Battles in Nature

This is absolutely, totally unrelated to running. Well, OK, the buffalo run away from the lions then the lions run away from the croc then the lions run away from the buffalo -- and I would run away from any of them.

This is an incredible video of South African wildlife, shot in Kruger National Park.



Everybody knows that lions and crocodiles are dangerous, but cape buffalo are bad animals. They have a reputation of simply being ill-tempered. They don't see well so when you get near them, you see them raising their noses into the air to smell you. Stories abound about wounded buffalo tracking down the hunter.

Run well, y'all, and watch out for wild animals,
Bob

A New PDR!

After the flop of a run last Saturday, I'm extra happy this morning. I set a new PDR (personal distance record) running just over 12 miles at a pace of 8:39.5 mpm. And, I did the run in Greenville, SC where there are some really nasty hills. Of course, I don't want to do anything else the rest of the day!

The last couple of weeks, I've had a problem I hadn't experienced before -- squishy shoes even when it's not raining. My feet felt close to getting blisters. Hopefully the humidity will be lower for the half-marathon.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Runner's Low

I've experienced a runner's high -- also, see this link -- many times but today I found out what a real runner's low feels like. I suppose it's a lot like hitting the wall in a marathon.

I'm guessing that a combination of weather (75° and 85% humidity), not sleeping really well this week, and, probably some dehydration resulted in what felt like my worst run EVER! I didn't feel great when I started -- thought about cutting it short several times even at 2.5 miles. But, I pushed on and was OK, if not great, right up to the 7.5 mile mark. At that point, I just imploded. From there, I walked about as much as I ran. Was supposed to do 11 but ended up with only 9.9 -- it would have been shorter if I had been closer to home.

Oh, well. There will be another day.

According to Weird Conversions, I weighed the same as 17,475 sheets of paper today after running the equivalent of the length of 1,945 'weinermobiles".

Run well, y'all,
Bob
Richmond

Oops! This Was Not Good

I scared Linda, my wife, half to death on Saturday -- not because I ran 11+ miles, though.

We have a small whiteboard on the fridge where, every morning, I write down the time I leave, the time I expect to be back, and a list of the streets that I'll run. Saturday, she was up earlier than normal getting ready to go to an ESL (English as a Second Language) training session and realized that I was not back even though it was 30 minutes after I said I would be back. After another 15 minutes, she hopped in the car and went to see what ditch I was lying in and trying to figure out what hospital the EMT's would have taken me to. She couldn't follow the route so came home, hoping I was back. I wasn't and, to make things worse, she had seen that I had my route up on my laptop screen when she left but, while she was gone, the screen saver had kicked in and she didn't know the password to get back to the route (gMap Pedometer). Now, in her mind I'm badly hurt or dead, she can't find me, and she can't even get into my computer. That wasn't the most comforting thought she could have had. So, she left again to try to follow my route from the end back toward the beginning.

Well, I was within about 0.4 miles of the end of my run when I see this car stop at a very odd place in the road. Now, at this point, I'm oxygen-deprived, glycogen-deprived, probably slightly dehydrated and didn't recognize the car. But, I'm thinking, "Why is this lady parking there and blocking my way? She's going to make me run around her? Come on!" About the time I got to the car, I realized it was Linda but I thought she had decided to head to the training early and was just coming by to tell me "Good-bye".

Then, when I stopped, I saw she was upset about something. She asked me if I was OK. I said, "Yes" but thought I must really look awful for her to be upset and to ask me that. Then, she held up the whiteboard, pointing to the time I said I would be back. Now, at this point, it's about 8:05 and I'm about 5 minutes earlier than I thought I might be. But, I had written 7:15. Whoa! I was in the dog box for a bit, there -- somehow my breathless and energy-less "I'm sorry" wasn't really adequate. She knew I was OK and, because I had just stopped dead, I needed get moving before something bad happened to my body, so off I went to finish the last of the run. (I'm really not completely heartless but just stopping dead still after running can do bad things to one's body.)

After her adrenaline levels went back to normal, we were able to laugh about this. But, I guarantee you that I'll double-check the times I write down. Putting down 45 minutes when I mean to put down 1 hour and 45 minutes isn't the best way to make one's wife happy. Also, she now knows my computer password (I can no longer hide the account where my million dollars are stashed). Further, she knows that I have both our house phone and **her** cell phone numbers on the Smart ID on my shoe. Hopefully there will never be a reason for her to worry again.

Run well -- and smart -- y'all,
Bob
Richmond

Long Run

After running the [equivalent of] the Golden Gate Bridge 14.1 times this morning, I weighed $78,996.00 in US$1 bills! Of course, I ran at a snail's pace -- a beam of light would have traveled 1,070,192,370.765 miles in the time it took me to run that distance (1:35:45) Talk about a strange was to think of one's run! More Weird Conversions.

Run well, y'all,
Bob
Richmond, VA

Different Ways To Think About the Distance of a Half Marathon

The McDonald's Maymont X-Country Half Marathon will commence in 43 days. Here are some interesting ways to look at the half marathon.

1 Half Marathon =

83,0016 inches

52.70612 laps around a 400 meter track

21.0825 kilometers

0.003294 the length of the Great Wall of China

0.00655 the length of the Oregon Trail

11,857.37 giraffes' necks

702,748.5 American cockroaches laid end to end

9,765 Shaquille O’Neals laid end to end

After I finish my long run tomorrow, I will likely weigh the same as:

0.33 of a baby grand piano

0.0144 of an African elephant

440,806.045 cubic inches of air at sea level

40 chickens

467 hockey pucks

During tomorrow's long run, I'll probably lose weight equivalent to:

$3,518 in US $1 bills (That's an expensive run!)

$38.50 in US quarters

9 cans of soda

Thanks to Just Your Average Joggler for the inspiration for this blog.

For more wacky and weird conversions check out the Weird Converter (NOTE: There are some crude comparisons at this site.)

Now that'll give ya' something to think about on your run. What are your strange comparisons? Leave a comment.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Now I Know Why I'm Sore

Wednesday was a day I dreaded almost like the plague. Repeats of 3 1600 meter runs at 7:00 mpm with 800 meter recoveries just didn't sound like any fun at all. The run livd up to my expectations -- I did it but it was a pain, literally. I have been so sore for the last 2 days. Today's 5 miler at a slower pace helped but, still.

Now, though, I know why I get so sore even after 4+ years of consistent running. Check out this blog:

Muscles Do Hurt More Than When You Were In High School - Here’s Why

Here's the article that gives a bit more scientific explanation. The key concept is ...as we age, the lines of communication to the stem cells of our muscles deteriorate and, without the full instructions, it takes longer for injured muscles to heal.:

ScienceDaily: Why Aging Muscles Heal Poorly

Now I know and I can complain and groan and moan with scientific justification -- it gives me some credibility. :-)

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Needed: "Swimmies"

The weather this week has been awful. Thursday was a tempo run (1 mi easy warm-up, 4 miles @ 7:29 mpm, 1 mi easy cool down). The problem -- well, besides the fact that I knew it was going to be hard -- was that it was like running in a sauna. When I stepped out the door at 4:55 AM, it was 81° and the humidity was 74%. When I finished, there was not a square millimeter of skin or clothes that was dry. That was the worst day, but the rest of the week wasn't much better. I wondered if I needed those inflatable "swimmies" or "floaties" that we used to put on our kids' upper arms when they went swimming.

I've mentioned that I'm training for the Maymont X-Country Half-Marathon at the end of September. I know it's not a marathon but this video probably shows what I'll feel like on Sunday, 30 September:



Run well, y'all,
Bob, Richmond, VA

Relationships -- When I'm OK but You're Not OK

Since following a training program is a new thing for me (I usually just pick a distance and run at whatever pace I can maintain), most of my thinking these days is on my pace -- Am I going too fast? This feels way slow! Shoot, it seemed like I was swimming upstream in molasses yet I ran at that pace?! OK, now where, exactly, does this mile end? The program is good for me, I think. Last week's tempo run was definitely better than 2 weeks previous and I actually ran the speedwork faster than planned and faster than I thought I could.

This morning, though, in addition to pace and mile marker, I had some folks on my mind. I have been struck by how different our perspectives on events can really be. In a recent conversation, someone told me they had worked through some issues stemming from a time when they felt unfairly treated and are OK with things -- it's behind them. Other parties honestly believe that this family way overreacted out of stress and I suspect that when these folks are face to face, the other parties aren't going to feel that things are resolved. How do we fix that?

I'm not sure I can fix this particular situation but the question did lead me to the personal conclusion that just because I've worked through something for myself, it really isn't settled until I work through it with all parties involved. If I'm OK and you're not OK, then we're not OK and I'm probably not as OK as I think.

That's pretty heavy for 5:30 AM. Maybe that's why my run didn't feel "easy" even through the training plan called for an easy run today.

Run well,
Bob -- Richmond, VA

I Did It!

Today was speedwork day on my training plan -- 5 miles total with warm-up, 2 x 1600 m @ 7:05, and cool down. I decided to warm-up by running easy to the closest high school (@1.6 miles), do my repeats on the track (measured distance and easy to monitor my pace), and then do an easy run back home to cool down. Just in case something was up with the track (the school normally leaves the track open for the community), I had a contingency -- the road in front of the school is just over 1 mile between 2 major intersections -- but really didn't want to do that because there are no easy markers for monitoring pace.

So, off I went and the track was closed for resurfacing. It was tempting to chuck the speedwork and just do an extra easy run. But, that really wouldn't help me reach my goal, would it?

So, back to the first major intersection (an extra half mile or so warm-up) to do the first segment. It was then that it hit me that the first 1600 meters was going to be basically downhill -- not steep at a net change of about 14', mind you, but still generally downhill. That meant (yeah, you are pretty sharp) that the second segment was going to be basically uphill. Well, nothing to do but go for it.

The first 1600 m was difficult but I completed it in 6:45 on the nose (not too bad for an old man). I jogged back up the road for what I estimated to be 1/4 mile and then back to the end to start the second 1600 m. The first 200 meters or so weren't too bad but then ... I knew this wasn't going to be pretty.

I ran as hard and as long as I could will myself to do then slowed down and continued that way -- hard, slow, hard, slow. That happened for what seemed like at least 5 miles. When the end finally came in sight, I checked my watch and, can you believe it, there was just the slimmest of possibilities that I could actually reach the end in the target time of 7:05 (though it seemed like 7 hours and 5 minutes, the target was actually 7 minutes and 5 seconds). Sure enough, I gutted it out to the end and stopped my watch at 7:04.75.

Then, I figured, Well, it must be less than 1600 m so I really didn't do so great. But, I plotted it on gMap Pedometer and it was actually 1644.6 meters. Hooray! I had been dreading failure for 10 days -- wasted emotional energy!

So, I've gotten past that hurdle. Maymont Half-Marathon, here I come.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

That Was Hard!

Today was day #4 on the half-marathon training program and it was definitely the hardest. The previous 3 days, I was having difficulty slowing down the pace enough -- the point being, I suppose, to get in a good workout without trashing muscles and lungs in order to get in a hard workout mid-week and a long run on the weekend.

Anyway, since I've been unwilling to fork over the money for a Garmin Forerunner or a Polar watch, the only way I have to judge the time is to know where my mile (or fraction of a mile) spots are and to check my watch at those points. In order to keep from focusing too much on time, I've chosen to check my watch at each mile. The downside is that I only know my pace after each mile and then make a subjective adjustment for the next mile.

Today, though, the goal was a tempo (supposed to be comfortably difficult) run. That included a 1 mile warm-up, a 1 mile cool-down (both defined as easy or 8:58 minutes per mile) with 3 miles in the middle at a pace of 7:30 minutes per mile. I did OK on the first mile at about 9:15 mpm. The second mile went fine at 7:31. The third mile was a bit slower at 7:38. But the fourth mile was a killer -- I really pushed but could only manage 7:46. Then the final mile was 8:56. The problem was that I was dog tired at the end of 5.1 miles.

I'm trusting Runner's World on this training plan. But, is it going to get me to my goal? I'll know at the end of September.

BTW, I'm ready for winter to come back. This business of 70°+ and 85%+ humidity at 5:30 AM is for the birds! The spot where I stretch at the end of my run always looks like a swimming hole when I finish from all the sweat that pours off me. Yeah, I know -- GROSS! Give me 45° and 60% humidity any day.

Run well y'all,
Bob

4 Years!

Today I finished my 4th consecutive year of running (and walking). That's a milestone (pun intended) for this 53 year old because, even when I ran track in high school, I only ran 3 years and didn't run year 'round. (Article related to the picture.)

I began in earnest on 9-Jul-03 by walking 2.9 miles in 45 minutes. I finished the 4 years by running 7.3 miles yesterday in just under an hour and running 4.6 miles this morning in 40 minutes (intentionally slower). In those 4 years, I have run about 4,395 miles in 7 different countries (US, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, South Africa, Madagascar, Dem Republic of Congo):

2003: 557 miles (Jul-Dec)
2004: 837 miles (medial meniscectomy in Sept)
2005: 924 miles (achilles tendinitis in Feb)
2006: 1364 miles
2007: 712 miles (Jan-today)

In addition (and the reason this morning's run was intentionally slower), I ended the 4 years by beginning a 12-week training regimen for the Maymont X-Country Half-Marathon on 28-Sep-07 (there, I've committed publicly to doing it). My "that would be great" goal is 1 hour, 41 minutes -- approximately 07:45 mpm (minutes per mile), which is a pretty challenging goal for me. My "I would be happy with it" goal is just under 1 hour, 45 minutes or 08:00 mpm. Following a training program will be very different from my normal routine which has been to vary my distance and route for 4-6 runs per week but with the pace about the same for every run. So, we'll see how it goes. This is supposed to be a fun race to run because of the course.

I start year #5 tomorrow morning.

Run well, y'all,
Bob
Richmond

Anarchy

Yesterday, Linda and I spent the day at Williamsburg. It was quite interesting, especially the reenactment of select events between 1774 and 1776. One of scenes was the arrest and trial of a loyalist merchant in Williamsburg. The militia arrested him and put on a mockery of a trial.

The whole thing got me thinking about the judicial system in the US. While there is plenty to critique about our judicial system, in general we do benefit from a well-ordered legal system (my thoughts on this are certainly those of a layman and, I'm sure, are very simplistic). Our rights to competent representation in court, the requirement that findings of an investigation must be shared with the defense, our right to trial by a jury of peers approved by both defense and prosecution, etc.

The system doesn't always work; there are numerous examples of abuses; a higher judiciary that legislates rather than interprets law is not what's intended. One could also certainly point to many examples of mob justice (the KKK would be an accurate, though awful, example) that are outside the system -- essentially, that's what the reenactment portrayed yesterday. And, it was very clear why an individual who disagreed with the process would be very afraid to stand up to the crowd.

I left Williamsburg disturbed that quick justice can seem so appealing when the alternative is a seeming labourious journey through the proper system. But I am thankful for the protections that our prescribed system of justice provides.

Happy Fourth of July. Thank God for your freedoms.

Run well,
Bob

White Squirrels and High Humidity

Well, that was really interesting. I was running along Cambridge Dr. and there was a pure white squirrel in someone's yard. I suppose it must have been an albino squirrel but it was quite unique. (Image from: John Bryan State Park - White Squirrel)



I had remembered that Richmond humidity was bad but the winter's dry air had muted those memories somewhat. There have been several unreal days. Yesterday, the temperature was only 70° when I left the house at 7:30 but the humidity was 98%. I had planned to do about 8 miles but at 3 miles I decided there was no way. So, I ended up turning earlier than originally planned and doing only 5.4 miles. Even so, I was beat and absolutely soaked when I finished -- we're talking (quit reading now if sweat is gross) wring my shirt out twice after I finished running soaked. Today, the humidity was **only** 70% but I was still WET -- and this is early morning. It's just the 10th of June!

Run well,
Bob

Sights and Sounds of Kenya

Watching this brought back memories:

Maasai School Girls -- Singing and Dancing


Bob

Rain and Shine

Stepped out my front door on Friday morning, got out from under the porch and, KUMBE!, it's raining. Not bad, so I headed out. Well, about 1/4 mile into it, the bottom dropped out. I was glad I left my glasses on the porch. It's interesting running in rain in the pre-dawn. It was heavy enough that I really couldn't see very far ahead. And I couldn't see where the puddles (or were they small lakes?) were. It was a new route for me so I knew I'd "have" to run it again soon to see what I'd missed.

Saturday morning and this morning were beautiful. Headed out about 6:30 each morning just before the sun came up. I was able to see the honeysuckle that I had been smelling. Both mornings fairly humid but cool at 48° -- absolutely perfect -- just cool enough for a long-sleeved shirt but not enough to chill. I'm not sure I'll have many more mornings like this one -- looks like next week will be back in mid- to upper-50's.

I ran the new route (Friday) again this morning. There are a couple of fairly long, gentle hills which are a bit of a challenge but not killers like the shorter steep hills. I'm still running slower than usual but it ain't bad.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Hints of Summer

Well, it looks like summer's coming to Richmond -- ugh! The humidity has been pretty bad the last couple of days at 89% on Friday and 83% this morning. I'm drenched at the end of a run. One pleasant sign of summer is the sweet smell of honeysuckle. I haven't seen the flowers, yet, but I sure smelled them yesterday and today. That brought back memories of childhood -- plucking the flowers, pulling out the stamen, and licking off the nectar.

This morning I was dying. Just after mile 6, I had to walk for about 30 seconds, ran for about 1:30, then walked again for about 1:15. I haven't had to do that in a long time. Then I met up with a friend, David Miller, at about mile 6.5. He was walking but picked up and ran with me for about 0.5 miles. That was just the encouragement I needed to finish running to the end. Thanks, David -- you didn't even know you were helping me along.

Run well y'all,
Bob

How Far Does Freedom of Expression Extend?

In the last few years, I have become convinced that often my greatest strength is also my greatest weakness. The steadiness that helps me get things done can be maddening when I need to be excited. I think the same is true of America -- our greatests strengths can be our greatest weaknesses if the strengths aren't used with self-control.

My dad used to tell me, Your freedom goes only as far as the end of the other person's nose. I treasure the freedom of expression that is my right as an American but when that freedom is exercised to the extreme, it's a glaring weakness. Here is a perfect example. I'm glad we have the freedom to express dissent but where does one get off going this far?

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) - A Colorado man has been arrested for disrupting the Sunday service at a breakaway Episcopal parish by throwing a pie at the pastor. Witnesses told police that the man entered a side door of Grace Church and St. Stephen's Parish and hit the Reverend Donald Armstrong in the face as he preached a sermon on loving your enemies....Full Story

As a nation, we need to regain a sense of respect for others and learn how to dissent in appropriate ways.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

All or Nothing

DISCLAIMER: I do reserve the right to be wrong and to change my mind.

A couple of weeks ago, maybe longer, I taped a 20/20 show because they were going to talk about child molestation by Southern Baptist pastors (a topic for another day). Last night, I got around to watching it and was surprised to find that one of the segments was on Jim Karas and his campaign to ween America from cardiovascular exercise. (OK, I recognize that's a pejorative statement). I had seen most of the Good Morning America segment and wasn't impressed (I'm not the only one). He says that to lose weight, keep it off, and be fully healthy, we should stop doing cardio exercise and switch to his interval strength training routines. With a hot book and equipment.

This morning, while running, that segment kept coming to mind. I do not want to downplay the importance of strength training. I should incorporate strength training into my exercise routine -- without a doubt, I need to do something to ward of the muscle and strength loss that comes (well, OK, goes) with age. But, to eliminate all cardio exercise and sustitute only interval strength training doesn't make sense. One of Karas' arguments is that you don't see happy people in the cardio rooms of gyms but you see happy, toned people in the weight rooms. Cardio is mindless ... interval weight training is ... well, he implies it's fun and mentally stimulating but doesn't say that. Personally, as you know if you've read earlier postings, you know that I totally agree with his assessment of the dreadmill -- give me the outdoors where I'm going somewhere, seeing changing scenery. And, I've done strength training and find absolutely nothing mentally stimulating about it. It's better than the treadmill, maybe, but ....

Of course, on the other hand, if you are following my running log (see the right side of this blog), you'll see that my weight continues to hang around 178-181. To be at the right BMI for my height, I should weigh no more than 174.5. So, the running, by itself, is not getting me there.

But the details of the Cardio-Free Diet are not really what I was thinking about this morning. It seems to me that Mr. Karas' approach is a symbol of current US culture -- all or nothing. Rather than taking a moderate approach -- i.e., the best of both worlds -- we seem to feel compelled to take one or another of polar views on everything. Politics is certainly that way. It's either big business or the poor. Why else, when someone starts talking about how to control illegal immigration, they are accused of being anti-immigration of any kind -- and why must the only options for dealing with illegal immigration be building a fence or totally consequence-free amnesty? Even discussions about religion often boil down to whether one is a fundamentalist or a liberal. In general, it seems that the prevailing attitude is, if you don't completely agree with me, you are completely wrong. Is it really necessary to be in an extreme position on everything?

Well, I didn't solve anything while running (except to strengthen my heart, burn about 800 calories, hopefully raise my good cholesterol, clean out my pores, and get the lead out) but I did have some random thoughts while running. :-)

John 13:34-35 — A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. (NIV)

Run well, practice big-heartedness,
Bob

Running at 53!

Well, surprise, surprise, surprise -- running at 53 years old is no different from running at 52 years, 364 days! It's still hard. :-)

When I started this blog, I thought I would be posting about random things I thought about while I was running. In the ensuing months, I've realized that my random thoughts consist mostly of:

-> Why do I do this to myself?
-> I think I'll quit and go home -- oh, wait, it would take too long to walk?
-> Who says that Richmond's West End doesn't have bad hills?
-> Am I going to die before I get home? If I do, will anybody see me at this time of the morning?
-> Just let me get home before I get struck by lightening.
-> Who stole the oxygen?
-> My shoes must be eating pound cake at night -- they're gaining weight.
-> 8 blocks to go ... 7 blocks to go ... 6 blocks to go ....

There's not a whole lot of "umph" left for thinking deep thoughts. Hivyo ndivyo mambo yalivyo. (Swahili: That's the way things are.)


Run well y'all,
Bob