was engaged in a proper athletic activity (which is not always the case). A slight illusion of course because the session involved running a few laps to get used to the equipment, but nevertheless it felt good. I now know I should use my local track to add variety to my running - a useful lesson
It was also a pleasure to meet a couple of bloggers who appear on the sidebar (Warriorwoman and Big Runner). In addition I had an interesting conversation with Michael Nicol from the The Running School about technique and the changes that can be made. Also we wereall introduced to Andy Vernon, an elite athlete who was just off to the world cross country championships, where he achieved his target of finishing 44th. So congratulations to him.
So irrespective of the kit it was an interesting evening. But I really should be talking about the Adidas micoach.
The Concept
Most existing devices are based on a watch, which has constantly available visual information on your progress, whether that be pace, heart rate, distance, or time. You can choose what you want to look at and it feels quite natural (because most of us are used to wearing watches). In essence they are monitoring devices that can be either acted upon or ignored; but either way it is comforting to know the information is there for a quick check at any time.
They are a tool that can be used intensively or lightly, as part of a highly structured training regime or to make an informal programme more interesting. The runner decides what to do (through reading, a club, or from a coach) and the watch is a useful aid but to get the most out of it you need a certain amount of knowledge.
Adidas have taken a different approach. They reason that most runners are not members of clubs (in England membership is 5%) and will not have easy access to advice and encouragement . For sure there are books, schedules, Runners World and forums but it is still difficult to keep on track and know you are doing the right thing. There is therefore a need for something that supports a training regime and gives real time information on what you should be doing.
Their approach is based on well established principles of heart rate training, where a schedule comprises sessions targeted at different levels of activity, to systematically build both endurance and the CV system. They have a number of pre-set schedules on their website which prescribe these sessions based on your goals (whether you want to prepare for a race or just keep fit) and these are synched into a little micoach pacer, which can then be clipped onto your shorts or an armband. When you are running there is a audio feed which will tell you what you should be doing. If for example you are scheduled for intervals it will give the message "move to the yellow zone for 1 minute" followed by "green zone for 2 minutes", etc. (The heart rate zones are colour coded: blue = v. easy; green = steady; yellow = threshold; red= v. hard).
Other than that you just keep running until you get a new instruction. You can get an update of your progress by pressing a button but as this is a bit more cumbersome than looking at a watch I tend to forget it. At first I found this disconcerting because I am used to quickly glancing at my watch to keep track but on reflection I think Adidas might be onto something:
○ When you are out you don't want to become obsessed with checking
○ You can concentrate on running but know you are doing what you are supposed to
○ An audio instruction for intervals is so much better than a watch that beeps
○ It is better to analyse data after the run; during the run you need only concentrate on how it feels
So although I had previously thought visual information on a watch highly desirable, now I am not so sure. Over the next couple of months I will report back on how I think it works in practice.
The Kit
The footpod and heart rate monitor look as if they are made by Garmin. The footpod is tiny enough to fit into a cavity in both Adidas and Nike+ shoes but also a plastic cradle that can be clipped onto the laces . It amazing how the size of these things have shrunk; it is less than half the size of my Garmin 50 pod.
The pacer unit is the distinctive to Adidas. At first I found the controls fiddly and non intuitive, e.g. the start/pause button is not obvious (I wanted to press the central button, which gives you an information update) but you get used to it and now I think it works fine.
There is however related piece of equipment I would thoroughly recommend. Sennheiser have made some Adidas branded sports headphones that will shortly be available from John Lewis. The best running earphones I have ever used.
The Software
This is the area that has the potential to mark out the micoach as a rich running resource. They already have a good selection of their own training schedules that can be loaded onto a calendar and into your pacer but I think they have a chance to extend this by collecting a library of training programmes from other established coaches. For example I think the micoach is ideally suited to a Jeff Galloway run/walk programme. It would be good to have a range of options from those that emphasis slow distance to those that concentrate more on quality.
As a record of your runs it is seems perfectly competent. I haven't explored it fully but the datalog, graphs and calendar look good.
Accuracy
We were told in the introduction that the footpod is 98% out of the box and would not need calibrating. This is not necessarily true. I have just run a route using both my Garmin and micoach footpods. The Garmin measured it at 10.57km, the Adidas at 9.59. The distance according to Google Maps was 10.13km, which, as that splits the difference, I will take to be the most accurate. A 6% error is not so clever. It will have to be recalibrated (as will the Garmin)
Conclusion
I think this has potential. It has already made me think about the information I need when I am actually running, and whether the habit of regularly looking at my watch is helpful. An audio feed is a good way to give training instructions and is perfect for intervals based on time.
I will start to use it from a couple of months and report back on how I have got on.
It happened at the Battersea park running track and in itself that was part of the pleasure. I have rarely run on a track and never under flood lights, doing so this time made me feel as if I was engaged in a proper athletic activity (which is not always the case). A slight illusion of course because the session involved running a few laps to get used to the equipment, but nevertheless it felt good. I now know I should use my local track to add variety to my running - a useful lesson
It was also a pleasure to meet a couple of bloggers who appear on the sidebar (Warriorwoman and Big Runner). In addition I had an interesting conversation with Michael Nicol from the The Running School about technique and the changes that can be made. Also we wereall introduced to Andy Vernon, an elite athlete who was just off to the world cross country championships, where he achieved his target of finishing 44th. So congratulations to him.
So irrespective of the kit it was an interesting evening. But I really should be talking about the Adidas micoach.
The Concept
Most existing devices are based on a watch, which has constantly available visual information on your progress, whether that be pace, heart rate, distance, or time. You can choose what you want to look at and it feels quite natural (because most of us are used to wearing watches). In essence they are monitoring devices that can be either acted upon or ignored; but either way it is comforting to know the information is there for a quick check at any time.
They are a tool that can be used intensively or lightly, as part of a highly structured training regime or to make an informal programme more interesting. The runner decides what to do (through reading, a club, or from a coach) and the watch is a useful aid but to get the most out of it you need a certain amount of knowledge.
Adidas have taken a different approach. They reason that most runners are not members of clubs (in England membership is 5%) and will not have easy access to advice and encouragement . For sure there are books, schedules, Runners World and forums but it is still difficult to keep on track and know you are doing the right thing. There is therefore a need for something that supports a training regime and gives real time information on what you should be doing.
Their approach is based on well established principles of heart rate training, where a schedule comprises sessions targeted at different levels of activity, to systematically build both endurance and the CV system. They have a number of pre-set schedules on their website which prescribe these sessions based on your goals (whether you want to prepare for a race or just keep fit) and these are synched into a little micoach pacer, which can then be clipped onto your shorts or an armband. When you are running there is a audio feed which will tell you what you should be doing. If for example you are scheduled for intervals it will give the message "move to the yellow zone for 1 minute" followed by "green zone for 2 minutes", etc. (The heart rate zones are colour coded: blue = v. easy; green = steady; yellow = threshold; red= v. hard).
Other than that you just keep running until you get a new instruction. You can get an update of your progress by pressing a button but as this is a bit more cumbersome than looking at a watch I tend to forget it. At first I found this disconcerting because I am used to quickly glancing at my watch to keep track but on reflection I think Adidas might be onto something:
○ When you are out you don't want to become obsessed with checking
○ You can concentrate on running but know you are doing what you are supposed to
○ An audio instruction for intervals is so much better than a watch that beeps
○ It is better to analyse data after the run; during the run you need only concentrate on how it feels
So although I had previously thought visual information on a watch highly desirable, now I am not so sure. Over the next couple of months I will report back on how I think it works in practice.
The Kit
The footpod and heart rate monitor look as if they are made by Garmin. The footpod is tiny enough to fit into a cavity in both Adidas and Nike+ shoes but also a plastic cradle that can be clipped onto the laces . It amazing how the size of these things have shrunk; it is less than half the size of my Garmin 50 pod.
The pacer unit is the distinctive to Adidas. At first I found the controls fiddly and non intuitive, e.g. the start/pause button is not obvious (I wanted to press the central button, which gives you an information update) but you get used to it and now I think it works fine.
There is however related piece of equipment I would thoroughly recommend. Sennheiser have made some Adidas branded sports headphones that will shortly be available from John Lewis. The best running earphones I have ever used.
The Software
This is the area that has the potential to mark out the micoach as a rich running resource. They already have a good selection of their own training schedules that can be loaded onto a calendar and into your pacer but I think they have a chance to extend this by collecting a library of training programmes from other established coaches. For example I think the micoach is ideally suited to a Jeff Galloway run/walk programme. It would be good to have a range of options from those that emphasis slow distance to those that concentrate more on quality.
As a record of your runs it is seems perfectly competent. I haven't explored it fully but the datalog, graphs and calendar look good.
Accuracy
We were told in the introduction that the footpod is 98% out of the box and would not need calibrating. This is not necessarily true. I have just run a route using both my Garmin and micoach footpods. The Garmin measured it at 10.57km, the Adidas at 9.59. The distance according to Google Maps was 10.13km, which, as that splits the difference, I will take to be the most accurate. A 6% error is not so clever. It will have to be recalibrated (as will the Garmin)
Conclusion
I think this has potential. It has already made me think about the information I need when I am actually running, and whether the habit of regularly looking at my watch is helpful. An audio feed is a good way to give training instructions and is perfect for intervals based on time.
I will start to use it from a couple of months and report back on how I have got on.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
The Long View
In her response to my last post IrunbecauseILoveFood said she needed a dose of my patience and pragmatism. My immediate reaction was: "so do I".
What I think and how I feel are not necessarily the same. Many times I can be clear in my understanding and come-up with good plans but fail to follow through because of conflicts between my emotional and rational selves. One part of the brain can be calm about accepting frustrations and know that all action should be based on recognising where you are any one time and starting from there. However another part wails and laments. It is ashamed and embarrassed at being slower, weaker, more sluggish, and heavier than it thinks is proper. It resents not being what it wants to be.
"How has it got to this?" is a question I keep asking as I compare myself to how I was when I was doing things better; or "how can they be so much better?" as I compare myself to others . I know these are questions from despair and I know they have to be put aside but in the dark moments, when you aren't doing as much as you want or feel you ought to do, they cling very tight.
It is particularly difficult with running because it is all about the process; all about keeping going. When a run has finished all that matters is that you get out the next day (whenever that next day is on your schedule). If you don't all the achievements and good work of your previous runs are quickly wasted as you cannot preserve conditioning. If you stop you degrade. So time of injury or prolonged periods of 'can't be arsed' are damaging.
However the wonder of running is that it is about renewal. You can always start again, build-up fitness and rediscover all of the pleasure. Those dark days will then be forgotten. It is like weather and climate. A few days of unseasonable cold and wet do not signify much; all that matters is the overall pattern
So the underlying philosophy of this blog is that if you are running long, take the long view.
What I think and how I feel are not necessarily the same. Many times I can be clear in my understanding and come-up with good plans but fail to follow through because of conflicts between my emotional and rational selves. One part of the brain can be calm about accepting frustrations and know that all action should be based on recognising where you are any one time and starting from there. However another part wails and laments. It is ashamed and embarrassed at being slower, weaker, more sluggish, and heavier than it thinks is proper. It resents not being what it wants to be.
"How has it got to this?" is a question I keep asking as I compare myself to how I was when I was doing things better; or "how can they be so much better?" as I compare myself to others . I know these are questions from despair and I know they have to be put aside but in the dark moments, when you aren't doing as much as you want or feel you ought to do, they cling very tight.
It is particularly difficult with running because it is all about the process; all about keeping going. When a run has finished all that matters is that you get out the next day (whenever that next day is on your schedule). If you don't all the achievements and good work of your previous runs are quickly wasted as you cannot preserve conditioning. If you stop you degrade. So time of injury or prolonged periods of 'can't be arsed' are damaging.
However the wonder of running is that it is about renewal. You can always start again, build-up fitness and rediscover all of the pleasure. Those dark days will then be forgotten. It is like weather and climate. A few days of unseasonable cold and wet do not signify much; all that matters is the overall pattern
So the underlying philosophy of this blog is that if you are running long, take the long view.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Sports Bike/City Bike
At the moment I feel very sluggish. For every step forward there are two back; for every fresh start a new stop.
Having my jaw excavated did not really affect my exercise programme, as it was only one day off and my target is five sessions a week. However this week has been far worse, far, far worse: only one measly session. Pathetic!
The cause was my own carelessness. I was bending over in an awkward position, trying to undo a nut, when I twisted to stop something falling. There was a twinge and my back went. Although the pull itself was not serious the result was an inevitable seizing-up of all back and shoulder muscles to compensate and protect. I could walk stiffly but running was impossible and I did not fancy the crouched riding position on my bike. All that was left was a bit of gentle moving about. Sometimes it is hard not to feel that I am falling to pieces.
I know one of the preoccupations of runners (every runner?) is injury but it can become tiresome to dwell too much on the problems. I hate the thought of becoming someone who is constantly checking their state of health, as it is only a short step from that to becoming the sort of person who answers the question 'How do you feel?' in detail rather than with a simple 'Good!' Being one of the worried-well would be more than my self image could take.
So I tell myself, yet again, that sometimes you just have to ride with things and accept that "is is is and ain't is ain't". What ain't at the moment is me as a finely tuned athlete; what is, is the need to build back slowly and rediscover the fun. That is all.
This video is from an
Australian blog which promotes Dutch style city bikes as a way of encouraging urban cycling> It tells me something about my current situation. I should not worry about trying to be sporty (or pretend I am faster than I am). I should just get out there and tootle around. As the video says riding a sit up and beg is still riding a bike.
Having my jaw excavated did not really affect my exercise programme, as it was only one day off and my target is five sessions a week. However this week has been far worse, far, far worse: only one measly session. Pathetic!
The cause was my own carelessness. I was bending over in an awkward position, trying to undo a nut, when I twisted to stop something falling. There was a twinge and my back went. Although the pull itself was not serious the result was an inevitable seizing-up of all back and shoulder muscles to compensate and protect. I could walk stiffly but running was impossible and I did not fancy the crouched riding position on my bike. All that was left was a bit of gentle moving about. Sometimes it is hard not to feel that I am falling to pieces.
I know one of the preoccupations of runners (every runner?) is injury but it can become tiresome to dwell too much on the problems. I hate the thought of becoming someone who is constantly checking their state of health, as it is only a short step from that to becoming the sort of person who answers the question 'How do you feel?' in detail rather than with a simple 'Good!' Being one of the worried-well would be more than my self image could take.
So I tell myself, yet again, that sometimes you just have to ride with things and accept that "is is is and ain't is ain't". What ain't at the moment is me as a finely tuned athlete; what is, is the need to build back slowly and rediscover the fun. That is all.
This video is from an
Australian blog which promotes Dutch style city bikes as a way of encouraging urban cycling> It tells me something about my current situation. I should not worry about trying to be sporty (or pretend I am faster than I am). I should just get out there and tootle around. As the video says riding a sit up and beg is still riding a bike.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Reasons for Not Running No. 559
Teeth; or to be more precise a tooth; or to be even more precise an ex-tooth
It started a couple of Saturdays ago when, with all the morning available for a run, I getting ready in a leisurely way. After cleaning my teeth I started to floss when clunk - I pulled a crown clean out of my mouth. No longer did I have a morning for running, the time had to be spent waiting to see the dentist and the day was a dud.
I had hoped the crown could be stuck back on but some of the tooth had also come away. I was told that it although it might be possible to reattach the crown it was a bit iffy and there were no guarantees that it would last. The alternative was to have it taken out.
Yesterday was the day it happened and after my jaw was suitably numbed what remained of my tooth was cut up and removed root by root. After it was over my jaw felt tired and achy and I needed to buy some more ibuprofen so I went to Boots, picked out a pack and took it to the till, where it scanned at a higher price than was indicated on the shelf. Normally I would have pointed this out and either paid the lower price or not bought the item. This time I had a dilemma: there was a lump of gauze where a tooth had been and I was holding my jaw clamped shut. I really, really did not want to move it in any way and certainly did not want to speak . In my head I ran an economic calculation: were the tablets, at that particular time in those particular circumstances worth the extra 80p. Yes I decided - not speaking was far more important for me.
I left the shop with mixed emotions: on the one hand I was a bit irritated at paying more than I thought the tablets were worth but on the other I was quite amused by playing out a piece of economic theory and thought about how circumstances can change the way we value things.
After the anaesthetic wore of the value of the ibuprofen again increased.
It was definitely another non running day.
It started a couple of Saturdays ago when, with all the morning available for a run, I getting ready in a leisurely way. After cleaning my teeth I started to floss when clunk - I pulled a crown clean out of my mouth. No longer did I have a morning for running, the time had to be spent waiting to see the dentist and the day was a dud.
I had hoped the crown could be stuck back on but some of the tooth had also come away. I was told that it although it might be possible to reattach the crown it was a bit iffy and there were no guarantees that it would last. The alternative was to have it taken out.
Yesterday was the day it happened and after my jaw was suitably numbed what remained of my tooth was cut up and removed root by root. After it was over my jaw felt tired and achy and I needed to buy some more ibuprofen so I went to Boots, picked out a pack and took it to the till, where it scanned at a higher price than was indicated on the shelf. Normally I would have pointed this out and either paid the lower price or not bought the item. This time I had a dilemma: there was a lump of gauze where a tooth had been and I was holding my jaw clamped shut. I really, really did not want to move it in any way and certainly did not want to speak . In my head I ran an economic calculation: were the tablets, at that particular time in those particular circumstances worth the extra 80p. Yes I decided - not speaking was far more important for me.
I left the shop with mixed emotions: on the one hand I was a bit irritated at paying more than I thought the tablets were worth but on the other I was quite amused by playing out a piece of economic theory and thought about how circumstances can change the way we value things.
After the anaesthetic wore of the value of the ibuprofen again increased.
It was definitely another non running day.
Monday, March 08, 2010
Nice Run - Not Much Happened
The house opposite has just been repointed and today the workman was finishing-off by putting back the fixings, including the name and number. It is No 99 and unfortunately he put it upside down. For some reason I got just a little bit more pleasure than I should from being helpful and telling him of the mistake - his sigh was a thing of beauty.
Other than that there is not much to say about my run. It was 11.5km at the slow, easy base-run pace. Every run at the moment is similar in intensity (i.e. low) but there is a certain amount of variation in route. Not a great deal as I tend to have some well trod paths but I always leave myself the freedom to put in extra loops or take out sections, depending on how I feel on the day.
As a runner I am not an explorer; I am remarkably content to go to the same places again and again. Perhaps I have the memory of a goldfish but I don't get tired of repeatedly seeing the same things. If boredom and weariness come it is not because of familiar surroundings but because I am tired within myself. Often the weather sets my mood (which is why I struggle so much in January and February) but today was clear and crisp - perfect for keeping moving. Everything felt fresh.
The stats for last week were: 4 runs, 1 cycle ride. Distance run 36km, cycled 29 miles. (Odd how I mix up the units but over the past couple of years I have started to use kilometres for running). Not huge totals but the aim is to gradually build up.
Other than that there is not much to say about my run. It was 11.5km at the slow, easy base-run pace. Every run at the moment is similar in intensity (i.e. low) but there is a certain amount of variation in route. Not a great deal as I tend to have some well trod paths but I always leave myself the freedom to put in extra loops or take out sections, depending on how I feel on the day.
As a runner I am not an explorer; I am remarkably content to go to the same places again and again. Perhaps I have the memory of a goldfish but I don't get tired of repeatedly seeing the same things. If boredom and weariness come it is not because of familiar surroundings but because I am tired within myself. Often the weather sets my mood (which is why I struggle so much in January and February) but today was clear and crisp - perfect for keeping moving. Everything felt fresh.
The stats for last week were: 4 runs, 1 cycle ride. Distance run 36km, cycled 29 miles. (Odd how I mix up the units but over the past couple of years I have started to use kilometres for running). Not huge totals but the aim is to gradually build up.
Friday, March 05, 2010
Heart Rate And The Time Of Day
So my current plan is base training- a period of slow easy running that leaves me fairly fresh at the end of each session. For this I use my HRM as a guide to exercise intensity and to tell me when me to slow down. So I have been paying close attention to my heart rate than normal and to my surprise have found quite a variation between morning and afternoon.
The past four runs have been at roughly the same pace but the average heart rates have been: 146, 156, 150, and 145 bpm. The middle two runs were in the afternoon, the other two in the morning. The morning runs were at a lower rate yet the perceived exercise level was the same. There has to be a slight caveat as they were four different routes (and the 156 route was probably a bit more hilly than the others) but they were similar enough to make comparisons . I can think of no other confounding factors as the time between eating and running was about the same in all cases and certainly temperature was not an issue (as it might be in the summer where afternoon heat can raise the heart rate).
Now four runs are not enough to draw any conclusions but they do indicate that there might be something going on. It is probably not important, just a part of normal diurnal rhythms, but it is of passing interest - not because it makes any difference to training but because it is slightly counter intuitive. The evidence point to the afternoon as the time of peak athletic performance (just look at the time of day records are set) and one would therefore assume that when the body is working at maximum efficiency, for any given speed would require proportionately less effort and hence need a lower heart rate. Instead it looks as if everything revs up a bit during the course of the day, including the heart for the same level of output.
Rootling around on Google I found a newspaper article by someone who had observed exactly the same pattern (the accompanying photos raised the additional question of why her dress sense was also worse in the morning). But there are also straightforward articles that describe the factors that can affect heart rate and include the time of day. From the world of running there is this from Peter Pfitzinger, and from world of professional football referees (not a phrase I thought I would ever use in this blog) this.
But the body is never simple and this very small scale study on cyclists found that although the time of day affected performance it did not affect heart rate. Now a sample size of 8 is not much larger than my single anecdote, nevertheless it does indicate that the diurnal effect might not be quite so straightforward.
The key point though is does it matter?
In practical terms No - the heart rate is a minor detail in the circadian pattern that makes no difference to when or how you should train. Even the larger circadian changes should not effect the time you like to train (as was concluded in this paper).
However it does show that using the heart rate as a proxy for the level of effort should be treated with caution. As a rough indicator, where a few beat either way are neither here nor there, it is fine but if followed too rigidly it could be misleading and give a false sense of certainty about what the body is doing. Almost all the articles I have read about heart rate training have treated the numbers as stable and reliable (eg you have a definite maximum heart rate for each type of exercise) whereas they not only vary at different times they fluctuate daily.
This page from the 'Physiology of sport and exercise' has an interesting table of the ways heart rates can vary. Never mind the time of day the most startling factor is sleep. The difference between 8 hours and six hours could be 10 beats - now that might well be something I should pay attention to.
The past four runs have been at roughly the same pace but the average heart rates have been: 146, 156, 150, and 145 bpm. The middle two runs were in the afternoon, the other two in the morning. The morning runs were at a lower rate yet the perceived exercise level was the same. There has to be a slight caveat as they were four different routes (and the 156 route was probably a bit more hilly than the others) but they were similar enough to make comparisons . I can think of no other confounding factors as the time between eating and running was about the same in all cases and certainly temperature was not an issue (as it might be in the summer where afternoon heat can raise the heart rate).
Now four runs are not enough to draw any conclusions but they do indicate that there might be something going on. It is probably not important, just a part of normal diurnal rhythms, but it is of passing interest - not because it makes any difference to training but because it is slightly counter intuitive. The evidence point to the afternoon as the time of peak athletic performance (just look at the time of day records are set) and one would therefore assume that when the body is working at maximum efficiency, for any given speed would require proportionately less effort and hence need a lower heart rate. Instead it looks as if everything revs up a bit during the course of the day, including the heart for the same level of output.
Rootling around on Google I found a newspaper article by someone who had observed exactly the same pattern (the accompanying photos raised the additional question of why her dress sense was also worse in the morning). But there are also straightforward articles that describe the factors that can affect heart rate and include the time of day. From the world of running there is this from Peter Pfitzinger, and from world of professional football referees (not a phrase I thought I would ever use in this blog) this.
But the body is never simple and this very small scale study on cyclists found that although the time of day affected performance it did not affect heart rate. Now a sample size of 8 is not much larger than my single anecdote, nevertheless it does indicate that the diurnal effect might not be quite so straightforward.
The key point though is does it matter?
In practical terms No - the heart rate is a minor detail in the circadian pattern that makes no difference to when or how you should train. Even the larger circadian changes should not effect the time you like to train (as was concluded in this paper).
However it does show that using the heart rate as a proxy for the level of effort should be treated with caution. As a rough indicator, where a few beat either way are neither here nor there, it is fine but if followed too rigidly it could be misleading and give a false sense of certainty about what the body is doing. Almost all the articles I have read about heart rate training have treated the numbers as stable and reliable (eg you have a definite maximum heart rate for each type of exercise) whereas they not only vary at different times they fluctuate daily.
This page from the 'Physiology of sport and exercise' has an interesting table of the ways heart rates can vary. Never mind the time of day the most startling factor is sleep. The difference between 8 hours and six hours could be 10 beats - now that might well be something I should pay attention to.
Monday, March 01, 2010
The New Year Begins Here
A new month!
Oh boy do I need this marker; this excuse to say: start again - have a new beginning. So far the year has been rubbish - not just cold but unrelentingly grey. For two months there has been nothing but heavy skies and bleakness to weigh down my spirits and tip me into some sort of Scandinavian gloom (a thought that came to me when I watched Kenneth Brannagh playing Wallander). I have gained no running consistency and have only been ticking-over, just a few km a week, feeling heavy and sluggish.
But that is now gone, swept away by a new start.
I have a new plan - well actually it is the same plan of completing a marathon training schedule but the time has been shifted so that I will race in the autumn. Before that I will put in two months of base training to get myself into good habits and build fitness.
Today I ran for an hour, much slower than I have run for ages and felt happy to have remembered, the lesson I always forget, that slow is good. (Without a conscious resetting my runs always return to the mean - that steady mid pace that does not achieve too much). The sun was out and the water sparkled as it flowed over the top of the lock gates. Everybody I passed seemed that much more relaxed and there were a few smiled acknowledgements, whereas on bleak days everybody seems to hunker into themselves. So it was actually a fairly easy day to make a new start and mark my diary with 'DAY 1' in heavy capitals.
That does not matter. The important thing is it has been done and the year has now begun (again).
Oh boy do I need this marker; this excuse to say: start again - have a new beginning. So far the year has been rubbish - not just cold but unrelentingly grey. For two months there has been nothing but heavy skies and bleakness to weigh down my spirits and tip me into some sort of Scandinavian gloom (a thought that came to me when I watched Kenneth Brannagh playing Wallander). I have gained no running consistency and have only been ticking-over, just a few km a week, feeling heavy and sluggish.
But that is now gone, swept away by a new start.
I have a new plan - well actually it is the same plan of completing a marathon training schedule but the time has been shifted so that I will race in the autumn. Before that I will put in two months of base training to get myself into good habits and build fitness.
Today I ran for an hour, much slower than I have run for ages and felt happy to have remembered, the lesson I always forget, that slow is good. (Without a conscious resetting my runs always return to the mean - that steady mid pace that does not achieve too much). The sun was out and the water sparkled as it flowed over the top of the lock gates. Everybody I passed seemed that much more relaxed and there were a few smiled acknowledgements, whereas on bleak days everybody seems to hunker into themselves. So it was actually a fairly easy day to make a new start and mark my diary with 'DAY 1' in heavy capitals.
That does not matter. The important thing is it has been done and the year has now begun (again).
Friday, February 05, 2010
Barefoot Running Has Been Getting Attention
When did running form become such a hot topic?
Over the past few months arcane debates within the running community about forefoot vs. heel strike, Pose, barefoot running, minimal shoes have seeped into the mainstream media:
On John Stewart's Daily Show there was an interview with Christopher McDougall author of 'Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen' As well as describing the incredible feats of endurance of the Tarahumara tribe of Mexico, it describes the effect on him of following their ways and abandoning his hitech trainers. Before he could manage only limited mileage before injury, whereas now he is injury free.
The book seems to have caught on and there have been a number of articles about it including this nice piece on the New York Times website The Roving Runner Goes Barefoot, which includes a video of the journalist going for a barefoot run with Christopher McDougall.
Of course, for all of us, and especially the press, products are a major focus of attention, so there have been many lifestyle/living features on
Vibram Fivefinger shoes and the fact that these shoes have been more successful than the manufacturer believed possible (they were originally designed for boating) shows a movement is developing.
Even so I was surprised when barefoot running was a topic on drivetime radio. But I don't know whether this means it is going mainstream or whether it is seen as one of those quirky stories put in to amuse (probably the latter). The trigger was research published in Nature on the different forces experienced when running barefoot as opposed to shod. They interviewed the lead author Daniel Lieberman and mostly it was fairly jokey dwelling on things like the practical problems of running barefoot, such as dog poo. However when the interviewer tried to summarise the research as showing that barefoot running lead to fewer injuries, Lieberman was very clear in stating that it showed no such thing as it merely showed the different forces at play. He did not want to stretch the evidence too far but as the press tend to rewrite press agency material and as
Reuters led the story with "Runners who eschew shoes may be less likely to do serious injury to their feet", that might be a difficult line to hold.
However what he said was interesting as this video shows:
However it is very easy to get carried away with such ideas.
As a corrective I would like to offer this excellent article on running form: an interview with Jay Dicharry, which plays down the importance of where the foot lands.
Over the past few months arcane debates within the running community about forefoot vs. heel strike, Pose, barefoot running, minimal shoes have seeped into the mainstream media:
On John Stewart's Daily Show there was an interview with Christopher McDougall author of 'Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen' As well as describing the incredible feats of endurance of the Tarahumara tribe of Mexico, it describes the effect on him of following their ways and abandoning his hitech trainers. Before he could manage only limited mileage before injury, whereas now he is injury free.
The book seems to have caught on and there have been a number of articles about it including this nice piece on the New York Times website The Roving Runner Goes Barefoot, which includes a video of the journalist going for a barefoot run with Christopher McDougall.
Of course, for all of us, and especially the press, products are a major focus of attention, so there have been many lifestyle/living features on
Vibram Fivefinger shoes and the fact that these shoes have been more successful than the manufacturer believed possible (they were originally designed for boating) shows a movement is developing.
Even so I was surprised when barefoot running was a topic on drivetime radio. But I don't know whether this means it is going mainstream or whether it is seen as one of those quirky stories put in to amuse (probably the latter). The trigger was research published in Nature on the different forces experienced when running barefoot as opposed to shod. They interviewed the lead author Daniel Lieberman and mostly it was fairly jokey dwelling on things like the practical problems of running barefoot, such as dog poo. However when the interviewer tried to summarise the research as showing that barefoot running lead to fewer injuries, Lieberman was very clear in stating that it showed no such thing as it merely showed the different forces at play. He did not want to stretch the evidence too far but as the press tend to rewrite press agency material and as
Reuters led the story with "Runners who eschew shoes may be less likely to do serious injury to their feet", that might be a difficult line to hold.
However what he said was interesting as this video shows:
However it is very easy to get carried away with such ideas.
As a corrective I would like to offer this excellent article on running form: an interview with Jay Dicharry, which plays down the importance of where the foot lands.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Taking The Treadmill Out Of The Gym
I always like to keep up-to-date with the stupid; but sometimes I am a little behind the trend, so I apologise if this is old news.
At first I thought it was just an elaborate piece of whimsy but it is more than that: it is an elaborate piece of whimsy with added engineering. They have taken something jokey and made it solid. With me it would have been a pub conversation, an amusing concept conjured after a few beers that would have been lost in the evening’s haze.
I have a sneaky admiration for people who not only remember these ideas but also add real work. They make the world a brighter place.
We need more playfulness.
Bike Forest website shows they have a number of such silly projects - or kinetic sculptures, as I think the are called.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
A Year of Broken Things
This has started-off as the year of broken things: nothing too serious, nothing that can’t be repaired, but nevertheless frustrating.
Number 1 the internet – well perhaps not the whole internet, just my access to it. It started being intermittent over Christmas and stopped completely on 6th of Jan. Oh the problems of the bad weather – the engineers were all backed up and no one was available for a whole week! As it is one of the modern commandments that thou should be patient (that way you get less buggy software), I settled down to wait. The visit of the engineer coincided with more snow and it took more time getting his van away than fixing my problem. He just reset the modem said it was OK but didn’t do a lot. The internet only worked again for a few hours. Then nothing. Anther call, another wait for an engineer: but this time only for three days. The new engineer took one look at my modem, declared it knackered, replaced it and now everything is fine.
So I can continue blogging again.
Number 2 the car. This was all my own fault, and is if I haven’t demonstrated my own stupidity to myself often enough, this was a little reminder for the new year. A simple trip to Watford but unfortunately there was a big smash-up on the motorway. When I realised we would be stuck for some time I turned the engine off but forgot I had the headlights on (it was a gloomy grey day). The battery drained and I was unable to restart the engine, so I had to push the car to the hard shoulder and wait for assistance. Unfortunately the traffic was so badly backed-up they closed access to the motorway so the breakdown van could not get on for some time and after that could only crawl towards me. As a result it took 4 very cold hours to be rescued.
Number 3 me. I am sitting here with a sore throat, blocked-up nose, painful head, coughing as I type. Around my chair is a pool of self-pity (the true symptom of man-flu) as I realise that my running schedule is in danger of crumbling away, even though I know I will soon be mended
So 2010 has stated with a little moral reminder: things fall apart but eventually they can be fixed. I am going to take this to heart and make the mantra for the rest of year: “patience, patience, patience”.
Number 1 the internet – well perhaps not the whole internet, just my access to it. It started being intermittent over Christmas and stopped completely on 6th of Jan. Oh the problems of the bad weather – the engineers were all backed up and no one was available for a whole week! As it is one of the modern commandments that thou should be patient (that way you get less buggy software), I settled down to wait. The visit of the engineer coincided with more snow and it took more time getting his van away than fixing my problem. He just reset the modem said it was OK but didn’t do a lot. The internet only worked again for a few hours. Then nothing. Anther call, another wait for an engineer: but this time only for three days. The new engineer took one look at my modem, declared it knackered, replaced it and now everything is fine.
So I can continue blogging again.
Number 2 the car. This was all my own fault, and is if I haven’t demonstrated my own stupidity to myself often enough, this was a little reminder for the new year. A simple trip to Watford but unfortunately there was a big smash-up on the motorway. When I realised we would be stuck for some time I turned the engine off but forgot I had the headlights on (it was a gloomy grey day). The battery drained and I was unable to restart the engine, so I had to push the car to the hard shoulder and wait for assistance. Unfortunately the traffic was so badly backed-up they closed access to the motorway so the breakdown van could not get on for some time and after that could only crawl towards me. As a result it took 4 very cold hours to be rescued.
Number 3 me. I am sitting here with a sore throat, blocked-up nose, painful head, coughing as I type. Around my chair is a pool of self-pity (the true symptom of man-flu) as I realise that my running schedule is in danger of crumbling away, even though I know I will soon be mended
So 2010 has stated with a little moral reminder: things fall apart but eventually they can be fixed. I am going to take this to heart and make the mantra for the rest of year: “patience, patience, patience”.
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Food Rules
I have written about Michael Pollan before and no doubt will do so again because food is a proper subject for a running blog and he is one of the best writers on the subject.
He is probably most famous for ‘In Defence of Food’ with its seven word piece of dietary advice: ‘eat food, mostly plants, not very much’. He also coined the phrase ‘edible foodlike substances’ for a lot of things that fill our supermarket shelves. So in 10 words he has said most of what you need to know about nutrition.
Of course there is more to it than that and sometimes you need a book to explain what those word mean but his rules for eating are basically very simple and self-explanatory:
· Don't eat anything your great grandmother wouldn't recognize as food. "When you pick up that box of portable yogurt tubes, or eat something with 15 ingredients you can't pronounce, ask yourself, "What are those things doing there?"
· Don't eat anything with more than five ingredients, or ingredients you can't pronounce.
· Don't eat anything that won't eventually rot.
· It is not just what you eat but how you eat. "Always leave the table a little hungry," . Many cultures have rules that you stop eating before you are full. In Japan, they say eat until you are four-fifths full. Islamic culture has a similar rule, and in German culture they say, 'Tie off the sack before it's full.'
· Families traditionally ate together, around a table and not a TV, at regular meal times. It's a good tradition. Enjoy meals with the people you love.
(The only amendment I would make would be to substitute ‘a great grandmother’ for my great grandmother, who I am sure would not have recognised all the exotic fruit and vegetables we now take for granted).
My excuse for bringing this up again is that he has just published another book with more pithy advice on eating. (Food Rules) uses maxims gathered from readers of the New York Times to guide us on our way and make us think about the way we live. The background to the project is explained here and some examples are here. None of them are as good as Pollan’s original seven words but many of them are successful in condensing a way of living into a simple rule of thumb, and that is always pleasing.
I am struck between the parallels of writing about food and writing about running. Essentially all you need to know can be distilled into very few words. Running and eating are both things the species has been doing very well since its inception (otherwise we wouldn’t be here), so we only need to be reminded of a few simple rules. But for both there are shelves full of literature (more for food, obviously, but the comparison still holds), ranging from science to anecdotes, encyclopaedias to top tips. In both cases the interested reader is happy to continue reading essentially the same information presented in different ways with new twists and find it fascinating and inspiring. In both cases there are lessons that can be directly applied,
In more than one way running and food are deeply entwined.
He is probably most famous for ‘In Defence of Food’ with its seven word piece of dietary advice: ‘eat food, mostly plants, not very much’. He also coined the phrase ‘edible foodlike substances’ for a lot of things that fill our supermarket shelves. So in 10 words he has said most of what you need to know about nutrition.
Of course there is more to it than that and sometimes you need a book to explain what those word mean but his rules for eating are basically very simple and self-explanatory:
· Don't eat anything your great grandmother wouldn't recognize as food. "When you pick up that box of portable yogurt tubes, or eat something with 15 ingredients you can't pronounce, ask yourself, "What are those things doing there?"
· Don't eat anything with more than five ingredients, or ingredients you can't pronounce.
· Don't eat anything that won't eventually rot.
· It is not just what you eat but how you eat. "Always leave the table a little hungry," . Many cultures have rules that you stop eating before you are full. In Japan, they say eat until you are four-fifths full. Islamic culture has a similar rule, and in German culture they say, 'Tie off the sack before it's full.'
· Families traditionally ate together, around a table and not a TV, at regular meal times. It's a good tradition. Enjoy meals with the people you love.
(The only amendment I would make would be to substitute ‘a great grandmother’ for my great grandmother, who I am sure would not have recognised all the exotic fruit and vegetables we now take for granted).
My excuse for bringing this up again is that he has just published another book with more pithy advice on eating. (Food Rules) uses maxims gathered from readers of the New York Times to guide us on our way and make us think about the way we live. The background to the project is explained here and some examples are here. None of them are as good as Pollan’s original seven words but many of them are successful in condensing a way of living into a simple rule of thumb, and that is always pleasing.
I am struck between the parallels of writing about food and writing about running. Essentially all you need to know can be distilled into very few words. Running and eating are both things the species has been doing very well since its inception (otherwise we wouldn’t be here), so we only need to be reminded of a few simple rules. But for both there are shelves full of literature (more for food, obviously, but the comparison still holds), ranging from science to anecdotes, encyclopaedias to top tips. In both cases the interested reader is happy to continue reading essentially the same information presented in different ways with new twists and find it fascinating and inspiring. In both cases there are lessons that can be directly applied,
In more than one way running and food are deeply entwined.
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
The New Year
A New Year; a new beginning but still very cold!
Much as I enjoyed my off-season I knew it could only be for a short time and that as soon as New Year began so would a new regime. Christmas had given me time for some re-evaluation but the break meant that I was keen to make the start
My main conclusion had been about the need for variety and to think of training as a series of waves (building up, falling back a little then building again). I have therefore started a 16 week schedule, which has a pattern of three weeks of increasing effort followed by a comparatively easy week. Within the programme is the standard mixture of long slow runs, steady runs, hills, speed, and threshold. But it is good to follow someone else’s ideas because left to myself I would do too many similarly paced runs of similar length.
Whether I actually race at the end is a moot point (I have a terrible record of ending up with coughs and wheezes and finding the actual race rather unpleasant). For me the object is to test my discipline in sticking to a programme and finding out if I can break my two hour psychological block (I seem to fall to pieces after that time).
Already there has been a result as I have rediscovered the pleasure of the short session - I had quite forgotten that a 20 minute run is just enough to make you feel you have put in some work whilst leaving you feeling fresh for the rest of the day. Over the years I have done too much steady plodding, thinking I had to run for at least 40 minutes every time. I had forgotten one of the golden rules of training is to do as little as is possible to achieve your objective and that short sessions can be good.
So I feel I have made a good start to my one running resolution of 2010, which is to look afresh at what I do, examine that which is merely habitual and try to recover the attitude I had when I first started, when everything was new.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Off Season
This is the last day of the year and I notice that just one more post will bring the annual total up to the nice round number of 90. Hmm so now I must think of something to say.
I could of course write about all the running I have been doing and exercise I have been taking but there would be no words – only a blank page. I have been doing nothing. Christmas has been a period of eating, drinking, people coming, more eating and drinking, more people coming, etc. Although there have been times when I could have gone out a combination of physical lethargy and bad weather meant I really did not feel like it.
Surprisingly I am not beating myself up about this because I have classified the time as ‘Off Season’ – and I am sure it is a good thing. The balance I am always trying to strike in running is between consistency of effort, the necessity of running regularly, and keeping fresh, maintaining enjoyment. I know I have a deep need to exercise: to feel alert and well but I do not want it to be merely functional and feel like a chore. I want it to be enjoyable.
The best way to achieve this is to be smart with my regime and plan for variety. There should not only be a mixture of activities to cover strength and flexibility as well as stamina, within the single discipline of running there should also be changes. There needs to be different challenges to keeping things fresh: new routes, hills, more speed, slower and longer, arbitrary targets. (My resolution for 2010 is to be better at this).
But I also think there has to be a pattern of peaks and troughs of intensity and sometimes there needs to be a break: hence the idea of an off-season and Christmas is a good time for this.
Some of my Christmas reading time has been spent flicking through my collection of running books: picking up the odd idea, reinforcing my belief that what I do is worthwhile, reaffirming myself as a runner, and most importantly letting my imagination roam. When reading these books I picture myself running freely and easily, and feel the sensation of possibilities. It whets my appetite makes me keen to start the New Year with a new programme and to look forward.
The break has reminded me that the imagination needs as much attention as physical mechanics. After all, in the words of Yogi Berra, 90% of what we do is half mental.
I could of course write about all the running I have been doing and exercise I have been taking but there would be no words – only a blank page. I have been doing nothing. Christmas has been a period of eating, drinking, people coming, more eating and drinking, more people coming, etc. Although there have been times when I could have gone out a combination of physical lethargy and bad weather meant I really did not feel like it.
Surprisingly I am not beating myself up about this because I have classified the time as ‘Off Season’ – and I am sure it is a good thing. The balance I am always trying to strike in running is between consistency of effort, the necessity of running regularly, and keeping fresh, maintaining enjoyment. I know I have a deep need to exercise: to feel alert and well but I do not want it to be merely functional and feel like a chore. I want it to be enjoyable.
The best way to achieve this is to be smart with my regime and plan for variety. There should not only be a mixture of activities to cover strength and flexibility as well as stamina, within the single discipline of running there should also be changes. There needs to be different challenges to keeping things fresh: new routes, hills, more speed, slower and longer, arbitrary targets. (My resolution for 2010 is to be better at this).
But I also think there has to be a pattern of peaks and troughs of intensity and sometimes there needs to be a break: hence the idea of an off-season and Christmas is a good time for this.
Some of my Christmas reading time has been spent flicking through my collection of running books: picking up the odd idea, reinforcing my belief that what I do is worthwhile, reaffirming myself as a runner, and most importantly letting my imagination roam. When reading these books I picture myself running freely and easily, and feel the sensation of possibilities. It whets my appetite makes me keen to start the New Year with a new programme and to look forward.
The break has reminded me that the imagination needs as much attention as physical mechanics. After all, in the words of Yogi Berra, 90% of what we do is half mental.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
My Own Little Running World
Although I was surprised to see someone running on the snowy, icy roads I don’t think I should have been. There are many people far more dedicated than me, with an iron resolve to keep to a schedule and not let a little bit of bad weather get in the way. Some enjoy the clear crisp air and the challenge of running through snow and find the same joy we had as kids tobogganing down the slopes or throwing snowballs. Others, to whom a run is as fixed a part of the day as eating or drinking, just go out of the door because that is what they always do.
I am not in the first camp. Although I love snowy days, their beauty, the stillness and the way they bring people together, I am cautious when moving around: very aware of the dangers of falling. I prefer to be in my walking boots with their ridged and grippy soles.
As for the second group – I have never been on a streak. I think the highest number of consecutive days running is five. (A pathetic number perhaps but inevitable because of my belief in rest: even at my highest level of training I want two rest days a week.) So I am deeply impressed by those who run every day. I admire their discipline and sense of purpose, even their eccentricity.
A prime example is Ron Hill who has run at least a mile a day for the past 45 years, whatever the weather, whatever the injury or illness (famously he ran after a car crash with a cracked sternum or after a bunion operation using crutches). Now there might be a fine line between self-discipline and nuts but he is still a hero. I look upon such people as if they are a slightly different species: near enough for me to be able to recognise what they do but far enough away for me to know I could never do the same.
I know the area where I operate – keeping going, pushing myself a little but not to the extremes. Others go further and faster, others can endure more hardship, and others have better balance and can run on snow and ice. Good luck to them I like to celebrate their achievements but I have my own running world and with that I am content.
HAPPY CHRISTMAS.
I am not in the first camp. Although I love snowy days, their beauty, the stillness and the way they bring people together, I am cautious when moving around: very aware of the dangers of falling. I prefer to be in my walking boots with their ridged and grippy soles.
As for the second group – I have never been on a streak. I think the highest number of consecutive days running is five. (A pathetic number perhaps but inevitable because of my belief in rest: even at my highest level of training I want two rest days a week.) So I am deeply impressed by those who run every day. I admire their discipline and sense of purpose, even their eccentricity.
A prime example is Ron Hill who has run at least a mile a day for the past 45 years, whatever the weather, whatever the injury or illness (famously he ran after a car crash with a cracked sternum or after a bunion operation using crutches). Now there might be a fine line between self-discipline and nuts but he is still a hero. I look upon such people as if they are a slightly different species: near enough for me to be able to recognise what they do but far enough away for me to know I could never do the same.
I know the area where I operate – keeping going, pushing myself a little but not to the extremes. Others go further and faster, others can endure more hardship, and others have better balance and can run on snow and ice. Good luck to them I like to celebrate their achievements but I have my own running world and with that I am content.
HAPPY CHRISTMAS.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Snow Day
Not a day for running. I thought this self evident and had not a flicker of interest in putting on trainers.
Putting on walking boots and taking snow pictures was a different matter and I loved being out. The air felt clear and crisp, roads had very few cars, and people were talking to each other. I don't know why it takes snow to make us all more neighbourly but it does. It seems natural to talk about the weather when you pass someone in the street ("not at all like June is it" said an old boy, as he carefully watched every step in case he slipped), it is fun to help to push cars that are stuck and there are also little stories ("we would not have come out if we didn't have a sick rabbit we need to take to the vet").
But then something strange: there in the distance was a man with a hat, tracksters, and sweat-top jogging slowly and deliberately along the pavement. Why would you do that? I could not work out the benefit: you cannot move very fast or easily because you have to be very careful not to slip and the underfoot ice is rutted and uneven, your feet get raw and icy, and the routes are limited because the side streets are too deep in snow. Also the training benefit must be extremely marginal.
But there is no escaping it - this has me marked down as a faintheart.
Monday, December 14, 2009
A Matter of Definition
This past year a common pattern for Saturday has been: breakfast, a bit of faffing, then out of the door for my standard 10km run along the canal. I then, red-faced and rather sweaty, buy a paper from the shop at the bottom of my road. When I hand over the money I will be asked if I have been jogging and I will smile say yes and add something like 'got to keep at it' and then leave.
I like this interaction and I am quite happy to describe myself as a jogger. It doesn't bother me at all, yet some people I know get a bit upset in an "I am a runner not a jogger" sort of way. They want to make a distinction of commitment. To them a jogger is someone who runs as part of a mix of keep-fit activities. Their aim is health rather than the run itself, whereas for the runner improved health is merely a by-product. You run because you are absorbed by the whole experience and it brings insights you would not otherwise find. Somehow 'jogger' doesn't convey this sense of purpose. It is not a serious label.
I can understand the sensitivity as we all liked to be defined in a way that matches our internal image. On the other hand a dispassionate observer, looking at me pass, would know nothing of my commitment or purpose; they would see someone moving at a fairly easy pace, someone for whom the word jogger would seem appropriate.
But words are important and their definitions can be contentious. I thought of this when reading the story of a jazz fan wanting a refund because he thought Larry Ochs played contemporary music and not jazz.. In all sorts of ways this is wonderfully bizarre (the idea of people wanting their money back if they didn’t like what they heard would be a hugely subversive change to the normal ticket contract). What sort of health warning could you put on your posters for someone who says:
And what sort of trauma could result from exposure to the wrong kind of performance? It makes no sense but I am amused by the agonizing: “Even if I could listen to Andy Shepherd when he plays with Carla Bley, could I still listen to him when he plays with Joanna McGreggor? Hmmm”. (Actually the answer is probably yes because he is always an inventive, lyrical saxophonist whereas the psychologically fragile man is probably scared of a rumbustious, disintegrating form of free jazz - and Larry Ochs does sound like this)
The funniest thing though is calling-in the police to adjudicate – not the obvious the place for music related problems or any adjudication on arts policy and I can’t believe contemporary music is part of their basic training. It would be like me calling a local park keeper to decide if I was running or jogging.
I like this interaction and I am quite happy to describe myself as a jogger. It doesn't bother me at all, yet some people I know get a bit upset in an "I am a runner not a jogger" sort of way. They want to make a distinction of commitment. To them a jogger is someone who runs as part of a mix of keep-fit activities. Their aim is health rather than the run itself, whereas for the runner improved health is merely a by-product. You run because you are absorbed by the whole experience and it brings insights you would not otherwise find. Somehow 'jogger' doesn't convey this sense of purpose. It is not a serious label.
I can understand the sensitivity as we all liked to be defined in a way that matches our internal image. On the other hand a dispassionate observer, looking at me pass, would know nothing of my commitment or purpose; they would see someone moving at a fairly easy pace, someone for whom the word jogger would seem appropriate.
But words are important and their definitions can be contentious. I thought of this when reading the story of a jazz fan wanting a refund because he thought Larry Ochs played contemporary music and not jazz.. In all sorts of ways this is wonderfully bizarre (the idea of people wanting their money back if they didn’t like what they heard would be a hugely subversive change to the normal ticket contract). What sort of health warning could you put on your posters for someone who says:
The jazz purist claimed his doctor had warned it was "psychologically inadvisable" for him to listen to anything that could be mistaken for mere contemporary music.
And what sort of trauma could result from exposure to the wrong kind of performance? It makes no sense but I am amused by the agonizing: “Even if I could listen to Andy Shepherd when he plays with Carla Bley, could I still listen to him when he plays with Joanna McGreggor? Hmmm”. (Actually the answer is probably yes because he is always an inventive, lyrical saxophonist whereas the psychologically fragile man is probably scared of a rumbustious, disintegrating form of free jazz - and Larry Ochs does sound like this)
The funniest thing though is calling-in the police to adjudicate – not the obvious the place for music related problems or any adjudication on arts policy and I can’t believe contemporary music is part of their basic training. It would be like me calling a local park keeper to decide if I was running or jogging.
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