My first year running anniversary

On October 1, 2009 By Emerging Runner3 Comments

I didn’t intend today’s post to be another rant about technology but, through some glitch I can’t really understand, I’ve lost the post I wrote for today. The iPhone strikes again. That’s all I’ll say about it.

So one year ago today I completed my first continuous run of any measurable length (more than a mile but just barely) after six weeks of fitness walking. That led to workouts that included walking with some running that then switched to running with some walking. On October 1, 2008 I just ran and that’s been the case ever since.

Over the past year I’ve reached speed and distance goals that I would have never thought possible last October 1st. I’ve learned to love trail running and I’ve explored city running in ways I’d never experienced before. Running has become part of the family lifestyle and we’re all active. My wife, who inspired my return to running through her tenacious and consistent daily workouts, has continued to inspire me. My kids enjoy my running and they have started to make it their own. Adventure Girl, my city running partner, has returned to school but she has left me with the spirit of adventure that I maintain through solo runs in Central Park. My friends and accomplished runners CMc and CK continue to view my progress with amusement and provide invaluable lessons on technique and expectations. People, like my dad, patiently listen to my running stories and genuinely seem to care about my progress. Emergingrunner.com and Runner’s World Loop readers have provided guidance, information, support and friendship that has helped to motivate both my running and writing. Thank you all for a great year.

Today I chose to do an elliptical session rather than a symbolic run to commemorate this anniversary. I chose to go this way because running has simply become part of what I do, like taking the LIRR into the city each day. Although I suffer less when running. There are still many trails to run and adventures to be had. I hope I am as excited and motivated next October 1st as I am today.

Thanks for your opinion but I love running

On July 13, 2009 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

Our neighbors hosted a party yesterday to celebrate their son’s graduation. I was talking with a few people when my neighbor walked over and mentioned that he hadn’t seen me running in the neighborhood on Saturday. I told him that I’d done a run on the trails at Stillwell instead. I said that he should join me there some time but he smiled and said he’ll stick with walking on the treadmill. This exchange prompted a few people to ask me about my running. One person (predictably) reacted as if I’d said that I’d spent the morning killing baby dolphins. “The only time you’ll catch me running is when the beer truck is leaving.” Hey, thanks for your opinion. Others were more gracious about it but still implied some negativity with statements like: “You’re going to ruin your knees” and “Walking is just as good.” I told one person that running shoes have evolved to the point that knee problems are unlikely as long as you replace your shoes after four or five hundred miles. He said that he had better things to spend his money on. You just can’t help some people.

I’ve learned long ago that these negative reactions are mostly a projection of people’s insecurities. Their negativism likely comes from guilt that they aren’t able, or willing, to do the work. I remember when I was very active with karate some people would either poke fun of it verbally or do dumb things like pretend to shoot me with their finger to show that even the best martial artist is powerless against a gun. My point back to them was while they could pretend their finger was a weapon, mine actually was. After a while I’d just agree with them because it wasn’t worth discussing.

In truth, I’m pleased that so many people find running to be a distasteful activity. Although I like seeing other runners on the road or on the trails I also like that most of the time it’s a peaceful solitary experience. So when people drive by and look at me running with a miserable expression on my face, they can feel good about why they don’t subscribe to this crazy sport. For me, I may look unhappy but I love it nonetheless. So in a way we all win!

I used to run but…

On June 12, 2009 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

Okay, I talk about running a lot. It’s a great subject for casual conversation, especially with people you don’t know well. While it might be dangerous to discuss politics or religion with acquaintances, mentioning that you run usually evokes the following responses:

1. I run too. What pace/distances do you run?

2. I run a couple of times a week. That’s often followed by “but it’s been a while since I’ve actually run.”

3. Oh, I can’t run. It’s so boring.

4. I used to run but…

– My knees couldn’t take it.
– I don’t have time anymore.
– I realized I hated it.
– I wasn’t any good at it.
– It was too much of a commitment
– I couldn’t stay motivated.
– Now I swim, bike, weight train, etc.

Every once in a while mentioning running will spark enough interest to get people to try it. More than one person has told me they’ve taken up running (curiously it’s often via the treadmill) after I’ve mentioned what I do. I still get “You’ve lost weight, how did you do that?” from people whom I haven’t seen for a while. People love to talk about fitness and diet and they like hearing how small changes in both can make a real difference.

I don’t try to convince people to run and I try to avoid the fanatic zealotry that often comes from those who find great satisfaction from athletic activities. Like I said before, it’s best to avoid conversations about religion.

Trip summary

On April 17, 2009 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

This has been a busy week, so busy in fact that I didn’t even have time to post on Thursday. Due to the fact that my access to a PC has been limited I haven’t posted to the Runner’s World Loop in two days. Being a media person I certainly respect the need to publish so I’ll summarize the last couple of days.

I’m up at the MIT Media Lab for the spring meetings for the CE 2.0 Working Group (creating best practices for consumer electronics usability and connectivity) and the Digital Life Consortium which focuses on media, technology and society. My role as liason to MIT is one of my favorite parts of my job. My wife and kids came by the Media Lab on Wednesday and interacted with some very cool stuff including singing robots and WII enabled guitars.

The theme of yesterday’s meeting was Smart Sustainable Cities and there was much discussion about innovative directions on energy, housing and healthcare. Hugh Herr, who directs the Biomechatronics group at the Media Lab, spoke about advances in prothesis designs that can help amputees regain their ability to walk to the degree that their gait and balance are indistinguishable from a non-disabled person’s. Hugh also showed a running shoe that he and his team designed that gave a measurable advantage to the runner. The shoe had a carbon fiber spring that efficiently stored and released energy to the degree that a marathon runner could gain 8 minutes over the length of his or her run. Hugh also showed some exoskeletal designs that would help an able bodied runner gain 30% efficiency in his or her running. I would love that for Sunday’s race.

My colleage Adventure Girl is very focused on environmental science and sustainability and she also came up to Cambridge for yesterday’s session. We met at the fitness center of the hotel where I completed my last workout before my race on Sunday. AG ran on the treadmill while I worked the elliptical. It was a fairly low impact session for me but she ran almost 4 miles while we talked. This morning I’m at a different hotel and my first thought was to go down to the fitness center and run. I then remembered that I’m resting.

Being from Boston I always try to catch up with people when I travel there. Last night my wife, kids and I visited some very good friends and this morning we’re seeing my brother and his family. Tomorrow I will rest and stretch and as for Sunday, well you know about that.

Just don’t call me a @#$%! jogger

On March 11, 2009 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

This morning I saw a news story where a reporter was interviewing two women who were out for an early morning run. Superimposed on the screen were their names and the word “Joggers.” It made me laugh to see that. These women were serious looking runners but the word jogger evokes, in my mind, someone dressed in a designer sweatsuit and headband, holding a bottle of Vitamin Water, listening to an iPod and bouncing along at a fast walking pace. Someone recently asked me if I was “still jogging” and I was tempted to say “I don’t jog, I run.” Instead I just said yes because to most people it’s the same thing.

So what is the real definition of running vs. jogging? Does it have more to do with speed or attitude? I read one view that the difference between the two is an entry form. Meaning a runner races and a jogger just jogs. I’ll debate that since I know at least one serious runner who never races. Another view was that joggers run 9+ minute miles and runners run faster than that. That seems like a fairly arbitrary distinction. In that case, with an average pace of about 9:15 I’d be an aspiring – not emerging – runner. I’m not going to change the name of my blog so I’ll have to reject that definition.

This morning I (ahem) jogged 1.76 miles in 16:02 for an overall pace of 9:06. Since I have already filled out a couple of entry forms I’ll accept the first view and say I had a pretty good run.

In the long run

On February 28, 2009 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

I look forward my weekend runs because, weather permitting, I can run outdoors and enjoy some actual scenery. Weekends also provide an opportunity to run greater distances since I’m limited to about 20 minutes in the morning during the work week. Over the past few months I’ve made it a goal to increase my average distance during my weekend runs to help prepare for two races, the first coming in 49 days and the second two weeks later. I am careful to track my pace and I collect a lot of data about my runs. It’s a bit belt-and-suspenders but I use and used the Garmin 50 and the Nike+ Sportband respectively to capture real time information. Since I don’t trust (for good reason) the distance accuracy of these devices I usually map my actual run against Gmaps or Google Earth to determine actual pace.

In studying what is now 6 months of run data I see a clear pattern in terms of distance covered by day. Saturdays are by far my best distance days and all my personal distance records have been made on those days. Although my intentions are always to meet or exceed Saturdays on my Sunday runs I usually fall short and I’m sure this relates to the fact that while I’m dedicated to running I have not reached a level of conditioning that allows me to complete back to back runs over four miles.

This morning I ran 4.3 miles at a 9:26 pace. Good for me but not where I want to be in 49 days when I compete in a 4 miler. The good news is just a few months ago my pace was 30 sec/mi slower on average and my top distances were in the low 3 mile range. So progress is being made. I’ll see how tomorrow goes. We’re due for some snow on Sunday but hopefully it won’t start coming down until later in the day.

One of these things is not like the other

On February 26, 2009 By Emerging Runner3 Comments

Those who know me understand my viewpoint on smoking. I support personal freedoms and everyone has the right to do awful things to themselves (just don’t do it near me) but I just can’t understand why they would. This morning, on my way to the office, I walked by two people dressed for running who had taken a break to smoke. I passed them quickly and only caught a second of their conversation (which was in German) but I wondered how they could rationalize combining a healthy run through mid-town Manhattan with the indulgence of a cigarette break.

I didn’t look to see if they continued their run after the smoke or if they turned into the adjacent Dunkin Donuts to continue their hedonism. It did make me wonder how many runners are also smokers. It seems like a weird combination of behaviors but I’m guessing the percentage is higher than most would think. Never having been a smoker it’s easy for me to judge and I am admittedly naive about how difficult it is to quit. All the same I just don’t get it.

Runners: emerging and re-emerging

On February 24, 2009 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

This morning I did my first elliptical workout since discovering that a high resistance level can provide an equivalent effort to running. I had hoped to maintain a level of 10 (approximately 100 watts of energy) throughout the workout but I ended up averaging about 7 which kept my pulse rate about 10% lower than when I run. I wouldn’t call it an intense workout but after 20 minutes I certainly felt like I worked harder than I did with previous elliptical workouts.

While I’ve been improving my routines for cross training and distance my wife has been changing hers as well. She has been serious about fitness for as long as I have known her and was doing some intense cross training and walking until she developed a debilitating calcium deposit in her shoulder late last year. She has worked hard to get past that and has returned to daily workouts, changing things up to minimize a reoccurrence of her injury. Over the last few weeks she started incorporating running into her treadmill routine, first in 5 minute intervals and now around 30 minutes at a time. I encouraged her to buy real running shoes and I think she appreciates the difference. I’m hoping we can all go to the track this weekend where she can experience some outdoor running.

My friend Adventure Girl has had a tough time over the last few months due to a bad soccer injury that required shoulder surgery in December. Consequently she has not been able to run, play soccer, rock climb or adventure race and I can’t help wonder how frustrating her recovery has been. The good news is that she’s been given the okay to begin running again and started last night. CK, another friend and experienced runner, has been suffering from a foot injury since late last year and he hasn’t been running since completing a Turkey Trot in November. He’s been skiing, playing hockey and doing other sports that don’t cause the same stress on his foot as running. I’m seeing him today and hopefully he’ll report that he’s back to his running routine.

I’m glad to see everyone making so much progress!

Racking up the miles

On January 14, 2009 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

The subject of the first post I ever did on this site was “Yeah, I’m a runner.” There was actually more to this statement than meets the eye because this was an expression I used sarcastically during my earlier running period to poke fun at my less than dedicated focus. Over the years I have been fortunate enough, through business, to participate in a number of activities such as rock climbing and 12 meter yacht racing. It’s always been a joke between my wife and I that once I had these dilettante experiences I would refer to myself as such: “yeah, I’m a rock climber […sailor, etc.].”

So what’s the difference between being a runner and a wanabee runner? I think it’s about choosing to do it. I know people who call themselves runners but when I ask them about their routine they tell me they used to run 6 miles four times a week but it’s been months since they’ve done that. My wife isn’t a runner and doesn’t aspire to running but she is dedicated to fitness and has the potential to be a good runner. In fact, I am confident that if she took up the sport she would quickly surpass me in terms of speed and distance. So perhaps it’s better to only have one of us doing that.

My focus right now is on distance and I want to exceed my mileage every month in 2009. Not by a lot but enough so that I will have a measureable improvement between December 2008 and 2009. Haruki Murakami talks a lot about distance in his book and he regularly exceeds 200 miles per month. I don’t think I’d ever reach that level but as of now I’m tracking at about 70 miles per month. If I increase my distances 5% per month for the rest of the year I will be around 120 miles per month. The limiting factor is time so I have to build that in. But even if I can log 25 miles per week by the end of this year I will be very satisfied. At that point I can call myself a true runner.

Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional

On December 29, 2008 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

My wife got me Haruki Murakami’s book “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running” and I started reading it yesterday. I am a fan of Murakami’s novels and short stories and I’ve read many of his books. Unlike his fiction, WITAWITAR is a memoir about his running life. It would be delusional (on my part) to compare this book to my daily posts but there is similarity in that he wrote the book in “real time”, recording his daily experience without the usual filter of book writing. Murakami is very quotable but I was amused by a sentence he attributed to another runner: “Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.” What’s meant by that is when you start every run it’s a given that you will reach a point of discomfort or pain. But how you choose to proceed (or not) after that is your choice.

The decision to suffer played out in a low key way this morning when I went to the track to do a light run. I usually do a lighter workout on the elliptical on Mondays but I’m off from work this week so I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to run outside. The weather was perfect when I got to the track and after a good night’s sleep I was expecting a strong start. However, starting off, I felt tight and a little tired and I questioned whether I should have taken this as a rest day. I did my usual self bargining (“Okay, just two miles and I’ll see how I feel”) and I really wasn’t enjoying it. After about fifteen minutes I started feeling a little stronger and by then there was another runner who proceeded to follow me and then match me stride for stride until he pulled away slightly. I was happy to have him in front of me because I could follow his pace. He looked experienced and I thought I might learn something by watching the way he ran. I was able to stay with him but after a few laps he stopped. Maybe he was just warming up or maybe he wasn’t feeling it today. Perhaps he chose not to suffer. I chose to keep going and ended up running 4.4 miles finishing pretty strong. That made me happy because I’m training for a 4 mile race and I’ve been wanting to extend my weekend and vacation runs to at least 4 miles and/or 40 minutes.